een, it was thought that the city had
probably been evacuated, and a party was sent forward to find out if
this was the case. The walls of the city were scaled, and then it was
found that, with the exception of one or two unarmed Chinese, the place
was empty. Over the principal gate was a placard on which was
inscribed, "Save us for the sake of our wives and children." The
British flag was, without loss of time, hoisted upon that gate.

On 19th August 1840, Captain Smith, in the _Druid_, and a few smaller
ships of war and some troops, attacked and defeated the Chinese in a
very spirited manner, stationed in some fortifications known as the
Macao Barrier. The guns were spiked, and the whole of the troops fled;
nor did they ever again occupy the barrier. Two junks were sunk, and
the rest allowed to escape round the opposite point, while the barracks
and the other buildings were burned. The British, having four men only
wounded, re-embarked, and the ships returned the same evening to their
former anchorage in Macao roads. This well-timed and important piece of
service of Captain Smith's was the last hostile movement of the British
during the year 1840. On the 6th November a truce was announced by
Admiral Elliot, and on the 29th he resigned his command from extreme
ill-health, and returned to England, leaving Sir Gordon Bremer as
commander-in-chief.

After this, nothing very remarkable was done till the Bogue forts were
captured, on the 7th January 1841. The Chinese Emperor had only opened
negotiations for the purpose of gaining time it was resolved, therefore,
to attack Canton itself. Several fleets of war-junks were destroyed,
some of the junks being blown up with all on board. On the 26th of
February the Boca Tigris forts were taken by Sir Gordon Bremer; and, on
the 5th of March, the squadron having advanced up the river, Howqua's
Fort was captured. Other forts in succession fell into the hands of the
British force; and on the 28th of March, the passage up to Whampoa being
forced, the forts of Canton and a large Chinese flotilla were captured.
After this, the Chinese came to terms; trade was again opened, and went
on for some time with great activity. All this time, however, the
treacherous Chinese were plotting how they might exterminate the
English; and, on the night of the 21st of May, a bold attempt was made
by them to destroy the British fleet by means of fire-rafts. The
attempt, however, was happily