New-York daily tribune., 1857-04-17

the basis Of the opium quarrel. The easy success
Of the English on that occasion, in extortlng an
immense sum of silver from the Chinese, VIII be
apt to recommend a new experiment of the same
sort to people who, with all their horror OF our
fllibustering propensites, still retain, not less than
ourselves, not little of the old pundering bucca-
neerng spirit which distinguished our common an
cestOrs of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
Yet remarkable changes in the position of things
in China, which have occurred since that former
successful plunderng inrOad on behalf Of the opium
trade, make it very doubtful whether similar OK.
peditiOn at the present day would be attended by
anything like similar result. The new expedition
would doubtless set out like that of lS4l-i2, from
the island of Hong Kong. That expedition con-
sisted of feet of two seventy fours eight frgates,
a great number of slOOps and brig,-of-war, twelve
steamers, and forty transports, having on board
military force, marines included, amounting to
fifteen thousand men. The new expedition would
hardly be attempted with any smaller force;
indeed, some of the considerations We are about to
state would indicate the policy of making it much
larger.
The expedition of 154l-42, sailing from Hong
Kong on the 2lst of August, l54l, took possession
first of Annoy, and then, on the lst of October, OF
the Island of Chusan, which they made the base of
their future operations The object of these opera
tions was to penetrate into and ascend the great
central river Yang tse Kiang as far as the City Of
Nankin, about two hundred miles from its mouth.
The river Yang-tseKiang divides China into two
quite distinct pOrtions-the North and the South.
About forty miles below Nankn the Imperial Ca
nal enters and crosses the great river, aordlng the
means Of commercial intercourse between the
northern and southern provinces. The theory OF
the campaign was that the possession of this i'm
portant communication would be fatal thing for
Pekin, and would force the Emperor to make
peace forthwith. On the 18th of June, 1912, the
English forces, under Sir Henry Pottinger, ap-
peared off WoOsung, at the entrance Of the small
river of that name. This river flows from the
south entering the estuary of the Yang-tse- Kiang
very near its debouche into the Yellow Sea. The
mouth of the Woosung River forms the harbor of
Shanghae, situated u short distance up. The banks
of the WOOsung were covered with batteries,
all of which were stormed and carried with
n
force then marched on Shanghae, which surren-
dered without any attempt at resistance. But,
though little resistance was as yet experienced
from the peaceful and timid inhabitants on the
banks of tho Yang g-tse-Kiang, who, after pro-
lOnged peace of nearly two hundred years, had now
their first experience of war, the estuary ITSELF
and the approach to it from the sea- were found to
present great impediments. The broad estuary
of the Yang Kiang enters the from between
shores half covered with mud, and hardly dis
cernible as the for many leagues of is muddy
yellow, whence comes its name. Ships intending
to enter the Yang-tse- -Kiang are obliged to move
cautiously along the southern shore, keeping the
lead constantly going, in order to avoid the bars OF
movable sand with which the approach is mpeded.
These banks extend up the estuary as high as the
upper end of the great island Tsang- Ming, which
lies midway in it and divides it into two channels.
Above this island, which is some thirty miles long,
the shores begin to show themselves above the
water, but the course of the channel becomes very
serpentine The tide flows up as far as Ching
Kiapg- Foo, about half way to Nankin, and where,
in fact. what has hitherto been an estuary or arm
of the sea- first takes on, for ascending vessels,
the character of river. Before making this
point, the English feet, met with some serious
difficulties. Ii took them fifteen days to
make the distance of eighty miles from their
anchorage at Chusan. Near the Island of Tsang-
Ming several of the larger ships ran aground, but
succeeded in getting of by the help Of the rising
tide. Having conquered these difficulties and ap-
preached the city of Chng-Kiang, the English
found abundant proof that, however deficient the
Tartar Chinese soldiers might be in military skill,
they were not lacking in courage and spirit. These
Tartar soldiers, who were only fifteen hundred in
number. fought with the utmost desperation, and
were killed to man. Before they marched to the
battle as if anticipating the result they stranged or
drowned all their women and children, great numbers
of hose dead bodies were aftewarddravn from the
wells into which they had been thrown. The Com
mander-in- Chief seeing that hedaywas lost, set fire
to his house and perished in the flames. The
English lost hundred aud eighty-fve men in the
attack-a loss which they reyenged by the most
horrible excesses in sacking the town-the war
having been conducted BY the English throughout
in a spirit of brutal ferocity, which was fitting
counterpart to the spirit Of smuggling cupidty in
which it had originated. Had the invaders met
with similar resistance everywhere they never
would have reached Nankin. But such was not
the case. The city of Qua-Chow, on the opposite
side of the river. submitted and paid ransom Of
three millions of dollars, which the English free
booters Of course poeLeted With immense salts.
s.c..::tl.
Above this point, the channel Of the river had a