The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-08 00:00:00

(Extract from a Letter dated Chusan, 17th October last,
from an Officer serving on the Expedition.)
I must try and give you some account of our pro-
ceedings since my last letter, which was dated the 14th
of July last, at that time blockading the port of Ning-
po, and hour by hour expecting hostilities to commence.
We continued off that port till the end of July, the
Chinese treating us with great civility in all our commu-
nications with them, until they rendered the na-
vigation of the river impracticable, by sinking nume-
rous vessels, erecting batteries, &c., when they tune]
round and told us they would hold no further in-
tercourse with us ; after which, upon our boats ca-
tering the river with a flag of truce even, they fired
upon them. We confined our operations entirely to
stopping all vessels leaving or entering the port, treating
all with kindness; and were not even allowed to resent
impertinences, by the positive orders of the Home Go-
vernment. I assure you we were not sorry to have
Ning-po, the duties were very monotonous, and the
tides so strong as to render them very arduous. We
accord;ngly returned to this place, and sailed on the
30th of July, in company with the Wellesley, 74, bear-
ing the Admiral's flag ; the Blonde, 42 ; the Volage,
26 ; the Pylades and the Modeste, 16-gun sloops ;
two transports and an armed steamer, forming a nice
liitle squadron, and a very effective one to boot, for the
mouth of the Pei-ho river, in the Gulf of Pc-the-le,
upon which Pekin is situated, some GO or 80 miles from
its embouchure, and off which we anchored on the Bth
of August, but at such a distance from the shore, as
not to sea it from deck, the sea being so very shallow.
Here all our communications were received with civility,
and were direct to the Court of Pekin itself, from four
to six days only being required to send and to receive
an answer in return. Procrastination, however, formed
the basis of their proceeding, and this, with the object
of gaining time, which they employed in the throwing
up of batteries, collecting troops, and putting things in
the best possiLle position to resist any force or attempt on
our part to hind a hostile force. From everything I could
learn, the Emperor showed every disposition to treat ;
the great difficulty being the payment of the 3,000,0001.
for the opium destroyed. The squadron received pre-
sents of bullockie sheep, fowls, fruits (apples and pears),
&c., without payment. A definite arrangement, how-
ever, did not take place; but a commission started for
Canton, to inquire into the whole of the eircume,ances ;
and we are shortly to sail for that place, to receive a final
answer. If unfavourable, war will be declared, and our
first affair will be to knock the forts of the Bogue about
their ears, and afterwards, possibly, attack the city of
Canton itself. During our st iy in the Gulf of Pe -che-
le, we entered the Gulf of Leotong ; had a peep at the
commencement of the Great Wall of China, which
divides China Proper from Chinese Tartary. We after-
wards crossed over to the Tartar coast, for the pur-
poses of watering and procuring bullocks for the squa-
dron, in which we succeeded ; but only by sending a
foraging party on shore and surrounding two herds,
which we marched down to the beach and shipped.
The natives were afterwards paid, and were quite satis-
fied. They would, however, sell us nothing, being
so completely under the authority of the mandarins,
who keep them in utter subjection. On sailing from
Pee( he-le, we were detached to examine a portion of the
coast of Leotong, never previously visited by an Euro-
pean ship. This was all new ground, and consequently
interesting, The coast we found hilly, but not moun-
tainous, exceedingly barren, and the rocks showing
everywhere, with scanty herbage for cattle, of which
there are plenty of a diminutive breed. The country
almost devoid of wood ; the valleys, however, and low
grounds are highly cultivated and fertile, and constantly
bring you in mind of extensive kitchen gnrdens, every-
thing growing in small patches ; maize, corn, various
kinds of millet, as also of kidney beans, peas, sweet
potatoes, turnip-radishes, turnips, and a large spe-
cies of salad, and other vegetables, were the princi-
pal articles of culture. They also grow wheat, but I
saw none. I was agreeably pleased to see the birch
ash, dwarf and forest oaks, and one or two other Euro-
pean trees. After coasting about 100 miles, we got
entangled amongst innumerable islands, with a difficult
and dangerous navigation, which we zig-zagged amongst
for another 100 miles,when we found ourselves one morn-
ing off the coast of Chorea, nearly on a bank, which
satisfied the captain that our ship might very possibly
leave her ribs upon one of them, and caused him to haul
to sea, and make the most of our way back to Chusan,
where we rejoined the Admiral. I forgot to mention
that the whole of the ships (one excepted, which bad
been twelve months in the China Seas), were exceed-
ingly sickly. At one time the Blonde had 100 in the
sick-lis►, but fortunately the disease did not assume a
fatal character, and all the men recovered. Several
deaths, however, occurred in other ships. Our ex-
pedition cruise, during which we enjoyed lovely
weather from the change of the monsoon, and
plenty of fresh beer, put our fellows in a fair
way of recovery ; and at this moment we are the
healthiest ship of the squadron, having to-day only six
on the sick-list. The troops also, I am sorry to say,
have suffered dreadlully, and continue to do so, from
dysentery and ague. Indeed, they could riot bring into
the field 1,000 out of the 4,000 troops on shore. The
weather is now delicious, and we trust that it will set
us all on our legs and fit for fight. It is reported that
the Admiral will sail shortly for Macao, and that a part
of the squadron will spend the winter in blockading
Ning-po, and prever.ting the embarkation of Chinese
troops for the recapture of Chusan. This latter duty
will be very monotonous, and the climate during the
winter very severe.

NATIONAL SWIMMING SOCIETY.—A general
meeting of the Members of this Institution, established in
1837, for promoting the art of natation, and for affording
gratuitous instruction to youth in the healthful and manly
exercise of swimming, took place on Wednesday even-
ing, at the Green Man tavern, Berwick-street, Ox-
ford street, for the purpose (among others) of re-
ceiving the report of the Committee. Mr. Baume,
F. S S., late Secretary to the Prince Regent of
Naples, in the absence of Captain Marryat, R.N.,
the popular naval author, presided. The report stated
that branches of the institution had been founded in various
parts of the country. At Oxford and Glasgow swimming
matches have taken place, and modals awarded to the
winners. The society had also appointed swimming mas-
ters at most of the metropolitan baths, and notwithstanding
the severity of a long and protracted v%intcr, a number of
pupils had (teen perfected in the art. The service of those
instructors had hitherto been gratuitous. The report was
received and printed.
UNION OF CLASSES.—" A Get-what-I-can
Chartist," in a latter we have not room to insert,
strongly recommends to the Chartists to unite with the
middle classes for obtaining Household Suffrage; being
of opinion that, by so doing, they will make an im-
pel tant advance in favour of the Charter, while, so long
as they stand clone, they will get nothing. —Leicestershire
Mercury [why
not adopt the same excellent advice as
to the Corn-laws. To get ILL of them would abate the
power of the aristocracy, and enable the labouring classes
more easily to obtain complete justice,—EP. Sun,]