1842.
Stewart Muckenzie's Campaign in China.
615
The landing-place was inclosed by a slight bamboo railing, roofed over, and covered with bright colored cloth. Under this, the guard of honor and band were drawn up to receive the plenipotentiary. The tents, in which the interview was to be held, were about three hundred yards from the landing-place, and were surrounded by smaller tents, for Kishen's own guard and suite. The plenipotentiary was received in a handsome outer tent, where the whole party, individual by individual, was introduced to Kishen. After this ceremony was over, he invited captain Elliot and a few others into an inner tent, where," says the military secretary, "we found chairs arranged on each side of an ottoman, upon which Kíshen immediately seated himself, in a manner in which tailors are wont to pursue their lau- dable vocation-his staff standing around him. We sat on chairs, captain Elliot on the left, and the hon. captain Dundas on the right -the former being looked on, in China, as the seat of honor. Mr. Grey, a young midshipmen of H. M. S. Herald, son of the late bishop of Hereford, had accompanied his captain; and Kishen took the lad, and placed him at his side, commencing a series of questions relative to the boy. Captain Elliot mentioned that Mr. Grey is nephew of the late prime minister, at which Kishen seemed pleased, and inquired his age. On being informed that he was only fifteen, he remarked that one so young would be much better employed at home in learning his books, than in learning the use of his sword." (p. 29.) Not one word-not one hint-not even a guess, is ex- pressed by our author regarding the business of the interview with the "talented Tartar."
In the Appendix, he gives a number of tables showing the whole number of guns, taken from the Chinese between 1st of January 1841, to June of that year, which were 1,211. Several of these were 68 prs.; and all were found in the forts and junks on the river, or about the city of Canton.
A good "Sketch of the operations of the British forces, by land and in the river," against the city of Canton, precedes the narrative, and is the best part of the book of which it is needless for us to say
more.