THE WAR IN CHINA.

Otago Witness, Issue 313, 28 November 1857, Page 6

THE WAR IN CHINA.

For the following account of this expedition, under Commodore Elliot, and the operations of which lasted during the 2-sth, 28th, and 27th of May, we are indebted to the Times Correspondent in China : — There are four creeks running from the Canton river eastward. The northernmost of these is Escape Creek ; next, to the south, is Tszekee Creek, which is, in fact, but part of Escape Creek; about four miles further to the south is sin entrance called | Second Bar Creek, and four miles still southwards is j a larger inlet called Sawshee Channel. Only the mouths of these four inlets are marked in the chart. They were supposed to communicate with each other further inlnnd, but nothing certain was known upon the subject. About five miles up Escape Creek a large fleet of Mandarin junks had lain for some time, and here it was that the operations were commenced. On the morning of Monday, the 2oth of May, Commodore Elliot, in the IJong-Kong gun-boat, followed by the Bustard, the StancJi, the Starling, and the Forbes, and towing the boats and boats' crews of the Inflexible, the Hornet, and the Tribune, steamed into the Creek, and came upon forty-one Mandarin junks, moored across the stream. Each was armed ■with a long 24 or 32 pound gun forward, and also -with from four to six 9-pounders. The first shot fired after she got within range struck the HongKong, and for some minutes the shot came thick aboard of her. The other gun-boats now came up, and, forming in as loose order as possible, immediately opened fire. The juuks stood for some time, and returned the fire with spirit. It requires no small amount of steadiness and courage to work that large exposed gun, rising in the bows of the junk, and without a scrap of projection to the man who fires it. After some little time confusion seemed to increase. They are all swift vessels, impelled by oars or sails. Several of them got under way and turned for flight up the creek. Immediately they | did so they were comparatively powerless, for their stern guns were of small calibre and were not well served. The steamers pressed on in pursuit; but the waters shoaled. The gun-boats drew from seven feet to seven feet six inches; the flat-bottomed Mandarin junks can float in three feet. One by one the steam gun-boats grounded ; but the Commodore's cry was, "Never mind, push on!" They had towed behind them the boats of the larger ships. Quickly as a steamer got fast in the mud the men swarmed into the boats, manned the gun in her bows, and rowed off in pursuit. At last there was not a steamer jifioat, the junks were in full flight up the creek, the rowboats were in hot pursuit. It was hard work, for these are swift vessels, and, with forty Chinese pulling for dear life, they pass deftly through the shallow and treacherous channels. The guns, however, in the bows of the pursuers told heavily, and when a. boat did get alongside, the crew always fired a broadside of grape, jumped out. on the other side, swam ashore, and were lost in the paddy-fields. Sixteen junks were thus taken and destroyed in the main creek. Thirteen escaped by dint of swift rowing. The sun was tremendous, and cases of sunstroke were occurring among the men. One junk had in its terror turned up a little inlet to the right, and, being followed, was politely led out. A squadron of ten went up a passage to the left, which is supposed to afford a shallow channel to Canton. They were now, however, so utterly panic-stricken that upon being approached by four boats they were all abandoned and burnt upon the spot. The second expedition of twenty boats took place on "Wednesday the 27th, up the Sawshee Creek, and found the junks at Tung kun, about ten miles up the creek. The Chinese were quite taken by surprise, and at first offered very little resistance, though supported by a small fort on the bank. But the creek was lined with houses on both sides, whence a close and deadly fire was opened by the braves. These were speedily, however, driven from the houses and forts by the marines, but not until many of our poor fellows had fallen. The junks taken on this occasion, including the Chinese commander's were all destroyed. The casualties in the first and second expedition -were 31 wounded. The third expedition was against the Fatshan fleet, on Mondavi ft* e I st of June. The approach from Blenheim Passage towards the nearest detachment of junks visible,was commanded by an old fort which has been -recently armed and repaired. Thus was storraccKabout daybreak by a party under Commodore Elliot, accompanied by Sir Michael "Seymour himself, at whom the defenders are stated to have pitched cold shot as he came under the walls. Different divisions of boats, in the meantime, under Commodore Keppel and other officers, pushed up the stream at a number of junks lying about the confluence of the Fatshan branch, with a creek to the south, or on the left hand, so to speak,

