camp, flanked by small field -batteries of recent and hasty
construction, and connected with the Hill Fort above,
by a high breastwork continued up the hill towards it.
The object of the Chinese was evidently to protect the
rear of the fort, which was plainly the key of the posi
tion . In the rear of their field - batteries were deep
trenches for giving shelter to their men from our shot,
ATTACK ON CHUENPEE . 261
and the Chinese could be seen lining the works, and
waving their flags in defiance.
The guns of the royal artillery were soon in position
upon the ridge, and began firing with great precision
into the entrenched camp ; while an advanced party of
the royal marines, crossing the shoulder of the hill to the
right, drove the Chinese speedily from it ; and , then
descending into the valley beyond, came upon a second
encampment, with a small field - battery, which was soon
cleared . A detachment of the 37th M. N. Infantry had
also been sent further round to the right of the advance,
where they encountered the Chinese in some force.
While all these operations were going on, The Queen
and the Nemesis steamers ( the latter having first rapidly
disembarked her portion of the 37th, with the main body
of the force) took up a position within good shelling
distance of the Hill Fort. The Nemesis, from her light
draught of water, was enabled to take up her station
inside The Queen, and both vessels commenced throwing
shell with great precision into the fort, much to the
astonishment of the Chinese, who were unacquainted
with this engine of destruction .
Captain Hall had on this occasion, as on several sub
sequent ones, the able assistance, as a gunnery officer, of
Mr. Crouch, one of the mates of the Wellesley, who was >
permitted to serve for a time on board the Nemesis.
* In the official report of Captain Belcher, and on a subsequent occasion ,
it is stated, by mistake, that Mr. Crouch was serving on board The Queen.
This active young officer well deserved the promotion which he soon
obtained. He was unfortunately wounded at the close of the war, at
Chin -Keang -Foo.
262 TAKING THE HILL-FORT.
The Chinese could not long withstand the fire of the
68-pounder of The Queen, and the two 32 -pounder pivot
guns of the Nemesis, the shells from which could be
seen bursting within the walls of the fort.
At the same time, on the land-side, the principal
entrenched camp bad by this time been carried by the
main body of the troops, and, twenty -five minutes after
the shelling of the fort had commenced, the British flag
was seen waving upon its top, and the firing ceased .
Major Pratt himself, with only two marines, had been
the first to run up the hill and reach the fort; upon
which the Chinese, seeing that they were pressed behind
as well as before, abandoned the fort in great confusion ,
leaving Major Pratt and his followers in possession of
this most important position, upon which the British
flag was hoisted by a royal marine.
The Nemesis, as soon as this was perceived, hastened
on to join the ships of war, (the Calliope, Larne, and
Hyacinth ) which had taken up their positions nearly
within musket-shot of the lower batteries, and were
doing great execution. The works were, however, con
structed of strong material, comprising large blocks of
the composition called chunam , very much resembling
stone, but less fragile. The Nemesis came up just in
time to pour in several discharges of grape and canister
from both the pivot-guns, and had then to witness one
of the most dreadful spectacles of war. The Chinese in
the battery had already been assailed by our troops from
the fort above ; and now a party of the royal marines,
and the 37th M. N. I., which had previously cleared the
>
second camp in the valley behind, were seen coming
HORRORS OF WAR. 263
round the hill, ready to pounce upon them as they
attempted to escape out of the fort. The unfortunate
men were thus hemmed in on all sides ; and, being un
acquainted with the humane practice of modern warfare,
of giving and receiving quarter, they abandoned them
selves to the most frantic despair.
Now were to be seen some of those horrors of war
which, when the excitement of the moment is over, and
the interest as well as danger of strategic maneuvres are
at an end, none can remember without regret and pain.
The Chinese, not accepting quarter, though attempting
to escape, were cut up by the fire of our advancing
troops ; others, in the faint hope of escaping what to
them appeared certain death at the hands of their vic
tors, precipitated themselves recklessly from the top of
the battlements ; numbers of them were now swimming
in the river, and not a few vainly trying to swim, and
sinking in the effort ; some few , however, perhaps a
hundred, surrendered themselves to our troops, and were
soon afterwards released. Many of the poor fellows
were unavoidably shot by our troops, who were not only
warmed with the previous fighting, but exasperated be
cause the Chinese had fired off their matchlocks at them
first, and then threw them away, as if to ask for quarter ;
under these circumstances, it could not be wondered at
that they suffered . Some again barricaded themselves
within the houses of the fort, a last and desperate effort;
and, as several of our soldiers were wounded by their
spears, death and destruction were the consequence.
The slaughter was great ; nor could it be easily con
trolled when the men were irritated by the protracted
264 BRAVERY OF THE CHINESE .
and useless attacks which were made upon them from
behind walls and hiding-places, even after the British
flag was hoisted. It is wonderful that the casualties
among the men were not more numerous.
The commandant of the fort was killed at the head of
his men ; and it is related that his son, as soon as he
found that his father was dead, resolving not to survive
him, and being unable to avenge his death, jumped into
the sea, in spite of all remonstrance, and was drowned .
