The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-10 00:00:00

CAPTAIN ANSTRUTHER'S CAPTIVITY.

LETTER FROM CAPTAIN ANSTRUTHER, DECEMBER 31, 1840,

NINOPO PRISON.
MY DEAR ---, On Wednesday, the 16th of Septem-
ber, I started about ten o'clock to get the valleys on the
left of the great north road from Tinghae, put down ac-
curately in my survey. I went about 1,000 yards north
from the north gate of the town, or perhaps 1,200 yards,
to where there are several houses and gardens, and from
whence a road branches off to the westward. I went
along this road and ascended the pass between the hills,
then turned to the left, getting up a knoll, from the top of
which I got the bearings of K. (the centre beacon on the
east side of Chusan Bay) and C. (the similar beacon on
the west side of the bay.) Having fixed this point, I
pitched a small flag, aid took bearings to the flag-staff in
front of Colonel Lloyd's tent (Bengal Volunteers) and
Montgomerie's stone. To the westward lay a long and
pretty valley, by which I could get down to the level of
ground which bears north-west from our old camp, and by
bringing round the right shoulder, keeping the foot of the
bill on my left, I should return to our tents. I am thus
particular in naming the place and describing it, as I hope.
B--- will take a dozen or two of our people, and go and
burn the place where the rascals pinned me. I went down
the western side to the Pass, and in a very short time was
sensible of my imprudence, as the path goes past a ghos
house on the right, thick trees overhanging both sides of the
narrow pass, and making it quite dark. The ghos house is in
a walled garden, full of large trees. I determined as soon as I
got clear of this dark and dangerous-looking place to retrace
my steps, but, on getting to the other end of the grove, I be-
came aware that we were followed by a crowd of Chinamen.
I took no notice, but turned to the left, meaning to go up the
hill again, keeping to the open ground. We had hardly
turned when a Chinese soldier rushed out from the crowd with
a hoe in his hand, and struck at my old Lascar, the only man
with me. He avoided the blow, and ran up to me in great
alarm. I took from him the iron spud which he had used to
pitch the flag, and met the soldier and drove him
back, but a number of others, with what they call
spears, but from their double prongs we should call
them pitchforks, charged me and my poor old man, and
of course we had nothing for it but to run. I told the old
man to run up the hill, and they would only follow me, but
,he refused to leave me. The armed people kept on the
hill side to cut off my chance of getting up the hill, so I
determined to attempt to force my way by the long valley.
I am but a bad runner, and my poor old servant was worse,
so I went slowly along the valley, turning now and
then to keep the Chinese at bay. Meantime the
whole population of the valley gathered with loud
shouts in our front, and it was evidently a hopeless job. I
could not get my old man to leave me and try to escape un-
noticed, so we held on, and at a turn in the path which
had now crossed to the south side of the long valley
(which lies east and west) I was opposed by a few scoundrels
with sticks and stones. I charged them, and they got all
round me, and then my poor old man ran back about eighty
yards, where lie was met by the crowd following us, and
struck down. I have an inexpressible reluctance to write
what follows, but must. I attempted to force my way to-
wards him, but could not, and I saw the inhuman villains
pounding his head with large stones as he lay with his face
downwards. I cannot doubt that he died. His two sons
are my pensioners now at the Mount school, and of course my
brother, or W— MacT—, will see that their pensions con-
tinue to be paid. I saw that attempt at flight was useless, and,
expecting a fate similar to that of my Lascar, I set to work to make
the ras-als pay for it, and fought my best. Of course num-
bers prevailed, and I was sent down. Instead of dashing out
my brains they set to work to tie my hands behind me and
my ancles together, tied a huge gag on my mouth, and
then quietly took a large bamboo and hammered my
knees just over the kneecap, to prevent the possibility of
escape. I was then put in a palanquin, which was
evidently kept ready for some such contingencies, and
we hurried off to the north-west, and fetched a circuit round
the west angle of the island of Chusan to a village about ten
miles west of the Sapper's Point, as I judge from seeing about
five miles east of me a beacon which is visible from the bezeon
above the Sappers' camp. Here we waited till nightfall, my
conductors comforting me by reps ating the word " Ningpo,"
and drawing their hands across their throats. At about seven.
