The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-05 00:00:00

IN CHINA.

Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary in China has the plea-
sure to announce to her Majesty's subjects in China, that
the district cities of Yuyao, Tsikee, and Fungwa, distsust
respectively 40,. 20, and 30 miles from Ningpo, have beea
visited and temporarily occupied by detachments of be'
Majesty's combinetl forces. .
The Chinese Government having thrown garrisoni IMO
the cities in question, and given out that the object in st!.
doing was to encourage (or perhaps, more correctly speak.i
ing, to intimidate) the inhabitants of Ningpo and tht 1
surrounding districts to withhold obedience to the British
authorities, and likewise to deter them, as far as possible,
from furnishing provishmsand supplies, it was resolved by',
their Excellencies, the Naval and Military Commanders- •
in-Chief, to take an early opportunity of dislodging those
garrisons ; and on the weather (which hadbeen extremely'
wet in the early:part of December) becoming frosty and.
favourable for operations, the necessary arrangementsi
were completed f.,r carrying that resolution into effect.
" The Sesostris, Nemesis, and Phlegethon, steamers;:'
carrying about seven hundred men of all arms,*and tow--
ing a number of boats, weighed from their positions at;
:Ningpo on the morning of the 27th Dec., and proceeded oPt 1
the river. The former ship, owing to her greater draft o
water was obliged to bring up about two thirds of the
to Yuyao, off which place the two smaller vessels anchored
late in the afternoon, when the troops landed immediately'
under the personal directions of his Excelleney:Lieuted
nasit-General Sir Hugh Gough, K.C.8., and, liaving;,
taken possession of a small battery mounting four gen%
(which the Chinese had thrown up to enfilade
,the air,
proaching reach of the river, but which they did n 4
venture to defend), were lodged fur the night in a lay get,
temple or Joss-house situated on a hill, which overlook ea
the town at the distance of less than half ,s,s
mile. At daylight on the morning of the 28th,
Excellency the Naval Commander-in-Chief, die earl
barked with the seamen and marines. and prepare"--
tions were made for escalading, when some of
the people came out and declared that the garrison
(stated to have consisted of 1,200 regulars, arid e.P,
equal number of militia) had quitted the town draring
the night, and that the gates were open. Our troop,-
iii one ' division, and the seamen and marines in,
another, accordingly marched in, and separated at, tisds
Southern Gate, to go round the town along the: iglu'''.
parts. When the naval division had advanced. part of
the way, a, fire of jingalls and matchlocks was opened.,
on it by -a considerable body of Chinese .soldiers,:
which had taken post outside the walls, at a spot near':
the N. W. angle, where they were covered by a deaf,.
canal. It'unavoidably occupied some little time foe
her Majesty's forces to gain egress from the town 103 r.
the Northern Gate, leading over the canal, and in OOP'
interim the enemy had decamped across the coutitirl.'
They were hotly pursued for seven or eight miles, dor-.
ing which numbers •of them threw away thetr arms,
and heavy clothes. A military position on wlsieh 04
retreated, about five miles from Yuyao, ws a burned, .
and a very extensive barrack (Temsle) cl..ose 'to ths.te."
town, containing a magazine of gunpowde-t, and great .
quandties of arms, clothing, and other mun'.tions of war!.
was subsequently set fire to and utterly destroyed,
Twenty-eight prisoners were taken, amongst whom were':
several subordinate officers, and it is believed that frog'l
75 to 100 of the enemy were killed and wounded during"
the affair. Had they only stood to allow her Majesty's . •
forces to close with them, not a man could have escaped ;
but their local knowledge of the roads, combined with .
the fact of the whole country being knee-deep with
frozen snow (which covered up and concealed the
paths), gave them a decided advantage over their PUS-
suers in their flight.
On the 29th, the city was examined, and an lin'
mense granary of rice discovered, and given to the
inhabitants to carry away. On the 30th, the small -
steamers descended the river, and rejoined the Sesos-
tris ; the three vessels anchored that afternoon oll•
the nearest point of Tsikee, which lies between-,
four and five miles from the left bank, and which
was found on the following morning (the 31str
to be deserted by the Chinese troops and all the civil'
authorities. The public buildings were heresiestroleds:;
as far as that could be done without endangering Oie':
town; the population were permitted to take the gritidi
from the Government granary, which was very large en‘`'`
quite full of rice; and the combined forces having re-ern,
barked, the steamers returned to Ningpo .on the evening
of the 31st of December. ,
- I
It affords her Majesty's Plenipotentiary . extreme gra: .;
tification to add, that not a single cascality occurred ,
during these movements. Mr. Midshipman Lock,
..__
her Majesty's ship Blenheim, was struck on the foot nY .3
a spent jingal ball, but fortunately escaped withailig4C's
contusion. The cold was intense during.thewhole ;8," '
Hod, the thermometer ranging at night 10 to 12 cleg,,,, . d
1401
below the freezing point ; but, notwithstanding this, tin .15
the unavoidable exposure, the troops, seamen, and rdal ....
Hoes all came back in the highest health and spirits. .• 'lst,
An unfavourable break in the weather prevented the' 5,
intended, movement on Fungwa being put into executicta
until the 10th inst. On that morning the Phiegethon an's..l.
Nemesis started from Ningpo, and were brought up by "03
bridge across the river about noon. The Land Forcesi
with the Lieutenant-General commanding, landed hem"
whilst the seamen and marines, under his Excellenc.,,
the Admiral, went some miles further up the river 5i
boats. The two bodies arrived simultaneously at,.l ..
City of Funghwa, about dusk, and found it dese„s
by the Chinese authorities and troops. The sameltle s.
as. were adopted at Tsikee, with regard to the piLA-
buildings and granaries, were next morning adory— , 7
here, and the combined . forces returned to the steers'...,
on the afternoon of. the 11th, and to Ningpo earl,' °ll
the 12th instant.

