It will be generally admitted by all who have seen the Canton river,
or, as the Chinese call it, Choo-keang, that, in point of size, depth,
and picturesque character, it is one of the finest navigable rivers in
the world. Merchant ships of the largest size, perhaps the proudest
which float, have navigated it for nearly two hundred years, to within
a distance of nine or ten miles from Canton, with little difficulty,
and very inconsiderable danger. No foreign commerce with any one
port has been so valuable, so extensive, or carried on with so much
facility. The difficulties of our intercourse, which have arisen within
the last few years, have formed an epoch in the world's history, and
stand forth as a leading beacon in the stream of time, pointing towards
greater eras yet to come.
An archipelago of numerous islands, most of them rocky, and only
partially productive, warns you of the approach to this celebrated
river. Strictly speaking, only that portion of it above the Bocca
Tigris has been called the river; while all below that point, even from
beyond Macao upwards, (the latter lying at the distance of from forty
to fifty miles from the Bogue forts,) has been called the outer waters;
nevertheless, it ought properly to be included within the precincts of
the river itself.
Since the questions connected with the opium-trade have been brought
so prominently forward, it has been maintained by some, that the
"outer waters" ought not properly to be considered within Chinese
jurisdiction. But this position would hardly seem to be tenable; and
there can be no sound reason for maintaining that these waters should
not be considered as much, and _even more_, within their jurisdiction
as the sea-coast or river islands of any part of Europe are within the
jurisdiction of the country to which they belong, to the distance of a
certain number of miles from the land itself. In reality, the little
peninsula of Macao on the west, and the island of Lintao (not to be
confounded with Lintin) on the east, may be considered as the proper
boundaries of the entrance to the Canton River.
These points are about fifteen to twenty miles apart, while between
them lie several small islands, through which are the two principal
navigable passages (the western and the Lintao passages) into the
river itself. But the island of Lintao, called Tyho by the Chinese,
is a long, narrow, mountainous piece of land, broken up into numerous
bays and projecting points, stretching from south-west to north-east,
separated at the latter extremity from the mainland only about the
distance of a mile. The passage and anchorage between them is called
Capsingmoon, and is made use of occasionally even by large vessels,
which pass towards the river or across from Macao towards the island of
Hong-Kong, which lies off the mainland at about five or six miles to
the eastward of Lintao.[13]
The anchorage of Tongkoo Bay, towards which the Nemesis was to proceed
to rejoin the fleet, and which is also known by the name of Urmston's
Harbour, from having been recommended by Sir James Urmston, formerly
President of the Company's factory at Canton, is situated about six
miles due north from Lintao, between the little islands called Tongkoo
and Sowchow, near the mainland, as you proceed upwards within the outer
waters of the Canton River, along its eastern shores. It was here that
the fleet anchored in 1823, in consequence of some discussions with
the Chinese, arising out of the affair of the Topaze frigate, which
occurred in the preceding year.[14]
About five miles distant from Tongkoo Bay, more towards the centre
of the river, and a little to the northward, is the small island of
Lintin, terminating in a very remarkable, high, conical peak, which
is a guide to all vessels passing up or down. It has become famous
as a place of rendezvous for the opium vessels, particularly within
the last few years; and a merchant brig, bearing its name, has been
recently sold to the Chinese as a man-of-war, though old and not very
serviceable. This island must not be confounded with that of Lintao,
before alluded to, and from which it is about eight or nine miles
distant.
Having now got fairly into Tongkoo Bay with the fleet, and feeling
something of the interest and excitement which were awakened in the
breasts of all who were brought together in such a place and at such a
time, we will next proceed to recount a few of the remarkable events
of the year 1840, reserving the description of the other parts of the
river for those portions of the narrative with which they are connected.
Towards the end of July, 1840, the British force assembled in China
had become considerable: comprising no less than three line-of-battle
ships, with a Rear-Admiral and a Commodore; thirteen other ships of
war, of different kinds, and a large troop-ship; together with four
armed steamers, belonging to the East India Company. To these must be
added twenty-seven transports, having on board the 18th, 26th, and
49th regiments, a body of Bengal volunteers, and a corps of Madras
sappers and miners. The marines and seamen were of course prepared
to co-operate on shore. This was undoubtedly a formidable force,
especially when we reflect that little more than a year had elapsed
since there was _no armed force whatever_ in the Chinese waters, and
the flag of England had ceased to wave even upon the Factories.
