SEPTEMBER 11, 1858.]
The Hongkong Government Gazette.
59
I have great pleasure in bringing to Your Excellency's notice the admirable and gallant conduct of Mr Morice, Second Master, the other ers, and Ship's Company of the Staunch, in this action, under the double disadvantage of a very reduced complement and armament, with three Junks, each carrying a long 24-Pounder Gun amidships, and six Broadside Guns of smøller Calibre, besides several mounted walls.
Charles Ansell, Quarter Master, I also wish particularly to bring to your notice, for his assistance in pointing the Howitzers, and his int conduct throughout the engagement
I enclose my List of Casualties and Defects.
I have, &c.,
Par-Admiral SIR Michael SeymOUR, K. C.B.,
Commander-in-Chief.
(Signed,)
-LEVESON WILDMAN, Licutenant and Commander.
P.S.-I should have mentioned, that from the quantity of European Minies, Revolvers, Cartridges, and Rifles, and the desperate resistance made in keeping up a heavy fire, that Europeans must have been on board; the engagement having lasted 5 hours.
No. 40.
True Copies,
H. F. HANCE.
(Signed,) L. W.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.
His Excellency SIR JOHN BOWRING, Knight, LL.D., Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, &c. &c., has directed the blication, for general information, of the following Copy of a Despatch from His Excellency the Naval Commander- Chief, with Extracts from enclosures reporting the most successful results of an Expedition under the Command Captain VANSITTART, of H.M.'s Steam-frigate Magicienne, against a large Piratical Fleet which has long terrupted the trade on the West Coast of China.
By Order,
Superintendency of Trade, Victoria, Hongkong, 7th September, 1858.
No. 17.
G. W. CAINE.
Calcutta, AT HONGKONG, 6th September, 1858, SIR,-In my despatch No. 14, of the 25th ultimo, I informed your Excellency of my intention to send out a Squadron to attempt the struction of the hordes of Pirates which have for some time past paralyzed the Chinese Coasting Trade to the Westward. The accompany- : Despatch fron Captain N. Vansittart of Her Majesty's Ship Magicienne, will shew your Excellency how eminently successful the -edition has been, having destroyed no less than 100 Junks and Fast-Boats, besides burning Coulan, the headquarters of the Pirates, ng in a great measure to the presence and energy of Mr Caldwell, the Registrar General, whose services have on this occasion, as here... lufore, been most valuable,
The Squadron has now gone to the Eastward, to clear the Coast in that direction.
I have, &c.,
Ha Excellency SIR John Bowring, LL.D.
&
&c., Hongkong.
LETTER OF PROCEEDINGS.
(Signed)
M. SEYMOTR, Rear-Admiral and Comme
in-Chief.
H.M.'s SHIP Magicienne, OFF LINTING ISLAND, 4th September, 1858, SI-I have the honour to inform you, that in obedience to your orders for me to take under my directions H.M.'s Ships Inflexible, Fier, Algerine, and proceed with them to destroy end capture the many Pirates represented as being in this neighbourhood, that I left the chorage of Hongkong with the said vessels and H.M.'s Ship under my Command on the morning of the 26th ultimo, as soon as Mr Ciwel, the Registrar General, and three Chinese informers had come on board.
From Hongkong we proceeded and examined carefully the whole Coast as far Westward as Mamee, having up to the present date en and destroyed-1 fortified Stockade mounting 14 Guns, 26 piratical fighting Junks, 74 fast Row-boats, 236 Guns, about 372 Pirates el, 36 pirates taken alive, 6 Cargo Vessels recaptured from pirates, 54 Men and 6 Women'retaken from pirates; with only a few wounded * our side.
I enclose herewith a detailed account of each day's proceedings, with list of captures, people rescued, casualties, officers employed in by &c. I cannot say too much for the valuable assistance I have received from Mr Caldwell, the Registrar General, who was most in- fatigable in his exertions, gaining much valuable information from the Prisoners rescued, and by other means, thereby being in a great are the cause of our success, and showed much ju lgment in discriminating the innocent from the guilty of those captured on board the Als, besides being a valuable acquisition from his intimate knowledge of the Chinese language.
I have despatched the Algerine into Hongkong with Mr Caldwell, the three Chinese informers, and the remainder of the persons el from the Pirates not yet disposed of. Upon the Algerine's return with Mr Caldwell, I propose searching, well the Bays in the ity of Hongkong to the Eastward, as we have every reason to believe that there is still one fleet of Junks undiscovered.
The energy of Mr Caldwell in finding out and gaining information as to where the Pirates are, does him the very greatest credit. Trusting you will approve of my proceedings since leaving Hongkong on the 20th ultimo,
I have, &c.,
Lar-Admiral SIR M. SEYMOUR, K.C.B.,
Commander-in-Chief, &c., &c., &c.
(Signed,)
NICHOLAS VANSITŢART,
Captain.
Detailed Account of the Proceedings of H. M. Ships "Magicienne,” “Inflexible,” “Plover,” and “Algerine,” when upon a Cruise for the Suppression of Piracy.
1858, 26th August.-Leaving the anchorage at Hongkong at 6.30 A.M., we proceeded, and carefully examined Pootoy, the Lepia s Sammoon, Lingting and Chungchow; sending the Inflexible and Algerine to the Westward of Lingting, the Magicienne with the ergoing to the Eastward, we came upon two piratical fighting junks and one fast-boat. One of the juuks having her anchor up, made the shore, the Crew taking to their boats. I immediately despatched the Plover, directing Lieutenant Wynniatt to bring her out, which 1, and was fortunate in recapturing Chas. Deacon, an Englishman (belonging to the American ship Antelope,) who had been taken by Pirates three weeks before, in company with the Mate and eight Chinese; the former and four of the latter he saw cut down and thrown lord at the time of being captured. The second junk was at anchor, which the Pirates had abandoned and laid a train to, but she arely blew up before the Plover's boat reached her. Being informed that there were about 120 pirates on the island, who had taken the hills and rocks, I despatched Lieutenant Soady, Ist Lieutenant of this ship, and Lieutenant Tuson, R.M.A., with a strong party , to cut off any Pirates; but found here as elsewhere that it was useless following them, so shot at the different parties as they showed ives. The junk blown up being nearly awash, I directed Lieutenant Soady to recover as many of the guns on board her as he y could, and to bring them out into deep water; which by nine the next morning he completed, bringing out with those on board the tured junk, 50 guns of from 6, 9, 12, and 18-pors, all of which were taken into deep water and junks destroyed. Ashore, much and ammunition was found, all of which was destroyed.