The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-07 00:00:00

FIGHT AT THE BARRIER.

It will be; seen: from the circular copied below, ad-
dressed by Captain Smith to the British subjects resi-
dent here, that his Excellency the Governor informed
him that the Taoutae had left Macao on the 11th of

this month for the sole purpose of laying before the Vice-
roy Lin the strongest demands for the releaseof Mr. Stan-
ton. On Monday, the 17th, the Taoutae returned, but
without Mr. Stanton, and we are informed that the
only answer he gave was, that it was impossible that
Mr. Stanton could be liberated, he not having been
seized on Portuguese territory, and that besides he,
the Taoutae, had brought with him a number of sol-
diers to assist the Portuguese in driving away the En-
glish. It was known before, and we stated it last
week, that strong additions had been made to the
fortifications at the barrier, and to the number of the
garrison there, and a great many boats filled with sol-
diers were on Tuesday seen to pass through the inner
harbour towards the barrier, where also were stationed
eight war-junks, which before had been anchored oppo-
site the town of Macao. The Hon. Company's
steamer, Enterprise, left the road here for Capsine-
moon soon after the return of the Taoutae was known,
and reurned on Tuesday, in company with her Ma-
jesty's ship Druid, and towing the transport Nazaruth
Sehah, having the Bengal Vclunteers on board. From
the Taoutae's answer it was evident that the Chinese
had hostile intentions towards the English resident in
Macao, and there seemed but the alternative of quietly
awaiting the attack or to check them by falling upon
them first. On Wednesday morning, the 19th, her
Majesty's ships Hyacinth and Larne were seen getting
under way, standing towards Fisherman s Bay,
and the Bengal Volunteers were embarked on
board the steamer, whilst we saw nine boats filed with
marines and seilors leave the Druid, and following in
the same direction as the Hyacinth and Larne. The
weather was favourable, a light southerly breeze wafting
the ships very soon to a- favourable position right in
front of the barrier and the fortifications there, a dis-
tance of only about 600 yards. At about half-past one
o'clock the Hyacinth began the cannonade, which was
answered by the Chinese from their fort, or rather
breastwork. consisting of pyramids of sandbags, having
each a foundation of about nine yards square, and upon
which the 82-pounders made little or no impression.
The Chinese had altogether 24 guns in the embrasures
of this fortification, 15 of which were pointed towards
the ships, but their fire was very soon silenced by the
Hyacinth and Larne, after the guns had been only
thrice fired. The neck of land on which the barrier
is built is just there only about 100 yards wide, and
close to the land on the inside were anchored the eight
junks already mentioned, cf which from the ships
only the masts could be seen, the hulls being hid
and in a great measure sheltered from shot
by the land. There was besides, on this side of
the barrier, and on territory hitherto considered as
subject to Portuguese jurisdiction, a joss-house, or
temple, where there were several cannon, from which
a brisk tire was kept up upon the ships, and it was ob-
served that these guns carried further than those from
the junks, many of whose shot fell short of the ships.
Though several balls passed over the ships, they re-
ceived no injury in their hulls, but a few balls passed
through the awning and sails of the Hyacinth. After
the engagement had begun, the garrison at the joss-house
was reinforced by about 300 Chinese soldiers, who
marched to it from the town of Macao. There was be-
sides a considerable encampment filled with soldiers just
behind the barrier, and sheltered by a sandhill, and it
is supposed that there .must altogether have been about
2,000 Chinese soldiers on the spot, of whom a consider-
able proportion were armed with matchlocks. The
distance from the barrier to Macao being scarcely two
miles the whole of the engagement was witnessed from
the town, and numerous spectators, Chinese as well as
Portuguese and foreigners, crowned the adjacent heights.
From half-past one until about half-past three
o'clock the ships kept up a heavy fire upon the fort
and the junks behind, which was latterly only faintly
answered from the junks, but with more spirit from the
joss-house. Parties of soldiers were seen running to
and fro between the barrier and the joss-house, often
interrupted in their course by the shot passing over
them or ploughing up the ground near them, when
they would cower down, or creep along on all fours.
Twice we saw them remove a dead or wounded soldier.
At about half-past two the English troops began to be
landed on the beach at some distance from and on the
Chinese side of the fort. Some Chinese soldiers here
favoured by the rising ground, crept and fired upon the
parties landing, but a field-piece was brought on chore
and planted on the height, and a sharp fire kept up
from it upon the Chinese encampment below, upon
the junks, and latterly also upon the joss-house, which
by the positive orders from Captain Smith had till then
been spared, as being considered on neutral ground ;
but when the firing from it continued, all pretence to
neutrality of course ceased, and a great number
of soldiers were soon seen flying out of it and from
some matsheds, through which a few balls were sent, and
running back to Macao. At a little after 4, all the troops
being landed, (180 sipahis, 120 marines, and 80 seamen,
commanded by Captain Mee, of the Bengal Volunteers),
they marched upon the fort, which they found deserted,
but a fire, when already in the fort, was opened upon
them from the junks and the joss-house;whivh-was-soon
silenced by the musketry from the volunteers. The
Chinese still on board the junks tried to save themselves
by leaping into the water, where many, it is supposed,
were killed. Two of the guns in the fort (they were
very large and heavy, in bulk equal to 32-pounder car-
ronades, though bored for 18 pounders only) were dis-
abled, the carriage of the one being splintered, and the
other broken to pieces by a shot. All the guns were
spiked, and everything else in the fort destroyed and
burnt. A powder magazine blew up, and two men, we
are sorry to say, were severely hurt by the explosion.
The Chinese encampment was next burnt, and in fact
everything found on that side of the fort destroyed, with
the exception of the junks, which escaped being burnt from
there being no boats available to get at them. Many of
them were, however,so much injured by shot that they will
probably never float again. The joss-house, from which the
liveliest fire had been kept up, escaped destruction, as
being on neutral ground, very much to the disappointment
of the assailants, who could only by the strictest orders
be restrained from attacking it sword in hand. Indeed,
(iuriog this affair, Captain Smith seems to have been
most anxious not to violate in the slightest degree the
neutrality of the territory of Macao, although the Chi-
nese had no such scruples, for not only was the joss-
house on this side of the barrier, and therefore on Por-
tuguese ground, but the greatest part of the soldiers
that occupied it, marched to it from the town of Macao
itself. _ _

