CAPTURE OF CAIFFA.

CAIFFA was captured on the 17th September, by Captain Collier, of H.M.S. 'Castor,' and Tyre on the 24th, without loss. On the 25th an attempt was made to destroy Tortosa. It was unsuccessful, but great gallantry was shown by Lieutenants Charlewood and Maitland, and Midshipmen Hay and Stewart gained great credit.

BOMBARDMENT AND CAPTURE OF ACRE,

3rd November, 1840.

IBRAHIM PACHA, who had taken Acre in 1837, had commenced to strengthen it greatly; but the fortifications he had designed were not completed when the allied squadron of twenty ships, mostly line-of-battle ships, appeared off it, 2nd November, 1840. Aided by the steamers, the ships the next morning speedily took up their positions, and opened their fire in the most spirited manner.

After the ships had hotly engaged the batteries for nearly two hours, the grand magazine blew up with a most tremendous explosion, whether caused by a shell or by accident it is difficult to say. A large number of the garrison were blown up, and many probably were buried alive in the ruins or in the casements. The 5 guns before mentioned, notwithstanding this catastrophe, kept up their fire with great spirit to the last. About sunset the signal was made to discontinue the engagement, but the Commodore kept the fire up some time after dusk, lest the enemy

guns.

The Flag

should be tempted to re-man their Lieutenant then brought the orders to withdraw. In the middle of the night a small boat brought off" the information that the Egyptian troops were leaving the town, and in consequence, at daylight 300 Turks and a party of Austrian marines landed, and took unopposed possession of the place. The havoc caused by the guns of the squadron on the walls and houses was very great, though, notwithstanding the hot and long-continued fire they had been exposed to, the ships escaped with little damage, and the amount of casualties was very small, being 14 English and 4 Turks killed, and 42 wounded.

An entire battalion, which had been formed near the magazine, ready to resist any attempts to storm, were destroyed. The appearance of the dead and wounded, as they lay scattered about the town, was very dreadful, but they seemed to excite but little sympathy in the breasts of the Turks. Every living creature within the area of 60,000 square yards round the magazine had ceased to exist, the loss of life being computed from 1,200 to 2,000 persons; certainly two entire regiments were annihilated, with 50 donkeys, 30 camels, 12 cows, and some horses.

This was the first occasion on which the advantages of steam had been fully proved in battle, by the rapidity with which the steamers took up their positions, and the assistance they rendered to the other ships, as also by the destruction caused through the shells thrown from them.

On the 4th another explosion took place, by which a marine was killed, and Captain Collier had his leg fractured.

The garrison being placed in a state of order, was left under the command of Sir Charles Smith, with 3,000 Turkish troops, and 250 marines under Lieutenant-Colonel Walker, with the protection of the 'Pique' and 'Stromboli.'

The results of the capture of Acre were very important. Ibrahim Pacha evacuated Syria, and Mehemet Ali gave up the whole Turkish fleet, which sailed for Marmorice under Admiral Walker. Soon after, the Sultan sent a firman according to the Pacha the hereditary possession of Egypt, without any interference on the part of the Porte, while a yearly tribute of £2,000,000 was to be paid to the Sultan, besides about £2,000,000 more of arrears.

Thus terminated the part taken by the British in the affairs of Turkey and Egypt.

WARFARE IN CHINESE WATERS.

THE war in China was undertaken to punish the Government for the numerous injuries and insults they had offered to the English, and by teaching them to respect our power, to induce them to trade with us on fair and equal terms, and to treat us in future as one civilized people should treat another; also to demand reparation of grievances, and payment for the property of British subjects destroyed at Canton, to obtain a guarantee against similar occurrences in future; and, what was of the greatest importance, to open up the trade at the different ports along the coast.

With these objects to be accomplished, a large squadron, with a number of transports containing a considerable body of troops, were despatched in 1840 by the Governor-General of India to the Chinese seas. Soon after this, a large fleet arrived from England under the command of Admiral the Honourable G. Elliot, while Sir Gordon Bremer had his broad pennant flying on board the Wellesley. Captain Elliot, R.N., it must be understood, was acting on shore as Chief Superintendent of Trade.

The Chinese, who, though very clever fellows in some respects, and especially so in their own opinions, entertain notions which appear somewhat comical to Englishmen. While the British fleets were collecting, they were making preparations in their own way for

their reception. They had purchased an English merchant ship-the Cambridge,' intending to turn her into a man-of-war, and had built some strange-looking little schooners upon an European model, for the purpose of employing them against the English. Commissioner Lin also got up some sham fights at the Bogue, dressing those who were to act as assailants, in red coats, in order to accustom the defenders to the sight of the red uniform-the red-coats, of course, being always driven back with tremendous slaughter. They also ran up formidable-looking forts along the banks of many of their rivers, which, on examination, however, turned out to be merely thin planks painted. The object of these was to alarm the barbarians, and to prevent them from entering their harbours. But the crowning and most ingenious device, was the construction of some vessels with large paddle wheels, like those of steamers, which were worked inside by men; though, that they might appear to be real steamers, they had, it is said, funnels, and fires under them, to create a smoke.

Although from these accounts it would appear that the Chinese are not very formidable enemies, it must be understood that they also possessed some forts which were really very strong; and that though the true Chinese are not very fond of fighting, and, from their peculiar temperament, look upon discretion as the best part of valour, and prefer running away to stopping, with the certainty of being shot or bayonetted, yet that, as they fully understand division of labour, they employ a large number of Tartars to do their fighting for them. These Tartars are very brave fellows, and so are their officers; and in numberless