FIRST WAR WITH CHINA, AND EFFORTS TO SUPPRESS THE SLAVE-TRADE--A.D.
1840.
The Chinese had long designated the English, as well as all other
Europeans, the "outer barbarians," and treated them in the most
insulting manner. At length the Chinese government, finding that silver
alone was given in exchange for opium, was afraid that the country would
be drained of that precious metal, and resolved to put a stop to the
importation of the drug. Commissioner Lin was sent to Canton for that
purpose, and, to prove that he was in earnest, he ordered the first
Chinese opium smuggler he could catch to be strangled, shut up the
British merchants in their factories, and then demanded the delivery of
all the opium ships in the river. At the same time the British flag was
fired on, British ships were detained, and a Chinaman having been
accidentally killed by a British seaman, the life of a British subject
was demanded in return. Captain Elliott, R.N., acting at that time as
chief superintendent of trade, immediately sent home an account of the
state of affairs, summing up altogether a long list of complaints
against the Chinese. On receipt of the news a squadron was sent out of
3 seventy-fours, 2 forty-fours, 3 38-gun frigates, and several sloops of
war and brigs, which, on their arrival, were joined by 4 of the East
India Company's armed steamers, and to meet them on their arrival about
4000 troops were despatched from India. Before this the _Volage_ and
_Hyacinth_, while lying in Canton River, had a sharp engagement with a
fleet of war-junks, under the Chinese Admiral Kwang. Gallantly as Kwang
behaved, in a short time one of his junks blew up, three sank, several
were shattered and deserted by their crews, and the remainder fled in
the greatest confusion, Kwang's junk being in a sinking condition.
Captain Smith, not wishing to cause any unnecessary bloodshed, retired
with his ships to Macao, where he embarked a number of British
residents. Kwang, in consequence, boasted that he had gained a great
victory, and was covered with honours, his countrymen being encouraged
to persevere in the contest. The Chinese also issued a proclamation
offering 20,000 Spanish dollars to any one who would capture an English
80-gun ship, and 5000 dollars to the man who took alive a foreign
mandarin or captain, and so on in proportion to the rank of the
captives; while a third of the sum was to be paid for killing them. The
Chinese, determined to resist, prepared fire-ships, exercised their
troops, and got up sham fights, dressing some of their men in red
clothes, who were always soundly beaten, to teach the Celestials to
conquer the barbarian English. They had likewise purchased the
_Cambridge_, an old East Indiaman, of 900 tons, and armed her with
thirty-four guns, and had built some curious craft with paddle-wheels,
in imitation of English steamers. It was said even that they had
funnels, with fires below them to create a smoke, in order to deceive
the barbarians. They also threw up forts along the banks of their
rivers, sometimes facing them with thin boards or canvas, painted to
look like stone, in order to frighten their invaders.
A considerable squadron, under the command of Rear-Admiral Elliott, in
the _Melville_, 74, now arrived. When at Singapore, Captain Maitland
had drilled 350 of her seamen to act as light-infantry troops, and had
brought them into an admirable state of efficiency. While one part of
the fleet blockaded the mouth of the Canton River, the remainder
proceeded to the northward to look into different harbours. On her way
the _Blonde_ came off Amoa, near which she observed batteries thrown up,
and in a short time a number of large armed junks came down as if to
attack her. On a boat being sent on shore with a flag of truce, she was
fired on by the Chinese. On this the _Blonde_ opened her broadsides,
soon knocked the forts to pieces, and compelled the war-junks to run up
the harbour.
The _Wellesley_, with a part of the squadron, then appeared off Chusan.
Commodore Bremer was in hopes that his overwhelming force would induce
the Chinese to yield, but their fleet was commanded by a tough old
admiral, who, ignorant of the power of the English, had no intention of
doing so without a fight. During the night the Chinese were seen by the
light of thousands of painted lanterns throwing up embankments, and
placing fresh guns in position, while numberless merchant-junks, loaded
with goods, women, and children, were observed making their way down the
river to escape. After giving the Chinese several opportunities of
negotiating for peace, the _Wellesley_ opened her fire. It was answered
by the whole of the Chinese line of defence. The rest of the fleet than
began bombarding the place, and in seven or eight minutes it was reduced
to ruins. On the smoke clearing away, the principal battery was seen to
be knocked to pieces, as were four war-junks, a few wounded men only
being visible, among whom was the brave old admiral, who had lost his
leg from a round-shot. On the troops being landed, possession was taken
of the abandoned fortifications, and the British flag floated on the
first military position in the Chinese Empire captured by her majesty's
forces. An inner fortress was, however, discovered, from which the
Chinese soldiers which crowded it, opened their fire, beating their
tom-toms and gongs, waving banners, and beckoning the English to attack.
