English and Foreign.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 572, 28 April 1858, Page 3

English and Foreign.

THE ASSAULT AND CAPTURE OF CANTON.

(From the Honglcong Overland Register, 15th January.) We have almost given up the hope of obtaining any accurate account of the entire assault of the city of Canton. We get little bits from the attacking columns here and there, and then the accounts are so contradictory. One correspondent, in referring to Captain Bate's death, mentions the advance of a company of marines, with whom he was, but says nothing about the Admiral as standing close to Captain Bate when he fell, as a second informant does ; a third eye-witness says the fire was very hot, and the Admiral and party were'taking advantage of the cover afforded by some small houses, when Captain Bate walked close up to the ditch, about 50 yards from the wall, better to understand the difficulties of the place. The Admiral called out " the gingal fire is too hot— don't expose yourself," and hardly had he said so when Captain Bate fell. When we can with such difficulty arrive at the truth of an action, the result of which, is only inferior in interest to the fall of Canton, we may well doubt our ability to write anything like an accurate account of the assault. We shall, however, give our correspondent's account as nearly as possible. On Monday, the 28th, the French Naval Brigade and marines advanced under the leading of Lieutenant Stuart, R.E., and some engineers who had been lent to the French to point out the column of attack, to capture Fort Lin, which our readers will remember is the fort in the rear, and nearly in a line with the French Folly. Admiral de Genouilly, Lieutenant Stuart, and the ladder party, got under the wails of the fort without opposition ; the ladders were immediately placed, and Stuart, the Admiral, and the small body of men, ascended: the French column coming up, the fort was soon taken possession of, with very little loss. The French Admiral, it is said, was so pleased with Lieutenant Stuart's unhesitating assault with his small body of supporters, that he either gave or promised him the Cross of the Legion of Honour.* The 59th were advancing to take up their position, when Lieutenant Hacket, A.D.C. to Brigadier Graham, while conveying orders had to pass a few houses; —iv them were a party of Chinese in ambush, not dressed as soldiers, who set upon him, and although he defended himself gallantly, he was overpowered and killed. This scene was witnessed by some of the 38th M.N.I. They were' too late to save Hacket, but they, with some of the 59th, gave chase to the murderers, and one was captured, red with the blood of his victim "■■ he was forthwith strung up ; two others were shot in the pursuit. The different brigades having landed bivouacked on the plain facing the Large East Gate, under as good cover as could be got; but the Chinese managed to get the range with their gingals, and the quarters were shifted once or ! twice during the night to deceive their fire. The order of attack given out on Sunday was l —that the French Naval Brigade was to attack the Small North Gate,supported by the provisional battalion of marines—the British Naval Brigade to attack the Large East Gate, supported, by the 59th and the company of the 38th M. N. I. On the morning of Tuesday the 29th, some slight alterations were made in the arrangements,the slight necessity of supporting columns against the Chinese, we infer, being apparent; they were therefore more extended on independent ground. At 5.30 the British Naval Brigade, under Sir R. M'Clure, took a village near the wall of the city, close to the large East Gate, without opposition. The French Brigade advanced from Fort Lin, and the Naval Brigade, 900 strong, gathered up in compact order in quarter distance columns, advanced over rough ground inclining to the right and rear of the attack. The change of the order of attack was —that while the Madras Rifles covered Sir Robert M'Clure's attack, the 50th were advanced on his right as a storming column. As soon as daylight broke the Chinese opened a fire of gingals and matchlocks. As the morning advanced the general ordered a company of the Provisional Battalion of Marines to advance and cover a party, consisting of the Admiral, Capt. Bate, and a gig's crew, in a reconnoisance of the proper point to escalade the Five-storied Pagoda or Magazine, which is placed on the north wall. The skirmishers were also to prepare to le -d the assault when the ladders were placed. This was found to be a service of some danger, the gingal and matchlock-men being in considerable numbers behind the loopholed parapet ; the party however got up behind what cover they could find, and "the Admiral and Captain Bate, with, we believe, H. E. Mr. Reade's secretary, sheltering themselves in the rear of some houses availed themselves of what opportunities they could to inspect the whole. Captain Bate, desirous of ascertaining the nature of the ditch to be crossed, quietly left his cover, and walked to the edge of the ditch, and there, standing at about fifty yards from the wall, taking a survey of the nature of the defences to be overcome, this lamented officer was struck down by two gingal balls; he lingered about twenty minutes before he died. The admiral having seen all that he had to see, gave orders for the ladders and stormers to advance, leaving the marine company to do their best to quench the fire of the "besieged. The anxiety of the men to assault made the time seem to hang heavily, and * Tlris refers to the assault of the city on the 29th of December. The Chinese evacuated the Tort, and the French and 50th Regiment walked X n without opposition.

