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T Sinclairs litk,PM a - 
 
 JAPAN. 
 
 A WINTER SCENE IN 
 
 FROM A JAPANESE 
 
 DRAWING . 
 
NARRATIVE 
 
 OF 
 
 THE EARL OE ELGIN’S MISSION 
 
 TO 
 
 CHINA AND JAPAN 
 
 IN THE YEARS 1857, ! 58, '59. 
 
 BY 
 
 LAURENCE OLIPHANT, Esq., 
 
 PRIVATE SECRETARY TO LORD ELGIN. 
 
 Author of the “ Russian Shores of the Black Sea,” etc. 
 
 “All sad the scene, a cheerless spot! 
 
 Ah! wo, I cry, an Envoy’s lot— 
 
 Exiled, forlorn! Hoav small his fame! 
 
 Peace, saith my muse ; I’ll aid thee bear 
 Thine honored toils. Away with care, 
 
 Nor murmur at thy country’s claim.” 
 
 Hwasiiana’s Complaint, p. 295. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 
 
 FRANKLIN SQUARE. 
 
 1860 . 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In the following pages I have endeavored to give a history of 
 the proceedings of the Special Mission to China and Japan, which 
 extended over a period of two years. It has been thrown into 
 the shape of a personal narrative, in the hope that it would con¬ 
 vey, in a more amusing and readable form, the record of our ex¬ 
 periences in those empires. 
 
 Events have recently transpired in China which are deeply to 
 be regretted, although they may possibly invest this work with an 
 interest that it might not else have deserved. The untoward 
 character of those events, and the serious consequences which they 
 will probably entail, seemed to warrant my entering at greater 
 length than I should otherwise have done into details more espe¬ 
 cially connected with the policy which Lord Elgin thought it ex¬ 
 pedient to adopt, and the difficulties with which he had to contend 
 at the mouth of the Peiho, 
 
 The description I have given of Japan may very possibly be 
 found to be somewhat at variance with the accounts which we 
 may continue to receive from that empire. It is nevertheless in 
 accordance with the results of our observation, and, I trust, con¬ 
 veys truthfully the impressions we were led to form of that coun¬ 
 try during our short residence in its capital. The circumstances 
 under which we visited it were, perhaps, calculated to present to 
 us the bright rather than the gloomy side of the picture. Our 
 imaginations had not been excited by the glowing descriptions of 
 former visitors, and our most sanguine anticipations consequently 
 fell far short of the pleasing reality. We met with frankness and 
 courtesy where we expected suspicion and reserve. In a country 
 noted for its jealous distrust of foreigners, we enjoyed an entire 
 
IV 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 immunity from all restrictions upon our personal liberty. We 
 were prepared for a diplomatic contest with a government rigid in 
 its adherence to a traditional policy of exclusiveness. A fortnight 
 sufficed to enable us to conclude a treaty with it upon a most lib¬ 
 eral basis. We had just passed a year in China, and all compari¬ 
 sons made with that empire were in favor of Japan. 
 
 That certain special reasons may have operated to render our 
 reception at Yedo altogether exceptional, and to secure our dip¬ 
 lomatic success, is very possible. It was only natural to suppose 
 that, when those reasons had ceased to exist, those who followed 
 us should experience a very different treatment. 
 
 In the accounts furnished by strangers of little-known countries, 
 much depends upon the medium through which their observations 
 are made—much also upon their capacity and knowledge of the 
 world. Thus the diplomatist who expects to find the Japanese 
 guided by the moral code of Western nations—desirous of giving 
 effect to the stipulations of a treaty which they only accepted as an 
 inevitable necessity, and anxious to increase their intercourse with 
 a race which has been held for upward of two centuries in aver¬ 
 sion and abhorrence—will probably describe them in a manner 
 calculated to reflect less on their intelligence than his own. So 
 the merchant, who expresses indignation and disgust at the reluct¬ 
 ance of the government to assist him in his commercial enterprises 
 —at its peculiar notions of political economy, and at the ignorance 
 betrayed by his customers of all mercantile transactions on a grand 
 scale, is certainly not likely to succeed in establishing a large “ con¬ 
 nection while a gentleman whose previous range of observation 
 has been limited, on arriving in Japan from England, may be sur¬ 
 prised at finding that it differs in some respects, in a social point 
 of view, from his own country, and that the same articles of diet 
 are not universally used by the human family in all quarters of 
 the globe. 
 
 It is, however, most desirable that a new country should be 
 presented in all its aspects; and it is only just to ourselves to 
 state that the impressions we received during the brief period of 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Y 
 
 our stay in Yedo are thoroughly borne out by the experiences 
 of the Dutch, whose knowledge of the Japanese has extended over 
 a period of two centuries and a half, as well as confirmed by those 
 Americans who have resided for some years in the country. Mean¬ 
 time we may hope for the most beneficial results from the embassy 
 which is about to be dispatched by the Japanese government to the 
 nations of the West. 
 
 The very talented and truthful drawings, of which I have been 
 permitted by Lord Elgin to avail myself, were presented to his 
 lordship by Mr. Bed well, R.Nf, who accompanied the mission to 
 Japan in the yacht Emperor. 
 
 I am indebted to Mr. Jocelyn for several admirable photographs 
 of the principal Chinese officials with whom we came in contact. 
 My thanks are also due to Dr. Saunders for the Meteorological 
 Register with which he kindly furnished me. 
 
 Athenaeum Club, 1 5th Dec., 1859. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ' 
 
 
 >, t r •. | |.|B 
 
 ' . . r .' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Origin of the War.—The “Arrow Case.”—Policy of Sir John Bowring.—Hos¬ 
 tilities at Canton.—Right of Entry into the City.—Bombardment of Yeh’s Yamun. 
 —The Results.—Insult to American Flag.—Destruction of the Factories.—Aban¬ 
 donment of the Factory Position.—Position of Affairs in February, 1857.—Effect 
 of the foregoing Operations.Page 17 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Appointment and Departure of special Mission.—Outbreak of the Mutiny in India. 
 —Arrival at Singapore.—Its Chinese Population.—Causes of their Discontent.— 
 Their Value as Colonists.—Trip to the main Land.—Residence of the Tumangong. 
 —Wild Sports of the Malay Peninsula.—Gambier Plantations.—Luxuriant For¬ 
 rest.—The Village of Tubrao.—Depredations of Tigers.—Great Increase of Culti¬ 
 vation.—Start on a Tiger-hunt.—Unsuccessful Result.—Arrival at Johore.—Ma¬ 
 lay Houses of Johore.—Historical Associations of Johore.—A picturesque Repast. 
 —Return to Singapore.—Its rapid Progress.—Its Future. 26 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Arrival at Hong Kong.—Trip up the Canton River.—A complicated international 
 Question.—Chuenpee.—Monster Cannon.—Apathy of Population.—Macao Fort. 
 —Unhealthiness of the River.—Spread of the Mutiny.—Its Influence on Lord El¬ 
 gin’s Policy.—Return to Singapore.—Address of mercantile Community.—Arrival 
 at Calcutta.—Sensation created.—Moral Effect produced on the Natives. 43 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Condition of India in August, 1857. —State of Calcutta.—Organization of naval 
 Brigade.—The Mohurrum.—Departure from Calcutta.—Policy adopted by Lord 
 Elgin.—Residence at Hong Kong.—Its Absence of Attractions.—A Trip up the 
 River.—Macao.—A Chinese Dinner. . . 53 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Voyage to the Philippines.—Arrival at Manilla.—Appearance of the Town.—A 
 varied Population.—Their Costumes.—Tobacco-manufactory.—The Price of To¬ 
 bacco.—A Pina Shop.—Indolence of the Mestizoes.—Industry of the Chinese 
 Population.—Chinese Emigration : its Advantages.—The Captain General of the 
 Philippines.—Military Mass.—A Trip to Cavite.—A religious Procession.—Ex¬ 
 cursion to the Lago de Bai.—Los Banos.—The Romance of La Gironiere.—The 
 Island of Socolme.—A stormy Voyage.—The Trade of Manilla. 60 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Attempt of Count Poutiatine to reach Pekin.—Lawless Proceedings in the Canton 
 River.—Singular native Proclamation.—The Hall of Peace and Patriotism.— 
 
Vlll 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Preparations for War.—The Ultimatum.—Occupation of Honan.—Yell’s Answer. 
 —Report of a Conversation between the Emperor Hien Fung and Ki Shuh-tsan.— 
 
 • Embarkation on board the Furious.—Disappearance of the floating Population.— 
 Aspect of the river Face of Canton.—Expiry of the Delay.—Anchorage at Dane’s 
 Island.—Temper of the Inhabitants.—Delay of the Bombardment.Page 75 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Landing of the Troops.—Advance on Lin’s Fort.—Treacherous Mode of Warfare. 
 —Capture of Lin’s Fort.—Attack of the Braves.—Position for the Night.—The 
 Bombardment is continued.—Death of Captain Bate.—Skirmish with Braves.— 
 Escalade of the Walls of Canton.—Aspect of the City.—Scene from Magazine 
 Hill.—Capture of the City.—Capture of Gough’s Fort.—Chinese Looting-parties. 
 —Tartar Garrison of Canton.—Condition of the public Buildings.—Explosion of 
 a Magazine. 91 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 New-Year’s Day, 1858.—Exploration of the City by the Allies.—Capture of Yeh.— 
 Yeh’s Memorial to Pekin.—Behavior of Yeh in Captivity.—Conference relative 
 to the Government of Canton.—Plans Proposed.—Scheme ultimately adopted.— 
 Installation of Pihkwei.—Lord Elgin’s Address to Pihkwei.—Pihkwei’s Reply.— 
 Institution of a civil Tribunal.—Moral and political Effects of the Occupation of 
 Canton. 104 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Withdrawal of the naval Force.—Yamun of the Tartar General.—“ The Hall of 
 State.”—The ornamental Gardens.—Scenes at the Landing-place.—The Hall of 
 Examination.—The “Avenue of Benevolence and Love.”—Open-air Cookery.— 
 Streets of Canton.—Joss-houses of Canton.—Future Punishments illustrated.— 
 Allied police Corps.—Pihkwei’s Proclamations.—A Luncheon at Howqua’s. — 
 Pihkwei’s Dispatch on Trade.—Proposal to raise the Blockade. 115 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Diplomacy in China.—Policy of the neutral Powers.—Proposed Expedition to the 
 North.—Opinion of Count Poutiatine.—Proclamation raising Blockade.—Putin- 
 qua’s Gardens.—River Scenes.—Lord Elgin’s Visit to the Prisons.—State of the 
 Prisoners.—Fate of Yeh.—Lord Elgin’s Letter to Yu.—Departure for Shanghai. 
 —Amoy.—Arrival at Shanghai.—Departure for Soo-chow.—Facilities of Water- 
 communication.—Canal Scenes.—State of the Population.—Mr. Maclane’s Visit 
 to Soo-chow.—Boat-life on the Canals. 125 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The imperial Grand Canal.—Arrival at Soo-chow.—Entry of the City.—Curiosity 
 of the Populace.—Reception by the Governor.—A complimentary Dialogue.—A 
 Chinese official Repast.—Politeness of our Host.—Chinese Etiquette.—Political 
 Effect of our Visit.—Reasons against exploring the City.—Exploration of the 
 Water Suburb.—The Boat Population.—Manners and Customs of the People.— 
 A nocturnal Visitation.—The Tai-hoo Lake.—A Gale of Wind.—Residence at 
 Shanghai.—A Dinner with the Taoutai.—After-dinner Conversation.—Departure 
 for Ningpo.—Ningpo.—The Shops and Joss-houses.—The old Pagoda. 138 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 IX 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 An Expedition to the Snowy Valley.—Mountain Scenery.—The Temple of the 
 Snowy Crevice.—The Maou-kao-tae.—The “Thousand Fathom Precipice.”— 
 Sewe-kang-ha.—Our Fellow-lodgers.—The Dragon Waterfall.—Departure from 
 the Snowy Valley.—Moimtain Men.—A Voyage on bamboo Rafts.—Raft Navi¬ 
 gation.—Arrival at Chusan.—A Roman Catholic Mission.—A Chinese country 
 Residence.—Political Advantages of Chusan.—A British Grave-yard.—The sa¬ 
 cred Island of Pootoo.—A degraded Priesthood.—The Iligli-priest.—Picturesque 
 Temples.—Pilgrims.—Magnificent View.—Chapoo.Page 154 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Communication from the imperial Government.—Lord Elgin’s Reply.—Sir John 
 Bowring’s Visit to the Peiho.—Course pursued on that Occasion.—Lord Elgin’s 
 Application for Gun-boats.—The Roman Catholic Mission of Siccaway.—System 
 of Education.—Barren Results of Missionary Labors.—Superstitious Practices of 
 Converts.—A “Feast of Tabernacles.”—The Cathedral of Tonk-a-doo.—Difficul¬ 
 ties attending Missionary Enterprise.—Non-arrival of the Admiral.—Departure 
 of the Plenipotentiaries for the North.—The Miatou Straits.—Aground on a 
 Sand-bank.—Arrival in the Gulf of Pechelee.—Dreary Weather.—An Expedi¬ 
 tion across the Bar.—Junk-hunting.—Arrival of the American Minister.—Diffi¬ 
 culties of the Situation.—Unnecessary Delays.—Diplomatic Difficulties.—Aspect 
 of the Forts.—Arrival of the Admiral.—The Dispatch-vessels cross the Bar.— 
 Expiry of the Delay.—Postponement of Attack.—Political Consequences of the 
 Delay. 170 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Perilous Position of Dispatch Gun-boats.—Strengthening of the Forts.—Arrival of 
 Chinese Re-enforcements.—The Question of full Powers.—Anglo-American Visit 
 to the Peiho in 1854.—Intercourse on that Occasion.—Interview with Tsung and 
 Tan.—Memorial of Commissioners in 1854.—Reference to Pekin.—Contemptuous 
 Treatment by the Chinese Government.—Anxiety as to future Movements.—Mem¬ 
 orandum of Sir M. Seymour.—Communication with Tan.—The final Summons.— 
 Insolence of the Garrison. 188 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The Night before the Attack.—Delivery of the Ultimatum.—The Signal of Attack. 
 —Advance of the Cormorant.—The Nimrod hotly engaged.—Chinese Artillery- 
 practice.—The Batteries stormed.—“ Sauve qui peut.”—Terrific Explosion.—As¬ 
 pect of the Fortifications.—Attack of the northern Forts.—Capture of the last 
 Battery.—A Visit to Tan’s Residence.—Imperial Edict.—Fate of Tan.—His Ac¬ 
 count of the Action.—Tan’s Yanmn.—A Poem “in Memoriam.”—Return to the 
 Furious. 198 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Ascent of the River.—A Crowd of Junks.—Astonishment of Population.—Their sub¬ 
 missive Behavior.—Brilliant Bonfires.—A Steppe Country.—Appearance of the 
 Villages.—Difficulties of Navigation.—First View of Tientsin.—A Deputation of 
 Merchants.—Appointment of imperial Commissioners.—The Plenipotentiaries as¬ 
 cend the Peiho.—Approach to Tientsin.—Dense Crowds.—“The Temple of Su- 
 
X 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 preme Felicity.”—View of the River.—Making ourselves comfortable.—Bedrooms 
 in the Temple.—Farther Exploration of the Peiho.—Arrival of Russian and Amer¬ 
 ican Ministers.—Their Abodes.—Pean.—Arrival of the imperial Commissioners. 
 —Full Powers at last.—Our official Procession.—“ The Temple of the Oceanic 
 Influences.”—Interview with the Commissioners.—Exchange of full Powers.— 
 Abrupt Termination of the Interview.—Arrival of the Kwang-Fang.—Kweiliang. 
 Hwashana.—Success of Lord Elgin’s Policy.—Its Bearing on Affairs at Canton. 
 —Brighter Prospects .Page 214 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 The Chances of a Chinese political Career.—Arrival of Keying.—Interview with 
 him.—Adverse Policy of Keying.—His Hostility to the Commissioners.—Proofs 
 of his Insincerity.—Second Interview of Messrs. Wade and Lay.—Keying’s Me¬ 
 morial.—Keying’s Treatment of Barbarians.—A disagreeable Expose.—Conse¬ 
 quences of his Offense.—Lenient Sentence.—The Emperor’s Decree.—Keying's 
 Suicide. 238 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Insolence of the Mob.—A forcible Entry into Tientsin.—Making Reprisals.—Hostile 
 Crowds.—Peaceful Proclamations.—Plan of the City of Tientsin.—Aspect of the 
 City.—The Traffic in the Streets.—Declining Trade of Tientsin.—Notice concern¬ 
 ing the Crain Supply.—Present State of the Grand Canal.—Official Expenditure 
 of Grain.—Collection of the Grain-tribute.—State of the Yellow'River.—Obstruc¬ 
 tions in its Navigation.—Grain Transport by Sea.—Report on the Grand Canal.— 
 Price of Rice at Tientsin.—Table showing Proceeds of Grain-tax.—Trade of Tien¬ 
 tsin.—Squalor of the Inhabitants.—Burial-places.—Total Allied Force at Tientsin. 
 —Exploration of the surrounding Country.—The Harvest at Tientsin.—Kitchen- 
 gardens.—Salt-pans.—Vetch-fields.—Locust-hunting. 254 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Advantages gained by Russia and America.—A serious “Hitch.”—The two im¬ 
 portant Demands.—The Right of a Resident Minister.—The Chinese System of 
 Government: Mode of influencing it.—Principle of direct Communication.—The 
 Concession gained.—The final Procession.—Signing of the Treaty.—An effective 
 Illumination.—A Retrospect.—The new Ports.—The Transit-dues.—Climate of 
 Tientsin.—Absence of Surveys.—Geography of the Country.—Abundance of Ice. 
 —A Skittle-alley.—Curiosity-hunting. 274 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Duplicity of the Commissioners.—Arrival of the Emperor’s Assent.—Arrival of Re- 
 enforcements.—Abandonment of Visit to Pekin.—Consequences of Delay.—State 
 of Matters in the South.—Final Visit to Commissioners.—Death of the Prime Min¬ 
 ister Yu.—Hw r ashana’s Poems.—“ Old” Chang: his poetical Effusions..—Departure 
 from Tientsin.—The Great Wall.—State of Matters in the South.—Appointment 
 of five Commissioners.—Military Government of Canton.—Lord Elgin’s Dispatch 
 to the General.—Departure for Japan. 289 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 First View of Japan.—Lovely Scenery.—Singular Boats.—Pappenberg.—Dungaree 
 Forts.—Enchanting Scenery.—A philosophical Port-guardian.—Visit of Japanese 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Xl 
 
 Officials.—Decima.—Removal of Restrictions.—Former Imprisonment of Dutch. 
 —A smuggling Skipper.—Dutch Covetousness.—Strict Rules.—Recent Conces¬ 
 sions.—Nagasaki.—Aspect of Houses.—Shops at Nagasaki.—The Streets.—Plan 
 of the City.—Janitors of Decima.Page 301 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Missionary Success of Xavier.—Supernatural Gifts.—Heroism of Japanese Converts. 
 —Theological Arguments of Converts: their Objections to eternal Punishment.— 
 Louis Almeyda.—The Prince of Omura.—His Conversion.—Founding of Naga¬ 
 saki.—Conversion of Princes.—Fate of Nagasaki.—Death of Sumitanda.—Con¬ 
 stitution of the Japanese Government.—The two Emperors.—Taiko-sama.—Per¬ 
 secution of Christians.—Projects of Taiko-sama: his Invasion of the Corea.—Na¬ 
 gasaki annexed by the Ziogoon.—William Adams.—British Factory in Japan.— 
 Japanese political Economists.—Intrigues of the Dutch.—Expulsion of the Portu¬ 
 guese.—Establishment of Decima. 314 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Surfeit of Sensations.—The Dutch and Russian Bazars.—Money-changers.—Tempt¬ 
 ing Investments.—Visit from the Vice-governor.—A Riding-school.—Surround¬ 
 ing Country.—A Visit to a Tea-garden.—Feasting and Music.—Productions of 
 Fizen.—Coal Mines.—Prince of Satsuma.—Japanese Classes at Nagasaki.—Mil¬ 
 itary Organization.—A Gale of Wind.—Volcanic Eruptions.—Places of future 
 Punishment.—A stormy Night.—Arrival at Simoda.—Dangerous Harbor.... 331 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Residence of the American Consul.—A Hermitage.—Visit to the American Consul. 
 —His recent Success at Yedo.—Bazar at Simoda.—Torturing Indecision.—A Jap¬ 
 anese Grave-yard.—Buddhist Temples.—The Sintoo Religion.—Household Gods. 
 —A Japanese Temple.—Doctrines of the Sintoos.—Theological Speculations.— 
 The Value of Sintooism.—A Visit from the Governor.—An expensive Form of 
 Politeness.—General Appearance of Simoda.—Voyage up the Bay of Yedo.—Jap¬ 
 anese Cottages.—Kanagawa.—Approach to Yedo. 344 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Official Visitors.—We shift our Anchorage.—A Visit from Princes.—Object of the 
 Interview.—A Japanese Man-of-war.—Visit to the Admiral.—Japanese Junks.— 
 Imperial Uniform.—Inquisitive Water-parties.—Moriyama.—Visit of the Com¬ 
 missioners.— Landing-parties.— The Landing-place.—A Japanese Saddle.—The 
 Procession through Yedo.—Excited Crowds.—The fair Sex.—Disfigurement of 
 married Women. — Japanese Pleasure-parties. — Arrival at our future Resi¬ 
 dence. 358 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Residence of British Mission.—Plan of our House.—Soft Matting.—Japanese Spies. 
 —Shingle Roofs.— The Princes’ Quarter.—An obstructive Aristocracy.—Argu¬ 
 ments on their side.—Evils of Civilization.—Restrictions on the Nobles.—Palaces 
 of the Princes.—The Citadel.—Panorama of Yedo.—An imperial Banquet.—A 
 shopping Expedition.—Fire-ladders.—We are mistaken for Chinese.—Bathing- 
 houses.—Handsome Lacker-ware.—A Silk-mercer’s.—An active Police'.—Organ¬ 
 ization of the Police Department.—Street Dogs.—Wild Deer. 374 
 
• • 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Xll 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Constitution of Government.—“Nayboen.”—The Spy Sj^stem.”—The Council of 
 State.—A political Crisis.—The “Happy Dispatch.”—Ruining a Politician.— 
 The Japanese social Scale.—A Visit to the Citadel.—The Japanese Ministers.— 
 Japanese Flunkies.—Tea and Sweetmeats.—Shopping in Yedo.—Dog Mania.— 
 Official Visit of Commissioners.—Official Costume.—Ham and Champagne.— 
 The first Day’s Conference.—Jocosity of Higo-no-kami. — General Good-hu¬ 
 mor.Page 391 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 A Riding-party.—Beauty of the Suburbs.—A pleasant Tea-house. Tea-gardens at 
 Hojee.—A picturesque Picnic.—Internal Arrangements of a Tea-house.—A Bath¬ 
 ing-room.—Scenery of the Interior of Japan.—The Botanical Gardens.—A Visit 
 to the Prime Ministers.—The Commissioners at Luncheon.—“The Scoundrel.” 
 —Schools at Yedo.—Linguistic Acquirements of the Japanese. System of na¬ 
 tional Education.—Japanese Literature.—The Postage System.—The Japanese 
 Language: its Construction.—Universal use of Paper.—Ingenuity of the Jap¬ 
 anese. 407 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 A Japanese Funeral.—Mode of dressing Ladies’ Hair.—Excellence of Japanese Steel. 
 —Carvings in Ivory.—Musical Instruments.—Japanese War-fans.—An Expedi¬ 
 tion into the Country.—A Religious Festival.—Elaborate Tattooing.—The Logos 
 River.—The Temple of Dai Cheenara.—The Interior of the Temple.—A singular 
 Postscript.—Sumptuary Laws.—Sinagawa.—Taxation in Japan.—The Character 
 of the Legislation.—Japanese Management of Children.—Results of our Experi¬ 
 ence.—Japanese Love of Pleasure.—Effect of Contact with Europeans. 426 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Population of Yedo.—The Nipon Bas.—The Quanon Temple.—A Fair.—An Avi¬ 
 ary.—A singular Tableau.—Theatrical Representations.—Toy-shops.—Astronom¬ 
 ical System.—Mountain Pilgrims.—Japanese Wrestlers.—A conjuring Exhibi¬ 
 tion.—The Butterfly Trick.—The Commissioners at a Dinner-party.—After-din¬ 
 ner Enthusiasm.—Presents to the Mission.—Capacious Dressing-gowns.—Last 
 Night in Yedo. 442 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Settling-day.—Japanese Currency.—Gold and silver Coins.—The Currency Diffi¬ 
 culty.—Japanese Packing.—Signing of the Treaty.—Death of the Tycoon “Nay- 
 boen.”—Probable Cause of his Death.—Profound Secrecy observed.—Evacuation 
 of our Lodgings.—Presentation of the Yacht.—Parting Scenes. 455 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Future Prospects.—Civilization of Japan.—The Effect of the Treaty.—Dutch Sub¬ 
 serviency.—Interviews of the Dutch with the Tycoon.—Policy to be pursued.— 
 Necessity of mercantile Morality.—Resources of Japan.—Commercial Intercourse 
 with China.—Government Interference.—Chow-chow Cargoes.—Competition with . 
 native Manufactures.—Probable Demand for woolen Manufactures, etc.—Vege¬ 
 table Products.—Japan Wax.—Mineral Resources.—Commercial Prospects.— 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Xlll 
 
 Leave Japan.—The Port of Hiogo.—Ohosaka.—Kioto.—Caught in a Typhoon.— 
 Arrival at Shanghai.Page 4G3 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 Effects of the Chinese Climate.—The Amenities of Shanghai.—Arrival of the Im¬ 
 perial Commissioners.—Correspondence relative to Canton.—Peace Proclamation. 
 —Appointment of Sub-commission.—Our Chinese Colleagues.—Daily Confer¬ 
 ences.—Rate of the new Tariff.—Transit Duties.—Collection of foreign Customs. 
 —The Opium-trade.—Mr. Reed’s Dispatch on Opium.—Reply of Lord Elgin.— 
 Final Adjustment of the Question.—Visit of the Commissioners.—The jovial Ho. 
 —A Dinner with the Commissioners.—The resident Minister at Pekin.—Pro¬ 
 posed Expedition up the Yang-tse-kiang.—Signing the Trade Regulations.—De¬ 
 parture from Shanghai. 477 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 All the Ships aground.—The Delta of the Yang-tse.—Channel-hunting.—The Ki- 
 ang-yin Bluffs.—Aspect of the River-banks.—Hard and fast.—Silver Island.— 
 Yang-chow.—A Scene of Desolation.—Chinkiang.—Effects of Rebel Occupation. 
 —Golden Island.—Magnificent View.—Off the Rock.—Tan-too.—Translation of 
 Chinese Names.—Chinese Orthography.—Entrance to the Grand Canal.—Ab¬ 
 sence of Junk Traffic.—Approach to Nankin.—Action with the Rebels at Nankin. 
 —Its Results. 491 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 Renewal of the Action.—A sharp Bombardment.—The Batteries silenced.—An 
 Action between Rebels and Imperialists.—Progress up Stream.—The Rebels re¬ 
 ceive a Lesson.—We land for Information.—Destitute Peasantry.—Request to aid 
 the Rebels.—Notification in reply.—Enter the province Ngan-Hwui.—A military 
 Procession.—The Eastern and Western Pillar Gates.—Arrival at Woohoo.—A 
 Letter from the Rebel Chief.—We pay him a Visit.—A disorderly Mob.—Varie¬ 
 gated Costumes.—An imperialist Spy.—Former Condition of Woohoo.—Its pres¬ 
 ent State.—A Tai-ping Manifesto. 505 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 A Battle between Rebels and Imperialists.—An Exodus of the Population.—Arrival 
 at Ivew-hsien.—The Rebel Position.—Rebel Tactics.—Deserted State of the Coun¬ 
 try.— Tee-kiang.— Fine Scenery.—Recent Rebel Fortifications. — A wild-boar 
 Hunt.—Description of the Country.—Our Pilot.—Cultivation.—Mandarin Visit¬ 
 ors. —Character of the River-banks.—The Imperialist Fleet.—A Visit to the Com¬ 
 modore.—The Legend of the Hen Barrier.—Approach to Ngan-king.—We en¬ 
 gage the Forts.—Attack of the Imperialist Troops.—The eight-storied Pagoda.— 
 Tactics of the Imperialists.—Their Treatment of the Peasantry.—Toong-lew 525 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 A foraging Expedition.—Our Pilot romances.—Grandeur of the Scenery.—The 
 “Little Orphan Rock.”—A windy Locality.—Entrance to the Poyang Lake.— 
 Legend of the “Orphan Rocks.”—Floods of the Yang-tse.—Method of accounting 
 for them.—Rural Statistics.—Appearance of the Women.—Geographical Features 
 of the Country.—The Valley of the Yang-tse.—Kew-kiang.—A Survey of its Re¬ 
 sources.—Villages on the Banks.—Magnificent Scenery.—Depredations of the 
 
XIV 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Nee-fei. — We land at Hwang-shih-kang.—Its commercial Activity.—White 
 Tortoise Island. — Enter the Province of Hoopeh.—The Philosopher Laoutz’. 
 — The “White Tiger Mills.”—An unsatisfactory Dialogue. —Approach Han¬ 
 kow.Page 541 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 First Impressions of Han-kow.—Its Resemblance to Nijni Novgorod.—Our first 
 Landing.—An orderly Crowd.—Plan of Han-kow.—View of Wo-chang and Han¬ 
 yang.—Population of these Cities.—Manufacture of Bamboo Cables.—Price of 
 Manchester Cottons.—Insect-wax.—The Mode of its Production.—Recent Demo¬ 
 lition of Han-kow.—Its mixed Population.—Mandarinic Diplomacy.—Commer¬ 
 cial Investigations.—Difficulty of obtaining Information.—A Dialogue.—Com¬ 
 merce of Han-kow.—The Tea-producing Districts.—A Visit to Han-yang.—State¬ 
 ments of Pere Hue. 558 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 First Appearance of Strangers.—Snipe-shooting near Han-kow.—A Visit to the 
 Governor General.—External Aspect of Wo-chang.—Reception by the Governor 
 General.—A magnificent Repast.—The return Visit.—A brilliant Scene.—Inspec¬ 
 tion of Midshipmen.—The Brave Army.—Their singular Uniform.—Panoramic 
 View of Wo-chang.—Reasons for our Return.—Subsidence of the River.—A 
 “Squeeze.”—Civility of the rural Population.—The Lee in Trouble.—Lime- 
 quarries.—Wild Scenery.—DeepWater... 572 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 Exploration of a Lake.—An educated Peasant.—Charging the Bar.—Intricate Navi¬ 
 gation.—Good Sport.—We abandon the Furious.—Christmas-day.—Close Stow¬ 
 age in the Lee.—Approach Ngan-king.—Mr. Wade’s Visit to the Rebels.—His 
 Report of it.—Arrival at Woohoo.—A Rebel Communication.—We land at Nan¬ 
 kin.—A Visit to a Rebel Chief.—Report of the Interview.—Our Interview with 
 Le.—The real State of the Case.—Morals of the Rebels.—Strength of the Garri¬ 
 son.—The Rebel Theology... 585 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 The Yang-tse-Kiang commercially considered.—Sensation on our Arrival.—Sudden 
 Appearance of the Furious.—The secret Edict.—Correspondence with the Commis¬ 
 sioners.—The Affairs of Canton.—Result of the Correspondence.—Decree publish¬ 
 ed in the “Pekin Gazette.”—Departure from Shanghai.—Military Promenades 
 near Canton.—Expedition to Fayune.—A Voyage to Hainan.—Adieu to China.— 
 
 Arrival at Malta. COO 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 I. Treaty of Tientsin. 611 
 
 II. Correspondence relative to a resident Minister at Pekin . 622 
 
 III. The Treaty of Yedo. 630 
 
 IV. Trade Returns between Shanghai and Japan. 635 
 
 V. List of Articles generally sold, and of Staples found in the Shops at Han¬ 
 kow, when visited by H. M.’s Steam-ship “Furious,” Dec., 1858. 637 
 
 VI. Note on Prostitution. 638 
 
 VII. Thermometrical Register kept by Dr. Saunders, R.N., from April 1, 1858, 
 
 to March 31, 1859. 640 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A Winter Scene in Japan (from a Native Drawing') . Frontispiece. 
 
 Scene on the Tubrao Eiver (Malay Peninsula). 35 
 
 Native House at Johore (Malay Peninsula). 38 
 
 Malay Sampan. 40 
 
 Macao Fort (Canton Eiver). 47 
 
 Mestizoes... 62 
 
 Five-storied Pagoda. 99 
 
 The Woosung Eiver. 133 
 
 Canal Scene near Soo-chow. 146 
 
 Ningpo Eiver. 151 
 
 Tseen-chang-yen Waterfall. 156 
 
 Sewe-kang-ha Waterfall. 158 
 
 Our Bamboo Eafts. 161 
 
 The Temple of Kwang-yin, Pootoo. 165 
 
 Bonze at Pootoo.*.. 166 
 
 Bonze Praying. 168 
 
 Capture of the Peiho Forts. 203 
 
 Eeception-Tent of the Imperial Commissioners, Takoo. 206 
 
 The “Temple of the Sea-god” (Eesidence of Tan at Takoo). 212 
 
 A Bedroom at Tientsin. 224 
 
 Sedan Chair. 230 
 
 Kweiliang, First Imperial Commissioner {from a Photograph) . 234 
 
 Hwashana, Second Imperial Commissioner (from a Photograph ). 235 
 
 Signing of the Treaty of Tientsin. 280 
 
 The Island of Pappenberg. 303 
 
 Spire of a Japanese Temple (from a Native Drawing) . 350 
 
 A Japanese Village (from a Native Draiving) . 355 
 
 Yedo Forts... 362 
 
 A Junk in the Bay of Yedo (from a Native Drawing) . 364 
 
 The Landing-place, Yedo. 368 
 
 A Japanese Horse-shoe and Saddle. 369 
 
 Japanese Ladies and Children (from a Native Drawing) . 372 
 
 Japanese Sandal. 375 
 
 Plasterers at Work (from a Native Drawing) . 377 
 
 A Fire-ladder (from a Native Drawing) . 384 
 
 Pattern-designer (from a Native Drawing) . 387 
 
 A Street in the Aristocratic Quarter of Yedo (from a Native Drawing) . 389 
 
 Interview between the Earl of Elgin and the Prime Ministers of Japan. 397 
 
 A Japanese Wig. 402 
 
 Exchange of full Powers between the Earl of Elgin and the Japanese Commis¬ 
 sioners... 404 
 
/ 
 
 xvi 
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Tea-gardens near Yedo .. 
 
 Tea-gardens, Interior. 
 
 Japanese Bath. 
 
 Coopers at Work (from a Native Drawing) 
 Group of Horses (from a Native Drawing). 
 Japanese Artist (from a Native Drawing ) . 
 
 Japanese Funeral. 
 
 Group from an Ivory Carving .. 
 
 Japanese Pipe, Gase, and Pouch. 
 
 A Samsie or Lute. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 410 
 
 414 
 
 415 
 
 421 
 
 422 
 425 
 427 
 
 430 
 481 
 
 431 
 
 A Japanese Divinity {from a Native Drawing ). 435 
 
 Japanese Gymnastics {from a Native Drawing') . 443 
 
 Astronomers {from a Native Drawing) . 447 
 
 Pilgrims ascending a Mountain {from a Native Drawing) . 448 
 
 Japanese Wrestlers {from a Native Drawing) . 450 
 
 Travelers in a Snow-storm {from a Native Drawing) . 454 
 
 Sieh, late Taoutai of Shanghai {from a Photograph) . 481 
 
 The Seaou-koo-shan (Yang-tse-Kiang). 543 
 
 The Entrance to the Poyang Lake. 545 
 
 View of Wo-chang. 561 
 
 Kwan, Governor General of Hoo-Kwang, with his Suite {from a Photograph)... 577 
 
# 
 
 NARRATIVE 
 
 OP 
 
 LORD ELGIN’S MISSION 
 
 TO 
 
 CHINA AND JAPAN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Origin of the War.—The “Arrow Case.”—Policy of Sir John Bowring.—Hos¬ 
 tilities at Canton.—Right of Entry into the City.—Bombardment of Yeh’s Yamun. 
 —The Results.—Insult to American Flag.—Destruction of the Factories.—Aban¬ 
 donment of the Factory Position.—Position of Affairs in February, 1857.—Effect 
 of the foregoing Operations. 
 
 The earlier incidents of the political rupture with the Chinese 
 Commissioner Yeh, which occurred at Canton during the autumn 
 of 1856, and which led to the appointment of a special mission to 
 China for the purpose of settling existing differences, and, if pos¬ 
 sible, of placing our relations with that empire upon a new and 
 enlarged basis, were too thoroughly canvassed at the time to ren¬ 
 der it necessary to renew here any discussion on their merits, or 
 recall at length their details. As the “ Arrow case” derived its 
 interest, then, from the debates to which it gave rise, and its ef¬ 
 fects on parties at home, rather than from any intrinsic value of 
 its own, so does it now mainly owe its importance to the accident¬ 
 al circumstance that it was the remote and insignificant cause 
 which led to a total revolution in the foreign policy of the Celes¬ 
 tial Empire, and to the demolition of most of those barriers which, 
 while they were designed to restrict all intercourse from without, 
 furnished the nations of the West with fruitful sources of quarrel 
 and perpetual grievances. 
 
 B 
 
18 
 
 THE ORIGIN OF THE WAR.—THE “ARROW CASE.” 
 
 But though, in this particular instance, the “ alleged insult” it¬ 
 self claims but a brief notice, and that merely as a matter of his¬ 
 tory, the steps taken by our diplomatic and naval authorities on 
 the spot to redress it are worthy of a fuller consideration, because 
 there can be little doubt that it was in consequence of the re¬ 
 sults which these entailed, coupled with other causes which will 
 be hereafter mentioned, that Lord Elgin was compelled to adopt 
 a line of policy not altogether in accordance with his original in¬ 
 structions, as defined in the House of Commons by Lord Palmer¬ 
 ston during the session of 1857. That this may be the more 
 clearly apprehended, and a correct estimate formed of the embar¬ 
 rassing nature of the difficulties with which the high commission¬ 
 er found himself surrounded at the outset, it will be necessary to 
 narrate briefly the course of events which occurred in the Canton 
 River previous to his arrival. Their consideration will enable us 
 at once to perceive how humiliating was the attitude we were oc¬ 
 cupying in the eyes of the Chinese, and more especially of the 
 Cantonese—how grave the inj ury which our national prestige was 
 suffering in consequence, and how inconvenient were the compli¬ 
 cations arising out of the anomalous position in which Great Brit¬ 
 ain found herself placed with reference to other nations. 
 
 It will be remembered that on the 8th of October, 1856, a party 
 of Chinese executives, in charge of an officer, boarded the lorcha 
 Arrow, a vessel registered under an ordinance passed at Hong 
 Kong eighteen months before, tore down the flag, and carried 
 away the Chinese crew, refusing to listen either to the remon¬ 
 strances of the master or of the consul, and insisting that the ves¬ 
 sel was not British, but Chinese. Her papers were at the time in 
 the consulate, but her register had expired more than a month 
 before. Still Mr. Parkes maintained that she was entitled to pro¬ 
 tection under clause 10 of the ordinance, she not having been in 
 the waters of the colony since the date of the expiry of the regis¬ 
 ter. Mr. Parkes at once wrote to the imperial commissioner Yeh, 
 complaining of the outrage, and offering to investigate any charge 
 that might be brought against the persons seized. He also ac¬ 
 quainted Sir J. Bowring and Commodore Elliot, the senior naval 
 officer at hand, with the particulars of the circumstance. In the 
 correspondence that ensued, Yeh refused to admit to Mr. Parkes 
 that the lorcha was British, and maintained that some of the crew 
 were pirates. He offered to return nine men. Mr. Parkes, how- 
 
POLICY OF SIR JOHN BOWRING- 
 
 19 
 
 ever, was instructed to demand an apology in writing from Yeh— 
 the return of the Chinese arrested to their ship—and their deliv¬ 
 ery to the authorities, if delivered, by and through the consul. 
 Yeh persisted, in his reply, that the lorcha was not foreign prop¬ 
 erty, had no flag flying, promised that Chinese officers should not 
 seize foreign lorchas, and urged that foreigners should not sell 
 registers to Chinese subjects building vessels. Meantime Sir John 
 Bowring had threatened the commissioner with an application to 
 the naval authorities; and a junk, supposed to be an imperial 
 junk, but afterward found to be a merchant vessel, was seized by 
 way of reprisal, and released. On the 15th of October Mr. Parkes 
 informed Yeh of this seizure, also that a naval force was at the 
 Barrier Forts. On the 21st inst., Mr. Parkes, under instructions, 
 advised Yeh that, unless the requisition made was complied with 
 within twenty-four hours, ulterior measures would be adopted. 
 
 In consequence of this threat, an hour before the expiry of the 
 term, the twelve men were sent to the consulate, but without an 
 officer of rank, or any letter of apology. Mr. Parkes wrote again 
 to Yeh. Nothing resulting, he circulated among the foreign com¬ 
 munity the letter containing the ultimatum of the 21st. The same 
 day Yeh had written, repeating his former arguments, and remon¬ 
 strating against the seizure of the merchant junk. On the 22d 
 Mr. Parkes replied to this as before, and in the evening warned 
 the community by circular that the question was now in the hands 
 of her majesty’s senior naval officer. Correspondence to the same 
 effect passed between Yeh and Sir John Bowring. It had in the 
 mean time been decided by Sir John Bowring, in consultation with 
 Admiral Seymour, that “the most judicious measure of compul¬ 
 sion” to be adopted would be “the seizure of the defenses of the 
 city of Canton.” In pursuance of this policy, on the 23d of Oc¬ 
 tober Admiral Seymour took possession of the four Barrier Forts, 
 Blenheim Fort, and Macao Fort, without loss, and scarce a sem¬ 
 blance of resistance, and, through the consul, advised Yeh of his 
 arrival and intention to continue hostile proceedings against the 
 defenses, public buildings, and government vessels, until repara¬ 
 tion should be made for the wrong done. “His excellency’s re¬ 
 ply,” says the admiral, “ was very unsatisfactory.” On the fol¬ 
 lowing day the Bird’s Nest and Shameen forts were taken, with¬ 
 out any attempt at opposition; and preparations were made for 
 the defense of the factories, which were garrisoned; a body of 
 
20 
 
 HOSTILITIES AT CANTON. 
 
 American officers, seamen, and marines provided for the interests 
 of the American community. 
 
 On the 25th the island^ and fort of Dutch Folly were taken, and 
 occupied without opposition. This act completed the series of 
 operations, upon the efficacy of which the civil and military au¬ 
 thorities had, to all appearance, confidently relied; but the result 
 was as far from being attained as ever. The admiral writes: 
 “14 th November , 1856. All defense of the city being now in our 
 hands, I considered the high commissioner would see the neces¬ 
 sity of submission; and I directed Mr. Parkes to write and state 
 that, when his excellency should be prepared to arrange the points 
 in dispute in a satisfactory manner, I would desist from farther 
 operations; but the reply did not answer my expectations.” So 
 far from any thing like submission, it appears that “ an attack was 
 made at 12.30 by a body of troops, supported by a much larger 
 force, which occupied the streets in rear. Mr. Consul Parkes was 
 on the spot at the time, and warned them to retire, but ineffectu¬ 
 ally. The guard of royal marines, in charge of Captain Penrose, 
 then drove them back, with a loss, as we understand, of fourteen 
 killed and wounded.” The next day Yeh closed the Chinese 
 Custom-house. 
 
 Such were the steps taken, and violent measures resorted to, in 
 the vain attempt to induce the imperial commissioner to make the 
 amende honorable . His power to resist even this trifling demand 
 was now proved beyond a doubt. Our inability to enforce it had 
 been no less unmistakably manifested; nevertheless, another let¬ 
 ter to Yeh was dispatched on the 27th by the admiral, who thus 
 alludes to it: “I concurred in opinion with Sir John Bowring 
 that this was a fitting opportunity for requiring the fulfillment 
 of long-evaded treaty obligations, and I therefore, in addition to 
 the original demands, instructed Mr. Parkes to make the following 
 communication.” These additional demands involved the right 
 for all foreign representatives of free access to the authorities and 
 city of Canton. Hitherto the point at issue had been one simply 
 of principle, and turned upon the right of the Chinese govern¬ 
 ment to seize a lorcha under certain conditions. It is just possi¬ 
 ble that even this stubborn functionary may have had his doubts 
 on the subject, and been disposed to purchase peace and quietness 
 at the price of so immaterial a concession. But now any moment¬ 
 ary weakness, if it ever existed, was passed forever. A grave 
 
BOMBARDMENT OF YEH’S YAMUN. 
 
 21 
 
 question of policy had been raised—an old and much-vexed one, 
 in the successful battling of which his predecessors had covered 
 themselves with glory. Moreover, this sudden change of issue 
 rouses the whole suspicious nature of the Chinaman, and he draws 
 an inference somewhat discreditable to us, but not to be wondered 
 at, which he thus expresses in a proclamation issued to the Can¬ 
 tonese : 
 
 “Whereas the English barbarians have commenced disturb¬ 
 ances on a false pretense, their real object being admission into 
 the city, the governor general, referring to the unanimous ex¬ 
 pression of objection to this measure on the part of the entire 
 population of Canton in 1849, has flatly refused to concede this, 
 and is determined not to grant their request, let them carry their 
 feats and machinations to what length they will.” Whereupon 
 Yeh intrenches himself behind a triple mail of mandarinic pride 
 and obstinacy, and retreats into the innermost recesses of his of¬ 
 ficial dignity, from which we dug him out some fourteen months 
 after. Meantime he does not condescend to answer the last letter, 
 so at 1 P.M. his residence is bombarded. “ The first shot was 
 fired from the 10-inch pivot gun of the Encounter, and, at inter¬ 
 vals of from five to ten minutes, the fire was kept up from that 
 gun till sunset. The Barracouta, at the same time, shelled the 
 troops on the hills behind Gough’s Fort, in the rear of the city, 
 from a position she had taken up in rear of Sulphur Creek.” 
 Under these circumstances, Yeh offered a reward of thirty dollars 
 for the head of every Englishman. 
 
 The afternoon of the following day, from noon to sunset, was 
 occupied in firing at slow time upon the houses opposite Dutch 
 Folly, the inhabitants having been warned to evacuate them. 
 The yamun of the imperial commissioner was distant about 150 
 yards from the river bank. By the afternoon of the 29 th a breach 
 had been effected to this spot, which was visited by the admiral 
 with a force of marines and blue-jackets. The Chinese offered 
 some resistance, killing three and wounding eleven of our men. 
 For the three following days desultory firing was kept up on the 
 town, and much of the suburb was destroyed bv fire, but not in¬ 
 tentionally. On the 1st of November the admiral again addresses 
 Yeh, who answers, defending himself, without receding. He was 
 nevertheless responded to by the admiral, and rejoined, in a letter, 
 “ recapitulating his former correspondence.” 
 
22 
 
 INSULT TO AMERICAN ELAG. 
 
 The admiral accordingly recommences operations, pulls down 
 some Chinese houses to secure the factory position, and bombards 
 the public buildings steadily, but slowly, for several days consec¬ 
 utively, during which French Folly is taken, and twenty-three 
 war-junks are destroyed by the Barracouta, with a loss of one 
 killed and four wounded. Another communication is also made 
 to the commissioner, w T ho seems to gain confidence from the fre¬ 
 quency of these missives, for he answers curtly, and enters upon 
 a vigorous course of retaliatory measures. * Having neither armies 
 or fleets to cope with ours, he makes war upon us in a desultory, 
 irregular way, eminently harassing. Our ships in the river nar¬ 
 rowly escape destruction from fire-rafts: night-attacks are made 
 upon them; passenger steamers are fired upon, and foreign ves¬ 
 sels, indiscriminately. An incidental result is an insult to the 
 American flag, which is fired on from the Barrier Forts, which 
 had been re-armed. As a measure of retaliation, these are taken 
 and destroyed by Commodore Armstrong, of the United States 
 Navy. Flere the matter ends. Dr. Parker thinks the insult of¬ 
 fered to the flag has been sufficiently avenged, and shortly after¬ 
 ward resumes correspondence with Yeh. The episode is interest¬ 
 ing, as furnishing a contrast between our policy and that of the 
 United States, under somewhat similar circumstances. 
 
 Meantime we demolish some of the Bogue Forts, and Howqua 
 and other Canton notables address, and are answered by, Sir John 
 Bowring and Admiral Seymour. On the 17th Sir John Bowring 
 arrives at Canton, and puts himself into communication with the 
 imperial commissioner on the 18th. The admiral (24th of No¬ 
 vember, 1856) states that he u reopened fire on the government 
 buildings in the Tartar City from the guns in the Dutch Folly, 
 but ceased at noon, to allow time for a reply to a note sent in by 
 Sir John Bowring, proposing an interview with the high commis¬ 
 sioner in the city; and his excellency added that, if it was grant¬ 
 ed, he was prepared to request me to cease hostilities. The reply 
 was received the next day, declining the interview.” The re¬ 
 ward for barbarian heads was now raised from thirty to one hund¬ 
 red taels. On the 22d the French flag was struck at Canton. 
 
 On the 4th of December, French Folly, having been reoccupied 
 and strengthened by the Chinese, was retaken, with a loss of two 
 killed and several wounded. On the following day a seaman and 
 marine are cut off. A few shells are still occasionally thrown 
 
RETREAT FROM THE FACTORY POSITION. 
 
 23 
 
 into the city, and, on the 14th, the admiral states that he “feels a 
 confident hope that the measures which have been taken will 
 prove successful.” The next day Chinese incendiaries burn down 
 the whole of the foreign factories. The admiral writes (29th of 
 December, 1856): “ The great importance of holding our position 
 at Canton being evident, and the church and barracks having 
 been preserved, I determined to intrench a portion of the factory 
 gardens.” On the 17th the admiral commences to intrench him¬ 
 self accordingly, and garrisons the fortified position with a force 
 of three hundred men. 
 
 Encouraged by this success, Yeh carries on the war, in his own 
 peculiar fashion, with greater vigor than ever. On the 23d Mr. 
 Cowper is kidnapped from Whampoa. On the 30th the Thistle 
 postal steamer is seized by the Chinese on board; eleven persons 
 murdered, and their heads carried off. The Chinese gentry of the 
 district opposite Hong Kong interdict supplies being furnished 
 to the colony. The magistrate of another district orders the serv¬ 
 ants to withdraw from foreign employ. Placards are issued in¬ 
 terdicting trade, and promising rewards for heads. On the 4th 
 of January the Chinese attack the ships about Macao Fort in 
 force, and sink junks in one of the neighboring passages; also 
 nearly succeed in blowing up one of our ships with explosive 
 machines. On the 12th, our position in the factory gardens hav¬ 
 ing been threatened, we burn the suburbs right and left of the 
 factory site. During this operation, a party of the 59th, approach¬ 
 ing the city-wall, is repulsed with loss. The admiral (14th of 
 January, 1857) at once decides upon retreating from his position 
 in the factory gardens and Dutch Folly, and, falling back upon 
 Bird’s-nest Fort and Macao Fort, applies to his excellency the Gov¬ 
 ernor General of India for the assistance of 5000 troops. He sub¬ 
 sequently finds himself compelled to abandon Bird’s-nest Fort 
 (30th of January, 1857), which he had intended to hold as his 
 advanced post, and, withdrawing the garrison he had placed 
 there, retains only Macao Fort. It was even at one time in con¬ 
 templation to evacuate the river entirely, and this was a course 
 strongly urged upon the admiral by some of his advisers. For¬ 
 tunately, however, bolder counsels prevailed; and, although the 
 Chinese kept up a series of pertinacious and harassing attacks 
 upon our garrison in Macao Fort, commanded then by the gallant 
 but lamented Captain Bate, we suffered no farther reverses at 
 
24 
 
 POSITION OF AFFAIRS IN FEBRUARY, 1857. 
 
 their hands. Meantime an attempt had just been made to poison 
 the whole foreign community of Hong Kong. 
 
 From this condensed account, some idea may be formed of the 
 stage which war and diplomacy had reached in the south of China 
 at the beginning of February, 1857. But little change had taken 
 place in either up to the time of our arrival there, about four 
 months afterward. The diplomacy remained in abeyance; the 
 war was apparently being kept up upon very much the same 
 principles on which it had been begun. The Chinese continued 
 to kidnap, assassinate, seize steamers, and annoy us in sundry cun¬ 
 ningly-devised methods. We continued to hunt them down in 
 creeks, burn villages where outrages had been committed, and 
 otherwise pay them out to the best of our ability—not, it must be 
 confessed, in a manner calculated to increase their terror for our 
 arms, or their respect for our civilization. With the exception 
 of the affair in the Fatshan Creek, no fighting of any consequence 
 occurred. 
 
 It is not difficult to perceive how, under these circumstances, 
 every month that passed by inspired Yeh with fresh confidence 
 in his own resources, and, inasmuch as we never made a move in 
 advance, with increased contempt for ours. Never before since 
 the abolition of the old monopoly had Englishmen made so poor 
 a figure in the eyes of the Chinese populace. If one went into a 
 curiosity shop at Hong Kong, he was the object of the quiet irony 
 of the sleek vendor of carved ivory behind the counter, who in¬ 
 formed him that his choice collection was at Canton, and asked, 
 “Why you no can come my shop Canton? alio same fore tim: 
 my gotchie too muchee olo handser culio that side.” The very 
 urchins in the street considered a Briton a fit subject for “chaff,” 
 while their respectable parents took a mercenary view of his head. 
 Hong Kong was neither a safe nor agreeable abode in those days. 
 
 It was too late then to consider whether the Arrow had in the 
 first instance been British or Chinese, or whether the claim for 
 redress made eight months previously was just or unjust; nor 
 did it seem to avail now to discuss the wisdom of the policy 
 which had superadded a second and infinitely more obnoxious 
 demand, just at the period when it seemed most hopeless that we 
 should obtain even the first. It was small consolation to be told 
 that we ought never to have abandoned the factory position, and 
 that a little sharp cannonading, instead of a shot every ten min- 
 
EFFECT OF THE FOREGOING OPERATIONS. 
 
 25 
 
 utes, would have soon brought Yeh to bis senses. These were 
 professional questions on which it would have been presumptuous 
 to offer an opinion; but there was one conviction arising out of 
 it all which irresistibly impressed itself upon the mind of every 
 new-comer, and which was, that a continuance of this state of 
 matters would not only injure our colony, impair our prestige, 
 embarrass us in our relations with neutral powers, and imperil 
 our commerce at all the other ports of the empire, but enhance 
 materially the difficulties in the way of any negotiations which 
 might be attempted directly with the court of Pekin. It could 
 hardly be expected or hoped that, while Yeh was waging a suc¬ 
 cessful war with us in the Canton Eiver, we could be treating 
 upon favorable terms in the Peiho. 
 
 It so happened that other causes combined to give increased 
 weight to these considerations: these will come to be noticed in 
 their turn. Meantime I have thought it better, at the outset, to 
 cast this brief retrospective glance over the events of the half year 
 preceding our arrival in China, partly in the hope that it may 
 enable the reader to form some idea of the actual posture of af¬ 
 fairs at that juncture, and partly because it may be presumed that 
 the insight which a review of these proceedings afforded, both as 
 to the character of the people with whom he was about to deal, 
 and the nature of the difficulties against which he would have to 
 contend, was not lost upon Lord Elgin. 
 
26 
 
 DEPARTURE OF THE MISSION. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Appointment and Departure of special Mission.—Outbreak of the Mutiny in India. 
 —Arrival at Singapore.—Its Chinese Population.—Causes of their Discontent.— 
 Their Value as Colonists.—Trip to the main Land.—Residence of the Tumangong. 
 —Wild Sports of the Malay Peninsula.—Gambier Plantations.—Luxuriant For¬ 
 rest.—The Village of Tubrao.—Depredations of Tigers.—Great Increase of Culti¬ 
 vation.—Start on a Tiger-hunt.—Unsuccessful Result.—Arrival at Johore.—Ma¬ 
 lay Houses of Johore.—Historical Associations of Johore.—A picturesque Repast. 
 —Return to Singapore.—Its rapid Progress.—Its Future. 
 
 In consequence of the unsatisfactory progress of affairs in the 
 south of China, described in the last chapter, that country was fa¬ 
 vored with a larger share of public interest in England during the 
 spring of 1857 than had been accorded to it at any period for the 
 last fifteen years. An expeditionary force of 5000 men, with a 
 staff equipment calculated for a much larger army, and in every 
 respect thoroughly complete, was on its way to the probable the¬ 
 atre of war. Generals and officers of high rank were leaving 
 town by each successive mail. Hot only had England determ¬ 
 ined to send out a special high commissioner, accredited as embas¬ 
 sador to the court of Pekin, but France, Russia, and America had 
 each declared their intention of improving the occasion, and dis¬ 
 patching plenipotentiaries extraordinary to China. Thus every 
 thing conspired to induce the belief that the attention of the world 
 was about to be concentrated on the Celestial Empire; and it was 
 not to be wondered at that, though not present in London draw¬ 
 ing-rooms, Yeh did in fact monopolize the honors of the earlier 
 part of the season, or that the prospect of accompanying a special 
 mission to the scene of his exploits, and, possibly, to the throne 
 of his imperial master, possessed attractions of a novel and strik¬ 
 ing character. 
 
 More fortunate than former embassies, we were saved the long 
 sea-voyage, which must have had a tendency to damp the ardor 
 of exploration; and being consigned instead to the mercies of the 
 Peninsular and Oriental Company, found ourselves, on the 9th of 
 May, 1857, rushing across the desert in the first train which had 
 ever carried passengers to the central station, enveloped in clouds 
 
OUTBREAK OF THE MUTINY IN INDIA. 27 
 
 of dust, and indulging in most sanguine anticipations of the fu¬ 
 ture.* 
 
 How little could we imagine that a storm was at this moment 
 bursting over the plains of Upper India which should rivet upon 
 itself the concentrated and anxious gaze of the world, and which, 
 in its swift and relentless course, seemed pregnant with conse¬ 
 quences so disastrous and appalling, that all minor cares of state 
 policy faded into insignificance, and became utterly absorbed in 
 its one engrossing interest, just as passing squalls are overwhelm¬ 
 ed and smothered in the impetuous fury of a typhoon. 
 
 It was not not until we reached Galle that we received from 
 General Ashburnham, who had just arrived from Bombay, and 
 was on his way to the commander-in-chief in China, the first intel¬ 
 ligence of the serious aspect which matters had assumed in the 
 northwest provinces of India, and of the spread of disaffection 
 among the sepoy troops. Although the particulars of the dread¬ 
 ful tragedy which had taken place at Delhi and Meerut had not 
 yet reached us, we heard enough to lead us to anticipate the 
 probability of these occurrences affecting, in an important degree, 
 the prospects of the mission to China. 
 
 General Ashburnham and his staff accompanied us to Singa¬ 
 pore, whence they proceeded to China, while Lord Elgin disem¬ 
 barked here, and took up his residence with the governor, to 
 await the Shannon, the frigate placed by the government at Lord 
 Elgin’s disposal, and the arrival of which was hourly expected. 
 The importance of rendering the approach of an envoy invested 
 with such extensive powers as imposing as possible in the eyes 
 of a nation notorious for attaching the highest significance to ex¬ 
 ternal pomp and ceremony, seemed more than sufficient to justify 
 
 * The special mission was composed as follows : His Excellency the Eavl of Elgin 
 and Kincardine, K.T., High Commissioner; the Hon. F. W. A. Bruce, Secretary to 
 the Mission ; Messrs. Donald Cameron, George Fitz-Roy, H. B. Loch, and R. Morri¬ 
 son, Attaches • Mr. Laurence Oliphant, Private Secretary. 
 
 On the arrival of the mission in China, Mr. T. F. Wade was attached as Chinese 
 secretary; and in August, Dr. M. K. Saunders, R.N., was attached as medical at¬ 
 tendant. In March, 1858, Mr. H. N. Lay accompanied the mission to Tientsin as 
 assistant Chinese secretary and interpreter. In July Mr. Bruce proceeded to En¬ 
 gland in charge of the treaty of Tientsin, and the Hon. N. Jocelyn arrived to replace 
 Mr. Cameron, who was promoted to a post in Europe. Mr. Morrison also returned 
 to England, and Mr. Oliphant succeeded Mr. Bruce as acting secretary to the mis¬ 
 sion. In September Mr. Loch went home on sick certificate, having also charge of 
 the Japanese treaty. 
 
28 
 
 SINGAPORE.—CHINESE POPULATION. 
 
 the delay of three weeks which was thus unavoidably incurred. 
 Nor, under the circumstances, was the time misspent. A con¬ 
 firmation of the news we heard at Galle, together with the repre¬ 
 sentations of Lord Canning, induced Lord Elgin to take upon 
 himself the serious responsibility of diverting from their destina¬ 
 tion the first installment of the troops which soon after arrived 
 at Singapore from the Mauritius on their way to China. 
 
 Other circumstances were not wanting to render our stay at 
 Singapore full of interest at this juncture, and these were closely 
 connected with the objects of the mission. A few weeks had 
 scarcely elapsed since occurrences had taken place among the 
 Chinese population at Penang, Sarawak, and Singapore, which, 
 from their simultaneity with one another, and with the treacher¬ 
 ous attempt upon the lives of the British residents at Hong Kong, 
 induced the suspicion of an extended concerted action—a suspi¬ 
 cion which seemed to have amounted to certainty in the minds 
 of the great majority of the English in these settlements, in whom 
 a knowledge of the power and extent of the organization of the 
 Chinese secret societies excited a not unnatural alarm, and whose 
 minds were so deeply impressed, by old association and prejudice, 
 with a fear of the cruelty and treachery of the Chinese, that they 
 were apt to overlook other qualities in the character of that race 
 which, to an impartial observer, seemed effectually to neutralize 
 these attributes. 
 
 In each of the instances above alluded to local causes of irrita¬ 
 tion existed, apparently sufficient to account for the disturbances 
 which ensued, without connecting them with the disputes at Can¬ 
 ton. In Borneo, the immediate origin of the outbreak was a dif¬ 
 ference of opinion in a question of opium smuggling between Sir 
 James Brooke and the Chinese, though for some time past these 
 people had manifested an independent spirit, and a disposition to 
 resist the laws which the rajah—who had treated them perhaps 
 with too much kindness and indulgence—saw fit to impose. That 
 their animosity was confined to himself and his executive only, 
 and involved no general principle of hostility to the British, was 
 proved by the fact that they requested the bishop to assume the 
 reins of government. In the Straits settlement, the promulgation 
 of some police regulations interfering with certain of their relig¬ 
 ious ceremonies and festivals, and the manner in which these were 
 put into execution, roused their indignation, though it is question- 
 
CAUSES OF THEIR DISCONTENT.—VALUE AS COLONISTS. 29 
 
 able whether, had the object of these ever been explained to them, 
 they would not have recognized their expediency. 
 
 At present there is a population of 70,000 Chinamen in Singa¬ 
 pore, and not a single European who understands their language. 
 The consequence is, that, in the absence of any competent inter¬ 
 preter, they are generally ignorant of the designs of government, 
 and, regarding themselves still as Chinese subjects, are apt to place 
 themselves in an antagonistic attitude whenever laws are passed 
 affecting their peculiar customs. No effort is made to overcome 
 a certain exclusiveness arising hence; and this is fostered by the 
 secret societies, which exercise an important moral influence upon 
 the minds of all, but more particularly the ignorant portion of 
 the population. Were Chinese themselves put into positions of 
 authority under government, and allowed to share to some extent 
 in the duties and responsibilities of British citizens, which, intel¬ 
 lectually speaking, they are quite competent to undertake, the 
 barrier which now exists between the two races would be partially 
 removed, and the mutual distrust and suspicion engendered by 
 our present system would in all probability quickly disappear. 
 Nor is this mere speculation. We have fortunately in their own 
 empire a perpetual proof before our eyes of that reverence for au¬ 
 thority when judiciously enforced which is one of their chief charac¬ 
 teristics, and which has for so many centuries been the preserva¬ 
 tion of its union and one great source of its prosperity. 
 
 That the most active, industrious, and enterprising race in the 
 Eastern world should be regarded as a source of weakness rather 
 than of strength to a community, implies, prima facie , a certain de¬ 
 gree of mismanagement. The Chinese who have been attracted 
 to Singapore by its freedom from commercial restrictions, and ad¬ 
 vantages of position, have contributed to make it what it is, the 
 most prosperous settlement in the East; and when we consider 
 their extraordinary acquisitiveness and love of gain, we can hard¬ 
 ly suppose that their sympathies with their brethren in China 
 would be sufficiently powerful to induce them wantonly to inter¬ 
 rupt a commerce from which they derive enormous profits, and 
 destroy a mercantile emporium which may be said to be in a 
 great degree their own handiwork, and in which they possess a 
 larger stake than any other class of its community. 
 
 To the stranger first arriving in Singapore nothing can be more 
 striking than the busy aspect which the place presents. Every 
 
30 
 
 TRIP TO THE MAIN LAND. 
 
 street swarms with long tails and loose trowsers; throughout 
 whole sections of the town are red lintels of the door-posts cover¬ 
 ed with fantastic characters, which betoken a Chinese owner. At 
 early dawn the incessant hammering, stitching, and coblering 
 commences, which lasts until nearly midnight; when huge paper 
 lanterns, covered with strange devices, throw a subdued light over 
 rows of half-naked yellow figures, all eagerly engaged in the le¬ 
 gitimate process of acquiring dollars by the sweat of their brow. 
 It is impossible to overestimate the value of such a race, or to 
 rate too highly the importance of placing them in such relations 
 with the governing powers, by the cultivation of a more familiar 
 intercourse, and a certain deference to their habits and prejudices, 
 as should render them contented and trustworthy, as well as prof¬ 
 itable members of society. 
 
 I was fortunate enough to have a farther opportunity of ob¬ 
 serving the energy and enterprise of these people in a short trip 
 which I made to the main land, in company with Mr. Cameron 
 and Captain Scott, at the invitation of the son of the Tumangong 
 of Johore, who is now the ruler of that Malay state. The latter 
 is the son of the man who claimed the independent rule of the 
 territory in which, at the time of our purchase of Singapore, the 
 island was situated. This claim was disputed by the then Sultan 
 of Johore. The Tumangong, however, was supported by the 
 British government, which entered into a treaty with him and 
 the Sultan of Johore, by which it was agreed that the rights of 
 the Tumangong to the government should be recognized upon 
 payment by him to the sultan of a certain annual pension. Both 
 these dignitaries now reside in Singapore, and the Tumangong or 
 his son only occasionally visit their possessions on the main land. 
 In the latter we found a most hospitable and amiable entertainer. 
 
 The protracted festivities consequent on a ball given in Lord 
 Elgin’s honor by the mercantile community rendered our depart¬ 
 ure rather later on the morning of the 13th of June than we had 
 intended. At last, however, our host, to whom such gayety was 
 unusual, appeared with a very roomy dog-cart, in which we packed 
 away ourselves and our guns. Our roads intersected the island, 
 here about fourteen miles across, first passing between well- 
 trimmed hedges of graceful bamboo, through plantations of nut¬ 
 megs, that clothe the numerous swelling knolls with which the 
 country round the town is pleasantly diversified, and the sum- 
 
RESIDENCE OF THE TUMANGONG. 
 
 31 
 
 mits of most of which are crowned with the handsome bungalows 
 of the English and German residents. About half way we pass 
 Bakit-timah, the highest hill in the island, and which, though only 
 500 feet above the sea-level, enjoys a climate so superior to that 
 of the town of Singapore that it is talked of as a sanitarium for 
 troops. The country generally is pretty well cultivated; there 
 are two or three sugar plantations, but the cultivation is not suf¬ 
 ficiently remunerative to induce extended speculation. Gambier 
 (uncaria gambir) and pepper are more profitable; and we pass 
 through occasional plantations of these on our way to Kranji, 
 whence we were to cross the strait which separates the island 
 from the main. 
 
 We had some difficulty in embarking on board the two sam¬ 
 pans, or Malay boats, which we found waiting for us here, an¬ 
 chored at a distance from the sloping muddy bank, and which 
 soon transported us to the opposite shore, whence we ascended to 
 the comfortable bungalow of the Tumangong. Situated upon the 
 summit of a cleared hill, it commands a beautiful view of the nar¬ 
 row straits and swelling shores, clothed in the richest verdure to 
 the water’s edge. At the foot of the hill the village of Sicudai, 
 built and inhabited entirely by Chinese emigrants within the last 
 few years, is perched on piles, which extend some yards from the 
 shore. 
 
 We found a sumptuous repast prepared for us in European style 
 in the bungalow, which answers the double purpose of a residence 
 for the Tumangong and a court-house for his subjects. At this 
 point the Sicudai River enters the straits, and upon its banks a 
 large number of pepper and gambier plantations have been lately 
 opened by the Chinese; it flows round the base of the mountain 
 of Gunung Pulai, which rises to a height of about 3000 feet above 
 the sea-level, and which the Tumangong has consented to allow 
 the government to make use of as a sanitarium—an offer of which 
 we have not as yet been sensible enough to avail ourselves. Easy 
 of access, either by land or water, from Singapore, it would be a 
 most agreeable resort for the European part of the population 
 during the hottest months; and a road from hence might be cut 
 across the country to Malacca, distant about seventy miles, which, 
 while it would open up to Chinese enterprise an almost unknown 
 district, would form a valuable means of communication between 
 our own settlements. 
 
32 
 
 GAMBIER PLANTATIONS. 
 
 At present tlie principal attraction winch Gunnng Pulai and its 
 neighborhood offer are the wild animals which are found in those 
 rarely-trodden forests. The sportsman who has exhausted every 
 variety of game to be found in the jungles of India will derive a 
 fresh excitement here in hunting the rhinoceros, or watching for 
 the wary tapir; while on the muddy banks of sluggish rivers he 
 may surprise the saladang or wild ox, a species peculiar to the 
 forests of the Malay peninsula, and which has not yet been de¬ 
 scribed by naturalists. From the accounts we received, the ele¬ 
 phant-shooting seems to be inferior to that in Ceylon; while, al¬ 
 though the jungles literally swarm with tigers, a shickar, in the 
 Indian sense of the term, is unknown. Our time, however, did 
 not admit of any exploration in this direction; we therefore fol¬ 
 lowed the advice of the host, who proposed visiting a large and 
 prosperous village upon a neighboring river. Re-embarking in 
 our sampans, we coasted for some miles along the northern shore 
 of the straits. Generally they are not above a mile broad, and in 
 some parts they narrow to little more than three furlongs, so that 
 we could scarcely realize, as we glided between their wooded 
 banks, that this was not a river, but the only passage which at 
 one time was known into the China Seas, through which, for near 
 two centuries, Portuguese and Dutch galleons had passed, freight¬ 
 ed with the rich merchandise of the East. 
 
 In the afternoon we entered the mouth of a considerable river, 
 which we ascended for two hours, when we left the boats and 
 started on foot for the village of Tubrao, while our sampans pro¬ 
 ceeded to the same place, following the circuitous windings of the 
 river. Our path led us through plantations of pepper and gam- 
 bier, separated by broad belts of heavy jungle, winding between 
 tall columns of leaves, where the pepper vine, trained like the 
 hop, completely concealed with its rich luxuriance the slender 
 poles that supported it. Sometimes we forced our way through 
 thick bushes of the gambier, in the midst of which the thatched 
 cottages of the cultivators are buried; if we observe a thick smoke 
 issue from one of these, and enter to satisfy our curiosity, we find 
 a group of Chinamen collected like witches round a caldron, in 
 which are bubbling and boiling bushels of gambier leaves. As 
 soon as the juice is inspissated and boiled to the consistence of a 
 sirup, it is poured into moulds, and, when dry, cut into cakes, hav¬ 
 ing very much the appearance of pieces of light-colored India- 
 
LUXURIANT FOREST.—VILLAGE OF TUBRAO. 
 
 rubber. The refuse leaves are thrown into a large canoe-shaped 
 trough, which projects over the caldron, and carried away to the 
 pepper-plantations for manure. The leaves are pulled three or 
 four times a year, and in fifteen years a plantation becomes ex¬ 
 hausted. Mr. Crawford says: u Gambier contains from 40 to 50 
 per cent, of pure tannin, and hence it has been of late years large¬ 
 ly imported into Europe, to be used in the purposes of dyeing and 
 tanning, the quantity imported yearly into England being not less 
 than 6000 tons.” 
 
 It is a relief to escape from the slanting rays of the sinking sun, 
 and dive into the dark recesses of the forest, where tall limbless 
 trees rise to a gigantic height, and weave their topmost branches 
 into an impenetrable shade, while orchids five or six feet in diam¬ 
 eter, cling like huge excrescences to the leafy roof. It is singular 
 that, though upward of two hundred species of timber have been 
 collected, most of them of great height and growth, not above half 
 a dozen are really valuable; among them are the ebony, sapan, 
 and eagle-wood, but, more valuable than all, the gutta-percha. 
 The Tumangong told us that he had prohibited the sale of this 
 important article of commerce for the present, as the accessible 
 parts of the forest had been cleared of nearly all the old trees. 
 The price of the commodity has been recently very much in¬ 
 creased in consequence. Among the palms we observed the ni- 
 bung, nipa, and areka, while bamboos waved gracefully over us, 
 rivaled only by the tree-fern; and conspicuous among the dense 
 underwood, the ratan reared its tufted crown. Occasionally troops 
 of monkeys noisily swung themselves from branch to branch 
 overhead, and birds of gaudy plumage glanced across our path. 
 
 The village of Tubrao was situated on the banks of the river, 
 and surrounded by plantations, and we no sooner made our ap¬ 
 pearance in the narrow street than the whole population turned 
 out to inspect us, so unusual was the sight of a visitor to that se¬ 
 questered spot. We held a sort of levee in the house of the old 
 Chinaman who officiated in the capacity of Patriarch to the com¬ 
 munity. It was a quaint, rambling wooden tenement of one sto¬ 
 ry, with a broad, deep veranda supported by carved pillars, and 
 large empty apartments like audience halls, used as carpenters 
 shops, or bedrooms, or courts, as the occasion might arise, and 
 hung over with the usual gigantic paper lanterns. We seated 
 ourselves in the veranda, and were regaled with disagreeable 
 
 C 
 
34 
 
 DEPREDATIONS OF TIGERS. 
 
 preparations of betel, in which. I observed, as a principal ingredi¬ 
 ent, gambier, unknown as a condiment among the betel-chewers 
 of Ceylon. Having done due honor to this mark of attention by 
 filling our mouths with its crimson juice, we were glad to wash 
 them out with some delicious tea, served to us in small China 
 cups, together with divers descriptions of sweetmeats. 
 
 Meanwhile we were entertained by numerous eager narrators 
 with wonderful accounts of the depredations which the tigers had 
 recently committed in the neighboring plantations, and which 
 surpassed all former experiences of a similar character. They 
 pointed out to us among the crowd which surrounded us the oc¬ 
 cupants of no fewer than twenty plantations who had deserted 
 their cottages through fear of these daring and ferocious animals, 
 and taken refuge in the village. Out of the comparatively small 
 population, upward of fifty Chinamen had been carried off during 
 the preceding three weeks. On one day alone five had disap¬ 
 peared; and when we visited their burial-ground, and observed 
 the number of graves with umbrellas over them, to mark that the 
 bones of the occupants had been found and laid there after they 
 had been picked by the tigers, we were convinced that this was 
 no exaggerated statement. Upward of 10,000 piculs, or about 
 £15,000 worth of pepper, had been, in consequence, left upon the 
 trees, dread of the tigers predominating in the breasts of the own¬ 
 ers over love of their property. 
 
 As we had brought some rifles with us, we informed our enter¬ 
 tainers that we should be delighted to undertake a campaign 
 against these savage enemies if they could hold out any prospect 
 of success. The proposition was received with unanimous ap¬ 
 plause, but it was clear that no one had the slightest notion of 
 how it was to be executed. We offered to wait until the follow¬ 
 ing day, and have a regular battue, if they would beat the jungle 
 with drums and fire-works. This, however, was a mode of pro¬ 
 cedure to which they entirely objected; and this I secretly did 
 not regret, as a previous experience in India had taught me the 
 danger of tiger-shooting on foot; so we then suggested that we 
 should proceed, a little before the moon rose, to a deserted planta¬ 
 tion, and watch a bait. This was more readily agreed to, and the 
 whole crowd instantly dispersed, and instituted a vigorous cru¬ 
 sade against the dogs of the village. The process of securing 
 these was in the highest degree ludicrous; the screams of the 
 
GREAT INCREASE OF CULTIVATION. 
 
 35 
 
 Scene on the Tubrao River (Malay Peninsula). 
 
 the water. A few large trading-boats gave token of some mer¬ 
 cantile activity even in this remote corner of Asia, and we were 
 surprised to hear how recently the process of opening up the 
 neighboring country, and the creation of commerce consequent 
 upon it, had commenced. Ten years ago the banks of this river 
 were almost unexplored; now the produce of 180 plantations was 
 transported down its waters. Some notion of the extent of the 
 Chinese population may be gathered from the consumption of 
 opium. The Tumangong received 22| per cent, upon the month¬ 
 ly sales of opium from the farmer of the license. His monthly 
 
 Chinamen mingled with the yells of their unfortunate victims, 
 who seemed to . have a presentiment of the fate which awaited 
 them, and avenged themselves on the fat calves of their perse¬ 
 cutors. At last, after a degree of noise and excitement sufficient 
 to have secured as many wolves, two luckless curs were brought 
 to us, and hung by the legs over a balustrade. We protested 
 against this inhuman treatment, and they were in consequence 
 transferred to an oblong basket. 
 
 We dined in a picturesque cottage, built upon piles over the 
 river, and could see through the crevices of the floor the sampans 
 moored beneath, and the current gently rippling past; a rustic 
 foot-bridge spanned the stream, and massive foliage drooped into 
 
36 START ON A TIGER-HUNT.—UNSUCCESSFUL RESULT. 
 
 revenue derived from this source amounted to 13,000 rupees. 
 He also received a ground rent of one dollar a month for every 
 plantation of whatever description of cultivation, beginning from 
 the commencement of the third year of its existence. There are 
 now about 2000 plantations in the entire district of Johore pay¬ 
 ing this rent, and the number is steadily increasing. They are, 
 almost without exception, the property of Chinese emigrants. It 
 is to be regretted that the cultivators are not permanent occu¬ 
 pants. Until, however, Chinamen can be induced to bring their 
 wives into foreign countries, the community to which they mi¬ 
 grate only derives half the advantage which would accrue were 
 permanent ties created which should bind to the soil a race so 
 eminently qualified for its development. 
 
 Our repast over, we sallied forth, an uncouth procession. A 
 number of Malays led the way, and flourished their long spears, 
 the handles of which were Malacca canes, with broad blades at¬ 
 tached to them. Then we followed, surrounded by numerous 
 torch-bearers, while the great part of the village population 
 brought up the rear, the basket containing our canine victims 
 being slung between two Chinamen. After stumbling in dark¬ 
 ness through sundry plantations, we at last arrived at the cottage 
 said to be deserted, in which we were to take up our station. To 
 our disgust, we no sooner approached it than we were greeted 
 with the barking of dogs and the shouts of men, who appeared as 
 much astonished and dismayed at our nocturnal invasion as if we 
 had been tigers ourselves. They informed us that ten days had 
 elapsed since three of their number had been carried off. The 
 two remaining had then left the plantation in a panic, but had 
 lately returned, and had not been troubled with any new intima¬ 
 tion of the proximity of their enemies. Nor could they tell us 
 at which plantation our efforts would be most likely to meet with 
 success, or even where we should be sure to find one deserted. 
 As it now began to rain heavily, and the sky was so overcast as 
 to render the prospect of a bright moon more than doubtful, we 
 determined reluctantly to return to our boats, which we no sooner 
 reached than we urged upon the Tumangong the expediency of 
 proceeding at once upon our journey. 
 
 Meantime admirable beds were made up for us on the bottom 
 of our boat under the pent-roof of palm leaves, which serves effect¬ 
 ually to protect the voyager in a sampan against the midday sun 
 
ARRIVAL AT JOHORE. 
 
 37 
 
 or the dews of night; beneath this we stretched our weary limbs, 
 while with sturdy stroke our Malay crew propelled our light 
 craft rapidly down the stream. 
 
 Morning found us sailing with a light favorable breeze through 
 the straits, and we soon reached the eastern outlet. Here, on the 
 extreme point of the island, at a spot called Shangy, from whence 
 a good road has been made to Singapore, we landed to breakfast. 
 The straits at this point are divided by the island of Pulo Obin, 
 upon which some valuable granite quarries are situated. Round¬ 
 ing this island, we shortly after entered a broad river, or rather 
 frith, and sailed for about twenty miles between banks which 
 were heavily timbered, and backed by an undulating country, 
 but we looked in vain for some signs of life. The magnificent 
 virgin forest has not yet been touched by the axes of men anxious 
 to replace it by a profitable cultivation, nor has the broad bosom 
 of the stream yet been plowed by the keels of native craft, freight¬ 
 ed with all the varied produce which the soil is so well adapted 
 to yield, and which possesses the additional advantage of being in 
 close proximity, by water, to a large and ready market. 
 
 There can be little doubt, however, that ere long the face of 
 nature here too will be changed by the industrious hand of the 
 Chinese. Our host told us that higher up the river they had be¬ 
 gun to open plantations, while he derived a considerable revenue 
 * from a tin mine some few miles above Johore. This town is sit¬ 
 uated upon the left bank of the river, here about four miles broad: 
 a few Malay houses standing in the river upon piles, and a few 
 more hidden in a thick grove of cocoanut-trees, are all that now 
 represent the former capital of the state, and residence of its sul¬ 
 tan. The desolation which surrounded it did not lead us to expect 
 much in the town itself, but we were hardly prepared to find only 
 a miserable village, containing scarce a thousand inhabitants. 
 Still it was interesting to visit, as differing from those Chinese 
 villages which are now dotting the coast and creeks of the main 
 land. The houses looked more substantial, and had a more dis¬ 
 tinctive character. Some of them were three stories high, with 
 windows usually in the gables, latticed and set in quaintly-carved 
 frames, and out of these occasionally protruded the naked figures 
 of wondering children, or the half-concealed countenances of in¬ 
 quisitive females. The thatch is made of a broad leaf called the 
 jolong-jolong, screens of which also project over the windows. 
 
38 
 
 ITS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS 
 
 Native House at Johore (Malay Peninsula). 
 
 The sides are sometimes formed of the same material; sometimes, 
 in the better class of houses, of wooden panels. Whether on 
 land or water the house is invariably built on piles some twelve 
 feet high, and the first story is reached by a ladder. The only 
 object of such an arrangement on land must be to serve as a pro¬ 
 tection from wild beasts. 
 
 There are no historical associations of any importance connect¬ 
 ed with Johore; indeed, it is a town of comparatively recent date, 
 having only been founded by the Malays in 1512, after their ex¬ 
 pulsion from Malacca by the Portuguese in the previous year. 
 According to Mr. Crawfurd, from that period until 1810 there 
 
A PICTURESQUE REPAST. 
 
 39 
 
 reigned in Johore fourteen princes, giving an average duration of 
 twenty-one years to each reign. The prince who died in the last 
 of these years left two sons, who disputed the succession. It suit¬ 
 ed the policy of the English and Dutch governments to take each 
 one of the rivals as its protege, and hence the cession of Singapore 
 to the first, and of the island of Bintang to the last. Both princes 
 are now pensioners, the protege of the English claiming sover¬ 
 eignty over the countries north of the straits of Singapore, and he 
 of the Dutch, those to the south of it, as laid down by the Con¬ 
 vention of London of 1824. 
 
 We strolled into the interior with our guns, in hopes of seeing 
 game, but the jungle was impenetrable; and although the marks 
 of large game were numerous, wood-pigeons and squirrels were 
 the only signs of life visible. Then evening closed in, and the 
 sun, ere it finally sank, polished the smooth surface of the river 
 till it looked like a sheet of burnished copper; and numbers of 
 flying foxes (Pteropus Javanicus ) awoke to the duties of the night, 
 and flapped lazily overhead on their way to the gardens of the 
 village. We amused ourselves firing at them as they sailed over¬ 
 head like giant and plethoric rooks going to roost; but they were 
 usually too high up, and we only saw one tumbled headlong into 
 a grove of cocoanut-trees, where, however, it was too dark to find 
 him. 
 
