The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-02 00:00:00

(Front the Correspondent of the Times.)
hops to be able to tell you by the next mail that
we are at least "before Canton." All our powers
of force and persuasion are arrived, or are upon the
eve of arrivals Mr. Reade is come in his gigantic
ship, the Minnesotta, and although the monster
made an involuntary breach of etiquette in the
number of guns fired, the Plenipos have fraternised
in cordial fashion. It is understood that on the
16th the Calcutta flagship will change her anchorage
for Tiger Island. The rest of our fleet will gradu-
ally gather about her up the river. Then in delibe-
rate strength our heavily-armed vessels will move
right up and occupy the river under the walls of
Canton. They will clear the water, remove all
sunken obstacles, protect the necessary recon-
naissances of the land approaches to the city, and
make matters comfortable for the final assault.
Then the great Yeh will be summoned, not to treat,
but to surrender the city. Should he neglect or
refuse, proclamations will be issued directing the
unarmed peop!e to depart the city during the im-
pending operations., Then will come the final scene
—the landing of the Marines and the land forces,
the shelling the forts, the breaching the walls, and
the storm.
According to all precedent Hong Kong is full
of rushing rumours. "Yeh has been degraded."
" Yeh has abandoned the city." " Yeh has asked
to open negotiations." "Yeh will give up the city
without a fight." " Yeh will die at his post."
" Yeh has mined all the gates, excavated all the
streets, turned every highway into a tiger pit, put-
ting upright spears at the bottom and light bam-
boos, covered with earth over the top." "Yeh
has 22,000 men within the walls, and 200 guns on
the fortifications opposite the river-" It will be
bard if some of these opposing predictions should
not turn out to be rather like the event, but all we
know with any certainty is, 'that the Chinese
Government have been sending down troops from
the north,- and have been mounting guns upon the
walls.
The two sister ships the Imperador and the Ins •
peratrix, are now both arrived, and have discharged
their cargo of Marines in good health at Wantung,
opposite the ruins of Bogue forts. Captain Sher-
rard Osborne, in the Furious, goes to Manilla to
bring up the last two of his squadron of gunboats.
Captain Osborne has acquired great credit by the
success which he has brought all his chick cocka-
trices home—not to roost. To the Drake belongs
the honours of the race; but they have all done well.
Many are the adventures of these wee things, all
flight and sting, in their passage through the waste
of waters. The big ships of commerce, when they
sighted one of these specks in mid ocean, took
various ideas of the unusual sight. Some bore
down towards it as a wreck offering hope of salvage
money, and bore away again as they grew nearer,
frightened at its vicious and piratical looking hull.
Some recognised the little daring vixen thing, and
came near to see, dipping ensign and offering sea
luxuries. One Scotch ship fairly bolted at first
view, andcrowded all sail to escape when the terrible
little cruiser manifested a desire for al in-
terview. The commander of the gunboat had his
reasons for a closer interchange of compliments ;
he made all sail, started up in pursuit, then got up
his steam, and a regular chase ensued. At last the
Scot chman was overhauled, having led the gunboat
some way out of her course. Tee officer boarded
her in no very good humour, and asked why he
had been led this dance, and whether the master
did not know a pennant when he saw it.
"Eli," said the Scotchnian, " I kenned vera weel
what ye war ; but I thought sure eneuch ye'd just
be in distress for something."
The Adelca,oi,nlseoate havethisd raaterivhaesd she m
not been heard
be dailyheardof,
but as her consorts
expected. We are alo entitled to expect a return
of some 400 or 500 of the Marines and troops lent
to India. The authorities there have received the
assistance they have obtained from the Chinese
expedition with less acknowledgment than might
reasonably have been expected, and quite neglected
to avail themselves of the moral influence which
might have been drawn from the sudden arrival of
Lord Elgin with no incoLsiderable nor opportune
force ; but I suppose they 'till keep their promise
and send 'us back these men, the rather ,because
there must soon be a glut of troops at Calcutta.
They will probably arrive faster than they can be
sent up the country.
In a few days, therefore, we may reasonably ex-
pect to have7oo guns and 7,000 men in these waters.
