A few days after the occupation of the capital of Chusan, a regular
military government was established by Sir Henry Pottinger, protection
being promised to the well-behaved inhabitants, who were moreover
informed that "several years would probably elapse before the island
would be restored to the authority of the Emperor." Thus it was
evidently contemplated, even at that time, that the island should not
be restored to the Chinese, until long after the conclusion of peace.
The principal alterations which had taken place at Tinghai, since it
was given up by the English seven months before, were found to be
merely the addition of the defensive works already described, and, to
a certain degree, increased cleanliness within the city. The suburbs
at the landing-place had been in part pulled down, or altered to make
way for the batteries, while other parts had been abandoned, and were
afterwards pulled down by our own orders during the ensuing winter,
to give a better circulation of air, and more room for the detachment
quartered there. In other respects, the so-called horrors of war fell
extremely lightly upon the inhabitants; indeed, they were in most
instances benefited by our presence, and by the circulation of money
which we spent among them.
It must not be imagined that the capital of Chusan is at all a fine
town, or in any way to be compared with others upon the mainland which
we afterwards captured or visited. Even the walls, though of small
extent, enclose a larger space than is actually occupied by the town
itself; and, indeed, with few exceptions, this appears to be generally
the case in China. The streets are extremely narrow, being mere lanes;
the shops are very poor, and comparatively insignificant; and the
houses are all low, but some of them, including the courts within,
occupy a large space of ground.
There is one building, however, which attracts universal attention,
as being one of the finest specimens of its kind. It is the principal
temple of the city, dedicated to the worship of Foo, or Budha. In many
respects it is superior to the temple at Hainan, opposite Canton, and
is scarcely second to the principal of the numerous temples which adorn
the sacred island of Pooto, about twenty miles from Chusan, which is
famous for the number and elegance of its places of superstitious
worship, and for the hosts of priests, or rather, monks, which are
attached to them. There is belonging to this beautiful temple of
Tinghai, standing in a detached half-ruined building, and apparently
never used, one of the most beautiful bells met with in China. It is
quite equal to the one which was afterwards taken at Ningpo, and was
subsequently sent to Calcutta. It is of very large size, but somewhat
different in shape from our own, and is covered on the outside with
Chinese characters, beautifully formed. Its tone is clear and deep;
indeed, the Chinese appear to excel in the art of making bell-metal. It
was worthy of being removed and carried to this country; not so much
as a trophy, for such it could not be called, but as an interesting
specimen of Chinese workmanship, and of the advanced state of some of
their oldest arts and inventions.
Some interest attaches to the island of Chusan, from the fact of its
having once been the site of an English factory. It is about fifty
miles in circumference, of an oblong shape, being about twenty miles in
length by ten in breadth. The principal harbour of Tinghai is difficult
of approach, owing to the astonishing rapidity of the currents or
tides, the rise and fall of which varies from six to twelve feet; the
passages are in some parts narrow, with deep water.
Chusan and all the neighbouring islands are extremely mountainous,
but between the ridges of the hills are rich and beautiful valleys,
which are highly productive, being well supplied with water. The
industry and care with which the Chinese embank the opening of every
valley towards the sea are remarkable; not a foot of ground is wasted;
and every little nook or bay which can be reclaimed from the sea is
cultivated with the most assiduous care. The beautiful cultivation
of the hill-sides has already been alluded to, so that it is not
surprising that the island is capable of exporting a large quantity
of produce to the mainland. For general commercial purposes, however,
little advantage could have been derived from the permanent retention
of Chusan; the population of the island is not large; and, with the
port of Ningpo within a few hours' sail, and open to our vessels, there
could have been no compensating benefit to make up for the expense of a
permanent settlement upon an island in its neighbourhood.
The East India Company's factory was built in 1700, not far from the
present landing-place in the suburbs of Tinghai, but the exactions of
the Chinese officers, the expense of the establishment, and the little
prospect of carrying on a successful trade, compelled them to abandon
it three or four years afterwards. In short, the internal trade of the
island must always be insignificant; and vessels which frequent the
harbour depend almost entirely upon the visits of Chinese merchants,
who come over from the mainland to seek merchandize, which they would
much more gladly purchase when brought to their own doors at Ningpo, by
which means they would save expense and trouble.