 Meantime a busy group was assembled round a collection of 
 pots and kettles, which began to possess a strong interest in our 
 eyes. Our host had pointed out to us where the palace of his an¬ 
 cestors had once stood, but at the same time informed us that he 
 possessed no habitation of his own at the former seat of his gov¬ 
 ernment, so he had determined to give us an al fresco dinner rather 
 than invite us into a native house, an arrangement we thoroughly 
 agreed in; and the growing darkness was soon illuminated with 
 the glare of torches made of damar put into cocoanut husks, which 
 flashed luridly upon the tall, limbless stems of the trees, and upon 
 dark figures cowering over cooking fires, or hurrying about with 
 water and the preparatives of dinner. A rude table of boards 
 had been hastily improvised, and, in feeble rivalry to the surround¬ 
 ing blaze, was lighted by the subdued glimmer of a civilized read¬ 
 ing-lamp. A handsome service of China, finger-glasses, damask 
 napkins, and all the appurtenances of an elaborately appointed 
 table, contrasted strangely with the rude figures and uncouth forms 
 
40 
 
 RETURN TO SINGAPORE.—ITS RAPID PROGRESS. 
 
 which waited on ns; for a large portion of the population were in 
 attendance, and added to the novel and picturesque effect of our 
 picnic. Our well-cooked dinner was accompanied by draughts of 
 deliciously cool cocoanut water fresh from the trees above us, 
 whose branches were closely intertwined overhead, 
 
 “A verdurous woof, 
 
 A hanging dome of leaves, a canopy moon-proof.” 
 
 We quitted with reluctance the scene of our rural festivities 
 and once more in our sampans swept down the smooth current 
 of the river in the calm moonlight, our crew beguiling the way 
 with shrill unmelodious boat-songs, in which screaming choruses 
 and sudden spasmodic refrains were strangely intermingled with 
 long piercing whistles and yells. In spite, however, of their anti¬ 
 soporific effect, these unearthly noises soon mingled in our dreams, 
 and we only woke to consciousness to find ourselves in broad 
 daylight, coasting along the southeastern shore of the island of 
 Singapore, and, after a prosperous voyage of twelve hours, reached 
 the town. 
 
 Malay Sampan. 
 
 Though our expedition had necessarily been limited, it had 
 been sufficient to enable us to appreciate, on our return to Singa¬ 
 pore, the strong contrast which the British settlement exhibits to 
 the native territory. Forty years have not elapsed since the con¬ 
 dition of our island was the same as that of the main land. It 
 then contained only the huts of a few Malay fishermen. Already 
 a hundred thousand souls occupy an area scarcely greater than 
 that of the Isle of Wight; the forest is every where giving place 
 to plantations of nutmeg and gambier; whole suburbs are spring- 
 
ITS FUTURE. 
 
 41 
 
 ing up in the neighborhood of the town as if by magic; its capa¬ 
 cious roads are filled with ships of every nation ; its revenue, al¬ 
 ready exceeding 600,000 rupees, increased in 1856 by about a 
 fifth of that sum, so that not only does it pay its own local ex¬ 
 penses, but combines with the other Straits settlements to main¬ 
 tain a body of 3800 convicts, and to contribute nearly a lakh and 
 a half of rupees toward the payment of the military force from 
 Madras forming the garrison. Such progress—the natural growth 
 of an American town, and surpassed even by some of our own 
 colonies—is unprecedented in the annals of the East India Com¬ 
 pany’s possessions, and is worthy, on that account, if on no other, 
 of a higher consideration than it has received. 
 
 The future of Singapore is but faintly shadowed forth by its 
 past history. That it is destined to hold the highest position 
 among Eastern emporia seems inevitable; but the speedy arrival 
 of so desirable a consummation depends upon its administration. 
 Already its growth has been checked by a system which has, 
 upon the continent of India, proved itself ill suited for the devel¬ 
 opment of internal resources and the rapid extension of trade; 
 but here are conditions differing from those of any other portion 
 of the late Company’s dominions. In addition to the large and 
 daily-increasing Anglo-Saxon mercantile community, a continual 
 influx of Chinese emigrants here compose the great majority of 
 the inhabitants. 
 
 It may generally be said that, with few exceptions, whatever 
 product of the Malay or Philippine archipelago demands skill and 
 industry in its production is the result of Chinese labor. With¬ 
 out Chinese labor neither the Malay nor Philippine archipelago, 
 nor Siam nor Cochin China, would have sugar or tin for their 
 exportation. Of the first they are the sole producers; of the 
 latter they produce about 8000 tons. Hence it will appear that 
 at Singapore there is no apathetic population indigenous to the 
 soil to be nursed, but one composed of the two most industrious 
 and enterprising races in the world, and who are quite competent 
 to appreciate the advantages of a more progressive system of gov¬ 
 ernment. When an altered state of commercial relations with 
 China shall have opened that vast field to European enterprise— 
 when the trade with Siam, created by the recent treaty, and al¬ 
 ready rapidly growing, has become more fully developed—when, 
 under the skillful administration of its European rulers, the re- 
 
42 
 
 ITS FUTURE. 
 
 sources of a large portion of Borneo find their way into the En¬ 
 glish market—when the Malay peninsula, extensively peopled by 
 industrious Chinese, furnishes its important and valuable produce 
 —when, in fact, from these and other sources, the whole trade of 
 the East has increased ten-fold, it will be found that the import¬ 
 ance of Singapore has not been over-estimated. In the mean 
 time we may be permitted to hope that those changes which have 
 taken place in the administration of that Eastern empire, of which 
 Singapore forms a portion, may exercise a beneficial influence 
 upon this valuable commercial emporium. 
 
 \ 
 
/ 
 
 ARRIVAL AT HONG KONG. 
 
 43 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Arrival at Hong Kong.—Trip up the Canton River.—A complicated international 
 Question.—Chuenpee.—Monster Cannon.—Apathy of Population.—Macao Fort. 
 —Unhealthiness of the River.—Spread of the Mutiny.—Its Influence on Lord 
 Elgin’s Policy.—Return to Singapore.—Address of mercantile Community.—Ar¬ 
 rival at Calcutta.—Sensation created.—Moral Effect produced on the Natives. 
 
 We had scarcely been a week at Singapore before our anxieties 
 were relieved on the score of the speedy continuance of our jour¬ 
 ney by the arrival of the magnificent frigate which had been 
 placed by the government at the disposal of Lord Elgin. The 
 Shannon had made a remarkably quick passage from England, 
 under the energetic command of the gallant Captain Peel, and we 
 congratulated ourselves on the favorable auspices under which 
 our first experiences of the Celestial Empire seemed destined to 
 be made. 
 
 A farther delay of a few days was, however, involved, as Lord 
 Elgin had determined not to leave Singapore until the most am¬ 
 ple and complete arrangements had been made for the speedy 
 transmission of the Chinese expeditionary force to India. With 
 this view, vessels were sent to the Straits of Anjier to divert from 
 that point the transports conveying the 90th and 82d regiments, 
 so as to avoid the unnecessary detour through the Malacca Straits. 
 Meantime the Simoon had arrived with the 5th Fusileers, and 
 was immediately dispatched to Calcutta. On the 23d of June we 
 bade adieu to Singapore, not without regret, as, in spite of the 
 shortness of our visit, the community had contrived to render our 
 stay there so agreeable, that the favorable impression we then 
 formed was not afterward effaced by any of our subsequent ex¬ 
 periences in the East. 
 
 The prevalence of the southwest monsoon, and the admirable 
 sailing qualities of the Shannon, enabled us to dispense almost 
 entirely with steam on our voyage up the China Sea; and on the 
 evening of the ninth day after leaving Singapore, we thundered 
 forth a noisy intimation of our arrival to the inhabitants of Hong 
 Kong. 
 
44 
 
 COMPLICATED INTERNATIONAL QUESTION. 
 
 On the 6th of July Lord Elgin landed under a general salute, 
 and proceeded to Government House for the purpose of holding 
 a levee, and going through those official formalities incidental to 
 his entry on the sphere of his future labors. As, however, in 
 consequence of the Fatshan Creek affair, and other events which 
 had recently occurred up the Canton River, the scene of our pres¬ 
 ent operations there was invested with so much interest, Mr. Loch 
 and I took advantage of the departure of H. M. S. Inflexible for 
 Macao Fort on the day following for the purpose of collecting in¬ 
 formation with as little delay as possible. The scenery in the 
 immediate neighborhood of Hong Kong, and for the first eight or 
 ten miles after leaving it, is not unlike that of the Western High¬ 
 lands of Scotland. We dexterously steered between high grassy 
 islands, round sharp corners, past little hamlets at the end of se¬ 
 cluded bays, and through narrow devious channels, till at last we 
 might fancy ourselves threading the Kyles of Bute instead of the 
 Capshui Moon, or straits which separate the island of Lantao from 
 the main. From it we emerge upon the Bay of Lintin. 
 
 We can hardly consider ourselves upon the Pearl River (as 
 the Canton River is properly called) until we reach Chuenpee, for 
 here the opposite coast is not visible, and the white sails of innu¬ 
 merable junks dot the horizon—each high-sterned craft a matter 
 of curious speculation to every naval officer who sees her, and 
 who, in the condition in which our diplomatic relations with the 
 empire then were, is thrown into a state of profound perplexity 
 as to whether she is his lawful prize or not: he finds himself at 
 once entangled in a maze of knotty points, involving intricate 
 questions of international law, upon which he is called to decide 
 on the spot. She may be a smuggler in British interests, in 
 which case he is to let her pass; or a peaceful trader in American 
 interests, taking up charcoal and saltpetre for gunpowder to be 
 exploded against us, in which case he is not to let her pass; or a 
 peaceful trader in purely Chinese interests, and as such to be re¬ 
 spected ; or a purely Chinese smuggler, when her capture is op¬ 
 tional ; or a regular out-and-out pirate, when it is advisable; or a 
 merchantman, but suspiciously well-armed, when it is discretion¬ 
 ary; or a mandarin (man-of-war) junk in the disguise of a mer¬ 
 chantman, when it is imperative. Under these complicated cir¬ 
 cumstances, the simple plan of proceeding manifestly is to make a 
 prize of the junk, and settle afterward whether she is pirate, 
 
CHUENPEE.—MONSTER CANNON. 45 
 
 trader, snake-boat, mandarin-boat, smuggler, or fast-boat, together 
 with the law that applies to her. 
 
 Formerly boats had been allowed to go up armed, but not to 
 come down; but recently a system of passes had been introduced, 
 which only served to render matters more complicated. Mean¬ 
 time trifling affrays were daily occurring, reflecting but little 
 glory on those engaged—injuring our prestige with the Chinese, 
 but yet rendered inevitable by the anomalous condition in which 
 our relations stood with reference not only to China, but to other 
 nations engaged in carrying on commercial operations with her. 
 Notwithstanding this species of constant irritation which was kept 
 up on the river, our ships maintained the most amicable inter¬ 
 course with the inhabitants on the banks, who supplied them with 
 meat and vegetables; indeed, each ship had usually a bum-boat 
 specially attached. 
 
 In about four hours we reached Chuenpee, and, in spite of the 
 heat, scrambled to the top of the hill, from where we had a mag¬ 
 nificent view of the surrounding country, out of which rise the 
 naked hills, washed bare by violent tropical rains, so that the 
 beauty of their slopes may be said to have been sacrificed by na¬ 
 ture to fertilize the rich alluvial plains at their base. In the dis¬ 
 tance was the walled town of Hoomanchai, celebrated for the sign¬ 
 ing of the supplementary treaty. The creek by which it was ap¬ 
 proached was staked across as a means of defense. 
 
 Though of comparatively a trifling elevation, the little barrack 
 at the top of the Chuenpee Hill answered the purpose of a sanita¬ 
 rium. The fort was held at this time by 130 men and one small 
 gun. Some monstrous cast-iron Chinese cannon, weighing 5 tons 
 each, measuring about 13 feet in length, and of a calibre larger 
 than a 95 cwt., had been buried by the Chinese without ever 
 having been fired, and were now being exhumed. 
 
 At Chuenpee we met Commodore Keppel and Sir Bobert Mac- 
 lure, and accompanied them to the Bogue, upon this occasion 
 taking but a hurried view ot those forts already so celebrated in 
 the history of our Chinese wars, and with which we were destined 
 to become much better acquainted. A little beyond them we 
 passed a creek in which the Esk’s boats had been engaged the 
 day before, and had succeeded in capturing a snake-boat, which 
 we saw, though with a loss of three men killed and seven 
 wounded. 
 
46 
 
 APATHY OF POPULATION. 
 
 After passing the Bogue we are fairly in the river, and the 
 navigation begins to be impeded by shoals. At the second of 
 these is a pagoda, known as Second Bar Pagoda; then we turn 
 off to the left into Blenheim* Passage, along which, at the period 
 of our visit, junks were not allowed to pass. Though these wa¬ 
 ters were exclusively traversed by our men-of-war, the agricultur¬ 
 al population little heeded the puffing of the numerous steamers 
 which were constantly engaged in keeping up the communication 
 between Macao Fort and the other ships stationed on the river; 
 and though rarely a day passed without the sound of a distant 
 cannonade falling upon their ears, they had become accustomed 
 to the strife by which they were surrounded, and worked as busily 
 in their paddy-fields as though Fatshan were a myth, Canton in 
 another world, and British gun-boats a necessary condition of 
 their existence. 
 
 It was our first introduction to Chinese scenery: numerous 
 villages dotted the river banks, some of them utterly destroyed 
 and depopulated either by rebels or ourselves; others densely 
 crowded among trees, the most conspicuous object being the high 
 square tower, with massive loop-holed walls, rising in proud 
 eminence above the surrounding roofs, indicative, not of some old 
 feudal baron, who, secure in his strong-hold, holds the lives of his 
 vassals in pawn for their good behavior, but—significant of the 
 character of the race—of some old usurer who needs a fortress for 
 the preservation of sundry goods and chattels which he holds in 
 pawn for the credit of his victims. The number of these pawnbrok¬ 
 ing towers inspires one with rather a low estimate of the solvency 
 of the community. Then there are tall red poles, scattered in pairs 
 among the villages, betokening a joss-house, or the residence of a 
 mandarin. The carved gables of the better class of houses pro¬ 
 ject above the other roofs like gigantic grave-stones, while the 
 graves themselves resemble the mouths of large wells. 
 
 Here and there a hill is crowned by a tall pagoda, while lesser 
 pentagonal towers, four or five stories high, with pointed roofs, 
 rise above the trees like those of churches. At the base of bar¬ 
 ren hills are charming wooded nooks, which look all the greener 
 and fresher by the contrast, while an active population is swarm¬ 
 ing every where; men are fishing in tiny punts on the river; 
 women are patching up the basket screens which retain the mud 
 of the paddy-fields on the banks, or wading about in the mud 
 
MACAO FORT. 
 
 47 
 
 looking for something; coolies are traversing with swinging gait 
 the ridges of the fields, heavily loaded; while under the shade of 
 the spreading branches of the giant Ficus Indicus , or at the doors 
 of joss-houses, motley groups are collected, gazing at us as we 
 sweep past. 
 
 We found the Fury and Highflyer the advanced ships, and, 
 transferring ourselves here into a gun-boat, proceeded toward Ma¬ 
 cao Fort, past the boom which had been stretched across the river 
 by the Chinese, close to the entry up the Fatshan Creek. The 
 fort, so gallantly stormed by Commodore Elliot, was distinctly 
 visible. Macao Fort is distant about three miles from Canton; 
 situated on a little island nearly in mid-stream, it occupies a fa¬ 
 vorable position as an advanced post, though with a more active 
 enemy the small garrison could never have maintained them¬ 
 selves there, as they did, for a year. The present force consisted 
 of 160 men, and the fort mounted 14 guns. From the top of the 
 tower, which was used as a hospital, we had a good view of Can- 
 
 Macao Fort (Canton Eiver). 
 
 ton and the White Cloud Mountains in rear, on which sundry 
 white tents betokened the presence of troops. 
 
48 
 
 SPREAD OF THE MUTINY 
 
 The garrison was composed of men from the Raleigh, and 
 seemed to pass an existence in which the hardships of war were 
 not altogether nntempered by the refinements of civilization. 
 The admirable band belonging to the “late” frigate played some 
 elaborate pieces with great execution, while we discussed 'pates de 
 fois gras and Champagne, seated, it is true, on upturned boxes and 
 round a table of primitive manufacture, while our sideboard had 
 apparently done duty at some former period as the altar of a joss- 
 house. As habiliments were scarce, the costume of the sentry 
 exhibited a pleasing mixture of John Chinaman and Jack Tar. 
 
 A good deal knocked up ourselves by our day’s labors, we 
 could not but sympathize with the naval forces stationed along 
 the whole length of the river at so unhealthy a season of the 
 year. The thermometer was standing at 102° under the shade 
 of the awning on board the Esk; and it was not to be wondered 
 at that, under the combined influence of sun and miasma, one 
 vessel alone, out of a small complement of 130 men in perfect 
 health, should have put 60 on the sick-list in the short space of 
 three weeks. Under these circumstances, we were not tempted 
 to linger up the river longer than was absolutely necessary, 
 though the change to Hong Kong, which we reached on the fol¬ 
 lowing day, was only tolerable by contrast. 
 
 A few days after our return to Hong Kong news arrived, the 
 serious nature of which increased, if possible, the already existing 
 complications of the position in which Lord Elgin found himself 
 placed on his arrival in China. The prolonged resistance at Del¬ 
 hi, the rapid spread of the rebellion into the lower provinces of 
 Bengal, and the urgent representations of Lord Canning of the 
 exigencies of the situation, not only deprived the embassador of 
 any hope of saving any part of the China force from the vortex 
 into which they were being swallowed by the inexorable necessi¬ 
 ties of India, but rendered it extremely improbable that they, 
 could ever be made available for the objects for which they were 
 originally designed. His only consolation was that he had ap¬ 
 preciated the true position of affairs in India at a sufficiently early 
 date to enable him to divert the troops to that country at the most 
 critical period of its fortunes; but the difficulties of the situation 
 in China had been immeasurably enhanced by the sacrifice. 
 
 It was clear that any attempt to negotiate in the immediate 
 neighborhood of the capital of the empire, unaccompanied by any 
 
ITS INFLUENCE ON LORD ELGIN’S POLICY. 
 
 49 
 
 force, must depend very much for success upon the moral effect 
 created by the aspect of affairs in the south. The presence of an 
 army at Hong Kong might have sufficed to produce this, but not 
 only was our force there contemptible, but our naval operations 
 had resulted in failure. Yeh had vindicated the policy of his 
 treatment of the barbarians, and triumphal arches had been erect¬ 
 ed to commemorate his success; while, to import a new set of 
 considerations into the question, Baron Glros was not expected to 
 arrive in China for some months. Under these circumstances, 
 only three other courses remained open—either to take Canton, 
 to remain inactive at Hong Kong, or to leave the country until 
 the diplomatic questions at issue there could be approached un¬ 
 der different and more favorable auspices. The season of the 
 year, and the weakness of the force to be employed, rendered 
 the capture and occupation of Canton impossible in the opinion 
 of the commanders-in-chief. A residence involving total inaction 
 at Hong Kong was calculated to injure the prestige of the mission, 
 while it was attended with no one single advantage. 
 
 On the other hand, this evil was avoided by an immediate de¬ 
 parture, while in choosing Calcutta as his destination, and taking 
 with him as many marines as could be spared from the river, Lord 
 Elgin adopted a course which enabled him not only to satisfy 
 himself as to the probable fate of the original China force, and to 
 judge of the possibility and expediency of supplying their place, 
 as was subsequently done, with quasi-mutinous Bengal regiments, 
 but to bring a moral and material support to Lord Canning at a 
 moment when it seemed probable that the safety of Calcutta it¬ 
 self was menaced. Indeed, so urgent appeared the exigencies 
 of the case, that Lord Elgin even then determined to give up the 
 Shannon to the Indian government, if Captain Peel considered 
 that the organization of a naval brigade to operate in the prov¬ 
 inces of Upper Bengal was a feasible scheme. That officer ex¬ 
 pressed no hesitation on the subject, and the high reputation 
 which he had already earned in a similar service in the Crimea 
 operated as an additional inducement with Lord Elgin to proceed 
 with him to Calcutta. This resolution was no sooner formed than 
 acted upon, and within thirty-six hours after the Indian intelli¬ 
 gence was received the Shannon was once more plowing her way 
 over the China Sea, accompanied by the Pearl, whose assistance 
 was required for the conveyance of the troops. 
 
 D 
 
50 SINGAPORE.—ADDRESS OF MERCANTILE COMMUNITY. 
 
 The following address, presented to Lord Elgin by the mer¬ 
 chants of Singapore on his arrival there, was satisfactory to his 
 excellency, as proving that the course he was then adopting car¬ 
 ried with it the approbation of a community whose most import¬ 
 ant interests were at stake both in India and China: 
 
 “To his Excellency the Right Hon. the Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, K.T., 
 Her Majesty's High Commissioner and Plenipotentiary to the Court of Pekin. 
 
 “Singapore, July 20, 1857. 
 
 “ My Lord, —We, the undersigned mercantile firms and others 
 interested in the trade of Singapore, are induced, by a considera¬ 
 tion of the serious aspect of affairs in India, and of the important 
 bearing which it must have upon those questions which it was the 
 object of your excellency’s mission to settle in China, to present 
 this address to your lordship, believing that at this critical junc¬ 
 ture, when complications have arisen involving such grave inter¬ 
 ests in both countries, it will be gratifying to your excellency to 
 know that the mercantile community of Singapore, although 
 closely connected in trade with China, and anxiously desirous for 
 the speedy and satisfactory resumption of commercial relations 
 with Canton, have nevertheless cordially concurred in the resolu¬ 
 tion which your excellency has taken of diverting the China ex¬ 
 peditionary army from its destination to the assistance of the 
 European force now engaged in the defense of our Indian posses¬ 
 sions. The decided step which your lordship has so promptly 
 taken of following that army yourself has afforded us the most 
 lively satisfaction. Its absence from the sphere of its operations 
 in China, and the uncertainty attending the period of its ultimate 
 dispatch to that country, would, in our opinion, have rendered 
 your stay there comparatively useless, more particularly as the 
 extent of our naval force is amply sufficient for the protection of 
 trade and the maintenance of the status quo until your lordship’s 
 return. 
 
 “ On the other hand, we feel that the magnitude of the stake in 
 India, and the fearful nature of the crisis which is now impending 
 there, supersede all other considerations. 
 
 “We believe that the arrival of your lordship at Calcutta in 
 this emergency will be of the greatest advantage in producing an 
 important moral effect throughout India, and in affording the gov¬ 
 ernor general most valuable support. 
 
ARRIVAL AT CALCUTTA. 
 
 51 
 
 “At the same time, we sincerely trust that the progress of 
 events in India may shortly assume such a character as will en¬ 
 able your lordship to return to the original field of your labors 
 under more favorable auspices. 
 
 “We have, etc., 
 
 (Signed), “A. L. Johnston & Co., 
 
 and twenty-seven others 
 
 The awful intelligence of the massacre of Cawnpore reached us 
 here, and we did not therefore remain longer than was absolutely 
 necessary to take in 400 tons of coal—a feat which was perform¬ 
 ed in the almost incredibly short space of twenty-one hours—and 
 to pick up 300 men of the troops wrecked in the ill-fated Transit. 
 Distributing these between the Pearl and ourselves, we at once 
 proceeded on our voyage, cheered by the news that the Himalaya 
 had already passed, and that ships were on the watch at the Straits 
 of Anjier for the diversion of the Assistance and Adventure, now 
 daily expected. Our own decks were densely crowded with near¬ 
 ly a thousand souls, whose condition was not improved by an at¬ 
 mosphere in which the thermometer continually stood over 90°. 
 Notwithstanding the utmost exertions of Captain Peel in “carry¬ 
 ing on,” in consequence of the prevalence of the southwest mon¬ 
 soon we had been a fortnight in beating down to Singapore ; but 
 we were favored up the Bay of Bengal by the gales which had 
 been adverse to us in the China Sea, and reached the Sandheads 
 in exactly three weeks from the date of our leaving Hong Kong. 
 
 The interest which we felt as we approached the theatre of the 
 terrible drama which was then being enacted in India was con¬ 
 verted into a still livelier emotion by the intelligence which we 
 received when we reached Diamond Harbor of a rumor that a 
 large body of mutineers were marching down from Berhampore 
 upon Calcutta. The more ardent spirits among us at once imag¬ 
 ined that we were fated to arrive there just in time to take an 
 active share in the defense of the city; while Lord Elgin, who 
 knew not what credit to attach to the report, at a time when every 
 successive mail had so far surpassed our worst anticipations, im¬ 
 mediately telegraphed to Lord Canning his proximity with 1700 
 men (the Pearl and blue-jackets included). 
 
 As we swept past Garden Reach on the afternoon of the 8th 
 of August, the excitement on board was increased by early indi- 
 
52 
 
 MORAL EFFECT ON THE NATIVES. 
 
 cations of the satisfaction with which onr appearance was hailed 
 on shore. First our stately ship suddenly burst upon the aston¬ 
 ished gaze of two European gentlemen taking their evening walk, 
 who, seeing her crowded with the eager faces of men ready for 
 the fray, took off their hats and cheered wildly; then the respect¬ 
 able skipper of a merchantman worked himself into a state of 
 phrensy, and made us a long speech, which we could not hear, 
 but the violence of his gesticulations left us in little doubt as to 
 its import; then his crew took up the cheer, which was passed on 
 at intervals until the thunder of our 68-pounders drowned every 
 other sound, shattered the windows of sundry of the “palaces,” 
 attracted a crowd of spectators to the Maidan, and brought the 
 contents of Fort William on to the glacis. 
 
 As soon as the smoke cleared away, the soldiers of the garrison 
 collected there sent up a series of hearty cheers; a moment more, 
 and our men were clustered like ants upon the rigging, and, in 
 the energy which they threw into their ringing response, they 
 pledged themselves to the achievement of those deeds of valor « 
 which have since covered the naval brigade with glory. After 
 the fort had saluted, Lord Elgin landed amid the cheers of the 
 crowd assembled at the Ghaut to receive him, and proceeded to 
 Government House, gratified to learn, not merely from the popu¬ 
 lar demonstrations, but from Lord Canning himself, that, though 
 happily the physical force he had brought with him was not re¬ 
 quired to act in defense of the city, still that the presence of a 
 man-of-war larger than any former ship that had ever anchored 
 abreast of the Maidan, and whose guns commanded the city, was 
 calculated to produce both upon the European and native popu¬ 
 lation a most wholesome moral effect, more especially at a time 
 when the near approach of the Mohurrum had created in men’s 
 minds an unusual degree of apprehension and excitement. 
 
CONDITION OF INDIA IN AUGUST, 1857. 
 
 53 
 
 CHAPTER IY. 
 
 Condition of India in August, 1857.—State of Calcutta.—Organization of naval 
 Brigade.—The Mohurrum.—Departure from Calcutta.—Policy adopted by Lord 
 Elgin.—Residence at Hong Kong.—Its Absence of Attractions.—A Trip up the 
 River.—Macao.—A Chinese Dinner. 
 
 • 
 
 We spent August, 1857, in Calcutta. Of all the eventful months 
 of that most terrible year in India’s history, it was probably the 
 one most pregnant with evil forebodings. At no former period 
 had the crisis appeared so imminent. Two commanders-in-chief 
 had already succumbed before Delhi; our army was dwindling 
 away under its walls, and its leaders urgently demanding re-en¬ 
 forcements which did not exist. Agra was besieged by a muti¬ 
 nous army, and men feared for the unhappy garrison a repetition 
 of the Cawnpore tragedy. This frightful catastrophe appeared 
 to impend still more surely over the devoted band at Lucknow, 
 whose deliverance at one time was considered hopeless. At Dina- 
 pore our troops had just met with a disaster. The gallant little 
 army under General Havelock, despairing of re-enforcements, deci¬ 
 mated by cholera, and worn out by battles and hardships, were 
 compelled to retire on Cawnpore. Oude, Rohilcund, Bundelcund, 
 were lost to us; the disaffection threatened to spread into the other 
 presidencies; every where the mutineers seemed triumphant; sta¬ 
 tion after station was being deserted and plundered; each week 
 steamers full of fugitives arrived from up the country, with addi¬ 
 tional horrors to recount, and more disaffection to report. All 
 communication was stopped with the northwest; from Burdwan 
 to Delhi, the country was infested with mutineers; and every 
 regiment but two in the Bengal army had either been disarmed, 
 disbanded, or had mutinied. With the exception of the small 
 China force, no European troops had arrived or were expected to 
 arrive for two months. Meantime the hot weather was all against 
 us, and all in favor of the rebels. 
 
 Under these painful circumstances, nothing struck me so forci¬ 
 bly on my arrival as the apparent calm which reigned in Calcutta; 
 and yet, after the first few weeks, nothing appeared more reason- 
 
54 
 
 STATE OF CALCUTTA.—NAVAL BRIGADE. 
 
 able than that this should be so. Those who are removed to a 
 great distance from the scene of thrilling events, and experience 
 at the receipt of periodical intelligence from it an intense degree 
 of excitement, forget that if those on the spot were to be subject¬ 
 ed to a similar strain upon the nervous system, continued over a 
 length of time, it would give way altogether. Providentially, the 
 very proximity of the danger, and constant familiarity with those 
 horrible details, which, arriving by installments in England, acted 
 on society like a series of electric shocks, produced a calmness al¬ 
 most amounting to apathy in India. So far as the outward aspect 
 of society was concerned, Calcutta was just as I had left it seven 
 years before. The Maidan was just as crowded by its beauty and 
 fashion now as it used to be then; burra-cannas were nearly as 
 numerous, considering it was the height of the hot weather; and 
 there was even a wretched attempt at an opera, which, however, 
 was very thinly attended. The only differences I observed were 
 that constant reviews took place of volunteer corps; that the gov¬ 
 ernor general’s body-guard mounted sentry without swords ; and 
 that dining in Fort William involved the risk of being bayoneted 
 by a series of Irish sentries, who would not admit your pronun¬ 
 ciation of the parole to be correct, and were haunted by the sus¬ 
 picion that you were the King of Oude in disguise escaping in a 
 buggy. 
 
 It would be in the highest degree unjust to attribute this appar¬ 
 ent indifference to any want of appreciation of the real nature of 
 the crisis, much less to any want of sympathy in behalf of those 
 who had suffered, or of depth of feeling on the part of the suffer¬ 
 ers themselves. It arose rather from that deliberate courage and 
 steady determination to face the danger and support the trials 
 which had so eminently distinguished our countrymen scattered 
 throughout the upper provinces, and which had led to acts of un¬ 
 paralleled heroism. The public felt that, with the present defi¬ 
 ciency of physical force, they must principally rely for safety upon 
 that moral effect which an undaunted attitude would create in the 
 minds of the natives. Nowhere was this conviction more decid¬ 
 edly entertained, or its results more conspicuously displayed than 
 at Government House, and there can be little doubt that the ex¬ 
 ample set by Lord Canning himself in this respect exercised a 
 most wholesome and tranquillizing influence upon society at large. 
 
 Meantime the organization of the naval brigade proceeded rap- 
 
THE MOHURRUM. 
 
 55 
 
 idly; indeed, we had scarcely left the ship before our cabins were 
 dismantled, and the preparations commenced for the equipment 
 of very nearly the entire ship’s company. Within a week after 
 our arrival in Calcutta these were completed, and Lord Elgin 
 went on board the Shannon to bid farewell to the men and offi¬ 
 cers in a parting address, which was received with hearty cheers. 
 A few hours afterward they were on board the flats which were 
 to convey them to the scene of their future triumphs. 
 
 We found Sir Patrick Grant at Calcutta, and a few days after¬ 
 ward Sir Colin Campbell unexpectedly arrived to assume the 
 command-in-chief of the army in India, and to inspire fresh confi¬ 
 dence into the minds of all. The most exciting period of our 
 visit was during the last days of the Mohurrum, when predictions 
 were rife of midnight attacks, and one or two ladies took refuge 
 on board ships in the river. A 24-pound howitzer, hoisted up to 
 the main-top of the Shannon, looked menacingly over the Maidan, 
 while strong guards of soldiers and volunteers were posted all 
 over the town. The last day, however, universally named as the 
 day of attack, passed over quietly. I happened to meet the pro¬ 
 cession on their way to throw the Ziahs into the water. I have 
 scarcely ever seen a Mohammedan religious procession less ex¬ 
 cited ; indeed, the panic among the natives was much greater than 
 among the Europeans, for the preparations made by the latter in¬ 
 duced a dread on the part of the natives that they might be at¬ 
 tacked by mistake. 
 
 Lord Elgin was detained at Calcutta until the arrival of the 
 mail informing him that the force which he had diverted was to 
 be replaced by 1500 marines. An offer made by General Hear¬ 
 say for regiments to volunteer for China was only responded to 
 by one, and it was evident, therefore, that no dependence could 
 be placed upon extensive re-enforcements to be derived from this 
 source. As for the original China force, it was owing to their 
 opportune arrival that the tide of rebellion, which had been set¬ 
 ting steadily down upon Calcutta, was already stemmed. The 
 regiments diverted from Singapore had saved Hinapore, relieved 
 Arrah, and were in full march to join Havelock: upon these 
 timely re-enforcements not only was the relief of Lucknow, but 
 the safety of Bengal depending. It was therefore clear to Lord 
 Elgin that he need not expect to see again any one of the China 
 regiments now employed in India, nor, while they were rendering 
 
56 DEPARTURE FROM CALCUTTA.—LORD ELGIN’S POLICY. 
 
 such vital service, could he desire it. A consideration of these 
 circumstances involved a very serious change in his policy in 
 China, whither he was now desirous of returning for the purpose 
 of conferring with Baron Gros immediately upon his arrival. In 
 consequence of the Shannon having been made over for the serv¬ 
 ice of the Indian government, the Peninsular and Oriental Com¬ 
 pany’s steamer Ava was placed at Lord Elgin’s disposal for his 
 conveyance to China, and on the 3d of September we bade adieu 
 to our hospitable hosts at Calcutta, and once more turned our 
 faces toward the Celestial Empire. 
 
 General Yan Straubenzee and his staff, who had arrived in Cal¬ 
 cutta with Sir Colin Campbell, under the impression that the gen¬ 
 erals of the China force had proceeded with it to India, finding 
 that they had not received orders to leave Hong Kong, accom¬ 
 panied us on our return voyage to that place. 
 
 On the 20th of September, after a prosperous passage, we once 
 more found ourselves anchored under Victoria Peak in circum¬ 
 stances very little more encouraging than those which had forced 
 us away from China two months before. An expedition to the 
 mouth of the Peiho was more than ever to be deprecated. Two 
 months more must elapse before the first installment of marines 
 could be expected, at the most favorable computation. Baron 
 Gros had not yet made his appearance. 
 
 In the mean time, during our absence at Calcutta, the compli¬ 
 cations and difficulties arising out of the anomalous state of things 
 already described upon the Canton River Bad forced the admiral 
 to establish a blockade, which gave a new complexion to the as¬ 
 pect of our diplomatic relations with the imperial government. 
 To go to the mouth of the Peiho unsupported either by the rep¬ 
 resentatives of other powers or a naval force of our own would be 
 to insure an insult from the government at Pekin, while the prev¬ 
 alence of the northeast monsoon would retard our arrival in the 
 Gulf of Pechelee until so late a period of the year that a depart¬ 
 ure would be forced upon us with a precipitancy in the highest 
 degree encouraging to the systematic policy of the empire in deal¬ 
 ing with barbarians, and injurious to our national prestige. The 
 treatment which we received from the Chinese authorities upon 
 the occasion of our subsequent visit to the Peiho fully confirmed 
 the estimate then formed of the obstinacy of the government of 
 Pekin. Under these circumstances, Lord Elgin determined pa- 
 
RESIDENCE AT HONG KONG. 
 
 57 
 
 tiently to await at Hong Kong the arrival of the force destined 
 for the capture of Canton, and when that operation was concluded, 
 to proceed northward as early as possible in the following year, 
 retaining possession of the city as a material guarantee for the 
 satisfaction of our demands. 
 
 In the mean time, the interval of inaction at Hong Kong, which 
 this determination rendered inevitable, involved an existence un¬ 
 der circumstances of a somewhat trying character. A steamer of 
 the Peninsular and Oriental Company, however comfortable its 
 accommodation, and obliging and amiable its commander (and in 
 Captain Caldbeck we were particularly fortunate in this regard), 
 is not exactly the residence which one would select in which to 
 pass two summer months in one of the worst tropical climates in 
 the world; nor, even if the attractions of Hong Kong were less 
 than they are, which is scarcely possible, is it a pleasant thing to be 
 anchored a mile at least from the shore. During the season of 
 typhoons this distance was doubled. We then sought shelter un¬ 
 der the Kowloon Promontory; and a dinner on shore was a seri¬ 
 ous undertaking, when it involved a midnight voyage in an open 
 Tanka boat, possibly in a gale of wind or a pitiless storm of rain. 
 This was an experience of common occurrence. Sometimes we 
 were detained on shore from stress of weather; and on the occa¬ 
 sion of a typhoon, which destroyed two hundred junks at Macao, 
 but the full violence of which we escaped, the Ava was obliged to 
 keep under steam all night. 
 
 When it was not blowing or raining, the heat was intolerable, 
 and we all suffered more or less in health from its evil effects. 
 Often for days together we remained sweltering on board from 
 lack of energy or sufficient inducement to leave the ship. The 
 charms of the Club or the excitement of a game of billiards failed 
 to tempt us. Hong Kong boasts of only two walks for the con¬ 
 scientious valetudinarian—one along the sea-shore to the right, 
 and the other to the left of the settlement: then there is a scram¬ 
 ble to the top of Victoria Peak at the back of it; but this achieve¬ 
 ment involves an early start, and a probable attack of fever. The 
 monotony of life is varied by this malady alternating with boils 
 or dysentery, so that the proverbial hospitality of the merchants 
 at Hong Kong can only be exercised under very adverse influ¬ 
 ences. It was not difficult to account for a certain depression of 
 spirits and tone of general irritability which seemed to pervade 
 
58 
 
 A TRIP UP THE RIVER. 
 
 the community. A large bachelors’ dinner was the extreme 
 limit of gayety. 
 
 It was provoking that a place possessing so many scenic at¬ 
 tractions should have been so entirely devoid of other charms. 
 Like a beautiful woman with a bad temper, Hong Kong claimed 
 our admiration while it repelled our advances. We did, indeed, 
 make one spasmodic effort to be “jolly under creditable circum¬ 
 stances.” Lord Elgin gave a picnic at the Bogue Forts. As his 
 invitations were responded to by nearly all the ladies in the 
 place, as the day happened to be lovefy, and the Ava admirably 
 adapted for the excursion, the attempt was not altogether unsuc¬ 
 cessful, and on our return at night we indulged in a little pic¬ 
 turesque dissipation. The deck was turned into a ball-room. 
 The band of the Calcutta supplied us with excellent music, while 
 huge fantastic Chinese lanterns, swinging from the awning, threw 
 a brilliant light upon the dancers. 
 
 On the 16th of October Baron Gros arrived in the Audacieuse, 
 and, after conferring with Lord Elgin, took up his anchorage in 
 Castle Peak Bay, Lantao Island, where Admirial Rigault de Ge- 
 nouilly, with the French fleet, were at anchor, about twelve miles 
 distant from Hong Kong. As Lord Elgin was desirous of judg¬ 
 ing for himself on the state of matters in the river, he proceeded 
 in the Ava to Macao Fort. With the exception of the withdrawal 
 of the garrison from Chuenpee, the occupation of North Wantung 
 Island, and the absence of any junks from the river in consequence 
 of the blockade, the aspect of affairs seemed unchanged since my 
 last visit. We cast longing glances from the top of the pagoda in 
 Macao Fort upon the heights at the back of Canton, crowned by 
 the five-storied pagoda and Gough’s Fort, with which we hoped 
 before long to make a closer acquaintance. 
 
 On our return voyage we passed through Elliot’s Passage, which 
 had not been traversed for months; we therefore took another 
 gun-boat, towing an armed pinnace, so as to be prepared for the 
 very improbable contingency of meeting mandarin junks. The 
 scenery was extremely pretty; the people engaged in taking in 
 the harvest stared at us with curiosity, but apparent confidence. 
 We entered the Whampoa Channel at the town of Whampoa, 
 formerly a place of as great bustle and activity as the port of 
 Canton, the site of docks, and the anchorage of large merchant 
 fleets, now partially deserted, and desolate-looking in the extreme. 
 
MACAO.—A CHINESE DINNER. 
 
 59 
 
 On. the following day we proceeded to Macao, and explored 
 that interesting old Portuguese settlement, with which, however 
 we have been too long familiar in England to render description 
 necessary. Its air of respectable antiquity was refreshing after 
 the somewhat parvenu character with which its ostentatious mag¬ 
 nificence invests Hong Kong. The narrow streets and grass- 
 grown plazas, the handsome facade of the fine old Cathedral 
 crumbling to decay, the shady walks and cool grottoes, once the 
 haunt of the Portuguese poet; his tomb, and the view from it 
 all combined to produce a soothing and tranquillizing effect upon 
 sensibilities irritated by our recent mode of life. 
 
 We strolled down to the harbor, and found it full of junks ? 
 most of them heavily armed with 6, 9, and 12-pound guns, bear¬ 
 ing the well-known initials B., P., & Co., of this year’s date, to be 
 converted by Yeh to his own use when occasion required, for the 
 crews did not conceal the fact that Canton was their destination— 
 of course for trading purposes. Since the blockade of the river, 
 the whole trade with Canton has been carried along the passage 
 at the back of Macao, known as the Broadway. 
 
 We refreshed ourselves after the fatigues of our exploration at 
 a Chinese restaurant, where I made my first experience in Chinese 
 cookery, and, in spite of the novelty of the implements, managed, 
 by the aid of chop-sticks, to make a very satisfactory repast off 
 eggs a year old preserved in clay, sharks’ fins and radishes pared 
 and boiled into a thick soup, beche de mer or sea-slugs, shrimps 
 made into a paste with sea-chestnuts, bamboo roots, and garlic, 
 rendered piquant by the addition of soy and sundry other pickles 
 and condiments, and washed down with warm samshu in minute 
 cups. Dishes and plates were all on the smallest possible scale, 
 and pieces of square brown paper served the purpose of napkins. 
 
 On the 28th of October, the arrival of the Imperador, after a re¬ 
 markably quick voyage, with the first batch of marines on board, 
 imparted new life and hope to the breast of every one connected 
 with the Chinese expedition. It was the first faint glimmering 
 of daylight after the long night of despondency and inaction. 
 
 i 
 
60 
 
 VOYAGE TO THE PHILIPPINES. 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 Voyage to the Philippines.—Arrival at Manilla.—Appearance of the Town.—A 
 varied Population.—Their Costumes.—Tobacco-manufactory.—The Price of To¬ 
 bacco.—A Pina Shop.—Indolence of the Mestizoes.—Industry of the Chinese 
 Population.—Chinese Emigration : its Advantages.—The Captain General of the 
 Philippines.—Military Mass.—A Trip to Cavite.—A religious Procession.—Ex¬ 
 cursion to the Lago de Bai.—Los Banos.—The Romance of La Gironiere.—The 
 Island of Socolme.—A stormy Voyage.—The Trade of Manilla. 
 
 It will easily be believed that tbe mode of existence described 
 in tbe last chapter was one calculated to give one a very keen rel¬ 
 ish for any thing like a change, more especially when that change 
 involved all the excitement of novelty and sight-seeing incidental 
 to a visit to a new country. It was therefore with no little satis¬ 
 faction that, on the 10th of November, I availed myself of permis¬ 
 sion to accompany Captain Sherard Osborn to Manilla in H. M. S. 
 Furious, a ship with which I was destined afterward to become 
 better acquainted, and in which he was then kind -enough to offer 
 me a passage. Mr. Wingrove Cooke, with whose graphic descrip¬ 
 tions of the events which at this period transpired in China the 
 public are familiar, was my fellow-passenger on this occasion. 
 After a pleasant run of three days we sighted the high land of the 
 island of Luzon, and coasted along its wooded shores, indented 
 with deep bays, at the head of which small country towns were 
 situated, and from which the country craft issued that carry on a 
 brisk coasting trade with Manilla. 
 
 The Bay of Manilla is so capacious as to partake more of the 
 character of an inland sea than of a harbor. It was nearly mid¬ 
 night when we made its narrow entrance, and three hours more 
 ere we reached our anchorage. We were up early to take our 
 first look of Manilla, but the view of the town from the sea pre¬ 
 sents nothing very imposing. A long row of red-tiled roofs, with 
 here and there the dome of a church, appears over the walls of 
 the fort, situated in the angle formed by the embouchure of the 
 River Pasig, and separated from the sea by a strip of green espla¬ 
 nade. Two substantially-built moles or “murallons” confine the 
 
MANILLA: ITS APPEARANCE. 
 
 61 
 
 waters of the river for some distance after they have reached the 
 sea; at the end of one is a light-house, and of the other a guard¬ 
 house. We pull across the bar between walls of granite, and 
 wend our way among the miscellaneous assemblage of shipping 
 that crowds the river—Spanish feluccas and Malay proas, English 
 merchantmen hauled up to refit, and gun-boats with long sweeps, 
 and pontines, and galeras, and cara§oas, and every description of 
 country craft and uncouth rig, and, by way of contrast, two small 
 screw-steamers, which ply across the harbor to Cavite, of which 
 the Spaniards are particularly proud, and to one of which they 
 have given the significant name of the 11 Progresso.” Small river- 
 boats, full of vegetables or passengers, cut in and out; groups of 
 women are collected on the steps bathing; and Custom-house 
 guards lounge upon the river brink, but they have a proper re¬ 
 spect for a British man-of-war’s gig, and allow us to reach our 
 landing-place unchallenged, and carry our portmanteaus to the 
 hotel without manifesting the slightest curiosity to know whether 
 they contain the two articles which are perhaps most commonly 
 to be found in every traveler’s luggage, but which are most strict¬ 
 ly prohibited from being landed at Manilla, to wit, Bibles and 
 revolvers. 
 
 In ascending the river, the fortified town, containing the garri¬ 
 son and residences of the officials, is on the right-hand side; on 
 the other is a densely populated suburb, in which the shops, ho¬ 
 tels, and foreigners’ houses are situated. This is intersected by 
 sundry canals running at right angles to the river, crowded with 
 boats, and on the banks of one of these stood the hotel to which 
 we were destined. It was patronized by what Americans would 
 call “ a mixed crowd,” chiefly captains of merchantmen from ev¬ 
 ery quarter of the globe, but whose polyglot conversation did not 
 at all perplex our bustling hostess, as she spoke, during breakfast, 
 English, French, Spanish, Malay, and Hindostanee, all with such 
 perfect fluency that her own nationality remained a mystery. 
 
 In obedience to the first and most natural impulse of a visitor 
 to Manilla, we lost no time in making our way to the principal 
 cheroot manufactory, and as we drove through the streets there 
 was plenty to engage our attention. Their whole aspect, as well 
 as that of the population with which they are crowded, differs 
 entirely from that of any other town I had ever visited in the 
 East. The houses are two-storied, the upper half forming the 
 
 
 i 
 
62 
 
 VARIED POPULATION.—COSTUMES. 
 
 dwelling-house and the lower the shop. Round the upper story 
 runs a covered balcony, the sides and fronts composed of shutters 
 divided into minute squares, which are filled with mother-of-pearl 
 shells, the transparency of the nacre serving the purpose of glass. 
 Beneath this balcony blue and white calico screens project, and 
 fall beyond the side pavement in such a manner as to form a cov¬ 
 ered way for the passengers, sufficient not only to protect them 
 from the sun, but to conceal them from the view of any body in 
 the centre of the street. These screens are put up in accordance 
 with a municipal regulation, and when they are new, and the col¬ 
 ors are fresh, give a gay appearance to the streets. 
 
 A mixed multitude throng these shady sidewalks. Chinese 
 and English, pure Spaniards and mestizoes, Malays and Tagala 
 Indians, here jostle one another, and present every possible shade 
 of color which could result from a combination of all these races 
 in various proportions. The variety of costume is similarly grad¬ 
 uated, its composition depending upon the composition of the 
 wearer, and differing only in degree as it descends from the Eu¬ 
 ropean to the Indian. The colored men are for the most part 
 compelled by law to wear their shirts outside their trowsers. 
 
 Mestizoes. 
 
TOBACCO-MANUFACTORY. 
 
 63 
 
 These latter are often made of colored silk, while the shirt is com¬ 
 posed of a transparent fabric called huse, for which Manilla is cel¬ 
 ebrated, woven from the fibre of the banana {Musa textiiis ), upon 
 which gay patterns are generally worked. The women wear 
 jackets of this material, which cover, but do not conceal, their 
 figure to the waist, round which the saya or petticoat is bound. 
 The coloring is always bright, and over it is sometimes worn, out 
 of doors, a sort of wrapper, reaching from the waist to the knee, 
 called a sapiz, and consisting of dark blue silk or cotton cloth. 
 This is, however, more particularly an article of dress appertain¬ 
 ing to the Chinese half-breeds as distinct from the Spanish. The 
 slippers are an impossible-looking chaussure , the toes only being 
 ■ covered with cloth, gayly embroidered in gold and silver, but so 
 scanty in quantity that it does not cover the little toe, which, 
 projecting at the side, acts as a sort of movable clasp to keep on 
 the slipper. For the proper performance of this function it must 
 require a special education, and these slippers are consequently 
 by no means a useful article of dress to present to any one out of 
 Manilla. To all this gay coloring is contrasted the sober costume 
 of the priests, whose numbers and bearing are significant of the 
 extent of that ecclesiastical influence which is dominant in the 
 Philippines. 
 
 The tobacco-manufactory is situated in a square, and, as we en¬ 
 tered the archway, our ears were saluted with a din worthy of a 
 Manchester cotton-mill. We go up stairs under the guidance of 
 a cicerone told off to us, and walk through endless rooms full of 
 women. The process of cigar-making, as practiced here, is sim¬ 
 ple, monotonous, and noisy. On each side of a passage or aisle 
 leading down the centre of the long rooms are tables raised about 
 a foot from the ground, round each of which are squatted twelve 
 or fourteen women, who keep up an incessant chattering, ham¬ 
 mering, and giggling. Each woman is provided with a mallet, 
 with which she beats out the leaf preparatory to rolling within it 
 a small handful of the broken tobacco, which she takes from a 
 heap piled along the whole length of the table. Her fingers and 
 mallet seem to move as mechanically as her tongue; but the com¬ 
 bination of noises is deafening, and we are content to ask very 
 few questions on the spot, and to get our information afterward. 
 
 I was surprised at the proportion of Havana-shaped cigars which 
 were being manufactured. Formerly these were entirely reserved 
 
64 
 
 THE PRICE OF TOBACCO.—A PINA SHOP. 
 
 for local consumption. The present governor has, however, al¬ 
 lowed them to come into competition in the markets of the world 
 with the Havanas; and, whatever may be their success in that 
 respect, they at all events bid fair to drive the old cheroot shape 
 out of the market. The best tobacco is reserved for them, and 
 more care is taken in their manufacture. They are, in conse¬ 
 quence, very highly priced—the No. 1, Imperiales, a gigantic ci¬ 
 gar, being thirty dollars a thousand; while the No. 2, Cortado, an 
 ordinary-sized cheroot, is only eight. * The Imperiales contain no 
 broken tobacco, but consist simply of one leaf rolled into a cigar. 
 As tobacco is a government monopoly, the prices are all fixed ar¬ 
 bitrarily, and every body runs the same risk in making purchases. 
 There is only one quality of each size, whether Havana or Man¬ 
 illa shaped; but the larger sizes may be said, as a rule, to be com¬ 
 posed of the best description of tobacco. A certain amount of 
 tobacco is served out to each table, out of which a given quantity 
 of cigars are to be made. By these means a uniform size in the 
 cigar is secured, and a check upon the consumption of tobacco 
 imposed. Each woman is paid according to the quantity of cigars 
 she makes; their earnings vary from six to ten dollars a month. 
 There is a popular fallacy very common in England that cheroots 
 contain opium. The value of the latter drug is quite a sufficient 
 proof that they would not pay at their present price were that the 
 case. I could scarcely credit, until I saw the returns, the fact that 
 the consumption of tobacco in the Philippines themselves is about 
 five times as great as the entire amount exported to foreign mark¬ 
 ets. The whole population, of both sexes and all ages, certainly 
 appear to be constantly emitting clouds of tobacco-smoke, but 
 their numbers scarcely seem to warrant this proportion of the en¬ 
 tire consumption. 
 
 One of the most beautiful fabrics of Manilla, and for which it is 
 justly celebrated, is the Piiia cloth, woven from the fibre of the 
 pine-apple. It is only used in the dress of the wealthy, being too 
 costly for common use. Our curiosity on the subject of tobacco 
 satisfied, we next proceeded, in search of some good specimens of 
 Pina manufacture, to the house 6f an old lady celebrated for her 
 varied assortment of this fabric. To my surprise, we were usher¬ 
 ed through an imposing gateway into the court-yard of a no less 
 imposing mansion. A handsome carriage, decorated with armori¬ 
 al bearings, was standing here, the property of the lady of the 
 
SHOPPING AT MANILLA.—INDOLENCE OF THE MESTIZOES. 65 
 
 house. Ascending the massive staircase, we were shown into a 
 well-furnished drawing-room, ornamented with pictures, flower- 
 stands of Bohemian glass, mirrors, and other articles of taste or 
 virtu. The presiding goddess of so much finery stood in the 
 centre of it all, smoking a giant cigar, and looking like a retired 
 old sick-nurse, with nothing on but a jacket of more than usually 
 transparent texture, a dirty petticoat, and her bare feet thrust into 
 faded slippers. I could scarcely persuade myself that so untidy 
 an old female was the proprietress of the handsome carriage, and 
 of the expensive-looking establishment to which it belonged. 
 Her daughter, a young lady of some attractions, was sitting, sim¬ 
 ilarly attired, in the next room, embroidering Pina pocket-hand¬ 
 kerchiefs. 
 
 The Pina is more curious than useful to people who are in the 
 habit of wearing something thicker than gauze; and accordingly 
 a small outlay was sufficient to satisfy our wants, if not those of 
 the old lady, who hospitably plied us with cigars while she spread 
 before us articles of every variety and value. An elaborately 
 embroidered Pina dress is often priced at £300 and upward. 
 
 Shopping at Manilla is an unsatisfactory pursuit. The princi¬ 
 pal streets are the Escolta and Rosario; but all the best shops are 
 kept by Chinamen, who fairly beat the mestizoes out of the field 
 sffe traders. The superior industry, intelligence, and economical 
 habits of the pure Chinaman give him an immense advantage 
 over the mestizo. The former despises feast-days, and cares little 
 for personal comfort; he lives in the little shop which contains 
 his stock in trade, and keeps his eyes open. The mestizo spends 
 half his existence in a gala dress, does not condescend to live in 
 his shop, and has no business habits when he is there. In the 
 middle of the day he is generally asleep, and is excessively disgust¬ 
 ed at being roused to serve a customer. It is not at all an un¬ 
 common thing to see a man coiled up snoring in one corner of his 
 shop, and a mestizo girl stretched luxuriously at full length upon 
 the counter, her beautiful black hair thrown back from her face, 
 falling in wavy massive folds to the ground, and her bosom heav¬ 
 ing so softly and regularly with the long-drawn breath of a pro¬ 
 found slumber, that, rather than do violence to his aesthetic na¬ 
 ture by disturbing sleeping beauty, the purchaser moves gently 
 on to the next shop, and finds a grinning Chinaman, with his 
 eyes so destitute of lids that he looks as if he could not wink, 
 
 E 
 
66 
 
 INDUSTRY OF THE CHINESE POPULATION. 
 
 much less sleep, but which sparkle with intelligence and cupidity, 
 who is imbued with the firm determination, if he does not possess 
 in his shop the article which you do want, to force you to buy 
 from him something you do not. 
 
 Manilla, like Singapore, owes a great part of its prosperity to 
 the Chinese portion of the population; and, in our management 
 of this race in our own possessions, it might not be unprofitable 
 to investigate the expediency of some of those measures which 
 other nations, inferior to us in the art of colonization as a rule, 
 have found it necessary to employ. All the Chinese arriving at 
 Manilla are registered and taxed according to their occupations. 
 They are divided into four classes—merchants, shopkeepers, arti¬ 
 sans, and day-laborers. The entire Chinese population has been 
 estimated as high as 30,000, but, according to a Spanish author, 
 writing in 1842, “the number actually enrolled does not exceed 
 6000, and their capitation-tax is above 100,000 dollars a year, 
 while that of all the native inhabitants, exceeding 3,000,000, does 
 not equal eight times that amount.” This taxation is manifestly 
 excessive, and no good object could be obtained by drawing any 
 distinction in our own possessions between the Chinese and the 
 British subject; but the election of a capitan by themselves, whose 
 office it is to collect the tribute, and arrange all internal differ¬ 
 ences, and who is, to a certain extent, responsible for the goocl 
 conduct of his countrymen, is an excellent arrangement. At the 
 same time that the capitan is elected, his lieutenant and head-con¬ 
 stable are also chosen by the Chinese. Were we to establish a 
 good system of responsible government among our Chinese popu¬ 
 lations, and employ a sufficient staff of interpreters, we should be 
 relieved from apprehension on their account, and they from the 
 dread of the consequences with which we are apt to visit them 
 under the influence of that apprehension. 
 
 In all other respects, there is no comparison between the ad¬ 
 vantages held out to emigrants from the Celestial Empire by our 
 possessions—with the exception of Australia—and those of other 
 countries. Not only are they exempt from a poll-tax, but the 
 rate of wage is higher than either in the Philippines or Java; 
 while the freedom from commercial restrictions, and the bustling 
 activity of an energetic Anglo-Saxon community, are congenial to 
 that spirit of commercial enterprise which assimilates the Chinese 
 to ourselves, and impels them instinctively to migrate to those lo- 
 
CHINESE EMIGRATION: ITS ADVANTAGES. 
 
 67 
 
 calities best adapted to its development. This is most satisfactori¬ 
 ly proved by the actual proportion which the Chinese bear to the 
 whole population of different European settlements, and which 
 Mr. Crawfurd computes as follows: “In Java the Chinese form 
 the one hundredth part, and in the Philippines about the four 
 hundredth part of the population. In the British possessions col¬ 
 lectively the Chinese constitute about one third of the inhabitants, 
 and in Singapore two thirds.” 
 
 It would be a wise policy in us to encourage, to a greater ex¬ 
 tent than we do, Chinese emigration to other settlements besides 
 those to which they have already found their way. Not only 
 should we be able to retain Labuan as a colony from which we 
 could exercise an important influence over Borneo, teeming with 
 valuable productions, but we could make the little island itself 
 profitable by the introduction of Chinese labor for the develop¬ 
 ment of its mineral resources. It is not, however, merely in 
 the settlements of the Malay archipelago to which Chinese em¬ 
 igration might be directed and encouraged by government with 
 great advantage, but to many tropical colonies in other parts of 
 the world, such as British Guiana, where there is an enormous 
 capacity of production coupled with an utter inadequacy of means. 
 We must be careful of judging of the results of Chinese immigra¬ 
 tion by the experiences of California, Australia, or any other col¬ 
 ony where peculiar conditions, resulting from gold discoveries, 
 exist, and where the climate admits of competition by whites. It 
 is as undesirable that such a competition should be established in 
 those countries adapted for European out-of-door labor, as that 
 others should be deprived of the benefits of any such labor at all 
 because the climate is fatal to the white man. 
 
 As we proposed a short trip into the interior, for which pass¬ 
 ports were necessary, we went to Government House to obtain 
 them, and, at the same time, to pay a visit to the captain general. 
 Two bridges, one of which is suspension, and the other a respect¬ 
 able structure of ten arches, span the Pasig, and connect the suburb 
 with the fortified town. This suburb, or rather extramural city, 
 contains a population of nearly 200,000 souls; the walled city con¬ 
 tains about 10,000 people, almost entirely pure white, and consists 
 of eight narrow streets running at right angles to one another, 
 aristocratic and dull, and a square or plaza. In this the govern¬ 
 or’s residence is situated, and from the windows at the back a mag- 
 
(38 
 
 THE CAPTAIN GENERAL OF THE PHILIPPINES. 
 
 nificent view of the harbor is obtained. The present governor is 
 the most popular and enlightened man that has filled the office 
 since Don Pascual Enrile, celebrated for having opened internal 
 communication, and removed those restrictions on colonial ship¬ 
 ping with which, with their usual infatuated policy, the Spanish 
 government retarded the prosperity of one of its most valuable 
 possessions. The advanced views of his predecessor have in 
 many instances been improved upon and carried out by the pres¬ 
 ent governor, who was peculiarly fitted for his post by the oppor¬ 
 tunities which were afforded him, during the years he spent in 
 political exile at Manilla, of making himself acquainted with the 
 wants of the colony at a time when he little thought he would 
 ever be called on to govern it. It is fair to him to say that it 
 does not follow that, because a man has been a deportado to Man¬ 
 illa, he should have been guilty of any act of treason against the 
 existing government. It is simply the result of an electioneering 
 “dodge,” not unlike some that have been recently practiced in 
 Kansas. The government, when it appeals to the country, begins 
 by exiling a large number of the probable hostile voters—an ef¬ 
 fectual mode of counteracting the effects of the ballot, which might 
 be suggested for adoption by ourselves should that measure ever 
 be introduced. 
 
 The captain general had himself visited Calcutta, and was deep¬ 
 ly interested in the intelligence which we gave him of the prog¬ 
 ress and prospects of the mutiny. In the evening we took a drive 
 on the Calzada or public promenade. Unfortunately, it was too 
 late for us to see as much as we wished of the fair or colored oc¬ 
 cupants of the numerous carriages, which form two long lines 
 throughout the whole length of the drive, and which are kept 
 upon their proper sides by mounted policemen stationed at inter¬ 
 vals along the road, as solemn and pompous, if not so gorgeous, 
 as the sentries at the Horse-Guards. 
 
 At Manilla, as in other Roman Catholic countries, the gayest 
 day next to a feast-day is Sunday. It so happened that the Sun¬ 
 day we were there was also a saint’s day—all the church-going 
 taking place in the morning, and the dancing in the evening. 
 The former begins almost with the day; and the ceremony of a 
 military mass which we attended involved an effort of early ris¬ 
 ing. The Cathedral was undergoing repairs, and the churches we 
 entered were none of them remarkable specimens of ecclesiastical 
 
 » 
 
MILITARY MASS. 
 
 69 
 
 architecture or ornament. The one in which military mass was 
 held was poorly attended. When we first went in, a few pretty 
 female figures, with dark complexions, lustrous eyes, and graceful 
 mantillas falling oyer their shoulders, dotted about in kneeling 
 attitudes, and old men mumbling in corners and crossing them¬ 
 selves, composed the whole congregation. Then the clang of 
 martial music outside was followed by the entry of two or three 
 regiments, the men uncovered, with their shakoes swinging be¬ 
 tween their shoulders. Six soldiers with drawn swords occupied 
 the altar platform, and, as the priests entered, these presented 
 arms, and the band opened the proceedings with a very pretty 
 waltz. Indeed, the whole service, from beginning to end, was 
 musical, the officiating priest, a very black man, confining himself 
 to pantomime, and the band varying time according to his ges¬ 
 tures. When he elevated the host they went down on their 
 knees, and played an air very much resembling a polka, crossing 
 themselves with great rapidity in time to the music. Then came 
 tunes which the uninitiated might have supposed were galops or 
 quadrilles. The whole performance was entirely devoid of any 
 sacred character, and only lasted about half an hour. The sol¬ 
 diers were a handsome, well set-up body of men, in a neat white 
 uniform, and red facings turned up with black. The officers have 
 nearly all come out from Spain, as the service is a favorite one, 
 and well paid. The Spanish army in the Philippines is maintain¬ 
 ed at about 12,000 strong. The last time they were employed on 
 active service was in 1851, when a force of 4000 men was sent to 
 chastise the Sooloo rajah: this they accomplished satisfactorily, 
 with a loss of about 100 men. A contingent of 8000 men has 
 recently been engaged, in alliance with the French forces in Co¬ 
 chin China, in an unsuccessful attempt to reduce the king of that 
 country to submission. 
 
 We were rendered independent of any of the steamers which, 
 decked with flags, were carrying crowds of gayly-dressed pleas¬ 
 ure-seekers to the festa at Cavit5, as the Kestrel (Lieut Kason)p 
 which had put into Manilla for repairs, carried us comfortably 
 across the harbor in two hours. At Cavite are situated the gov¬ 
 ernment docks; and the Spanish commodore came off to inspect 
 the marvelous little craft which had just weathered the dangers 
 of a passage round the Cape, and the minute dimensions of whicli 
 
 * This gallant young officer was killed in the recent attack upon the Peiho Forts. 
 
70 
 
 A RELIGIOUS PROCESSION. 
 
 struck him with astonishment. His residence was in the dock, 
 through which we walked on our way to the town. It is small, 
 and of no great pretensions to strength. Cavite contains about 
 15,000 inhabitants; and, as evening closed in, the main street pre¬ 
 sented a gay and brilliant aspect. The houses, although two-sto¬ 
 ried, were small and insignificant, but countless lights twinkled in 
 every window, and drapery of gorgeous colors hung from the 
 balconies, and, leaning over them, signoritas smoking cigarettes 
 laughingly contemplated the crowd below, as it surged to and fro 
 in anxious anticipation of the grand spectacle. 
 
 A general explosion of rockets, and the martial strains of a 
 military band announced the start of the procession. Then came 
 the usual struggle for places and loss of pocket-handkerchiefs; 
 and through a lane in the crowd passed, first, the band, then a 
 gentleman in black with a white tie, who looked like a master of 
 ceremonies, and superintended the distribution of tapers to such 
 of the crowd as were disposed to form part of the procession. 
 These amateur taper-bearers formed two rows, and between them, 
 in double file, toddled, rather than walked, a number of miniature 
 nuns and monks, in full religious costume, the oldest of whom 
 might have attained the age of five or six. The shaved crowns 
 and sandaled feet of the tiny monks, as they led by the hand with 
 great dignity and solemnity their still smaller sisters, produced a 
 very grotesque effect, which was heightened, if possible, by the 
 miscellaneous costume of a crowd of children that followed, in the 
 most extravagant fancy dresses. Then came the Virgin, carried 
 by men screened by drapery, on a wooden stage, a perfect mass 
 of tinsel and wax-lights, followed by priests, while two or three 
 regiments, with fixed bayonets, brought up the rear. As soon as 
 this display is over, the revels of the night fairly begin. The ta¬ 
 per-bearers, having escorted the Virgin home, plunge wildly into 
 the delights of fandangoes and cachuchas; every house is open to 
 the stranger, if he likes to take part in the amusement of the 
 evening, and in almost every one dancing and gambling are car¬ 
 ried on till the morning of the following day, which, not being 
 dedicated to any saint, is dedicated to a rest from the fatigues of 
 the debauchery committed on the one that is. 
 
 As we had determined to start the same night for the interior, 
 we were not tempted to prolong our stay at Cavite. Indeed, hav¬ 
 ing in the most orthodox way gone through the whole services 
 
EXCURSION TO THE LAGO DE BAL—LOS BANOS. 
 
 71 
 
 of the day, we thought we might dispense with the sermon; and 
 at midnight, instead of dancing fandangoes, we were snugly en¬ 
 sconced at the bottom of a canoe upon the Eiver Pasig, lulled to 
 sleep by the measured stroke of our boatmen’s paddles, as they 
 forced the little craft rapidly up stream. "We were accompanied 
 
 on our expedition by Mr. and Mrs. G-, to whose hospitality we 
 
 were indebted during our stay at Manilla. Daylight found us in 
 the Lago de Bai, under the lee of the island of Talim. Its high 
 Yolcanic hills were wooded to the summit, and indented with 
 charming little bays, fringed with drooping bamboos. The lake 
 is somewhat in the shape of a horse’s hoof—a peninsula, at the 
 end of which is the island of Talim, forming the frog. From 
 here we stretched across to the southern shore, the high and pre¬ 
 cipitous mountains of which looked comparatively near, but to 
 the westward the waters of the lake formed the horizon. The 
 Lago de Bai is the largest sheet of fresh water as yet discovered 
 in the Eastern archipelago, being twenty-eight miles in length by 
 twenty-two in breadth. 
 
 Our destination, which we reached in time for a late breakfast, 
 is celebrated for some thermal springs, which, bubbling out of the 
 ground almost at the water’s edge, enable the weary traveler to 
 refresh himself with a warm bath, though, as the temperature is 
 sufficiently high to boil an egg in four minutes, he had better not 
 make rash experiments. In consequence of these springs, which 
 at one time enjoyed some celebrity, the village is called Los Banos. 
 It consists only of a few Indian huts, in one of which, elevat¬ 
 ed on piles, and surrounded by a crowd of admiring natives, 
 we restored exhausted nature preparatory to a trip to the island 
 of Socolme. Fortunately, I had not seen the narrative of that 
 amusing, but most audacious romancer, La Gironffire, or our ap¬ 
 petites might have been spoiled by the anticipation of the dangers 
 to be encountered. His evidently was. The Indians had told 
 him that the small lake in this island was infested with alligators, 
 from whom—so great was their voracity—“ escape in a canoe by 
 rowing quickly was impossible.” “ There was much good sense,” 
 says La Gironiere, “ in what they said, but we were never deterred 
 by dangers or difficulties,” etc. So he and his friend, Mr. Lindsay, 
 venture on the hazardous experiment of going in a canoe on a 
 lake where there are reported to be alligators. “We had not 
 proceeded many yards from the bank when we all experienced 
 
72 
 
 THE ROMANCE OF LA GIRONIERE.—SOCOLME. 
 
 feelings of alarm, attributable, no doubt, to tbe expectation of dan¬ 
 ger being immediate, as well as the aspect of the place which pre¬ 
 sented itself to our view.” Then comes a terrific charge of alli¬ 
 gators—“the grand drama announced by the Indians is about to 
 be realized,” etc.—“ when Lindsay, running all risks, fires his gun 
 direct at the bruteand so on, in a strain the accuracy of which 
 may be judged of from the fact that he estimates the Lake of 
 Socolme as having an elevation of 1500 feet above the Lago de 
 Bai, when fifteen feet is really the outside ; and says that it u does 
 not receive the rays of the sun except when that luminary is at 
 its zenithwhereas, the banks in many parts being not above 
 twenty feet high, and in only one place about 200, the lake, more¬ 
 over, being at least two miles round, it rejoices to a very equi¬ 
 table extent in the blessed rays of that “ luminary.” We trust, 
 for the sake of La Grironiere’s credit as a sportsman, that he dis¬ 
 played as much courage with his rifle as he certainly has with his 
 pen. ) 
 
 We paddled round the margin of the lake enchanted with its 
 loveliness, sheltering ourselves from the noon-day sun under the 
 luxuriant vegetation which clothes its banks and droops into the 
 water. Thousands of flying foxes had chosen for their retreat 
 these leafy shades; their unsightly bodies were concealed by their 
 expansive wings, as, clinging by their feet, they hung in dark fes¬ 
 toons from the projecting branches. Disturbed by our approach, 
 they flapped away over the lake, but we soon awoke its silent 
 echoes with the reports of our guns, and two or three of these 
 monstrous bats tumbled heavily into the water. If the alligators 
 existed at all, they evidently had not recovered from the panic 
 which must have been created by La Grironiere’s visit. Not one 
 ventured to show the tip of his nose above the water. 
 
 We were loth to leave this fairy-like scene, and, looking back 
 upon it as we dragged our canoes over the narrow strip of land, 
 were reminded rather of a diamond set in emeralds than of the 
 crater of an extinct volcano. As it was, the attractions of the isl¬ 
 and of Socolme had induced us to linger too long, for it was late 
 ere we started on our return voyage, and a gale of wind had 
 sprung up in the mean time of such violence that, to our dismay, 
 the boatmen at first refused to venture on the traject. An at¬ 
 tempt which we insisted on their making was not encouraging; 
 our slight canoe was no sooner exposed to the full force of the 
 
STORMY VOYAGE.—TRADE OF MANILLA. 
 
 73 
 
 wind and waves than she took in a sea which half filled and very 
 nearly upset her, so that we were compelled ignominionsly to put 
 back to a ^ittle bay, where a government felucca was lying, with 
 the padrone of which we hoped to come to terms. Unfortunately, 
 though susceptible to the influence of dollars, his men were absent; 
 so, as the lady of our party was undaunted by our former expe¬ 
 rience, we determined to effect some improvements upon our own 
 little craft, and tempt the waves in her once more. First we took 
 off the roof, which shut down on her sides so closely as to give 
 her the ominous appearance of a gigantic coffin, and rendered it 
 extremely probable that she would serve us in that capacity in the 
 event of an upset. Then we added to and strengthened our out¬ 
 riggers, reefed our sail to its smallest dimensions, and once more 
 pushed out into the lake. Throughout the twelve hours of a night 
 that seemed interminable we battled with the waves; drenched to 
 the skin, and seated in the water at the bottom of the boat, we 
 chiefly employed ourselves baling, the hats of the boatmen render¬ 
 ing good service. Daylight found us hungry and rheumatic, glid¬ 
 ing down the rapid current of the Pasig; but our condition rapidly 
 improved under the genial influence of the morning sun, and an 
 hour after our return to civilization we were so well satisfied with 
 the adventures of our trip that we forgot its discomforts. 
 
 The little that we saw of the interior of Luzon only made us 
 regret the more that our limited time did not admit of a more 
 extended trip. The island affords magnificent scenery to the 
 traveler in search of the picturesque, while its varied productions 
 offer a wide and interesting field for observation. Government, 
 however, is chary of gratifying the curiosity of foreigners in this 
 respect; and the districts of Cayagan and Gupan, celebrated for 
 their extensive growth of tobacco, are not to be visited without 
 some difficulty. Sugar-cane is largely cultivated. The sugar, 
 however, is only manufactured in small quantities at a time by 
 the country people in a very primitive manner. It is remarkable 
 that, in the absence of steam, it should form one of the largest ar¬ 
 ticles of export. The markets to which it is almost exclusively 
 sent are England and Australia. The United States, on the other 
 hand, seem to monopolize the trade in hemp. The late Russian 
 war had the effect of largely raising the value of this article in 
 Manilla. Unmanufactured hemp is burdened with an export 
 duty from which Manilla rope is free. In the Philippines, as in 
 
74 
 
 RETURN TO CHINA. 
 
 all other colonies of Continental European powers, the develop¬ 
 ment of the magnificent resources of the country is cramped by 
 the perpetuation of a system based on principles of political econo¬ 
 my exploded among ourselves, and which we must hope can not 
 long resist the pressure of the enlightened views and commercial 
 progress of other countries. 
 
 Meantime our gun-boats have repaired the damages they have 
 sustained during their long and hazardous voyage from England, 
 and are again ready for sea; so we regretfully bid farewell to 
 Manilla, and once more shape our course for the Celestial Empire, 
 where events are in progress which will render our arrival there 
 with one of these useful little craft in tow doubly acceptable. 
 
ATTEMPT OF COUNT POUTIATINE TO REACH PEKIN. 75 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Attempt of Count Poutiatine to reach Pekin.—Lawless Proceedings in the Canton 
 River.—Singular native Proclamation.—The Hall of Peace and Patriotism.— 
 Preparations for War.—The Ultimatum.—Occupation of Honan.—Yeh’s Answer. 
 —Report of a Conversation between the Emperor Ilien Fung and Ki Shuh-tsan.— 
 Embarkation on board the Furious.—Disappearance of the floating Population.— 
 Aspect of the river Face of Canton.—Expiry of the Delay.—Anchorage at Dane’s 
 Island.—Temper of the Inhabitants.—Delay of the Bombardment. 
 
 The principal event which had occurred at Hong Kong during 
 our absence at Manilla was the departure of our commander-in- 
 chief, General Ashburnham, for Calcutta, in the Ava, and the in¬ 
 stallment of Lord Elgin in the house vacated by him on shore. 
 The increasing coolness of the temperature rendered this change 
 doubly enjoyable. Early in November the American minister, 
 Mr. Reed, arrived in a frigate of gigantic proportions, and the 
 Russian minister, Count Poutiatine, in a paddle-wheel steamer of 
 very minute dimensions. The latter had made the journey over¬ 
 land from St. Petersburg to the Amoor, not, however, without 
 having applied for admission to Pekin by way of Kiahkta. On 
 this being refused, he proceeded, on his own responsibility, to the 
 mouth of the Peiho, where he was informed that no communica¬ 
 tion with the court of Pekin could be made on his behalf from 
 that point. It was, however, after some time, conceded to him 
 that a letter would be forwarded to Pekin, but that, if he wanted 
 a reply, he must return to Kiahkta and wait there. Count Pou¬ 
 tiatine refused to accede to these terms, and, in consequence, it 
 was ultimately arranged that an answer should be sent to him at 
 the mouth of the Peiho, whither he would return to receive it. 
 When at last, after an interval of some weeks, Count Poutiatine 
 once more appeared at the mouth of the Peiho, he received his 
 answer, which consisted of a refusal to see him at Pekin, with an 
 intimation that under no circumstances could the performance of 
 the “Kotow” be dispensed with. The result ol his experience 
 had in fact been to confirm the opinion entertained by Lord Elgin 
 from the commencement, that nothing could be done with the 
 government of China except at the Peiho, and then only when a 
 
76 
 
 SINGULAR NATIVE PROCLAMATION. 
 
 force sufficient to strike terror into the capital, and of a descrip¬ 
 tion calculated to navigate the shallow waters that lead to it, 
 should be assembled there, to give irresistible force to the argu¬ 
 ments of diplomacy. 
 
 About this time there occurred a curious illustration of the vio¬ 
 lent character of the more lawless portion of the population in¬ 
 habiting the creeks and islands of the Canton River, as well as of 
 their ingenuity in turning to good account the troubles in which 
 their country was involved. The incident was also instructive, 
 as tending to show how many and serious were the evils to which 
 might be exposed the unfortunate well-disposed inhabitants, who 
 found in our cruisers but a poor substitute for the mandarin and 
 war junks which had formerly protected them, and which we had 
 scared away. A petition was sent down to Lord Elgin, inclosing 
 a copy of a notice stated to have been widely circulated among 
 the people, to the following effect: u That, the British navy being 
 now stationed from Shakok at the Bogue, up to Shekmun, it is 
 hereby decreed that, in return for the protection the British ves¬ 
 sels afford to the population against lawless persons who would 
 otherwise cut grain without authority, 2 mace per acre (Chinese) 
 shall be paid into the British office, called the Ning-i-Tong (Hall 
 of Peace and Patriotism), near Nei-Tong; to which all agricultur¬ 
 ists are directed to repair on the 30th or 31st of October, or 1st 
 of November, with the money. On payment of this, they will re¬ 
 ceive a license to cut grain. If any person attempt to cut or carry 
 grain without license, the vessels of the Ning-i-Tong of Great 
 Britain will bring him to the said hall, with his vessels, which 
 will be confiscated.” Three regulations were appended to the 
 above notice: “ 1. For every acre registered at the Hall of Great 
 Britain, at Nei-Tong, license to reap shall be issued. 2. In any 
 case where the brethren recognize the seal to be the seal of the 
 hall, they will immediately release the person whom they may 
 have detained. 3. Rice-junks, from any village or fort whatsoever, 
 must give notice at the hall, where their papers or licenses will 
 be vised, for the prevention of delays.” Mr. Wade, who trans¬ 
 lated the above, was requested by Lord Elgin to put himself at 
 once into communication with the admiral, for the purpose of dis¬ 
 covering, if possible, this Hall of British Peacemakers and Patriots, 
 and visit with the punishment they deserved those who had foul¬ 
 ly wronged, if not our fair name, at least their own unfortunate 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR WAR. 
 
 77 
 
 countrymen. Mr. Wade proceeded with a force to a building in¬ 
 dicated by some country people as the hall in question, where he 
 found six persons in chains, and some papers, one of which stated 
 that orders had been received from the captain of the ship of En¬ 
 glish barbarians to look after the grain, and menacing any of the 
 brethren who should presume to cut grain on their own account. 
 It was found difficult to bring home the charge to any of the per¬ 
 sons in the neighborhood; a comprador, however (or man whose 
 business it was to supply one of her majesty’s ships in the river 
 with provisions), was recognized and taken into custody in conse¬ 
 quence. There is probably no other country in the world but 
 China where an organization upon so large a scale could have 
 been formed which would use for a protection the dreaded name 
 of its country’s enemy, display for its banners the symbols of 
 peace and patriotism, and have for its object the plunder and 
 spoliation of its neighbors. 
 
 Though there may be an absence of patriotism generally in 
 China, patriots can always be found here by paying for them, as 
 in other countries. Thus we discovered a spy located at Hong 
 Kong, whose papers we seized, and who kept a daily record of 
 events there, and, at some risk to himself, sent Howqua full in¬ 
 formation of all the plans and rumors of plans current in Hong 
 Kong as to our movements. Nothing was too trivial for his re¬ 
 port : the number of ships in harbor—the daily exercise of troops 
 —Lord Elgin’s personal appearance and reputed character—the 
 extent of our losses in India, and the causes of the mutiny, all 
 were minutely but frequently erroneously recorded, and forward¬ 
 ed by Howqua to Yeh. Some of the information was furnished 
 by Americans resident at Hong Kong, and some by Chinese in 
 our employ. 
 
 Meanwhile General Straubenzee had succeeded General Ash- 
 burnham in the command-in-chief, and the prospect of active serv¬ 
 ice seemed to infuse new life and energy into the feeble and 
 wasted garrison of Hong Kong. The one weak regiment of 
 which it consisted was perpetually being inspected and reviewed, 
 and exercised in camping and in rifle practice. The daily boom¬ 
 ing of artillery practice, added to the constant thundering of sa¬ 
 lutes from the ships, as admirals or plenipotentiaries paid or re¬ 
 ceived visits of ceremony, began to prepare the Chinese mind at 
 Hong Kong for something more serious than the a talkee pigeon” 
 
78 
 
 THE ULTIMATUM.—YEH’S ANSWER. 
 
 to which for so many years they had been accustomed. We 
 were now only waiting for the last detachment of marines; their 
 arrival early in December rendered farther delay unnecessary; 
 and on the 10th of that month, Mr. Wade, accompanied by Mr. 
 Marques, proceeded with a flag of truce to Canton, and delivered 
 the ultimata of the French and English plenipotentiaries to a sub¬ 
 ordinate officer sent by Yeh to receive it. 
 
 In the communication which the British minister addressed to 
 the imperial commissioner upon this occasion, he alluded to the 
 exceptional attitude of hostility and dislike which had always 
 been maintained by the authorities and people of Canton in their 
 intercourse with foreigners, as compared with the other ports; to 
 their determined refusal to fulfill treaty-rights; to the constant 
 quarrels which had arisen out of this unsatisfactory state of things; 
 and to the barbarous way in which hostilities on the last occasion 
 had been carried on by the Cantonese. As a proof that these 
 complaints were not ill founded, or confined to British subjects 
 alone, his excellency adverted to the recent capture of the Barrier 
 Forts which had been forced upon the Americans, and to the fact 
 that the French were prepared to join us in the determination to 
 procure reparation for past, and security against future wrongs. 
 
 The execution of treaty-engagements, and compensation for 
 losses sustained by British subjects, were the only demands the 
 fulfillment of which was required from the imperial commission¬ 
 er, and a delai fatal of two days, to date from the 12th instant, was 
 accorded: during this period, the island of Honan was to be occu¬ 
 pied as a material guarantee, and at its expiry, in the event of 
 non-compliance, Canton was to be taken. In consequence of the 
 above intimation, Honan was successfully occupied on the 15th 
 instant by 400 British marines and 150 French blue-jackets, no 
 attempt at resistance having been made on the part of the inhab¬ 
 itants. 
 
 On the following day Yeh’s answer reached Hong Kong. That 
 functionary denied that there was any difference in their disposi¬ 
 tion toward foreigners between the inhabitants of Canton and 
 those of the other ports—denied that any article existed in any 
 treaty relative to the opening of Canton; though the question 
 had been twice raised, he declared it to have been finally aban¬ 
 doned ; then put in a plea in traverse to the effect that no treaty 
 could force the people of Canton to do what they did not like; 
 
THE EMPEROR HIEN FUNG AND KI SHUH-TSAN. 
 
 79 
 
 and recommended Lord Elgin to adopt the policy pursued by Sir 
 George Bonham, which might, as in his case, procure him the 
 Order of the Bath. Yeh went on to recite the want of success 
 which had attended the efforts of Sir George Bonham and Sir 
 John Bowring to open a more direct communication with the 
 capital as an instance of the impossibility of opposing the Emper¬ 
 or’s will. He then discussed the merits of the “ Arrow case,” 
 warned the embassador against the occupation of Honan as being 
 likely to lead to hostilities, and concluded by assuring his excel¬ 
 lency that all existing difficulties might be satisfactorily arranged 
 through the medium of a little amicable correspondence. 
 
 The following report of a conversation between his Celestial 
 Majesty and an ex-judge of the Quang-tung province will throw 
 some light upon the policy of the emperor and his commissioner 
 at Canton upon the extent of their acquaintance with barbarian 
 affairs, and upon the sources from whence they derived their in¬ 
 formation. This most interesting and curious document was 
 among the papers found in Yeh’s yamun subsequently to his 
 capture, and it has since been translated by Mr. Wade: 
 
 Report of a Conversation between the Emperor Hien Fung and Ki 
 Shuh-tsan , ex-Judge of Kwang-tung, in 1851. 
 
 [The following is translated from a memorandum forwarded to 
 Yeh by a late judge of Kwang-tung, named Ki Shuh-tsan, of his 
 conversation with the Emperor Hien Fung, at the audience grant¬ 
 ed him, according to custom, on his return to Pekin at the end of 
 his term of service. 
 