V The
English had four men badly and two slightly
wounded ; a marine had his arm shattered by a ball,
and had to submit to amputation of the limb ; another
was shot in the body, and two, as we have already said,
badly injured by the explosion of the powder magazine.
The loss of the Chinese cannot be known with any de-
gree of certainty. Those connected with their manda-
rins state it at only four killed, but other statements are
about 50 or 60 killed, and double that number wounded,
and are probably more correct. One shot was seen to
strike a tanka boat plying between the junks, and pul-
led by two women ; the boat was shivered to pieces,
and nothing was seen of the poor women, who, it is
possible, however, may have escaped, they being all ex-
pert swimmers.
We hear that the Chinese soldiers ascribe their de-
feat to the cowardice of their officers, who they say
were the first to run away, and that they were there-
fore obliged to follow their example. What the result
of this affair may be it is difficult to foresee, but we
hope, that having received this severe lesson, the Chinese
will hereafter refrain from troubling Macao. The
Chinese population here has been very quiet ever since,
with the exception of many families removing. The
Taoutae, it was rumoured, had disappeared since the
fight, but we learn he is now at Casabianca. The
Keun-min-foo and Tao-tang have also left Macao.
The following letter was circulated on Monday last :
" MACAO, AUG. 17.
_ _

" Sir,—As the British community residing in Macao
must be deeply interested in the fate of Mr. Stanton,
lately seized by the Chinese, I have now to request you
will be pleased to make known to them, that assurances
have been received from the Governor of Macao by her
Majesty's officers that the Taoutae, Yih, left Macoa at
seven P.M. on the 11th inst., for the sole purpose of
la)ing before the Viceroy Lin the strongest demands for
the release of the aforesaid 13ritish subject ; and his
Excellency has been kind enough to state that he will