Fury; , and at the same time that these two vessels, in company with the Honorable Company's steamer "Phlegethon", had proceeded to the southward in search of Shap ng tsai, who, with the remainder of the Piratical squadron under his command, was dealing destruction along the whole of the sea board in the neighbourhood of the Island of "Hainan".
It is now a source of great gratification to me to be enabled to report the safe return to this harbour on the 1st instant, of these three vessels, after having met with the most signal success in their expedition, and having completely annihilated Shap ng tsai's fleet of Piratical junks. I feel it would be superfluous on my part to narrate the particulars of this expedition, which have been so clearly and ably described in the accompanying printed copy of Commander Kay's Despatch to the address of His Excellency the Naval Commander-in-Chief. I shall therefore simply confine myself to stating that 58 Piratical vessels, mounting about 1200 guns, and with crews of 3,000 men, have been totally destroyed by fire, without the loss of a single life on our side.
It would be taking up Your Lordship's time unnecessarily were I to venture to demonstrate, even faintly, the great benefits which must accrue to our Trade and Navigation by the annihilation of these marauders, and the destruction of their piratical fleets; and I feel confident that both Her Majesty's Government and the mercantile community will give Commander Kay the credit to which his services so fully entitle him.
The first of these expeditions, (the one against