It will be remembered that Sir Gordon Bremer had not yet been named joint plenipotentiary, which did not take place until after his return from Calcutta in The Queen steamer, in the month of June following. He had proceeded to India in that vessel, at the end of March, after the arrival of Lieutenant-Gen. Sir Hugh Gough, probably in order to confer in person with the governor-general. Thus ended what may be called the second act, (the first having been the taking of Chusan, and the expedition to the Peiho) of the great drama of the Chinese war. In his report to the emperor, respecting these several occurrences, Keshen declared that "he had only made conditional concessions to the English; _merely_ promising that he would earnestly implore the emperor's favour in their behalf." Immediately after the restoration of the forts on the 21st to the Chinese, the commodore went down to Macao in the Nemesis, leaving the Wellesley in the Lintao passage, the main body of the fleet having proceeded to Hong-Kong. It was feared, however, that things could not long remain in _statu quo_; and on the 26th, Captain Elliot himself left Macao in the Nemesis, and went up the Canton river to hold a conference, which it had been arranged should take place with Keshen in person, in order to settle those points which, it has been stated, were reserved for future consideration. FOOTNOTES: [21] This rocket was fired by Captain Belcher, of the Sulphur. [22] DETAIL OF H.B.M.'S MILITARY AT CHUSAN, ON 1st JANUARY, 1841. Rank and file 18th Regiment, Royal Irish, Lieutenant-Colonel Adam 487 26th Regiment, Cameronians, Lieutenant-Colonel James 291 49th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Bartley 326 Bengal Volunteers, Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd 402 Madras Artillery, Lieutenant-Colonel Montgomerie, C.B. 185 Madras Sappers and Miners, Captain Cotton 227 CHAPTER XV. The famous conference which took place between Keshen and Captain Elliot, some miles above the Bogue, close to a pagoda on the banks of the river, at what is called its Second Bar, has attracted very great and deserved attention. Although its results were, in a political point of view, really of little moment, there is reason to think that Keshen, as well as Elliot, was anxious to adjust the pending difficulties without further resort to arms. The advantage, however, which delay of any kind would afford to Keshen, and the ultimate interruption of the negotiations, followed, as it was, immediately by the capture of the Bogue forts, have led many to conclude that Keshen had all along no other object than that of putting us off our guard, in order that he might complete his still imperfect arrangements for defence, and then throw down the gauntlet to us in defiance.