The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-28 00:00:00

at the capital. The wives of the Emperor practise
equestrian exercise daily in order to be prepared
for every contingency. The guns of Tien-tsin have
been brought down here. Raison, de plus why we
should push on to Tien-tsin without delay. These
gentlemen also report a" greater depth of water be-
yond Tien-tsin, and, in spite of the somewhat con-
trary impression conveyed in the accounts of
Macartney and Amherst, they assert there is water
enough for the gunboats to go to Tungehow, a city
only 12 miles from Pekin.

The following is a correct list of the British force
now in the Gulf of Peelielee and the Peiho river ;
also the names of the ships of other nations now

here :

BRITISH.
MEN. ANCHORED IN.
Calcutta 84 ... 700 Gulf of Pechelee.
Piqua ... 40 270 Ditto.
Furious (paddle steamer) 8 ... 220 Ditto.
Nimrod (despatch gunbt.) 6 ... 120 Peiho.
Cormorant (ditto) ... 6 9 Peiho.
Surprise (ditto) ... 6 ... 98 Gulf of Pechelee.
Fury (paddle steamer) ... 8 ... 160 Ditto.
Slaney (gunboat)... ... 5 ... 431
Leven (ditto) 5 ... 4R
Bustard (ditto) ... 3 ... 48 )These go to and
Opossum (ditto) ... 3 ... 48 f- fro.
Stalin]) (ditto) ... 3 ... 48 I
Firm (4itto) ... 3 ... 48)
Coromandel (paddle stmr) 5 ... 44 Peiho.
Hesper (store ship) ... 3 54 Gulf of Pechelee.

FRENCH.

Nemesis (frigate) ...
Audacieuse (frigate) ...
Primanguet (steam corvette)
Durance (store ship) .•.
Meurthe •••
Phlegethot (steam corvette)
Mitraille (gnnboat4
Fusee (gunboat) ...
Avalanche (gunboat)
Dragonne (gunboat)
Remy (store ship)

2,052

.;-; •

AMEBICAN.
Minnesota (steam frigate)
Mississippi (ditto)...
Antelope (chartered steamer)
RussiA.v.
America (paddle steamer)

Gulf of Pechelee.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Ditto.

Peiho.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Ditto.

Gulf of Pechelee.
Ditto.
Peiho.

... Peiho.

We are rejoicing in an Italian climate. It would
be impossible to conceive better weather for opera-
tions. The squadron generally are in excellent
health and at this moment in the highest spit its.

MAY 19.
The gunboats went over the bar this afternoon,
with paddlebox and ships' boats in tow, full of
seamen and marines from the fleet Their appear-
ance as they entered the mouth of the river was
picturesque in the extreme, numbers of little tri-
colour flags, in which our allies always indulge,
waved brightly in the setting sun, while the red
coats of the marines formed a gay contrast to the
blue jackets of the sailors. The gunboats came on
in close order, puffing forth jets 'cf white smoke,
as though they were panting beneath the dense
masses of human beings with which their decks
were crowded. Their aspect was sufficiently im-
posing to cause no little excitement among the
valiant defenders of the batteries on shore. Man-
darins on horseback and on foot, followed by par-
ties of men carrying flags, visited the different bat-
teries, apparently giving orders. The men all stood
to their guns, and turned out in single line, along
the whole length of the steep glacis, so as to make
as imposing an array as possible. Any compunc.
tion we might have felt in giving the brave garri-
son a little severe treatment on the morrow was
considerably diminished by the insolent message
they sent off through Count Putiatin, and which,
condensed into the expressive slang of the pugilist,
amounted simply to a request to us to " come on."

MAY 20.
At 8 o'clock this morning Captain Hall and the
French Flag Captain proceeded on shore with a flag
of truce and letters from the AmtasEadors and
Admirals, informing Tan that it being necessary
for the safety of the former, in the prosecution of
their search for a properly qualified commissioner,
Viat the forts at the mouth of the Peiho should
temporarily change garrisons, he, the said Tan, was
allowed two hours, at the expiration of which delay,
if they were not surrendered, they were to be
taken.