Those who have witnessed the individual bravery, be
it courage or be it despair, frequently exhibited by the
Chinese during the war, in almost every encounter, will
be slow to stamp them as a cowardly people, however
inefficient they may be as fighting men in armed bodies,
against European discipline and modern weapons.
The most painful of all the scenes on this occasion
was that of the bodies of men burnt perhaps to death
when wounded .
It is well known that the bow and arrow is the fa
vourite weapon of the Tartar troops, upon the dexterous
use of which they set the highest claim to military dis
tinction. The spear also, of various forms and fashions,
is a favourite weapon both of Tartars and Chinese ; but
the matchlock, which in all respects very nearly resem
bles some of the old European weapons of the same name,
except that the bore is generally somewhat smaller, is
of much more modern introduction, and by no means
so much in favour with the Chinese ; this is occasioned
principally by the danger arising from the use of the
powder, in the careless way in which they carry it.
They have a pouch in front, fastened round the body,
THE MATCHLOCK . 265
and the powder is contained loose in a certain number
of little tubes inside the pouch, not rolled up like our
cartridges.
Of course, every soldier has to carry a match or port
fire to ignite the powder in the matchlock when loaded.
Hence, when a poor fellow is wounded and falls, the
powder, which is very apt to run out of his pouch over
his clothes, is very likely to be ignited by his own match,
and in this way he may either be blown up at once, or
else his clothes may be ignited ; indeed, it is not impos
sible that the match itself may be sufficient to produce
this effect ; it is therefore not surprising that they should
regard the matchlock with some little apprehension.
At Chuenpee, many bodies were found after the action
not only scorched, but completely burnt, evidently from
the ignition of the powder ; although it is to be hoped
that many of these were dead before their clothes caught
fire.
In one of the latest encounters during the war, at
Chapoo, where a few of the Tartars defended themselves
so desperately in a house in which they had taken re
fuge, they were seen stripping themselves altogether, in
order to escape the effect of the fire upon their combus
tible clothes when the building was in flames ; and many
other instances of a similar kind were noticed during the
war .
With respect to the attack upon the fort at Tycock
tow, on the opposite side of the river, the Nemesis was
not concerned in that part of the operations of the 7th
January. The force employed on that service was placed
under the orders of Captain Scott, ofthe Samarang, 26 ;
266 TAKING OF TYCOCKTOW .
and consisted , in addition to that vessel, of the Druid,
44, Captain Smith ; the Modeste, 18, Commander Eyres;
and Columbine, 16, Commander Clarke. Captain Scott
was directed to proceed to attack the forts upon Tycock
tow, and to dismantle them, spiking the guns, and de
>
stroying the forts as much as possible ; after which, he
was to take up a convenient position in reference to
the expected operations against the proper Bogue forts
higher up.
Captain Scott led the way gallantly in the Samarang,
without returning the fire of the Chinese, until he dropped
anchor within cable's length of the middle of the fort.
The Modeste, Druid, and Columbine came up almost
directly after, and then commenced the terrific thunder
of artillery, which soon sufficed to shatter the walls, and
to make a breach, through which the seamen and marines,
which were landed from the ships, soon carried the fort
by storm . The Chinese fled in all directions up the hill,
but not without witnessing, to their cost, the deadly
effect of our musketry upon their confused bodies ; nor
did they yield without shewing some instances of bold
personal courage.
The attack through the breach was led by Lieutenant
Bowers, first lieutenant of the Samarang, who received
a sabre cut across the knee ; which shews that the Chi
nese did not run away without first coming to close
quarters ; their loss, however, was considerable. The
guns in the fort were all spiked , and then thrown into
the sea ; the magazines and other buildings were set on
fire (the wounded having been first removed) ; but it
was not thought necessary to pursue the Chinese further.
TAKING OF TYCOCKTOW . 267
As soon as these operations had been completed , the
whole of the party which had landed, comprising the
1
boats' crews of all the ships engaged , returned on board .
Part of them had proceeded to attack the northern end
of the fort, namely, those of the Druid and Columbine,
and were commanded by Lieutenant Goldsmith, (since
promoted ) and great praise was given to all the officers
and men concerned, for their gallantry and good conduct.
The number of guns destroyed was twenty -five ; those
which were captured at Chuenpee amounted altogether
to sixty -six pieces, of various calibre, including those
in the entrenchments, as well as those upon the upper
and lower forts. Many of the guns, however, were not
mounted, shewing that the preparations for defence had
not been completed ; some were only 6 -pounders, but
a great portion of the remainder were about equal to
our own 12-pounder guns. Of course, they were all
rendered unserviceable.
The operations of this day have not yet, however, been
all described. So far as relates to Chuenpee and
Tycocktow , little remains to be added , except that the
killed and wounded, on the part of the land force, on
our side, amounted to thirty ; and on that of the naval
force, to eight men and officers. But the destruction
of the war -junks in Anson's Bay also formed part of the
feats of this day ; and, as it more particularly relates to
the Nemesis, it shall be reserved for a separate chapter.
