The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-09-21
INTERESTING FROM CHINA
lcorresponaencc q lhe journal Of commerce
Mouth of the Poi-Ilo, June II, 1858.

has she sent such imposing military array into these
waters. Vasco de CANA the bold Portuguese navigator
sailing with three vessels reached Macao in f596 with
single ship, and that in greatly damaged condition 260
years have elapsed and the Chinese brste with the
men ofwar of the same Europe II Is touching illus
traon Of the changes of national fortune that Portugal
which opened these seas and respectable
naval power is represented here in this Congress
of of-war by only two vessels, carrying guns
and the other 40 and for all practical purposes these
might well be In The Iagus.
The following is complete enumeration of the ships
owar in the Chinese seas with the total number Of
guns they Garry.
England has So ships of which 81 steamers, car
ryng s5l guns, with a complement of 1851 men The
Calcutta carrying "a guns and 7z0 men, is the flag ship
and is anchored near the Powhatan. Rear Admiral Sir
M, Seymour commands the fleet, gentleman OF whom
all speak m terms OF high conendation, both In regard
to talent and humanity. number of the scions Of
English nobility also in command Of ships, As sir
Robert Mcclure; Kt Hon. Kirk Stewart Hon Arthur
s. Cochrane and Sir Hendrick Nicholson, Bart OF these
ships 10 steam gun boats carrying 2, 3, and guns
each being adapted to the rivers Of China which larger
vessels from the shalowness of the water, cannot as
cend.
The French send IA ships, carrying l73 guns number
of men not given The largest the Audaciense and
Nemesis each carrying so guns Six steamers
Rear Admiral r. de Genouly commands the feet.
The Portuguese have lorcha of guns, and brig of
20 guns
The Dutch have steamer Of 1S guns.
The Russians have steamer OF guns.
The United States have the Minnesota, the Powhatan
the Mississippi, and the Germantown under the
nafd OF Commodore Tatna OF these all but the Ger
mantown amfrgaes, carrying in the whole about
100 guns aild /, 500 men.
The whole number of guns carried by all the ships Of
these different nations is about 200 whole complement
of men, about lO, 900
Since my last communication i have seen the
used by the Chinese in the fight at the stormng of the
forts at the mouth of the PeHo of which gave your
readers short account, excepting the cannon which
could not be easily removed The first sight of them
shows the utter hepessness of this vast empire Of $780,
100000 of population when 1t in contact with Eu
ropean scieee and ris and discipline on the battlefield
They remind of the OF my boyhood whcn.all
the lads Of my country village armed with wooden
guns, furnished with wooden locks and hints which
could snap if they could not fire. They ignorant of
the rifle, the percussion cap and even OF the flint once
used in its place The gun is matchbox, and of
such formidable Dimensions and weight as to need
wheels to carry it, instead of their shoulders 1t
is almost impossible to raise and level It, such is its
weight; and often another man, kneeng before him
who loads and fires, bears the end of the gun upon
his shoulder in the happy consciousness that if the
enemy chooses to kill him instead of the soldier at
the other end of the gum he s innocent Of any mans
blood, and could not but be- And those matchlocks
They are worthy OF place in any antiquarian
Almost would the old Knights Tempars of Malta start
up again should these matchbox guns be placed in the
gallery beside their The matchbox in culnber-
someness is fairly IN keeping with the barrel and stock
Some nflanmable material which is kept burning
taking the place of flint in gum and coming
down like the tail of comet when the tedious process of
completed Then there the to be
used by the hand in fight, but slender and armed with
with iron point, and fired with rockets Then
the bate-axe not heavy, and easily welded by the
hand but useless except in close contact and then power
less compared with the sword and the bayonet Their
cannon either sunk in the EARTH and permanent
ly leyelled, else mounted carriages which
provide for elevation depression of the guns
or else make it slow and difficult that after all
the carriage Is useless. In the attack the forts
one of the steam gunboats came within range of
the gums and received several shots. Very strangely
and unlike soldier and gentlcmaii, John China
man thought the Englishman did not choose to remain
in range, and presto! with puff of stea was out of
the reach of their guns, though almost touching their
nozzles. These Cinnamon are contradiction "a mys
terry, endowed with the most remarkable initiative
powers and yet in many matters without common sense
and gta4aoa. Perhaps it may be owing to the form In
which they serootypcd thousands Of yearsI had
almost said ages ago, and which forbids change But
change will and must The Philistines worse
than they upon them pressing from the North the
East and the West to say nothing Of the volcano with
inthe victorious rebels and the popular discomfort with
the present reignng Tartar dynasty. The dies induab
Us to this sealed silent, mysterious empire has
nnd like Turkey, she must bow to her destiny But
there is no glory in such war, not that lowest
glory which superior strength of bone and muscle gives
for a corpomls guard Of we'll Europeans could
march through the length and breadth of the empire
War with such race is butchery and murder. The
glory of the necessary and righteous is so
weak or stupid as to dream of.
No new passages alarms have occurred since my
Kong for reinforcement of 5000 men, intending to be
ready to march upon Pekn instantly should the Chinese
commissioner attempt to deceive them wear out their
patience by delay and evasion fatty refuse the cond
tons which peace is offered. Still rumoIs from Iein
Sing city of 700 900 inhabitants, told where
all the four ambassadors convened give us To Under
stand that prospects of peace brighten every day Lord
Egin is said to insist four conditions, viz lst Reim
bursement for the losses of the British subjects at Canton
and for the expenses of the I'd Liberty Of access to
PeSin through minister when necessary Sd The open
ing Of eight ports. 4th The opening Of the great
river Yang Kiang up to Nann for commerce To these
the French ambassador is said TO add fifth viz That
French missionaries of whom have been cruelty tor
urcd and Others put DEATH shall be suffered to prosecute
their work without prosecuting annoyances The opening
the Yangtse Kiang which gives to outer babarians the
opportunity to penetrate into the very heart of the en-
prc, and annihiates all the sances which mystery has
thrown around the tFlowery Kingdom of the Son of
Heaven, is said to be the only point of difficulty with
the Chinese commissioner, and probably that will be
yielded when he 5000 or TO- 600 men under arms
with all the terrible instruments of European warfare
and ready to start for the sacred city of pekn.
The Russian minister is said to have concluded treaty
two three days since, by which he obtains liberty to
plant several trading posts the colonies the south
side of the river Amoe the present boundary of Russia
In that direction
From pretty reliable informed that our
minister, Hon Mr. Reed has also concluded treaty the
terms Of which have not been revealed but are supposed
TO be substantially the those of England bont
expected down in few hours but too late for the mail
which leaves here for Shanghai.
The English at least some of them, reI,roach us |
Americans for following close upon them and reapng
all the advantages of the without sharing its bur-