The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-02 00:00:00

LONDoN, FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 2, 1867.

THE BOMBARDMENT OF CANTON.

The Friend of China says—
" We have much pleasure in giving publicity to the
following memoranda by a gentleman possessed of good
opportunities for nothing what occurred :
" Thursday, Oct. 23.—This morning Her Majesty's
ship Barracouta having a large party of marines on
board, under the command of Captain Penrose and
Lieutenant Burton, took in tow the boom boats of Her
Majesty's ships Winchester and Sybille, and proceeded to
the Barrier Forts, followed by the Coromandel with flag,
and having in tow come of the boats of the Calcutta.

On reaching the Upper Fort (Napier's), situated on a
peninsula, she opened fire with shell, throwing them in
first-rate style. The Winchester's boats pushed in under
shelter of her guns, and took possession of the fort.
The Barracouta then shelled, first one, then the other of
the forts, the Coromandel's and the boats' guns doing
good work. Two forts opened fire, but it was but of
short duration, owing to the rapid movement§ of the
boats. Lieutenant Dent, with boats of the Syhille, took
possession of Howqua's Fort. The guns (45 of them)
were found loaded. They were spiked and the trun-
nions broken off, the carriages destroyed, and the doors
of the embrasures torn from their hinges. A similar
fate awaited the other forts. Promptitude and decision
were the order of the day. The Winchester had some

sharp firing with the Braves, who wished to retain pos-
session of the forts. Meanwhile the Barracouta steamed

through Blenheim teach, shelled Blenheim Fort, and
anchored below the stakes near Macao Fort, the latter

having already been taken by the boats of the Calcutta.
The Coromandel, after the boats had finished by burning
the buildings within the forts, took them in tow, and
proceeded to Canton. The officers engaged during the
day were as follows : —The Sybille—Lieutenants Dent
and Chisholm, Midshipmen De Burgh, Price, Brooke,
and iliperley ; the Winchester—Lieutenant Bushnell,
Mr. Mate James, Lieu*thaut Peliow, Mr. Midshipman

Broom; and Assistant-Surgeon Trenson ; the Calcutta
—Lieutenants Campbell and Beamish ; Staff Surgeon
Anderson on board the Coromandel.

"Friday, 24.—This morning Commodore Elliot, in the
Barracouta, crossed the Barrier, and opened fire on the
Bird's-nest Fort. This place was a mass of ruins in a
short time. The Sampson soon followed, and took up a
position opposite the Shameen Forts. The Bird's-nest
Fort having been taken possession of was left garrisoned,
while the energetic Captain Hall, with the Sybille's and
Winchester's boats, took possession of the Shameen
Forts.

" 'Saturday, 25.—The greater part of the day was
spent in destroying the guns of the Shameen Forts. The
Red Fort being already in the charge of her Majesty's
ship Encounter, in the afternoon the boats went down
the river and gained the Dutch Folly without opposition,

though a few-hours previously there were close to it
about 20 Mandarin junks. These retired to a further

distance, and got rid of their guns. A strong party of
marines was placed in the Folly, the boats returning to

formdr positions.

" Sunday, 26.—A party of the Royal Artillery ar-
rived, under command of Captain Rotten. They were
stationed in Dutch Folly, witu marines and bluejackets
the latter to work two 32-pounders under command of
Commander Rolland, of the Calcutta. The guns taken

and destroyed were 437 in number, including some fine
brass 24-pounders.
" ' Monday, 27.—This morning, at 6 o'clock, the
Barracouta proceeded to Sulphur-creek, about two miles
and a half distant from the Shatneen Forts, where in the

late war the troops disembarked to attack Gough Fort.
She succeeded in getting within shelling distance of the
Tartar encampments. Some of the shells which fell on
the Red Tower elicited cheers three times three from

,he people on the Factory housetops.