 In his “ Chinese and their Rebellions” (page 123 to 136), Mr. 
 Thomas Meadows gives a similar conversation between the late 
 emperor and Pih-kwei, the present governor of Kwang-tung, and 
 then judge of the province. This took place in 1849, and it is 
 remarkable that, toward the close of that audience, the late emper¬ 
 or asks Pih-kwei if he is acquainted with the newly-appointed 
 judge, Ki Shuh-tsan, and volunteers a very favorable opinion of 
 him as an honest and unaffected man. 
 
 A great deal of his correspondence with Yeh was found in the 
 papers of the latter, among the rest the memorandum here trans¬ 
 lated, and with it a note explaining that, besides the matter to 
 which it relates, the emperor had put questions regarding the con¬ 
 tumacy of the literati of the district of Tung-kwan, who had lately 
 
80 
 
 REPORT OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE 
 
 manifested their dissatisfaction with the authorities by refusing to 
 attend the examinations for degree, regarding the alleged miscon¬ 
 duct of a military officer who had been very backward against 
 some Kwang-tung outlaws; and, lastly, regarding the publication 
 of the “ Sing-li Tsing-i,” the “ Essence of Moral Philosophy,” and 
 of another work, reprints of which had been ordered by his maj¬ 
 esty, at the suggestion of a high official, for the regeneration of 
 the age. 
 
 Ki Shuh-tsan was younger brother of Ki Tsiun-tsan, who died 
 not long since, one of the four principal Secretaries of State.— 
 T. F. W.] 
 
 ( Translation .) 
 
 At my audience his majesty questioned me very particularly 
 respecting my official career, my settlement, my family, and my 
 life before and after I came to be employed. I submit no copy 
 of these questions to your excellency, but confine myself to lay¬ 
 ing before you those which his majesty condescended to ask con¬ 
 cerning Kwang-tung affairs. His majesty asked, 
 
 Q. Are the English barbarians quiet at the present time, or the 
 reverse ? 
 
 A. They are so far quiet. 
 
 Q. Will no trouble be caused by their trade at some future 
 period ? 
 
 A. In the nature of barbarians there is much to suspect. A 
 communication received from them two or three months ago raised 
 several questions in language of a menacing character.* Seu and 
 Yeh perfectly understand their trickiness, and as it is only by 
 being resolute and positive that they can deal with them, they 
 employ no word in their replies either more or less than is suffi¬ 
 cient fully to meet j* what is said by the barbarians, and thus they 
 are left without any thing to rejoin. 
 
 Q. Do you know what they wrote about ? 
 
 A. In their administration of barbarian affairs Seu and Yeh 
 hold it important to be secret. As governor general and gover¬ 
 nor they consult each other in confidence on all replies to be 
 written (to barbarian letters). Neither your majesty’s servant, 
 
 * Questions they had no right to raise; lit., put forth shoots not from the joint: 
 a figure from the bamboo-tree. 
 
 f To meet, to controvert, or to reprove. 
 
EMPEROR HIEN FUNG AND KI SHUH-TSAN. 
 
 81 
 
 nor his fellow-commissioners, nor the intendants, although resid¬ 
 ing in the same city (as their excellencies), are able to learn any 
 thing beforehand. If, as is sometimes the case, reference has to 
 be made to Pih-kwei, the Commissioner of Finance, the reply 
 drafted by him has again to be considered and approved by 
 them; and on such occasions, when the question has been dis¬ 
 posed of, Seu and Yeh are sure to communicate it to your serv¬ 
 ant, and to the rest as well. In former times, when barbarian 
 affairs were in process of administration, news has reached bar¬ 
 barian quarters even before the event; but, nowadays, not even 
 those who are constantly about Seu and Yeh can obtain informa¬ 
 tion of the measures they are considering, and so the barbarians 
 can ascertain nothing; while we, on the other hand, are accurately 
 informed of all that affects their countries. 
 
 Q. How are you informed of what passes in their countries ? 
 
 A. In foreign parts (lit., in the outer seas) there are newspa¬ 
 pers. In these every thing that concerns any nation is minutely 
 recorded, and these we have it in our power to procure. And as 
 the barbarians can not dispense with our people in the work of 
 interpretation, Seu and Yeh manage to make their employes fur¬ 
 nish them privately every month with all particulars. We are 
 thus enabled to know every thing that concerns them. 
 
 Q. How is it that persons in barbarian employ will, notwith¬ 
 standing, furnish us with intelligence ? 
 
 A. It merely costs a few hundred dollars more a year to be¬ 
 stow rewards upon them. For these they are well pleased to 
 serve us. Then, again, if the news received from any one quar¬ 
 ter appears unsatisfactory, there is more sent in from other quar¬ 
 ters, and if the reports from different quarters agree, the informa¬ 
 tion is of course entitled to full credit. 
 
 Q. Are their newspapers in their barbarian character or in our 
 Chinese character? 
 
 A. They are translations into Chinese.* 
 
 Q. Flave you seen those papers ? 
 
 A. In the campaign in Tsing-yuen last winter Yehf received 
 some, which he gave me to look at. 
 
 Q. What did they say ? 
 
 * That is, the papers he has seen, as will appear directly. 
 
 f Yeh was then Governor of Kwang-tung, and was absent from Canton four 
 months, endeavoring to put down outlaws or rebels in Tsing-yuen and Ning-teh. 
 
 F 
 
82 
 
 REPORT OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE 
 
 A. Your servant remembers one circumstance. The English 
 were at war with Bengal.* A Bengal man-of-war wanted to pass 
 through English territory to attack (lit., trouble, have a row with) 
 some other nation; the English authorities! refused her a pas¬ 
 sage. Both sides opened a fire, in which an English ship was 
 sunk, and a large number of the managing heads (directors) kill¬ 
 ed. The sovereign of their state assembled the chief persons (lit., 
 the head eyes) in the chamber where business is discussed (sc., the 
 House of Parliament). It was there proposed (by some) to speak 
 reason to (or argue the point with) Bengal, but by others to raise 
 a force and take satisfaction. Your servant has also been told 
 by Yeh that, in the different letters which have come from the 
 sovereign of the state to Bonham, he has always been directed to 
 trade with China in a friendly spirit, and not to be troublesome 
 (or meddlesome). It is also said that, in reward for his adminis¬ 
 tration of commercial intercourse, Bonham was presented by the 
 sovereign of the state with a decoration called u O-ta-pa” (Order 
 of the Bath), a thing somewhat of the same sort as the ancient 
 red gold-fish purse4 Bonham is well pleased with this. He pa¬ 
 rades it with pride; it will prevent him from making any more 
 difficulties. 
 
 Q. How did the barbarians put their alleged grievances in the 
 letter received from them ? 
 
 A. When your servant returned to Canton from the Tsing- 
 yuen campaign to lay down his office, he was told by Seu and 
 Yeh that in the third moon Bonhamg had written to say that, as 
 there was no great market for goods at two of the five ports, 
 namely, in Cheh-kiang and Fuh-kien, he wanted to exchange the 
 two ports in question for two others. Hang-chow and Soo-chow 
 would both answer the purpose; but, if this could not be, Chin- 
 kiang would do. If Chin-kiang was also impossible, his ships of 
 war would be obliged to go to Tien-tsin. Seu and Yeh replied 
 that trade at the five ports having been long settled by treaty, no 
 change could be made; that, besides this, there was a fixed quan¬ 
 tity of goods sold in China every year, the amount of which did 
 
 * Birmah is probably meant. 
 
 f Lit., those of the English barbarians who manage their affairs. This is very 
 likely a translation of the term “Directors of the East India Company.” 
 
 t An ornament or decoration of ancient date. 
 
 § He alludes to Sir George Bonham’s letters, under instructions from the Foreign 
 Office, written April 19, 1851, in which an exchange of ports was proposed. 
 
EMPEROR HIEN FUNG AND KI SHUIi-TSAN. 
 
 83 
 
 not depend on the number of ports, more or less. Take the 
 trade, they said, as it was before the five ports were opened, and 
 has been since that event, and a calculation of the profits and loss¬ 
 es of different parties will convince you (of this). If, with a good 
 understanding existing between our two nations, your men-of-war 
 attempt to go up to Tien-tsin, it is on your side that the quarrel 
 will have been commenced; no blame will attach to us. Since 
 this reply was sent, no letter has been received from them. 
 
 Q. Who has charge of barbarian affairs besides Bonham ? 
 
 A. Your servant has been told that Bonham is the governor- 
 in-chief (lit., general head of the troops). Besides him there are 
 Ghitzlaff and Meadows. Gutzlaff was a practiced machinator 
 when he was in China before.* This time, it is said, the ruler of 
 the state makes him confine his attention to commercial affairs, 
 and does not allow him to meddle (with politics). 
 
 Q. Are the other trading nations on good terms with the En¬ 
 glish barbarians ? 
 
 A. When the English barbarians gave trouble some time since 
 (sc. 1839-42), different nations assisted them. In the sequel it is 
 said the English barbarians became deeply indebted to other na¬ 
 tions for shipping, the value of which they have been unable to 
 recover from them; hence a good deal of misunderstanding. The 
 other tribes, are jealous, too, of the English barbarians for having 
 carried their point (sc. with China); and so, although so far as out¬ 
 ward appearances go, they trade together amicably, each party is, 
 in fact, considering his own interests, and no cordial understand¬ 
 ing is possible. 
 
 Q. Are the French quiet in Kwang-tung ? 
 
 A. The French continue to give no trouble in Kwang-tung. 
 But it is said that, with the exception of trade, what they most 
 prize is the teaching of their doctrine. 
 
 Q. What people practice their doctrine in general ? Are there 
 licentiates and graduates among them ? 
 
 A. It is the common (lit, the little people) who have no sense. 
 All that they hear of the question is that, by the practice of vir¬ 
 tue, they may look for happiness,f and so the chances are that they 
 
 * Mr. Gutzlaff, then Chinese Secretary, returned to China in January, 1851, and 
 died in August. 
 
 f Confucianism does not teach men to he virtuous only in the hope of a reward. 
 It is corrupt Buddhism, and other superstitions, which set the people propitiating 
 good fortune. 
 
84 
 
 REPORT OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE 
 
 are mystified by them. Licentiates and graduates, inasmuch as 
 they have rather more reading and acquaintance with philosophy, 
 which makes them respect themselves, are, of course, not to be so 
 deluded. Your servant has never heard that such persons had 
 embraced their doctrine. 
 
 Q. Have there been any prosecutions for the profession of the 
 doctrine in Kwang-tung as well ?* 
 
 A. Your servant has heard that some time ago there were some. 
 There had been none from the time of his arrival last year until 
 the fourth moon of the present, when Yeh wrote to him, confi¬ 
 dentially, to the effect that, in the district of Ying-teh, Li San-wan 
 was reported to be playing the Great King of the Bed men,f and 
 that in his behalf certain recreant graduates, already degraded with 
 vagabonds and others, had privily leagued themselves with yamun 
 followers and soldiers, most of whom were professing the doctrine; 
 and he desired your servant to send a subordinate to make secret 
 investigation. Your servant did send a subordinate, who 'went 
 through the district from village to village in disguise, making in¬ 
 quiries for a month and more, but without any positive evidence 
 of the fact. In the fifth moon your servant handed over his office 
 to Tsui-tung, who again sent to make inquiry in every part of the 
 Ung-yuen and Kiuh-kiang districts. When your servant left Can¬ 
 ton the officer sent had not returned, and he can not say what steps 
 were subsequently taken. 
 
 Q. Is not the doctrine of the Lord of Heaven;]; also preached 
 in Shan Si ? 
 
 A. It is. When your servant was a licentiate, and superintend¬ 
 ing instruction in the district of Hung-tung, in Ping-yang Fu, the 
 outlaw, Tsau Shun, and others, murdered the authorities in the 
 city of Chau, and took the city itself. Hung-tung being but thirty 
 li from Chau, we were on the alert night and day, and one day a 
 confidential dispatch was received from the prefect of Ping-yang 
 stating that in the street of the Shang-kia, in the city of Hung- 
 tung, persons were propagating the doctrine, proselytizing, preach- 
 
 * His majesty probably means “ as well” as in Kwang-si, although little if any no¬ 
 tice had as yet been taken by the court of the troubles there. The word I translate 
 “ prosecution” includes the infliction of the penalty. 
 
 f The rebels have long been known as the “red head men,” from their turbans. 
 The “red” here used is, however, a different character. 
 
 X Here written “ Tien tsu kiau,” doctrine of the Grandfather of Heaven. “ Tien 
 elm kiau” is evidently meant. It is the style by which Christianity, as taught by 
 the Romanist missionaries, is known. 
 
EMPEROR KIEN FUNG AND KI SHUH-TSAN. 
 
 85 
 
 ing observances, and reciting canonical books; and desiring that, 
 as they were very probably in league with the bad characters of 
 Chau, they should be secretly arrested. On this, the district magis¬ 
 trate, in co-operation with the military, seized a Chih-li man sur- 
 named Wang, who was preaching the doctrine there, and on whose 
 person was found a crucifix and some bool^s of the doctrine of the 
 Lord of Heaven, all in European characters (lit., characters of the 
 Western seas). After this, all persons teaching or professing the 
 doctrine were proceeded against according to law. 
 
 Q. And what did their books say ? 
 
 A. Your servant saw that, besides others, there were some books 
 copied in our Chinese character, which were all about Jesus. Jesus 
 was the person who was nailed on the cross. They purported to 
 exhort people to be virtuous, to keep the heart good, and to do 
 good actions. But there is great unanimity (or community of 
 opinion) among the professors of the doctrine; and though, under 
 ordinary circumstances, while people of no intelligence do no more 
 than observe fasts in the hope of obtaining happiness, it can do no 
 great harm, if, in the course of time, a single remarkable person 
 should appear (among its professors), he would be almost certain 
 to create trouble by inflaming and deluding (the public). 
 
 Q. Have you ever seen the barbarian buildings at Hong Kong ? 
 
 A. Your servant has not seen them. Those in the foreign fac¬ 
 tories on the Canton River he has seen, but he has never been into 
 them. 
 
 Q. Have you seen any barbarians or barbarian ships ? 
 
 A. Your servant has seen a Flowery Flag (sc. American) steam¬ 
 er on the Canton River. There were barbarians on board the 
 vessel, all dressed in white, both men and women. But she was 
 too far off your servant’s vessel for him to see them well. 
 
 Q. What nation is the Flowery Flag? 
 
 A. The American. The trade of the nation is very great; it 
 • is very rich and powerful, and yet not troublesome. 
 
 Q. How is it that America is rich and powerful, and yet not 
 troublesome ? 
 
 A. As a general rule, the outer barbarians trade, because their 
 nature is so covetous. If one of them breaks the peace (makes 
 trouble), the prosperity of the other’s trade is marred. Thus the 
 English are at this moment beggared;* but if they were to break 
 
 * And therefore, he means, not likely to go to war. 
 
86 
 
 EMBARKATION ON BOARD THE EURIOUS. 
 
 the peace, it is not on their own trade alone that inj ury would be 
 inflicted: other nations are therefore certain to object to any out¬ 
 rageous proceeding on their part. Were they to commence a 
 disturbance, the Americans would certainly be the last to assist 
 them. 
 
 Q. Why would not the Americans assist them ? 
 
 A. Your servant has been told that the Americans have bus¬ 
 iness relations of great importance with Wu Sung-yau (How-qua), 
 formerly a hong merchant of Quang-tung; indeed, that they have 
 had money of Wu. Every movement of the English barbarians 
 is certain to be privately communicated to the family of Wu by 
 the Americans, and Wu Sung-yau therefore makes his private re¬ 
 port to Seu and Yeh, who take precautionary measures according¬ 
 ly. Thus, last year, it was by a communication from the Amer¬ 
 icans that it was known that a man-of-war of the English bar¬ 
 barians was coming to Tien-tsin (the Peiho). Not that this shows 
 any sincere friendship for us on the part of the Americans : it was 
 simply that their desire for gain is strong, and that they were 
 afraid that their trade would be disturbed by (the act of) the En¬ 
 glish.* 
 
 In the absence of the Shannon, the Furious had been placed at 
 Lord Elgin’s disposal. Her very light draught of water rendered 
 her a much more available ship for the purpose than the Shannon, 
 while Captain Osborn spared no effort or personal sacrifice to fit 
 her up as comfortably as possible for the accommodation of the 
 mission. On the 17th we all embarked on board this good ship, 
 which was destined to be our floating home for the following 
 , eighteen months, and proceeded up the river to Blenheim Reach, 
 where Baron Gros with the French fleet were already assembled. 
 It appeared that the communication of Yeh to the French em¬ 
 bassador was couched in the same stubborn and unyielding tone 
 as that which he had addressed to Lord Elgin; it was therefore 
 determined, at a conference held on board the Audacieuse, that, 
 in consequence of the unsatisfactory nature of the imperial com¬ 
 missioner’s replies, the matter should be placed in the hands of 
 the naval and military authorities, but that a few days’ grace 
 
 * The remainder of this most curious and interesting document is to be found in 
 the Bine Book. I have been induced to make this extract here, because it illustrates 
 in a remarkable manner the position we held in the eyes of the Chinese authorities, 
 and the views by which they were influenced in their dealings with us. 
 
DISAPPEARANCE OF FLOATING POPULATION. 87 
 
 should be allowed after the expiry of the delaifatal , so as to afford 
 some opportunity to the inhabitants of escaping. 
 
 I took advantage of the return of the admiral up the river to 
 accompany him to Honan. Three miles after passing Macao Fort, 
 the former limit of our explorations up the river, we rounded the 
 point of Honan Island, and the scene became novel and interest¬ 
 ing. The most striking feature in it was the entire absence on 
 the part of the Chinese of any preparations to meet the attack 
 which they must have been anticipating; much less did they offer 
 any active resistance to the occupation of the pack-houses in Ho¬ 
 nan by our troops, or molest the men-of-war which had been quiet¬ 
 ly moored in front of the city wall, within 150 yards of the guns 
 upon it. The instincts of self-preservation seemed to extend only 
 to the floating population, which had simultaneously disappeared 
 on the arrival of the ships, and taken refuge in the numerous 
 creeks with which the country is intersected. Still, even these 
 had not wholly vanished, and every now and then I was startled 
 by seeing a two-storied mansion, with verandas and a tiled roof, 
 which appeared to be the last house of a street, deliberately de¬ 
 tach itself from its neighbors, and float complacently down the 
 stream to some secure aquatic retreat. In this manner about half 
 a million of people had moved to other waters; how they man¬ 
 aged to subsist when they got there remains a mystery. Probably 
 they adopted the Peace and Patriotic line. 
 
 The point of Honan Island was admirably adapted to the pur¬ 
 pose for which it was designed. The pack-houses were spacious 
 oblong buildings of solid construction, extending from the water’s 
 edge back to a narrow lane. On the opposite side of this was a 
 row of mean cottages, and in rear of them an extensive mud flat 
 separated our troops from a'populous Chinese suburb. Many of 
 these pack-houses contained tea, sweetmeats, and other articles of 
 export, which were being rapidly transported by Chinese coolies, 
 under the superintendence of their owners. The ginger, cumquots, 
 and other preserves, often, however, proved too strong a tempta¬ 
 tion for our men, and their smeared faces and sticky fingers gave 
 indisputable evidence that they had made the jars pay toll as they 
 passed. In the evening, when the lofty warehouses were lit up 
 by numerous large fires made upon the stone floor, round which 
 were collected groups of hard-visaged men, the scene was animated 
 and picturesque, and would have been by no means of a consol- 
 
88 
 
 ASPECT OF THE RIVER FACE OF CANTON. 
 
 atory character to the Chinese authorities had they been there to 
 witness it. 
 
 On the following day I visited a party of engineers engaged in 
 erecting a mortar battery on the Dutch Folly. A large crowd 
 were collected on the city bank of the river watching their oper¬ 
 ations, and men were stationed as look-outs on stages erected for 
 the purpose above the roofs of the houses. I ascended one of the 
 trees on the little island, and looked over the yamun of the im¬ 
 perial commissioner, not a hundred and fifty yards distant. Can¬ 
 ton presents a most ragged appearance from this point: the river 
 bank was strewn with the debris of houses, the result of the bom¬ 
 bardment and fires of the previous year; the site of the foreign 
 factory was covered with heaps of rubbish; half-demolished houses 
 reared gaunt gables above their prostrate neighbors; and miser¬ 
 able hovels, which enterprising paupers had erected upon spots 
 too exposed for the taste of the legitimate owner, only added to 
 the dilapidated aspect of the town. Nevertheless, people passed 
 briskly to and fro along the river margin, and were ferried across 
 under the guns of our ships. I counted from one of these, the 
 Cruiser, seven guns on the city wall, the muzzles of which were 
 directed so as to cover her deck. In the afternoon Lord Elgin 
 passed the town in a gun-boat, and was as much struck by the 
 desolate appearance of the city as by the apathetic indifference of 
 its inhabitants. 
 
 On the 21st, being the day before the expiry of the delay ac¬ 
 corded in the ultimatum, a conference was held at Whampoa, by 
 the plenipotentiaries and naval and military commanders-in-chief 
 relative to the place of attack and the preliminary arrangements. 
 On the 24th it was intimated to Yeh by the allied plenipoten¬ 
 tiaries that, the delay having expired, they had called upon the 
 naval and military commanders to act, and Lord Elgin stated that 
 he “reserved to himself the right to make, on behalf of the British 
 government, such additional demands as the altered condition of 
 affairs, produced by the imperial commissioner’s refusal to accede 
 to terms of accommodation, may seem in his eyes to justify.” At 
 the same time Yeh also received a summons from the allied com¬ 
 manders-in-chief, stating that it was their intention to attack the 
 town at the expiration of forty-eight hours if it was not surren¬ 
 dered within that time. In a communication addressed in reply 
 to Lord Elgin’s dispatch, the imperial commissioner recurred to 
 
ANCHORAGE AT DANE’S ISLAND. 
 
 89 
 
 the “ Arrow case,” and adverted at length to the points discussed 
 in his former letter, without manifesting the slightest alteration 
 in his tone, or in the tenor of his sentiments generally. Mean¬ 
 while, for many days past, Mr. Parkes had been occupied in post¬ 
 ing up proclamations, both at Honan and along the river face of 
 the city, at considerable personal risk, advising the inhabitants to 
 leave the city during the approaching bombardment; but the 
 very indifference with which they collected round the placards, 
 and the contempt for them they occasionally manifested by tear¬ 
 ing them down, only proved how insensible they were to the 
 coming danger, and how hopeless it was to expect that these 
 warnings would produce any effect. 
 
 Up to this time we had been anchored at Whampoa, close un¬ 
 der Dane’s Island, and our principal amusement was rambling 
 over that picturesque spot; though not above five miles in cir¬ 
 cumference, the island was broken into hill, and dale, and fertile 
 glens, where a rural population lived peaceably amid all the 
 troubles, and seemed utterly indifferent as to the fate of their 
 provincial city. Indeed, many of them who had suffered severe¬ 
 ly by the interruption of trade rather hoped for our success than 
 otherwise; and in one of the villages we met a man who had 
 formerly lived at Whampoa, and spoke a little English, who as¬ 
 sured us that he expressed a sentiment very common among his 
 countrymen when he said, “You takee Canton chop chop, my no 
 gotchie money.” He moreover told us that the army had not 
 been paid for two months, and were very discontented, and that 
 the authorities were really as well convinced as he was of our 
 power to take the city. It was not, however, prudent to enter in¬ 
 discriminately into villages. Although at Dane’s Island we found 
 the people well disposed, some members of the French embassy 
 had not been so well received on Whampoa Island, and had not 
 found it safe to extend their rambles very far from their ships; 
 under all circumstances, it was desirable to take our evening walks 
 armed with revolvers. 
 
 We celebrated Christmas day by taking up the position which 
 the Furious was destined to occupy during the remainder of our 
 stay in the river, with the view of getting as near Canton as her 
 draught of water would admit. Captain Osborn pushed her past 
 the Barrier Forts until her nose was buried in the mud; and from 
 her main-top a panoramic view was obtained of the city, and that 
 
» 
 
 90 DELAY OF THE BOMBARDMENT. 
 
 portion of the surrounding country which was shortly to be the 
 scene of the military and naval operations. The Primauguet, in 
 which Baron Gros had taken up his temporary habitation, was 
 anchored immediately astern of us. Though by the terms of the 
 summons the bombardment ought to have commenced on the 
 26th, preparations were not sufficiently completed until the 28th. 
 It will thus be seen that every opportunity was afforded to the 
 authorities to yield, and to the people to provide for their own 
 safety and the security of their property. 
 
 >) 
 
LANDING OF THE TROOPS. 
 
 91 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Landing of the Troops.—Advance on Lin’s Fort.—Treacherous Mode of Warfare. 
 —Capture of Lin’s Fort.—Attack of the Braves.—Position for the Night.—The 
 Bombardment is continued.—Death of Captain Bate.—Skirmish with Braves.— 
 Escalade of the Walls of Canton.—Aspect of the City.—Scene from Magazine 
 Hill.—Capture of the City.—Capture of Gough’s Fort.—Chinese Looting-parties. 
 —Tartar Garrison of Canton.—Condition of the public Buildings.—Explosion of 
 a Magazine. • 
 
 On the 27th we were able to perceive, from our post of observa¬ 
 tion, Major Clifford, Quartermaster General, landing with a party 
 composed of two companies of the 59th, under Major Bannister, 
 with the Engineers, to prepare stages for the disembarkation of 
 the troops and guns on the following morning. The outposts, 
 which were kept by the 59th, and extended for about half a mile 
 into the interior, were unmolested during the night. In conse¬ 
 quence of the shallowness of the water in the creek, the landing 
 was fixed for nine o’clock on the following day, that being the 
 earliest hour at which the tide would serve for our gun-boats. 
 The French, however, being in ships’ boats, reached the landing- 
 stages first, and requested General Straubenzee to allow them to 
 disembark, to which he acceded. Before their disembarkation 
 was completed, the rest of the 59th and artillery arrived in the 
 gun-boats, and as soon as the 59th were landed, they and the 
 French naval brigade moved up toward Lin’s Fort, the original 
 party under Major Bannister being in advance. As I observe in 
 the French papers that our gallant allies have claimed some credit 
 for being the first to land on the 28th, it is only fair to state the 
 amount of risk they incurred in landing at a spot which had been 
 in our possession since the previous day. 
 
 From our exalted position we had a splendid view of the com¬ 
 mencement of the bombardment, which began shortly after day¬ 
 light, and continued without intermission for twenty-seven hours. 
 Ten o’clock was fixed as the hour for the landing of the blue¬ 
 jackets of the Furious under Captain Osborn; and I was glad to 
 avail myself, by accompanying him, of the opportunity afforded 
 of being an eye-witness, under the most favorable circumstances, 
 of all the operations. 
 
92 
 
 TREACHEROUS MODE OF WARFARE. 
 
 Thanks to the exertions of the Sappers, a very fair road had 
 been made through the village near the landing-place. After 
 passing through it, we met a wounded man of the 59th, and two 
 wounded men of the French naval brigade—the first evidence of 
 any active resistance having been'offered to our progress. These 
 men had been wounded in a slight skirmish which had resulted 
 in the precipitate retreat of the Chinese. Meeting Loch, who was 
 temporarily attached to the general’s staff, in the village, I push¬ 
 ed on with him as quickly as possible to the front. As we pro¬ 
 ceeded, the country became very broken; small hillocks, covered 
 with graves, were surrounded by dry paddy-fields, by which their 
 slopes were sometimes terraced. It was just the country for 
 skirmishing in; and, had not our enemy been contemptible, they 
 might have harassed us seriously as we advanced. As it happen¬ 
 ed, what little danger there was arose rather from a species of 
 treachery than from open warfare. Captain Hackeft of the 59th, 
 while carrying a message, was suddenly surrounded in the village 
 above mentioned, only a short time after we had left it, and his 
 head was cut off within sight of his own men, who succeeded in 
 killing one of the assassins, and capturing the other. This man 
 was brought up to head-quarters, and hung the same evening. 
 The man of the 59th we had met told us he had been shot from 
 behind a hedge after he had passed it. Indeed, it was very diffi¬ 
 cult to know whom to regard as enemies, and whom to ignore as 
 such. The hills were crowded with spectators watching our pro¬ 
 ceedings ; yet it was only natural to suppose that every villager 
 was an enemy at heart, though they did not venture on open war¬ 
 fare, or seem to anticipate our considering them in the light of 
 foes. 
 
 We found the front about a mile from the village, and, when 
 we arrived, the French and English admirals and General Strau- 
 benzee were seated at luncheon in a grave. The advance had 
 pushed on so rapidly in pursuit of the retreating Chinese that 
 there was a pause in the operations in consequence of the guns 
 and ammunition not having come up. Moreover, we were close 
 to Lin’s Fort, the capture of which it had been arranged should 
 complete the first day’s operations. As the French had a light 
 field-piece with them, it was agreed that they should open upon 
 Lin’s Fort from a hillock within easy range, while the 59th should 
 occupy a joss-house to the right, from which they could reach the 
 
CAPTURE OF LIN’S FORT.—ATTACK OF THE BRAVES. 93 
 
 embrasures of the fort with their Enfield rifles. To the joss-house, 
 which was deserted, we accordingly repaired, and, screened by the 
 wall, amused ourselves by trying to repress the harmless fire which 
 the garrison kept up at intervals. When our field-piece came up, 
 and a shell burst near them, these brave defenders unhesitatingly 
 evacuated the fort—a fact as patent to our allies as it was to our¬ 
 selves. When the banner of the last man had disappeared be¬ 
 hind the rising ground beyond, the French rushed in, and it must 
 be admitted that there was no reason why we should not have 
 done the same. It was an operation entirely devoid of risk for 
 either party, but to our allies is due the credit of their superior 
 quickness of perception. Indeed, so little of this quality had some 
 of our own men, that they rushed at the fort with loud shouts, 
 apparently mistaking the tricolor which waved from its walls for 
 a Chinese banner. As the French sailors often carry small tri¬ 
 color flags in the pockets of their spacious trowsers, their con¬ 
 quests are rapidly proclaimed. Upon this occasion the leading 
 marine, having been provident enough to supply himself with a 
 national “pavilion,’ 7 sprung upon the walls flag in hand, and shout¬ 
 ing “Vive l’Amiral! l’Empereur! la France! l’Angleterre!” all 
 in a breath, created an intense amount of enthusiasm, and was 
 embraced by his admiral, and invested with the legion of honor 
 on the spot. 
 
 The fort was a small circular building, fitted for the reception 
 of about 200 men. We entered and inspected it, and from the 
 parapet obtained a good view of the city walls, about 600 yards 
 distant. As soon as the Chinese perceived us in possession, the 
 guns from the city opened upon us, but without much effect. 
 Meantime the naval brigade and marines had been coming up, 
 and extending far to the right, over undulating ground covered 
 with graves and clumps of wood. From Lin’s Fort we had an 
 excellent view of a skirmish in which they engaged with some 
 braves, who now appeared for the first time in some force. These 
 latter were soon driven back to the base of the hill on which 
 Gough’s Fort is situated, but only to advance again as our men 
 retired. Indeed, as a considerable distance separated the combat¬ 
 ants throughout, the Chinese seemed to gain confidence from this 
 mode of warfare, and began to collect in great numbers behind a 
 small village, from which they made a grand advance, with quan¬ 
 tities of banners waving, and great yelling and vaporing, throw- 
 
94 
 
 POSITION FOR THE NIGHT. 
 
 ing forward skirmishers in pairs carrying gingalls, making con¬ 
 temptuous gestures at their enemies, and indulging in divers an¬ 
 tics, for which their leader, a tall man in blue, who carried a huge 
 sword, was especially conspicuous. He was followed by a stand¬ 
 ard-bearer, capering along ten yards in advance of the crowd. 
 This brave army ultimately succeeded in occupying a straggling 
 wood, and in ensconcing themselves in the horse-shoe graves with 
 which the hill-sides abounded, and which formed natural rifle- 
 pits. Above these, with their heads well under cover, they defi¬ 
 antly waved flags, and managed, with their gingalls, to wound 
 some of our men as they dodged from one grave to another. The 
 hill presented somewhat the appearance of an animated rabbit- 
 warren. Two or three shells, however, judiciously dropped 
 among them from Lin’s Fort, soon started them from their hiding- 
 places; and the gentleman in blue displayed even more agility 
 in hopping back again at the head of his army than he had in his 
 advance. 
 
 As this was the position we intended to occupy for the night, 
 the remainder of the afternoon was spent either in replying to 
 the guns from the city with our field-pieces, or in checking the 
 advance of the braves whenever they ventured to attempt to re¬ 
 occupy their old position. Our loss during the day’s operations 
 had been trifling. With the exception of poor Hackett, we had 
 not a man killed, though, I believe, two or three afterward died 
 of the wounds they had received from gingall balls. The scene 
 had been one of considerable interest and novelty, if not of fight¬ 
 ing. As none of the staff were mounted, and the distances were 
 great, one or two of us, who were amateurs, were glad to find that 
 we could be of use in carrying messages. Our head-quarters for 
 the night was a joss-house in the rear of Lin’s Fort, which was 
 occupied by an allied force, while in the bamboo groves to the 
 right the marines and naval brigade were encamped. Our slum¬ 
 bers were presided over by gods and godesses, but, unfortunately, 
 were a good deal disturbed by the groans of some wounded men, 
 who had been brought in to the veranda. Long before daylight 
 the following day we were once more on the alert, and scrambled 
 in the dark over the rough ground to Lin’s Fort, the walls of 
 which were lit up by the lurid glare of numerous fires of our 
 men, who were encamped round it. 
 
 Meantime the bombardment was maintained with unabated 
 
BOMBARDMENT CONTINUED.—DEATH OF CAPTAIN BATE. 95 
 
 vigor, and as I listened to the whistle of the round-shot, and 
 watched the meteor-like shells of our mortar-battery circling 
 through the air, or the flaming track of the rushing rocket, the 
 old nights of Sebastopol were forcibly recalled to my recollection. 
 
 As day broke the enemy once more opened fire upon us, and 
 by this time the troops were on the move in all directions. The 
 right wing was advancing upon a small hamlet, with a view of 
 occupying a large building in it known as the Asylum of Indi¬ 
 gent Females. The French, with the 59th, were taking up their 
 position to the left, while we moved across the broken coun¬ 
 try to the Asylum. The enemy kept up as brisk a fire as they 
 could, but apparently were incapable of directing their aim. 
 They succeeded, however, in inflicting one irreparable loss upon 
 us upon reaching the village. The general and his staff, accom¬ 
 panied by Captain Bate, proceeded to reconnoitre the walls pre¬ 
 paratory to bringing up the scaling-ladders. As they approached 
 to within thirty yards of the walls, they sought shelter from the 
 sharp matchlock-fire which was opened upon them behind a mud 
 house. It was necessary, however, that the ditch should be in¬ 
 spected, and it was in the performance of this dangerous service 
 that Captain Bate, who undertook it in company with Captain 
 Man, B.E., was killed. 
 
 Nine o’clock was the hour at which it had been arranged with 
 the naval authorities that the firing should cease; it was not yet 
 eight, and we were already under the walls. The shot and shell 
 from our ships, which were at this time principally directed at 
 the east gate, and that part of the wall opposite to which we then 
 were, constantly fell near our own men: the angle of the Asylum 
 was blown up by one shell; another burst among a party of the 
 59th, killing one man and wounding five. 
 
 The shot of the enemy was not apparently directed upon our 
 men, or turned to any one point. It fell in distant cabbage-gar¬ 
 dens to the right, whistled high over head to the left, seriously 
 damaged unoffending trees in rear, and was very disagreeable for 
 amateurs, for no one spot was safer than another; feeble rockets, 
 barbed as arrows, thudded about, and fizzed for a moment in the 
 grass, and the grasshopper buzz of a gingall ball was occasionally 
 audible. Upon our occupying the village, the population, chiefly 
 consisting of old men and “indigent” females with goat’s feet, 
 whose home ought to have been the Asylum, came tottering out, 
 
96 
 
 ESCALADE OF THE WALLS. 
 
 prostrating themselves on the ground, and beating their breasts; 
 dragging little children after them, they stumbled and hobbled 
 over the rough ground among our men, by whom, of course, they 
 were in no way molested. 
 
 All this time the Land Transport Corps, composed of China¬ 
 men, were employed in bringing up ammunition to the front, to 
 be used against their own countrymen, with a reckless disregard 
 of gingall balls, and an absence of patriotism truly edifying. 
 
 Meantime, a large body of braves coming round the north an¬ 
 gle, attacked our extreme right, and Colonel IIollow^’s brigade 
 of marines was extended in skirmishing order to repel them. A 
 pretty hot fire was also being kept up on the embrasures by the 
 rifle company of a regiment of Madras native infantry, part of the 
 59th regiment, and by a rocket battery of the marine artillery, 
 under Lieutenant Studdert. From the hillock upon which this 
 battery was placed, an admirable view was obtained of the city 
 wall and the scene of operations generally; and I took advantage 
 of a few quiet moments in a grave, before the order for the assault 
 was given, to make a sketch. Some heavy guns in the fore¬ 
 ground, manned by blue-jackets under Lieutenant Beamish, were 
 dropping shot and shell into Magazine Hill. As we had now 
 been for some time exposed more or less to the fire of our own 
 ships, and the French were apparently bent upon escalading be¬ 
 fore the time, the order was given for the French and the 59th to 
 escalade, which they did simultaneously, Major Luard being the 
 first man on the walls, closely followed by a French officer and 
 Colonel Graham of the 59th: Lieutenant Stewart, Boyal Engi¬ 
 neers, however, would have disputed this honor with the foremost 
 had not his ladder given way. Where so little honor was to be 
 gained by any body, as at the siege of Canton, it is hardly fair for 
 either party to appropriate the entire modicum. There can be no 
 doubt that, had there been any body on the walls at the time and 
 place at which they were scaled, the rivalry would not have been 
 the less keen between our allies and ourselves; as it was, the ene¬ 
 my deserted the embrasures the moment the ladders were placed 
 against them, and not a shot was fired at us from the time the 
 walls were scaled to the capture of Magazine Hill, except from 
 our own ships. 
 
 The scaling party on the right, not knowing that the left had 
 assaulted before the time, were necessarily not upon the walls for 
 
SCENE FROM MAGAZINE HILL. 
 
 97 
 
 some moments afterward. The ladders were soon swarming with 
 marines and blue-jackets like bees clustering into a hive. Then 
 we raced along the wall to Magazine Hill; Canton, silent as a 
 city of the dead, lying at our feet, with here and there a corpse 
 stretched in some narrow lane, to give a character of reality to the 
 supposition. Whenever a luckless Chinaman was seen scamper¬ 
 ing over the country to the right, or the flutter of a bit of blue 
 cloth indicated a human being in the streets to our left, dozens of 
 Minie bullets showered round the devoted object—seldom, it must 
 be admitted, striking it. I observed one man dodging about 
 among the graves for at least a quarter of an hour, making short 
 dashes from one grave to another, amid a storm of bullets, just 
 as one runs from shelter to shelter in a shower of rain. 
 
 The city wall was about 25 feet in height and 20 feet broad; 
 the guns were of small calibre, and wretched workmanship. A 
 little beyond Magazine Hill the Chinese made a stand upon the 
 walls, and a short and rather sharp combat took place at close 
 quarters, in which Lord Gilford was wounded, and the general 
 himself so hard pressed as to be compelled to shoot a man with 
 his revolver. At the same time the enemy opened a fire upon 
 us from some guns planted upon the walls about 200 yards dis¬ 
 tant, which were not immediately silenced. 
 
 The scene from Magazine Hill at this time was peculiar and 
 exciting: 200 feet below lay the city, mapped out before us; a 
 vast expanse of roofs, a labyrinth of intricate lanes, in a vain at¬ 
 tempt to follow the windings of which the eye was bewildered—a 
 pagoda here, there a many-storied temple, or the successive roofs 
 of a yamun embowered in luxuriant foliage, above which towered 
 a pair of mandarin poles—beyond all, the tapering masts of our 
 own ships. Such were the principal features of the view in a 
 southerly direction; but its striking element was that impressive 
 silence, that absence of all movement on the part of a population 
 of a million and a half, that lay as though entombed within the 
 city walls, whose very pulsation seemed arrested by the terrors 
 of the night before, and whose only desire, if they could think at 
 all, appeared to be, that the bare fact of their existence should be 
 forgotten by the conquerors. 
 
 This deathlike stillness upon one side was rendered all the more 
 remarkable by the hubbub which was going on all round. On 
 the right, the Tartar troops on the western walls were replying 
 
 G 
 
98 
 
 CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 
 
 with some vigor to the fire of a field-piece we had now brought 
 to bear upon them; on the left the wall was still swarming with 
 our men, who had just scaled and were crowding up. In rear the 
 two blue-jacket forts were partially in flames, and we were com¬ 
 pleting the business with a few rockets from Magazine Hill, while 
 from the same spot we had just opened a fire upon Gough’s Fort, 
 still occupied by the enemy. As it was not yet ten o’clock, a 
 good morning’s work had been already accomplished. The ma¬ 
 rines and French had turned to the right on surmounting the 
 wall; but the 59th had been told off to take an opposite direction, 
 and secure our position on the extreme left. 
 
 Having seen that Magazine Hill was satisfactorily in our pos¬ 
 session, I accompanied General Straubenzee, who returned along 
 the wall to the southern face. Here we found the 59th engaged 
 in a little desultory rifle practice with the enemy, who were pick¬ 
 ing our men off the walls from the tops of their houses: while we 
 were there, Lieutenant Bowen of the 59th received a wound, of 
 which he afterward died, from a matchlock. General Straubenzee 
 therefore, withdrew the men to an angle in the wall, which afford¬ 
 ed good shelter, and where a building above a gateway offered 
 some accommodation for the men. We found a wounded old 
 Chinese warrior lying here, whom we revived with a little brandy 
 and water, but from whom we could not obtain much information, 
 though he was evidently puzzled at being humanely treated. This 
 point was made the advanced post for the night. 
 
 As the capture of the city might now be said to be complete, I 
 took advantage of the company of Captain Hall and Mr. Parkes, 
 who, with a strong escort, were going to open up a new line of 
 communication with the river, to return to the Furious. The east 
 gate was barricaded on the inside ; upon forcing it open we found 
 an arc of wall in which was another gate, and which formed a sort 
 of loop upon the main wall, inclosing a small collection of houses. 
 On bursting these open, a number of frightened inhabitants, crouch¬ 
 ing in corners, immediately made their presence known by pray¬ 
 ers and supplications for mercy. As one of these was an eating- 
 house, with a large copper full of ready-made tea, we refreshed 
 ourselves preparatory to new labors. Clearing these houses of 
 inhabitants, we opened the next gate, and proceeded along the 
 narrow streets of the suburbs, all of which were deserted, and the 
 shops and houses shut. Still we could not be secure against a 
 
CAPTURE OF GOUGH’S FORT 
 
 99 
 
 sudden attack from the numerous narrow lanes and dark corners 
 in which the suburbs abound. Crossing the open parade-ground, 
 we made our way unmolested to the river near French Folly, and 
 I reached the Furious at one o’clock. 
 
 At three o’clock the same afternoon Gough’s Fort was taken, 
 and our right was advanced from Magazine Kill to the north gate. 
 In performing this operation we met with some resistance; and 
 throughout the night our advanced post, which was composed of 
 blue-jackets under the command of Sir Robert Maclure and Cap¬ 
 tain Sherard Osborn, was a good deal harassed by the Tartar 
 troops occupying this portion of the city. These soldiers had 
 throughout exhibited considerably more courage than the Chinese 
 braves. Mr. Parkes subsequently found the return of their killed 
 and wounded, which was stated to be 450. The right and left ad¬ 
 vanced posts were held by our men. The French troops princi¬ 
 pally occupied the five-storied pagoda, a commodious and sub¬ 
 stantial building situated upon the wall: as a Chinese military 
 position, it had suffered a good deal from our shot, but was never¬ 
 theless convertible into a most roomy and comfortable barrack. 
 It is a very good specimen of Chinese architecture. The annexed 
 wood-cut is taken from a photograph, for which I am indebted to 
 Dr. Forbes, of the Cruiser. 
 
 ' i 
 
 Five-storied Pagoda. 
 
100 
 
 MORTALITY AMONG THE CHINESE. 
 
 On the following day Lord Elgin proceeded np the river to the 
 Actseon, then lying off the Dutch Folly, and Mr. Wade and I start¬ 
 ed off for the front with a communication from his excellency for 
 the general. We found the fighting over, and the city walls in 
 complete possession of the allies. Thus a most important result 
 had been achieved with a trifling loss to ourselves, and in a man¬ 
 ner calculated to produce a deep impression upon a population 
 whose habitual insolence to foreigners had rendered it extremely 
 desirable that they should be made aware of the power we pos¬ 
 sessed of inflicting a severe punishment for insults, whether offer¬ 
 ed by the authorities or the people. The bombardment, which 
 had lasted for twenty-seven hours, at the rate of nearly a hundred 
 rounds per ship, was terrific in aspect and in its effects upon cer¬ 
 tain portions of the city, but by no means so destructive of human 
 life as might have been expected. Directed principally against 
 particular gates or angles of the wall, or against Magazine Hill, 
 few shot or shell fell in the heart of the town, and the people soon 
 found out the safe corners. 
 
 It was afterward reported by Chinamen that many women and 
 children had been crushed to death by the crowds swaying to and 
 fro under the influence of panic in the narrow streets; but we have 
 no evidence of this. From the thin sprinkling of dead bodies I 
 saw in the quarters most destroyed by our fire, and from the re¬ 
 ports of others, I think Mr. Cooke’s estimate of 200 (not including 
 the Tartar garrison) is a very fair approximation as regards the 
 whole number killed. At the same time, it may be remarked 
 that, so far as the actual capture of the city was concerned, the 
 bombardment for more than a day and a night was quite unnec¬ 
 essary : from the feeble resistance offered to us, it was evident that 
 the walls might have been stormed as surely if our cannonade 
 had only lasted for three hours instead of twenty-seven. Indeed, 
 during the whole of this time, only two shots were fired upon our 
 ships in the river from guns upon the walls. But the nature of 
 the resistance may best be judged of by the list of killed and 
 wounded, and the unusually small proportion which the former 
 bears to the latter. In the entire British force, consisting of near¬ 
 ly 5000 men, the result of the two days’ operations was eight kill¬ 
 ed and seventy-one wounded, including among the former one 
 killed by our own shot, and one waylaid and murdered by vil¬ 
 lagers. The French, out of a force of 900, lost only two men kill- 
 
CHINESE LOOTING-PARTIES. 
 
 101 
 
 ed and thirty wounded. Doubtless the mortality would have been 
 greater had the attack been made from the west side, on which 
 they were prepared for us, under the impression that we should 
 adopt the plan of attack of 1842 ; but, under all circumstances, we 
 should always have retained those advantages which result from 
 such an immeasurable superiority of weapons, military skill, and 
 morale , as would render failure in any military operation in China 
 inexcusable, except under very peculiar and exceptional circum¬ 
 stances. 
 
 On our way to the city I observed in the suburb large looting- 
 parties, composed of Chinese blackguards, ransacking the houses, 
 and looking out for stragglers from our men, with whom they oc¬ 
 casionally exchanged shots. They preferred, however, to be left 
 alone, and kept as much out of sight as possible. At one place a 
 pawnbroker’s tower was being thoroughly gutted; a party on the 
 top were engaged in overhauling the contents,, and throwing over 
 to their comrades below rich furs and brocaded silks; nor had we 
 time, as we passed rapidly on, to interrupt them in their deeds of 
 spoliation. It was already becoming evident that the work of ad¬ 
 ministering the government of a large city containing a million 
 and a half of inhabitants, so ready, upon the first opportunity, to 
 prey upon each other, would be by no means an easy task for for¬ 
 eigners totally unused to, and comparatively unacquainted with, 
 the system by which vast urban populations were governed and 
 controlled, and only in one or two instances able to speak their 
 language. 
 
 A great part of the suburb had been destroyed, so as not to af¬ 
 ford shelter to thieves or assassins upon the immediate line of 
 communication. The East Grate, at which we entered, was occu¬ 
 pied by Colonel Graham and the 59th; and on our arrival at the 
 front, we found that the general had just left Magazine Hill to 
 make a circuit of the city walls. We therefore took advantage 
 of a strong French escort to follow him. As we passed along the 
 west wall flanking the Tartar quarter, the people were collected in 
 groups gazing at us with interest, but with an air of profound re¬ 
 spect and submission; when we warned them to disperse, they at 
 once obeyed. At one guard we found a Tartar officer, whom we 
 dislodged, and replaced with a small French guard. At the west¬ 
 ern gate we were informed by the English officer, who had been 
 on guard there for some hours, that great crowds had been pour- 
 
102 
 
 CONDITION OF THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 
 
 ing out of the town, but that, when assured of our pacific inten- 
 tions, they had ceased to manifest alarm or leave the town. The 
 few persons with whom Mr. Wade conversed announced themselves 
 to be Tartar soldiers, and presented a much finer appearance than 
 the Chinese. The Tartar population of Canton has been estab¬ 
 lished there for a century, and originally came from Kirin, in 
 Manchouria. They were sent to this city to overawe and main¬ 
 tain order among the proverbially lawless population of the prov¬ 
 ince. Numerous little white flags fluttered from sticks upon the 
 wall and on the neighboring houses, to avert farther hostilities on 
 the part of the barbarians. As we turned along the south wall 
 we observed terrible evidence of the destructive effects of the bom¬ 
 bardment. The south gate had been totally destroyed by fire, 
 and a broad scar of burnt houses extended toward the centre of 
 the city. Yeh’s yamun was a heap of ruins; the wall behind it 
 was battered and breached, and every house-roof was perforated 
 with shot-holes. 
 
 Generally the habitations partook more of the nature of hovels 
 than the residences of the respectable citizens of one of the most 
 important and flourishing mercantile emporia in the empire. De¬ 
 cidedly the handsomest part of the town was in the neighborhood 
 of the Confucian Hall, near the south gate. Here some gaudi¬ 
 ly-painted yamuns and joss-houses reared their fantastic gables 
 among the massive foliage of the large trees which were planted 
 in the court-yards. 
 
 The next day (the last of the year) Lord Elgin landed himself, 
 and ascended, by means of a scaling-ladder, the southeast angle 
 of the wall at the point where it was destined to be leveled so as 
 to form the permanent line of communication. In the short piece 
 of suburb intervening between it and the river sentries had been 
 placed, and the houses were being demolished after the inhabitants 
 had been allowed to remove their goods and chattels. A canal 
 entered the city at this point, passing under the wall, in which 
 there was a water-gate. Up to this time our military position was 
 confined to the walls alone. No European had yet entered the 
 city, but it looked calm and tranquil as ever. The alarm of the 
 inhabitants appeared to have subsided. It was reported that the 
 city authorities were still exercising their functions, and that Yeh 
 had taken up his abode with one of them, and was in innocent ex¬ 
 pectation that fresh overtures touching our treaty right to enter 
 the city were about to be made to him. 
 
EXPLOSION OF A MAGAZINE. 
 
 103 
 
 An unfortunate accident occurred to swell the list of killed and 
 wounded in the course of the afternoon. Some blue-jackets, em¬ 
 ployed in clearing out a magazine, allowed a spark to fall among 
 the powder, and an explosion ensued which caused the death of 
 five men, and severely injured twelve more. 
 
 Thus closed the year 1857, so eventful in the history of British 
 arms throughout the East, and thus closed with it the reign of the 
 imperial commissioner Yeh. 
 
104 
 
 EXPLORATION OF THE CITY. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 New-Year’s Day, 1858.—Exploration of the City by the Allies.—Capture of Yeh.— 
 Yeh’s Memorial to Pekin.—Behavior of Yeh in Captivity.—Conference relative 
 to the Government of Canton.—Plans Proposed.—Scheme ultimately adopted.— 
 Installation of Pihkwei.—Lord Elgin’s Address to Pihkwei.—Pihkwei’s Reply.— 
 Institution of a civil Tribunal.—Moral and political Effects of the Occupation of 
 Canton. 
 
 New-Year’s Day, 1858, was celebrated by a formal procession 
 of the embassadors to Magazine Hill for the purpose of taking 
 possession of the city; the ships in the river were all dressed out 
 in flags, rainbow fashion ; royal salutes startled the timid inhabit¬ 
 ants into a belief that the bombardment was recommencing; and, 
 indeed, the incessant booming of cannon was an appropriate in¬ 
 troduction to the regime under which they were now to be gov¬ 
 erned. 
 
 For the next three days the troops were engaged in hutting 
 themselves on the walls, a proceeding which was rendered the 
 more necessary by the incessant rain to which they were subject¬ 
 ed. In the course of certain interesting investigations into the 
 personal property of the inhabitants, which are considered legiti¬ 
 mate in the case of a captured city, some of the streets more im¬ 
 mediately adjoining the walls were explored, and in most cases 
 found deserted. Mr. Parkes, however, passed through the centre 
 of the town with a strong guard, and met with no incivility from 
 the people. In the mean time a memorial was sent in from the 
 governor of the city, Pihkwei, and some of the other civic func¬ 
 tionaries, stating their readiness to memorialize Pekin in any sense 
 we might choose to dictate, protesting against the conduct of Yeh 
 throughout, and assuring the ministers that they had never been 
 consulted by the imperial commissioner upon those subjects which 
 had involved the safety of their city. 
 
 On the 5th of January the seizure of the imperial commissioner 
 was determined upon, and at half past 7 o’clock A.M. the city 
 was entered at different points by three English and one French 
 column; from the plans of the city in our possession, and inform¬ 
 ation already received, the position of the principal yamuns was 
 
CAPTURE OF YEH. 
 
 105 
 
 known. The French, proceeding along the great east and west 
 street, known as the u Avenue of Benevolence and Love,” from 
 the westward, reached the large yamun belonging to the Tartar 
 general, in which they captured that high functionary, and were 
 shortly afterward joined by General Straubenzee; while Colonel 
 Walsh’s battalion of marines had been to the yamun of the gov¬ 
 ernor, and made prisoner of Pihkwei, and thither the naval and 
 military authorities proceeded. In the mean time Mr. Parkes had 
 received information that Yeh was in a library not far distant, 
 but on arriving there he found the house empty, with the excep¬ 
 tion of an old man who was reading in the garden. From this 
 venerable student it was discovered that Yeh had been absent for 
 five days; but the fact was at last extorted from him that the im¬ 
 perial commissioner had sought refuge in the house of the Tartar 
 lieutenant general. Accompanied by an escort of a hundred blue¬ 
 jackets under Captain Key, Mr. Parkes at once repaired to this 
 yamun, the doors of which they found closed; upon breaking 
 them open, and rushing forward, an old man in a mandarin’s 
 coat and cap threw himself before them, stating that he was Yeh. 
 This was the lieutenant general himself, who was at once thrust 
 aside as an impostor; and as people were heard escaping through 
 the back entrances, Captain Key hurried in that direction, and ob¬ 
 serving a stout man in a narrow passage, resembling a portrait he 
 had seen of the imperial commissioner, threw his arms round the 
 neck of the fugitive, and proclaimed him his prisoner. 
 
 A large collection of the archives of the imperial commissioner 
 was seized here, and proved a most valuable and interesting as¬ 
 sortment of papers. Some of the private correspondence which 
 had passed between Canton and Pekin on barbarian affairs was 
 extremely curious, while it proved that, even after more than a 
 century’s trade with China, a long and disastrous war concluded 
 by a commercial treaty, and constant intercourse with the high 
 authorities of the empire, the cabinet at Pekin were as far from 
 appreciating our character and designs as they had been at the 
 commencement. We found among these papers the English, 
 French, and American treaties, which it is not certain had ever 
 been sent to the capital. One of the most interesting specimens 
 of a Chinese dispatch I insert in full, as it affords an amusing and 
 curious illustration of the amount of information and intelligence 
 which Yeh could bring to bear upon these barbarian affairs with 
 
106 
 
 YEH’S MEMORIAL TO PEKIN. 
 
 the administration of which he was charged. The preliminary 
 remarks are by our able Chinese secretary, Mr. Wade, who trans¬ 
 lated the document: 
 
 {Memorandum ).—The following is translated from a draft in 
 the same hand as that in which several of Yeh’s draft memorials 
 are corrected, and which I have other reasons for believing to be 
 his own MS. It is the most unshapely specimen of Chinese 
 writing I have ever seen, and has given a very competent native 
 scholar considerable trouble to decipher. It was evidently a first 
 draft, with much left to be filled in and corrected, and must have 
 been written but a few days before the receipt of the plenipoten¬ 
 tiaries’ ultimatum of the 12th of December, 1857. We have no 
 proof that it was sent to Pekin, though such was probably the 
 case. 
 
 {Translation) 
 
 (Yeh, etc.,) “presents a memorial to the effect that the English 
 barbarians, troubled at home and pressed * with daily increasing 
 urgency by other nations from without, will hardly attempt any 
 thing farther; that they are reported to have had several consult¬ 
 ations upon the opening of trade, and earnestly desire the sug¬ 
 gestion of some means to that end; that in consequence of the 
 English chief f not returned to Canton. A respectful memorial 
 (of which particulars) he forwards by courier, at the rate of 600 
 li a day, and looking upward, solicits the sacred glance thereon. 
 
 “ On the 6th of the 9th moon (23d of October, 1857) j^our serv¬ 
 ant had the honor to forward to your majesty various particulars 
 of his administration of barbarian affairs during the 7th and 8th 
 moons (August and September), as it is recorded. 
 
 “ Since the engagement of the 10th of the 5th moon (1st of 
 June), a period of more than six months, the English barbarians 
 have made no disturbance up the Canton Eiver.J (It should be 
 
 * He may mean pressed by their solicitations or for money. His Hong Kong cor¬ 
 respondents, as their seized letters prove, had been representing us deeply indebted to 
 Russia, and in great difficulty as to the means of satisfying her claims. 
 
 t The preamble generally epitomizes the matter of the memorial. I take this 
 part of it to be best explained by the last sentence of the memorial. There is evi¬ 
 dently something to be filled up in the text. 
 
 t The affair of the 1st of June is the destruction of Heoang’s fleet up Fatshan 
 Creek, doubtless reported to Pekin as a victory. The manner in which the next 
 
YEH’S MEMORIAL. 
 
 107 
 
 known), however, that in the defeat sustained by Elgin at Mang- 
 ga-ta* in the 7th moon, he was pursued by the Mang-ga-la (Ben¬ 
 gal) barbarian force to the sea-shore. A number of French men- 
 of-war, which happened to be passing, fired several guns in suc¬ 
 cession, and the force of the Bengal barbarians falling back, the 
 chief Elgin made his escape. The chief Elgin was very grateful to 
 the French force for saving his life, and on the arrival of the French 
 minister, Lo-so-lun,f who, in the beginning of the 9th moon, had 
 also reached Quang-Tung, he the chief, Elgin, feted the chief Gros 
 at Hong Kong (lit., merrily feasted and prayed him [to drink] 
 wine), and consulted him upon the present position of affairs in 
 China. 
 
 “ The chief Gros said: I was not an eye-witness of last year’s 
 affair, but the story current among people of different nations who 
 were by at the time has made me familiar with the whole ques¬ 
 tion. You see,t when the forts were taken, the Chinese govern¬ 
 ment made no retaliation; when the houses of the people were 
 burned, it still declined to fight. How, the uniform suppression, 
 three years ago, of the Quang-Tung insurrection, in which some 
 hundreds of thousands were engaged, shows the military power 
 of China to be by no means insignificant. Will she take no no¬ 
 tice of her injuries? (Ho.) She is certain to have some deep pol¬ 
 icy, which will enable her so to anticipate us that, before we can 
 take up any ground, she will have left us without the means of 
 finding fault with her, while she, on the other hand, will oblige 
 the foreigners to admit themselves completely in the wrong. On 
 the last occasion that your nation opened fire,§ it was but for some 
 days, and people came forward (as mediators), but this time you 
 did your utmost for three months. (You fired) 4000 rounds and 
 more from great guns, as well as 3000 rockets. The high author¬ 
 ities of Canton, it is plain, have all along made their minds up (or 
 
 sentence is introduced shows that Lord Elgin’s return had been already announced, 
 but without full particulars. 
 
 * Mang-ga-ta is clearly a compromise between Mang-ga-la, Bengal and Calcutta. 
 
 f The French embassador’s name is elsewhere given as Go-lo-so (Gros); his title 
 of Baron is evidently taken to be his name, and is put in Chinese fashion after his 
 surname —lun representing, doubtless, pa-lun , for Baron. 
 
 % The Chinese expression here used is generally rendered “for instance.” Baron 
 Gros is made to argue that he understands Yeh’s policy, his opinion of which will be 
 found at the end of the paragraph. We should have stated it at the beginning, and 
 then have introduced the illustrations given. 
 
 § This must be presumed to refer to Sir Hugh Gough’s attack on Canton. 
 
108 
 
 YEH’S MEMORIAL. 
 
 have seen their way). They understand the character of all class¬ 
 es, high and low, in our foreign states. This is the reason why 
 they have been so firm and unswerving. When I was leaving 
 home, the instructions my own sovereign gave me, with affection¬ 
 ate* earnestness, were these: 
 
 “ i There is a quarrel with the English in Quang-Tung; when 
 you go thither, confine yourself to the observance of the treaty 
 and pacific communications. You are not to avail yourself of 
 the opportunity to commit acts of aggression or spoliation. Do 
 not make China hate the French as a band of hostile wretchesf 
 who violate their engagements. The circumstances, too, are so 
 different (from those of the last war of the English with China), 
 that it is essential you should judged for yourself what course to 
 pursue. There is no analogy, I apprehend, between the present 
 case and the opium question of some ten years since, in which 
 they had some wrongs to allege.’ 
 
 “It appears that in the country of the five Indies appropriated 
 by the English barbarians, they have established four tribal divi¬ 
 sions—three along the coast, and one in the interior. One of the 
 coast divisions is Mang-ga-la (Bengal), the country in the extreme 
 east; one is Ma-ta-la-sa (Madras), southwest of Bengal; and one 
 Mang-mai (Bombay), on the western limit of India. That in the 
 interior is A-ka-la (Agra), lying midway between east and west. 
 About the end of last summer, it is stated, twelve marts (or ports) 
 in Bengal which had revolted were lost. Since the eighth moon 
 the marts in Bombay have all been retaken (5c., from the English) 
 by (Indian) chiefs; and since Elgin’s return after his defeat, the 
 leaders of the English barbarians have sustained a succession of 
 serious defeats. The Indian chief drove a mine from bank to 
 bank of a river, and by the introduction of infernal machines (lit., 
 water-thunder) blew up several large vessels of war, killing above 
 1000 men. On shore they enticed (the English) far into the 
 country, and murdered above 7000 of them, killing a distinguish¬ 
 ed soldier named Pu-ta-wei-ka-lut,§ and many more. 
 
 “ Elgin passes day after day at Hong Kong, stamping his foot 
 and sighing; his anxiety is increased by the non-arrival of dis¬ 
 patches from his government.” 
 
 * The manner in which the Chinese mandarins address the people. 
 
 f Base, or low-caste persons. 
 
 t That is, you are not to accept the policy of England or any other nation as yours. 
 
 § Possibly Brigadier Havelock. 
 
BEHAVIOR OF YEH IN CAPTIVITY. 
 
 109 
 
 I reached Magazine Hill shortly after the prisoners arrived 
 there. Yeh, seated in a large room, surrounded by some of his 
 immediate attendants, was answering in a loud, harsh voice, ques¬ 
 tions put to him by Sir Michael Seymour with reference to En¬ 
 glishmen who had been prisoners in his hands. Though he en¬ 
 deavored, by the assumption of a careless and insolent manner, to 
 conceal his alarm, his glance was troubled, and his fingers trem¬ 
 bled with suppressed agitation. His heavy sensual features, al¬ 
 though relieved by a trembling vivacious eye, were not calculated 
 to betray very keen emotional sensibility. 
 
 In another room, and more dignified in their bearing, perhaps 
 because they had less cause for alarm, Pihkwei and the Tartar 
 general philosophically awaited their fate—the former a quiet, 
 gentleman-like old man, the latter of gigantic proportions and 
 stolid countenance. 
 
 It was at once decided that the imperial commissioner should 
 be deprived of all farther power for mischief, and kept as a pris¬ 
 oner on board the “Inflexible,” whither he was conveyed forth¬ 
 with. In the mean time, the two plenipotentiaries arrived at 
 head-quarters, and at a conference with the naval and military 
 authorities, discussed, for the remainder of the afternoon, the ex¬ 
 isting attitude of affairs, and the proper course to be adopted un¬ 
 der the circumstances. 
 
 In the cause of humanity, the abandonment of the city to the 
 refuse of its population was to be deprecated; while the restora¬ 
 tion of confidence to the inhabitants generally was a result which, 
 in a political point of view, was eminently to be desired. The 
 necessity of organizing without delay a system of government 
 was therefore apparent. The question for decision was what that 
 system should be. The naval and military authorities had al¬ 
 ready confessed their inability to govern the city, and their con¬ 
 viction that the Chinese functionaries were alone competent to 
 preserve order. In this opinion the plenipotentiaries thoroughly 
 concurred. Indeed, every hour that passed was affording incon¬ 
 testable evidence of its accuracy. The Chinese rabble had already 
 taken advantage of the defenseless condition of the city, and were 
 daily furnishing us with proof of their skill as plunderers. Or¬ 
 ganized gangs were prowling about the suburbs, and venturing 
 into the city, gaining courage by immunity, and numbers by suc¬ 
 cess. 
 
I 
 
 110 CONFERENCE RELATIVE TO THE 
 
 The temptation to loot was strong upon our own men, and the 
 general professed himself unable, with the small force at his dis¬ 
 posal, to patrol efficiently with police a town containing a million 
 of inhabitants, with whom it was impossible to communicate, and 
 hold six miles of wall at the same time, unless assisted by civil 
 authority of a character which the people had been accustomed to 
 respect. With a population imbued with a traditionary awe for 
 their own authorities, and speaking an unknown tongue, at the 
 same time containing a larger proportion of trained thieves and 
 vagabonds than any in the world, with an imperfectly disciplined 
 force in occupation, consisting of barely 5000 men, and composed 
 of a heterogeneous assemblage of French and English, blue-jack¬ 
 ets and marines, Madras sepoys and British infantry, and, to crown 
 all, with only two gentlemen on the spot whose knowledge of the 
 language enabled them to communicate directly with the people, 
 it was manifestly absurd to think of replacing the local Chinese 
 system of government by one of our own; any such attempt 
 would assuredly lead to the plunder and destruction of the town, 
 the demoralization of the troops, and to disappointment and fail¬ 
 ure on the part of those engaged in carrying out the experiment. 
 Of this fact no persons were more thoroughly convinced than Mr. 
 Wade and Mr. Parkes, upon whom would devolve the functions 
 of all the mandarins in Canton. 
 
 The situation of affairs at this most critical juncture, and the 
 difficulties by which they were surrounded, are very clearly de¬ 
 fined in Lord Elgin’s dispatch of the 9th of January, in which his 
 excellency states: u Two plans for surmounting the difficulties of 
 the situation in which we found ourselves were under the consid¬ 
 eration of the commanders-in-chief when I reached the Magazine 
 Hill. The one proposed that Pihkwei and the Tartar general 
 should be permitted at once to return to their yamuns, on condi¬ 
 tion of their consenting to publish a proclamation, in which the 
 military occupation of the city by the allied forces should be rec¬ 
 ognized. I thought it my duty to enter my protest against the 
 adoption of an arrangement of this nature. Neither on the side 
 of the Chinese was there, as it appeared to me, sufficient honesty, 
 nor on our own sufficient means of acquiring information, and, 
 perhaps I may add, sufficient forbearance, to afford a reasonable 
 prospect of its working successfully. I felt confident that if Pihk¬ 
 wei returned to his yamun on the terms above mentioned, many 
 
GOVERNMENT OF CANTON. 
 
 Ill 
 
 days would not elapse before some act would be committed by 
 him, or some proclamation issued, which would give rise to sus¬ 
 picions on our part; that on such suspicions, appeals to the com¬ 
 manders-in-chief, urging them to adopt measures of precaution or 
 coercion, of increased stringency, would be grounded; and that in 
 this way the irritation of the soldiery against the Cantonese would 
 be kept up, and all the evils attending the occupation of a city by 
 a hostile army perpetuated. The other plan which had been sub¬ 
 mitted for the consideration of the commanders-in-chief proceeded 
 equally on the assumption that Pihkwei must be retained as gov¬ 
 ernor of Canton. By way, however, of providing security for his 
 upright behavior, and for the maintenance of a good understand¬ 
 ing between the parties, it suggested that he should be detained 
 as a prisoner of war, if necessary, on board one of her majesty’s 
 ships of war anchored in the river, and that he should exercise 
 from thence the functions of his office. It is needless that I should 
 here insist on the objections to which this proposition was open.” 
 
 The course ultimately adopted was a compromise of these two 
 extremes. It was decided that Pihkwei should be reinstated in 
 his own yamun, in a manner calculated to increase rather than 
 impair the prestige of that authority upon which the tranquillity, 
 and, indeed, the very existence of the city, at that critical moment, 
 depended; but, at the same time, that it should be impressed upon 
 him that, inasmuch as the city remained under martial law, he 
 was only administering its affairs subject to the approval of the 
 general, who was the supreme authority; that he would be under 
 a constant surveillance; and that the most serious consequences 
 would result from any treachery on his part. This proposal was 
 laid before Pihkwei, and, after twenty-four hours’ deliberation, 
 during which time he remained our prisoner, he accepted the new 
 conditions under which he was to continue the government of 
 Canton. 
 
 During his short confinement the governor and the Tartar gen¬ 
 eral were occasionally visited by the Treasurer Howqua, and oth¬ 
 er of the principal merchants. The magistrate, prefect, and nearly 
 all of the civic authorities, had already fled from the city; and, in¬ 
 deed, it was some time before they could be induced to return and 
 resume their functions under Pihkwei. 
 
 The 9th of January was the day fixed for the installation of 
 Pihkwei; and at two o’clock in the afternoon the two plenipoten¬ 
 tiaries went in procession through the town, followed by a large 
 
112 
 
 LORD ELGIN’S ADDRESS TO PIHKWEI. 
 
 body of troops, and preceded by military bands. The “Avenue 
 of Benevolence and Love” was crowded with eager faces, gazing 
 at us as we passed with respectful curiosity. The entry into the 
 yamun of the governor was sufficiently imposing; and as the 
 strains of martial music echoed through the several courts, the 
 population outside can have had little doubt that both their city 
 and its authorities were in our power, and that the latter only 
 ruled by sufferance. 
 
 But while Lord Elgin was determined that it should be very 
 clearly understood that Pihkwei held office only by the authority 
 and at the will of the plenipotentiaries and commander-in-chief, 
 he was by no means desirous that the prestige of that functionary 
 should be impaired—this being, in point of fact, the instrument 
 with which we were about to control the subordinate Chinese of¬ 
 ficials. He had, therefore, a double object in view in this cer¬ 
 emony of investiture, and at one moment it was apprehended that 
 this double object might be in some degree compromised by cer¬ 
 tain mistakes which occurred in carrying the arrangements into 
 effect. In the first place, no orders were given as to the time at 
 which the prisoners who were to be converted into potentates 
 were to be released from durance. This omission led to consider¬ 
 able delay, so that, in point of fact, the Tartar general and Pihk¬ 
 wei did not reach the yamun of the latter till long after the hour 
 originally intended; and, secondly, when they did arrive, a dis¬ 
 pute arose between them and the interpreters as to the seats which 
 they ought to occupy. It was finally settled that they should be 
 placed immediately below the embassadors; and Lord Elgin had 
 barely time, while the shades of night were gathering, to address 
 to them the following words, which were cordially seconded by 
 Baron Gros: “We are assembled here to welcome your excel¬ 
 lency on your return to your yamun, and on your resumption of 
 the functions of your office, which have been momentarily inter¬ 
 rupted. It is proper, however, that I should apprise your excel¬ 
 lency, and, through your excellency, the inhabitants of Canton, 
 that the plenipotentiaries of England and France, and the com¬ 
 manders-in-chief of the allied forces, are firmly resol ved to retain 
 military occupation of the city until all questions pending between 
 our respective governments and that of China shall have been 
 finally settled and determined between us, the high officers ap¬ 
 pointed by our governments for this service, and a plenipotentia¬ 
 ry of equal rank and powers, whom his imperial majesty, the 
 
PIHKWEI’S REPLY. 
 
 113 
 
 Emperor of China, may see fit to appoint to treat with ns. Any 
 attempt, therefore, whether by force or fraud, whether by treach¬ 
 ery or violence, to disturb us in our possession of the city, will 
 not fail to bring down on its authors and abettors the most severe 
 and signal punishment. I am, however, no less prepared to ap¬ 
 prise your excellency that it is equally our determination, when 
 the questions to which I have referred shall have been so settled, 
 to withdraw from the military occupation of the city, and to re¬ 
 store it to the imperial authorities. Meanwhile, it is our sincere 
 wish that, during the period of our military occupation, the feel¬ 
 ings of the people be respected, life and property protected, the 
 good rewarded, and offenders, whether native or foreign, punished. 
 We are desirous to co-operate with your excellency for these ob¬ 
 jects ; and, with this view, we have appointed a tribunal, com¬ 
 posed of officers of high character and discretion, to act in concert 
 with you. We hope that, through the agency of this tribunal, 
 confidence may be restored to the people, and the foundation laid 
 of a better understanding between foreigner and native, so that 
 hereafter all may pursue their avocations in peace, and traffic to¬ 
 gether for their mutual advantage.” 
 
 The substance of Pihkwei’s reply to this address is as follows: 
 “He begged his respects to his lordship. He acknowledged his 
 lordship’s consideration of the people of Canton. A state of 
 tranquillity would be best secured by the exertion of authority 
 on either side, native and foreign, to restrain those severally sub¬ 
 ject to it from doing what was offensive to the other. We prom¬ 
 ised to control our people; he would control his. This would be 
 to the advantage of Canton. Lastly, he trusted that his lordship 
 might soon meet an officer qualified to treat with him, and that 
 the result of their negotiations would be the establishment of a 
 good understanding.” 
 
 The two mandarins were in full official costume, and retained 
 throughout that charmed and delighted manner which a Chinaman 
 always puts on when he is powerless and alarmed. The ceremony 
 over, the plenipotentiaries returned to their ships, and left Pihk- 
 wei in possession of his own yamun: a cheerless residence it must 
 be at the best of times, consisting of a series of buildings divided 
 by court-yards, and each containing a large central hall, with two 
 or three small rooms on either side, scantily furnished, and light¬ 
 ed by paper windows. 
 
 H 
 
114 
 
 EFFECTS OF THE OCCUPATION OF CANTON. 
 
 When I visited the yamun on the following day the outer 
 courts were full of allied troops, and Pihkwei lived in the inner 
 division, so that he could not keep up intercourse with the outer 
 world without passing our sentries. In one compartment of the 
 same yamun was established a commission, composed of Colonel 
 Holloway, Captain Martineau, and Mr. Parkes. The object of 
 this commission was ostensibly to adjudicate upon cases brought 
 by the Chinese of robbery or violence committed by our men upon 
 the population; but its principal function was to exercise a rigid 
 surveillance over Pihkwei; to superintend the issuing of proc¬ 
 lamations ; and to collect information from private sources upon 
 all matters affecting the disposition of the inhabitants, and the se¬ 
 curity of our tenure in the city. At the same time, the institu¬ 
 tion of a tribunal invested with judicial functions was not with¬ 
 out a beneficial effect, as well upon the Chinese as upon our own 
 troops. To the former it proved our desire to protect the private 
 property and lives of the citizens; and to the latter it manifested 
 the determination which existed on the part of their own authori¬ 
 ties to repress those outrages which were unfortunately becom¬ 
 ing too common, and which, while they struck at the root of all 
 military discipline, impaired the influence it was desired to ac¬ 
 quire over the inhabitants by the exercise of moderation and justice. 
 
 The number of complaints which were daily brought by the 
 Chinese before this tribunal fully justified the estimate formed of 
 its value. 
 
 Our occupation of Canton gave us an opportunity, which might 
 never again occur, of endeavoring, by intercourse and daily con¬ 
 tact, to overcome that antipathy and distrust toward Europeans 
 which had always distinguished its population, and to the mani¬ 
 festation of which they were instigated by their own mandarins. 
 Our former experience at Chusan gave us every reason to hope 
 that a better acquaintance with us would remove their old exist¬ 
 ing prejudices, and that, in the end, the forcible occupation of 
 their city would lead to a better understanding on both sides. 
 Under the influence of terror, one step was already gained. The 
 populace had lost their defiant and insulting manner, and substi¬ 
 tuted for it an air of profound submission and humility, always 
 remaining in a standing position as a European passed, letting 
 down their tails in accordance with their own customs when desir¬ 
 ous of showing respect, and uncovering their heads out of defer¬ 
 ence to our prejudices upon the subject. 
 
WITHDRAWAL OF THE NAVAL FORCE. 
 
 115 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Withdrawal of the naval Force.—Yamun of the Tartar General.—“ The Hall of 
 State.”—The ornamental Gardens.—Scenes at the Landing-place.—The Hall of 
 Examination.—The “Avenue of Benevolence and Love.”—Open-air Cookery.— 
 Streets of Canton.—Joss-houses of Canton.—Future Punishments illustrated.— 
 Allied police Corps.—Pihkwei’s Proclamations.—A Luncheon at Howqua’s. — 
 Pihkwei’s Dispatch on Trade.—Proposal to raise the Blockade. 
 
 The city of Canton was now completely in the possession of 
 the allied forces. Almost the whole of the British portion of the 
 naval force was therefore withdrawn, the marines and 59th form¬ 
 ing the army of occupation, together with a few hundred French 
 sailors. 
 
 Our Jacks presented a most grotesque appearance as they re¬ 
 turned to their ships, waving Chinese banners, their heads cover¬ 
 ed with mandarin caps, and their knapsacks filled with spoils of 
 a miscellaneous description; though, to do them justice, we may 
 fairly conjecture that these were rather ornamental than useful in 
 their character. In this respect our simple tars presented a mark¬ 
 ed contrast in their looting propensities to their more prudent 
 comrades among the allies. These latter possessed a wonderful 
 instinct for securing portable articles of value; and, while honest 
 Jack was flourishing down the street with a broad grin of tri¬ 
 umph on his face, a bowl of gold-fish under one arm, and a cage 
 of canary-birds under the other, honest Jean, with a demure coun¬ 
 tenance, and no external display, was conveying his well-lined 
 pockets to the water-side. 
 
 All this time Pihkwei’s yamun presented so much more the 
 appearance of a barrack for French and English soldiers than 
 the residence of a Chinese mandarin, that it was considered de¬ 
 sirable that they should be removed to the more spacious yamun 
 belonging to the Tartar general, but not at present occupied by 
 him. Though in a dilapidated condition, it was a good specimen 
 of the style of the best class of official residences in China. The 
 first indication to the stranger of the existence of one of these 
 buildings is the large masonry screen, upon which gigantic dragons 
 are delineated, and which is often placed upon the side of the thor- 
 
116 
 
 “THE HALL OF STATE.” 
 
 oughfare opposite the yamun, so that the street passes through the 
 court-yard, of which it forms one face. Near it are the two lofty 
 red poles, the invariable insignia of office. Walls inclose this 
 square, on the fourth side of which is the entrance. Two carved 
 lions guard a flight of granite steps, which ascend to the principal 
 gateway. Upon the huge folding-doors are depicted gaudily-at¬ 
 tired giants, who gaze contemplatively upon the crowd, holding 
 with their left hands the points of their beards. Passing through 
 this door, we enter a veranda, where once Tartar soldiers mounted 
 guard, but of which all that remains are enormous tridents, spears, 
 and cimeters stacked in a rack. Then down more steps, and across 
 a paved yard, and through another painted gate, called the “Gate 
 of Ceremony,” on each side of which are circular slabs of granite, 
 like millstones, carved with figures emblematic of eternity. Then 
 across another grass-grown court, and up another flight of steps, 
 to the “ Hall of Audience,” in the front of which is a raised paved 
 yard, surrounded by an elaborately-carved granite balustrade. 
 
 Altogether there were five successive ranges of buildings, each 
 separated from the other by a court-yard, each dechcated to some 
 particular purpose, each surmounted by a tablet-like escutcheon, 
 on which were inscribed in large characters the name of the gen¬ 
 eral then occupying the yamun, to whom it was presented by the 
 emperor, the date, and the character “Happiness.” The fourth 
 range of buildings contained the “ Hall of State,” where there was 
 a stone screen, upon which were inscribed the merits which should 
 distinguish the soldier, his necessary qualifications, and the posi¬ 
 tion he shohld occupy with reference to them; in other words, that 
 he should be “ the right man in the right place;” and in the corner, 
 in gigantic strokes, as appropriate to the profession in China at all 
 events,/the character “Longevity.” The fifth was the innermost 
 building of all: it possessed an upper story, and here were the 
 apartments of the women. Each range was seventy or eighty 
 yards long, the private apartments lighted by paper and occasion¬ 
 al panes of glass, and ornamented with pictures. 
 
 There were detached buildings at the sides; a library with joss 
 figures, but no books; a temple dedicated to the emperor’s hand¬ 
 writing, where a slab was erected like those upon which the com¬ 
 mandments are usually inscribed in our own churches, with writ¬ 
 ing in the Manchourian character in the emperor’s own hand. Sur¬ 
 rounding all were gardens, in which were tangled thickets, and 
 
SCENES AT THE LANDING-PLACE. 
 
 117 
 
 shady walks, and little islands in the middle of ponds, approached 
 by rustic bridges, and surrounded by ornamental rock-work; sum¬ 
 mer-houses and cool grottoes were pleasant retreats from the noon¬ 
 day heat. The grounds altogether were of that quaint character 
 peculiar to Chinese taste, and which is not without a certain charm. 
 The stone of which the caves and arches were composed comes 
 from a district about a hundred miles distant; the fantastic shapes 
 which are common to it render it especially suitable to ornamental 
 purposes. 
 
 The whole of this establishment bore the marks of neglect and 
 decay. Some of the rooms were tenanted by bats; the courts, 
 which should have been shaded only by the spreading banyan or 
 graceful bamboo, were overrun with noxious weeds, and the gar¬ 
 dens were partly jungle. All this, however, was ultimately trans¬ 
 formed by the allied civil and military officials, and a large body 
 of troops, who entered into possession of these picturesque quar¬ 
 ters shortly before we left Canton, and have remained in them ever 
 since. 
 
 We had now been a fortnight in occupation of Canton, and found 
 abundant employment, during the rest of our stay, in exploring 
 the hitherto forbidden purlieus of that exclusive city. Lord Elgin 
 seldom allowed a day to pass without visiting it, partly for the 
 purpose of judging for himself of the temper of the people, partly 
 from the pleasure he took in exploring its most hidden recesses, 
 but principally to check, as far as possible, by his personal influ¬ 
 ence, those excesses on the part of the troops so detrimental to the 
 policy he was determined to carry out. Nor, in this latter respect, 
 were his efforts unavailing. The general thoroughly entered into 
 the views of the plenipotentiaries, and, by his stringent orders, ef¬ 
 fectually restrained the somewhat natural tendencies of the men in 
 the exercise of what they considered their legitimate privileges. 
 It is only fair to state that, upon the whole, their conduct was in 
 the highest degree creditable to the arm of the service to which 
 they belonged. 
 
 A gun-boat, which the admiral had placed at Lord Elgin’s dis¬ 
 position, conveyed us daily from our anchorage, about three miles 
 from the landing-place, to and from the city. Tuis landing-place 
 ever presented a scene of picturesque confusion. At low water, a 
 vast surface of deep mud was exposed to view, over which we 
 were dragged in sampans by boatwomen, who kilted themselves 
 
118 
 
 THE HALL OF EXAMINATION. 
 
 for the occasion, and shoved and waded with immense energy and 
 perseverance for a few coppers each. The boat population was 
 indeed the first to regain confidence, and each gun-boat, as it ar¬ 
 rived, was surrounded by a swarm of importunate sampan-owners, 
 whose love of filthy lucre soon overcame any patriotic scruples 
 they might have had. Parties of seamen and sappers were en¬ 
 gaged in constructing a pier, stores were being landed for the gar¬ 
 rison, and athletic Chinamen, who formed the land-transport corps, 
 were collected in groups round the burdens they were destined to 
 carry to the front. The services which these men had rendered 
 from the commencement of operations can not be too highly esti¬ 
 mated ; their conduct under fire proved that, properly disciplined 
 and supported, the Chinaman was not deficient in personal cour¬ 
 age ; while in their endurance and obedience they gave evidence 
 of the most valuable qualities which go to make up the soldier. 
 
