In 1858 the Chinese Commissioners agreed to our demands that the treaty of peace between the two nations should be concluded at Pekin; but on realizing that Lord Elgin was determined to carry out this clause, every obstacle was thrown in his way. Finally, when Sir Frederick Bruce attempted to pass up the Peiho River, he was fired on, and three of our gunboats sunk. The Indian Mutiny was now at an end, and Sir Hope Grant, who as a cavalry leader had gained great distinction in its suppression, was nominated to the chief command of the China Expeditionary Force. Sir Hope had a double claim to this distinction, for he had acted as Brigade Major to Lord Saltoun in the war of 1840-42. It was very evident from the tone of the correspondence of the Chinese Commissioners that all memory of the defeats they had experienced in the war of 1840-1842 had been effaced. Our Envoys were treated with supercilious disdain, and we were gravely warned of the dangers we were incurring in thus treating the Celestial Empire. In reply to our ultimatum they wrote: "The contents of the letter of the English Envoy fills us with the greatest astonishment, and the demand for an indemnity is against all decorum. The language in which the English letter is couched is too insubordinate and extravagant even to be discussed. In future the British Ambassador must not be so wanting in decorum, or he will give cause for serious trouble." In face of such language as this, it was evident that nothing short of a sharp lesson inflicted at the capital itself would teach this irrepressible people the power of our arms, and preparations were at once made for the final advance of the troops, under Sir Hope Grant. CASUALTIES DURING THE OPERATIONS IN CHINA, 1858-1861. +-----------------+-----------+-----------+ | |_Officers._| _Men._ | | _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +-----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |7th Rajputs | - | - | - | - | |10th Jats | - | - | - | - | |15th Sikhs | - | - | - | - | |22nd Punjabis | - | - | - | - | |27th Punjabis | - | - | - | - | |105th Mahr. L.I. | - | - | - | - | +-----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ NOTE.--I have been unable to ascertain the losses of the Sepoy battalions during the occupation of the Chinese Ports, 1857-62. CHINESE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE OF 1860. The army, under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir Hope Grant, which was to act in conjunction with a French force, numbered some 16,000 all told, and was brigaded as under: Cavalry Brigade--Brigadier-General Pattle (King's Dragoon Guards): King's Dragoon Guards, 11th Probyn's Lancers, 19th Fane's Horse. First Infantry Division--Major-General Sir John Mitchell, K.C.B. First Brigade--Brigadier-General Staveley, C.B.: The Royal Scots, 31st (East Surrey Regiment), and 15th Ludhiana Sikhs.