to be mere child's play. After anchoring off Danco's Island for two or three days, the General and staff went to Huan, immediately opposite Canton, where the river is about 300 yards broad, the troops still remaining on board ship. On the 29th the General and staff went down the river beyond Kuper's Island to superintend the landing of the troops at daybreak next morning.... It was a lovely moonlight night, and after dinner the staff all went on shore to see how the engineers were getting on with the landing-place, and if the outposts landed for their protection were properly placed. The next morning we were all anxiousl}^ listening for the first gun to fire from the fleets, who it was agreed should bombard the town for twenty-four hours. It was a moment of much excitement and interest and also of compassion, waiting for the signal of this frightful punishment on the wretched city, the Cantonese being quite ignorant of what was going to happen to them. Shells and rockets were shortly flying in all directions, and very soon the town caught tire. It was now time to commence landing the troops, which was done without any opposition whatever. On advancing inland, however, about half a mile in the direction of Fort Lin or East Fort, the enemy tried to annoj?- us by throwing rockets amongst us, firing jingalls,^' etc. The men who fired were hardly ever visible, they always kept well concealed among the numerous graves which literally cover the whole environs. They are of a peculiar construction, and afford admirable cover to sharp-shooters, the only thing denoting their presence being the rockets and numerous flags, chiefly white, which they kept waving in defiance from behind every little bit of rising ground, which enabled them to do so with impunity. Here our first little conflict began. The French advanced upon these fellows in one direction, while I was sent to direct the 59th in attacking them in another. They were, of course, ver^'' soon driven back, and the 59th occupied one of the ridges vacated by the Chinese. It was while occupying this ridge that a poor fellow named Hackett, of the 59th, whom I knew very well, A.D.C. to Colonel Graham, commanding the 2nd Brigade, was murdered. He was sent back to the landing-place by the Brigadier, and in passing some huts some country people stealthily knocked him down as he was passing their doors, and instantaneously cut his head off. (The Cantonese Government had put a price upon each of our heads.) These wretched brutes did not, however, see that there were two or three of our soldiers not far off who witnessed the whole business, ran up and shot two of them, and made the third prisoner — we hung him on a tree in the afternoon. We now proceeded to the attack of Fort Lin or East Fort, which, after firing round shot and grape at us for some time, while we were waiting for the scaling ladders to come up, was suddenly evacuated by the Braves, and French and English rushed in. We were now under fire of the walls of the town, which opened in a desultory way upon us, and the remainder of the day was spent in arranging our troops for the night and in watching the enemy coming to attack us, which amused us all very much. They advanced like a mob, firing rockets and jingalls, and waving flags and shouting, and when near enough we threw a few shells among them, and away they ran in all directions. Then they would assemble and come on again, very brave at a distance; but when they got near enough to satisfy their honour they would suddenly halt and look about them, quite scared, till another shell or two woke them up. Some of the fellows were armed with swords and shields, and bows and arrows have been picked up. After placing our outposts, we lay down for the night, and before daybreak were on the alert, waiting for daylight to give the assault. Skirmishers were thrown out close to the walls to keep down the fire, while artillery advanced over the rice-fields to break the parapet walls. The shipping in the river kept up its firing day and night till 9 a.m. on this day, and when it ceased we planted our ladders and escaladed, the enemy running away as they did from Fort Lin.
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]