No. 19. Lord Stanley to the President of the Board of Control,
3 January 1842.
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CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO
- No. 19.-
Copy of a DESPATCH from Lord Stanley to the President of the Board of Control.
My Lord,
Downing-street, 3 January 1842. WITH reference to your Lordship's letter of the 6th ultimo, forwarding for my consideration letters from the Governor-general of India of the 16th September and the 21st of October, respecting the supply of provisions for the use of Her Majesty's naval and military forces serving in China I have to observe that I infer, from the correspondence, that all necessary steps for supplying with provisions the native troops now serving in China have been, or will be, taken in India by the Governor-general, and that I have to consider the requisition for the supply of the Europeans engaged, or about to be engaged, in that service only; and that even as regards these, it is for supplies to be used after the commencement of July 1842 only, that the Governor-general requires provision to be made.
In reference to this important question, considerable difficulty has been experienced in ascertaining what is the real state of the case, what the probable stock on hand, and what consequently the amount which it becomes necessary for Her Majesty's Government to forward from this country.
On a comparison of the different requisitions and calculations with the accounts of supplies already shipped from this country, or in course of preparation, and with the scale on which such supplies are reckoned by Her Majesty's Victualling Department, it appears that some confusion has existed, and that supplies intended for the same period have been in the course of preparation in India and in this country at the same time, but that, on the other hand, the scale on which the supplies required appear to have been calculated by the Governor-general differs materially from that in Her Majesty's Victualling Department; and further, that not only the quantities of the stores sent from India had been considerably diminished, or were likely to be so by extensive condemnations, but that the Governor-general had made his calculations on the assumption of there being only 7,500 Europeans to be provided for; whereas, as your Lordship is aware, Her Majesty's Government expect that number will, by the month of April, have been increased to 10,000.
Under these circumstances, it being obvious that a literal compliance with the requisitions of the Governor-general would not have answered the proposed object, I directed a statement to be prepared by the Victualling Board from all the different sources of information within their reach, including that received from the Governor-general, to show how far the provisions actually shipped or in course of preparation for shipment, when added to those which Lord Auckland appears to have purchased, will collectively form a stock, either equal, or inadequate, or superior to the exigencies of the service for the year 1842.
In consequence of certain articles required for the service appearing by this statement to be still deficient, I have directed those articles which could most conveniently be procured in this country to be supplied, and notes to be appended to the statement, pointing out from whence it is supposed deficiencies not provided for might be made good, and I now forward to your Lordship that statement corrected to the present date.
I trust that the steps which have been taken will have ensured to Her Majesty's Naval and Military Forces in China an adequate supply of all provisions necessary for the service which it is expedient to forward from this country; and that no difficulty will be experienced in procuring those which it is thought may be more advantageously purchased in India. But with the view of preventing for the future the confusion which appears to have prevailed in the present instance on this head, I have to request that the Governor-general may be informed that after the provisions that are in course of preparation shall have been despatched from this country to China, no further supplies shall be sent until demands for specific articles and quantities shall have been regularly made upon this country for such provisions as may be required either by the Governor-general in India, or by the Naval Commander-in-Chief, bearing in mind that in making such demands, regard should be had not only to the time which will be required to prepare the provisions to be despatched from this country, but also to the period of the season when the ships should leave England to ensure their early arrival in China.
The Governor-general will understand, that any demands to be made from China in pursuance of the above arrangements, are to be addressed direct to myself, and in duplicate to him.
I have to request that your Lordship will communicate this letter through the usual channel to the Governor-general.
-No. 20.
I have, &c. (signed)
Stanley.
EXTRACT of a LETTER from Rear-Admiral Sir William Parker to the Earl of Auckland, dated Modeste, at Ningpo, 2 December 1841.
No. 20.
I DEEM it incumbent on me to put your Lordship in possession of the transcripts of a correspondence between his Excellency Sir Hugh Gough and myself, with respect to the present position and future measures of the combined forces at Ningpo.
-No. 21.-
EXTRACT of a LETTER from Lieutenant-General Sir Hugh Gough to Rear-Admiral Sir William Parker, dated Ningpo, 22 November 1841.
2 December 1841.
No. 21.
I FEEL it right, under existing circumstances, to apprize your Excellency of my views with regard to the occupation of Ningpo. It is incumbent on me, at this late period of the year, to place the troops in winter quarters best calculated to ensure their efficiency for the ensuing campaign, as I do not see the possibility, until the spring, of ulterior operations of any importance.
It is hardly necessary for me to remark, that we are now here, not in consequence of any preconcerted plans, but of circumstances over which neither the political, the naval, or the military chiefs could have any control. I have remained here with a perfect knowledge that Ningpo is not the position that a soldier would choose to occupy with the disposable force I have, and with Chinhae within 12 miles of him; but I have done so with a hope (though not a very sanguine one) that, like Canton, this city, if not the province, would be ransomed, or that some communication would be received from Pekin; and I am well aware that, in either case, it was of importance to retain possession of this populous commercial town. From all the information I can procure, it would appear that the Imperial Commissioner, and General Yih-King and three other generals, together with Keshen, and a board of courtiers from Pekin, have arrived at Hong-Chow, and if they were disposed to treat or ransom, some communication would most decidedly ere this have reached us; we, therefore, can only now calculate upon an organised system of annoyance; I will not make use of any other term, as I do not think that the Chinese will, at least before spring, venture upon any very serious demonstration; but it cannot be expected that they will permit us, with our present force, to occupy such a town as Ningpo, without putting into operation the stratagem and intrigue which is their favourite mode of warfare.
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