The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-17 00:00:00

THE FRENCH IN COCHIN CHINA,

The Moniteur publishes a long report, d lied Dec.
26, from Admiral 13onard, giving an account of the
late proceedings in Cochin-China, a buittnary of
which is given in a preceding column. From the
moment of his arrival at Segon, ho devoted his
attention to collecting all the information that could
be of use to him in the military operations which
were likely to take place. He ascertained that for-
midable preparations for defence had been accumu-
lated on every road leading to Bien-Hon. Thus,
two leagues from Segon, the Annamites had esta-
blished a fortified camp, defended by 3,000 men.
The river of Eien-Hoa, at two leagues from the
camp, was obstructed by nine solid barriers of
wood, and a little further on, by an estoccade in
stone. Higher up still, a long series of solid piles
were placed for a distance of about 1,000 yards in
the river, at about a foot distance one from the
other. All those- works were supported by forts
mounted with cannon, and having parapets
from behind which sharpshooters could fire
in every direction. To attack all those ob-
stacles in front would have been to sacrifice
a great number of lives, and in consequence
the Admiral determined to attack the centre
only, and once having broken it to turn
on the flanks, as the case might require. He ac-
cordingly assigned to each officer in command his
particular work, and he attributes the success ob-
tained to the extraordinary punctuality with which
every direction was fulfilled. The report then pro-
ceeds in these terms:—
"Everything being disposed for a vigorous
attack I sent an ultimatum to the Ambassador of
the King Tu-Duc, who was sheltered behind the
barricades of Bien-Hoa, demanding a categorical
reply within 24 hours. The answer not being satis-
factory, the troops chosen for the combined attack
where put in motion at 5 o'clock on the morning of
the 14th December. The same evening the column
commanded by Chef de Batallion Comte, composed
of foot chasseurs, 100 Spanish foot soldiers, 50 horse-
men, and 44 guns, bivouacked at Hou-Loc. A
second column, under the orders of the Lieutenant
Colonel of Marines Domenech Diego, and composed
of 100 Spaniards, a battalion of the 3d regiment of
Marines, and two 4-pounder rifled guns, descended
in the course of the evening to an advanced post on
the river, and held themselves in readiness to march
at daybreak to replace at Hou-Loc Comte's column,
which was to advance upon Go-Cong to keep in
check the camp of 3,000 men established on the
plain of Mihoa, without, however, yet attacking it.
At daybreak the Comte division commenced its
march upon Go• Cong, whilst Captain Le Bris of
the Navy, at the head of two companies of
forces, composed of crews from the vessels, re-
paired to the same point by the stream cf Go-
Cong, which falls into the river Bien-Hoa. At the
same time the captain of the Renommee, with its
boats, was also directed towards Go-Cong, leaving
the stream at the point where the column of Do-
menech Diego had disembarked. These three divi-
sions arrived at the same time owing to a signal
given by firing a cannon shot, which at the moment
of the attack was to be made to Captain Le Bris
and the captain of the Renommee by Chef de Ba-
taillon Comte on his approaching Go-Cong. At
half-past 7 the place was carried. Go-Cong, once
militarily occupied by some companies of foot
chasseurs, Capt. Le Bris, with the troops from the
vessels, reinforced by a part of the Comte division,
immediately advanced to take the forts and the
batteries of the right bank in reverse, while the
vessels under the command of Lieutenant Harel,
commander of the Avalanche, cannonaded them
heavily in front. An obstinate resistance was made
at the barrier forts, and they only fell by the ma-
nceuvre of attacking them in the rear. Your Excel-
lency will easily judge of the losses we should have
suffered had we confined ourselves to attempting to
take those forts by force with our vessels alone, for
a single one of them, the gunboat Alarm, received
54 shots in her hull, and bad her rigging and masts
much cut up. The stratagem of turning the bar.;
riers having succeeded, the two first forts of the
right bank were carried ; that of the left blew up
with a loud explosion, and all those which were
echelloned along the river as far as Bien-Hoa were
evacuated in disorder. The vessels then, without
taking any rest, attempted to make a passage
through the barriers, and after two days and
nights' incessant work succeeded in reaching a
point of the river near Bien-Hoa."
The next day at dawn Commandant Comte ad-
vanced with his troops on the camp of Mihoa, before
which the Domenech Diego column had remained
in observation. That column and other troops, ap-
pointed to support it, attacked the camp in the
centre and two other points with such energy, that
the enemy were seized with panic, and fled in every
direction. The camp, the fort, and the batteries
having been destroyed, the Admiral gave orders to
have the Domenech column embarked and carried
up the river of Bien-Hoa, whilst the Comte column,
which had returned to Go-Cong, after the route of
Mihoa, prepared to cross the river to operate against
Bien-Hoa. The report then goes on to say :
"In order to fix upon a good spot for landing
before commencing the attack on the citadel of
Bien-Hoa, I ascended the stream above the barriers
on board the steam despatch boat Ondine, upon
which I had hoisted my flag, and followed by the
gunboat No. 31, commanded by Lieut. Jounart
We were hardly before the citadel, which was con

cealed by trees, and of which we could only discover
the flag staff, when two or three discharges of artil-
lery were directed against us. Fortunately no one
was hurt, and at the third shot of the gunboat the
fire of the enemy ceased, and a large conflagration
appeared above the citadel. It was only the next
day that we could cross over the troops from the
right to the left bank, and occupy the citadel ; the
whole of the defenders, terrified by the affair of the
barriers, having abandoned it with precipitation
without having had time to burn the large quantity
of vessels in construction and wood contained in a
small neighbouring arsenal, from which the inces-

sant fire of the gunboat which was anchored near
had kept them during the whole night. Unfortu-

nately the mandarins, faithful to their barbarous
traditions, had on leaving put to death the unfor-

tunote Annamites, Christians, and others, who
were imprisoned in the citadel, and whom they

had chained in enclosures surrounded with spikes,