the party ascending the heights, spiking and dismounting the guns, taking the flag which had been flying from the tower, and making prisoners of 139 armed Arabs, who were conducted from the island to the main by the party, and given over into the charge of major Osborne. In an attempt to disarm the prisoners (made by the military) they made a most formidable resistance, and I regret to say, that several lives were lost on both sides.

Mr. Nesbitt, a midshipman of the Mahé, was the only person hurt on board the squadron; and on the part of the military, sixteen were killed and wounded, most of them dangerously, and one sergeant has since died.

The enemy's guns were served badly and fired irregularly, they appearing to have most confidence in their matchlocks; and there can be no doubt that if it had not been for the total destruction of their defences by the squadron, the troops would not have been able to have accomplished their landing without a very severe loss.

I have not been able to ascertain the number of armed men that defended the town, but from what I can learn there must have been upwards of 1,000; nor can I come at the exact number that were killed or wounded; twentyfive dead bodies were found on the island of Seerah alone, several in the town, and this moment there are twenty-five wounded lying in the mosque, amongst whom is the sultan's nephew, who defended the island.

I beg to recommend to your notice the gallant conduct and services of lieut. Dobree, and Messrs. Stewart and Rundle (mates): nor

can I omit mentioning the assistance I received from captain Haines, the political agent, who, from his local knowledge, piloted the ship in, which enabled me to take up so effective a position.

I herewith transmit to your excellency a plan of the attack (No. 2), and a list of the ordnance stores (No. 3), captured.

Lieut. Dobree is now employed with a party of men in endeavouring to get off the three large brass Turkish guns, which it is the wish of the captors should be presented to her most gracious majesty.

I intend to send the cruiser to Barbara for water, and I shall leave this place as soon as tranquillity is restored, and measures are taken for the security of the troops. I have, &c.

Return of Brass and Iron Ordnance captured at Aden, on the 19th of January, 1839.

In battery, on carriages:-1 brass 85-pounder, 1 brass 68pounder, i brass 32-pounder dismounted by fire of the squadron, 4 iron 18-pounders, dismounted by fire of the squadron, 2 iron 12-pounders, 5 iron nine-pounders dismounted and thrown into the sea by sailors, 5 iron 6-pounders, 1 iron 4-pounder, 5 iron 3-pounders.

Not in battery:-1 brass 89pounder, 6 iron 6-pounders, 1 iron 4-pounder.-Total 33 guns.

3,000 pounds of powder, 1,200 shot of sizes, (85 stone), 88 grape shot, 2 pigs of lead, 114 matchlocks.

ship, a note, No. 4; he returned in a short time, bringing back my letter to the imperial commissioners, and the reply to my note, No. 5.

After this want of courtesy, I did not conceive that it would be becoming the dignity of our flag, the safety of the merchant shipping below, and my own character, to retire before such an imposing force, sent out at that moment evidently for the purpose of intimidation.

Under these circumstances, a little after noon I made the signal to attack, and opened fire upon the junks; it was returned for some time with good spirit; but the effects of our shot were soon visible, one junk having blown up, three sunk, several shattered and deserted by their crews, and the remainder retiring in great confusion to the anchorage above the battery.

I must here bear testimony to the gallantry of the Chinese admiral, who in a junk, mounting twelve guns, bore down upon the ships, and sustained for some time a very heavy fire; he was at

last compelled to turn, his vessel evidently being in a sinking

state.

One man in the Hyacinth was slightly wounded, and I am happy to say his majesty's ships did not suffer in this encounter; the Hyacinth, who was for some time surrounded by junks, has got her main-yard so much damaged that I fear it will be necessary to get a

new one.

Having effected the object I had in view, namely, the return of these vessels above the fort, and not wishing to cause any unnecessary bloodshed, made the signal at about one to annul the action, and returned that night to Macao; and having embarked a number of British residents who had returned there during the time negotiations were pending, proceeded to Hong Kong, having left the Hyacinth at Macao, at the suggestion of his excellency the governor.

I have, &c.,
(Signed) H. SMITH,
Captain.

His Excellency Rear Admiral
Sir F. L. Maitland, K. C.B.,
Commander-in-Chief, &c.,
East Indies.

Her Majesty's ship Blonde,

At sea, July 4, 1840.

Sir, I have the honour to report to you, that, in obedience to your orders, I anchored, in her majesty's ship, under my command, off the town of Amoy, on the 2nd instant, and hoisting a flag of truce, endeavoured to open a communication with the authorities; but the only persons who visited the ship were servants of the mandarins and of

such inferior note as not to admit of my intrusting them with your communication for the admiral, who was not himself in the port. I, however, sent on shore to say to the mandarin that I should send an officer to wait on him with your communication, at the same time explaining the nature of a flag of truce, to which they replied, " very well," and begged that he might land at the fort.

