Head-quarters, Oct. 18, 1841. My Lord, With feelings of the deepest thankfulness, I have the honour to acquaint your Lordship that, under the protection of a gracious and all-wise Providence, perfect success has attended Her Majesty's combined forces in all our projected operations, Considering the extent of the enemy's preparations, the strength of his different positions, and his overwhelming numbers, the loss on our side has been surprisingly small, while that on the part of the Chinese has been almost appalling. 2. My last despatch will have informed your Lordship of our proposed movement on Chinhae and Ningpo. On the 8th inst. I accompanied their Excellencies Sir Henry Pottinger and the Admiral, in a steamer, for the purpose of reconnoitring the former place. For the period of the monsoon, upon a lee-shore, the weather was singularly favourable; both on this and the following days the enemy allowed us to come within short range without firing a shot, and the Admiral and I were thus at once enabled to make our dispositions.

3. The fortified city of Ching hae, the great military dépôt of this province, is situated on the left bank of the Tahia or Ningpo river, occupying, with its suburb, the whole space between the river and the sea. The walls are nearly three miles in circumference, and their sea face runs for about a mile along a massive stone embankment, that extends for three or four miles further up the coast. At the south-eastern extremity,

narrow gorge, a precipitous rock rises abruptly from the sea, throwing out a steep and rugged spur, at the point of which is the entrance to the river. Upon the summit of this rock there is a large Joss-house, extending along the coast of the ridge, and forming a sort of citadel, the several buildings being loopholed and connected by castellated walls, aud in front of the outer gate, commanding the spur before mentioned, a battery, armed with some pieces of heavy ordnance, has been recently constructed. From information I obtained, it would appear that the Joss-house was occupied by 400 men, while 3,000 held the city and various small encampments without the walls.

4. The same information led me to believe, and the reconnoisances confirmed the statement, that the great body of the troops were strongly posted on the right bank of the river, upon a range of steep hills overlooking the city and Josshouse with heavy batteries, armed for the most part with new brass guns, commanding the entrance to the river, which was staked across. All these heights were fortified, and presented both a sea defence and military position of great strength, consisting of a chain of intrenched camps on all the prominent points difficult of approach, from the natural steepness of the hills, which had been further scarped in several places; field redoubts crowned the summits, and hill and ravine bristled with gingals. A low swampy flat, reaching to the shore, and only to be crossed by narrow winding

of this position, which was also protected by a deep canal, that, after skirting the hills, runs through the flat into the sea; but I ascertained that there were two bridges over this canal.

5. We returned to Chusan the same evening; and the troops which I had ordered for this service having been previously embarked, as thick as they could stow on board the transports selected by the Admiral as fittest, in regard to the extraordinary currents on this coast, the squadron arrived the following evening off the mouth of Tahia river.

6. I beg herewith to inclose for your Lordship's information the disposition for landing. It appeared to me advisable, in which Sir W. Parker concurred, that we should make a conjoint attack on both banks of the river, first drawing the attention of the enemy to the right bank; and the dispositions were accordingly made for attacking in three columns, while the two line-of-battle ships, with the Blonde and Modeste, were to cannonade the Joss-house hill, and sea line of the city defence; the smaller vessels of war and the steamers to cover the landing, and to support, when practicable, the advancing columns by their fire. Sir W. Parker will detail to your Lordship the truly spirited manner in which the several ships of war and steamers took up their positions and fulfilled his orders. It only remains for me to say, that the cordial co-operation and powerful support which I have received upon the present, indeed, upon every occasion, from the ships of war, under the direction of their gallant chief, is matter of the warmest thankfulness.

of the 10th, the left column, consisting of a wing of the 18th, five companies of the 55th, the Rifle company of the 36th Madras N. I., a

company of Madras Artillery and one of Sappers; in all 1,040 men, with four light howitzers and two 5-inch mortars, was embarked in the steamers. This column I placed under Lieut.-Colonel Craigie, but accompanied myself, and at eight o'clock the steamers, having run in close to the shore, the troops were landed, without any opposition, under the judicious superintendence of Captain Gifford, ably aided by Lieut. Somerville, of the Royal Navy, at a rocky point, having the low flat and the canal already mentioned to their right.

