Endless were their curious questions, and on one occa
sion they exhibited an officer's jacket, and a corporal's
coat with the 55th button on it, and particularly
inquired the use of an epaulette, which they held up,
fancying it was intended to be worn on the head . Some
times the prisoners were a little better treated after
these examinations ; but these occasional moments of
108 PRISONER'S NARRATIVE.
relief, to the monotony and misery of their situa
tion, were very few , and served rather to awaken
hopes which were not to be realised , than to afford any
certain prospect of amelioration to their lot. Promises,
indeed, were made often enough, but only to be broken ;
and their cup of bitterness was always made more bitter
by the half -solemn mockery with which tantalizing
offers were made to them , and an affectation of interest
exhibited in their behalf, which invariably proved to be
but a vain shadow and an empty fiction .
During the first half of the month of May, it rained
incessantly, and they were very imperfectly protected
from its effects. In fact, the rain always beat through
their roof, and when it was heavy , or long continued, it
flooded their den : the least bit of dry plank , or a par
tially sheltered corner, was matter of envy and conten
tion ; and, as may be supposed , they not only suffered
from bad food , confinement, vermin , and ill-health, but
were incessantly tormented with the most venomous
mosquitoes, producing inflammation and sores. In this
condition they were kept in the most harassing state
of suspense ; one day being assured that they would be
sent away in a month ; another, that they had no chance
of liberty for six months, and the very next, perhaps,
that their heads would soon be taken off ; while this
again was followed by promises of protection, and re
newed assurances of ultimate rescue .
Fortunately, the talent for drawing, possessed by
Mr. Gully and Captain Denham , served to gain for
them friends and pacify enemies. The former com
menced no less an undertaking than that of drawing a
V
PRISONER'S NARRATIVE . 169
railway with steam -carriages and thirteen coaches, with
a fine-looking tunnel just ready for them to pass through .
This did astonish the natives, and they began to look
upon the barbarians with some little respect. This
chef d'euvre was followed by sea -fights, steamers, tiger
hunts, views of Chusan, Chinbae, and Amoy, the sale
of which occasionally furnished them with a few neces
saries. In fact, the ups and downs in their lot seem to
have alternated as often as the sun rose ; but, alas, it
was only a succession of clouds that passed before them ,
and the changes were commonly only from bad to worse,
or to less bad .
In this way month after month continued to drag its
slow length along. At the end of about three months'
close confinement, a slight change for the better took
place ; they were moved into rather better quarters,
where they were only three together, so that they had
more room to breathe; they were also allowed water
to wash themselves, and aa little money was given to them .
It was thought that this arose in consequence of infor
mation received by the authorities that there was some
chance of an attack being made upon this island , by our
forces at Amoy, with a view to liberate the prisoners.
It was now ascertained, also, that the fisherman who had
promised to carry over the letter to Amoy, two months
before, had succeeded in his attempt , and an answer had
been brought back by him , which held out the prospect
of speedy release . Another letter was also sent off to
Amoy ; so that now at length their hopes again revived.
But, alas ! sickness had already begun its work, and their
minds were so depressed that even the boldest, who
170 PRISONER'S NARRATIVE.
tried to bear up bravely to the last, recorded his feel
ings that, “ One miserable day passed after another, with
nothing to help them to break in upon the wretched
ness oftheir existence ; no exercise being permitted, and
nothing, in fact, to relieve the dreadful monotony of
such prison life.” And what was the little improvement
in their lot, which resulted from their removal into
other cells ? “ We now (three of us),” said he , “ have
five planks with a mat upon them to sleep on, and glad
we are to get into this new place, which is the Execu
tioner's Den, and which, until we had ourselves cleaned -
it, could never have been cleaned since it was built. "
.
Indeed, this process seems to have been part of their
daily work, for it is continually recorded that they
washed their planks this morning;” and on other occa 1
sions it is noted “ we scalded our clothes this morning
to kill the vermin ."
It was thought that the day they were removed into
this new berth must have been the Emperor's birthday,
or some day of rejoicing, for they had at the same time
a dinner of roast pork, with sweet cakes, and each man
received one mace, or fivepence in money. But this was
too good to last ; a mere freak of Fortune ! Generally
speaking, their food was so bad, that a great part of it
was thrown away , and it was only by quarrelling with 1
the jailors, and threatening to complain to the high
mandarin, that they could succeed in procuring any
eatable food at all.
In the month of June, several shocks of an earthquake
were felt, followed by terrific storms of thunder and
lightning. One poor fellow at length lost his senses. 3
PRISONER'S NARRATIVE . 171
He was able to draw a little ; but now he not only re
fused to draw any more, but declined every thing, even
tobacco, because it was purchased with money earned by
the drawings of others, saying that it was derogatory to
his dignity to make drawings for sale. This poor fellow
did not long survive. It is due to the better class of
mandarins to remark that, when complaints were made
to them, they procured some temporary improvement
for the prisoners . But promises, over and over again
made, of providing them with proper clothes, were never
attended to ; and at the end of July it is recorded, “ I
have on my back now the only shirt (and that a woollen
one) which I have had for five months, and half a pair
of cotton drawers upon my legs.
