Our correspondent sends us, under date the 15th January, the following news Soon after the troops sent to Hienchung in the telegraph steamer, of which you have already been informed, arrived, the savages, aided by those' rebel or brigand natives and half-castes with whom they are now allied, planned and carried out a very clever and fatal ambuscade. By assuming straw sandals and putting them on reverse fashion, i.e., slipper toe to heel of foot, they arranged a series of tracks in connection with the selected spot.
ye allies were sent into Hienchung to give notice of a disturbance and solicit Phe troops sallied forth, the commanding officers being, fortunately for themselves, considerably in the rear, The tracks were soon hit off, and the reports from the sham sufferers received. The soldiers rapidly followed the fresh tracks, which they thought denoted signs of trepidation on the part of the pursued. (I should tell you that for the first ti the history of the island the aboriginal tribes have banded together, and are acting in organs system, Thosenow spoken of—the Bhotanis, 18 tribes—numbered 5,000 in or about the Hienchung district, the greater partof whom tonk part in the ambush and attack.) To resume: on the soldiers advancing into the trap thus skilfully laid for them the assault began. Out of 200 that left camp only 10 have escaped." From all accounts it seems to have been a second Isandula, I told you before how much the savages are aided by the present very discontented state of the country, and there can be no Qoubt that very serious alliances are being formed between themselves and the Hakkas, as well as with many of the immigrant Chinese, and thus not only the supply of arms and ammunition has been much faci-lirated but these people also actually participate and aid in the operations against, the authorities, It must not be supposed that the only arms available for sale to the aborigines are those imported, for many of the natives on the frontier have become skilled makers of weapons—breech-loaders, too—which in the hands of a hidden and protected savage have proved most effective. Gunpowder is manufactured largely on the spot, and most ingenious are the methods adopted for getting nitrate of potash from local sources. Another very fruitful source of arm-supply is from the soldiers themselves who do not hesitate to sell their guns and ammunition to the numerous buyers lurk-jing round their barracks and tempting them with opium, &e., to do so. OF course the impecuniosity consequent onnon-receipt of pay for so many months does nvt tend to make the soldiers more honest or patriotic. Proclamations may be seen now all over the country, offering rewards for anyone who will return the guns stolen, $10 being offered for each; and as they're of assort that probably originally cost $2, it may beimagined how anxious the authorities are to get hold of them. To return to Hienchung. Wu Ti-tai, from the Pescadores, who appears to \be the commander-in-chief of the operation: his m e efforts and try negotiations. In this he was so much hampered at first by the repeated treachery and cruelty which had been, on several occasions, shown towards confiding sav: asked to come to " pow-wows " Siler tas of truce, that he could not, for a long time, get any response to his proposals for meeting. After a while, however, most unusual and very unflattering, almost hum hating, precautions being taken against Chinese bad faith, a meeting was arranged with the leading' chiefs and negotiations began, Large concessions being made, accompanied by no end of dowcewrs and promises of future subsidy to the aboriginal belligerents, peace has been patched up nothing is to be said on either side as to past occurrences, and the savages agree to resume friendly relations, so long as the Chinese remain faithful, with their Celestial neigh-hours. When the two Armstrong cruisers that had been dispatched in hot haste from Sharghai arrived they found Wu had settled elt as above described, It will be most interesting to compare the official report of the affair, if any is forthcoming, with the actual facts.
No change in the condition of offal brigandage is rampant, villages are being "stuck up" everywhere and the authorities are said to be at their wits-end
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.