The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-02 00:00:00

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE

WEEK.

(From the Report of the Registrar-General.)

It appears frsm the weekly return of the Regis-
trar-General that the mean temperature of the air
in the last week of October was 17 deg. lower than
that of the second week in the month; and the re-
turns of mortality show the effect of increased cold
in an increase of deaths, which rose from 902 to
1,048, the latter number being returned for the
week that ended last Saturday.
In the corresponding weeks of ten years 1849-58
the average number of deaths was 1,023 ; but as
the deaths returned for last week occurred in an in-

creased population, they should be compared with
the average raised in proportion to the increase,
namely, with 1,125. The comparison shows that
the deaths in the present return are less by. 77 than
they would have been if the average rate of mor-
tality had ruled.
The deaths from bronchitis and pneumonia, which
were in the previous week respectively 42 and 32,
rose last week to 58 and 43. Phthisis or consump-
tion rose from 139 to 155 ; hooping-cough from 4to
15. Scarlatina continues high, but discovers iittle
fluctuation ; it was fatal last week in 91 cases,
diphtheria in 11. The Registrar of St. Leonard,
Shoreditch, mentions a house, 10, Kingsland-read,
where four children have died from scarlatina
within six weeks. Twenty-two deaths are referred
to smallpox.
Mr. Wilson, the Registrar of St. John Maryle-
bone, who registered a death from smallpox last
week at 47, Princess-street, thus writes:—" About
six weeks ago a gardener living at 48, Princess-
street, Portman-market, was attacked by small-
pox of a severe character, but recovered. The
disease spread, and on 29th September the daughter
of a railway porter, aged 8 years, on the sth Octo-
ber a son of the same railway porter, aged 16
months, and on the 10th October the son of a jour-
neyman plumber, aged 18 months, died of it, all in
the same house (No. 48). It then appeared in the
next house (No. 47), where the child of a journey-
man bricklayer, who was attacked on 13th October,
died on 25th October; and the father of the same
child, who is out of work from the, present strike
in the building trade, was taken ill of smallpox on
the 18th. and is still under the attack. It will thus
be seen, that in rather less than a month smallpox
of a virulent character attacked six persons in two
adjoining houses, of whom the four children died.
Some other cases, although not of a fatal character,
have appeared in another part of my sub-district.
It should be added that some of the children whose
deaths are recorded had been very imperfectly
vaccinated, some not at all, and others only after
the appearance of the epidemic."
Two children died in the week from 'lcarus. A
young girl died from coup de soleil received three
months ago. An infant died of pemphigus ;
a washerwoman of elephantiasis ; a hawker, aged
40 years, at 6, Crooked Billet-yard, from starvation.
Three persons, aged respectively 90, 96, and 98
years, died in the week; also a centenarian (a
widow), whose age is stated to be 101 years 9
months, and who died at 12, Gun-yard, Aldgate.
Last week the births of 823 boys and 822 girls,
in all 1,645 children, were registered in London.
In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1849-
58 the average number was 1,564.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.361 in.
The readings rose from 28.92 in. on Wednesday to
29.89 in. on Thursday, being respectively the
lowest and highest in the week. The mean tem-
perature of the air in the week was 38.6 deg., which
is 8.8 deg. below the average of the same week in 43
years (as determined by Mr. Glaisher). On Sunday
and Monday the extent of depression was 15 deg.
and nearly 16 deg. ; on Tuesday and Thursday
about 10 deg. ; and throughout the week the mean
daily temperature was more or less below the
average. The thermometer in the shade fell to
its lowest point 26.5 deg. on Monday, and rose to
its highest 56 deg. on Friday. The range of the
week was therefore 29.5 deg. The mean daily
range was 15.3 deg. The difference between the
mean dew-point temperature and air temperature
was 2.3 deg. The mean degree of humidity of the
air was 90 ; on the first three days the humidity
approached complete saturation. Snow fell fast
for about an hour Monday. Rain fell to the
amount of 0.90 in., the greater part of which fell
on Tuesday. 'rho wind was almost constantly in
the south-west. On Tuesday the horizontal move-
ment of the air was at the average rate of 18 miles
per hour, as shown by Robinson's anemometer. On
Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. the average pres-
sure of the wind was 8t lbs. on the square foot ; the
greatest pressure 131bs. ; and its average hourly
velocity was 35 miles.

REGISTRAR•GENERAL'S QUARTERLY
RETURN.

The following is the substance of the Quarterly
Return of the Births, Deaths, and Marriages regis-
tered in the divisions, counties, and districts of Eng-
land, just issued by authority of the Registrar-
General : _ _ _

This return comprises the births and deaths re-
gistered by 2,197 registrars in all the districts of
England during the summer quarter that ended on
September 30, 1859 ; and the marriages in 12,377
churches or chapels, about 4,158 registered places
of worship unconnected with the established
church, and 631 superintendent registrars' offices,
in the quarter that ended on June 30, 1859. The
returns present a favourable view of the state of the
country. The marriages increased, as they do
when the prospect of life among the working
classes is cheering. Thousands of children in.ex-
MS of the average were born ; the rate of morta-
lity diminished ; and the population increased at
an unusual rate. As the diminution in the rate of
mortality took place in the towns it may be fairly
ascribed to the prosperous state of trade, to the
supply of better water, the abolition of cesspools,
the purification of the air, and the various sanitary
works which many of them have carried out.
MARRIAG ES.-84,090 persons married in the quar-
ter that ended on June 30, or 4,272 in excess of the
numbers who married in the corresponding quarter
of last year. The marriage rate was. 1,712 ; the
average of the quarter being 1,698. In England
marriages are more numerous in the spring quarter
than in the first three months of the year, but they
are always most numerous in the Christmas quar-

