The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-27 00:00:00

(No. 14) Cor-'mandel, at Canton, Jan. 13.
Sir,—By the !ILA mail I had the satisfaction of report-
ing briefly in the Lords Cominissionere of the Admiralty
the capture of the City of Can on. I will now do myself
the honour of detailing ths proceedings which crowned
our efforts with success.
2. The demands e ads by the British and French am-
iieasaders on the lOtti Dec. having been rejected by
Yeh, (the Imperial High Coinuaissionei), as well aq.
,übscquert demand made by the commanders:in-chief
of the allied faces (te whom the ambassadors had trans-
ferred the qusstme), for the peaceanle surrender of the
eay, it was decided to resort to coercive measures, and
as ad the intelligence we had received ascribes the num-
b r of troops comprising t':e garrison to amount to
30,000, and the confidence of the Imperial Commis.
stoner in hi ~wn strength led us to suppose the
means of defence, both to the north ward and
in the interior of the city, had been grey ly iecrensed,
it was decided that before our comparatively small force
should act against the apparent odds in favour of the
enemy, a slo e fire should be kept up on the defences of
the city from the English and French ships of war, in
the direction where the troops were supposed to be
s•ationed.
3. I have already reported the positione o 4 the ships
of war in the Oanten Oreek. At daylight on the morn-
ing of the 28th of Decertab,r the signal agreed upen was
simultaneously hoisted at the mast heads of the Act won
and Pielegethore and a slow Ere was opened upon the
south-west and south-east angles of the oil and new city
walls ; along the east wall and ou the south wall oppo-
site the Vtoerey's residence.. To impede the progress
and communication of the Imperial troops along the
parapets, and to breach the walls to facilitate the entry
of the allied forces, a battery of two 13-inch and two
10-inch sea-service mortars, and two 24-pounder
rockets, under the d're,ctiun of neje!. Schoenberg,
R.M. see, placed in position by Captain Hall, Comman-
des Dewels, of the Hornet, and Captain Mann, R E.,
on the Dutch Filly (where the French and English flags
were hoisted), played on Magazine-hill, the city heights,
and Gough's Fort, with the other forts to the north-
ward of the city outside the walls. The long-range
guns of the gunboats were also at a later hour of the day
pointed in the same direction.
4. Major General Van S'raubenzee had been Inds-
fatigaele in his search for a suitable point of debarkation,
and at eleven a.m, the forces named in the margin* com-
menced to land inside .f Kuper's Island Passage. The
59th Regiment, Royal Artillery and Royal Sappers and
Miners-first; then the French Naval Brigade, followed by
the brigade of Royal Marines; and later in the day by the
British Naval Brigade. From the pains taken by the
officers who superintended the arrangements, Captain
Hall, C. 8., Capt. Raynaud, of the Nemises and Major
Clefferd, Assistant Quartertnaster.General, aided by
Messrs. James J. Hill and Henry Hill, masters of the
Caleutta and Hesper, the landing was effected with ease
and dispa-cb. Soon after landing Lieut. Hackett, of
the 59th Regiment, was surprised by a party of Chinese,
who .barbarously cut off his head and made off. Two
were shot, and a third was taken and hanged.
5. The .Major-General, ureter whose command I had
placed the whole of he R..yal Marine Light Infantry
forces, by my order of 22,1 of December, having directed
Colonel Holloway, with Lieutenant-Colonels Walsh and
locker's battautka of Royal Marines, to remain near
the landing-place, as a reserve to protect the rear and
to ;or ward supplies; each division as it formed, advanced
in the direction of Lin's Fort ; the French Naval Bri-
gade, under my gallant colleague, Rear.Atimiral Sir
Rigault de Genouilly, exciting admiration by the corn-
pieteness of its equipments, and by the soldier-like and
efficient appearance of its officers and men. The fort
was at once taken possession of by detachments of the
French Wipes, and 59th Regiment, the enemy retiring
as the troops advanced. Lin's Fort is a circular red
tower, built of stone ; it had 12 guns in positien, but
badly appointed and of small calibre.
6. As the let and 3d divisions of the Naval Brigade
were advancing to the right, they joined the covering
parties of the 59th Regiment, which were driving back
a large body of Chinese. As these troops occupied the
position assigned to the Naval liiigade, and were in•
creasing in ,numbers, t,te Niger's and Hornet's detach-
meets, under Captain the Hon. A. A. Cochrane, C. 8.,
and Commander Dowell, were ordered to dislodge them,
which ass gallantly executed, the Chinese taking up a
fresh position babied each ridge, and finally in a joss
house, or tstnple, from which they were also driven,
until they reached tee main body of Chinese troops near
Gouge's Fort.
Capt. Cep/Ira-is, seeing the importance of this temple,
put it in a state of defence. and held it till relieved
by the Firet Division at same p. m. Its peseeaaion pro—
tected our right from annoyance during the night. The
gallant conduct of Commander Dowell, and of the
officers and men generally, in the face of greatly superior
numbers, has beea brought to my notice. Several
casualties occurred on this service.
7. The enemy appeared in great force ms the hills to
the northward of the city, and a brisk fire of cannons,
&galls, and roceets, from the city walls and Gough's
Fort, was kept up on our troops as they advanced ;
which was, however, kept in check by the French and
English howitzers which had been brought to the front,
notwithstanding the unfavourable nature of the ground
for artillery.
8. The army bivouacked for the night round Lin's
Fort, the gruuni being admirably adapted for an en-
campment, being honeycombed for miles by a vast as-
semblage of graves—the "Criminal's Cemetery." The
spaces between the mounds affording excellent shelter.
The let and 3d divisions of the Naval Brigade occu-
pied the right, supported by Lieut.-Colonel Lemon's
provisional battalion of Royal Marines ; the 2d division
of the Brigade the centre; and the French and the 59th
Regiment the left, An occasional fire was kept up from
the walls during the night, but without much effect.
9. The head-quarter* for the night was in a Buddhist
temple, to the rear of Lin's Fort. Having had an op-
portunity of viewing the east wall, it was decided to
take it by escalade on the following morning at nine
o'clock, and to ensure success, it was arranged that a
brisk enfilading fire should be kept up along the east
wall, from the East Gate to the North-east Gate, by the
French and English gun-boats, near the French Folly,
till the hour named—the fire then entirely to cease.
Instructions were accordingly seneto Captain Shad well,
C. 8., and Captain D'Aboville, of the Audacisuse, our
respective senior naval officers, superintending the fire
in the Canton Creek.
10. The whale of the allied forces being under arms
at five a.m., on the 29th of December, General Vita
Straubenzee ordered the field batteries to advance as
soon as daylight permitted the passage of the guns over
the uneven and unknown ground to break the parapet
of the wall where the British division intended to
escalade, and the French gnus were soon actively engaged
on trio portion assigned to their division. Directions
having been sent on the previous evening to Lieutenant
Colonel Lemon, and the Ist and Divisions of the
Naval Brigade, to advance and take possession of a large
temple in front of our position, within 100 yards of the
wall, they were seen in quiet occupation as the day
broke, and were soon after joined by Captain Key, C. 8.,
with the 2d Division. This temple afforded ettielter from
ctohnetgieuuned sottoGb3eugmha'sinFtairnted 'asfrowm the
ellacity from
walls. the
fire that
11. The scaling ladders in charge of Commanders
Hamilton, Fel lowes, and Slight, and Lieutenant Viscount
f
Gilford, were now carried as close to the shallow ditch
as prudence permitted, in which service Mr. H. Thorn's-
,son, midship:uan of the Sanspareil, a most praiseworthy
and zealous young officer, was mortally wounded by a
spear rocket, can-ing his death on the following day.
12. At six o'clock the two battalions of the Royal
Marine Brigade, under Colonel Holloway, arrived, and
whilst the 21 battalion; under Lieut -Col. Hecker, was
placed as a reserve at Fort Lin, the Ist battalion, with
Colonel Holloway and Lieut.-Col. Walsh, were ordered
by the general to support four companies of the Provi-
sional Battalion, which were thrown out in extended
order to check the enemy, advancing from Gough's
Heiehts in great force, and keeping up a heavy fire. A
howitzer and a 12-pounder rocket subsequently supported
the Royal Marines.