268 DESTRUCTION OF THE WAR - JUNKS
CHAPTER XIV.
Destruction of Chinese squadron in Anson's Bay — Nemesis and boats
Description of Chinese position River at the bottom of the bay -
Explosion of a junk — Chinese trying to escape Junks abandoned
and set on fire — Nemesis proceeds up the river Captures two more
-
junks at a town - Killed and wounded on the 7th January – Number
of guns taken - Admiral Kwan loses his button of rank—New Chinese
boarding -nettings -·Novel application - Description of new kinds of
war -junks — With English guns - Wheeled boats Orders of the
Emperor to build ships on European models — Official report of the
actions to the Emperor by Keshen - Degradation of Admiral Kwan
New plans to destroy the English ships — Preparations to attack the
Bogue forts — Disappointment — Truce - Cession of Hong Kong -
Restoration of the forts — Remarks on Captain Elliot's measures -
-
Troops ordered to withdraw from Chusan .
The total destruction of the Chinese squadron of
war-junks, on the day of the action of Chuenpee ( 7th
January ), under the orders of Admiral Kwan, completed
the discomfiture of the Chinese by sea and by land.
The engagement took place in Anson's Bay, which has
already been described as lying between Chuenpee and
Anunghoy. The Nemesis here took aa most distinguished
part ; and some of the boats of the Calliope, Hyacinth,
Larne, Sulphur, and Starling, co-operated with her in
the action, in which Lieutenants Watson and Harrison ,
and other officers of the Calliope and Larne, deservedly
won their laurels .
IN ANSON'S BAY. 269
At the bottom of Anson's Bay was the entrance of a
small river, unknown until now, having a small island
at its mouth, somewhat on the Chuenpee side . Within
this, and in a measure protracted by a sand-bar which
ran out from it, lay the Chinese fleet of about fifteen
war-junks, moored in a good position in shallow water,
so as to prevent the near approach of our ships. Direc
tions had been given to Captain Herbert, of the Cal
liope, to make arrangements for the attack of these
war-junks, as soon as the defences on Chuenpee should
have fallen . The moment, therefore, that it was per
ceived on board the Nemesis, as she ran up towards the
lower battery, and poured in her grape and canister, that
the upper fort had fallen, and that the lower one could
not longer hold out, she hastened, without a moment's
delay, to the attack of the enemy's squadron. Full
steam was set on, without waiting to see what other
measures might be taken elsewhere to effect the object.
In her anxiety to secure the post of honour, the
Nemesis rounded the point of Chuenpee a little too
close, and struck rather heavily upon a rocky reef run
ning out some distance from it, but upon which it was
thought that there was still water enough to enable her
to float safely. She did indeed pass over it, but not
without striking ; but her iron frame did not hang upon
it as a wooden one would probably have done, and she
proceeded, without even stopping her engines. That
the force of the blow however was considerable, and
would probably have seriously damaged a wooden vessel,
is shown by the fact of her having the outer paddle
ring of one of the wheels broken, together with two of
270 ATTACK ON THE WAR-JUNKS .
the long arms attached to it. It is evident that a blow
which would cause such injury to iron would have
done much more serious damage to wood .
About this time, Captain Belcher, of the Sulphur,
joined her, with two of his ship's boats, anxious to par
take of the honour of the affair. A few of the Sulphur's
seamen also came on board . As she pushed along, she
was also reinforced by Lieutenant Kellett, of the Star
ling, who brought his gig, or whale-boat, and sub
sequently did good service, by occasionally pointing
the foremost gun of the Nemesis, at his own request,
with great precision.
As they approached the position in which the Chinese
junks were drawn up, it was easily perceived that it had
been well chosen, with scarcely more than five feet
water round the vessels, and that, in fact, they could
not be attacked in front, except by boats. However,
the Nemesis, having the great advantage of drawing
less than six feet water, was able to approach near
enough to bring her two 32-pounder pivot-guns to bear
within good range. Just at this moment also a large
boat, or pinnace, of the Larne, was observed, making its
way round the outside of the little island, with a view
to cut off the junks in the rear.
The boldness of this maneuvre, under the command
of Lieutenant Harrison, was much admired ; and, in
deed, the dashing way in which many similar attacks
were made on other occasions during the war took the
Chinese by surprise, and struck them with a wholesome
terror, even before they came to close quarters.
One of the most formidable engines of destruction
THE CONGREVE ROCKET. 271
which any vessel, particularly a steamer, can make use
of is the congreve rocket, a most terrible weapon when
judiciously applied, especially where there are com
bustible materials to act upon. The very first rocket
fired from the Nemesis was seen to enter the large junk
against which it was directed, near that of the admiral,
and almost the instant afterwards it blew up with a
terrific explosion, launching into eternity every soul on
board, and pouring forth its blaze like the mighty rush
of fire from a volcano . The instantaneous destruction
of the huge body seemed appalling to both sides en
gaged . The smoke, and flame, and thunder of the
explosion, with the broken fragments falling round, and
even portions of dissevered bodies scattering as they
fell, were enough to strike with awe, if not with fear,
the stoutest heart that looked upon it.