P.M., we got into a boat with a cover, and I lay down and
slept. About midnight, as I should guess, I was awakened,
and told to get out of the boat; my ancles were set free, a
chain put round my neck, and I was obliged to walk,
although my legs were hardly able to bear me, and my head
a'hed dreadfully from two cuts I had received in the
skirmi,h over the skull. I think they were dealt with hoes,
but am not sure. We travelled all night in a south-west
direction, and all the next day till about one o'clock, when
we reached the banks of a river and got into a boat.
About two hours' rowing with the stream brought us into
Ningpo, where we landed, and I went in a palanquin to the
Mandarins of Ningpo outer city, or " Heen." Here I was
examined as to the number of ships, men, and other parti-
culars of our state at Chusan, the interpreter being Poo King
Pon, the comprador who was seized at Chusan about a fort-
night after our landing. 1 was fed, and sent to a prison
prepared for me by the removal of the four Chusan Manda-
rins who had been confined by the Emperor's order for al-
lowing the English t' land at. Chusan. I may here mentisn
that the Wellesley's first broadside mortally wounded the
naval Mandarin, and the first shell fired on shore killed the
Setpun (Letpun) or chief mandarin of the island, and these two
deaths had struck great terror into the mandarins everywhere,
as they believed we aimed at them, so M— may enjoy the
credit of killing the chief. In the prison I was forced to get
into a cage, with wooden bars, one yard high, and two
feet wide outside the bar ; a ring was put round my neck
(of iron) and my hands put in handcuffs, locked to a stick
about one foot long, which was fastened to my neck ring.
Very heavy leg irons had been put on me at the Mandarin's,
in consequence, I supposed, of the abominably exagge-
rated account my conductors gave of my resistance, by
the way. of showing their own valour 'in taking so fierce
a warrior. These irons weighed, I think, 181bs., and
I wore them for four weeks. In this horrid little cago a chain
was locked on to my leg-irons, and a gaoler slept with a
light close to me, so I think it would have puzzled Jack
Sheppard to escape. Next day I went again to the manda-
rin's, and in course of conversation he asked about our
steamers. I offered to draw one for him, and did it. He
became civil and friendly, and gave the comprador and my-
self a good dinner ; after which I got some hot water, and
washed off some of the blood and dirt of the struggle, found my
head handsomely laid open to the bone, my legs and arms
covered with bruises, but no wound of any consequence, and
the very judicious diet of the prison soon cured all the bangs
and bruises.
On the 19th and 20th I again went to the Tagins ( Tazin),
and the latter day met there seven other prisoners, from whom
I heard of the wreck of their ship, the Kite, and their capture.
The Mandarins became more and more friendly in their manner
towards me, and on this day ordered a bigger cage for me ; my
new one was 3 feet by 2 feet 1 inch. This was comparative
comfort, and was the fruit of my drawing for the mandarins
a map of Chu-an Bay, town and suburb, with ships and
tents. Next day I was told to draw a reap of London, and
did it ; Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's, Windsor Castle,
and Buckingham Palace, all pleasantly situated in a park,
with Grosvenor-place very well situated for viewing all
four ! Next day I had to draw a map of England, showing
mail coaches and cattle somewhat larger than cities or towns.
This day (22d) I met Lieutenant Douglas, R.N., of the
Kite, and a nephew of my friend and neighbour Keith
Douglas, of Grangemuir, in Fife. He was in a small cage,
and very much worse off than I, being in a worse prison.
