Thanks to the fact that nowadays more and more books are digitized we are able to read books that are some times for decades no longer available for the public for several reasons. That’s quite a pity while these books contains useful information while the archives are destroyed, incomplete or nor accessible. Cooke described in one of his letters which European navies were represented in the Chinese area in November 1857 with the British and French navies with the largest numbers of ships.
P. 258: “At Hongkong:
British. The Algerine, gunboat, 3 guns, Lieutenant Forbes, commander; the Bittern, sloop, 12, Lieutenant Goodenough; the Bustard, gunboat, 2, Lieutenant Hallowes; the Clown, gunboat, 2, Lieutenant W. Lee; the Coromandel, steamer, 3, Lieutenant Douglas; the Dove, gunboat, 2, Lieutenant Bullock; the Drake, gunboat, 3, Lieutenant Arthur; the Emperor, steam yacht, 4, Lieutenant Ward; the Firm, gunboat, Lieutenant Nicholas; the Furious, steamer, 16, Captain Osborne ; the Haughty, gunboat, 2, Lieutenant Fauli; the Hercules, hospital, 10, Dr. G. Burn; the Janus, gunboat, 2, Lieutenant W. H. Jones; the Kestrel, gunboat, 2, Lieutenant W. H. Rason; the Minden, store-ship, 4, Elles, master; the Opossum, gunboat, 2, Lieutenant Campbell, commander; the Starling, gunboat, 2, A. J. Villiers; the Surprise, despatch steamer, 4, S. G. Creswell; the Sybille, ship, 44, Commodore Elliot; the Tribune, steamer, 31, Captain Edgell; the Volcano, steamer, 3, Hockley.
American. The Levant, sloop, 18, Commander Smith; the Minnesota, steamer, 50, Captain Dupont; the San Jacinto, steamer, 15, Commodore Armstrong, Captain Bell.
French. The Meurthe, steamer, 12, Commander M. de Chenez.
Dutch. The Medusa, steamer, 18, Captain Fabius.
Spanish. The Don J. Juan, steamer, 6, Brionnes.
At Macao:
Portuguese. The Amazona, lorcha, 6, Captain Escarnicha; the Mondego, brig, 20, Commodore Tavares.
American. The Portsmouth, sloop, 16, Commander Foote.
Russian. The America, steamer, 6, Commander Tschihatschoff
P. 259: The Brothers:
French. The Audacieuse, steamer, 50, Captain Coville; the Avalanche, gunboat, 6, Commander Lalond; the Dragonne, gunboat, 6, Commander Bang ; the Fusee, gun-boat, 6, Carpigna ; the Marseau, steamer, 6, Captain Lamotte ; the Mitraille, gunboat, 6, Commander P. E. Beranger; the Nemesis, frigate, 50, Bear Admiral B. de Genouilly and Captain Beynaud; the Phlégéthon, steamer, 8, Captain Leveque ; the Primanguet, steamer, 8, Commander Veignaud.
In Canton River:
British. The Acorn, sloop, 12, Commander Hood; the Actaeon, surveying-sloop, 26, Commander Bate; the Banterer, gunboat, 3, Lieutenant Pim; the Calcutta, ship, 80, Bear Admiral Seymour and Captain Hall; the Cruiser, steamer, 17, Commander C. Fellowes; the Elk, sloop, 12, Commander J. F. C. Hamilton; the Esk, steamer, 21, Captain Sir B. M’Clure; the Forester, gunboat, 2, Lieutenant Innes; the Highflyer, steamer, 21, Captain Shadwell; the Hesper, steamer, 2, Commander Hill; the Hornet, steamer, 17, Commander Dowell; the Inflexible, steamer, 6, Commander Brooker; the Lee, gunboat, 3, Lieutenant Graham ; the Leven, gunboat, 3, Lieutenant Hudson; the Nankin, ship, 50, Commander Hon. K. Stewart; the Niger, steamer, 14, Commander Cochrane; the Plover, gunboat, 2, Lieutenant Wynniatt; the Racehorse, sloop, 14, Captain Wylmshurst; the Sampson, steamer, 6, Captain G. S. Hand; the Slaney, gunboat, 3, Lieutenant Hoskin ; the Staunch, gunboat, 2, Commander L. Wiedman ; the Watchful, gunboat, 2, Lieutenant J. A. Whitshed; the Woodcock, gunboat, 2, Lieutenant E. J. Pollard.
At Amoy:
British. The Comus, ship, 14, Commander B. Jenkins.
At Foochow:
British. The Camilla, sloop, 16, Commander Colvile.
At Ningpo:
British. The Nimrod, steamer, 6, Commander B. Dew.
At Shanghai:
British. The Cormorant, gunboat, 4, Lieutenant Saumarez; the Pique, ship, 36, Commander Sir F. W. Nicolson.
French. The Capricieuse, frigate, 40, Captain Collier ; the Durance, steamer, 12, Commander Choyin.
Source
China: The Times special correspondence from China in the years 1857-58. Reprinted by permission With corrections and additions by the author, George Wingrove Cooke. London, 1859.