The importance of the temporary possession of Chusan is certainly
great, particularly as long as the arrangements for the opening of the
new ports are not entirely completed. But its value, as a _political
measure_, is much enhanced by the moral effect it has had upon the
government and the people of China, who look upon the Chusan islands as
among their most valuable possessions, the loss of which was peculiarly
felt by the Emperor.
In the commencement, the principal inhabitants of the interior
shewed a great disinclination to have any dealings with us, and the
common people frequently proved themselves decidedly hostile to us.
The kidnapping of our soldiers will be alluded to hereafter; but
that was more frequently attempted by men sent expressly over for
the purpose, from the mainland, than by the peasantry of the island
itself. Gradually, however, all classes improved in their tone and
bearing; and, during an excursion which I myself made, in company with
a missionary, at the close of the war, we found the people commonly
civil and obliging, and rarely disinclined to hold intercourse with us.
In several instances, we were invited into the houses of respectable
individuals, who invariably turned the conversation upon mercantile
matters.
It must not be supposed that there can be an _unlimited_ production of
tea in China; its cultivation is limited to almost two districts, and
it requires peculiar conditions of soil and of climate to enable it to
be cultivated to advantage. A great _sudden_ increase in the demand
for tea would lead to an enormous increase in the adulteration of the
article by all kinds of spurious leaves; and nothing is more easy
than to fabricate a mixture which will resemble in all its external
appearances any _description_ of tea which may be most in demand;
and this fabricated mixture can be added to the real tea, in greater
or lesser quantity, so as not easily to be detected, except by very
experienced persons. The tea-plant requires three years' growth before
it will produce leaves fit to be plucked for tea. At Chusan, the plant
appeared to grow wild, or nearly so, upon some of the mountains, but of
inferior quality, and only fit for native use.
As the season for active measures, before the complete setting in
of winter, was already far advanced, little time was to be lost in
carrying into execution the proposed movement upon Chinhae and Ningpo.
The latter city, from its size and situation, would afford excellent
winter quarters for the main body of our troops; and the moral effect
upon the Chinese government and people, of the continued occupation of
so important a place, and the interruption of their valuable trade,
could not fail to make an impression calculated to facilitate our
future negotiations.
In the meantime, the expected reinforcements would have arrived, both
from England and from India, and the next campaign would be opened
with vigour, and would suffice, it was hoped, to conclude the war.
Ningpo, which is a city of the first class, and therefore called Foo,
(Ningpo-Foo,) is the chief city of a department, and the second city
in the province of Che-keang, of which the capital is Hang-Chow-Foo.
The population of the province, according to Chinese documents, numbers
upwards of 26,000,000 souls, or very nearly as much as the whole of
Great Britain and Ireland together.
The town of Ningpo is situated twelve miles up the Tahea, or Ningpo
river, at the mouth of which is the small town of Chinhae, at the
base of a high hill, which commands the entrance of the river. The
possession of Chinhae, therefore, and its citadel, would give us
complete command of the approach to Ningpo; just as the capture of
Chapoo (which was effected in the subsequent campaign) would lay
open the road to Hang-Chow-Foo, the capital; and that of Woosung,
which was soon afterwards taken, would give us free access to the
valuable trading city of Shang-hae. It could not be doubted that the
interruption of trade, and the stoppage of imperial revenues derived
from it, would make far deeper impression upon the cabinet of Pekin,
than sweeping off thousands and tens of thousands of the people, whose
lives are so quaintly said to be "very tenderly cherished in the
paternal bosom of the Emperor."