The order of the day was as follows :--The Cor-
morant, Fusee, and Mitraille to attack the two
forts on the north side ; the Nimrod, Avalanche,
and Dragonne to engage the three on the south.
Upon the Admira moving up the river, they were
to be followed by the gunboats towing landing
parties. Those destined for the attack of the
northern forts, towed by the Staunch and the Bus-
tard, to be composed of men from the Pique, the
Furious, and the Surprise, under the command of
Capt. Sir F. Nicholson, Capt. S. Osborn, and Com-
mander Cresswell. The Slaney and the Firm to
land their parties, composed of men of the Calcutta
and Fury, under command of Capt. Hall and Com-
mander Leckie, for the attack on the southern forts.
The Leven and Opossum were told off to tow the
French landing parties, the former to the southern,

the latter to the northern attack. Precisely at 10
o'cl3ck the signal was given for the ships to get

into position, and the Cormorant, whose screw bad
been impatiently revolving for some minutes pre-
viously, went off at full speed, like an arrow from
a bow. She had hardly steamed twice her own

length when the southern forts opened a heavy fire
upon her ; disdaining a reply, her commander,
Saumarez, stood gallantly on, and took up his po-
sition with the utmost deliberation and greatest
precision. His conduct called forth a most glowing
eulogy from the admiral. When he did open fire
it was with tremendous effect ; bestowing one shot
upon the southern forts in return for the attention
they had honoured him with, he concentrated his
fire on the northern forts. Shot, shell, and grape
rained in upon them, and before his French sup-
ports bad got into position he had very nearly suc-
ceeded in silencing their fire. Meantime the Nim-
rod, whose movements bad been somewhat thrown
out by the French gunboats not coming up to time,
received the concentrated fire of the southern forts,
which Captain Dew returned with in'erest. For-
tunately, although the Chinamen stuck to their
guns with considerable pertinacity, they were so
badly aimed as to do very little damage. Notwith-
standing that the Nimrod, Avalanche, and Dra-
gonne were pretty hotly engaged for an hour, the
former only lost one killed and three wounded; four
shot struck her hull. I have not heard the loss of
any of the French force engaged beyond the fact
that four officers were killed. A little before 11
o'clock the Admirals passed followed by the fleet
of gunboats. In the fire to which they were exposed
Mr. Prickett, second. master of the Opossum, was
severely wounded by a round shot, which had
passed over the Nimrod. The landing on the north
side took place about 11, in a few minutes more the
allied flags were floating over the forts, and our
Marines and blue-jackets were in full cry upon a
large camp of infantry and cavalry about a mile
distant. This is the first time in our experience of
Cuinese warfare that our blue jackets have had an
opportunity of dispersing large bodies of cavalry.
It is a species of excitement they particularly ap-
preciate. At a quarter-past 11 the lauding party
on the south side burst upon the astonished gaze of
the Chinamen, who precipitately evacuated the
batteries and fled across the arid plain in rear of
the forts, all of which were rapidly occupied by our
men, while large parties of skirmishers followed up
and harassed the retreating masses. As the river
at this point forms a peninsula, upon which the
forts are situate, theOpossurv, Bustard, and Staunch
were sent round to meet the enemy on the other
board
oe
side. They experienced a temporary check,
c't: who had the Bus-
tard.hn This battery was speedily
how-
ever, from a battery of heavy guns, placed at the
angle of the river on the north
silenced, and
ni gave
d the
them a warm reception as they approached, killing
ac
ni twoen and wounding
er igu eand
h
three e men Fur o
s'earing out the camp not far distant, came up just
in time to take possession of it. 11 0,
, er gunboats
coming up in support, they all pressed on till
tbey reached the opposite end of the base line