The Express.
London, England, 1860-11-03 00:00:00

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la every `—illiodiaal ileennek Noe.. 1160.
Address =I N. nu. pm. x A., Tr. MaredPlAM Beak"'
NW% LOOOll4 WA.

Piano, Atone? 26.
My last to you wee dated, I think, Angela 9, when we
were " pigging it" out in Pehtang, mid mud, filth, stenches,
crowding, confusion, and hubbub, that forcibly recalled to
memory, and, if anything, surpassed that of Bslaklava in its
wont days. But two short weeks have elapsed, and already
the whole of the Taku Forts are in our poreeekoe, the ea.
trenched camp of the Tartars at Siug•ho has been taken,
and their cavalry totally diverged, the fortified town of
Tong•ku has been captured, a formidable fortress
stormed, and an army of 15,000 men, with all their baggage
and equipment, bas been marched across some fifteen miles
of mud and swamp, and brought to beer upon the mouth
of the Peiho, which is now opened for ever to
our ships. Bre this, some of our troops are Eddy
quartered in Tien-tain, and our gunboat, are lying qifietlyat
anchor off it--and in ► few days more, I doubt not, " the
Chinese difficulty," will have been satisfactorily solved, by
the submissive reception of our Plenipotentiary at Pekin, by
the Brother of the Sun and of the Moon.

I wish that you had been present to note, with your
own observant eyes, and describe with your own graphic
pon, the skill, peraevaraaos, and bravery, by which gash
great nankin have bees amentrakhad, but I trust that there
are many abler pan *la nine at work to-day, to tell the
valid at Isom mid your " werisat neselsra" in particular,
how nobly the work, of which I ma now but essay to give
you a hurried sketch, has boon done.

On the 12th inst., the entire force (with the exceptionof her
Majesty's 99th Regiment,anda corresponding force of French,
who remained to garrison Pell-tang) marched out from that
town to attack the enemy's camp at Bing-ho,thewhoieof our
first division with the French advancing by the causeway,
which extends from Peh•tasg to Singlo, to attack the
enemy in front while our second division struck across the
plain, or rather swamp, to turn their left. After about
four hours' toiling, spleshing, &underlay, and panting
through mud sad water, from sale to twee deep, the two
' divisions halted on some comparatively dry ground, about
two miles from the enemy's camp, and also from each other
—advancing again, after an hour's net, be the attack.
The first division and French were received with a very bed
fire, I believe ; but advancing at the charge, and under cover
of their artillery, sustained little damage, and speedaydrove
the enemy from all their entrenchments. Meanwhile, the
Ester cavalry, to the number of about three or four
theesend, galloped out into the plain, and threatened
our second division on every side, but our Armstrong
batteries made such havoc among them at nape
which must have appeared to them miraculous, that only
is two instances did they venture at all close—once making
a bold dash at one of oar batteries, Whim tbsyware repulsed
with beery Ices by a done af, I Wise% Non Haack la
which Lieutenant Ifsereger of that serge was errently
Weeliged ; sad again, whoa noise ems or sight hundred of
thew hors dome upon oar 4th Brigade (consisting of the
167th Regiment and Royal Marines), doubtless with the mild
retention of exterminating it, when they got such a pepper-
*, however, from our Enfield rifles that they were mat
aremsednat elf is peg dismay, and feeling horribly sold, I
lee* no doubt, as it has somehow or other bees discovered
that they imagined our men were mug for quarter, wham
they saw them ken into " squares " (or what doubtless
earned to them smell crowds of frightened and bewildered
.1* with the fresh tanks all kneeling, and that therefore
, Boy had rely be Me boldly and put them all to the
sward.