 The southeast angle of the wall was leveled, and a broad road 
 made to it from the landing-place, so that an admirable line of 
 communication conducted to every point occupied by our troops. 
 Immediately within this angle the Hall of Examination, covering 
 a great extent of ground, was the first striking object which met 
 the eye. It consisted of a series of rows of cells on each side of a 
 broad paved walk, not unlike the interior of a church, on a very 
 large scale. Each row was separately tiled over, and divided into 
 a quantity of stalls, about the size usually allotted to horses; each 
 of these was supposed, during the period of the public examina¬ 
 tions, to contain a student, the whole being calculated to accom¬ 
 modate 8000 with lodging. Certainly there was not much to dis¬ 
 tract their attention during the fortnight they were condemned to 
 pass in these cells. A narrow passage separated them from the 
 dead wall which formed the back of the next row, and thick par¬ 
 titions rendered communication with their neighbors on either 
 side impossible. It is necessary to pass through this examination 
 in order to obtain a master’s degree; the only exception is made 
 in favor of age; and after a man has passed threescore and ten 
 years, he is considerately allowed to take out the degree of honor¬ 
 ary master. At the period of our occupation the passages were 
 overgrown with weeds, and it bore all the marks of disuse and 
 neglect. The houses in the immediate neighborhood were wretch¬ 
 ed in the extreme, and had suffered a good deal from the fire of 
 our ships. 
 
OPEN-AIR COOKERY. 
 
 119 
 
 The ‘‘Avenue of Benevolence and Love,” or the great east and 
 west street, was the principal thoroughfare of the city; here it was 
 that the shops first began to open, and the population to resume 
 those street habits which are the same in every Chinese town, and 
 which were temporarily suspended by the capture of the city; 
 one after the other shop-boards came down, and the owners stood 
 smilingly behind their counters, thankful, doubtless, that the con¬ 
 tents which they had not had time to remove, were there to tempt 
 their barbarian customers. As the taste of these latter for curi¬ 
 osities became known, shops of this character multiplied with 
 marvelous rapidity. “ Olo bronzes, and too muchee olo crackly 
 China,” were lavishly displayed; and the crowds constantly col¬ 
 lected at the doors of the shops proved that foreign purchasers 
 were making rash investments within. At first it was not con¬ 
 sidered prudent to move about unaccompanied by an escort, but 
 this was speedily discontinued, and, with a revolver and a com¬ 
 panion, we used to venture into any part of the city or suburbs. 
 
 As the “Avenue of Benevolence and Love” was more fre¬ 
 quented, it became a less agreeable lounge, and the already nar¬ 
 row streets were still farther diminished in breadth by large tubs 
 full of live fish, baskets of greens, sea chestnuts, yams, and bam¬ 
 boo root. Cooking-stoves were erected, and elaborately cooked 
 viands hissed and sputtered on the heated iron, titillating with 
 their savory odor the nostril of the hungry passenger. Open cop¬ 
 pers steamed and bubbled, and delicate morsels danced on the 
 surface; round tables were daintily set out with pastry of divers 
 patterns, and presided over by croupiers, who jerked reeds in a 
 box, or spun a ball something after the fashion of roulette, thus 
 enabling the dinner-seeker to combine the exhilarating excite¬ 
 ment of the gambler with the epicurean enjoyment of the gour¬ 
 mand, the consideration that they had cost him nothing adding 
 additional zest to his gastronomic pleasures. It might so happen, 
 on the other hand, that one unkind turn of the wheel of fortune 
 sent him supperless to bed. 
 
 Notwithstanding the apparent gradual restoration of confidence, 
 people for some time continued to pour out of the West Gate, 
 without, however, making any perceptible diminution in the 
 amount of the population. It was singular to stand here and 
 watch this exodus, to observe the miscellaneous property which 
 was being conveyed by patient coolies, followed by anxious own- 
 
120 
 
 JOSS-HOUSES OF CANTON. 
 
 ers. Now a, man passed with, tables and chairs at one end of his 
 stick, and two babies at the other; coffins balanced pots of ma¬ 
 nure ; and men transported articles which we should consider 
 worthless, as carefully as their wives; nor, considering the gen¬ 
 eral aspect of the female part of the population, was this wonder¬ 
 ful, when to their natural ugliness is added the deformity of feet 
 and apparent entire absence of arms—for a Chinese woman sel¬ 
 dom makes use of the sleeves of her jacket; any thing more un¬ 
 prepossessing than the lady part of the community could not be 
 well conceived. In fact, after the first novelty has worn off, there 
 is nothing to make a promenade in the streets of a Chinese town 
 attractive. The foulest odors assail the olfactories. The most 
 disgusting sights meet the eye—objects of disease, more loath¬ 
 some than any thing to be seen in any other part of the world, 
 jostle against you. Coolies staggering under coffins, or some¬ 
 thing worse, recklessly dash their loads against your shins; you 
 suspect every man that touches you of a contagious disease ; and 
 the streets themselves are wet, slippery, narrow, tortuous, and 
 crowded. The best streets were those in the suburbs, at the back 
 of the site of the foreign factories, and which had formerly been 
 frequented by foreigners. There the shops were gayer and more 
 richly supplied; and the vertical shop-signs, gorgeously emblazon¬ 
 ed in fantastic characters, were more numerous and striking to 
 the stranger’s eye. 
 
 The factories themselves were a heap of ruins; the only spot 
 which could vie with their former site, as a scene of desolation, 
 was Yeh’s yamun, right in the line of the Cruiser’s fire. The guns 
 of that ship had effectually demolished the residence of the im¬ 
 perial commissioner. The street of triumphal arches, in a line be¬ 
 yond it, had also unfortunately suffered; many valuable book¬ 
 shops had been destroyed, and four of the arches leveled. The 
 same number, however, still remain; they are massively construct¬ 
 ed of carved granite, and covered with inscriptions. Though of 
 elegant design and workmanship, they are not comparable to those 
 which span the streets of Ningpo. The joss-houses at Canton were 
 not remarkable for beauty of architectural design or ornament. 
 The handsomest was near the northeast angle of the wall; the ex¬ 
 terior was elaborately adorned with carved groups in relief over 
 the principal entrance, and under the quaint turned-up eaves the 
 figures were gaudily colored, and reflected in looking-glasses let 
 
FUTURE PUNISHMENTS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 121 
 
 into the frame-work which supported them. Many of the larger 
 figures in these joss-houses had been overturned, as a popular no¬ 
 tion prevailed among the soldiers, which was not altogether with¬ 
 out foundation, that within the portly persons of these deities 
 treasure was often concealed. 
 
 Others of the joss-houses were more particularly dedicated to 
 what is vulgarly known as “ Sing-sing joss-pigeon.” A favorite 
 lounge of the idler part of the population was the spacious court 
 of one of these, situated close to the treasurer’s yamun. Here 
 “ mendici , mimoe , balatrones , hoc genus omne ,” collected daily; gam¬ 
 bling, fortune-telling, eating, and tom-toming went on perpetual¬ 
 ly; and public story-tellers kept gaping crowds entranced with 
 the thrilling interest of their narrations, which were delivered 
 with great volubility, accompanied by considerable play of feature, 
 and with a loud, clear intonation. By way of a cheerful subject 
 of contemplation for the public who frequented this haunt of ex¬ 
 citement, the tortures of the damned were exhibited in recesses all 
 round the court-yard. Clay figures, about three feet high, like 
 those of terra-cotta to be seen in Italy, were represented in vari¬ 
 ous attitudes inflicting or submitting to the most horrid penalties; 
 men were being sewn up alive in raw bullock skins, women sawn 
 asunder, and whole families were being stirred about as they sim¬ 
 mered in huge caldrons. The tormentors invariably wore an ex¬ 
 pression of countenance indicative of placid enjoyment, while the 
 faces of their victims, distorted with agony, were vividly portray¬ 
 ed. Altogether the tableaux were worthy of the most lively in¬ 
 quisitorial imagination. 
 
 During the first week of the occupation, bodies of men were 
 marched through the different quarters of the city as patrols: it 
 was found, however, that this served rather to alarm than to reas¬ 
 sure the population ; while a lawless rabble, following close in rear, 
 took advantage of the confusion created to shoplift with a dexter¬ 
 ity worthy of the swell-mob. An allied police was therefore sub¬ 
 stituted for these patrols, composed partly of Chinese and partly 
 of English or French. Natives and foreigners were alike amused 
 to observe a file of marines walking amicably side-by-side with a 
 file of Chinamen, the one headed by a sergeant, and the other by a 
 petty mandarin, gracefully fanning himself. This scheme proved 
 eminently successful: European offenders were brought up and 
 punished by the tribunal; while Pihkwei bastinadoed his own 
 
122 
 
 PIHKWEI’S PROCLAMATIONS. 
 
 countrymen with an unsparing vehemence, to prove his desire of 
 cordial co-operation. The experiment of a naval alliance for the 
 suppression of piracy did not turn out so happily, the Mandarin 
 junks taking the first opportunity, by escaping into the creeks, to 
 dissolve the connection. As, in the course of his explorations, 
 Mr. Parkes discovered some proclamations intended to inflame the 
 population against foreigners, which evil-disposed persons were 
 beginning to post up extensively, Pihkwei was ordered to issue 
 notices to the head men of the districts, making them responsible 
 for insulting or incendiary proclamations. The system of respon¬ 
 sibility thus introduced is thoroughly in accordance with the Chi¬ 
 nese plan of government. It was that pursued in the government 
 of Canton with perfect success : it served the two-fold purpose of 
 keeping Pihkwei constantly in check, and of proving to the inhab¬ 
 itants the absolute supremacy of our power. 
 
 Some of these proclamations were characteristic, and to the 
 minds of the Chinese readers sufficiently novel and startling, after 
 the inflammatory notices against foreigners to which they had 
 been accustomed. In one the authorities call the people to ac¬ 
 count for calling names: “Whereas,” they say, “the Canton peo¬ 
 ple have a habit, whenever they see a foreigner, of shouting out 
 ‘Fan-kwei/ and otherwise committing themselves, in utter viola¬ 
 tion of all rules of proper demeanor, and of the conduct that is due 
 from man to man, you forget that there is no distinction between 
 natives and foreigners; that foreigners are but as the people of 
 other provinces; and that there should be between you courteous 
 intercourse and mutual concession; that you should not intention¬ 
 ally show contempt for them or stand aloof from them:” then it 
 goes on to notice the practice of posting placards, and concludes 
 by stating that, “This is to signify to all you, the people, that 
 henceforth, when you meet foreigners in the streets, }'ou must be¬ 
 have to them civilly; you must neither use the term * fan-kwei/ 
 nor any other opprobrious expression. You are not either to 
 post placards containing any thing offensive to foreigners. We, 
 the authorities above mentioned, spare not to reiterate this caution 
 to you. We, at the same time, command all police and constables 
 to keep strict watch, and to seize those who transgress. If you 
 offend, you will be punished with the utmost severity. Do not, 
 therefore, pursue a course which you will repent when it is too 
 late. Do not disobey. A special notification.” Another procla- 
 
PIHKWEI’S DISPATCH ON TRADE. 
 
 123 
 
 rnation, concluding “Let every one tremble and obey,” was from 
 Pihkwei, commanding servants who bad left the service of Euro¬ 
 peans at Hong Kong in consequence of the pressure applied by 
 the government, to return to their masters. 
 
 Among those most anxious for the re-establishment of a settled 
 order of things was the celebrated Chinese merchant Howqua, 
 who, in the fullness of his desire for conciliation, invited some of 
 us to luncheon with him one afternoon. His house in the sub¬ 
 urbs had remained uninjured during the troubles, and was taste¬ 
 fully but plainly furnished: he explained, however, that he pos¬ 
 sessed another handsomer residence. W e met here a blue-button 
 mandarin and an ex-j udge from the province of Sz’chuen. The 
 latter was an enlightened man, and said that Yeh had only re¬ 
 ceived what he deserved. Howqua regaled us with some de¬ 
 licious tea, of course without milk or sugar, and we afterward sat 
 down to a light repast of preserves and fruits, our host doing the 
 honors with much courtesy and good-breeding. 
 
 But the Chinese merchants of Canton were not the only per¬ 
 sons desirous of seeing commerce resumed. Most singular to 
 state, Pihkwei wrote to Lord Elgin upon the same subject as fol¬ 
 lows :* “ Still it is, without doubt, essential that, so far as trade is 
 concerned, no time should be lost. By every day that the open¬ 
 ing of the port is accelerated, by so much is the restoration of 
 public confidence accelerated, not only in the minds of the Chi¬ 
 nese, but in the minds of the merchants in every nation as well. 
 The conditions of trade would probably be in accordance with 
 the old regulations under which imports and exports were enter¬ 
 ed and inspected, and the duties on them paid. Your excellency 
 is, of course, thoroughly conversant with these. I would add 
 that, from the ninth moon of last year to the present time, a 
 twelvemonth and more, the mercantile communities of both our 
 nations have been subjected to loss. The eagerness with which 
 merchants will devote themselves to gain, if the trade be now 
 thrown well open, will increase manifold the good understanding 
 between our nations, and the step will thus, at the same time, en¬ 
 hance your excellency’s reputation.” 
 
 Those who are familiar with the normal state of our relations 
 with Chinese mandarins at Canton will appreciate the change 
 which must have been operated upon them when the governor 
 
 * Blue-Book, 24th of January, 1858. 
 
124 
 
 PROPOSAL TO RAISE THE BLOCKADE. 
 
 I 
 
 of the city approaches a British minister as a suppliant for the re¬ 
 establishment of that trade, in the prosecution of which it has 
 been the policy of England so often to humiliate itself before 
 China. 
 
 The allied plenipotentiaries were not unwilling to respond to 
 this appeal. It was indeed true that fifteen months had already 
 elapsed since the unfortunate incident occurred wich led to an in¬ 
 terruption of our commercial relations with Canton; the unsatis¬ 
 factory state in which they had subsequently for some time re¬ 
 mained ultimately resulted in the so-called blockade, which was 
 established during Lord Elgin’s absence in India. The embassa¬ 
 dors were anxious to effect the speedy removal of this restriction, 
 partly because, in the then state of our commercial relations with 
 the other ports of China, its very existence was anomalous, and 
 partly because the resumption of trade was the most effectual way 
 of restoring that confidence to the population of Canton, on the 
 establishment of which their policy in some measure depended. 
 
 The naval authorities thoroughly concurred with them in this 
 desire, and were no less anxious to put an end to a blockade 
 which, while it tended to exercise a demoralizing influence upon 
 the class of vessels specially employed in enforcing it, had failed 
 in the object it was designed to accomplish. Instead of prevent¬ 
 ing all trade with Canton, it had simply diverted it to the Broad¬ 
 way and other channels not guarded by our cruisers. Thus it 
 was both ineffectual and illegal; a circumstance which fortunate¬ 
 ly it did not occur to any neutral power to complain of. 
 
 The accomplishment of so important a measure involved a new 
 set of considerations, and it behooved the embassadors to prepare 
 for the contingencies which were likely to arise under the altered 
 conditions of the situation. 
 
 / 
 
DIPLOMACY IN CHINA. 
 
 125 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Diplomacy in China.—Policy of the neutral Powers.—Proposed Expedition to the 
 North.—Opinion of Count Poutiatine.—Proclamation raising Blockade.—Putin- 
 qua’s Gardens.—River Scenes.—Lord Elgin’s Visit to the Prisons.—State of the 
 Prisoners.—Fate of Yeh.—Lord Elgin’s Letter to Yu.—Departure for Shanghai. 
 —Amoy.—Arrival at Shanghai.—Departure for Soo-chow.—Facilities of Water- 
 communication.—Canal Scenes.—State of the Population.—Mr. Maclane’s Visit 
 to Soo-chow.—Boat-life on the Canals. 
 
 The position which the Chinese Empire has hitherto occupied 
 with reference to the rest of the world has always invested the 
 conduct of diplomatic relations in that country with peculiar dif¬ 
 ficulties. Hot only are questions of the most exceptional char¬ 
 acter constantly arising with the imperial government, but out of 
 them are often evolved complications in our intercourse with 
 other European nations, which have no analogy elsewhere, and 
 are unprovided for by any principle of international law. 
 
 Thus the capture of one city in an empire, while we were trad¬ 
 ing peaceably at others, was not a more abnormal proceeding than 
 the reopening to the commerce of other nations a port of which 
 we retained military possession, and governed under martial law. 
 Yet it was manifestly a condition of things out of which interna¬ 
 tional difficulties might easily spring, more especially if there 
 should chance to be any disposition to create them. Ho doubt 
 we confined ourselves to a strictly military occupation of the city; 
 the custom duties were to be collected by Chinese officials, and 
 paid into the Chinese treasury; still foreigners were not on the 
 same footing here as at other towns in the empire, and, within 
 certain limits, placed themselves within the somewhat arbitrary 
 jurisdiction of martial law. 
 
 The suspension of diplomatic relations with the Imperial Com¬ 
 missioner Yeh, which had taken place in the autumn of 1856, had 
 necessarily caused serious interruption to the commercial inter¬ 
 course of other nations at Canton; but so unanimous was the de¬ 
 sire on their part to take advantage of the opportunity then af¬ 
 forded of renewing relations with the Chinese government under 
 other and more favorable conditions, that France, Russia, and 
 
126 
 
 PROPOSED EXPEDITION TO TIIE NORTH. 
 
 America sent out plenipotentiaries, whose very arrival in China, 
 if it did not imply a tacit approval of our ground of quarrel, at 
 all events evinced a determination to make it available for the 
 attainment of the objects they desired. 
 
 So far as France was concerned, she had her own grievance, 
 and her policy was laid down without any attempt at mystery. 
 With Russia and America, however, the case was different. Not 
 conceiving themselves entitled to the attitude of belligerents, they 
 Avere driven, during the progress of hostilities, into a false posi¬ 
 tion, from which the restoration of peace could alone relieve them. 
 They were, however, so far fortunately placed that under no cir¬ 
 cumstances could they be losers by a quarrel in which they were 
 not involved, while they might derive equal advantages from its 
 results with those who Avere. As it had never been the policy 
 of England to attempt to monopolize those advantages, and as a 
 united pressure might more probably extort, without recourse to 
 arms, those demands which the four nations Avere preferring in 
 common, the time seemed to have come, in the opinion of Lord 
 Elgin and Baron Guos, to invite the co-operation of the neutral 
 powers, and thus not only to increase the moral pressure, but to 
 avoid the chance of those difficulties, to which I have already al¬ 
 luded, being raised. 
 
 The plan of operations which Lord Elgin had proposed for him¬ 
 self, in the prosecution of his policy, was to proceed in the first 
 instance to Shanghai, and to invite a properly accredited minister 
 to meet him there for the settlement of all questions in dispute be¬ 
 tween the two countries. Shanghai being at a considerable dis¬ 
 tance from the capital, and being, moreover, the place where the 
 relations between foreigners and Chinese were of the most friend¬ 
 ly character, Lord Elgin considered this proposal the most con¬ 
 ciliatory which it was in his power to make. In the event of his 
 not being so met, his intention was to push northward without 
 delay, for the purpose of approaching Pekin as nearly as was 
 practicable, with gun-boats of the lightest draught. This scheme 
 he had already discussed with Count Poutiatine, whose local 
 knowledge was of great assistance (see Blue-Book, 14th of No¬ 
 vember, 1857, the Earl of Elgin to the Earl of Clarendon), in 
 which his excellency says: u Count Poutiatine was very decided 
 in the expression of his opinion that nothing could be done with 
 the Chinese government unless pressure were brought to bear 
 
OPINION OF COUNT POUTIATINE. 
 
 127 
 
 upon Pekin itself, and that tlie use of vessels drawing so little 
 water that they could navigate the Peilio would be the best means 
 of making such pressure effective. The mandarins on the spot, 
 if I rightly understood him, had, in conversation with him, ad¬ 
 verted with exultation to the fact that our ships of war could not 
 perform this feat. I told him that we were pretty strong in craft 
 of the description to which he referred; that we had, as he no 
 doubt knew, a quarrel of our own in this neighborhood, but that, 
 when that affair was concluded, we should be prepared to go 
 northward in force, and very glad to be accompanied by the flags 
 of other nations interested with us in extending commercial rela¬ 
 tions with China, and inducing that court to abate its absurd pre¬ 
 tensions to superiority.” 
 
 In furtherance of these views, Lord Elgin shortly afterward ad¬ 
 dressed a communication to the admiral, requesting him to dis¬ 
 patch the lightest draught gun-boats to the north for the purpose 
 of “bringing pressure to bear at some point near the capital.”* 
 
 Meantime, in answer to communications addressed to Mr. Reed 
 and Count Poutiatine, those gentlemen at once cordially accepted 
 the invitation to unite with France and England in the projected 
 expedition to the north, and, either at Shanghai or at a point 
 nearer the capital, press their common demands jointly on the 
 cabinet of Pekin. It only remained now to issue a proclamation 
 announcing the raising of the blockade, and to make the necessary 
 arrangements for the reopening of trade. As Lord Elgin and 
 Baron Gros did not participate in the general opinion that this 
 measure was premature, or believe in the almost universal predic¬ 
 tion that the raising of the blockade would not be the signal of 
 the renewal of foreign trade, they determined to name the earliest 
 day possible for the experiment. It was settled that the consular 
 flags should be hoisted, and the customs levied by Chinese officers 
 at Whampoa; while Canton itself, and its immediate suburbs, with 
 the exception of Honan, should remain under martial law, and 
 only be entered by Europeans under passports containing certain 
 printed restrictions, to be granted by the allied naval and military 
 authorities. 
 
 On the 6tli of February a notification was published by the al¬ 
 lied commanders-in-chief, announcing the raising of the blockade, 
 and the nomination by them of the mixed commission already 
 * Blue-Book, the Earl of Elgin to Admiral Seymour, 2d of March, 1858. 
 
128 
 
 KAISING BLOCKADE.—FATEE GAKDENS. 
 
 mentioned, and consisting of Colonel Holloway, Captain Marti- 
 neau, and Mr. Parkes, to preserve good order, and to inquire into 
 infractions of their regulations, or of martial law, etc. And on 
 the same day a farther notification was issued by the plenipoten¬ 
 tiaries, declaring “ that the city and suburbs will continue in mili¬ 
 tary occupation, and under martial law, until farther notice, but 
 that hostile operations against China, except such as the com¬ 
 manders-in-chief of the allied forces may consider it necessary to 
 adopt for the security of their military position in Canton, are for 
 the present suspended. With the exception of what was implied 
 by the necessary clause announcing the suspension of our hostili¬ 
 ties with China generally, no restriction whatever was placed upon 
 the action of the allied commanders-in-chief, upon whom alone 
 rested the responsibility of dealing with braves or disaffected pop¬ 
 ulace as they should deem most expedient. 
 
 The 10th of February was the May fixed for the raising of the 
 blockade ; and although, in consequence of the Chinese New Year, 
 and the festivities incidental to it, the reopening of trade was de¬ 
 layed for some weeks, the extent to which it increased within the 
 next few months, and the fact that about one third of the exports 
 were paid for in British goods, fully justified the plenipotentiaries 
 in their view of the expediency of the measure. 
 
 We had now spent two months in the Canton Biver, and had ex¬ 
 hausted the attractions of its banks and the resources of Canton. 
 We had visited the Fatee Gardens, situated in a creek crowded 
 with the boats which had taken refuge there on our occupation. 
 Here box-trees were cut in the shapes of animals or dragons; 
 young bamboos were fantastically twisted; gaudy and sweet- 
 scented flowers bloomed in rows of pots; quaint little bridges led 
 over pools, the water of which was hidden by broad-leaved lan¬ 
 guid lilies; and grotesque pavilions surmounted rocky islets. All 
 Chinese gardens partake of much the same character. About four 
 miles from Canton is the country house of Putinqua, deserted by 
 its owner on the occasion of our visit, but very singular in its ar¬ 
 rangement to European eyes. A tall white pagoda, situated on a 
 rocky island, affords a bird’s-eye view of several acres of water 
 surrounded by a wall, with here and there islands and bridges, 
 and pathways leading to them, paved and covered in with trellis- 
 work, and overrun with creepers, and in the centre of all the man¬ 
 sion of the owner, built on piles in the water, with drawbridges 
 
RIVER SCENES. 
 
 129 
 
 communicating with, the bedrooms, and canals instead of passages. 
 It was the principle of Yenice applied to a single residence. 
 
 As it was not safe to walk into the country for any distance, our 
 explorations in the neighborhood of our anchorage were necessa¬ 
 rily limited. Sometimes we visited the handsome nine-storied 
 pagoda, which, from being slightly out of the perpendicular, is 
 known as the inclined pagoda, about a mile distant; at others ex¬ 
 plored in a light boat the narrow creeks in the vicinity, where 
 extensive villages of junks and sampans lay concealed between 
 banks cultivated with rice and water-chestnuts. The very exist¬ 
 ence of a vast population within a short range of our ship was 
 totally unsuspected; some of these creeks were already bridged 
 by rows of houses built over them on piles, the whole presenting 
 a quaint and novel appearance. As these villages contained a 
 lawless and desperate population, who in a great measure depend¬ 
 ed for their livelihood upon river piracy, a distant walk involved 
 a large party and revolvers. One day we captured a gang of 
 eight of these plunderers rifling one of the Chinese bum-boats at¬ 
 tached to the ships; they were kept in irons all night, and sent to 
 Pihkwei next morning. 
 
 On another occasion we observed a portion of the population 
 of a village turn out in pursuit of a gang who were escaping in a 
 boat they had evidently stolen. The chase was a most exciting- 
 one, but, unfortunately, night closed in before we saw its results. 
 Some of the gentlemen attached to the French embassy wer& at¬ 
 tacked one evening in a sampan, and found it necessary to shoot 
 one or two of their assailants with revolvers. Under these cir¬ 
 cumstances, expeditions, either afloat or ashore, were always in¬ 
 vested with a tinge of excitement, which relieved the monotony 
 of the occupation. For a few clays we were employed in blowing- 
 up a monster brass gun, which had been left in one of the barrier 
 forts taken by the Americans. They had endeavored to remove 
 this prize in vain, so it became our perquisite. A remarkable 
 specimen of Chinese workmanship, it measured twenty-five feet in 
 length, and more than five feet across the breech. 
 
 One of the most interesting incidents which occurred about this 
 time at Canton was the discovery, by Lord Elgin, of the public 
 prisons, and the horrors which were disclosed induced him to re¬ 
 monstrate strongly with Pihkwei on the subject. The old man¬ 
 darin was more roused by this act of interference on our part 
 
 I 
 
130 
 
 LORD ELGIN’S VISIT TO THE PRISONS. 
 
 than by the capture of the city, and, in a letter he addressed to 
 Lord Elgin, makes an indignant appeal to his excellency’s “en¬ 
 lightenment and rectitude,” etc. “Would your excellency,” he 
 asks, “hold it correct, or not, were I, for instance, without giving 
 you information, to desire any one to remove, by force, British 
 prisoners confined in a British jail?” and he concludes pathetic¬ 
 ally, “ I am not a man greedy of life, and, sooner than be thus un¬ 
 reasonably oppressed, I would gladly give my life to the state. 
 The matter is of great importance; and I write that your excel¬ 
 lency may, when you have considered it, inform me without loss 
 of time of the course to be followed. I avail myself of the occa¬ 
 sion to wish your excellency the blessings of the season.” * 
 
 But old Pihkwei was not so unreasonably oppressed as the 
 wretched victims of Chinese legislation. Their condition has 
 been graphically described by Mr. Cooke, who was present at 
 their discovery. Pihkwei was therefore informed that, in spite 
 of his sensitive feelings on the point, he must take the unhappy 
 beings into a room in his yamun, where I first saw them, wan 
 and emaciated, but slowly recovering under medical treatment; 
 in return for which, their countenances expressed gratitude more 
 strongly*than I had supposed possible in a Chinese physiognomy. 
 One boy had been so tightly bound in a squatting position that 
 he was unable to assume any other, while several of the men’s 
 legs and feet were a mass of bruises and ulcers, the effect of se¬ 
 vere bastinadoing. 
 
 On the 7th of February the 70th native regiment of Bengal in¬ 
 fantry landed. They were the first-fruits of our trip to Calcutta; 
 but at Canton their arrival was inaugurated by an unfortunate 
 accident which occurred the same day, partly owing to their ig¬ 
 norance of the regulations, and partly to the impetuosity of a 
 French patrol, which fired upon some stragglers engaged in col¬ 
 lecting firewood and looking for cooking utensils, and shot three 
 men. The arrival of this regiment was most opportune; it was 
 followed at a later period of the year by the 47th and 65th, also 
 from Bengal, an accession of force which enabled the general to 
 detach the 59th “Queen’s” to the north at a critical point in the 
 negotiations. Meantime, ever since his capture, Yeh had remain¬ 
 ed a prisoner on board the “Inflexible” at the Bogue Forts. As 
 his presence so near the scene of his exploits was supposed to 
 * Blue-Book, 17th of January, Pihkwei to Earl of Elgin. 
 
131 
 
 FATE OF YEH.—LORD ELGIN’S LETTER TO YU. 
 
 * 
 
 exercise a disturbing influence upon the minds of the Chinese 
 population, and as a useful ship was kept unemployed while serv¬ 
 ing as his prison, it was decided that he should be sent to Cal¬ 
 cutta, where government were in the habit of accommodating po¬ 
 litical state prisoners. Until he was informed of his fate he seem¬ 
 ed never thoroughly to have realized the fact that he was our 
 prisoner, and had constantly expressed his astonishment at Lord 
 Elgin’s absence, and the postponement of those negotiations to 
 conduct which he professed was his object in living on board the 
 “Inflexible.” He manifested not the slightest emotion, however, 
 on learning his destination, and expressed himself entirely satis¬ 
 fied with any arrangement that was come to in his regard. 
 
 Meantime the four powers, acting in concert, had decided on 
 addressing a communication to Pekin, demanding a plenipoten¬ 
 tiary possessing full powers to treat on the several points speci¬ 
 fied in their letters, to be sent to Shanghai, which was named as 
 the place of negotiation in the first instance. In the event of an 
 imperial commissioner not being sent there before the end of 
 March, the allied embassadors declared it to be their intention to 
 proceed to some point nearer the capital, with the view of placing 
 themselves more directly in communication with the high officers 
 of the Chinese government. 
 
 Lord Elgin’s letter was addressed to Yu, the senior Secretary 
 of State. It inclosed copies of the correspondence which had 
 taken place with the imperial commissioner; explained the pres¬ 
 ent position of affairs at Canton as resulting from the conduct of 
 that functionary; announced the intention of the allied powers to 
 continue the occupation until those demands which we had re¬ 
 served to ourselves the right to make, under the altered attitude 
 of affairs, had been satisfied; adverted in general terms to the na¬ 
 ture of those demands, as having for their object the placing of 
 our relations on a safer and more satisfactory basis. A resident 
 minister at or near the court, a more extended intercourse through¬ 
 out the country, were the principal points insisted upon in addi¬ 
 tion to those claims for indemnity, to which we already consider¬ 
 ed ourselves entitled. The letter concluded by stating that, in 
 the event of no plenipotentiary presenting himself, or presenting 
 himself without sufficient powers, or proving unwilling to accede 
 to reasonable terms of accommodation, the British plenipotentiary 
 “ reserves to himself the right of having recourse, without farther 
 
132 
 
 DEPARTURE FOR SHANGHAI.—AMOY. 
 
 announcement, delay, or declaration of hostilities, to such meas¬ 
 ures in vindication of the claims of his country on China as in his 
 judgment it may appear advisable to adopt.” 
 
 This letter was dated the 11th of February, or the day after the 
 raising of the blockade; and on the following morning I left Can¬ 
 ton in company with the Vicomte de Contades, the bearer of the 
 French note, for Shanghai, for the purpose of having it forwarded 
 with the least possible delay from that point to the capital. The 
 American and Russian notes were dispatched by U. S. frigate Mis¬ 
 sissippi about the same time. 
 
 If the reader is only as tired of Canton and its neighborhood 
 as we were, I shall have the less scruple in requesting him to ac¬ 
 company me to the north, more especially as no event of political 
 interest occurred during the few weeks which formed the remain¬ 
 der of Lord Elgin’s stay in the south, and my own journey term¬ 
 inated in a manner far more interesting than I could have antici¬ 
 pated. 
 
 We reached Amoy in the Peninsular and Oriental Company’s 
 steamer Formosa on the morning of the 16th. Though only here 
 for a few hours, we saw enough of Amoy to reconcile us to a 
 speedy departure. A walk to the British consulate led us 
 through the centre of the town, along streets narrower and more 
 filthy than those of Canton, crowded as it so happened with a 
 gayly dressed population, engaged in feasting and visiting at one 
 another’s houses, and celebrating the new year. Children swad¬ 
 dled in finery were borne about like bambinos, their mothers re¬ 
 splendent in gaudy petticoats, glittering hoofs, faces powdered 
 white, and hair bedizened with flowers of brilliant hues. Numer¬ 
 ous toy-shops displayed, in tempting array, their fantastic con¬ 
 tents, and the population seemed given over to merry-making. 
 The British consulate is a handsome residence, situated under the 
 walls of the citadel, through which we afterward walked, the Chi¬ 
 nese guard betraying little interest or curiosity. The island of 
 Amoy is a rocky barren spot, unattractive in a picturesque point 
 of view, and owing its importance chiefly to the trade in tropical 
 produce which it maintains with Singapore and the Straits. A 
 good deal of sugar is also imported here from Formosa, and it 
 has hitherto enjoyed the unenviable distinction of being the chief 
 port of coolie emigration (so called) to Cuba and the West In¬ 
 dies. 
 
ARRIVAL AT SHANGHAI. 
 
 133 
 
 At daylight on the morning of the 20th we found ourselves in 
 the muddy waters of the Yang-tse-Kiang, though out of sight of 
 land, and reached Woosung the same afternoon. This is simply 
 an opium station, and the European population is composed of 
 the occupants of receiving-ships. It is only twelve miles from 
 here to Shanghai. The banks of the river are flat. Farm-houses 
 
 S 
 
 bfl 
 
 § 
 
 02 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 £ 
 
 o 
 
 are situated in clumps of trees, leafless at this time of year, and 
 surrounded by meadows; and the whole aspect of the country 
 very much resembles some parts of Holland. The wind was bit¬ 
 terly cold; but the piercing blast, so far from being disagreeable, 
 produced a most exhilarating effect upon systems more or less 
 enervated by tropical heats. 
 
 That night we once more occupied the bedrooms of civiliza¬ 
 tion, and reveled in the luxuries of carpets and curtains, crack¬ 
 ling fires and warm blankets. 
 
 We found that the Taoutai or Intendant of Shanghai, the high¬ 
 est Chinese official in that place, was absent on his annual New- 
 Year visit to his superior officers, the governor of the province 
 and the governor general of the Two Kiangs. As in his absence 
 there was no functionary of a sufficiently high rank to intrust 
 with the transmission of letters of such grave importance to the 
 capital, it became a matter for our consideration whether we 
 ought not to deliver them in person to Chaou, the Governor of 
 Kiangsu, to whom they were in the first instance addressed. This 
 high functionary resided at the celebrated city of Soo-chow, which, 
 since the occupation of Nankin by the rebels, has taken the rank 
 of the provincial city. 
 
134 
 
 DEPARTURE FOR SOO-CHOW. 
 
 The arrival of the Mississippi devolved upon us the charge of 
 the Russian and American notes, and, upon consultation with 
 Messrs. Robertson and Montigny, the English and French con¬ 
 suls, and the American Vice-consul, it was decided that we should 
 proceed thither without delay, accompanied by those gentlemen 
 and their respective interpreters. As Soo-chow had rarely been 
 visited by Europeans, and these generally only when disguised as 
 Chinamen, or concealed from observation in boats, the success of 
 our experiment was very doubtful. Thus much, however, was 
 certain, that if we were prevented from entering the city we 
 should be met by the governor outside the walls, as in the case 
 of the American commissioner, Mr. Maclane, on the occasion of 
 his visit in 1854. Mr. Lay, the Inspector of Customs at Shang¬ 
 hai, whose knowledge of the language and local experience ren¬ 
 dered him a most valuable addition to our party, also accompa¬ 
 nied us. 
 
 We left Shanghai on the afternoon of the 24th. As the jour¬ 
 ney was to be performed by water, and our party was a large one, 
 our seventeen boats formed quite a formidable fleet; and, as our 
 destination was not a mystery, a number of Chinese were collect¬ 
 ed to see us sfart on so novel an expedition. 
 
 The whole delta of the Yang-tse-Kiang is intersected in every 
 direction with water-communication, so that there were two ways 
 of reaching Soo-chow: as some of our boats were of a large 
 draught of water, we did not adopt the shortest and most com¬ 
 mon route, but continued for some distance up the River Wang- 
 poo, on which Shanghai is situated. This accidental circumstance 
 turned out the principal cause of our ultimate success. We an¬ 
 chored for the first night at a pagoda a few miles above Shanghai, 
 and observed a mandarin boat immediately moor in significant 
 proximity to us. We subsequently discovered that the suspi¬ 
 cions we entertained at the time were correct, and that our every 
 movement had been minutely recorded by a petty mandarin sent 
 to watch us. 
 
 On the following morning we proceeded up the river, our prog¬ 
 ress being somewhat retarded by the difficulty we found in keep¬ 
 ing our squadron together. The river was about a quarter of a 
 mile broad, the character of its banks remaining unchanged. 
 About midday we left it, and turned into a broad canal. Where 
 nature has provided such abundant water-communication, it is 
 
CANAL SCENES. 
 
 135 
 
 sometimes difficult to distinguish what is artificial from what is 
 natural; indeed, most of the channels are a combination of both. 
 No doubt it is in a great measure owing to the extraordinary fa¬ 
 cility which exists for the conveyance of produce in every direc¬ 
 tion that the traffic does not appear so extensive as it really is, 
 and as the density of the population would lead one to expect. 
 Still, although the canal on which we journeyed was in no degree 
 crowded, the sails of numbers of junks were visible above the 
 . level country, through which they seemed impelled by some mys¬ 
 terious and hidden influence. The population here is not so 
 much collected into large villages as in the south, but is scattered 
 over the country in farms and hamlets, imparting to the otherwise 
 uninteresting scenery that air of domestic comfort and civilization 
 which is more particularly the characteristic of Belgium and the 
 Low Countries. 
 
 Every where the population were industriously engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits; not an inch of ground seemed unculti vated, 
 not a resource neglected for increasing the fertility of the soil. 
 Men in boats were scooping the rich mud from the bottom of the 
 canals with primitive dredges made of basket-work, which opened 
 and shut on the principle of snuffers; and as they vomited their 
 contents into the bottom of the boat, they opened their wide jaws 
 like some river monster disgorging itself. This mud was dis¬ 
 charged into a receptacle for it on a level with the water, where 
 the bank had been excavated for the purpose. Half way up the 
 bank, one on each side of this hole, stood two persons, each hold¬ 
 ing the end of a rope, to the middle of which was attached a 
 bucket, which they ducked into the mud below, and then jerked 
 to the top of the bank, where it was received in troughs and car¬ 
 ried away to manure the fields. Such and many other novel 
 and ingenious contrivances we observed employed by the labor¬ 
 ers with whom the fields teemed, and who were so absorbed by 
 their occupation that nothing less exciting than the appearance of 
 a posse of barbarians would have interrupted their labors. One 
 could not help making the unenlightened and antiquated political 
 economical reflection that the introduction among them of Eu¬ 
 ropean enterprise and discoveries would be a doubtful boon to 
 persons who seemed to possess all the elements of material pros¬ 
 perity, and who so richly deserved whatever comforts they had ob¬ 
 tained by their industry and ingenuity. Of course it was impos- 
 
136 
 
 STATE OF THE POPULATION. 
 
 sible for the mere passer to do more than guess how far they en¬ 
 joyed substantial happiness, and how the system of government 
 under which they lived might affect their domestic comfort. I 
 have heard precisely opposite opinions expressed on the subject 
 by persons whose long residence in the country, and knowledge 
 of its language and government, entitled their authority to re¬ 
 spect. 
 
 According to my own observation, however, the condition of 
 the population varies as much in different parts of China as in the • 
 British dominions, and it would be as unfair to judge of the merits 
 of the government, or of the general state of the population of the 
 empire, by the people of Chili or Kiangsu, as it would be to form 
 any like general theory in our own country, one way or the other, 
 by the counties of Tipperary or Kent. 
 
 We passed numerous junks hying little yellow flags, to indicate 
 that they were loaded with their annual tribute of rice. These 
 junks were private, but pressed for the time into the service of 
 the government. Toward evening we reached and crossed the 
 Lake of Meaou, a shallow sheet of water, but of considerable ex¬ 
 tent. The opposite shore was not visible from the point at which 
 we entered. 
 
 We continued our voyage during the greater part of the night, 
 and observed strings of lanterns hoisted upon poles, which we 
 supposed to be signals of our progress. Next morning I was told 
 that a mandarin had been on board the boat of the American 
 Vice-consul, and informed him that the governor Chaou was wait¬ 
 ing for us at the village of Kwan-shan, upon the other route from 
 Shanghai, where he had held his interview with Mr. Maclane, the 
 plenipotentiary of the United States. This was a piece of inform¬ 
 ation which we were determined to ignore, as it proved the exist¬ 
 ence of a strong desire on the part of the authorities to prevent 
 our entering Soo-chow, and of binding us by the same precedent 
 (which we had determined, if possible, to break through) on which 
 they had insisted in the case of the American minister. Some 
 light has been thrown on this event by the papers seized in Yeh’s 
 yamun at Canton. Among them is the memorial of Iliang, Gov¬ 
 ernor General of the Two Kiangs, upon the subject of his interview 
 with Mr. Maclane at Kwan-shan, in which that functionary states 
 that, in reply to Mr. Maclane’s request to be allowed to deliver a 
 letter in person, he wrote as follows: “If the chief (Maclane) de- 
 
BOAT-LIFE ON THE CANALS. 
 
 137 
 
 sired to present a letter from liis government in person, lie should 
 follow the precedent furnished last year in the case of Marshall— 
 hasten back to Shanghai, and there wait till Wu-kien-chang should 
 bring him to Kwan-shan to introduce him. In obedient accord¬ 
 ance with the above reply, the chief did presently turn back, and 
 having transferred himself to a native vessel, was brought, on the 
 25th of the 5th moon, to Kwan-shan by Wu-kien-chang. Your 
 slave, having with him Ping-han, the acting Prefect of Soo-chow, 
 for long employed in that department, and thoroughly versed in 
 business, had started from Soo-chow on the 24th, and also arriving 
 at Kwan-shan on the 25th, on the following day assembled the of¬ 
 ficials present in the public hall of Kwan-shan, and summoned the 
 chief to come forward and pay his respects. The chief’s manner, 
 it must be admitted, was reverential,” etc., etc. Then follows a 
 detailed account of the audience, and the arguments used by Iliang 
 to dissuade Mr. Maclane from visiting the Peiho. 
 
 Having been favored by fair winds, we made good progress. 
 Most of our boats sailed admirably, the tall masts giving our 
 enormous flat sails such an elevation that we glided rapidly 
 through the water under the influence of light airs. The weath¬ 
 er was lovely. In the early morning a thick hoar-frost covered 
 the fields; at midday it was pleasant to sit on the deck and bask 
 in the sunshine; and at night, to retire into the snug cabin, stir 
 the coal fire in the stove into a bright glow, and enjoy our cigars 
 together after dinner, preparatory to separating for the night to 
 our respective boats. We usually stopped for breakfast and din¬ 
 ner, and all met in a boat reserved expressly for a common din¬ 
 ing-room. I was indebted to my kind host at Shanghai, Mr. Mon- 
 creiff, for a most comfortable boat. Indeed, the circumstances 
 under which I made my first experiences of traveling in the in¬ 
 terior of China were calculated to impress me most favorably; 
 and, now that the whole of this vast continent is about to be 
 thrown open by treaty to European exploration, there can be lit¬ 
 tle doubt that the great facilities of transit which its net-work of 
 water-communication affords will be duly appreciated. Seldom, 
 indeed, does it fall to the lot of the adventurous traveler in an un¬ 
 known country to pursue the work of discovery surrounded by 
 so many of the appliances of comfort and civilization as he may 
 enjoy when engaged in the “ exploitation ” of the Celestial Empire. 
 
138 
 
 THE IMPERIAL GRAND CANAL. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The imperial Grand Canal.—Arrival at Soo-chow.—Entry of the City.—Curiosity 
 of the Populace.—Reception by the Governor.—A complimentary Dialogue.—A 
 Chinese official Repast.—Politeness of our Host.—Chinese Etiquette.—Political 
 Effect of our Visit.—Reasons against exploring the City.—Exploration of the 
 Water Suburb.—The Boat Population.—Manners and Customs of the People.— 
 A nocturnal Visitation.—The Tai-hoo Lake.—A Gale of Wind.—Residence at 
 Shanghai.—A Dinner with the Taoutai.—After-dinner Conversation.—Departure 
 for Ningpo.—Ningpo.—The Shops and Joss-houses.—The old Pagoda. 
 
 When day broke on tlie morning of the 26tli, it showed us the 
 walls and pagodas of Soo-chqw, distant about three miles. In 
 order to deprive the governor of the power of saying, at any fu¬ 
 ture time, that we had taken him by surprise, and slipped into 
 the town in an undignified manner, M. de Contades concurred 
 with me in deeming it prudent to write a joint letter to his excel¬ 
 lency, informing him of our proximity to Soo-chow, which we 
 followed in about two hours afterward. 
 
 We had entered the imperial grand canal during the night, and 
 were now proceeding along that once celebrated channel of the 
 internal commerce of the empire. Since the bursting of its banks 
 by the Yellow River, and the destruction in consequence of a 
 section of this canal, it has not been used for the last five years. 
 The vast supplies of grain which were annually conveyed along 
 it to the capital are now sent in sea-going junks from Shanghai, 
 and other ports of the Yang-tse-Kiang, round the promontory of 
 Shantung, and up the Peiho River. The expenses incidental to 
 the rebellion have prevented the government from spending any 
 money in repairing this magnificent work. The consequence is, 
 that the enormous imperial grain-junks formerly employed now 
 line the bank in a rotting condition. They are singular specimens 
 of naval architecture, of immense solidity, and capable of trans¬ 
 porting from two to three hundred tons of rice each. They look 
 like so many stranded arks going to decay: this is their inevi¬ 
 table destiny, as the profane vulgar are not allowed to touch im¬ 
 perial property. Their valuable timbers were crumbling and 
 worm-eaten, and, in some instances, their decks grass-grown. 
 
CURIOSITY OF THE POPULACE. 
 
 139 
 
 We lowered our tapering masts to pass under a very handsome 
 stone bridge, which spanned the canal in a single arch, and short¬ 
 ly after reached the southeast angle of the city wall. The view 
 from this point was very remarkable. The city is built in the 
 shape of a perfect square, each side four miles in length. On two 
 sides the grand canal washes the walls, and on the other sides two 
 smaller canals complete the square. We were at the junction of 
 one of these with the grand canal, which extended before us, cov¬ 
 ered with boats and lined with houses, but at right angles to the 
 left no suburb interrupted our view of the four miles of canal and 
 wall which stretched in one unbroken line over the vast plain. 
 Here a messenger arrived, saying that the governor was on his 
 way to meet us, and suggesting that we should wait for him; but, 
 anxious to get inside the city walls, we pressed on, threading our 
 way in line along the densely thronged canal, and attracting to 
 its banks and the roofs of the houses crowds of eager spectators, 
 not accustomed to see British, French, and American flags flaunt¬ 
 ing impudently under their very windows. 
 
 We appeared so suddenly before the water-gate called “Foo- 
 mun” that the officials, had they wished it, would scarcely have 
 had time to shut it. However, they contented themselves with 
 making the most frantic gesticulations and expressive signs to us 
 to turn back; but we put on an air of the most obtuse stolidity, 
 and pushed vehemently on; my boat, which happened to be lead¬ 
 ing, carrying away in the hurry some of the grille which formed 
 part of the gate. Once in the city, we did not venture on an ex¬ 
 ploration of the lanes of water, which, like those of Venice, opened 
 up in divers directions, but moored at once in a retired spot under 
 the walls. We were not long, however, left in quiet. Almost 
 immediately a dense crowd collected on both sides of the canal, 
 deeply interested in the proceedings of the barbarians. When¬ 
 ever any of us moved from one boat to another, a general titter 
 of astonishment and curiosity was heard; but they manifested no 
 semblance of dislike or hostility toward us, and were infinitely 
 more respectable in their behavior than an English mob would 
 have been under similar circumstances. 
 
 We had not been long moored here before the a Foo,” a blue- 
 button mandarin, came with a message from the governor to Mr. 
 Lay, who was an old acquaintance of his, requesting to see him at 
 the west gate. In about two hours this gentleman returned with 
 
140 
 
 RECEPTION BY THE GOVERNOR. 
 
 the welcome intelligence that the governor would receive us at 
 his yamun in the centre of the city, and would immediately send 
 down chairs for us to a neighboring wharf. Accordingly, we pro¬ 
 ceeded, the same afternoon, to the appointed place, the whole party, 
 with the exception of M. de Contades and myself, being in uni¬ 
 form. We were received at the wharf by a guard of soldiers, and 
 were accompanied by them during our progress in chairs through 
 the city. We thus traversed a distance of about two miles. The 
 streets throughout were lined with spectators; the windows, house¬ 
 tops, and bridges were thronged with an eager and excited popu¬ 
 lace, who gazed with the most extraordinary earnestness at prob¬ 
 ably the first barbarians they had ever seen in their lives. So 
 rapt in contemplation of these unknown specimens of humanity 
 were they, that I did not even see them criticising us to one an¬ 
 other, much less did they manifest any signs of hostility or con¬ 
 tempt toward us. With mouths and eyes at utmost stretch, they 
 stared in perfect silence. I observed many women among the 
 crowd. Soo-chow is celebrated throughout China for the beauty 
 of its women, and certainly those I saw did not belie its reputa¬ 
 tion* In no other part of the empire have I seen such fair com¬ 
 plexions or regular features. In Canton the women are absolute¬ 
 ly hideous; in the north they may be good-looking, but it is very 
 difficult to catch a passing glimpse of them, so shy are they of bar¬ 
 barians ; but in Soo-chow they love both to see and be seen, and 
 with good reason. The Chinese proverb surely lacks wisdom 
 which says, “To be happy on earth, one must be born in Soo- 
 chow, live in Canton, and die in Liauchauwhich they explain 
 by saying that those born in Soo-chow are remarkable for person¬ 
 al beauty, those who live in Canton enjoy the richest luxuries of 
 life, and those who die in Liauchau easily obtain superior coffins 
 from the excellent forest-trees which are there abundant. 
 
 We were received at the yamun by the usual Chinese salute of 
 three guns, and passed through the several courts between rows 
 of soldiers and attendants, drawn up in line and dressed in a spe¬ 
 cies of livery. The governor met us with great politeness at the 
 door of the audience-hall, and seated M. de Contades and myself 
 on the raised estrade, which usually forms the centre of a semi¬ 
 circle of chairs on these occasions, and is considered the seat of 
 honor. The governor himself took a seat to our right, which, in 
 this land of ceremonies, was considered an additional compliment, 
 
A COMPLIMENTARY DIALOGUE. 
 
 141 
 
 inasmuch as the farther you are to the left of your host the more 
 highly honored is your position. Then follows an elaborate in¬ 
 terchange of compliments, when the visitor resigns himself entire¬ 
 ly to the good offices of the interpreter, who in all probability 
 throws them into somewhat the following shape. 
 
 English gentleman, who has never seen his Chinese host before, 
 expresses his pleasure at meeting him. 
 
 Interpreter. “ His excellency has long looked forward to this 
 day.” 
 
 Chinese Dignitary. “1 meet him now as an old friend, and re¬ 
 quest to know his honorable age.” 
 
 Int. “ His excellency has profitlessly passed — years.” 
 
 Chin. Dig. “The ears of his excellency are long, and betoken 
 great ability.” 
 
 Int. “ Ah ! oh! He is unworthy of the compliment.” 
 
 Chin. Dig. “You have had an arduous journey?” 
 
 Int. “ We deserved it.” 
 
 Chin. Dig. “ I trust your honorable health is good.” 
 
 Int. “ Relying on 3 ^ 0 ur happy auspices, his excellency’s health 
 is still robust.” 
 
 Int. “ The great emperor of your honorable nation, is he well ?” 
 
 Chin. Dig. “ He is well. The great sovereign of your honor¬ 
 able nation, is she well?” 
 
 Int. “ She is well. Ho the troublesome pests (rebels) still infest 
 the country ?” 
 
 Chin. Dig. “ The insects are being speedily exterminated.” 
 
 Such, I have little doubt, was the tone of conversation which 
 Mr. Meadows and Chaou kept up for a few minutes, until we went 
 on to inform his excellency that we were the bearers of notes for 
 the prime minister Yu from the four powers, which were of the 
 utmost importance, and which, we trusted, he would lose no time 
 in forwarding, as delay in their transmission might seriously com¬ 
 promise the interests of the empire. The covering dispatch to 
 himself he opened and read, a crowd of attendants collecting 
 round him and making themselves acquainted with its contents 
 over his shoulder. As we desired that the whole proceeding 
 should be invested with as much publicity as possible, this mode 
 of conducting business, though rather unusual in Western diplo¬ 
 macy, was quite in accordance with our wishes. 
 
 We were now conducted to a recess, and invited to partake of 
 
142 A CHINESE OFFICIAL REPAST.—POLITENESS OF OUR HOST. 
 
 an extensive display of fruits, pastry, and preserves, first, however, 
 being invited to uncover our heads by our host, who says, “Will 
 you elevate the cap?” On which he is answered, “We are be¬ 
 having in a scandalously outrageous manner; forgive our crime 
 by which we mean elegantly to apologize for the liberty we are 
 taking in sitting down bareheaded. Then we engage in general 
 conversation, in the course of which Chaou makes sundry inquiries 
 as to the condition of Canton, wishes to know whether we are go¬ 
 ing to kill Yeh, and when the embassadors are coming north. He 
 also, in true Chinese style, indulges in a little quiet irony at the 
 expense of us all, though ostensibly directed at our worthy consul, 
 Mr. Robertson, who, he says, must be glad of having such a good 
 opportunity of seeing the celebrated city of Soo-chow; but Mr. 
 Robertson protests that Chaou himself is the only sight worth 
 looking at. Certainly a man v[ko is governor of a province con¬ 
 taining thirty-eight millions of inhabitants, with a power of life 
 and death, is not an every-day individual, and yet he is only the 
 subordinate of the Governor General of the Two Kiangs, who, in 
 his turn, is a responsible officer. 
 
 Chaou was the best specimen of a Chinese gentleman I had yet 
 seen in China: nothing could be more dignified or courteous than 
 his manner, and this at a time when a most disagreeable commis¬ 
 sion had been confided to him. But a Chinaman has wonderful 
 command of feature; he generally looks most pleased when he 
 has least reason to be so, and maintains an expression of imper¬ 
 turbable politeness and amiability when he is secretly regretting 
 devoutly that he can not bastinado you to death. On this occa¬ 
 sion our accomplished host overwhelmed us with civilities, con¬ 
 structed pyramids of delicacies on our plates, and insisted on our 
 drinking a quantity of hot wine, obliging us to turn over our 
 glasses each time as a security against heel-taps. 
 
 Chaou’s yamun was a far handsomer residence than any simi¬ 
 lar official abode in Canton. The interior was invested with an 
 air of comfort unusual in China, the walls nicely papered, and the 
 floor carpeted. The whole establishment had been recently put 
 into good order, and was altogether a fit residence for so elevated 
 a functionary. 
 
 At last we “begged to take our leave,” and began violently to 
 “ tsing-tsing,” a ceremony which consists in clasping your hands 
 before your breast, and making a crouching baboon-like gesture. 
 
CHINESE ETIQUETTE. 
 
 143 
 
 It is the equivalent of shaking hands, only one.shakes one’s own 
 hands instead of another person’s, which may or not have its ad¬ 
 vantages : in China the custom of the country is the preferable 
 one. This is followed by a scene very like that which occurs on 
 similar occasions among ourselves. Our host insists upon follow¬ 
 ing us to our chairs. We remonstrate—“ Stop, stop, stop, we are 
 unworthy,” say we. u What language is this ?” he replies. “We 
 really are unworthy,” we reiterate. u You are in my house,” he 
 insists; and so we back to our chairs, perpetually imploring him 
 not to trouble himself by accompanying us, which he vehement¬ 
 ly resists, until at last, when we are in our chairs, he reluctantly 
 consents to return, apologizing to the last for being so rude as to 
 leave us even then. It is just possible that, under the circum¬ 
 stances, his satisfaction at getting quit of us had as much to do 
 with this “ empressement” as his sense of politeness. 
 
 It was dark when we returned to our boats; and so much had 
 happened to excite and interest, that, even had it not been, I was 
 not in a humor to engage in the work of accurate observation. 
 Our expedition had terminated, after a good deal of anxiety, in 
 complete success. For the first time in its history, barbarians had 
 made an official entry into Soo-chow, and we hoped that this re¬ 
 sult would not be without an important political effect. In a 
 country where every thing is established by precedent, a victory 
 had been gained over Chinese exclusiveness, which, in the exist¬ 
 ing state of our relations with the empire, might be significant of 
 a disposition to yield at last to that Western pressure which for 
 so many years has been so successfully resisted. So wonderfully 
 jealous are Chinese of foreigners entering their cities, that one of 
 the first requests made to us by Chaou was that we should leave 
 the city immediately after the interview, which we agreed to do. 
 
 Although it was late before we reached our boats, we determ¬ 
 ined to keep our faith, and shifted our berth to a wharf outside 
 the west gate, opposite a yamun at which we had invited Chaou 
 to breakfast with us on the following morning. This ceremony, 
 and all the forms of etiquette which it involved, took place at the 
 appointed hour; but there was an addition to the party in the 
 person of the Taoutai of Shanghai, who had just returned from a 
 fruitless expedition to Shanghai in search of us, by the short 
 route, for the purpose of meeting us, and so preventing our reach¬ 
 ing Soo-chow. We enjoyed a quiet laugh at his expense, and he 
 
144 
 
 EXPLORATION OF THE WATER SUBURB. 
 
 no doubt was firmly convinced that we bad designedly effected a 
 very clever strategic manoeuvre. We plied both our guests with 
 quantities of Champagne in return for the hot wine we had im¬ 
 bibed, at the peril of our constitutions, on the previous evening. 
 
 After breakfast we expressed ourselves satisfied with the re¬ 
 ceipts Chaou had sent us for the dispatches we had delivered to 
 him, and our guests got into their chairs amid a profusion of re¬ 
 grets and civil speeches. 
 
 Had we pressed the point, there can be little doubt that we 
 should have been allowed to visit the principal objects in the city 
 under favorable circumstances; but many reasons combined to 
 render this inexpedient at the time, and among them the justifi¬ 
 cation which it would have afforded to the governor’s insinuation 
 that we had taken advantage of a political mission to gratify an 
 idle curiosity; so, to our great disappointment, we deemed it best 
 to content ourselves with this transient glance of this interesting 
 city, famed as the birthplace of beauty, and the cradle of all that 
 is refined, elegant, and fashionable in the empire. We were even 
 unable, as we passed through the streets, to judge of the shops, so 
 dense was the crowd; and the only remarkable feature I could 
 catch in passing was the numerous canals intersecting it in every 
 direction, spanned, rialto fashion, by high single arches, and with 
 houses rising out of the water as in Venice. 
 
 I observe that Mr. Fortune has added as little to our previous 
 limited knowledge of Soo-chow as I have, but he is less excusa¬ 
 ble, as he seems to have resided there for some time in the dis¬ 
 guise of a Chinaman. That there is much interesting information 
 connected with this celebrated city may be inferred from the fact 
 that a Chinese work, called the Soo-chow-foo-chi, in forty octavo 
 volumes, is devoted to an accouut of its history, monuments, etc. 
 Chaou told us that he estimated the population at about three 
 millions. 
 
 As I was anxious to visit the large lake of Tai-hoo in the vi¬ 
 cinity of Soo-chow, I parted from my companions shortly after 
 breakfast. I regretted extremely that it was not in M. de Con- 
 tades’ power to accompany me, as I had found in that gentleman 
 not only a most agreeable companion, but a colleague whose en¬ 
 ergy and tact largely contributed to the successful issue of our 
 undertaking. He returned direct to Shanghai, while Mr. Lay and 
 I proceeded, in the first instance, to explore the principal water- 
 suburbs of the city. We followed the grand canal for about two 
 
THE BOAT POPULATION. 145 
 
 miles. As far as I could judge, its average breadth was about 100 
 yards, but it is somewhat difficult to form a very accurate estimate 
 on this subject, as the water is so concealed by boats, and the resi¬ 
 dences of the aquatic and terrestrial population so much resemble 
 one another, that it is not always easy to tell where the water 
 ends and the land begins. A narrow lane was kept clear for 
 traffic, and along it passed innumerable craft of every description. 
 There were as many different varieties of boats here as there are 
 of vehicles in Fleet Street, and the water-way was as inconven¬ 
 iently crowded as that celebrated thoroughfare usually is. Ferry¬ 
 boats plied as briskly and were as heavily loaded as omnibuses; 
 heavy cargo-boats lumbered along and got in every body’s way, 
 just as brewers’ drays do. Light tanka-boats, with one or two 
 passengers, and deftly worked by a single oar astern, cut in and 
 out like hansoms. And there were large passage-boats with ac¬ 
 commodation for travelers on long journeys, that plied regularly 
 between Soo-chow, Hang-chow, Chang-chow, and other distant 
 cities, and that created the same sort of sensation as they passed 
 as did the Brighton Age or Portsmouth Telegraph in days gone 
 by. Grentlemen’s private carriages were here represented by gor¬ 
 geous mandarin junks, with the huge umbrella on the top, and a 
 gong at the entrance to the cabin, beaten at intervals by calfless 
 flunkies. Other .junks there were, more gaudily painted even 
 than these, from whence issued shrill voices, and sounds of noisjr 
 laqghter and music. There was the costermonger in his humble 
 substitute for a donkey-cart, a small covered canoe, which looked 
 like a coffin, and in which he sat alone, forcing it speedily through 
 the water with a pair of oars, one of which he worked astern with 
 his hand, and the other at the side with his feet. The race of 
 scavengers lived in flat punts, and, scooping up the mud and rub¬ 
 bish from the bottom of the canal, discharged it into them, where 
 it was immediately examined by a number of ducks kept on board 
 for the purpose, who picked out all that was worth eating, and 
 what they rejected was then inspected by their owners for waifs 
 and strays that had been lost from junks, and then taken to fatten 
 the land. But the most curious appearance was presented by the 
 boats which carried the fishing* cormorants, solemnly perched in 
 successive rows on stages projecting from the sides; they looked 
 like a number of gentlemen in black on the platform at a meet¬ 
 ing of a grave and serious character. 
 
 K 
 
146 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE. 
 
 We liad passed round three sides of the city, and yet I was no 
 more tired of observing and watching the manners and customs 
 of the inhabitants than they were of observing mine. Nor, un¬ 
 fortunately, can I be sure that I am giving a more accurate de¬ 
 scription of them than they would of me; in a country like China, 
 the traveler can trust less to first impressions than in any other; 
 when nothing is superficial, a superficial survey can not be de¬ 
 pended upon. Every minute detail in their manners and habits 
 of life bears the stamp of antiquity, has had its origin in some 
 excellent reason, and possesses a special adaptability to the pur¬ 
 pose for which it is designed, which is not at first sight apprecia¬ 
 ble by an utter stranger. One gazes at a party of Chinamen at 
 work very much as one would at beavers or bees. Their results 
 are startling, and their mode of arriving at them defies imitation 
 by an ordinary mortal. , 
 
 Turning sharp out of the grand canal, we passed down a nar¬ 
 rower one, under high bridges, between tall houses with turned- 
 up eaves, and balconies full of people, and quaint gates and arch¬ 
 ways covered with moral inscriptions, and so into the open coun¬ 
 try, where our men jumped out upon the paved towing-path, and 
 dragged us rapidly between interminable green fields, stretching 
 
 Canal Scene near Soo-chow. 
 
A NOCTURNAL VISITATION. 
 
 147 
 
 to the horizon, except in the direction we were going, where a 
 range of low hills, purpled by the setting sun, gave promise of an 
 approach to the picturesque. We met numbers of other boats 
 being tracked in like manner, and passed under high single-arch¬ 
 ed bridges, like those the pictures of which first imbued our in¬ 
 fantine minds with notions of Chinese quaintness in the willow- 
 pattern plate. I only observed one which was of a different con¬ 
 struction in a town through which the canal passed: it consisted 
 of three arches, and on the middle one a building was erected 
 with a twisted roof, and crowds of people gazed at us from be¬ 
 neath it. We observed here the commencement of those fields 
 of mulberry-trees, which, extending throughout the departments 
 of Kiashing and Hoo-chow, render these the most celebrated silk- 
 producing districts in the province. 
 
 Just as we were going to bed we were aroused by shouts which 
 called us on deck to witness a most romantic sight: a full moon 
 was lighting up the silent water-ways of a picturesque old town, 
 full of bridges and gaunt houses; the canal was so narrow that we 
 had great difficulty in squeezing past the few boats already moor¬ 
 ed in it; from its edge rose houses three stories high, completely 
 shutting in dark mysterious lanes, which turned off in every di¬ 
 rection, allowing only here and there a gleam of silvery light to 
 play upon the surface of the water. The inhabitants, unused to 
 so late a visitation, peered curiously at us from their latticed win¬ 
 dows, and bright rays shot across our gloomy paths as one after 
 the other these were opened. The stream was strong against us, 
 * the street was a long one, and as there was no towing-path, it was 
 some time before we had punted through it, and were clear of the 
 long shadows of its lofty houses. We reached the edge of the 
 lake shortly after this, and anchored for the night. 
 
 The morning was still and foggy, and the shores of the lake 
 were concealed from us in almost every direction; we were five 
 hours sailing slowly across to a high projecting promontory, call¬ 
 ed Tung-ting-shan. Ascending the hill—for the day had cleared 
 —we had an extensive view: not far distant a high-wooded isl¬ 
 and seemed to float on the still surface of the lake, and beyond it 
 the blue outline of the mountains that formed the opposite shore 
 were dimly visible. At our feet, skirting the bay, lay the secluded 
 little village at which we had landed, embowered in trees, above 
 which curled wreaths of smoke; a spur of the promontory sepa- 
 
148 
 
 A GALE OF WIND. 
 
 rated it from another village which seemed the twin brother of 
 the first, so exactly did it resemble in situation and extent. We 
 descended into it, and were, of course, immediately surrounded by 
 the whole population. They were perfectly good-humored in 
 manner, and when we threw handfuls of copper cash among them, 
 the juvenile community indulged in a universal scramble, in which 
 some of the elders even condescended to join. I would gladly 
 have spent another day on the Tai-hoo, but was afraid of missing 
 the mail from Shanghai; so we returned in time to pass through 
 our old town of the night before by moonlight again, and here 
 diverged from our former route. 
 
 In the middle of the night I was disturbed by a violent shock, 
 to which I was indebted for a view of a famous bridge across an 
 expansion of the grand canal, mentioned by Mr. Ellis, in his ac- 
 acount of Lord Amherst’s Embassy, as having ninety arches. I 
 only counted fifty-three, and the moonlight was so bright that I 
 do not think I was mistaken in the number. The next day we 
 entered the Meaou Lake again, and crossed it with a fair wind, in 
 company with a large and picturesque fleet, which must have 
 been composed of some hundreds of junks. This breeze freshen¬ 
 ed into a gale the day after, and involved a tough beat down the 
 river to Shanghai. My canal-boat, so delightful in calm weather, 
 was by no means adapted for such an emergency: having no keel, 
 she was extremely crank, and whenever she went about, every 
 thing loose in the cabin fetched away; and, to crown all, when 
 they were jumbled in picturesque confusion on the floor, my 
 stove upset, and shot its contents of glowing coals into the middle 
 of them. As this was close to Shanghai, I narrowly escaped sig¬ 
 nalizing my return to that place by a grand conflagration. 
 
 I remained for ten days at Shanghai, enjoying the hospitality 
 of its merchant princes, and the invigorating effects of its bracing- 
 winter climate. Of all the spots upon the coast of the Celestial 
 Empire at which Europeans have established themselves, it is cer¬ 
 tainly the pleasantest as a residence. With a society almost as 
 numerous as Hong Kong, there is much agreeable social inter¬ 
 course, owing, no doubt, in a great measure, to the fact that it is the 
 Ultima Thule of civilization, and has not yet been forced into ex¬ 
 clusiveness by miscellaneous hordes making it a house of call; 
 while, as a foreign community in a distant land, it is not subject 
 to those political dissensions which so often distract our own colo- 
 
RESIDENCE AT SHANGHAI. 
 
 149 
 
 nies. There is, moreover, an air of substantial prosperity about 
 Shanghai, which occasionally expands into magnificence, and dis¬ 
 plays itself in palatial residences, and an expensive style of living; 
 but there is also, unhappily, a gloomy side to the picture, and 
 there are years when an unfortunately heavy venture in silk on 
 the part of the community results in a corresponding reduction 
 of crinoline. 
 
 Situated on the flat bank of the river, Shanghai owes none of 
 its charms to the picturesque; but the handsome houses which 
 line the shore for a distance of two miles give it an imposing ap¬ 
 pearance as approached from the sea. The English section of the 
 town, though not confined exclusively to British subjects, is the 
 largest. It lies between the French and American. Each of 
 these different quarters is inhabited by subjects of other countries. 
 The boundary of the French concession is the city wall. The city 
 is about three miles in circumference, and contains a population 
 of about 300,000. As all the Chinese towns of its class are so 
 like each other as to be almost undistinguishable, and have been 
 repeatedly described, I will only say of Shanghai that it is chiefly 
 celebrated for old China, inlaid copper, and other objects of “vir¬ 
 tu,” which it imports from Soo-chow to meet the European demand. 
 It has suffered a good deal from the occupation of the rebels, and 
 its once famous tea-gardens are now a mass of grotesque rock- 
 work and debris, but little frequented, and which, in their best 
 days, must have been rather quaint than pretty. 
 
 I was glad to have an opportunity at Shanghai of renewing my 
 acquaintance with the Taoutai, whom I found to be a person of 
 considerable intelligence and enlightenment. One day I dined 
 with him, and partook, not of a flimsy refection, such as those 
 usually offered on such occasions, but of a good substantial re¬ 
 past, beginning with bird’s-nest soup, followed by shark’s fins, 
 beche de mer , and other indescribable delicacies, as entrees , then 
 mutton and turkey, as pieces de resistance , carved at a side-table in 
 a civilized manner, and handed round cut up into mouthfuls, so 
 that the refined chopstick replaced throughout the rude knife and 
 fork of the West. We may certainly adopt with advantage the 
 more elegant custom of China in this respect; and as we have 
 ceased to carve the joints in dishes, make the next step in advance, 
 and no longer cut up slices of them in our plates. There, how¬ 
 ever, we might stop: the usage of stretching across the table, and 
 
150 
 
 A DINNER WITH THE TAOUTAI. 
 
 collecting a heap of delicacies from every dish in your neighbor’s 
 plate, as a mark of politeness, is decidedly objectionable. Some 
 of the dishes were so constructed as to admit of a small charcoal 
 fire in the centre, so that the soup or viands surrounding it were 
 kept constantly warm. There were wines of different qualities, 
 but principally extracted from millet-seed, and always drunk 
 warm; and after dinner some very strong but delicately flavored 
 tea, called red, which answers the purpose of coffee as a digestive, 
 and simply differs from the green in being subjected for a much 
 longer time to the steaming process. The green tea, which is the 
 least powerful and most refreshing, is a milder infusion, the leaf 
 being slightly dried over a fire and still green. This was follow¬ 
 ed by some delicious almond tea. The guests upon the occasion 
 were Mr. Robertson, Mr. John Meadows, and myself, the Haefan- 
 ting or prefect, and the principal military mandarin in Shanghai. 
 The conversation turned chiefly on a comparison of the different 
 administrative systems of England and China, interspersed with 
 the most fulsome compliments, with now and then a feeler thrown 
 out by the Taoutai on the subject of existing troubles, when his 
 endeavors to conceal his desire to gain as much information as 
 possible on our probable policy were highly diverting. 
 
 I did not venture to broach a subject to his excellency on which 
 I was no less anxious to be informed. Shanghai is the principal 
 port for the export of the annual supply of rice to the north. 
 Thousands of junks bound for the mouth of the Peiho leave the 
 river in successive fleets during the spring months, and it was im¬ 
 portant that we should know the intentions of the Taoutai for the 
 ensuing year, and discover, if possible, the quantity of grain to be 
 exported, and the different ports at which it was to be collected, 
 as well as the date of the earliest departure. In the event of our 
 finding it necessary to operate in the north, one of the most im¬ 
 portant means of pressure which could be brought to bear upon 
 the capital was by intercepting this supply, which it would be in 
 our power to do, with a few gun-boats in the Gulf of Pechelee. 
 At this time the river opposite the town was covered with a dense 
 forest of the masts of junks, all waiting for clearances to Tientsin. 
 We were afterward informed by the custom-house authorities that 
 the amount of rice to be sent to the north from Shanghai alone 
 was about 300,000 piculs. 
 
 As Lord Elgin was expected at Ningpo from the south about 
 
DEPARTURE FOR NINGPO. 
 
 151 
 
 this time, I proceeded thither in the dispatch gun-vessel Surprise 
 to meet him. At midday on the 14th of March we reached the 
 month of the Ningpo Kiver, having run over in about twenty- 
 four hours. After the dead level of the valley of the Yang-tse- 
 Kiang, the approach to this river is sufficiently picturesque. To 
 the right a bold promontory, about 200 feet in height, surmount¬ 
 ed by a fort, overlooks the city of Chinhae, the walls of which ex¬ 
 tend along both the river-bank and sea-shore; numbers of junks 
 block up the passage, and render great skill in steering necessary. 
 Most of these are loaded with timber from Fokien, and their un¬ 
 sightly burdens extend on either side for some distance, almost 
 concealing the junk itself, and giving it somewhat the appearance 
 which a donkey presents when buried between two bundles of 
 hay. Considerable ingenuity must have been exercised in load¬ 
 ing these junks, by means, as I understood, of stays from the 
 masts. 
 
 As we proceed up the river, the hills recede to some distance, 
 and here and there picturesque valleys open up through them. 
 The immediate banks are flat, and chiefly remarkable for a num¬ 
 ber of erections which look like enormous haystacks, but which 
 are really ice-houses, for the preservation of fish. They are obliged 
 by law to contain a three years’ supply alwa'ys in store. It is only 
 about twelve miles to Ningpo, which we reached at sunset. The 
 
 following day was dedicated to an inspection of the city, which 
 decidedly ranks first among those at present open to Europeans. 
 It is situated at the confluence of two rivers, contains a popula- 
 
152 NINGPO.—ITS SHOPS AND JOSS-HOUSES. 
 
 tion of about a quarter of a million, and is five miles in circum¬ 
 ference. A bridge of boats, 200 hundred yards long, connects it 
 with the principal suburb. But few Europeans reside here, and 
 they live principally opposite the city, on the bank of the lesser 
 of the two rivers. Ningpo is celebrated for having produced 
 some of the ablest scholars in China, and numerous triumphal 
 arches, in honor of those of her sons who have carried off the 
 highest honors at competitive examinations, span the principal 
 streets. They are constructed of granite, and ornamented with 
 specimens of singularly clever carving; in some instances the slab 
 has been cut through, and presents an open net-work of carving 
 of the nicest delicacy. In others, the beauty of the workmanship 
 is exhibited in the wonderful relief with which the most intricate 
 patterns are made to stand out from the solid granite. 
 
 The book-shops of Ningpo' are worthy its high literary reputa¬ 
 tion ; and, indeed, the shops of every description were- superior 
 to those at any of the other ports. At that popularly known as 
 Fortnum and Mason’s, we used to sit down and drink exquisite 
 tea, while various delicate conserves were being produced for trial, 
 and smoke minute pipes full of mild tobacco at intervals. 
 
 In the best shops there is usually an outer and an inner shop, 
 separated from each other by a glass-covered veranda. The in¬ 
 ner room is generally a spacious apartment, fitted up with shelves, 
 and pigeon-holes, and drawers, much as in England; and with 
 extensive counters, behind which stand pale, studious-looking 
 men with intelligent countenances, who measure out yards of silk, 
 or display crapes and gauzes with the same insinuating grace 
 which distinguishes their brotherhood in our own country. 
 
 Ningpo is noted for the excellence of its wood-carving and in¬ 
 laying. The embroidery in silk and satin is often beautiful. 
 Occasionally old China may be picked up, but the supply in this 
 article is not equal to the demand. Soap-stone carving is abund¬ 
 ant, but may be procured more cheaply at Foo-chow. 
 
 The joss-house dedicated to the goddess Ma Tsupu, and main¬ 
 tained by the Shantung guild, a flourishing corporation, was the 
 handsomest building of the kind I had seen in China. The ve¬ 
 randas and roofs were supported by freestone columns, carved 
 into the forms of dragons and other unearthly monsters, while 
 elaborate representations in gaudy colors and delicate tracery 
 adorned the walls. Fishes standing on their tails, and dragons 
 
THE OLD PAGODA.—A “SING-SING JOSS.” 
 
 158 
 
 with their mouths open, ornamented the ridges of the roofs, and 
 terminated in grotesque turrets the projecting eaves. The city is 
 intersected at intervals of two or three hundred yards by fire¬ 
 walls, so as to confine the ravages of that destructive element 
 within narrow limits. 
 
 The visitor is amply repaid for the trouble of ascending the 
 old pagoda by the view which is obtained from the windy sum¬ 
 mit of its seven stories. The position of the city and the direc¬ 
 tion of the rivers lie mapped at his feet, with the blue mountains 
 in the distance, which inclose the lakes and the snowy valley, 
 and the picturesque sights of the neighborhood. This pagoda is 
 1100 years old and 160 feet in height. 
 
 I was fortunate enough, one day, to witness a “ sing-sing joss” 
 in one of the principal temples. The disagreeable necessity of 
 being obliged to form one of a dense crowd of very odoriferous 
 Chinamen prevented my staying very long, nor was the plot of 
 so refined a nature as to render the performance attractive; but 
 the acting was in some instances clever, and the female characters 
 admirably sustained by men whose treble voices, and apparently 
 distorted feet, rendered the disguise perfect. The audience seem¬ 
 ed deeply interested; and the comic episodes, in which a good 
 deal of rather coarse humor was displayed, elicited shouts of 
 laughter. 
 
 The neighborhood of Ningpo was reported more worth seeing 
 than the town itself; and as the scenery I had already visited in 
 China possessed but small merit in a picturesque point of view, I 
 was glad to accede to the proposal of Captain Saumarez, of H. M. 
 S. Cormorant, that we should occupy the interval until the arrival 
 of Lord Elgin by an expedition to the Snowy Valley. 
 
154 
 
 AN EXPEDITION TO THE SNOWY VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 All Expedition to the Snowy Valley.—Mountain Scenery.—The Temple of the 
 Snowy Crevice.—The Maou-kao-tae.—The “Thousand Fathom Precipice.”— 
 Sewe-kang-ha.—Our Fellow-lodgers.—The Dragon Waterfall.—Departure from 
 the Snowy Valley.—Mountain Men.—A Voyage on bamboo Rafts.—Raft Navi¬ 
 gation.—Arrival at Cbusan.—A Roman Catholic Mission.—A Chinese country 
 Residence.—Political Advantages of Chusan.—A British Grave-yard.—The sa¬ 
 cred Island of Pootoo.—A degraded Priesthood.—The High-priest.—Picturesque 
 Temples.—Pilgrims.—Magnificent View.—Chapoo. 
 
 Mr. Thomas Meadows liad been kind enough to furnish, us 
 not only with a guide, but with most accurate information as to 
 the sights to be seen in the Snowy Talley, and the best way to 
 see them. The first part of our journey was performed at night, 
 in a covered boat of small dimensions, and which was propelled 
 by a single oar astern. However, we had the tide with us, and 
 daylight found us moored under a covered bridge,.where we were 
 to transfer ourselves to mountain chairs, and our baggage to the 
 shoulders of stalwart porters. For the first three hours our way 
 lay over the flat banks of the river, along the paved ridges which 
 separated fields of beans, rice, wheat, cabbages, and all the varied 
 assortment of Chinese cultivation. We only recrossed the river 
 once by a bridge, where massive slabs of granite, about twenty- 
 five feet in length each, were laid upon the wooden piles. The 
 valley now began to narrow, and the hills, with an elevation of 
 from 1200 to 1500 feet, to disclose rocky gorges and narrow val¬ 
 leys, where strips of wood and pine forest clothed the steep sides, 
 and the navigation of the river, except for rafts of bamboo, had 
 ceased altogether. Then we brace ourselves for the climb, and, 
 discarding our light mountain chairs, we left them to follow, con¬ 
 tented that they should form a picturesque feature of the proces¬ 
 sion as it wound up the steep rocky paths. 
 
 Our way led through young pine woods, the smaller branches 
 of which had been lopped for firewood, and passed along the pre¬ 
 cipitous side of the hill in which it had been scarped. When we 
 had attained an elevation of about 1000 feet, and looked back 
 from a projecting spur in the range, a beautiful panoramic view 
 
THE ‘‘ TEMPLE OF THE SNOWY CKEVICE.” 
 
 155 
 
 met the eye. The valley we had traversed in the morning, dotted 
 with scattered villages, and divided by the river winding away to 
 the horizon like a silver thread, lay at our feet, while on our right 
 pendulous woods of bamboo covered the steep slopes of the mount¬ 
 ain: planted with perfect regularity, their feathery plumes, of 
 varied hues and exquisite grace of form, waved gently in the 
 breeze. 
 
 Taking a last look at this lovely scene, we reached in a few 
 steps the summit of the pass, and, crossing it, found ourselves in an 
 amphitheatre surrounded by partially wooded hills, in the midst 
 of which the most prominent object was the group of quaint, ga¬ 
 bled, upturned-cornered houses, which formed the “ Temple of the 
 Snowy Crevice:” this was to be our resting-place for the night. 
 Here we were received by sundry bonzes, in black or gray serge, 
 with shaven crowns, who were dispensing, at the charge of a few 
 “ cash,” yellow tickets for the celestial regions to groups of female 
 devotees, of whom we had already passed many on the hill-side, 
 helping themselves along upon their little feet—so ill adapted to 
 the mountains—by means of stout staves. A number of them, 
 with ruddy countenances, by no means uncomely, and whose neat 
 attire and comfortable embonpoint gave evidence of a domestic 
 condition of ease and independence, knelt upon small circular 
 mats or hassocks, and prostrated themselves before a row of gods 
 and goddesses, the largest of which, in the centre, was about twenty- 
 five feet in height. Huge black images, with ferocious counte¬ 
 nances and drawn swords, guarded the sanctity of the temple; and 
 near them was a handsome bell, where the officiating priest kept 
 up a low monotonous chant, and tapped a little bell as the signal 
 for genuflexion or prostration on the part of the congregation, 
 who were in the mean time burning little pieces of yellow paper, 
 lighting joss-sticks, or telling their rosaries. In another hall a 
 number of persons were employed in manufacturing bamboo 
 mats. We were compelled to pass through these holy places on 
 our way to our bedroom, which was in a range of buildings at the 
 back. 
 
 As we had yet a few hours of daylight, we procured at the 
 temple a guide, by name Kim-bau, who should be immortalized 
 in the first hand-book which Mr. Murray publishes of these re¬ 
 gions. He had been initiated into the mysteries of ciceroneship 
 by Mr. Meadows, and, although innocent of any language but his 
 
156 
 
 THE MAOU-KAO-TAE. 
 
 mother tongue, had learned his lesson, and took us to every point 
 of view with scrupulous precision. First we went to the Maou- 
 kao-tae, where a priest’s little house is built upon a projecting 
 ledge of rock that overhangs a precipice 1000 feet high by ane¬ 
 roid measurement, to the edge of which we crept cautiously and 
 looked over broad fertile valleys intersected by rivers, which met 
 lovingly and flowed away to water distant fields. The hill-sides 
 were terraced with rice and other cultivation, in some places to 
 their summits, at others the high lands were wooded, and strips 
 of forest marked the course of impetuous torrents tumbling into 
 the glistening streams beneath. A town lay peacefully sleeping- 
 in the midst of the principal valley, and tiny figures could be dis¬ 
 tinguished working in the fields, or following the winding paths. 
 
THE “THOUSAND-FATHOM PRECIPICE.” 
 
 157 
 
 The scenery altogether reminded me of the Mahabuleshwar Hills, 
 where, however, the precipices are higher. From here we scram¬ 
 bled along the edge of the precipice for a few hundred yards un¬ 
 til we reached the waterfall called the 11 Thousand-fathom Preci¬ 
 pice,” where Kim-bau showed us the special pine-tree to which, 
 as conscientious sight-seers, it was our duty to cling and crane 
 over till we could see the pool beneath, and the rush of waters 
 and the dizzy height made our brains spin. The waterfall itself 
 is only 400 feet in height, but the stream tumbles and leaps down 
 the valley after it has left the pool for at least as many hundred 
 feet more, before it becomes a quiet, well-conducted river. We 
 descended by steep slippery paths through pine-woods and groves 
 of bamboo to the foot of the fall, and at a distance of thirty yards 
 from the fall were drenched with the spray. From this point the 
 scene was in the highest degree sublime and impressive; before 
 us a smooth wall of precipitous rock, from four to fi ve hundred 
 feet high, intersected by a white line of foam, extended in the 
 form of a semicircle on each side. Five hundred feet below lay 
 the green valley, shut in by the lofty range beyond. 
 
