10 



FOREIGN AID SOLICITED, 



Chap. I. 



them up to Nanking to arrest the progress of the 

 now victorious and successful insurgents. In 

 addition to this, he appHed to Mr. Alcock, her 

 Majesty's Consul at the port, to request Captain 

 Saunderson, of H. M. brig " Lily," to proceed 

 with that vessel to Nanking, and exterminate the 

 rebels. Captain Saunderson very properly re- 

 fused to comply with this modest request, stating 

 at the same time that a small sailing-vessel like 

 the " Lily " would be useless in a river where 

 the tides were rapid. 



Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, Sir George Bon- 

 ham, having in the mean time arrived at Shang- 

 hae in the " Hermes," accompanied by the 

 " Salamander," both war-steamers, the Taoutai 

 renewed his application. After giving an account 

 of the progress of the rebels received from the 

 governor of Kiangsoo, which concluded by stating 

 that, " if they are not s|)eedily cut off, commerce 

 will be interrupted, and the business of Chinese 

 and foreign merchants will be totally ruined," 

 he goes on as follows : — 



" I have to request that you will, in the first 

 place, despatch the vessels of war which may have 

 already arrived at Shanghae, together with that 

 stationed there, to Nanking, that they may, with 

 the lorchas under their command, make a com- 

 bined attack, solemnly binding themselves to 

 extirpate the rebels, in order to gratify the public 

 mind and open the path of commerce. I have 

 also to request that you will urge by letter the 