The ikig's DMUS Guard' and Probyn's Hone also
sot to get them within reach, somewhere or other
baths geld (thonhh where or bow I have not been able to
ascertain exactly), and cut them down " like taps o'
thistles,' to the number of about 100, I believe. Apropee
of the Hisres Dragoon Guards, the style in which they
turn out bin is perfectly marvellous. While the infantry
and saner, have always • more or less travel-stained and
battered appestanss (es they well may, ecossidering the sort
d week they home had to go through!, they tae oat as W
t•ey were en peek In Hyde Putt, sod did we not tuner
that they have lens as mode hard wank, end have had to
rough it as much es any of ►he other troops, we might
mashie that their whole kit eataisted of bearing,
pipe-slay, and patent polish, sad that their sole duty was to
keep up • smart apparatuses by these mesas. Pane's end
Prebyn's HOMO also turn out in wonderful style, and pre-
' sent a most dashing and picturesque appearance, compared
to which that of the French Spoke (as I think they are
called) is simply ridiculous.
Most unworthy foes, too, are the Tartar cavalry, although
physically fine enough men, and by no means wanting in
pluck—as, indeed, the mere fact of their daring to come
out against such troops as ours at all is sufficient to prove.
But they ►re wretchedly mounted, poor fellows, on meagre
looking ponies, and still worse armed, their only weapons
being either clumsy end not very sharp lances, still more
clumsy and blaster swords, matchlocks, or old fashioned
pistols, nearly heroism to ail but their °wain; and bows
sad armee. The uniform of most of those who were
killed eemieted of • Last er pimple milk hat, shaped
M unlike the new heideenbls "Jim Crew," bat at
difer coestrusidon, end diesested with • brass
ben, and a pair of sydesels' teals, end yellow
metal Meket, with Week beings and dm* bile
cotton Mouses, tweed ins Week ellk boobs, resolsing
needy to the knee. They send have lost at Is throe or
four hundred killed and wounded during the day, whereas
our committee enemata* to only 25, not including, however,
ea eafortneene party of 18 coolies, two Fedi& orderlies,
eed • Maw flipper, who were eat off, and taken poisoners
by the egestay, while bringing comment:hi rum from
Pakten& The enemy disponed, our army took up • pod.
deli ideas night in and around the oapeand amp. Pro-
bye's Horse, however, gnat making • grand forty late the
country, and bringing in mute seven or eight husked
sheep,whiolt enabled most of the Wrested sadism to Disko
• tolerably ecentortabls rapper, before " tam* is" tor

