Page:Chinese account of the Opium war (IA chineseaccountof00parkrich).pdf/62

 negotiations at Canton, and the new levies had to be dismissed. On the 26th of August, however, the foreign fleets appeared suddenly off Amoy, and handed in a document calling for the surrender of the port until all the demands made the previous year at Tientsin should have been conceded. The next morning the ships sailed into the inner harbour, and began to reconnoitre with steam-launches in order to find out the range and direction of our guns, which wore ascertained to be all fixtures; after which, of course, they kept out of range. A number of boats now advanced together, and their attack was met by our soldiers stationed on Kulang Sü and on two of the other islands. Two steam-launches and one man-of- war were sunk, and one mast was damaged besides. Two or three of their ships now concentrated their fire on one fort, and, after this had fallen, proceeded to another, causing considerable loss of life. Finally the great fort was attacked, and our dismissed marines turned renegade and assisted in the attack. YEN and LIU boat a retreat at the same moment; the pirates landed, and turned our own guns upon the city of Amoy, the public buildings, markets, etc., of which place were demolished within twenty-four hours; YEN and LIU retired upon T'ung-an city, and Amoy fell into the pirates' hands, [with a loss of two killed and seven wounded]. However, the foreigners,