The measures adopted by the Governor-general of India, when once the
crisis had arrived, were sufficiently energetic and decisive. The
consequences of the rupture were now easily foreseen; and the interest
which the state of our relations with China had begun to awaken, both
in England and in India, was daily becoming more general.
On the first arrival of the large force mentioned below,[15] it did
not appear to alarm Commissioner Lin, and his obsequious satellite,
Governor Tang, nearly so much as might have been expected. On the
contrary, Lin continued to organize means of defence, to enlist
soldiers, and to arm his forts. It was, moreover, at this moment that
he hit upon his notable expedient of offering immense rewards for
the destruction, in any manner whatever, of British ships, either
men-of-war or merchant vessels, and also for the capture or slaughter
of British officers. But the reward for taking them alive was to be
greater than for killing them. There was also a reward for taking
soldiers or _merchants_, but only one-fifth of the sum if they were
killed. A reward was also to be given for the capture of _coloured
people_, soldiers, or servants, although its amount was not mentioned.
All this followed after the declaration of blockade by Sir Gordon
Bremer, and after a public complaint had been made by Captain Elliot
against Lin and Tang, for various treacherous acts, such as attacking
our vessels at night (merchant vessels), poisoning the water, and
preventing supplies of food from being brought to the factories, &c.
It was now very evident, that although no formal declaration of war
had been made on our part, it had become impossible to avoid warlike
operations on an extended scale, and at no distant time.
Rear-Admiral Elliot had now been associated with Captain Elliot in his
diplomatic functions, and they were nominated Joint-Plenipotentiaries
for settling the matters in dispute with the Emperor. That object
appeared little likely to be attained by wasting time in negotiations
with irresponsible and overbearing public officers at Canton; it was,
therefore, wisely resolved to take advantage of the best season of the
year while it still lasted, and to proceed northward with the bulk of
the force, in order to bring the emperor and his ministers to their
senses, by exciting alarm as near as possible to the imperial capital.
The Peiho river, therefore, which commands one of the great channels of
intercourse with the metropolis, and is connected with the Grand Canal,
through which all the wealth of China flows to Pekin, was now avowedly
the chief point to which the expedition was to be directed.
This movement was by no means a mere demonstration for the purpose of
giving éclat to the conduct of the negotiations, but was in reality
a _hostile_ operation; at all events, it became so as it proceeded,
and the results of it may, in reality, be called the First Campaign
in China. It was commonly called the first "China Expedition;" but
the appellation was afterwards changed to the "Eastern Expeditionary
force," which was also applied to the second expedition, as will be
afterwards seen.
A small force being left at the Bogue to maintain the blockade, the
bulk of the expedition, together with the two plenipotentiaries, sailed
to the northward at the end of June; part of the force above mentioned
did not arrive until after the rest had sailed, but it soon followed
the rest.
The first encounter with the Chinese took place at Amoy, in the
beginning of July, 1840. The Blonde, forty-four, Captain Bourchier,
was sent into the harbour of Amoy, to endeavour to hand over a letter
from the English naval commander-in-chief, addressed to the "Admiral
of the Chinese nation." This high officer was not there, and the local
mandarins refused to receive it, and fired upon a boat which was sent
to the beach bearing a flag of truce at the bow, and conveying Mr.
Thom, as interpreter, for the purpose of delivering the letter to the
mandarins, for transmission to the Chinese admiral. The officers and
crew of the boat had a narrow escape, for, besides being received with
every possible indignity, the boat was fired at and _struck_, while
preparations were evidently being made for an attack upon the frigate
itself. Indeed, nothing could possibly be more hostile and insulting
than the conduct of the Chinese officers, who met Mr. Thom at the
landing-place. They shewed some inclination even to seize the boat in
which he came, and declared they neither feared him nor the ship either.
The result of their hostile bearing and of the attack on the boat was,
that the guns of the Blonde were directed with terrific effect upon the
Chinese batteries and the war-junks, immediately the boat reached the
frigate. By this fire great damage was done, and the Chinese troops,
who had assembled on the beach, were dispersed in all directions.
Having inflicted this merited chastisement, as an example to the
Chinese, the Blonde again set sail to join the main body of the force,
in order to report the circumstances to the admiral.
