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The steamship Nile leaves at daylight with a full cargo, including 119 bales of Silk. She goes direct to Suez, calling only at Hongkong to deliver Govern ment despatches relating to the news of the massacre at Tientsin.
Captain Wright (says our local con- temporary) also reports that the greatest excitement prevails at Shanghai, in con sequence of this news.
There was સ further rumour that the whole of the foreign Legation buildings at Pekin were in flames. The news arrived at Shang- hai at 2 p.m. on the 27th instant, when the Nile was clearing for sea, and Capt. Wright immediately proffered his ser- vices to the English and French Consul to bring down the intelligence to the Senior Officer on this station. He had previously no intention of calling at Hongkong, as he was bound home with a full cargo, a large portion of which was engaged at the high freight of £6, on condition of his making the voyage in 60 days, and for the remainder he was under guarantee not to call anywhere until he reached the Red Sea. This guarantee was waived, however, in consideration of the urgency of the case, but the Nile is still to arrive in 60 days from Shanghai, or to lose £1 of her freight. Under these circumstances Capt. Wright's offer to bring down the news most be thorough- ly appreciated, utterly disinterested as it is, and proceeding from motives of pure courtesy and humanity. The offer was duly appreciated by the French Consul, who was politeness itself, and full of acknowledgments of Captain Wright's courtesy. The English Consul, on the other hand, was pleased to communicate with the Captain through a subordinate, who was good enough to take off three from the list of four distressed seamen going home by the Ne, in consideration of the proffered service. It was impos sible to do more, so the last "distressed seaman" remains on board to testify in mathematical language to the three- quarters-hearted kindness of British con- snlar officers at Shanghai, in a case in which an hour's delay in delivering the despatches, which none but the Nile could take at the moment, was fraught with danger to the whole foreign commu- nity of Tientsin,
Orders have gone to Saigon for the immediate despatch of men of war.
We (Courier) have been favoured with a copy of a letter, on this subject addressed by Mr. Mayers to the U. S. Vice-Consul at Chefoo, which we publish below :-
CHEFOO, JUNE 23rd, 1870, 9.30 p. M. S. A. Holmes, Esq., U. 8. Vice-Consul, Chefoo.
DEAR STB,-In reply to your letter just now received, I hasten to inform you that the information I have received from H. M. Gunboat Opssum, lying at this port, is to the effect that the French Consul at Tientsin, the Sisters of Mercy, and several other French subjects had been murdered, and that the French Consulate, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, and the establishment of the Sisters of Marcy were in flames.
This information was conveyed by a note (not dated, but apparently written on the afternoon of the 21st iust.) despatched by apecial courier to overtake the Steamer Dragon at Taku. At the time the Dragon left Tientsin, at about noon, (I believe,) on the 21st instaut, disquieting rumors with reference to hostile feeling against the French missionaries and foreigners u ge beral were in circulation, but no overt act of violence had been committed.
As the information I have comes from Her Majesty's Consulate at Tientsin, there' can be no question as to its authenticity; and although I have no power to order the Commander of the British Steamer Dragon to proceed with all despatch to Shanghai, to convey the official communications which have been addressed by myself to Com- mander May, R. N., to H.M. Consular and Naval authorities at that port, I consider it eminently desirable that she should proceed with as little delay as possible.
Thanking you for your letter.
1 am, Yours faithfully,
W. F. MAYERS.
P. S. May I ask you to forward the en- closed by the Dragon.
ཨཱ# 11ce ¢ ཙྪཱཙ, ཙྪཱར2, 5པའ,
AUSN,ST
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