The Tontai, having in the first instance agreed that Amping should be held as a guarantee, appears now to have ordered it to be put into a state of defence. Lieutenant Gurdon observed this and gave notice to the inhabitants of his intention. He then opened fire at about 2000 yards from the pivot gun of _Algerine_. Finding, however, that he was unable to prevent the construction of earthworks--forty-one guns were already in position--he determined to surprise the camp at night. At 10.30 P.M. Gurdon left the _Algerine_ in his gig, accompanied by the cutter, containing two officers and twenty-three men. He landed on the beach in a heavy surf about two miles below the town. The gig, in spite of precaution, was swamped. Having formed on the beach, he threw out skirmishers and advanced with caution, taking advantage of every inequality of ground. When within eight hundred yards, he observed Chinese moving about the fortifications, and the moon shining brightly, he made his men lie down under the cover of some rising ground until 2 A.M., when he made a rush, and was in the heart of the town before he was discovered. Gurdon got hold of a guide and at once proceeded to the Heptar’s Yamun, the door of which he burst in before he could get at the garrison, which consisted of about fifty men. They barricaded the door of an inner apartment, extinguished the lights, and, refusing to surrender, were fired on, when some eight were killed. It was, of course, not the time for Gurdon, with his handful of men, to show the slightest hesitation. The remainder of the Chinese soldiers broke down a door in their rear and escaped. It was daylight before Gurdon had time to take possession of Fort Zelandia and station his men, when the enemy were observed in force coming up from Tai-wan-foo, led by a mandarin carrying a yellow flag. They were received with such a deadly fire from the unerring Snider that in less than five minutes the mandarin’s men broke and fled, leaving our little force in possession. The loss of the Chinese during this little engagement was twenty-one killed and thirty-six wounded, while the mandarin, unable to face the disgrace, returned to his quarters and committed suicide. Gurdon belonged to Norfolk. He sent me some of his captured brass guns.