A small disaster, which may have great consequences, has befallen
French arms. Captain H. Riviere, a Naval officer of distinction, about April, 1832, succeeded in capturing the citadel which dominates Hanoi, the capital of Tonquin. Here he re- mained twelve months with a small garrison, vainly imploring the shifting Governments of France to send adequate reinforce- ments. On the 20th or 21st ult., pressed, it is supposed, by want of supplies, and surrounded by Chinese troops in Anamese dress and under Anamese colours, Captain Riviere led a sortie through some fields of bamboo. His men were surrounded and driven back, leaving Captain Riviere, his second-in-command, and twenty-two men dead on the field. It is rumoured, but denied, that the citadel has since been taken, and the garrison massacred. The news teeminated discussion in Paris. The credits were instantly voted, and a force of 3,000 Marines and Colonial troops has been ordered to Hanoi, where they are ex- pected to arrive on July 10th. Twelve hundred men have also been despatched from Saigon, but many of these must be Anamese, and if the citadel has fallen they will be too late. A much larger force will be required, and owing to the difficulty in using the Line regiments, the Madagascar quarrel may be allowed to simmer.
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