CHINA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 525, 14 November 1857, Page 5

CHINA.

keppbl's descent on fatshan.

Not satisfied with what had been" thus aocoinplLshed, Commodore Keppel made his way

past the six-gun fort, on- the right channel, and past the burning junks, driving out the crews -as he went. Vain were the Chinamen's stinkjpots, their theee-pronged spears, and their ingenious nets, se contrived as to fall over a boat's crew and catch them like herrings, while they spear through the meshes. Without paying much attention to these contrivances, KeppelV little squadron broke through the already conquered junks into the vacant channel. With seven boats only he pulled away, apparently for the town of Fatshan, with its population of 500,000 inhabitants. His progress however, was not uninterrupted. Pour miles above the -scene of the conflict just described, Keppel and 4iis 'little company came upon an island, at the head of -which twenty junks had been so moored that their fire was concentrated on the only channel, and this channel was so narrow that two boats could not pass it abreast. No -sooner did the boats appear in the narrow passage than twenty 32-pounders sent twenty round shot, ond a hundred smaller guns sent their full charges of grape and canister, at a range of 500 yards, right among them. No gunners' could have worked those 32-pounder guns better,or threwa the round shot straighter. Keppel's galley—not «, large mark—was hit three times in two ini»utes. A 32-pounder shot struck Major Kearwy in the breast, tearing feiin to pieJes. Barker, a midshipman in the Tribune, who wore upon his finger a ring bequeathed to him by his brother, who was killed at I«kermann, was soon down, mortally wounded. The Commodore's coxswain was killed, and I every man of his crew wounded. But the I ■miracle-was that any escaped. Capt. Cochrane had the -sleeve of his coat torn away by a shot, which left him unharmed. A round shot entered the Tribune's boat, and passed along her line of keel from .stem to stern, without touching a man.^ '"That was close, Victor," said Keppel to his fiag-lieutenant, as a cannon shot passed between their heads. Fortunately for himself, Victor (Prisce Victor of Hohenlohe) was leaning forward and using his handkerchief as a torniquet to stop the bleeding of a seaman whose hand had just been shot off, otherwise that ball must have taken Victor's head off. At this time the galley was disabled, and she was drifting down under the junks. Even Keppel saw that it would not do. The matter was, however, settled for him, for the next shot tore away the stern sheets of his galley, while he was fortunately standing-up with the tiller -ropes in his hand. He stepped from his sinking galley into the barge of the Calcutta. All rthe other occupants of the galley were also removed into the barge ; all except the mangled -corpse of the coxswain and the favourite dog of 'the-Commodore, who had been accustomed to '.be- tended by that man, and would not leave :-his body. With this freight the wreck of the .-galley drifted with the rising tide up towards <the ; iunks.

.Now the boats retired amid the sounding of -f ongs, strange shouts of triumph, and a°refire. They retired to the Hong Kong vwmch -was aground astern. The Commodore was waiting for reinforce-'inents,-and Tor more water in the river, and -meanwhile he piped to dinner. The men were gettingtheir rations, and were devouring them when the fire from the junks slackened—they were sheering off; a boat from the Raleigh rein-forced-the little squadron-; and, what was of still more moment, the water had risen in the river, so -that the .channel became passable. Dinner was dropped instanter. Keppel and his people dashed in, and soon there were only eight of the flymggunks uncaptured. Si j ?" les the chase lasted» as they rounded a point in the river, pursuers and pursued found themselves abreast'of the town of * atshan. IThree of the j ariks escaped, but Keppel obtained possession of the other five, which he towed away in triumph despite the efforts of -the braves of fatshan. They turned out in. martial array- they rang bells and beat gon^s, 'they--came-filing down a fosse, so covered from .view that only their waving banners and their brandished swords and shields were visible. _We are terrible! • Flee before us .'"they cried. Keppel turned his marines out of his "boats, drew them upon the margin of the--suburb'and' poured into the Fate'kan militia such a vollevof Mime balls that the Chinese army went quickly back upats fosse again. He proposed to land his howitzers and pass the night in the "city • a message from the Admiral, however, recalled .him. ±Le had his five junks towed out before him, and as he left the «ty he stood up in the stern-sheets of his boat, and shook his fist goodhumouredly, saying, "You rascals—l'll come •back again to you soon ;" and those extraordinary Chinese, they too laughed— a broad eoodhnmoured grin—and so they parted. ..Eujhty-four men on the British side were killed or wounded, and ei-hty-nine war junks were destroyed in these affairs.

Complete as this success has been; we have no reason to suppose that it will bring.us much nearer a settlement with this extraordinary people. As the British force steamed down the river, m which their - sueeess had been so com- ■ plete, we are told that a couple of miserablejunks far astern of them fired a shot or tw6 at> -the retreating flotilla, as though to signify that 'Chinese prowess enforced their retreat.