have been and are going on which it would not have done for me to have missed. I dare say you recollect my mentioning about a year ago that a party of officers, of which I was one, were attacked when on a picnic party by the Chinese at a village about 8 miles north of Canton. About three weeks ago the marines were out marching for exercise, and on arriving at the very same village were also attacked by the Braves, who assembled in large numbers and kept up hostilities in their usual manner during the march home of the Brigade. This led to retaliation on our part which ought to have been inflicted a year ago. We marched out of the lines accordingly, about 1500 strong, and marched upon a bridge near this village leading to one of the strongholds of the Braves. The bridge was defended by a Ute-depont mounting 1 1 guns, with another battery of four 24-pounders on the other side. The navy co-operated beautifully, arriving in gunboats at about 800 yards from the bridge, just as we reached a village at the same distance from it on its front. The Chinese fired very accurately for a few minutes until we brought our small guns into play, and threw out a few skirmishers, when, [? after] a judicious discharge of a few shell and mini^ balls, together with some shells of rather a larger size from the gunboats, the Chinese, seeing the bluejackets, who had landed upon the opposite side of the river, threatening the bridge in reverse, evacuated their batteries and took to their heels, and we have never seen another Brave from that day to this. We destroyed their guns and occupied the village, their headquarters, making some further excursions that afternoon to some neighbouring villages of very large size, which we found completely deserted — the inhabitants. Braves and all, having left them in an awful state of alarm. We could see the distant hills covered with fugitives watching our movements. The next day we advanced some 8 or 10 miles farther into the country, which presented a very curious appearance, for all the near villages were abandoned, while in the more distant ones the inhabitants were all
1 859] LORD ELGIN'S GOOD WORK 237
submission and humility, waiting to receive us outside, with pieces of red paper in their hands, similar ones being posted upon their houses, a token of submission and welcome. We returned to our village at the bridge that night, and after burning it to the ground the following morning, returned to Canton. Having made this satisfactory impression upon the Braves it was thought desirable to go a little further; accordingly, a few days later, it was notified to Pih-Kivei, Governor of Canton Province, that we now intended to visit Fat-shan, a very large and important town, where a great trade is carried on, and near which place Keppel fought a very plucky action in 1857. We went accordingly, and were received in the most peaceable and friendly manner, though, if we had gone there a month ago it must have been after fighting our way there. Some further expeditions of this kind are in contemplation, but whether they will end peaceably or not is more than one can say. All this is the right thing, and will do a great deal of good by showing the Chinese that we will go into their villages, or anywhere else we like, and so destroy the inviolability of these places. Until we had done this we had done nothing, but by a good use of the next month left before us, before the rains begin, we may still make up for lost time. It may astonish you that all this should be going on when peace has been declared, but these rascals. Emperor and all, no more care for treaties or anything connected with honourable conduct than if no such thing existed. We are now anxiously expecting the return of Lord Elgin from Shanghai, and the arrival of Bruce from England.... — Your affectionate brother, Fredk. Stephenson.
To Lady Stephenson
Canton, January 28, 1859.
My dear Mother, —... Lord Elgin is still at Shanghai and likely to remain there. He certainly does his work remarkably well.... His trip up the Yang-
tze-kiang was well conceived and well done, and must have opened the Chinese eyes as well as our own. A narrative of his proceedings since he has been out here would make a very interesting book, and I have no doubt that such a one will be written by Mr. Oliphant, one of Lord Elgin's attaches....