in rear of the fort. TJp this branch subsequently advanced Commodore Elliot upon some junks, the crews of which stood with unusual coolness till he was within short range. They then fired and fled, attacked and pursued by the marines, who had descended from the fort taken in the first instance. Commodore, Keppel meanwhile had pushed" ahead with his boats, dashing at a fleet which, it- would almost seem, had escaped the attention of the rest of our force. A tremendous fire was opened on him, at the sound of which the Hong Kong, and, at an interval of some distance, the Starling!', gunboat, moved up to support him. Before they could reach him — indeed we believe the Hong Kong ran aground — the Commodore's gallant little boat squadron had suffered severely. On approaching the outer and lesser of two islands below Fatshan, he found the passage to the southward barred, and attempting to pass by the northward, received the fire of some twenty junks in position. He had fallen back on the Hong Kong when the alarm was given that the junks were-in motion, that is to say retiring ; and being now reinforced by the arrival of some more boats, Commodore Keppel chased the enemy not only up, but into Falishan, capturing four or five of the juuks that were attempting to escape by the creek or channel which divides Fatshan. The Fatshnn braves turned out waviug flaps, &c, and met with a warm reception from our seamen and marines. Some papers seized show the junk fleet to have been that commanded by Sui Hoi, but a few years ago a police-runner in Canton. In the rebel rising of 18-54-55 he came into notice as a brave, or head of braves, was transferred to the regular force, and has been very recently promoted to be a shau-pi, equal rank to a Lieuteuant of our Navy. In one of the junks the sailors rescued an old man and a boy, chained to a gun, and left to burn. In another, a woman and child were tied with wisps of bamboo to a 32-pounder. There were many which the sailors could not enter, and perhaps these also had their victims. The casualties in the third expedition were — 0 killed and 25 wounded. The Times' correspondent gives the following account of Keppel's exploits above referred to :—: — Keppel s galley, not a large mark, is hit three times in two minutes ; a 32-pounder shot strikes Major Kearney in the breast, tearing him to pieces. Young Barker, a midshipman of the Tribune, who wore upon his finger a ring bequeathed to him by his brother, who was killed at Inkermann, is down, mortally wounded. The Commodore's coxswain is killed, and e^ery man of his crew wounded. Captiiin Cochrane has the sleeve of his coat torn away by a shot, which leaves him unharmed. A round shot enters the Tribune's boat and passes along her line of keel, from stem to stern, without touching a man. " That was close, Victor,'' said Keppel to his flag-lieutenant, as a cannon shot passed between their heads. Fortunately for himself, Victor (Prince Victor of Hohenlohe, as thorough and as unpretending a British seaman as if his name were Drake or Jems) was leaning forwards, and using ! his handkerchief as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding of a seaman whose hand had been shot off, otherwise that ball must have taken Vic-tor's head off. At this time the galley was disabled, and she was drifting down under the guns of the junks. Even Keppel saw it would not do. The matter was, however, settled for him, for the next shot tore away the stern sheets of his galley, while he was fortunately standing up with the tiller ropes in his hand. " Seymouv, you must take me in," and he stepped from his sinking galley into the barge of the Calcutta. All the other occupants of the galley were also removed into the barge — all except the mangled corpse of the coxswain and the favourite dog of the I Commodore, who had been accustomed to be tended by thar man, and would not leave his bod}'. "With this freight the wreck of the galley drifted with the rising tide under the guns of the junks. Now the boats retired amid a sounding ol gongs, slrange shouts of triumph, and a redoubled fire. They retired to the Hong Kong, which was aground astern; but supported by the Stalling, threw shot and shell up among the junks, and received from them a full equivalent for their fire. Tlie Commodore was waiting for reinforcements and for more water in the river ; and meanwhile piped to dinner. The men were getting their rations, and were devouring them when the fire from the junks slackened. " Three cheers for the Blue," cried a llaleigh boat that now came up. " Man the boats, la-ds ; j those rascals are getting afloat.' 1 Off they go again dinherless, but in high spirits, and under a fire so hot that the Calcutta's launch is sunk, and Captain Holland has to scramble into another boat. This time they find water enough in the narrow passage, and, dashing through the shot, find the enemy afloat and in movement. It has now become a chase. These junks, manned by from 60 to 100 rowers, go faster than our heavy bomboats can follow. But sharpnell shell go faster than even a snake junk ; there are twistings in the creek that are not shown in the chart, and in following these windings pursuers and pursued often find themselves side by side with an interval of land between them. They fire at each other across the peninsulas, and the guns are so well served, and the shells are so terrifying, that every now and then the crews leap out and the junk is deserted. Spike the guns and push on. Six miles this hot chase lasts, and there are now but eight junks uncaptured ; when rounding a sharp point pursuers and pursued rush almost together into the city of Fatshan. A Chinese town is seen not afar off; the pagoda and the pawnbrokers' warehouses are the only high buildings. Three of the junks escape, the other five are headed and are abandoned. But the braves of Fatshan would think it a shame that their five junks should be taken from under their eyes. They turn out in martial array, they ring bells and beat gongs, they come filing down a fosse, so covered from view that only their waving banners and their brandished swords and shields are visible. "We are terrible ; flee before us !" they are supposed to sing or cry. Keppel has his own way of settling these matters. He turned his marines out of his boats, drew them up on the margin of the suburb, and poured into the Fatshan militia such a volley of Minie balls that the Chinese army went quickly bvk up its fosse again. He proposed to land his howitzers and pass the night in the city — a daring scheme, which might have produced ransom of half a million of dollars or utter destruction as the fortune of war might incline. A message from the Admiral, however, recalled-him. He had his five junks towed out before him, and as he left the city he stood up in the stern sheets of his boat and shook his fist good-humouredly, saying, "You rascals, I'll comeback again to you soon ;' and those extraordinary Chinese, they, too, laughed — a broad, good humoured grin and so they parted.