the Futai bad dismissed him, and recommended him to give up the force quietly, a request which was at once complied with, and Captain Holland of the Royal Marines, the Chief of Staveley's Staff, was left in temporary command. At the same time the Futai assumed the responsibility of supporting the Sungkiang force, which had hitherto been paid by the Chinese merchants; and he quelled a great commotion which arose amongst them when they heard of the dismissal of their Commander, by the simple but effectual expedient of paying their

arrears.

Again General Staveley urged that Colonel Forrester should be placed in command, so anxious was he to avoid any appearance of putting the disciplined Chinese exclusively under British management; and it was only on that officer again refusing that he agreed to place Captain Holland in temporary command, and to recommend Captain Gordon of the Royal Engineers as its permanent Chief, if his Government approved of a British officer taking such an appointment.

1

CHAPTER VII.

CAPTAIN DEW'S OPERATIONS IN CHEKIANG.

BRITISH NEUTRALITY AT NINGPO-HOSTILE ATTITUDE OF THE TAI-
PINGS ADMIRAL HOPE SENDS CAPTAIN DEW, R.N., TO NINGPO-
REASONS FOR OUR INTERFERENCE THERE—APAK, THE EX-PIRATE
-CAPTAIN DEW TAKES NINGPO BY ASSAULT-DEATH OF LIEU-
TENANTS KENNEY AND CORNEWALL-ORDER RESTORED IN THE
CITY-FORMATION OF FRENCH AND ENGLISH CORPS OF DISCIP-
LINED CHINESE-DESCRIPTION OF THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY,
AND EFFECTS OF TAI-PING OCCUPATION-CLEARING A THIRTY-
MILE RADIUS-TAKING OF YUYOW AND TSEKI-DEATH OF GEN-
ERAL WARD-REPULSE AT FUNGWHA-COMMANDER JONES IN A
FIX-A BISHOP'S SPOIL-HALF OF CHEKIANG RESTORED TO IM-
PERIAL RULE-PAY OF THE ANGLO-CHINESE CONTINGENT-REBEL
DEFEAT AT PIKWAN-CAPTAIN DEW GOES BEYOND THE THIRTY-
MILE RADIUS-ADVANCE ON SHOWSHING-DEATH OF CAPTAIN LE
BRETHON DE COLIGNY-DESCRIPTION OF SHOWSHING-DEATHS
OF CAPTAIN TARDIFF AND LIEUTENANT TINLING-CAPTAIN DEW
UNDERTAKES THE SIEGE-FALL OF SHOWSHING-DASHING NATURE
OF CAPTAIN DEW'S EXPLOITS.

THE operations against the Tai-pings which were carried on at Ningpo and in its neighbourhood by Captain Roderick Dew of the Royal Navy afford material for a very noteworthy chapter in the history of our relations with China. With very scanty materials, and by as dashing exploits as the annals of the British navy have to record, this officer not only drove the Rebels away

from the port where he was stationed, and had to protect, but also managed, by assisting in getting up a disciplined Chinese force, and by pushing his expeditions into the interior, to restore almost the entire province of Chekiang to Imperialist rule.

For some time previous to his advent on the scene, the Rebels had had very much their own way in Chekiang, but now met there with a severe check from the hostility, which they wantonly provoked, of the naval forces of Great Britain and France. This rich province had been entered in the autumn of 1861 by an army of 100,000 Tai-pings, who established themselves in the city and at the open port of Ningpo, the city of the "Peaceful Wave." Our policy at this place was at first strictly neutral; and though Captain Corbett in H.M.S. Scout was at Ningpo, he had the most positive orders not to interfere with the Tai-pings unless they insulted our people or attempted to occupy the Foreign settlement. They took good care, however, to be on their best behaviour, and remained so till they had exhausted the supplies of guns, other arms, and ammunition, which Foreigners of nearly all nations hastened to sell them. They then began to be insolent, and had a greedy eye on the Foreign settlement, intending, no doubt, if they had not been turned out of Ningpo, to have visited the Kampo (the name of our settlement), and, with their arms, to have got back the dollars they had bartered for them. Commander Craigie of H.M.S. Ringdove, senior officer at Ningpo, writing about the middle of April to his Admiral, Sir James Hope, informed him of the hostile and alarming attitude the Tai-pings in Ningpo were assuming towards Foreigners. His ship, which lay at anchor off the British Consulate, and within pistol-shot of the walls, had been fired on several times

CHAPTER VIL

DOTTAA DEVĀS OPERATIONS IN CHEKIANG,

TLAND, 2.X, TO SINGPO

RUDE OF THE TAL

AT THE FAR! IT S-DEATH OF LIET-
ERENCE THERE-PAK, THE EX-PIRATE
DER RESTORED IN THE

AKCE AND ENCLUSE CORPS OF DISCIP 73-517 TCO COT,

PEND TEXT-DEATH OF CES270-CORNG A TRULY2032C RECANTER JUDES IS A

3.2.1- F CANG RESTORED TO IN

tes against the Tai-gings which were carried na Niage me in sighbourhood by Captain Joves Jew of the Bal Navy afted material for s Nr chapter in the history of our relations with in With very secony undecils, and br sang pints as the samas of the Bebish navy this offer ty doave the Rebels