Of the latter we shall probably be able to land
4,000 ; but, alas, the great bulk of them will be
blue jackets,—capital fellows afloat, but terrible
stragglers ashore. Jack's habits all induce him to
consider that going ashore means going upon a
spree. Jack will help to take the city, or would
take it single-handed ; but we must not trust him
to hold it.
I believe I may now say that the Baron Gros has
determined to co-operate in our enterprise. He has
3 frigates, 2 corvettes, and 4 gunboats here, and
about 1,000 men, whereof he can land about 600
seamen. We have plenty of force to do the work
single-handed, and some delay may possibly be oc-
casioned by waiting until he can get his frigate,the
Capriciouse, now in dock at Shanghai, down south-
wards. So far, therefore, as actual assistance goes,
perhaps we might as well have been alone ; but in
other points of view this co•operation must be very
satisfactory. What his casus belli may be lam not
informed. and as it is no part of my business to spe-
eulate upon it, I take for granted that it is sufficient
It is clear, however, that it cannot be stronger than
ours. The action of the French, therefore, will
justify in the eyes of Europe the course which we
are now taking, and as the two squadrons will
doubtless act eardially together, this will be another
public proof of the friendship and common policy
of the two nations.
It is equally well understood that the Americans
are to retain their position of lookers-on. Judging
from the great draught of water of the Minnesota,
even tbis " looking-on " must be a very distant

view.
The torpidity of the last five months, therefore,
has changed to the bustle of preparation. Toe sea-
men are being drilled to act ashore, the 59th are
being marched and countermar led, targets are set
up in the secluded valleys of Hong Kong, and the
sharp ring of the rifle may be heard at early morn
and dewy eve. Every one who can smuggle him-
self on board a gunboat has been up the river to
get a peep at the doomed city. Many who did not
need this smuggling process have yielded to the
same curiosity. General Ashburnham is said to be
under orders for departure for India, and is about
to exchange " Head Quarters House" for the Ava,
Lord Elgin taking the house and the General taking
the steamer. If these orders should be imperative
in their character, I apprehend that nothing can be
done until he is gone, for it would probably be in-
expedient that operations of magnitude, such as
must occur after the taking of the city, should be
originated by a General whose engagements else-
where will not allow him to conduct them to a
close. The General, however, was loth to depart,
and not unnaturally so. Colonels Wetherell and
Packenham and Major Crealock have been hard at
work for months arranging the plan of operations,
and must be equally disappointed at having to
leave their laboratory just at the moment of pro-
jection. Major Macdonald might reasonably ex-
pect to exercise his talents as Provost-Marshal in
the city of Canton, instead of joining his regiment in
India when the hard fighting will probably be over.
But altered circumstances compel altered arrange-
ments. Our staff officers and our doctors
and our commissariat are ludicrously dispro-
portionate to our present force, and the public
service must silence private hardships. When
General Ashburnham, therefore, went up to
Macao Fort and to the Fort of the Fatshan
Creek, it was, as I suppose, only to take a Pisgah
look at the promised land. It is said that he waits
to see what the next mail may bring. Before this
goes be may possibly have taken his departure.
Lord Elgin, accompanied by the French Secre-
tary of Legation and Col. Foley, has also been up.
to Macao Fort, and taken a careful survey of the
city from the top of the Pagoda. He called upon
Baron Gros at the French anchorage at Castle Peak
Bay and held long converse. The Chinese, who
professtobe quite convinced thatall this " bobbery,"
to use their word, is only to frighten them, and
who still repeat " Englishmen no can take Canton,"
are quite certain that "Number one Mandarin" only
went up to try and open negotiations with Yeb.
I also have been cruising about in these waters.
After 4 months' absence it was pleasant to revisit
more tranquillity than upon a former occasion the
fort on the Fatshan creek, now called " Seymour
Fort," and to look again upon the city from the
Macao Pagoda. I cannot de!ect any alteration in
the defences of the city since I was last there. The
Shameen forts at the end of the 3-mile reach still
look ruinous. Gough Fort seems to be surrounded
by rather fewer tents than when I lact saw it. All
the traps and pitfalls are probably completed. There
is, however a closer interest now in bringing a
powerful glass to bear upon the heights which must
so soon be won by British daring, and in eranaiu.