On the 5th of July, the town of Tinghai, the capital of the island of
Chusan, the principal of the group of islands bearing that name, fell
to her Majesty's arms after a very slight resistance. But as this and
other operations to the northward, during this brief season, have been
well described by Lord Jocelyn, it will be sufficient merely to allude
to them in a cursory way, particularly as they were of minor importance
compared with subsequent events.
The failure of the attempt to deliver a letter from Lord Palmerston to
some of the authorities at Ningpo, to be transmitted to the cabinet
at Pekin, became a matter of serious importance, after what had taken
place at Amoy, and, in consequence, a blockade of the coast was
established from Ningpo to the mouth of the Yangtze River, the most
frequented and most commercial part of the whole sea-board of China.
Nothing was more likely to make a deep impression upon the Chinese
government than the stoppage of this valuable trade, upon which the
daily sustenance of a large part of the population of the interior
actually depended. The ultimate conclusion of peace, which was brought
about by the more active prosecution of these very measures, will be
sufficient to prove their wisdom at that time; and it is due to Captain
Elliot to mention, that the blockade of the Yangtze River was at all
times one of his most favourite projects.
About the middle of August, the bulk of the squadron arrived off the
mouth of the Peiho, below Tientsin, having been preceded two or three
days by Captain Elliot, on board the Madagascar steamer.[16] Lord
Palmerston's communication was there at length received, by an officer
deputed for that purpose by Keshen, the governor of the province, and
was forwarded to the emperor. Subsequently, a conference was held on
shore between Keshen and Captain Elliot; and, whatever the results may
otherwise have been, it is well known that the plenipotentiaries were
persuaded, by the ingenuity of Keshen, that the future negotiations
could be conducted with more satisfaction at Canton (provided a new
commissioner were sent down from Pekin for that express purpose) than
within a hundred miles of the emperor's palace.
In the meantime, however, while an answer was expected from the emperor
to the communication addressed to his ministers by Lord Palmerston, the
principal part of the squadron, which had come up to the Peiho, sailed
further northward, up the gulf of Petchelee, to the great wall of
China, which has so long been classed among the wonders of the world.
The effect of the emperor's answer, and of the negotiations with Keshen
was, that this squadron withdrew from the neighbourhood of the capital;
and Keshen himself was appointed Imperial Commissioner, to proceed
at once to Canton, to open negotiations with the plenipotentiaries.
He was to supersede Lin, whose course seemed almost run, and who was
ordered to Pekin in haste, to answer for his conduct. Nevertheless, he
was subsequently allowed to remain as viceroy, or governor, at Canton,
but never succeeded in obtaining the higher government which had been
previously promised to him elsewhere, in the heyday of his favour.
By the end of September, the squadron had returned to Chusan from
the Peiho. A truce was about this time announced and published at
Chusan; and a common impression prevailed that a general armistice
had been concluded at Tientsin with Keshen, pending the result of the
negotiations to be carried on at Canton. This, however, was soon found
to be erroneous; for, in a letter addressed to the merchants by Admiral
Elliot, in Tongkoo Bay, on the 26th of November, (the very day after
the Nemesis had reported her arrival to the admiral,) it was publicly
declared that "the truce had been only entered into with Elepoo, the
governor-general of that province [Che-keang], and did not extend
further." It must, however, have included the port of Ningpo, and other
parts of the coast of the mainland, within the limits of the governor's
authority.
The plenipotentiaries, Captain Elliot and the Honourable George Elliot,
returned to Macao on the 20th of November. It was on the following
day that The Queen steamer was fired at and hit, as she passed the
Chuenpee fort with a flag of truce. She had orders to proceed up to
the Bogue, to deliver a letter which had been entrusted to her captain
from "Elepoo," (probably concerning the truce he had concluded,)
addressed to the Imperial Commissioner Keshen at Canton. In return for
this attack, she threw a few shells and heavy shot into the fort, and
went back to Tongkoo Bay _re infectâ_. This was the second time a flag
of truce had been fired at, although the Chinese perfectly understood
the peaceful purpose which it denoted. The despatch, however, was
forwarded the same evening to Keshen at Canton, through the sub-prefect
of Macao, into whose hands it was delivered by Captain Elliot. It was
also reported that the commandant at Chuenpee sent up some of The
Queen's heavy shot, which had lodged in the fort, as a present to
the authorities at Canton, probably to shew how brave he had been to
withstand such weighty missiles. He did not lose the opportunity to
claim a victory for having _driven_ her off!
