The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-10-30
IMPORTANT FROM CHINA.

pasead at the last session.
IMPORTANT FROM CHINA.
DESPERATE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN ENGLISH AND
AMERICAN BoATs AND CHINESE PIRATEs-
CAPTURE OF THE PIRATES.
From the Overland China Mail
The boats of the Rather and Powhattan
had a desperate encounter with pirates near
Kutau on Saturday, and had eight seamen and
marines killed, and fifteen or sixteen wounded,
some of them, it is feared, MORALLY. Capt.
Fellowes, Lieut. Grando, and other officers, were
blown up in a junk, but fortunately were but
little hurt. The pirate junks were taken and
destroyed, the greater portion of their crews
having been killed and seven prizes liberated,
five of which belonged to the Eaglets convoy.
Sixteen of the smaller pirate junks escaped"
The above paragraph is taken from the Re
corder's shipping list, but the subject is worthy
of much more extended notice than is there
given.
Last week we mentioned that lorcha and
three junks, lit should have been two lorchas
and FIVE junks,) under convoy of the steamer
Eaglet, had been cut off by pirates, who dis
played such formidable battery and determined
front that Captain Caldwell was unable to re-
sist them, and had to apply to Captain Eel
loves, Of Her Majesty's ship Rather, for as
sistance. This was readily granted, and the
Rather, with Captain Caldwell on board, started
for Kulan, near which they sighted the pirates,
and followed them as far into the bay as the
depth of water would permit.
The pirates quite aware of their advantage
in light draught, and conscious of their ability
to resist successfully any attempt that might be
made upon them by the boats OF the steamer,
fired few harmless DrOausIues In dclluuce, and
stood in towards Kulan. Capt. Felowes there
upon returned to Hong Kong, and invited the
cooperation of the officers of the Z S. steamer
Powhattan, now in this harbor for repair when
it was determined that the Rather, with three
boats and hundred officers and men of the
American steam frigate, should form the expe-
dition, Capt Caldwell volunteered the use of
his steamer to tow the boats up the bay. Ac-
cordingly, the Rather, with the Eaglet in tow,
and the Powhattan's boats astern of her, again
left the harbor on Friday about 3 o'clock, the
First Lieutenant (Pegram) of the Powhattan,
with Lieut.. Jones and his marines, taking pas
sage in the Rather, and the blue jackets in the
Eaglet The steamer arrived close to Kulan
before midnight, the Eaglet anchoring a couple
Of cables length in shore of the man-ofwar. AT
) next morning the launches were sent along
side the Rather for the marines, and then, with
the Powhattan's cutter, and three boats from
the Rather, besides the Captains gig, made fast
astern the Eaglet, which, everything being ready,
steamed slowly up the bay. At Kulan only
one junk was to be seen, and it was feared that
the birds had flown but Capt Caldwell des-
cried lorcha at anchor at the head of the bay,
and steered in that direction.
The lorcha got under weigh, apparently with
the intention of escaping, when Capt. FellOwes
despatched the Rattlers pinnace and Powhat-
tan's cutter to intercept her, and these unfortu-
nately had got beyond recall before the pirate
feet, with their prizes, numbering in all some
thirty-sx sail, were observed at anchor in the
narrow and shallow passages from which the
lorcha had started. AS the steamer approached
the junks hoisted their sails, but without get
ting under weigh, until several congreve rockets,
discharged from the Eaglet's quarterback by
Mr.. Pile, the gunner, and two marine artillery
men from the Rather, and two or three well
directed shots from 81 FOUNDER, fired by Mr..
Kendall, her chief officer, startled them from
their fancied security for up to that time the
pirates had either not observed the boats, or
thought they would not have the temerity to
attack them. In this, however, they soon dis
covered their mistake, for the boats, which had
at first made for narrow neck of land bore up
and rounded the point, and then from the deck
of the steamer was witnessed as bold an attack
as was ever made in these waters. The pirate
feet formed dense mass, the larger and heavier
armed junks bringing up the rear, every now
and then yawing around and firing their broad
sides at the boats, from which, in reply, tiny
putis of smoke arose, as the howitzers i'll their
bows discharged their more deadly contents,
the shrapnel bursting over the junks, and max
ing frightful havoc among their crews.
The boats soon neared the pirates. Lieuten-
ants Pegram and Rolando with the launches
of the Powhattan, first, by volleys of musketry
clearing the decks of the two largest, then
boarding and driving the pirates overheard at
the point of the bayonet. This, however, was
not done without hard struggle, for the mis-,
creants fought with the fury Of despair, but
they had, OF course, no chance with the marines
and blue jackets. Meanwhile, the other boats
were far from idle, and thong III small in compar-.
isou with the launches, performed their share OF
the work with the utmost gallantry- officers
and men vie;ng with each other for the post OF
aanger and OF honor, so that five or six Junks
were soon secured. Mr.. James, the boatswaln
VI tne hattler, particularly distinguished him.
an having, with FIVE seamep and few marines,
N whale boat, dignihed with the title Of a