The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-07 00:00:00

time, and proceeded in the Encounter betow the Bogue
Forts on the afternoon of the 11th, leaving the Sampson
and Niger, with the Commodore Elliot, to proteger the
factory. , I found there the Ce cutta (in which I re-
hoisted my fl ig), Nankin, Barracauta, Hornet (just
arrived frain'Shanghai), and Coromandel tender.
Oa the fell° wing morning I sent a summons to the
Chief Mandarin to deliver up the forts till the Viceroy's
conduct Gould be submitted to the Emperor of China,
pled ding myself that the forts should remain uninjured,
and be given back when the present differences shall
be terminated. This being refused, the squadron then
attacked the two Wanting Island Forts from the Bremer
Channel side, and they wore taken possession of by the
boats and Royal Marines, after a considerable though
ill-directed resistance of about an hour. Tneae f,,rts
were fully manned, had upwaMs of 200 guns mounted,
and were found stronger than when captured in 1841.
The Chinese troops stood to their guns up to the moment
our men entered the embrasures. The Mandarins had
boats in readiness to facilitate their own escape, leaving
their unfortunate followers, who rushed into the water
until they were assured of their safety by the efforts made
ta save then. They,were afterwards landed on the main.

Use boy killed and tour men wounded on board the
Nankin, was happily the e,ltent of our casualties, though
stinkpots were freely ttirowu at those who first entered
the forte.

On the 13th the Annunghoy Forts, on the oppo,ite
side of the Bogue entrance, mounting together 210 guns,
were simdArly attacked and taken, and, though some
resistanne was offered, I am thankful to state, without a
casualty on our side.
Toe command of the river being now in our hands, I
have no other operation in immediate contemplation
beyond the security and maintenance of our position ;
and it will remain wi,h her Majesty's Government to
determine whether the present opportunity shall be
made available to enforce to their full extent the treaty
stipulations which the Canton Government has hitherto
been allowed to evade with impunity.
I have to express my entire approval of the conduct
of the officers and men engaged in the series of laborious
..peea,tions I have felt it my duty to undertake. From
the commodore, captains, and commanders I have re
ceived the most prompt and efficient assistance, and their
exampla has influenced the officers and men. I have
already mensioned the officers who have brought them-
selves prominently to notice.
The health of the men is remarkably good, and the
sqliadron continues in an efficient state for any further
service.

During the whole of my proceedings I have received
the most cordial support of the British and foreign com-
munities, from their confidence that future benefit must
be the result. Her Majesty's Consul has rendered me
most valuable assistance, particularly from his intimate
acquaintance with the Chinese language.
My thanks are especially due to Commanders Foote
and Sinitb, commanding the Uaited States naval forces,
for the good order and harmony they have so largely
contributed to preserve during the present crisis.
I have endeavoured, as briefly as its high importance
will permit, to lay before their lordships every particular
connected with my proceedings. The original cause of
dispute, though comparatively trifling, his now, from
the injurious j3blicy pursued by the Imperial High Cora
rmssioner, assumed so very grave an aspect as to
threaten the existence of amicable relations as regards
Canton. _

Though I shall continue to take steps, in conjunction
with her Majesty's plenipotentiary, in the hope of being
able to bring matters to a satisfactory termination, I
shall be ino,t anxious to receive the instructions of her
Majesty's Government on this important question.
I enclose a copy of a notice I have had issued to the
British community by her Majesty's Consul.—l have,
&c, (Signed) M. SEYMOUR,
Rear-Admiral, Commander-in-Chief.
Ralph Osborne, Eqi., M.P., &c.,
Admiralty, London.

Superintendency of Trade, Hong Kong,
Oct. 11, 1856.
Sir,—l have the honour to forward to your Excel
lency sundry despatches, with their enclosures, con-
nected with the seizure of several Chinamen at Canton

c a vessel (the Arrow) bearing the British flag.
As I have bad the honour of discussing► with your

Excellency the various points at issue, and the satisfac-
tion of finding a perfect concurrence of opinion as to the
course of action to be adopted, I shall be glad if you will
give the needful instructions to the naval authority, and
return the despittches when done with.--T have, "km
(Signed) JOHN BOWRING.
Elis Excellency Rear-Admiral Sir Michael Seymour,
K.C.13 , Commander-in-Cnief, &a.

British Consulate, Canton, Oct. 8, 1856.
Sir.—l have the honour to inform your Excellency that
the British. lorcha Arrow, while lying with her odours

flying in the river near the Dutch Folly, was suddenly
boarded this morning by a force of Chinese officers, in a
war boat of large size and heavy armament, who pinioned

. .
and carried away nearly the whole of her crew, seavi, g
two out of fourteen men on board, and added to this act

of violence the significant insult of hauling down the
national ensign.
Having satisfied myself of the facts, and ascertained
that the war boat remained with the captured crew still
on board, in the immediate vicinity of the lorcha, I re•
paired on board' to claim the men before they should be
conveyed to a distance, and to explain to the officers, if
it were possible that they bad acted in error, the gross
insult and violation of national rights which they had
committed and the heavy responsibilities they incurred.
I informed them, and had a magistrate's officer with me
who could verify my statement, that I had already de-
manded from the civil authorities an investigation of the
eubjtet, and called upon them, if they bad any charge to
prefer against the prisoners, to bring them in their ous
tedy to the consulate, where due examination might be
had.