The Encounter

;bre-w shell into the Viceroy's palace with unerring pre•

_ .
cision. The firing ceased at G p.m.
" Tuesday, 23.—The Hon. Keith Stewart, with a
strong reinforcement from the Nankin, arrived. The
merchant Howqua requested an interview with his
Excellency the Commander-in-Chief. His Excellency
declined treating with any but those high in authority.
His Excellency, however, gave the Imperial Commis-
sioners a little longer time to pause ere more blood
should be spilt through his mulish obstinacy. The En-
counter commenced shelling the palace, and the Dutch
Folly opened fire at noon, clearing away the houses
between the wall and the water's edge. One of the houses

caught fire, which spread rapidly toward the Chin-chew
Hongs. This was subdued by midnight. During the
day a strong party of blue jackets was employed in pul-
ling down houses in Hog-lane. This lane is in dangerous
proximity to the factories in case of fire, and has been
frequently a source of much terror to foreign residents.
"‘ Wednesday, 29.—An efficient breach having been
made in the walls by the guns of Dutch Folly—and no
intimation from Yeh as to a wish for peace—prepara-
tion was made to attack the &ty by assault. The fort
again-commenced firing, the Encounterithrowing in an
occasional shell. At a little past 1 p.m. a party of 180
marines and some blue jackets from ships embarked in
boats ; they were accompanied by two field pieces, in
charge of Lieutenants Bushnell and Twisden ; the whole
number being short of 300. After a short delay under
the walls of the fort the boats disembarked the marines
and blue jackets, who were for shore ditty. The ruins
through which the men had to pass were still smoul-
dering and the air oppressively hot. The marines fell in
four deep and quickly marched to the breach. On the

wall, at either side, large parties of the Chinese were
waving their flags and brand shing theirqswords. The
breach once gained, the flag was soon exhibited floating
over the much famed wall. A party of blue jackets and
marines, with artillery, filed to the right towards ono of
the city gates, which they blew in after a little time. The
firing in the breach was kept up with much vigour on
both sides. Four of our men were wounded and removed.
Our sharpshooters did good execution. His Excellency
ordered up a fieldpiece, a road having been previously
cut under the inspection of Captain Stuart. A. con-
tinued fire was kept up by this one piece on a wall stir-
rounding the courtyard of the palace, while the Commo.
dore gained a shorter entrance by cutting away a pali-
sade. The Admiral, followed by the Consul and other
officers and men, entered the Palace, the only occupants
to receive them being the lifeless bodies of some Chinese
killed by shell. Pools of blood stained the residence,
which, from some rich hangings and other articles of
value still remaining, must have been furnished in a
luxurious style. The party sown returned to the walls,
where there was still a brisk fire. The United States'
Cobsul Keenan had a narrow escape of his life. Having
remained behind a little longer than was prudent, the
Chinese made a sudden rush at him with frightful yells,
but failed in gaining their object, and met with a volley
of musketry from the marines which laid prostrate a
goodly number. Just after the Admiral left we oberved
a fire, which originated from the necessary explosion at
the gate. As this was fast gaining on the dwellings
towards the breach, the fieldpieces were removed to the
boats. The Braves returned to the attack, and unfor-
tunately killed two of our men and wounded several
others. Deep was the revenge inflicted by the Marines,
who, cool as they are brave, fired with unerring aim.
The fire gaining on us, we slowly retreated towards the
boats under a strong covering party. Some boats with
12-pounders, as soon as the last man bad filed off to his
boat, opened fire on the breach, thus securing a safe
embarkation.

"' It were invidious to point out the names of any
when all appeared to vie with one another in the execu-
tion of their duty, from the brave and worthy Admiral
to the humble mid. The Marines were under the orders
of Captains Penrose and Boyles' Lieutenants Burton,
Henry, Swale, and, Allnutt ; Captain Rotten, Royal
Artillery ; medical officer with wounded, Assistant
Surgeon Tronsen. The C ticutta—Captain Hall, Lieu-
tenants Campbell and Beamish ; the Sybille, Lieutenants
Dent and Naers, Messrs. Brooke, Rice, and De Bergh ;
the Bittern, Captain Bate, Lieutenant Butler, and
Mr. Johnston ; Dr. Gorrin and Dr. Orr (59th) ; the
Winchester, Lieutenants Bushnell, Pellew, and
Mr. Brown, and Mr. James ; the Encounter
—Lieutenants Gibson, Twisden, and Mr. Shambler ;