A few shells having been thrown into it, the Chinese evacuated the
place during the night, and with many of the inhabitants fled into the
country. Several persons were found to have been killed, and the
governor of the town drowned himself in despair. Chusan was held for
some months, at the cost of the lives of many of the soldiers, who
suffered from the poisonous exhalations from the paddy-fields, having
nothing to do to employ their minds; while the seamen of the _Melville_,
which had been hove down for repairs, kept their health during the six
weeks they were employed on her. The squadron got as far north as the
great wall of China. On the passage the _Pylades_ corvette, Captain
Anson, fell in with three junks. As his boats ranged up alongside of
them, upwards of 100 men, who had been concealed, started up and
commenced firing and hurling spears and stink-pots on the crews. On
this the British shoved off to a short distance, and pouring in some
well-directed volleys, killed half the pirates, the remainder jumping
overboard and making for the shore--though many were drowned. The other
two junks escaped.
One of the favourite exploits of the Chinese was to kidnap the English.
A Madras officer of artillery, Captain Anstruther, had been carried off
while taking a survey near Chusan. The crew of a merchant-vessel, the
_Kite_, wrecked on the coast, and Mrs Noble, the captain's wife, were
also captured. Near Macao a Mr Staunton had been been carried away, on
which Captain Smith, then the senior officer on the station, sent to
demand his release. It being refused, and the Chinese being observed
strengthening the barrier which runs across the isthmus, joining Macao
to the mainland, he considered it probable that the enemy would attack
the city. Taking, therefore, the _Larne_ and _Hyacinth_, with the
_Enterprise_ steamer and _Louisa_ cutter, he ran up close to the barrier
and opened so warm a cannonade on the Chinese works and barracks, that
the enemy's fire was silenced in about an hour. Some blue-jacket
small-arm men and soldiers being then disembarked, they drove the
Chinese from every one of their positions, spiked the guns, and burnt
the barracks and other buildings. This was the last hostile proceeding
of the British in the year 1840. The Chinese, wishing to gain time,
induced Admiral Elliott to agree to a truce, shortly after which he
resigned command from ill-health, and returned to England, leaving Sir
Gordon Bremer as commander-in-chief. At the commencement of 1841 the
squadron was further increased by the arrival of the _Nemesis_ steamer,
commanded by Mr W.H. Hall, then a master in the navy, and the
_Sulphur_, Commander Belcher. The _Nemesis_, though not commissioned
under the articles of war, most of her officers were in the Royal Navy;
but she belonged to the East India Company. She was built by Mr Laird
at Birkenhead, and although of about 630 tons burden, with engines of
120 horse-power, with all her armament complete, she drew only 6 feet of
water. Her extreme length was 184 feet, her breadth 29 feet, and her
depth 11 feet. She had no fixed keel, and was almost perfectly
flat-bottomed. She had, however, two sliding or movable keels, made of
wood, each about 7 feet in length, one being placed before and the other
abaft the engine-room, and, being enclosed in narrow cases reaching to
the deck, they could be raised or lowered at will by means of a winch.
With the exception of the great paddle-beams across the ship, the planks
of the deck, and the cabin fittings, with a few other portions, she was
built entirely of iron. As, from her form, she could not have been
steered by an ordinary rudder, a movable rudder was attached to the
lower part of the true or fixed rudder, descending to the same depth as
the two false keels, and, like them, could be raised or lowered at
pleasure. Another striking peculiarity of her construction was that she
was divided into seven water-tight compartments by means of iron
bulkheads, so that, in fact, she resembled a number of iron tanks cased
over, a contrivance which saved her from the almost certain destruction
which would otherwise have been her lot. By some cleverly-contrived
lee-boards her leeway, under sail, was reduced fully one-half. It was
found, however, that the want of a fixed keel was a great detriment to
her seaworthy qualities.
After a voyage, during which she encountered many dangers, she arrived
safely in China, the first iron steamer which had ever performed so long
a voyage. From her shallow draft of water she was enabled to play a
conspicuous part in most of the operations in the Chinese seas.
Finding that the Chinese, though carrying on negotiations, were making
strenuous preparations for war, Sir Gordon Bremer resolved to attack
Canton. The entrance of the Canton River is called the Boca Tigris, on
either side of which were lines of defences known as the Bogue Forts,
supposed to be of great strength. These it was necessary to silence.
The marines and other troops were sent on shore to assault the fort of
Chuenpee, on the land side, while the ships battered it from the sea.
