The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-29 00:00:00

The li iebels and the Imperialists in China,

(Pt om an Occasional Correspondent of the Times.)
SHANGHAI, Aug. 5.
Mailer Gordon has wrested another walled city
from the hands of the rebels—Wokong, lying di-
rectly south of Soochow. He left Quinsan do the
25th of Tilly, and appeared before the walls on the
28th , laving captured two strong stockades en
rouge,, at a piece called Kapoo. The usual earth-
y° rk.s had been thrown up outside the east and
wres'c gates, which the rebels manned as the disci-
ied troops approached, showing symptoms of
an intention to make a vigorous defence ; but their
(I( ;termination was not proof against the appearance
o f a body of 500 men in their rear, and they cone-
tmenced a retreat towards the city, which a vigorous
charge by the 6th Regiment converted into head-
long flight. Having thus cleared the country
Gordon made dispositions for an attack on the city,
but the rebels had lost heart ; a few shells were
pitched at the walls without eliciting a single shot
in. reply, and in a short time a deputation of man-
darins offered to surrender on condition that the
lives of the garrison were secured. This was, of
course, agreed to, and Wokong, with 3,000 prisoners,
-passed into possession of the Imperialists, with a
loss of only one European officer and 15 men killed
and wounded. If the Imperialists are able to hold
Wokong its capture will be of considerable import-
ance, as its position on the Grand Canal enables its
Possessors to interrupt communication by that route
between Soochow and Hangchow, and further pre-
cludes an irruption of the rebels into the country
around Soonkiong, unless they venture to leave
Quinsan and Wokong in their rear, which, judging
from their antecedents, they would certainly not
venture to do. But a report was current in the
settlement yesterday that he had already been
obliged to abandon it and concentrate on Quinsan.
Indeed, to separate a force of only 3,000 men by a
two days' march in the face of the powerful garrison
at Soochow would be the extreme of rashness, espe-
cially es that garrison has received an accession of
trength which will render the tenure even of
(transom problematical. For some time rumours
have been afloat in Shanghai that an expedition was
preparing in aid of the rebels, that Europeans were
being; enlisted, and arms collected under the auspices
of G en. Burgevine ; but every one desired to think
they a untrue, loth to believe that a man who had
earl ied so much respect as Burgevine undoubtedly
hats should have allowed himself to be drawn
into a condemned cause. Unfortunately there
is no longer room for doubt; Burgevine him-
etilf is believed to be in Soochow at the present
moment, together with many of his old officers, who
have left on one ground or another since his seces-
sion from the command. Hayes, Gibb, and Rhode,
.all formerly in command of regiments of disciplined
Chinese, are said to be his right-hard men, and he
has, besides, about 300 Europeans of all sorts, some
as officers, some as fighting men. The question
-
now is, will the rebels give him and his officers suffi
cient power ? If they do, there is nothing to pre-
vent a force equal to Gordon's in quality, and far
superior in numbers, from being raised within the
next three months, and all the latter's generalship
will not enable him to maintain himself against
greatly superior numbers of equally good troops.
Hit herto the rebels have not given any command
to tench Europeans as have joined them, employing
them merely as counsellors to their chiefs, and
profiting by their knowledge of gunnery. But it
is unlikely that Burgevine would have joined
them unless the position he was to occupy
was clearly defined, and was such as would
enable him to discipline and direct men with-
out interference. In the meantime, until he has
succeeded in instilling a certain amount of organi-
zation into a sufficient number, Soochow is safe ;
the disciplined Chinese would never take a breach
defended by 300 Europeans, even if Gordon were
to risk an attack; and the latter's hope of fright-
ening them out by scouring the country in their
rear must ba at an end, for Burgevine will dispel
their fears. latterly, until the present moment,
the rebel cause has been declining, but it is not un-
likely that the accession of so much strength and
military knowledge may enable them to recover all
their lost, ground. The present is perhaps one of
the most critical crisis of the rebellion, and if the
British authorities do nut act with energy may
eventuate in the return of the rebels to the gates
of S'eianghai, and the loss of all the country that after
so l'.ard fighting has been wrested from their hands.
