about noon, and engaged the batteries for about an hour, when the flotilla, with the marines, under the command of Captain Bourchier, was brought up in admirable order, and, upon the signal being given, stormed and completed the capture of the enemy's works, notwithstanding a most determined resistance on the part of the Tatar troops: -123 guns were mounted in the different forts; the loss of the enemy has been very considerable (upwards of 400 men); our casualties, I am happy to say, do not exceed six wounded.

"This blow was followed by an agreement on the part of the High Commissioner to a suspension of hostilities, and afterwards by the publication of an edict, declaring the trade to be opened, and that all British and other

"British Hall, Canton, March 20th, 1841. "SIR, I have the honour to acquaint you that I have this day concluded a suspension of hostilities in this province, the Imperial Commissioner having publicly proclaimed the trade to be opened, and that all British and other merchants proceeding to the provincial city shall receive due protection.

With a view to the restoration of confidence amongst the trading people, I have now to request you will have the goodness to move the vessels actually before Shameen, about half-way down towards the Macao Passage Fort, and I hope you will also do what may other

merchants, proceeding to the provincial city shall receive due and perfect protection.*

"I endeavoured to push forward to the scene of action in the Hyacinth's gig, but only arrived towards its close, in sufficient time, however, to be gratified by the hoisting of the British colours. Thus, for the first time in the history of China, have ships been brought under the very walls of Canton, and by channels and branches on which a foreign ship never before floated. I believe the Chinese were not acquainted with the capabilities of their splendid river; assuredly they had no idea that the second city in the empire could be assailed by ships of war on its waters; I trust that the fact will have its due influence on the authorities, and I have no

wise be in your power to evince sincerely peaceful purposes respecting the population, without, however, removing a sufficiently pressing force from the near neighbourhood of the city.

"I am persuaded, too, that you will recognize the soundness of manifesting every degree of proper respect for the Government, and every disposition to uphold its character in the sight of the people, which may be compatible with the paramount necessity of keeping awake a lively sense, that renewal of ill faith will be responded to by an immediate blow.

"It must be quite superfluous to assure you, Sir, I depend with great confidence (and with constant thankfulness) upon your continued earnest efforts to prevent accident at Canton. But, perhaps, I may be pardoned for suggesting, that for the present no person or boat be allowed to land without the express permission of the senior officer on the spot. "I have, &c.

"CHARLES ELLIOTT, Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary."

"Captain Herbert, "Senior Officer, &c."

doubt that the forbearance displayed towards a city so completely at our mercy as this is, will be appreciated by the better classes of the community, who have everything to lose, and the benevolence of the British character more fully understood than it ever yet has been in this country.

"The gratifying spectacle of our ships in this position is solely attributable to the unwearied exertions of the captains, officers, and men belonging to them, in sounding the various inlets through which they passed, not a single Chinese pilot having been employed throughout.

"In conclusion, we may on this, as on former occasions, congratulate ourselves on this service having been performed without any loss of life on our side, and only seven wounded (severely), amongst whom is that gallant officer, Lieutenant Stransham, Royal Marines, of Her Majesty's ship Calliope, Acting Brigade-Major.

"I have the honour to be, my Lord, your Lordship's most obedient humble servant,

"J. J. GORDON BREMER,

"Commodore of the 1st Class, "Commander-in-Chief.”

"Her Majesty's Ship Wellesley,

"Bocca Tigris, March 11th. "MY LORD,I have the honour to report to your Lordship my arrival on the 1st instant in the Canton river, and of my having joined and assumed the military command of the expeditionary force, on the 2nd, at Whampoareach, where I found Commodore Sir Gordon Bremer and Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, Captain Elliot, with the advanced division of the fleet and transports, except 200 men of the 37th Madras Na tive Infantry, left at North Wangtong, as a protecting force.

66 2. The Commodore will have communicated to your Lordship the operations up to that period, embracing the capture of the Bogue forts at either side the Bocca Tigris, on the 26th of February, the forcing the barrier at the first bar on the following day, together with the assault and capture of a heavy battery which

flanked it, and the destruction of the ship Cambridge.

3. Having unfortunately arrived too late to participate in those operations, I cannot refrain from expressing my admiration of the noble, daring, and judicious execution which thus reduced, within a few hours, and almost without loss, what were considered by the Chinese as impregnable, and what, in the hands of almost any other nation, would have been nearly so. It is a great satisfaction to me to find Sir Gordon Bremer speak most favourably of the conduct of Major Pratt, of Her Majesty's 26th, and the troops employed on this occasion.

4. Having communicated with the Plenipotentiary and the Commodore, I found it was proposed to continue the operations in advance the following day (the 3rd), by attacking the last defences on the Canton river, consisting of a square stone-built fort, mounting

thirty-two guns, in front of which the river was barricaded by a double row of strong piles, firmly driven in, with an intervening space of about thirty feet, which the Chinese had filled, by sinking junks, and placing masses of bamboos, together with timber of every description; 1,700 yards further up, the river divides itself into two branches, forming a low narrow island, which extends to within about a mile of Canton; at the lower point of this is Napier's fort, a regular half-moon enclosed work of stone-masonry, mounting thirty-six guns; at this point the river was again strongly barricaded connecting Napier's fort with two strong newly-constructed fieldworks thrown up on either bank of the river, by a planked platform placed over the barricade; these latter works showed embrasures of from forty to fifty guns each.

