On May 19 The Allied Fleet Proceeded To The Mouth Of The River, And
Summoned The Commandant To Surrender The Taku Forts On The Following
Morning.
No reply being received, the attack commenced, and after the
bombardment had gone on at short range for an hour and a quarter the
Chinese gunners were driven from their batteries, and the troops landed,
occupying the whole line of forts and intrenched camps.
An attempt to
injure our fleet by fire-ships miscarried, and considering that the
Chinese had some of their best troops present, including a portion of the
Imperial Guard, their resistance was not as great as might have been
expected. Their general committed suicide, and the Chinese lost the best
part of their artillery, which had been removed from Pekin and Tientsin
for the defense of the entrance to the Peiho. The fleet proceeded up the
river to Tientsin, and Lord Elgin took up his quarters in that city. The
Chinese government was brought to reason by this striking success, and,
with his capital menaced, the emperor hastened to delegate full powers to
two high commissioners, Kweiliang and Hwashana, both Manchus and
dignitaries of the highest birth and rank. Their powers were superior to
those granted to Keying at the time of the old war, and they were
commanded with affectionate earnestness to show the foreigners that they
were competent and willing to grant anything not injurious to China.
Nothing could be more satisfactory than the proposals of the new Chinese
representatives, and they were anxious to settle everything with the least
possible delay.
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Page 464 of 704
Words from 126173 to 126436
of 191255