It is related that, at the battle of the Nile, when the
French Admiral's ship, L'Orient, blew up, both ofthe
fiercely -fighting foes paused in horror at the dread
ful catastrophe, and neither side renewed the fight for
at least ten minutes afterwards. So here, also, although
the explosion was far less violent, and the contending
parties comparatively trifling in number, and far less
excited by the contest, there was a momentary pause ;
the very suddenness of the catastrophe added something
to the awe and rejoicing, combined, which it excited.
The rocket had penetrated into the magazine of the
junk , or had ignited some of the loose powder too often
scattered carelessly about the decks by the Chinese
gunners. They naturally felt that the same fate might
readily befall any of the other junks ; and, after some
272 ATTACK ON THE WAR-JUNKS.
discharges of round shot had been thrown into the
nearest junks ( four of them were afterwards found
lodged in the admiral's junk), their crews were ob
served endeavouring to escape on shore, some upon the
little island, and others upon Chuenpee ; while, at the
same time, the junks were all cut away by those remain
ing on board, in order that they might drift on shore,
and enable the rest to escape .
The Chinese hauled down their colours on board their
junks at about half -past eleven, but continued firing
afterwards. At about twelve o'clock, the boats of the
Nemesis, in company with the others which were pre
sent, put off to board the junks. Only two of the
smaller ones succeeded in getting away up a small
branch of the river, while two more escaped, for the
moment, up another principal branch to a large town,
but were subsequently captured.
Some of the junks drifted on shore ; and, as there
could be no utility in saving them, they were all suc
cessively set on fire, by order of Captain Belcher, and
ultimately blew up. In some of the junks which were
not yet quite abandoned by their crews, the poor
Chinamen, as the English sailors boarded them on one
side, rushed wildly over on the opposite one, or let
themselves down by the stern-chains, clinging to the
ship’s rudder. Others, as the fire gained upon their junk,
retreated before it, and continued hanging to the yet
untouched portions of it, until the flames advancing upon
them rapidly, they were obliged to throw water over
their own bodies, to enable them to bear the intense
heat, still desperately clinging to their fate, more from
TESTIMONY TO CAPTAIN HALL . 273
fear of ill-treatment, if they should be taken prisoners,
than from any rational hope of being saved. In many
instances, they would not be saved ; in others they could
not, and were destroyed as their junk blew up . In fact,
they all appeared completely panic -struck ; to which the
sudden explosion of the first junk by the rocket con
tributed not a little.
On the following day, the principal part of the guns
were recovered, altogether upwards of eighty in number,
of which eight or ten were handsome brass Portuguese
guns 6, 9 , and 12 -pounders. One of these was, a few
days afterwards, presented to Captain Hall by the offi
cers and crew of the ship under his command , together
with a letter signed by them all, in which he was
>
requested to accept it from them , as “ a mark of their
remembrance of the coolness and judgment which he
had shown throughout that day. ” It would be needless
to say that their coolness and gallantry were also well
remembered by their commander himself.
Altogether, eleven junks were destroyed on the spot.
Scarcely had this duty been completed by the different
boats engaged, when the Nemesis hastened on up the
river, and, at the distance of about three miles, came
upon a large town , where she found two war-junks
moored close to the shore, but abandoned by their
crews . The consternation of the people was extreme;
they were seen running away from the town in all di
rections ; the surrounding hills were crowded with the
anxious and astonished gazers, wondering what was
going to happen next ; never, of course, having either
seen or heard of a “ devil ship ” before, and well know
VOL . I. T
274 BURNING THE JUNKS .
ing that her visit could only be a hostile one. It was
enough that they had already heard of the total destruc
tion of their fleet at the river's mouth . The place was
not at all fortified, not a shot being fired on either side.
The tide was now beginning to fall, and, as the water
was not deep, and the bar would soon become impassable,
and the day was already far advanced, it was thought
better to return, without exploring the river higher up.
Accordingly, taking in tow the two junks, the Nemesis
again descended the river ; but one of the junks getting
aground on the bar, at the entrance, was obliged to be
left behind, while the other was taken safely down, and
soon after five p. m. the Nemesis joined the squadron
off Chuenpee, and received the thanks of the commo
dore for the services she had rendered during the day.
She had received no important damage, the paddle-box
only having been injured by a well -directed shot from
one of the junks.
The burning of the junks was a service by no means
unattended with danger to those employed in it ; for,
the guns on board, many of them being still loaded,
went off as soon as the fire reached them, threatening
to do serious damage to the Nemesis as she passed near.