ter.
BIRTHS.—The births of 168,311 children were
registered in the quarter that ended on September
30. Tho number is 10,862 in excess of the births
in the corresponding quarter of last year. The
birth rate in the quarter was 3.377 ; the average
being 3.246.
INCREASE OF POPULATION.— 63,072 was the ex-
cess of the number of births over the number of
deaths,' and that was therefore the natural in-
crease of the population of England and Wales in
92 days. On an average 695 were added to the po-
pulation daily, and the probable daily increase of
the population of the United Kingdom was 1,042,
which at the ordinary rates of mortality will supply
347 men daily of the age of 20. The youth of the
country are growing at such a rate as to add a bat-
talion to its strength every two or three days. A
certain number of them are transpl nted, and go to
people the colonies. 34,864 emigrants sailed during
the quarter, or 379 men, women, and children on
an average daily, from the ports of the United
Kingdom at which there are Government agents ;
of whom about 12,464 were of English origin.
PRICES, THE WEATHER, AND PAUPERISAL—The
price of wheat has remained steadily at nearly the
same figure for a year and nine months; and during
the last three months it has been 445. a quarter.
This steadiness of price in an article of large
consumption has a salutary effect. Beef has been
51d. a pound, mutton 51d. a pound by the carcase
at Leadenhall and Newgate markets. The price
of beef is the same as it was in the correspond-
ing quarter of 1858, and the eighth of a penny less
than it was in 1857 ; the price of mutton in the
same quarters was 51d., 51d., 54d. The average
prices of the higher qualities of the two meats de-
creased id. in the pound, or beef from 60. to 61d.;
mutton, 7d. to 64d. Potatoes were sold at the rate
of 85s. a ton at the waterside market, Southwark ;
in the corresponding quarter of two previous years
the prices were 105 s. and 765. 6d. The prices of
the present year, like the temperatures of the sea-
sons, occupy an intermediate positiod between
those of 1857, when they were higher, and 1858,
when they were lower. The mean temperature of
the quarter was 62 deg. 8 min., or 3 deg. 3 min.
above the average temperature of the season
during 88 years. The excessive heat was
accumulated chiefly in July, when the mean
temperature was 68 deg. 1 min. ; while on July
12th the air in the shade reached 924 deg.,
and 93 deg. on the 13th and the 18th; so that
during 10 successive days the mean temperature of
day and night exceeded 70 deg., a thing unprece-
dented during the period over which correct obser-
vations extended. The air was drier (72) than
usual ; but the rain-fall (8.2 inches) somewhat ex-
ceeded the quarterly average. The thermometer on
the grass never fell below 40 deg. in July and
August, whereas it usually falls several times to
the freezing point of water. Pauperism is below
the average in the kingdom. The average number
of paupers in receipt of relief during the quarter
was 783,449, or less by about 29,000 than the num-
bers receiving relief in the corresponding quarters
of the two previous years.
STATE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH.-104,339 per-
sons died in the last quarter. The number is
6,079 in excess of the deaths, 98,260, in the corres-
ponding summer quarter of last year; and the

rate of mortality, 2,093 per cent., is below the
average (2,138) ; the excess in that average being
due to the epidemics of cholera. A certain number
of the deaths in the quarter may be set down as
natural deaths, and they would not have exceeded
73,533 if the mortality in the sixty-districts of
England, by no means in unexceptionable sanitary
condition, be taken as the standard. The 30,806
deaths in excess of that number are unnatural
deaths, the results of causes which it is the duty of
every member of the community to endeavour to
remove. It is a remarkable fact that the mortality
of the quarter in the small towns and the country
parishes was above their average, to the extent of more
than one death annually out of every 1,000 living. A
still greater excess might have been expected in the
large town districts, whereas the reverse was ob-
served ; the mortality having been at the rate of
in 1,000 less than the average. The summer mor-
tality in the town districts was formerly to that of
the rest of the country as 26 to 18 ; in the last
quarter it was 23 to 19 ; and the difference will
undoubtedly be still considerable when all the dense
districts are supplied with pure water, and with the
means of returning all their refuse to the fields as
manure in an innoxiovs state. The deaths in Lon-
don during the quarter exceeded the average.
The high temperature facilitated the decomposi-
tion of the impure refuse under the houses, in
the streets, and in the river. Diarrhcea was un-
usually fatal all over the London area ; scarlatina
and diptheria were epidemic. In the surrounding
divisions the mortality was also above the ave-
rage, as there the same diseases prevailed, with
variable degrees of severity. In Kent diphtheria
was the cause of several deaths in Brenchley near
Tonbridge, Aldington, Wingham, and Deal. In
New Romney, of the Romney Marsh district, re-
mittent fever was prevalent and fatal ; to 9 births
there were 31 deaths. The deaths in Brighton
amounted to 423; in the Worthing district to 84.
The Broadwater Register says :—" The deaths are
20 per cent, below the average, very few having
occurred in the town of Worthing, namely, only 17
out of a population, including visitors, of 8,000.
The deaths in the previous qparter were only 20.
I attribute this result, principally to the complete
sanitary measures carried out in the town, under
the supervision of the Board of Health." When
will all the English watering-places carry out " com-
plete sanitary measures," and thus assert their su-
periority over foreign places of resort ?

