'A mail leaves to-morrow for Europe by the M. M. str. Hoogly.
Both lines of communication with Europe are still broken; and oven by steamers from Hongkong, we have only received the following telegram.
Nottingham has won the China Challenge Cup."
the English have severely defeated the Ashantees at the town of Elmina; further fighting was expected.
There is increased anarchy in Spain, and Internationalist atrocities have been committed at Aleoy. The Carlists are spreading.
"The Captain of the Inman steamer City of Washington has been suspended for a year.
The half-yearly meeting of members of the Racket Club was held on the 28th.
The accounts, showing a profit on the half year of Tls. 559.16, were approved. It was decided that the use of Bowling Green and Quoit Grounds be restricted to Playing Members, the grounds being in fact governed by the same Rules as the Courts. Certain questions of play were discussed and settled. A proposal that no member should be allowed to hold more than one share was brought forward, and adjourned till the next general meeting.
The new bridge over the Soochow Creek is completed, and is to be opened for trottie to-day. The Council declare the name as "The Garden Bridge." We cannot say that this commends itself to us as the best that might have been chosen.
The preliminary examination into the charge brought against Mr. W. G. Came, formerly H. M, Acting Consul at Hankow, of appropriating funds of the Government, was concluded on Monday, and accused committed for trial. The case will probably come on before the Chief Judge and a Jury on Wednesday, the 6th We understand that the Chinese defendants in the Duke of <Adercorn coal case have determined to appeal to the Taotai, ayainst the decision of the Mixed Court, by which they were condemned to pay for 95 tons of the missing coal, at Is, 11.
Business at the Mixed Court had to be suspended briefly, in consequence of the illness of the Magistrate, Chen, who was seized with an attack of cholera while in Court on Monday, but has now recovered.
Mr. E. H. Gore-Booth has been appointed Lieutenant of the Rangers, in the stead of Mr. Bidwell, resigned. A meeting of the Rifle Companies is called for Tuesday next, to elect officers to the vacant cies in this branch of the Corps.
We print, elsewhere, a letter addressed by Admiral Shadwell to the Hongkong Chamber of Commerce, in reply to various questions asked him regarding the navigation of the China seas. Admiral Shadwell considers the present charts are in the main correct, but that the time has arrived when it might be desirable to re-examine the coast generally, with a view to the correct insertion in new editions of the outlying rocks which have been Aiscovered, and not yet system surveyed. He believes the Admiralty have this project in view, but will again address them on the subject.
We hear that the S. S. N. Co.'s str.
Manchu, 459 tons register, has been purchased by Mr. D. R. Spedding, for Tls. 45,000, and that she is to be employed principally in the coal trade to Nagasaki.
We publish a translation of a paper that has lately appeared in the Rerue des deux Blondes, on the subject of opium-smoking and opium-eating in China. It is a review of a book entitled "Traité de Climatologie," by a Doctor Armand; and we can only say that either Doctor Armand er the Reviewer make some of the most singular mistakes we have ever seen in a book professing to be scientific and therefore exact, The addition of a hundred millions to the highest estimate we have ever before seen of the population of China, isa trifle. As well say 500,000,000 as 400,000,000; it does not make much difference, and shows a breadth of view eminently valuable in scientific research, One would think again that a pipe-tube, 40 or 50 centimetres, i.c., about 1 ft. Gin. in circumference, would be inconvenient. M. Armand (or his reviewer) may mean millimdtres, or may mean length instead of diameter, or may mean anything else that would make sense—but the remark as it stands is certainly peculiar. We can forgive all this, however, and even pass over the statement that opium does barely more harm to the Chinese than tobacco does to Europeans,— which needs no other contradiction than the faces one sees in walking through the streets. But when Doctor Armand s: opium smoke has a more agreeable smell than tobacco smoke, we incline to say that—he had better come to China and stand outside an opium tavern, before he writes any more nonsense.
Mer the brief excitement caused by the ination of the Audience Question, x6 has subsided into its normal state of quietude. Foreigners are all at the hills, excepting the Customs men. The ung-wen-kwan broke up on the 19th July, for the usual summer vacation of six weeks. The audience is as if it had never been—no official notice, nu popular interest marks its importance.
Our Trexrsts correspondent's letter shows that the Government are collecting information about Formosa, and appear therefore to be in earnest about the expedition.
'A programme has been decided on for the Cuzroo Autumn Meeting. Tt covers two days—six events on the first and seven on the second day. Mr. W. F, Mayers, HI. B. M. Chinese Secretary of Legation, arrived here on his return from furlough a few days ago, and goes on to Peking, I believe on the 25th.
A Haxxow correspondent writes that there is no social news; weather hot, and river rising steadily.
Our Cur: correspondent say: has fallen in the rice producing districts to the north and west, and the prospects of the crop are improved.
At Krextaye the river is within a foot of the Bund. The authorities still ignore y transit passes, and foreigners do not exert themselves to fight them.
'A Nisovo correspondent writes:—The weather continues dry; no rain of any consequence has fallen, and by all reports the crops are suffering severely. In fact the rice crop is in most places a failure. Business also is very quiet—owing in great measure to the continued drought, and consequent want of water in thei canals, preventing transit to the interior.—It is rumoured, to-day, that the Shao-hsing disturbance is not yet definitely settled, and that further outbreak is by no means unlikely. A grand naval review was held on the 15th, in the presence of all the local mandarins, and an immense crowd of lookers-on, By the str. Dragon we have a Foocuow market report of the 18th July, The tea market had been quiet during the previous week, and transactions moderate. The week's settlements of Congou amounted to 25,200 chests at Tis: 3 at is. 29, Prices for teas over Tls. 17 were fairly maintained, but below this a decline was apparent of from 5 mace to 1 tael. Second crop teas continued to arrive, but those from the higher districts had not reached Foochow. Arrivals during the week were 10,900 chests. The Undine sailed on the 16th and the Flintshire 8. $. on the 17th, Total export to England to date, 14,594,000
Ibs, against 21,551,000 Ibs. in 1872-3. The rate of freight for steamers to London remains at £4.10 per ton, but sailing ves sols have come down to £3 per ton. Vessels on the Berth.—For London,—
S. 8. Glenroy, S. 8. Teviot, Argonaut, Mor-ward Ho, Norman Court, Florence Night-ingle (engaged full), and Inverness, Expected.—Duke of Abercorn and Lord Macaulay. For Australia.—Ziska, Tessie MeLonald, Ferdinand (under despatch), Georgina, scacit, Rachel, Sophie and August. For New Zealand,—Nicoline, (under despatch).
Full summaries of Javax news will be found among our Outport correspond The following is ah extract from a pri-vote letter from Basexox:—" Cholera is raging here. here is a prison about 200 yards from my house, exuetly one-tenth of the prisoners in which have died; and about one-third have been oraresick, In the next garden to this, the gardeners have been decimated in a fortnight, In our garden there have been but few eases, and these have been reported to me at once and have been happily cured by laudantn chlorodyne and brandy in the first stage, and camphor water and acetate of lead as a second resort. The panic hay been wonderful. For one or two days, at the worst time, the place seemed almost a city of the dead. Save the boats of foreigners, one saw no craft moving in the usually busy river. Ihe people seemed to have fled to their inner rooms, and one felt almost alone. The great noblemen shut themselves up; their slaves and retainers fled to the country; the Courts wore closed the markets unattended. ven yesterday Isent my boy to buy rice; he went the whole length of the chief market, 9 market nearly a mile and a half long, and could not buy that first article of food. he rice boats fled the pest-stricken city, and famine seems to threaten,"
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.