it was thought the ladders would never be planted. At last one gallant fellow got a ladder down into the ditch, and there was immediately a rush down into it, the ladder was then quickly carried across and planted on the other side, and Lieutenant Blake, R.M., of the Sybelle, iminydiately led up it, well supported. On gaining the wall, considerable opposition was encountered, the officers having to resort to their swords and revolvers, but by this time more marines were swarming up the ladders, and the place was in our hands at 9 a.m.; the leading company in the assault was then sent to the extreme riyiit. About the same time this was taking place, thi; French were delivering their assault on the Little N'n-th Gate, under the guidance of Lieu--tenant Smart, R.E., with Captain. Fellowes, of the Crui/.nr, which was perfectly successful. We have, while writing this, not obtained any accurate details of the storming of the Large East Gate by the Naval Brigade and the 59th, beyond that we know that it was as successful as the others. Although all hope of successful resistance was over after the Magazine Fort and walls were in our possession, the Chinese continued a desultory fight during the whole day-tivne, but were gradually forced back. About 3 p.m. Gough's Fort was taken. Here the Chinese after their manner had laid guns to defend the north side of the fort, and were quite unprepared for an assault from the south side coining from the direction of the city walls. After we had occupied the important positions above described at the end of the day, opposition ceased. The post at the north-west gate being our extreme right, and the south- I east water gate near the French Folly our extreme left, and as we virtually held the whole of the city walls on the river front, the whole wall, with the exception of the wall running from the rear of the factories to the north-west gate, was in our possession on the night of the j 29th. The unoccupied, piece of wall forms the j west of the Tartar city. Our loss has been very trifling in comparison with the extent of operations and numbers engaged—the following are what we gather on this subject:— NATAL "BEIGADE. Captain Bate, of Acteeon, killed. 1 midshipman, Thompson, of the Sanspareil, killed. 1 lieutenant, Lord Gilford, wounded. 40 men killed and wounded. MAEINE BATTALLIOX. 36 men killed and wounded. 59th p."ghment. 1 officer, Lieutenant Hacket, killed. Ensign Bowen, wounded (since dead). 3 men killed and 20 wounded. • * the feeSxsh: ■-""■ About 20 officers and men killed and wounded. Wednesday, the 30ik.—The admirals and general made a circuit of the walls with their staffs, and a strong body of troops were then inarched into the city in all directions. The place, said our informant, seemed a city of the dead; doors and windows closed and nothing living to be seen about, the effect being further increased by the peculiarity of surrounding the houses in blocks of about fifty by a high wall. Large stores of rice were found, which is distributed to the crowds of beggars infesting the gates all day. Several prisons were visited, but there was no sign of our missing countrymen. About 300 unfortunate rebel prisoners were I freed; —our informant says they were a fearful I sight to behold, unshaven and unkempt, more j like wild beasts than men, penned up in their loathsome dungeons. A large capful of rice was given to each, and they were sent out of j the city. We have not heard that any iniporI tant discoveries were made. The exploration jof the city was continued next day, and large quantities of gunpowder were discovered, as also several powder manufactories. A fearful accident happened at one of these the same afternoon. The building being both strong and well situated was chosen for a post, and a party of seamen were set to clear it out, with whom was Commodore Elliott—the place was on a slight elevation, and the sailors with their usual carelessness" were trundling down the jars of powder which of course were, broken in many cases, and the powder strewed about. By some accident this loose powder was ignited andblew up, throwing down a wall, under the ruins of which it is supposed five men were buried; sixteen others were severely burnt; some notbeing recognisable were picked up and conveyed to Hongkong by the Drake gunboat. Most fortunately there was no communication of the loose rowder with the magazine, otherwise not only "Commodore Elliott and several officers with him, but a large number of the Ist Bii- ! gade would have shared the same fate, their quarters being close by. One story has it that the men were smoking and skylarking, throwing stones at each other—another that a drunken marine was passing with his pipe in his mouth and was so confused when ordered to take it out, that he dropped it among loose powder. j The head quarters were fixed at the fort near I the five storied pasroda, and we have the follow- i [ ing description of them : Mnjor-General van Straubcnzee has a handsome well furnished room ; ditto the French admiral, while the Admiral has a large bare hull, the total furniture of whivh consists of a common bamboo couch with a ship's mattress, a common Chinese pil- j low with a plaid wrapped round it —this is the Admiral's "'flinty and steel couch of war;" a table or two for his secretary, and one or two for miscellaneous use, with a bare bench or two to make up the entire furniture of the quarter !of the captor of the city of Ranis.. There Sir