In the South-Western Division, Wilts, Dorset,
and Devon suffered an unusually high rate of mor-
tality ; scarlatina, diphtheria, and smallpox have
proved fatal in many cases. " Sanitary arrange-
ments are far from good, in many houses" not only
of Abbotsbury, where three deaths occurred in one
house over drains in the worst possible condition,
but it is to be feared in many other parts of these
great counties.
In the West Midland Counties the deaths
amounted to 12,675. The health of several of the
Stafford districts is still bad. Measles, scarlatina,
diarrhoea, and typhus have ben fatal ; in several
houses of Bilstou two and three children have been
carried off by measles. " I fear," says the Regis-
trar, " that often little notice is taken of illness,
until secondary symptoms appear, when medical
aid is too late. Persons first apply to a druggist,
and afterwards to a medical man, but not till the
day before death.
The North Midland Counties have suffered in
various parts from diphtheria ; the low marshy dis-
tricts have been severely visited ; but the deaths
(6,467) do not imply in the county aggregates
higher rates of mortality than usual.
In Lancashire and Cheshire the deaths (15,509)
are in numbers below those registered in the sum-
mer quarters of the two preceding years. The
mortality is below that of preceding years in
Liverpool, and will be still lower when all the
required sanitary works arc carried out. The ex-
penditure up to the present time has borne ample
fruits.

In Yorkshire 10,983 deaths were registered. The
rate of mortality is lower than it was. Yorkshire,
lying between the Humber and the Tees—lofty
moorlands and the German Ocean—is now occu-
pied by nearly two millions of people, living much
in aggregated masses, but with families charac-
teristically distributed in 400,000 separate dwell•
ings. The workpeople are now in an average town
health ; and through the incessant noises of ma-
chinery are often heard as the day declines pleasant
voices singing the concerted songs of the Bradford
minstrels.

MAYORALTY PREPARATIONS.

The preparations that have been some time in
progress for the Mayoralty Banquet, of the 9th
November, are now nearly completed, that is, as
far as they can be so far in advance of the time.
It is no secret that Lord Mayor's Show, as such, is
in its decadence, banners and plush are less and
less esteemed every year, at least in outward ob-
servances ; and Mr. Alderman Carter, the Lord
Mayor elect, has no intention to attempt a revival
of what the age has unmistakeably pronounced to
be superfluous and unnecessary. The procession
has declined since Alderman Mechi gave it a cha-
racter by a display of agricultural machinery.
Batty's horses will display their piebald flanks
and streaming silken tails no more, but the show
will be contracted year by year, perhaps,
till it at last ceases to be a show at all.
The present state of arrangements for the cele-
bration may be very briefly described. The proces-
sion, as just remarked, will be as simple as possible,
without too rashly violating time-hallowed usages.
There will be no special feature of interest, but the
companies will be represented as usual, and esta-
blished forms adhered to. The boys of the Chelsea
Military School and the boys of the Marine Society
will not take part in it. The route will be chosen
as direct as possible, and, as all the world knows,
there will be no procession on the river. At Guild-
hall the usual signs of festisity will be exhibited,
and the decorations will be but slightly varied from
the order observed on previous occasions. They
will be under the superintendence of Mr. Bunning,
the City architect, who will display his excellent
taste without stint, there being no intention to reduce
in even the smallest degree the splendour and libe-
ralty of the banquet. The presentation of the Lord
Mayor elect to the Lord Chancellor took place this
morning, at Stratheden House, Knightsbridge. The
Aldermen attended at Guildhall, in their gowns,
at 9 o'clock, and accompanied the Lord Mayor elect
thither. The Lord Mayor's state coach is painted
a rich blue, and lined with white and silver, with
handsome silver mountings. It is lined and full
padded with drab figured silk, with broad drab
lace, to correspond with festoon sun-blinds. It is
suspended on a fashionable perch carriage, with
under springs and carved blocks, and has a hand-
some standard box, and carved hind standards ; a
full-mounted seat-cloth of blue, with silver orna-
ments. The footmen-holders are of lace. The body
is emblazoned with the arms of the company, the
private arms of Mr. Alderman Carter, and the City
arms, with supporters and ornaments handsomely
painted in panels. The four-horse harness is of a most
elegant pattern, with richly-chased mountings and
ornaments attached. The coachman's and footmen's
hats will be trimmed with rich silver lace, of the
same pattern as that on the coat, with the crest
embroidered on the front ; the feathers are amber
and white. The postilions' caps will also be trimmed
with silver lace and rich bullion silver tassels at the
sides, with the Lord Mayor's crest mounted on the
top. The banquet will be in no way shorn of its
customary splendour, nor will any detail be omitted
which might be necessary to render it complete, as
an example of civic hospitality. The viands and
wines are to be of the best, and are to be supplied
by Messrs. Staples of the Albion, who have given
such great satisfaction on former occasions. The
dinner service, among which are the enormous
number of 220 soup tureens, will be entirely of one
P, attern as willt also the plate and glass to be
used on the oasion. We mention this fact, be-
cause, we believe, Messrs. Staples are the only
persons able taccomplish such a thing. There
will be two quadrille bands to perform after dinner,
and the Orpheus Glee Club and several eminent
leading vocalists are engaged for the entertainment
of the compeny. The upholstery will be supplied
by Messrs. 4erring and Son ; the gas fittings, by
Messrs. Lode ; the decorations, by Mr. Fenton ;
and Mr. Binning will have the general superin-
tendence of the whole. The tickets for the dinner
will be issued after Monday next.