A small garrison only was to be left in possession of Chusan, but the
embarkation of the rest of our force was delayed for some days, by the
continuance of contrary winds. The exposed situation of Chinhae also
made it hazardous to approach it with a fleet, until the weather should
assume a more settled appearance. At length, on the 8th of October, the
greater part of the transports were moved to the anchorage at "Just in
the Way," nearly half way across to the mouth of the Ningpo river. At
the same time, the General and the Admiral, accompanied by Sir Henry
Pottinger, who was never absent when active operations were going on,
proceeded in the Nemesis and Phlegethon steamers to reconnoitre the
Chinese positions, and to form their plans for the intended attack.
Everything was now extremely favourable for this purpose, considering
the advanced season; and the Chinese allowed the steamers to approach
quite close, within short range, without firing a shot.
The city of Chinhae lies at the foot of a hill, upon a tongue of
land, on the left bank of the river, or upon the northern side of
its entrance; and its castellated walls are not much less than three
miles in circumference, connected with a substantial stone embankment
which runs up the coast for a distance of full three miles, for the
protection of the land from the encroachments of the sea. The chief
strength of the position, however, lies in the precipitous, rocky
height, which, rising abruptly from the sea, at the extremity of the
peninsula, and throwing out a rugged spur, completely commands the
entrance of the river. Upon its summit, which may be about two hundred
and fifty feet high, a sort of citadel had been formed, having a large
temple for its commanding point, connected by loop-holed walls with
various other buildings, which had been put in a state of preparation
for defence.
The outer wall had two iron-plated gates; but the only direct
communication between the citadel and the city was on the west, or land
side, where a steep but tolerably regular causeway led to a barrier
gate at the bottom of the hill, whence it was continued by a wooden
bridge over a gorge to the gates of the city itself. In front of the
other, or eastern gate of the citadel, there was a newly-constructed
battery, formed partly of sand-bags, and partly of masonry, mounting,
altogether, twenty-one guns.
Adjoining the suburbs of the city, on the river side, there were also
two flanking batteries for the protection of the river, mounting,
respectively, twenty-two and nineteen guns; while, on the opposite
side of the isthmus, lying between the hill and the city walls, there
was a small battery of five guns pointing towards the sea, with a row
of piles driven into the beach in front of it, in order to impede the
landing of an enemy. For further protection on that side, a number of
guns and a large quantity of ginjals were mounted upon the city walls,
principally fronting the sea. The information obtained led the General
to suppose that there were about three thousand soldiers in the city
and upon the works outside of it, while about seven hundred garrisoned
the citadel; but the Chinese official returns were afterwards found, in
which the details were minutely given. The actual number was about five
hundred less than supposed. The Chinese had by no means limited their
defences to the northern side of the river only. On the contrary, there
was good reason to believe that the great body of their troops and
their strongest positions were upon the other or southern side of the
river, where there was a range of steep hills, overlooking the citadel
hill and the city itself.
On this side there were several strong batteries facing the entrance
to the river, mounting altogether thirty-one guns, while the line of
heights above was strongly fortified, having a chain of entrenched
camps along the points most difficult of approach, with several field
redoubts, armed with guns and ginjals; in short, neither expense nor
labour had been spared to defend, as far as Chinese ingenuity and art
could avail, the approach to the important city of Ningpo.
The river itself was strongly staked across just within the entrance,
the obstruction being commanded by the batteries. A little lower down
to the southward below the river, in a small bay, there was a creek,
with a good landing-place at the foot of the hills, and the entrance
to it was staked across in a similar manner. The importance which the
Chinese appeared to attach to the defence of these positions rendered
it the more necessary that they should be reduced, in order to convince
them, by the hard lesson of experience, that the utmost efforts of
their skill and perseverance were unavailing against the science and
the courage of Europeans.
On the following day, the 9th of October, the squadron and the
transports (the best-sailing ones having been selected for the purpose)
were able to anchor off Chinhae, in the most convenient positions for
the intended operations, which were to be carried into effect early on
the following morning.
From the description above given, it will at once become evident that
our operations against the main body of the Chinese troops, on the
southern side of the river, would be undertaken by the land forces,
under Sir Hugh Gough in person, while those against the citadel and
town of Chinhae, and the works on the northern side of the river, would
be entrusted principally to the naval branch of the expedition, under
Sir William Parker. It was arranged that a body of men should be ready
to land on that side, composed of the Seamen's Battalion and the Royal
Marines, with a detachment of the Royal and Madras Artillery, the whole
under the command of Captain Herbert, of the Blenheim.