Next day Mrs. Noble, wife of the captain of the Kite,
who, with his child, was lost in the wreck, was brought to
Ningpo with Mr. Wilts, chief officer of that ship. The
lady was put in a cage in the next cell to mine, chained
like me, only the irons were lighter, and so, by-the-by, were
those of Douglas, Wilts, the marines, and sailors. We
went every day to the mandarin's to answer all sorts of foolish
childish questions, ex. gr., "what relation was Mrs. Noble to
the Queen of England." our ages, and the state of our fa-
milies, our pay, and a thousand other things, were the daily
subject of cross-questioning. On Monday, the 28th of Sep-
tember, came a change ; Douglas, Wilts, and I were moved
into a new prison, a large rttom with a fine place to walk in
in front, the cages taken away, and 'good bedsteads placed
for us, and all very much more comfortable ; and, Letter
than all, I got a letter from B—r, which showed they
knew where I was, and that the news would go to Eng-
land, not, as I feared an account of my death, but of a
mere temporary imprisonment, just like the Sheriffs of Mid-
dlesex got from the House of Commons. From that date
up to this present writing, (January 2, 1841) we have
had nothing to complain of, and very little to tell of. On
Monday, the 26th of October, we were all assembled at
the head mandarin's, our irons struck off, and we were all to
be free in six days. He also gave me a letter from 111--,
and four chests of beer, cheeroots, clothes, wine, brandy,
and other slight refreshments. As we believed the manda-
rins as to the six days, we set to work and live jollity,
and the beer, &c. did not last long. Our life was now plea-
sant enough. I had writing materials and plenty of leisure, so
I set to work to ornament the walls of my prison with draw-
ings of my eighteen-pound gun and other diagrams connected
with the noble science of gunnery. I flatter myself I have set
forth the true theory of recoil in a new and striking light, and
will astonish the artillery world with a treatise on carronades,
which will make W___—. bite the finger of vexation with the
tooth of envy. I had to draw portraits of all the mandarins,
pictures of Admiral Elliot, Captain Elliot, the Queen, and a
thousand other things, and so the weary, weary time passed
slowly away. On the above day we received from Admiral
Elliot 300 dollars, with part of which we purchased winter
clothing for all, and some decent clothes for the lady.
A month passed and I got another letter from B--,
with beer, wine, brandy, flannel, and warm clothing, and
the time passed heavily till the 27th of December, when
an ugly vagabond came to the grated door and slipped
into my hand a private 'rote from M— ; up to this
date, though we had written very often, the mandarins
never sent our notes ; but we now wrote by this
man (Blondel de Westa), and asked for a Bible, knife,
and other things. On the 29th of December I received the
Bible and knife, and wrote this account to be ready for
Blondel's next visit, so I will put this by and write out the
accounts of the Kite's wreck. I need hardly say how gra-
tified I feel to M—, B B--w, G—t, and all
blues and sappers, for their kind and constant recollection
of me. We hope soon to be free, and only want freedom to
be perfectly happy, as neither I nor Douglas have had a mi-
nute's sickness, nor have we been, or will we be, down-hear ted
for a minute. We are told now that in about ten days we
shall be free. P. AN ST RUTHER.

INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM CAPTAIN ANSTRUTHER'S
MAN IN CONSEQUENCE OF QUESTIONS PUT TO HIM BY
DIRECTION OF THE CHIEF MAGISTRATE.
The three British officers are in the barracks, but .the lady
is in the prison of the women. The distance between both is
very short.
There are about nine soldiers that watch them outside, and
about eight inside, eleven of whom are my intimate friends,
and belong to my gang ; they can be bought over; so also th?
guard boats, which aro managed by poor people, and are under
obligations to me for medical assistance.
I am able to take them on board a boat and rescue them;
the prison is near the river side.
The place where the sailors are imprisoned is more exposed
to public view, and I should not venture in the first instance to
liberate them, but wait until 1 have accomplished the one ex-
ploit, and then we may again take measures.
Perhaps the district magistrate, who owes more than 10,000
taels to Government, as he is a
now upon the point of going to wreck—he himself will be
Appoint a.vessel to anchor at Heapoo,
anxious to get some money, leave' his office and run away;
poor man, and the empire is
not think that would be attended with any difficulty.
send letters to your
officers, and inform them of the preparations that have been
maule for their release, let them be all ready towards that time
and immediately embark.
and 100 to those in-
From 40 to 50 dollar to tlle guards;
side would be sufficient to buy them over,
My own reward I leave to your generosity, and should
stipulate, as a particular favour, to permit my relation, the
owner of the timber yard, to remove his things, in reward
for my services.
Translated by the Rsv. C. Gutzlaff.
(Signed) W. CAINE, Captain, Chief Magistrate.
Chief Ala2istrate's Office, Tinghae, 4th Jan., 1811,
--Eastern Star, Fcb. 21.