EXTRAORDINARY BRUTALITY.—These is DOW in
custody at Wednesbury a man named Joseph Hill, who has
been guilty of the most revolting brutality upon an Irish-
man named John Malony. Hill and Malony, with others,
had been drinking together in Mr. Woodward's public-
house, in High-street, before they proceeded together to
the house of one of the party, in a court in the rear of Mr.
Woodward's. Here a previously commenced dispute was
resumed, and Hill, seizing Malony, struck him, and then
held down his head before the fire with one hand, whilst
with the other he took from the grate a kettle of
boiling water. He first tried to pour the water down Ma-
lony's throat, but was unable, and the scalding water ran
over Maloney's face. Hill then poured the water into
his victim's oar, and over the other portions of his head and
face. Despite his screams and struggles, Hill continued to,
hold him in front of the fire, and thus greatly increased the
otherwise intense torture that he was suffering. He held
him till the pocr fellow became burnt as well as scalded.
When at length Malony was released he seemed to have little
vitality remaining in his system : the hair came of his head,
and his countenance was shockingly disfigured. A surgeon
was sent for, and was soon in attendance, but expressed grn
doubts of the man's recovery. On Saturday a local p.flPer
reported that the case had had a fatal termination, but. from
inquiry onth the
thsf:igt Nhvestlielairrn tandaatntgheeroanusnsota_unteceaningt pre-
mature;nseriaDpg.great agony, yet the injuries have not so alarming
pearance as at first they had.--difertickester .trztntner.

THE AMERICAN MINISTER IN CBINA.E

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW YORK TIMES.

Sir,—l have just received a letter from Mr.
Ward, our Minister in China, which, though not
intended for publication, contains so much that is
interesting to the world, and especially to the
American world, that I cannot refrain from send-
ing you some part of it for publication in your
widely. read paper. M.
" United States' frigate Powhattan, off
the Peiho River, June 30.
_ _

" My dear —, —On the morning of the 16th
vie left Shanghai for the mouth of the Peiho
having in tow the Toey-wan, a boat chartered by
Commodore Tatnall, in which I was to ascend the
Peiho as far as Tien-tsin. We arrived here on Tues-
day morning, the 21st inst., just before daylight.
We found near us the following vessels :—Her Bri-
tannic Majesty's ships Chesapeake, Highflyer,
Fury, M igtcienne, Cruiser, Nimrod, Cormorant,
transport ship Assistance.(steam), steam storeship
Hesper, Plover, a gunboat, and the Coromandel,
tender to tile Chesapeake; French steam frigate
Du Chayla, and her tender, the Nosogary. These
vessels, with the Powhattan, were all anchored
about ten miles from the forts at the month of the
river, which have been rebuilt since last year. The
coast is so shallow as to render nearer approach im-
possible for large vessels.
" About three miles from the month of the river
and from the forts there is a bank about a mile
wide, across which no vessels of greater draught
than 10 feet can go even at high water. When that
bank has been passed, you are in the channel of the
river, distant from its mouth about three miles in
a direct line from the forts. On our arrival here
the following vessels were anchored over that bar,
within about two miles from the forts :—The gun-
boats Kestrel, Janus, Forester, Haughty, Lee,
Opossum, Starling, and Banterer.
" The day we arrived the wind was so high that
nothing could be done. The next day, Wednesday,
it was blowing a gale and raining very hard. On
Thursday the English Admiral called upon me, and
said he had been up to the month of the river, and
found it so obstructed by chains as to render fur-
ther progress impossible without their removal ;
that he had sent his boat on shore to say that the
English and French Ministers had arrived on their
way to Pekin, and to require that the obstructions
should be removed, so as to enable them to proceed.
The reply was that these obstructions had been
placed there, not to prevent the Ministers from
going to Pekin, but to keep out the rebels ; which
was of course untrue, as the rebels have no boats
and never approach by water. They said also that
this was not the mouth of the Peiho—that the en-
trance to the Peiho was 10 or 15 miles north, and
there the Ministers must goif they wished to reach
Pekin. For this northern entrance I refer you to
my official- letter to the Secretary of State. They
promised, however, to remove the obstructions, but
instead of performing their promise they went on
completing them. The Admiral also informed me
that he had subsequently given the Chinese notiee
that he would proceed to remove these obstructions
himself on Saturday msrning, the 25th inst., as
Messrs: Bruce and De Bourboulon, finding the doors
closed upon them, had instructed himto open them.
" I frankly told the Admiral that my position
was very different from that of the English and
French Ministers ; that their treaties were made
at a time when they were at war with the Chinese
—and that if their provisions were violated they
might consider themselves thrown back into
the war which had been terminated or suspended
by the treaty ; that the American treaty, on the con-
1, had been made with a nation with whom
INveirKad never been at war, and that if any of its
provisions were violated the proper remedy must be
judged of by our Government, to which I should
refer the matter, but that I had been instructed by
the President of the United States to go to Pekin,
and that I should go until stopped by a force which
I could not overcome • that Commodore Tatnall and.
I would, the next day, cross the bank in the Toey-
wan and proceed as far as we could, or until_we
were fired upon.
" The next morning, Friday, the 24th, Commo-
dore Tatnall, with his flag-lieutenant, and I, with