The fort having been attacked by the troops, many of the Chinese were
shot, and a large number, not aware that quarter would be granted, threw
themselves from the battlements. Fort Tykocktow, on the opposite side
of the river, was at the same time attacked by the _Samarang_, with
three other vessels, and a breach being effected, the boats of the
squadron, with a body of seamen, were sent on shore, who soon mastered
the place. On the Chuenpee side was Anson's Bay, at the entrance of a
small river, here protected by an island at its mouth. A Chinese fleet
of about 15 war-junks lay moored in shoal water, under the command of
Admiral Kwang. The _Nemesis_, with the boats of several other ships,
was joined by Captain Belcher, of the _Sulphur_, with two of his ship's
boats, and by Lieutenant Kellett, of the _Starling_, while the _Nemesis_
soon got close enough to bring her 32-pounder pivot-guns to bear; and at
the same time one of the _Larne's_ boats, under Lieutenant Harrison,
made her way outside the island to cut off the junks in the rear. The
first Congreve rocket fired from the _Nemesis_ having entered a large
junk near that of the admiral, she almost immediately blew up, pouring
forth a blaze like the rush of fire from a volcano, and destroying all
on board. This so terrified the Chinese that, after a few discharges of
round-shot had been fired into other junks, the crews of many jumped
overboard, while others cut their cables in the hopes of escaping on
shore. Some were immediately captured, others escaped up the river,
pursued by the _Nemesis_, which succeeded in bringing one down and
burning another which had grounded.
The next day Admiral Kwang sent off a boat with a flag of truce, in
which were an old man and woman, bearing proposals for the cessation of
hostilities. They came to request Captain Elliott to meet Commissioner
Keshen, who finally agreed that the island of Hong-Kong should be ceded
to the British, on condition that the Bogue Forts should be given up,
and that, on the English captives being set at liberty, Chusan should be
evacuated. To these terms Captain Elliott, the superintendent of trade,
agreed, and Hong-Kong was taken possession of on the 26th of January.
These terms having been rejected by the emperor, the fleet proceeded, on
the 26th of February, to the attack of the remainder of the Bogue Forts.
Their defenders were either put to flight or yielded themselves
prisoners, and in a short time the British colours were flying on the
whole chain of those celebrated works. The next day, the 27th, the
light squadron, consisting of the _Calliope_ and _Herald_, and the
_Alligator, Sulphur, Modeste, Madagascar_, and _Nemesis_ steamers, under
Captain Herbert, were sent up to destroy any fortifications they might
meet with. On reaching Whampoa Roads, a large armed fort, mounting 47
guns, was seen on the left bank, and extending across the river was a
line of rafts secured to sunken junks, on the other side of which were
forty large junks and the _Cambridge_, carrying the admiral's flag. The
steamer pushing on, opened a heavy fire on the Chinese fleet, as well as
on the batteries. For about an hour the Chinese held out, and when
their fire was nearly silenced, the marines and small-arm men being
landed, stormed the works, driving before them upwards of 2000 Chinese
troops, and killing nearly 300. The _Cambridge_ and some of the junks
still held out, when Lieutenant Watson, first of the _Calliope_, having
gallantly succeeded in dragging one of the boats across the raft,
launched her on the other side. As soon as she was in the water, Mr
Brown, master of the _Calliope_, Mr Hall and Mr Galbraith, of the
_Nemesis_, and Mr Saint Leger, got into her with nine or ten men, and
pulled away for the _Cambridge_. So confused were the Chinese that, as
the boarding party climbed up on the port side, they jumped overboard on
the other, and many were drowned in attempting to swim on shore. A
number of dead and wounded were found on her decks. As she was an old
ship, she was doomed to destruction, and the wounded being removed, she
was set on fire, and soon afterwards blew up with a terrific explosion,
the sound of which must have reached Canton. Numerous other forts were
destroyed in succession, as were also a considerable number of junks.
The steamers had many difficulties to encounter, as thick stockades had
been placed across the channel, through which they had to force their
way. At length the squadron came to an anchor off Whampoa, when the
_Nemesis_ was despatched with a letter to the Chinese authorities.
Captain Bethune having undertaken to deliver it, pushed off in a boat
with a white flag, when a shower of grape and shot was discharged on her
from a fort. In consequence of this the ships pushed on to Canton, and
opened a hot fire on the batteries which protect the city. After the
bombardment had continued about an hour, the marines were landed,
immediately stormed, and completed the capture of the enemy's works,
notwithstanding a determined resistance on the part of the Tartars.
Captain Bourchier, in command of the blue-jackets on shore, prevented
any outbreak of the population, and he observing a number of burning
junks drifting down on the suburbs, to which they would inevitably have
set fire, by the most energetic exertions of his officers and men towed
them away from the spot. The _Herald_ getting up later in the day, by
her imposing appearance contributed to bring the Chinese to reason, and
in a short time the British colours were hoisted on the flagstaff of the
factory by Commander Belcher. Thus one of the most important cities of
China fell into the hands of the British, with a loss of only seven men
wounded.