The Wellesley, Blenheim, Blonde, and Modeste, were to take up
positions as close as possible in shore on that side, but avoiding,
if possible, the chance of taking the ground at low water, with
the object of shelling the Chinese out of the citadel, and of
preventing reinforcements from being sent up to it, and also to open
a landing-place for the seamen and marines. They were also to drive
the Chinese from the walls of the city on that side, and cover the
landing. The Cruiser, Columbine, and Bentinck, were to be employed
on the southern side of the entrance of the river, taking up their
positions so as to cover the landing of the troops at the mouth of the
creek already mentioned. The Queen and Sesostris steamers were to throw
shells into the citadel, and into the batteries along the river, or,
according to circumstances, into the Chinese encampments on the hills
on the south side; while the two iron steamers, Nemesis and Phlegethon,
were to land the troops, and then render assistance wherever their
services might be most useful.
The movements of the troops will be best understood as we proceed.
At daylight, on the morning of the 10th of October, the Nemesis
took on board the whole of the centre column, under the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel Morris, consisting of the 49th regiment, with
a few of the Royal and Madras Artillery, and some Madras Sappers,
amounting altogether to about four hundred and forty men, with forty
shot-bearers, &c. There were also two 12-pounder howitzers, with two
9-pounder field-guns. The Nemesis then took in tow the Cruiser, sixteen
guns, under Commander Giffard, who was to superintend and to cover
the landing, and immediately proceeded to the point of debarkation,
near the creek, on the flank of the Chinese positions. The post of
honour was this day given to the 49th, in order that they might have
an opportunity of making up for their disappointment at Chusan, where
they were landed too late to take the active part in the day's work
which had been assigned to them. At the same time, the left column,
under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Craigie, of the 55th regiment
(accompanied by the General himself and staff), was carried in by the
Phlegethon to a rocky point a little farther to the southward. There
was a low flat and a canal, with two bridges over it, on their right,
whence they could move round the hills to the rear of the position
occupied by the Chinese. This column was the strongest, and comprised
a wing of the 18th Royal Irish, five Companies of the 55th regiment,
the Madras Rifle Company, with one company of the Madras Artillery and
some sappers; altogether 1040 men, with four light mountain howitzers,
and two five and a half-inch mortars, with upwards of one hundred
shot-carriers and followers.
The distance of the point of landing from the enemy's position was not
less than a couple of miles; and thence they skirted along the hills,
until they reached a commanding point, from which a full view was
obtained of the whole of the positions. By this time, the centre column
had formed without opposition; but a small body of Chinese troops, who
had probably been placed in ambush, under cover of a low hill, were now
discovered, and instantly dispersed by a few shot from the Nemesis.
The 49th now received orders to advance up the hill, which they did
in gallant style; and, after clearing several field-works, their
colours were soon displayed upon the principal redoubt overlooking
the batteries on the river side. In this attack, Captain Reynolds and
Lieutenant Browne, of the 49th, particularly distinguished themselves.
No sooner had that regiment got into close action than the 18th and the
Rifles, on their left, having with great difficulty got across a narrow
and obstructed bridge, over the lower part of the canal (which might
have been easily defended), and the 55th having crossed another bridge
higher up, suddenly pressed round upon the Chinese right, and threw
them into the utmost consternation. Many acts of individual bravery
were witnessed on their part; some the result of real courage, others
of sheer desperation. But the poor Chinese were fairly hemmed in by
the 49th in front, and by the 55th and 18th, with the Rifles, on their
right and in their rear. This manoeuvre, as may be supposed, threw them
into the utmost confusion. Their river batteries, being also by these
movements taken in flank, were at once abandoned by their defenders,
and a few of the guns were actually turned against the flying enemy the
moment we took possession.
