American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1857-02-14
The British Bombar dment Of Cant ton.

course with foreigners has again result.
ed in a bloody collision at Canton, The
event figures almost exclusively in the
adsices received by the steamship City
of Washington. , H. g,a'
On the 9Th of October, according to
those advices, the Chinese authorities,
without any. particular proyoca,ion,
boarded lprcha under British colors,
and made prisoners of the crew. appeas-
ling The immediate demands of Celestial
ferocily 1t is creditably affirmed, by cut
ting of. the heads of four ofthem. The
British Consul, Mr.. Parkesp instantly
proceeded on board the lorcha tn in
quire into the outrage. but was met by
nothing more satisfactory than threats
of5yiolence. and ON subsequently seek.
ling an interview with the mandarins
was contemptuously refused all explain
alton by those officials. fHtU, asiyna
The Consul thus repulsed, promptly
dispatched intelligence Of the affair to
Sir John Bowring, at Hong Kong, and
also to Admiral Seymour, whil, in fur
therance of his peaceful efforts at re-
dress, he sent on, meauwhile, an earnest
lremonstrance to Yeh the Governor Gen.
eral of Canton, which proved as utterly
fruitless as his previous attempts. Left
to force as the only effective means of
vindicaling the rights aud honor of The
British government aud people. Admiral
Seymour, after the lapse of more than
a fortnight. attacked and captured tho
external forts of tho city. and at the ex-
! piration of an interval of three days
more. in which the Chinese governor
obstinately refused to give satisfaction
| or even to hear of il. assaulted and
breeched the wall Of the city proper,
To which the troops penetrated TO the
Governors palace. e.aolio. r'.'s
II An intermission Of four days longer
] bringing with it no offer of satisfaction
| or explanation. the old city, The inner
! Mantchou portion ofCan,on, was vigor-
| onsly bombarded on Tho Sd and 4h of
| November with an enormous loss Of life
! to the inhabitants. but with no other re-
suit, After nnother brief cessation of
hoslilhies, during which as before ell
! proposals ofnegoiations were scornful.
ly' rejected, t@enIy-iiree war-junks
were fred into and sunk before the eyes
/ of the garrison. Whether or not the
! truce which followed this last achieve
ment was more fruitful of amicable re-
i suits than the preceding ones our advi-
i YES do not suy; but if il were not aud
! even lit were, we are decidedly Of The
I opinion that Chinese ,enacity will tnrn
I QUITO be rather costly support of Chi.
nese insolence and atrocity. The vel.
low Cathayans, in either case, will be
j pretty ysure to find that the blnnder oi
-obs'inacy is the poorest Of all atone.
meUts for the sin of brutality. ...a
i And this for more reasons than that
\ of British vigor aud determination which
however is quite sufficient in itself. But
tit is not all by any merns. Some months
Eag0, as our readers are probably aware
THE Chinese most inhumanely TORTURED
and butchered Freucb missionary
A French Beet has already demanded
redress for this coldbooded massacre,
] and the demand being rejected. we now
hear that astrong detachment Of French
trPops, seconded by two gun boats fully
equipped for war are now on the eve of
lembarking far China TO enforce the de.
| mand at the canuon's mouth. 7 he
British bombardment Of Canton is thus
but foretaste Of what the French are
Bot even ,bis 4 MT iii NJ only ,,o
the revoluti0nists said to oe at band in
the provinces adjoining Captan, ready
ept emergency of ,be ;mne,ial;s,s hn,
which is co,ta;nIv orna of ,he NOS, n,ax
pected and romantic incidents of he dav
q Cochin Chinese feet Of 1900, war
vessels, more than eight times as nu,
merons as the Spanish Amanda, is for
some unknown cause or other, about to
set its multitudinous sail for the dusky
shores Of China Undoubtedly, if this
formidable expedition, which strikes the
imaginetion like some tale Of Eastern
L ~. - . . +. II . # .. a,