A truce was now agreed to, and trade was again opened, but the Chinese
very soon began to rebuild their fortifications, and to fit out junks
and fire-rafts. The main body of the fleet having retired, a small
squadron remained in the neighbourhood of Canton. The night of the 21st
of May was unusually dark; a sharp look-out was therefore kept, the
officers lying down in their cloaks on the decks of the ships, ready for
service. The _Modeste_ being a little in advance, one of her sentries
observed several dark-looking masses dropping down with the stream. On
his hailing, they were immediately set on fire by the Chinese, and the
flames bursting forth, pointed out the danger to the other vessels. In
nine minutes the _Nemesis_ had her steam up, and was running towards the
fire-rafts to assist the boats in towing them away. These rafts were
formed of boats chained together, so that, drifting down with the
stream, they might hang across the bows of the ships, from which they
would with much difficulty have been cleared. The Chinese batteries at
the same time opened on the squadron, which of course fired in return,
while the small-arm men picked off the people on the fire-rafts. In the
morning the Shameen battery was taken, and 43 war-junks and 32
fire-rafts were destroyed. During these operations a Congreve rocket,
which had been placed in a tube and ignited, hung within it instead of
flying out. In another moment it would have burst, scattering
destruction around, when Mr Hall thrust his arm into the tube and
forced it out from behind. The rush of fire, however, severely burnt
his hand, and caused him much suffering. Several other attempts to
destroy the squadron by fire-ships were defeated by the vigilance of the
officers and crews. On one occasion, the _Wellesley_, anchored at the
Bogue, was attacked by 20 fire-vessels, filled with gunpowder and a
variety of combustibles, and chained in twos and threes. Captain
Maitland was absent with most of her boats and a large number of her
crew and officers, and it was not without great exertion that Commander
Fletcher, who had only three boats left on board, was able to tow them
clear of the ship.
As it was evident that the Chinese still intended to hold out, the fleet
proceeded to attack Canton. The troops and the blue-jackets, who had
been landed quickly, stormed the outer defences, while the smaller
vessels of the squadron bombarded the batteries on the river-front of
the city. The Chinese again made use of fire-vessels, but as they drove
down rapidly towards the fleet, the boats pushing off, towed them clear
and carried them on shore, when they set fire to the suburbs. Several
naval officers lost their lives, and others were wounded. Lieutenant
Fox and Mr Kendall, mate, both of the _Nimrod_, each lost a leg; and
Mr Fitzgeorge, mate of the _Modeste_, was killed. Lieutenant Fox died
the same evening.
In the course of three days the whole of the fortifications of Canton
were in the power of the British, and though the city contained an
immense army, flags of truce were waved from the walls, and the Tartar
generals came alongside humbly suing for peace, and offering six
millions of dollars for the ransom of the city. This sum was accepted,
and sent on board the ships of war, when 18,000 Tartars marched out of
Canton. Many officers and men suffered from the fatigues they
underwent, and Sir Humphrey Le Fleming Senhouse died in consequence of
the exertions to which he had been exposed.
The fleet now proceeding northward, on the 26th of August captured Amoy,
a place of considerable importance, about 300 miles north of Hong-Kong.
The Chinese fought with more courage and stubbornness than usual, but
were driven out of their fortifications by the ships, when the troops,
the blue-jackets as usual playing their part, stormed and carried the
place. Chusan, which had been given up to the Chinese, was next
recaptured, after which Chinghai, a strong place situated at the mouth
of the Takia River, was attacked. It was surrounded by a wall 2 miles
in circumference, 37 feet thick, and 22 feet high, mounted by 69 heavy
guns and numberless jingalls. A lofty and precipitous hill, with a
citadel on the summit, commanded the town; stockades had been driven
into the water in front of all the batteries and landing-places, and an
army of 10,000 men lay encamped, with numerous guns, a short distance
from the bank of the river. The ships approached till they touched the
ground, when they opened their fire, and a breach was soon effected in
the citadel. On this it was stormed by the blue-jackets and marines,
when the garrison effected their escape into the city, the walls of
which were then scaled in two places, and Chinghai was captured.
Ningpo, higher up the river, was taken with even less difficulty. A
desperate attempt was afterwards made to recapture the latter place, but
the Chinese were repulsed with dreadful slaughter; while another attempt
to burn the ships of war by fire-vessels was also defeated. Not less
than 50 or 60 fire-rafts were seen coming down together, burning
furiously, but the boats of the ships were ready, and grappling them
bravely, towed them clear of the fleet.
Still, as the Chinese showed no readiness to come to terms, another
town, which lies on the opposite side of the bay in which Chinghai is
situated, called Chapoo, was attacked. Sir William Parker landed with a
battalion of seamen and marines under Captain Bourchier, while the
troops, headed by Sir Hugh Gough, drove the enemy before them. A large
body of Tartars had thrown themselves into a building of considerable
strength, and in attempting to enter it, Colonel Tomlinson, of the 18th,
and a number of his men were killed. Mr Hall, Lieutenant Fitzjames,
and other naval officers made several gallant attempts to force their
way in. At length the gate was blown open by a powder-bag; many of the
defenders were destroyed, and fifty captured. The loss of the British
was considerable. The Chinese wounded received great attention from the
British medical officers; a conduct appreciated by the governor of
Chapoo, who thanked the admiral and general, and when some English fell
into the hands of the Chinese, they in return were treated with every
kindness.
