The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-10-06

Correspondence of the Ceylon Observer.
The following letter contains graphic de-
scription of the engagement at Taku, and of
the heroic conduct displayed by the officers and
men:
Orr THE PETHo, June e, 1859.
feel scarcely equal to the painful task of
attempting to describe occurrences which am
altogether incompetent to depict in sufficiently
striking and vivid colors and yet on the vivid
as well as correct representation of which | feel
depends the honor of all the brave men with
whom l am serving-nay, more, of Old Eng
lands stainless flag itself.
AS did not keep journal of the previous
days proceedings, / shall confne myself to
those of the ill-starred 25th.
AT daylight on the morning of that day, the
gun-boats weighed, and proceeded to make
last attempt to remove the barriers that the
Chinese had placed across the entrance of the
river, and were evidently determined not to re-
move of their own accord.
These, however, being composed of strong
iron bars and chains, successfully resisted all
the efforts made for their removal up to II
o'clock, when the order was given that the men
should have their dinners, after which it was
generally understood we should open fire upon
the forts. Strange to say, during the six or
eight hours in which these preliminary measures
were being effected, neither was single gun
fred from the forts, nor was there a symptom
evident that their occupants were prepared to
defend them. Every embrasure was screened
with mating, and not head was visible over
the ramparts and this, although the gun-boats
we're all only from 500 to 700 yards distant,
and were all at skies and sevens, from some
getting aground, while others had to haul them
off, and the space in which they had to move
being too confined to allow of their manuuv-
ring
Dinner having been finished, about half past
one o'clock the signal was up to prepare
for action, and the Opossum, Lieutenant Com
mander Balfour,) with Captain Wies, r. N,
and the Plover with our brave old Admiral,
pushed in close up to the first barrier. No
sooner did they arrive there, than suddenly,
and as if by magic, the mats that screened the
guns in all the curtain batteries were triced up,
and the whole of the gnns opened fire. Our
vessels being all well prepared, however, the
fire was Immediately returned, and the action
became general.
1t was at once evident, though that we had
no ordinary Chinese artillery to contend against.
Their fire, both in weight and precision, was
such as few men, and feel certain no Chinese
campaigners, ever before experienced In
very few minutes, the Opossum had several of
her crew killed or wounded In the Plover the
Admiral was severely hit her gallant com
mander, Rason, and Captain McKenna, of the
lst Royals, (doing duty on the Admirals staff,
were killed, and almost every man of the crew
disabled while the Naughty, Lieutenant Com
mander Broad, Lee, Lieutenant Commander
Jones,) Kestrel, Lieutenant Commander Bev-
en- and Cormorant, Commander Wodehouse,)
were so severely crippled that they were in a
sinking state. The Lee, indeed, would have
I,,& 7 d
in the Naughty, dashing in to her rescue, and
towing her out under heavy fire. Neverthe-
less the bombardment was kept up with una
bated vigor, and in about two hours the ene-
my's fire began sensibly to slacken and AL
though they had got our range so exactly that
almost every shot told, while ours, though ad-
mirably directed, did comparatively little dam
age to their mud walls) shortly after four
o'clock it became almost silenced.
AT about five o'clock, the anxiodSly
signal was accordingly made for the troops to
land and assault, which was briskly answered
by them, every boat containing them striving
TO be first to reach the shore. Not soul in
the squadron at that moment, believe, doubt
ed oar obtaining speedy victory. Just as the
first boat touched the shore, however, bang went
gun again from the forts, Immediately fol-
lowed by perfect hurricane of shot, shell, gin
gal balls, and rockets, from all the southern
batteries, which moved down our men by tens
as they landed. Nevertheless, out of the boats
they all leaped with undiminished ardor, (many
into water so deep that they had to swim to the
shore,) and dashed forward through the mud
while the ships threw in as heavy covering
fire as they possibly could.
The enemys fire, however, continued to be
so deadly, and the mud proved so deep, lin most
places reaching up to the mems knees, at
least-often up to their waists,) that out of
1000 men who landed, barely 100 reached the
first of the three deep and wide bitches, which,
after some 500 yards of wading through the
mud, presented themselves before the gallant
few who got so far, and out of that small num-
Der, scarcely twenty had been able to keep their
rifles or their ammunition dry. Nevertheless.
they boldly faced these new difficulties. and
some fifty of them, with a crowd of officers.
lamong whom were conspicuous the command
ing officer of the French contingent, Command
ers Commerell and Heath, R. N, Major Parke.
and Lieut.. Hawkey, the marines Mai. Fisher
and Lieut.. Maitland, of the engineers sue
ceeded In getting as far as the furthest bank of
the third ditch, from which they would certain
| ~ have made good attempt to scale the walls.
had ladders been forthcoming; but out of the
number that were landed, all but one had either
been broken by shot or had stuck in the mud
With the remaining one, however, ten devoted