thy to a wounded brother officer whom he saw about to suffer a most mortifying and unexpected defeat." Tatnall's coxswain was killed at his side in the passage, and although the visit was intended to be one only of sympathy, his boat's crew, finding only three men on the admiral's ship able for duty, while the commodore tendered his sympathy to the admiral, assisted in working the guns.
In addition to this, the commodore, in his enthusiasm, used his steamer to tow into the engagement several barges loaded with British marines which could not make head against the wind and tide. Besides, the steamer was of service in rescuing the wounded and taking them outside of the line of fire. Tatnall's defense of his conduct was that "blood was thicker than water;" that he could not refrain from aid when kinsmen were in distress; and that he was only reciprocating the kindness of the admiral of the day before in sending his tug to draw his vessel off the bar. The commodore's gallant conduct made him famous, but Mr. Ward soon felt the influence of it in his intercourse with the Chinese officials.
The allied forces, after their unexpected defeat, withdrew to Shanghai. The English and French ministers broke off all negotiations, and "were exceedingly anxious" that Mr. Ward should likewise do so. But he said to the Secretary of State: "The path of my duty seems to me to be very plain. I arrived here with the English and French ministers, not as an ally, but because the Chinese commissioners insisted on my coming with them;" that on his arrival at Hongkong he left there