the Barracouta—Capt. Fortescue, Lieut. Bush, and Mr.
Tully. There were other officers, but their names could
not be got hold of.
" Two men were killed, and one has since died of his
wounds ; one officer and 13 men were wounded. The
wounded were at first removed to the Dutch Folly, where
Dr. Anderson had an efficient staff under his orders,
with Mr. Newton, of the Bittern, and Dr. Rattray, of
Nankin.
" On reaching the factories the force was received
with loud cheers by the foreigners assembled, which was
replied to by three lusty British huzzas from the strong
lungs of our sturdy fellows.
" The bags of coarse brown sugar which had been piled
up against the T-singhai Gate, situated about 150 yards
east of the entrance to the Viceroy's official residence,
having been removed by our men from the inside, so that
one person could get through, Admiral Seymour and
suite made an entrance into the city, and proceeded up
the wide staircase on the left on to the wall. This wall
on the south side of the city is about 20 or 25 feet high,
tapers upwards, and including the battlements, is some
nine or ten feet broad on the top. Here our marines were
found popping away at every Imperialist soldier showing
his bead above the house-tops. The appearance of the
houses and shops within the city is in no way attractive
—less so, indeed, than similar buildings in the suburbs.
Proceeding along the wall his Excellency again entered
the city down the breach, and over the remains of a
house skirting a lane outside the extreme wall of the
Viceroy's yamun.' Under this wall, on the outside,
was a coffin ; within the wall were two or three dead
bodies, one of them a stalwart Tartar soldier ; another a
long haired wretch, and a third with his head blown off
close to the shoulders.
" The courtyard at the entrance is over 100 feet in
width, and runs up for a considerable distance before the
grand entrance of the official residence is reached, trees,
flagstaffs, and low buildings ranging along the sides, on
either of which, near the south end, are gateways marked
in largecharacters Eastern and Western doors. Passing
into this courtyard from east and west, too, are two
streets; and it was from ambuscades in these we had the
most to fear. Preceded by a guard of marines and blue
jackets, his Excellency Admiral Seymour, Consul
Parkes, and others passed onwards, and found little diffi-
culty in driving in the doors forming the entrance of the
yamuo: Once within one could hardly fail to Tam an
obaervation on the cowardice of the Chinese c %ti ng

a post so easily defensible. Proceeding on we reached
a large ball, in the centre of which hung a full-length-
picture of the late Emperor Taouk-wang, as plazed there
on the 17th day of the first month of the 26th year of
his Imperial Majesty's reign. In the rear of that again
was another hall, with a similar picture of Hienfung
(the present Emperor) for the third year of big reign.
To the left of these hall swere the sleeping apartnients ;
to the right the kitchens ; above them the refiptory.
The whole place, however, was pretty well stripped, and
the north east corner of the building terribly battered
by our shot. In one of the bedrooms spoken of, mixed
up with Chinese ladies' clothing, several State papers
of some interest were found, along with a pretty letter
from the father and mother at Pekin of the Lady Lum,
the Chetoy's (Viceroy's) wife.
" On the whole, the interior of the Viceroy's official
residence within the city was found to possess much less
of grandeur than had been generally anticipated. It
was evidently a mere place of business, with accommo•
dation for residence as occasion required.