It must have been a fine sight for the troops who
were in possession of Chuenpee, to witness from the top
of the hill the encounter with, and total destruction of,
this fleet; the numerous burning masses, and the loud
explosions as they blew up ; with the boats pulling
about among them , lighted by the glare of the fires :
all this, added to the excitement which always attends
the being a looker-on while others are actors in deeds
A DAY OF DISASTERS . 275
of danger, must have formed a most animating spec
tacle . The scenery about Anson's Bay is moreover
bold and picturesque, and the limited space in which
the affair took place must have added something to the
interest it awakened . For several days after the event
fragments of the broken wrecks were seen strewed along
the beach, and it was some time before even the indus
trious and economical Chinese could muster resolution
to pick them up.
To the Chinese this had been in all respects a most
disastrous day. Their stone walls and their wooden
walls had been alike destroyed. And, although they
might before have dreaded us by sea, they had never
until now had an opportunity of testing the power of
Europeans on land. The soil of their forefathers had
now been defiled by the hostile tread of what they were
pleased to call the “ red barbarians ;" their defences
were destroyed, their troops dispersed, and the spell of
their unapproachable seclusion broken. All the “ spe
cial favours ” and “ compassionate forbearance ” which
the tender-hearted benevolence of the great emperor
had hitherto conferred upon the “ barbarian” in words
were now thrown back upon him in cannon - balls, and
the proud victor's conscious power now stood front to
front with the still prouder emperor's unconscious
weakness.
On this day, the 7th January, 1841 , the native In
dian troops and the Royal Marines constituted con
siderably more than two-thirds of the whole force em
ployed on shore.
The loss of many hundred killed and wounded on the
T 2
276 KWAN AND HIS BUTTON .
Chinese side, with something less than forty wounded
and none killed on our side, shows rather that the Chi
nese were deficient in proper weapons to match their
foes, than wanting in personal bravery to meet them in
the fight.. And, as they were not yet acquainted with
the European mode of sparing an unresisting enemy ,
they suffered great loss from unsupported and useless
resistance , when timely submission would have saved
many lives . They exasperated our troops without a
chance of benefitting themselves .
The Chinese admiral, the fine old Kwan, lost the red
ball or button of his cap, the emblem of his rank, during
the encounter with the junks . It was reported that he
wished to meet his death at the hands of his foe, and was
with some difficulty borne off by his attendants; but this
fate was reserved for him on a future occasion, and he
showed himself a chivalrous and brave man . The loss
of his ball or button , which has certain marks upon it
which probably indicate that it is conferred by imperial
favour as an emblem of rank, seemed naturally to occa
sion him the greatest possible anxiety and trouble. He,
in fact, made application for it to be returned to him,
if it chanced to have been found ; and it is gratifying
to know that, through the intervention of Captain Elliot,
her Majesty's plenipotentiary, it was recovered and ge
nerously restored to him .
The total number of guns taken or rendered unser
viceable during the operations of this day, ashore and
afloat, amounted to one hundred and seventy -three
pieces, including eighty-two in the junks, of which a
few were brass, but mostly of small calibre.
FISHING FOR SAILORS . • 277
As mention has now particularly been made of junks,
as a name for Chinese vessels, we may take this oppor
tunity, while the Nemesis is quietly at anchor with the
ships under Captain Herbert for the night, to say a few
words upon these curious vessels .
The junks with which the Nemesis was engaged in
Anson's Bay were provided with quite a new sort of
boarding-nettings, if they can be so called. Probably
old Admiral Kwan , whose reputation as a seaman was
not very great, had heard that English ships of war were
sometimes provided with nets when going into action ;
and, therefore, without knowing very well what
might be the purpose of them, he determined to have
them likewise. But, alas ! he made aa sad mistake con
cerning the object for which they were intended . He
very naturally thought, that, in the position which he
had taken up in shallow water, only the boats of the
squadron could come close to him, and he hit upon the
bright notion of trying to catch them with his nets, just
as a poacher catches his sleeping game by throwing a
net over them. A number of strong fishing-nets were
fastened all round the sides of the junks, not extended
so as to impede any one trying to get on board, but
triced up outside over each of the guns, in such a way ,
that, when our boats should come alongside, the nets
were to be thrown over them, men and all ; and thus
our jolly tars, of course, as he imagined , struck power
less with fear, were to be caught like hares in their
form , and handed over with great facility to the tender
mercies of the emperor .
Certainly this scheme had the merit of novelty and
278 WAR-JUNKS.
ingenuity, but, unfortunately for Kwan, men were not
>
hares or rabbits.. No sooner did the guns of the Neme
sis open fire, than the nets were all forgotten in their
fear of the shot and the rockets ; and, long before the
boats could get alongside, the defenders and men
catchers were glad to be off, to avoid being themselves
caught.
All Chinese vessels of whatever description, except
their smaller boats of various kinds, with or without
sails (of the latter there are very few ), are called by
Europeans junks. They vary in size, the largest of
them sometimes measuring as much as eight hundred
tons . A more unwieldy-looking machine, or one less
calculated for efficient service at sea, than the old
fashioned junks, can scarcely be conceived. Although,
since the commencement of the war, they have gradu
ally improved them very much in the fashion of the
hull, and have taken the grand step of beginning a
change of some sort or other, still the masts and sails,
and all that appertains to the rigging of a vessel, are
very little different from what they have hitherto been .