jhe night. between the damp ground aid the canopy of
heaven. Aerie, the whole of the following day the troops
rested. in.* same position, winisatons we being rought
up base Pek tong, and • reemisaismace irqui rade 1,0 the
dislodge of Tong-ku, the next pace to be attacked. Ton-
ka is a fortified town, iterated on the northern bank of
the Peiho, *bout three miles from its mouth, and two 1
miles above the Take forte. It is about a nil...ode-hall I
la cremnharres, eel is. snnuneled by • erenetlited well, I
kl4Mail iniabelik el immense thickers at the bre,
hr about it dart big gene on the aide oe
nap *acrid. The wall is horded by two wet
M irout.lB feet in width, and from .5 to 8 feet
in depth, haleceshig which, troops would at meet points
be exposit toe flanking as well as • front fire, so that,
allegeren the *Work= Might be conidered
very. reeng. Within *se been after we mend Ire
Ikea it, however, on the memins of as 14th, fli va•
Si'tour utallere, epee 'spookily the Armstrong bat-
meling week argelficent practise, that it waif
herrn& far 4, Friar to stand to their gum. Our Ist
Horde ear OM Men with the French, then solvessed is
I exleedeitirem endsikr smies "heavy exchanges" (to use
* language el the P.R.) with the Tartar warbler:4c awe,
seesseded in jorearing her ditches, and stemming ; the
Ham foiloull closely by the Royals, getting in about a
matter of en beer Wore the French, who attacked come
yard. or. As Mon as our mass got hi the ?rhos fled
ilishian, and eadeavoured to make their neaps
either rune the Orr or deem tows* the sorthera Maker
forts, end they were shot in peat somber. while drag so.
2'hey mod ban lost at least 200 killed and wounded, I
ibeakl think, while our casualties did not exceed a doom
Having cleared the town of the enemy,
itch and our Ist Division then retired to
Mime mad rat, about two mils. outside the plans,
While our 2nd Division marched in to °army it Is the
night. Bat sow I approach • truly heartrending pert
of my narrative. No maser did our savage soldiery find
themselves in fall prearion of the town, with nothing but
• few old men, women, and children left, than they let loose
their evil pushes, and • horrible " =Meta, of the inno-
cents" began. leash* into the houses, thsydropd cut their
defenceless norme, brawled the.,, nay, weer-,erill your
fair and gentle readers permit me to chronicle the smelting
far without falling into lipterice—even ripped ther.epen,
and the sir was rent with the dying shrieks and serseas of
at leer 500 fat porkers and twice as many foils ird de*.
Down one lam, up another, through ponds, erne essixt,
yards, nay, even over home-tope, they chuedthsir early.
tailed sod feathered prey, and, is lees than two barb what
had been • sere of lumen strife sad bloodshed teed* to
MMus, was.teansformed into one of jollity and forting.
Such is war. All the old men, women, and children left
is the plea, to the number of about three hundred, were
taken are of, and on the following day were
given over to auk own people under • flag of tram A
few of the poor women tried to commit at our nisi& and
iefanticule, by rushing with their children in their arm
tato the river, but, with one or two exceptions, they were
all prevented by our soldiers, who *bed in after them and
dragged them' out. They probably fancied we were all
cannibals, if net worse. Having got so for with barely
more than *men could awry in their hove...seeks, and the
next point of attack being the formidable, and now far-
famed, Take forts, the general wisely determined to remain
quietly where he wan until he bad stores enough of every-
thing at the front to meet any contingency that might
occur. Until the 20th, therefore, our troops remained in
the same position they had taken up on the afternoon
of the 14th. Meanwhile, stores of every kind were
.got up in abundance, though under difficulties of want
d transport and heavy road, that would have driven
many generals, and was well nigh driving many
minor " authorities," to despair. The French could not
manage to " hold on" at all, I believe, both their transport
and emensimarint breaking down completely, so a Loge
number of them eressed the river to • large village, where,
I fancy, they surisead chiefly by lasting—theagh I sup-
pose it it ores to heard each conjecture. However, the
Mot is hialstietehle that • large body of the Freya did
cress the river, and take up their position among the nu-
meral= village. there, at heat two or three days before any
of 00T troops moved from the position that was taken up
on the 14th, sad that without any other apparent object
