Page:Chinese account of the Opium war (IA chineseaccountof00parkrich).pdf/78

 KING crossed over north. No sooner had the Imperial Commissioner K‘IYING arrived at Kashing, than he received the Emperor's orders to go to Canton, and T‘ÊHISHUN was ordered to act as Tartar-General of Hangchow. This was because the Censor Su T‘ING- K‘WEI, had represented that the Nepaulese had attacked the English garrisons in India, and that the fleet had to go to the rescue: accordingly KIYING was ordered to see if he could not seize the opportunity to retake Hongkong. When matters became pressing at Nanking, he was equally suddenly ordered back, before he had reached Canton. At this time there were fourteen foreign ships at Hongkong: a score or two of sampans and small craft; about one thousand foreign soldiers; and a large sprinkling of disloyal Chinese. YIKSHAN having succeeded in drawing off over 3,000 of these last, the chief men of those remaining in Hongkong also for the most part shewed a wish to come back to their allegiance. These disloyalists proposed to put the Bogue Forts in order, take advantage of the winter neap tides, join with the Hongkong disloyalists, make a surprise attack on the fleet, and annihilate the whole foreign community at one blow: but YIKSHAN was afraid of exciting K‘IKUNG's anger, and would not allow it. The Emperor deprived TIKSHAN of his chief official titles for his incapacity, and ILIANG