Before the expedition left Chapoo, all the Chinese prisoners were set at
liberty, each man receiving three dollars; when the Chinese, not to be
out-done in liberality, restored all the persons they had kidnapped,
giving thirty dollars to each white man and fifteen to each native of
India.
As the numerous places which had hitherto been taken were at a distance
from the capital, the emperor still hoped that he might set the British
at defiance. It was determined, therefore, to attack Nankin itself, the
second city in the empire, situated about 200 miles up the great river
Yang'tse Kiang, or Yellow River. The difficulties of the navigation had
hitherto been considered an insuperable obstacle; although the river is
of great size, the current runs with prodigious force, and there are
numerous shoals and rocks in its course. The river, however, was
surveyed by Commanders Kellett and Collinson, and as they reported that
water for the largest ships was found right up to Nankin, the admiral
undertook to carry the whole of the fleet up to the walls of that city.
Woosung and Shanghai, situated on the banks of a river which falls into
the sea at the entrance of the Yang'tse Kiang, were first captured, and
on the 6th of July, 1842, a fleet of nearly 80 sail, including among
them the _Cornwallis_, of 72 guns, Sir William Parker's flag-ship, in
five divisions, sailed up the mighty stream on their voyage of 200 miles
into the very heart of China. Before reaching Nankin they came off the
large city of Chin Keang Foo, near which passes the great canal of
China. It was captured on the 20th by the troops, aided by a body of
seamen and marines under Captain Peter Richards, who scaled the walls on
one side while the soldiers got over on another. The Tartars fought
with the most determined bravery, holding every house and street,
resolved to sell their lives dearly. Frequently, on being defeated,
they put an end to themselves, and often destroyed their wives and
children. Lieutenant Fitzjames distinguished himself in the attack,
having brought up some rockets which, fired among the enemy, threw them
into confusion. The gate of the city was just then blown open by
powder-bags, when Sir Hugh Gough, who was with the third brigade,
accompanied by Sir William Parker, dashed over the ruins. They were
met, after fighting their way for some distance, by a sudden fire from a
body of Tartars, when Lieutenant Fitzjames and several men were wounded.
The British, however, uttering a loud cheer, attacked the Tartars with
such fury that they were soon put to flight, when numbers fell by their
own hands. The British were speedily in entire possession of the city.
Every means was taken to spare life, to prevent plunder, and to restore
order. During these operations several vessels of the fleet were
employed in blockading the mouths of the great canal, in capturing all
the trading junks which came in sight, and in preventing provisions
being carried to the city. Still, it was necessary in order to bring
the emperor to reason, for the fleet to appear before the walls of
Nankin. Having been detained by contrary winds, it was not till the 4th
of August that the ships could get up, carrying 4500 troops, besides
marines and blue-jackets. The _Cornwallis_ and _Blonde_ then took up
their positions within one thousand paces of the Ifung Gate of Nankin,
and every arrangement was made for the troops to attack the city.
Before the British proceeded to extremities, the emperor having been
informed the true state of affairs, authorised his commissioner to treat
for peace, and on the 29th of August the treaty for which the British
had been so long contending was signed on board the _Cornwallis_. Among
other clauses, China agreed to pay twenty-one millions of dollars;
Canton, Amoy, Foo-Chow, Ningpo, and Shanghai, were thrown open to
British commerce, Hong-Kong was ceded in perpetuity to Her Britannic
Majesty; all British subjects imprisoned in China were to be released,
and correspondence was in future to be conducted on terms of perfect
equality between the officers of both governments. Thus the war in
which the navy of England had played so conspicuous a part was
terminated. Its greatest achievement, however, was the passage of the
fleet 200 miles up the river, and its return without the loss of a
single vessel. This, however, could not have been effected without
steamers, which, besides towing the sailing ships, performed important
parts in all the operations of the war. Among those who especially
distinguished themselves by their activity were Commander Belcher,
afterwards Sir Edward Belcher, Mr Hall, of the _Nemesis_, who was
deservedly made a lieutenant and commander, and is now Admiral Sir W.H.
Hall, Commanders Kellett, Collinson, and Fitzjames, well known as Arctic
explorers, Lieutenant McCleverty, and the bravest among the brave,
Captain Loch, who fell in Burmah.
Destruction of Pirates in the Indian and China Seas.