my brother, the interpreters and attaches of the
Legation, went on board the Toey-wan about 8 a.m.,
and proceeded towards the river. We passed at
anchor outside the bank the Cruiser and the steam
storeship Hesper.
" After passing the bank we found at anchor about
a mile a half from the mouth of the river the gun-
boats heretofore mentioned as over the bank, and
also the Coromandel, to which the Admiral's flag
had been transferred, the Nimrod and the Plover,
and the French gunboat Nosogaray, making in all
10 gunboats and three small vessels, carrying about
40 guns and 600 men. Anchored with these vessels
were three large junks, of which the English had
taken possession, and upon which they had about
700 men intended as recruits for the vessels, and as
a force with which at a proper time an attack by
land was to be made upon the forts. We passed all
these vessels on our way, determined not to be
stopped except by actual force. Fortunately. for us
we ran aground when within half a mile of the forts.
This was not to be wondered at, as no officer on
board the They-wan had ever crossed the bank or
bar.

"At the time w'e grounded the tide was falling
rapidly. The English Admiral immediately sent
his flag-lieutenant in the Plover to say that he ex-
pected to see us fired upon at every moment, and
when the tide fell the boat would probably keel
over. He tendered to Commodore Tatnall the
use of the Plover, requesting him to hoist the
American ensign at the peak and his own flag at
the mizenmast. The commodore declined to accept
this kind offer, but said he would be glad of the
services of the boat to pull him off. Au effort to do
this was made, but was unsuccessful, and the Plover
left us and returned to the line which the admiral
was forming. _ _ _

" About ;I p.m. the flag-lieutenant of Commodore
Tatnall was sent on shore with the interpreters to
inform them that I was on board the steamer on
my way to Pekin. The reply I received was that
we could not go by that river—that there was no
officer of any rank there—that those who were
there could receive no communication of any kind
'whatever—indeed, that there was no one there who
could read or write—that they had heard that the
Emperor had ordered the Governor-General to meet
the Ministers at whatthey called the north entrance
to the river, which they said was ten miles distant.
'They thought that the Governor-General would
probably be there that day or the next.
" About 8 o'clock in the evening we fortunately
succeeded in getting the steamer off. By that time
the Admiral had formed-a line extending from the
junks to our position. The commodore, fearing that
u light moving about our boat during the night
might be mistaken for some signal in the admiral's
squadron, ordered the steamer to drop below the
line and anchor near the junks. About 12 o'clock
we heard an explosion. This was the blowing up
of the first barrier across the river, and it was fol-
lowed by two guns from the forts. The rest of the
night everything was quiet.
" It was evident in the morning, from the posi-
tion of the vessels, that the battle would be com-
menced some time during the day. All the vessels
mentioned as over the bar were as near to the en-
trance of the river as they could get. It was ascer-
tained that three barriers hod been erected across
the river at tho distance of 20 yards from each other.
On the left bank of the river were three or four
large forts admirably built of mud, and connected
with each other by shore batteries. At the mouth
of the river was one very large fort, from which
the heaviest guns were fired. On the right-hand
side of the river were three forts, connected by
shore batteries. Within these forts and batteries it
was afterwards ascertained there must have been
from 20,000 to 25,000 men. At 2.45 p.m. the Star-
ling, havinc, the Admiral's flag flying, commenced
ascending the river, followed by the Plover, the
,other vessels remaining at anchor. As soon as the
Starling had passed the barrier blown up during
the night the forts commenced firing. All the ves-
sels returned the fire, and the balls flew arouvel
like hailstones. Before the firing had lasted half an
hour, however, we could see from our vessels that
the English were suffering far beyond their antici-
pations, and the Commodore said to me, Those
forts cannot be taken with the force they have.'
We could see the shot destroying the vessels, while
the forts were scarcely injured by the small bat-
tery of'the English. About five o'clock a young
man came to us from the Admiral's ship, with
mood upon his
wearied
and
brow, poor fellow, and looking
that the Admiral was exhausted.
He told the Commodore
ing on the deck of his ves-
sel severely wounded • that his captain had had his
head shot off, and that he had but three men left
'capable of doing duty. The Admiral had sent for
reinforcements to relieve him, but the in and tide
were so strong against the boats it would impos-
sible,
in time without the assistance of steam, to get them
up to be of any use. He had had two boats
shot away under him, and he reached us in the
third, bearing the request that the Commodore
-would tow up their boats. By this time the tide
was falling very fast, and two of the gunboats had
grounded iast where we had been the day before,
s
and were literally being shot to pieces. Commodore
Tatnall consulted with me on the application that
had been made to him. It was a question not with-
out difficulty. As neutrals we had no right to in-
terfere, or to render the smallest aid to either party.
But could we be regarded strictly as neutrals P 'We
were in-company with the other Powers not by our
own choice. I had desired to avoid all complication 1
with them, and to secure this end I had left Hong I

Kong so immediately after my arrival as to draw
on myself the censure of one of the Hong Kong
journals. The Chinese had themselves forced us
into our present position, their commissioners at
Shanghai having insisted upon my waiting for the
English and French Ministers and coming with
them. In consequence of this we had been inces-
santly receiving from them acts of courtesy and
kindness. Now, should they be successful, we should
profit by their success. In opening the road to Pekin
to their own Ministers they would also open it to

us. In view of all these reasons I could nof hesitate

to say to Commodore Tatnall that while we had no
right to fire a gun in their defence, or to give them
a man to aid in the attack, we ought to render the
required assistance to relieve the Admiral from his
. .

