The Broadway expedition was a British military expedition that explored the Broadway River (present-day
Xi River
The Xi River (; ) or Si-Kiang is the western tributary of the Pearl River in southern China. It is formed by the confluence of the Gui and Xun Rivers in Wuzhou, Guangxi. It originates from the eastern foot of the Maxiong Mountain in Qujin ...
) in
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
province, China, on 13–15 March 1841 during the
First Opium War. The river was also called the ''Inner Passage'' or ''Macao Passage'' as it served as an intricate channel from the Portuguese colony of
Macao to the Chinese city of
Canton (Guangzhou). The expedition was the first time a European vessel traversed the passage, and was believed by the Chinese to be inaccessible to foreigners due to the shallowness and intricacy of the channel as well as the forts along the banks. The iron steamship ''
Nemesis'' had a shallow
draught of , which was a major advantage in navigating the river.
[Bernard & Hall 1847, p. 138] Despite being over 600
tons burden, the ship was able to navigate through a river that frequently had less than 6 feet of water and through mud in areas of only .
Operations began on the morning of 13 March in Macao.
[Bernard & Hall 1847, p. 139] Captain
James Scott commanded the fleet, which consisted of
HMS ''Samarang'' and the
East India Company steamships ''Nemesis'' and ''Atlanta''. A further three boats accompanied the ''Nemesis''; two from the ''Samarang'' and one from the ''Atlanta''.
On board the ''Nemesis'' of Captain
William Hall was Plenipotentiary and Chief Superintendent of British Trade
Charles Elliot
Admiral Sir Charles Elliot (15 August 1801 – 9 September 1875) was a British Royal Navy officer, diplomat, and colonial administrator. He became the first Administrator of Hong Kong in 1841 while serving as both Plenipotentiary and Chief Su ...
, Deputy Superintendent of Trade
Alexander Johnston, and interpreters
John Morrison and
Robert Thom. A British officer wrote that the interpreters' "knowledge of the language and their good judgment frequently enlisted in our favour the people of the country, who might have offered great annoyance, and they were often able to mitigate the hardships even of war itself."
Forts captured
List of forts captured (and the number of guns) in chronological order on 13 March:
*Motow – 13
*Tei-yat-kok – 12 to 14
[Bernard & Hall 1847, p. 141]
*Houchung – 14 to 15; defended by nine war
junks of which seven were destroyed and two escaped; 28 guns captured
[Bernard & Hall 1847, p. 142]
*Fie-shu-kok – 7
Further up the river, the fleet reached the trading town of Heangshan (
Zhongshan). The ''Nemesis'' was in chase of the two junks, which had earlier escaped and were followed by several
mandarin boats. One junk was captured; it carried four guns.
[Bernard & Hall 1847, p. 143]
*Sheongchap – 8
On 14 March:
*Kong-how (or Hong-how) – 9
On 15 March:
*One war junk – 7
[Bernard & Hall 1847, p. 146]
Gallery
File:Canton River and adjacent islands.jpg, Map showing the track of the ''Nemesis'' from Macao and the forts captured
File:Macao Passage.jpg, ''Macao Passage, Canton River''
References
{{reflist
Bibliography
*Bernard, William Dallas; Hall, William Hutcheon (1847).
The Nemesis in China' (3rd ed.). London: Henry Colburn.
*Bingham, John Elliot (1843).
Narrative of the Expedition to China' (2nd ed.). Volume 2. London: Henry Colburn.
Further reading
*
Bulletins of State Intelligence'. Westminster: F. Watts. 1841. pp. 281–286.
1841 in China
Battles of the First Opium War
Conflicts in 1841
Naval battles of the Opium Wars
March 1841 events