The Sun. — 1858-08-12 (London, England)

TIEN TSIN, JUNE 4. " The proceedings of the Allied Ministers since the capture of the forts at the mouth of the Pei-ho on the 20th ult., have been limited to an examination of the river from Taku up to Tientsin and the progress of Lord Elgin and Baron Gros on the night of the 29th, and of Mr. Reed and Count Putiatine on the morning of the 30th, up to the7same Some of the French and English gunboats had then been off the" city four or five days. The details of the capture of the forts at Taku haye alrpady been published. These fortifications were admirably situate to command the passage, their guns and ammunition were abundant and effective, all that was wanted, as usual in China, were skill and courage. The lops of life among the defenders was probably under 300 k:lled outright, whose bodies were found in the forts ; the wounded were carried ofE The sfficers stood with their men in many cases, one or two were found dead, killed by their own hand, and the people report that Tab, the Manchu, Commander-in- Chief, was drawn out of the water where hehad attempted suicide. ." The river Pei-ho, between laku and Tientsin, runs through a flat Country, so level that one can see only a short distance beyond the banks; the soil is alluvial, no stones or rocks of any sort occur along the shores, and the houses furnish proof of the small supply of timber. They are made of mud or sun-dried brick, and are generally of one story; the mud is strengthened by wattles of reed or millet stalks, and then plastered on the outside. They are wretched and dirty hovels, but the absence of stone and timber, rather than the abject poverty of the people, accounts for their miserable appearance, as they must employ what comes to band.  " The trip from Taku to Tientsin will remind the traveller who bas been to Thebes of the towns and scenery of the Nile, and the similarity is increased by the numerous creeks and well-sweeps here, with t,hich the people irrigate their fields. The distance is about 60 miles, and great numbers of grain junks line the sides of the river, showing the imp vtance of that trade to the support of the capital.' Over 300 of them passed out of the mouth of the river within the week succeeding the capture of the forts. "Tientsin contains upwards of 300,000 people, most of them living o 4 the oontheria bwili 0 the Pelitoged ost of  (From the Overland Friend of China of 22d June.) The Pekin arrived with the English mails on the 19th, again within 40 days from the General Postoffice. Our dates from the Peiho extend to the 9th inst. No opposition was met by our gunboats on the route to Tientsien from those forts at the mouth of the Peiho whose capture was reported in our last summary. On the 29th ult., both the Earl of Elgin and Baron Gros, with their suites, took up their quarters in the vicinity of the city. Soon afterwards intimation was received of the appointment of To-ming-ah, a General of the Manchou banner, as Special High Commissioner. On Saturday, the 6th, the Earl of Elgin had his first interview with his Excellency—the Baron Gros meeting him in similar state the day following. It is presumed that the business of these meetings was entirely formal, and failing prompt compliance with our demands, the Ambassadors are prepared to declare war. Without such declaration of war we see no feasible means of bringing matters to a proper footing. In the south of China the news of actual hostilities at the north appeared to be the long-desired signal to societies banded for annoyance of the barbarians to proceed to actual operations. On our inner pages will be found the details of the capture and decapitation of several Europeans, the murder of sepoys and police on duty, and attempts at incendiarism. No person feels safe ; and one of two things must shortly be performed • either we must entrench the foreign quarter at flonan in such a manner that foreigners may sleep o' nights, or vacate the place altogether. What the Allies could mean by declaring Canton open to trade, and yet neglect to make provision for the safety of traders, it is impossible to divine. It is generally understood, however, that the fault rests with General Van Straubenzee and Mr. Parkes, rather than with the Ambassadors and naval commanders ; neither the General nor the Commissioner having sufficient mind to realize what is actually and tacitly required of them. So much for making a mere soldier—though a gallant soldier—the directing head of a province; a mere interpreter—a conceited and self-willed youth—a commissioner. Some heavy floods in the interior of Chekiang have had the effect of checking the advance of the rebels, whose proximity to Ningpo was mentioned in our last, A letter says : " A panic in the native money-market, such as has not been known for a considerable time, has caused a suspension of :reale at Sbanghae. Large contracts were made for foreign goods on the spots and to arrive, in order that they might be included in the list of stocks to he handed into the Taoutai, thereby avoiding the additional duty to be levied on foreign goods purchased subsequent to a certain fixed date; but another mode of raising the required funds having been adopted by the Taoutai in consequence of the remonstrances of foreigners, the speculators are embarrassed with large stocks, which, owing to the hostilities in the north and the disturbances of the interior, they are unable to dispose of, and have been obliged to apply to the bankers for assistance to enable them to fulfil their contracts with f;ireigners. The bankers having already a large portion of their funds locked up in advances on goods shipped to the north and to the interior, and in considerable investments in Shanghai dollars, held far an advance in value when the new silk season open in the country, withheld further accommodation. Doubts began to be entertained about their ability to stand the loss which would fall upon them should the junks io the Pei-ho be destroyed--a tun was made upon the banks, and had it not been shown that they held sufficient security in goods to pay off their liabilities they would nearly all have suspended payment. Time was given then] to get funds from Ningpo, Soo-chow, &c., and now confidence is restored." At Macao a fearful epidemic, resembling cholera morbus, has been imported from Singapore, and fears are entertained of its reaching Hong Kong.