The havoc among the Chinese was inevitably great, for very few of them
could be induced to lay down their arms, in spite of the exertions
of the officers, aided by Mr. Thom, the interpreter, to make them
understand that their lives would be spared. Hundreds of them, as a
last resource, rushed madly into the river, and, of course, a great
many were drowned; it is even said that their own batteries on the
_opposite side_ of the river killed a great many of them, either
purposely for running away, or by aiming at our soldiers, who were
driving the fugitives before them. Many committed suicide, including
several high officers; but some of them escaped, after throwing away
their arms and military clothing. About five hundred men surrendered
themselves prisoners; and a few others, who had taken shelter among the
rocks along the river side, were subsequently picked up by the boats of
the Queen steamer.
While these important successes were being obtained on the southern
side of the river, no less active and effectual operations were being
carried on upon the opposite or northern side, against the citadel and
town of Chinhae. As soon as the Nemesis had landed the centre column,
she ran up towards the flag-ship, the Wellesley, which had been towed
into an excellent position by the Sesostris, to shell the citadel,
but she settled quietly in the mud as the tide fell. The Blenheim
had likewise been towed into a good position by the Sesostris, but
the Blonde and Modeste were enabled to go in under sail with a light
breeze. The terrific fire of these powerful ships was immediately
opened upon the hill-fort with irresistible effect. Their precision
in throwing shells was particularly remarked, and nothing could long
resist their sustained fire.
On the Chinese side, the river batteries opened upon the Nemesis and
Phlegethon as they passed the river's mouth, and upon every vessel upon
which they could bear, as they occasionally came within range--namely,
the Queen, Cruiser, &c. The Nemesis, having passed beyond the
flag-ship, ran in as close as possible to the town, and dispersed a
body of Chinese, who were drawn up with their banners, &c., on that
side, and also opened upon a small fort at the landing-place, between
the Citadel-hill and the town; but she was then directed by the Admiral
to proceed with orders to the Sesostris and the Queen.
Just at this moment, (past eleven o'clock,) the boats were ordered
to land the right column, under Captain Herbert; and it was about
this time, also, that the 49th, on the south side of the river, were
seen to crown the hill, and carry the Chinese entrenchment in that
direction.[61]
So severe and well-directed had been the fire of the ships, that
the Chinese had been driven out of the temple upon the top of the
Citadel-hill, and could be seen rushing down towards the city. The
seamen and marines, having disembarked upon the rugged rocks at the
mouth of the river, advanced to the assault with great rapidity up the
hill, and entered the citadel, the gate of which had been left open by
the Chinese, as they fled.
The Chinese still manned the walls of the city below, which were about
twenty feet high, and also the two batteries upon the river side,
before described. The marine and seamen battalion, therefore, pushed on
to attack the city, and escaladed the walls in two places on the east
side--the enemy making their escape through the western gate which led
into the open country.
By this time, the batteries on the south side of the river were also in
possession of our troops, who now turned the guns upon the batteries on
the city side of the river, near the water's edge. Captain Herbert's
column was accompanied by the admiral in person, who was one of the
foremost to mount the walls.
Three explosions took place during the attack--two near the top of the
Citadel-hill, and one at a mandarin station near the river-side. They
were supposed to be mines, and two of them were fired by our rockets.
Several Chinese suffered by the explosions.
The city of Chinhae, and the whole of the defences on both sides of the
river, so much relied on by the Chinese, were in our possession by two
o'clock; the Chinese troops were completely dispersed and panic-struck,
many of the high officers being killed, and the whole people in the
utmost consternation.
Captain Herbert retained possession of the town, with the marines,
during the remainder of the day; and in the evening, Sir Hugh Gough
crossed over from the opposite side with a few of his troops, and
joined Captain Herbert. The rest of our men bivouacked for the night
upon the hills they had so bravely taken. The total number of guns
which were found in the different works were no less than one hundred
and fifty-seven pieces, of which sixty-seven were brass, many being
very well cast, and of great weight. In the city was also discovered
a cannon foundry, with every preparation for the casting of a great
number of guns, including a large quantity of metal. There was likewise
some _copper ore_ found in the town, and a tolerable addition to the
prize fund was thus secured.
