The Express.
London, England, 1860-10-17 00:00:00

(nom ous owl(

PENTANG, Auaverr 7.

The morning of the 26th July was as fresh and
fair as any that ever gladdened this earth. Many
eyes were wakeful and watching for the dawn ; and
at the first streak of daylight great was the stir in
Talien Bay, for this was the day fixed for the de-
parture of the expedition to the Peiho. Long
before sunrise columns of dark smoke were rising
into the still morning air from upwards of fifty
funnels, and when the sun shone over the hills of
Odin Bay, the whole harbour presented a scene of
life and animation. On every side anchors
were going up to the cheery song of the English
sailor,. Ship after ship spread her broad canvas to
the early breeze ; the whole expanse of the noble
bay was ploughed by steamers hastening
to take up their respective burdens and tow them
to sea. Some sprightly devil seemed to have taken
possession of the coquettish little gunboats that
panted and puffed in every direotion, some rushing
boldly across the bay, others threading their way
with marvellous dexterity of steering in and
out of the heavier craft, by a cunning trick of the
helmsman, shaving past at a perfectly safe distance,
yet sufficiently near to throw the expectant skipper
into a cold aspiration. Hackwork and forwards
through this maze of men-of-war steamers, trans-
ports, and gunboats of every shape and sire and
build, from the antediluvisu Noah's Ark to the
most recently developed elegant clippers from the
Clyde or Aberdeen, steamed the little Cormorant,
conspicuous from her two white funnels and the
Admiral's blue flag at the fore, ordering, directing,
signalling, with incredible rapidity, throwieg
signal middies into fits of excitement, and driving
leis experienced transport mariners into hopeless
uncomprehending despair. Out of seeming chaos
soon mule beautiful order and regularity. Captain
micliMaster knew what he had to do, and did it
Ship otter ship passed through the western
entrance of the bay—some in tow of steamers,
some under canvas and in a few hours
you might have seen, like a flight of
white sea birds, a long, apparently interminable
line of sails extending from the harbour to the dis-
tant horizon, moving gallantly towards the west,
their sails gleaming in the sunlight, and the proud
flag of old England waving triumphantly over the
waters, going forth an of old, "to brave again the
battle and the breeze."

It was a eight one cannot hope to see more than
once in a lifetime. From early dawn till noon—
from neon till dewy eve—and still the stately pro-
ceesion was moving on from the harbour ; but when
the last flash of daylight had died away in the west,
and the moon rode high and clear in the blue
heavens, the sentinels on the rocky bill above the
solitary camp at Odin Bay looked iu vain over the
expanse of water, so lately teeming with life and ac-
tivity, for a solitary sail. The fleet bad vanished
like the phantoms of a mirage, and the wild sea
birds were returning to reoccupy the haunts from
which they had been for a time so unceremoniously
expelled.
The rendezvous was fixed at a spot 20 miles west
lot the mouth of the Peiho, and somethiug less
than 200 miles from Tablien Bay. There the ships
began to arrive on the afternoon of the 27th, and
by noon on the 28th nearly the whole fleet was
siiseenibled. An elaborate programme of the order
of anchoring had been issued by the admiral, ac-
, oompanied by a diagram, showing the exact position
each ship was to occupy.
According to this, the fleet was to form seven
lines running north and south, • man-of-war being
at each end of each line ' • the distance between
lines and ships was carefully laid down, and the
whole was to occupy the area of a vast parallelo-
g~rraammfive miles long, and one and a half
broa,
To the south of the British, the French
fleet was to anchor. It looked very well on paper,
but the realisation of the plan was not quite
successful. Few ships got into their proper berths,
and the lines, where any existed, were remarkably
wavy. However, there was a certain amount of
order—the transports comprising each division
being together. Two days were passed in making
further preparation and waiting fur stragglers to
come up, and on the 30th the whole 'fleet weighed
and stood in for the shore, anchoring at the se-
cond rendezvous, which was 10 miles east from the
mouth of the Pehtang River. Here we found a
Russian and American man-of-war, having the
ministers of their respective nations on board, and
Lord Elgin and Baron Grua having arrived, the
timid amount of saluting was gone through, pea-
siblyie the great amazement of our Chinese ante-
gouista on shore, who must have thought we were
getting up a general action amongst ourselves. As
1 told you in my last, the plan of operations which
had been decided upon was to laud at the Pehtang
River' and advance from there upon the Taku
Forts. The whole coast within 20 miles north and
south of the Pejho River had been care-
fully surveyed, and the Pehtang seemed
the most favourable spot for landing. It
had this great advantage, that the river
is navigable for vessels of considerable tonnage •
and having once secured its entrance, we should I
then have a port of debarkation fur all
the mokriell
of the army. The mouth of the river is covered,
and approach to it made difficult by a bar, in which
at low water there is not more than two or three feet,
and sometimes, during a westerly wind, even lees ;
but at high water in spring tides the sometimes are
twelve to fourteen feet : and as the hi Lost tides in
the year were known to be in the first week in
August, this obstacle was not likely to prove a serious
one. In addition to this natural barrier, there was
an artificial one, in the shape of two mud forts,
nearly opposite each other on the north and south
banks of the river, which at the entrance is 250
yards broad. These forts had been as accurately
surveyed as was pomade from the sea, and it was
ascertained that that on the north aide mounted
11 guns, and the one to the north IS; at least there
were embrasures for that number, but whether
there were guns within maid tot be ascertained, as