It should be noticed, that the boats and smaller rig
ged vessels of the Chinese are generally very much su
perior to their large junks in form and convenience of
arrangement,, and often sail very well. The family to
whom the boat belongs lives entirely on board , and, for
the combined purposes for which their boats are gene
rally used, perhaps no arrangement could be better
adapted for making the most of a limited space ; and
they are, moreover, kept remarkably clean.
The war-junks are of different sizes, and have guns
WAR - JUNKS . 279
varying in number from four to fourteen, and even more,
mounted upon them, of various calibre, some of foreign
make, but principally Chinese. The smaller junks are
also adapted for oars or sweeps, of which they sometimes
can work as many as twenty on either side. The crew
are further provided with a great number of spears,
swords, matchlocks, and frequently large jingals, not
unlike our duck - guns, fitted with a rest upon the bul
warks of the vessel, so as to give the power of taking a
steady aim. There are generally a large number of
round shields on board, made in a saucer-like fashion,
and about two and a half to three feet in diameter.
They are composed of ratans, or canes, strongly twisted
or woven in together, and are so elastic, that it would
be very difficult to cut through them with a sword ; and
even a musket-ball fired from a long distance, and hit
ting them at all in a slanting direction, would be turned
off. They are usually hung all round the bulwarks,
resting upon the top and outside of them , giving a very
striking appearance .
A large junk puts put one very much in mind of
one of the old Roman galleys, only less efficiently
constructed for venturing away from land, and not un
frequently gaudily ornamented with green and yellow
colours. Several improvements have been adopted by
the Chinese since the commencement of the war. They
had constructed a number of gun-boats for the defence of
the river higher up, upon Europeon models ; and, towards
the close of the war, they built one or two large junks,
which they called frigates, with great improvements in
shape and general arrangement, and regular port-holes
280 IMPROVED VESSELS.
for the guns on the deck below, and with heavy guns too
mounted in them . One of these we saw near the
Bogue, after the peace, mounting thirty -six guns, all of
foreign manufacture, many of them 9 and 12-pounder
iron guns, made by Fawcett, of Liverpool, and purchased
either at Macao or at Singapore.. The junk was very
clean, and in good order, painted green , and coppered ;
and, with the exception of the masts and sails, which were
looked very well. This vessel was
in the old style, she looked
said to have been constructed by order of Tinqua, one
of the Hong merchants , who has distinguished himself
by his zeal in defence of his country ; and it was by him
presented to the emperor , together with a European
barque , and a brig, rather the worse for wear in the
merchant service , which he purchased at considerable
cost. These are still to be seen in the river of Canton ,
manned by Chinamen , but, as might be expected , not in
good order as regards the rigging and sails, and not
very well adapted for a cruise at sea .
Another large vessel, which they purchased in the
early part of the war, called the Cambridge, as will be
presently seen, was destroyed in the river, in an engage
ment with our vessels, in which the Nemesis bore a con
spicuous part.
But the most remarkable improvement of all, and
which shewed the rapid stride towards a great change
which they were daily making, as well as the ingenuity
of the Chinese character, was the construction of several
large wheeled vessels, which were afterwards brought for
ward against us with great confidence, at the engagement
at Woosung, the last naval affair of the war, and were each
REFORM IN CHINA . 281
commanded by a mandarin of rank , shewing the impor
tance they attached to their new vessels. This too was
so far north as the Yangtze Keang, where we had never
traded with them ; so that the idea must have been sug
gested to them by the reports they received concerning
the wonderful power of our steamers or wheeled vessels.
To anticipate a little, it may here be mentioned, that
the vessels had wooden wheels, very like an undershot
mill-wheel, which were moved by machinery inside the
vessel, worked by a sort of capstan by manual labour,
the crew walking it round and round, just like walking
up an anchor on board a man -of-war; the horizontal
revolution was turned into the upright one by strong
wooden cog -wheels, upon regular mechanical principles.
When once the spirit of change and improvement has
taken hold of the Chinese, it is impossible to say where
it will stop among so ingenious and indefatigable a
people. Even the emperor himself has ordered still
greater changes to be made since the peace, and has
directed that “the best materials for building ships shall
be procured from all parts of the world ; and that, as
.
only ships built on European principles can contend
with European ships, they must gradually learn to adopt
European models themselves. But, as this can only be
effected by time, and the ships are required now to sup
press the pirates which infest his coast, they are at once
to purchase foreign ships, and learn to exercise their
crews. ”
Who could so soon have expected such an order
from a great despotic monarch, who has hitherto pro
fessed to be guided only by the light of his ancestors,
282 A DRAWN BATTLE .
and the wisdom of the ancients ; and whose whole people
have eschewed all change in the prescribed inviolable
tyranny of usage, as if it were the introduction of a
dreaded pestilence into the “ flowery land !"