On the 4th of July, it was made known that honours
and rewards had been largely conferred upon the man
darins, for having contrived to take so many prisoners.
This was in answer to their false accounts of the busi
ness to the Emperor, in which they said that they had
attacked and destroyed two English men -of-war which
came prying into the coast, and had taken all the people
prisoners, enumerating the number of black, and red,
and white barbarians, and the quantity of barbarian
guns.
On the 10th of July, Mr. Gully, who had neces
sarily been ailing for some time, became seriously ill
with dysentery, brought on in a great measure by eating
large quantities of mangoes. The Chinese recommended
him two cures for it ; one was to eat the skins of the
mangoes alone, the other was to eat opium. The for
mer le found to have a good effect, at least so far that
172 PRISONER'S NARRATIVE .
his complaint improved under the treatment ; the latter
he was able to purchase at a moderate price from the
visiters, who brought it on purpose for him ; it was dif
ferent from the extract which is used for smoking, and
apparently much less powerful ; but he took a consi
derable quantity, and the effect of it was, that " in
a quarter of an hour it began to make him quite happy ;
in an hour quite sick ; after that he could neither go to
sleep nor yet rise up, but remained in a kind of dreamy
9
reverie all day.” He gradually got better, but was re
duced to the last degree of weakness.
1
The same mandarin who had given them a treat upon
the Emperor's birthday all along shewed more interest in
their condition than any of the others ; and one day, in
the hope of inducing him to give them some kind of in
dulgence, they told him that it was the birthday of the
Queen of England's eldest child, and that they all enter
tained so strong a feeling of“ filial obedience" and affec
tion towards their queen, that they wished to celebrate
the event. To their great surprise and delight, the man
darin's heart was moved by this appeal , and he gave
each of them money ; to some five mace, to others three 1
(equal to about two shillings) , and then sent them a
good dinner, and made himself quite agreeable; and, of
course, all the inferior officers, including the jailors, took
their tone for the day from their superior. On another
occasion, the lascars were all brought up before the chief
mandarin, having had new clothes first given to them ,
1
and he himself then presented each of them with a fan .
Imagine a lascar, or an Indian camp- follower, quietly
sitting down to fan himself !
PRISONER'S NARRATIVE . 173
All these circumstances naturally tended to revive
their hopes, and little did they dream of the horrible
catastrophe which was soon to take place. Towards
the end of July, they were informed that, in the course
of half a moon more, an answer would be received from
Pekin , containing the Emperor's commands as to what
was to be done with the prisoners ; and they were warned
that, if his majesty ordered that they should be decapi
tated, it would immediately be carried into effect. From
this it would seem that the authorities fully anticipated
that the representations which they had made would
induce the Emperor to issue such a cruel command ;
but the prisoners themselves still retained sufficient hope
to induce them to disbelieve the probability of such
a tragedy. With the exception of Captain Denham
(whose life was saved) and the Chinese carpenter, it does
not appear that any of them were tortured ; but the
dreadful cries of some of the Chinese prisoners could be
distinctly heard ; and two poor fellows were seen passing
by with their hands blackened, having been condemned
to have them chopped off.
One remark is worth recording, namely, that the
mandarins, from the highest to the lowest, as well as all
their servants and attendants, were in the constant habit
of smoking opium . Tobacco was also in general use, as
elsewhere in China, and was extensively cultivated on the
island. There was also noticed (what should have been
mentioned before) a curious vine- like plant, grown upon
trelliswork, and frequently observed to be carefully co
vered up with mats ; what it exactly was no one knew ,
but more care and attention seemed to be bestowed upon
174 PRISONER'S NARRATIVE.
it than upon any thing else which was seen upon the
island .
The final tragedy is believed to have taken place upon
the 12th or 13th of August, and is too horrible to dwell
upon. They were beheaded with the sword.
The punishment which is sure to befal the authorities
of the island for the false statements they made to the
Emperor will, it is hoped, henceforth teach them how to
exercise that humanity towards prisoners which they
themselves invariably received when they fell into our
hands. How many lessons have the Chinese learnt, and
how many have they yet to learn ! It is difficult to
account for their having reserved nine individuals from
the general massacre. Of these six were Europeans
or Americans, and three natives of India. It is sup
posed that they were retained in order to be sent to
Pekin , to be there cut in pieces. Fortunately, the treaty
of peace saved their lives, and they were at length con
veyed to Amoy, and there met with all the attention
they so much needed from their own countrymen.
Mention has already been made of the demands ad
dressed by Sir Henry Pottinger to the Emperor, in con
sequence of the murder of so many British subjects.
His majesty's reply, and the result of the inquiry or
dered to be made into the matter, have also been
alluded to.
