News of stirring events in Tonquin will probably be received bery before the close of the present month, All the reinfurcemews sent out from France have now reached their dostivation; indeed at the re aunt moment, a grand attack on Sontai, or Bacninh, may be in progress, Out special corres, writing from phony on the 8th instant, gave usa com prehensive view of the position of affairs Lonquin on that date, The French ye now probably in the country about 7, nyguin and Bienkos closing his lotter.
Bay, in the transports Bienh "& © battalion of native Al Kaitls. (Fuceos) from Algiers, and 270 rank and file, and a battery of six pieces, from Toulon. Thy total number of men sent out on these two transports was close upon 1,900. Aa our corres; points out, thes reinforcements will have to meet increased demands, ow being now more places for the French te togatrison, Calculating roughly, we ould be able to i, Bacuink or other point he may ch to attack with a Kurvpean force of at least 4,000 men, possibly 5,000.
That the Bluck Flags and their allies wake a stubborn he for their aye th urentest activity was being displayed them in making defensive preparations. Sontai appeared from the French vanced pi to be most formidably fortified. The river front had been em: banked and mounted with forty hoary guna, and the rear was reported to equally well defended. Large numbers of Chinese had aleo been observed passing between Sontsi and Bacninh, and, what is ber of j seen descending the Red Kiver from the northern frontier with reiuforcements and mutéviel for Soutai, The last of the reinforcements from Franco were disembarked at Haiphong about six days ago, and they could easily have reached the front by this time. there is no re suppose that Admiral: Courbet is desirous of delaying offensive operations; on the contrary, he may be-expected to endeavour to strike a decisive blow against the enemy at the earliest pos sible moment. A yood attack will be made on the Chinese entrenchments either on the Sontai road, or at Bacninh, Admiral Courbet will no doubt st ive to peat such a coup as that at Tel-el-Kel We believe he will be successful in capturing the hostile positions, but we daube if he will be able at the sume time to strike such " blow as will annihilate all rosistancy, Any way, after the Soutui road has boon cleared, there will be Bacninh to be dealt with, wu less ho is able to strike such a vigorous and effective blow ut Soutai aa will frighten the Chinese out of their other It is when Sontai and Bacninh ha fallen, and the Black Flags and their allies are in retreat to their mountain fastuesso that the real danger of the Franco-Chines imbroglio will come to the surface, he French or the Chives will tle accounts with the Black Flug rheae marauders and their allies ultimately take refuge in Chinese territory, the Peking Government will their protector, or be ao husely nngeateful receive at the point of the bayonet who have been fighting for their can iw'Touguin, Our correspondent says it is uow established without doubt. tat the forces at Sontai and Bueniuh opposed to the French ure bond fide Chinese troops, for the most part, and that it is known, as a fact, that Lin Yung Fub, the notorious louder of the Bluck Fage, who tw wouths ago would not have dared to n Lis bead across the Yunnan frontier, waa recently openly revolved and welcomed by the highest Government officials at Yuns manu. France has practieslly unde taken to exterminate the Black Fly Away up Ute course of the Med Kiver, about n hundred wiles above Soutai, there portant town and ate Id called here that the borders of of Tonquin, and it is to thia place that the Black Flags and their allies say be expected to retreat in the event of their cecviving w crushing defeat at Sontai. Hero also it seems to us it is extremely likely the question of peace ur war between Franes and China will decided, If Bacninh is the first place attacked, instomd of Sontai, then perhaps Long Son, on the Kwangest borders, may ths spot where the Chinese Geyeruiment have to afford " practical wulution of the quicstion of the protection, or othurwine of the Black Flags and thole allies, Chiness history does not support the opinion that the Poking Government would make any great sacrilive to extend a protecting hand to those who have supported the Imperial cause in the battlefield, But out occasion, the interests of the Chim Government, us opposed to the pretensions of the French in Tonquin, may turn the balance in-favour of such protection. China Mail, Haiphong, 12th Nov.
No events of any interest have occurred the date of my last communi tin, All die new arrivals per the Aveyron, Shamrock, Bienhoa and Tonquin have now been brought up from Halong Bay landed here, while about onv-half of them have already been despatched to Hanoi, Haiphong is quite gay with the bizarre uniform of the Algerian troops, as just for the present we have no less than i,200 to 1,500 of Turcos and men of the Foreign Legion temporarily quartered in the place. Your readers are probably acquainted with the picturesque costume of the uroos, or "black Frenchmen," aq the Annamite,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.