THE
CHINESE REPOSITORY.
Vol. XI.—December, 1842.—No. 12.
ART. I. Narrative of the destruction of the H. C. steamer Ma- dagascar, given by her commander J. M. Dicey, in a letter to his excellency rear-admiral sir William Parker, K. C. B.
[ Before introducing this narrative, we must detain the reader with a few ex- planations. The spot at which the party landed, was in the district of F
Heuili, in the department of
Chauhau, a few miles west- ward from Namah (or Nán-ngau). Just below the district of yáng, southward towards the sea, a narrow inlet opens and the water sets back, forining a long bay, on the western bank of which is a military station,
Chau-
a fortress, called Tsinghui so, or the fortress of Tsinghai. It was a few miles southeast from this fortress, where the party lunded, and proceeded to Hwuilii; from thence, they were carried through the districts
fú, course a little north of we3⁄4t, and a distance of one hundred and fifty miles. Hwuichan stands on the southern bank of a large river; and is distant, nearly due enst, say one hundred miles from Canton;-the river unites with the Chú kiáng just below Whampoa; and is, we presume from the re- ports we have heard of it, navigable for small ships quite up to Iwuichau, and perhaps still higher.
陸豐 Lutung and 海豐 Haifung, to 惠州齋 H:ruichau Jin, in a
The conduct of the Chinese government was, in this affair we think, very reprehensible. Sir Henry Pottinger had been pleasd to spare the authorities of Canton, on condition that they remained neutral. Under these circum- stances, therefore, the party, thrown upon the coast of the province, ought to have been immediately restored. The governor could not but have known they were English. The demand for their release unde by the American Inerchant and consul, was urged solely on the ground of their being ship- wrecked foreigners; and it was urged that, as such, they ought, in geeor- dance with a provision of the Chinese laws, to be immediately restored. How the hong-merchants represented the case to the governor, and how his ex- cellency reported it to his imperial majesy, we live never been able to ascertain.-in one point captain Dicey is in error, and it is night 1! * the error should be corrected. We know the American vice consul was not induced
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