To return from this short digression, we may now ask
what sort of a report was made by Admiral Kwan to his
mighty master, upon the subject of these first actions
below the Bogue — the first great collision between the
power and science of the west, and the self-confidence of
the remote east. Keshen, clear-sighted as he certainly
was, could not fail to perceive the many troubles and hu
miliations to which his country must become subjected if
hostilities were pushed to extremes. He was fully alive
to the serious defeat he had sustained, yet dreaded to
break the truth too suddenly to his haughty master ;
wise, therefore, in his generation, he declared that there
had been a " drawn battle .” He informed his master
that the contest had been maintained from eight a. m.
until two p. m., and that “ then , the tide ebbing,” (the tide
of fortune he might have said !) “ the foreign vessels
ceased firing, and anchored in the middle of the stream,
9
each side maintaining its ground .”
At that time, as has been seen, not only were the
Chinese forts long in our possession, but their fleet was
destroyed , and their commander-in -chief in full flight.
He alluded to the “ presumptuous, overbearing, and un
ruly violence of these foreigners, ” and then detailed the
measures he had adopted for reinforcing the positions,
and apologised for the absence of more detailed infor
mation, upon the ground of his anxiety to communicate
the earliest possible intelligence, to which he “ sub
KWAN AND KESHEN DEGRADED . 283
missively implored the sacred glance of his august
sovereign.”
The emperor, or rather his ministers, were not so
easily to be duped. Keshen was at once declared to be
+
“ incompetent ; ” and it was ordered that his conduct
“ should be subjected to the severest consideration ; "
while poor old Kwan was accused ofbeing “ at all times
devoid of talent to direct, and , on the approach of a
crisis, to be alarmed , perturbed, and without resources ."
From the earliest times to the most modern, success
has been vulgarly considered in all countries to be the
grand criterion of merit ; and the “ Felix ” of the an
cients, the successful, the favoured of the gods, stands
nearly as paramount in the estimation of the world now
as it did even in days of old . Kwan was accordingly at
once deprived of his rank and insignia of office, but was
ordered henceforth to labour to attain merit, bearing
his punishment in the mean time. And , indeed, when so
much parade had been made by the local authorities, of
what they had done and what they intended to do, it
was not unnatural that the emperor should visit them
with punishment in precise proportion to their failure.
Various plans were suggested for future proceedings
against the English ; it was admitted that the junks
could not cope with our ships on the open sea, and it
was therefore recommended “ that our vessels should be
enticed into the inner waters, and that there should be
employed expert divers to go down at night, and hore
holes in their bottoms,” while other parties were to
come stealthily upon them at night and board them
unawares, and massacre the whole of their crews.”
284 NEW PREPARATIONS.
Above all, a grand preparation of fire -ships was to be
made, filled with various combustibles, which, with a
favourable wind, were to be let loose upon them, and,
in the confusion resulting from this attack, their war
vessels were to follow and complete what the fire -vessels
had commenced. Great rewards were again offered for
the taking or destruction of any of our ships, and
50,000 dollars was to be the recompense for a line-of
battle ship
As aa last and truly Chinese suggestion, it was recom
mended to the emperor by some officious great man,
that as soon as the English should really “ repent of
their sins, and become sincerely submissive, the Portu
guese of Macao should become security for their good
behaviour in future ! ”
We must now return to the current of events, which
took place immediately after the capture of Chuenpee.
The evening after the engagement was spent in making
preparations on both sides for renewing the contest on
the morrow. Every one on board our ships was excited
with the occurrences of the day, and anxiously longing
for the dawn of morning, when the thunder of our artil
lery should make even the walls of Anunghoy and the
famed Bogue forts tremble and fall. At length the sun
rose bright and full of promise on the morning of the
8th. The boats of H.M.S. Sulphur were sent out to take
soundings higher up towards the Bogue. The Nemesis
was first under weigh, and was directed to proceed at
once up to Anunghoy, with a couple of rocket-boats.
The morning was calm : the line- of -battle ships were
slowly moving up to the positions assigned to them in
A DISAPPOINTMENT . 285
front of the principal forts; already had the Nemesis
taken up a position within capital range of the southern
battery of Anunghoy, in such a manner that only three
or four guns could be brought to bear on her from it ;
already had she thrown in several shells and shot-when
the signal for her recal was observed flying most pro
vokingly from the mast-head of the Wellesley, and
being enforced by more than one signal gun, the firing
ceased. Just as the exciting moment had arrived, and
every man was calculating in his own mind how soon
the forts would be reduced, the stillness, not of breath
less anxiety, but of bitter disappointment, prevailed in
every man's bosom
It soon appeared that old Admiral Kwan pre
ferred to try his skill in cunning and diplomacy rather
than in war, and had sent off a small boat to the flag
ship, under a flag of truce, with a note addressed to the
plenipotentiary. The well-known fact has excited some
amusement, and not a little chagrin , that a little boat,
with an old woman and a man in it, was sent off to bear
proposals for the cessation of hostilities at the very mo
ment of their commencement.. "Some say that a Chinese
prisoner, whom we had sent back to Anunghoy the day
before, was in the boat, and the bearer of the letter.