DEPARTURE OF THE FLEET FROM AMOY . 175
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Departure of the fleet from Amoy— Affair of the Nemesis at Sheipoo
Curious mode of getting a good pilot-Attack upon the forts — Three
war-junks blown up - Chinese troops dispersed — Apathy of the people
generally — Inaccuracy of the surveys of the coast — Alligator Island
-Interesting anecdote — Expatriated Chinese — Their wretched life
Rendezvous at Keeto Point - A village destroyed in retaliation for
murder - Attack upon Chinhae deferred— Reconnoissance of the har
bour of Chusan Remarks on the character and appearance of the
island — Its high state of cultivation - Anecdote of mountain hus
-
bandry in Tartary - City and harbour of Tinghai, and its new defences
described — Defects of the Chinese system - Reconnoissance of the Ne
mesis, Modeste, and Columbine Preparations for the capture of the
defences of Chusan — Positions of our ships — Mortar battery erected
on Melville Island Ist of October, 1841 – Debarkation of the troops
– Hills carried by the 55th, and long battery by the 18th regiments
- Capture of the city — And measures to prevent the escape of the
Chinese- General remarks.
On leaving the bay of Amoy, on the 5th of September,
the appointed places for the rendezvous of the fleet of
men - of -war and transports, in case of separation, were
successively the so -called Buffalo's Nose, at the entrance
of the Chusan group ; Keeto Point, a promontory run
ning out from the mainland towards Chusan ; and, lastly,
the bay or harbour of Tinghai, the capital of Chusan.
The progress of the squadron was slow for some days,
176 NORTH - EAST MONSOON .
owing to light winds and a heavy swell ; and the Ne
mesis , being very light in the water , and having , more
over, a leak in her bottom (after the accident at Amoy )
was kept pretty close in shore, to avoid the swell out
side, but seldom entirely lost sight of the fleet. A con
siderable quantity of floating wood was picked up along
shore , which was very acceptable for fuel, of which she
had only a very small supply remaining on board .
On the 13th , eight days after leaving Amoy, the
north-east monsoon set in rather suddenly, and some
what earlier than usual, with heavy squalls and a thick
fog, which caused the unavoidable separation of the
squadron . At the commencement of this change of
weather, the Nemesis lost her fore-top-mast and top
gallant-mast, but continued her course leisurely along
shore until the following day, when she came to anchor
under a small island at the mouth of the river Tai
tchou, about thirty -five miles from Sheipoo, and be
tween fifty and sixty from the Buffalo's Nose. The
weather still continued very hazy and squally, enough
to
that the season was already very far advanced,
prove
and that any longer delay at Amoy or at Hong Kong
would have probably occasioned a total suspension of
active operations until the following year.
On the 16th Captain Hall landed upon the island
above-mentioned, under which he had taken shelter,
with a party of men to look for wood , which was much
needed for fuel, and also for refreshments for the crew,
and then took the opportunity of ascending a high hill,
to take a survey of the neighbouring country. The
haze cleared off sufficiently to enable him to discover
A CHINESE PILOT. 177
the entrance to an extensive harbour, which proved to
be that of Sheipoo, where there is aa considerable trading
town. He thought that he could also make out some
thing like the appearance of batteries or field - works at
the entrance. The opportunity was a tempting one, to
endeavour to earn some little distinction for the Ne
mesis; and it was also probable that a good supply of
fuel would be found near the town ; a consideration
never to be lost sight of for a steamer. The spirit of
enterprise was now awakened ; and the state of the
weather, which continued very squally and unsettled,
precluded the possibility of putting out to sea .
Soon after daylight on the following morning, the
17th, a large junk hove in sight, which was boarded in
the hope of gaining some information, but was not
otherwise molested . Nothing important was elicited .
The Nemesis, however, now stood in for the entrance of
the harbour, which was very narrow, but fortunately
she soon fell in with a fishing -boat, in which were
several fishermen busy about their nets. It could not
be doubted that some among them would be induced to
act as pilots ; and, accordingly, by the help of a little
bad Chinese, they were made to understand that one of
them must come on board and pilot the vessel into the
harbour ; and he was promised ten dollars for his ser
vices if he took her in without any accident ; but, if she
touched ground, he was threatened to be immediately
run up to the yard-arm, to atone either for his treachery
or his misfortune, whichever it might be. The poor
fellow was in a dreadful state of alarm, as may be sup
posed, for he had never even seen a steamer or devil
VOL . II . N
178 A RECONNOISSANCE .
ship before. But, when he was fairly fixed upon the
paddle-box , aud a running noose passed round his neck,
in readiness to carry the threat of a swing in the air
into execution , his terror could no longer be mastered .
He was soon pacified, however, when he was again re
minded that his punishment was only to happen in case
of treachery on his part ; and the renewed promise of
ten dollars reward for good pilotage (although he
scarcely expected ever to be paid) acted as a soothing
balm to his bewildered spirit. He perfectly understood
the conditions, and gradually recovered his self-posses
sion .
