The Chinese had completed batteries and earthworks armed with eighty-seven guns, and had obstructed the river with junks chained together. The British and French squadrons forced a passage, and the Plenipotentiaries (Lord Elgin and Baron de Gros) proceeded to Tien-tsin and opened negotiations. The Treaty then obtained was to be ratified at Pekin within twelve months; but the Plenipotentiaries appointed in accordance with this clause met, in June 1859, a still more determined resistance.
|War with China.|
HONGKONG AND ITS HARBOUR.
Hongkong is the principal centre of British trade with China. Ceded to Great Britain 1842.
From a Photograph] [by Notman & Sons, Montreal.
QUEBEC.
The Capital of the former province of Lower Canada is largely inhabited by people of French descent, and French is currently spoken.
Serious trouble had broken out again between Great Britain and China. Mr. Bruce, brother to the Earl of Elgin, had set out for Pekin as British Plenipotentiary, in company with the French Plenipotentiary, as provided by the Treaty of Tien-tsin. They were escorted by a squadron, chiefly consisting of gunboats, under Admiral Hope; but on arriving at the mouth of the Pei-ho they found the passage obstructed by booms and defended by recent fortifications. As the authorities at Tien-tsin returned evasive answers to the Admiral’s remonstrances, he determined to force a passage. The gunboats advanced up the Pei-ho on June 24, when suddenly a tremendous fire was opened on them from masked batteries in the forts. The Kestrel was sunk, the Lee had to be run ashore to avoid sinking, the Plover, which carried the Admiral’s flag, was disabled, so that he had to shift his flag to the Cormorant, and the Admiral himself, being severely wounded, had to hand over the command to Captain Shadwell. It was determined to make an immediate attempt to carry the forts by assault. A body of 1,000 men, including sixty French, were landed at 7 p.m., but, owing to the mud, which was knee, and even waist-deep, only about fifty men succeeded in reaching the furthest of three ditches surrounding the south fort. Their ammunition was wet, all the scaling ladders, except one, either had been broken by the tremendous fire from the fort or had stuck in the mud. Ten brave fellows rushed forward with this one, but three of them were shot dead at once, and five were desperately wounded. There was nothing for it but retreat. The loss in this disastrous affair was eighty-nine officers and men killed and 345 wounded.