While Yeh Was Counting
On The Support Of The People, The English Admiral Began The Bombardment Of
The City, Directing His Fire Principally Against Yeh's Yamen And A Part Of
The Wall, Which Was Breached In Two Days.
After some resistance the breach
was carried; a gate was occupied, and Sir Michael Seymour and Mr. Parkes
proceeded
To the yamen of the viceroy, but as it was thought dangerous to
occupy so large a city with so small a force the positions seized were
abandoned, although still commanded by the fire of the fleet. After a few
days' rest active operations were resumed against the French Folly fort
and a large fleet of war junks which had collected up the river. After a
warm engagement the vessels were destroyed and the fort captured.
Undaunted by these successive reverses, Yeh still breathed nothing but
defiance, and refused to make the least concession. There remained no
alternative but to prosecute hostilities with renewed vigor. On the 12th
and 13th of November, Sir Michael attacked the Bogue forts on both sides
of the river and captured them with little loss. These forts mounted 400
guns, but only contained 1,000 men.
Notwithstanding these continuous reverses, the Chinese remained defiant
and energetic. As soon as the English admiral left Canton to attack the
Bogue forts the Chinese hastened to re-occupy all their positions and to
repair the breaches. They succeeded in setting fire to and thus destroying
the whole foreign settlement, and they carried off several Europeans, all
of whom were put to death and some of them tortured. The heads of these
Europeans treacherously seized and barbarously murdered were paraded
throughout the villages of Kwangtung, in order to stimulate recruiting and
to raise national enthusiasm to a high pitch. Notwithstanding their
reverses whenever it became a question of open fighting, the Chinese, by
their obstinacy and numbers, at last succeeded in convincing Sir Michael
Seymour that his force was too small to achieve any decisive result, and
he accordingly withdrew from his positions in front of the city, and sent
home a request for a force of 5,000 troops. Meantime the Chinese were much
encouraged by the lull in hostilities, and for the time being Yeh himself
was not dissatisfied with the result. The Cantonese saw in the destruction
of the foreign settlement and the withdrawal of the English fleet some
promise of future victory, and at all events sufficient reason for the
continued confidence of the patriot Yeh. Curiously enough, there was peace
and ostensible goodwill along the coast and at the other treaty ports,
while war and national animosity were in the ascendant at Canton. The
governor-generals of the Two Kiang and Fuhkien declared over and over
again that they wished to abide by the Treaty of Nankin, and they threw
upon Yeh the responsibility of his acts. Even Hienfung refrained from
showing any unequivocal support of his truculent lieutenant, although
there is no doubt that he was impressed by the reports of many victories
over the English barbarians with which Yeh supplied him.
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