After having been brought back to Hang-chow-foo, from Chapoo, the prisoners remained there five days, and were well fed and taken care of. They were then put into sedan chairs, and carried through the whole Chinese army encamped to the southward of that city. The camp appeared to be of immense extent, and full of soldiers, who crowded round the sedan chairs with eager curiosity, but without attempting to offer any violence. They appeared particularly amused at the appearance of the black men. It was remarked, that about one in ten of the soldiers was armed with a matchlock, the rest having only spears, swords, and bows and arrows, the latter of which they seemed to be most proud of. The danger they ran of having their clothes set on fire by the match, particularly when wounded, or by the ignition of the powder, always made them more or less afraid of arming themselves with the matchlock.
After travelling for several days, partly in sedans and partly along canals, during which they passed a large town, called Chow-king, apparently as large as the capital itself, the prisoners arrived at Yuyow, on the 11th of June, whence they were conveyed to Ningpo, and after a very short halt, proceeded down the river to Chinhai, where they were most joyfully received on board H.M. brig Pelican, by Capt. Napier.
Communications subsequently took place between Elepoo and our military and naval commanders-in-chief. In one of these Elepoo says, that he is surprised to learn that the fleet of our "honourable country had sailed up the Woosung river, firing guns and stirring up a quarrel; and then expresses his regret that the war had already lasted so long, and that many lives had been lost, and unspeakable misery produced. Is it not far better to enjoy the blessings of peace than to fight for successive years, and to fill the land with the bodies of the slain?" This, however, was merely an attempt to lull the activity of our commanders, and to delay their measures by pretence of negotiation.
The reply of Sir Hugh Gough and Sir William Parker was characteristic—namely, "that they were thankful to Elepoo for having sent back the British subjects who were prisoners, and begged to assure him that they gladly recognised in this act the good feeling which should always subsist between civilized nations. In respect to the other letter they added, that with the utmost desire to lessen the calamities of war, it was their duty to proceed with hostilities until they were assured that a functionary, duly authorized by his Imperial Majesty, should be prepared to negotiate a peace, and to meet those just demands which had been repeatedly submitted to his Imperial Majesty. With every respect for his exalted position and acknowledged probity, the high British officers must remind his excellency, that they have not yet been apprized that he is authorized to treat, on the conditions promulgated by the British government."
The high tone of these letters must have rather surprised both the veteran Elepoo and the imperial cabinet. They had been so long accustomed to communicate with foreigners only through inferior agents, that they could hardly bring themselves on a sudden to adopt the practice of conducting negotiations upon a footing of perfect equality. The ingenious expedient was therefore resorted to of sending to Canton to order up some of the Hong merchants to act as mediators. The aged Howqua excused himself on account of his infirmities, but sent his only surviving son in his place, accompanied by Samqua, another Hong merchant of repute, and two linguists.
The journey from Canton to the province of Che-keang, or rather to that part of it in which their services might be required, Hang-chow-foo, or Soo-chow-foo, a distance of upwards of six hundred geographical miles, was no pleasing task in the middle of summer, particularly in a country where the only mode of travelling is in sedan chairs. However, they were compelled to go, but were speedily sent back again without having been permitted to hold any communication whatever with any of our high officers. Indeed, Sir Henry Pottinger had long before so positively refused to receive both the Hong merchants and the Prefect of Canton, that it is surprising how any further expectation could have been formed that their services would be required.
While speaking of the Hong merchants, it is worth mentioning, that about this time notice was sent by the aged Howqua to the foreign residents at Canton, that there was reason to believe that some of the wells had been poisoned, and that there were vendors of poisoned provisions about the streets. If this report was true, the diabolical purpose was thus frustrated, and no bad results followed.
We must now return to the operations of our forces, subsequently to the capture of Chapoo. Fortunately the health of the troops had been good during their ten days' stay on shore, so that nearly the whole force was in a condition to take part in the projected operations in the Yangtze river. Lieutenant-Colonel Tomlinson, whose death was so much lamented by all his brother officers, was buried at sea soon after Chapoo was taken, being carried out in the Phlegethon, as it was feared that if a grave were dug for him on shore, his remains might be taken up by the Chinese, and a great boast made of their having killed one of the high English officers.
On the 27th May, a great part of the troops were embarked on board the different transports, and the remainder on the following morning, when the whole fleet got under weigh. On the 29th, they anchored in a safe and extensive sound, which had been discovered by Captains Kellett and Collinson, at the Rugged Islands, about forty miles to the eastward of Chapoo. Some days were spent at this anchorage, in order that a proper channel into the Yangtze river for large vessels might be carefully examined. During this interval, the Admiral took an opportunity of revisiting Chusan, in the H.C. steamer Pluto, which had just arrived from England, together with the small iron steamer Ariadne, from Bombay.