position, and that accordingly his desire to tow up
the boats received not only my assent, but my un-
qualified approbation, and was, indeed, in strict
accordance with my wishes. He then insisted that
I should leave the steamer with my suite and go on

board one of the junks, as he said a vessel towing
up the English reinforcements was no place for the
American Minister, when the British and French
Ministers were ten miles off. Feeling the delicacy
of my situation, and that there was force in what
he said, I yielded reluctantly to his wishes and went
to the junk, but I could not long remain there, for
while I felt that the most dignified position for me
would have been on board the Powhattan, the Toey-
wan was my present home. By an accident the battle
had been commenced while I was in her and over the
bar, and she was going into danger with my full as-
sent. I therefore determined to return to her, and
availed myself of the first opportunity to do so,
which was in the gig of Capt. Willes, one of the
English officers. My brother and Messrs. Heard
and Learsman, of my suite, returned with me. I
think the Commodore thought me wrong as Mini-
ster, but was glad to have me on board with him.
At all events it made me share the responsibility
c ith him, which I was more than anxious to do;
and while it may be said that strict neutrality was
his duty, he did more that day to illustrate the
gallantry of the American navy in the eyes of the
world than 20 successful engagements would have
done. As soon as he heard of the Admiral's posi-
tion he went in his open barge, through one of the
hottest fires that fell from the forts, telongside of
the Admiral's ship, which was and had been the
target of all the forts—not to assist him in the fight
—not to win glory by victory—but to give his
sympathy to a wounded brother officer, whom he
saw about to suffer a most mortifying and unex-
pected defeat. I regret to say that his coxswain
was killed by his side, just as he reached the Ad-
miral's vessel, by a ball that struck the boat with
so much force as to throw him and Lieut. Trenchard
out of their seats. For a little while the lieutenant
was stunned, but neither of them were hurt.
" Between 6 and 7 p.m., the Commodore having
rendered all the assistance in his power, the Toey-
wan came to an anchor between the French gunboat
aml the Coromandel. There the shot flew thick
and fast ; and, finding ourselves directly in the line
of the fire, the Commodore ordered the position of
the steamer to be changed, and we moved about 100
yards, after having been there about two hours,
during which time a ball passed nnderthe awning,
between it and the deck, within five feet of the spot
where Capt. Pearson and I were standing, watch-
ing the landing of the troops for the attack.
a—This was the most terrific sight of the whole
battle. As the boats approached, the forts and
all the water batteries opened a most deadly
fire, and we could see the men fall in the
boats. They moved steadily on to the landing-pace,
where, as they touched the shore, the fire again
()penes' upon them, and the poor fellows were seen
to fall in crowds. It is estimated that, of the 600
composing the storming party, 100 at least had
fallen before they reached the shore. There the most
terrible fate awaited the survivors. Landing, at the
approach of night, upon a shore of which they were
entirely ignorant, at low water, but with a fast-
rising tide, they soon found that they were separated
from the forts—first by mud and water waist deep,
second, by a ditch filled with water, which no man
could cross without swimming ; and, third, by
another ditch filled with sharp iron spikes. The 500
survivors saw there was no safety but in retreat.
One of the officers told me that by the ime they
had crossed the first ditch there was not 1E weapon
that would fire, so wet had become their ammuni-
tion. Their retreat was as fatal as their landing.
The Chinese sent up fire-rockets, and by their light
shot down the men, who could not return the fire.
About 11 o'clock p.m., the survivors, with such of
their wounded companions as they could assist, began
returning to the ships. F. om that time till daylight
officers and men were coming on board the Toey-
wan, where they were furnished with refreshments
and provided with a resting-place. As you may ima-
gine, we did not sleep much that night. When the
day dawned the portion of the squadron engaged in
the fight was a perfect wreck. Random shots had
been kept up during the night, and many of them
had taken effect. Less than half of the land force
had escaped unhurt. It is estimated that 300 of
them had been killed. On board the ships eight
officers had been killed and 23 wounded. The num-
ber of the men has not yet been ascertained. All the
vessels were more or less disabled, and three of the
gunboats—the Lee, the Plover, and the Kestrel—
were entirely destroyed. The Cormorant, the tender
of the flagship, was found to be so disabled that it was
impossible to remove her. Commodore Tatnall
visited the Admiral in the morning and tendered
his services to do all in his power for the wounded,
or to assist him with his disabled vessels. They
requested that he would take the wounded
men over the bar to the vessels lying outside,
About half-past nine o'clock, as many as could be
placed in two large launches were brought to the
stern of our steamer, and we towed them out, tak-
ing these sad mementos, with the first tidings of
the fight, to the French and English Ministers. The
Admiral, though severely wounded, still remains
about the forts, attempting to destroy the four ves-
sels that could not be removed, to prevent their fall-
ing into the hands of the Chinese. I have no doubt
he will succeed, though the forts have been inces-
santly firing upon them. It is now Thursday, and
the firing still continues.
" As soon as the first gun was fired I felt that, if
the English were unsuccessful, I could have little
hope of further negociation with the Chinese; yet,
as I would do everything in my power for the fulfil-
ment of my mission, I determined to make the effort,
and as soon as possible I sent a letter to the Gover-
nor-General of this province, who was said to be
somewhere on the coast about 10 miles from the
forts. Yesterday I despatched my brother, with the
interpreters, in search of the place and the man
Tbey left this anchorage in the Toey-wan about 11
a.m., carrying my letter, in which I informed the
Governor-General that I was here under the treaty,
and by the itre itation of the commissioners at Shang..
hai ; that I was charged with an autograph letter
from the President of the United States to his Ma-'
jesty the Emperor, and asked him to provide me
with the means of conveyance to Pekin. The Toey-
wan returned at eight p.m.; and my brother tells
me that after going north-west along the coast,
about 10 miles from this anchorage, they discovered
an inlet near a village which was strongly fortified.
The Toey-wan could not approach nearer than four
miles, in consequence of the shallowness of the water.
My brother, Mr. Martin, the interpreter, and Mr.
Merchant, a midshipman, went ashore in the boat
of the Tooy-wan. At the approach of the boat the
villagers began to fly. They succeeded, however,
in holding communication with two of the Chinese,
who stated that the Governor-General had gone
over to the forts at the mouth of the Peiho, and said
they would deliver the letter to him. These
men said they had never heard of the United
States of America, and warned the party that they
had better return to their boat, as a large body of
cavalry had been sent for, who were Tartar soldiers,
and recognised no distinction among foreign bar-
barians. While they were conversing with the
Chinese It large body of cavalry, well mounted, ac-
tually appeared in sight, rapidly advancing towards
them, and, as they returned to their boat, followed
them to the water's edge."