13. soon after seven o'clock Capt. Bats of the Anthem),
and Captain Mann, R E , were directed to reconnoitre
the wall to seltnt a fitting place fir planting our
scaling ladder?. In the performance of toil important
and dangerous duty, Captain Bate was wounded in the
chest by a gingail ball from the parapet. Dr. C. A.
Anderson, staff surgeon, at once prooeeded at great,
personal risk, under a heavy fire, to his assiqance, but
it was of "no avail, as this gallant and highly esteemed
officer died within a few minutes after receiving his
wound. By this most unfortunate calamity her Ma.
jesty has lost one of the most talented and estimable
officers in her service.

14. The fire from the walls having been kept in check
by howitzers and the rifles of the Royal Marine Light
Infantry, about half-past eight the French Brigade,
headed by its gallant admiral, dashed forward with the
scaling ladders. Our own ladders were at once in hand,
and with a short run planted against the wall, and
amidst a hearty cheer from the whole army the French
and English colours were floating over the battlements
of Canton. Division after division rapidly clambered up
the ladders, and advanced along the wall to the north.
card, taking gate after gate (which forte the principal
defences of the city) in rapid succession ; the enemy,
completely surprised and confounded at the impetuosity
of the attack, offering but trifling opposition. Before
ten o'clock the flags of the allied powers floated over the
five-storied pagoda, the city heights, including two forts
mounted with heavy guns, and the defences of the city
as far as the North Gate,

Our mode and plan ;:fl;ttack may be considered as s
complete surprise, and may account for the limited lost
which attended our operations. The authorities evi
dently expected we should first attack Gough's Height;

Troops, 800; Royal Marines, 2,100; Naval Brigade,
1,829; French Nal* Brigade, 950--Tytal, 5,679,