than merely to =bent themselves on what they could pick
up over there ; it not being any part of Sir Hope Great's
plans, as far as I have been able to discover, that they
should so advance. However, I must now come to
the grand attack of the 21st, and here I must give a
large mead of praise to " our gallant allies," who
certainly did their part bravely in it. The honour of the
hard fight I have now to describe is due entirely to those of
this who were engaged in it, and to our own Artillery,
reamers, 44th Regiment, Royal Marines, and 67th. By
the Army of the 21st the key of the whole of the enemy's
sheep pitioe at the mouth al the Perho was gained, and
such terror was struck into the rule of our WICIDDIS that
within three hours after they sarmadered unconditionally
the whole of the rut of the Taku forts, and have since, I
believe, abandoned all their defence. between this and
Pekin, and have declared themselves ready to do anything
we want Seldom, if ever, have such peat results so
speedily followed • hot forenoon's fighting. But "to begin
at the beginning." The plan of attack for the 21st, I behove,
was that the Ist division of English, with the rest of
the French, should cram the river, and threaten the
Southern forts, while the 2nd division should assault the
nearest of the Northern forts. Accordingly, on the evening
of the 20th, the fad division moved out and took up a po-
sition in trout of the said fort, but just oat of range, while
working parties were thrown out to erect batteries for the
siege train, and reconnoitring parties examined the inter-
inning ground as closely u possible, in order to select the
most favourable points for attack. The Chinese evidently
had some inkling of what was going on, for they threw out 1
showers of ire-halls from the walk cf the fort, in order to 11
discover where our men were and what they were about;
but whether it was that they either could not make them
out, or did not consider the work they were espied in as
affecting them at all seriously, they only fired ono or two
guns during the might. At daybreak next morning the
division then advanced, some fear or five of our
batteries having got into position, and pouring in
a trateadous fire upon the fort with perkiest;
while the infantry, that is to say one wing of the 441 h•
Royal Manua, and 67th, and 102nd Regiment of French,
advanced ; the Buffs, the other wing of the 44th, and •
Peak*ee regiment remaining in reserve. The Chinese
replied with peat spirit, bat little apparent skill, almost
all Asir eh* bunting short, and their round ski hllkg
everywhere but to the right plum. On arriving at • leag
low esabialansat, about 1,500 yards from the fort, the
Infantry were balled, and made to lie down, while the
batteries were all advanced to mops varying from 500
to 1,000 yards, and opened a still more telling fire, ex.
ploding two immense magazines inside the fort, and
is about en bear Dearly silencing the enemy's big
gum The infirm then advanced again half of
the French remelt, end the wing of the 44th
being throws out as sharpshooters, while one wing
of the Royal Marines advanced with scaling lad-
der. and pontoons, and the other wing with the rest
of the 67th followed, in rapport. As the storming
party got close, the fire poured into the fort from our bate.
terns became absolutifterrilk Five or six shot or shit
went flying into it every minute, and the enemy could not
show themselves above the parapet at all. Through the
loopholes, however, they kept up • heavy fire of ging*,
which was briskly responded to by our sharpshooters. Crow
'dorsally, too, a big gun from the month side sent • retard
shot plump In among the staining party, but the tra-
umatise exploiter that had taken Pam inside the fort,
and ths trifle are they were being subjected to, bed pre.
behly paralysed them to • peat extent, and their shots
were, consequently, few and far between. This fort, like
the wall at Tong-ku, I art tell you, was also fronted by
two wet ditcher, both about 18 feat in width, and about
8 or 10 feet deep, the ibee me detinded, semerever, by •
strong 'kettle, the sonar by ahem sashes on both *se.
* airy* at the ire dike pent dilly*, was a WMs
experiment in laying the peerss, the we being knocked
over here by the dorm The Ingram under Cohost
Mann, and the Royal Matinee under Colonel nevem dusk
to their week, bowerr, and it bet pt the primes our
the for &kb ; and abort)!/ alter ninhi a bide ere the
serad, I liellwee, with the strenort of re mass ladies. I
The lighter ladders were thee Panted aphid the wok
d sad ever they west, aria of the Freak and some d the