(From the Times.)

A quasi private letter from Mr. Ward, containing
his account of the Battle of Taku, has been printed
by the New York Times, and completes the Ameri-
can history of the ill-starred operations at the Peiho.
Commodore Tatnall's despatch contained the details
of the engagement as they appeared to an intelli-
gent seaman, who, although watching with strong
interest the course of the struggle, was yet, while
the victory was doubtful, but a spectator of the
contest. Mr. Ward's less official, but not less care-
fully prepared account, adds some few touches to
what was already a striking picture, and especial's7
elucidates the policy which prompts the dip_l,,,macy
of the United States in their dealings 'WA China.
At this distance, and in the akience of perfect
knowledge as to the appearance of the Peiha upon
this second occasion, we cannot safely criticise the
operations as we read. We may wonder to see that
the removal of the booms and chains, partially suc-
cessful at night, was not nightly persevered with.
We may feel surprise to see an attack in shallow
waters made durinc, a strong ebb tide, and to find a
landing attempted at low water and upon a muddy
shore at closing day ; but vie are without the means
of judging at present to what extent these disad-
vantages were forced, upon the Admiral by other
circumstances. Neither the Commodore's despatch
nor the Ambas;dador's letter contains any hint of an
opinion that the Admiral's dispositions were injudi-
cious ; nor is it to condemn Admiral Hope, whose
heroism was so conspicuous, that we recall what
happened upon a former occasion. Then the same
Cormorant despatch-boat, which was sunk by the so
Chinese:guns, steamed along the front of the same

forts, delivering her fire without the loss of a man,
and the Nimrod, under Captain Dew, following
more deliberately, silenced each fort as she passed ;
then Captains Sherard Osborn and Sir Frederick
Nicholson, landing with a handful of blue-jackets
and marines, put to flight a large encamped army
which had been drawn up to support the forts,
and the victory was gained with so little loss
that the English public rather despised it as a too
facile success. There is a considerable difference
between that almost forgotten operation and this
the history of which is now before us, and the re-
sults whereof are so bitter to our pride.
We contrast the two events, not for the sake of
the past, but for the sake of the future. That me-
lancholy list of victims which gave mournful inte-
rest to our columns of yesterday must be still
present to every English mind, and it will be long
before the impression it made fades away. There is
evidently a great change in the character and
audacity of our enemy. Some men who know
China will attribute this to the habit which has
grown up during the recent war of allowing the
Chinese to escape without any loss. During the
war of 1842 a victory was a great slaughter, and
the lessons learnt at Amoy and at the mouth of the
Shanghai River were long remembered with good
effect in those localities. Latterly war with the bar-
barians has lost its terrors, for the Chinese have
been allowed to fire from their open forts until

