English and Foreign.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 527, 21 November 1857, Page 5

English and Foreign.

CHINA,

We have papers from Hongkong tothe 10th of August. From the Overland China Mail of that date we take the following summary of news both local and general: — The Pekin Gazette up to the 3rd June still contains not the slightest allusion to the warfare waged at Canton. The melancholy state of affairs in India, with Lord Elgin's departure for Calcutta, having annihilated all hope, if any existed, of immediate adjustment of the Canton Qtiestion 5> and for months to come matters must remain inthe present unsettled and unsatisfactory condition; while even the little traffic which has been springing up in Hongkong will probably be put a summary end to by the blockade of the Canton River, which Admiral Seymour has deemed it necessary, for the protection of British interests, to proclaim, and which will, doubtless, be rigidly enforced. By this act, Hongkong will suffer to a small extent, in the partial deprivation of market supplies, as well as in trade in general. Macao will suffer still more—its supplies being in a great measure drawn from the river, while those for this colony are mostly brought from the coast. Notwithstanding their plentffulness .provisions are now enormously dear both here and at Macao. Ma-chow Wong, the pirate informer, has been committed for trial on two distinct charges of confederating with pirates—that is, supplyinc them with stores, and disposing of their booty. A-lum the baker, after an unjust confinement of «x months, h«» been at length

liberated, we presume, under express injunctions from the Home Government. These instructions must have been received here the mail before last, and we are at a loss to understand the delay in executing the order. It is said, however, that it arose out of some blunder of the acting Colonial Secretary, in supposing that writs of detainder had been issued against A-lum by his creditors, and that the mistake was only discovered on an inquiry by Mr. Stace, A-lum's solicitor, as to the cause of his client's continued imprisonment. No writs had been taken out, and after due warning (36 hours' notice) had been given to the Sheriff by the Governor of the Gaol, and no writs being forthcoming, the prisoner was discharged and has since left the colony. The blame of A-lum's non-detention, if any such there be, rests entirely with the attorneys employed by his creditors j but we believe the man to have been utterly ruined through his unjustifiable incarceration in gaol, and that nothing beyond the gratification of a spirit of revenge could have been gained by further proceedings against him. The North China Herald contains the following account of the apprehension of the pirate Soeiro; —•' Our latest from Ningpo is to the 14th instant, Soeiro, who escaped, from the policeman in Shanghae, and from Woosung in the lorcha, got her aground at Lookong. They then seized two fishing boats into which they transferred arms, ammunition, &c, when seeing the Marceau standing out from Ningpo, they ran the boats on shore and took to the hills. One of these boats, protected by a private boat was taken into Ningpo. The papers left on board by Soeiro, in his hurry to escape, implicate one or two Portuguese residents in Ningpo in the whole affair. Three of Soeiro's gang were caught, and he gave himself up to the Corvette Capricieuse, where he is a prisoner. There was a Chusan mandarin on board Soeiro's lorcha, who having been kept in irons four months, had lost the use of his legs from confinement. Anothe&Tniandarin was killed, and it is said his headisjn a cask on boai-d the lorcha now in this harbour. The French authorities have intimation of this report Rumour says Apak is- io pay 10,000 dollars indemnity, and to keep Jthe lorchas."

Provisions are becoming very scarce at Ningpo,—rice wasddearr r wheat not to be had, and pease only at a. very high price. At Shanghae a proclamation from the authorities has been issued, to the effect that, notwithstanding the high 'prices of provisions, no reduction can be made in the local taxation, the exigencies of the State demanding payment in full.

The Taouthee is reported to have secured his retention of office by the imperial commissioner ; 200,000, taels is the sum mentioned.

Intimation of "an intention f 6 levy additional imposts on tea and silk has been posted at the Custom-houses, and the four foreign ~ consuls have had a correspondence with the Chinese authorities on the subject, and appealed against such an increase of the export duties, but without success. The impost levied upon opium has been increased from 12 dollars to 24 dollars. The insurgents at Nanking have been again quarrelling among themselves, and two district cities named Lih-shwui and Kiang-yin, about 35 miles from Nanking, have been retaken by the Imperialists—the rebels retreating upon Nanking. The Herald furnishes us with the following particulars :— On the 22nd instant (July) we received news of the recapture of Lih-shwui and Kenyung district cities, lying about 100 le from Nanking. The rebels, in whose occupation they have been for some time, retreated to Nanking. The Imperialist General, Changkwoleang, shortly after vacating these cities, removed his camp to a town called Chinwa, which lies about 35 le (12 miles from Nanking. It is rumoured that the rebel prince Shihtakae lately left Nanking for Gannwuy, directing his march to the provincial city Ganking. He took a large force with him, which thereby weakened the Taeping army in Nanking. We have heard it stated that Shihtakae has separated from, in fact that he is at variance with, Hungsewtseuen, the chief of the insurgents. We are not able to state that such is the case, and think it rather improbable. We trust, however, in a short time to be able to inform our readers accurately on this head.

It is very generally believed by foreigners that the rebel cause is losing ground. A letter from Soochow states that a high Mandarin ha's reached that city from Nanking, to consult with the other officers as to the expected dissolution of the rebels; _ They are represented as being without supplies, and as disposed to submit and scatter in consequence. Should they mutually separate, it will be necessary to guard the pawnbrokers' shops and other public places from the predatory attacks of the wandering bands, and this is said to be another occasion of the conference. Similar rumours, however, have often been afloat, and little is to be apprehended from it as yet. It is true that the rebel commissariat at head-quarters is in a destitute state, and there may be reason to suppose the rumour to be not altogether without foundation. In Kiangsi it is reported that the insurgents form the chief ruling power, but that communications are intercepted between that place and Nanking. But while the rebels are getting worsted in the neighbourhood of the Southern Capital, the state of Peking itself seems to be exciting considerable apprehension. The soldiers, destitute of supplies are naturally dissatisfied, while the country is overrun with banditti. The nunrber of suspicious characters congregating within the city are reported to bo fast increasing, and "nil plays and street gatherings" have been forbidden.