A heavy force was by this time collected at the mouth of the Canton
River, reinforced as it had been by the arrival of the Calliope and
Samarang, and also of the Nemesis, and by the addition of a fresh
regiment, the 37th Madras native infantry.
Keshen arrived at Canton on the 29th of November, and sent an
official notification to that effect to the plenipotentiaries; and
it is remarkable that, almost at the same moment, Admiral Elliot was
compelled to resign the command of the fleet, and also his duties as
joint-plenipotentiary, through sudden and severe illness. A few days
afterwards he embarked for England in the Volage, leaving Commodore Sir
Gordon Bremer as commander-in-chief, and Captain Elliot for the time as
again the sole plenipotentiary.
In order to render complete the general sketch of passing events to
the close of 1840, I must not omit to mention the gallant affair at
Macao under Captain Smith, commanding the Druid, which happened in the
month of August, at the period when the main body of the expedition was
engaged in the operations to the northward, already alluded to. It will
be remembered that Captain Smith had once before thought it necessary
to sail into the Inner Harbour, for the protection of British
subjects, but had retired upon a representation being made to him by
the Portuguese government.
In the month of August, however, strange rumours of a rather
threatening character began to prevail, but not of a very definite
kind. One of the principal Chinese officers of Macao had been absent
for some time at Canton, and, on his return, accompanied, or rather
followed, by a body of troops, it became very evident that some
hostile measure was in contemplation. A number of war-junks were
likewise collected in the Inner Harbour, having troops on board. A
considerable body of men were also encamped upon the narrow neck of
land which separates Macao from the mainland, and across which there is
a so-called Barrier, which forms the line of demarcation, beyond which
the Portuguese have no jurisdiction.
This Barrier is composed of a wall, with parapets and a ditch running
across the isthmus, and having a gateway, with a guard-house over
it, in the centre. Beyond the Barrier the Chinese had very recently
thrown up a flanking field-work, mounting about twelve guns, with a
view of protecting the rear of the Barrier from the attack of an enemy
attempting to land in boats. The war-junks were also placed so close in
shore, in the Inner Harbour, as to be able to protect the Barrier on
that side.
These movements were quite sufficient to prove that some attack was
actually contemplated upon Macao itself, and the result of it, if
successful, cannot be thought of without horror. But the promptitude
and energy of Captain Smith anticipated the designs of the Chinese,
and, by a most decisive and admirably combined movement, he soon
scattered the whole Chinese forces like chaff before the wind. Taking
with him the Larne and Hyacinth, with the Enterprise steamer and the
Louisa cutter, he sailed boldly up towards the Barrier, and ran in as
close as the shallowness of the water would permit. He then opened a
spirited fire upon the whole of the Chinese works and barracks, which
the Chinese returned. Their soldiers were seen mustering from different
points, for the defence of the position.
In the course of an hour, the firing of the Chinese was almost
silenced, and then a single gun was landed upon the beach, which raked
the Chinese position, while a small body of marines, under Lieutenant
Maxwell, with some small-arm men from the Druid, under Lieutenant
Goldsmith, and about two companies of Bengal volunteers, under Captain
Mee, altogether about three hundred and eighty men, landed, and drove
the Chinese, with considerable loss, from every one of their positions.
On the British side, four men only were wounded. The Chinese guns were
spiked, but none were carried away, and the whole of their troops
were dispersed, nor did they afterwards approach the Barrier, except
to carry off the spiked guns. The barracks and other buildings were
burned; and all our men having re-embarked late in the evening, the
vessels returned to their former anchorage in Macao roads.
Seldom has a more signal service been rendered in so short a space of
time, than this well-timed and energetic measure adopted by Captain
Smith.
There still remain one or two points worth noticing, in order to
complete the series of events which happened in the year 1840.
Among these, one of the most important was the issuing of an Order
in Council, for the establishment of courts of admiralty in China,
for the adjudication of prizes, &c. It was to the effect that, "in
consideration of the _late injurious proceedings_ of certain officers
of the Emperor of China towards certain of our officers and subjects,
and, whereas, orders had been given that satisfaction and reparation
for the same should be demanded from the Chinese government, it was
necessary, for the purpose of enforcing those orders, that all vessels
and goods belonging to the Emperor of China or _his subjects_ should be
detained and brought into port; and that, in the event of reparation
and satisfaction being refused by the Chinese government, a court of
admiralty should be formed for the purpose of adjudging and condemning
them as prizes."