The following account from the supplement to
the Friend of China comprises the latest particu-
lars of what bad taken place :
CANTON, OCT. 31, 4. 30 P.M.
"Firing from the Dutch Folly commenced this
morning at 6 a.m., and lulled for a couple of hours after
11 o'elock. The steamer Canton arrived early with about
80 marines, who were landed in the Garden:. The
Coromandel also came up an hour after her, and has
again left for Hong Kong.
"Another placsrd is posted up in the city and suburbs,
raising the head-money for each foreigner to•I00 taels.
Chinese report that Yeh has transferred the Is of his
office to a high mandarin, who distinguished`Waself in
exterminating the rebels, and that he is amost energetic
man. Yeh's apathy and mulish obstinacy in coming to
any decision puzzle even the Chinese. They seem to
think that he is not iu the posession of a sound mind,
and hence arises his unaccountable indifference to the
events of the last few days.
"The removal of the whole of Yeh's treasure 'and
valuable property from the palace took place on the
night when the first shell from the Encounter wao thrown
into the city. It is said that 3,000 coolies were employed
the whole night in carrying away his effects. Yeh is
reputed to be enormously rich ; his treasure is mostly in
goltt:

"CANTON, SUNDAY, Nov. 2,185 G.
"Nothing has been done since yesterday, and perfect
quietness reigns in the fa,3tories.
"The heads of three foreigners have been seen hanging
on the city wall. No one knows who these poor fellows
were ; some suppose them to be sailors from the shipping
of Whampoa, who went into the city with the storming
party—probably lost their way, and were taken prisoners.
"The city is now, according to Chinese report, filled
with soldier,,, and if the British forces attempt a second
entry a vigorous resistance will be made. The populace
are apparently, but most foolishly, opposed to the city
being opened to foreigners. This prejudice must be
overcome, cost what it may.
"The Chamber of Commerce have addressed a letter
to the Admiral fully approving the course he has pur-
sued towards the Chinese Government since the com-
mencement of the present embroglio, and expressing a
hope that he will insist on a compliance with the rea-
sonable demands he has made to them. _

uV
" The last two letters of the Admiral are remarkable
for moderation and that due sense to the claims of hu-
manity which characterise a great heart and brave man.
May he, therefore, be successful in the accomplishment
of the arduous task he has undertaken ; and may the
God of Battles grant him victory and shield him from
harm !
" It may be mentioned that the terrible fires of the
28th and 29th ult. entirely destroyed 3G out of the 38
Chin-chew and Fokien:Songs. The value of property
lost is said to be immense. Unfortunately, however, the
Chinese will not believe that the fire was purely acci-
dental, and that it was far from the wish and intention
of the English to peril private property in any way when
it could be avoided.

" CANTON, MONDAY, 4.30 P.M.

" The Admiral's letter has drawn forth no satisfactory
response apparently. His Excellency will hardly have
expected it, for to-day, at a little before noon, firing
commenced from the Folly, the Encounter, and the
Sampson—shell as fast as it could be thrown into the
old city. This terrific and continued cannonade for now
five hours is quite sickening to civilians on shore; houses
appear to quiver again. There has been some firing at
foreigners on the factory roofs from the direction of
Looking-glass-street.
" CANTON, TUESDAY, 4.30 P.M.

" Firing commenced at 1 o'clock to-day, and has just
ceased. It was briskly kept up, but without much
apparent damage. There were some signs of a fire in
the old city just now, but it is out again.

•
The subjoined official connaingeatlia4orm a
*
connected narrative of the various-6%5n

CJEOULAR.

British Consulate, Canton, Oct. 21, 1856, 6 p.m.
The undersigned circulates for tho information and guid-
ance of the British and foreign community at this port, the
accompanying copy of a letter which, in the spirit of the
instructions of her Majesty's Plenipotentiary he has ad-
dressed, and has this evening delivered to the Imperial
Commissioner and Viceroy of the Provinces.