 After returning to our temple, though it was nearly dark, and 
 we had done a good day’s work, we could not resist visiting a 
 waterfall, the murmur of which was almost audible from our 
 quarters. The hour of our visit was well timed; the last faint 
 tints of daylight were fading away on the distant mountains; the 
 only sound which broke the absolute stillness of the repose in 
 which all nature was hushed was the continuous plash of the wa¬ 
 ter, as it issued from the deep shadows of a dense mass of over¬ 
 hanging foliage at the head of the gorge, in a long white sheet 
 of foam, like a ghost in the gloaming. Crossing a slab of granite 
 which bridged the stream below the fall, we ascended a long 
 flight of steps skirting a precipitous ledge overhanging the brook, 
 and on reaching the top, followed the winding path through the 
 gloomy recesses of the wood until it debouched upon a small am¬ 
 phitheatre, hemmed in on all sides by lofty hills, which rose ab¬ 
 ruptly from its circumference; here, buried in the mountains and 
 far from the busy hum of men, lay the sequestered village Sewe- 
 kang-ha, u remote,” and, I should think, very “ unfriended, melan¬ 
 choly, and slow” as a place of residence, but an excellent picture 
 of tranquillity and picturesque seclusion. The only evidences of 
 life were the blue wreaths which curled from the thatched roofs, 
 
158 
 
 OUR FELLOW-LODGERS. 
 
 Sewe-kang-ha Waterfall. 
 
 and rested in a light cloud oyer tlie hamlet, as though it had put 
 on a night-cap of smoke preparatory to “ turning in.” The hour 
 was sufficiently late, at all events, to induce us to take the hint, 
 so we scrambled by another path to the temple, where we found 
 the kitchen crowded with pilgrims, who were going to spend the 
 night here, and who were collected, as in a club dining-room, in 
 groups round small square tables, vigorously plying chopsticks. 
 The good fare they were enjoying made them quarrelsome. We 
 heard the noise of their contending voices until long after we had 
 retired to rest—indeed, until they were exchanged for snores. 
 The whole establishment was full of lodgers; and overhead, in 
 close proximity on either side of us, worshipers were slumbering. 
 
 Some disinterested American had been charitable enough to 
 leave a stove in the temple for the benefit of future travelers, and 
 it was grateful, when we rose in the morning, to warm'our hands 
 and drink our coffee by it previous to starting on farther explo¬ 
 rations. First, however, we were called upon to settle sundry 
 disputes between our coolies and certain devotees, who thought 
 themselves entitled to a preference in the choice of food, accom¬ 
 modation, etc.; nor did our good friends the priests venture to 
 interfere at the risk of offending their customers. The civility 
 of these gentry to us was as unlimited as their curiosity; they 
 
DEPARTURE FROM THE SNOWY VALLEY. 
 
 159 
 
 perpetually plied us with tea and fingered our garments. I have 
 generally found gloves and corduroy trowsers to be the most 
 striking objects of dress to the uncivilized mind; shooting-boots 
 are also curiosities. Our entertainers, however, were becoming 
 accustomed to Europeans, and had evidently smoked a few cigars 
 in their lives before; but they were particularly amused by my 
 Madras servant, apparently a specimen of humanity heretofore 
 unknown to them; they took him to look at the hideous black 
 deities which guarded the entrance of the temple, a compliment 
 to his personal appearance at which they chuckled hugely, but 
 which he did not seem to appreciate. 
 
 An hour’s walk over hill-sides cultivated with tea, and through 
 pine woods, brought us to a pretty valley, divided by a stream 
 fringed with wood, and spanned by a bridge of a single arch, con¬ 
 cealed by creepers, their long twisted tendrils, like ladies’ tresses, 
 playing on the water. On the bank was the temple Lung-yin-tau, 
 dedicated to the dragon god. After inspecting this grim divinity, 
 we visited the romantic waterfall which bears the same name, 
 where the stream after peacefully traversing the valley, plunges 
 over a ledge of rock 120 feet high, into a cleft so narrow and 
 precipitous that it is impossible to look into its full depth from 
 above. It derives its name probably from the resemblance which 
 the deep gorge, split into two sombre chasms, is supposed to bear 
 to the jaws of a dragon. Although the waterfall is not so high as 
 some of the others in the neighbprhood, I thought this the most 
 striking and characteristic in these mountains. From thence we 
 proceeded to the Leshak-yong, a druidical-looking stone of great 
 antiquity, but unknown origin, placed upon a projecting point 
 which commands a panoramic view more beautiful and extensive 
 than even the Maou-kao-tae. Immediately facing us, at the head 
 of the valley, we had a splendid view of a waterfall, upward of 
 200 feet high, which falls in one perpendicular sheet to the bot¬ 
 tom, the water dropping in curious snake-like jets, without ever 
 touching the smooth surface of the rock, into the pool beneath. 
 Our elevation above the sea at this point did not probably exceed 
 2000 feet. 
 
 We now returned to the temple, and, after a hearty meal, took 
 an affectionate farewell of our holy hosts. We regretted that our 
 time was so limited that we were unable to linger longer in the 
 Snowy Valley, and explore more thoroughly its scenic attractions. 
 
160 
 
 MOUNTAIN MEN. 
 
 In any country they would be worthy of a visit, but in China es¬ 
 pecially, where the limited excursions of foreigners have disclosed 
 so little of the picturesque, no traveler should visit Ningpo with¬ 
 out taking a trip to the mountains; unless, indeed, the scenery 
 they contain is eclipsed by wonders yet to.be discovered by those 
 who will explore the whole empire under conditions heretofore 
 impossible. We had been fortunate in the time of year for our 
 expedition; and though, while we were there, the Snowy Valley 
 did not justify its name so far as the snow was concerned, in the 
 early morning the water in the paddy-fields was coated with ice; 
 and I observed a few days after at Hingpo that what fell as rain 
 below had covered the mountains we had left with a snowy 
 mantle. 
 
 The peasantry of this district, in spite of their nationality, pos¬ 
 sessed the tout ensemble of mpuntaineers in all parts of the world. 
 Whether in the Highlands of Scotland, of Circassia, of the Tyrol, 
 of the Himalayas, or of China, there is an indescribable air which 
 I have observed distinguishes them all, while it in no way inter¬ 
 feres with their national characteristics. Hot-tempered, good-hu¬ 
 mored, huge-calved, independent, hardy, and self-reliant—accus¬ 
 tomed to solitude, but disposed to conviviality, I have always 
 found hill-men the pleasantest companions, while the bracing 
 mountain air and constant variety of scene exercises a correspond¬ 
 ing influence upon one’s own spirits. As we descended the hill, 
 we passed long files of these sturdy mountain men, each stagger¬ 
 ing under a young pine-tree, and bearing his apparently superhu¬ 
 man load down to market, with a broad grin on his jocund coun¬ 
 tenance. 
 
 We determined to vary our mode of conveyance on our return 
 journey, and on reaching the Kiver Tsze-ke at the foot of the hill, 
 instead of plodding wearily to our boats over miles of level plain, 
 to perform a voyage in a bamboo raft, the river being too swift 
 and shallow for any other description of craft. It was, indeed, 
 little better than a trout stream. The population of a large vil¬ 
 lage on the river bank, where we engaged the raft, turned out to 
 witness our start, and, while the preparations were being made, 
 we inspected a curious mill worked by water-power, by which a 
 number of hammers or pounders were caused to fall with regu¬ 
 lar stroke into receptacles for grain formed like mortars. Our 
 raft was composed of only ten bamboos, on a level with the wa- 
 
loaded with wood or charcoal, now grating over the pebbly bed 
 of the stream, now whirled rapidly oyer a bubbling seething rapid, 
 and then being brought sharp up by an eddy in some deep green 
 pool, where the raftsman’s pole could find no bottom, and salmon 
 would have loved to lie. We were objects of great interest to 
 other raftsmen, who ventured on jokes at our expense ; so we re¬ 
 taliated by racing them, hoisted umbrellas to favoring gales, and 
 hooked ourselves past our neighbors by holding on to them or 
 poling against them, to the great merriment of the river popula¬ 
 tion. The extreme bitterness of the wind, and the close of day, 
 
 L 
 
 A VOYAGE ON BAMBOO RAFTS. IQl 
 
 ter, which flowed freely through the interstices, so that we were 
 obliged to lay some planks upon them to keep us dry. Still 
 movement was impossible except at the price of being ankle-deep 
 in water. The ends of the bamboos were turned up, like the 
 corners of houses and every thing else in China. The object, no 
 doubt, was to make a sort of bow, to prevent our being flooded. 
 Upon this fragile construction we intrusted ourselves to the 
 guidance of one man, sending our coolies and chairs overland, and 
 dashed off in company with a number of other rafts, principally 
 
 Our bamboo Rafts. 
 
162 
 
 ARRIVAL AT CHUSAN. 
 
 checked our energies at last, and we were pretty well knocked up 
 by our day’s work when we once more reached our boat, and, 
 coiling ourselves at the bottom, indulged in undisturbed slumber 
 until dawn once more found us alongside the good ship Cormo¬ 
 rant, in the river off Ningpo. 
 
 I found that Lord Elgin had arrived, during my absence from 
 ISTingpo, after a cruise up the coast, in the course of which he had 
 visited the ports of Swatow, Amoy, and Foo-chow. At the first 
 of these, which is situated between Canton and Amoy, and is not 
 one of those opened by the treaty of 1842, an illicit trade had 
 sprung up, partly in sugar, which is exported from this point to 
 other ports on the coast in foreign as well as in Chinese bottoms, 
 partly in tea, which, from its greater proximity to the tea districts, 
 and the recent troubles at Canton, had found this outlet to the 
 foreign market, and partly,in bean-cake, which is brought down 
 in large quantities from Shanghai as an article of manure. Swa¬ 
 tow occupies an important position in Chinese commerce; extens¬ 
 ive banking operations are carried on here; a considerable junk 
 trade radiates from it to the islands of Formosa and Hainan, and 
 different ports on the coast. A good deal of opium is annually 
 imported by our merchants, which is subjected to local duties. 
 
 On the 20th of March we left Ningpo in the Furious, on our 
 way to Chusan, and, running over in six hours, dropped anchor 
 in the beautiful land-locked harbor of Tinghae about sunset. On 
 the following morning we landed to explore a locality rendered 
 so notorious during the last war by the prolonged occupation of 
 our forces, and by the terrible experiences through which they 
 passed in this lovely isle, and which have given it a reputation 
 which it has since been admitted it so little merited that we have 
 never ceased to regret its ultimate abandonment. We no sooner 
 stepped on shore than we obtained evidences of those associations 
 connected with our occupation, which still linger among the in¬ 
 habitants. Juvenile beggars crowded round us, beseeching cash 
 from “mantalee,” which was the nearest approach they could 
 make to the honorable British title of “ mandarin.” The fort 
 crowns an eminence overlooking the bay, and beneath, along the 
 sea-shore, extends a long straggling suburb, which is connected 
 with the town of Tinghae, situated about a mile and a half inland, 
 by a paved causeway. It is a mean, dirty place, with inferior 
 shops, surrounded by a wall, and containing at most 50,000 in- 
 
A ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSION. 
 
 163 
 
 habitants. Passing through it, we entered the pleasant valley be¬ 
 yond ; and observing a building in a wood surmounted by a cross, 
 we decided that it was a Roman Catholic mission, and bent our 
 steps thither accordingly. 
 
 A priest dressed in Chinese costume met us as we approached, 
 and did the honors of the establishment with great simplicity and 
 cordiality. He was the only European on the island, a Lazarist 
 of the order of St. Vincent, and gave us some interesting details 
 of his labors in Kiangsi, where he had resided for ten years. We 
 inspected his industrial farm, cultivated by the boys of the school, 
 a clean, chubby-looking set of little fellows, with happy, smiling 
 countenances, very different in expression from that of Chinese 
 youth generally. They evidently regarded their spiritual master 
 with feelings of affection and gratitude. Many of them were waifs 
 and strays whom he had picked out of byways and hedges, de¬ 
 serted by their parents on account of some physical infirmity. 
 One was blind, another lame, another’s arm and tongue were par¬ 
 alyzed. Generally, however, his pupils were the children of con¬ 
 verts ; the Roman Catholic system being rather to breed converts 
 than to make them, an operation which is becoming daily more 
 simple, as there are upward of half a million Roman Catholic 
 Christians in the empire. Out of the entire population of Chu- 
 san, estimated at 200,000, the priest calculated that about 250 fam¬ 
 ilies were converts. Neither he nor his flock were in any way 
 annoyed by the people, although jealously regarded by the au¬ 
 thorities and literati. Still, no active hostility was exercised to¬ 
 ward them; and, beyond being occasionally called upon to sub¬ 
 scribe to pagodas, or take part in Buddhist ceremonies, they prac¬ 
 ticed their faith unmolested. 
 
 We afterward visited, with our reverend guide, a girl’s hospital 
 in the town, which did equal credit to his management with the 
 rest of his establishment. He insisted upon acting as our cicerone 
 over the island, and took us first to see the country residence of a 
 rich Chinese proprietor. It was a good specimen of the orna¬ 
 mental taste of the country. Here were the usual summer-houses 
 buried in rock-work, and approached by labyrinths tunneled 
 through grottoes, or staircases winding through miniature mount¬ 
 ains, and pavilions perched on islands in diminutive seas, connect¬ 
 ed with the main land by fragile bridges. Charming little baskets 
 with mossy seats invited to repose in their cool shade, and gor- 
 
164 POLITICAL ADVANTAGES OF CHUSAN.—BRITISH GRAVE-YARD. 
 
 geous camellias and magnolias in fall bloom flung a rich coloring 
 of glowing tints over all. 
 
 After refreshing ourselves with numerous cups of tea of Chusan 
 growth, which tasted a good deal like an infusion of straw, and 
 the leaves of which looked as green as if they had been picked off 
 the bushes the day before, we started off to the top of one of the 
 highest hills in the neighborhood, so as to obtain as extensive a 
 view as possible over the island before nightfall. From this el¬ 
 evated spot, at an elevation of 1200 or 1500 feet above the sea, we 
 looked over fertile valleys teeming with life and rich in cultiva¬ 
 tion ; and, throwing ourselves on the grass after our scramble, in¬ 
 dulged in vain regrets, as our eyes wandered over the loveliness 
 at our feet, at the infatuation which ever induced us to relinquish 
 a spot not only so highly favored by nature in point of fertility 
 and scenery, but possessing one of the finest harbors on the coast 
 of China, a commercial position at the outlet of the Yang-tse- 
 Kiang totally unrivaled, and political advantages of capabilities 
 and situation such as no other spot upon the coast of China can 
 boast. 
 
 The island is fifty-one miles in circumference. Fortunately, we 
 had but little breath to expend in sighs; but, to judge from the 
 headlong course we took to reach the bottom at the peril of our 
 necks, the holy man who accompanied us must have suspected 
 that despair was the cause of our recklessness; for on our arriving 
 at the bottom, with impeded utterance and many compliments on 
 Lord Elgin’s activity, he went on to assure us that the population 
 of Chusan preserved most flattering and agreeable reminiscences 
 of British rule, and would receive us with open arms whenever we 
 thought proper to resume possession ; and then, to calm us, he led 
 the way to a secluded nook in a deep valley, where a picturesque 
 pagoda lay embowered in a dense grove of bamboo, impenetrable 
 to noonday heats; and here we remained and drank more tea, sup¬ 
 plied us by bonzes, till it was time to return on board, whither 
 our kind guide accompanied us, and inspected for the first time in 
 his life a few of the wonders of a British man-of-war. 
 
 Captain Osborn had sent on shore a party of men to examine 
 the condition of the graves of those of our countrymen who lie 
 buried in Chusan, and the following morning I went to see these 
 melancholy records of this painful episode of the last war. A 
 few hours had sufficed to clear away the rubbish which had been 
 
TIIE SACKED ISLAND OF POOTOO. 
 
 165 
 
 allowed to accumulate round them; the tomb-stones themselves 
 were in good preservation, and the men were repainting those 
 which had become partially effaced. 
 
 At midday we weighed from Tinghae, and, favored by lovely 
 weather, passed through the intricate windings of the Chusan 
 archipelago, past swelling islands indented with deep bays run¬ 
 ning back to rich fertile valleys terraced with cultivation, and 
 through a narrow channel between beetling cliffs of gray weath¬ 
 er-worn granite, where the sea surged into dark caverns, and mur¬ 
 mured sullenly in deep fissures in the rocks. The scenery and 
 climate reminded me of a former yachting experience among the 
 sunny Grecian isles. 
 
 At sunset we dropped anchor in “ the Sea of the Water-lilies,’' 
 off the sacred island of Pootoo. We devoted a day to the exam¬ 
 ination of its holy mysteries. A broad paved causeway led us 
 over the low shoulder of a hill into a lovely valley, where a pile 
 of gray pagodas and temples, with upturned roofs of imperial yel¬ 
 low and walls of vermilion, were embosomed in foliage of the 
 brightest green, and huge impending masses of rugged granite lay 
 
 The Temple of Kwang-yin, Pootoo. 
 
 scattered upon the steep hill-side above as though they had been 
 glued upon it by some giant hand. A quaint gateway, covered 
 
166 
 
 A DEGRADED PRIESTHOOD. 
 
 with inscriptions, opened upon a maze of court-yards and a collec¬ 
 tion of sacred buildings, some especially erected to protect slabs 
 of extreme antiquity inscribed with holy sentiments, others con¬ 
 taining enormous bells, struck with a hammer swinging beside 
 them instead of a clapper; others, and these were the largest and 
 most numerous, filled with monster images of both sexes and all 
 sizes, from the giant figure of Kwang-yin, the goddess of mercy, 
 to whom the whole was dedicated, to a row of little gods three 
 inches high. In the court-yards were sacred bronzes containing 
 sacred fire, and overshadowed by sacred trees; and there was a 
 sacred pond, full of sacred fishes, covered with the sacred lotus, 
 and spanned by a single-arched bridge. 
 
 Every where groups of filthy bonzes were collected, basking 
 half-naked in the sun, and inspecting their own tattered habili¬ 
 ments or those of their neighbors, chanting monotonous prayers, 
 or wandering about telling their beads, crowding round me while 
 I was sketching them, and staring vacantly through their blear 
 eyes upon the strangers. Clad in ragged robes of gray serge, 
 they infested the place like a description of vermin peculiar to it, 
 wearing these ashy-colored vestments till they dropped off, appar- 
 
 Bonze at Pootoa 
 
THE HIGH-PRIEST.—PICTURESQUE TEMPLES. 
 
 167 
 
 ently ignorant of one nse of water. Generally covered with cu¬ 
 taneous eruptions, they were, in all cases, pervaded by an atmos¬ 
 phere which rendered their proximity in the highest degree of¬ 
 fensive. When we were entertained by the chief priest of the 
 island on tea and preserves in a room of limited dimensions, 
 crowded with these holy men, the odor of their sanctity became 
 altogether unbearable. Our host himself was, however, an excep¬ 
 tion ; he was a man cleanly in his appearance, of a mild and intel¬ 
 ligent countenance, and robed in a stole of yellow. He told us 
 that he was the spiritual superior of five hundred priests then on 
 the island; that it was devoted entirely to religious purposes, no 
 layman being allowed to reside upon it, but that a few nuns were 
 numbered in the population. I should have been inclined to 
 suppose that our authority considerably understated the number 
 at five hundred, and, from the quantity of bonzes we saw, Mr. 
 Williams’ estimate of two thousand appeared more likely to be 
 correct. That gentleman calculates the number of temples, 
 shrines, and monasteries which are collected upon this little island 
 at sixty. We were contented with rambling over the island, and 
 entering five or six. 
 
 They all partook, more or less, of the same character, but varied 
 in picturesqueness of situation: one perched upon a cliff, some 
 200 feet above the waves that broke at its base, contained shrines 
 hewn out of the living rock, approached by narrow stairs which 
 were tunneled through it; another was a massive pile of buildings 
 built upon the hill-side, its spacious paved courts inclosed by 
 carved balustrades, and reached by a series of broad flights of 
 steps. In one temple, buried in a grove of camellia-trees, we sur¬ 
 prised the whole priesthood in the refectory, sitting at long nar¬ 
 row tables, and shoveling rice into their capacious mouths with 
 chopsticks. In another, a respectable-looking young man, who 
 had made a pilgrimage of gratitude to the shrine of his choice, 
 was having a private service for his special benefit, and was pros¬ 
 trating himself vehemently to the clashing of cymbals, the tooting 
 of fifes, and the booming of tom-toms, while a venerable bonze 
 chanted the thanks of the devotee to a wild-visaged deity with a 
 protuberant gilt stomach. Every where the heavy perfume of 
 incense mingled with the fouler odors of priests, and every where 
 ponderous curtains and embroidered drapery concealed the same 
 collection of burning joss-sticks and deformed divinities. Some 
 
168 
 
 PILGRIMS. 
 
 of the temples were in a state of great decay, others were being 
 repaired out of alms and subscriptions supplied by pious worship¬ 
 ers ; for it is only fair to the holy men to say that if they neglect 
 their own persons they are devoted in their attentions to the 
 objects of their culte. It is said, however, that many of the mem¬ 
 bers of the fraternity of Pootoo are criminals, who have sought 
 refuge in this asylum, and atone for their past lives by a life of 
 idleness and filth, superstition and celibacy. 
 
 Bonze Praying. 
 
 It was a relief to turn our backs upon these scenes, and, ascend¬ 
 ing to the highest point in the island, enjoy a sublimer worship 
 in the grand temple of nature. On our way up the long flight of 
 steps by which we reached a point 1200 feet above the sea-level, 
 we passed numerous shrines where priests begged and pilgrims 
 rested. In niches cut out of the bank devoted men passed their 
 days in solitude, perpetually repeating the formula to which the 
 whole island rings. Every building is covered with this one in¬ 
 scription, and every shaven inhabitant passes the greater part of 
 each day in mumbling incessantly the pious invocation. All 
 other ideas seemed merged into this one, which is embodied in a 
 continuous sing-song chant of “ Ometo Fuh, Ometo Buddhu.” 
 Men sit tapping little wooden bells, saying Ometo Fuh through- 
 
MAGNIFICENT VIEW. 
 
 169 
 
 out tlie livelong day; and their particular haunt seemed to be the 
 steps up the mountain. At last we passed them all, and standing 
 on its highest peak, looked over the island-studded sea, with plac¬ 
 id bays inclosed between long rocky promontories, and hamlets 
 nestling in the woods on distant islands, and broad acres of culti¬ 
 vation extending far up the hill-sides, while our own little isle 
 was carpeted with fields of flowering rape of the brightest yellow, 
 dotted with groves and temples, intersected with broad stone 
 causeways worn by the incessant tramp, for centuries past, of 
 priest and pilgrim, and bearing marks of a venerable old age in 
 its ruined shrines, gnarled old trees, hoary moss-grown rocks, and 
 equally hoary occupants. 
 
 Leaving Pootoo, we crossed the muddy bay of Hang-chow to 
 Chapoo, celebrated by a bloody but profitless victory during the 
 last war. Once important as one of the termini of the grand 
 canal (before that work was destroyed), it still retains some little 
 mercantile position as the port of the populous and wealthy city 
 of Hang-chow, and the only port on the coast open to trade from 
 Japan. Four junks from those islands were now lying here. It 
 is, however, worthless to us as a new port, partly because the har¬ 
 bor is exposed and shallow, and partly because Chapoo is con¬ 
 nected with Shanghai by a canal, from which it is only about 
 sixty miles distant. A low irregular range of hills border the 
 alluvial plain on which the town is situated, and on their sides 
 and summits forts have been erected. We landed and ascended 
 one of these overlooking the compact walled city and the vast 
 plain beyond, which extended in a blaze of variegated crops with¬ 
 out an eminence higher than a pagoda, and with a land horizon 
 stretching in one unbroken line for at least forty-five miles. 
 
170 
 
 COMMUNICATION FROM PEKIN. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Communication from the imperial Government.—Lord Elgin’s Reply.—Sir John 
 Bowring’s Visit to the Peiho.—Course pursued on that Occasion.—Lord Elgin’s 
 Application for Gun-boats.—The Roman Catholic Mission of Siccaway.—System 
 of Education.—Barren Results of Missionary Labors.—Superstitious Practices of 
 Converts.—A “Feast of Tabernacles.”—The Cathedral of Tonk-a-doo.—Difficul¬ 
 ties attending Missionary Enterprise.—Non-arrival of the Admiral.—Departure 
 of the Plenipotentiaries for the North.—The Miatou Straits.—Aground on a 
 Sand-bank.—Arrival in the Gulf of Pechelee.—Dreary Weather.—An Expedi¬ 
 tion across the Bar.—Junk-hunting.—Arrival of the American Minister.—Diffi¬ 
 culties of the Situation.—Unnecessary Delays.—Diplomatic Difficulties.—Aspect 
 of the Forts.—Arrival of the Admiral.—The Dispatch-vessels cross the Bar.— 
 Expiry of the Delay.—Postponement of Attack.—Political Consequences of the 
 Delay. 
 
 The day after our arrival at Shanghai, Lord Elgin received 
 from Pekin the reply of the imperial government to the dis¬ 
 patches which I had delivered for transmission at Soo-chow a 
 month before. Although by the treaty of Nankin the right is 
 secured to her majesty’s representative in China to correspond 
 direct with the highest imperial authority in the empire, the prime 
 minister Yu, to whom the communications of his excellency had 
 been addressed, did not condescend to respond, but instructed the 
 authorities of the Two Kiangs to make a communication to the 
 British plenipotentiary, in which, after adverting to the recent 
 proceedings at Canton, it was stated that Yeh was in consequence 
 degraded, and superseded by Hwang, who alone was authorized 
 to manage the barbarian affairs at that city, whither we were en¬ 
 joined to return, and at no other place. The prime minister went 
 on to state that, “there being a particular sphere of duty allotted 
 to every official on the establishment of the Celestial Empire, and 
 the principle that between them and the foreigner there is no in¬ 
 tercourse being one ever religiously adhered to by the servants 
 of our government of China, it would not be proper for me to 
 reply in person to the letter of the English minister. Let your 
 excellency (the authorities of the Two Kiangs) therefore transmit 
 to him all that I have said above, and his letter will no way be 
 left unanswered.” 
 
LORD ELGIN’S REPLY. 
 
 171 
 
 This letter was returned to the authorities of the Two Kiangs as 
 an unjustifiable disregard of that clause of the treaty of Nankin 
 which states “that it is agreed that her Britannic majesty’s chief 
 high officer in China shall correspond with the Chinese high of¬ 
 ficers both in the capital and in the provinces, under the term 
 1 communication.’ ” 
 
 Under these circumstances, Lord Elgin, after quoting the above 
 clause in reply, states that it is his intention to “proceed at once 
 to the north, in order that he may place himself in more direct 
 communication with the high officers of the imperial government 
 at the capital.” As this was a measure which the embassador 
 had always considered the most likely to be productive of suc¬ 
 cessful results, so far as negotiation was concerned, he did not re¬ 
 gret that the unwarrantable course taken by the prime minister 
 rendered the step imperative. The French, Kussian, and Amer¬ 
 ican ministers received communications more or less to the same 
 effect, except that Count Poutiatine was directed to repair to the 
 Amour instead of to Canton; and they all agreed with Lord El¬ 
 gin that the proper, and, indeed, only course to be pursued was 
 to appear with as little delay as possible with a sufficiently strong 
 force at the mouth of the Peiho, to enforce that compliance with 
 treaty obligations which the government so pertinaciously re¬ 
 fused. 
 
 It was interesting, in connection with the determination thus 
 arrived at by the allied plenipotentiaries, to refer to the document 
 found in Yeh’s yamun relating to the visit of Sir John Bowring, 
 and Mr. Maclane, the United States Commissioner, to the Peiho 
 in 1854. They too had endeavored, but with even less success, 
 to communicate with the imperial government through the au¬ 
 thorities of the Two Kiangs. Sir J. Bowring had been refused an 
 audience altogether, and Mr. Maclane stopped at Kwan-shan, out¬ 
 side Soo-chow, as already described, and there remonstrated with 
 on the impropriety of his proceeding to the north. At first Iliang, 
 the governor general, seemed to think these remonstrances had 
 proved effectual, but he afterward had misgivings on the subject; 
 for, alluding to Sir John Bowring’s complaint against Yeh for 
 want of politeness, and the visit he threatens to the Peiho in con¬ 
 sequence, he says: “It is, however, a standing device of the bar¬ 
 barians to make particular circumstances the plea of demands to 
 be insisted on; whatever these chiefs may insinuate (or whisper) 
 
172 
 
 SIR JOHN BOWRING’S VISIT TO THE PEIIIO. 
 
 against Yeh-Ming-Chin, it is evident that Yeh-Ming-Chin is he 
 whom they are used to fear. They say they are going to Tientsin. 
 This may be, notwithstanding, an assertion made to compel ac¬ 
 quiescence in their demands. Your slave has commanded them, 
 with affectionate earnestness, to stay, and the ships of their chief 
 have not as yet departed. Still, there is no certainty, so incon¬ 
 sistent and capricious is the barbarian character, that they will 
 not after all sail north, and thereby attempt to constrain the im¬ 
 perial authority, and the high provincial authorities of the coast 
 jurisdictions.” To which the emperor replies that it is quite true 
 that “it is the nature of barbarians to be cunning and malicious;” 
 and he farther directs Iliang to inform them that “a force is as¬ 
 sembled at Tientsin as the clouds in number”—all clearly show¬ 
 ing how much the presence of foreigners was dreaded in the 
 neighborhood of the capital,)and how effectual, in all probability, 
 any pressure applied there would be. 
 
 It was only to be regretted that this very expedition, to which 
 the above papers refer, had gone to the north, and returned re in- 
 fecta. This circumstance in itself was calculated to diminish the 
 effect of another; and, indeed, as we afterward discovered, the 
 same commissioners were sent to meet us at Takoo as had met 
 the English and American commissioners on the former occasion, 
 and no doubts seemed to have been entertained at head-quarters 
 that they were endowed with a special faculty for dealing with 
 barbarians, and that we should be as easily disposed of as our 
 predecessors. 
 
 The decision in favor of an early move northward was arrived 
 at on the 1st of April, the non-appearance of any imperial com¬ 
 missioner before the last day of March, the period appointed for 
 the commencement of negotiations at Shanghai, having released 
 the allied plenipotentiaries from their engagements upon this head. 
 In view of this contingency, which Lord Elgin had before leaving 
 Hong Kong anticipated as probable, he had, upon the 2d of March, 
 addressed to the admiral a letter, stating that he was about to pro¬ 
 ceed to Shanghai, in the hope of meeting there a properly quali¬ 
 fied plenipotentiary; but his lordship went on to say: “ If I should 
 be disappointed in this hope, it may be necessary, in pursuance of 
 the policy prescribed by her majesty’s government, to bring press¬ 
 ure to bear at some point near the capital. With a view to this 
 contingency, I think it desirable that your excellency should col- 
 
ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSION OF SICCAWAY. 173 
 
 lect at Shanghai, toward the end of March, or as soon after as may 
 be convenient, as large a fleet, more especially of gun-boats draw¬ 
 ing little water, as you can spare from service elsewhere.”* 
 
 In reply to which communication the admiral states: u I beg to 
 acquaint your excellency that for some time past my attention 
 has been directed to this object. One of the gun-boats and one 
 gun-vessel have already sailed for Shanghai, and arrangements are 
 in progress for others to follow. It is my intention to sail for 
 Shanghai in the ‘Calcutta,’ should nothing prevent, on or about 
 the 16th instant.” As a month had now elapsed since this letter 
 was written, and every day was of importance, we were anxiously 
 looking out for the first installment of gun-boats now due, as well 
 as for the admiral himself, whose arrival was daily expected. 
 
 Meantime the weather at Shanghai was favorable for excur¬ 
 sions, though the neighborhood presented few attractions of any 
 interest. One day we took a walk of twelve miles to visit the Ro¬ 
 man Catholic College and missionary establishment of Siccaway. 
 The country is such a dead level that pedestrian exercise soon be¬ 
 comes wearisome. We followed narrow paths between fields of 
 wheat, beans, and other cultivation reeking with high-flavored 
 manure, but bearing, nevertheless, thin crops and abundance of 
 weeds. The land in China, even in the elaborate cultivation of 
 their kitchen-gardens, is never properly worked. The surface 
 merely is scratched, and then deluged with strong manure. The 
 consequence is that, though the young crops sometimes look green 
 and promising, they seldom bear heavily. 
 
 The mission buildings are pleasantly situated on the banks of 
 a small canal. We were received at the door by some priests, 
 dressed, as usual, in Chinese costume, who conducted us over the 
 establishment. We found the school-rooms full of noisy students, 
 all swaying their bodies to and fro over their desks, and reciting 
 their lessons to themselves in a loud monotonous chant, each ap¬ 
 parently profoundly indifferent to the sharp tones which were 
 ringing in his ears from his neighbor on either side. There 
 were altogether eighty young men and boys in the several school¬ 
 rooms, deep in the study of the classics and polite learning of the 
 Chinese, for the system of the Roman Catholics consists not so 
 much in imbuing the students with the dogmas of their own faith 
 as in educating them to such a point in the literature of their 
 
 * Blue-Book, p. 223. 
 
174 
 
 SYSTEM OF EDUCATION. 
 
 country as 'shall enable them to compete successfully with their 
 fellows for the highest honors of the empire at the competitive ex¬ 
 aminations. By these means, if they do not gain converts, they se¬ 
 cure to themselves protection in high places, and ever after have 
 friends of the mammon of unrighteousness upon whom they can 
 rely; for the tie formed between the student and his teacher at 
 these establishments is not easily broken, and the kindness and 
 toleration with which he has been treated by the Roman Catho¬ 
 lics leaves, even in the mind of the stern Confucian, a strong im¬ 
 pression in favor of that class to whom he owes his present great¬ 
 ness, and who, whatever their tenets, have, at all events in his own 
 case, practiced some of the noblest maxims of the great philoso¬ 
 pher. I was informed that the Roman Catholic missions could 
 boast of converts even among the mandarins; while numerous in¬ 
 stances of devotion and acts/ of private charity to the missionaries 
 and their converts were related, both on the part of those Chinese 
 who were members of the Church, and of those who had merely 
 benefited from its institutions. 
 
 Notwithstanding, however, the system upon which Roman 
 Catholic missionary enterprise is based in China, of conforming as 
 much as possible to existing prejudices, and conciliating to the ut¬ 
 termost where it can not convince, I do not think that, even un¬ 
 der the new treaty, or the most favorable conditions which can 
 possibly be devised, its influence will ever be felt upon the gov¬ 
 erning classes. With the masses in almost all countries where it 
 has been introduced at all, the Roman Catholic religion has been 
 popular; but the emissaries of that plagiarist on their own phi¬ 
 losopher, Mons. Auguste Comte, would have a greater chance of 
 success among the literati of China than those of the Pope. I was 
 informed by a high clerical Protestant authority that, out of the 
 mass of Protestant converts hitherto made, there were only five 
 whom he really believed to be sincere; and there is no reason to 
 suppose that the proportion should be greater among the more in¬ 
 telligent of the Roman Catholics. 
 
 Among the ignorant and superstitious, doubtless many may 
 possess a sort of mongrel belief; but their faith can not be worth 
 much when it is obtained by conceding to them the permission 
 to observe their own festivals, to worship at the graves of their 
 ancestors, and go through all their own ceremonies of mourning, 
 with the exception of burning joss-paper. At Chusan, indeed, 
 
THE CATHEDRAL OF TONK-A-DOO. 
 
 175 
 
 our reverend friend told us that the converts often refused to 
 take part in these ceremonies; but the fact that they should be 
 permitted to do so, and still retain their Christian name and pro¬ 
 fession, is significant. The point is one which has caused a seri¬ 
 ous dissension between the Dominicans and Jesuits, the latter be¬ 
 ing in favor of the greatest latitude being given to the religious 
 practices of the converts. The mission at Siccaway was almost 
 entirely conducted by Jesuits. The best possible understanding 
 evidently subsisted between them and their pupils, whose coun¬ 
 tenances all bore evidence of happiness and contentment. Not¬ 
 withstanding the fact that twelve hours out of the twenty-four 
 were devoted to work or religious exercises, the establishment 
 was kept scrupulously clean; the dormitories were models of 
 neatness; so that habits foreign to the Chinese domestic charac¬ 
 ter were being instilled into the inmates. Some specimens of 
 modeling in clay, by one of the elder students, gave promise of 
 considerable talent as an artist. 
 
 The day of our visit to Siccaway happened to be a holiday in 
 honor of the approach of spring—a Chinese “Feast of Taberna¬ 
 cles,” and we met crowds in gala dresses, returning from the cer¬ 
 emonies which they had attended to propitiate the Ceres of the 
 Celestial Empire. Numbers of bonzes in long gray robes were 
 accompanied by soldiers in tall conical head-dresses, like red fool’s- 
 caps ; and at one of the temples which we entered gongs were beat¬ 
 ing and worshipers prostrating themselves incessantly: perhaps 
 some of them formed part of the crowd we saw no less reverently 
 adoring the Virgin Mary on the following Sunday at the Cathe¬ 
 dral at Tonk-a-doo. Here one side of the spacious area was filled 
 by a large attendance of Chinese female converts, whose devout 
 demeanor testified to their sincerity, and whose neat and occasion¬ 
 ally handsome costume and pleasing countenances formed an 
 agreeable contrast to the majority of the fair sex the stranger 
 meets in a Chinese town, and of which, if he has no opportunity 
 of seeing the better classes, he will probably form an unfavorable 
 opinion. 
 
 The Cathedral is adorned with sacred pictures drawn in con¬ 
 formity with Chinese notions, though the shaven crowns and 
 tails of the apostles, and small feet of the women, are startling to 
 an Occidental eye; but the principal curiosity of the Cathedral is 
 the organ, which has been constructed by Chinese mechanics, and 
 
176 difficulties attending missionary enterprise. 
 
 the pipes of which are composed simply of the hollow bamboo 
 of different sizes. The tones which it emitted, though powerful, 
 were soft and melodious, except in some of the higher notes. 
 There is a college attached to the Cathedral. The students here 
 are all converts, and many of them were undergoing a course of 
 preparation as native missionaries and catechists. 
 
 The efforts of the Protestant missionaries at Shanghai are de¬ 
 voted rather to the education of youth than the conversion of 
 adults. Ningpo is regarded as the station at which their labors 
 in this latter respect have been most satisfactory. At Shanghai, 
 about 400 children are under Protestant instruction, but they are 
 not, for the most part, taught English, and only the most rudi¬ 
 mentary works in their own classics. Their education seems 
 likely, therefore, to be of little service to them, either among 
 their own countrymen or foreigners. It has been found at Idong 
 Kong that a knowledge of English exposes youths to temptations, 
 against which not even the principles they have, or ought to have 
 imbibed, can protect them; and in too many instances the knowl¬ 
 edge they have acquired only serves to increase their evil influ¬ 
 ence. In the American schools at Shanghai, however, English is 
 taught; some of the girls in the schools of these latter missions, 
 more especially, had attained a very extensive and sound knowl¬ 
 edge of the language; and, so far as one could judge from their 
 appearance, the most favorable results might be augured from the 
 training they had undergone. 
 
 There is probably no country in which missionary enterprise 
 is conducted under greater difficulties than in China, our isolated 
 position, on the rim, as it were, of the empire, rendering it diffi¬ 
 cult for the missionaries to come into such close contact with the 
 people as will enable them to acquire any lasting influence. A 
 period of from two to three years after his arrival in the country 
 is employed by the missionary in learning the language, which 
 confines him to the particular districts in which the dialect is 
 spoken, and which is not understood elsewhere. He is even then 
 not able to settle away from those ports where the vices of the 
 European population go far toward neutralizing his efforts. The 
 Roman Catholic, on the other hand, does not remain above four or 
 five months at a station before he is turned out upon the field of 
 his labors and left to pick up the language as best he may, living 
 with the Chinese, dressing as they do, and altogether identifying 
 
DEPARTURE OF THE PLENIPOTENTIARIES. 
 
 177 
 
 himself with those whom he seeks to influence. With the excep¬ 
 tion of Mr. Burn, comparatively few of our missionaries have fol¬ 
 lowed this example. The opening of the country, however, by 
 the new treaty, and the protection which it guarantees to Chris¬ 
 tian missionaries, will doubtless inaugurate a new era in evangel¬ 
 ical enterprise. 
 
 On the 3d of April we received intelligence from the south 
 that the admiral had postponed his departure for ten days. 
 Though considerably embarrassed by this circumstance, Lord El¬ 
 gin decided, in conjunction with Baron Gros, that it was expedi¬ 
 ent that the allied plenipotentiaries should proceed to the mouth 
 of the Peiho, in accordance with the determination which had 
 been so strongly expressed to the Chinese government, as any ap¬ 
 pearance of wavering at so critical a juncture would be liable to 
 entail serious results. In order, however, as far as possible to 
 carry out his original policy, his excellency took on himself the 
 responsibility of requesting Sir Frederick Mcolson, then senior 
 officer at Shanghai, to supply him with as large a naval force as 
 could be spared from the station. The opportune arrival of the 
 Highflyer, as relief of the Pique, enabled Sir F. Nicolson to ac¬ 
 company us himself to the north, and the Cormorant, dispatch 
 gun-vessel, and Slaney, gun-boat, completed our little squadron. 
 His excellency, before his departure, left a letter for the admiral, 
 in which he states A “I am most anxious for the arrival of the 
 gun-boats drawing little water, which are referred to in your let¬ 
 ter to me of the 2d ultimo, because I am confident that nothing 
 will be so likely to bring the imperial government to terms as the 
 appearance of vessels of war within the bar of the Peiho Kiver. 
 Such vessels will, moreover, be indispensable if it should be nec¬ 
 essary to ascend that river to Tientsin.” 
 
 At daylight on the morning of the 10th we left Shanghai with 
 the Slaney in tow: the Russian steamer “ Amerika,” with Count 
 Poutiatine on board, had left a day or two previously, and the Au- 
 dacieuse and Minnesota were to follow immediately. Instructions 
 were left with Captain Shadwell, of the Highflyer, to forward with¬ 
 out delay any British man-of-war that might arri ve at Shanghai. 
 
 We were favored with lovely weather up the Yellow Sea, The 
 force of the northwest monsoon was apparently expended, and 
 we were followed by light southerly gales. To these warm winds, 
 * Blue-Book, Earl of Elgin to Sir M. Seymour, 8th of April, 1858. 
 
 M 
 
178 THE miatou straits.—aground on a sand-bank. 
 
 and the low temperature of the water in consequence of the melt¬ 
 ing of the winter snows, was doubtless to be attributed the haze 
 that shrouded the horizon, and through which, on the morning of 
 the 13th, loomed indistinctly the lofty promontory of Shantung, 
 the easternmost point of China. After rounding the cape, we 
 coasted along its northern shore, passing the port of Chee-foo, 
 where we observed many junks at anchor in the distance. This 
 town lies at the head of the bay of Ki-san-sen, and was entered by 
 Lord Macartney by mistake for Teng-chow. A high rocky prom¬ 
 ontory, connected with the main land by a low sandy isthmus, 
 terminates in a bold peak, rising to a height of 1130 feet above the 
 sea; beyond this the shore is sandy, with a background of barren 
 mountains. Altogether the scenery reminded me of some parts 
 of the coast of Barbary, while the climate, on that day, was exact¬ 
 ly that of the Mediterraneaii in early spring. Soon after, our ex¬ 
 perience destroyed any hope of this analogy lasting. 
 
 At 5 P.M. we sighted the large walled town of Teng-chow, one 
 of the ports opened by the new treaty. The city is in the form of 
 a parallelogram, and of considerable extent, the walls running 
 along the sea-shore for upward of three miles. At the extreme 
 right they terminate in a hill, crowned by a citadel and joss-house. 
 The coast, however, does not afford any shelter at this point, nor 
 did we see any junks at anchor off the town. The most available 
 harbor for Teng-chow is situated in the Miatou group. These isl¬ 
 ands, immediately opposite the city, are separated from the main 
 land by straits about four miles across; the largest and nearest is 
 Chang-shan : it is seven miles long and three broad. Here, in all 
 probability, will be established the future foreign settlement. It 
 forms one side of a secure bay, in which we saw an enormous fleet 
 of grain-junks at anchor. We were allowed some little leisure to 
 make observations on the subject, as, while steaming rapidly 
 through the straits, we suddenly grounded with considerable force 
 upon a sand-bank at a spot where the chart gave nine fathoms of 
 water. Our gun-boat in tow had acquired such impetus that she 
 ran into our quarter, and lost her mizzen-mast before she could get 
 clear of us. A tide running like a mill-race, and a strong north¬ 
 west breeze, increased the difficulties of the situation; but by dint 
 of getting all our heavy gear aft, going vigorously full speed astern, 
 and making the men roll and jump the ship, at the expiration of 
 an hour our exertions were rewarded with success. Although it 
 
ARRIVAL IN THE GULF OF PECHELEE. 
 
 179 
 
 was by this time dark, our indefatigable and skillful master, Mr. 
 Court, carried us safely through the straits. As this gentleman 
 had performed the northwest passage as the master of Sir Robert 
 Maclure’s ship “Investigator,” his nerves had undergone a train¬ 
 ing which rendered them proof under all circumstances. 
 
 The province of Shantung, of which Teng-chow is the principal 
 sea-board city, possesses the enviable notoriety in China of having 
 produced its greatest philosopher, Confucius. Its most distinguish¬ 
 ing feature is its lofty range of mountains, of which the highest, 
 Tai-shan, is celebrated throughout the empire. Notwithstanding 
 its mountainous character and barren aspect, Shantung alone con- 
 tains a population equal to that of the United Kingdom, distrib¬ 
 uted over an area not exceeding that of England, Scotland, and 
 Wales. 
 
 Daylight of the 14th of April found us plowing the muddy wa¬ 
 ters of the Gulf. Our soundings, which did not vary, gave us ten 
 fathoms. In many respects the Gulf of Pechelee resembles the 
 Sea of Azof, but its waters are not quite so green or thick. We 
 observed numerous junks on their way to or from the mouth of 
 the Peiho, and the varied character of their construction proved 
 that many were from the ports of Manchouria, or perhaps even 
 the Corea. Toward the afternoon it began to shoal, and this was 
 the only indication that we had reached our destination. Nothing 
 could be more dreary than the scene when the cry of four fathoms 
 was followed by the order “Stop her!” which we were loth to 
 construe into “ Stop here.” It was dreadful to contemplate the 
 prospect of remaining permanently at anchor in so forlorn a spot. 
 Not a sign of land broke the monotony of the dim hazy horizon. 
 The turbid waters were lashed into foam by gales which spun 
 round to every point on the compass with incredible velocity, and 
 kept the gulf in the condition of a caldron of boiling pea-soup. 
 Just as we were going to let go the anchor in despair, we descried 
 through the misty atmosphere the little “ Amerika” at anchor, and 
 steamed off to her for consolation and company. Count Poutia- 
 tine had already communicated with the shore, and an opaque 
 white-button mandarin had received a note which he had sent 
 ashore notifying his arrival. The party had not landed, but a 
 large crowd of spectators had collected on the shore to inspect 
 them. Presents had afterward been sent off, which, however, the 
 Russians had declined. 
 
180 dreary weather.—an expedition across the bar. 
 
 While communicating with the Amerika the Pique hove in 
 sight; and as we found that, at the Amerika’s anchorage, we 
 should be aground at low-water, we weighed and anchored with¬ 
 in half a mile of the frigate. At low tide we had twenty-two feet 
 of water, the distance from the shore being somewhat oyer eight 
 miles. As the coast of the province of Chili is very flat, the mud 
 forts at the mouth of the Peiho were only visible from the deck 
 of the Furious during brilliant sunsets, and on other rare occa¬ 
 sions, which, however, for the first few days of our stay did not 
 present themselves. Cutting northeast gales swept over the dreary 
 waters of the Gulf, and whistled dolefully through the shrouds, ill 
 preparing us to meet the sudden transition; blasts of hot air, 
 charged with impalpable dust from the desert of Gobi, not only 
 completely obscured the horizon, but cracked our lips, parched 
 our throats, and insinuated itself into the innermost recesses of our 
 clothing, or served as a general pepper to our food. Then would 
 come another change of wind, and a pitiless rain; and the dust we 
 had been anathematizing became visible as in muddy runnels it 
 trickled down the rigging and sides of the funnels. 
 
 On the second day after our arrival in the Gulf the Cormorant 
 made her appearance, and anchored near the bar. As Lord Elgin 
 had not abandoned his intention of pushing up to Tientsin with 
 as little delay as possible, the Slaney, Lieutenant Hoskins, was 
 sent across the bar to capture a few empty junks, into which the 
 Cormorant might discharge her coal and other dead-weight pre¬ 
 vious to trying the experiment of crossing. 
 
 I proceeded in the Slaney on this expedition, glad of the oppor¬ 
 tunity of obtaining a nearer view of the forts of which we had 
 heard so much and knew so little. We found the bar to be about 
 a mile wide, the channel marked by stakes, from which hung 
 bunches of black net. At the top of high water (springs) there 
 were upward of eleven feet of water at the shallowest part; and, 
 as we afterward found, at dead neaps the depth was eighteen inch¬ 
 es or two feet. There is, however, scarcely any inequality in the 
 surface of the bottom. For a mile it is as flat as a billiard-table, 
 and as hard. 
 
 Crowds of junks were entering the river like chickens running 
 for shelter. Our appearance evidently caused no little sensation 
 among them, which was not diminished when they saw one of their 
 number suddenly boarded by a boat-load of barbarians, and her 
 
JUNK-HUNTING. 
 
 181 
 
 head put out to sea. Propelling the unwieldly craft with long 
 poles, they accompanied their efforts to escape with a loud cry of 
 alarm, which was taken up by each successive junk, until the 
 sounds died away in the distance. However, we had no hostile 
 intentions, and our wants were limited to four or five empty junks: 
 two of these, capable of carrying a hundred or a hundred and fifty 
 tons each, were dispatched to the Cormorant; the others were 
 taken in tow by the Slaney, and were appropriated by the Pique 
 and Furious, as likely to prove useful in our ascent of the river. 
 
 This expedition had led us right across the bar, and we pushed 
 our reconnaissance to within a mile of the forts. We made out 
 three forts on the south, and two on the north bank of the river. 
 Innumerable banners fluttered from the parapets and embrasures, 
 waving defiance; and an extensive crowd, probably of soldiers, 
 were drawn up along the whole length of the batteries, watching, 
 no doubt with no small wonderment, the evolutions of the little 
 Slaney as she pounced upon her prey, and went puffing off over the 
 bar in the wind’s eye with a string of junks at her stern. Some 
 of these junks were of a different construction from those we had 
 been accustomed to see in the south; many of them had come 
 across the Gulf from New-chwang with grain or beans, and some 
 very possibly from the Corea. The crews at first were much 
 alarmed, but upon discovering that our intentions were harmless, 
 entirely recovered their equanimity; and when farther informed 
 that they should be sent on shore, and receive a reasonable sum 
 as the hire of their boats while they were employed, they seemed 
 quite reconciled to the arrangement, and proved their confidence 
 in us some time after by getting paid part of the junk-hire in ad¬ 
 vance, and then taking advantage of a dark night secretly to come 
 and endeavor to abstract the junks from their moorings. 
 
 The next day two petty mandarins came on board, evidently 
 on a tour of inspection, as they were not the bearers of any mes¬ 
 sage ; indeed, hitherto we had had no official communication with 
 the shore. The arrival of the United States steamer Mississippi, 
 with Mr. Peed on board, doubtless afforded these gentlemen fresh 
 matter for speculation. 
 
 The Nimrod, Captain Dew, a dispatch gun-vessel of rather great¬ 
 er draught than the Cormorant, and which had been forwarded 
 by Captain Shad well, reached the anchorage on the 19 th; but by 
 this time the spring-tides had passed. It was considered impos- 
 
182 
 
 DIFFICULTIES OF THE SITUATION. 
 
 sible for the Nimrod, and a rash experiment for the Cormorant, 
 to attempt the traject. Under these circumstances there was only 
 one gun-boat available, and, although it was highly probable that 
 at that period she might have passed the forts without being fired 
 upon, still it was a risk which neither Lord Elgin nor Sir Freder¬ 
 ick Nicolson felt justified in incurring. There was, therefore, 
 no alternative but to await patiently the arrival of the admirals 
 and a larger force—a necessity which ultimately compelled Lord 
 Elgin to abandon entirely his original policy. It had been his 
 hope, when he proceeded from Shanghai to the north, that at or 
 about the time of his arrival in the Gulf of Pechelee, a force, es¬ 
 pecially of gun-boats drawing little water, would be collected there 
 sufficiently large to enable him to approach the capital at once, 
 and to conclude a peace at such a period of the year as would 
 have admitted of his visiting Pekin before the hot season. 
 
 If this plan had been carried out, not only would many of the 
 inconveniences I shall have to detail been avoided, but the diffi¬ 
 cult question of direct intercourse with the emperor would have 
 been solved at a moment when there were unusual facilities for 
 settling it satisfactorily. Unfortunately, this hope was not real¬ 
 ized. In order to employ the time which elapsed before the ar¬ 
 rival of the gun-boats, it was necessary to spend five weeks in 
 temporizing at the mouth of the Peiho, during which time the 
 Chinese authorities not unnaturally strengthened their defenses, 
 and sent orders to the Braves in the neighborhood of Canton to 
 harass us in our occupation of the city. A farther consequence 
 of this delay was that, before the treaty of Tientsin was concluded, 
 the thermometer was 96° in the shade—a state of things which, 
 coupled with the urgent call from Hong Kong and Canton for the 
 return of the force, rendered any advance on the capital highly 
 inexpedient. Owing to this circumstance, it was left for the min¬ 
 ister charged with the ratification of the treaty to solve the deli¬ 
 cate questions involved in the reception of a British mission at 
 Pekin. 
 
 Meanwhile our only excitement consisted in sounding and re¬ 
 connoitring the mouth of the river. The result of our investiga¬ 
 tions only confirmed us in our original estimate of the insignifi¬ 
 cance of the forts, which were totally unprotected from attack 
 from the rear, and, though formidable in their extent and display 
 of banners, were little more than a line of mud batteries. During 
 
ANOTHER LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER. 
 
 183 
 
 the five weeks which elapsed before they were attacked, hundreds 
 of men were employed in strengthening and adding to them: we 
 could observe guns of heavy calibre daily taking the places in the 
 embrasures of the flaunting banners. 
 
 Sometimes sundry members of the mission would dispense with 
 naval assistance upon these occasions, and one dark night, when 
 three or four of us were navigating a very unseaworthy native 
 craft, we were caught in a storm, and, more by good luck than 
 good management, were picked up by the Slaney, and thus saved 
 from prematurely making acquaintance with the forts of Takoo. 
 It needed an occasional adventure of this sort to relieve the ex¬ 
 cessive monotony of our existence. 
 
 The arrival of Baron Gros on the 21st was the signal for re¬ 
 newed diplomatic action, and the four plenipotentiaries, being now 
 assembled in the Gulf, decided on severally dispatching to the 
 prime minister Yu, with whom they had already communicated 
 through Soo-chow, another letter. Lord Elgin, in this dispatch 
 to the prime minister, notified his arrival at the mouth of the 
 Peiho, in pursuance of the intimation expressed in his letter from 
 Shanghai of the 1st instant, of placing himself in more immediate 
 communication with the high officers of the imperial government 
 at the capital; and his excellency went on to say that he was 
 “ prepared to meet at Takoo, either on board of his own ship or 
 on shore, a minister duly authorized by the Emperor of China to 
 treat with him, and to settle by negotiation the several questions 
 affecting the relations of Great Britain with China, which are de¬ 
 tailed in a letter of the undersigned to the prime minister bearing- 
 date February 11. 
 
 “If, before the expiry of six days from the date of the present 
 communication, a minister so accredited shall not have presented 
 himself at Takoo, the undersigned will consider this pacific over¬ 
 ture to have been rejected, and deem himself to be thenceforward 
 at liberty to adopt such farther measures for enforcing the just 
 claims of his government on that of China as he may think expe¬ 
 dient.” 
 
 Although Tientsin had been the point originally intended for 
 negotiation, Lord Elgin was compelled, now that he found him¬ 
 self deprived of all certainty of ever reaching that place, to name 
 Takoo. 
 
 On the 24th of April the Slaney towed in the boats of the four 
 
184 
 
 ASPECT OF THE FORTS. 
 
 powers, their several flags floating gayly in the morning breeze. 
 I accompanied Mr. Wade, who was charged with the delivery of 
 the letter. As it was low water, we left the Slaney at the bar, 
 and pulled into the river to a wooden causeway, which, crossing 
 the mud flat from the centre fort, seemed to indicate the principal 
 landing-place. Here we were received by a transparent blue-but¬ 
 ton mandarin, who apologized profusely for being obliged to re¬ 
 fuse our request to land. So we received him into our boats, and 
 delivered the letters to him. Meanwhile a large crowd, chiefly 
 of soldiers, collected round us as spectators. They were fine-look¬ 
 ing men, with a uniform consisting of an ample brown cape with 
 a broad pink border, over long blue coats and trowsers. During 
 the short while that the conference between Mr. Wade and the 
 mandarin lasted in the boat, we were narrowly inspecting the 
 “terrain” generally. Some of the brass pieces were of enormous 
 calibre, but I could not count above fifty at this time. At the 
 other end of the jetty to which we were moored a large blue tent 
 had been pitched for the reception of sundry high officials who 
 were expected. At that moment some of the Russians were on 
 shore, having an audience with the treasurer of the province. We, 
 however, had not insinuated ourselves so deeply into the good 
 graces of the Chinese as our allies, whose neutral attitude natu¬ 
 rally placed them on a different footing vis-a-vis the imperial gov¬ 
 ernment, which every day of delay enabled them to improve. 
 
 From this point the forts looked like a range of huge perigord 
 pies, the flags rather aiding their resemblance to ornamented pas¬ 
 try. These banners were angular in shape, with a scalloped bor¬ 
 der, and white spots on a blue or yellow ground. 
 
 As we had at this time eighteen gun-boats in the China Seas, 
 we were still sanguine enough to hope that, before the expiry of 
 the term fixed in the above-mentioned letter to the prime minis¬ 
 ter, the two admirals would arrive in the Gulf, accompanied by a 
 force of gun-boats sufficient, should that step prove necessary, to 
 render the capture of the forts an easy operation. Great was our 
 disappointment when, after beating back from our mission into 
 the forts, we found the only accession to the squadron was the 
 flag-ship Calcutta, but no gun-boat, or chance of any for some 
 days. However, those energetic officers, Captains Dew and Sau- 
 marez, had satisfied themselves, after repeated inspections of the 
 bar, that it would be possible to force the long-heeled craft they 
 
THE DISPATCH VESSELS CROSS THE BAR. 
 
 185 
 
 commanded across it. The Coromandel (admiral’s tender), a pad¬ 
 dle-wheel steamer, was also available for the same purpose; and 
 the appearance, on the following day, of Admiral Kigault de Gre- 
 nouilly, accompanied by all his force, including three gun-boats, 
 once more raised our hopes of getting speedily to Tientsin. 
 
 The arrival of these vessels convinced us that, so far as the 
 monsoon was concerned, there existed no obstacle to the passage 
 of our gun-boats along the coast. They had already weathered 
 the Cape, and were now not surely incapable of following in the 
 wake of the French. Indeed, had there been any chance of de¬ 
 lay arising from this cause, it would probably have been mention¬ 
 ed when the gun-boats were first applied for. Inasmuch, how¬ 
 ever, as, notwithstanding their absence, the allied force had now 
 become formidable, Lord Elgin lost no time in repeating to the 
 admiral his opinion of the importance of a movement on Tientsin; 
 and it was arranged that an attempt should be made at the first 
 spring-tides to push the dispatch vessels over the bar; so that 
 they might be in readiness, should the answer of the prime minis¬ 
 ter render necessary the capture of the forts on the 1st of May. 
 On the 28th of April the first attempt was made, but the tide was 
 not sufficiently high for our vessels, though some of the French 
 gun-boats, which drew less water, succeeded in scraping over. On 
 the following day, however, the Nimrod was forced over by her 
 indefatigable commander, while the Cormorant ran past all the 
 French gun-boats, and anchored within about 1500 yards of the 
 forts. When this little squadron was joined by the Coromandel, 
 we had seven men-of-war inside the bar. 
 
 On the 30th an extremely unsatisfactory communication was 
 received from Tan, governor general of Chili, stating that he had, 
 in conjunction with a mandarin named Tsung-lun, director gener¬ 
 al of granaries, and Wu, under secretary of the cabinet, been ap¬ 
 pointed commissioner to meet the foreign plenipotentiaries at Ta- 
 koo, and enter upon negotiations. As he did not allude to the 
 nature or extent of the powers with which he was invested, he 
 was called upon to define them, and informed that, if they were 
 not as full as those held by Lord Elgin, and specified in his former 
 communications as required, he (the embassador) would regard his 
 pacific overture for the appointment of a “ duly qualified officer” 
 as rejected. The reply to this letter was to the effect that the 
 powers of Tan, Tsung, and Wu were limited to reporting our de- 
 
186 
 
 POSTPONEMENT OF ATTACK. 
 
 mands, etc., to the capital. The whole of this correspondence took 
 place on the 30th. Under these circumstances, the only course 
 left seemed to be to send in an ultimatum to Tan, stating that the 
 plenipotentiaries had now placed the matter in the hands of the 
 allied naval authorities. 
 
 As the 1st of May had been the day originally fixed as the ex¬ 
 piry of the “delai fatal ” the excitement became pretty general 
 throughout the fleet on the 30th, more especially in consequence 
 of a signal being made by the flag-ship for the small-arm men to 
 hold themselves in readiness for landing. General orders were 
 also issued by the admiral, containing the dispositions of attack. 
 On the 1st, consequently, great were the preparations on board 
 the Furious. Excited midshipmen, staggering under blankets, 
 canteens, and havresacks, rushed frantically about the deck ; the 
 landing-parties had their rations served out, and were told off; the 
 paddle-box-boats were lowered, and the guns put in them; and 
 all were on the tiptoe of expectation until the afternoon, when it 
 began to be whispered that a change had taken place in the views 
 of the naval commander-in-chief, and that an attack on the forts 
 was indefinitely postponed. This took all the world by surprise, 
 as nothing had occurred which could explain this alteration of 
 plan. 
 
 Thus a second time the policy which Lord Elgin had determ¬ 
 ined to carry out in his movement to the north sustained a check; 
 on the first occasion, in consequence of the absence of gun¬ 
 boats to support him on his arrival in the Gulf, he had been com¬ 
 pelled to invite a Chinese plenipotentiary to meet him at the 
 mouth of the Peiho, instead of proceeding to some point nearer 
 to the capital—a change of plan which was very injurious, be¬ 
 cause the mouth of the Peiho was the scene of the abortive nego¬ 
 tiations of Sir John Bowring in 1854; and now again, when the 
 Chinese plenipotentiaries had failed to produce their credentials 
 within a fixed period, he was thwarted in his desire to foil their 
 attempts at evasion by a rapid and immediate movement up the 
 country. The consequences of these delays were serious in the 
 extreme. In a military point of view they are graphically de¬ 
 scribed in the admiral’s dispatch of the 21st of May, upon the oc¬ 
 casion of the taking of the forts three weeks afterward. “From 
 the arrival of the embassadors on the 14th of April,” says his ex¬ 
 cellency, “ the Chinese have used every exertion to strengthen the 
 
POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE DELAY. 
 
 187 
 
 forts at the entrance to the Peiho; earthworks, sand-bag batteries, 
 and parapets for the heavy gingalls, have been erected on both 
 sides for a distance of nearly a mile in length, upon which eighty- 
 seven guns in position were visible; and the whole shore had been 
 piled to oppose a landing.” Politically they were even more dis¬ 
 astrous, because, by obliging Lord Elgin to protract, at the mouth 
 of the Peiho, negotiations which he clearly saw could lead to no 
 good result, they gave to his proceedings a vacillating character, 
 which was calculated to strengthen the self-confidence of the Chi¬ 
 nese diplomatists. 
 
188 
 
 PERILOUS POSITION OF DISPATCH GUN-BOATS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Perilous Position of Dispatch Gun-boats.—Strengthening of the Forts.—Arrival of 
 Chinese Re-enforcements.—The Question of full Powers.—Anglo-American Visit 
 to the Peiho in 1854.—Intercourse on that Occasion.—Interview with Tsung and 
 Tan.—Memorial of Commissioners in 1854.—Reference to Pekin.—Contemptuous 
 Treatment by the Chinese Government.—Anxiety as to future Movements.—Mem¬ 
 orandum of Sir M. Seymour.—Communication with Tan.—The final Summons.— 
 Insolence of the Garrison. 
 
 Eor the next three weeks our life in the Gulf was one of abso¬ 
 lute inaction. This was the more trying, as the cool season was 
 slipping rapidly past. The hot gusts came oftener, and in one 
 week the thermometer rose from 42° to 74°. During all this 
 time hundreds of grain-junks were passing into the mouth of the 
 river, bearing the annual tribute of rice, on which Pekin is so en¬ 
 tirely dependent. The interception of this grain-fleet had been 
 one of Lord Elgin’s principal objects in pushing northward early, 
 and desiring to be accompanied by the gun-boats. It was impos¬ 
 sible, however, to establish a blockade while negotiations ostensi¬ 
 bly pacific were still in progress, and it was equally impossible to 
 bring those negotiations to a close until the naval authorities an¬ 
 nounced that they were in a position to take the forts; because, 
 if a state of hostilities had been produced before they were able 
 to effect this object, the dispatch gun-boats, which were over the 
 bar, and unable to recross it except at spring-tides, would obvi¬ 
 ously have been in a very perilous situation. Meanwhile Count 
 Poutiatine had pushed his little steamer across the bar, and was 
 living in the river and in daily communication with the Chinese. 
 Mr. Reed, also, had frequent intercourse with the commissioners; 
 and neither time nor opportunity were wanting to enable the 
 neutral powers to exercise the blessed functions of the peace¬ 
 maker. 
 
 There were now a sufficient number of ships inside the bar to 
 induce us to pay them frequent visits, partly as a break to the 
 monotony of our life, and partly to watch the progress of the for¬ 
 tifications and the arrival of Chinese re-enforcements. From the 
 main-top of the Nimrod a most interesting bird’s-eye view was 
 
ARRIVAL OF CHINESE RE-ENFORCEMENTS. 
 
 189 
 
 obtained of the flat peninsula on which the forts were placed, and 
 the steppe country stretching away to the horizon. Immediately 
 beneath was the line of batteries, in which Chinamen were work¬ 
 ing like ants, happily thoughtless of throwing up any works in 
 their rear, solely occupied in getting more guns into position, and 
 strengthening the front face. These defenses were properly 
 known as the forts of Tung-koo. Behind them the plain extend¬ 
 ed across the neck of the peninsula for about a mile, to the town 
 of Takoo, situated on a bend of the river. Mandarins in state, 
 officers on horseback, surrounded by their military retinue, Tartar 
 couriers, soldiers, and camp-followers of all descriptions, were seen 
 constantly passing across this plain; while here, for the first time 
 in China, we saw carts drawn by horses or mules, generally tan¬ 
 dem. In the town of Takoo, a pagoda or two marked the resi¬ 
 dence of the commissioners and the principal temples; while be¬ 
 hind it, a line of trees denoted the course of the river, and fur¬ 
 nished a green background refreshing to look upon. 
 
 On the north bank of the river, two square forts, built more in 
 accordance with civilized ideas of fortification, were undergoing 
 repair and armament, while in rear of them, upon the arid salt¬ 
 pans, a large camp, the tents scarcely distinguishable from the salt 
 tumuli, betokened the arrival of an extensive body of troops from 
 Pekin. A cavalry regiment forming part of this force was an at¬ 
 tractive object of inspection. Near this camp another battery 
 was in progress of erection, in a position which commanded a 
 long reach of the river. 
 
 The masts of junks, forming a forest of dry sticks beyond Ta¬ 
 koo, showed how thickly the river was packed with craft; while 
 innumerable white sails dotted the horizon, and the clumsy hulls 
 of others, which had reached their destination at low water, were 
 imbedded in the vast expanse of mud which stretched out to sea¬ 
 ward. 
 
 On the 6th of May the plenipotentiaries found themselves com¬ 
 pelled to seek a new pretext for correspondence in order to gain 
 time, and for that purpose reopened negotiations with Tan and 
 Tsung. As the Chinese commissioners, when required to produce 
 the proper credentials, were in the habit of declaring that it was 
 not in accordance with the usages of the empire to grant to em¬ 
 bassadors full powers similar to those conferred by European 
 sovereigns on their representatives, Lord Elgin transmitted to 
 
190 
 
 ANGLO-AMERICAN VISIT TO THE PEIHO. 
 
 them a copy of the full powers granted by the imperial govern¬ 
 ment to Keying and Hippo on the occasion of their treating with 
 Sir Henry Pottinger, and intimated that he would be satisfied if 
 they could procure from the emperor similar credentials for them¬ 
 selves. Their refusal to comply with this demand furnished ad¬ 
 ditional evidence of the fact that they had not authority to settle 
 the important questions pending between the two governments. 
 
 In order to a better appreciation of the peculiar conditions un¬ 
 der which diplomatic relations in China are conducted, a perusal 
 of the state papers discovered in Yeh’s yamun, some of which 
 have already appeared in the Blue-Book, and which are shortly 
 to be published in extenso , by Mr. Wade, will be found very use¬ 
 ful ; those bearing upon the visit of Sir John Bowring and Mr. 
 Maclane to the Peiho in 1854, and the circumstances incidental to 
 it, were especially edifying and instructive to us, more particularly 
 as the great bulk of the memorials were written by Tsung, the 
 associate of Tan in the present commission. That functionary 
 little dreamed that his most secret and confidential opinions upon 
 the subject of the English barbarians were undergoing the closest 
 scrutiny by those identical barbarians, at the period he was com¬ 
 municating with them in tones as conciliatory as was consistent 
 with his hostile feelings. Certainly the circumstances under which 
 we appeared off the Peiho were somewhat different to those under 
 which it had been visited in 1854. Then the force was composed 
 of one English and three American vessels, only one of which was 
 inside the bar. Now there were upward of twenty men-of-war 
 in the Gulf, of which nine were inside the bar; for an American 
 steamer, as well as the Eussian, had taken up her anchorage in 
 the river. Then the foreign plenipotentiaries had manifested the 
 strongest desire to be received in audience, and had visited the 
 Chinese commissioners in the tent erected on shore for their ac¬ 
 commodation. Now these latter had fixed two several days for 
 interviews, and expressed their anxious readiness to receive the 
 foreign plenipotentiaries; but their festive boards had been spread 
 and their soldiers paraded in vain; instead of the plenipotentia¬ 
 ries they only saw Messrs. Wade, Lay, and some of the members 
 of the staff, and so far forgot their dignity, in their anxiety to 
 conciliate, that they entertained them officially. On the former 
 occasion Drs. Medhurst and Parker had been received by two 
 subordinates, Wan-kien and Shwanjin, whose memorials on the 
 
INTERCOURSE ON THAT OCCASION. 191 
 
 subject are in the highest degree amusing. This was pending the 
 arrival of the imperial commissioner Tsung. 
 
 To judge from their account of the intractability of the barba¬ 
 rians, they must have undergone most trying experiences in their 
 endeavors to carry out the emperor’s injunctions “to discomfit 
 their (the barbarians’) deceit and arrogance, and foil their mali¬ 
 cious sophistry.” “ There is no fathoming their (the barbarians’) 
 minds.” They in one place despondingly remark, “ Nor is it at 
 all certain they are not covering a mischievous purpose, their real 
 object being to find a pretext for misunderstanding with us.” 
 Most determined are the combats they seem to have had with the 
 interpreters. “To judge by appearances, Medhurst is much the 
 most crafty,” they think; but elsewhere they exultingly exclaim, 
 “your slaves lectured them upon the obligations of duty. Med¬ 
 hurst and Parker hung down their heads, having nothing to re¬ 
 join, and apologized for their error. They farther observed that, 
 as a high officer was to be at Tientsin immediately, to look into 
 the questions pending, there would now be peace between us, and 
 (at this they were so delighted) that, though they should die, they 
 should not care. They seemed greatly ashamed, and their lan¬ 
 guage was most respectful.” 
 
 Indeed considering how constantly Wan-kien and his colleague 
 are “peremptorily enjoining” and “ authoritatively commanding” 
 the barbarians, they seem to produce but little effect; doubtless 
 feeling the futility of their efforts, one of them, after suggesting 
 that the governor general be sent to inquire into the matter, winds 
 up in the following modest manner: “ The opinion that is within 
 the range of his stolidity, your slave, in the rashness of his igno¬ 
 rance, humbly declares; and, unequal to the excess of his trepi¬ 
 dation, awaits your majesty’s commands.” 
 
 I had not the advantage of seeing Tsung, but those of our party 
 who were received by that dignitary and Tan describe him as an 
 ill-favored, suspicious-looking man, with a squint, who maintained 
 a truculent silence throughout the short interview. Perhaps the 
 following memorial which I have extracted from among Mr. 
 Wade’s translations of the same papers, will account for the evil 
 eye with which he regarded us, while it is interesting, at the same 
 time, as throwing much light upon the motives and modes of ac¬ 
 tion of Chinese officials; it is supplementary to a long and very 
 interesting memorial, in which he and his colleague describe their 
 
192 
 
 MEMORIAL OF COMMISSIONERS IN 1854. 
 
 interviews with. Sir John Bowring and Mr. Maclane, their per¬ 
 emptory refusal to listen to any of their demands, and the means 
 by which, in their opinion, they can be induced to waive them. 
 “ Farther, they say, your slaves, having received your majesty’s 
 commands to administer barbarian business together, could they 
 have so set the right before the barbarians as to prevent them 
 going back from their engagements, would they have dared to 
 trouble your sacred majesty with farther matter of thought, by 
 the application which they respectfully make for a Celestial de¬ 
 cision ? 
 
 “ The English barbarians are, however, full of insidious schemes, 
 uncontrollably fierce and imperious. The American nation does 
 no- more than follow their direction. Every movement is the con¬ 
 ception of the English. A perusal of the list of propositions pre¬ 
 sented by them .shows that th,ey are in general the views of a sin¬ 
 gle self. They consist neither with right feeling nor principle. 
 They have been mildly remonstrated with, but so crafty and slip¬ 
 pery is their disposition that it is hard to set the right before 
 them. 
 
 “ Your slaves, having duly taken counsel together, have re¬ 
 solved to point out to them what articles in their paper admit of 
 discussion; and for the discussion of these, whether important or 
 otherwise, to refer them to one of the five open ports. The place 
 to which they might prefer to proceed your slaves would report 
 to the throne; high authorities in the province in which it lies re¬ 
 ceiving instructions from your majesty to consult together and 
 make their disposition according to the particulars of the case, as 
 ascertained by them on investigation, and to oblige the barbarians 
 to return and abide the issue; to reject the rest of their proposi¬ 
 tions, one and all; and, on receipt of your majesty’s approval of 
 this course, to write them another letter for their instruction, and 
 return them (lit., throw back) their paper of articles. Should they 
 be willfully perverse to take no notice of it, but to be more than 
 ever active in preparing secretly for defense, and to wait spear in 
 hand, with the right on our side and the wrong on theirs, it does 
 not seem that they can have any thing to allege against us. It is 
 the nature of the Mwan and I,* while they dread the strong, to 
 
 * Note by Translator .—The four barbarian races surrounding ancient China prop¬ 
 er were the Mwan, the I, the Jung, and the Tih. The second is now almost generic 
 for all races not Chinese. 
 
REFERENCE TO PEKIN. 
 
 193 
 
 insult the weak. Without some display of power, they will not, 
 perhaps, be deterred from their purpose of prying and spying (hh, 
 their heart of spying will not be awed). 
 
 “ It is proposed, in reply to them, to show a certain amount of 
 indifference, thus to enhance the dignity of the state, and annihi¬ 
 late their treacherous projects. The barbarians are in no wise to 
 be informed that the paper of propositions tendered by them has 
 been laid before the throne. They were told, in the first instance, 
 that it was taken away to be studied more carefully; that on any 
 thing in it that might be of advantage to both sides, or in no way 
 to the prejudice of either, your majesty’s pleasure would, after due 
 deliberation, be requested for them; that the remainder would be 
 negatived, article by article, as being, from their offensiveness and 
 impertinence, harmful and impracticable; and that the paper 
 would be returned to them on the 18th. The barbarians have 
 never been given to understand that a copy of it could have been 
 submitted to your majesty for perusal. As in duty bound, they 
 add this inclosure to the foregoing details.” 
 
 There was no reason to suppose that Tsung, who adopted this 
 tone with reference to barbarian affairs in 1854, had changed his 
 mind in the interval, more especially as the policy he adopted on 
 that occasion was eminently successful. He got rid of the barba¬ 
 rians, who were not more heard of until the “Arrow case” once 
 more roused “these troublesome pests” into action. 
 
 Upon the above occasion the question of powers did not seem 
 to arise, the commissioners untruthfully alleging not only that 
 they were unable to entertain the demands of the barbarians, but 
 even to refer them to Pekin. It appears, however, that they were 
 so referred, and the emperor’s decree on the subject was among 
 our papers. Upon the occasion of our visit, they evidently wished 
 it to be considered in the light of a concession that they offered to 
 make reference to Pekin; but it was clear that this was a princi¬ 
 ple totally inadmissible, as being not merely inconsistent with the 
 dignity of the powers represented on the occasion, but incompati¬ 
 ble with the speedy or satisfactory progress of negotiations. 
 
 The practical inconvenience of treating with irresponsible func¬ 
 tionaries is exemplified in a decree from the Council of State to 
 Yeh, informing him of the proceedings of Sir John Bowring and 
 Mr. Maclane in the north, in which they say: “ They (the foreign 
 plenipotentiaries) presented a number of requests; more than one 
 
 N 
 
194 ANXIETY AS TO FUTURE MOVEMENTS. 
 
 of them objectionable, by reason of their unreasonableness and im¬ 
 pertinence. We confidentially instructed Tsung-lun and his col¬ 
 leagues to disapprove and negative the whole of these, but to write 
 a reply, promising, as it were of their own motion, that three of 
 the questions—viz., the misunderstandings between the people 
 and the barbarians, the arrears of duties at Shanghai, and the tea- 
 duties in Kwang-tung, should, notwithstanding, be looked into and 
 disposed of.” This view of the subject was doubtless founded 
 upon the opinion of Tsung-lun, as stated by him in one of his 
 Memorials, in which he says: “ Their (the foreign plenipotentia¬ 
 ries’) object (was to obtain consideration of) the arrear of duties 
 at Shanghai, the surcharge on the tea-duties at Canton, and trade 
 up the Yang-tse-Kiang. The remaining articles were mere talk 
 (or lies), to produce an effect.” Our subsequent silence upon the 
 subject for so long a period must have confirmed this opinion, 
 while the Council of State, commenting upon the indignant de¬ 
 parture of the squadron from the Gulf, sagaciously remarks, 
 “ They will go back to Kwang-tung—their averment that they 
 will return home for instructions from their government being 
 nothing more than another of their fictions.” Then follow in¬ 
 structions to Yeh, that, when they get to Canton, he is to be as 
 peremptory with them as Tsung-lun was. Above all, that “ their 
 proposition to trade up the Yang-tse-Kiang must be peremptorily 
 negatived, nor must the barbarians be led to suppose that the idea 
 was ever communicated to us.” 
 
 With the advantage which these papers afforded him of an in¬ 
 sight into the character of Chinese diplomacy, Lord Elgin was nat¬ 
 urally desirous to avoid being entangled in this labyrinth of fi¬ 
 nesse and word-fencing; and the delays in the Gulf were doubly 
 annoying to him, because they had a tendency to involve him in 
 discussions of this nature. 
 
 Meantime the Chinese were daily gaining confidence; there 
 was little doubt that they had now made up their minds to resist, 
 and every day’s delay was weakening our position morally. At 
 one time it seemed probable that the whole force would leave the 
 Gulf of Pechelee without accomplishing any object whatever.* 
 The time was a most anxious one, for the plenipotentiaries con¬ 
 sidered that any such abandonment of the enterprise would tend 
 
 * The following men-of-war were at this time anchored in the Gulf: 
 
MEMORANDUM OF SIR M. SEYMOUR. 195 
 
 to increase the arrogance of the court of Pekin, and perhaps com¬ 
 promise the safety of Europeans in other parts of the empire. 
 
 Finally, it was resolved that a movement up the Peiho, of a 
 mixed hostile and diplomatic character, should take place, as de¬ 
 scribed in the annexed memorandum of Sir M. Sevmour, of the 
 result of the conference held on board l’Audacieuse frigate, 18th 
 of May, 1858. 
 
 u Proposed by the embassadors— 
 
 “ To take the forts, and, in accordance with language held to 
 
 English. 
 
 
 Guns. 
 
 Men. 
 
 
 Calcutta.. 
 
 .84 
 
 700 
 
 (Anchored in Gulf 
 1 of Pechelee. 
 
 Pique. 
 
 .40 
 
 270 
 
 do. 
 
 Furious, paddle steamer. 
 
 . 8 
 
 220 
 
 do. 
 
 Nimrod, dispatch government vessel... 
 
 . 6 
 
 120 
 
 Peiho. 
 
 Cormorant do. 
 
 . 6 
 
 98 
 
 do. 
 
 Surprise do.. 
 
 . 6 
 
 98 
 
 Gulf of Pechelee. 
 
 Fury. 
 
 . 8 
 
 1G0 
 
 do. 
 
 Slaney, gun-boat. 
 
 . 5 
 
 48 
 
 
 Leven, do. 
 
 . 5 
 
 48 
 
 
 Bustard, do. 
 
 . 3 
 
 48 
 
 
 Opossum. 
 
 . 3 
 
 48 
 
 
 Stanch. 
 
 . 3 
 
 48 
 
 
 Firm. 
 
 .... 3 
 
 48 
 
 
 Coromandel, paddle steamer.. 
 
 . 5 
 
 44 
 
 Peiho. 
 
 Hesper, store-ship. 
 
 . 0 
 
 54 
 
 
 
 
 2052 
 
 
 French. 
 
 Nemesis, frigate.Gulf of Pechelee. 
 
 Audacieuse, frigate. do. 
 
 Primanquet, steam corvette. do. 
 
 Durance, store-ship. do. 
 
 Meurthe. do. 
 
 Phlegeton, steam corvette. do. 
 
 Mitraille, gun-boat. Peiho. 
 
 Fuse'e, gun-boat. do. 
 
 Avalanche, gun-boat. do. 
 
 Dragonne. do. 
 
 Renny, store-steamer. 
 
 American. 
 
 Minnesota, steam frigate.Gulf of Pechelee. 
 
 Mississippi, steam frigate. do. 
 
 Antelope, chartered steamer. Peiho. 
 
 Russian. 
 
 Amerika, paddle steamer 
 
 Peiho. 
 
196 
 
 COMMUNICATION WITH TAN. 
 
 Tan, the Chinese high commissioner, to go nearer the capital to 
 treat; to advance pacifically np the river with a view to meeting 
 a plenipotentiary. 
 
 “It was remarked that the ministers of Kussia and the United 
 States would unite in this movement, after the capture of the forts. 
 
 “ I stated that I was quite prepared to operate against the forts, 
 and afterward advance the gun-boats in aid of the proposed move¬ 
 ments up the river. 
 
 “ The official authority requiring me to act is to be furnished 
 by Lord Elgin.”* 
 
 In keeping with this arrangement, a communication was ad¬ 
 dressed to Tan, in which the embassador stated that, the various 
 delays accorded having expired without producing any satisfac¬ 
 tory result, it had at last become necessary for him, in accordance 
 with his expressed intention of “placing himself in more immedi¬ 
 ate communication with the high officers of the imperial govern¬ 
 ment at the capital,” to move “toward” Tientsin. “As a pre¬ 
 liminary measure,” his excellency goes on to state, “ it will be req¬ 
 uisite that the forts at the mouth of the Peiho be placed in the 
 hands of the commanders-in-chief of the allied force. Their ex¬ 
 cellencies will signify the time within which the imperial troops 
 will be called on to evacuate these works. The forts once in pos¬ 
 session of the allied force, the undersigned will ascend the river, 
 trusting that the imperial government will, without farther delay, 
 admit the expediency of appointing a duly qualified representa- * 
 tive to meet him.” 
 
 On the 18th of May the plenipotentiaries and admirals met in 
 conference, and it was finally arranged that the above summons 
 should be sent in on the 20th; and that if the Chinese should de¬ 
 cline accepting our offer of temporarily garrisoning their forts for 
 them, force should be employed to obtain possession of them. 
 
 So at last, after five weeks of total inaction at anchor in one 
 spot, there was some prospect of escape from a situation which 
 was gradually becoming intolerable. Daring this period, which 
 seemed an age, we had passed through every variety of tempera¬ 
 ture and every phase of sentiment. We had been hot and hope¬ 
 ful, cold and despondent, shrouded in fogs, beset with doubts, 
 choked with sand and disgust, tempest and passion-tossed, becalm- 
 
 * Vide Blue-Book, page 306. 
 
INSOLENCE OF THE GARRISON. 
 
 197 
 
 eel and torpid. We became wonderfully expert at games with 
 rope quoits, and profoundly indifferent to sublunary affairs gen¬ 
 erally. News of the change of ministry at home, which arrived 
 about this time, did not create nearly so much sensation as a pres¬ 
 ent of fresh fish, for we were reduced to living on potted meats. 
 
