CHINA NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5733, 14 August 1879, Page 3

CHINA NEWS.

(from the press agency correspondent.) Hongkong, June 10. The British barque Black Prince left here for Foochow, to load for the colonies. The barque Philippine is loading here for Melbourne at £1 3s. per ton of 50 cubic feet, 30 lay days. ; Business in the tea market at Canton has been steady, during the interval, and prices have advanced. The new teas show an improvement in quality. At Foochow the new crop is arriving, hut it is inferior in quality to last years’. At Hankow the Russian purchases to date of advices exceeded those of the English market by 20,000 half-ohests.

The settlements in coal show a firm market for both Cardiff and Australian, and as stocks iu most of the hands are by no means excessive, there is a general impression that rates will be maintained for some time. This will, however, depend on the shipments advised as coming Hither during the next two or throe mouths.

The City of Pekin brought from Yokohama last week a large shipment of Japanese goods-for the Sydney Exhibition. On the 22nd ultimo a considerable portion of the Bund wall at Amoy subsided, and placed a good many buildings in jeopardy. Governor Kennessy has left Hongkong for Japan, on a short leave of absence. The last act in the Kate Waters tragedy was played on the 28th ultimo, when the three men found guilty of the murder of the captaiu, mates, and three Chinese of the crew, suffered the extreme sentence of the law in front of the Victoria gaol at Hongkong. The Rev. John Archibald, of tha London Missionary Society, and his colleague, were very unfavorably received in tho capital town of Hun nan. The missionaries were received with stones and other missiles wherever seen.

The Chinese predict that Amoy will this year be visited by a typhoon. They base their predi 'tion on the unusually large number of insects which have made their appearance this spring. The plague is still prevalent outside the Western Gate at Canton. Shanghai, June 6. A carrier pigeon postal service has been successfully organised between Chinlciang and this port. The flight takes from five to twelve hours if the weather is windy. General Grant ■ and party arrived at Shanghai on the 17th nit. On the 19th a grand torchlight procession took place ; a Chinese bomb exploded killing one Chinaman and wounding two Europeans and a Chinaman. At Pekin the other day an eagle swooped suddenly upon a large cat and took it up in the air ; but the tables were very soon turned when the cat began to bury its claws into the bird’s bosom, and despite all that the eagle could do, the cat held fast, and the result was that they both came to earth in the death struggle, ending fatally for the eagle. H.B.M.S. Iron Duke got aground at Woosung, and the assistance of several gunboats and tugs had to be obtained before the vessel was got off.