I then sent an officer, accom

panied by a gentleman speaking Chinese, in a boat bearing a flag of truce, directing him to land at the fort; but, on his reaching it, he found a body of 200 or 300 soldiers drawn up to oppose his landing, and they were directed to return on board, with abusive and opprobrious language. I now adopted other measures to communicate, which proved equally ineffectual.

During this time the military and people were bringing down guns and men, and making other warlike demonstrations, and continued thus employed until the night closed in. As the day dawned of the 3rd, we observed that they had formed an encampment on the beach, and had placed five guns à fleur d'eau, a little to the eastward of a casement battery, they already had, at the entrance of the inner harbour, and that some of the larger junks were brought down and armed, while a number of smaller ones were being filled with troops, and placed in the vicinity of her majesty's ships, as if with the intention of boarding. Unwilling to notice these hostile preparations, while there was a possibility of avoiding a rupture, her majesty's ship merely prepared for battle, until the sea breeze set in, when I weighed, and running within 400 yards, anchored with springs upon our cable upon the angle of the casemate battery, SO as to command it and the junks at the same time.

I now made another attempt to communicate through Mr. Thom, the gentleman attached to this ship as interpreter, (who very handsomely volunteered his services at great personal risk,) in the jollyboat unarmed, and bearing a flag of truce; but the troops were

brought to the beach, and he was repulsed with abusive language and threats; and contrary to all usage, a fire commenced upon his boat, the batteries opening at the same moment on her majesty's ship. I instantly hauled the flag of truce down and returned the fire. Our first broadside dismounted the greater part of the guns in the eastern battery, and the second silenced both, putting to flight the troops formed in the neighbourhood. I then confined the fire of this ship entirely to the fort and armed junks, and continued until the former was in ruins, and the latter had disappeared excepting one, whose crew having abandoned her, I sent an officer to throw her armament into the sea, and set her on fire. During this affair the neighbouring hills were crowded with spectators, and the inner harbour with trading vessels, both of which might with equal facility have been destroyed, but I considered that in confining the chastisement to those who had insulted her majesty's flag, and outraged a law acknowledged by all civilized nations, I should best follow out your views.

I am happy to say that this service was performed without the loss of a man on board her majesty's ship, but that of the enemy must have been severe, as the dead were strewed upon the beach in numbers, where encamped. Conceiving that any other attempt at amicable communication would be fruitless, I weighed with the evening tide, in the further prosecution of your orders.

It only remains for me to state, that the conduct of the officers and ships' companies under my command, and the officer and party of royal artillery embarked

on board, was entirely satisfactory, and I am happy in having this opportunity to acknowledge the assistance I have upon all occasions received from Mr. Coulson, the

senior lieutenant, in the formation of a young ship's company. I have, &c. T. BOURCHIER,

Captain.

Brigade Head-Quarters, City of Ting-hae-heen, July 18, 1840. My Lord, I have the honour to acquaint your lordship, that on the 4th inst., her majesty's ships Wellesley, Conway, and Alligator (to the former of which I had transferred brigade head-quarters, in compliance with the wishes of sir Gordon Bremer), with the troopship Rattlesnake, and two transports, arrived in the anchorage off Chusan harbour, the ships of war taking up a position in front of a hill, upon which there was a large temple, or Josshouse. In the evening a summons was sent to the admiral, who was also governor of the Chusan group of islands, calling upon him to surrender the island, and soliciting him to do so, that blood might not be shed in useless opposition. The officers bearing the summons returned with the Chinese admiral to the Wellesley, accompanied by two mandarins, and although they acknowledged their incapacity to resist, they attempted, by evasion and requests, to obtain time, and left the ship without any satisfactory result; but perfectly understanding, that if submission was not made before daylight next day, hostilities must

commence.

On the morning of the 5th, the hill and shore were crowded with a large body of troops, and from the mast-head of the ships the city

was seen at the distance of a mile from the beach, the walls of which were also lined with troops. On Temple Hill, the landing-place or wharf, and a round tower adjacent, there were twenty-four guns of small calibre, independent of a number of war-junks; and from their proceedings, it appeared that resistance was to be offered. As both wind and tide were against the transports, and only 350 men, including marines, were in the harbour, I availed myself of the time offered to reconnoitre the beach beyond Temple Hill, with a view of landing at some distance from the batteries, but which I abandoned, as, if opposed there, the shipping must have opened their fire on the dif ferent batteries, and the result have been the same with respect to loss of life as of opening upon the batteries at once; besides which, it was not considered expedient to take from the ships of war, under the prospect of action, so many hands as were required to man the boats.

About two o'clock P.M., her majesty's brigs Cruiser and Algerine had got into position, and as the transports then entered the harbour, the signal was given for landing in rotation, as boats could be supplied, in the following order :

First division.-18th royal Irish,