HONGKONG, 7TH JUNE, 1853. did not dare to attempt a landing. One lorcha got the midst of the river, but no armed prizes. They
SIR GEORGE BONHAM'S VISIT TO NANKING. (From the North China Herald, May 14 and 21,} The Hermes started on the 224 April, with His Excellency on board, and having in tow the Chinese river craft, under the charge of Mr E. A. Reynolds, in which it had at first been arranged Mr Meadows should proceed alone,
On the 26th April, the difficulties of the intervening navigation having been overcome, the Taoutae's fleet of orchas and square-rigged vessels was passed at anchor, about 12 miles of this side of Chin-keang. At about 1 A.M., the Hermes anchored off Silver Island, where both mandarins spoken to the day before and fishermen in the immediate vicinity de- clared the Insurgents had an outpost. Mr Meadows, on landing in the Chinese boat, found in the temples only a few priests, who, however, stated that certain juuks, lying opposite the heights of Chin-keang about a mile farther up, were manned by the Insurgents. To these vessels Mr Meadows repaired, but found them unarmed, and occupied only by two or three men in each, who declared themselves to be the ori- ginal trading crews, compelled after their capture to lie at that spot, In the meantime the steamer weighed anchor and followed the China-boat; and a great bustle was observed on shore. One or two arined boats on the beach began firing guns, and the Insurgent troops were seen running to man the stockades both there and on the heights above. The cause of all this was soon found not to be merely the appearance of the Hermes, but the approach of the whole of the Taoutae's lorchas, &c., which had weighed atichor and closely followed her; and which appeared to have been sooner descried from the heights than had been done from the steamer, owing to a thick fog on the river which only then began to clear off. The forchas had all red flags that at a little distance were not to be distinguished from a faded British red-ensign, and after the false proclamations that had been issued about steamers, the Insurgents naturally took the Herwes for the first of an attacking squadron. They accordingly opened a fire on her, and as the torchas were rapidly nearing and a general action iamminent, no course was left but to steam on at once to Nank ng which was done, after a note explana tory of the circumstances had been handed to a boat- man for delivery to the Insurgent Commanders. Th Hermes continued to be bred at from junks and stockades on both sides of the rive till she had passed Kwa-chow; and we are told that the occa- sional whizzing of round shot close over the awning of the quarter-deck by no means detracted from the excitement of the singular and highly picturesque scene her fear. s she had appeared in very sus- picious company, and it hard becnine still more neces- sary than before to convince the Insurgents of our neutrality, she did not even prepare to return the fire directed against her.
jaground at Silver Island, and had to signalize for as- sistance; where on one of her fellows returned, into which her crew after an hour or two was transferred. The priests of the adjoining temples said it was then about dark, and that they retired to their dormitories for the night, but were soon roused by a loud report found the vessel in flames. This account was corro- which shook their buildings, and running out they borated by the Insurgents, who said they had not approached her, and that she must have been fired that the Mandarins are bound to pay $10,000 for by her crew before being deserted. We are informed every lorcha destroyed; also that this particular res- sel was reported as having on board when lost a sum of three or four thousand dollars recently sent up as fore likely to prove an expensive one. pay for the fleet. The success of that day is there could be ascertained or perceived by the Hermes on So far as her return a week after, the attack had had no other effect on the Insurgents than to make them dispose their grain junks in a position more protected by their batteries, and to mount more guns in, and make material additions to, the latter.
