English and Foreign.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 520, 28 October 1857, Page 3

English and Foreign.

CHINA

The following extracts of letters from the fleet will be found interesting:— I hear the Inflexible is to leave instanter for Hongkong with our wounded, and therefore avail myself of the opportunity for a hurried detailment of our last engagement—certainly the greatest we have ever had with the Chinese. I am unable to give yo\i a correct list of the casualties, but I may state about 10 (3 of them officers) killed, and 30 wounded, many most severely.* Major Kearney was struck by a round shot in the breast and frightfully mangled. He was in Capt. Deckie's boat at the time. The Admiral was on board the Corornandel, and conducted affairs with his usual coolness and determination. The fort opposite Hyacinth Island was first captured by Capt. Boyle, in charge of 400 ma- :• rines and seamen, under the immediate command I of Commodore Elliot. Commodore Keppel behaved in the most gal- ' lant manner, and led the boats in person—all his gig's crew were killed or wounded except one man. All the gunboats (Haughty, Plover, Staunch, Bustard, Forester, Starling, and Opossum) were | engaged in the expedition, and also the Coromani del, and chartered steamers Hongkong and Sir Charles Forbes; but some of them were unable to participate in the fight, from the shallowness of the water, so that the row boats had more dangerous work to perform than was at first anticipated. The number of boats was eighty, collected from all the ships in the river, and the total force may be stated at 1,100 or 1,200 seamen and marines; but many of the boats also had but little to do in the action. The Fatshan fleet is now in a blaze, and everything valuable on board the junks goes down with them, for the Admiral has strictly prohibited plundering. The Chinese have .certainly improved in the art of war. First-rate; .English muskets, and Dean's and Colt's revolvers were found on board, the junks; and bullets, having a marked resemblance to our Minies, but with long iron spikes attached to them were fallen in with. It is not in my power, or indeed of any one engaged, to form any estimate of the Chinese killed in this engagement; but the number must be very great, and the junks and row boats may be safely set down at 150." : -.. Of the gallantry of our officers and men I need say nothing. Dr. J. Crawford, with an efficient medical staff, was in attendance on board the Hongkong, and Drs. Anderson, Bayues, W. M. Crawford, Patrick Scott, and a number of assistant-sur-geons, attended on the wounded during action. — China Mail, June-4,, The Fight in the Creeks.—ln the absence of a ' Government Gazette Extraordinary,' •with, full particulars of the Fatshan Creek engagement on Monday last—although satisfied that, from necessity, by omitting mention of names we shall do injustice to some among the foremost in the fray—the following addition to the narrative in our last number will be found interesting:—The first division, we stated, left the rendezvous above the Macao Barrier at halfpast three; the second division weighed at five, left Fatee Creek on the right, and passed beyond Hyacinth Island to where the stream branches off to the left. Here it was that the Imperialist, Admiral Wang, with some seventy very heavily armed and well manned junks, had taken his stand, satisfied that such was the shallowness of the water it would not be possible for more than one steamer to get up within gun-shot range. The vessel taking this post of honour was the Hongkong, Lieut. Goodenough (first of the Raleigh) commanding, Mr. Raymond piloting. Directly the Hongkong grounded in six feet, muddy bottom, all the boats shoved off, and, under a most terrific fire—for, having our range, every gun discharged by the Chinese was well laid—the junks were boarded in the smoke, and with such celerity, th/it by seven o'clock they were all ours. Leaving the third and fourth divisions to complete the destruction (and we are told that the "blowings up." one after the other, or two or three together, was. the most beautiful sight imaginable), with half-a-dozen boom boats, the intrepid Commodore,. Keppe1, dashed on up the Fatshan Creek, and by 8 o'clock had reached as high as the island forming the double channel approach to Fatshan. Here ho found a squadron of 25 junks, and such a feu d' enfer that, without more force, it was not deemed prudent to attempt to cany them. Thetide had risen by this time, and directly the commander of the Hongkong heard the. firing, her anchor was up, and she was pushed on through the mud until her bow gun could be brought tobear and be borne on also; for here it was th«Hongkong received that severe mauling of whiclv

we made mention" in" our last. Crash went a |;vshot through-the foremost funnel; Mr. Raymond I",- and Lieutenant G-oodenough escaping the splinI :ters by ~a miracle. Whizi through the port |y paddlebqx. a twenty-four pounder; the shot, I after traversing from forward to aft, finally deJ, positing itself in a plate rack in the cabin pan- | try-.^Tnto a hundred pieces went a gun carriage I in the starboard waist ;—sky-light, quarter-boat, I *in fact it appeared eyefything was being hit but I the men; for thpugh our loss has been severe, it I is, compared with the number engaged and the I very excellent gunnery of our enemies, most as-

% tonishingly small. Eighteen times was theHongp kong-hulled; and it was at this time that a shot [ passing through the stern sheets between Capt. ;< -Keppel and Prince Victor, killed the stroke-oar's-i 'man, wounded the coxswain and rest of the crew, ?;. -and : swamped the Commodore's: galley; Major X .Kearney, sitting beside Captain Deckie in the ; -Fury's boat being then, too, struck by a thirtytwo pound shot full on the breast, fearfully mv- ■ >tilated and killed instantly. The ; •Captain Cocbraiie's jacket was torn by one shot, f -and Lieutenant Graham's coat tails taken away "%y another, without a hurt to himself. Feeling ■■;■• the shock, and finding the seat of his trowsers covered with blood, he could not understand "what had occurred; until, turning1 round, he ', found the blood was the spurting from one of . his men with his head off by.his' side. ReturnIng to the Hongkong, the first order given by j. the Commodore was to hoistiihe dinner signal; •but, before the meal could be got ready, word ] was brought that the junks were moving off; so •the meal was put aside, and with the additional ( !boats up, on they went again; three lusty huzzas 'from "Jack," as the Commodore hoisted a makei shift burgee for a pendant, in the place of the one lost in the sunken boat, infusing new life into all hands. Just at starting, a round shot tumbled into the Calcutta's launch, knocked a !. hole in her bottom, and sunk heri Commander „ Holland and Lieutenant Stewart (Pique), moving , "quickly into other boats and going on with-the chase.— Friend of China.

* The following imperfect list of the killed and wounded has since been supplied; but the number is understated—lo at least having been killed und '40 wounded:—

Killed or mortally wounded and since dead:— Major Kearney; Assistant Quartermaster-Gene-ral; E. C. Ryan, Master's Assistant of the Highflyer; Sergeant T. Christian, R.M., and &. Griffin, seaman, of the Niger; Midshipman H. L. Barker, and R. Harper, seaman, of the Tribune-, P. Tolthurst, seaman of the Raleigh; J. Smith, marine of the Nankin; and T. Cronin, seaman ■of the Hornet—total 9.

Dangerously wounded:—M. Rideout, W. Seymour, ■G. Sackett, T. Coleman, J. Broughton/ <T. Hatherly, arid W. Spanier, of the Raleigh^ E. Baecbanan and J. Revoley of the Hornet? B. Morgan and B, Sholdrake, of the Tribunei; C. Mea'd,<*>f the Plover; %H seamen—total 12.

Severely; S. Graist. and T. Anderson, seamen,* «fthe Hornet; W. Nelson and M. Patterson, of sthe Tribune; B. Somphire, marine, and 3. God--ding and A. Jarkins, seamen, of the Raleigh; D. Pooney, seaman, G. Pope and W. Collins, marines, of the Calcutta—total 10.

Slightly:—J. M'Kellister, Calcutta; E. Kowe, Raleigh; J. Smith, Sybille; all seamen—3. Total killed and wounded, 34.