Page:Chinese account of the Opium war (IA chineseaccountof00parkrich).pdf/65

 "Nemesis"] first attacked Shih P'u, but were unable to do much damage on account of the rocks : they then cruised up and down for a time, and finally attacked Ting-hai on the 26th of September. Our guns damaged one of the steam-launches, which made off at once. Two days later, the whole fleet commenced an attack upon the Hiao-feng Hill, but our troops were protected by the rocks, and a party of men who landed in a boat were driven off by our gingalls. Attacks made in other parts of the island were also repulsed by our guns. On the 1st of October, the pirates took advantage of the exhausted state of our troops to advance from three different points, so as to confuse us; and the boats of one party were sent back, so as to prevent the men from thinking of retreat. As the front ranks of the pirates fell, they were filled up from the rear. Our guns on the heights could not do much against a contrary wind, and by midday got too overheated to use. The pirates then recklessly scaled the hills and entered the city, the three Brigadiers all losing their lives in the fight: and thus Ting-hai fell a second time. [The Repository says that the Chinese defence was very noble.]

With regard to the 4,000 troops garrisoning Chên- hai, YÜK'IEN employed about 1,000 of them to guard