The loss on our side was inconsiderable, amounting to three men killed
and sixteen wounded, including one officer, Lieutenant Montgomerie,
of the 49th regiment, which bore the principal brunt of the day. The
loss of the Chinese is very difficult to estimate. But it amounted to
several hundred killed and wounded, in the operations on both sides of
the river.
Soon after the works were all in our possession, the Nemesis was
sent some way up the river to explore the navigation, having cleared
for herself a passage through the stakes; and, on her return to the
Wellesley, late in the day, the admiral, accompanied by Sir Henry
Pottinger, proceeded in her to examine the river again.
If we may judge from the various memorials presented to the Emperor,
after the fall of Chinhae, and his Majesty's replies to some of
them, we must at once perceive how great a sensation the loss of
this important place had made upon the people throughout the entire
province. They were now alarmed for the safety even of Hang-chow-foo,
the capital city. Nevertheless, the emperor, far from shewing any
inclination to yield, continued to urge on more strenuously than ever
the most extensive preparations for the defence of the province.
Before the fighting at Chinhae commenced, Yu-keen delivered his seals
of office to a faithful officer, to be carried back to the provincial
capital; and when, at length, he saw the day was lost, he coolly walked
down to the river's bank, and there, having performed the ceremony of
the Kotow, looking towards the imperial city, he threw himself into the
water. It was afterwards ascertained that about fourteen more Chinese
officers were either killed, or destroyed themselves.
The death of the imperial commissioner, Yu-keen, seems to have awakened
a feeling of compassion in the imperial bosom. His Majesty called to
mind the death of the commissioner's grandfather, in the same manner,
during the reign of Kien-lung, and directed that his departed servant,
"who gave his life for his country," should receive funeral honours
of a high class, in the same temple of "faithful ministers" in which
his ancestor had already found a place. The local officers were to pay
every honour to his remains, in all the towns through which his body
might pass on its way to Pekin.
It is an error to suppose that the Chinese are altogether averse
to change any of their established practices, however opposed
the government may be, as a matter of _policy_, to every kind of
_innovation_ in the usages of the people. In the strictly mechanical
arts, no people are more ready to adopt, or more expert in applying any
new methods which they can comprehend, and which appear better adapted
than their own, to attain the desired object; but their _imitations_
of things are notoriously ludicrous. At Chinhae, four newly-cast guns
were found, precisely after the model of some carronades which had been
recovered from the wreck of the Kite, and they were not by any means
bad specimens.
In the construction of their new gun-carriages, several striking
improvements had been copied from ours, and, in this and other
instances, it was thought that they must have employed people to take
sketches for them. The most remarkable innovation, however, and one
which points out their extreme ingenuity, was the discovery of some
machinery intended to be applied to the propulsion of their junks,
resembling paddle-wheels. This curious invention has been alluded to
in the early part of the work, but the actual machinery used for the
purpose was now first discovered. There were two long shafts, to which
were to be attached the paddle-wheels, made of hard wood, about twelve
feet in diameter; there were also some strong, wooden cog-wheels nearly
finished, which were intended to be worked by manual labour inside the
vessel. They were not yet fitted to the vessels; but the ingenuity of
this first attempt of the Chinese, so _far north_ as Chinhae, where
they could only have seen our steamers during their occasional visits
to Chusan, when that island was before occupied by us, cannot but be
admired.
A walk round the ramparts of Chinhae, was sufficient to give a good
idea of Chinese towns in general, and of the construction of their
walls, which, in some parts, could not be less than forty feet thick.
Beyond the town, the long sea-wall was a remarkably fine specimen
of masonry, composed entirely of large blocks of hewn granite,
sloping upwards. The whole of China, in fact, appears to present
to view astonishing instances of mixed civilization and barbarism,
of advancement and of stagnation, in all the relations of life.
Civilization appears to float upon the surface; you observe so much
of social order and sobriety, and hear so much of paternal care and
filial obedience, that you are half inclined to think they must be a
very moral, humane, and happy people. Again, you witness such proofs
of ingenuity, such striking results of industry and of combination of
labour, in their public works and buildings, canals, embankments, &c.,
that you are inclined to believe their institutions must have something
good in them at bottom.
