The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-26 00:00:00

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LONDON :
SATURDAY MORNING. NOVEMBER 26, 1842.

The official dispatches from China, published
from the London Gazette Extraordinary, fully
confirm the important intelligence brought by
the Overland Mail, and leave no doubt that the
bold and successful attack upon Chin-Keang-foo,
one of the strongest cities in the Empire, and
the appearance of the British fleet and army
before the ancient capital, left the EMPEROR no
other alternative but unqualified submission.
The force under Sir HUGH GOUGH amounted to
4,500 effective men, chiefly Europeans, and the
fleet consisted of about 70 sail, accompanied by
powerful steam-vessels of war, and fully equipped
for any daring enterprise. To meet this com-
bined force, after the fall of Chin-Keatw-foo,
the Chinese had no fleet whatever,' and
Weir troops were so scattered and disheartened
that the Generals gave up all hopes of successful
resistance. The Commander of the garrison at
Nankin, in one of his dispatches to the EMPE-
nort, gives this melancholy picture—" At the
present moment the provincial capital is in the
utmost emergency of pressing danger, and the
forces sent to it by the terror-spreading General,
are for the most part the remnants of such as
have already been defeated and scattered, while
all the best and fresh troops are at Chang-ehow,
to be ready to act in such way as circumstances
shall point out. But," he adds, " Chang-chow,
is more than 500 le distant from Nankin." This
place is situated on the Imperial Canal, distant
at least 190 miles from the scene of operations (a
le being reckoned equal to 63:2yards), and had been
occupied by the Chinese General for the purpose
of obstructing the approach of the British forces
to Pekin. Of doing this effectually, lie could not
have-the slightest hope, and, on the desperate
condition of the troops, and the rapid movements
of the: tuglish being communicated to the capital
Orders Were Wined to NEWKEING, the Governor
Otthe two prOvinces, to enter into negotiations
for peace, as the.only means of safety. It would
appear frotn- these results, as well as from the ac-
Counts given by Sir 1-J ii Gouan, that the
number of regular troops in China has been
greatly exaggerated. The total force that could
be mustered at Nankin, did not exceed 9,000 men
besides the militia—a garrison totally inadequate
to protect a city containingl ,000,000 of inhabitants,
within an extent of at least twenty miles in cir-
cumference. "It would not be easy," says Sir
HUGII GOUGH in addressing Lord STANLEY, "to
give your Lordship a clear description of this
vast city, or rather of the vast space encompassed
within its walls. I shall, therefore, only observe,
that the northern angle reaches to within about
700 paces of the river, and that the western face
Tuns for some miles along the base of wooded
-11..,12iitts, rising immediately behind it, and is
then continued for a great distance upon
low ground, having beke it a deep
canal, which also extends along the southern
face, serving as a wet ditch to both.
From the great extent of the walls, although
generally too high to escalade (from about 70 to
28 feet in the lowest part), and from time canals,
suburbs, swamps, and lake, in most places diffi-
cult to approach, it was evident that I could take
the city whenever I pleased." Fortunately,
however, he was spared the necessity, and
averted those scenes of slaughter and self-
destruction which the British had witnessed
With such horror at Chin-Keang-foo. The dis-
fatal of this gallant and humane officer will he
read.with great interest. Certain journals would
claim all the merit of this noble victory for the
present Government, while they impute no-
thing but blame to . the Whigs. This, to say
the least, is unfair and ungenerous. All the