The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-14 00:00:00

that a market might be opened at the fort, as his
ships would remain there until Mr. Bruce's return

froin Pekin.
" There is another error in our last issue ; that
several letters and messengers passed between Mr.
Bruce and the mandarins, who said Mr. Brucewould
be received atPekin by some roundabout way,but that
the river was blocked up and no man-of-war would
be allowed to pass. Mr. Bruce, it appears, received
but one communication from the shore, the contents
of which have not transpired. It was brought from
the mouth of another stream, not, so far as we can
ascertain, a branch of or connected with the river
we call Pei-ho. The place was visited subsequently
by the Americans, who found the water too shoal
for their boats, Eln d consequently had to wade in to
the shore. They tried another landing, and were
pursued into the water by some cavalry. The letter
brought to Mr, Bruce was found to have been two
days on the road, and was delivered on the 25th
June ; but a few hours before the admiral, as he had
given notice he would, attempted to pass the booms,
when the firing began.
" We gather, from all we can collect on the subject
that if the Chinese Government did intend eventu-
ally to admit us by some new route, it took care
not to inform us of the fact ; for some reason or the
other it kept away from Taku any one who might
have informed us that the old route, which is not
closed to trade, for junks were seen thick above the
fort, was closed to the Ministers, who, all the world
has been aware for a twelvemonth, were coming to
Pekin to exchange ratifications of the treaties. If
a foreign Minister had been told by a responsible
authority, ' You cannot pass this way ; by the Em-
peror's orders you must go round by such or such a
road,' he might have had difficulty in calling on
his admiral to force the passage. But this is pre-
cisely what the Chinese Government did not do.
On the contrary, it appears to have taken every
precaution to be unrepresented in the ?natter, quite
prepared, we cannot but think, had Admiral Hope's
movement succeeded, to throw the entire blame on
the country-people, who, as they themselves
alleged, had run up these works without its orders
and fired without its authority.
" There are some contradictions which we cannot
explain. Why should an unwarlike and very em-
barrassed Government fight at all ? Was it out of
revenge for the half-hour's thrashing we gave it last
year ? or was it that they thought we were coming
to get something more out of it ? or was it deter-
mined not to leave us in the enjoyment even of
what we had extorted ?
" Our Chinese gossips were agreed from the first
that many conditions in the treaty of Tientsin the
Emperor would never consent to carry out, and
have pointed to the fact, which the Pekin Gazette
puts beyond dispute, that Sankgolinsin had so early
as last winter assembled a very large force in the
neighbourhood of Tien-tsin, as evidence of a de-
termination to keep us out of Pekin. When it was
announced, however, that the foreign ministers
were merely about to visit the capital, and did not
intend to reside there, a rumour, which we have
before noticed, began to grow that the Emperor
himself was anxious for peace, and had issued his
instructions accordingly. Still we see Sangkolin-
sin did not break up his camp, and we find an
opinion now current among the Chinese, and sup-
ported in some degree by what has fallen trom
Romish missionaries stationed in or near Pekin,
that he had declared, happen what might, our
ships should not enter the Tien-tsin River. The
Emperor, it is said, stands in much awe of this
Mongolian and his followers, to whom he was much
beholden in 1854, when the Tai-ping rebels came
so close to his capital. On the other hand, we
repeat, no one can doubt that, however much he
might dread th consequences of a failure, provided
his Majesty could so screen himself as to be able
subsequently to disavow an act of hostility, he
would not object to seeing the barbarian's head
broken. What he, or whoever it was whose war
counsels prevailed, has overlooked, is the certainty
that the barbarians will not give in merely because
he has come to grief in the first round. The check
we have sustained, and with us our gallant allies,
of the conduct of whose small quota every one
speaks in the highest terms, is too prominent to be
I 'left where it lies."

BRITISH MEN-OF-WAR IN WATERS
NORTH OF SINGAPORE.
Commander-in-Chief.
Rear-Admiral James Hope, C.B.
H.M.S. Chesapeake, 50 guns, CaptainWilles (Peelle
Master Attendant, Hong Kong, I. F. Loney, Esq.
Senior of Canton, Commander Lacy.
H.M.S. Bittern.
Master Attendant, Canton, Lieut. Gilbert, R.N.
Senior at Arno J, Commander Pearse.
H.M.S. Acorn, 12 guns.
Senior at Fuh,-ehow-fu, Commander T. Jones.
H.M.S. Camilla, 16 guns.
Senior at Shanghae, Commander Brooker.
H.M.S. Inflexible, 6 guns.
AT HONG KONG, OR ON THE CANTON RIVER.
Frigate Cambrian 4O guns M'Cleverty, C.B,
Gunboat Leven, 80 h.p (84) Hudson.
„ Slaney (83) Leet.
„ Bustard, 60 h.p (92) Hallowes.
)7 Firm, „
), Clown, 40 h.p. (72) Lee.
), Drake,
~ Staunch, 601. p..
Watchful, 40 h.p (75) Inglefiald.
~ Woodcock „ (73) Bosanquet.
Steam Transport.
Adventure 6 guns Lacy, Cr.
Hospital Ships.
Hercules (Military)
Melville Dr. Smart.
Princess Charlotte
Store-ship Minden—Hong Kong.
Consular Hulk Alligator—Whampoa.
AT JAPAN.

