The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-03 00:00:00

state that the ground in the neighbourhood of
Pehtang beinvall salt flat (although the place is
nnfortifi ad), the barbarians will net find it easy
to land. Should they be so foolish as to throw
themselres across these flats, there are camps of
horse and hoot which will prevent them from turn-
ing the forts. If it be the fact that the bar-
barian force does amount to 30,000 men, the

Tartar cavalry and infantry, being now reinforced,
are FO distributed station by station as to enable
there to repel any attack, which information, it is
hoped, "will comfort the Imperial bosom." As re-
gards the Russian barbarians, instructions have
already been sent to trusty officers " to make search
without sign or sound" in the neighbourhoOd, and
any Russians found will be sent as prisoners to
Pekin. The English and French, after receiving
their chastisement last year, seemed afraid of ano-
ther defeat, and of a demand for war expenses, and
were alarmed " lest other nations beyond sea should
heuceforth took down on them," or they would have
sued for peace. "If they were really increasing
their force this year to avenge themselves they
would never have allowed the slightest rumour of
their intention to get abroad at Shanghai. He has
been reporting time after time that he finds the
barbarian force stated by some at 25,000, by others
at 30,000, their war-ships at so many, their guns at
so many, that they were running up more sheds at
Shanghai, which the troops will shortly arrive to
occupy, that one dealer has undertaken to supply
them with bread, and another with beef. This un-
disguised exhibition of courage, this reckless pub-
licity, would not have been the game of the veriest
fools, and they are not the veriest fools. The cun-
ning of war is in this wise :—When one is going
to surprise an enemy, 10,000 lie off, the mouth
should be gagged, the drums muffled, the sally
should be made when he is not expecting it, the
attack when he is not on his guard. Who would
give him notice beforehand, so as to enable him to
be in readiness ? They, want to sue for peace, but
they do not choose to be the first to, speak f it.
This is perfectly plain. Besides, as to the violence
of their language, these barbarians for the last 20
years have been feeding their pride, and it is cer-
tainly not to be expected that in one day they will
bring down their heads, and lay back their ears,
and wag, their tails, and ask for mercy. In their
communications, therefore, it was inevitable that
they should continue to use language that was
extravagant and rebellious. Should they still per-
sist in their desire to take revenge for the chastise-
ment at Taku, then, of course, they must go to
Taku and fight it out."
The correspondence between the Tartar General
and the Viceroy of the Province since the landing
of the allies at Pehtang was also found. The Gene-
ral gives an account of the first reconnaissance, and
states that he drove back the barbarians with a loss
of six or seven men on his side, and as many en that
of the enemy, He did not inflict a more severe loss
because he knew the Governor-General was anxious
to open negotiations, and therefore he did not wish
to exasperate the barbarians." To this Hang-fuh
implies that he must not allow diplomatic considera-
tions to interfere with his military duties, but that
at all hazards he must maintain his position at
Sinho and Tang-kow, those places being the key
to the Northern forts. The Governor-General also
encloses a copy of Lord Elgin's letter, and offers a
reward of 1,000 taels (£333) for the barbarian chiefs,
dead or alive, 100 taels for each of the inferior
leaders, and five for those of the common fellows.
All prisoners were to be forwarded to Hang-fuh,
that he might return them at once, appease the
barbarian wrath, and so procure good terms of peace.
In short, prisoners were to be considered so much
property, which could be exchanged with advan-
tage. The chief rebel (Lord Elgin) was specially
recommended for capture, as the war would be
ended if he were taken.
A general order directed the proceedings to be
taken in case of invasion. Should the allies go to
Pehtang no opposition was to be offered on their
landing. When they moved out, the Tartar cavalry
was ordered to disperse, harass their flanks and
rear, divide them into several bodies, and finally
reunite to exterminate them.
These instructions were carried out to a very
limited extent. The Mongols and Mantchoos who
hovered about during the action made but a few
prisoners. The grog was:in the rear of the Second
Division, under charge of a sergeant of the 44th
and private of the Buffs, with 16 Coolies. They were
joined by two Madras Sappers, who had fallen out
from fatigue. After getting through the mud the
sergeant and soldier partook rather too freely of
the liquor provided for the troops, and fatigued
with their exertions, lay down to sleep, declaring
they would not go on until the forts were taken.
After some hours they awoke, and, disputing about
the road, wentatraight np to a body of cavalry which
they mistook for Probyn's Horse. They turned out