Michael works hard all day, occasionally giving a glance round with his vigilant eye to see that things are going on as they should. "Looting" is strictly forbidden, except in the case of masterless pigs and fowls, or a stray blanket which may be turned to account during the cold nights. To show the spirit in which the order is carried out, the indefatigable Captain Hall pounced upon four of his seamen looting, marched them on board hi 3 ship and gave them two dozen each, well laid on pour encourager les autres. Our allies, however, it is said, art; under no strict discipline and do a considerable amount of plundering. We hope this is not true, but if it be true, it is much to be regretted, as our best means of securely holding Canton and governing it, by the help of the welldisposed Chinese inhabitants, is by shewing them that their lives and property will be protected, and all armed violence or plunder at once suppressed. Although one of their enemies is respecting their property, and wo hone the other is or will soon do so—on Sir Michael's remonstrance, if necessary—a kind of civil war is being waged in the suburbs between large gangs of thieves and the inhabitants. LANDING O3? THE PLEJNIPOTEjSTIAKIES. Turning from military operations, we have now to take notice of diplomatic proceedings — Lord Elgin and suite are on board the Furious. Each day he comes up the river, and proceeds on board the Aetsgon, where he remains during the day, and goes back in one of the gun boats at night to his own ship. Wednesday, while Lord Elgin was on board the Actseon, a flag of truce Jcame alongside, the bearer wearing an opaque red button on his cap, marking the highest grade of Mandarin. .He professed to have come from Tseang-keung (the Tartar General) to know what he wanted. Mr v Parkes, we understand, very soon found out that he was a mandarin of a very low grade, and not entitled to wear the button he had. He was at once told to go about his business, and to tell ! the Tartar General if he wanted to confer with I the military leaders they would be at the north gate the nest day at half-past one o'clock; as for Lord Elgin he could only confer with his equal in rank, the Governor-General. After promising to deliver the message, the envoy expressed some fear of being stopped by the ship-of-war's boats, and two boats of the Acteon were sent to see him safe on shore. Next day, after waiting a short time at the appointed place, the admirals, the general, and their staff, with an escort, went round the walls as before mentioned. At the west side large numbers were observed fleeing from the city, can-vine away their goods and chattels. In the mean time grand preparations were made for the landing of the plenipotentiaries. A party of sailors under Captains Hall, Kellowes, and Brooker, were engaged in knocking away the parapet of the wall near the waterside o-ate, close to the French Folly, and erecting an inclined plane over the ruins of some small houses in the neighbourhood. Lord Elgin who had come up to the.flag ship, the Coromaude!, about noon, met Baron Gros on board. About two the necessary arrangements havin°- been reported complete, the two plenipotentiaries got into their boats and landed at the neighbouring landing place under a salu.e, where they were received by Admiral Seymour, General Van Straubenzee, Colonel Graham, Colonel Foley, Military Secretary; Major. Lua--d, Bri-ade Major Captain Pellew, A.L.G. to M. G. Van Straubenzee, Lieutenant Burge, A D C to Colonel Graham, Major burmester, Captain W. K. Hall, with other naval and military officers ; companies of marines belongin"- to' Colonel Lemon's battalion were drawn up°at the landing place as a guard ot honour. Lord Elgin's suite consisted or the honourable F W Bruce, Mr. Lock, Mr. Wade, and Mr. Parkes. Baron Gros was accompanied by Laptain Eevnatid, and the Count de Grancay. The procession then ascended the inclined plane, and turning to the right proceeded round the walls. The troops holding tlie different points of the walls were under anus, and greeted the procession with heavty cheers as they passed along. About a quarter to three theVocession reached the head quarters house, where there was a short consultation for a lew minutes between the principal parties, viz., the two plenipotentiaries, the two admirals (the French admiral having joined the procession at the little North Gate), the major-general and Mr. Parkes. After the conference, which loi aught any of the outsiders know, might have merely been discussing a glass ot wine to the health of the new year, or •' success to trade, the different members strolled about, admin iff, under a brilliant New Years liay^ splendid view from the heights ; imd a ia mr seme the eye could hardly rest on, it ay c *hut out the shattered town and the smoking lunis. About the time the party left to return, the lokik Fort, better known as the Upper Blue Jacket Fort was blown up under the superintendence of Lieutenant Stuart, and as .he procession was embarking on its return it *« greeted with a grand sahno, co^;s n^ ot the fringing of twenty-one mines W lm-n Ua I*™ formed under the square, or Gouglis lorMj Lieutenant Langley, X.8., and a pvty *f «Pj neers. By the explosion the lovt was knocked to pieces, and now stav.ds a very P«™««'J ■monument to the sunuui.dsng; county ol our power.