Steam sloop Sampson . : ---dguns Hand. -
~ SURVEYING OFF TARTARY.
Actieon 26 guns Ward.
Gunboat Dove, 60 h.p (96) Bullock.
AT OR NORTH OF SHANGHAE.
Steam corvette Highflyer 21 guns Shadwell, C.B.
Steam corvette Magicienne 22 „ Vansittart, C.B.
Steam sloop Cruiser l7 „ Bythesea, Cr., V.C.
Steam sloop Nimrod 6 „ Wynyatt, Cr.
Steam sloop Fury 6 „ Commorell, Cr., V.O
Gunboat Algefme, 80 h. p. (85) Arthur.
„ Banter, 60 h. p. (79) Jenkins.
77 Forester „ (87) Innes.
„ Haughty „ (89) Broad.
•
.„ Opposum „ (94) Balfour.
„ Plover „ B5 '
„ Starling „ (93) , Whitshed.
„ Janus, 40 h. p. (76 Knevitt.
STEAM TENDER.
Coromandel 4 guns .. Vine, Second Master.
ti
STEAM TRANSPORTS.
Assistance :
Hesper 2 „ .. Loam, Mr.

TOTAL BRITISH FORCE.
Steang. Frigate, 'one 5O guns.
Sailinr,
b do., three 4O „
Steam Corvettes, three
Sailing Corvette, " one 26 ~
Steam Sloops, five
Sailing do., three
Gunboats, seventeen
Steam Transports, three
Do. Tender, one .• 4 „
Block Ships, three.

Total Guns
Total Men, say

FRENCH

Commander-in-Chief—Vice-Admiral Sir R. D. Genouilly,
K.C.8., H.I.M.S. Nemesis, 50, Reynaud, at Cochin China.

ALSO AT COCHIN CHINA.
Steam-sloop Durance l2 guns. Trebuchel
If Meurthe l2 „ D'Haries,
ff Saone
~ Alarme

„
Catinat
La Place
11 Phlegethon
)1 Pregent
„ Primauguet
Gunboat Avalanche
~ Dragonne 6 „ Guley.
„ Fusee
1 1 Mitraille
Peiho
11
Steam Transport Lily
Steam-sloop Gironde..
AT CANTON OR HONG KONG.
Senior Naval Officer—M. d'Aboiille.
Sailing Frigate Capricieuse .. 40 guns. D'Aboville.
Steam-sloop Dordogne
Marne
Gunboat Marceau
„ Rose 2 „ La Motte.
Chartered steamer Thebes Roskell.
AT SHANGHAI.
Gunboat F. de Norgazaray Lespes.
0 GULF OF PECHELI.
Steam frigate Du Chayla... 40 guns. Tricault.
TOTAL FRENCH NAVAL FORCE.
IN COCHIN-CHINA
Sailing frigate, one 5O guns.
Steam sloops, nine
Gunboats, five 26 „
Steam transports, three
IN CHINA.

Sailing frigate, one 4O guns.
Steam frigate, one
Steam sloops, two
Gunboats, two 8 ~

Total. guns

- RUSSIAN.
Commander-in-Chief—Commodore Popoff.
Steam frigate, Askold, 44 guns, Capt Ounskoffsky (Japan
Somewhere north of Shanghai.
Steam sloop Rhinda
9, Opricknick 3 „ Federouzzy.
Gunboat Gridon 3 „ Stromiloff.
Steam sloop Streloet
~ Bijarin ..
~ Manjoor
9, Voyerada
),
ft Bruner.
Palastoun .. 10 Novick.
America
91 6 ~ Powskin.
Gunboat Novick 3 „ Stall.
1, Djuguitte •• •
TOTAL RUSSIAN FORCE. .
Steam frigate, one
Steam sloops, seven .. 59
12 '
Gunboats, four

Total guns