The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-15 00:00:00

like that of the Isle of Dogs, without its drains.
Even now, when the nigh-Lb are become cold, it can-
not .be healthy. Three mouths hence ;t wili reek
with pestilence.
Will Yeh yield ? is still the qu=stion ;II every
mouth. It makes one's heart ache to think of the
miseries that must fall upon this doomed city should
he still hold. It is not we who shall destroy and
plunder, but if we may trust the prec3dents of all
foreign sieges the commencement of the l ona',ard-
meat will be the signal for all the dangerous classes
of Canton to sack and fire the city and carry off
their loot. We bhall probably stand by, as we did
at Che-kiang-foo, guarding their exit, ani think-
ing we are doing a humane act in allowing 'the
poor Chinese to remove their property." For
the merchants and the mandarins, especially the
former, I have no sympathy. It is they who have
rendered all this necessary. It is they who for their
own pecuniary profit excited the populace,subscribed
to hire "lneives" and print lying proclamations, and
prevented the carrying out of the treaty. It is
they who have kidnapped and tortured our country
men. It is they who have built triumphal arches
in the city to commemorate the expulsion of the
barbarians, who wear decorations showing the part
they took in the good work, and to travel north-
wards to Amoy, Foochow, Ningpo, and Shanghai,
and twit the contented peeple in those parts with
their cowardice in not cuffing and spitting upon the
barbarians even as the brave Cantonese have done.
Canton must fall. Even in the interest of the
Chinese, Canton must fall. Bat how gla Ily should
I close this letter by saying that it bay fallen with-
out a shot fired or a life sacrified
CHRISTMAS-DAY.
The besiegers are resting from their labour:. The
59th are come up, but are not disembarked.
The mortar batteries on Dutch Folly have been
completed ; the works on the French Folly have
been abandoned. Everyone's ingenuity is taxed,
and, moreover, the fleet is most heavily taxed, to
get up the materials for some Christmas festivity.
The trees on Dutch Folly have been robbed of their
boughs to do duty for holly—mistletoe we have no
Use for—but the ration beef is not cut in barons
and sirloins, and the plumpuddings, though made
by stalwart marines, are mockeries, delusions, and
snares.
Will the mail take you the news of the fall of
Canton ? Not if we have to take it by force. On
Monday morning the batteries open. On Monday,
at 12, the mail leaves. It is not one of the coetract
mails, and it cannot be delayed without risk of
missing the steamer at Gallo, a contingency which
happened to the letters to which the last English
mail ought to have brought us answers. The con-
sequence is that the word "China " does not once
o.Tur in our last files of the Times—a pleasant
thought for soldiers and sailors who, 15,000 miles
away, look to home for sympathy and encourage-
ment. SATURDAY, DEC. 26.
This day pames in anxious preparations. The men
of the pen are preparing copies of the plan of attack
both for the fleet and the army. The boats are
hurrying about transhipping munitions of war. The
Only people who look quite happy and unconcerned
are the Chinese Coolies, who, exulting in the mag-
nificent daily ration of two pounds of rice and half
it pound of salt beef, carry huge loads about right
joyously, grinning and chattering like monkeys.
Captain Hall and Mr. Parkes continue their dau-
gerous labour of distributing proclamations. They
land a strongly armed company suddenly in a
suburb and post up the proclamation or distribute
it to the crowd which soon assembles. In one of
these rapid descents Captain Hall ciught a man-
darin in his chair, not far from toe outer gate. The
captain pasted the mandarin up iu his chair with
the barbarian papers, pasted the chair all over with
them, and started the bearers to carry this new ad-
vertising van into the city. The Cuin,se crowd,
always alive to a practical joke, roared. These bel-
ligerent billstiokers have brought off some Chinese
counter proclamations. Arrogant lo the last, these
Papers say that the rebellious English, having
seduced the French to join in this rebellion, it be-
Mlles necessary to stop the trade altogether, and
Utterly to annihilate these barbarians.
This evening the orders were issued detailing the
plan of attack.
From the general orders I extract the following :
" GENERAL ORDERS.
" Head-quarters, Ronan, Dee. 26.
," 1. The troops under command of Major-General
Van Straubeezee, C. 8., will be formed into brigades as
40110 W 8
IST, OR COLONEL HOLLOWAY'S BRIGADE.—Iit
Battalion,
Royal Marine Light Infantry ; 21 Battalion
Cat, Royal
command of Colonel Holloway, Aide-de-
...,
"P Brigade-Major, Captain Travers, Royal Marine
Light Infantry, and Aide-de-Camp Capt. Elia, ditto.
2°, OR COLONEL GRAHAM'S BRIGADE.—RoyaI Eegi-
;leers and Volunteer Company of Sappers, Royal Artil-
lery, and Royal Marine Artillery, Provisional Battalion
Royal Marine Light Infantry, 69th Regt., 38th Madras
Native Infantry, under command of Col. Graham, 59th
; Brigade-Major, Major Laard, 77'h Regt. ;
aide-de-camp, Lieut. Racket, 59th Regiment. The
Whole of the Artillery will be placed under the orders of
Col. Dunlop, R.A. Capt. Morrison, let Bat. Royal
Marine Light lofantry, is appointed Provost-Marshal."
The General Order issued by the Admiral is as
follows :

"GENERAL ORDER.
" Before Canton, Dec. 26.
"The naval and military Commandsr—in Chief of the
allied forces before Canton have agreed to the following
order of operations against the city. First bombard-
ment to commence at daylight on Monday morning the
28th of December.
"The ships and vessels named in the note (under let-
ter A) on the signal hereafter indicated being made will
°Pen fire on the south-west angles of the city walls, with
a view to breach them, and impede the communication
of the Chinese troops along their parapets to the east-
ward.