the place was stormed, and then to run away in
peace. That Mongol army which has sunk our
*sips and killed our sailors might have been all cut
off in the same place last year, but was allowed to
march away without a shot being sent among them.
Our merciful way of making war has encouraged
the Chinese Emperor to think there was no risk to
him in trying the chance of arms once more. If
he were successful, good. If fortune were again
contrary, the English, he might well believe, would
be too satisfied with their success to be unappeas-
able in respect of the " mistake" which caused them
to be fired upon. Another theory has been that
the Russians have taught the Chinese how to for-
tify and defend fortifications. This is quite in
accordance with the interests of Russia ; it is con-
sistent with the assertion of the Chinese during the
negotiations, that the Russians had promised the
Chinese Commissioners to teach them how to make
the Peiho impassable to Europeans ; and it accords
with the altered appearance of the forts, which
upon this occasion had all the appliances of
slanted embrasures, mantlets, and spare guns,
such as we were accustomed to meet with at
Sebastopol. Perhaps both the reasons we have
repeated ir, ay have had their influence ; but that
there is any material difference between the men by
whom we have been repulsed and the men whom
we have so often put to flight we do not believe.
These are the same Tartars who cann )t put down
the rebellion, and who dally with a faction by who n
no man or woman or child of Tartar race is ever
spared. They have grown to trust to our mercy as
a habit or a principle which will live against any
provocation ; they have felt secure behind their
mantlets ; and they have laid their guns accurately
for the exact spot where they expected us to attack.
This, added to the fact that for the first time we
have justified the expectations of the Chinese as to
the mode and point of attack, will account both for
the resistance and for its success.
Mr. Ward has since the date of the 30th of June
succeeded in reaching Pekin; but we doubt
whether Mr. Ward will look upon his journey to
Pekin as a success. Judging him by his conduct
and his letters, he must be a man of too much spirit
and independence to digest with comfort the petty
indignities of which he has been made the object,
and, as he was not allowed to see the Emperor, he
might just as well have exchanged his ratifications
at Shanghai, as he very sensibly offered to do, as to
receive them from the same hands at Pehkang. At
Pekin he was reproached by some of the Mandarins
for the assistance he gave the English at Taku, and
the Chinese impression seems to have been that the
Americans formed the landing party which was so
terribly cut up. It is said, also, that both Mr.
Ward and his Commodore have received an intimation
from their Government that his towing our boats
up was an tact rather to be excused than justified.
Mr. Ward, however, seems to have felt that after
the conduct of the Chinese Commissioners at
Shanghai he could hardly consider himself as repre-
senting a neutral Power. So long as the treaties with
England and France remained unratified he could
not, indeed, stand upon the right which these
treaties give to proceed unmolested through the em-
pire, or to claim a passage to Pekin and a residence
there; but his right to travel by the accustomed
way—by the way which his predecessor had used
in order to negotiate the treaty of which he was
now the bearer—to Pekin was unquestionable ; and
when the Commissioners compellrd him to remain
until a time beyond the period fixed, and attempted
to amuse him by flimsy pretences, he was by their
act thrown back upon the other civilised Powers,
and driven into a companionship which almost in-
volved the obligations of an alliance. Mr. Ward
very reasonably doubted whether—considering that
he had been thus forced by the Chinese into his pre-
sent position, and considering, also, that if the ope-
rations which were now failing before his eyes had
been successful he would have profitedby their suc-
cess—the Americans would be regarded strictly as
neutrals. Whether the Commodore be correct in his
recollection wjien he says that the' English officer
who came on board his ship spoke not of aid, and
expressed his hope only by an anxious glance at the
boats, the Admiral, and the steam power of the
Toeywan ; or whether Mr. Ward is more accurate
in believing that the aid of the steam power to tow
the boats was actually asked, is not of much impor-
tance. The aid was wanted and it was given—not,
we will insist upon believing, in accordance with any
,deliberate reasoning upon points of international
law, but because the United States' Ambassador and
the United States' Commodore saw the English
being slaughtered by enemies whom they could not
get at, and because they felt at that moment, in the
words which some of the American officers are said
to have used, " that blood is thicker than water."
Out of this disaster let us pluck what satisfaction
we can. The reverse will soon be retrieved with
sufficient eclat. If there be any virtue in our new
rifled cannon we shall shell these barbarians out of
their nests without giving them a chance of any
similar success in the future; and, if the French are
with us in equal force and with their modern wea-
pons, they at least will not fight this fight with padded
gloves. 'But whether the French are resolved to go
with us in strength or not, we mustsnot delay. If we
are at the landing-place by March we can do the work
well in one year; if we are later than April we are
almost certain to take two years about the busi-
ness, and to double our risks and our expenses.
We hope that no desire of French co-operation
will induce us to carry our politeness to so expen-
sive an extent as to wait for them. If they should
not be ready to go with us, we can divide the task
with them and meet them at l'ekin, or expect them
at Tientsin. Perhaps, also, we may meet the Ame-
ricans out there. If private American letters from
China speak truth—if Mr. Ward was, with studied
intent to ridicule him, drawn to Pekin by a mule
and a donkey, tandem fashion—if his complaints of
the incivility of his Chinese attendants were re-
jected with impertinence--sif his request for horses
was directly refused, and if 'his ratified treaty is
found to be destitute of the only useful stipulation
the draught ,contained—that is to say, the regula-
tions for trade and tariffs—then we conceive that
the Americans may by this time have concluded
that their humility has not answered. We, how-
ever, want no help. We would rather do this act
of justice to our massacred countrymen ourselves.
But the conduct of Mr. Ward and Commodore Tat-
n all during the day of disaster comes home to us all.
When that act of perfidy has been punished and
forgotten, e hope that the friendly feelings and
cordial companionship
-Which united Englishmen
and Americans in the waters of China, and the na-
tural sympathies which burst forth at that moment
of disaster, may be remembered. Whether the
people of the United States choose to believe it, or
choose to acknowledge it, or not, there is always on
this side of the Atlantic a strong kin•like feeling
towards the people of our own blood who dwell on
the other side. We are jealous of their affection, and
hurt when we find their sympathies turned from us,
perhaps to be lavished upon despots with whom
they have nothing in common, and barbarians who
have one word of scorn for them and for us. We
are irritated also when they are querulous and
quarrelsome and tetchy with us, and when, having
abundance of gentlemen to choose from, they set
the most ill-bred swaggering adventurer they can
find to insult us and wrong us. But we are never
happier as a nation in our relations with the Ame-
rican people than upon those rare occasions when
we are going cordially together, never better pleased
than when we have some act of courtesy, or, still
better, some act of kindness, to thank them for, as
in this affair of the Peiho.

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