for attacking the Taku forts, which include all those on either side of the mouth of the Pei-ho. A few days' delay was necessary to enable our heavy guns to be brought up, the General being determined as usual to spare his men as much as possible and not to attack till he was thoroughly prepared. On the morning of the 2 1 St, 1500 men of the 2nd Division, with two batteries and some heavy guns, and 1000 French, with one battery, having been told off for the attack, and mortar batteries constructed during the night, the fight began by the Chinese opening a heavy fire upon us at daylight from the upper North Fort, which we were attacking, and from the forts and numerous batteries on the south side. A heavy cannonading was kept up on both sides till we advanced to the assault at about a quarter to eight. We then found the fort to be very strongly defended. It was surrounded by two ditches, the outer 18, the inner 15 feet wide; the space between the ditches, about 20 feet, was covered with sharp stakes about 2 feet out of the ground, and planted at intervals of 3 or 4 inches from each other; the space between the inner ditch and the wall was planted with stakes in like manner, and formed most serious obstacles. The Chinese garrison behaved nobly, no European troops could have made a more plucky and obstinate resistance. They kept our storming parties some considerable time in a hand-tohand fight, and it was not till 8.30 a.m. that we were masters of the fort. I must refer you to the Times correspondent for further particulars as to the surrender of the remaining forts, which are all nowin our possession, including Tien-tsin, where Lord Elgin is at this moment with two regiments and a battery as a garrison. We have captured about 500 guns, and the loss of the Chinese on the 21st must have been at the least 1000 killed and wounded. We took, moreover, 2000 prisoners; the whole Chinese force is disbanded, and Lord Elgin has it all his own way. The war may now be considered over, and, I think, very satisfactorily; our own
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loss on the 21st was 201 killed and wounded, that of the French about 100. I hope a few months more will see me back amongst you all. I long for it. — Ever your affectionate brother, Fredk. Stephenson.
To Lady Stephenson
Camp, 8 miles east of Pekin.
My dear Mother, — We have had a great change in the state of affairs here since you last heard from me. After the capture of the Taku forts the Chinese made apparently such an abject submission, that we thought the war was at an end; but Chinese deceit and cunning are not so easily beaten. On the 24th August, Lord Elgin started for Tien-tsin, and there the Chinese agreed to all the terms we demanded, sending down Kwi-liang as Commissioner to sign a convention previous to Lord Elgin's departure for Pekin to sign the Treaty. When the day came, however, for signing the convention Kwi-liang acknowledged that he had no power to do so. This was on the 8th of September, so that by means of a most deliberate falsehood and systematic course of deceit of the most impudent kind Lord Elgin was done out of fourteen days, a delay most valuable to the enemy and of some little consequence to us. It was very lucky, as you will see by and by, that this trickery was discovered before we left Tien-tsin, for so confident was our great plenipotentiary that all was right and straightforward, that at one time he intended going all the way to Pekin, after signing the convention, with an escort of 100 cavalry only. Kwi-liang, moreover, had asked of him, as a special favour, not to bring any guns with him, as he said they would produce a panic. Lord Elgin actually consented to this, and although, after being remonstrated with, he agreed to increase his escort to 1000, still we were to take no guns with us. As soon as it was discovered that the Chinese were trifling with us, a force was immediately detached to march to Pekin. We started accordingly on the 9th of September,
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