For many years the pirates of the Eastern Archipelago and China seas had
committed depredations on the commerce of the more peaceably-disposed
people of that part of the world, and had frequently attacked
merchant-vessels belonging to the English, as well as those of other
nations, generally treating the prisoners they captured with the
greatest barbarity. So audacious had they become that in 1836 the
Governor-General of India determined to put an end to their proceedings,
and Captain Chads, of the _Andromache_ frigate, was sent into those seas
to destroy as many piratical fleets and strongholds as he could fall in
with. The pirate proas are vessels of considerable size, upwards of 60
feet in length and 12 in beam; though, as they draw scarcely four feet
of water, they can run up into shallow rivers and escape. Each proa
carried about 80 men, with a 12-pounder in the bows, 3 or 4 smaller
pivot-guns, besides jingalls, stink-pots, spears, and the murderous kris
which each man wore at his side. The crew in action were protected by a
bulwark four or five feet high, thick enough to withstand musket-balls
and grape-shot. They sailed in fleets of twenty or thirty vessels
together, and were thus more than a match for any British merchantman,
even though well-armed, they were likely to fall in with. The boats of
the frigate, however, pursued them into their strongholds, and piracy in
the neighbourhood of the Malay peninsula was for a time put a stop to.
It existed, however, to a far greater degree in other parts of the
Eastern seas, and it was not till 1843, that Rajah Brooke had
established himself at Sarawak, on the western side of Borneo, that far
more strenuous efforts than heretofore were employed against those pests
of commerce. Several of the ships of war which had been engaged in the
operations against China, on the conclusion of peace, were despatched to
the assistance of Rajah Brooke in his noble and philanthropic object.
Among the officers employed in the service were the Honourable Captain
Keppel, of the _Dido_ frigate, Sir Edward Belcher, of the _Samarang_,
Captain Nicholas Vansittart, of the _Magician_, Captain Edward
Vansittart, of the _Bittern_, Commander Fellowes, of the _Rattler_,
Captain Mundy, of the _Iris_, besides many others. The _Nemesis_ and
_Phlegethon_, which had been so actively engaged in China, were sent
with other steamers belonging to the East India Company. Sir Thomas
Cochrane, commander-in-chief on the Indian station, also visited Borneo
in his flag-ship the _Agincourt_, to superintend the operations which
were now energetically pursued for the destruction of the pirates.
There is no space to give more than an example of the sort of service in
which the smaller vessels and the boats of the squadron were chiefly
engaged against the common enemy.
The chief of a piratical band, Sherif Osman, had entrenched himself in a
strong position on the banks of the River Songibusar, which falls into
the bay of Malludu, near Labuan, in Borneo; and as it was of the
greatest importance to destroy him, an expedition, under the command of
Captain Talbot, was sent up the river for that purpose. It consisted of
the _Vixen, Nemesis_, and _Pluto_ steamers, and the boats of the
_Agincourt, Daedalus, Vestal, Cruiser_, and _Wolverine_, several of them
carrying guns in their bows, and another furnished with rockets.
Altogether, the force consisted of 350 blue-jackets and above 200
marines. After working his way up the river, Captain Talbot came in
sight of the enemy posted in two forts, mounting about twelve guns, and
protected by a strong and well-contrived boom. Before the fight
commenced, Sherif Osman sent a flag of truce begging to confer with
Rajah Brooke, and hearing that he was not present, he invited Captain
Talbot to meet him, offering to admit two gigs to be hauled over the
boom. This being declined, the enemy opened their fire. Before the
boats could advance, it was necessary to cut away the boom. While thus
employed, axe in hand, a gallant young officer, Gibbard, of the
_Wolverine_, fell mortally wounded. All the time the boats were under a
heavy fire, to which they replied with their guns. The boom was
fastened to the chain-cable of a vessel of three or four hundred tons.
It was at length cut through, when the marines and small-arm men
landing, carried the place after a desperate resistance, with a loss of
6 killed, 2 mortally wounded, and 15 severely wounded. The loss of the
enemy was proportionably great. Sherif Osman was wounded dangerously,
and though he managed to get off, it was supposed that he soon
afterwards died in the jungle. In the forts were discovered numerous
evidences of the piratical character of the defenders; several
chain-cables, two ships' bells, a ship's long-boat, and ships' furniture
of various descriptions. Some piratical Illanun and Balagnini boats
were burnt, and twenty-four brass guns and several iron ones captured.
Thus this piratical nest was completely destroyed.
In the year 1846, several chiefs friendly to the English and opposed to
piracy having been cruelly murdered by the Sultan of Brunei Sir Thomas
Cochrane determined to destroy his city. There being sufficient water
over the bar of the river, the _Agincourt_, towed by the _Spiteful_
steamer, entered it and anchored within Moarra Island. The smaller
vessels being lightened, proceeded up the river, carrying a force of 200
marines and 600 blue-jackets armed as light-infantry, accompanied by the
boats of the squadron towed by the steamers. On turning an angle of the
river four batteries were seen, two of which were directly ahead, while
the stream was staked across. As the squadron was making its way
through the piles, the enemy's fire opened at a distance of 1000 yards.