 Information came from those in the river that the Chinese were 
 working harder than ever in constructing stockades and abattis, 
 that the camps were increasing in size, and the soldiers in bravado, 
 insomuch that they hooted and waved flags at us jeeringly, won¬ 
 dering why we did not u come onall this was refreshing to the 
 spirits of those who had become bloodthirsty, more especially the 
 officers of the ships over the bar. The Nimrod and Cormorant 
 had been quietly edged so close to the forts that, considering their 
 escape was impossible, no other nation but the Chinese could have 
 resisted the temptation of firing upon them; but in vain did their 
 commanders watch for a little puff of white smoke which might 
 have enabled them to cut the gordian knot which we in the Gulf 
 had been so long endeavoring to unravel; in vain did parties of 
 sportsmen look for snipe under the very guns of the batteries; 
 the imperturbable garrison contented themselves with waving 
 flags, well pleased to be allowed to play the part of the Earl of 
 Chatham as long as we should continue to personify Sir Richard 
 Strachan. 
 
198 
 
 THE EYE OF THE ATTACK. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The Night before the Attack.—Delivery of the Ultimatum.—The Signal of Attack. 
 —Advance of the Cormorant.—The Nimrod hotly engaged.—Chinese Artillery- 
 practice.—The Batteries stormed.—“Sauve qui peut.”—Terrific Explosion.—As¬ 
 pect of the Fortifications.—Attack of the northern Forts.—Capture of the last 
 Battery.—A Visit to Tan’s Besidence.—Imperial Edict.—Fate of Tan.—His Ac¬ 
 count of the Action.—Tan’s Yamun.—A Poem “in Memoriam.”—Return to the 
 Furious. 
 
 As if to compensate to ns for all the delay and discomfort to 
 which we had already been subjected during our stay in the Gulf, 
 the climate for the last few days would have been a credit to the 
 Mediterranean. The sky was cloudless, and fresh breezes from 
 the seaward had driven the salt waves into the Gulf, and forced 
 back the muddy waters of the Peiho, until that river indulged in 
 the poetic license of “meandering level with its font.” 
 
 On the 19th I crossed the bar at an early hour. The batteries 
 maintained their usual aspect of repose. Here and there groups 
 of soldiers were squatted round some big brass guns, or manda¬ 
 rins of rank with umbrella and banner bearers went their rounds; 
 but as the day wore on they saw enough to rouse them to vigi¬ 
 lance and activity. Six gun-boats came dancing merrily over the 
 bar, each thronged with human beings, and forming a centre 
 round which clustered a crowd of ships’ boats, like chickens nes¬ 
 tling under the maternal wing. Spasmodically puffing forth 
 their six jets of white smoke, they steadily approached the awe¬ 
 struck garrison, who, however, to do them justice, manifested no 
 external signs of alarm. That even the hardy progeny of the 
 soldiers of Genghis Khan should have felt some degree of trepi¬ 
 dation at witnessing a phenomenon of this description for the first 
 time was natural; but not only did they conceal their intimida¬ 
 tion, but had the hardihood to send off a message through Count 
 Poutiatine, inviting us to “ come on.” So we came on, and look¬ 
 ed very pretty as we did so; the setting sun glancing on red coats 
 and waving flags, and shedding its warm bright glow upon the 
 devoted garrison, so many of whom were looking at it for the last 
 
DELIVERY OF THE ULTIMATUM. 
 
 199 
 
 time. These latter, however, probably not much given to senti¬ 
 ment at any time, were evidently more engrossed with the ap¬ 
 proaching foe than the departing day, and seemed to suspect that 
 we were going to attack the same evening. Officers moved brisk¬ 
 ly about the batteries on horseback; the whole garrison stood to 
 their guns, and turned out in a long and imposing line upon the 
 glacis; but their prowess was not yet destined to be tried. . The 
 gun-boats came to an anchor at a long range from the forts; the 
 garrison relapsed into quiet and security; the waves, so lately 
 burnished gold, became polished silver as the rising moon tipped 
 their crests, and the hoarse pant of the steam-engine was succeed¬ 
 ed by the gruff chorus of the British sailor, who was too much 
 excited by the prospect of “ thrashing the fokees” on the morrow 
 to go to sleep until he had exhausted his repertory of appropriate 
 songs. At length the last barbarian strain died faintly away, and 
 tar and Tartar were buried in profound repose. 
 
 At eight o’clock on the following morning, the English and 
 French flag-captains, accompanied by Mr. Lay, landed under a 
 flag of truce with the ultimatum, and an intimation that a delay 
 of two hours would be accorded for the exchange of garrisons, as 
 required in the ultimatum. These gentlemen were received by a 
 petty mandarin near the blue tent, where a repast had every day 
 been spread for the entertainment of any such barbarians of distinc¬ 
 tion as should honor the commissioners with a visit. To this of¬ 
 ficial the ultimatum was handed, and the party retired. An in¬ 
 terval of two hours then elapsed, at the expiry of which, as no 
 farther communication was received from the forts, it was con¬ 
 cluded that the authorities preferred their own garrison to the one 
 proposed as a substitute, and had determined to abide by the con¬ 
 sequences. At ten o’clock, therefore, the signal was hoisted for 
 the ships to take up their respective positions. 
 
 The Cormorant, Mitraille, and Fusee had been told off to the 
 attack of the two forts on the northern side, while the three forts 
 on the southern bank, with their long connecting-line of sand-bag 
 batteries, fell to the share of the Nimrod, Avalanche, and Dra¬ 
 gon ne. This apparently unequal distribution of French and En¬ 
 glish gun-boats, by which the former appeared to have monopo¬ 
 lized an undue share in the operations was rendered necessary 
 by the inefficiency of the French gun-boats for perfoming sundry 
 functions for which our smaller class of gun-boats are alone adapt- 
 
200 SIGNAL OF ATTACK.—ADVANCE OF THE CORMORANT. 
 
 ed, and which we were compelled to do for them. Thus the Le- 
 ven and Opossum were told off for French service throughout 
 the day, and towed in their landing-parties. During the subse¬ 
 quent period of our residence at Tientsin our gun-boats were con¬ 
 stantly employed on the French account, bringing up provisions, 
 supplies, etc., and performing the entire river service for both 
 squadrons. 
 
 To return to the signal of attack. Cameron and I had taken 
 up our position for viewing the operations of the day on board 
 the Nimrod. For a few moments before this signal was hoisted 
 the river presented a most animated appearance. The advanced 
 ship up the river was the Cormorant, letting off impatient puffs 
 of steam, as she waited like a greyhound till the leash should be 
 slipped, and she should be started to burst through the bamboo 
 barrier which was stretched across the river, and run the gauntlet 
 of the fire of forts to which she would be exposed before reach¬ 
 ing her position. Immediately behind her lay the Nimrod, her 
 decks cleared for action, the men at their guns, and every soul 
 eagerly longing for the welcome order. Some distance astern of 
 her were our own gun-boats, surrounded by their small fry, crowd¬ 
 ed with men, and the four large French gun-boats. 
 
 The signal flag had hardly reached the truck of the Slaney 
 when the Cormorant darted off like an arrow; as her men were 
 all lying flat on the deck, not a soul but her commander and two 
 or three officers was to be seen on board. A moment had scarce¬ 
 ly elapsed before Captain Saumarez had reason to congratulate 
 himself on the wisdom of his precaution—puff, and a cloud of 
 smoke like that of an exploded mine was followed by the whistle 
 of a round-shot, then another, and another, till all three forts had 
 opened on her in full chorus. But the Cormorant disdained re¬ 
 ply ; suddenly there was a shock, a tremor, and a start ahead— 
 she had burst the barrier, composed of five seven-inch bamboo 
 cables buoyed across the river. In a moment more she was in 
 position, and, giving the batteries on the southern bank one gun 
 by way of a recognition of the compliment they had paid her, 
 she concentrated her tremendous fire on the northern forts, which 
 were completely silenced in about eighteen minutes, at the expiry 
 of which term the Fusee and Mitraille came up, too late, however, 
 to participate in the bombardment. 
 
 Meantime the Nimrod had been no less alert, and, being al- 
 
THE NIMROD HOTLY ENGAGED. 
 
 201 
 
 ready almost in position, opened incontinently a telling fire on 
 the southern forts, thus diverting their attention from the Cormo¬ 
 rant, and attracting their concentrated fire on herself. For about 
 a quarter of an hour we held the distinguished post of engaging 
 single-handed the whole three forts. Presently, however, the four 
 French gun-boats, two of them on their way to support the Cor¬ 
 morant, and the other two (Avalanche and Dragonne) our sup¬ 
 ports, came slowly up; the strong tide and the narrow river con¬ 
 siderably embarrassed the movements of these craft, which were 
 of unwieldy construction and insufficient steam-power. How¬ 
 ever, when the Avalanche and Dragonne did get into position, 
 just ahead of us, they did their work well, and for the next half 
 hour we all three hammered away at the forts with great good¬ 
 will and pertinacity, the Tartars standing to their guns better 
 than we anticipated. The shot for the most part passed over us, 
 some of them flying as high as the top-gallant cross-tree. One 
 went through the topsail yard, and we saw them bobbing in all 
 directions into the river beyond us. The French gun-boats had 
 poops; to this may no doubt be attributed the mortality among 
 the officers; they lost no less than four killed, and only two men, 
 if we exclude those killed afterward by an explosion. 
 
 The Nimrod was hulled in half a dozen places, but we had 
 only one man killed and three wounded. The gingall fire was 
 more telling than that of their large guns. The construction of a 
 Chinese battery renders it a somewhat difficult matter to silence 
 them effectually. Behind the gun is a bomb-proof chamber, con¬ 
 taining the ammunition, and to which the men run for shelter. 
 After the gun is discharged the gunners disappear into this re¬ 
 treat, and remain there until the enemy, having given the bat¬ 
 tery a benefit of shot and shell without reply, conclude it to be si¬ 
 lenced ; then the gunners stealthily emerge, and try, if possible, 
 to load and fire the gun without being perceived, rushing back to 
 their hiding-place immediately afterward. Of course, upon this 
 system the firing can never be very rapid, but there is no reason 
 why it should not last forever, unless the gun is disabled; to pre¬ 
 vent this, they generally run it behind the solid earthwork after 
 it is fired. By minute investigation with an opera-glass, we could 
 often detect the gunners popping like rabbits out of a warren 
 from the chamber into the battery, and then a shell, judiciously 
 dropped among them, would shut up the gun for a quarter of an 
 
202 
 
 THE BATTERIES STORMED. 
 
 hour. As, however, there were 140 guns altogether in position, 
 a good deal of firing went on notwithstanding. 
 
 A little before eleven, the admirals, followed by their fleet of 
 gun-boats, passed up the river, receiving on their way a good 
 many stray shots that passed over us. As the interest was now 
 to be transferred to their operations, I went up with my compan¬ 
 ion to the main-top of the Nimrod, from whence we obtained a 
 magnificent bird’s-eye view of the scene. The batteries, with 
 their active garrisons, lay immediately at our feet. We could see 
 the gunners running in and out of their chambers, and working 
 away like ants; and in the plain behind, a large crowd, probably 
 a force in reserve, who, to their intense amazement, were favored 
 with a shell or two immediately on our informing Captain Dew 
 of their position and direction. 
 
 As the storming-parties landed within 800 yards of us, we could, 
 from our elevated position, inspect their proceedings with great 
 minuteness. The attention of the fort being concentrated upon 
 the gun-boats in front of them, the garrison seemed unconscious 
 of the fact that some hundreds of “ barbarians ” were landing just 
 above them. Not knowing that our practice was to take batteries 
 by assault, they were evidently taken completely by surprise; 
 and as but a few yards of mud were to be traversed at that time 
 of tide, the men were in the embrasures at once. In the late un¬ 
 fortunate attack, the distance of mud to be crossed was much 
 greater, and the garrison doubtless fully expected that we should 
 land and storm as we had done before, and were prepared accord¬ 
 ingly. We saw the leading blue-jacket jump into the battery; an 
 instantaneous panic spread itself like lightning along the line of 
 batteries at our feet; and in the “sauve qui peut” which follow¬ 
 ed, some amusing scenes occurred, as Jack, at the top of his speed, 
 dodged and chased the terrified soldiers, who, with outstretched 
 arms and nimble legs, scattered in every direction. Here and 
 there, one more courageous than his fellows would attempt to 
 make a stand, or apparently disbelieve the report of a flying Tar¬ 
 tar, who pointed to the rear and sped on with redoubled speed ; 
 but no sooner did the flash of the cutlass glance before his eye, 
 than the bravest of them lost heart, and in ten minutes the whole 
 garrison, together with the body in reserve, were scattered far and 
 wide over the plain. Those who had a good start could afford to 
 save their dignity, and walk composedly away ; but the stragglers 
 
Capture of the Peiho Forts, 
 


 Reception-tent of the Imperial Commissioners, Takoo. 
 
TERRIFIC EXPLOSION. 
 
 207 
 
 in rear fled as though demons were on their track, and for the most 
 part fairly outran our gallant tars, whose wind was soon expend¬ 
 ed, and who were obliged at last to content themselves with stray 
 shots at their light-heeled foe. After a race of this description 
 their aim was somewhat wild, and I saw a marine aim with great 
 deliberation at a man whom he had almost succeeded in running 
 down, at a distance of about five yards, and miss him. 
 
 We now lost no time in landing ourselves, and were soon ex¬ 
 ploring the batteries and the plain behind. We met the marines 
 and blue-jackets coming back from their chase, and the few corpses 
 I observed on the field and in the batteries confirmed me in the 
 impression that the Chinese loss had been comparatively trifling, 
 probably not above 200 in all, including those killed on the north 
 bank. There can be no doubt that, if it had been desired, we 
 might, by sending a force round to the village of Takoo, have cut 
 off their retreat, and caught the whole garrison in a trap from 
 which they could not possibly have escaped. 
 
 We were the first to make an inroad upon the oranges and 
 pomegranates which formed part of the repast spread out for our 
 (pacific) entertainment in the blue tent, through the canvas of 
 which two or three round-shot had let in daylight. Then we 
 proceeded to pull down the Chinese banners, and demolishing- 
 parties were set to work to upset the guns and dismantle the for¬ 
 tifications. We found them to be more solidly constructed than 
 we had supposed, the three forts being composed of square blocks 
 of stone masonry, the sea front faced with earth; they were about 
 twelve feet in height, and ascended from the rear by a broad flight 
 of stone steps. 
 
 While standing near the base of one of these, which we had just 
 been investigating, and which was now filled with Frenchmen, we 
 were startled by an explosion so close as to make us involuntarily 
 retreat some yards, and inexpressibly shocked by the sight which 
 met our eyes. A crowd of French sailors rushed wounded and 
 panic-stricken out of the falling buildings; some of them, tortured 
 beyond endurance by the horrible agony, threw themselves head¬ 
 long over the glacis into the ditch at the base. One of these 
 wretched sufferers I observed scramble out upon the opposite 
 bank after rolling in the muddy pool, and, though blackened to a 
 degree which gave him more the appearance of a cinder than a 
 man, shout with characteristic vivacity, “Vive TEmpereur! Vive 
 
208 
 
 ASPECT OF THE FORTIFICATIONS. 
 
 la France !” as he feebly waved his cap over his head. But those 
 who first rushed out were only the less injured; the severely 
 wounded were now being carried down from the fort by their 
 comrades, and the objects were so painfully disfigured, and, as 
 they writhed and groaned with agony, presented so heart-rending 
 an appearance, that, as we were only in the way, we hurried from 
 the spot; nor could I banish the scene from my memory for some 
 time afterward. The French admiral was close by as this tragical 
 event happened, and every assistance was instantly rendered to the 
 sufferers, in spite of which, out of about forty who were more or 
 less severely injured, the majority never recovered. 
 
 This incident cooled the ardor of our investigations into the for¬ 
 tifications. We had indeed been over the entire length of the 
 works, and were amazed at the calibre and exquisite finish of 
 some of the brass guns. The sand-bag battery which connected 
 the forts had been well constructed, and had afforded sufficient 
 shelter to enable the gunners to annoy us considerably. Num¬ 
 bers of beautifully-made rockets were piled up in different direc¬ 
 tions, and bags of powder lay scattered about. Some good canis¬ 
 ter-shot was lying about, as well as hollow 8-inch. There were 
 also several English guns in the batteries. A battery of 200 gin- 
 galls, all laid close together in line, each about ten feet long, and 
 carrying a pound ball, looked like a gigantic “infernal machine,'’ 
 and, properly worked, makes doubtless a formidable defense. 
 Camps were situated behind the forts, and looting-parties rum¬ 
 maging out the tents for swords, etc., etc., every now and then 
 unearthed a Chinaman. One of our own men, who had foolishly 
 dressed himself in some of the clothes he had discovered, was un¬ 
 happily shot by mistake for one of the enemy. 
 
 As it was not yet midday, and we still heard firing round the 
 bend of the river, we were anxious to push up, if possible, to Ta- 
 koo, and were glad to take advantage of the gun-boat Firm, which 
 was dispatched to the front for the purpose of collecting wounded. 
 On our way we observed some stranded fire-rafts, which were still 
 burning, having been towed on shore. An attempt had also been 
 made to send down some lighted junks, filled with straw, which 
 fortunately proved abortive. 
 
 As we passed the northern forts, and saw the flanking fire to 
 which they had been exposed from the Cormorant’s heavy guns, 
 we did not wonder at the rapidity with which they were evacu- 
 
CAPTURE OF THE LAST BATTERY. 
 
 209 
 
 ated—our landing-parties, under Captains Sir Frederick Nicolson, 
 Sherard Osborn, and Commander Cresswell, together with the 
 French landing-party, having entered them without opposition. 
 After the usual amount of tricolors,* etc., had been stuck up, the 
 Erench crossed over to the left bank, and the men of the Pique, 
 Furious, and Surprise followed the garrison of the forts, who were 
 in full retreat upon two intrenched camps, one of which contained 
 the cavalry force already alluded to. These camps were situated 
 close to the river, and were protected in that direction by a for¬ 
 midable battery, which commanded the entire length of the reach. 
 The shore-party, advancing over a flat salt plain, were covered on 
 their left flank by the Bustard, Opossum, and Stanch, which were 
 exposed to the whole fire of the battery as they advanced up the 
 reach. A sharp engagement followed between these three little 
 gun-boats and the battery, in which they lost two killed and five 
 wounded; but upon the landing-party coming up at the double, 
 and taking them in flank, the panic usual in such cases was fol¬ 
 lowed by an utter rout, and the assailants, whose attention was 
 particularly directed to the flying cavalry, only succeeded in 
 knocking over a few of them as they fled across the open. 
 
 This episode had just terminated when we arrived. Each camp 
 contained about twenty-five field-pieces, 6-pounders, four heavy 
 brass guns throwing 68-pound shot, and a dozen iron guns of a 
 new construction, on capital carriages, throwing an 18-pound ball. 
 There was computed to have been about a thousand men in each 
 battery, with abundance of admirable gingalls. We now moved 
 up to Takoo, where a barrier of junks moored right across the 
 river, debarred our farther progress. A battery of eighteen field- 
 pieces, which was deserted as we approached, flanked this barrier, 
 and so we immediately landed and took possession of it. Just be¬ 
 hind this battery was the village of Takoo, the houses of one story, 
 built of mud, and divided by narrow streets, and in every respect 
 similar to a fellah village on the banks of the Nile. A crowd of 
 people had collected about fifty yards distant, conscious, apparent¬ 
 ly, that we should not mistake them for soldiers, and watched our 
 proceedings with great coolness and interest. 
 
 We were enabled to communicate with them through Mr. 
 Wade, who now arrived, together with some others of our party. 
 In answer to our inquiry, they informed us that the joss-house in 
 the neighborhood had been the residence of the Imperial Commis- 
 
 0 
 
210 
 
 IMPERIAL EDICT. 
 
 sioner Tan, so we immediately decided on payipg it a visit. We 
 were accompanied by several villagers, who appeared so perfectly 
 friendly that three or four blue-jackets formed our only escort. 
 On our way we found the headless trunk of a man lying across 
 the path, who, the villagers informed us, had been beheaded in the 
 morning for running away. We soon broke open the doors of 
 the joss-house, proved to be the Hai-chin-Miao, or Temple of the 
 Sea-God (the same at which Lord Macartney visited the Govern¬ 
 or of the province), and were received by some priests, who not 
 unnaturally betrayed a little nervous agitation. We assured 
 them we only wished to ransack Tan’s private room for papers. 
 We discovered none, however, of any importance; though, from 
 the confusion in which we found his apartments, he had evi¬ 
 dently left in a hurry. A mandarin officer of some importance, 
 who had committed suicide by cutting his throat, was also found 
 in the house. We afterward discovered that this was Tehkwei, 
 the acting commandant at the defense of the forts. The follow¬ 
 ing extract from the Pekin Gazette , showing how the government 
 of China deal with their officers who are guilty of failure, will 
 prove that this unhappy mandarin only anticipated his destiny by 
 a few months: 
 
 “ The Prince of Hwui and others have, in concert with the 
 Board of Punishments, presented a memorial setting forth the 
 penalties they find the laws to award to the different officers 
 whom we had directed them to try for the loss of the port of Tien- 
 tsing. The following officers already degraded—namely, Chang 
 Tien-yuen, commander-in-chief of the Chinese army of Chih-li, 
 Tanien, acting as general-in-command of the Tien-tsing division of' 
 the same, and Tehkwei, acting commandant of Takoo, had been 
 directed by T‘an Ting-siang to occupy and defend the forts at Ta¬ 
 koo, on the north and south banks of the river; Fulehtunt‘ai, 
 lieutenant general of Bannermen, had encamped at Chung-pau, in 
 rear and in support of Chang Tien-yuen and the rest. When the 
 barbarians opened fire they made every effort to keep them off, 
 striking and wounding four barbarian ships, and killing several 
 barbarian soldiers; notwithstanding which, all the forts and all 
 the guns were taken. Certainly, their offense is without excuse! 
 Let Fulehtunt‘ai, Chang Tien-yuen, and Tanien, who, according to 
 the award, should properly be decapitated, be imprisoned until 
 after the autumn, and then put to death.” 
 
FATE OF TAN. 
 
 211 
 
 As our intercourse with Tan terminated shortly after, in a note 
 from that fuctionary announcing the appointment of his successors, 
 we may not inappropriately take leave of him, now that we have 
 completed the search of his premises. In the same Pekin Gazette 
 we find the following punishment awarded to him: “ T‘an Ting- 
 siang, already degraded from the office of Governor General of 
 Chih-li, has been found not guilty of cowardice and desertion; 
 but, in that his operations were without plan or resource, his of¬ 
 fense is no less without excuse. Let him be banished to the 
 frontier,* there to redeem his guilt by his exertions.” 
 
 Poor Tan was the victim of circumstances over which he cer¬ 
 tainly had no control, and it seems hard that his government 
 should refuse him full powers in the first instance, and then pun¬ 
 ish him for the inevitable consequence of his being without them. 
 
 The tendency of which our own government has been accused 
 —of rewarding incapacity—renders its service sufficiently dis¬ 
 couraging to meritorious officers; but even it must be preferable 
 to one which unrelentingly visits misfortune with disgrace. 
 
 Although we did not find any papers of political importance in 
 the residence of Tan, the following account of the memorial he 
 addressed to the emperor on the loss of Takoo, if true, furnishes 
 an amusing illustration of the desperate falsehoods to which his 
 unhappy servants are compelled to resort in hope of averting the 
 imperial displeasure. The subjoined letter was received by Mr. 
 Lay, on his arrival at Tientsin, from a Chinese correspondent in 
 the city, who doubtless hoped to curry favor with the barbarians 
 by sending them information; it must therefore be taken cum 
 grano: 
 
 “ Tan tells the emperor in his memorial respecting the loss of 
 Takoo that he gained a great victory the day before” (by the day 
 before is meant the 20th, or day of the capture), “ and destroyed 
 several barbarian ships. That the capture of the forts was attrib¬ 
 utable to a circumstance which it was not in his power to control. 
 An unusually high tide on the day in question, and a sudden rush 
 of water from the Gulf, swept away the southeast battery, and any 
 defense of the place was rendered impossible. Long before your 
 admiral reached Tientsin, Tan had fled, and with him every soldier 
 and brave. The magistrate is the only one who remained in the 
 city. Before the fight at Takoo the emperor issued two edicts to 
 
 * The confines of Siberia, on the far west of the Chinese dominions. 
 
212 
 
 TAN’S YAMUN. 
 
 % 
 
 Tan, desiring him to accede to your demands so far as ports were 
 concerned. Tan, however, did not dare to show these edicts, be¬ 
 cause they contained the word ‘barbarian,’ and he was afraid that 
 the sight of the objectionable expression would only incense you. 
 He therefore determined upon risking a trial of strength. The 
 emperor is going to appoint Toh-mingah to treat with you. He 
 does not appoint Sang-ko-lin-sin, because of his warlike disposi¬ 
 tion. Our high officers dread a personal meeting with your em¬ 
 bassadors ; they think they would be made prisoners, as was Yeh. 5 ’ 
 
 Such, according to popular gossip, was Tan’s mode of account¬ 
 ing for his defeat at Takoo. It is highly probable that the impe¬ 
 rial edicts above spoken of actually did exist, although Tan had 
 evidently had time to carry off all his political documents. A 
 
 The “ Temple of the Sea-God” (Residence of Tan at Takoo). 
 
 poem, however—translated, I believe, by one of the gentlemen at¬ 
 tached to the American legation—was afterward discovered, which 
 rouses our sympathies in behalf of the unhappy mandarin, and 
 which I have thought worthy of insertion for the benefit of those 
 who deny the existence in the Chinese bosom of the sentiment of 
 domestic affection: 
 
A POEM “IN MEMORIAM.”—RETURN TO THE FURIOUS. 218 
 
 Translation of a Poem in Memoriam of Tan’s wife. Found in his room at Takoo. 
 (The characters of black velvet, each on the representation of a Chinese fruit. 
 In couplets of four characters each.) 
 
 Right hand. 
 
 “In the Me* * * § bowered window the spring is mild.” 
 
 Left hand. 
 
 “ In the lanf bordered pathway the breezes are fragrant.” 
 
 [The following twe-lien, or scrolls, on blue and white silk, are funeral tributes to 
 the virtues of a distinguished lady, presented by mourning relatives ; blue and 
 white being the appropriate colors of mourning.] 
 
 “Combining the qualities of Tan and Ki,J the Vermilion Pencil has honored her 
 with a title. 
 
 Uniting the graces of Ha and Chang, the Scarlet Tube§ has published her excel¬ 
 lence. 
 
 Possessing high rank of imperial bestowment, favor rested on her door-posts, and 
 abundant grace upon her household. ^ 
 
 Decorated with an imperial distinction, her virtues were published through her native 
 district, and diffused the reputation of her worth. 
 
 With a stimulant made of bears’ gall exciting the studies (of her son), her excellent 
 example is worthy of imitation. 
 
 Clad in ivory-adorned vestments, she has gone to worship the True (one); and her 
 benevolent countenance, where shall we look for it ? 
 
 Having taught her son to respect her example and hold fast the classics, she saw 
 him pluck with his own hand the sprig of the que-hwa. || 
 
 Having aided her husband to display his virtues, her gentle influence flowed over her 
 kindred, and she long commanded the hearts of her relations.” 
 
 Our search was soon concluded, and as the day was now ad¬ 
 vanced, and the enemy had become invisible, we thought it time 
 to return to the Furious. 
 
 In the evening the second division moved up, embarked in our 
 own gun-boats, supported by Captain Dew (of the Mmrod), to the 
 line of junks moored abreast of the Takoo joss-house. 
 
 * Me (pronounced may ) is the name of a kind of plum indigenous to China. 
 
 f Lan is the designation of a bulbous flowering plant of ravishing sweetness. It is 
 the Aglaia odorata of botanists. 
 
 J Tan and Ki were women famed for their virtues. Ha and Chang were ladies 
 celebrated for their accomplishments. 
 
 § Vermilion'Pencil and Scarlet Tube are identical figures denoting the emperor. 
 
 || The que-hwa, or que flower, is the Olea fragrans , the blossom of which yields a 
 rich perfume. This plant is accepted as the emblem of the degree Ivin-jin, equiva¬ 
 lent to our M.A.; and plucking a sprig of the que-hwa is, therefore, equivalent to at¬ 
 taining his second literary degree. 
 
214 
 
 ASPECT OF THE NORTH FORT. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Ascent of the River.—A Crowd of Junks.—Astonishment of Population.—Their sub¬ 
 missive Behavior.—Brilliant Bonfires.—A Steppe Country.—Appearance of the 
 Villages.—Difficulties of Navigation.—First View of Tientsin.—A Deputation of 
 Merchants.—Appointment of imperial Commissioners.—The Plenipotentiaries as¬ 
 cend the Peiho.—Approach to Tientsin.—Dense Crowds.—“The Temple of Su¬ 
 preme Felicity.”—View of the River.—Making ourselves comfortable.—Bedrooms 
 in the Temple.—Farther Exploration of the Peiho.—Arrival of Russian and Amer¬ 
 ican Ministers.—Their Abodes.—Pean.—Arrival of the imperial Commissioners. 
 —Full Powers at last.—Our official Procession.—“The Temple of the Oceanic- 
 Influences.”—Interview with the Commissioners.—Exchange of full Powers.— 
 Abrupt Termination of the Interview.—Arrival of the Kwang-Fang.—Kweiliang. 
 Hwashana.—Success of Lord Elgin’s Policy.—Its Bearing on Affairs at Canton. 
 —Brighter Prospects. 
 
 The day following the capture of the forts was devoted to re¬ 
 pose after our exertions. On the 22d, however, a report reached 
 our distant anchorage, to which I had returned, that the allied ad¬ 
 mirals had decided on moving up the river. It had originally 
 been arranged that they should be accompanied in the first in¬ 
 stance by the plenipotentiaries; but, as it was now understood 
 that the presence of the representatives of all four powers—two 
 of whom were neutrals—might rather prove an encumbrance than 
 otherwise, Lord Elgin expressed his readiness to await the admi¬ 
 rals’ pleasure on the subject, anxious to avoid any act which 
 might embarrass the naval authorities in the unlikely event of 
 their being induced, by a very active opposition, to exchange 
 their pacific for a warlike attitude. I was, however, permitted to 
 accompany the force upon this occasion, and found quarters on 
 board the Opossum, with my old friend Commander Colin Camp¬ 
 bell. 
 
 On my way I landed at the North Fort to inspect a gigantic 
 brass gun captured by the Cormorant, and also to explore the 
 scene of desolation for which her guns were responsible. These 
 forts were even more substantially constructed than those on the 
 south side, but upon no known principle of fortification. The 
 consequence was a terrible slaughter to the exposed garrison, 
 twenty-nine of whom had been counted lying round their guns in 
 
A CROWD OF JUNKS. 
 
 215 
 
 one battery. The commandant of the fort had not yet been bur¬ 
 ied, and was lying at the door of his room, a round-shot haying 
 struck him just as he was emerging from it. Every building was 
 riddled, and shells, entering from the exposed rear, had burst in¬ 
 side the bomb-proof chambers, so that the garrison was little to 
 be blamed for only waiting a quarter of an hour in so warm a lo¬ 
 cality. The Cormorant moved up, the next morning, to the bar¬ 
 rier, through which an opening had been made to permit the 
 egress of the junks, which were being cleared out of the river by 
 the admirals’ and advanced gun-boats. 
 
 The villagers of Takoo now came boldly down to the water’s 
 edge and communicated with us, and we amused ourselves and 
 the populace by driving a donkey tandem through the narrow 
 streets. 
 
 About midday the Opossum was ready to start for the front, 
 but the passage through the junk barrier seemed an impossibility. 
 Temple Bar on a wet day never looked more hopelessly crowded 
 to a gentleman in a hansom anxious to catch a train, than did the 
 junk barrier to us, anxious to overtake the admiral. At last we 
 dashed at it in despair, and by a miracle of steering, which cre¬ 
 ated a panic among the crews of the junks, who were all running 
 into each other—crushing, jamming, and shouting at the same 
 moment—succeeded in squeezing safely through. The breadth 
 of the river at this point was not more than that of the Thames 
 at Richmond. Its banks were thickly fringed by long reeds, be¬ 
 hind the waving tops of which salt-pans extended as far as the 
 eye could reach, covered with conical tumuli of varied dimen¬ 
 sions. Borne onward by a strong flood tide, we swept round the 
 sharp angles with which the river abounds throughout the whole 
 length of its tortuous course from Tientsin, and soon found our¬ 
 selves between banks of a more cheerful character. The gaunt 
 reed had given place to the more profitable holcus, or Barbadoes 
 millet, fields of which, bordered by willows, and neatly fenced in 
 the neighborhood of the villages, imparted quite a civilized air to 
 the country. 
 
 In two hours we arrived at the reach in which the admirals 
 were at anchor with five gun-boats, and in company with them 
 went quietly along, feeling our way with no little interest and cu¬ 
 riosity, up waters for the first time plowed by a foreign keel. 
 Toward evening the mud villages became more numerous: their 
 
216 
 
 ASTONISHMENT OF THE POPULATION. 
 
 entire populations turned out as the leading gun-boats passed, 
 and saluted them with profound and reverential obeisances, then 
 squatted in a long blue line upon the river’s bank, and gazed in 
 awestruck wonderment as our ardent little craft, defying wind 
 and tide, puffed steadily along, a slight commotion under her 
 stern being the only external evidence to the Celestial eye of the 
 demon that was propelling her. Our progress was in some meas¬ 
 ure retarded by the necessity which existed of clearing all the 
 junks out of the river as we advanced, lest, in so narrow a stream, 
 the authorities might order them to be sunk behind us, with the 
 view of catching us in a trap. Although, doubtless, this was a 
 very proper precaution, it was perfectly evident, from the panic 
 which our appearance created, that no real danger was to be ap¬ 
 prehended on this score, and that, so far from wishing to entrap 
 us, they would be only too glad to get rid of us. The villagers 
 were clearly under the impression that we were on our way to 
 upset the dynasty. I accompanied Captain Hall and Mr. Lay to 
 the shore, when the latter gentleman had some communication 
 with the people. It invariably commenced, however, with a re¬ 
 quest that we should come and reign over them. “ Hail, O king!” 
 they shouted, as we approached; “welcome, great king! be thou 
 our emperor; come thou and reign over us!” Then they would 
 protest with the greatest earnestness their intention immediately 
 to comply with the order to clear out their junks, and offer pro¬ 
 visions of all sorts, refusing to receive money; this latter piece 
 of politeness arising from dread of their own authorities, and the 
 rest of their civility being based upon the alarm inspired by our¬ 
 selves, and a prudent desire to propitiate the incoming dynasty. 
 When asked to procure beef or other provisions not easy to get, 
 they would urgently plead the difficulty of obtaining any, but sub¬ 
 missively conclude by saying, “However, since you, the great 
 king, command, we must obey.” Meantime, when the junks did 
 not clear out fast enough, we cut their cables, sending whole fleets 
 of them occasionally pell-mell down the river. 
 
 But we were not content with marking our track by these 
 floating evidences of our progress; our advance was heralded by 
 huge bonfires, which were made of stacks of millet straw, their 
 position upon the margin of the river rendering them too availa¬ 
 ble for fire-rafts to make it wise to leave them behind us, to be 
 floated up with the flood tide on the first dark night. As night 
 
BRILLIANT BONFIRES.—A STEPPE COUNTRY. 
 
 217 
 
 closed in, the lurid glare cast by these huge conflagrations oyer 
 the sky doubtless carried terror into the hearts of mandarin and 
 peasant, while upon ourselves the effect was no less solemn and 
 impressive. A broad belt of light shed its glowing lustre upon 
 a grove of large trees, illuminating its sombre recesses, but throw¬ 
 ing into gloom yet deeper by contrast those which were still in 
 shade. The thick foliage flushed for a moment, then crackled 
 and withered up under the scorching heat, leaving the scarred and 
 naked branch like a maimed limb extended toward the blaze. 
 The river eddied and rippled in the ruddy light, and the gun¬ 
 boats, with every spar and rope vividly distinct, seemed anchored 
 in a sheet of flame. 
 
 Our day’s work was over. We had reached a point about 
 twenty miles from the mouth of the river not only without mol¬ 
 estation, but with every demonstration of good-will on the part of 
 the inhabitants; and I went to bed, encouraged by the hope that, 
 as this absence of hostilities seemed likely to continue, we might 
 still succeed with our force of nine allied gun-boats, then anchor¬ 
 ed at or near the spot, in reaching Tientsin. 
 
 On the following morning we had another most convincing 
 and satisfactory proof of the anxiety of the enemy (if such they 
 could be called under the cirumstances) to avoid us. On going 
 up to the fore-top of the Opossum, I observed encamped on the 
 plain, at a distance of about a mile and a half, a large body of 
 cavalry, estimated at about a thousand by Captain Osborn, who, 
 in company with Sir Frederick Nicolson, was in the Bustard and 
 Stanch, leading gun-boats. They threw a round shot or two 
 among them, on which they speedily decamped. They were, in 
 all probability, the same cavalry which had retreated on the cap¬ 
 ture of the forts. We were detained a few hours this morning 
 for the French Admiral, who had got aground a short distance 
 astern of us; and, in the mean time, I inspected the surrounding 
 country through a glass. It reminded me in many respects of 
 the south of Russia. The only trees visible were those which 
 marked the course of the Peiho; and, indeed, inasmuch as in 
 whatever direction one turned, the river was always in sight, the 
 trees which wooded it were sufficient to wood the landscape as 
 well. Throughout its whole course to Tientsin I observed no 
 stream or canal of any note entering it. The country stretched 
 away to the horizon a dry brown steppe, and across it, in labv- 
 
218 
 
 APPEARANCE OF THE VILLAGES. 
 
 rinthine twists and most eccentric windings, tlie Peiho finds its 
 way to the sea, watering at least twice the extent of country which 
 it would traverse did it flow in a straight line. The banks are 
 composed of clay and sand, and I scarcely remember to have seen 
 a stone either at Tientsin or on the way there. 
 
 Not far from our anchorage there was a large village. On the 
 dusty main road to it there passed a considerable traffic—cover¬ 
 ed carts and donkey tandems predominated. One large wagon 
 drawn by six or eight horses, going at full trot, and crowded with 
 passengers, appeared to be a stage-wagon. I also observed wheel¬ 
 barrows—a man being in the shafts and a donkey leading. Some¬ 
 times these carry passengers, the occupants sitting back to back, 
 as in an open Irish car, on each side of the single huge wheel 
 which works in the middle, between them. I was particularly 
 struck with the neatness of construction of the solid mud cottages 
 of which the villages are composed. The angles are all sharply 
 finished, the gables adorned with ornamental moulding, the over¬ 
 hanging eaves of an excellently thatched roof neatly trimmed, and 
 rising out of it a respectable solid pair of chimneys. Circular 
 brick-kilns, like watch-towers, here and there dotted the land¬ 
 scape, as bricks are occasionally used for joss-houses and the su¬ 
 perior order of residences. 
 
 Hedges, fences, and mud walls divided the fields near the river- 
 bank, but away from the possibility of navigation the country 
 looked barren and uncultivated; primitive docks with mud dams 
 contained junks undergoing repair or in process of construction; 
 and the tapering masts of these craft were visible in all directions, 
 as they were anchored in different bends of the river. Now we 
 could make out the smoke of our leading gun-boats to the right, 
 now to the left, now in front, now almost behind us, so intermina¬ 
 ble and intricate seemed the windings of the stream. Fortunate¬ 
 ly, our only difficulty lay in getting some of the larger craft round 
 the sharp turns; of water there was always abundance in mid¬ 
 channel, the soundings never giving less than two fathoms, and 
 sometimes as much as seven. The French gun-boats especially 
 were constantly sticking on the sharp angles, their length and 
 want of power rendering it a difficult operation to steer them in a 
 narrow river with a strong tide running. Occasionally the Coro¬ 
 mandel shared the same fate; but, by getting out hawsers to the 
 shore, she was hauled into the stream; and the villagers coming 
 
FIRST VIEW OF TIENTSIN. 
 
 219 
 
 to the rescue in a strong body, and tugging away cheerfully at 
 the ropes, facilitated the task considerably. Still we did not make 
 so much progress as on the previous day, having accomplished 
 probably ten or twelve miles. 
 
 Upon several occasions official messengers, with the buttons of 
 petty mandarins, were observed waving on the shore, and making 
 signs of their desire to communicate with us. Only once, how¬ 
 ever, was this attended to, and the messenger turned out to be the 
 emissary of the magistrate of the district, who expressed a wish to 
 hold intercourse with us; the admiral, however, very properly 
 refused to incur any delay, or open communications with any one 
 until he arrived at Tientsin. 
 
 The next day our advance was not more rapid; indeed we 
 were left behind by the admiral and advanced gun-boats, in con¬ 
 sequence of being attached to the Fusee, a heavy French craft 
 that stood in need of much pulling and hauling at the corners. 
 It is worthy of note that all our eighty and sixty horse-power 
 gun-boats traversed the river without the slightest difficulty, sub¬ 
 sequently making the passage in eight hours; and even the Cor¬ 
 morant dispatch gun-vessel got up to Tientsin from Takoo in 
 about twelve hours. 
 
 We passed ig. the course of the day a barrier of junks, which, 
 however, were soon sent floating down the stream, and offered no 
 material impediment to our advance. On the 26th we reached a 
 point within a mile and a half of Tientsin, the country as we ad¬ 
 vanced having become more thickly populated, the banks more 
 richly cultivated, and the river itself more crowded with junks. 
 From the mast-head of the Opossum the gates and pagodas of the 
 city were distinctly visible. It was reported that the Bustard and 
 Stanch had actually reached the suburb, and as the achievement 
 had thus been successfully completed, the Opossum was sent back 
 to the Gulf with the news, and I had the satisfaction of reporting 
 to Lord Elgin, by midnight of the same day, the gratifying intel¬ 
 ligence of the fortunate issue of the expedition. 
 
 The admirals did in effect reach Tientsin within a few hours 
 afterward, and Admiral Seymour was immediately waited upon 
 by a deputation of leading merchants and gentry. These people 
 being impressed with the absurd notion that our real object, in 
 pursuing a vigorous policy in China, was an extension of our 
 commercial relations with it, immediately offered to trade with 
 
220 APPOINTMENT OF IMPERIAL COMMISSIONERS. 
 
 the gun-boats then at Tientsin, in spite, they themselves averred, 
 of the opposition of their government, and requested the admiral 
 to send in a list of the merchandise he wished to dispose of, to¬ 
 gether with their prices; and, in consideration of his finding a 
 ready market, they went on to express a hope that he would spare 
 the town. Mr. Lay informed -these gentlemen that we desired 
 not trade, but commissioners, and that, if these did not speedily 
 make their appearance, he feared the town would be destroyed; 
 upon which the deputation stated that they would themselves 
 proceed to Pekin, and knock without ceasing at the imperial pal¬ 
 ace ; and they guaranteed that by their importunity they would 
 obtain commissioners, and hoped that in the mean time their au¬ 
 gust excellencies, then in the river, would be satisfied with abund¬ 
 ance of beef and provisions, upon which numbers of oxen were 
 incontinently brought to the bank and sacrificed as peace-offerings. 
 • ••»••• 
 
 During my absence the Sampson had arrived from Hong Kong 
 with the Woodcock and Kestrel, forty-horse-power gun-boats, in 
 tow, and having on board a company of Koyal Engineers 105 
 strong. 
 
 On the following morning Mr. Bruce proceeded up the river to 
 make arrangements for the reception of the embassador, and on 
 the 29th news was received from him that these were completed, 
 and that no obstacle remained to impede the immediate progress 
 of the allied plenipotentiaries. 
 
 On the same day another and more important communication 
 was received, the last with which we were favored from our old 
 friends Tan, Tsung, and Wu. It inclosed, without comment, a 
 copy of the following imperial decree: “We command Kweiliang, 
 Chief Secretary of State, and Hwashana, President of the Board 
 of Civil Office, to go by post-route to the port of Tientsin, for the 
 investigation and dispatch of business. Bespect this.” 
 
 The fact that this document emanated from the court immedi¬ 
 ately on the report reaching Pekin of the arrival of our gun-boats 
 at Tientsin not only thoroughly bore out the view of the plenipo¬ 
 tentiaries in the estimate they had formed of the probable effects 
 of the policy they had pursued hitherto, but served as a most 
 complete justification of that policy, inasmuch as the imperial 
 government, by at once superseding Tan & Company, tacitly ac¬ 
 knowledged their mismanagement of affairs, and, by the appoint- 
 
THE PLENIPOTENTIARIES ASCEND THE PEIHO. 
 
 221 
 
 ment of t^o new commissioners, gave a fresh proof of their desire 
 to settle matters amicably. With any other nation one would 
 have supposed that the capture of the forts at the mouth of one 
 of its rivers, and its subsequent ascent by a hostile force, would 
 have called forth a warlike demonstration instead of a civil com¬ 
 mission. 
 
 The Chinese differ, however, from other nations, and fortunate¬ 
 ly the plenipotentiaries appreciated the distinction. This news, 
 of course, rendered their immediate departure for Tientsin more 
 than ever imperative, and it was therefore arranged that Lord 
 Elgin and Baron Gros should proceed up the river the same even¬ 
 ing. As it was discovered at the last moment that the French 
 gun-boat appropriated to Baron Gros’s use was unable to ascend 
 the river from defective machinery, his excellency and staff ac¬ 
 companied the English mission in the Slaney. A lovely moon 
 lighted up the windings of our watery path, and tempted us to re¬ 
 main on deck till a late hour; and as we swept rapidly past grove 
 and hamlet, we regarded with wonder, in the pale clear gleam of 
 that midnight hour, all the evidences of a population as tranquil 
 and unsuspecting of danger as though the thunder of barbarian 
 guns had never fallen on their ears, or as if their countrymen fly¬ 
 ing before the barbarian bayonet was a sight devoid of all signifi¬ 
 cance. 
 
 Yet scarce a week had elapsed since the fortifications these poor 
 peasantry had gazed on wonderingly as impregnable fortresses 
 had been leveled with the ground, and an army, in their eyes in¬ 
 vincible, had been scattered to the winds. Now the pant of the 
 steam-engine mingled with their dreams, but was powerless to 
 keep them awake; and so thoroughly was this mutual confidence 
 established, that a solitary gun-boat, in the dead of night, was 
 fearlessly threading its way through an enemy’s country, along 
 the narrow and devious river which formed the high road to the 
 capital, the mysteries of which, a week before, were unknown to 
 the foreigner; and on board that lonely bark which now traversed 
 it for almost the first time were the embassadors of the two great¬ 
 est powers in the world, forcing their way into the heart of a 
 country containing 300,000,000 inhabitants, in defiance of the will 
 of the government, as expressed by an overt act of hostility only 
 a few days before. Probably no British minister ever performed 
 a journey in the country to which he was accredited under such 
 
222 
 
 APPROACH TO TIENTSIN.—DENSE CROWDS. 
 
 anomalous circumstances as those which attended the one upon 
 which Lord Elgin was now engaged; not even Lords Macartney 
 and Amherst, when in the same capacity they ascended this same 
 river in Chinese junks, and inscribed themselves as u tribute bear¬ 
 ers” on the flags which floated from their mast-heads. 
 
 Daylight found us in the suburbs of Tientsin, the first aspect of 
 which, as approached from the east, is most remarkable; enormous 
 stacks of salt, numbering from two to three hundred, line the banks 
 of the river for some hundreds of yards below the town; these 
 stacks vary in length from two hundred to six hundred feet, and 
 average about a hundred in breadth; they are twenty or thirty 
 feet in height, shaped like the rounded top of a carrier’s wagon, 
 and covered with matting, or thatched with millet straw, the salt 
 being stacked in bags. Passing these, we arrived at a bridge of 
 boats, which connected one of the suburbs with the city, and 
 which was opened to let us through. The river now flows be¬ 
 tween banks ten or twelve feet high, and densely populated; the 
 mud houses were packed closely on either side, and their occu¬ 
 pants still more compactly wedged, not only down to the water’s 
 edge, but into it up to their waists, in order to gaze at their ease 
 on the phenomenon before them. Thus an oblique plane of up¬ 
 turned faces and bare heads extended almost from the surface of 
 the water to the eaves of the houses; and up to the last day of 
 our residence the banks were always more or less crowded with 
 spectators watching the movements of the barbarians. A long 
 straight reach extends from below the bridge of boats to the point 
 of the junction of the river and the grand canal, which enters the 
 Peiho at right angles from the southward, and here terminates its 
 extended course of about 600 miles. 
 
 Directly facing us, as we steamed up this reach, past a line of 
 our own gun-boats, which were anchored in it, was a picturesque 
 line of buildings, abreast of which the allied admirals were moor¬ 
 ed. This fragile and somewhat fantastic construction suggested 
 the notion of a summer palace. We were informed that as such 
 it had, in fact, served the Emperor Kien-lung, in honor of which 
 happy event it had been invested by imperial patent with the title 
 of “ The Temple of Supreme Felicity,” under which auspicious 
 designation it was now about to serve as our abode. 
 
 We were soon clambering up the steep bank, finding some dif¬ 
 ficulty in freeing ourselves from the services which were officious- 
 
VIEW OF THE RIVER. 
 
 223 
 
 ly pressed upon us by the Chinamen who crowded it, and who, 
 thrusting forth helping hands, seemed anxious to show us every 
 mark of civility. We found, when we stood within the walls 
 which inclosed our future residence, that it was not belied by its 
 external aspect. As is generally the case in China, it served the 
 double purpose of a temple and a palace, though it had not been 
 honored with the imperial presence since the Emperor Kien-lung 
 had made it his temporary abode. 
 
 Upon the top of the wall, which was only separated from the 
 edge of the river-bank by a narrow pathway, were two large apart¬ 
 ments of light and graceful construction, surrounded by verandas 
 elaborately carved, in which depended monster horn lanterns, 
 gaudily painted, as transparent as ground glass, and decorated 
 with innumerable tassels and silken hangings. The Chinese have 
 carried the art of fabricating these lanterns to great perfection. 
 They first soften the horn by the application of a very high de¬ 
 gree of moist heat, and then extend it into thin laminae of any 
 shape, either flat or globular. The walls of these rooms were 
 composed of paper pasted upon the wooden trellis-work; the slid¬ 
 ing panels into which it was divided were made to answer the 
 purpose of windows. When they were all shut, however, the pa¬ 
 per was so transparent that there was plenty of light, and on a 
 sunny day the glare was unpleasant. These two buildings were 
 thirty or forty yards apart, and connected by a veranda which ran 
 along the top of the wall, and terminated in two quaint little ki¬ 
 osks, their upturned roofs supported by carved posts. These 
 apartments were appropriated by Baron Gros and Lord Elgin; 
 that occupied by the latter being perched upon an artificial mound, 
 laid out in true Chinese taste, and ascended by steps of ornament¬ 
 al rock-work. Overhanging the river, they commanded an extens¬ 
 ive and ever-interesting view: below them, a dozen English and 
 French gun-boats, some of them moored within pleasant conver¬ 
 sational distance, imparted a satisfactory sense of security to the 
 position. 
 
 Not a single native craft, except an occasional ferry-boat, rip¬ 
 pled the surface of the stream or reposed upon its waters. What 
 a metamorphosis had been wrought in a few hours by the magic 
 devil-ships from the West! We were not able to appreciate it, 
 but to the Chinese the change must have been startling and sig¬ 
 nificant. We learn from the accounts of the embassies of Lords 
 
224 
 
 MAKING OURSELVES COMFORTABLE. 
 
 Macartney and Amherst how active the river life at Tientsin was 
 in their day. “We crossed a bridge over the river,” says the his¬ 
 torian of Lord Amherst’s mission, u the surface of which was 
 scarcely visible from junks;” and again, “I counted 200 specta¬ 
 tors on one junk, and these vessels were innumerable.” The 
 spectators were as numerous as ever, but their posts of observation 
 were no longer junks. People and houses completed the view 
 from these windows—a part of the city wall, one of the gates, and 
 some pagodas, appearing at no great distance to the right. 
 
 The 'personnel of the two missions were accommodated in the 
 temple, and other buildings all inclosed within one outer wall. A 
 partition wall, however, divided us from our allies. They occu¬ 
 pied a number of detached summer-houses, dotted about a garden. 
 We established ourselves in the innermost recesses of the temple, 
 our bedrooms furnished with, sacred pigs and bronzes, in which 
 smouldered eternal fire (until we came and allowed it to go out); 
 our slumbers presided over by grim deities with enormous stom- 
 
 A Bedroom fit Tientsin. 
 
 achs, or many-armed goddesses, with heads encircled in a blaze of 
 golden or rather brass flame. The perfume of incense still clung 
 
OUR QUARTERS IN THE TEMPLE. 
 
 225 
 
 to these sacred purlieus. Would it had been the only odor to 
 which our nostrils were subjected ! Now began the process com¬ 
 monly known as “shaking down” into our quarters: altars were 
 turned into wash-hand-stands; looking-glasses were supported 
 against little gods; tables, chairs, and beds were indented for 
 upon certain venerable citizens, who had been appointed by the 
 authorities to attend to our wants. Doubtless they must have 
 wondered much at many of our demands, and some of them—as, 
 for instance, tubs—they never succeeded in satisfying. 
 
 Servants with a white badge, emblem of an armistice, attached 
 to their coats, waited assiduously upon us, perpetually presenting 
 us with little cups of tea; indeed, for the first few days a man was 
 always walking about with a teapot, ready at the shortest notice 
 to refresh the thirsty soul. The tables with which we were sup¬ 
 plied were solidly constructed and well carved, square in shape, 
 as Chinese tables always are. A red cloth, elaborately embroider¬ 
 ed, served as a table-cloth, and, falling to the ground in front, con¬ 
 cealed the legs of the table. The high-backed uncomfortable chairs 
 were similarly decorated, gorgeous enough to look upon, but very 
 disagreeable to use. Some of us erected our musquito-curtains 
 over square wooden ottomans; others slept upon a brick platform, 
 generally used in China, and which in cold weather is heated by 
 fires from beneath, after the manner of an oven—an unhealthy 
 style of bed-place at all times, it should seem, for in summer the 
 damp is apt to strike through the bricks, and in winter, when they 
 are not only dry, but heated, a semi-baking process must be more 
 or less prejudicial. 
 
 In front of the temple was a square court-yard which was par¬ 
 tially shaded by the spreading arms of a fine old tree; however, 
 we thought nature required a little assistance; so the whole court 
 was matted in, which not only added to the picturesque effect of 
 our abode, and enabled those of us with vivid imaginations to fancy 
 themselves in Italy, but was of a most practical utility in reducing 
 the temperature, when mind and matter were both in danger of 
 being melted entirely away. A raised flagged passage intersected 
 this court, and on each side of it was a quaint little kiosk, the roof 
 separated by four carved pillars, also elaborately carved, brilliant¬ 
 ly colored, and surmounted with dragons’ heads, rampant fish, 
 and other devices. In one of these a marble slab was erected ver¬ 
 tically upon an elevated stone platform, and was covered with 
 
 P 
 
226 ARRIVAL OF RUSSIAN AND AMERICAN MINISTERS. 
 
 * 
 
 Chinese characters, alleged to have been traced by the hand of 
 the Emperor Kien-lung, and to embody a high moral sentiment. 
 
 The building on the opposite side of the court-yard was formed 
 into the guard-house, the guard being usually composed of engi¬ 
 neers and marines, and numbering upward of a hundred men. At¬ 
 tached to this building were the servants’ offices, and behind them 
 the stables. Our establishment was thus very complete; and it 
 was not without a feeling of regret that I saw it dismantled, pre¬ 
 paratory to its restoration for the rites of paganism, when, after 
 having occupied it for upward of a month, we looked back upon 
 it for the last time. 
 
 As it had been deemed not impossible that it might be neces¬ 
 sary to advance at some future period nearer to the capital, the ad¬ 
 miral had been induced to push two of the gun-boats on an ex¬ 
 ploratory expedition still farther up the Peiho. One of these, 
 the Kestrel, was of the smallest class, and, drawing only five feet 
 water, was well adapted for the service. At a distance of about 
 ten miles, however, above Tientsin, even this draught proved 
 too much, and she was compelled to return, having solved the 
 problem that, unless considerably lightened, and not with certain¬ 
 ty even then, the ascent of the Peiho to Toong-chow would be im¬ 
 practicable for our gun-boats at that season of the year. From the 
 high-water marks on the river-banks, however, there can be little 
 doubt that at certain periods of the year the Peiho would be nav¬ 
 igable for all classes of our gun-boats. She reported the character 
 of the river-banks above Tientsin to be unchanged. 
 
 On the afternoon of the day of our arrival, Count Poutiatine 
 and Mr. Reed arrived together in the Russian steamer u Amerika,” 
 and immediately issued a proclamation stating that their visit to 
 Tientsin was altogether of a pacific character. The attitude they 
 found themselves thus compelled to assume was not without its 
 inconveniences as compared with ours; for, although exact in the 
 payment of our just debts, we insisted upon all our reasonable 
 wants being promptly and satisfactorily supplied. Thus we had 
 at once appropriated the most convenient and respectable resi¬ 
 dence we could find ; but our neutral allies had some difficulty in 
 renting a house on shore: the proprietor (doubtless a good deal 
 puzzled as to the relation of might and right in his view of the 
 state of matters generally) made a novel proposition in the shape 
 of an offer of 6000 dollars if they would not rent it. This, how- 
 
THEIR ABODES.—PEAN. 
 
 227 
 
 ever, was declined, the difficulty somehow or other overcome and 
 a handsome rent for the short space of one month was ultimately 
 pressed upon the reluctant owner. To judge from the appearance 
 of the mansion, he was a rich man. Mr. Reed lived in a charming 
 retreat with a Levantine air about it; a court-yard with flowers 
 and fountains, and ponds full of gold-fish was surrounded by cool, 
 airy apartments with paper walls, and verandas and balconies over¬ 
 hanging the river. Count Poutiatine lived next door—a strip of 
 intervening building which was impregnable from without, and 
 consecrated to the use of the female portion of the Chinese own¬ 
 er’s establishment, alone separating him from his colleague. 
 
 This residence was on the right bank of the river, and within 
 view of our yamun, though distant from it about half a mile. 
 Ere long the flags of our respective nations, waving proudly in 
 the breeze, signified to the Chinese world of Tientsin the distinct¬ 
 ive abodes of the chiefs of the four barbarian hordes who had 
 thus boldly located themselves in their city. 
 
 In a country which abounded with horses and roads, it was not 
 to be supposed that persons of an exploratory tendency were to 
 be satisfied with pedestrian excursions; we therefore sent in a 
 requisition for a certain number of steeds, and, after some delay, 
 were furnished with what appeared the scum of the stables of 
 Tientsin. These were indignantly rejected, and we ultimately ob¬ 
 tained six very respectable ponies, and six very uncomfortable 
 Chinese saddles, very hard and angular, and garnished with ex¬ 
 tensive drapery, and an awkward bolster-shaped protuberance in 
 front. To these uncouth contrivances, however, we ultimately 
 became accustomed; and I had minutely explored the country 
 round Tientsin within a radius of about six miles before we 
 left it. 
 
 Intelligence now reached us of the near approach of the com¬ 
 missioners, and Mr. Lay received a note from his friends who had 
 formed the deputation on the day of the admiral’s arrival, calling 
 his attention to the fact of their prompt nomination as a proof 
 that their promise had been fulfilled. This news was confirmed 
 on the following day (2d of June) by the prefect of the city, Pean, 
 who came to pay us a visit, ostensibly to see that our wants were 
 supplied, and inform us of the proximity of the commissioners, 
 but really to investigate the barbarian character, and acquire im¬ 
 portance in the eyes of the commissioners by the fact of his hav- 
 
228 
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE COMMISSIONERS. 
 
 ing had personal intercourse with us—a proceeding the dangers of 
 which he would no doubt discant upon, as also the wonderful tal¬ 
 ent he displayed in “soothing” our “uncontrollable fierceness.” 
 
 In consequence, probably, of his own representations of his 
 qualifications for the office, he was afterward appointed one of the 
 subordinates in carrying on negotiations, and proved to be a self- 
 sufficient ambitious “intriguant:” his dishonesty, however, was 
 so transparent, and his general bearing so offensive, that he soon 
 became as obnoxious to his own superiors as he was to us. Upon 
 this occasion of his first interview his manner was one of fawning- 
 servility, while his aspect and gestures were so effeminate that the 
 description of one of our party, who called him “ a large flirt,” 
 was most appropriate. Notwithstanding an immense deal of in¬ 
 sinuating giggle and coquetry, he failed in his principal object of 
 seeing Lord Elgin, and returned very little wiser than when he 
 came. 
 
 On the afternoon of the same day I was taking a ride with Fitz 
 Eoy, making trial of our ponies and of the road to Pekin for the 
 first time, when a cortege, preceded by a cloud of dust, indicated 
 the approach of some grand personages. Presently appeared 
 runners with rods of office, corresponding to javelin-men: these 
 cleared the way, and forced the people to the right and left; then 
 followed two stately chairs, each borne by eight stalwart bearers, 
 containing two of the most elevated dignitaries in the realm. The 
 common people at once brought themselves up to the attitude 
 “attention,” the hands being pressed on the outside of the thigh, 
 and the body maintained erect and motionless. We could scarce¬ 
 ly make out the features of the inmates through the small win¬ 
 dow of the chair, across which was stretched fine gauze; but, 
 though in all probability we were the first barbarians they had 
 ever set eyes upon, they gazed, with all the imperturbability of 
 Chinese dignity, impassively in front of them, their countenances 
 manifesting neither curiosity, alarm, surprise, or any emotion 
 whatever. Immediately behind was a dense and dusty crowd of 
 footmen and horsemen, evidently coming off a journey, and, 
 though many of them were handsomely appareled, and were 
 doubtless officials of some rank, they looked worn and travel- 
 stained. A number of excellent well-built covered baggage-wag¬ 
 ons, drawn by four or six large fat mules, completed the proces¬ 
 sion, which was evidently one not of display, but of serious earnest. 
 
OUR OFFICIAL PROCESSION. 
 
 229 
 
 On the following day, our conjecture that we had witnessed the 
 entry of the commissioners was confirmed by the communication 
 they addressed to Lord Elgin, in which, after styling themselves 
 imperial commissioners and ministers, they announced their arriv¬ 
 al with full powers, and fixed the day after for an interview. In 
 answer to this communication the embassador informed the com¬ 
 missioners that, although the nature of their powers was not de¬ 
 scribed in their letter, still, inasmuch as they appeared, according to 
 the title by which they announced themselves, to be invested with 
 authority corresponding to that conferred upon him as the pleni¬ 
 potentiary minister of his sovereign, he would make no objection 
 to meet the commissioners at the hour they named, “to the end 
 that, by an exchange of powers, all doubt may be removed as to 
 the sincerity of an intention on both sides to terminate existing 
 differences by peaceful negotiation.” 
 
 It did, indeed, seem to augur favorably that the term “ Minister 
 bearing full powers” should have been used, as upon no former 
 occasion had a Chinese functionary been invested with this title, 
 and all previous demands for a commissioner so named had met 
 with a decided refusal. It was consequently arranged that the in¬ 
 terview should take place in a temple dedicated to the “ Oceanic 
 Influences.” This building was situated in the middle of a plain 
 at some distance from the town, and upward of three miles from 
 our yamun. The midday sun had now become so powerful that 
 it was considered expedient, for the sake of the soldiers forming 
 the guard, that the ceremony should be postponed until late in the 
 afternoon. 
 
 At 3 P.M. on the following day we left the yamun, the ther¬ 
 mometer then standing at 133° in the sun. The procession was 
 composed of the embassador and suite, in twelve chairs, accom¬ 
 panied by a guard of honor of 150 marines, preceded by the band 
 of the Calcutta. Lord Elgin’s chair was of the description usual¬ 
 ly employed by mandarins of the highest rank, much larger than 
 the ordinary size, surmounted by a brass knob, and borne by eight 
 bearers. To avoid a long detour, the chairs were sent round to 
 meet us, and we crossed the river in boats. As usual, a dense 
 crowd lined the river-banks, evincing the most eager interest and 
 curiosity. Upon the guard presenting arms, the band striking up 
 “God save the Queen,” and the procession forming and com¬ 
 mencing to move, this was converted into excitement; nor, in- 
 
230 
 
 OUR OFFICIAL PROCESSION. 
 
 deed, was it to be wondered at that an event altogether unprece¬ 
 dented, and of so striking and novel a character, should create 
 some sensation. A procession of 200 Chinamen marching down 
 the Strand armed with spears, and bows and arrows, or gigantic 
 matchlocks, with their own tails reaching to their heels, and squir¬ 
 rel tails adorning their conical caps, with dragon-emblazoned 
 breasts, and trowsers and sleeves of equal dimensions—surround¬ 
 ing chairs of state containing obese dignitaries, with peacocks’ 
 feathers and red balls on their head, would probably attract a 
 crowd; and should this crowd have become strongly impressed 
 with the belief that in this outlandish procession they were gazing 
 upon specimens of the race into whose hands the government of 
 the country was about to pass, their countenance would betray a 
 more than ordinal interest. But the effect, even then, upon an 
 English mob would not be so great as that which our appearance 
 was calculated to create, inasmuch as Chinamen do occasionally 
 perambulate the streets of London, and this type of countenance 
 and peculiarity of costume is familiar to every child who is fond 
 of picture-books. But in a country where an “ Illustrated Pekin 
 Hews” does not exist, and the Chinese costume is popularly sup¬ 
 posed to be the only dress known in the world at large, the ap¬ 
 pearance of our red-coated marines and cocked-hat diplomates 
 must have been sufficiently startling. 
 
 Our way for nearly two miles led through the extensive suburb 
 which surrounds Tientsin in almost every direction—the winding 
 streets choked with people, who only allowed a narrow lane for the 
 passage of the procession, and who bobbed as each successive 
 chair passed down to the level of the window, so as to have a good 
 view of the inmate. 
 
 Sedan Chair. 
 
 The most perfect order and silence was maintained throughout, 
 and every sign of outward respect shown in the demeanor of the 
 
ASTONISHMENT OF THE CHINESE. 
 
 231 
 
 people, whose heads were uncovered and tails let down: the lat¬ 
 ter only, however, is the usual Chinese mark of respect. The 
 shops were all shut; but our confined position in chairs, added to 
 the intense heat, which rendered the task of observation irksome, 
 and the dense crowd which confined its range, prevented our doing 
 more on this occasion than obtaining a cursory impression of the 
 surrounding scene. At last we emerged from the labyrinth of 
 streets we had been threading, and found ourselves on a vast open 
 plain, and in the distance observed the group of buildings, situ¬ 
 ated upon a slight eminence, and in an isolated position, which 
 was our destination. The intervening distance was thickly dot¬ 
 ted with human beings, reminding one of the Epsom Downs on a 
 Derby day. 
 
 As we approached the building, the sounds of shrill pipe and 
 tom-tom fell upon the ear, and mingled with the martial sounds 
 of our band. A feeble intimation was made to Major Boyle, com¬ 
 manding the marines, that he was not to enter the gate of the court 
 with the guard. This, however, he very properly disregarded, and 
 soon the discordant music emitted by half a dozen blind perform¬ 
 ers, who stood at the door, and played probably the same air with 
 which Lord Macartney had been honored, of “subjugation per¬ 
 fected,” was completely drowned in a stentorian adieu to our 
 “own Marianne.” The group of buildings inclosed within the 
 outer wall which we had now entered was composed of temples, 
 audience halls, and priests 7 houses, separated by court-yards of 
 different dimensions, in which were planted rows of trees and flow¬ 
 ering plants, the whole covering a considerable area. The au¬ 
 dience hall in which the commissioners were waiting had very 
 much the appearance of a deep veranda, as it was entirely open to 
 the court-yard on one side, from which it was approached by a 
 flight of steps. Opposite to these the marines drew up. The 
 commissioners came down the steps to meet Lord Elgin as he got 
 out of his chair; the guard presented arms, and the band played 
 the National Anthem. The effect of this mixture of European 
 and Chinese ceremony was striking even to us, who were familiar 
 with both; but to the commissioners, totally unacquainted with 
 Europeans, the sudden appearance of 150 stalwart bearded sol¬ 
 diers, as they poured into the inmost court of the temple, must 
 have been alarming; and as the hoarse word of command was 
 given within a few yards of them, followed by the ringing clink 
 
232 
 
 INTERVIEW WITH THE COMMISSIONERS. 
 
 of the muskets on the paved yard, and the roll of the big drum, 
 they might be excused if a momentary suspicion flashed across 
 their minds that the fate of Yeh might be in reserve for them. 
 
 Lord Elgin was now invited to a seat at a long table, covered 
 with sundry descriptions of Chinese delicacies, the commissioners 
 being seated upon either side of him. After the whole party had 
 been accommodated with chairs round this table, and the usual 
 preliminary compliments had passed, the embassador stated that 
 the object of the meeting being, as is usual in such cases, an ex¬ 
 change of full powers, he had brought his, and they were forth¬ 
 with produced and read. 
 
 The full powers of the commissioners were then handed to 
 Kweiliang, upon a tray covered with a cloth of imperial yellow. 
 The venerable mandarin, after receiving them with every mark 
 of respect, and holding them for a moment elevated above his 
 head in a reverential attitude, handed them to Mr. Wade, who 
 translated the document. Although the terms of the decree con¬ 
 ferring full powers on the imperial commissioners were reasona¬ 
 bly large, still Lord Elgin, on inquiry, ascertained that the com¬ 
 missioners had not been put in possession of a seal of office, term¬ 
 ed the Kwang-fang. When he complained of this omission, he 
 was informed by them that this seal was only given to officers 
 holding permanent situations. Being apprehensive that some 
 mystification might be involved in this explanation, he deemed 
 the circumstance one which warranted him in manifesting some 
 displeasure. Nor was he sorry to avail himself of.the opportuni¬ 
 ty, knowing the importance which the Chinese attach to expres¬ 
 sion and manner, to make his dissatisfaction apparent. Among 
 * the Chinese the physiognomy and deportment of the individual 
 are carefully noted, as indices of the spirit in which the affairs 
 with the management of which he is intrusted are likely to be 
 conducted; and in their dealings with foreigners especially, we 
 have repeated evidence, from the accounts given in their official 
 dispatches of the varied expression of the barbarian countenance, 
 that the functionaries employed were much guided in the tone 
 they held by the emotions they thought they could detect as por¬ 
 trayed in the physiognomy. 
 
 Lord Elgin had arrived at Tientsin as the representative of a 
 nation whose dignity had been outraged. It had been necessary 
 to have recourse to violence, and to force an entry into the coun- 
 
EXCHANGE OF FULL POWERS. 
 
 233 
 
 try, to obtain satisfaction for insults: and any symptom of reluct¬ 
 ance to grant it rendered a stern, uncompromising bearing doubly 
 necessary. He accordingly declined the refreshment which was 
 pressed upon him, and terminated the meeting abruptly, stating, 
 as he did so, that he would reserve for a written communication 
 any remarks he might have to make upon the subject of the full 
 powers. As he descended the steps to his chair, the most undis¬ 
 guised dismay was depicted on the countenances of the commis¬ 
 sioners and their satellites, the former hurrying after the embas¬ 
 sador to his chair with a profusion of protestations and remon¬ 
 strances. 
 
 This meeting was productive of the most salutary effect, and 
 led precisely to the result desired by Lord Elgin. A communi¬ 
 cation from the commissioners arrived very shortly afterward, re¬ 
 questing that Mr. Lay might be allowed to visit them, and assist 
 them with his advice in the difficult circumstances in which they 
 found themselves placed. Mr. Lay’s position at Shanghai, where 
 he held the appointment under the Chinese government of In¬ 
 spector of Customs, had brought him into close and intimate con¬ 
 tact with their officials; and he possessed their confidence to an 
 extent probably never accorded to a European. As Lord Elgin 
 had the highest opinion of this gentleman’s capacity and judg¬ 
 ment, it was most desirable that the Chinese should place him in 
 the position relatively to themselves in which Lord Elgin most 
 wished to see him. From this period Mr. Lay was in daily com¬ 
 munication with the Chinese commissioners, and affairs were thus 
 early put into a train which enabled them to be brought to a 
 speedy and satisfactory conclusion. 
 
 The mission of Mr. Lay, however, being somewhat of a confi- • 
 dential or non-official character, Lord Elgin kept up his official 
 intercourse with the commissioners by insisting that the Kwang- 
 fang should be obtained without delay. In this application he 
 was quite successful; the Kwang-fang was sent down from Pekin, 
 and the much vexed question of full powers set finally at rest. 
 
 Such was the nature and such the results of the first interview 
 of Lord Elgin with the imperial commissioners. It did not last a 
 quarter of an hour; nor did the embassador again visit the “Tem¬ 
 ple of the Oceanic Influences,” or meet the commissioners, till he 
 went there finally to sign the treaty. At the ceremony above de¬ 
 scribed, the commissioners were dressed in the plain but hand- 
 
234 
 
 KWEILIANG. 
 
 some costume of the Chinese mandarin, the only mark denoting 
 their high rank being the opaque red button and peacock’s feath¬ 
 er; a tippet of rich maroon silk covered their shoulders and arms; 
 and, with the exception of one or two rings, their persons were de¬ 
 void of all ornament. As is usual upon all occasions of ceremo¬ 
 nial interviews, numbers of minor officials crowded the apartment, 
 eagerly listening to the conversation, while four or five intelligent- 
 looking secretaries took notes in writing of all that passed. 
 
 The senior commissioner, Kweiliang, was a venerable man, of 
 placid and benevolent expression, with a countenance full of in- 
 
 Kweiliang, First Imperial Commissioner. 
 
 telligence, though his eye was somewhat dimmed, and his hand 
 palsied from extreme age. His manners were polished and dig¬ 
 nified, and his whole bearing that of a perfect gentleman. He is 
 a Tartar, and has risen to his present high position after a long 
 course of services. His brother Iliang was governor general of 
 the Two Kiangs (in one of which Shanghai is situated), and his 
 account of the visit of Mr. Maclane to the neighborhood of Soo- 
 
HWASHANA. 
 
 235 
 
 chow has been already alluded to. Kweiliang himself was gov¬ 
 ernor general of the province of Chih-li at the period of Sir John 
 Bowring’s visit to the Gulf of Pechelee in 1854. He then rank¬ 
 ed as second Manchu in the empire, Yu-ching, the senior chief 
 secretary or prime minister, being the first. Yu-ching died dur¬ 
 ing the negotiations. His full titles, under which he signed the 
 treaty, were as follows: “ Kweiliang, a senior Chief Secretary of 
 State, styled of the East Cabinet, Captain General of the Palin 
 White Banner of the Manchu Banner Force, and Superintendent 
 General of the Administration of Criminal Law.” His colleague, 
 Hwashana, a mandarin of the same grade, was a much younger 
 man, with a square, solid face, and a large nose. In general ap¬ 
 pearance he reminded one strongly of the pictures of Oliver Crom¬ 
 well ; and in the lines of the lower part of his countenance much 
 firmness and decision of character were apparent. He styles him¬ 
 self “one of his imperial majesty’s Expositors of the Classics, 
 Manchu President of the Office for the Begulation of the Civil 
 
 Hwashana, Second Imperial Commissioner. 
 
236 
 
 SUCCESS OF LORD ELGIN’S POLICY. 
 
 Establishment, Captain General of the Bordered Blue Banner of 
 the Chinese Banner Force, and Visitor of the Office of Interpreta¬ 
 tion.” The accompanying portraits are copied from photographs 
 taken by the Hon. 1ST. Jocelyn. 
 
 Within the two or three days following onr meeting with the 
 Chinese commissioners, Baron Gros, Count Poutiatine, and Mr. 
 Peed had interviews with their excellencies, and expressed them¬ 
 selves respectively satisfied with the full powers which they pro¬ 
 duced. 
 
 It will thus appear, from the above narrative of events, that 
 the allied plenipotentiaries had every reason to be satisfied with 
 the results of the policy they had persevered in hitherto, in spite 
 of the many obstacles which had been interposed. It was evi¬ 
 dent that the imperial cabinet was thoroughly alarmed, and that 
 the plenipotentiary commissioners sent down to treat were pre¬ 
 pared to make an extensive sacrifice of national prejudices in or¬ 
 der to relieve the government from the standing menace which 
 was presented by our appearance at Tientsin, and naval occupa¬ 
 tion of the Peiho to that point. 
 
 The opinion recorded by Lord Elgin on the occasion of his first 
 arrival in China, that the only solution of the problem, as it then 
 stood, was in the exercise of a moral pressure of this description 
 in the neighborhood of the capital, was now in process of justifi¬ 
 cation. By these means alone he conceived that, without in any 
 way interfering with the flourishing trade which, in spite of our 
 misunderstanding with the imperial authorities in the south, was 
 being carried on at the ports, and any interruption to which would 
 have been most disastrous to our commercial interests, the great 
 object of the mission he had undertaken to China might be gain¬ 
 ed, and a lasting and satisfactory treaty effected. But it had 
 seemed almost hopeless that, with the limited force at that early 
 period at his disposal, any such measure could ever be successful¬ 
 ly undertaken. Baron Gros not having arrived, the French sup¬ 
 port was hypothetical. An army of scarce 2500 men, still on 
 their way from England, and the naval force then on the station, 
 composed the entire resources upon which the embassador could 
 depend in the attempt he was about to make to obtain satisfac¬ 
 tion from the imperial government, and extort from it a treaty of 
 a more extensive scope than that which was granted to Sir Hen¬ 
 ry Pottinger only after two thirds of the sea-board had been rav¬ 
 aged, the imperial troops repeatedly vanquished, and the princi- 
 
ITS BEARING ON AEFAIRS AT CANTON. 
 
 237 
 
 pal cities of tlie empire stormed and captured. The expenditure 
 of men alone upon that occasion, from sickness and other causes, 
 was numerically as large as the whole force with which greater 
 results were now to be achieved. But even then Lord Elgin 
 might have adhered to his original intention of proceeding to the 
 north as soon as the season permitted and the troops arrived, had 
 not the conduct of affairs at Canton produced complications of so 
 anomalous and intricate a nature that, upon his arrival at Hong 
 Kong in September, he found himself compelled to abandon his 
 idea of a northern expedition, and to devote to the capture and 
 occupation of Canton the force which he had designed for Pekin. 
 
 He still clung to the hope, however, that a portion of it might 
 yet prove available for this purpose, and the object of his visit to 
 Calcutta was so far gained that he succeeded in obtaining a valu¬ 
 able re-enforcement of native regiments. He farther believed that 
 form of government might be established at Canton which would 
 facilitate the task of its military occupation, and enable the gener¬ 
 al to spare some of his troops for service in the north. In this 
 expectation he was not disappointed: by the Sampson, which 
 brought up the engineers, he received an intimation from General 
 Straubenzee that, if more troops were required, they could be 
 spared; and on the 4th of June, on the very day of the first in¬ 
 terview with the commissioners above described, the Fury left the 
 Gulf of Pechelee for the purpose of bringing to the scene of nego¬ 
 tiations the 59th regiment. There can be little doubt that the 
 timely arrival of this regiment removed from the imperial mind 
 the last shadow of doubt as to the necessity of concluding the 
 treaty. In a word, then, the policy of the allied plenipotentiaries, 
 as so far developed, had in effect placed the emperor in their 
 grasp, and the dynasty itself at their mercy, without in any way 
 endangering the European communities at the ports, or even dis¬ 
 turbing their trade. It was, indeed, matter for congratulation that 
 they had at last succeeded in placing themselves in this favorable 
 attitude with a force so limited and hampered, and under such ad¬ 
 verse influences generally. It may be readily imagined that the 
 five weeks we passed at Tientsin formed a most cheerful contrast 
 to the same period spent in the Gulf of Pechelee. There we had 
 more than once utterly despaired of ultimate success; now we felt 
 that, though disappointed in our hopes of reaching Pekin, the 
 doubts and anxieties we had experienced would probably be 
 more than compensated for by a diplomatic triumph. 
 
238 
 
 THE CHANCES OF A POLITICAL CAREER. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 The Chances of a Chinese political Career.—Arrival of Keying.—Interview with 
 him.—Adverse Policy of Keying.—His Hostility to the Commissioners.—Proofs 
 of his Insincerity.—Second Interview of Messrs. Wade and Lay.—Keying’s Me¬ 
 morial.—Keying’s Treatment of Barbarians.—A disagreeable Expose.—Conse¬ 
 quences of his Offense.—Lenient Sentence.—The Emperor’s Decree.—Keyings 
 Suicide. 
 
 A few days after the incidents recounted in the last chapter, 
 an episode occurred singularly illustrative of the vicissitudes of 
 Chinese official life, and of the dangers to which those are exposed 
 in the Celestial Empire who are either u born to greatness or have 
 greatness thrust upon them.” The account which has been al¬ 
 ready given of the fortunes of Tan exhibits, in a striking manner, 
 the dilemma in which the imperial government places its high 
 functionaries when it forces them under the severest penalties 
 to accept positions from which it is morally impossible for them 
 to escape without incurring failure. There can be little doubt 
 that the imperial government often appoints a man to an office 
 with the express intention that he should serve as a scapegoat, 
 and be sacrificed to its own folly or incompetency. The system 
 of unscrupulously immolating innocent subordinates to screen 
 guilty superiors extends through the whole Chinese official life; 
 and so well recognized is this principle among them, that, in the 
 numerous misunderstandings our authorities have had with the 
 Chinese, the latter have invariably sought to lay the blame on one 
 of our own inferior officers, with a view of enabling the superior 
 to retreat with honor from a false position, should he desire to do 
 so. If, however, the British official maintains his ground, as is 
 commonly the case, the Chinese gets out of the scrape by a simi¬ 
 lar process. 
 
 When a high official position is attended with these inconven¬ 
 iences, it will readily be understood that intrigue among imperial 
 officers often takes a precisely opposite direction to that which it 
 commonly assumes in Europe, and that, so far from attempting 
 the ruin of your greatest enemy by opposing his advancement, 
 there are circumstances under which a Chinese politician can most 
 surely gratify his revenge by procuring his nomination to an im- 
 
ARRIVAL OF KEYING. 
 
 289 
 
 portant and hazardous service, the refusal of which would entail 
 the same extreme penalty which will he the result of his inevi¬ 
 table failure. Not only in the Chinese world of fact, but in their 
 realms of fiction, is this practice used to point the moral and adorn 
 the tale; and in many of their romances the interest of the plot is 
 made to turn upon some crisis in which the virtuous hero is made 
 the victim of a fatal promotion. 
 
 It is impossible for us to do more than speculate upon the se¬ 
 cret motives which may have induced the imperial government to 
 nominate Keying, in an independent capacity, to assist in the set¬ 
 tlement of the barbarian business. That this appointment was 
 more properly due to the able intrigues of his enemies than the 
 ill-advised efforts of his friends may be inferred from the fact that 
 the high officers who first moved the emperor to raise him from 
 disgrace and employ him at Tientsin, were the first to denounce 
 him as worthy of death in consequence of his conduct there; 
 though it must be remembered that, in China, the only chance 
 which the man who recommends an incompetent employe has of 
 saving his own head is to be the first to denounce his nominee 
 should he prove a failure. 
 
 Be that as it may, Lord Elgin was not a little surprised to re¬ 
 ceive an intimation from the old friend of Sir Henry Pottinger, 
 whose name is most familiar to English ears as the negotiator of 
 the last treaty, and who contrived, during the short period of his 
 intercourse with Europeans, to create in their minds so high an 
 estimate of his intelligence and good faith, announcing his arrival, 
 but not stating that he held any official rank, while he at the same 
 time requested an interview with the embassador. 
 
 Lord Elgin at first felt somewhat disposed to overlook this in-, 
 formality in favor of a man whose presence at the scene of nego¬ 
 tiations might appear to indicate the existence of a strong desire 
 on the part of the emperor to terminate existing difficulties ami¬ 
 cably. The reputation which Keying had earned in his manage¬ 
 ment of barbarian business had been founded on his conciliatory 
 treatment of them ; still, we were in possession of documents in¬ 
 validating his sincerity, and we knew that his conciliatory policy 
 had led to his disgrace. Messrs. Wade and Lay were therefore 
 sent in to express Lord Elgin’s regret at not being able to accord 
 him an interview, and, at the same-time, to observe the tendency 
 manifested in his tone and sentiments. 
 
240 
 
 INTERVIEW WITH KEYING. 
 
 They found an old, decrepit mandarin, half blind, and, to judge 
 from his countenance, sinking into his dotage. He at first de¬ 
 clared that he recognized Mr. Lay, and that gentleman had some 
 difficulty in persuading him that he had mistaken him for his 
 father. Then he burst into tears at the deplorable position of the 
 Celestial Empire generally, and of himself in particular, stating 
 that he was involved in a difficulty which must end in disaster 
 to himself. Mr. Wade suspected that this was a mere theatrical 
 effect. Mr. Lay giving him credit for sincerity, to test it, Mr. 
 Wade assured him that he might be relieved from his situation, 
 as he had no doubt Lord Elgin would write a letter peremptorily 
 declining intercourse with him, which would be his justification to 
 the imperial court. This, however, did not suit the crafty Key¬ 
 ing, in whose senile brain some cunning still remained, and he 
 complained that we were placing a knife to the throat of China 
 and a pistol to its head; and gradually let it appear what his 
 opinion was on this subject to an extent which convinced our en¬ 
 voys that his sentiments were distinctly hostile, so that he was re¬ 
 quested in writing, the same evening, to postpone his visit for a 
 few days. Notwithstanding this, however, on the day following 
 (the 10th), Keying had the perseverance to appear at the gate of 
 the yamun, and sent in his card, but was, of course, not admitted. 
 I regretted not arriving in time to see more than the back of his 
 chair as he was being carried away. As an historical personage, 
 and one whose tragical end has since invested him with a deeper 
 interest, Keying was a man worthy of having been noticed. 
 