But, when you look a little deeper below the surface, you are
astonished at the many evidences of barbarism and cruelty which
militate against your first impressions. The use of torture in the
hands of government officers is less striking, not only because it has
been in use in Christian Europe within the last half century, but also
because the obligation of an oath being unknown in China, as well as a
future state of reward or punishment, there is in some cases, no other
mode of extracting evidence, than this cruel, unjust, and much-abused
instrument of violence. It is more difficult, however, to perceive why
they should have exerted their ingenuity to produce revolting cruelty
in their modes of inflicting death.
The manner in which the unfortunate Capt. Stead and Mr. Wainwright
were put to death at Chinhae, as it was afterwards discovered, (for
they were only wounded and captured at Keeto Point,) affords strong
evidence of their cruel love for human suffering. The burial-place of
these persons was pointed out outside the city wall, beyond a little
moat which skirted them. It seemed to be the common burial-place for
criminals after execution, and there was an archery-ground, with a
target near at hand, for the practice of their favourite weapon. The
bodies of our countrymen were found rolled up in stout mats, such
as are commonly used for covering their floors. It was difficult to
obtain from the Chinese, anything like correct information as to the
precise mode in which the unfortunate sufferers were put to death; for,
although both of them were at last beheaded, there is too much reason
to believe that they were first of all most barbarously tortured.
The infliction of the punishment of death in China, by any mode which
shall cause the mutilation of the body, is considered much more
severe and degrading, than death by strangulation, or without the
shedding of blood; and the more the body is mutilated, the greater
is the punishment considered. The putting to death by "cutting in
pieces," in which horrible operation, decapitation is the climax,
is, perhaps, never at present carried into effect. It is reserved, I
believe, exclusively for rebellion and high treason. But the Chinese
seem to take pleasure in inventing various cruel modes by which death
_may be_ inflicted, although, probably, they are not now used, if,
indeed, they ever were. The most original and disgusting of all these
methods, (of which, however, there was no evidence of its being used,)
was illustrated by the discovery, either at Chinhae or at Ningpo, of
the model of a machine for _pounding women_ to death. The original
model was found in a temple, together with various others of a very
extraordinary kind. It was very small, and represented a large, oblong,
stone vase, in which the woman was to be placed, with the back of her
head resting upon one extremity, (the long hair hanging over the side,
and fastened to it,) while her legs were to be secured to the other
extremity. The horrible pounding process was to be effected by means
of a huge stone pestle, large at the base and conical at the apex,
similar to those which they use for pounding rice. The pestle, or
cone, was fixed to the extremity of a long pole, the pole itself being
fastened by a pin in the centre to an upright support, something in the
manner of a pump-handle. The extremity of the handle being depressed
by a man's weight, of course raised the cone, and, the pressure being
removed, the heavy cone or pestle descended by its own weight, which
was quite sufficient to pound one to pieces.
It was stated that at Chusan a stone tablet was found, upon which were
carved the Emperor's orders, that every barbarian who fell into the
hands of the authorities, should be executed by a slow and ignominious
death. We know, however, that, except in the case of the prisoners
upon the island of Formosa, this horrible threat was, in only rare
instances, carried into execution. On the contrary, the English
prisoners were sometimes tolerably well treated. This undoubtedly arose
from the forbearance which was shewn on our part towards the Chinese
themselves, and the humanity and kindness which their wounded and their
prisoners invariably received from our officers and men, and which it
was invariably the object of Sir Hugh Gough to promote and encourage.
FOOTNOTE:
[61] The right columns consisted of--
Seamen Battalion, under Captain Bourchier 400
Royal Marines, Major Ellis 276
Royal Artillery, with two five and a half inch mortars, }
and some 9 and 12-pounder rockets, } 23
Lieutenant the Honourable--Spencer }
Madras Sappers, Captain Cotton and Lieutenant Johnstone, M.E. 30