however, in Chinese warfare, he thought that if he could once gain and open a gate of the city while the thunder of his bombardment was still fresh in the enemy's ears, he might count on co-operation from Apak and his gang, and that a panic would ensue among the Tai-pings. On the other hand, he felt that if he rested content with what he had done, there was great danger of the Taipings taking heart again, letting loose fire-rafts on his vessels, and destroying the Foreign settlement.

Having determined to attack, he landed at noon to collect scaling-ladders from the houses of the missionaries, and wrote to Lieutenant Kenney, asking him to join in an assault on the city, with what men he had available, at two o'clock. At that hour Dew landed— leaving his ship in charge of the master and the gunner, with a crew of cooks, stewards, and boys-taking with him all his available men, and being joined by about 100 white-turbaned Chinese soldiers. While waiting for Lieutenant Kenney, who could scarcely stem the tide in the Etoile, he planted five ladders against the wall of the city, but soon found he had committed a grave error, for the enemy massed themselves in a graveyard beneath the wall, hove back the ladders with their spears, and with a storm of stinkpots, fireballs, stones, and bricks, forced the British sailors on the other side to take shelter in outhouses, and made the Chinese allies take to the water. On the French Lieutenant joining him with twenty men, another attempt was made with the ladders. Kenney, the first on his, was shot through the lungs ; David Davis, who was foremost. on the next, was shot through the head as, revolver in mouth, he topped the wall; and so Captain Dew himself was the first to gain a position on the rampart, which was soon passed by the greater part of his force; and in less than two minutes

DEATH OF LIEUTENANT CORNEWALL.

ΙΟΙ

Lieutenant Tinling and Boatswain Cantlow had a howitzer parbuckled up and ready for action.

In this way the Salt Gate was taken, and a few volleys soon cleared the neighbouring streets; but Fang, the Tai-ping Chief, soon made a great effort to dislodge the assailants. Forming his body-guard of about 400 men at the East Gate, he led them along the wall to the attack, and they came on at the double, with their yellow turbans, gaudy silk dresses, and banners, their leader being well in advance. Hastily forming all the men he could spare, French and English, from the defence of the gate, Captain Dew advanced at the charge to meet them. When within about ten yards, Fang fired both barrels of his double gun, but at that moment the whole parapet of the wall which divided the two forces fell down, having been hit by a lucky Moorsom shell, which was fired by the crew of cooks and stewards which had been left on board the Encounter. On the Allies returning to the gate, a shot came from the houses below which almost avenged the fall of the city, as the gallant First-Lieutenant of the Encounter, William Cornewall, was pierced by it through the heart.

Meanwhile Lieutenants Craigie and Siardet had taken the North Gate, and Lieutenant Bogle cut through the bridge of boats which had presented an obstacle to vessels advancing up the river. The news of this success soon spread over the settlement, reaching Apak and his followers, who now, inspired with desire for plunder, did not wait for tide or powder, but landing, crossed over the settlement, and seizing boats opposite the city, entered it like a pack of ravenous wolves. From the mastheads of the shipping the Tai-pings were seen streaming out by the West Gate; and so great was the panic that seized them, that hundreds of their number were speared by

AMBOBLIAO

their own people in their haste to escape. Fearing the result, if he allowed his men to enter the town and mix with the Apak crew, Captain Dew re-embarked them along with the French, making arrangements in case the Tai-pings attempted to reoccupy the city, but these latter stopped as little as possible till they found themselves within the walls of Yuyow, thirty miles distant.

