The Sun.
London, England, 1842-10-10 00:00:00

chan—first, by the sea and the river of Tsientang, a
route which sand banks and rapid tides render most
difficult, if not impracticable ; secondly, by inland
water, from Chinghai and Ningpo to the shore opposite
the capital, carrying us past Shanhing and several
other fortified towns, and meeting interruptions in
some places of locks that must be ascended ; and
thirdly, by land route from Chapoo, upon a carefully
preserved causeway, whereof we possess rather well-
drawn native maps, and which we have reason to be-
lieve good, and of sufficient width for artillery. Of
these routes a question can scarcely arise as to which
will be found the best to advance upon.
A distance of about fifty miles of sea, measured on
a line drawn northward and westward, separates
Chinghai from Chapoo ; and a somewhat greater dis-
tance of causeway has to be travelled over be-
fore reaching Hangchan from this latter place.
But the town of Chap° once taken (and it can
be come at by the guns of the British ships,
as the Algerine proved in 1840), and its hills once
crossed, there is little other than a large tract of plain
ground, with perhaps only small streams intersecting
it, to be passed over in the march thence upon Hang-
chan. The city of Kiahing Fu lies, howeve , not far
from this route, nor many miles distant from Chapoo,
and here the main force of the Chinese left wing will
have to be encountered. Its centre rests upon Hang-
chan, and " the rich and beautiful country about
ninety miles in length," that lies between it and Suchen,
on either side of the grand canal, The chief position
of its right wing is Shanhing, a large city, situated, as
already mentioned, on a branch of the river Tsaungo,
and about midway between Ningpo and Hangchan—
from which advanced parties have been frequently
pushed out to Yuvau and Tsz'ki, chief towns of dis-
tricts on the north bank of the Ningpo river, situated
between that river and the sand banks of the embou-
chure of the Tsientang.
With the centre of this extended Chinese force we
find, surrounding himself with every sensual indul-
gence, the Imperial High Commissioner, Yiking,
"awe-inspiring General, a Minister of the Cabinet of
Six, a President of the Tribunal of Civil Office," and
a nephew or cousin of the Emperor, attended by a
galaxy of high provincial officers, the Tartar General,
the Governor, &c. &c., and by two joint Commis-
sioners, by name Teishun and Wan Wei, to whom a
third has lately been added, and a multitude of " cour-
tiers," or officers sent immediately to the presence of
the Emperor. Kishen, too, would have been of the
number (for he is among the friends of Yiking), but
for the strongly urged remonstrances, as we are led to
believe, o f the Governor, Liu Yunko. With the
left wing, at Kiaking-fu is Huchau, another joint
commissioner, who, having gained rank and nobility
by the war of 1831 against Jenanguir and his
Turks, at Cashgar and Yarkand in the farthest
avest, hopes now to adorn himself with honours
wrested by his own right hand from the
English on the sea coasts of the east. At Shauhing,
with the right wing, is Chin Kiaiping, an aged man,
lately retired frornthe chief command in Fukien, but
now again called forth as joint Commissioner and
Commander in-Chief in Chekiang ; with whom are
associated the active and intelligent old General, Yu
Puy-un, late Commander-in-Chief of the provincial
force, and all those who, with him, retired defeated
from Chinghai and Ningpo, after the death of that
savage self-confident generalissimo, Yukien. Under
these numerous officers are assembled many thousands
of select troops, from almost every province of the
empire, foremost among whom stands a detachment of
the Imperial Guards—a body of the men of Kansu,
tall and athletic inheritors of the blood of Mohamme-
dan Turks and Tartars —and a band of aborigines
from the mountain fastnesses of Hukwang or of
Sz'chuen, called forth now to meet the new invaders
of the country, from whose plains they themselves
have by former invaders been long since expelled.
Against this whole force we find marshalled, und-r
the Gallant Lieutenant-General and Vice-Admiral
Sir Hugh Gough and Sir William Parker, besides
the necessary detachments of Royal and Madras Ar-
tillery and Engineers, only four regiments of Foot,
the 18th, 26th, 49th, and 55th (none of them com-
plete), and two battalions from the Navy, consisting
of Royal Marines and seamen. And of so small an
array portions must yet be left to rest upon Chinghai
and Tinghai, while the main body is moving forward
to meet the left and centre of the Chinese army. That
army met and worsted, its right will alone remain,
hemmed in, resourceless, between the division of the
British force at Chinghai and at Hangchan—and
quickly as the dew it must dissolve away. But so
dispelled it will become yet more formidable than in
its entirety, if, instead of withdrawing from one field
of battle to seek elsewhere another, the British forces
should repose from their toils amid the scattered but
not subjected multitudes of the enemy. Blow must
succeed rapidly to blow, if final success is to be hoped
for. It was by the windmills in active motion that
the redoubtable Don Quixote was worsted ; he might
have come off scatheless in the collision with them, in
the calm and, idle rest of a breathless summer's day.—
canton Press, June 4.

