The Sun.
London, England, 1841-06-12 00:00:00

(No. 13.)

Wel:esley, off Lintin, Feb. 24, 1841.
Sir—My letter (No. 4) of the 9th of January, will have made
their Lordships acquainted with the progress of operations of this
expedition up to this date, when a suspension of hostilities was
agreed to by her Majesty's Plenipotentiary; this was followed by
negotiations which proceeded until the 20th, when the prelinsina.
ries of a treaty were agreed upon, under seal of the Chinese Corn.
missioner, one of the conditions of which was the cession of the
island of Hong Kong to her Majesty, and the restoration of
Chuenpee and Tycocktow to the Chinese, together with the CVA-
cuution of Chusan at the earliest possible period. His Excellency
in consequence requested me to move the force from the immediate
neighbourhood of the Bocca Tigris, and, having made the neces.
sary arrangemehts with the Chinese Admiral commanding in chief,
the forts were delivered to his officers, under the usual salutes, on
the 21st, and the fleet proceeded to the anchorage off the west end
of Lantao Island.

Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary and the Imperial Commissioner
having arranged to have a formal meeting at the Second Bar in the
River, on the 26th, I detached the Calliope and Larne, and Mada-
pscar and Nemesis steamers, to the Bocca Tigris, under the im-
mediate command of Captain Herbert, of the Calliope ; a guard of
honour, composed of one hundred picked men of the Royal Ma-
rines, under Captain Ellis, JIM., of the Wellesley, and the band
of that ship, were embarked. As lam not a joint Plenipotentiary,
and consequently could have taken no part in the negotiations, I
considered that it would not be consistent with my rank as Com-
mander-in-Chief to appear, and I therefore sent Captain Maitland,
my Flag Captain, to convey my compliments to the Imperial Com-
missioner ; he was accompanied by Captain the Hon. R. S. Dun-
das, of her Majesty's ship Melville, and as many officers of the
fleet as could be spared ; the party was received with every possible
mark of distinction and respect, the troops were drawn up on the
raniparts of the forts, and salutes fired from all ; a sumptuou( en.
tertainment had been prepared, to which the officers were invited,
after having been presented to the High Commissioner, and the ne-
gotiations proceeded in a satisfactory manner; the particulars have
been stated by the Plenipotentiary to her Majesty's Government.
On the same day I proceeded to Hong Kong, and took formal
possession of the island, and hoisted the colours on it, with the
usual salutes and ceremonies. By the terms of the treaty, the port
of Canton was to be opened to the trade of all nations, on the 2d
February. and as a proof:of the sincere desire on the part of the Bri.
tish functionary to evince good faith, I had, at his request, snit
the Columbine to Chusan, and an overland despatch, by the hands
of a Chinese special messenger, directing Brigadier Burrell, and
Captain Bourchier, of the Blonde, to use every effort to embark
the stores, troops, &c., and restore the island to the Chinese
authorities.

The proclamation for the opening of the port on the 4d did not
appear, and on the 11th the two Ministers again met at the Bocca
Tigris, and, after a discussion of several hours, on this day and the
next, her Majesty's Plenipotentiary acceded to a further delay (not
to exceed ten days), in order that the definitive treaty might be
fairly prepared. I must confess that from this moment my faith in
the sincerity of the Chinese Commissioner was completely destroyed,
my doubts was also strengthened by the reports of the officers I sent
up to the place of meeting, who stated that militaryiworks on a great
vale were in progress, troops collected on the heights, and camps,
protected by entrenchments, arising on both sides of the river, and
that the island of North Wangtong had become a mass of cannon.
These indications being decidedly warlike, I determined to move
the Light Division at once to Macao Roads, and proceeded thither
myself on the 13th, to confer with his Excellency the Plenipoten-
tiary, and await events. I found that the treaty, as agreed upon
by the Commissioner and her Majesty's Minister, had been sent up
to the Bocca Tigris, for transmission to Canton, by the Nemesis,
with orders to await an answer until the night of the 18th, the pe-
riod the confidential person employed by the Chinese Commissioner
had named for the purpose.