5. On the morning of the 3rd, having made my arrangements with the Commodore for a conjoint attack on the enemy's works, I proceeded with him up the river in the Nemesis steamer; but a communication having been made that Yu, the Quang-chowFoo, was approaching, bearing a flag of truce, the white flag was hoisted by Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary. Captain Belcher of the Sulphur, having reported that he could perceive no persons in Howqua Fort (the before-mentioned work flanking the nearest barricade), I proceeded in the Calliope's boat with the Commodore and Captain Herbert, when we found it had been abandoned. I had it immediately occupied by the detachments of Her Majesty's 26th and 49th Regiments under Major Pratt at the same time I took

possession of a joss-house at the opposite side of the river (here about 800 yards wide), where a five-gun mud field-work had been commenced, in which I placed Captain Ellis with his company of the Royal Marines.

"6. An armistice until noon of the day but one following having been agreed upon, I had an opportunity of reconnoitring the Chinese defences, accompanied by a party of the Royal Marines under Captain Ellis. In performing this duty I had to pass through a very large and populous village: the inhabitants appeared to view our approach towards Canton without the remotest ill-feeling, and I have no doubt would have shown me the road, could I have made myself understood.

"7. A further communication having been received from Canton, an extension of twenty-four hours was granted to the armistice, and at noon on the 6th, the time having expired, the troops were landed on the left bank of the river, consisting of the detachments of Her Majesty's 26th and 49th Regiments under Major Pratt, and the Royal Marines of the fleet under Captain Ellis, the light squadron and the flotilla getting under weigh at the same time. On the first vessel passing the barrier, the Chinese fired off their guns in the centre battery and retired; the guns in the two flank-works, it appears, had been previously withdrawn, and these defences were instantly occupied by the seamen of the fleet. Thus the last defences of one of the richest towns in China, with a population of upwards of 1,000,000 of inhabitants, were abandoned without a shot having been fired on our side, and Canton lay at British mercy,

of the suburbs of the city, for the double object of meeting her Majesty's Plenipotentiary and ascertaining, as far as possible, the extent of the enemy's preparations.

3. It being the anxious wish both of Sir Le Fleming Senhouse and myself to commence active operations on so auspicious an epoch as the anniversary of the birth of our Sovereign, every exertion was made, and the troops were placed by two P.M. on that day in various craft, procured during the previous day and night by the great exertions of the royal

navy.

4. From all the sources from which I had been enabled to collect information, or rather from the conjectures of persons who have long resided in China (for no European had been permitted to see the country above the factories, and the Chinese would give no information), I was induced to decide on making my principal point of debarcation to the north-west of the city, while another column was to take possession of the factories, drawing the attention of the enemy to that quarter, and at the same time to co-operate with the naval force which was to attack the river defences, in order to silence new works recently erected by the Chinese along the whole southern face of the city. A most spirited and judicious reconnoissance made by Captain Belcher, of her Majesty's ship Sulphur, the previous evening, established the practicability of effecting a landing at the point I had selected.

5. Every arrangement having been completed by two o'clock, and the boats and other craft placed in tow of the steamers, the force moved to the point of attack as follows:

Right column, to attack and hold the factories, in tow of the Atalanta, consisting of her Majesty's 26th regiment, 15 officers, 294 other ranks; an officer and 20 rank and file of the Madras artillery, with one 6-pounder and one 54-inch mortar, and 30 sappers, with an officer of engineers, under Major Pratt, of her Majesty's 26th.

Left column, towed by the Nemesis, in four brigades, to move left in front.

4th (Left) Brigade, under Lieutenant-Colonel Morris, 49th regiment. Her Majesty's 49th, commanded by Major Stephens, 28 officers, 273 other ranks; 37th Madras Native Infantry, Captain Duff, 11 officers, 219 other ranks; one company of Bengal Volunteers, Captain Mee, 1 officer, 114 other ranks.

3rd (Artillery) Brigade, under Captain Knowles, Royal Artillery. -Royal Artillery, Lieutenant Spencer, 2 officers, 33 other ranks ; Madras artillery, including gun Lascars, Captain Anstruther, 10 officers, 231 other ranks; sappers and miners, Captain Cotton, 4 officers, 137 other ranks.

Ordnance four 12-pounder howitzers, four 9-pounder field guns, two 6-pounder field guns, three 5-inch mortars, 152 32pounder rockets.

2nd Naval Brigade, under Captain Bourchier, her Majesty's ship Blonde-1st naval battalion, Captain Maitland, her Majesty's ship Wellesley, 11 officers, 172 other ranks; 2nd naval battalion, Commander Barlow, her Majesty's ship Nimrod, 16 officers, 231 other ranks.

1st (Right) Brigade (reserve), under Major-General Burrell.— Royal Marines, Captain Ellis, 9 officers, 372 other ranks; 18th