CEIUSAN.

The city of Tinghae has again reverted to Chislese
government (the whole British force left does not ex-
ceed 300 men). Chinese troop; are fast collecting,
and it is expected that before long an attack will be
made on this small force, which is already obliged to
keep closely within the encampment, as any one mov-
ing beyond it is immediately attacked. Watering
parties from the camp have been fired at by the Chi-
nese, who indeed do ally imitheir power to annoy the
garrison. Fireships have on,' several occasions, since
the force left for Chapoo, been sent upon the ship
ping, but fortunately got rid of without damage. We
have not heard whether the still smaller garrison at
Chinghai is exposed to the same annoyances; this
is, however very likely, although their post i 3
more easily defended. The garrison left at Amoy,
or rather on Kolungsoo, is equally small. That
Tinghae should thus be again in possession of the
Chinese is contrary to the promise given by Sir
Henry Potting•er. On the 2d day of October,
1841, her Majesty's Plenipotentiary informed her
Britannic Majesty's suhjects, "that under no circum-
stance will Tinghae and its dependencies be restored
to the Chinese Government, until the whole of the
demands of England are not only complied with, but
carried into effect."
Yet although, as has been seen, the harbour of 1
Tinghae has been declared a-free port, the town is
again in the possession of the Chinese, and whatever
hopes merchants may have hod of extending their
trade to the northward, they are, for the present at least,
crushed ; for it may well be supposed that, unpro-
tected by the military, no merchant or trader could
possibly venture into the city of Tinghae or any part
of the island. We much regret that Sir H. Gough
should have again left Tinghae in possession of the
Chinese Government, hut hope that as the force now
is arriving daily, that city will again betaken full pos-
session of, and never relinquished until all differ-
ences with the Chinese Government are at an end,
and that means will be taken to organise the British
Government all over the island. The Commander-in-
Chief must have considered the whole of the force
under his command as absolutely necessary for the
military operation he had in view, or he would never
have acted so directly contrary to the pledge given
to the public by her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, who,
we know on good authority, is much vexed at the de-
fection of Tinghae ; and it must be a matter of regret
that his Excellency was not on the spot, to prevent
by his advice a step which savours too much of vacil-
lation.—Canton Press, June 4.
The French frigate Erigone. Captain Cecille, has
arrived at Chusan ; and lately destroyed a fire-vessel
which the Chinese had sent against the shipping.
We are sorry to learn that another officer, whose
name our informant did not know, has lately, when
out riding- alone beyond the lines, been seized by the
Chinese, and probably strangled, this fate at least
met an. unfortunate private of the 49th, who by
a woman was allured beyond the lines of
the encampment, instantly seized by the
Chinese, and strangled on the spot. A detach-
m-mat was immediately sent by Sir Hugh Gough
in pursuit of the perpetrators of this cruel and
cowardly act, and a mandarin with a blue button and
24 soldiers were made prisoners, and we understand
there is no doubt they are the same party who had
committed the murder. We cannot but regret that
summary justice was not inflicted where the outrage
had been committed, so as by salutary dread to pre-
vent the repetition of these murders, which have, we
are sorry to say, been but too numerous already, and
been allowed to pass over without punishment.
During the occupation of Ningpo a number of
soldiers have been enticed away, and there can
be little doubt of their fate. The last intended
victim was luckily detected bound hand an l foot in a
boat, when just about to be carried away. Had the
first of these outrages been followed ty a severe but
just retaliation, it is to be supposed many of the
others would not have been committel. Instead,
however, of striking awe into the Chinese by the im-
mediate execution of some of the 2.5 prison-rs, they
have by Sir Hugh Gough been sent in the transport
Catharine Stewart, Forbes, to, Hong Kong, where
they arrived a few days since, and where, we sup-
pose, punishment awaits them—a punishment which
will be one of revenge and not of justice, and the
principal object, that of setting a severe example, and
thereby protecting for the future the lives of our
people, will not be attained.—Mid.
Subjoined is a statement of the stations of our fleet,
taken from the Canton Press :-.-
HER MAJESTY'S SQUADRON TO THE 'NORTHWARD, AT
CHUSAN, CHINGHAE, AND NINGPO.
Cornwallis, 72, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral
Sir W. Parker, K.C.8., Commander-in-Chief; Capt.
Richards.
jiLonde, 42, Captain T. Bouchier, C. 13.
• r 0, Captain H. D. Chads, C.B.
,-Ciptain A. L. Kuper.
-:(- ri. ' , ander J. Pearse.
/;1; ,redi44lt Coniniander Napier.
I i(Y31.06061 Commander Watson.
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