the Chinese. We could see the smoke and hear the
reports of the guns from the top of our house. The fighting commenced very
early. We thought that the Mandarin troops were gradually approaching the
city, until about Chinese breakfast-time (eight to nine o'clock), when the
firing ceased. We know not how many lives were lost in the engagement.
The rebels brought into the city some seventeen or eighteen heads which
they had decapitated. I know not whether these were all killed in the
fight or whether they were the heads of some villagers on whom the rebels
took vengeance for assisting the Mandarins."

"Now for the engagement on the water. The rebel forces on the water were
much inferior to the Mandarin forces, but the Chinese say they fought more
desperately. The engagement opened on Wednesday about noon and lasted
until nearly evening. Towards evening the Mandarin fleet withdrew a few
miles and came to anchor. On Thursday at high-tide (about noon) the
engagement was renewed. Towards evening the Mandarin fleet again withdrew
as before. On Friday the engagement was again renewed with similar
results. On Saturday the Mandarin fleet withdrew entirely and left the
harbor.

"During the three days of the fight, as you would expect, there was much
excitement in Amoy. The tops of the houses and the hills around about, at
the time of the engagement, were thronged with people, and there was a
continual discharge of cannon. But I have not given the number of the
killed and wounded in the three days' naval action. Reports, you know, are
often much exaggerated on such occasions. According to the most reliable
statements (and I have not yet heard of any other statement), the list
stands thus:

"Killed-None!
"Wounded-None!
"Prisoners-None!

"It is said that one ball from a Mandarin junk did strike a rebel junk, but
did not hurt any one. During the fighting the vessels kept so far apart
that the balls almost always fell into the water between them. On the
second day of the fight, a boat from the city in which were three men, who
were not engaged in the fight, was captured by the Mandarin fleet, and the
three men were beheaded. War is too serious a matter to be laughed at, but
the kind of war we have thus far seen at Amoy is only like children's
play."

Nov. 1, 1853. To his brother, Daniel.

"Our war still continues, fighting almost every day. The day I sent off my
last package to you, two more balls struck our house. One cam