ssacred. Thus hostilities began. Two British men-of-war exchanged
shots with the forts in the Bogue. On November 3, the two frigates "Volage"
and "Hyacinth" were attacked by twenty-nine junks-of-war off Chuenpee. A
regular engagement was fought and four of the junks were sunk. On the news
of the fight at Chuenpee, Emperor Taouk-Wang promoted the Chinese admiral.
On December 6, an imperial edict prohibiting all trade with Great Britain
was issued. Already a strong British squadron was on its way to China.

[Sidenote: War with Afghans]

[Sidenote: Fall of Kandahar]

[Sidenote: British enter Kabul]

[Sidenote: Failure of Russian counter move]

Simultaneously with these troubles the British had become embroiled in war
with the Afghans. The ostensible purpose was to depose Dost Mohammed Khan
from his usurpation of the throne of Afghanistan. In reality this chieftain
had aroused the ire of England by entering into negotiations with Russia,
after Lord Auckland had declined to call upon Runjit Singh to restore
Peshawar to Afghanistan. When it was learned that a Russian mission had
been received at Kabul, the British Government resolved to dethrone Dost
Mohammed Khan and to restore Shah Shuja to the throne of Kabul. War was
declared at Simla. Columns were sent out from Bombay and Bengal and were
united at Quetta under the command of Sir John Keene. Kandahar was captured
in April. In July, Ghasni was taken by storm. It was on this occasion that
Sir Henry Durand, then a young subaltern, distinguished himself by blowing
up the Ghasni gate. In August, the British entered Kabul. Dost Mohammed
Khan fled over the Oxus into Bokhara. Shah Shuja was restored as ruler of
Afghanistan under the tutelage of a British resident minister. In response
to Dost Mohammed's appeals, the Russian Government sent out an expedition
toward Khiva, in November; but the winter weather in the mountains was so
severe that the expedition had to return.

[Sidenote: British colonial problems]

Other problems engaged the attention of the British Colonial Office. A
rebellion in Borneo had to be suppressed by force of arms. In Canada, the
new Governor-General, Charles Pollot Thompson, later Lord Sydenham, found
it difficult to carry out Durham's scheme of union. In November, martial
law had to be declared again at Montreal. The reported discovery of gold
by Count Strzelescki in New South Wales, and the discovery of copper in
South Australia, drew great numbers