However that may be, certain it is, that this humble
paper, sent in this extraordinary way, was received, and
became the groundwork of an armistice, which was con
cluded in the course of the day. Soon after four
1
o'clock in the afternoon , the Nemesis was sent to con
vey Lieutenant Maitland of the Wellesley to Anunghoy,
as bearer of a chop or official document, relating to the
286 CONDUCT OF ELLIOT .
truce, and to a projected treaty of peace, the precise
terms of which did not transpire.
Many animadversions were made upon this proceed
ing. But, in point of fact, nothing was known of the
orders of Captain Elliot, which were generally supposed
to have been more of a negative than of a positive kind,
leaving him to act principally according to his own dis
cretion. It could not be said that war had been ac
tually declared against China, although the blockade of
the river of Canton, the order in council for the deten
tion and even confiscation of the Chinese junks, and the
occupation of Chusan, were, to all intents and pur
poses, equivalent to a declaration of war, both in word
and deed ; while the proceedings of the Chinese,
throughout the operations, clearly showed that they
understood and felt it as such. The Chinese themselves
would be the last to complain of the want of a formal
declaration of war.
Captain Elliot was placed in very peculiar circum
stances. He was desirous to avoid open rupture with
the Chinese, if possible, and to use his best tact and
judgment in negociation, which would, of course, be of
little avail unless backed by a strong force, ready to
support his claims, and therefore necessarily assuming
a threatening attitude. Above all, the value of the
revenue to be derived from tea was so great, and its
importance as an article of consumption so much thought
of, that Elliot believed himself to be best serving his
country when he best followed out, according to his
judgment, these two principal objects. That Captain
Elliot may have been influenced by occasional errors of
NEGOCIATIONS . 287
judgment, is far from improbable; but that he was
wanting in natural talent or principle, or a wish to serve
faithfully his queen, his government, and his country,
his most unscrupulous detractors have scarcely ven
tured to maintain. It is fortunate, at all events, that
it can still be said that measures of uncompromising
hostility were not urged, until every other method of
persuasion, and every less powerful, however ingenious,
argument had been tried and found wanting.
Negociations continued at the Bogue ; but theChinese,
in spite of the truce, were observed to be increasing
their defences, and notice was accordingly given to them
to desist. The communications were frequent ; and, on
the 17th, just a week after the commencement of the
truce, Captain Elliot went down in the Nemesis to
Macao. There seemed , however, to prevail an impres
sion, that the affair was so far from being settled, that
another collision could scarcely be avoided, and there
fore no measure of precaution was omitted on our
side.
Several days were spent by Captain Elliot in Macao,
during which her Britannic Majesty's subjects were
given to understand that negociations on a “ satisfac
tory ” basis had been resumed with the Imperial Com
missioner Keshen. In the mean time, the fleet had re
tired to Chuenpee, where the British flag still waved in
triumph ; and on the 20th, the Nemesis proceeded to
join the force off that anchorage.
On that day, a circular was issued by Captain Elliot,
dated at Macao, announcing that preliminary arrange
288 CHINESE DIPLOMACY.
ments had been concluded, but reserving the details for
future negociation . Hong Kong was to be ceded to
us ; an indemnity of six million dollars were to be paid
by the Chinese in six equal annual instalments, one
million being paid down at once, and the last in 1846 ;
direct official intercourse was to be maintained upon
terms of perfect equality, and trade was to be resumed
within the port of Canton, within ten days. But it
would also appear that an intimation had been made
of an intention to remove the greater portion of the
trade to Hong Kong, for it was provided that it should
only continue “ to be carried on at Whampoa until
further arrangements were practicable at the new set
tlement.”
Nothing could at first sight appear more satisfactory
than this arrangement; but, as will presently be seen,
itgave ample time to the Chinese to make further pre
parations for defence, and abundant loopholes for the
exercise of their crafty ingenuity. At the same time,
Captain Elliot urged upon the consideration of his
countrymen “ the necessity of adopting a conciliatory
treatment towards the people, and a becoming defer
ence for the country upon the threshold of which we
were about to be established .”
Nothing further need here be said upon this subject,
except that on the following day, the 21st January, the
Nemesis was sent to convey two mandarins to Chuenpee,
who were to receive back the forts from Captain Scott,
of the Samarang , who had been appointed pro tempore
governor of this fortress.. The British colours were
EVACUATION OF CHINA. 289
hauled down, and the Chinese dragon was hoisted in
their place, under a salute from the flag -ship; it was
very evident that no salute had ever sounded so welcome
to Chinese ears before. As soon as a few guns could be
got ready for the purpose, the salute was returned by
the Chinese.
We had certainly shown rather aa chivalrous leniency
to their government, in thus so suddenly restoring to
them one of their principal strongholds. Their delight
at the occurrence may readily be imagined, for their
colours were at the same time again hoisted upon
Anunghoy, where they had been temporarily lowered ;