"The ships and vessels named in the note (under let-
ter B), and the Dutch Folly, with a similar object, will
breach the city walls opposite the Viceroy's residence ;
the mortars in the Dutch Folly likewise shelling the city
- and Gough Heights.
"The ships and vessels named in the note (under let-
ter C), between the Dutch Folly and the French Folly,
will open fire on the south-east angle of the new and
old city walls, and the walls forming the east side of the
city.
"These three several attacks wi:l commence simnita-
, teoesly when a white ensign shall be hoisted at the fore
of the Actaeon, and a yellow flag as a corresponding sig-
nal at the same time hoisted at the fore of the Pelege-
thou.
"The Hornet and the Avalanche will repeat these
signals at their fore so long as the flags shall remain
flying on the beforemlentioned ships.
"The bombardment is to be in very slow time, and
. Continued day and night, not to exceed per each gun em-
plOyed 60 rounds§ during the first 24 hours.
"Immediately the bombardment opens the landing of
the allied forces will take place at the creek in Kupar,
(where the British and French flags will be planted) in
the following order, commencing at dayiight :
"I. Sappers and Mioers, 59th Regiment. Royal
Artillery, stares, ammunition, &o,
" 2. The Fieoch Naval Brigade, stores, &c.
" 3. The Naval Brigade, under the orders of Cora-
Modore the Hon. C. Elliot.
" 4. The Naval Brigade from Canton.
"5. Lieutenant-Colonel Lemon's battalion of Royal
Marines.
" 6. Col. Holloway's Brigade of Royal Marines, &c.
" The disembarkation of the French forces will be
superintended by Captain ReinauJ, flag captain ; the
British troops and Royal Marines by Major the Hon.
H. Clifford.
" The British Naval Brigade, by Capt. W. K. Hall,
CB. flag.captain.
The following will be the disposition of the united
forces after landing :
" British Naval Brigade on the right.
" Centre brigade, composed of Lieutenant-Colonel
Lemon's provisional battalion, 59th Regiment, Royal
Artillery, and Sapper,.
" French brigade on the left.
" Colonel Holloway's brigade in reserve, with Royal
Marine Artillery.
"After getting into position the allied forces will re-
main in line of contiguous columns of brigade until
further orders for an advance, which will be made to a
Position for the night, preparatory to active service in
the morning.
" M. SEYMOUR, Rear-Admiral Commander-in-
Chief of her Britannic Majesty's naval forces.
"C. REGNAULT DE GENOUILLY, Rear-
Admiral Commander-in-Chief of his Imperial
Majesty's naval force,.
" C. F. TAN STRAUBENZEE, Major-General
Commanding the military forces.
et M. C. Seymour, Flag-Lientenant."
Tile naval brigade will be composed as follows :
"
Command the Commodobrigade.re the Hon. G. J. B. Elliot, C. 8., to

" lit Division--Captain the Hon. Keith Stuart,
Captain G. S. Hand, ommander G. CF. C. Hamilton,
Commander F. A. Brooker • the Sybille, 8 offi cera and
153 men ; the Nankin, 0 Officers and 203 men ; the
Sampson, 3 officers and 43 men ; the Racehorse, 3
()Moen and 49 men ; the Elk, 3onf. Total, 584. Theficers and 45 men ;
the
officerslnflexible 52 men.
, 3 and
Bybille's arid Nankin's boats' crews to form a company.
e C.
Key,
Commander A.
pt' 23 Division.—Captain A.
th • 14. hood, Commander J.
A. Slight ; the Calcutta,
11
Sanspareil, the Acorn, and
b
min,
a ,40, T
,tep4e Calcutta's and te Macao Fort, 474
Sanspareil's boats' crew to
an
lure, Knt., Capt.
1 Dirisi C tain Sir R. We AA.
Sherrard Osborne gin.—Captain
Captain the
Cochrene.o.B ,
COmmander %V. M.DuwalliriCuoem.
Charles Fellow' s ande Esk, 6 officers and
Niger, 4 officers 65 men ; the Hig
...y
a"
64 'nen ; the Hornet, 4 officers andil 104 men
Insemenna:ncdtethrheseer
Cruiser, 4 officers and 65 men ; the Furious, linoe
and 70 Men. Total 446.
" Grand total, 1,501." officers
lera sorry I cannot oivA vim ~,,tt‘`‘' T'"oa 4
' * (A) 4-etaa xi Pi:------.—;-i--'----b...-.--.—.................,..........'''
and gunboats.
t (B) Atitraille, FLlevrtil°ll'.
Ind Avalanche e, Cruizer, Hornet ; gunboats Niger
-1 (C) Nimrod, Surprise, Dragonne, Marceau gunboats.
t Except the ships under letter C, which will fire 1(0
rod de.