INDIA

We give a few details of importance which we have found on reperusing the papers. Pondicheery.—A French mercantile house has received letters from Pondicherry, stating that they are greatly alarmed there at the conduct of the Mahomedan inhabitants, who have expressed their determination to have their processions in the heart of the town, opposite the Catholic church. The Governor has only thirty sepoys, and is therefore quite unable to control thenu The French, however, are not likely to submit quietly to insult, and as they have a force in China, the unruly Mahomedans may find out their mistake too late— Calcutta Englishman, July 25.

We learn that the split between Sir Colin Campbell and the Government is complete. Sir Colin recommended martial law to be proclaimed in and around Calcutta; the people also wished it, Lord Canning refused to sanction the measure. Again, Sir Colin Campbell, coming by express, outstripped the East India Company's despatch and has been refused a seat in the Council. It is said that he has resigned his appointment, unless •he receives absolute power over the military arrangements. The fatuity of the Company, is wonderful. This is the old story of Sir Charles Napier over again; and we hope it will show the impropriety of the continuance of a divided Government; and eventuate in India being handed over to the Government of the Crown.— Ceylon Examiner. Nana Saheb.—lt may not be uninteresting to some of our readers to know that Nanajee Saheb, the Eajah of Bithoor, has, besides some money in the Bank of Bengal, a good many lakhs of rupees invested in Company's paper. This atrocious traitor is the adopted son of the Peishwa, Bajee Eao, who from the time of his deposition until his death, lived at Bithoor, in the neighbourhood of Cawnpove, upon the pension allowed him by the British Government. On the death of the ex-Peishwa, Nanajse strove hard, but without success, to obtain from the Indian Government a continuance to himself of the pension allowed to Bajee Rao. Failing in this, he despatched an agent to agitate his claims in England, and transmitted, it is said, to meet the expenses of such a mission a single piece of Company's paper of the value of five laklis of rupees. _ The mission to England, we need hardly remind our readers, was as unsuccessful as the attempt made to influence the local Government.

The Indian Government may in some measure thank itself for having allowed this man to acquire the local influence he possesses. It is well known that for years back, since the death of Bajee Rao, Nanajee has kept the Begums of the Bajee, the rightful heirs of the property of the deceased chief, in close confinement in the Zenanah, so that none likely to take steps relative to rescuing them from confine-^ ment or restoring to them their property, could obtain access to where they were. It cannot be said that Nanajee is not a venturous traitor. He has staked his all, which is not a little, upon the die. His game might have been played so as not to have entirely deprived him of the sympathy of those he fought against, but like every leader, the present insurrection has brought to notice, he seems unable to resist that propensity to cold-blooded, dastardly murder^ which seems to .take possession of most natives simultaneously with their achieving power to gratify it.— Phoenix. Extract of a letter from Cawnpore, dated July 19th :— ** Intelligence came in late last night that the Bitour Rajah had destroyed himself in despair, that the, sepoys had all fled towards Delhi, that Bitour was evacuated. This morning the news is confirmed as actually true, and a detached force of Ist Madras Fusiliers, Sikhs, and two guns, are gone out to take possession of the place. The whole force is now rested and in high spirits, feels that its hard marching and iighting has not been for nothing; and four days hence I hope we shall be in Lucknow triumphant. " The accounts men give of the state of cantonments are fearful. They have visited the house where our women were murdered. " That house and well are described by men of not weak nerves as the most fearful sickening sight they ever saw. Four women are saved, Mrs. Greenway, wife of a merchant, and three half-castes. The Cawnpore people have had enough of the Nana's reign. You never saw folk so glad, as they can now practically appreciate the difference between native and British rule. " Cawnpore news of the 19 th had reached Dinapore on the 22nd, Bitour had been looted, and the Nana, his family and treasure, had found their way to the bottom of the Ganges." — Colombo Examiner.

Taming- the Sea.—A gigantic enterprise is now going on in Holland, being nothing less than blocking up two arms of the sea, and replacing them by a navigable canal for merchant vessels of the largest burden. By this operation an extent of land of 35,000 acres of the finest quality will be gained from the Scheldt. This canal, which will be completed in the course of two years, crosses the island of Sud-Beveland, between the villages of Hanswert, on the western branch of the Scheldt, and Wemerdinge, on the eastern. It will be 6J miles in length, and provided with towing paths on both sides, aqueducts and other works necessary for draining off the waters. There are to be locks at both ends of the caiial, with wet docks of 1,000 square metres each. Outside the locks there will be ports about 60 metres broad, and swivel bridges are to cross the canal at several points. The dams are to rise four metres above high water mark; a double railway, commencing from Flushing, touching at

Middleburg" and Goes, and terminating at Bergen-op Zoom, is to run along their sides on beams 10 metres in breadth, and 1\ metres above_ high water mark. By this railway Flushing will be brought into immediate communication with all the railways of Germany. The statement, going the round of the papers respecting the transportation of Paul, Eobson, Redpath, and other illustrious criminals in the same vessel to Western Australia, is altogether unfounded.

%t the departure of the last mail the crops in the West Indies had been mostly got in; they were rather over an average.