er with great success. In June Commodore
Keppel directed similar operations with still greater success. The
Chinese supposed the positions where their warjunks were sheltered were
impregnable, and were astonished and terrified to find that the English
stormed and silenced their batteries, and captured, sunk, or burned
their warjunks with the utmost celerity. So difficult were the positions
chosen by the enemy that the British, although securing a brilliant
series of victories with extraordinary rapidity, suffered heavy loss.

While these events were proceeding, Lord Elgin was on his way as
plenipotentiary to the Chinese emperor; he arrived at Hong-kong in July.
On his way thither he touched at Singapore, where he received news of
the Indian mutiny, and a request from the governor-general of India to
detach a portion of his force to assist in suppressing the mutiny then
raging there. From Hong-kong Lord Elgin proceeded to India with the
remainder of the troops, as the peril there admitted of no delay, while
the Chinese dispute would allow of postponement. In the latter part
of the autumn Lord Elgin returned to Hong-kong. In October a French
squadron arrived to co-operate with the English, accompanied by Baron
Gros, as the plenipotentiary of the French emperor. Count Puteatin
arrived in the same capacity for the Emperor of Russia; and Mr. Reed
represented the North-American republic. Both Russia and the American
States were jealous of the combined influence of England and France, and
showed rather a disposition to coalesce, in order to thwart the allied
powers of Western Europe, while yet the representative of each of the
two jealous nations was solicitous to make a treaty in the separate and
even selfish interests of his country. England and France were desirous
for the co-operation of all civilized powers to obtain a treaty in the
interests of all, but this did not suit the policy of America, still
less of Russia. France moreover displayed an eagerness to force some
exclusive convention in favour of the Roman Catholic religion, in which
the other powers had no interest, and which they felt to be invidious
and improper. The French also, in their co-operation with the British,
were avaricious of glory, and by their self-assertion, vanity, ambition,
and ostentatious depreciation of everything not performed by themselves,
offended the self-respect of the English, who were in far superior
force.

It was December before acti