 It may readily be supposed that the commissioners Kweiliang 
 and Hwashana did not regard this interloper with any favorable 
 eye. The only definite.office he seemed to fill at first was that of 
 spy, while the imperial commission which he managed subse¬ 
 quently to obtain only qualified him more fully to put in prac¬ 
 tice the resolution he at once manifested of thwarting the senior 
 commissioners in every thing they proposed. We were inform¬ 
 ed, on tolerably good Chinese authority, that he totally dissented 
 from the pacific policy by which they were actuated, and held 
 the most pugnacious language with reference to the barbarians. 
 To this he might have been impelled by two motives. In the 
 first place, his independent appointment almost necessarily im¬ 
 plied that he was expected to entertain independent views. As 
 the views of his colleagues were “peace at any price,” he felt 
 
HIS HOSTILITY TO THE COMMISSIONERS. 
 
 241 
 
 bound to be warlike ; and be the more readily adopted this tone, 
 as he had himself, in his former dealings with us, adopted the 
 “ peace at any price” policy, and had remained in disgrace ever 
 since. His second motive was, in fact, consequent upon this ; he 
 regarded the present as the only opportunity which was ever 
 likely to be afforded him of retrieving his position, by becoming 
 the vigorous advocate of a policy directly antagonistic to that 
 which had already been his ruin: could he only show that Kwei- 
 liang and Hwashana were pursuing a course as weak and tempor¬ 
 izing as that which, in the opinion of the imperial government, 
 had characterized his own diplomacy, he might still hope to clothe 
 the nakedness of his present disgrace with the miserable remnants 
 of the robes of honor he had torn from the backs of his colleagues. 
 
 The commissioners finding him in this vein, and perceiving 
 that their most earnest efforts to bring about a satisfactory adjust¬ 
 ment of the existing difficulties were likely to be frustrated by the 
 determination to thwart a conciliatory policy manifested by Key¬ 
 ing, earnestly requested his removal. The emperor, however, as 
 he himself states in his subsequent decree on the subject, knowing 
 that he (Keying) must be aware of this, and lest he should feel 
 embarrassed by the knowledge, again sent him orders to remain 
 at Tientsin. But Keying, instead of taking this hint to pursue 
 the independent policy which had been originally indicated to 
 him, suddenly took the unexpected and indefensible course of de¬ 
 serting his post, thereby much delighting his enemies, and draw¬ 
 ing upon himself the serious displeasure of his imperial master. 
 In order, however, to comprehend the real motive which induced 
 him to adopt this unusual and fatal line of conduct, it is necessary 
 to explain the nature of the interference on our part, to which we 
 were compelled to have recourse. 
 
 It no sooner became evident to the embassador that Keying 
 was endeavoring to exert an influence which, if successful, would 
 neutralize the good dispositions of the senior commissioners, and 
 imperil the final and satisfactory issue of the negotiations already 
 commenced, than he determined to remove from the scene one 
 whose presence was calculated to prove a serious embarrassment, 
 the more especially as he had been furnished with unmistakable 
 evidence that the obstructive tendencies of Keying had not been 
 exaggerated. Fortunately, among the papers discovered in Yeh’s 
 yamun was a memorial written by this very mandarin to the em- 
 
242 SECOND INTERVIEW OF MESSRS. WADE AND LAY. 
 
 peror upon the subject of barbarian affairs; and the tone in which 
 that document was conceived furnished Lord Elgin with an in¬ 
 strument which, if properly used, would secure his removal from 
 the present commission. It was considered that the most effective 
 and certain way of accomplishing this desirable result would be 
 for Messrs. Wade and Lay unexpectedly to produce in his pres¬ 
 ence his own memorial, and read it aloud for the benefit of him¬ 
 self and his colleagues. Accordingly, upon the 11th, or the day 
 following the visit of Keying to the yamun, these gentlemen wait¬ 
 ed upon the commissioners. Their first object was to present a 
 letter complaining of the unsatisfactory reply which the commis¬ 
 sioners had returned to a confidential communication made to 
 them by the embassador upon the subject of the propositions 
 which were to form the base of the negotiations. 
 
 Upon entering the commissioners’ room, Messrs. Wade and Lay 
 found Keying present, apparently associated with them in the ca¬ 
 pacity of colleague. They adverted to the communication already 
 received by Lord Elgin as differing altogether in tone and spirit 
 from the document he had been led to expect, and as being one 
 altogether impossible to be received by him as the base for future 
 negotiations. The commissioners insinuated, as broadly as it was 
 possible for them to do, in presence of Keying, that this gentle¬ 
 man was responsible for the letter in question, and for the tone in 
 which it was couched. Messrs. Wade and Lay remarked that, 
 while Lord Elgin did not conceive himself entitled to dictate to 
 the emperor on the subject of the appointments he might be pleased 
 to make to the imperial commission, it was clear that good faith 
 on the part of the individuals likely to be engaged in the pending 
 negotiations was a qualification of the first importance. It was 
 evidently not in the interest of either party that a person discred¬ 
 ited in this particular should be associated in the commission. It 
 would be for the commissioners to make their own application of 
 this principle with reference to the document which they now 
 begged to produce, the authorship of which it was not necessary 
 to particularize, as it was attached to the paper. 
 
 The circumstance of its having been found in Yeh’s yamun at 
 Canton among his private archives imparted an additional inter¬ 
 est, doubtless, in the eyes of the commissioners, to this singular 
 and interesting production of Keying. The following document 
 was then handed to the senior commissioners, and read aloud by 
 
KEYING’S MEMORIAL. 
 
 243 
 
 Hwashana in a subdued tone, Keying being present, but keeping 
 well in the background, conscious that the revelations it contained 
 would put kis command of countenance to the test should he seem 
 to pay attention to its contents: 
 
 “ The Supplementary Memorial , detailing the peculiarities of the Re¬ 
 ceptions of the barbarian Envoys of different nations , and the Auto¬ 
 graph (lit., Vermilion ) approval of his Majesty the Emperor 
 
 [The date of this Memorial was about the end of 1850.] 
 
 ( Translation .) 
 
 “ The slave Keying, upon his knees, presents a supplementary 
 memorial to the throne. The particulars of his administration of 
 the business of the barbarian states, and management* of barbari¬ 
 an envoys, according to circumstances, in his receptionsf of them, 
 have formed the subject of different memorials of your slave. 
 
 “ The supplementary conditions of trade having been also ne¬ 
 gotiated by him, he has had the honor to submit the articles con¬ 
 taining those to the sacred glance of your majesty, who has com¬ 
 missioned the Board of Revenue to examine and report upon 
 them. All which is upon record. He calls to mind, however, 
 that it was in the seventh moon of the twenty-second year (Au¬ 
 gust, 1842) that the English barbarians were pacified. The Ameri¬ 
 cans and French have successively followed in the summer and 
 autumn of this year (1845). In this period of three years barbari¬ 
 an matters have been affected by many conditions of change, and 
 in proportion as these have been various in character has it be¬ 
 come necessary to shift ground, and to adopt alterations in the 
 means by which they were to be conciliated and held within 
 range.J They must be dealt with justly, of course, and their feel¬ 
 ings thus appealed to; but, to keep them in hand, stratagem (or 
 diplomacy) is requisite. 
 
 11 In some instances a direction must be given them, but with¬ 
 out explanation of the reason why; in some, their restlessness can 
 only be neutralized by demonstrations which disarm (lit., dissolve) 
 their suspicions; in some, they have to be pleased, and moved to 
 gratitude by concession of intercourse on a footing of equality; 
 
 * Lit., riding and reining. f Receptions of them as inferiors in rank. 
 
 I Conciliated— lit., pacified, as a person or an animal that is wild, and comforted. 
 Kept within range— lit., tethered. 
 
244 
 
 KEYING’S MEMOKIAL. 
 
 and in some, before a result can be brought about, their falsity has 
 to be blinked, nor must an estimate (of their facts) be pressed too 
 far. 
 
 “ Bred and born in the foreign regions beyond (its boundary), 
 there is much in the administration of the Celestial dynasty that 
 is not perfectly comprehensible to the barbarians, and they are 
 continually putting forced constructions on things, of which it is 
 difficult to explain to them the real nature. Thus the promulga¬ 
 tion of the imperial decree (lit., silken sounds) devolves on the 
 members of the great council, but the barbarians respect them as 
 being the autograph reply of your majesty; and were they given 
 to understand positively that (the decrees) are not in the hand¬ 
 writing of your majesty at all, (so far from respecting them), there 
 would, on the contrary, be nothing in which their confidence 
 would be secure. 
 
 u The meal which the barbarians eat together they call ta-tsan 
 (dinner).* It is a practice they delight in to assemble a number 
 of people at a great entertainment, at which they eat and drink to¬ 
 gether. When your slave has conferred honor upon (has given 
 a dinner to) the barbarians at the Bogue or Macao, their chiefs 
 and leaders have come together to the number of from ten to 
 twenty or thirty; and when, in process of time, your slave has 
 chanced to go to barbarian residencesf or barbarian ships, they 
 have, in their turn, seated themselves round in attendance upon 
 him, striving who should be foremost in offering him meat and 
 drink. To gain their good-will, he could not do otherwise than 
 share their cup and spoon. 
 
 “Another point: It is the wont of the barbarians to make much 
 of their women. Whenever their visitor is a person of distinc¬ 
 tion, the wife is sure to come out and receive him. In the case 
 of the American barbarian Parker, and the French barbarian La- 
 grene, for instance, both of these have brought their foreign wives 
 with them; and when your slave has gone to the barbarian res¬ 
 idences on business, their foreign women have suddenly appeared 
 and saluted him. Your slave was confounded^: and ill at ease, 
 
 * The word used by our Canton servants for dinner: the great meal. 
 
 t The word lan , loft or story, is not that applied to the dwelling-houses of Chi¬ 
 nese. The mandarins use it specially when speaking to their own people of our 
 houses. 
 
 t Confounded, almost awe-stricken, as Confucius is described to have been in the 
 presence of his ruler. 
 
KEYING’S MEMORIAL. 
 
 245 
 
 while they, on the contrary, were greatly delighted at the honor 
 done them. The truth is, as this shows, that it is not possible to 
 regulate the customs of the Western states by the ceremonial of 
 China; and to break out in rebuke, while it would do nothing to¬ 
 ward their enlightenment (lit., to cleave their dullness), might 
 chance to give rise to suspicion and ill-feeling. 
 
 u Again, ever since amicable relations with them commenced, 
 the different barbarians have been received on something of a 
 footing of equality. One such interview is no longer a novelty; 
 it becomes more than ever a duty to keep them off and to shut 
 them out. To this end, on every occasion that a treaty has been 
 negotiated with a barbarian state, your slave has directed Hwang 
 Aw-tung, Commissioner of Finance, to desire its envoy to take 
 notice that a high officer in China, administering foreign affairs, is 
 never at liberty to give or receive any thing on his private ac¬ 
 count. That, as to presents, he would be obliged peremptorily to 
 decline them; were they to be accepted, and the fact concealed, 
 the ordinances of the Celestial dynasty on the subject are very 
 stringent; and, to say nothing of the injury he would inflict on 
 the dignity of his office, it would be hard (for the offender) to es¬ 
 cape the penalty of the law. The barbarian envoys have had the 
 sense to attend to this; but in their interviews with him they have 
 sometimes offered your slave foreign wines, perfumery, and other 
 like matters, of very small value. Their intention being more or 
 less good, he could not well have rejected them altogether, and to 
 their face; but he has confined himself to bestowing on them snuff- 
 bottles, purses, and such things as are carried on the person, there¬ 
 by putting in evidence the Chinese principle of giving much, al¬ 
 though but little has been received.* Again, on the application 
 of the Italians, English, Americans, and French, your slave has 
 presented them with a copy of his insignificant portrait. 
 
 u To come to their government.f Though every state has one, 
 there are rulers, male or female, holding office permanently for 
 the time being. With the English barbarians, for instance, the 
 ruler is a female, and with the French and Americans, a male. 
 The English and French ruler reigns for life; the American is 
 elected by his countrymen, and is changed once in four years, and 
 
 * Thus, according to the second of the Confucian books, should it be between the 
 ruler and the nobles dependent on him. 
 
 t Lit., their sovereign seniors. 
 
246 
 
 KEYING’S MEMORIAL. 
 
 when he retires from his throne he takes rank with the people 
 (the non-official classes). 
 
 “ Their official designations are also different in the case of each 
 nation. To represent these, they for the most part appropriate 
 (lit., filch) Chinese characters, boastfully affecting a style to which 
 they have no claim, and assuming the airs of a great power. That 
 they should conceive that they thereby do honor to their rulers is 
 no concern of ours; while, if the forms observed toward the de¬ 
 pendencies (of China) were to be prescribed as the rule in their 
 case, they would certainly not consent, as they neither accept the 
 Chinese computation* of time, nor receive your majesty’s patent 
 (of royalty), to fall back to the rank of Cochin-China or Lewchew. 
 And with people so uncivilized as they are, blindly unintelligent 
 in styles and modes of address, a tenacity in forms of official cor¬ 
 respondence, such as would duly place the superior above and the 
 inferior below, would be the cause of a fierce altercation (lit., a 
 rising of the tongue and a blistering of the lips): the only course, 
 in that case, would be to affect to be deaf to it (lit., to be as though 
 the earlap stopped the ear); personal intercourse would then be¬ 
 come impossible; and not only this, but an incompatibility of re¬ 
 lations would immediately follow, of any thing but advantage 
 certainly to the essential question of conciliation.f Instead, there¬ 
 fore, of a contest about unsubstantial names, which can produce 
 no tangible result, (it has been held) better to disregard these minor 
 details, in order to the success of an important policy. 
 
 “Such are the expedients and modifications which, after close 
 attention to the barbarian affairs, a calculation of the exigencies 
 of the period, and a careful estimate of the merits of the question, 
 as being trivial or of importance, admitting of delay or demand¬ 
 ing dispatch, it has been found unavoidable to adopt. Your slave 
 has not ventured to intrude them one by one upon the sacred 
 intelligence, partly because they were of themselves of small sig¬ 
 nificance, partly because there was no timej (so to report them). 
 The barbarian business being now on the whole (lit., in the rough) 
 concluded, as in duty bound, he states them detailedly, one and 
 
 * Lit ., the first and last moons of the year, as computed by China, who issues her 
 calendar to Corea, if not to her other dependencies. The sovereigns of Corea, Lew- 
 chew, and Cochin-China are invested by a Chinese envoy, and receive a patent from 
 their emperor as their suzerain. 
 
 f As in note J, p. 243. 
 
 J He had to act at once. 
 
KEYING’S TREATMENT OF BARBARIANS. 247 
 
 all, in this supplementary dispatch, which he respectfully presents 
 to your majesty.” 
 
 u Reply in the Vermilion Pencil. 
 
 “It was the only proper arrangement to have made. We un¬ 
 derstand the whole question.” 
 
 While Hwashana was reading this production, his attention was 
 more particularly directed to those passages which discuss so elab¬ 
 orately the various descriptions of “ stratagem” which Keying was 
 in the habit of resorting to in order “ to keep the barbarians in 
 hand.” 
 
 So long as this controller of barbarians was associated with the 
 commission, it was evident that it would be incumbent upon us 
 to watch narrowly which mode of treatment he was applying; 
 whether “ a direction was being given to us without explanation 
 of the reason why;” or whether “ our restlessness was being neu¬ 
 tralized by demonstrations which disarmed our suspicions;” or 
 whether this was one of those occasions in which we were “to be 
 pleased and moved to gratitude by concession of intercourse on 
 a footing of equality;” or whether the crisis was so eminent that 
 our “falsity was to be blinded, and the estimate of our facts not 
 pressed too far.” Whatever be the mode of treatment, he does 
 not for a moment leave us in doubt as to its object. “ Once such 
 an intercourse (on a footing of equality) is established, it becomes 
 more than ever a duty to keep them off and to shut them out.” 
 ISTor was his chuckle upon our gullibility with reference to the 
 imperial autograph lost upon us. 
 
 Hwashana and Kweiliang looked somewhat abashed when they 
 had concluded this dissertation upon the “blindly unintelligent” 
 race of barbarians with whom they were at that moment negotia¬ 
 ting, and Keying requested to be allowed to see the paper, for the 
 quiet perusal of which he retired into a corner. Meantime our en¬ 
 voys informed the imperial commissioners that the best way of es¬ 
 tablishing confidence in Lord Elgin’s mind with reference to their 
 good faith was to send in at once the letter containing the propo¬ 
 sitions originally agreed upon as the base of negotiations. They 
 farther stated their intention of waiting in the yamun until it was 
 signed and sealed, which they accordingly did, and it was not until 
 10 P.M. that they finally took leave, with the precious document, 
 
248 
 
 CONSEQUENCES OF KEYING’S OFFENSE. 
 
 signed by Kweiliang, Hwashana, and Keying, in their possession. 
 It was doubtless in allusion to this communication that Keying 
 states, in the memorial to the emperor containing his defense, that 
 when, after consultation with Kweiliang and Hwashana, it was 
 agreed that a dispatch should be written, “they wept together 
 beneath the window; they knew not in the morning that they 
 should not die by night.” 
 
 Two days after this it was that, finding himself discredited by 
 us before his colleagues, to whom he was personally obnoxious, 
 and who would gladly avail themselves of the weapon we had 
 placed in their hands, and perceiving that it was impossible to pur¬ 
 sue the obstructive and independent policy he was expected to . 
 adopt, Keying determined suddenly to return to Pekin, prefacing 
 the step with a memorial to the emperor, stating only that he had 
 “propositions of importance to submit.” Before he reached the 
 capital, however, he received an order to return to his post. In¬ 
 stead of obeying this command, he, to use the words of the em¬ 
 peror, “could not take himself out of the way fast enough.” This 
 was the head and front of Keying’s offense. Thus conscience 
 made a coward of him. Had the emperor read Shakspeare, he 
 probably would not have asked, in passing sentence on him, “Had 
 Keying any conscience, would the sweat have flowed down his 
 back or not ?” But so it happened that instead of bearing the 
 ills he had, the unhappy mandarin fled to others that he knew 
 not of. 
 
 Rumors were shortly after rife at Tientsin, first of the degrada¬ 
 tion, and then of the death of Keying; but the first authentic inti¬ 
 mation we received of the severity of the punishment which was 
 awarded him was from the following extract from the Pekin Ga¬ 
 zette, which reached us on the 8d of July, or about three days 
 prior to our leaving Tientsin. 
 
 Not previously aware of the circumstances under which he had 
 been appointed to meet us, or supplied with every link in the 
 chain of events detailed in the foregoing pages, we were much 
 shocked at the tragical end of one who had so recently been 
 among us, and whose conduct, though weak and vacillating, 
 scarcely seemed to deserve death by suicide; nor, indeed, in so 
 far as we are acquainted with the whole of his offending, does 
 there seem any proportion between the guilt and the punishment. 
 How little could we imagine that the objection taken to Keying 
 
THE EMPEROR’S DECREE. 
 
 249 
 
 as an imperial commissioner should even indirectly have been tlie 
 cause of that fatal decree, the last sentence of which contains so 
 painful a satire upon justice and mercy; for certain officers, hav¬ 
 ing desired Keying to read the decree, are commanded to inform 
 him “that it is our will that he put an end to himself, that our 
 extreme desire to be at once just and gracious be made manifest.” 
 In a country where the highest attributes of divinity find such a 
 manifestation, it is no very violent presumption to suppose that 
 the fate of Keying was determined upon when he was first order¬ 
 ed to proceed to Tientsin, and that, whatever his conduct there 
 might have been, it would always have furnished the excuse de¬ 
 sired by his enemies of causing his public execution, a sentence 
 which the emperor hypocritically modified by that parody upon 
 leniency contained in the last clause, which commutes the public 
 execution to private suicide. 
 
 u Autograph Decree. 
 
 u On receipt of a memorial by the Prince of Hwui* and others, 
 praying that Keying’s offense should be followed by instant pun¬ 
 ishment as under martial law, we commanded that he should be 
 brought to the capital and subjected to rigorous examination. 
 When put on his trial, he tendered his statement in defense, and 
 we then directed the Prince of Kungf and others to decide and 
 award with equity. They now find that, in not awaiting our 
 commands, Keying acted with stupidity and precipitancy, and 
 they sentenced him to be strangled after imprisonment until the 
 Imperial Assize,^ when his crime is to be entered among those 
 not to be forgiven. Their award, certainly, is none other than a 
 correct one. Still, as the terms in which they describe his trans¬ 
 gression by no means define the criminality of his heart, § it is in¬ 
 cumbent on us to give full publicity [to the facts]. 
 
 * Mien Yii, brother of the late Emperor Mien Ning, the style of whose reign was 
 Tau Kwang. 
 
 f Yih Su, brother of the reigning emperor, who was associated with Yih Tsung, 
 another brother, and the adopted son of the emperor’s uncle, in the trial. 
 
 X A list of criminal cases is submitted once a year to the emperor. The prisoners 
 whose names are without a certain mark made upon it by the emperor escape with 
 life; those within the mark die. The term here rendered Imperial Assize is ap¬ 
 plied to this rehearing of cases tried in the capital; cases heard in the provinces are 
 revised at the Autumnal Assize. 
 
 § Lit., are certainly not a description of it that cuts the heart open : a classical 
 expression elsewhere paraphrased as the offense of u deceiving the sovereign, and so 
 
250 
 
 THE EMPEROR’S DECREE. 
 
 “ When Keying, being at the time an officer in disgrace, was 
 again lifted np to be employed, it was onr hope that he would ex¬ 
 ert himsel f to make a reputation in his declining years, and would 
 competently perform the service needed in the matter [then before 
 us]. When he had his audience to take leave, his words were, 
 
 ‘ The powers of your slave are scarcely equal to his charge, but 
 he will see what his fortune islanguage that betokened neither 
 numbness of conscience* nor failing intelligence. On the 27th of 
 the 4th moon (8th June), a letter from the council]* followed him 
 to Tientsin, by which he was instructed that he need not associate 
 himself with Kweiliang and his colleague, nor be bound by forms 
 in any way,]; to the end that he might follow up any step of theirs 
 by the measures his own policy might require. It can not be 
 said that the position we gave him was other than independent, 
 or that our gracious support of him was short of considerable. 
 When Kweiliang and his colleague moved us to recall him, we 
 assumed that he must be aware of this. Still, lest he might be 
 somewhatg—a letter was sent from the council instructing him to 
 remain at Tientsin, and take counsel for himself. Had Keying 
 had any conscience, would the sweat have flowed down his back 
 or not?] That officer, however, having dispatched^" a memorial 
 to us, takes on himself to return to the capital, his plea being that 
 he has propositions of importance to submit to us. If so, why 
 did he not address us a confidential memorial in his single name ? 
 He adds that there is matter that can not well appear in writing. 
 Then why, when he [subsequently] received the decree to the ef¬ 
 fect that it was our pleasure he should stay at Tientsin, did he 
 
 causing damage to the state’s interest;” treason, in short. One Chinese under¬ 
 stands it, “ their finding does not show him guilty of the treason he has committed.” 
 
 * Lit., dimness. 
 
 f These letters are what we call imperial decrees. They are drawn up under in¬ 
 struction of the emperor, and transmitted through the council to those whom they 
 concern. 
 
 t Lit., not to grasp the mud, stand on ceremony. Properly, as junior, he would 
 have subscribed to the proposals of the senior commissioners, but he was authorized, 
 “as exponent of his own policy, to take the second step,” the other commissioners 
 having taken the first. 
 
 § There is an omission here of two characters, if not more. 
 
 || This is a classical expression, the parentage of which obliges it to indicate, not 
 as we should have supposed, great exertion, but the sense of shame experienced when 
 our little merits receive bounteous consideration. 
 
 ®t[ Lit ., having adored, prostrated himself before the memorial about to be sent. 
 
THE EMPEROR’S DECREE. 
 
 251 
 
 hurriedly prepare another memorial? And what is there, after 
 all, of moment, either in his memorials or in his defense ? In all 
 the irrelevancy which time after time he has obtruded upon us, 
 his sole calculation is [the safety of] his own head. The total ab¬ 
 sence of available suggestions in the memorials and defense of 
 this officer, again, might be held, had he not been deep in the se¬ 
 cret, to be over-harshly visited by the law. But it is known that 
 the measure he names had been long since considered by us with 
 our servants. Besides, what might have come from another with 
 propriety could not with propriety come from Keying. Why so ? 
 Because he was art and part of* the administration [of this ques¬ 
 tion], and was free to carry out any views of his own. How was 
 it, then, that, unprovided with measures suppeditative or remedial 
 while acting with others, he was only ready with the right sug¬ 
 gestion after the event ? 
 
 “ Had we but punished this officer as he humbly prayed we 
 would, we had indeed fallen into [the snare of] his machinations. 
 For [in that prayer] Keying has plainly declared himself. Hot 
 only [does he imply that] his former offense had been complete¬ 
 ly washed away, but he seeks to lay blame on others; an inten¬ 
 tion yet more to his disgrace.f He had fancied that, for unau- 
 thorizedly relinquishing his commission, dismissal from the serv¬ 
 ice would be all the penalty awarded him, and, this end attained, 
 he would have enjoyed himself at home. With the obligation 
 laid upon him by long recognition of his little merit (lit., dullness, 
 sc ., his employment in spite of it), should such a conception have 
 been tolerable to him? Hor is this all, when his thoughts are 
 unraveled.]; When, after consultation with Kweiliang and Hwa- 
 shana, it was agreed that a dispatch§ should be written, ‘they 
 wept together beneath the window;] they knew not in the morn- 
 
 * Lit., in the game, in the plot, on the committee. He flies from Tientsin on the 
 plea that he has an important suggestion to make which he dare not write; yet he 
 writes, and his suggestion proves of no value; nor is it a novel one, as he well knew. 
 This suggestion, say all Chinese expositors consulted, was w’ar, which it must be in¬ 
 ferred he was at liberty to resort to. 
 
 f Lit., still less can his heart be inquired of. Man should be so that, “ when he 
 inquires of his heart, he finds nothing to he ashamed of.” 
 
 X Lit., [when w r e follow] the track, or footprints of his heart. 
 
 § Dispatch or communication, probably one addressed to Lord Elgin two days be¬ 
 fore Keying disappeared from Tientsin. 
 
 || A common phrase applied to men consulting or studying together. It does not 
 appear whether the emperor learned this from Keying’s dispatches or elsewhere. 
 
252 
 
 THE EMPEROR’S DECREE. 
 
 ing that they should not die by night.’ But we do not learn that, 
 in devout obedience to our will as earlier expressed, he then de¬ 
 vised any worthier expedient of his own.* * * § By-and-by he ob¬ 
 served to Hwashana that he feared his departure from Tientsin 
 might disturb the population, and he would therefore pretend 
 that he was moving thence for a while on business. But though, 
 on arriving at Tung-chau, he received the later letter of the coun¬ 
 cil [desiring him to return], we do not learn that he hastened 
 back [to his post; on the contrary], he could not take himself out 
 of the way fast enough. He treated our commands as a thing 
 of course to be dispensed with.f Full of intrigue, bent on deceit, 
 could a hundred voices excuse him from immediate annihila¬ 
 tion?]: 
 
 “The [sentence proposed in the] original memorial of the 
 Prince of Hwui and his colleagues was, nevertheless, too severe; 
 neither was the memorial of [the Censor] Suhshun, again, propos¬ 
 ing his immediate execution, as it should be. Our object in hand¬ 
 ing him over to our servants in the capital§ for trial was to have 
 the circumstances of so grave an offense duly weighed by them, 
 and a sentence deliberately pronounced, for the edification of all. 
 If we were still to have approved his summary execution, what 
 need was there for bringing him to the capital ? What need, to 
 go farther, for [the formality of] a finding and sentence ? Then 
 the remark [in one memorial], that ‘if left for some months he 
 might die a natural death, and so escape with his head,’ is even 
 more out of order. || Such words belong to sentences passed on 
 malefactors (lit., robbers). They could not, without serious im¬ 
 propriety, be applied to Keying. 
 
 “We have bestowed great attention [upon his case] for several 
 days, seeking to spare his life; but, indeed, it is impossible; and 
 were we to reserve him, as Yih Su and his colleagues^ propose, 
 for the Great Assize, then certainly to suffer, we feel that [when 
 the time came] we could not endure to leave him in the market- 
 
 * Lit., separately or distinctly, that is, from his colleagues. 
 
 f Lit., as a cap-hair; the tuft of hair formerly thrown away when the cap of 
 manhood was assumed; a thing to be rejected, and rejected of course. 
 
 X An expression that would include his family in the act of destruction. 
 
 § That is to say, by the chief members of the administration. 
 
 II Lit., then the remark—is a finding [in cases between which and the present there 
 is] even less analogy. It could not wantonly, or at random, be applied to Keying. 
 Colloquially, it would never do. etc. Yih Su, see note f, p. 249. 
 
KEYING’S SUICIDE. 
 
 253 
 
 place.* In this dilemma, having given all our thought to a due 
 appreciation of the facts and a just apportionment of the law, we 
 command Jinshau, senior tsung-ching , and Mien Hiun, senior tsung- 
 jin , of the imperial Clan Court, f with Linkwei, President of the 
 Board of Punishments, to go at once to the Empty House of the 
 Clan Court, &nd, haying desired Keying to read [this] our auto¬ 
 graph decree, to inform him that it is our will that he put an end 
 to himself, that our extreme desire to be at once just and gracious 
 
 be made manifest. Respect this!” 
 
 > 
 
 We were informed, upon good authority, before leaving Tien¬ 
 tsin, that the punishment here awarded had been actually carried 
 out, Keying haying drunk a cup of poison in the presence of the 
 imperial officers nominated to enforce it. Thus perished by his 
 own hand this celebrated mandarin, whose signature, attached to 
 the Treaty of Nankin exactly fifteen years before, had secured for 
 him a political notoriety in Europe greater than had ever previ¬ 
 ously been accorded to a Chinaman, and the tragical termination 
 of whose career must ever invest his name with a yet more sig¬ 
 nificant and touching interest. 
 
 % 
 
 * Like a common criminal. 
 
 f The tsung-jin-fu , or imperial Clan Court, is an office charged specially with the 
 registration, payment, and jurisdiction of the imperial family in all its branches. 
 The Empty House mentioned just below is the prison of this establishment. 
 
254 
 
 INSOLENCE OF THE MOB. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Insolence of the Mob.—A forcible Entry into Tientsin.—Making Reprisals.—Hostile 
 Crowds.—Peaceful Proclamations.—Plan of the City of Tientsin.—Aspect of the 
 City.—The Traffic in the Streets.—Declining Trade of Tientsin.—Notice concern¬ 
 ing the Grain Supply.—Present State of the Grand Canal.—Official Expenditure 
 of Grain.—Collection of the Grain-tribute.—State of the Yellow River.—Obstruc¬ 
 tions in its Navigation.—Grain Transport by Sea.—Report on the Grand Canal.— 
 Price of Rice at Tientsin.—Table showing Proceeds of Grain-tax.—Trade of Tien¬ 
 tsin.—Squalor of the Inhabitants.—Burial-places.—Total Allied Force at Tientsin. 
 —Exploration of the surrounding Country.—The Harvest at Tientsin.—Kitchen- 
 gardens.—Salt-pans.—Vetch-fields.—Locust-hunting. 
 
 Our suspicions of the hostile character of Keying’s interference, 
 alluded to in the last chapter, had received a somewhat singular 
 confirmation in the altered demeanor manifested by the inhabit¬ 
 ants within two or three days after his arrival. Up to that time 
 nothing could exceed the respectful bearing of all classes with 
 whom we had come in contact in the course of our rides and 
 walks through the city and suburbs. Upon the very day, how¬ 
 ever, of the visit of Messrs.Wade and Lay to the commissioners’ 
 yamun, just described, the admiral, accompanied by two or three 
 naval officers, was pelted and hooted at by the populace while 
 walking in one of the suburbs. This was a course of proceeding 
 on their part altogether unexpected; and our astonishment was 
 increased on the following afternoon by the sudden appearance in 
 our yamun of Captains Dew and Saumarez in a state of some ex¬ 
 citement, the former hatless, and grasping a large stick, the batter¬ 
 ed condition of which gave evidence of some recent violent ren¬ 
 counter. It appeared that, while walking quietly inside the city, 
 near one of the gates, they were pelted and hooted, and ultimately 
 attacked by the mob, who, however, entertained too great a respect 
 for barbarian prowess to press them very close, and they escaped 
 with only the loss of a favorite dog of Captain Dew’s, and the hat 
 of that gallant officer. Immediately on the receipt of this news a 
 message was sent to Major Boyle, commanding the marines, who 
 were barracked only a hundred yards distant. As it was already 
 late in the day, and no time was to be lost, that officer at once put 
 himself at the head of a strong party of marines, and, accompanied 
 by half a dozen blue-jackets of the Furious, and some of us as am- 
 
A FORCIBLE ENTRY INTO TIENTSIN. 255 
 
 ateurs, proceeded, under the guidance of Captain Dew, toward that 
 part of the city where the outrage was said to have occurred. 
 
 As, however, we had upward of half a mile of suburb to trav¬ 
 erse before reaching the nearest city-gate, timely notice of our ap¬ 
 proach was received by the gate-keepers from scouts who ran on 
 to warn them; and, in spite of our utmost endeavors to reach the 
 gate before it was shut, we found, upon our arrival before it, that 
 it was firmly barricaded against us, and, on looking through the 
 chinks in the massive paneling, could discern a large crowd col¬ 
 lected in the deep archway which passed under the wall at this 
 point, some fifteen or twenty yards in breadth. We insisted upon 
 a Chinaman ordering them to open the gate, who obeyed our com¬ 
 mands in this wise: ‘‘Look out!” he cried; “here are a whole 
 lot of barbarians wanting to come in! They have pressed me; I 
 have nothing to do with it. Open the gate! open the gate! open 
 the gate!” The first part of the sentence, intended only for his 
 Chinese audience, was overheard by Mr. Lay; the latter part, in¬ 
 tended for us, was shouted with the utmost vehemence. 
 
 Seeing that the people were determined not to admit us, and 
 that it was hopeless to attempt to force the gate, I accompanied 
 Captains Osborn and Dew in search of an available part of the 
 wall for scaling. Some low houses were built against a crumbling 
 * angle at a likely place, and, scrambling on to the overhanging 
 eaves, we were soon digging our fingers and toes into the crevices 
 formed by the disintegration of the unburnt brick of which the 
 wall was composed. In a moment more we were joined by three 
 or four blue-jackets with muskets, and, running along the wall, 
 jumped down into the street, and astonished the unsuspecting 
 crowd in the archway as we took them in rear with a loud yell. 
 They doubtless supposed that the whole British army was at our 
 backs, for they tumbled about in all directions in their haste to 
 escape, assisted by the application of a little judicious pressure 
 upon sundry parts of their persons as they scampered away. Dew, 
 seizing a hatchet from one of them, instantly cut through the bar 
 of the gate, and in another moment the whole of the marines walk¬ 
 ed quietly in, the city having thus been stormed and taken in five 
 minutes, without any more serious wound having been given or 
 received than that which may be inflicted with the toe of a boot. 
 
 We marched tranquilly up the main street, then down to the 
 South Gate, which Dew at first supposed to be the one at which he 
 
256 
 
 MAKING REPRISALS. 
 
 had been insulted. Finding out our mistake, however, we march¬ 
 ed along the whole length of one face of the city, a distance of 
 about a mile, upon the top of the wall, to the West Grate—a most 
 striking procession to the admiring crowds, who were collected in 
 astonishment to watch us make such free use of their mural de¬ 
 fenses, considered the most sacred part of a Chinese city. Imme¬ 
 diately on arriving at the West Gate Captain Dew’s hat was pre¬ 
 sented to him, and we informed the mob that, in consequence of 
 the impropriety of their behavior in that particular locality, it 
 would be necessary to make prisoners of six respectable house¬ 
 holders, as it was impossible to recognize the individual offenders. 
 Thus the better class would come to see the necessity of treating 
 foreigners civilly. So we laid hands on the captain of the Tartar 
 Guard at the gate, and a few apparently well-to-do shopkeepers, 
 and marched them solemnly off between two files of marines, Mr. 
 Lay pointing the moral of the proceeding by making the Chinese, 
 as we passed, say, “It is very wrong to insult an Englishman; I 
 will never insult an Englishman.” Any man who showed any 
 reluctance to repeat this formula was at once brought forward, 
 and compelled, in a distinct and grave voice, to give utterance to 
 a variety of sentiments expressive of his regard and consideration 
 for the English. The prisoners were only kept in confinement 
 one night, and on the following morning were released, well satis¬ 
 fied with the treatment they had received, and full of promises to 
 use their utmost influence to prevent a recurrence of a similar in¬ 
 cident. Captain Dew’s dog, a handsome retriever, swam off to the 
 Cormorant, on board which ship his master was staying, during the 
 night. 
 
 We were assured in different quarters that the behavior of the 
 people was due to the instructions they had received from their 
 mandarins, and that these instructions had only been issued sub¬ 
 sequently to Keying’s arrival. We had the greater reason to be¬ 
 lieve this assertion, as, in consequence of the representations made 
 to the commissioners, no farther annoyance of the sort was expe¬ 
 rienced except upon the day following, and probably before any 
 instructions upon the matter had been widely circulated, when 
 Cameron and I were walking alone in a distant suburb, and were 
 pelted by some of the younger part of the population, and sur¬ 
 rounded by a hostile-looking crowd, who commenced hooting. 
 Upon our turning round and facing them, with an appealing look 
 
PEACEFUL PROCLAMATIONS. 
 
 257 
 
 to the most respectable individuals in the crowd, these latter re¬ 
 strained the more ardent spirits; and as we walked away, we could 
 hear the voices of the advocates for and against insult in high al¬ 
 tercation. After this, we could walk and ride to considerable dis¬ 
 tances with perfect impunity, though ever since our first arrival 
 we had deemed it unwise to go about unarmed. 
 
 The appearance, a few days after this, of 120 marines and two 
 guns from the fleet, who were marched with all possible military 
 display to their quarters, did much to give effect to our remon¬ 
 strances, and increased the civility of the people. Our force, un¬ 
 til the arrival of this body and the engineers, had been very small, 
 in consequence of most of the blue-jackets having been sent back 
 to the fleet immediately upon our becoming installed in our quar¬ 
 ters at Tientsin. Now, however, proclamations were posted up 
 all over the city and suburbs, stating that foreigners were always 
 to be attended by (Chinese) soldiers to preserve them from insult, 
 and that persons insulting them would be severely punished. A 
 news-room was discovered in the city, where placards containing 
 the latest barbarian intelligence were posted up. Among other 
 pieces of news, the public were informed that we had been in¬ 
 duced to parade the town a few days previously in consequence 
 of the auspiciousness of the day. We had certainly proved, upon 
 that occasion, that, with even the comparatively small force now 
 at our disposal, we might consider any day auspicious to take and 
 occupy a city, the defenses of which were so feeble, and the garri¬ 
 son so weak and timorous. 
 
 The authorities were, moreover, extremely desirous of showing 
 their sincerity by inflicting summary punishment upon any China¬ 
 man against whom complaints were made. One cheerful-looking 
 man used to appear daily at the gate of the yamun, and seat him¬ 
 self there with a cangue, or piece of board about three feet square, 
 locked round his neck. The Chinese put their criminals’ heads, 
 instead of their legs, into the stocks, and the culprit is compelled 
 to wear this cumbersome necklace for a given number of weeks, 
 or sometimes months. Upon one occasion a man was brought 
 into the yamun for smuggling samshu to the marines, and the 
 petty official charged with ministering to our comforts, to show 
 his zeal, instantly commenced slapping him violently with the 
 open hand upon the back, as though impelled by an amiable de¬ 
 sire to assist him in coughing up a fish-bone. 
 
 R 
 
258 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF TIENTSIN. 
 
 The city of Tientsin occupies the angle formed by the junction 
 of the Grand Canal and River Peiho. It is built as nearly as pos¬ 
 sible in the form of a square, each face being, according to a rough 
 estimate, a mile in length. Four massive gateways give entrance 
 to the four roads which approach from the cardinal points of the 
 compass. These roads, on entering the town, become the princi¬ 
 pal streets, and intersect it at right angles. At the point of inter¬ 
 section, in the centre of the town, is a pagoda-shaped building, sup¬ 
 ported upon four archways, which span the streets. From this 
 point all four gates are visible. These streets differ entirely from 
 those of a southern town. In the latter, two sedan-chairs meeting 
 scarcely find room to scrape past each other; while at Tientsin 
 wheeled vehicles traverse the streets, which are in places paved 
 with large flag-stones, the foot-passengers being provided with a 
 trottoir. / 
 
 Nor was Tientsin superior to southern towns in the breadth of 
 its streets alone. The visitor could pursue his exploratory in¬ 
 vestigations without having his nostrils assailed at every turn by 
 the indescribably foul odors of the south; for, although the city 
 and suburbs were by no means free from stenches, they existed 
 but in a modified form. There was nothing, however, to tempt 
 one to frequent its uninviting purlieus. The few shops that in¬ 
 terested foreigners were in the suburbs; the shops and houses in 
 the city containing the commonest articles of Chinese necessity, 
 and the exterior was as mean as their interior was ill supplied. 
 They were generally built of unburnt brick, sometimes of mud, 
 often consisting of two very low stories, the ground floor open to 
 the street. 
 
 Some fantastically-carved wooden arches, which spanned one 
 of the streets, were the only ornaments of which the town could 
 boast. The temples were poor in an architectural point of view, 
 and the divinities they contained more than ordinarily shabby: 
 the best was in the suburb. Two or three yamuns indicated the 
 residences of the civic dignitaries. There was an absence of that 
 life and bustle in the streets which usually characterize a Chinese 
 town: this may have been partially owing to the panic created 
 by our presence. Indeed, people were actually leaving the town, 
 and many of the shops were shut from this cause; and in the sub¬ 
 urbs this proof of their uncertainty with regard to our intentions 
 was more general. They evidently did not wish to tempt our 
 
DECLINING TRADE OF TIENTSIN. 
 
 259 
 
 cupidity by tbe display of their wealth. Whether this wealth 
 existed or not remained a matter of speculation. Most certainly 
 the general impression created upon our minds was that, for a 
 town which, with its suburbs, is said to contain half a million of 
 inhabitants, Tientsin was the most squalid, impoverished-looking 
 place we had ever been in. 
 
 The principal traffic in the streets seemed to be that of fuel and 
 water. The fuel consisted of millet or wheat straw, carried on 
 men’s shoulders; the water was conveyed in the quaintly-con¬ 
 structed wheel-barrows already described: occasionally might be 
 seen a man sitting upon one side of the wheel, to balance the two 
 buckets of water poised upon the other. The water-way to the 
 edge of the river was paved with flag-stones, cut down through 
 the steep bank, the cutting being bridged over for the convenience 
 of people passing along the river brink. As seen from the water, 
 the groups of water-carriers, with their barrows and variously- 
 shaped buckets, emerging from these subterranean avenues, or 
 collected at their mouth, presented one of the few picturesque 
 sights which greeted the eye of the traveler, if he had not become 
 too much disgusted with the monotony around him to appreciate 
 any thing. 
 
 Such was the internal aspect of the city of Tientsin. Its de¬ 
 fenses consisted of the rickety walls above mentioned, which had 
 crumbled away so much in places that it remained a mere shell. 
 It was said that upon this wall were mounted eighty guns, being 
 twenty to each face; but, even if that number was not exagger¬ 
 ated, they existed more in name than in reality. Instead of being 
 mounted on carriages, they were, for the most part, imbedded in 
 baskets of sand, and so corroded and decayed that the gunners 
 would be in infinitely greater danger than the enemy. The gates 
 are all surmounted by buildings which serve as barracks, of two 
 stories, with pagoda roofs. 
 
 Upon the first occasion of our visiting the city, two or three 
 days after our arrival at Tientsin, some slight reluctance to admit 
 us was exhibited by the gate-keepers; but after our forcible en¬ 
 try, our visits were regarded as a matter of course 
 
 I was informed by an old merchant of Tientsin, and his state¬ 
 ment was corroborated by the present aspect of the place, that it 
 had been decaying both in opulence and population since the 
 overflowing of the Yellow Eiver had broken down the banks of 
 
260 
 
 PRESENT STATE OF THE GRAND CANAL. 
 
 the Grand Canal, and the exigencies of the rebellion had swallow¬ 
 ed up the funds which would otherwise have been devoted to the 
 repairs of that great work. Produce of various descriptions, ar¬ 
 riving from almost every province in China, formerly found its 
 way by tributary canals into the main artery; much of the wealth 
 of the empire thus flowed past Tientsin, which now reaches the 
 capital by other channels of internal communication, or has ceased 
 altogether. But the principal use of the Grand Canal was for the 
 transport of the annual grain-supply. According to Sir George 
 Staunton, a thousand grain-junks were passed by Lord Macart¬ 
 ney’s mission between Tientsin and Toongchow. It will be seen 
 from the following interesting notice, compiled by Mr. Wade from 
 various authentic Chinese sources, what, according to the most re¬ 
 cent accounts, is the present state of the imperial canal, and under 
 what conditions the grain-transport has been carried on in conse¬ 
 quence : 
 
 “ It is now'several months since rumors reached us of the terror 
 produced in the districts adjoining the lower part of the Yellow 
 Biver by its disappearance from its ancient bed* It seems be¬ 
 yond doubt established that, from a point which must be about as 
 high up as Kai-fung Fu, this violent stream has forced a new, or, 
 according to Chinese historians, has resumed an old channel, in a 
 northeasterly direction, and now makes its way into the Gulf of 
 Pechelee by superadding its waters to those of the Ta-tsing and 
 other rivers of Shan-tung. Much of the intermediate country is 
 described by a recent traveler as more lake than land, and the 
 great artery of Northern China, the Grand Canal, clogged in some 
 places and expanded out of all symmetry in others, lies useless for 
 any of the greater purposes of trade or supply for which it was 
 originally intended. From the statement of the crew of a Yang- 
 chau junk, which had forced her way up to Tientsin early in 1857, 
 the bed of the Yellow Biver had been filled with water from the 
 canal reservoir by Hwai-ngan Fu to the depth of three feet, to 
 enable vessels to cross. The junk in question drew but two feet. 
 She found in many places up the canal but four inches water, and 
 the greatest depth at any point did not exceed four feet. We 
 have since learned that the bed of the Yellow Biver, if tempora¬ 
 rily filled, as stated, at the point in question, is now, at all events, 
 perfectly dry. 
 
 * See North China Herald , Nos. 336, 3d of January, 1857; 359, 13th of June, 
 1857; 407, 15th of May, 1858; 411, 12th of June, 1858. 
 
COLLECTION OF THE GRAIN TRIBUTE. 
 
 261 
 
 “ It is difficult to say from wliat depths of exigency the indus¬ 
 try of China may not recover itself; but it is almost beyond a 
 doubt that, for the present, the operation of one of her greatest 
 works is in abeyance, and the north of her empire is consequently 
 beholden for its commerce, and to a large extent for its subsistence, 
 to the coast trade, which it has been the policy of the government, 
 as regards the most important article of Chinese life, to restrict in 
 favor of its inland traffic. The wants of Northern China naturally 
 attract our attention at a moment when the ports of that region 
 have been opened to a certain extent to our commerce, and the 
 following particulars of what we were wont to describe as the 
 Grain Tribute of China, and of the past and present methods of 
 its transmission, may not be uninteresting. 
 
 “ The code of the Board of Revenue of 1831, the latest edition, 
 we believe, in print, showed that, exclusive of 13,340 tons for 
 which a constant commutation tax, amounting to 246,570 taels, 
 was levied at various rates in five of the contributing provinces, 
 the whole Grain Tribute annually forwarded in kind used to be 
 collected in the following proportions: 
 
 Rice. 210,000 tons. 
 
 White rice for the court use. 44,000 “ 
 
 Wheat. 4,000 “ 
 
 Pulse. 17,000 “ 
 
 “The wheat and pulse were grown in Chih-li itself, in Shan¬ 
 tung and in Honan; the black pulse in Manchuria. The wheat 
 is stated to be the only sort destined for human consumption, but 
 this is by no means certain. 
 
 “The subjoined table, drawn up from the same authority, de¬ 
 clares the proportions in which, under ordinary circumstances, the 
 producing districts would contribute. The wretched state of the 
 canal communications and the rebellion, which, besides interrupt¬ 
 ing both the collection and transmission of the grain-supply, has 
 for many years absorbed the funds otherwise applicable to the 
 repairs of the canal and river, are causes which materially affect 
 the original conditions of this branch of revenue. We will speak 
 of it first as it was. 
 
 The official expenditure of grain in 1811 was some 113,000 
 tons, without reckoning the court’s own demand; and, according 
 to the Revenue Statistics of 1831, already quoted, there should al¬ 
 ways have been in store at Pekin 354,000 tons of rice, and at 
 
262 
 
 COMMUNICATION FROM PEKIN. 
 
 Tung-chau, twelve miles off, 82,000 tons. None of this should be 
 allowed to be unsold or unexpended longer than three years. 
 
 “The shipment of the grain was effected at forty-four major 
 and nineteen minor stations in the eight provinces of 
 
 Chih-li. Kiang-su. Kiang-si. Hunan. 
 
 Shan-tung. Ngan-hwui. Cheh-kiang. Hu-peh. 
 
 “ These, with all details of the establishment charged with its 
 carriage and escort, are under a superintendent, with the title of 
 governor general, whose head-quarters are at Hwai-ngan Fu. He 
 has under him a force on a quasi-military footing, the total strength 
 of which is about 64,000 men. The grain-junks used to leave the 
 points of collection in fleets, departing at different periods, so as 
 to avoid confusion, each vessel bearing 300 piculs on government 
 account. The escort, knowp as kiting , carried a certain amount 
 on private account, and were indeed rewarded for bringing in from 
 180 to 200 piculs in excess of the government cargo. Each junk 
 was allowed a sum for her expenses ranging in amount from 160 
 to 200 taels. 
 
 “ The collection of the grain tribute was supposed to commence 
 on the 1st of the 10th moon, say in November, and all grain, no 
 matter where collected, to be weighed and shipped for the canal 
 two months later. The junks from the districts north of the 
 Yang-tsz’, in the neighborhood of the canal, by law should cross 
 the Yellow River at Hwai-ngan Fu in the 12th moon, January or 
 February; those from other parts of Kiang-su and Ngan-hwui, a 
 month later; and those from Kiang-si, Cheh-kiang, Hu-peh, and 
 Hunan, a month later than the last. After they are across, the 
 law still allows them three months to ascend the canal to Tientsin, 
 there to tranship their cargoes for Tung-chau, whence the chief 
 part of them would be carried in carts to Pekin. 
 
 “ The line of canal communication between the Yansr-tsz’ and 
 
 O 
 
 the Yellow River has but two approaches officially recognized 
 as available for the transmission of the Grain Tribute; one, the 
 Kwa-chau mouth of the canal, opposite Chin-kiang Fu; the other 
 at I-ching, a few miles higher up the stream. Punctuality has 
 not been more remarkable in this than in any other branch of 
 Chinese revenue, but the grand derangement of all calculations 
 respecting the transmission of grain has ever been the capricious 
 disposition of the Yellow River. The 20th term of the Chinese 
 
STATE OF THE YELLOW RIVER. 
 
 263 
 
 year, known as the “frost’s descent,” has always been watched 
 with anxiety, and freedom from inundation during this period en¬ 
 titled the spirit of the stream to a special sacrifice in token of the 
 emperor’s gratitude. A glance at the map will show that from 
 the points of its intersection by the Yellow River the canal takes 
 a northwesterly direction, running for a considerable distance near¬ 
 ly parallel to the course of its turbulent neighbor. As it quits 
 the border of Kiang-su it becomes principally beholden for its 
 supply to various sheets of water, part lake, part reservoir, which, 
 unless we misunderstand the Pekin Gazette , are of a construction 
 precariously primitive. Vast earthworks are thrown up, and into 
 the space they inclose water is worked from the adjacent streams, 
 to the very great peril, as the Gazette admits, of the mud enceinte , 
 which would be utterly destroyed were the body within it all wa¬ 
 ter. To mitigate this danger, and at the same time to preserve 
 the water-level necessary to the supply of the canal, the vast tanks 
 are three fourths filled with mud. 
 
 “ In 1851 a more than usually violent outbreak of the Yellow 
 River swept away all the works of earth and masonry in the sec¬ 
 tion of river-works known as the Fung-peh, in the north corner 
 of Kiang-su. In August, 1852, the upward-bound grain-fleet was 
 obliged to land its cargo in Shan-tung, some eighty miles below 
 Tsi-ning, to a point in which department all the grain had to be 
 carried by land for reshipment to Pekin. The emperor was short¬ 
 ly moved by various memorialists to consider some new means of 
 supplying the capital with grain, the canal, it was urged, having 
 become impracticable by mismanagement. 
 
 “Early in 1853 a censor recommends the transport of grain by 
 sea. He puts the total consumption of the capital at four million 
 piculs of superior, and two and a half million piculs of inferior 
 descriptions of grain—say 430,000 tons. The provinces hereto¬ 
 fore relied upon were all disturbed by rebels; but in Fuh-kien 
 and Cheh-kiang, which were quiet, a sale of rank might be open¬ 
 ed, and grain bought by the local government with the proceeds. 
 The Formosa market w r as also spoken of. By the end of the year 
 333 junks of grain from the south had reached the Gulf of Peche- 
 lee. 
 
 “In the spring of 1854 the capital was in sore distress. The 
 rebels were on the borders of Tientsin, and Cheh-kiang was the 
 only one of the supplying provinces not in disorder: even there 
 
264 
 
 GRAIN TRANSPORT BY SEA. 
 
 floods had done damage. The emperor was accordingly prayed 
 to give a general invitation to merchants to import grain from all 
 parts. The river communication between Pekin and Tientsin 
 had also been injured by inundation. Still, by the close of the 
 year the grain-receipts at Tung-chau amounted to 1,424,946 piculs, 
 nearly 100,000 tons. This is described as grain of 1853. It is 
 classed under eight different denominations, and its carriage up 
 from Tientsin, it is observable, employed 3892 river-junks from 
 the 7th of June to the 3d of August. 
 
 “ A decree of January, 1855, shows that the rendezvous of the 
 junks bringing grain from Kiang-su or Cheh-kiang was the port 
 of Liu-ho, a small customs station on the Yang-tsz’, at no great 
 distance from Shanghai. The emperor is in great want of rice, 
 and lays an embargo right and left on flat-bottomed vessels along 
 the whole coast, from the (gulf of Liau-tung down to Ningpo. 
 Cheh-kiang furnished no less than 60,000 tons this year; but this 
 appears all that Pekin received. 
 
 “In May, 1856, the governor of Cheh-kiang, in a somewhat 
 self-complacent memorial, reports the shipment of about 60,000 
 tons in 721 junks, divided into six fleets. ‘ It is now four years,’ 
 he says, ‘since the sea-transport was commenced on the recom¬ 
 mendation of his predecessor, and the subsidy is increasing an¬ 
 nually.’ By the 5th of July, 1200 junks had discharged 100,000 
 tons at Tientsin and returned south. Some 6000 tons were still 
 due. The insurrection being now to all appearance about to limit 
 itself to the southern provinces, the canal was surveyed in the 
 hope of again making it navigable for the grain-fleet. The re¬ 
 port is long, and, from the use of certain technicalities, somewhat 
 difficult of translation. The fact, however, is established that, ow¬ 
 ing to a series of inundations from 1851 to 1855, the artificial 
 channels had sustained almost irreparable damage. The Weishan 
 Hu, a principal reservoir, which should have in it fourteen feet of 
 water, had but from two to eight feet; in many places mud banks 
 stood out like islands, and along its whole western verge was a 
 dry tract of varying width. A proposition to introduce more wa¬ 
 ter and more deposit was rejected, as calculated to jeopardize the 
 frail inclosure of the Hu. The year closes with disastrous notices. 
 In Pekin rice was from nine to ten dollars a picul; the crop short 
 in Kiang-su and Cheh-kiang, which were also suffering from lo¬ 
 custs. There were locusts in Chih-li as well. 
 
PRICE OF RICE AT TIENTSIN. 
 
 265 
 
 “In 1857 the authorities of the Two Kwangs are called on to 
 find rice for the court. Some of the Kiang-su quota is detained 
 for war supplies. That the abandonment of the canal transport 
 is in contemplation, may be inferred from a proposal made by the 
 Board of Revenue to dispose of the junks formerly employed upon 
 the canal, many of which we know to be rotting at Hang-chau 
 and elsewhere. The board also remarks, by the way, that an 
 equivalent to their former tax in grain is now levied in coin on 
 Hu-peh, Hunan, Kiang-si, and Ngan-hwui; another indication of 
 the court’s acceptance of the sea-transport as something more than 
 a temporary measure. The authorities of Manchuria reported the 
 shipment in June of some 3000 tons of grain, which they describe 
 as rice. It was probably wheat. 
 
 “ Supposing the censor’s estimate, tendered in 1853, to be ap¬ 
 proximately correct, it follows that, in the last six years, the sup¬ 
 ply of the best grain has only twice equaled a third, and did not 
 last year amount to a tenth of the Pekin demand. The supply 
 of this year remains to be ascertained; but when the mission were 
 at Tientsin, rice was selling at from five to six dollars a picul, and 
 the resources of the province were threatened by locusts, which 
 continued to arrive by myriads. These were sold dried as food 
 at forty cash a catty. They did not seem in such request, never¬ 
 theless, as to cause future speculators in 1 grain-stuffs’ any serious 
 apprehension.” 
 
TABLE SHOWING THE PROCEEDS OF THE GRAIN-TAX OF CHINA AS RETURNED IN 1831. 
 
 266 TABLE SHOWING PROCEEDS OF GRAIN-TAX. 
 
TRADE OF TIENTSIN. 
 
 267 
 
 The high price of rice at Tientsin was doubtless due to our oc¬ 
 cupation of the river and the presence of our ships in the Gulf. 
 It had always been one of Lord Elgin’s principal objects, in hur¬ 
 rying north at an early period of the year, to reach the mouth of 
 the Peiho in time to intercept the fleet of grain-junks. That we 
 should have been successful in carrying out this design, had not 
 other circumstances intervened to prevent it, may be gathered 
 from the fact that upward of nine hundred grain-junks were cal¬ 
 culated actually to have passed within sight of the Furious on 
 their way into the river, not counting those which sought the 
 northern entrance in order to avoid our fleet. Thus, though 
 Tientsin had lost in some respects in commercial importance, it 
 was still, in a political point of view, the most favorable position 
 for exerting a tremendous moral pressure on the capital. Every 
 day was affording additional evidence of this, and the result 
 proved it conclusively. 
 
 To return, however, to the .statistics of Tientsin, it was extreme¬ 
 ly difficult to obtain any information on the subject. The only 
 respectable Chinese merchant whom I had an opportunity of 
 cross-examining on the matter was either very loth to impart his 
 knowledge, or had no knowledge to impart. The theme upon 
 which he dwelt most feelingly was the excessive poverty of the 
 city of his abode. It exported absolutely nothing, he averred. 
 Its only productions were salt, from the pans near it and the sea, 
 and grain of various descriptions, but not more than sufficed for 
 home consumption. Among its imports from the south are 
 dried fruits, sugar, glass-ware, camlets, woolens, opium, etc., in 
 small quantities. Numerous cargoes of beans and bean-cakes are 
 brought over from Neu-chwang and the Manchurian coast. There 
 can be little doubt that we shall find a considerable market in the 
 north of China for our cotton and woolen manufactures. I ob¬ 
 served in the bazar some Manchester calicoes, also English or Ger¬ 
 man glass-ware, cutlery, lucifer matches, etc. 
 
 In contemplating the population of Tientsin with a practical¬ 
 ly commercial eye, the problem is not whether they want clothes, 
 but whether they have money enough to buy them. Appear¬ 
 ances certainly fully bore out the Chinese merchant’s assertion 
 as to the poverty of the town. In no part of the world have 
 I ever witnessed a more squalid, diseased population than that 
 which seemed rather to infest than inhabit the suburbs of the city. 
 
268 
 
 SQUALOR OF THE INHABITANTS. 
 
 Filth, nakedness, and itch were the prevailing characteristics. 
 The banks of the river swarmed with men who lived entirely on 
 the garbage and offal that were flung from the ships, or were 
 swept up by the tide from the city. There was an eddy just in 
 front of our yamun in which dead cats, etc., used to gyrate, and 
 into which stark naked figures were constantly plunging in search 
 of some delicate morsel. Their clothing generally consisted of a 
 piece of mat or tattered sacking, which they wore, not round their 
 waist, but thrown negligently over their shoulders—it was diffi¬ 
 cult to divine for what purpose, as decency was ignored, and in 
 the month of June warmth was not a desideratum. Cutaneous 
 diseases of the most loathsome character met the eye in the course 
 of the shortest walk, and objects so frightful that their vitality 
 seemed a mockery of existence shocked the coarsest sensibili¬ 
 ties. 
 
 Upon several occasions I saw life ebbing from some wretched 
 sufferer as he lay at his post of mendicancy. One old woman, in 
 particular, attracted my attention. She used to lie motionless on 
 a mat in the centre of the road, a diseased skeleton. She had just 
 strength enough to clutch at cash that was flung at her. One day 
 this strength seemed to have failed: I looked closer, and she was 
 dead. A few hours after, I repassed; but her place knew her no 
 more: she had been carried away and cast upon a dung-heap. I 
 was riding on the outskirts of the city one day, and saw a man 
 carrying another on his back. At first I thought the burden was 
 a corpse ; but, as I approached nearer, a certain flexibility of the 
 legs, as they trailed in the dust behind, undeceived me. This was 
 one of the city scavengers who prowl the streets for dying beg¬ 
 gars, and when they find one in whom life is almost extinct, they 
 bear him off to some suburban Aceldama, and fling him from their 
 shoulders, a premature feast for crows and vultures. Certainly, 
 if the imagination of the Chinaman who named this city Tientsin, 
 “ heavenly spot,” could form no higher idea of an abode of bliss, 
 it is difficult to conceive what must have been his notion of the 
 opposite extreme. 
 
 As if in ironical allusion to the misery which the living seemed 
 to endure, almost the only pretty spots near Tientsin were the 
 burial-places. They were nearly the only localities honored with 
 trees, and consisted generally of a square with an area of about 
 a quarter of an acre, inclosed by a mud bank and ditch, so as to 
 
EXPLORATION OF THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY. 269 
 
 present exactly the appearance of a small earthwork or tabia. 
 Each member of a family who reposes within this inclosure is 
 placed beneath a conical mound of earth, about the size and shape 
 of a bell-tent. A thick grove of trees, generally willow and cy¬ 
 press, surrounds the cemetery, and gives a cool and refreshing as¬ 
 pect to the place. One of these burial-places was of so great an 
 extent, and contained so many graves, that in our ignorance we 
 avoided it for some days, feeling certain it was an intrenched 
 camp, as we had heard of the existence of one in the neighbor¬ 
 hood. The absence of the usual trees confirmed the suspicion, 
 until we mustered up courage to visit it one day, and found only 
 a decrepit custodian, rapidly going to join those whose remains 
 he was now guarding. The real camp we discovered a few days 
 after from the summit of a species of martello tower, to the top 
 of which we climbed for purposes of inspection. 
 
 It is not to be supposed, however, that the entire population of 
 Tientsin and its neighborhood are invalids or beggars. There 
 was a large class of respectable bourgeoisie; and the country peo¬ 
 ple, though poor, looked cheerful and industrious as they worked 
 in large gangs in the fields. The fair sex was almost invisible. 
 It was by the rarest accident that a glimpse was caught of a wom¬ 
 an not belonging to the lowest class. Even these latter all cramp¬ 
 ed their feet—a practice not so general among the same class in 
 the south. Some of the little girls we saw were pretty; and, 
 with their heads decorated with bright flowers, and their gaudy 
 skirts fluttering in the wind, they looked piquant and graceful. 
 But, as a rule, the women generally seen were hideous. 
 
 Ere very long we had explored the environs of Tientsin in ev¬ 
 ery direction. Our yamun was situated on a peninsula, formed 
 by a deep bend of the river, which, doubled back so as almost to 
 convert it into an island. Upon one side of us the mud houses 
 of the suburb were built against the yamun wall, but to the left 
 and rear were gardens, scattered houses, and waste land. The 
 engineers occupied a temple within musket-shot, and next door 
 to them, “ Caserne Franchise,” painted in large white letters, indi¬ 
 cated the quarters of the “Marine Frangaise.” Just previous to 
 our departure there was an allied force of nearly six hundred men 
 quartered in different buildings upon this little peninsula, which 
 was capable of being rendered defensible, if necessary, by an 
 earthwork thrown across the narrow isthmus, so that we were 
 
. 270 
 
 THE HARVEST AT TIENTSIN. 
 
 fortunate both in respect to the accommodation and locale of our 
 position. 
 
 Passing the isthmus, and riding parallel to the Grand Canal, we 
 soon reach a bridge of boats, by which the Pekin road crosses to 
 the city; turning sharp to the right, we follow this road, so inter¬ 
 esting to us while we thought it possible we might have to trav¬ 
 erse it. It soon emerges from the suburb, and crossing two ca¬ 
 nals, tributary to the Peiho, by substantial bridges, one of which 
 is ornamented with a handsome balustrade of carved marble, 
 reaches the Wenho, or salt river, a little above its junction with 
 the Peiho. It is conveyed across this important stream by a 
 bridge of boats, and, traversing the peninsula formed by the two, 
 follows the right bank of the Peiho for as many miles as our ex¬ 
 plorations extended. 
 
 The farthest point I reached, on horseback was the large village 
 of Petsang, about seven miles from Tientsin by the road, and 
 lately become interesting as the point at which Mr. Ward and his 
 suite struck the Peiho on their way to the capital, from which, ac¬ 
 cording to report, it was not above forty-five miles distant in a 
 straight line. The country through which we passed presented 
 all the appearance of being subject to annual inundations; deep 
 ditches intersected it in various directions for the purpose of car¬ 
 rying off the water; and the Pekin road was raised fifteen or 
 twenty feet above its level, the small country roads which crossed 
 it being all bridged over. The high road was paved in places, 
 and about twenty feet in breadth. The villages, which dotted 
 the landscape in every direction, were also built upon raised 
 mounds, which completed their resemblance to the mud towns of 
 Eg ypfc. 
 
 During the first portion of our stay at Tientsin, the flat country 
 extending between the Grand Canal and the Peiho was one vast 
 field of ripening wheat as far as eye could reach; and, uninter¬ 
 rupted by fence or inclosure, the yellow corn rose and fell to the 
 breeze in gently rolling waves; while, dotted over its surface, the 
 masts and sails of numerous junks were visible, looking as though 
 they traversed a golden sea. These were navigating the minor 
 canals. Only once, on an unusually clear day, could I distinguish 
 in the dim distance the irregular outline of some far-off hills. 
 Winding through this fertile plain, the courses of the Grand Ca¬ 
 nal and the Peiho were marked by the groves of trees which 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENS. 
 
 271 
 
 adorn their banks, and surround ancestral graves. Some of the 
 villages also rejoiced in clumps of trees, but generally they look¬ 
 ed like brown patches stuck upon a green ground. 
 
 Ere we left Tientsin the aspect of the country was entirely 
 changed, for the harvest was over. Most of the corn was cut 
 with the sickle, but I observed that grain of certain descriptions 
 was plucked out by the roots; then it was collected into thrash¬ 
 ing-grounds, to be tramped out by oxen, and winnowed upon 
 breezy days, when carts, concealed by mountains of straw, and 
 drawn by mixed teams of horses, mules, and oxen, creaked heav¬ 
 ily over the soft land, and gleaners scattered themselves far and 
 wide through the fields, and the whole population was out in the 
 bright sunshine, looking cheerful and happy as they gathered in 
 the blessed fruits of their labor and toil. In the mellow hour of 
 evening, when the whole western sky was a blaze of red, and the 
 scene was bathed in the glowing reflection of its fiery tints, it was 
 pleasant to ride among the reapers of Tientsin, and forget, in the 
 picture of content and plenty before us, the objects we had just 
 witnessed of misery and starvation. 
 
 Although the country around Tientsin was a dead level, it was 
 not destitute of variety. If the Pekin road led through nothing 
 but a corn-field, that which followed the banks of the Grand 
 Canal in a southerly direction conducted you for miles between 
 kitchen-gardens so exquisitely tended that, in this respect, at all 
 events, the environs of Tientsin are a pattern to those of London. 
 Fences of the neatest and most tasteful construction inclosed little 
 areas of ground, irrigated by a net-work of minute canals, divided 
 into beds, devoid of weed or pebble. Greens of every description, 
 gourds, egg-plants, leeks and onions, sweet potatoes, beans and 
 peas, were planted out and manured, or trained, as the case might 
 be, with the utmost care. Interspersed with the kitchen-gardens 
 were vineyards, orchards, and fruit-gardens, containing apricots, 
 apples, and pears of a coarse description, and vines trained on 
 trellises, as in the north of Italy. This was one of the pleasantest 
 rides, as it was for the most part shaded by trees, and the wind¬ 
 ings of the canal, with the river-life upon it, added to its pictur¬ 
 esque interest. It was an immense relief, in all our rural ram¬ 
 bles, not to be stifled at every turn with the filthy contrivances of 
 the south. In this respect the horticulture and agriculture of the 
 north are carried on under much pleasanter conditions. Our ex- 
 
272 
 
 SALT-PANS. 
 
 plorations in a westerly direction were uninteresting; tire country 
 was an immense grave-yard—not a collection of private ceme¬ 
 teries, sucli as I have described upon the banks of the Peiho and 
 Grand Canal, but a plain crowded with conical tumuli, destitute 
 of grass or trees, and extensive enough to have contained the 
 whole defunct population of Tientsin since the original founding 
 of that “heavenly spot.” 
 
 There is only one more direction in which I will ask the reader 
 to accompany me, if he be not already as tired of the environs of 
 Tientsin as we were. A very considerable suburb, connected 
 with the city by a bridge of boats, was situated upon the opposite 
 side of the Peiho. Passing through it, we debouch upon a singu¬ 
 lar piece of landscape. 
 
 Here were salt-pans, with the salt stacked in large tumuli like 
 gigantic graves. Interspersed with them were small tumuli, which 
 really were gravels; and there were deep pits, and ponds of water 
 with narrow ridges between them, and more salt stacked in bags, 
 and roofed in with millet straw ; and huge stacks of wheat straw 
 collected for purposes of fuel; and mud huts, like Irish cabins of 
 the meanest description, inclosed by fences of millet straw, which 
 is thick and strong enough for the purpose; and there were brick¬ 
 kilns which looked like circular forts, and a circular fort which 
 looked like a brick-kiln. Altogether, it was the oddest collection 
 of big mounds and little mounds, and heaps and stacks, and pits, 
 and stagnant ponds, and hovels, and forts, and brick-kilns, and 
 fences, and waste land I ever saw. A high road led through it, 
 and into a close, populous village beyond, and out of that into the 
 illimitable steppe. There was no waving corn here: a weakly 
 vetch and unhealthy-looking young plants of Indian corn were 
 struggling to maintain a miserable existence in a soil so thin and 
 friable that the united efforts of two men and a donkey, or two 
 donkeys, were sufficient to drag a plow through it. It seemed to 
 be of quite another character from that on the right bank of tl}e 
 river. Beyond the vetch-fields the steppe produced nothing but 
 a short dry grass, across which we could scamper in every direc¬ 
 tion, with the chance of putting up a hare and riding after him 
 across the country. It reminded me of some parts of the steppes 
 of Southern Russia. Sometimes the monotony of this scene was 
 unbroken by a living object; sometimes a cloud of dust would 
 betoken the approach of country carts, and a succession of huge 
 
LOCUST-HUNTING. 
 
 273 
 
 creaking vehicles would roll past, loaded with fuel, and drawn by 
 a mixed team. I have counted a horse, a pony, a mule, a donkey, 
 and two oxen in one cart. An ox and the horse served as wheel¬ 
 ers ; in front of them were the other ox, the mule, and the pony, 
 while the donkey led the way in solitary dignity. 
 
 Toward the end of the month of June, fortunately just after the 
 crops were taken in, a swarm of locusts invaded the country. 
 You could gallop through miles of them in this plain as they 
 whizzed and fluttered among the horses’ legs; you could steam 
 through acres of them as you traversed the river, and eat bushels 
 of them fried, if so it pleased you, as they were hawked about in 
 baskets by urchins in the streets. Locust-hunting was a favorite 
 and profitable occupation among the juvenile part of the commu¬ 
 nity. I had the curiosity to eat one, and thought it not unlike a 
 periwinkle. 
 
 S 
 
274 ADVANTAGES GAINED BY RUSSIA AND AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Advantages gained by Russia and America.—A serious “Hitch.”—The two im¬ 
 portant Demands.—The Right of a Resident Minister.—The Chinese System of 
 Government: Mode of influencing it.—Principle of direct Communication.—The 
 Concession gained.—The final Procession.—Signing of the Treaty.—An effective 
 Illumination.—A Retrospect.—The new Ports.—The Transit-dues.—Climate of 
 Tientsin.—Absence of Surveys.—Geography of the Country.—Abundance of Ice. 
 —A Skittle-alley. —Curiosity-hunting. 
 
 Meantime the work of negotiation was progressing with the 
 neutrals, whose task was less surrounded with difficulties than that 
 of the quasi-belligerents, more rapidly than with ourselves. 
 
 On the 14th of June Count Poutiatine signed his treaty, in 
 which the chief concessions gained were the right of correspond¬ 
 ence upon an equal footing between the Russian minister of For¬ 
 eign Affairs and the prime minister or first minister of the Coun¬ 
 cil of State at Pekin; permission to send diplomatic agents to that 
 city upon special occasions; liberty of circulation throughout the 
 empire of missionaries only, under a system of passports; and the 
 right to trade at ports at present open, and, in addition, at Swatow, 
 at a port in Formosa, and another in Hainan. 
 
 Four days afterward the American treaty was signed by Mr. 
 Reed, in which the same privilege of special missions to Pekin 
 was accorded to the government of the United States, and the 
 same additional ports opened to its trade. 
 
 These were by no means trifling concessions, and, eked out by 
 “the most favored nation clause,” were a great advance on the 
 privileges formerly enjoyed by Russia and the United States in 
 China. It would be a mistake, however, to suppose that they 
 were willingly granted by the Chinese government. Much more 
 moderate demands, when preferred the year before by the minis¬ 
 ters of Russia and the United States respectively, had been peremp¬ 
 torily refused. Indeed, both Count Poutiatine and Mr. Reed, upon 
 concluding these treaties, expressed, in the most frank and candid 
 manner, the conviction they entertained that the concessions they 
 had gained had been due to the pressure exercised at this junc¬ 
 ture upon the imperial cabinet by the allied governments of France 
 and England. 
 
A SERIOUS “ HITCH.” 
 
 275 
 
 By the end of the week, after several pretty stormy discussions 
 between the commissioners and Mr. Bruce and Messrs. Wade and 
 Lay, who were acting on behalf of Lord Elgin, a general agree¬ 
 ment had been arrived at as to the terms of the British treaty. 
 It had been resolved that the clauses should be drawn up forth¬ 
 with in English and Chinese, and the evening of the 26th had been 
 fixed for the signature. 
 
 An incident, however, occurred on the evening of the 25th 
 which threatened to lead to very serious embarrassments. Among 
 the clauses in the British treaty which were not included in the 
 other treaties, there were two which were most pertinaciously re¬ 
 sisted by the Chinese commissioners. The one provided that the 
 British minister in China should be entitled to reside permanent¬ 
 ly at Pekin, or to visit it occasionally at the option of the British 
 government; and the other, that British subjects should have the 
 right of traveling to all parts of the Empire of China for trading 
 purposes. Having failed in their endeavors to induce Lord El¬ 
 gin to recede from these demands, the commissioners had recourse 
 to the Plenipotentiaries of the other powers then at Tientsin, and 
 begged their intervention in conveying to Lord Elgin the import¬ 
 ant piece of intelligence that on the previous day an imperial de¬ 
 cree had been received from Pekin to the effect that not merely 
 degradation, but decapitation would be inflicted upon Kweiliang 
 and Hwashana if they conceded these two points. 
 
 Whether or not any such decree had actually been received 
 was problematical; but the appeal ad misericordiam was difficult 
 to resist, more particularly as it was made just at the moment that 
 the first rumors of Keying’s death reached us. As the French 
 plenipotentiary had not included in his treaty the specific de¬ 
 mands now objected to, it would have been unreasonable to sup¬ 
 pose that he would consent to enforce them by hostile measures. 
 The circumstances of the case were obviously in the highest de¬ 
 gree critical. To give way was perhaps to imperil all that was 
 most valuable in the proposed treaty; for the commissioners, em¬ 
 boldened by success, would in all probability have proceeded to 
 call in question other clauses, such as that for the settlement of 
 the transit dues, which were peculiar to the English treaty, in the 
 hope of indefinitely protracting negotiations. To persevere in the 
 face of the representations which had been made was to run the 
 risk of isolation, perhaps of a hostile advance on Pekin unaccom- 
 
276 
 
 THE RIGHT OF A RESIDENT MINISTER. 
 
 panied by allies. Nevertheless, Lord Elgin, after full considera¬ 
 tion, resolved to adhere to his original demands; and upon the 
 morning of the 26th he authorized Mr. Bruce to communicate his 
 determination to the commissioners in peremptory terms, believ¬ 
 ing that language of a decided character would be the best pro¬ 
 tection to the commissioners against the imperial wrath, which, it 
 was alleged, their acquiescence in his demands would provoke. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to enlarge upon the motives which in¬ 
 duced the embassador to exhibit so much persistence in so far as 
 the second of these demands is concerned. The commercial ad¬ 
 vantages which England must derive from the vast extension of 
 her import and export trade consequent upon the “ exploitation ” 
 of the interior of the empire by her merchants are too manifest to 
 require elucidation. With reference to the other point, however 
 —viz., the power of appointing a resident minister at Pekin—as 
 opinions are divided in England as to the expediency of taking 
 advantage of this privilege, the concession of which cost the im¬ 
 perial government so sharp a pang, it is necessary to say a few 
 words in explanation of the value which Lord Elgin attached to it. 
 
 Any person who has attentively observed the working of the 
 anomalous and altogether unique system under which the vast 
 Empire of China is governed will have perceived that, though 
 ruling under altogether different conditions, supported, not by a 
 physical force, but by a moral prestige unrivaled in power and 
 extent, the Emperor of China can say with no less truth than Na¬ 
 poleon, “ L’Empire c’est moi.” Backed by no standing army 
 worth the name, depending for the stability of his authority nei¬ 
 ther upon his military genius nor administrative capacity, he ex¬ 
 ercises a rule more absolute than any European despot, and is en¬ 
 abled to thrill with his touch the remotest provinces of the empire, 
 deriving his ability to do so from that instinct of cohesion and 
 love of order by which his subjects are supereminently charac¬ 
 terized. 
 
 But while it happens that the wonderful endurance of a China¬ 
 man will enable him to bear an amount of injustice from his gov¬ 
 ernment which would revolutionize a Western state, it is no less 
 true that the limit may be passed when a popular movement en¬ 
 sues, assuming at times an almost constitutional character. When 
 any emeute of this description takes place, as directed against a lo¬ 
 cal official, the imperial government invariably espouses the pop- 
 
THE CHINESE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 277 
 
 ular cause, and the individual, whose guilt is inferred from the 
 existence of disturbance, is at once degraded. Thus a certain 
 sympathy or tacit understanding seems to exist between the em¬ 
 peror and his subjects as to how far each may push their prerog¬ 
 ative ; and, so long as neither exceed these limits, to use their own 
 expression, “ the wheels of the chariot of imperial government re¬ 
 volve smoothly on their axles.” So it happens that disturbances 
 of greater or less import are constantly occurring in various parts 
 of the country. Sometimes they assume the most formidable di¬ 
 mensions, and spread like a running fire over the empire; but, if 
 they are not founded on a real grievance, they are not supported 
 by popular sympathy, and gradually die out, the smouldering em¬ 
 bers kept alive, perhaps, for some time, by the exertions of the 
 more lawless part of the community. But the last spark ulti¬ 
 mately expires, and its blackened trace is in a few years utterly 
 effaced. 
 
 The late rebellion is in this waning stage. Nor did the impe¬ 
 rial government trust so much to its armies as to the inert mass 
 of public opinion which had not yet decided in its favor. So 
 long as the capital is not threatened, and the lives of “the powers 
 that are” there are not in absolute danger, they contemplate with 
 comparative calmness the vicissitudes through which remote cities 
 and provinces pass, contented to wait until the agitation shall 
 have subsided, and then resume the old despotic sway as though 
 nothing had happened. It affects their repose but slightly at the 
 capital whether rebel or foreigner occupy some distant city. The 
 patriotism of the loyal part of the population is evoked by impe¬ 
 rial decree; whether the people obediently respond, and are suc¬ 
 cessful, or whether they are unsuccessful, or whether they dis¬ 
 obediently refuse, is a matter which seems but little to disturb the 
 philosophers at Pekin. Either the imperial authority exists ab¬ 
 solutely, or it has been entirely extinguished. In the latter case, 
 unprovided with adequate physical means to restore it, the em¬ 
 peror is forced into a fatalistic view of the subject. 
 
 A better illustration of the truth of the important principles 
 above laid down could not be afforded than in the case of Canton. 
 The instructions furnished by the emperor to Yeh furnish unmis¬ 
 takable evidence of the inefficacy of protracted diplomacy at a 
 distance to influence the policy of the imperial government in its 
 treatment of foreigners; while, so far from the capture of Canton 
 
278 
 
 THE PRINCIPLE OF DIRECT COMMUNICATION. 
 
 —which was the result of his acting in accordance with those in¬ 
 structions—humbling the court of Pekin, as it was prophesied at 
 Hong Kong would be the case, the hauteur and obstinacy of the 
 imperial government were increased by this event. The prime 
 minister declined to communicate direct with Lord Elgin accord¬ 
 ing to treaty, and refused to send commissioners to meet him at 
 Shanghai. At a later period, when we were dallying in the Gulf, 
 orders were sent down to Canton calling out the Braves, who im¬ 
 mediately responded to them, and attacked the city. Shortly aft¬ 
 er the signing of the treaty, counter-orders were dispatched dis¬ 
 banding them, and commanding them to remain at peace with 
 foreigners, and these were also ultimately obeyed. The popular 
 impression among the British heretofore had been that the Can¬ 
 ton question was purely local, and that authorities and Braves 
 were alike acting, independently of orders from Pekin. 
 
 But, if these incidents went to show how impossible it was to 
 influence the court of Pekin by coercion applied at remote parts 
 of the empire, still more hopeless was it to effect this object by 
 diplomacy exercised at a distance from the seat of government. 
 Yeh’s stubbornness and Keying’s shuffling alike proved that a 
 provincial governor, charged with the conduct of foreign affairs, 
 was approved of at court only so long as he could show that he 
 was thwarting the barbarians, whether by obstinacy or craft. To 
 bring conviction to the mind of a functionary so situated was of 
 little avail, because it only made him an object of suspicion to his 
 imperial master. Lord Elgin’s observation had therefore led him 
 to the conclusion that it was necessary to be at the heart to affect 
 the extremities, and that it was impossible to affect the heart 
 through the extremities. Conceiving this to be the knot of the 
 situation, he determined to establish the principle of direct com¬ 
 munication between the British embassador and the imperial min¬ 
 isters at the capital, and to secure, at all events, the right of the 
 former to a permanent residence at Pekin. It would rest with the 
 government whether to exercise the right or not, attended as it 
 doubtless was with many objections of a practical character, such 
 as difficulties of access, severity of climate, absence of accommoda¬ 
 tion in the first instance, and almost absolute isolation. But, what¬ 
 ever point might ultimately be fixed upon for the residence of the 
 minister, the fact that he had a right to be at Pekin would be a 
 source of influence in his hands scarcely less powerful than that 
 
Signing of the Treaty of Tientsin 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 X 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE CONCESSION GAINED. 
 
 281 
 
 which he might acquire by his actual presence there, and the dread 
 of his exercising that right operate as a check not less effectual 
 than if it was already in existence. It would still be through the 
 heart, although not absolutely at it, that the extremities would be 
 affected. It will be seen from Lord Elgin’s dispatch from Shang¬ 
 hai of the 5th of November, which I have placed in the Append¬ 
 ix, upon what grounds he was ultimately induced to recommend 
 non-residence at Pekin. 
 
 The decided tone held by Mr. Bruce having convinced the 
 commissioners of the hopelessness of farther resistance upon these 
 points, it was arranged that the treaty should be signed at the 
 hour originally named. As it was deemed best that as much 
 eclat as possible should be given to so important an event, the 
 whole strength of the military force accompanied Lord Elgin as 
 a guard of honor, while the admiral and most of the officers of the 
 squadron also attended, a number of them having arrived from 
 the ships in the Gulf for the purpose of being present. 
 