This order in council was not acted upon, except on a very limited
scale, and for a very brief period. It was afterwards considered more
equitable that the burden of the war should be made to fall as much
as possible upon the _government_ of China, and as little as possible
upon the people; and this highly judicious and humane determination was
carried out as much as possible, and with the best results, during all
the latter part of the war, much to the credit of all concerned.
During the year 1840, very little progress was made in our endeavours
to gain over the Chinese people to our interests, or to conciliate
their forbearance, in any of the places in which we were brought into
contact with them. At Chusan, in particular, they evinced the most
hostile spirit towards us, and lost no opportunity of exhibiting their
hatred of the foreigner. It was not without great difficulty even
that provisions could be obtained for our men; there was evidently
some secret influence which operated to prevent the people from
meeting us amicably, and made them, for some time, resist even the
temptation of gain, so difficult for a Chinaman to withstand. Nothing
tended to exhibit their hostile spirit so much as their persevering
attempts to carry off our men by stealth, whenever they could find an
opportunity; and indeed the kidnapping system was followed up with many
circumstances of barbarity, to the very close of the war.
This embittered our men very much against the Chinese, and we may
almost wonder that their prisoners, when they fell into our hands,
received such lenient treatment in return. The story is well known
of Captain Anstruther's capture at Chusan, at the distance of only
two or three miles from the town, his being tied up in a sack, and
subsequently carried over in a boat to Ningpo on the mainland, and the
curious history of his confinement in a bamboo cage, three feet long
by two feet broad; and other instances of a similar kind, in which the
prisoners were treated with the utmost barbarity, have been so often
recounted, that a passing allusion to them will here be sufficient.
Captain Anstruther, however, would seem to have been more leniently
treated than many of the other prisoners: and I have heard him declare
that, with respect to the better class of mandarins at Ningpo, he had
little cause of complaint to urge against them, considering that he
was a _prisoner_ in an enemy's hands. His talent for drawing, however,
enabled him to conciliate their good will, and to earn for himself some
indulgences which others were not fortunate enough to procure. He sold
his drawings and particularly his portraits, for a tolerable price.
Many of the other prisoners, however, were treated with frightful
barbarity, and, in some instances, they were put to death.
A much more formidable enemy to us than the Chinese was soon
discovered, in the terrible sickness which broke out among our troops
at Chusan, and carried off many a brave man prematurely to his grave.
The low, swampy rice-grounds surrounding the town, the want of proper
drainage, the exposure to the hot sun, and the use of the deleterious
spirit which the Chinese call samshoo, made from rice, (of which a
vast quantity was manufactured on the island for exportation,) all
these causes combined sufficed to produce fever, dysentery, and various
complaints, which committed great havoc among the men. The island was
subsequently, however, rendered less unhealthy by better arrangements,
and by enforcing greater cleanliness.
At Amoy, after the affair of the Blonde, a strict blockade was
maintained by the Alligator and other vessels, which interrupted the
whole trade of that important commercial city. But none of our ships
astonished and alarmed the Chinese so much as the steamers; they were
particularly alluded to in the official reports to the emperor, and
were described as "having wheels at their sides, which, revolving,
propelled them like the wind, enabling them to pass to and fro with
great rapidity, acting as leaders;" and it is not surprising that the
Chinese should soon have christened them the "Demon Ships."
The effect of our operations to the northward had already been to
excite great alarm in the mind of the emperor and of his ministers;
indeed the panic created by the first approach of a hostile force was
so great, that a very small body of men might have marched almost from
one end of China to the other, so little were the Chinese prepared for
resistance. But gradually they recovered their energy, improved their
means of defence, adopted better weapons, and cast heavier guns. As far
as personal bravery could aid them, they were by no means an enemy to
be despised. The spear and the bayonet frequently crossed each other;
perhaps more frequently than the bayonets of Europeans do; and, in
not a few instances, the _long_ spear was more than a match for the
shorter bayonet. Hand to hand encounters with the Tartar troops were
not uncommon towards the close of the war; and, indeed, many of our men
learnt, to their cost, that they had held the Chinese far too cheap.
Instances occurred in which the powerful Tartar soldier rushed within
the bayonet-guard of his opponent, and grappled with him for life or
death.