After leaving behind her the fight at Chin-keang on the 26th April, the Hermes steamed on till dark, when she anchored about ten or twelve miles below Nanking. During the night several large timber-rafts passed her on fire. In the forenoon of the 27th slie anchored off the northern angle of Nanking, below the first battery planted by the Insurgents to defend the entrance to two creeks running under the, walls, and in which lay an immense number of large river junks. A great bustle was observed on shore, and a gun or two in the battery began firing at the Steamer, but ceased when two people (that had been in the taken the preceding day out of a junk) landed with Insurgents' own employ at Chin-keang, and were
a letter explaining that she had come with no hostile intentions. Shortly after, some eight or ten of the Insurgents came alongside in a small boat, the first to appear on the deck being a good-looking young man, an officer, in a close-fitting red Chinese jacket, who from his long hair was evidently a genuine "rebel" these much discussed people met with, was viewed of old standing, and who, as the first specimen of and questioned with some interest by our countrymen. Other boats speedily followed, in one of which Mr Reynolds took a passage on shore, where be met with a civil reception from a leader in charge of the stockaded battery that had just been firing. In the meantime a reply having been received to the note despatched on arrival, His Excellency sent Mr Mea- dows on shore to open a communication with some more influential leader. Mr Meadows, who was accompanied on the occasion by Lieut. Spratt, desired on landing to be led to the bighest authority to whom immediate access could be obtained. He was in consequence brought, after a walk of about half an hour, into the presence of the two leaders known as the Northern and Assistant Princes, from whom he had a strange reception, followed by an equally ex- traordinary and very interesting conversation. The two gentlemen returned to their bout surrounded, as in coming, by numbers of the armed crowd, but meet- ing with neither molestation nor insult. During the 28th, 29th, and 30th of April, the Hermes lay off the entrance to the creeks aforementioned, only Occasionally shifting her position to avoid the fire- rafts sent down nightly by the Imperialists, in the hope, it was believed, of setting fire to the Insurgents junks. On the 30th Mr Meadows rode into the city in charge of a despatch, and was joined by a
This portion of the Yang-tsze must at all times have much interest. Out of the wide expanse of charmel through which the turbid waters of the third river in the world roll rapidly towards the Ocean, rise at the distance of two or three miles from each other two high islands, covered with temples and wood. Between these, known to foreigners as Golden and Silver Islands, the heights of Chin-keang, a high promontory, likewise capped with temple and pagoda, overlooks the stream from its southern bank. The islands were not occupied by the Insurgents; but the heights and large portions of the river-banks un- party consisting of Captain Fishbourne, Lieut. Bur- derneath had been fortified by stockades. Past Silverton, and Mr Woodgate. They were conducted close Island and up into this scene thelorchas now advanced,
to the Tartar or Imperial Citadel, to a large private and, sailing close in-shore, opened a vigorous and well sustained fire on the stockades and on the armed boats on and near the beach. There were few guns in the latter, but these the Insurgents, nothing daunted by the sudden attack, coolly manned and discharged on their advancing enemy. In the meantime the noise of the cannonade was bringing down numbers of their comrades from the city, the officers on horse-capitation. After a stay of about a couple of hours, back and the men running along on foot. Many of these bore banners, a few bad matchlocks, but the great majority were armed only with swords and spears. Yet they came rapidly down and planted themselves on the beach in the face of the heavy fire,
with a boldness that excited the admiration of our
house occupied for the present by the four leaders next in rank to those bearing the title of Prince.
One of these exercises the functions of Criminal Chief Justice; and when our countrymen arrived, they found him just giving judgment in a case, de clared by the females concerned to be one of rape, and for which two men were then condemned to de-
during which they were received by the four occu- pants of the place and other officials, the approach of evening compelled the party to return to the steamer; previous arrangements for proceeding up the river on the next day forcing them to decline a pressing invi- tation to dine and sleep there that night and be introduced to the Princes in the morning.
countrymen. The groups had a varied and lively appearance quite new in bodies of Chinese. Many At day-light on the first of May the Hermes got
under weigh and proceeded up the river. of the men had broad red sashes; all had coloured
When cloths for head-dress, unless when the whole hair of about 8 miles above Nanking, some 15 or 20 river the head was very long; and the officers wore yeilow craft of the Canton build and rig (centipedes) were observed ahead, getting their sails up and going off as or red hoods and jackets. One of the latter, pro-
if in flight. They were at once perceived to be the bably the Commandant of Chin-keang, had stationed
Imperialist upper flotilla. The rearmast was soon himself in the most conspicuous position of the loca- lity, under a dome at the extremity of the pre-advance, seeing her consort proceeding quietly to the closed with and called alongside. One of those in
tory on which the iron pagoda stands. He had a number of guards around, and yellow banners planted near; while the picturesque effect of the group was heightened from time to time by the flash and smoke from a gun a yard or two lower down.
The Taoutae's fleet penetrated as far as Kwa-chow; the head of the Grand Canal on the northern bank, where they were firing on the junks and stockades when the Hermes left them out of sight. The result of the action, as subsequently ascertained, was, that the fleet retired to their original station, after ex- pending no small quantity of ammunition, taking with them the five or six trading vessels anchored in
steamer and seeing the latter stop, doubtless conpre- hended there was no hostile intention, and therefore thought proper to fire a gun, which sunt its shot over the bows of the Hermes. The boat that had been
called alongside was sent on to tell the others that there was an occasion either to fire or to move, as the Hermes had come merely to get information as to the state of affairs. She proceeded on this mission very leisurely, and
as two more shotted guns
were fired by vessels she had spoken to, Captain Fishbourne ordered the ports to be dropped and the guns prepared. After this there was no more firing.
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