The round and grape passed between the masts of the _Phlegethon_ and
beyond the _Spiteful_, without striking. The guns having been pointed
at the stakes, the _Phlegethon_ immediately returned the compliment with
rockets and her pivot-guns. After an hour's cannonade, Captain Mundy
shoved off in the gunboats, Lieutenant Patey being ordered to pull for
the shore and to storm the batteries which were erected on a precipice
nearly a hundred feet in height from the bank of the river. So heavy,
however, had been the fire from the steamer and gunboats that the
resolution of the enemy failed them, and the gallant crews forced their
way through the embrasures. In capturing the enemy's flag a skirmish
took place between their rear-guard and the leading party of the
British, while the former were endeavouring to escape into the jungle.
Three handsome brass guns were carried off, the iron guns were spiked,
and the magazines destroyed. The steamer then taking the _Royalist_ and
gunboats in tow, passed two other batteries and anchored half-a-mile
below the city, when all hands went to dinner. At half-past one the
expedition was again in motion, working up against an ebb tide of three
knots. As the _Phlegethon_ opened round the point, the city battery and
hill forts mounting 18 guns, commenced firing, and two men were killed
and several wounded on board the _Phlegethon_. She, however, opened a
hot fire, and Captain Mundy shoving off in the gunboats, attacked the
batteries at close quarters; but before he could reach them, the enemy
fled. Nine shot had entered the _Phlegethon's_ side below the
water-line; and had she not been divided into compartments, she would
inevitably have sunk. The marines were now landed and occupied the
heights above the sultan's palace, the batteries on which had been
silenced by the rocket and field-piece party under Lieutenant Paynter.
The pirates had in the meantime manned the batteries already passed, on
which Captain Mundy was sent down with the gunboats to destroy them.
This he partially did in five hours, but so great was their strength
that it would have taken days to do so effectually. Thirty-nine guns,
mostly of large calibre, nineteen of them being of brass, fell into the
hands of the British. The sultan and his boasted army had taken to
flight. He was accordingly pursued by a party under Captain Mundy, to
whom Lieutenant Vansittart acted as aide-de-camp. Having gone as far as
they could in the boats, they landed, and in their progress destroyed
several newly--erected forts. The natives now observing that no injury
was done to private property, joined them and offered their services as
guides. On their way they fell in with two houses belonging to the
sultan, containing shields, arms, and magazines of powder. They were
accordingly set on fire and destroyed, but the sultan himself escaped
for the time, though his power was completely broken.
The towns of Pandassan and Tampassuck, notorious haunts of Illaun
pirates, were destroyed by Captains McQuhae and Mundy, and numerous
piratical proas captured, sunk, or burnt. The fierce and desperate
character of the pirates was shown on all occasions. The _Ringdove_,
Commander Sir William Hoste, having taken a proa, she was brought under
the counter of the brig. From the way in which the crew behaved, it was
doubted whether she was really a pirate, but as a protection a guard of
three marines and several seamen was placed over them. Suddenly, during
the night, they rose without the slightest warning and flew
simultaneously with their krises upon the seamen and marines, and before
the latter could defend themselves, one marine was killed and the
remainder of the guard severely wounded. As the unfortunate marine fell
into the hold of the proa, the pirate chief seized his musket and fired
it at the officer standing at the gangway. Another desperado, lunging
his spear through the after-port of the brig, mortally wounded the
master. The pirates then cut the hawser, and seizing their paddles,
made off for the shore. The boats were immediately manned and sent in
chase, when in ten minutes the proa was boarded, upon which the pirates
retreated below, and with their long spears through the bamboo-deck made
a desperate defence, but finally, refusing quarter, were slain to a man,
and the proa was sunk by the guns of the pinnace.
The piratical fleets cruising off the coast of China committed even
greater depredations on commerce, as well as on the population of the
sea-board, than even those in the Indian seas. Captain Edward
Vansittart, in command of the _Bittern_, was sent against them with two
steamers fitted out by the Chinese merchants. The latter were manned
chiefly from an American frigate, the _Macedonian_, then cruising off
the coast. After a search of some days he discovered a flotilla of
nearly forty junks, which bore down on him with tom-toms beating,
evidently intending to fight. In order to draw them off the shore, he
stood away, but as they would not follow the _Bittern_ out of shoal
water, she again steered towards them, yawing to bring her guns to bear,
while they kept up a steady fire on her. She, however, sank or disabled
eight of them, but the rest for a time escaped. Commander Vansittart
was, however, able to set free a number of merchant-vessels up different
rivers in the neighbourhood, which had been afraid to put to sea on
account of the pirates, who had demanded 1200 dollars for the ransom of
each vessel. The following day he captured twelve more, each carrying
10 guns with a crew of 50 men. Proceeding northwards, he reached the
mouth of the Yang'tse Kiang, where he heard that a strong squadron of
pirates had been blockading the island of Potoo, in which place a party
of English ladies had taken refuge. On pursuing them, towed by the
_Poushan_ to Sheepoo, he discovered twenty-two junks lashed head and
stern together across the entrance to the harbour. As the _Bittern_
approached, the pirates commenced a vigorous cannonade, to which she,
however, returned so hot a fire that in little more than an hour she had
knocked the greater number to pieces, one junk alone being in a
condition to carry off. No prisoners were made, but the pirates as they
escaped to the shore were put to death by the inhabitants. Commander
Creswell, in the _Surprise_, and Captain N. Vansittart, in the
_Magician_, were equally successful in other directions. The latter had
under his command the _Inflexible_, Commander Brooker, with the _Plover_
and _Algerine_ gunboats. As he proceeded, reports reached him of the
atrocities committed by the pirates, and the natives were everywhere
ready to give him accurate intelligence of their hiding-places. As they
saw the British squadron, they took refuge when they could on
uninhabited islands; when they escaped to the mainland the people of the
country put them to death without mercy. As he was engaged in burning
some captured junks, a sound of firing from the shore reached him.