We may now revert to the period of the arrival of the new Imperial
Commissioner Keshen at Canton, with a view to treat with the
plenipotentiaries, according to the terms agreed upon at the Pehio, as
before mentioned. His predecessor, Lin, whose fall had now commenced,
could not resist giving a parting warning to the people, against the
continuance of their pernicious habits; and he even assured them that,
if they still persisted, "they would assuredly, one and all of them, be
strangled."
In the beginning of December the greater part of our naval forces
had again assembled below the Bogue, although a squadron was still
left to the northward. Notwithstanding that Keshen had arrived for
the ostensible purpose of inquiring into and settling all matters
in dispute, it was evident that the Chinese were making hostile
preparations, with a view to a very different mode of settlement of the
question. A feeling of uncertainty and apprehension prevailed, such as
generally precedes some great movement. The Chinese, on their side,
were collecting troops, and raising new works; while, on our side,
every precaution was taken, in case a resumption of hostilities should
be called for.
On the 13th, the Nemesis, which had been for some days at anchor with
the fleet, a few miles below Chuenpee, conveyed Captain Elliot down
to Macao, while the rest of the fleet moved nearer up towards the
Bogue, as if with the object of supporting the "negotiations" by a firm
display of power. Captain Elliot's stay at Macao was very short, and
from the increased activity of our preparations at the Bogue, it became
evident that the "negotiations" were not going on satisfactorily.
Numerous communications were passing between Macao and our fleet at the
Bogue; Captain Elliot himself went backwards and forwards several times
in the Nemesis, and the moment seemed fast approaching when some very
decided blow was to be struck.
The following description of the scene of operations will therefore
be found interesting. About twenty-two to twenty-five miles above
the island of Lintin, before described, and consequently about the
same distance above Tongkoo Bay, on the same side of the river, is a
projecting headland, about a mile and a quarter wide, distinguished
at a considerable distance by the high peak in which its summit
terminates. On either side of it there is a fine sandy beach, off which
there is a good anchorage. This is Chuenpee.
The hill, which is its principal feature, stands rather towards the
northern side of the promontory, and is divided into two conical
eminences, upon one of which there was a high building, resembling
a watch tower, which was now fortified, and formed a conspicuous
object as you ascend the river. At the bottom of the hill there were
a considerable stone battery and other works. The whole of these had
been very recently strengthened and extended. A line of entrenchment,
with mud batteries, had also been carried round the rear. Behind the
hill also, in an opening looking towards the north, or into Anson's
Bay, another small battery had been erected, with an enclosed space or
square for barracks, surrounded by a parapet wall.
The extent of these works was not properly known, until the attack upon
the place had commenced. It was generally believed that the promontory
and hill of Chuenpee were connected with the mainland, and it was not
until some time after the place was taken that the discovery was made,
as will presently be described, that Chuenpee was, in reality, _an
island_.[17]
On the opposite or western side of the river, which is here about three
miles wide, is another smaller promontory, called Tycocktow, with a
line of strong batteries close along the shore, faced with granite:
This was also subsequently found to be an _island_. The whole of the
country which borders the river is mountainous and picturesque.
Returning again to the east side, about four to five miles above
Chuenpee, we come to the high hill and fortifications of Anunghoy, the
most important of the works at the Bogue. Between Chuenpee and Anunghoy
lies the beautiful bay called Anson's Bay, about two miles deep; on one
side of which it was at one time proposed to found an English town.
Anunghoy, like Chuenpee, was discovered to be also an _island_; and
that circumstance, as will be afterwards seen, was a source of great
anxiety to Keshen, who saw the consequent weakness of the position of
Anunghoy, and reported it to the emperor. In fact, our light squadron
might have probably gone up the river by the passage at the back of
Anunghoy, without passing through the Bogue at all. But these facts
were not then known.
The works at Anunghoy consisted of two very strong, heavy batteries,
built of excellent granite, and partly of the composition called
chunam. The masses of stone were afterwards found to be of immense
size, so much so, that it was no easy task to blow the works to pieces,
even after they were taken. The two principal batteries were connected
together by temporary works of recent construction; and according to
the usual Chinese practice, a semicircular wall was carried round the
rear of each fort along the side of the hill.
The breadth of the river from Anunghoy to the opposite side is from
two to three miles, being somewhat less than it is lower down between
Chuenpee and Tycocktow. But in the very middle of the river in this
part are two rocky islands, called North and South Wantung, of moderate
elevation, and also a smaller rock, scarcely visible at high water.