67th gettieg in first, fladieve, closely followed, however,
by some Marines, and thew by the rest of the 'fforinkig party.
The French adopted • very novel mods of getting in. They
got up some of their Chimers coolies, aid neat them •
stand is the ditch bold* seal* Wales up clew
their heeds against the wall, and so it once wowed
the wooed ditch and get to the top of the wall. The
' Tartan fought bravely, even after our men got in, using
'peers and swords, as well en matchlock,, and were shot
land bayoneted in bombers. They finally fled, however,
tiveu;ls the embrasores on the southern ride of the fort,
and milesivosred to arks their weeps to the next fort,
ahognalf • mile off—few with swore, however, the reser
ntseher belie shot in the altempt. Our lose in killed end 31
wended amounted to 201-19 men being left deed ea the .
field ; 21 officers and 161 men wounded. Of these 6 officers i
and 65 men 'belonged to the 44th, 5 officers and 25 men to
the Royal Marines, 7 officers and about 90 men to the 67th, t
and the rest to the Royal Engineers and Artillery. The
French left about 30 dead on the field, I believe, and had
upwards of 100 wounded. The Tartan must base loth
I should think, at least three thowend. Their 1110411
bodies were lying three deep in some parte of the
fen, and where they attempted 'to escape the ground
Was ootwed with their bodies. Qin " pink buttoned" or
240. IMa arM wee shot-by Ceplain.Prynne, of the Royal
*does, who've cos of the first eases into the fort. I
=heard that is was the nianclarin„" atvaind is
• • artiste " Lientemaet-Heeettel It" OX MIA
Sikh woe. Among the officers who particularly distal.
pushed themselves 1 may meatiest Captain Gregory and
lieuteient Rogers, of the 14th, Lieirienauts Bitralein and
Chaplin, of the 67th, and Lieutenant ff empeon, of the 99th,
who le aide-decamp to Brigadierßeeves, of the 4th Brigade.
Some of these officers I believe have been recommended for
the Victoria Cross, end certainly deserts it well. The
gallant old Brigadier Reeves was wounded in four places, I
Mar, but refused to be removed to the rear, and still remains
with his brigade. Colonel Travers, of the Royal Marines,
Oct. Mann and Major Graham, it is superfluous to mention,
as the despatches will doubtless do them an Pieties. Young
lieutenant Pritchard, of the Royal Engineers, also behaved
with conspicuous bravery. To Sir Robert Napier and his
Staff we are chiefly, however, of oourse indebted for the
success of the day. They were always where they were
wants itend. coodurted the operations with an amount of
coolness and intrepidity that called forth the admiration of
all who saw them. Sir Robert Napier had his spy-glass
struck out of his baud by one shot, sod the heel of his
boot cut away by another. Lieutenant Brook, his A.D.C.,
MA shot through the thigh, and all must have had numerous
hairbreadth escapes, for they were greatly exposed. I must
not forget to mostion, too, the conduct of the Chinon,
Coolie corps. A few of them were attached to each regi-
ment to carry stretchers and dhoolies for the wounded.
They kept close to their respective regiments throughout
the whole day, and never flinched even when they were
close under the fort, and subjected to • very heavy fire.
I must now really (both in pity to myself and to your
readers, If any of them have been persevering enough to
hive waded thus far through this long screed) shut up, or I
shall be the death of both them and myself. I have only to
add that, within • quarter of an hour after the English and
French flags were planted in the forts, flap of truce were
put up in all the other forts, and a parley was held, which
ended, en I have already told you, in their unconditional
surrender, and not • moment too soon, either, am •
terrific thunder storm shortly after came on, which
drenched every one to the skin, converted the
plain into • perfect swamp again, and would have
rendered any further operations that day exceed-
ingly unpleaaant, to say the least. A wing of the Jul
Buffs, the Punjaubee Regiment, and some artillery were
therefore left in possession of the fort, and the rest of the
division were marched back to Take for the night. And
such • march ! through mud sgain ankle deep, arid water,
is many places, over the knee. However, it's all over now,
and in a few days more nearly every one will be comfortably
housed either on board ship or in Tien-Lin. The natives
are already quite at their ease with us, end are bringing in
fowls, egp, fruits, ice., in abundance. So that the eam-
pairpi may be said to be fairly over, I hope, and • happy
return to dear old bland at hand for most of the brave
fellows who have now so enduringly MI well as stuessehilly
fought her battles in this filthy country.