Burgevine commenced his new career by a very
dashing act. Dr. Macartney, late his military
secretary, now a military mandarin in the service
a the Futai, and in command of Sooukiong, went
-up hence to that city in a small steamer called the
Kiachao on the evening of the Ist inst. He left her
about a hundred yards from the walls and rode to-
wards the west gate, but had hardly passed over
halt The distance when one of the Europeans who
had, been left on board ran up breathless to say that
argevine, with about 30 Europeans, had seized the
steamer. Dr. Macartney hastened into the city to
turn out the troops, and then galloped back to the
-entrance of the creek, where he had left a large
barge as he passed up, hoping to be able to sink her
across the entrance bofore the steamer could reach
it ; but she had left, the Kiachao passed safely out,
and is now, doubtless, under the walls of Soochow.
The brilliant successes which Major Gordon had
achieved with the handful of men whom the jealous
-parsimony of the Futai allows him had afforded
strong ground for hope that, with Sherard Oeborne's
powerful aid, the extinction of the Taeping rebel-
lion would not be long delayed. The limits within
which they held power were being gradually drawn
tighter around them, and if only the mandarins
could have been induced to grant Gordon a larger
force there would have been little doubt that the
close of the wet cold season would have found them
confined to the close neighbourhood, if not within
the walls of Nankin. In Chekeang their case is
still worse than in Kiangse. After overrunning a
great portion of the province with extraordinary
rapidity, they have been compelled, almost equally
rapidly, to abandon it. Since Ningpo was recap-
tured, in May, 1862, Tzechee, Fungwha, Yayaou,
Bhangyu, Shaoshing, and Shaotsan, have succes-
'ively been recovered, besides other cities of minor
tite. The country to the south of Hang-chow
'DM' and of the Tsientang has been completely
cleared of their presence, and Hangchow itself,
the Mel city in their possession, lies an easy
prey to the Imperialists' as soon as they can
collect sufficient energy to march against it. But
the jealousy and antipathy to foreigners of the
highest local %nth • ority cramps the movements of
the disciplined Chinese in Chekeang as much as
parsimony here he, prevented Gordon's operations
fi.one bearing their full fruit; The Futai, of Ningpo,
is one of the old, exelusive, anti-foreign school, and
views with intense jealousy y the presence of foreigners
in military command 'within his Government. The
disciplined troops are too formidable for him to dis-
band ; besides, the rich merchants of Ningpo, the
principal sources of his revenue, are happily more
alive than he to their value, e„txt.
he indulges his
spite by refusing to
allow theta to
undertake any
offensive operations. Teere are two distinct bodies
of disciplined Chinese in the Ningpo
provinces, one
Franco-Chinese, of 1,500 men, under the command
of d'Aigabelle, formerly an officer in hisimperial
Majesty's navy, which garrisons Shaoshing mui the
country thence to the Hangchow Bay; the ether
Anglo-Chinese, consisting of 1,000 men, commanded
by Colonel Cooke, formerly one of Ward's officers,
which garrisons Ningpo, and likewise keeps an eye
on Yuye(Yie, Fungwha, and Tzechee. The former, to
use al
•Ck-i
riese expression, stinks in the nostrils of both
mandarins and inhabitants; the subordinate officers
are lawless and unscrupulous, and the men are only'
too willing to emulate propensities of
the looting
their superiors, The Taotai is very anxious that they
should go to Chapoo, capture it and garrison it, by
which means they would be removed to one corner of
the province, out of his way ; but they demur, and
the Futai objects to their having the opportunity of
,ceing. The Arglo-Chinese arc in much better odour,
are better officered, and kept well in hand ; the Tao
tai would be delighted to get rid of the French and
increase the strength of this contingent if he could
accomplish that object. It is by this force co-
operating with Gordon's that some of the principal
parts in the autumn p.
cam aign would have been
played, had not Burgevine disarranged every plan.
The Futai is now before a not very large but strong