(Signed) HARRY 5. PARKES,
H.B.M.'s Officiating Consul at Canton.
To the British and Foreign Community at Canton.
NoPY.)
British Consulate, 21st October, 6 pm. 1856.
On the morning of the Bth instant the British lorcha
Arrow, when lying among the shipping anchored before
the city, was boarded without any previous reference being
made to the British Consul, by a large force of Chinese
officers and soldiers in uniform, who, in the face of the re-
monstrance of the master, an Englishman, seized, bound,
and carried away twelve Chinese out of her crew of four-
teen, and hauled down her colours. I reported all the par-
ticulars of this public insult to the British flag, and grave
violation of the IX. article of the Supplementary treaty to
your Excellency the same day, and appealed to you to
afford satisfaction for the insult, and cause the provision
of the treaty to be iu this case faithfully observed.
But your Excellency, with a strange disregard both to
justice and treaty engagement, has offered no reparation or
apology for the injury ; and by retaining the men you have
seized, in your custody, signify your approval of this viola-
tion of the treaty, and leave her Majesty's government
without assurance that a similar event shall not again
occur. . _

----
Your Excellency was warned by what took place on the
evening of the 14th inst. of the dangerous consequences to
which a refusal of justice might lead, but your Excellency
treats with indifference that warning and also the several
protests made to you not only by me, bat by her Majesty's
Plenipotentiary.
I am therefore instructed by her Majesty's Plenipoten-
tiary to inform your Excellency that twenty-four hears, to
count from the delivery of this representation, are allowed
your Excellency to accede to the demands made to you in
my letters of the Bth and 12th inst., and in the event of
those demands not being complied with within the time
named her Majesty's naval officers will then have recourse
to force to complete satisfaction.-1 have,
(Signed) H. S. PARKEs.
To H. E. Eep, Governor-General of the Two Kwang, &c.

•
if not atnencled, can scarcely fail to be productive of the
most serious calamities.—l have, &c.,. &e.,
MICHAEL SEYMOUR.

To his Excellency Yeb,
Imperial High Commissioner, &c., &c.,
[Received at 7.30 a.m., Ist November.]

Eep, Imperial Commissioner, Governor-General of the
Two Kwang, &c., &1., makes communication :-
1 have this day received your Excellency's letter of the
Ist inst., and have acquainted myself with its contents.
The relations between your Excellency's country and the
Chinese, ever since the commencement of commercial inter-
course between them, have boon none other than those of
politeness; and when on the Bth ult. the 12 prisoners were
seized on board the lorcha, having ascertained from the
officer I deputed to conduct the investigation that nine of
the number were innocent, I directed an officer on the 10th
ult. to put them onboard the vessel again. Mr. Consiil Parkes
refused to receive them. Early on the morning of the 22d
ult., I wrote to Consul Parkes, and at the same time for-
warded to him twelve men, namely, Leong Mingtai, and
Leong Kee foo, convicted on the inquiry I had instituted,
and the witness, Woo Ayu, together with nine previously
tendered. But Consul Parkes would neither receive the
twelve prisoners, nor my letter.
The lorcha, it appears, was built by Soo Aching, a Chi-
nese ; she was not a foreign vessel at all, and her British
flag had been purchased through the merchant Block, as
we clearly established by the admission of the prisoners,
and Woo Ayu, when under examination. It was not known
at the time that my Executive went to seize persons on
board her, that the lorcha was a foreign vessel. She was
anchored in the neighbourhood of the Dutch Folly ; she
was built by the Chinese, Soo Aching.
As to the question of the flag, it has been the invariable
rule with lorchas of your Excellency's nation, to haul
down the flag when they drop anchor, and to hoist it again
when they get under way. When the lorcha was boarded
in order that the prisoners might be seized, it has been sa-
tisfactorily proved that no flag was flying. How then
could a flag have been hauled down ? Yet Consul Parkes,
in one despatch after another, pretends that satisfaction
is required for the insult offered to the flag.
There has been in truth no breach of the treaty commit-
ted, and after so many years of peaceful understanding
between our two nations, why, without cause, a military
operation should be undertaken, I am utterly unable to
explain.
In reference to the admission into the city I must ob-
serve, that in April, 1849, his Excellency the Plenipoten-
tiary Bonham issued a public notice at the Factories
here, to the effect that he thereby prohibited foreigners from
entering the city. The notice was inserted in the news-
papers of the time, and will, I presume, have been read by
your Excellency. Add to this that the exclusion of foreigners
from the city is by the unanimous vote of the whole popu-
lation of Kwang-Tung. It may be supposed how little to
their liking has been this storming of the forts and this
destruction of their dwellings ; and, apprehensive as I am
of the evil that may hence Mal the officials and citizens
of your Excellency's nation, I can suggest nothing better
than a continued adherence to the policy of the Plenipo-
tentiary Bonham, as to the correct course to be pursued.
As to the consultation (proposed by your Excel
Prefect
Luy- chow-fon.
I accordingly reply, availing myself of the occasion, to
wish your Excellency prosperity, &c.
A necessary communication, addressed to his Excellency
Sir Michael Seymour, Naval Commander-in-Chief.
Hieng-Fung, 6ch year, 10 Moon, 2d day, (31st Oct. 1856).
Translated by THOMAS WADE.
True Copy. T. H. HANCE.