To this they refused to accede, stating that they had
reported the matter to their superior officers, and must
wait orders, and intimating very distinctly that they
would oppose with force any attempt en my part to take
the men under my charge.
I returned, therefore, to the Consu'ate, and have
addressed the Imperial Commissioner the letter I beg to
enclose in copy. s s s

The officers On board the war-boat stated to me, as
he reason of their proceedings, that one of the crew of
;he lorcha is the father of a noted Koolau pirate, and

being authorised to seize this old man wherever they
found him, and hearing that he was on board the Arrow
they considered themselves at liberty to carry him away,

without any previous reference to me, lest that I should

lead to his es-cape.

I did not understand that they had any distinct charge
against the other eleven men, but heard that they wanted
them for evidence or information they considered they
would be able to give against the sail pirate.
Since writing the above (at a late hour in the evening),
a coolie whom I had left on board the war boat to watch
proceedings has returned, and reported that all the pri-
soners have been conveyed into the city.
I shall be glad to receive any support or instruction
that your Excellency may consider the case r equires.—
I have, &C., (Signed) H. S. PAanES, Consul.
,His Excellency Sir John Bowring, LL.D.,
Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, Hong Kong.
British Consulate, Canton, Oct. 8, 1856.
Sir,—l hasten to bring to your Excellency's notice an
insult of a very grave character which calls for immediate
reparation.
This morning, shortly after 8 o'clock, a Chinese war
boat hoarded an English lorcha, the Arrow, lying at
anchor in the river near the Dutch Folly, and. regardless
of the remonstrances of her master, an Englishman,
seized, bound, and carried off twelve of her Chinese
crew, and. hauled down the English colours which were
tnen flying.
Hesitating to rely solely on the master's account of
so gross an outrage, 1 at once despatched people to make
inquiries, and found that the facts were as he had statsd,
and that the war boat, said to be under the command of
Leang-Kwo-ti, g (-how-pe), in the Imperial service, after
leaving the lorcha, bad dropped down the river, and was
I file; off the Yautsing gate with the crew of the lercha
still on board as prisoners.
On receiving tills intelligence I proceeded in persoq
to the war boat, accompanied by her Majesty's vice-con.
sal, and explained to the officer who I found in charge,
named the Le-yung-shing, the gravity of the error com-
mitted by the said war boat in boarding and carrying off
by force of arms the crew of an E glish vessel, and the
gross indignity- offered to the national flag by hauling
down the lorcha's ensign. I also required him to bring
his prisoners to the British consulate, there to await
examination, but this he refused to do ; and on my
claiming them, and insisting on their being deliver, d to
'me, he made a display of force and threatened me with
violence if I attempted to take them with me.
I hasten, therefore, to lay the case before your excel-
lency, confident that your superior judgment will lead
you at once to admit that an insult so publicly committed
must be equally publicly atoned. I. therefore request
your Excellency to direct that the men who have been
carried away from the Arrow be returned by the captain,
Leang-k wo-tiug, the officer who seized them, to that
vessel in my presence, and if accused of any crime they
may bs conveyed to the British Consulate, where,
Eeiln-
conjunction with.proper officers, deputed by your
lency for the purpose, I shall be
prepared to investigate
the case.
At the same time that I address your Excellency on
this subject, I am submitting both to
her Majesty's
pie-
.nipotenidary and the commodore of
force in this river a report of what has occurred ; and
I should also add, that the. said lorcha being at present
detained here in consequence of the e seizure of her crew,
has a claim on your Excellency s government for the
expenses which this delay occasions her.—l have, &0.,
(Signed) .11. S. PARKES, Consul.
His Excellency Yeh, Imperial High Commissioner, ,
Governor-General, &c.
British Consulate, Canton, Oct. 9, 1856:
Sir,—With reference to my despatch, No. 150, of last
night, reporting the grave violation of national rights,
committed yesterday by Chinese officials on board the
British lorcha Arrow,
I have now the honour to enclose a copy of the letter
I addressed to Commodore Elliot, of her Majesty's ship
Sybille,"at present at anchor, I believe, at Chunpee.
The whole of this day has passed without the receipt of
any communication from the Imperial Commissioner, or
any other Chinese official, relative to this outrage.
In the hope of inducing the Imperial Commissioner to
view the matter in the grave light which it deserves, I
have again called his attention to it in a letter this mo-
ment despatched.
I have also taken in the course of the day several depo-
sitions confirmatory of the facts set forth in my letter of
yesterday.—l have, &c.,
(Signed) H. S. PARKER, Consul.
His Excellency Sir John Bowring, LL.D.,
Her Msjesty's Plenipotentiary, Hong Kong.
British Consulate, Canton, Oct. 8, 1856.
Sir,—An outrage, involving a gross insult to our flag,