Hence there are two channels up the river, one on either side of these
islands, but that on the east side towards Anunghoy is the one which
had always been frequented by foreign ships, and was considered to be
the Bocca Tigris, or Bogue.
The passage on the western side of Wantung was not only not frequented
by Europeans, but not even known to be navigable, until our
preparations were made for the capture of the Bogue forts, when some of
our ships passed up on that side to the attack of North Wantung. The
true Bogue, or eastern passage, is only about three quarters of a mile
wide; the current, or rather the tide, is very rapid, on which account
ships generally prefer keeping rather near to the Anunghoy side. Of the
two islands called Wantung, the northern is the highest and largest,
lying quite opposite Anunghoy, and was very strongly fortified. South
Wantung, the smaller island, was not fortified by the Chinese, being
not considered by them of sufficient importance to require it. It lies
some distance lower down the river, and looking at their relative
positions, you would hardly suppose they were within effectual gun-shot
distance from each other. Such, however, was the case; and the Chinese
forts on North Wantung were shelled from South Wantung by a small
battery, constructed by a detachment of our troops in a single night,
being covered during their work principally by the Nemesis, which ran
close in shore for that purpose, being herself sheltered by the island.
Further to obstruct the passage up the Bogue, the Chinese had carried
an immense chain, or rather a double chain, across it, supported by
large rafts from one side to the other, one end of it being secured
at Anunghoy, and the other end being fastened into a rock near South
Wantung, which was nearly covered at high water. To complete the
account of these famous defences, it only remains to mention another
fort on the western side of the river, nearly opposite Wantung, which
was called Little Tycocktow, and was not of recent construction.
By the Chinese themselves, these extensive works were considered
impregnable, for they had not yet experienced the tremendous effect of
the concentrated fire of line-of-battle-ships.
Tiger Island can scarcely be said to form part of the Bocca Tigris;
it lies nearly two miles above Wantung; and, although there was a
considerable stone battery on its eastern side, it was not likely to
be of any service, and the Chinese wisely abandoned it, and removed
the guns. This island, however, is a remarkable feature in the general
aspect of the river, being in reality a high rocky mountain, cleft in
two at the top, and presenting to view several deep chasms on both
sides, yet clothed with verdure in some parts, while it is rudely
broken up in others. It is altogether a very peculiar object, although
it cannot be said to bear much resemblance to a tiger's head, from
which it takes its name.
FOOTNOTES:
[13] See map.
[14] Some of the sailors of the Topaze were attacked and wounded on
shore by the Chinese; and, in the scuffle, two Chinamen were killed.
Remonstrances followed on both sides; and at length the Chinese
demanded that two Englishmen should be delivered up to them for
punishment. This was refused, as might be expected; upon which the
Chinese authorities stopped the trade, and the fleet of merchant ships
withdrew from Whampoa, and came to anchor in Tongkoo roads, henceforth
called Urmston's Bay or Harbour.
[15] LIST OF NAVAL FORCES BELONGING TO H. B. MAJESTY IN CHINA, IN
JULY AND AUGUST, 1840.
Melville, 74, flag-ship, Rear-Admiral the Hon. George Elliot,
C.B.; Captain the Hon. R. S. Dundas.
Wellesley, 74, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Sir J. J.
Gordon Bremer, C.B.; Captain Thomas Maitland.
Blenheim, 74, Sir H. S. Fleming Senhouse, K.C.B.
Druid, 44, Capt. Smith.
Blonde, 44, Capt. F. Bourchier.
Volage, 28, Capt. G. Elliot.
Conway, 28, Capt. C. D. Bethune.
Alligator, 28, Capt. H. Kuper.
Larne, 20, Capt. J. P. Blake.
Hyacinth, 20, Capt. W. Warren.
Modeste, 20, Capt. H. Eyres.
Pylades, 20, Capt. T. V. Anson.
Nimrod, 20, Capt. C. A. Barlow.
Cruiser, 18, Capt. H. W. Giffard.
Columbine, 18, Capt. T. J. Clarke.
Algerine, 10, Capt. T. S. Mason.
Rattlesnake, troop-ship, Brodie.
_Hon. Company's armed Steamers._
Queen, Mr. Warden.
Madagascar, Mr. Dicey.
Atalanta, Commander Rogers.
Enterprise, Mr. West.
[16] She was afterwards accidentally destroyed by fire.
[17] See map.