British Consulate, Canton, Ist Nov., 1856.
Sir,—l am in receipt of your Excellency's reply of 31st
nit. I must positively decline any further argument on
the merits of the case of the lorcha Arrow. lam perfectly
satisfied of the facts as represented to your Excellency by
Mr. Consul Parkes. The men who have been publicly
seized on board the Arrow were not publicly restored to
their vessel as he had requested, nor was the required
apology made for this violation of his jurisdiction by your
Executive.
The whole course and issue of the lengthy correspon-
dence arising out of a matter, which might in the first in-
stance have been easily adjusted, have determined me, as I
have already told you, to insist on behalf of the foreign re-
presentatives, on the same right of access to the authori-
ties within Canton, as has invariably been conceded at
other ports—the exercise of this right, being in my belief
our sole security against's, recurrence of misunderstandings
like the present, involving proceedings so distasteful to
myself and so disastrous to you. Your Excellency's reply
refers me to the notification of the British Plenipotentiary
of 1849, prohibiting foreigners from entering Canton. Now
I must remind you, that although we have indeed serious
matter of complaint against the Chinese Government, for
breach of the promise given in 1817, to admit foreigners
into Canton at the end of two years, my demand now
made is in no way connected with former negotiations on
the same subject, neither am I demanding admission of
any but the foreign officials, and this only for the simple
and sufficient reasons above assigned.
On my proposal to treat personally with your. Excellency,
you do me the honour to remark that you sent a Prefect
some days ago. lam compelled therefore to regard your
Excellency's whole letter as unsatisfactory in the extreme,
and have only to add that, unless I immediately receive
an explicit assurance of your assent to what I have pro-
posed, I shall at once resume offensive operations. The de-
liberation with which I have so far proceeded should have
;convinced you of my reluctance to visit the shortcoming of
•therimaiipozikies-usitla.. thd iiihilsitaute.of Canton. , The re.

sponsibility of what In aya4rUnitrtfretiVTlleta 1 ell -your
Excellency. Should you persist in your present line of
policy, you leave me but one course to pursue, and you
will learn, when too late, that wo have the power to exe-
cute what we undertake.—Accept, &c.,
(Signed) M. SEYMOUR.

To His Excellency Eep, Imperial High Commissioner.