The accounts daily received by merchants and others at Macao from
Canton were of the most hostile character, and an edict, purport-
ing to be from the Emperor, calling on all his officers and people to
exterminate us, was published, together with a proclamation
(the authenticity of which I have, however, been unable to esta-
blish), offering 50,010 dollars for my head, and a like sum for
that of the Plenipotentiary. On the morning of the 19th the
Nemesis arrived from the Bocca Tigris without any reply, and all
doubt was at an end, a shot having been fired at her boat from
North NA, angtong ; I instantly detached the Light Division, con-
sisting of the ships named in the margin,* under Captain Herbert
(who was accompanied by his Excellency the Plenipotentiary), with
directions not to run any unnecessary hazard until the body of the
force came up, but to prevent, as much as possible, any further de-
fensive preparations on the part of the enemy. I proceeded at the
same time to Hong Kong, and weighed with the ships ;of the line,
the Queen and Madagascar steamers, leaving the Druid, Jupiter,
and transports, to follow. . .

Captain Herbert took up his former position in the western
channel, off Wangtong, on the 20th, and on the 22d he proceeded
in the Nemesis, with some boats,ot the squadron, to the chan-
nel, at the back of Anunghoy; his letter, a copy of which I in-
elose,t will afford their Lordships every information ; and it only
remains for me to express my hope, that the gallant manner in
which this service was performed by a handful of men, will be
honoured by their approbatisn. I am now on my passage up
the river, and hope to be off the Bocca Tigris to-morrow, when I
shall have the honour of making a further report.
I have the honour to be, &c.
J. J. GORDON BREMER,
Commodore, First Class, and Commander-In-Chief.
R. Moore O'Ferrall, Esq. M.P., &c., Admiralty.

Her Majesty's ship Calliope, South Wangtong,
Bocca Tigris, Feb. 23, 1841.
Sir,—His Excellency, her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, having repre-
sented to me that the Chinese Imperial Minister, and High Corn.
missioner, had failed to conclude the treaty of peace agreed upon
in the late conferences, within the period formally allowed to him,
that is to say, within the current Chinese month, of which the
20th was the last day, that I was, therefore, to consider myself at
liberty, and requested to prevent continued defensive preparations
upon the part of the Chinese, and further to harass the enemy by
all possible means.
Combining this representation with the knowledge elicited from
a linguist taken in a boat yesterday morning by Lieutenant Wat-
son, and recognised as an active agent of the Chinese authorities
in the late affair at Chuelipee, that he was en route with orders
from Kwang, Admiral and Governor of Anunghoy, to hasten the
stopping of the back passage of that island, at a place called Snn.
monhow, by driving stakes and sinking stones; I deemed it highly
essential to ascertain the true position and nature of the pass which
they were so solicitous to protect, and proceeded in the steam vessel
Nemesis, accompanied by his Excellency, with the boats of her
Majesty's ships named in the margin,s under their respective
officers and mates, as enumerated for this purpose. No obstruction
was offered to our forward movement until we came unexpected'y
upon a masked battery, at the place they were staking across,
which immediately opened a heavy fire upon the Nemesis and
boats, their small junks and boats, to the number of thirty, making
off in the greatest confusion ; our return fire was rapid and
so energetically followed up by landing and pushing on to
the attack, that the fort (of twenty guns in battery) was
immediately in our possession, the guns were disabled by
breaking off the trunnions and throwing them aside as useless,
completely destroying their preparations and also other guns, not
mounted, to the number of sixty. The parties defending this post
fled after a slight resistance, the magazines, a few junks, and some
ether boats of no note were burned ; but a joss house, in which were
two women and some, children, was preserved. Lieut. Bower §
in following up his success came upon the rear guard of the Chi-
nese and took their colours. What loss the enemy sustained it is
impossible to say, from the short time the tide aller.ved for opera.
tions ; but there were fro n twenty to thirty dead, left on the
ground. The zeal and coolness of all employed gave complete
success to this partial affair.
Lieutenant Watson, whom I have mentioned on former occasions,
Lieutenant Bower, and Acting Lieutenant G. B. Dewes, together
with the mates under their orders, I beg leave to recommend to
your particular notice. My attention was particularly attracted by
the activity and steady conduct of Mr. Belfield Woolcombe, of the
Alligator, and to Mr. Hall, Master in command of the Nemesis,
his officers and crew; lam much indebted for the quick and effec-
tual mannuer in which they performed the duty of hauling up the
stakes and partially clearing the passage.
I have tbe honour to be, &c., &c., &e.,
(Signed) T. HERBERT, Captain.
P.S. The boats of the Wellesley, with Captain Belcher, met us
on returning from the attack. . _ _

(Signed)

T. H.

(No. 15.)
Her Majesty's chip Wellesley, off Wangtong,
Feb. 27, 1841.

