Leaf was found guilty, and is now in common jail, awaiting the Imperial confirmation of the sentence passed upon him. It is said that the Fooyuen aud Judge of Canton have been intent on putting him to death; but the Board in Peking has written a letter to Choo, requesting him "to punish lightly." This has enraged the Fooyuen so much, that he has written to the Emperor, requesting leave to retire from his majesty's service, on the plea of old age and sickness. Whether his resignation ill be accepted or not remains to be seen.
The March of Enterprise.—The other day a local magistrate reported for the fire-men of Canton, that one house having taken fire, it was burnt, and four houses around it were pulled down, to prevent the flames spreading. The method was effectual, though the sacrifice was great. For this mode of operation, though in the present instance, judging after the fact, it seemed carried to an extreme, the Chinese are, we believe, wholly indebted to Europeans. Formerly, the Chinese would not pull down their houses to stop the progress of fire; but they readily do so now, old custom notwithstanding.
Death caused by Whipping.—In Szechuen an officer of government has been dismised the service and brought to trial for having caused the death of one of his attendants, by subjecting bim, on two successive occasions, to the infliction of one hundred blows on the back. The man was accused of appropriating part of the price of a coffin; and of speaking impertinently to the magistrate. There was an endeavour to shew that opium smoking caused his death, but the proof was deficient. No justice could be obtained in the province, till an appeal was made to Peking.
A thousand names of Budha.—Some persons at Peking, and among them a Tartar soldier, have been convicted of forming a sect, whose distinguishing feature was the reciting a thousand names of Budha, and collecting money. The proceedings are pronounced worthy of the most intense detestation, Some of the leaders have been capitally punished, and the general to whose division the soldier belonged, has requested a court martial on his conduct, for not discovering the affair sooner.
Pirates. An Yu-she, or Censor, has reported to the Emperor, respecting the lengths to which piracy is carried, all along the coast of Canton. "According to the Yu-she," says his Majesty, "the piratical banditti have the boldness and audacity to dig up graves, and plunder the clothes of the dead; yea, even to carry away the coffins and publicly in the face of day, to extort ransoms for them. This is the case throughout the province, but particularly near the provincial city, and in the districts subordinate to the capital;—What are the local officers attending to?—Why do they sit like wooden idols; and suffer such bold-faced unfearing wickedness? Let Le and Choo command severely all their subordinates, to exert themselves sincerely and bring to strict punishment every pirate that exists, till not one is left to slip out of the net. Thus shall cruelty be eradicated, and the spirit of perverseness be torn up."
Postscript.—It has just been officially announced, that his Excellency Loo, our new Governor, will set out from Leenchow on the 1st of November, on his way hither. The Anchasze or Judge Yang, and the Kwanghee, or commandant of the town militia, King, will precede him a few days.
Yesterday, October 30th, at about 2½ P. M., a fire broke out, and burned with great violence, in part of the western suburbs of the city, called Sha-meen. Being almost entirely confined to wooden houses and mat sheds (occupied by gamblers and public women), and to small boats closely crowded together, the fire spread rapidly, and in the course of two hours consumed several streets or lines of houses, besides a large number of boats. We are at present wholly unprovided with details, but cannot doubt that the extent of loss has been very great.