The tide swept so rapidly into the narrow entrance of
the harbour, that the Nemesis was fairly carried through
1
the passage before the two small field -works, which
were intended to protect it, could bring a single gun to
bear upon the vessel ; but the Chinese were seen run
ning down from their little encampment above, to man
the guns.
At the bottom of the harbour or basin , the town now
came into full view, with a large number of trading
junks of every kind, moored in lines close to each other
on one side of the town ; while on the other, or the left,
as you looked towards it, there was a small fort, which
appeared to have been recently repaired and strength
ened, but, like most other Chinese forts, was left almost
unprotected in the rear.
Upon a rising ground behind the fort a small body of
troops, about five or six hundred in number, were
drawn up, so that the Chinese were evidently prepared
for defence. The Nemesis immediately ran in towards
FORT TAKEN . 179
the fort, and took up a flanking position, anchoring by
the stern between it and the town , so as to bring her
guns to bear with the greatest advantage, without ex
posing herself to the direct fire of the fort. Shot, shell,
and canister, were now poured in , and the fort was soon
silenced . But the troops could now be seen descending
from the hill behind, and bringing heavy ginjals with
them , mounted on triangular stands, as if they intended
to oppose a landing. However, a few discharges of
grape-shot threw them into great disorder, killing many
of them ; Captain Hall then landed at the head of
all the men who could be spared from the ship, accom
panied by the unfortunate Mr. Gully, and took posses
sion of the fort, the Chinese flying before them ; four
guns, two brass and two iron ones, were destroyed in
the fort, the temporary sheds and buildings were set on
fire, and water was poured into the magazine to destroy
the powder. But it was not thought necessary to follow
the Chinese, who had retreated to the hill again, nor to
attempt to enter the town itself, from which no good
result could be expected ; indeed, the retreat of so
small a party to the boats might in the mean time have
been cut off, or, at all events, attended with some loss.
The whole party having now returned on board, boats
were sent out, manned and armed, to search for fuel, and
also to attempt to capture three large war-junks which
had been seen on the way up the harbour. All the
trading-junks were left unmolested ; but wood for fuel
was so much needed on board , that several of the wood
junks were soon picked out, well filled with the neces
sary article. The opportunity was extremely fortunate,
N 2
180 JUNKS DESTROYED .
and in a short time no less than seven boat-loads of ex
cellent wood were obtained, amounting in all to about
seventy tons. Much labour was required to bring off so
large a quantity, and to stow it away expeditiously ;
nevertheless, during this operation one of the war- junks
was captured , (the crew having deserted her) and, as
soon as she was towed clear of the town and shipping,
so as not to cause any unnecessary damage, she was set
on fire in the middle of the harbour, and shortly blew
up.. Two guns, together with a quantity of ginjals,
matchlocks, swords, &c., were destroyed in her.
By eleven o'clock , the wooding -party had finished
their labours ; and, as a fresh body of troops appeared
to be collecting near the town, the steamer again ran
in, and poured a shower of grape and canister into
the midst of them, which made them instantly dis
perse . It was now midday, and officers and men were
thoroughly fatigued with their exertions since daylight;
the steamer was therefore moved to the upper end of
the harbour, while the men were quietly piped to
dinner.
But the day's work was not finished yet. About
two o'clock the cutters were sent away, manned and
armed, under Mr. Galbraith , to destroy the other two
war -junks which had been seen in the morning. One
of them blew up close in shore, but the other was towed
out into the middle of the harbour, before she was set
on fire. One was found to mount fourteen guns, and
contained a large quantity of powder, with numerous
warlike implements of various kinds. Some of the
common Chinese labourers ran down to the shore, to
ASTONISHING THE NATIVES. 181
endeavour to extinguish the fire on board the junk,
which was aground ; but they were instantly driven off
by a few round shot.
The whole of this day's work was exceedingly in
teresting. The hills which surrounded the harbour
were covered with people, who crowded out of the town ,
and from all the neighbouring villages, to witness the
exploits of the “ devil-ship ,” the rapidity of whose
movements, the precision of her fire, and the volumes
of smoke and steam which issued from her, seemed to
awaken feelings of awe and mute astonishment, even
more than fear. There they stood for hours, apparently
unconcerned spectators of passing events ; and , as they
saw the destruction of the war-junks, while the mer
chant-junks remained uninjured, they appeared satisfied
that no mischief was threatened against the unarmed
inhabitants, so long as they did not interfere. The
neighbourhood of the town along the shore was laid
out in very neatly-cultivated gardens, and every thing
bore indications of a thriving and well -ordered com
munity.
The day was now far advanced, and it only remained
to capture the two forts or field -works upon the island,
just within the mouth of the harbour. A shot or two
had previously been fired at them in the course of the
morning, but it was now determined to take possession
of them, and destroy the works. On nearing them , a
few shells and rockets were discharged into them , and
the boats then put off manned and armed. The Chinese
had only just abandoned them . The two field -works
were very near each other, and were found to mount
182 A GOOD DAY'S WORK .
nine guns, which were spiked, their carriages destroyed ,
and the tents of the soldiers were set on fire .
