CHINA.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 709, 19 May 1852, Page 4

CHINA.

[From the Maitland Mercury, April 24."] It is with great regret that we notify the partial destruction by fire of Victoria, the capital of HongKong. On the night of the 28th December, a gentleman walking towards the West Point observed flames issuing from a shop in the circular range, about 150 yards from the wharves of Messrs. Gibb, Livington, and Co., and near the large building on the sea front known as Aqui’s Theatre. The alarm was immediately given, and for nearly an hour the wooden houses, extending both east and west along the sea front of th.e Bazaar, were exposed to the flames. At length a fire-engine was brought into action, and several companies of the 59tb Regiment and the Ceylon Rifles gave their assistance, The Friend of China gives the following melancholy details of what ensued -

“ The engines would not work, and there was an evident want of some master spirit to direct what, should or should not be done. The only military engine got dowD into the bazaar wanted suction pipes, those of 10 feet long being entirely useless by reason of its being impossible to screw them on ; they belonged to some other engine, in fact. The spldiers under arms exhibited admirable discipline, but it was all of the passive kind ; the sergeants would not direct their men without the orders of those above them, and so, taken altogether, the soldiers:of the garrison were more than useless, for they kept civilians from volunteering their aid. Block after block went down. From Marine lot i, furthest east, it took successively lots 4,6, 8,9, 11, 16, 17, 19, 25, 28, 32,33,34, 41,and lastly, the Tapingshan market, and there it.could go no further, on the sea.side, for the devouring element had been there just two years, wanting two days previously. On the land side it took successively inland lots Nos. 202, 117, 99, 102, 103, 195, 180, 191, 163, 162, 142 —stopping on that side of the Queen’s Road, at the Dead House and Found. On the opposite side of the: Queen’s Road, skipping over the broken culvert on lot No. 5, it crossed the long steps at the end of Gough-street, and took the carpeuterls large yard (formerly the Coolee’s depot), the whole of the houses on Lot 9a, and then the London Missionary Society’s Hospital, promising, if it caught the next range, to run up the whole of the Tapingshan. It was here there occurred the most fearful catastrophe that it has been our lot to record for many a Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Tomkins, R. A., Lieutenant Lugg, R. A.,; Lieutenant Wilson, R. £., aud several gunners and bombardiers, had gone in to plant bags of gunpowder for blowing up the three three-storied houses on Lot No. 71. The bugle had duly sounded the retreat, and the explosions occurred, but horrible to relate, Colonel Tompkins, Lieutenant Lugg, Lieutenant Wilson, a bombardier and a gunner of the Artillery, were in the house at the time. The first-named was dragged out fearfully mutilated; be died at four this morning. Lieut, Lugg is supposed to be

beneath, the. ruins. Lieut. Wilson is blind of'one if not both eyes; and in. great jeopardy; and the other two. are also dreadfully injured. The fire may be said to>have stopped /here ; although the houses- throughout the wiioie length of the road to Circular Buildings West ate much scorched and damaged. , The rebellion in the Southern Provinces of China still continued,' and several high Chinese officers and generals, have been degraded for not having yet put it down. The news to the'Bth July from H.M.S. Enterprise, Captain Collinsoo, one of the Franklin discovery ships, reporting that up to that date no traces whatever of Sir. John Franklin had been found by the Plover, will be read with much in? terest.

Land Saxe. Government being still, of opinion that land is worth something here, had a sale the other day. The great fact shown was, that a country lot that- was asked of them some two or three years ago, and for which they demanded £4OO annual rental, was knocked down at £SO. — Hongkong Register. The Garrison. —The health of the troops has improved with the cold weather. By the David Malcolm a detachment of invalids go home. Dr. Stewart; and Captain Fuller, of the 59th, accompany them. — Hongkong Register.

The; Rebellion.- —This matter is not yet settled, and by way of stirring those into activity who have the management of putting it down, several of them have .been degraded—Sai-shang-ah (prime minister) four steps; Patsing-teh and Hiang-yung, generals and colleagues of Sai-shang-ah, totally degraded for feigning sickness ; the two last are however to remain with the army for the purpose of recovering their lost honour. Warantai, who had been degraded, has had his punishment remitted in consequence of his subsequent bravery—-be and several others nave had their merits celebrated in a poem by the Emperor. There are the usual reports of victories by the imperial generals, and denials of these victories by common rumour. In this way Su has been making himself conspicuous. We learn that among other prisoners forwarded from the scene of action are two Europeans, supposed to be French priests. As far as we can understand matters, they remain Hn the same state as they have been for the lastjtwo or three years.-r-Over-land Register, Dec. -29. Seizure of sugar-brokers. —-We are living in times of Chinese jcustom-house activity. A falling off in the sugar revenue halving wakened the mandarins specially connected with the,-affair, they have made enquiries, and find that there is no falling off in the industry of the sugar growers—that in fact the growth has been more this year than preceding ones, and that more sugar has been manufactured. With a facility of induction, they at once decided that the blame lay with the sugar-brokers who sell to foreigners, and undoubtedly they were correct. Five of the principal sugar-broker shops, were pounced upon, and their owners captured, while the remaining sugar-brokers sought refuge in this smuggling emporium, where they were safe for the time being, from the grasp of their own authorities, who have, we learn, fined the five delinquents in their power pretty heavily ; ani so matters will go on as usual until the next time that the smuggling becomes too glaring to be passed over.— Hongkong Register.