Sir,—ln continuation of my detail, I beg you will inform their
Lordships, that from the prevalence of light wind,, the line of
battle ships and Druid were not collected until the 24th. On the
25th I arranged a plan of attack on the formidable batteries in our
front, and of which it may perhaps be nec.ssary to give some de-
scription. Partly surrounding the old fort of Anunghoy and in
advance of it to high water mark, was a new and well built bat-
tery of granite, forming a segment of about two-thirds of a circle ;
on it were mounted forty-two guns, some of them of immense
weight and large calibre, Several strong intrenchments extended
to the southward of this battery, and the ridges of the hills were
crowned with guns, up to a camp calculated for about twelve hun-
dred men.

On the north side; was a straight work of modern erection
mounting sixty heavy guns; about one hundred and fifty yards of
rocky beach intervenes between the end of this battery and the
northern circular battery, on which forty guns were mounted. All
these works were protected in rear by a high wall extending up the
hill, on which were steps or platforms for firing musquetry, and in
the interior were the magazines, barracks, &c.
On the east end of the north island of Wangtong is a battery
with a double tier of guns defending the passage on that side, :Ind
also partly flanking a number of rafts constructed of large masses
of timber moored across the river (about twelve feet apart), with
two anchors each, connected by and supporting four parts of a chain
cable, the ends of which were secured under masonry work, one on
South Wangtong, the other on Anunghoy. On the western end of
Wangtong is a strong battery of forty guns, flanked by a field
work of seventeen ; indeed, the whole island is one continued bat-
tery. On the extreme western side of the channel was a battery
of twenty-two heavy guns, and a field work of seventeen, protect.
ing an entrenched camp, containing about fifteen hundred or two
thousand men. South Wangtong was not occupied by the enemy,
it was an excellent position, and I therefore caused a work to be
thrown up on it during the night of the 25th, and mounted two
eight-inch iron, and one twenty-four pounder brass howitzer. At
daylight on the 26th Captain Knowles, of the Royal Artillery,
opened this battery with admirable effect, throwing shells and
rockets into North Wangtong, and occasionally into Anunghoy.
At eleven o'clock, the breeze springing up, the signal was made,
and the fleet stood in. The attack on Anunghoy I entrusted to
Captain Sir H. C. F. Senhouse, of her Majesty's ship Blenheim,
having with him the Melville, Queen, and four rocket boats ; the
Wellesley, Druid, Calliope, Samarang, Herald, Alligator, and Mo.
deste were opposed to the batteries on the south, south-west, and
north-west of Wangtong, and the forts on the western side of the
channel. _

In less than an hour the batteries on Wangtong were silenced,
and the troops under the command of Major Pratt, of the 2tith
Regiment, which had previously been embarked in the Madagascar
and Nemesis steamers, consisting of the detachments of her Ma.
jesty's 06th and 49th Regiments, 37 th Madras Native Infantry
and Bengal Volunteers, together with the Royal Marines under
Captain Ellis, were landed, and in a few minutes masters of the
island without any loss; thirteen hundred Chinese troops sur.
u f
shaken,
rendered.
The Anunghoy batteries had been silenced brniynetbsy wered small armemb,e
1p
r
e.
vision with which the fire of the Blenheim, Melville, and Queen
shadir Flemingb cen
0;
oasne ,
and
at perceivingthe h e
head
thatof t
hteh the
marines

*Calliope Samarang Herald, Alligator, Modest
, , e,aud Sulphur.

t Fcb. 23, 1841.
Calliope, Lieutenant Watson, Mr. 1.3 Vesconte, Mate;
Mr. Egerton, Mate; Samarang, Lieutenant Bower; Act-
ing Lieutenant G. B. Dewes ; Alligator, Mr. B. Woolcombe, Mate.
§ This officer was wounded at Ticocktow, and had been but a
few days out of the sick list.