About five o'clock the Nemesis again made her way
out of the harbour without any accident, and without
having suffered any casualty among the men throughout
the whole day's arduous work, in which Mr. Freeze
(mate, R.N.), the chief officer, and Mr. Galbraith, the
second, bore a conspicuous part. Good service had
been rendered, not only by the destruction of the
enemy's works and vessels, and by obtaining so large
a supply of the much-needed fuel, but by the moral
impression which was created among the people, both
of our power and of our forbearance. The impor
tant news could not fail of being spread abroad far
and near, so as to reach the inhabitants of Ningpo
and other places which the expedition was likely to
visit.
The Chinese fisherman who had acted as pilot
poor
was of course liberated as soon as the harbour was
cleared, and he appeared no less astonished than over
joyed when the promised ten dollars were counted out
into his hands.
&
On the following day, the 18th, the Nemesis reached
the appointed rendezvous at Buffalo's Nose, and found
the Sesostris was the only vessel which had preceded
her ; the rest of the fleet having been kept back by
contrary winds and hazy weather. When we remember
what a large number of hired transports and store-ships
passed up and down along the coast of China from this
time to the close of the war, many of which had fre
quently a great part of their crew sick, we cannot but 1
pe
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ERRORS OF THE CHART. 183
be surprised that so few accidents happened. The in
accuracy of the surveys of the coast which had been
then made ; the wrong position on the charts of most
of the numerous islands which stand out as bulwarks
at very uncertain distances from the shore ; the strength
and unknown irregularities of the currents, and the
heavy squalls which frequently burst suddenly over that
part of China, rendered the navigation precarious, and
frequently caused the utmost anxiety. Occasionally
the captains found themselves inside of islands, when
they believed that they were some distance outside ;
and I well remember, on one occasion, making the
voyage up to Chusan in a fast-sailing brig -of-war, which
just weathered a long, rocky island called the Alligator,
and at noon discovered it to have been laid down upon
the chart full twenty miles wrong in its latitude ; an
error which can scarcely be accounted for.
It may be interesting here to mention, that, as we
passed the island, we fancied that we could make out
three or four men standing upon its rocky, barren sum
mit, and making signals to the vessel, as if they were
in distress. The brig was ordered to stand on and off
under the lee of the island, while a boat was sent on
shore, well manned, in charge of an officer, who had
some difficulty in landing. The men now turned out
to be four Chinamen , looking like half-savages, with
| To show how sickly the coast of China is, in some seasons, it may
be mentioned, that on board the Lion, which conveyed Lord Macartney's
embassy to China in 1792, no less than ninety -three men were put
upon the sick list in less than aa week after she came to anchor on the
upper part of the east coast.
184 CHINESE KIDNAPPING .
very little clothing. They gave no indication of a de
sire to be taken off the island , probably through fear.
As far as their signs could be understood , they seemed
prepared to live and die there ; and it was suspected
that they were convicts sent over from the mainland,
but they were under no control. The island appeared
perfectly barren ; and their only food seemed to be com
posed of various kinds of shell -fish, which they found
upon the shore ; and the shells of those which they
had eaten remained in large heaps, so that they must
already have spent considerable time upon the island.
Their only habitation was a small cavern in the rock :
the only wood for firing was such as was casually
washed on shore ; and they had no other water than
what they could collect in the holes among the rocks
during the rains.
The strength of the currents among the Chusan
islands, and the continued boisterous weather, made it
difficult to collect all the transports at the appointed
rendezvous. The Admiral did not get up until the 21st ;
and the General , being on board a large transport which
had been carried far down to leeward, did not join until
the evening of the 25th .
In the mean time, the Nemesis had gone to join the
Phlegethon at Keeto Point, where the sad tale was
learnt of one of the officers of the Lyra (an opium ves
sel), Mr. Wainwright, and one of the crew , having been
enticed on shore, under the pretence of selling them
stock, and of their having been then overpowered and
cruelly murdered. This event occurred very near the
village where Captain Stead had been murdered some
RETALIATION . 185
months before . Lieutenant M'Cleverty soon after
wards landed with his crew, accompanied by Lieutenant
Crawford and the commanders of the Lyra and Ann , and
soon put to flight a party of Chinese soldiers, burnt
their barracks, and then destroyed a great part of the
village.
As soon as the Nemesis arrived , no time was lost in
landing to examine the adjacent country, which was
very picturesque and beautifully cultivated. But the
recollection of the cruel fate of the poor fellows who had
been so recently captured , and, as was believed, barba
rously put to death there, with the sight of the very
spots where the sad occurrences took place, awakened
feelings of bitterness, and a wish for retaliation, which it
was impossible to suppress. In a very short time, every
thing that remained undestroyed was set on fire, inclu
ding various buildings, stacks of rice and grass, &c .; and ,
as darkness set in, the whole valley appeared lighted
up with the blaze of the spreading fires. Several pigs
were luckily captured on the way back, and served as
fresh food for the men , which was much needed .
