The Press. — 1857-03-07 (London, England)

CHINA, INDIA, AND THE EAST.  The overland mail—with dates from Hong Kong to Jan. 15 ; Calcutta, Jan. 23 ; and Bombay, Feb. • brings important intelligence from Canton. The burning of the factories on December 14 had been followed by the Chinese with an unsuccessful attempt to retake Macao Passage Fort—(upwards of sixty war junks attacked the fort; her Majesty's ships Niger, Encounter, and Corromandel succeeded, after a four hours' engagement, in driving back the Chinese squadron)—by the capture of the mail steamer Thistle and the murder of the entire crew and passengers, and by a combination of the Chinese bakers in Hong Kong to poison the English inhabitants by mixing arsenic in the bread. The rebel fleet had joined that of the Imperialists, and upwards of six hundred war junks were collected in the Canton river. The excitement of the Chinese at Hong Kong, Singapore, and throughout every island in the Chinese seas, was intense. Proclamations filled every town and village, and were secretly circulated at Macao and Hong Kong, calling upon all the Celestial people to unite " for the extermination of the barbarians." On the part of the English, Admiral Seymour had retired from the Dutch Folly Fort, first burning the suburbs of Canton, and was awaiting reinforcements of troops and ships from Singapore and Calcutta. Every precaution had been taken to secure our position at Hong Kong and Macao. At Hong Kong Sir John Bowring on the 6th of January had issued an ordinance declaring the necessity of taking immediate and special means for preserving the peace of the colony, and enacting that any Chinaman found at large in Hong Kong, elsewhere than in his own habitation, between the hours of eight in the evening and sunrise, and without a police pass, shall be liable to a fine, to imprisonment with hard labour, to whipping, or to the stocks. By another section of the same ordinance :  Every person lawfully acting as a sentry or patrol at any time between the hour of eight in the evening and sunrise is hereby authorised, whilst so acting, to fire upon, with intent or effect to kill, any Chinaman whom he shall meet with or discover abroad, and whom he shall have reason• able ground to suspect of being so abroad for an improper purpose, and who, being challenged by him, shall neglect or refuse to make proper answer to his challenge.  His Excellency also assumes power to deport all persons considered dangerous to the peace and good order of the colony. The American commodore and French admiral bad landed strong bodies of seamen and marines for the protection of their respective interests at Hong Kong. Upon the whole, the position of affairs tended rather to the advantage of the Chinese. We bad been compelled to abandon Canton and the Dutch Folly Fort. We were reduced wholly to the defensive ; and in our own possessions to that extent bad the Chinese authorities succeeded in rousing the passions of the people, that a very general sense of insecurity prevailed both at Hong Kong and Singapore. Whampoa had been abandoned by all foreign shipping. The Governor of Lin-timm had seized the central opium depot, the property of foreign traders. The Chinese Government at Pekin was reported to have published an Imperial edict,• prohibiting all trading with the English, closing the country to English goods, suspending existing treaties, and ordering the English to be attacked upon every opportunity. With respect to the Persian war, the intelligence from Bushire up ;to the 17th of January states that the troops had completely intreuched themselves, and were unmolested. They were healthy, supplies were plentiful, and powerful reinforcements were leaving Bombay and Kurrachee for the Gulf. General Outram was expected to proceed to Bussorah. The Paris Pays says :  According to the latest news from the Persian Gulf, an armistice of three months has been concluded between the Commander•in•Chief of the English troops and the Persian Government. This armistice will begin on March 1, 1k,57. Dost Mohammed was still at Peshawur. A new five-per-cent. loan was opened at Calcutta on 16th Jan.