The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-01 00:00:00

The British colours were soon waving over their position.
The Modeste then weighed and ran into the inner har-
bour, where she engaged five or six batteries; speedily
driving the men from their guns. Twenty-six deserted
war-junksthwierrt3e,
ti
,nv theo
guns. harbourln
all; there
ea
wtwo-decker,
mdred and twenty .eight guns in these vessels. The Alge-
rine quickly followed the Modeste into the inner har-
bour, as did the Blonde immediately she floated. During
this time the Wellesley and Blenheim, led by the Ben-
tinck, to give the soundings, stood within four hundred
yards of the long battery, anchoring by the stern, about
the centre of it. The Sesostris and Queen had been for
some time sustaining the fire of this heavy work. At
this point the Tartars stood remarkably well, nor were
the forts silenced until about 4 P.M. The troops from
the iron steamers landed in the neighbourhood of Lam-
po-to, and took them in rear; when several of the garri-
son were bayonetted at their guns. A party of seamen
and marines from the ships were landed, under the com-
mand of Commander Fletcher, immediately abreast of
their ships ; and as soon as they formed, charged right
up to, and entered the fort by the embrasures, tellowing
their flying foes through the suburb into an open sandy
spot, where the latter attempted a slight resistance, but
were quickly again compelled to fly, making for a con-
fined pass in the hills, which separated the city from the
suburbs. Towards this point, along a narrow causeway,
a large body of the enemy,' led by mounted mandarins,
was seen retreating, closely followed by the General
and his troops. The marines and seamen were now
placed to flank this causeway, when they opened a cross
fire, by which three of the mandarins fell, and about
thirty of their men, and the others broke up and fled in
all directions. All the poSitions being carried, the troops
were bivouacked for the night ou the heights between
the chief city and suburbs. The Pylades, Cruizer, and
Columbine, were not idle during the time, as they en-
gaged and silenced the batteries in the neighbourhood
of the spot at which the troops landed ; and having
completed that duty, they took up stations astern of the
line-of-battle ships, and in front of the long sea wall.
The Phlegethon had a narrow escape from being most
roughly handled, by coming suddenly and within exact
range of .a heavy maskeebattery, which immediately
opened fire. The light draught of the steamer admitted
of her running close into shore, when Lieutenant MeCle-
verty immediately landed with his men, and stormed the
battery in *the nost spirited manner. The loss on the
'side of the Chinese was very great : that of the British
naval force amounted to.one killed and seven wounded.
The wall of the long battery, which from the sea had
appeared a common wall strengthened with sand-bags,
proved on examination to be a most masterly piece of
masonry. It was a high, strong, thick wall, composed of
huge blocks of granite, with small low gun-ports, having
a thick bank of earth between each of them, as high
,as
the wall. Mud was laid on over each gun-port, So as to
prevent the shot from striking off splinters from the
stones, which would have rendered it impossible for the.
cannoniers•to stand to their guns. The shot of the ships
had taken but little effect on the wall ; their utmost
penetration did not exceed sixteen inches. Vast quan-
•taties of timber were found in the naval yard ; and a
cannon foundry was near the walls'of the citadel. Bule-
lion, to the amount of 20,000 dollars, was secured ; but
the bulk of the sycce had been carried off Immense
magazines, filled with all the munitions of war, were also
-Stored up here ; they were either removed or destroyed.
The.principal inhabitants had fled ; and as no one re-
mained. with whom it was possible to treat, the destruc-
tion of the forts went rapidly on. At the capture 'of
Chin-hai, which took place on the 10th of October,
1841, after the ships had done good service. in obeying
the orders which had been given, the troops, about
seventeen hundred strong, having been landed at an.
early hour, under cover of the Cruizer, Columbine, and
Bentinck, had not been -lea actively employed. Sir
Hugh Gough had a good Opportunity of display-
ing his skill in military tactics. Perceiving that the
enemy had five thousand men in an extensive encamp.
ment on the southern bank of the river, while the city
was on the northern, he determined to attack the former
first. Having divided his small army into three co-
lumns, the right and left were dispatched towards the
flanks of the enemy, which movement they were enabled
to execute without being perceived by their opponents,
under cover of a rising ground. The centre column
advancing at the same time, the Chinese came boldly out
to meet this apparently small body. The British troops
advanced steadily until within good range, though the
Chinese had for some time opened a fire of ginjals and
matchlocks directed solely against this column. The
order was given to fire, when, at the same moment, the
flank companies debouched, pouring in their volleys on
the now bewildered Chinese, who, as it were, in a sudden
panic, moved, broke up, and fled in every direction,
leaving the field thickly strewed with their dead and
dying. Our men followed close in the pursuit, and many
hand to hand encounters took place ; but the long Chi-
nese spear could make but little resistance against the
IBritish bayonet. Many of these men fought with
despertition, apparently resolved to conquer or die. The
residue fled by hundreds to the water. The men were
then re-formed and advanced towards the city. but, on
ascending the heights, the enemy were perceived pour-
ing out of its gates at one end, as the sailors and marines
entered at the other. The Tartar General, who had
used the late Mr. Stead in such a barbarous manner, and
had assured the Emperor that " he would catch all the
barbarians in a net, give their flesh to the wild beasts,
.and prepare their skins for the Celestials to sleep upon,"
thought fit to cut his own throat, though a blow in the
arm prevented him from doing it as expertly as is usual'
with his countrymen, Many other officers also commit-
ted suicide. On this day fifteen hundred Chinese must
have perished ; our loss amounted to sixteen killed and
a few wounded, amongst whom was Lietenant Montgoe
mery, of her Majesty's 49th.