Numerous trading junks were passing and repassing
during the few days the Nemesis was at anchor at
Keeto Point, and they were frequently searched to look
for fuel. A large one, completely laden with this neces
sary article, was detained, and brought alongside, and
her captain proceeded to count out the billets of wood ,
as if he thought he was sure to be very handsomely
rewarded . Great were his lamentations, when he found
that nothing was forthcoming in exchange, and, above
all, that bis beloved boat or junk was to be altogether
186 CHUSAN .
detained for the present. The reason was obvious,
namely, that she was wanted to go and fetch water for
the ship, and, moreover, that if she were allowed to
depart, she would spread such an alarm , that no more
wood-boats would ever venture to approach a steamer
again in that quarter."
At length, all the transports were assembled, accord
ing to a preconcerted arrangement, just off the little
island called “ Just in the Way ;" as it was the original
plan laid down by the General and the Admiral to occupy
Ningpo, after having first captured the heights ofChinhae,
which command the entrance of the Tahae river, which
leads up to Ningpo. Chusan was to have been retaken
afterwards. The boisterous state of the weather, how
ever, prevented the ships from approaching near enough
to Chinhae, to carry out this part of the plan ; and it
was, therefore, determined to make an immediate re
connoissance of the harbour and defences of Chusan, or
rather of its capital town, Tingbai ; this was accordingly
carried into execution on the following day, the 26th of
September.
The Admiral and General, together with the Pleni
potentiary and suite, embarked early in the morning on
board the Phlegethon , the Nemesis being ordered to
accompany them . As they approached Chusan, the
alarm was given by the Chinese, from numerous watch
towers, or rather signal stations erected upon the hills,
or upon the tops of the several islands which lie in the
immediate neighbourhood. Great changes had evidently
1
Subsequently, the poor fellow was paid the full amount of his claim ,
by the orders of the Admiral.
1
CHUSAN . 187
taken place since our forces left Chusan, a few months
before ; and preparations of an extensive kind had been
rapidly made for the defence of the place. As the
steamers entered the principal harbour, by its western
side, between the so -called Tea Island and Guard Island,
the Chinese opened a few guns at them, but at too
great a distance to do any damage; and as there was no
wish to attack them in a desultory manner, the steamers
were ordered to keep at a good distance, but to direct
their movements so as to get a complete view of all the
Chinese positions .
The rapidity of the tides, in the different channels
leading into the harbour, is so great that large vessels
sometimes become perfectly unmanageable ; and even
powerful steamers found it difficult to stem the current.
Nothing can be more striking or picturesque than the
views on every side, as you approach Chusan . Much as you
may have read of the careful cultivation and economical
husbandry of the Chinese (not always so great as sup
posed), you are here particularly struck with the gar
den-like aspect of every spot of ground you see.. The
country is hilly on all sides, but every hill is cultivated
with extreme care, up to its very summit. It is divided
into small ridges, or beds, in which various productions
are raised, side by side, giving the greatest possible
variety to the aspect of the country , and pointing out
the vast labour and perseverance with which the tillage
must be conducted, “ to subdue the stubborn soil.” It
is almost entirely spade-husbandry, and ought rather to
be called horticulture .
In the low valleys, and little sheltered nooks, you
188 CHUSAN .
trace villages and farm -houses of neat appearance ; and
every bend of the coast, every little bit of low,, swampy
ground, is embanked and recovered from the sea by long,
thick, stone walls, which are maintained with the ut
most care. Behind these, the ground is laid out in
rice-fields, irrigated with much ingenuity, and there is
a general appearance of well-being and industry, which
indicates a thriving and contented population. How
different from the aspect of Hong Kong, and the other
islands to the southward ! But it would give an exag
But
gerated idea of the general productiveness of the empire ,
to suppose that every part of it is cultivated in a similar
manner. Generally speaking, the island of Chusan,
with some of the smaller ones adjacent to it, may be
considered as among the most picturesque and fertile
spots in the north of China, as far as it was visited by
the expedition, and the loss of this possession was
deeply felt by the Emperor, of which, as he said, “ he >
read the account with fast falling tears."!
The great and rapidly completed preparations which
were found to have been made for the protection of the
island prove the importance with which it was regarded.