On the following day the city was handed over, through Mr Harvey, the British Consul, to Chang, the ex-Tautai. "I had known," writes Captain Dew, "Ningpo in its palmy days, when it boasted itself one of the first commercial cities of the empire; but now, on this 11th May, one might have fancied that an angel of destruction had been at work in the city as in its suburbs. All the latter, with their wealthy hongs and thousands of houses, lay levelled; while in the city itself, once the home of half a million of people, no trace or vestige of an inhabitant could be seen. Truly it was a city of the dead. The rich and beautiful furniture of the houses had become firewood, or was removed to the walls for the use of the soldiers who had dwelt thereon. The canals were filled with dead bodies and stagnant filth. The stone-work of bridges and pavements had been uplifted to strengthen walls and form barricades in the streets; and in those temples, once the pride of their Buddhist priests, the chaotic remains of gorgeous idols and war gods lay strewn about, their lopped limbs showing they had become the sport of those Christian Tai-pings, whose chief, the Tien Wang, eight years before, at Nanking, had asked Sir George Bonham if the Virgin Mary had a pretty sister for him, the King of Heaven, to marry! It has been my good fortune since to assist at the wresting of many cities from these Tai-pings, and in them all I found, as at Ningpo, that the same devilish hands had

ORDER RESTORED IN THE CITY.

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been at work, the people expelled from their houses, and their cities ruined."

After Ningpo was thus retaken, Apak, the ex-pirate, and his fleet were dismissed, and at the urgent request of Chang, the Imperialist Tautai or Governor, Captain Dew undertook the military command of the city, including the control of 400 of Ward's disciplined Chinese, who were sent round from Shanghai, and were placed in charge of the gates. A proclamation was issued to the people, inviting them to return to their homes, and stating that the Allies would guarantee the city against another visit from the Tai-pings. Such faith had the Chinese in our promise that by tens of thousands they flocked to their old homes; and in a month houses had been refurnished, shops opened, and commercial activity began to return. Some trouble was caused by a number of rowdies, the mauvais sujets of all nations, who appeared in the settlement, intent on robbing what little the Rebels and Apak had left in the city. They were wont to hire gangs of Chinese, and to declare they acted on Captain Dew's authority. In this manner quantities of rice, valuable medicines, &c. &c., were lowered over the walls; and a German who was caught in the very act of carrying off a 24-pounder gun, received four dozen lashes on board the Encounter. Mr Harvey and the other Foreign Consuls issued certificates to all Foreigners pursuing lawful callings; and one night Captain Dew landed a party of his men and seized all unprovided with such a document, and sent them to Shanghai. Chinese custom house was opened, and numerous seizures of arms intended for the Rebels were made. When the British ship Paragon was visited by a naval officer, the master declared his cargo to be bamboo wares; but on opening the hatches, 200 iron cannons, thousands of

The

stands of small-arms, and a large quantity of ammunition, were disclosed. The cargo was confiscated by the Chinese, and the master was fined £100 for his false manifesto. The temptation to squeeze the Chinese going in and out of the city was too great for Ward's men, and sometimes for even his officers, to resist; and at last French and English men-of-war's men were placed at the gates.

These measures had the desired effect, and confidence was soon restored. It was also arranged with the Mandarins that a Chinese disciplined force of 1000 men should be raised for the defence of the city, as it was intimated that Ward would soon require his men at Shanghai. There was no difficulty in obtaining recruits from Chusan in any number. The good treatment of the men by their European officers, and, above all, the fact that they really received weekly pay in money, and not, as frequently from Mandarins, in promises, made the disciplined force a very popular one. A dozen British marines were appointed instructors to six companies, and an artillery company of 100 men was likewise formed. The artificers of the Encounter, under the gunner and carpenter, were employed in making gun-carriages and gun-gear; and so in a month the city was brought into a creditable state of defence, with sixty guns of all sizes in position. Good guard-houses were built at each gate, and solid granite magazines were also constructed. Lieutenant de Vaisseau Le Brethon succeeded Kenney (who had died from the effects of his wound) as French senior officer, cordially aiding Captain Dew in all that concerned the defence of the city, and in subsequent operations. Not wishing that France should be unfelt, he and Monsieur Giquel, formerly a French officer, but then engaged as Commissioner of Chinese Customs, raised a