&C., kfle

Yeb, Imperial Commissioner, Governor-General of the
Two Kwang, &c., makes a communication in reply :
I sin in receipt of your Excellency's letter of the 2d
instant, and have acquainted myself with its contents. In
the case of the lorcha, you state, that on the representa-
tion of Consul Parkes, I should have caused the men pub-
licly seized on board that vessel to have been publicly re-
turned to her, and that it was incumbent on me to admit
their capture by my Executive was a mistake. No foreign
flag was seen by my Executive at the time of the capture,
and as, in addition to this, it was ascertained on the exa-
mination of the prisoners by the officer deputed to conduct
it, that the lorcha was in no respect a foreign vessel, I
maintain that there was no mistake committed.
In the next place the 12 men were all handed back to
the Consul after examinatien, but he declined to receive
them ;—there was not then any refusal to return the men
to their vessel.
As to what is said in the letter under acknowledgment
respecting that rule of intercourse between foreign officials
and the native authorities that has always obtained at
other ports, it has been found that the people of liwang-
Tung are extremely fierce and violent, differing, in nature
from the people of other countries. In 1818 there was a
long controversial correspondence on the subject between
my predecessor Seu and the British Plenipotentiary Mr.
Bonham, and Mr. Bonham being satisfied that an inter-
view within the city was utterly out of the question, ad-
dressed (e letter) to Seuin the—April of 1819, in which he
said—" At the present time I can have no more discussion
with your Excellency on this subject." He further iseted a
notice from the factories to the and that no foreigner
was to enter the City, which was insetted in the paper 4
and he communicated this to the British Government.
There was not a Chinese or foreigner of any nation who
did not know that the question was never to be discussed'
again, and as is shown by the records, his Majesty the Em-
peror was informed, in a memorial drawn up by myself, the-
then Governor of the Province, together with the late Coma-
missioner Seu, that Mr. Bonham had stated in his corres-
pondence that this question could not be discussed, and had
issued a notice prohibiting foreigners from entering the city.
`- Assuming that your Excellency has long been aware of this,
I am utterly unable to explain what is meant in the letter
under acnowledgment, by the statement that the present
demand is in no way connected with the negotiations of
former years, and thatit is only for the admission of foreign
officials into the City. As to former negotiations, Mr.
l3onhan stated in correspondence, that discussion of the
question could not be renewed, and issued a prohibitory
notice on the subject.
Your Excellency's proposition having reference to the very
same question (as that mooted by Mr. Bonham), how can
it be said to have no connection with it? And when Mr.
Bonham has said that the question could be no more dis-
cussed by him it is to be inferred that it can leas be dis-
cussed by your Excellency.
To conclude, our countries have been many years on
friendly terms. Without cause you have in one day come
upon us with hostilities ; the result of which has been in-
tolerable misery to the people. Let your Excellency pon-
der well, what is no vain fiction of mine, that hundreds
and thousands of them have been for days past clamorously
tendering their services, ardent and united for the defence
of the city.
I accordingly reply, availing myself of the occasion to
wish your Excellency prosperity.
Hieng-Fung, 6th year, 10th moon,
6th day (3d November.)
British Consulate, Canton, 4th November, 1856.
Sir,—l am in receipt of your Excellency's letter of yes-
terday, referring me to the correspondence between your
Excellency's predecessor and Mr. Bonham, our late Pleni-
potentiary. The perusal of all that is on record will
show you, that although, when the Chinese Government
declined in 1849 to fulfil the promise given in 1817, of
right of entry into Canton, was for the moment waived, it
was distinctly informed at the time and since that our
claim was in no respect abandoned. My demand, how-
ever, as I have already told you, is entirely distinct from
any former proposition on the subject.
It is needless to restate my reasons for insisting upon it,
and I have only to add that, until it is acceded to, I have
no alternative but to persist in the course you have corn
pplled me to adopt.—l have &c
d) ,
(Signe

M. SEYMOUR.

" British Consulate, Canton, Nov. 15, 1856.
"Her Britannic Majesty's Consul has received the in-
structions of his Excellency Rear-Admiral Sir M.
Seymour, K.C.8., Naval Commander-in• Chief, &c., to
issue the following notice to the British community :

---;" His Excellency feels it unnecessary to recapitulate
to the British community the origin and progress of
what has been done at Canton during the last few weeks
by her Majesty's naval forces under his command. Their
loss has happily been trifling, and their operations, now
including the capture of the Bogue Forts, eminently
successful.

" His Excellency regrets to find that neither the ex-
treme measures to which the Imperial Commissioner's
defiance of treaty obligations has compelled him to resort,
nor the plain proof given that the city and its inhabi-
tants are at the mercy of her Majesty's ships of war,
have as yet induced the Imperial Commissioner to
make the concession demanded by his Excellency,. as a
guarantee against future misunderstandings of a similar
nature to the present.
" The concession is not regarded as unreasonable by
Chinese, who, his Excellency understands, adequately