The city of Tinghai, the capital of Chusan , is a
walled town of the third class, about two miles in circum
1 In some of the most barren parts of Tartary, where the people with
difficulty obtain the means of subsistence, remarkable care is bestowed
upon the cultivation of patches of ground, only a few yards square, upon
the side of the most rugged mountains. Æneas Anderson says, “ Upon
a very high mountain in Tartary (on the road to the imperial residence ),
I discovered patches of cultivated ground in such a position as to appear
altogether inaccessible. Presently I observed one of the poor husband
men employed in digging a small spot near the top of a hill, where, at
first sight, it appeared impossible for him to stand, much less to till the
TINGHAI. 189
ference, having four entrances, with double-arched gate
ways, situated at right angles to each other, according
to the usual Chinese practice. The greater part of the
town is surrounded by a wet ditch or canal, which adds
very much to the natural unhealthiness caused by im
perfect drainage, (owing to the lowness of its situation)
and by the swampy rice -grounds, which occupy the
whole valley. Indeed, were it not protected by a raised
bank running along the face of the harbour, from which
the city is three quarters of aa mile distant, the whole of
the valley in which the town is situated would fre
quently be flooded . It was upon this raised bank that
the great line of sea battery, presently to be described,
had been recently erected. A narrow causeway and a
shallow canal connect the city with a village, at which
is the principal landing-place of the harbour, situated
at the foot of a steep, conical hill, which stands about
the centre of the whole sea -face of the valley or plain ,
which may be about three miles broad . The latter is
bounded by steep hills on either side, which stretch
down close to the city, and command the western face
of the walls.
The hill at the landing - place, which came to be
known by the name of Pagoda Hill, is a very striking
object from every point of the harbour. The appear
ground. I soon noticed that he had a rope fastened rouud his middle,
by which he let himself down from the top, to any part of the precipice
where a few square yards of ground gave him encouragement to plant
his vegetables. Situated as these spots are, at considerable distances from
each other, and considering the daily fatigue and danger of this man's
life, it affords an interesting example of Chinese industry, stimulated by
necessity." - See Anderson's Embassy of Lord Macartney.
190 TINGHAI .
ance of a temple upon it, and several small detached
buildings, which had been recently built as prisons for
the English, whom the Chinese intended to capture, and
the steepness of its summit, gave it an appearance of
strength , which it did not possess.
Directly opposite Pagoda Hill are two small islands,
called Trumball and Macclesfield Islands, which bound
the harbour on the eastern side, and upon the nearest
of these a mortar-battery was afterwards erected, for
the purpose of shelling Pagoda Hill .
To the southward the harbour is shut in by the
highly -cultivated and considerable island called Tea Is .
land ; while on its western side, at the extremity of the
long sea -battery, lies the small island called Guard Is
land, only separated by a very narrow passage called the
Devil's Gates from the hills which overlook the valley.
As the two steamers now entered the inner harbour
by the western passage, leaving Guard Island on the
left, they immediately came in sight of a long line of
continuous works, constructed of mud, along the top of
the whole line of embankment before described . It is
strange that such a mode of defence should have been
adopted ; for the flank of the battery was completely
commanded by the range of steep hills running up to
the very city itself. Upon the nearest hills, however,
at the end of the battery, the Chinese had formed a for
tified encampment, in which there appeared to be a
large body of troops ; and in aa hollow at the foot of it
there was an unfinished stone fort, intended to mount
eight guns. But they had placed their principal reli
ance upon the line of mud -batteries fronting the har
TINGHAI . 191
bour, and had run piles and stakes along the water's
edge, to prevent our troops from landing from the
boats, as if they imagined that aa battery could only be
attacked in front, and partly perhaps to prevent the
washing away of the soil.
The works had been hastily and unscientifically con
structed, and consisted principally of heaps of mud, of
a conical shape, raised upon the embankment, with em
brasures between them for the guns. These intervals
were so large, measuring generally from ten to fifteen feet
wide, that it would be impossible for the men to stand to
their guns, although the mounds of earth between them
were about twenty to twenty -five feet broad. The line of
battery extended far beyond the Pagoda or Joss House
Hill to the eastward, but was not completed at that end .
There were altogether nearly two hundred and seventy
embrasures, but only about eighty guns mounted, exclu
sive of those in a newly-built redoubt upon Pagoda Hill,
amounting to twelve or fifteen . Of these twenty-five
were afterwards found to be of brass and copper, and
tolerably well cast. Several improvements had been
made by the Chinese for the strengthening of Pagoda
Hill, since our evacuation of the place. They had re
tained the wall which we had formerly carried round the
top of it, with an arched gateway of stone on the side look
ing inland towards the town. Other improvements were
in progress ; so that, if the attack had been delayed for
some weeks longer, the Chinese would have completed
their defences, as well as their want of science would
permit. As it was, the authorities claimed for themselves
the honour of “having fought with heavy toil for six
192 CHUSAN
days and nights, ” reckoning the commencement of their
so-called fighting from the day on which the steamers
first approached to reconnoitre. Our forbearance was
magnified into a great victory by them for the moment,
at all events.