Although these operations are of no moment, On'
sidered in a military point of view, yet their moral•
.;
and political effect is highly important, and on that an"
count her Majesty's Plenipotentiary deems it expedieut
to make ti.e result of them public. They evinne;
our irresistible power, as well as extraordinary for'
bearance, so far as the people are concerned; and
it has been ascertained that such was the consteregr'
eon, on the news of the descent on Yuyao reach-
ing the provincial capital of Hong-chow-fix, (distant'
above 100 miles), that Imperial Commissioners and other,
high Chinese officers fled from the city to Soochow, 90
miles further north.
The Phlegethon steamer, and Bentinck brig of war. 0460
have just proceeded to examine and reconnoitre the
of Hong-chow-foo and the Port of Chapoo. :o°o
God Save the Queen.
Dated onat
sea,boa on rd her N2l4ajes
(Signed) HE.. POTTINGER,
Iler Majesty's Plenipotentiary-
BOMBAY MARKETS. •
SINGArouE, FEB. 22, 104.
Since our reports under dite the 15th inst., we have
had much doing here owing to the Chinese holidays. Tll9Oll
Cowasjee took away about 120 chests of Bengal drug which
orought here at 403 Spanish dollat's for Patna, and 390 SpaniP
dol.ars for Benares: these rates may still be quoted. Our te_rd
market can scarcely be said to have opened yet, though soileest
few chests have beets purchased for your place at. Spanish, dPfr
lars 7,1.11(1 Spanish doll. r2O catty-boxes, it is now offer 'ih
at Spanish dollars 61, while buyers are holding back for SpantA9
dollars 6, at which price the bulk of the season's supply vr! 'O4
probably change hands. We have now 50,000 boxes in the placet
and as many more expected. China Camphor, CPO peculsstf 04
very good quality, sold yesterday at 31i Spanish dollars;
is higher than we expected it would go, and still think the D''- i 3
chase was premature, as it might, by waiting a few days, P'-'l7-
,
been got cheaper.

Exchange on London, 43. Sri. Tonnage plentiful..
freight scarce at any price; we are shipliing Gambier, at 3/. 1u7„.,1
per 20 cwt. :
The export of tea up to the 10th was 21;500,000; no frmsitj
Congous left. Tsatlee silk held as high as Spanish &ni-011
600, and no more than 700 bales expected for the /leastdil
crop. Exchange Ss Freight from Whampua 51. Patoke'pr
been sold at 460 Spanish dollars, and our friends quetoollf+
Bewares at 445 Spanish dollars. The John Brightrat.e •
not arrived.
P. S. It appears there is some truth in the reports tit