to be Tartars • on discovering their error the Eng-
lishmen and Tartars;
fired with effect, killing two
of the enemy and four horses, whose bodies were
afterwards found on the plain. But such an unequal
fight could not last. The whole party were soon
taken prisoners, with the exception of one Coolie,
who gave leg bail and got back to Pehtang, After
binding their arms, the Tartars drove them to a
neighbouring town, and carried them before a Man-
darin. They were ordered to kotow before this dig-
nitary--an order which all obeyed except the Buffs
soldier—Moyle by name—who declared that he
would not prostrate himself before any Chinaman
alive. He was therefore despatched by a blow on
the head, and left on a dunghill. The sergeant and
Madrasees having been placed is a cart were carried
for five days from village to village, and exposed for
upwards of an hour at eack. place. The villagers
pulled their hair and beat them with sticks, but they
abstained from inflicting any mortal injury, though,
according to the sergeant's account, he was daily
threatened with death in various shapes and forms.
On the 17th inst., he arrived at Taku, was taken be-
fore Hang-fuh, the Governor of the province, and
exposed in the forts. " Then," said he, " they said
I must die. First, they would slit my nose, then
scoop out my eyes, afterwards rip up my belly, and
conclude with cutting oat my heart. A Chinaman
in the forts gave me a friendly hint that they were
all mined." An officer quietly asked a sergeant
how he became acquainted with these details, see-
ing that he did not speak Chinese. " Sure, sir,
these fellows have no secrets at all at all." Some
excuse must be made for our friend's romancing,
inasmuch as he was 'meg engaged on the recruiting
service, but there is no doubt as to his having been
bound and beaten, for I saw him brought in, and
his hands and arms were in a terrible state. Next
day another flag of truce was sent by the enemy,
and 13 of the Coolies returned. In addition to being
half-starved and well beaten, all their tails were
cut off. One Coolie is mortally wounded in the
head, but no exception could have been taken had.
they been put to death, for they are Chinese sub-
jects assisting their country's enemies.
On the night of the 12th the whole army
bivouacked sub Jove, in the field. The day's work
was thoroughly satisfactory. A large force had
been moved through a most difficult country. The
enemy was cut off from Tien-tsin, and driven from
their intrenchments with very slight loss on the
part of the allies. Compared with Pehtang we had
reached a land flowing with milk and honey. The
gardens afforded abundance of vegetables ; excel-
lent water was found in every direction ; large
stacks of hay, which had been stored for the Tartars
refreshed the horses of the King's Dragoon Guards
and the Sikhs; the air was brisk and pure; the
r;ieght clear and bright. To one danger, however,
vere evidently exposed. The plain was below
the level
evidentof the Peiho at spring tides, and bore
marks of being occasionally flooded—Hol-
land -wil
too tired to the dikes. However, every one was
a. frut care much about •that risk ; so
after
the rest of Leaupper, the pickets were posted and
done uP with t:l3l3°PB lay down to rest thoroughly
ir exertions.
Most of the inhabitants escaped to Tang-kow.
500 or 600 small-
walk nor run, and a
lined women, who could neither
dnner of children, took refuge
in small junks moored in creek which intersected
the gardens. Sir HopeNvere Grant at once placed a guard
over them, and they
an adjacent village. eventually passed on to
broke clear and bright;
The morning of the 13th br
, and thne
heralding a glorious day. By
tehe engineers
had completed their bridges
Tanders-
he mor-
row
in-Chief could form an exact estimatenoinf
Crossing
tides.,
row's work. Between Sinho and Tan
mites in
large plain flooded by the river at very high • lies a
but generally just above its level.
plain, a raised mud causeway three
length leads up to the gate of the intrenched camp
af 'fang -kow. On the left of this causeway the
country is marshyand deep, so that no guns could
possibly
be manotuvred. On the right the ground
us spongy and,
moist, but it soon dries under the
influence of sun and wind. About half a mile
beyond Sinho the Peiho runs on the right of the
plain and parallel to it for upwards of a mile. Then,
making a sharp bend to the south, a village and
orchards divide the river from the plain. After
continuing in this direction for a mile a turn to
the north brings it back to its old course shortly,
shove the proper left of the Tang kow wall. The
average width of the plain between the river and
causeway is a mile to a mile and a half, and the dis-
tance from Sinho to Tank-kow over this ground

about four miles. The intrenched camp of Tang-
'kuvr was, in-the form of a crescent, with both ends
resting on the river. The wall exceeded three
miles in length, and the place could not have been
properly defended with less than 8,000 or 10,000
men. It was arranged that the attack should be
made on the 14th from the right of the causeway,
the English on the right up to the river, the French
PI the lift up to the road. The English were to I