Immediately landing with a party of his men, he pushed in the direction
from which the firing proceeded. He did not allow a gun to be
discharged till he was within pistol-shot, so that the enemy were not
aware of his approach. The whole of his party then opened their fire,
and the pirates taken by surprise, scampered off without an attempt at
resistance. The British having clambered over a formidable stockade,
found themselves in a battery of 14 heavy guns, which must have
contained a garrison strong enough to offer a successful resistance had
the pirates fought with any courage.
Six large junks were soon afterwards met with, the whole of which were
captured, and the crews of every one killed or made prisoners, besides
which upwards of twenty prisoners taken by the pirates were released.
Soon afterwards, while pursuing a pirate up a creek, his own light gig
being far ahead of the heavier boats, he came up with the chase, which
with his small party he gallantly boarded, several of her crew being
killed, among which was Chappoo, a pirate chief long the terror of those
seas. Altogether, in a week's cruise he had destroyed a 14-gun battery
and 100 piratical craft, and had taken upwards of 200 guns and 36
pirates, besides having killed nearly 400 more. He had, in addition,
retaken six vessels and liberated sixty prisoners captured by the
pirates.
One more example alone can be given of the expeditions against the
pirates of those seas. On the 30th of January, 1849, news was brought
to Sir James Brooke that a large fleet of pirates had attacked the
neighbouring village of Palo, and had threatened with destruction the
inhabitants of the Sarabas River. A force, consisting of H.M. brigs
_Albatross_ and _Royalist_, with the _Nemesis_ and _Renee_, under the
orders of Commander Farquhar, immediately got under way, accompanied by
a native flotilla, under Rajah Brooke, and proceeded to meet them. The
_Nemesis_ steamed out to sea to prevent their escape in that direction,
and as soon as she was descried by the pirates they made at once for the
Kaluka River, where they were intercepted by the native boats and those
commanded by Lieutenants Welmshurst and Everest. The pirates then made
a dash to reach their river, when they came in contact with the
men-of-war's boats. It being now dark, there was considerable danger
that the latter would fire into each other, or into the craft of their
native allies. The password was "Rajah," and the Malays screamed this
out at the top of their voices when they thought any of the Europeans
were near them. Commander Farquhar seeing two large proas escaping
seaward, ordered the steam-tender to chase. The nearest one, having
barely escaped one of her 6-pounder rockets, made for the river, but in
her course was encountered by the _Nemesis_, which dealing death and
destruction to all around her, ran her down, and a fearful scene took
place as her crew, above sixty in number, came in contact with the
paddle-wheels. A large Congreve rocket from the smaller steamer entered
a proa which had stood out to sea, and completely destroyed her. The
battle continued till past midnight, when Commander Farquhar, taking the
boats in tow, commenced the ascent of the Sarabas, to prevent the escape
of the pirates by the Rembas branch. At daylight the whole bay
presented one mass of wreck, shields, spears and portions of destroyed
proas, extending as far as the eye could reach, as well as on the sandy
spit which extends a considerable distance seawards. On the left bank
of the Sarabas were upwards of seventy proas, which the natives were
busy clearing of all valuables and destroying. Of 120 proas which are
said to have started on a piratical expedition, more than 80 were
destroyed, with 1200 men. No more convincing proof of the inhuman
disposition of the pirates need be cited than the fact that the bodies
of women, supposed to have been captives taken by the pirates, were
found on the beach decapitated and gashed from the shoulder to the feet.
On sailing up the river the force destroyed a piratical town, some
villages and war-proas, and then passing the Rejang River, chastised
another tribe of pirates. Some prisoners were secured, among whom was a
child, apparently of European origin. In other districts hostages were
taken for the future peaceable demeanour of the inhabitants. By this
severe example it was hoped that the piratical habits of the people
would be effectually checked, and an opportunity given to the nascent
civilisation of those regions to develop itself.