[FROM •SOTU LISTZR.]

There was no mercy for any of them who were
unwounded, and even some of the wounded scorned
the good offices rendered them. One wounded mandarin
kicked an officer who tendered him IMO water, and was
immediately run through. Many of the fugitives were also
shot ; and it is supposed that of the 1,200 imperial troops
(or thereabouts) who were in the forte scarcely ten escaped
alive and unhurt. Every one is loud in praise of thy
Chinese coolies, who -were fearless and active, helping to
crow the ditch, holding up the ladders, which ware rather
short, and carrying off the wounded. Of the English force
201 were killed and wounded. Of the Marines there were
wounded Lieut.-Colonel Travers, slightly; Captain Car-
rington, ditto ; Lieutenant Mairis, severely ; Lieutenant
Harker, slightly ; Lieutenant Streghan, slightly. Of the
e7th, the °deers wounded were Colonel Thomas, Captain
Miller, Lieutenants Chaplin, Fraser, Borden, Kingsley,
and Lerman.

The fighting ended with the taking of this fort. Prises
Sean-kodiusin was himself, the Chinese say, present
in the Southern forte, and probably saw the futility of re-
, misting our arms any further et present. Almost impreg-
nable to the seaward, the forte were weak on the Lod aide
sod wholly unable to resist such a force as that by which
they were attacked. The diplomatic arrangements are kept
pretty quiet, but there can be little doubt that the Chinese
have given in for the present to an extent that was hardly
sotietpated. The troops are now moving up to Tien-tein,
but the occupation is with the permission of the Chinese.
It is also said, but this is rumour, that the imperial autho-
rities h►ve agreed to allow Lord Elgin to proceed to Pekin
for the purpose of ratifying the treaty, with a force of
2,000 men.

THE CHINESE INSURGENTS.
From Shanghai we receive the following account
of the approach and repulse of the The-ping
insurgents:

Sunday morning broke on a scene of conaapation and
destruction. During the night the enemy had advanced
in large cumbers to the water suburb, firing • few ginplis
at the south gate es poison,. A large number, too, con-
cealed themselves in the ruins both at the south and wort
gates during the morning, but for Lou. two or three hours
daring which time the Rev. J. Hamm read his usual ser-
vice, no firing was kept up. The insurgents had, however,
worked their way round almost to the French quarter, and
had planted some
isin on the temple of the Queen
of Heaven. Our t allies eat to work, in •
manner peculiar to t emseives, to drive away the danger,
and to prevent its recurrence fired the suburb, which is by
far the richest and most important collection of native
homes. It in here that the Chinese wholesale merchants
live; an immense quantity of goods, especially sugar, was
stored theme, and u the coo Cron is it rapid progress
licked up • augur hong or soy factory, the Ames sprang np
with fearful grandeur. About 2 o clock, the Kestrel end
Bong Kong caine steaming down against • strong tide past
the burning suburb with the news that the rebels had eva-
cuated :banglriang, and could not be heerd of near there.
Twelve conflagrations that were burning round the city
told them that they would not have to go far for them now.
The firing, too, had recommenoed at the South Gates from
double.ahosted guns and howitzers. Driven from
their cover by these mesas, and compelled to
take up • new podtioe, the enemy kid himself
open to some Ise rids practice. Macintre% guns were too
well handled to let them hide in any of the buildings yet
Mending, and Lieutenant O'Grady with some marines,
opened a most destructive fire from the " look oat." This
pliant officer is really an excellent shot ; the braves at
Clanton have some cause to remember him, and we believe it
is reckoned that in this affair twenty men fell to his ride
with scarcely one intervening miss. The immense range of
the Enfield bothered the enemy terribly, and the) soon be
came 'axiom to get beyond it. On Sunday hi they
mom quiet enoqi sod it was a very Adam sight to see
their camp Ares dotting for an immense distance the
sous on the south-west, while ea the east the fire
raised the French was burning with great brilllancy,
leading foreigners to believe frees the ache made by the
falling homes that the muslostry had recanumeneed.
Os Meeday morning, the 20.1 s August, the enemy had
advanced in greater strength than ever. It was really •
curious sight to see them moving along, every one of the
little paths which run
_parallel to the city wane, each men
carrying a deg, and all moving In baba Me, bat in ex-
' aellent order and quite calms and steady. Oa they came
without lesitatien, perfectly within range, end seemed to
direct their attendee principally to the weft pie. Lieut. i
O'Grady had been sent there with some mar, to mail