8. The centre column was soon after landed about a mile to my right, under a detached rocky hill, near the mouth of the canal, but on the opposite bank, having in its front a part of the low flat between it and the enemy's position, my object being to threaten a front attack, and to deter the enemy from weakening his centre to support his right, which the left column, under my own superintendence, was destined to turn. The centre column consisted of the 40th Regiment, detachments of the Royal and Madras Artillery, under Captain Knowles, of the former corps, and fifty men of the Sappers, amounting altogether to 440 men, with two 12-pounder howitzers and two 9-pounder field guns, under Lieut.-Colonel Morris.

9. Immediately after landing, the left column moved rapidly over a succession of steep hills that skirted the intervening flat in front of the enemy's position, until it reached a point from

whole position, and of the two bridges over the canal; that to my front I ordered the Rifle company to protect, by occupying a few houses on our side, supported by the 18th; and I directed Lieut.-Colonel Craigie with the 55th, accompanied by Captain Pears, Commanding Engineer, to move quickly on the second bridge, which was about a mile further up the flat, cross it, and push on for the hills beyond, thus turning the extreme right of the enemy's position, and threatening to cut off his retreat. By this time the centre column had formed, and showed its head at the opposite side of the flat just out of gingal range, threatening a front attack. Captain Simpson very promptly performed the duty intrusted to him, and I ascertained that the bridge was uninjured, but had been barricaded by a solid wall of masonry, with merely an aperture so narrow, that soon after the gate was, with some difficulty, removed, a single soldier could not pass through without unstrapping his great-coat. Having assembled the 18th at the foot of the bridge to cover the Rifles, that company passed over in Indian file, in face of a large body of the enemy, assembled in an advanced redoubt, upon the summit of an eminence within 150 yards of us, who cheered our advance, but most unaccountably reserved their fire; having placed the Rifles behind a hill just beyond the bridge, I directed the 18th to cross and form, and finding the 55th had arrived at its point of attack, sent orders for the 40th to advance, which they did with a spirit worthy of that gallant carps.

10. From the rapidity of these

the ground, the guns could not be brought forward enough to act, but Captain Anstruther, of the Madras Artillery, with the usual alacrity of that corps, brought up the rockets, which now began to play. The moment the advance of the 49th got into action, the 18th and Rifles rapidly moved forward, and the 55th having crossed the upper bridge, pressed the enemy's right. I have seldom witnessed a more animated combined attack: the Chinese cheering until we got close to them, now poured in a very heavy but ill-directed fire, and displayed in various instances acts of indi vidual bravery that merited a better fate; but nothing could withstand the steady but rapid advance of the gallant little force that assailed them; field-work after field-work was cleared, and the colours of the 49th were displayed on the principal redoubt above the sea and river batteries; while the 18th, who had charged up a deep gorge to the left, broke through the central encampment, carrying everything before them. From 1,200 to 1,500 of the enemy, that had stood longest, were driven down the heights into the river, their retreat being cut off by the flank movement of the 55th many were drowned in attempting to swim across to the city; others sought concealment on a rock in the stream, and were afterwards picked up by the boats of the Queen, and nearly 500 surrendered as prisoners.

11. I feel a difficulty in naming any individual where all so well merit my warmest meed of praise, but I cannot avoid bringing to your Lordship's special notice, as having fallen under my own per

Captain Reynolds, of the 49th, and Lieut. and Adjutant Browne, of the same corps, whose bold advance up the first hill, the one with his company, and the other with a covering party of his regiment, was most conspicuous. Lieut.Colonel Morris reports most favourably of the spirited manner in which Captain Faber, with his light company, covered his right flank.

12. The operations on the right bank having thus terminated, I had a full view of the effect of the fire from the ships of war and steamers on the Joss-house hill, and of the landing of the right column. This column, which consisted of the seamen, a battalion of Royal Marines, a detachment of Royal Artillery, and fifty Sappers, in all about 700 men, with two 5-inch mortars, I had intrusted to Captain Herbert, of H. M. S. Blenheim, whom Sir W. Parker placed at my disposal, sending with him Captain Cotton, of the Madras Engineers. Captain Herbert was instructed to land at the extremity of the spur under the Joss-house, and to storm and take it by the sea front, whenever the fire from the ships should make it practicable; and it was left to his discretion to push on and take the city, if the effect of a plunging fire from the hill, aided by a powerful cannonade from the ships of war, should justify the advance.