On the return of the steamers to the anchorage at
Just in the Way, with the rest of the fleet, orders were
given for the Nemesis to proceed on the following
morning across to the Ningpo river, to reconnoitre Chin
hae, &c. , &c. , but the weather proved so hazy and unset
>
tled, that this purpose was deferred for the present. On
the following day, the 28th, the weather still continued
very squally, which prevented the fleet from moving ;
and the Admiral, therefore, gave orders that the Ne
mesis should proceed again to Chusan, in company with
the Modeste and Columbine, ( the whole under the com
mand of Captain Eyres, of the Modeste) and they were
directed to destroy the unfinished battery already men
tioned , at the foot of the hills at the western extremity
of the long line of works, and if possible set fire to the
encampment on the hill above, or, at all events, disperse
the Chinese troops. The object was evidently to pre
pare for the landing of our force at that point, in order
to take the line of Chinese battery in reverse, and then
march upon the town by the hills. In sailing across
with a strong wind and sea dead ahead, the Colum
bine beat the Modeste with the greatest ease, so as
to be able to spare her square mainsail ; but the Ne
mesis beat them both with half steam under sail. The
increasing severity of the weather obliged them all to
come to anchor before they reached Chusan.
RECONNOITRING . 193
At daylight next morning the Nemesis was sent in
alone, to reconnoitre, having Captain Eyres and Captain
Clarke on board, and she soon discovered that the en
trenched camp on the hill was stronger than had been
supposed, and that the troops were collected in great
strength at that point. As the steamer ran pretty close
in shore, a smart but ineffective fire from large ginjals
was opened on her from the entrenched camp ; but the
small stone fort below was quite silent, and , indeed, ap
peared to be unarmed. Having fired a few shot into
the camp on the hill, in order to warn the Chinese of
what they had to expect, the Nemesis speedily returned,
to bring up the other two vessels ; and these, as soon as
they had come to anchor as close in shore as their
draught of water would permit, immediately opened fire
upon the entrenched camp above, and also at the fort
below, in order to ascertain if it was occupied. As the
Nemesis, however, could stand in much closer than the
other vessels, Captain Eyres and Captain Clarke went
on board her, and she was then carried within excellent
range, and immediately poured in shot, shell, rockets,
and carcases, with such remarkable precision , as to have
been made the subject of special mention in the Admi
ral's despatch .
In a short time, the temporary buildings were de
molished, and a breach was made in the wall of the
fortified encampment. The proper moment for landing
was now come ; but, as the orders were positive not to
come to close quarters with the enemy, but merely to
reconnoitre their position , and prevent them from add
ing to their works of defence, no attempt was made to
VOL . II . o
194 NAVAL OPERATIONS .
carry the encampment. A small party of men were
landed, but merely with a view to ascertain beyond a
doubt that the small stone fort below was unarmed, and
to make a hasty reconnoissance of the line of sea
battery, nearly a mile long, which connected this point
with Pagoda Hill. A large body of Chinese troops
were now seen forming under the brow of the hill in
the rear, in order to make an attack upon the recon
noitring party ; but a few well-directed shot from the
steamer's guns immediately dispersed them .
The object of this little affair having been now fully
accomplished, the Nemesis hastened to rejoin the ad
miral, with despatches from Captain Eyres. Sir Wil
liam Parker was, however, already on his way over to
Chusan in the Wellesley, and now, without loss of time,
came on board the Nemesis, accompanied by the General,
and ordered her to carry them once more across the
harbour of Chusan. The Chinese again opened a dis
tant and useless fire upon her as she passed , both in
going and returning, as they had done on the former
occasion .
In the course of the afternoon, several of the ships of
war, and some of the transports, reached the outer har
bour of Chusan, while the Blonde, Modeste, and Queen
steamer, proceeded to take up a position under the two
islands which lie opposite Pagoda Hill, and which were
called Macclesfield (or Melville) and Trumball islands.
They were directed to cover and assist a party of the
Royal Artillery, under Captain Knowles, in erecting a
battery of one 68 - pounder gun, and two 24 -pounder
howitzers, upon the top of the ridge of the former
PAGODA HILL. 195
island, with aa view to shell Pagoda Hill and its defences,
which were within range, but rather distant. The Chi
nese continued firing very ineffectually during the whole
time, in the direction of these islands, but their shot
always fell short, and were consequently harmless.
The battery was finished on the following day, with
great labour and skill . Every preparation for the
attack being completed on the 30th, the dawn of the
1st of October was looked for with intense interest.
At daylight the Nemesis again crossed and recrossed
the inner harbour, for the purpose of embarking some
troops which were on board the Jupiter, close to Trum
ball Island ; they consisted of a portion of the Madras
Rifles and a number of camp -followers. The Nemesis
then proceeded to the transports in the outer harbour,
to take on board part of the 49th regiment, together
with a detachment of Sappers and Miners.
The Howitzer Battery, upon Melville Island, opened
fire just as she was crossing from the inner harbour ;
and it was an interesting sight to watch the shells fall
ing upon Pagoda Hill. The first shell was thrown
inerely to try the range, and fell rather short, but the
second fell exactly within the fort, close to the gate,
and it therefore became evident that the Chinese could
not long hold out.
About the same time, the Queen steamer endeavoured
to tow the Blonde frigate into a good position against
Pagoda Hill and the adjacent defences, to aid the
mortar battery ; but, so great was the strength of the
tide, which runs like aa mill-race in that part of the har
bour, that it was impossible to move the Blonde into a
0 2
1.96 CHINESE DEFIANCE .