SIR WILLIAM PARKER, K.C.B.- Vioe-Admiral Sir
William Parker, was appointed Commander-in-Chief at
the same period as Sir Henry Pottinger, was created
sole plenipotentiary. At his head-quarters in China, about
8 at night on the 10th August, he landed from the Sesos-
tris. '.fhe Chinese having thrown garrisons into Tuyaun,
Tsekee, and Funghwa, distant respectively forty, twenty,
and thirty miles from Ning-po, for the purpose of inti-
midating the inhabitants of that place, and to stop the
supplies of the British, it was resolved by the Corns
manders-in-Chief to dislodge these forces. The Sesos-
tris, Nemesis, and Phlegethon, therefore, on the 27th of
December, with a number of boats in tow, and seven
hundred men of all arms, proceeded up the river, the
Sesostris, from her great draft of water, being obliged to
anchor about fourteen miles from Ning7po, and the two
iron steamers anchoring off Yuyaua late in the afternoon.
Sir Hugh Gough immediately landed with the military
division, and occupied a small fort and tt joss-house. Sir
William landed the next mornings When, on preparations
being made for storming the town, the inhabitants came
out and stated that the garrison, said to consist, of 2,400
men, regulars and militia, had evacuated the town in the
night. The troops, therefore, marched in; the divisions
separating to march round the rampart. When the
naval brigade had advanced a little way, a fire of ginjals,
&c. was opened upon them from some Chinese troops
outside the town, het who fled as her Majesty's troops
found egress through the northern gate. They were
Lotly pursued for about seven miles, and about one hun-
mldvrhiediociheomf
ctheir
ts
country
numbers
negr
buts
k fe
vtitht
thp4etli
with
tihraflr
frozen
sztnt
snow, have
knowledge,been
theren-
dering it impossible for our troops to distinguish the
paths. On the- 29th, the city was examined, and large
granaries of corn were thrown open to the public.
In the attack upon the citadel and city of Chin-hai, Ad-
miral Parker, accompanied one of the columns, and was
the first to scale the mall& So impetuous was the as-
sault, that the garrison, though four times more nume-
rous than their assailants, fled through the western gate
as soon as they saw the English columns on the ramparts.
SIR H. LE FLEMING SENHOUSE.--This gallant Cap-
tain, K.C.H., expired at Ileng-Iteelg on the 13th of
June, from a fever contracted during his arduous duties
on the heights of Canton. His remains were interred at
Macao on the 17th, with all due military honours. A
fund was subsequently raised amongst the officers of the
army and navy, and a handsome monument erected
wind.tin teni
stnitwideearAdrn alai
an exciting
therewith to the'
memory of this distinguished officer.
Sir Fleming Seuhouse greatly distinguished himself in
the attack upon Canton, as regarded the two forts de-
fending the entrance of the Bogue river. The capture
of the two Anunghoy forts, was entrusted to him,
having tinder his command the Melville, 74, and Queen
steamer, with a flotilla of rocket boats. About half-past
the Blenheim got under weigh ; her progress,
however,Te was but slow, owing to the lightness of the
being
een,i Shortlywas
tigf° afteraldwcis theu b
byre
remainder
dMe
re
ol
thef lle,
squadronconsiderably
got
y
ships alt moving
ga nmdo
sstoodt lovely, slowly
an d towardstheri
ver smooththe other s
glass,fo
ma
jespteieransi,ghtvcr,ao.cpserve these fine
covered with troops.dsintgowpaorindsts,thacnidr
postedTh° on3' commanding work of destruction. surrounding heights were
protected by small sand _bag b •
ag batteries. The action com-
menced about noon, by the Queen * which, as well as the lower firing at a battery,
her and' the Blenheim, before nghoy fort, opened on
The latter ,hip did not fire a shee,
tigrithin range.
anchor, about six hundred yards from hthe
flet go her
she clewed up all her sails and opened her broa%rstidewhlenn
a few minutes the Melville came to her assistance, and
took up her position a short distance ahead of the Blen-
heim, about four hundred yards from the fort. The
Chinese kept up the action here for some time with
great spirit, but the terrific broadsides of the two line-of.
battle ships, at length drove the Tartars from their guns;
on seeing which, Sir Le Fleming Senhouse landed at the
head of the marines and small-arm men, and, driving all
before him, carried these fine forts.

: SIR GORDON BREMER.—Sir Gordon was appointed from
• England joint Plenipotentiary, on the 22d of June, 1841.
On his arriving off Canton, he issued a proclamation es-
tablishing a blockade of the river and port of Canton,
and directing that foreign vessels arriving off the coast of
China should anchor in the Macao Roads. On the other
hand, the Chief Magistrate of the district in which
Macao is situated, published an edict, requiring the
people to join heart and hand with the Government, for '
the destruction of the barbarians ; and forbidding any •
Chinese ships to put out tosea, except such as were laden
with combustibles for the destruction of the enemy. In
the meantime, Sir Gordon Bremer, followed by Admiral
Elliot, steered northwards ; and on the sth of July
reached the island of Chusan, which it was resolved
to occupy. A landing was speedily effected, and on the
6th, the city of Ting-hae-heen, was taken almost without
opposition. Admiral Elliot. reached Chusan the day
after its surrender, and immediately proceeded to Ning-po
for the purpose of landing a letter addressed by Lord
Palmerston to the Chinese Court. Admiral Elliot,
shortly after, through ill-health surrendered up the
whole command to Sir Gordon Bremer.
MAJOR AIALCOL3I.—This officer is Secretary to Sir
Henry Pottinger. lie was employed on the appoint-
ment of that General, to proceed in the Nemesis to '
Canton, to notify tha-. circumstance to the authorities.
The Prefect Who had acted so prominent a part in ne-
gotiations, came post haste on this occasion, to have an
interview with Sir Henry) but, was received by Major