13. I had it only in my power, as the flying enemy had carried off every boat from the right bank of the river, to aid the operations on the left bank, by turning such of the captured guns as our artillery could at the moment bring to bear upon the city, and by a well-directed fire of rockets; but

no more aid was necesssary, as the admirable fire of the ships of war and steamers occasioned fearful devastation on the Joss-house hill. The right column landed a little after eleven o'clock, and the seamen with characteristic spirit dashed up the face of the nearly precipitous rock, supported by the steady advance of the Royal Marines. A magazine in the new battery before the outer gate exploded. The way was then cleared, and the column entered, the garrison escaping into the town, and the union-jack was displayed on the Joss-house walls. Captain Herbert, with his usual sound judgment, instantly determined upon taking advantage of the general panic, quickly followed up the retreating enemy, and cleared the city rampart in his front by a sharp fire of musketry. At this moment a tremendous explosion took place in a battery below the hill, by which the Chinese suffered severely, and a drummer of the Marines received so severe a wound, that he soon after died. The column escaladed at the southeastern angle where the city wall is about twenty feet high, the enemy flying before it, as it rapidly pushed along the ramparts, and escaping through the western gates. I cannot omit to mention here that Sir William Parker accompanied this column, and with the true spirit of a British sailor, was among the first to scale the walls. Thus the fortified city of Chinhae, with the several shore batteries, as well as the enemy's works and fortified encampments on the right bank of the river, all of which they had been for the last year busily employed in strengthening at an immense expense, fell into

Mandarius some are reported to have been killed, others to have destroyed themselves, and the Chinese army dispersed, the fugitive soldiers throwing away their arms and military clothing.

14. Captain Herbert speaks in high terms of the zealous and spirited conduct of every individual under his command, and particularly calls my attention to the able assistance he received from Captain Bourchier, of the Blonde, commanding the battalion of seamen; Major Ellis, commanding Royal Marines, and Captain Whitcomb of that corps, an old and zealous officer; and Captain Cotton, of the Madras Engineers. I beg, therefore, to bring these officers to your Lordship's favourable no tice.

15. The obstructions at the river's mouth having been removed by the boats from the ships-ofwar and the steamers, the latter came in, and I passed over in the afternoon, leaving a sufficient force on the right bank to collect the arms, protect the brass and destroy the iron guns.

16. I have not been able to ascertain the actual strength of the Chinese army, but from the heavy masses collected at different points upon the right bank, from the numbers I saw upon the walls of Chinhae, as well as from the multiplicity of arms found over the whole face of the hills, and on the ramparts, and in the streets of the city, I am led to conclude that my information before stated as to the force on the left bank was correct, and that from 8,000 to 9,000 men occupied the works and position on the right, where the bodies of several Mandarins were found amongst the killed, while others,

seen to drown themselves when their retreat was intercepted.

I

17. We found Chinhae to be, may almost say, one great arsenal, with a cannon foundry and guncarriage manufactory in active operation on improved works, together with warlike stores of various descriptions. In a battery upon the river one of the carronades of the Kite was found, with an excellent imitation alongside it, and many of the new Chinese brass guns are very efficient.

18. It having been determined to push on with the least possible delay to Ningpo, Sir W. Parker proceeded on the 12th in the Nemesis steamer to ascertain the practicability of the river, and actually reached, without the slight est attempt at opposition, the bridge of boats, which connects this city with the opposite suburb. Upon his returning in the evening, arrangements were made for the attack on the following morning, lest the enemy, by his apparent submission, should intend to entrap us. Having left the 55th, with the exception of the light company, 100 of the Royal Marines, with detachments of Artillery and Sappers, in Chinhae, the rest of the force, about 750 bayonets, exclusive of the Artillery and Sappers, embarked in steamers, by eight A.M., on the 13th, and we reached Ningpo at three o'clock. No enemy appeared, and it was evident that no ambuscade was intended, as the inhabitants densely thronged the bridge of boats, and collected in clusters along both banks. The troops landed on and near the bridge, and advanced to the city gate, which we found barricaded; but the walls were soon escaladed, and the Chinese assisted