In my last short despatch of the 12th inst. 1 informed you of the departure of the French troops for Suntai on the 11th inst. The detachments which embarked on the gunboats, transports, ete., arrived about 4 p.m. the same day, at the juuction of the Dai and the Ked River, and were at once disembarked on the northern, or north-western, bank of the Dai, in the ighbourhood of a village called Pat-mong, and there awaited the arrival of the column which left the citadel of Hanoi on foot. These troops reached the Dai on the 12th, and on the following morning crossed the river ataford, thus forming n junction expeditionadvauca, shelling the neighbouring banks they proceeded. Several fortified villages were captured after some skirmishing, bat no serious engagement occurred until the morning of the 14th, when, at 8 o'clock, an attack was made' by a portion of the French forces on the village of Phunths, (on the direct road from the Sunkoi to Soutai,) and three very strongly conatrnotforts which commanded the road, The action lasted all through the day. After bombarding t 0 of them were carried by assault by the Turcos and tirailleurs, but not until the storming parties had been twice forced to retreat and had been reinforced from the reserve, was a permanent occupation of two of the forts Achieved. At te conclusion of the day's agement the French forses held. two of the forte and the village of Phunthn The casualties during the day were the French loss being tivo hundred and. fifty killed and wounded, and that of the enemy being probably double that amount.
On the following morning the other fort was taken, and batteries of heavy guns erected to play upon the citadel of Suu whick was bombarded by the batteries and gunboats during the afternoon and whole of the 16th, and during the night following a storming party advanced tothe walls of the citadel. At an early hour in the morning the entrance wae forced, and it was found that the greater part of the garrison had evacuated the fortress during the night, and retreated to tuather citadel about. Uiree miles further inland. The shot and shell from the baties and gunboats had done terrible truction in the Lown and cited dend lay inh many loss of the Chinese must have been fully two to three thousand. Liu Hang-fuk, the of the Black Flags, managed to effect coond in command is killed, Many of the garrison of Sontai wore found to have been Annamites, and it is believed that cannot have been less than twenty thousand men in the citadel and neigh bouring fortifications, he total of th casualties to the French forces up to the present is about three hundred killed and wounded, a large proportion of these being among the Turcos, who showed the most dusting recklessness and pluck in their assaults.
'The new citadel, which la said to be strongly fortified, and which is defended by a large force, including the refugees from Sontai, will be attacked to-morrow, after which the troops will advance to a Black Tings' post about ten miles higher up the river.
Meanwhile several attempts have been made by a Chinese force from Bacuinh to cross the river and attack Hanoi. On the night of the 35th a determined attack': was made on the blockhouse on the opposite side by a force of two or three thousand Chinese with several guns. They have e-tablished a battery ahunt G00 yards from the blockhouse, and renewed the attack on the nights of the 16h and I7th. The guns by the riverside here and the gunboat Fanfire, which has been sent down from Soutai, returned the fire, and ncoording to the reports of spies sent out inflicted.
derable damage. The guns of the Chinese can do little harm to this place from the other side, as they have no but at the same time ft is very harassing, as no one can get a night's sleep.—China Mail Cor.
Hanoi, 18th Dec,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.