Page:Chinese account of the Opium war (IA chineseaccountof00parkrich).pdf/46

 vindicated, and that affairs had taken a turn of such importance that further mistakes should be avoided; nor, again, that defensive preparations were now complete, and extermination would at once follow further outrages; but simply indulged in empty and equivocal vapourings; the Emperor put him down as an unsoldierly, undiplomatic individual, and would not agree to his recommendations.

By this time the Ting-hai fleet had come, making a total of fifty large ships, half at Hongkong, and half in the river; and flags stuck up in the boats advertised opium for sale all along the river. remained a while on the Kwang Tung frontier whilst means of attack were being hurried up from the provinces. He,, and the new Viceroy , arrived in Canton on the 14th of April. consulted and  as to what was to be done, and they both said that Canton was entirely defenceless, and that the only thing was. to get the foreign ships by some ruse or other outside Liptak and Tái Wong-káo, and then work day and night to block up the river, fortify the banks, and station bodies of soldiers at suitable places, so as to avoid being at the mercy of the western mon. After re-inforcing and equipping ourselves we could then (they said) resume the offensive, and seize the first favourable opportunity of wind and tide to attack and burn the fleet. This month,