 The procession was one calculated to inspire the inhabitants of 
 Tientsin with some respect—the military guard of 400 men, pre¬ 
 ceded by the band; the long array of chairs, and the body of spec¬ 
 tators on foot, in full uniform, extending over a distance of nearly 
 half a mile. The ships in the river were dressed out, and the 
 crews manned the yards as the procession filed along the bank, 
 which was lined with crowds of wondering Chinese. 
 
 In consequence of the heat of the weather, the hour fixed for 
 the ceremony was somewhat late, and it was nearly dark before 
 we had traversed the winding streets of the suburb, and crossed 
 the plain in which the u Temple of the Oceanic Influences” was 
 situated. We were received in the same hall which had been 
 the scene of the former conference, but it was arranged in a more 
 business-like manner. Instead of the long table covered with re¬ 
 freshments, three small square tables occupied the centre of the 
 apartment. At the middle one of these Lord Elgin took his seat, 
 flanked by a commissioner on either side. The admiral, together 
 with some of the naval officers and members of the mission, were 
 seated at the other tables, and the remaining space was densely 
 crowded with European and Chinese spectators. Three large 
 paper lanterns lighted the business-tables, upon which the various 
 copies of the treaty were soon spread out, and the process of sign¬ 
 ing and sealing commenced, the interest of the ceremony being 
 
282 
 
 SIGNING OF THE TREATY. 
 
 sufficient to retain in silence tlie miscellaneous throng who were 
 watching it. 
 
 Thus expired, on its fifteenth birthday, the treaty negotiated by 
 Sir Henry Pottinger in 1848; for, by a curious coincidence, the 
 day of the signing of the Treaty of Tientsin was the anniversary 
 of the day upon which the Treaty of Nankin was ratified. 
 
 After the treaty was signed, tea and refreshments were handed 
 round, though the commissioners had scarcely provided for the 
 reception of so many visitors. The Chinese attendants on the 
 commissioners remained closely grouped round their chiefs; while 
 the exploratory propensities of British naval officers, and the reck¬ 
 less enterprise with which the more juvenile portion of them at¬ 
 tacked every species of unwholesome dish that was placed in their 
 way, rendered it desirable, for their own sakes, not to prolong the 
 ceremony unhecessarily. It was nevertheless quite dark before 
 the procession started on its return to the yamun. As we passed 
 alone; the brink of the river, the crews of both French and En- 
 glish ships sent up long and hearty cheers, and Admiral Eigault’s 
 band welcomed us with the national anthem. 
 
 On the following evening, when Baron Grros signed his treaty, 
 there was an improvement in the programme; for, as the long 
 procession of blue-coated and white-gaitered French marines were 
 filing along the river’s bank, the darkness was suddenly dispelled 
 by the blaze of blue-lights, and the Chinese crowd found itself 
 unexpectedly brought out in strong relief beneath their vivid 
 glare; and with ears deafened with the shouts of hundreds of 
 barbarian throats, and eyes dazzled by the unearthly brilliancy 
 which illuminated the scene, they gazed in amazement on each 
 other, and their own muddy river, and wondered, perhaps, wheth¬ 
 er the treaties, the signing of which was being thus vividly im¬ 
 pressed upon their memory, would work as great a transforma¬ 
 tion in the empire as the process of obtaining them had effected 
 in their own city. 
 
 On entering our yamun Lord Elgin received the congratula¬ 
 tions of Baron Grros; and, indeed, it is scarcely possible to de¬ 
 scribe the feelings of satisfaction we experienced on this most suc¬ 
 cessful termination to the doubts and anxieties of the past year. 
 It wanted but a few days of the anniversary of our first arrival 
 in the Celestial Empire; and, although much doubtless remained 
 to be done before we could hope to turn our faces homeward, our 
 
A RETROSPECT. 
 
 283 
 
 future labors would be of a far more pleasing character than those 
 which had just been concluded. Up to this point we had met 
 with a series of disappointments; now we were sanguine enough 
 to hope that an era of success was about to commence. 
 
 We could bear tranquilly to review the history of the events 
 of the past year. We could recall the effect produced by the 
 first staggering intelligence we received at Galle of the Indian 
 mutinies, and the consequent diversion at Singapore of all our 
 thoughts and energies from China to Bengal, and remember how 
 our three weeks’ stay there was devoted to the annihilation of all 
 our hopes and plans, while Lord Elgin was solely employed in 
 divesting himself of all his means for carrying out the objects of 
 his mission. We thought of the time when it seemed so hopeless 
 that these were ever to be achieved—that we went to India in 
 sheer despair—and learned for our consolation that, though the 
 China force had saved Bengal, the China mission had lost all claim 
 to public interest in presence of the appalling events occurring in 
 this quarter; we recollected with horror the dismal months we 
 spent in the harbor of Hong Kong, living on board a Peninsular 
 and Oriental Company’s steamer during the hottest and stormiest 
 season of the year, uncertain whether a force was ever coming to 
 relieve us from our inaction. 
 
 There were other and more recent periods which afforded us 
 very little satisfaction to look back upon, and when our anxieties 
 were felt the more keenly because it seemed likely that the prize 
 was to be snatched from us when it was within our very grasp; 
 but we could afford to laugh now at these reminiscences, and the 
 adverse influences which seemed to have beset our path from the 
 commencement only served to enhance the pleasure of success. 
 Hostilities with the Empire of China had terminated with a loss to 
 the British arms of about twenty men killed in action (since our 
 first arrival in the empire), and a treaty had been signed far more 
 extensive in its scope, and more subversive of imperial preju¬ 
 dices than that concluded fifteen years before, after a bloody and 
 expensive war, which had been protracted over a period of two 
 years. The reflection that we should probably be compelled to 
 return to the south without visiting Pekin would indeed force it¬ 
 self painfully upon us; but, for the moment, satisfaction predom¬ 
 inated, and we endeavored to keep gloomy thoughts out of view. 
 
 As the result, then, of the process applied to the imperial gov- 
 
284 
 
 THE TRANSIT-DUES. 
 
 ernment, we had obtained, first, the two points of a resident min¬ 
 ister at Pekin, and permission to travel and trade in all parts of 
 the empire already referred to. Next, besides Teng-chow in the 
 province of Shantung, and the ports opened in the islands of 
 Hainan and Formosa by the other treaties, we opened New- 
 chwang in Manchouria. The political importance of this latter 
 port will be evident from a glance at the map, in which will be 
 seen that it is the nearest sea-port to the Soongary River, a tribu¬ 
 tary to the Amoor, and navigable for steamers as far as Petune; 
 it is also the port of Moukhden, the imperial capital of Manchou¬ 
 ria. In addition to these ports we opened Chin-kiang, and secured 
 the ports on the River Yang-tse-Kiang between that point and 
 Hankow, a celebrated mercantile emporium in the heart of the 
 empire. A condition was attached to this concession, declaring 
 that it was not to come into effect until the rebels were expelled 
 from its shores. 
 
 Lastly—and this, perhaps, in a commercial point of view, was 
 the most important clause of the treaty—the much-vexed ques¬ 
 tion of transit-dues was finally set at rest. A few words are nec¬ 
 essary in explanation of this clause. Some misapprehension has 
 prevailed in England as to the nature of these duties, and they 
 were for some time regarded as applied only to foreign produce 
 passing into the interior, and to native produce intended for ex¬ 
 portation. It is, however, universally understood and admitted 
 in China that the transit-dues are a tax in the form of an octroi , 
 levied upon all produce indiscriminately which passes into the in¬ 
 terior provinces of the empire, or from one to another. Inasmuch, 
 then, as it is one of the permanent sources of revenue to the Chi¬ 
 nese government, to demand the total abolition of these dues 
 would have been a harsh and unjustifiable measure; nor was it 
 likely that the imperial government would have consented to a 
 domestic change involving such an enormous sacrifice of revenue. 
 On the other hand, the Treaty of Nankin left the question in so 
 unsatisfactory a state, that it has ever since proved a permanent 
 source of complaint to the British merchant. That treaty simply 
 provided that the transit-duty should not be increased beyond the 
 then existing rates; but, as those rates were never ascertained, 
 this provision proved, in effect, of no avail, and two evil conse¬ 
 quences followed from the position in which the matter was left. 
 In the first place, a number of articles—and more especially the 
 
CLIMATE OF TIENTSIN. 
 
 285 
 
 important article of tea—were subjected occasionally to very 
 heavy imposts under the name of Tea-duties, whereby, in point of 
 fact, the provisions of the tariff were in a great measure rendered 
 nugatory. In the second place, the power of indefinite taxation, 
 thus left to the Chinese government, introduced an element of 
 great uncertainty into mercantile transactions both in exports and 
 imports. 
 
 In the various suggestions and communications which, at Lord 
 Elgin’s invitation, had been given to him by different mercantile 
 bodies in China, this difficulty had been repeatedly referred to, 
 but none of them contained any plan for its removal. It was met 
 in the British treaty negotiated at Tientsin by an article enabling 
 the British merchant to purchase, at the rate of 2-J per cent, ad 
 valorem , in the case of imports at the port of entry, and in the case 
 of exports at the first inland barrier through which his commodi¬ 
 ties would pass, a certificate enabling him to carry his goods duty 
 free, in the latter case, to the port of shipment, and in the former 
 to any place in the interior of China to which it may be destined. 
 
 In a separate clause the amount of indemnity claimed by us for 
 losses sustained at Canton was stated at two millions of taels 
 (about £650,000), and a farther sum of two million taels was 
 claimed in compensation for the expenses of the war. 
 
 The above were the most important points in which the British 
 Treaty of Tientsin differed from the other treaties signed at the 
 same place and time. The first great step having been thus 
 achieved toward the placing of our relations with the Celestial 
 Empire upon a new and more substantial basis than had hitherto 
 subsisted, it only remained for Lord Elgin to await the imperial 
 assent to the treaty which had just been negotiated ere he finally 
 bade adieu to Tientsin. Our experience of this “heavenly spot” 
 had now extended over a period of a month, and we were not 
 sorry to think that it was soon to be brought to a termination. 
 During the last few days the temperature had been rapidly in¬ 
 creasing. At first we had hot days, but the nights were cool, and 
 the thermometer sometimes showed a variety of 20° in the twen¬ 
 ty-four hours; now, however, the nights were beginning to be op¬ 
 pressive, and the thermometer ranged from 90° to 96° in the 
 coolest part of the yamun. I am indebted to our medical attend¬ 
 ant, Dr. Saunders, for the annexed register of the temperature dur¬ 
 ing our stay at Tientsin. Although the thermometer showed so 
 
286 
 
 GEOGRAPHY OF THE COUNTRY. 
 
 high a range, the heat was not accompanied by those debilitating 
 effects which so often attend it in tropical latitudes. The air was 
 dry and pure, and the general health of the squadron remained 
 good. We had been threatened with a rainy season in June, but, 
 with the exception of one or two heavy showers, the weather con¬ 
 tinued fine throughout the month. 
 
 It was, indeed, much to be regretted that—as, during the first 
 portion of our occupation of the river and Gulf, the climate was 
 so favorable to the health of the men—nothing should have been 
 accomplished in surveying the unknown mouths of the Peiho and 
 in exploring some of its tributaries. For a period of three months 
 upward of twenty men-of-war lay idle in the Gulf, and during a 
 number of weeks our gun-boats navigated the Peiho, yet we sail¬ 
 ed away from those shores with our geographical knowledge as 
 limited as when we first arrived there. Beyond pulling for about 
 two miles up the Grand Canal, we know nothing more of the course 
 or depth of water of that channel of communication than is furnish¬ 
 ed in the records of the former embassies. As far as we went, we 
 found water enough for gun-boats, the banks being in places built 
 up with wheat-straw and matting. The course is very winding, 
 as indeed in this place it is, properly speaking, not a canal, but a 
 river, into which the Grand Canal is led some miles above its 
 junction with the Peiho. It is called by the Chinese the Grain¬ 
 bearing River. About a mile higher up the Peiho, and debouch¬ 
 ing into it on the same side as the Grand Canal, is a smaller canal, 
 which takes a southerly course across the wheat plain, and was 
 reported to lead to Ho-kien and the Peh-hu lake, and so into the 
 southern parts of the province of Shansee. 
 
 About half a mile beyond this canal the Peiho is entered by a 
 river apparently exceeding it in size and volume, commonly known 
 as the Yen-ho, or Great Salt River. It is spanned by a bridge of 
 boats at its point of junction; and, to judge from the number and 
 size of the junks with which the stream was crowded, must be an 
 important channel of internal communication. Sir Frederick ISTic- 
 olson pulled up it for a few hundred yards, and brought back a 
 poor account of the depth of water ; but I have ridden along its 
 banks for some miles, and have seen junks navigating it whose 
 draught of water must have equaled, if not exceeded, that of our 
 smallest class of gun-boats. The direction which this river takes 
 renders it important that we should know its cajoabilities, as it 
 
ABUNDANCE OF ICE. 287 
 
 reaches a point to the west of Pekin as near to that city as the 
 Peiho approaches it on the east. 
 
 The only channel of water-communication we observed to enter 
 the Peiho on its left bank was a small canal which debouched op¬ 
 posite the peninsula upon which our yamun was situated. As far 
 as I followed this canal, it pursued a northerly direction across the 
 barren-looking steppe which I have already described. Its course 
 was marked not so much by the usual line of trees as by large iso¬ 
 lated mud villages, which doubtless it supplied with the means of , 
 intercommunication. It was navigated by very small junks, a 
 number of which were often fastened in a long string to each 
 other, and punted along till they came to a sharp turn or other 
 impediment, when they would break up like a raft. This canal, 
 
 I strongly suspect, connected the Peiho with the stream usually 
 known as its northern mouth, and which enters the Gulf about 
 ten miles to the north of Takoo; but this is mere conjecture, as I 
 could not obtain any reliable information on the subject. From 
 the different accounts one received in answer to geographical in¬ 
 quiries, it was evident how reluctant the people were to impart 
 knowledge of their country to the barbarian. 
 
 If the climate of Tientsin was latterly somewhat oppressive, we 
 could, at all events, luxuriate freely in that most powerful allevia¬ 
 tion to the discomfort of intense heat—ice. The whole population 
 could revel in it if they chose. Boat-loads of it traversed the riv¬ 
 er—coolies staggered under the refreshing burden along the broil¬ 
 ing streets—beggars stood at corners and sold it for infinitesimal 
 sums, and other beggars came and bought it. Food of all sorts 
 was abundant, and our requisitions in this respect were promptly 
 attended to ; though it must be confessed that, in respect of beef, 
 they were sometimes a little unreasonable, as all the cattle are 
 used in these parts for draught purposes only, a fact which their 
 well-shod hoofs undeniably attested. Coarse but not ill-flavored 
 apricots, and coarser peaches, with small marsh-melons and apples 
 and pears, furnished us with dessert, and the sailors in the river 
 with the maladies incidental to an indiscriminate use of fruit in a 
 hot climate. 
 
 The court-yard of the yamun, roofed over with matting, always 
 afforded us a cool and agreeable lounge. In its grateful shade we 
 played quoits and established a skittle-alley, a game which had 
 the merit of being, at all events, as aristocratic in the eyes of the 
 
288 
 
 CURIOSITY-HUNTING. 
 
 Chinese as any other, and of giving us exercise when it was im¬ 
 possible to face the rays of the sun, even as it was sinking below 
 the horizon. Unlike the sun of the tropics, merciful during the 
 final hour of his existence, the sun at Tientsin darted fiery rays at 
 you up to the last moment of the long summer day. 
 
 On Sundays this sheltered court was turned into a place of 
 worship. The pulpit was on one of the raised platforms contain¬ 
 ing the emperor’s handwriting, the roof adorned with dragons 
 and the mystic signs of Confucian philosophy. Army, navy, and 
 diplomacy seated themselves in the quoit-ground and skittle-alley, 
 grouped themselves round the majestic old tree which stood in 
 the centra, or took up a position beneath a collection of gods and 
 goddesses, who gazed as imperturbably at the scene on one side 
 as a group of Chinese did on the other. It was a picturesque, 
 but, at the same time, an impressive ceremony, none the less sug¬ 
 gestive in its simplicity because brought into such close and strik¬ 
 ing contrast with the mixed emblems of an obscure metaphysical 
 system on the one hand, and a debasing superstition on the other. 
 
 After we had signed the treaty, and a proclamation had been 
 issued by the commissioners informing the Chinese public that 
 the foreigners now in the river might shortly be expected to evac¬ 
 uate it, the people began to regain their confidence; new shops 
 were opening daily in the suburbs, and curiosity-hunting, com¬ 
 menced with that energy which seems to distinguish the “ barba¬ 
 rian” of every “outside nation” when he visits the “Central 
 Flowery Land.” The great inconvenience attending this amuse¬ 
 ment at Tientsin was in the medium of circulation. We had 
 brought with us a quantity of sycee silver, but the weighing out 
 of a mass of particles of silver for each purchase was a tiresome 
 and uncertain operation. Mexican dollars were taken, but not 
 very freely, and then for much less than their value, while the 
 only small change current was copper cash, of which a dollar’s 
 worth weighs from ten to fifteen lbs. The simplest plan of di¬ 
 viding a dollar was to cut it in halves with a chopper, and redi¬ 
 vide them if you wanted to purchase a shilling’s worth of any 
 thing; but it was as inconvenient to carry a chopper in one’s 
 purse as ten pounds’ weight of copper, or a pair of scales, which 
 were the other alternatives. Moreover, there was very little worth 
 buying, and I saw no good old China, enamel, bronzes, or any of 
 those articles which form the staple of Chinese works of “ virtu.” 
 
I 
 
 DUPLICITY OP THE COMMISSIONERS. 289 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Duplicity of the Commissioners.—Arrival of the Emperor’s Assent.—Arrival of Re¬ 
 enforcements.—Abandonment of Visit to Pekin.—Consequences of Delay.—State 
 of Matters in the South.—Final Visit to Commissioners.—Death of the Prime Min¬ 
 ister Yu.—Hwashana’s Poems.—“ Old” Chang: his poetical Effusions.—Departure 
 from Tientsin.—The Great Wall.—State of Matters in the South.—Appointment 
 of five Commissioners.—Military Government of Canton.—Lord Elgin’s Dispatch 
 to the General.—Departure for Japan. 
 
 Although, in the ordinary course of diplomatic routine, it is 
 considered unnecessary to procure, before ratification, the assent 
 of the sovereign to a treaty negotiated between specially appoint¬ 
 ed plenipotentiaries, Lord Elgin decided upon adopting the course 
 followed by Sir Henry Pottinger in the Treaty of Xankin, and 
 obtaining the imperial assent to the treaty, the ratifications of 
 which, it had been arranged, should be exchanged at Pekin with¬ 
 in the period of a year from the date of its signature. His intention 
 to this effect was expressed to the commissioners, who, accordingly, 
 four days after it was signed, forwarded to his lordship a communi¬ 
 cation in which they stated that they had received an imperial au¬ 
 tograph rescript to the following effect: “We have perused your 
 memorial and know all. Respect this.” As the fact of the em¬ 
 peror’s cognizance of “ all” did not by any means imply his as¬ 
 sent to it, the embassador replied that he “was still awaiting his 
 majesty’s approval to the conditions of the treaty.” In answer 
 to which, the commissioners stated that, “ as soon as we shall have 
 in person presented the originals of the different nations’ treaties, 
 with the seals and signatures, to his majesty at the capital, and 
 received the ratification of them in the imperial autograph, it shall 
 be transmitted, with all speed, to Shanghai for the information 
 of your excellency.” 
 
 Lord Elgin, in reply to the above communication, states “ that 
 he can not consider peace to be re-established until he shall have 
 been satisfied of the emperor’s entire acceptance of the conditions 
 agreed to by the commissioners as his majesty’s plenipotentiaries. 
 That the undersigned is neither acting nor insisting upon more 
 than is justified by the usage of the empire, is shown by the de- 
 
 T 
 
290 
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE EMPEROR’S ASSENT. 
 
 cree of the late emperor, a copy of which he has the honor to in¬ 
 close. Within a few days of its arrival at Nankin, Sir H. Pottin- 
 ger began to move his fleet down the Yang-tse-Kiang. The un¬ 
 dersigned is bound to require an assurance, similarly complete, of 
 the purpose of his present majesty to abide by the engagements 
 entered into on his behalf. Without such an assurance the un¬ 
 dersigned can not quit Tientsin, and delay in procuring it will 
 leave him no other alternative but to order up to that city the 
 large body of troops which has arrived from Hong Kong, and is 
 now lying in the Gulf of Pechelee.” 
 
 This letter was followed up by a prompt requisition for barrack 
 accommodation for the 59th regiment, which had recently arrived 
 in the Gulf in the troop-ship Adventure. It produced an imme¬ 
 diate effect, the commissioners replying the same day, and promis¬ 
 ing to procure the required assent, all difficulty on the subject 
 being removed from their minds by the fact which had been 
 brought to their notice of the existence of a precedent. 
 
 Accordingly, on the 4th of July, or only two days afterward, a 
 letter was received from the commissioners with the following in¬ 
 closure : 11 On the 23d day of the 5th moon of the 8th year of 
 Hien Pung (3d of July), the great council had the honor to receive 
 the following imperial decree: 
 
 “ Kweiliang and his colleagues have submitted for our perusal 
 copies of the treaties of the different nations. These have been 
 negotiated and sealed by Kweiliang and his colleague. As Kwei¬ 
 liang and his colleague now represent that the different nations 
 are desirous of having our autograph acknowledgment as evidence 
 of their validity, we (hereby signify) our assent to all the proposi¬ 
 tions in the English and French, and in the Russian and American 
 treaties, as submitted to us in their previous memorial by these 
 ministers, and we command that the course pursued be in accord¬ 
 ance therewith. Respect this.” 
 
 With reference to this imperial decree, Mr. Wade states in his 
 note on the above document that “these Shang-yu imperial de¬ 
 crees are never in autograph. They are prepared by the council, 
 and go forth as the will of the emperor. It will be remembered 
 with what ceremony Kweiliang produced that declaring the pow¬ 
 ers with which he and Hwashana were invested at their first con¬ 
 ference with Lord Elgin.” It will be observed that this decree, 
 which was only forced out of the emperor by Lord Elgin’s perti- 
 
ABANDONMENT OF VISIT TO PEKIN. 
 
 291 
 
 nacity, was in general terms, and applied to tlie treaties made by 
 the other powers as well as ourselves. 
 
 The 59th were actually on their way up the river in gun-boats 
 when this letter arrived. Their advance was at once counter¬ 
 manded, and they returned to Hong Kong without ever having 
 reached Tientsin, but not without having done good service. 
 
 It was, indeed, with feelings of the deepest regret and disap¬ 
 pointment that, in consequence of the news which now arrived 
 from Canton, Lord Elgin found himself compelled to give this 
 order, and to abandon his original intention of visiting Pekin in 
 order to present to the emperor the letter with which he had been 
 accredited by her majesty. The very success which had attended 
 our operations hitherto, and the facility^ with which they had been 
 carried out, only furnished a more unmistakable proof of the ease 
 with which we might have reached Pekin, had we been at Tien¬ 
 tsin two months earlier, when Canton and its neighborhood were 
 still tranquil, when the Chinese were unprepared, and the climate 
 was that of an English spring. The political importance of such 
 an achievement it is impossible to overestimate. The much-vexed 
 question of the reception of a British minister at the capital would 
 have been set at rest forever, and under peculiarly favorable con¬ 
 ditions. . • 
 
 Now, unfortunately, every thing combined to induce his excel¬ 
 lency to abandon the idea. A Tartar force had collected in the 
 neighborhood of the capital during the last two months, and, al¬ 
 though a visit to Pekin after the signature of the treaty of peace 
 would not have had a hostile character, yet it would have been 
 distasteful to the emperor, and it must, in common prudence, have 
 preceded the evacuation of Tientsin by the allied force. A state 
 of affairs had, however, arisen in the south that made it impera¬ 
 tive that neither the naval nor military force should be detained 
 in the north any longer than was absolutely necessary. More¬ 
 over, the sun was in its most fatal month, and a march of fifty 
 miles would be attended with serious consequences, while the eclat 
 and prestige of any such movement would have been very much 
 neutralized by the dilatory nature of the negotiations, and the ap¬ 
 parent vacillation at the outset. 
 
 Thus every one of those evil results, as arising out of the delay, 
 which had been anticipated by Lord Elgin at Shanghai more than 
 three months before, and to avoid which he felt justified in pro- 
 
292 
 
 STATE OF MATTERS IN THE SOUTH. 
 
 ceeding to the north without waiting for the admiral, had been 
 realized.* 
 
 On the 26th of May Lord Elgin had received a communication 
 from General Straubenzee assuring him of the perfect tranquillity 
 of Canton, and of his ability to spare a large share of his troops 
 for operations in the north, should they become necessary. In 
 consequence of this assurance, Lord Elgin did not hesitate, imme¬ 
 diately on his arrival at Tientsin, to write to him requesting him 
 to send up the force available for the purpose, and on the 30th of 
 June these reached the Gulf. They brought with them, however, 
 intelligence of a totally altered condition of affairs from that which 
 had existed only a few weeks previously. Sufficient time had 
 elapsed since our first appearance in the Gulf to enable the Chi¬ 
 nese government to instigate the Braves to attack Canton. Their 
 assaults on the city, the expedition of our troops to the White 
 Cloud Mountains, and the increased audacity of the Braves in 
 consequence of the unsuccessful issue of this operation, was news 
 which imparted to the state of matters at Canton a more serious 
 aspect than they had yet worn. Although, from our previous 
 acquaintance with both the foreign and Chinese community, we 
 were aware that the panic which existed in the south was proba¬ 
 bly to a great extent groundless, still the representations generally 
 made of the nature of the crisis were too urgent to be disregarded. 
 From the effect they produced in England some idea may be 
 formed of the sensation they were calculated to create at Tientsin. 
 
 * The Earl of Elgin to the Earl of Clarendon. 
 
 “ Shanghai, April 3,185S. 
 
 “My Lord, —The Coromandel, tender to Rear Admiral Sir Michael Seymour’s 
 flag-ship, has just arrived in this harbor, and reports that the admiral did not intend 
 to leave Hong Kong before the 25th ult. He can not, therefore, be expected here 
 before the middle of this month. If I were to postpone my departure for the north 
 until after the admiral’s arrival, I think, and I believe that my opinion on this point 
 is shared by the plenipotentiaries of the other great powers who are acting in concert 
 with us in this quarter, that the interests of the public service would suffer, for the 
 following reasons: Firstly, because the Chinese would impute the delay to vacillation 
 and weakness; secondly, because we should lose our hold on the rice-junks destined 
 for Pekin, which are now proceeding toward the north, and may yet be arrested, if 
 necessary, at the mouth of the Peiho; thirdly, because, if the information I have re¬ 
 ceived from Count Poutiatine on this head be correct, the season for operations in 
 the region to which we are proceeding terminates with the end of the month of May. 
 I have, therefore, taken it upon myself, in the absence of Admiral Seymour, to address 
 to the senior officers at Shanghai and Hong Kong letters, of which I herewith inclose 
 copies, and which, I trust, will be approved by your lordship.”— Blue-Book , p. 258. 
 
FINAL VISIT TO COMMISSIONERS. 
 
 293 
 
 To keep troops in the north after the treaty had received the 
 emperor’s assent, and when it was reported that the British com¬ 
 munity at Hong Kong were to be ruthlessly massacred, and the 
 British garrison in Canton ignominiously expelled, for want of a 
 sufficient military force to protect the one place and retain the 
 other, would be clearly unjustifiable; and Lord Elgin at once re¬ 
 turned the whole force to General Straubenzee, in the earnest hope 
 that they might arrive in time to enable him to restore confidence 
 by administering to the Braves that lesson, without which, accord¬ 
 ing to the opinion generally entertained, they would never be im¬ 
 bued with a proper respect for British authority. With this view 
 he reminded his excellency “that the power of resorting to such 
 hostile operations as they might deem necessary for the security 
 of their military position at Canton was reserved to the command¬ 
 ers-in-chief, in the most ample terms, in the communication ad¬ 
 dressed by the plenipotentiaries to the government of China, which 
 formed the subject of my letter to yourself and Sir Michael Sey¬ 
 mour, dated the 6th of February last.” 
 
 Before leaving Tientsin Lord Elgin intimated his desire to meet 
 the commissioners in a semi-official manner; and accordingly, on 
 the morning of the 6th of July, we proceeded to the “ Temple of 
 the Winds, which was not so distant as that at which the former 
 interviews were held, and there paid a friendly visit to the com¬ 
 missioners, in the course of which Lord Elgin alluded to the state 
 of affairs in the south, and the conduct of the imperial commis¬ 
 sioner Hwang. Had he insisted upon it, there is no doubt he 
 might have procured this worthy’s disgrace, instead of leaving 
 this to be done on a future day. Lord Elgin was, however, un¬ 
 willing to use language which might seem to imply that we were 
 unable to cope with the Canton Braves, and he therefore content¬ 
 ed himself with warning the commissioners that the conduct 
 Hwang was pursuing in the south would lead to a recurrence of 
 those scenes which they must deplore equally with himself. 
 Kweiliang replied in the same spirit, and expressed his earnest 
 hope that the troubles at Canton were now at an end, and that the 
 treaty just concluded would inaugurate a more peaceful era in the 
 relations of the Celestial Empire with foreigners. He promised 
 to use his influence to put a stop to the proceedings of the Gov¬ 
 ernor General Hwang. 
 
 Since our last interview with this venerable old man, news 
 
294 
 
 HWASHANA’S POEMS. 
 
 have been received of the death of Yu, the first minister of the 
 Council of State. This gave Kweiliang the highest rank in the 
 empire. 
 
 The embassador adverted to the expediency of a Chinese of¬ 
 ficer of rank being sent to England as embassador, and asked the 
 portly Hwashana whether he would like to go in that capacity; 
 to which that sedate and imperturbable old aristocrat replied, 
 “ That if the emperor ordered him to go, he would go; but if the 
 emperor did not order him to go, he would not go.” Lord Elgin 
 then complimented him on his eminence as a scholar and a poet, 
 and referred to the distinction which was conferred upon him by 
 his having taken the degree of Han, an allusion which caused him 
 somewhat to relax as he acknowledged the compliment with an 
 air of grim gratification. The allusion to his poetical composi¬ 
 tions was met by an offer on his part to present Lord Elgin with 
 a copy of some of them, and a goodly supply of volumes accord¬ 
 ingly followed us on our return to the yamun, containing the 
 metrical effusions of this accomplished “ imperial expositor of the 
 classics.” As I am not aware that the poem of a Chinese cabinet 
 minister has ever yet appeared in print, I take this opportunity 
 of giving publicity to the following stanzas, as a specimen of those 
 which have, during the intervals of his political labors, flowed 
 from the pen of his excellency Hwashana. It is just possible that 
 their merit is due rather to Mr. Wade’s elegant translation than 
 to the poetic talent of the composer. 
 
 Hwashana's Complaint when , on his second mission to Mouhhden , the Capital of Man- 
 chouria , he finds himself once more at the Inn at Chalau. 
 
 I. 
 
 “ On toward the sister capital once more, 
 
 By duty called, I track my distant way; 
 
 The watch-dog notes my wheel, as droops the night 
 O’er the thatched cot, and slowly tramp my steeds 
 Up the wild pass, in autumn’s mourning sad, 
 
 Joyless the moon. And now in chamber lone, 
 
 Beneath his single lamp, the traveler dreams 
 Of house and home, an hundred leagues behind. 
 
 Where are his rhymes these panels bore of old ? 
 
 Vain search! o’er Lu-ho let him listless pore. 
 
 n. 
 
 Where herds and swine once lay, a hostel now. 
 Chalau is won at last. My car is staid, 
 
 As sunset, slanting, strikes its roof, and chill 
 
“OLD CHANG’S” POETICAL EFEUSIONS. 
 
 295 
 
 The widespread bars admit the evening’s breath. 
 Forlorn the scene—a very “Walk in Dew.”* 
 
 Envoy of majesty ! so known to whom ? 
 
 Peace where the state hath need—no word of care; 
 Turn to thy muse—let verse these walls adorn.” 
 
 I leave to competent critics the task of discussing 1 the merits of 
 this production; but in justice to a humbler poet, who became 
 well known to us during our trip to the north, and whose gentle 
 and amiable character impressed us all in his favor, I venture to 
 insert a composition which I think bears off the palm from his ex¬ 
 alted competitor. Old Chang was one of those not very old men 
 who have probably been known as “ old Chang” all their lives. 
 He was a not unfavorable specimen of the literary class of China 
 —a good scholar, an efficient spy in behalf of his own government, 
 a gentleman in his manners, a great humbug, and a confirmed 
 opium-smoker. He did not speak a word of English, though he 
 had lived with Mr. Wade as teacher for many years, and in that 
 capacity accompanied us to Tientsin. The poem, also translated 
 and versified by Mr. Wade, which was written on a fan in memory 
 of the occasion, was thus headed : 
 
 “Two stanzas of verses, in five words each, presented by Chang-Tung-Yau to Wade 
 his pupil, and literary acquaintance of nine years’ standing, with whom he had 
 been a shipmate to Taku, and at Tientsin, on finding himself several months on 
 board the same vessel with him. Composed on the 5th moon of the year Wu 
 Wu (June, 1854). 
 
 i. 
 
 “ So best, in lettered toil thine aim 
 To aid the world—by one fair deed 
 To earn a thousand autumns’ fame. 
 
 The day’s capricious will why heed ? 
 
 Fitful as down upon the air 
 A bubble that the waters bear, 
 
 Is all our glory’s fleeting pride. 
 
 Thy pastime in the leisure hour 
 The nicely-studied rhyme to pair ; 
 
 Nor titles win thy praise, nor power— 
 
 And well, for all is change. Though fair 
 The moon, yet dark the evening’s doom: 
 
 * The “Walk in Dew” is a poem, allusion to which is made to convey to the 
 reader the idea of shuddering or shivering horror with which the present poet gazes 
 on the scene before him. The lines on the title-page of this volume are a rhythmical 
 version of the last half stanza. 
 
£96 
 
 DEPARTURE FROM TIENTSIN. 
 
 Changeful our lot, as light and gloom 
 Play o’er the blue stream’s tide. 
 
 ii. 
 
 Nine years since first we met are sped, 
 Thenceforth in friendly union bound; 
 
 Now six long moons one deck we tread. 
 
 * Our night-lamp trimm’d, we chat the round 
 Of earth’s affairs; the burning day 
 On weighty labors pours its ray; 
 
 We part inditing matters grave. 
 
 For me, my part fled vainly by, 
 
 And with what haste ! No longer proud, 
 But free I stray, as floats on high, 
 
 Now clustering, now dispersed, the cloud. 
 Home to my books—I ask no more— 
 
 With age my limbs and travel sore; 
 
 Give me my hillside cave.” 
 
 Hwashana’s volume was not tlie only present Lord Elgin re¬ 
 ceived from the commissioners; nine enormous earthen jars of 
 wine, of dimensions sufficient for Morgiana to smother thieves in, 
 made their appearance just as we were leaving the yamun. 
 
 The same afternoon we bade a final adieu to the “ Temple of 
 Supreme Felicity,” and embarked on board the Firm gun-boat. 
 A flowing tide swept us down to the Gulf in eight hours, and that 
 night we had the satisfaction of once more finding ourselves on 
 board the good ship Furious. As she had now remained without 
 moving from her dismal anchorage for three months, our appear¬ 
 ance was hailed with some pleasure, as the signal for a change to 
 new and more lively scenes. 
 
 As we found that we should just have time, on our way back 
 to Shanghai, to visit the Great Wall, we steered a northeasterly 
 course after we had weighed anchor the following day. Before 
 dark we saw the Sha-liu-tien, or “Sand-hill Fields,” extensive 
 sand-banks rising but a few feet above the water, remarkable only 
 for being a favorite and profitable fishing-ground, and for a square 
 joss-house painted white to serve as a beacon, and which, situated 
 at one corner, is the only building visible. 
 
 The following morning found us off the high land of the de¬ 
 partment of Shuntien, in the province of Chih-li. Unfortunately, 
 the weather was thick and lowering; the mountains were capped 
 with clouds; and we could only judge of their height when we 
 caught an occasional glimpse of a peak rising from two to three 
 
THE GEEAT WALL. 
 
 297 
 
 thousand feet above the sea-level. In fine weather there is no 
 difficulty in finding the Great Wall, which is seen for miles scor¬ 
 ing with an irregular line the sides of the steepest hills, and cross¬ 
 ing their highest ridges. To-day, however, we looked in vain for 
 any such indication of its existence; dense masses of cloud rolled 
 along the base of the range; while misty drizzling rain rendered 
 our search neither hopeful nor agreeable. About 9 A.M. we pass¬ 
 ed a large walled city, near which a mass of solid masonry abut¬ 
 ted on the sea, with a tower or two in rear. This answered in 
 some degree to Lord Jocelyn’s description of the locality, but, ac¬ 
 cording to the chart, the position was placed some miles farther 
 on. We therefore followed the coast for two more hours, until 
 we shoaled the water to five fathoms, without observing any sign 
 of the Wall. 
 
 It was now evident that we had passed the object of our search, 
 and that the walled town we had observed was Shan-hai, described 
 as being situated at the point where the Great Wall abuts on the 
 sea. The north shore of the Gulf of Leatung, along which we 
 had since been steaming, was the most beautiful piece of coast 
 scenery we had seen in China. Rich plains, covered with the 
 brightest verdure, rose in swelling undulations from the sea to 
 the magnificent range of peaked mountains in rear. Tillages 
 were scattered plentifully over them. Snug farm-houses nestled 
 in clumps of wood, and innumerable cattle dotted the landscape, 
 as though they had been sown upon it broadcast. Every thing 
 indicated a prosperous rural population, occupying a champaign 
 of much fertility^ and picturesque beauty. 
 
 We were sorry to turn our backs upon it without either prose¬ 
 cuting our voyage to the new port of Neu-chwang, from which we 
 were scarce fifty miles distant, or returning to inspect more close¬ 
 ly the far-famed Wall; but the heavy fogs would have decided 
 the question against farther exploration, even had not our anxiety 
 to reach Shanghai in time for the departure of the mail influenced 
 Lord Elgin in avoiding any farther delay. A rapid and prosper¬ 
 ous passage of four days to Shanghai from this point enabled us 
 to secure this latter object. 
 
 Prior to leaving Tientsin Lord Elgin had acquainted the ad¬ 
 miral with his intention of proceeding at an early date to Japan, 
 at the same time adverting to the state of affairs at Canton, and 
 informing his excellency that the conclusion of the treaty would 
 
298 
 
 APPOINTMENT OF FIVE COMMISSIONERS. 
 
 release the naval forces from any farther service in the north of 
 the empire. As the complexion of the news received from Can¬ 
 ton on our arrival at Shanghai, however, was not in any degree 
 improved, Lord Elgin determined to postpone his departure for 
 Japan, in order to consult with the admiral upon the course to be 
 pursued in that quarter. 
 
 The following fortnight we passed at Shanghai in a state of 
 some anxiety, as the admiral did not appear, and the condition of 
 Canton seemed to be getting worse by each successive mail: not 
 until the 26th were we cheered by the arrival of the Coromandel 
 in the river, the admiral having made a slow passage from the 
 north in his flag-ship, which was then lying at the Bugged Islands, 
 lie had been more fortunate than ourselves in his trip to the Great 
 Wall, which was visited both by his excellency and Baron Gros. 
 
 On the day previous to the arrival of the Admiral Lord Elgin 
 received the intelligence from Pekin that five commissioners had 
 been appointed to proceed to Shanghai for the settlement of the 
 tariff, and the framing of those general trade-regulations which 
 must necessarily be drawn up as a supplemental part of the treaty. 
 Of these commissioners, two were our old friends Kweiliang and 
 Hwashana, to whom was added the governor general of the Two 
 Kiangs, IIo-Kwei-tsick, one of the most highly esteemed men in 
 the empire for learning and administrative ability. Two other 
 mandarins of less note completed the commission. 
 
 As no commissioners of the eminence of these mandarins had 
 been demanded for the revision of the tariff, etc., their appoint¬ 
 ment to this function was a spontaneous act, on the part of the 
 government, of some significance; and their position and charac¬ 
 ter were such that, whatever idea Lord Elgin might at one time 
 have entertained of proceeding to Canton instead of Japan was 
 now abandoned, as he considered it above all things essential that 
 he should not lose the opportunity which the visit of the commis¬ 
 sioners would afford him of exerting that influence which personal 
 intercourse would, he doubted not, enable him to acquire over 
 them. 
 
 Though the Treaty of Tientsin effected the great object of rev¬ 
 olutionizing the system under which our political and commercial 
 relations with the empire were to be for the future conducted, 
 there were many most important details to be considered in the 
 altered conditions under which these latter were to be worked 
 
LORD ELGIN’S DISPATCH TO THE GENERAL. 
 
 299 
 
 out, and the embassador perceived with no little satisfaction that 
 these might now be arranged by himself in accordance with the 
 spirit of the treaty, and with that deliberation and solemnity which 
 they deserved; nor, indeed, however deeply interested he might 
 feel in the state of affairs then existing at Canton, did he consider 
 that their settlement fell within the province of a civilian. The 
 city was under a purely military government. It is true, the 
 Governor Pih-kwei was exercising certain functions as a Chinese 
 authority, but he did so only with the sufferance of General Strau- 
 benzee, and as an assistance to that officer in preserving peace and 
 order: should the general have found his presence an obstruction 
 rather than an aid to his administration, it was in his power at any 
 time to suspend him from his functions, and turn him out of the 
 city or keep him in confinement, as, indeed, for some part of the 
 time he did. 
 
 Lord Elgin was strongly impressed with the notion that the 
 most thorough and satisfactory way of restoring quiet to Canton 
 was to inflict a summary chastisement upon those who disturbed 
 the peace there ; and accordingly, in a letter to General Strauben- 
 zee, informing his excellency of the expected arrival of the com¬ 
 missioners above named, and of his intention to meet them at 
 Shanghai, the embassador goes on to say: “ It is not impossible 
 that I may be able to induce these high officers to take some active 
 steps to check the proceedings of the Braves at Canton ; but, look¬ 
 ing at the present state of affairs in that quarter as portrayed in 
 your excellency’s dispatch of the 22d instant, and in the reports I 
 have received from Mr. Parkes, I can not help thinking that it 
 would be very desirable that any such intimation by the Chinese 
 authorities should be preceded by some vigorous decisive action on 
 our part, showing our power to control and punish the Braves. 
 
 “ It is for your excellency to determine how such a blow can be 
 most effectually struck; but I trust you will excuse me for mak¬ 
 ing a suggestion which is prompted by the expected arrival of the 
 imperial commissioners, and the anomalous state of affairs at Can¬ 
 ton.” 
 
 Lord Elgin also wrote a letter to the admiral immediately on 
 his arrival at Shanghai, calling his excellency’s attention “ to the 
 continued existence in that quarter of a state of affairs to which it 
 is most important an arrest should be put at the earliest period,” 
 and proceeding in terms almost identical with those I have quoted 
 
300 
 
 DEPARTURE EOR JAPAN. 
 
 as already addressed to General Straubenzee. In reply to this 
 communication, the admiral stated that it was his intention, prior 
 to going south, to proceed to Nagasaki for the purpose of deliver¬ 
 ing over the yacht Emperor to the government of Japan, and wa¬ 
 tering the Calcutta. 
 
 During this period of our stay at Shanghai the climate was more 
 oppressively hot than I ever remember to have felt it in any part 
 of the world. The thermometer did not show a higher tempera¬ 
 ture than at Tientsin, but there was a stifling heaviness in the at¬ 
 mosphere which acted in a most depressing manner both on health 
 and spirits. Cases of death by sun-stroke were of daily occur¬ 
 rence, chiefly among the sailors in the shipping which crowded 
 the river. Upward of a hundred merchantmen, waiting hopeless¬ 
 ly for cargoes, were lying at anchor under the broiling sun, their 
 lists of sick daily increasing under the deleterious influence of the 
 climate. 
 
 As two or three weeks must elapse before the arrival of the 
 commissioners, Lord Elgin determined to escape for the interval 
 to Japan, and return in time to meet their excellencies at Shang¬ 
 hai. In the mean time certain changes had taken place in the 
 “ personnel” of the mission. Mr. Bruce had proceeded to England 
 with the treaty of Tientsin immediately on our return to Shang¬ 
 hai ; Mr. Jocelyn had arrived to relieve Mr. Cameron, who went 
 home on his promotion ; and Mr. Morrison returned to England. 
 With our party thus reduced, we embarked on board the Furious 
 on the last day of July, 1858, delighted under any circumstances 
 to escape from the summer heats of Shanghai, were it only for a 
 few weeks, but our gratification increased by the anticipation of 
 visiting scenes which have ever been veiled in the mystery of a 
 jealous and rigid seclusion. 
 
\ 
 
 FIRST VIEW OF JAPAN. 
 
 301 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 First View of Japan.—Lovely Scenery.—Singular Boats.—Pappenberg.—Dungaree 
 Forts.—Enchanting Scenery.—A philosophical Port-guardian.—Visit of Japanese 
 Officials.—Decima.—Removal of Restrictions.—Former Imprisonment of Dutch. 
 —A smuggling Skipper.—Dutch Covetousness.—Strict Rules.—Recent Conces¬ 
 sions.—Nagasaki.—Aspect of Houses.—Shops at Nagasaki.—The Streets.—Plan 
 of the City.—Janitors of Decima. 
 
 The distance from Shanghai to Nagasaki is not above 450 
 miles; but, if oceans rolled between the two empires, Japan conld 
 not be more thoroughly isolated than it is from the rest of the 
 world. We steamed smoothly and rapidly over this narrow strip 
 of sea, so rarely traversed by craft of any sort. There was not a 
 speck of foam to ruffle its glassy surface, scarce a fleece of cloud 
 to checker the deep blue overhead: well might we imagine our¬ 
 selves gliding across these solitary waters to some dreamland, se¬ 
 curely set in a quiet corner of another world, far away from the 
 storms and troubles of this one. On the afternoon of the 2d of 
 August we first saw symptoms of land, and passed close to some 
 high pointed rocks of picturesque form, in places covered with 
 verdure, but not affording standing-ground for an inhabitant. 
 These bold landmarks are out of sight of the Japanese coast, and 
 are called the Asses’ Ears. Early on the following morning the 
 highlands of Japan were in sight, the nearest land being the island 
 of Iwosima. As we approached it, the first object visible was an 
 evidence of civilization unknown among the Chinese; on its high¬ 
 est summit a flag-staff at once telegraphed our appearance to the 
 main land. We did not then know that cannon, placed at inter¬ 
 vals the whole way to the capital, were noisily repeating this sig¬ 
 nal, so that intelligence of our approach was even then reverber¬ 
 ating almost from one end of the empire to the other; and his 
 majesty the Tycoon at Yedo, six or seven hundred miles away, 
 was informed that we had entered the Bay of Nagasaki by the 
 time that we had dropped our anchor in it. 
 
 The high green islands of Iwosima conceal from view the en¬ 
 trance to the bay until you round their westernmost point: even 
 then other islands and projecting promontories make it somewhat 
 
302 
 
 LOVELY SCENERY. 
 
 uncertain. Fortunately, the ship’s pilotage does not rest with us, 
 and we can bestow our attention unreservedly on the scenery, 
 which is indeed of a character to rivet it, whether we will or no. 
 The islands on our right rise abruptly out of the water. The 
 overhanging promontory above us is crowned by a battery of 
 guns, round which a few soldiers are grouped, gazing curiously; 
 beyond it more batteries appear on sundry other projections of 
 the shore, which is here and there indented with bays, from which 
 deep-wooded valleys run up into the island. They seem thickly 
 populated, for the cottages, with their high thatched roofs, cluster 
 up the hill side, and peep out from under the dark foliage. In 
 places the islands are precipitous, and masses of towering rock 
 deny even to the hardiest shrubs holding-ground. 
 
 The scenery on the opposite shore is of the same character, but 
 on a grander scale. It trends away in a series of deep bays and 
 beetling cliffs, upon the rugged base of which the waves wage an 
 incessant war, and surge and moan fretfully in deep caves and 
 fissures, as though lamenting their fruitless efforts to undermine 
 them. In charming contrast with these sterner features are grassy 
 slopes and rice-fields rising in terraces on the green hill sides, and 
 shady groves with blue smoke curling above them, denoting the 
 existence of snug hamlets. Securely moored in secluded creeks, 
 or hauled up on little patches of sandy beach, are quaint-shaped 
 native craft; others are glancing about these calm inland waters, 
 ferrying across from islands to the main passengers and cargo, or 
 lying motionless as though asleep on the water, their sails u fold¬ 
 ed like thoughts in a dream,” while the occupants are fishing. 
 These sails are composed either of strips of matting or of cloth. 
 These are generally black and white alternately, each strip not 
 being above two feet wide, and hoisted perpendicularly. When 
 it is necessary to reduce sail, one or more strips are taken in. 
 When not sailing, they are sculled by ten or a dozen stalwart 
 figures, their entire clothing consisting but of scanty waistcloths, 
 and their light-bronze complexions giving them an unusually 
 naked appearance. These men all work under substantial awn¬ 
 ings of matting, or a light wooden frame-work, constructed in the 
 afterpart of the boat. The bows are considered the more honor¬ 
 able position, and hence this is the portion of the boat set apart 
 for passenger accommodation. The prows are sharp-pointed, and 
 elevated high out of the water. Some of these passenger-boats 
 
PAPPENBERG. 
 
 303 
 
 passed close to us for the purpose of a closer inspection. Those 
 within manifested no fear, but a good deal of interest and curiosi¬ 
 ty; numerous flags fluttered from small flag-staffs in the stern, each 
 device having its appropriate signification, unknown to us. The 
 colors were generally black and white, and the form square or an¬ 
 gular. A black circle on a white ground, or black and white tri¬ 
 angles were the commonest; but often they were complicated, and 
 presented to the uninitiated the appearance of an elaborate collec¬ 
 tion of the emblems of free-masonry. 
 
 Steaming gently on, we presently open the mouth of the long 
 narrow harbor, with the conical wooded island of Pappenberg 
 guarding its entrance; beyond which, formerly, foreign ships were 
 not allowed to penetrate, and which must ever hold an unenvia¬ 
 ble notoriety in the historical annals of Japan as the Tarpeian 
 
 The Island of Pappenberg. 
 
 rock, down the precipitous sides of which hundreds of Christians, 
 during the fierce persecution which had for its object the utter 
 extermination of all who professed the Creed, were hurled into 
 the deep-blue waters which eddy round it. The moral of the sad 
 story is written on the face of the steep hills which inclose the 
 bay; tiers of cannon rise one above another; battery succeeds 
 battery, as point after point is revealed to view. These guns are 
 
304 
 
 DUNGAREE FORTS. 
 
 pointed not so much against the stranger as the Christian, who, 
 while he is dreaded, is no less despised, and the principal result 
 of whose intercourse with the Japanese has been to furnish them 
 with weapons by which they can the more effectually resist his en¬ 
 croachments. Notwithstanding this, Japan is once again open to 
 the Christian; it will remain to be proved how far the estimate 
 which former experience led the authorities of that empire to form 
 of his practice and his profession will be justified in the course of 
 his renewed intercourse with its inhabitants. 
 
 The guns, which appeared of enormous calibre, were for the 
 most part unprotected by embrasures; they stood under open 
 sheds, generally surrounded by soldiers. In addition to those 
 which were real, and apparently serviceable, were long lines of 
 sham batteries, known to sailors as Dungaree forts, and which 
 were made simply of coarse cloth or canvas, stretched and paint¬ 
 ed so as to represent batteries. It is possible that in many cases 
 these concealed guns, and were purposely constructed in a man¬ 
 ner calculated to mislead the beholder into supposing them a 
 “ solemn sham,” and so hurrying him on to his own destruction. 
 Whether that be so or not, these gaudily painted fortifications 
 contributed a novel and characteristic feature to the scenery, 
 which continued to be of the most enchanting description. 
 
 The harbor of Nagasaki is an inlet of the sea, four miles long, 
 and with an average of about a mile in breadth. At its farther 
 extremity lies the city, with a high range of hills in rear; the top¬ 
 most summit, Kawarajama, attaining an elevation of about two 
 thousand feet. The. hills on either side of this sheet of water 
 sometimes rise out of it in an abrupt wall of rock, at others swell 
 gently back in wooded slopes, down which brawling streams leap 
 into the sea; rock-cut steps ascend to airy pinnacles surmounted 
 by guns or temples; dense foliage clusters wherever it can find 
 holding-ground, flinging deep shadows over crag and fissure, sub¬ 
 duing and toning down all the harsher elements—just as a soft 
 eye and gentle smile give their own expression to a countenance 
 rugged with lines and furrows. 
 
 Behind some Dungaree forts we observed substantial buildings, 
 apparently barracks, and gardens beautifully kept, with terraces 
 and walks, and carefully-trimmed borders—the bright colors of 
 the dresses of those who frequented them imparting a gay and 
 almost fairy-like aspect to the scene. 
 
VISIT OF JAPANESE OFFICIALS. 
 
 305 
 
 We had now reached the point at which, a few years ago, even 
 Dutch ships were compelled to anchor, and the interval which 
 elapsed until permission was given them to proceed to their an¬ 
 chorage was employed in secreting the Bibles. “On anchoring 
 at the entrance of the harbor,” says Thunberg, “all the Bibles 
 and prayer-books belonging to the sailors were collected and put 
 into a chest, which was nailed down. This chest was afterward 
 left under the care of the Japanese till the time of our depart¬ 
 ure, when every one received his book again.” They were also 
 obliged to give up all their arms and ammunition. In spite, how¬ 
 ever, of the abhorrence in which the Japanese hold Bibles and 
 revolvers, we retained our right to use the one and wear the oth¬ 
 er ; and it is but fair to them to say that the spiritual weapon 
 was the only one for which we found any need in their country. 
 
 Until quite recently, a cordon of boats, stretched across this 
 part of the harbor, barred the farther progress of foreign ships. 
 We found the obstruction represented only by one official boat, 
 upon the deck, or rather roof of which a gentleman was seated, 
 reading placidly, and gently fanning himself. On our approach¬ 
 ing nearer he looked up and waved us benignly back with his 
 fan. If he was the port-guardian, he was by no means a formi¬ 
 dable janitor, for on our holding on our way, regardless of his sig¬ 
 nals, he fell to reading again, apparently satisfied that he had dis¬ 
 charged his duty, and was henceforward relieved from all farther 
 responsibility on our account. This man’s conduct furnished us 
 with a key in all our future intercourse with Japanese officials, 
 who, in spite of the vehemence of their protestations so long as 
 they believe it possible to carry out their instructions, possess a 
 marvelous faculty of accepting whatever situation they find is in¬ 
 evitably to be forced upon them. In this instance we were the 
 less disposed to heed the signals of the dignitary in the boat, as 
 we could now perceive two or three ships at anchor off the town. 
 These we discovered to be a Dutch merchant-ship and a Japanese 
 man-of-war steamer, besides a small cutter; behind them were a 
 few Japanese junks. 
 
 We were now soon at anchor, and ready to land under the 
 Dutch flag, which betokened the factory of Decima, which, though 
 an island, seems from the shipping as though it formed part of 
 the city of Nagasaki. Before we had time to do so, however, we 
 were boarded by a boat-load of Japanese officials, the novelty of 
 
 U 
 
306 
 
 DECIMA.—REMOVAL OF RESTRICTIONS. 
 
 whose appearance and costume detained us. They came crowd¬ 
 ing on the deck in the most easy, unembarrassed manner imagin¬ 
 able, smiling blandly, and affably, and talking Dutch, which, how¬ 
 ever, nobody on board understood. Their gauzy overcoats, loose 
 trowsers, gaiters, and “foot-gloves” combined to form an unusual 
 costume; while the position of the two swords with which each 
 man was furnished, as they projected behind, gave him the ap¬ 
 pearance, at a distance, of some new species of biped adorned 
 with two tails. When our curiosity had been mutually satisfied, 
 these gentry were signed to return to their boat; and as they 
 were unable to extract any information from us, they at once com¬ 
 plied, but only re-embarked to remain stationary, a short distance 
 off, as a sort of guard-boat. 
 
 Some of us now went on shore to call on the Dutch officials in 
 the factory. As we neared the land we observed some of the old 
 posts standing out of the water, within a short distance of the fac¬ 
 tory, within which no Japanese boats were formerly allowed to 
 pass, for fear of surreptitious communication being carried on 
 with the Dutch. We landed at a rude quay, where some Dutch 
 sailors were lounging under an open shed; and, passing through 
 a wooden gate, found ourselves in a single street, about two hund¬ 
 red yards long, as clean and precise as a street in that paragon 
 of neatness, the village of Brock. The houses were substantial 
 little two-storied edifices, with green shutters and blinds, from be¬ 
 hind which peeped sundry pretty-looking female Japanese faces; 
 for the Dutch here are not allowed the companionship of their 
 own countrywomen. Of the male inhabitants not half a dozen 
 were visible, and these seemed all sailors. Asking one of them 
 to point out the house of the chief superintendent, Mr. Donker 
 Curtius, we were informed that he was absent on a visit to the 
 capital, but that his secretary was in Decima. 
 
 We were most cordially and civilly received by this gentle¬ 
 man, and were delighted to learn from him that, by the latest ar¬ 
 rangements entered into with the Japanese government, all for¬ 
 mer restrictions limiting the exploration of foreigners to the little 
 island, or subjecting them to the most annoying formalities in 
 case of their wishing to proceed beyond it, were removed, and 
 that we were now at liberty to ramble unrestrained wheresoever 
 we pleased. There can be little doubt that the government de¬ 
 sires, by pursuing a very liberal policy at Nagasaki, and by offer- 
 
FORMER IMPRISONMENT OF DUTCH. 
 
 307 
 
 ing greater facilities and conveniences to foreigners there than 
 elsewhere, to attract them as much as possible to this port, to the 
 prejudice and exclusion of others. Our host informed us, how¬ 
 ever, that the present governor was a man of by no means ad¬ 
 vanced or liberal views, and mentioned several instances in which 
 he had manifested retrogressive tendencies. Under the regular 
 system, the governors of the imperial cities are removed annually, 
 but an exception is made in the case of Nagasaki, as a man is 
 supposed to require time to learn the temper of foreigners, and a 
 farther period is allowed him to turn the knowledge thus gained 
 to account. On the whole, this is a convenient arrangement for 
 foreigners, though, in the present instance, any change would in 
 all probability have been for the better. 
 
 It appeared that Mr. Honker Curtius was now on his return 
 journey from Yedo, where he had been residing for some time, 
 unsuccessfully endeavoring to negotiate a new treaty. Mr. Har¬ 
 ris, the American consul at Sirnoda, had, we learned, also return¬ 
 ed to his post, after a residence in the capital attended with no 
 immediate political results. 
 
 The houses of the Hutch officials in Hecima are unpretending 
 little abodes, generally constructed of wood, with verandas sea¬ 
 ward ; the lower story devoted to warehouse purposes, the upper 
 containing three or four small, simply-furnished rooms. Up to 
 quite a recent period Hecima must have presented rather the as¬ 
 pect of a penal settlement than the abode of a community of mer¬ 
 chants. So strict was the surveillance to which the members 
 composing the factory here were subjected—so severe the restric¬ 
 tions by which they were bound—that one is tempted to believe 
 that the gentlemen who chose the Hutch factory at Nagasaki as 
 their habitation must have been the victims of that species of mis¬ 
 anthropy which is supposed, in our own country, to induce men 
 to apply for situations in light-houses. Until lately, the arrival 
 of a Hutch ship in the harbor was the signal for a host of Japan- 
 ese officials to flock to Hecima. The interpreters occupied the 
 abode assigned to them, and no one was allowed to pass from the 
 shore to the ship unless furnished with a passport and accom¬ 
 panied by one of these gentry. Then a corps of “ ottonas,” or 
 official spies, were quartered in the island, wffiose duty it was to 
 watch the minutest proceedings of every member of the factory. 
 They regularly mounted guard at the only gate through which 
 
308 
 
 A SMUGGLING SKIPPER. 
 
 access is to be had on foot into the town, as well as both the wa¬ 
 ter-gates, and both by day and night went their rounds with re¬ 
 ligious punctuality and exactness. 
 
 The members of only one ecclesiastical sect, those of the Mount¬ 
 ain of Koja, and the women of only one class, and that the most 
 degraded, were permitted to enter Decima. At night the gates 
 were shut, and no intercourse w T as allowed between the factory 
 and the town after sunset. This was the case when we were 
 there; but our passage to and from the ship was free and uninter¬ 
 rupted ; nor were we exposed to that rigorous personal examina¬ 
 tion of which some of the old Dutch writers complain so bitterly. 
 It must be admitted that their conduct provoked the annoyance. 
 The captain of Thunberg’s ship was in the habit of going on shore 
 in breeches of enormous capacity even for a Dutchman, so heavily 
 laden with secreted articles of contraband that he required the 
 support of two sailors to enable him to walk. The Japanese, dis¬ 
 posed, in the first instance, to believe well of strangers, are, on the 
 other hand, when their suspicions are once awakened, vigilant in 
 the extreme, and are not slow in enforcing preventive measures. 
 Let the fate of the Dutch skipper be a warning to the British 
 smuggler, who has been known occasionally to extend his opera¬ 
 tions eastward of the Cape: that dishonest navigator was obliged 
 to reduce his trowsers to the dimensions of those worn by portly 
 burgomasters, and was farther subject to the indignity of having 
 his legs felt, and his pockets turned inside out, upon the rare oc¬ 
 casions when, in compliance with the urgent representations of 
 the Dutch superintendent, the governor allowed him to land and 
 visit the factory. Henceforward no man was considered safe. 
 One gentleman was betrayed by an indiscreet parrot talking in 
 his pocket; another had sewn up dollars in his drawers; so that 
 the Japanese researches became more curious than ever, even to 
 the gauging of high-flavored cheeses and the breaking of suspect¬ 
 ed eggs. Thus has commercial dishonesty and political subserv¬ 
 iency worked to the prejudice of the foreigner in the mind of the 
 Japanese, whose confidence in us can only be restored by the ad¬ 
 herence of the merchant to a high code of mercantile morality, 
 and by the maintenance, on the part of those who represent our 
 country, of its national dignity. 
 
 It will be well, in considering the present position and prospects 
 of the Dutch in this empire, to observe how little they have gain- 
 
/ 
 
 STRICT RULES. 309 
 
 ed by pursuing a course which has not merely discredited them in 
 the eyes of the Japanese, but placed them on a moral footing in¬ 
 ferior to that which it is now in the power of other foreign nations 
 to adopt. Truly does old Ksempfer remark, “So great was the 
 covetousness of the Dutch, and so strong the alluring power of the 
 Japanese gold, that, rather than quit the prospect of a trade (in¬ 
 deed most advantageous), they willingly underwent an almost 
 perpetual imprisonment—for such, in fact, is our residence in De- 
 cima—and chose to suffer many hardships in a foreign and heathen 
 country: to be remiss in performing Divine service on Sundays 
 and solemn festivals—to leave off praying and singing of psalms 
 —entirely to avoid the sign of the cross, the calling upon the name 
 of Christ in presence of the natives, and all the outer signs of 
 Christianity; and, lastly, patiently and submissively to bear the 
 abusive and injurious behavior of these proud infidels toward us, 
 than which nothing can be offered more shocking to a generous 
 and noble mind.” 
 
 So great was the horror and contempt of the foreigner with 
 which their intercourse, first with the Portuguese and then with 
 the Dutch, had inspired the government, that every Japanese con¬ 
 nected in any way with the Decima Factory was obliged to take 
 certain oaths, the infraction of which was visited upon the delin¬ 
 quent with the severest penalties. He was bound not to serve the 
 Dutch but in the daytime; not to enter into any discourse or con¬ 
 versation whatever about the forbidden sect of the Christians; not 
 to engage in any familiarity with the Dutch upon any subject 
 whatever, besides numerous rigid rules having reference to com¬ 
 plicity in contraband transactions. From the extreme reticence 
 observed by all the officials with whom we came in contact dur¬ 
 ing our stay in Japan, we had every reason to believe that they 
 were bound by instructions, if not by oaths, of the same tenor, in 
 their intercourse with us. 
 
 It will doubtless be a tedious and somewhat difficult task to dis¬ 
 pel those unfavorable impressions, which the Japanese can scarce¬ 
 ly be blamed for entertaining toward us. Still, their prejudices 
 upon this point are not insuperable, and if we fail to remove them, 
 it will only be because we have failed to prove by our practice 
 that the civilization of the West does not contaminate those with 
 whom it comes in contact. 
 
 Hitherto the Japanese have apparently regarded the fair sex of 
 
310 
 
 RECENT CONCESSIONS.—NAGASAKI. 
 
 foreign countries as more dangerous guests than the males. A 
 touching story is told of a certain Dutch President of Decima of 
 thirty years since, one Herr Blomhoff, who brought his wife to 
 Nagasaki, and, pending a reference to Yedo, obtained permission 
 for her and her infant to land at Decima. Two months had 
 scarcely elapsed, however, before a ruthless decree arrived, order¬ 
 ing the Yrouw Blomhoff to quit the Japanese shores, and con¬ 
 demning the unhappy husband to a long life of single-blessedness. 
 The last rumor which reached us just before leaving Shanghai 
 was to the effect that a wedding had been consummated at Naga¬ 
 saki between a young English couple, who thus inaugurated in a 
 most interesting manner the new and enlightened regime. In 
 former times, not only a wedding, but a birth or death of a Japa¬ 
 nese was prohibited at Decima. It was a more simple matter in¬ 
 terfering with the operations of nature in the former than in the 
 latter event. In the case of a sudden death, the body was secret¬ 
 ly conveyed out of the factory. All children born of Japanese 
 mothers were regarded as Japanese. 
 
 One of the most recent and important concessions which Mr. 
 Donker Curtius had obtained from the Japanese government was 
 permission for the children so born to be educated in Holland— 
 on condition, however, that in the event of their ever revisiting 
 Japan they should be treated as Dutch subjects. Letters arrived 
 while we were at Decima from that gentleman stating that he was 
 at Ohosaka, on his return journey from Yedo. 
 
 Returning on board the Furious with our report of Decima and 
 its inmates, we landed again in the afternoon to explore the town 
 of Nagasaki. As we neared the crowd of boats moored at the 
 stone steps of the wharf, I experienced that feeling of pleasurable 
 excitement, the keen edge of which becomes so blunted by the 
 very necessity of the traveler’s vocation, that he often despairs of 
 ever again experiencing those delightful sensations incidental to 
 strange and novel scenes which first lured him away from his 
 fireside. Up to this moment the town itself had been only par¬ 
 tially visible, for a sort of embankment runs along the shore at a 
 distance of a few yards from the sea, and in the hollow behind it 
 are situated the principal streets. There was no great crowd col¬ 
 lected to watch our landing—foreigners were becoming a daily 
 sight—and we were allowed to follow our inclinations in our 
 choice of a line of exploration. 
 
ASPECT OF HOUSES. 
 
 311 
 
 A flight of steps ascends the embankment, at the top of which 
 is situated one of the official residences of the governor. This em¬ 
 bankment, which is, in fact, a sort of raised parterre, is of consid¬ 
 erable width, and a broad street runs along its whole length. 
 Crossing this, we reach the head of the flight of steps that descend 
 into the town, which now lies at our feet. The view is peculiarly 
 striking, especially to the stranger who has just arrived from 
 China. Instead of an indefinite congeries of houses built appar¬ 
 ently on no settled plan, and so close together that the streets 
 which divide them are completely concealed, we saw before us a 
 wide, spacious street, about a mile in length, flanked by neat 
 houses, generally of two stories, with tiled or wooden roofs, and 
 broad eaves projecting over the lower story. A pave ran down 
 the centre of the street, on each side of which it was carefully 
 graveled to the gutters. No wheeled vehicle or beast of burden 
 was, however, visible, but, in default, a plentiful sprinkling of 
 foot-passengers gave it an air of life and animation. It termin¬ 
 ated in the distance in a flight of steps, which soon disappeared 
 amid the foliage of the hill side, crowned with a temple or tea¬ 
 house, or gleaming with the whitewashed walls of some fireproof 
 store-house. 
 
 As we traversed its entire length, no foul odors assailed our 
 nostrils, or hideous cutaneous objects offended our eyesight; nor 
 did inconvenient walls or envious shutters debar us from inspect¬ 
 ing, as we passed along, the internal economy of the shops and 
 dwellings on each side. Light wooden screens, neatly papered, 
 and running on slides, are for the most part pushed back in the 
 daytime, and the passer looks through the house, to where the 
 waving shrubs of a cool-looking back garden invite him to extend 
 his investigations. Between the observer and this retreat there 
 are probably one or two rooms, raised about two feet from the 
 ground; and upon the scrupulously clean and well-wadded mat¬ 
 ting, which is stretched upon the wooden floor, semi-nude men 
 and women loll and lounge, and their altogether nude progeny 
 crawl and feast themselves luxuriously at ever-present fountains. 
 The women seldom wear any thing above their waists, the men 
 only a scanty loin-cloth. In the midday, during the summer, a 
 general air of languor pervades the community: about sunset 
 the world begins to wash, and the Japanese youth, like copper- 
 colored Cupids, riot tumultuously. 
 
312 
 
 SHOPS AT NAGASAKI. 
 
 The shops do not generally contain • those articles in lacker and 
 china ware for which Japan is so justly celebrated. To obtain 
 them we must visit the Dutch or Russian bazars; but our interest 
 is kept alive by the varied productions of native manufacture ex¬ 
 hibited in the shops, which are as open to the street as stalls at a 
 fancy-fair, and which contain all those articles which are in com¬ 
 mon request among the people. Umbrella, fan, and shoe shops 
 abounded; bazars for toys and glass ornaments arrested us for a 
 moment; but time was precious, and we could not do more than 
 glance cursorily at the novelties displayed, and vainly endeavor 
 to comprehend the object of various processes and manufactures 
 which were being industriously carried on, but the result of which, 
 in default of an interpreter, remained a mystery. Indeed, except 
 from the Dutch gentlemen at Decima, we found it difficult, during 
 our short stay at Nagasaki, to obtain any information, as only one 
 Japanese had picked up a very few words of English. All the in¬ 
 terpreters spoke Dutch, a language of which my knowledge was 
 extremely limited; nor was it spoken by any of our party. Our 
 rambles through Nagasaki, therefore, though in the highest degree 
 amusing and attractive, possessed the one drawback of leaving the 
 curiosity and interest they had excited at every turn unsatisfied. 
 Nor could we gratify ourselves by making purchases of curiosities. 
 As yet we had not been introduced to the government money¬ 
 changers, who sat in solemn conclave at the Russian bazar; and 
 no consideration could induce a shopkeeper to accept the smallest 
 or even the largest foreign coin. Well did he know that the eye 
 of his neighbor was upon him, and that an official visit the next 
 morning would remind him of his oblivion of that great national 
 institution of universal espionage, which would with us be consid¬ 
 ered an intolerable tyranny, but which the Japanese regard as a 
 necessary ingredient to the welfare and protection of society. 
 
 We pursued our peregrinations through the streets of Naga¬ 
 saki unmolested, and almost unnoticed by the people, who did not 
 crowd the thoroughfares with busy, noisy clamor, as in China, but 
 strolled carelessly along, apparently little troubled with occupa¬ 
 tion, with an air of amiable contentment on their features, and 
 an expression of kindly good-nature toward the curious, wonder¬ 
 ing strangers. Although Kaempfer speaks of numerous beggars, 
 I did not observe any, with the exception of one or two religious 
 mendicants. A stream, about the size of an ordinary canal, inter- 
 
PLAN OF THE CITY. 
 
 313 
 
 sects the town in a lateral direction, and is spanned by thirty or 
 forty bridges, of which about fifteen are solidly constructed of 
 stone, with handsome balustrades. Balconies, filled with women 
 engaged in domestic avocations, overhang the water; small boats 
 ply upon its surface; and here and there the quaint old but¬ 
 tresses of the bridges are partly concealed with creeping plants, 
 and across them numerous passengers pass and repass. It is in¬ 
 teresting to stand on one of these and watch the humors of the 
 place, while we enjoy the picturesque view which it affords. 
 
 Nagasaki contains upward of eighty streets crossing each other 
 at right angles, and from three quarters of a mile to a mile in 
 length. Its population is estimated at about 60,000; but it pre¬ 
 sents a far more imposing appearance, and covers a much greater 
 area of ground than a Chinese city of the same dimensions. Its 
 outskirts run up into the secluded valleys formed by the sur¬ 
 rounding hills, the spurs of which descend into the town, so that 
 almost every street terminates in a flight of stone steps; and, in¬ 
 deed, some of them, which we visited afterward, climb the hill 
 sides, the houses being built one above the other, as at Malta. 
 
 We terminated our first day’s explorations of Nagasaki by a 
 second visit to Decima, for the purpose of seeing the Dutch bazar. 
 Crossing the moat which separates the factory from the town and 
 makes an island of it, we pass through the gateway, under which, 
 in a sanctum of their own, sit three or four officials, called by the 
 Dutch “ banjos,” whose business it is to inspect narrowly every 
 person seeking ingress and egress, and every article or package 
 which is carried in or out. In former times these janitors were 
 in a most responsible position, and their functions were regarded 
 by the Japanese government as of the utmost importance. Now, 
 however, the recent relaxations with reference to foreigners have 
 diminished the cares of office ; and these dreaded custodii , so long 
 the bugbears of the Dutch employes at Decima, will soon cease to 
 exist, or dwindle into respectable sinecurists. 
 
 It was late ere, utterly exhausted by the interest and excite¬ 
 ment of our first day in Japan, we sought our floating home. 
 
 i 
 
314 
 
 MISSIONARY SUCCESS OF XAVIER. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Missionary Success of Xavier.—Supernatural Gifts.—Heroism of Japanese Converts. 
 —Theological Arguments of Converts: their Objections to eternal Punishment.— 
 Louis Almeyda.—The Prince of Omura.—His Conversion.—Founding of Naga¬ 
 saki.—Conversion of Princes.—Fate of Nagasaki.—Death of Sumitanda.—Con¬ 
 stitution of the Japanese Government.—The two Emperors.—Taiko-sama.—Per¬ 
 secution of Christians.—Projects of Taiko-sama: his Invasion of the Corea.—Na¬ 
 gasaki annexed by the Ziogoon.—William Adams.—British Factory in Japan.— 
 Japanese political Economists.—Intrigues of the Dutch.—Expulsion of the Portu¬ 
 guese.—Establishment of Decima. 
 
 Nagasaki was not in former times, as it is now, one of the im¬ 
 perial demesnes, or lands appertaining to the crown. It became 
 so in consequence of a series of events over which it may not be 
 uninteresting to cast a retrospective glance, as possessing some 
 historical importance, and as illustrating the internal political con¬ 
 dition of a portion of Japan to which the earliest associations of 
 foreigners are attached, and which may convey some idea of the 
 working of that system of government which still prevails in the 
 empire. 
 
 The first intercourse which the Japanese held with foreigners 
 was of a character which induced them to form the highest opin¬ 
 ion of the advantages which were to be derived from the cultiva¬ 
 tion of relations with a race so far advanced in civilization, and 
 under the influence of a religion of an elevating and apparently 
 harmless tendency. The zeal and attainments of the sainted Xa¬ 
 vier, and that band of devoted missionaries who immediately suc¬ 
 ceeded him, produced a revolution in the religious sentiments of 
 a large and influential section of the community. The history of 
 the acts of these first apostles of the Christian faith, as described 
 in the works of P6res Bouhours, de Charlevoix, Marini, Froes, 
 and others, though written, doubtless, under an inspiration not 
 always to be depended upon, is a striking evidence of the influ¬ 
 ence which the Christian religion, under whatever form it is in¬ 
 troduced, is calculated to produce upon minds which have been 
 beforehand sufficiently cultivated and civilized to appreciate its 
 merits. As in the Roman world, its ennobling doctrines seized 
 hold of the minds of educated men, and gradually expelled the 
 
SUPERNATURAL GIFTS. 
 
 315 
 
 philosophies and creeds which had heretofore satisfied them; so 
 did it commend itself to the refined and intellectual Japanese, 
 spreading with a rapidity second only to that which marked its 
 progress in the apostolic ages. 
 
 If we are to believe the records of these later fathers of the 
 Church, who have recorded the history of the first missionary 
 efforts in Japan, that supernatural aid was not withheld which 
 contributed so largely to the success of the first propagators of 
 Christianity in the West: Xavier is stated to have been endowed 
 with the gift of tongues, and to have preached eloquently in Co- 
 rean, Lewchew, Chinese, and Japanese, without ever having stud¬ 
 ied a word of those extremely complicated languages. His biogra¬ 
 phers record hundreds of miraculous conversions; and according 
 to Pere Charlevoix,* he restored a dead girl to life under circum¬ 
 stances which utterly confounded his enemies the bonzes, who, 
 like the Pharisees of old, dogged his footsteps, and exerted all 
 their energies in vain to counteract his daily increasing influence, 
 and by secret intrigues and open arguments to destroy him and 
 confute his doctrines. 
 
 Whatever may have been the means of proselytism which he 
 employed, of the marvelous results there can be no doubt; and it 
 is worthy of the attention of those interested in the conversion of 
 the heathen to consider how far the success which attends their 
 efforts may depend upon the nature and amount of the cultivation 
 which the soil has received before the seed is sown. There can 
 be no doubt that the imaginative Japanese, hearing of Christianity 
 for the first time, would receive it in a very different spirit from 
 an untamed Xew Zealander or a calmly-skeptical Chinaman. Xor 
 was the faith thus implanted in the breasts of some hundreds of 
 thousands of converts a mere nominal creed, to be swept away by 
 the first wave of persecution. It not only furnished them with 
 courage, but with arguments with which to meet their persecu¬ 
 tors. The answer of a neophyte who was asked how he would 
 respond to his sovereign if ordered to abjure Christianity, is thus 
 recorded: 11 Sire, would you wish me to remain faithful, and ever 
 to preserve that submission which it is seemly for a subject to 
 feel toward his king? would you wish me to manifest zeal for 
 your service on all occasions on which I can be of use, so that no 
 private interest should cause me to forget what I owe you ? would 
 
 * Pere de Charlevoix, vol. ii., p. 42. 
 
316 
 
 THEOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS OF CONVERTS: 
 
 you wish me to be meek, temperate, and loving, full of charity 
 toward my equals—that I should patiently suffer all the ill treat¬ 
 ment to which I may be exposed ? command me then to remain 
 a Christian, for it is from a Christian alone that all this can be 
 reasonably expected.” 
 
 The early records of the Church do not afford instances of more 
 unflinching heroism then is furnished in the narratives of those 
 martyrdoms to which Japanese of all ranks were subjected when 
 the day of trial came. Thousands were slaughtered at Simabarra, 
 thousands more tormented and put to death in cold blood, or roll¬ 
 ed down the Pappenberg; yet we have reason to believe that the 
 last spark has never yet been extinguished, and that, smouldering 
 secretly, the fire of Frangois Xavier still burns in the bosoms of 
 some of those who have received the traditions of his teaching. 
 It is to be regretted that the inordinate love of political power 
 which characterizes the disciples of Loyola should have led the 
 successors of the first missionaries into intrigues which terminated 
 so disastrously for themselves and their creed, for thereby they 
 have closed Japan to those Protestant missionary efforts which 
 the government of that empire are now firmly resolved on re¬ 
 sisting. 
 
 Believing that Christianity, whether Catholic or Protestant, is 
 but an excuse for the secret acquisition of political influence, they 
 regard with equal dislike and suspicion the missionaries of either 
 creed ; nor does it seem probable at present, at all events, that op¬ 
 portunities will be afforded us of teaching them the difference. 
 That they would have little difficulty in appreciating it, so far as 
 their intelligence is concerned, were any exposition on the subject 
 permitted, there can be no doubt. 
 
 We have the record of a treatise published by the Japanese 
 neophytes proving the superiority of the Christian religion over 
 that of the sects of Japan, while the arguments with which they 
 met at the outset the teaching of Xavier prove how competent 
 they were intellectually to detect the mysteries of the religion he 
 promulgated. “ One thing,” says his biographer, u nevertheless 
 arrested the progress of the evangelist. It was difficult to prove 
 to the Japanese that those who, during their lives, had not wor¬ 
 shiped the true God, would be consigned to everlasting fire in hell. 
 They could not reconcile this article of faith with the infinite good¬ 
 ness of God. 1 If the incarnate Word,’ said they, £ died for all, why 
 
THEIR OBJECTIONS TO ETERNAL PUNISHMENT. 3 17 
 
 should not His death profit all ? If He condemns to eternal pun¬ 
 ishment all those who are not obedient to His law, why has he de¬ 
 layed the announcement of it to us during more than 1500 years?’ 
 The bonzes did not fail to support these objections, and added 
 1 that the priests of the Christians were good for nothing, since 
 they had not the power of drawing one single soul out of hell, 
 whereas this they themselves accomplished every day by the mer¬ 
 it of their fasts and prayers; that this God must be either very 
 cruel in not being willing to put an end to the punishment of the 
 damned, or very impotent in not being able to do it.’ ” 
 
 “ The Japanese love tenderly all who are related to them, by 
 ties of blood, and the memory of their ancestors is dear and pre¬ 
 cious to them. They could not be content to regard them as rep¬ 
 robates. 1 What!’ cried they, bursting into tears, ‘ our fathers, our 
 children, our relations, our friends—must they remain during all 
 eternity the unfortunate victims and the objects of vengeance of a 
 God whom they would without doubt have adored if they had 
 known Him ? and this great God, who is represented to us as good¬ 
 ness and equity itself, will He have no regard to their ignorance?’ 
 They melted into tears while speaking thus; the whole place re¬ 
 sounded with their sobs and with their cries, which so touching a 
 thought made them send up to heaven; and the missionaries could 
 not help mingling their tears with those of their neophytes.” 
 
 The tears of their teachers must, however, have been but a poor 
 consolation to these unhappy Japanese, who would at once have 
 appreciated the practical distinction in favor of a creed which gave 
 them the benefit of the doubt upon so momentous a subject. 
 
 It must not be supposed that the Jesuits confined themselves to 
 the propagation of their faith alone: to the exertions of Louis Al- 
 meyda, a Portuguese gentleman of singular energy and tact, and 
 who joined the order in Japan, is owing the successful establish¬ 
 ment of the greater number of those Portuguese colonies of which 
 Nagasaki became ultimately the most celebrated, and the political 
 importance of which was the first indication that the emperor re¬ 
 ceived of the growing ambition of the Portuguese. 
 
 When first Louis Almeyda paid a round of visits to the kings 
 and princes of the island of Kiusiu, those high dignitaries almost 
 quarreled for the honor of his acquaintance, and rivaled each oth¬ 
 er in their ardor to induce him to form establishments in their 
 divers petty kingdoms. He succeeded even in persuading some 
 
318 
 
 THE PRINCE OF OMURA: 
 
 of these princes to embrace Christianity: those who were indiffer¬ 
 ent or opposed to it he conciliated, and gained the friendship of 
 the bonzes themselves, some of whom, upon one occasion, applied 
 to be baptized, and were only refused upon the ground of the ob¬ 
 ligation under which they lay to take part in the funeral obsequies 
 of their prince in the event of his death, in accordance with the 
 religion of their country. 
 
 But the conversion which was fraught with the most serious con¬ 
 sequences to Christianity in Japan, and the ultimate fate of the 
 Portuguese colonies there, was that of the Prince of Omura, which 
 was made in the year 1562. Though only a state of the province 
 of Fizen, and in some sort in vassalage to his brother the King of 
 Arima, Sumitanda, the Prince of Omura, who had never taken the 
 title of king, was a man of great power and influence, and of an 
 advanced and enlightened mind. His perusal of some of the Jes¬ 
 uit works, and his ready and instinctive appreciation of the ad¬ 
 vantages which might be derived from the introduction of the 
 Portuguese into his principality, induced him to make overtures 
 to Almeyda, who was then at Firando, inviting him to form an 
 establishment in Omura. Notwithstanding the efforts made by 
 the King of Firando to frustrate the project of his rival, Sumitanda 
 had the satisfaction shortly after of welcoming Almeyda to his 
 country, and establishing him in the port of Yocotsura, of which 
 he made a concession to the Portuguese. 
 
 The Jesuit establishment proved an attraction to the Christians 
 in the neighboring province, while the commencement of an act¬ 
 ive commerce soon raised the little collection of cottages, which 
 originally formed the town, to the dignity of an active and bus¬ 
 tling mercantile emporium. Meantime the ecclesiastical superiors 
 of the establishment devoted themselves to the conversion of the 
 prince, a task in which they apparently found no great difficulty. 
 He is said to have met them with these words: “I am come 
 here, my fathers, to hear your discourse on your religion. Con¬ 
 sider, I beseech you, my heart as ground well prepared; do not 
 fear to sow in it the seed of the Divine word. I trust that, under 
 the blessing of Heaven, it may bring forth fruit. Moreover, my 
 intention is not to limit its fruits to myself alone; I hope to extend 
 them to all my subjects.” 
 
 The result, as may be anticipated, of the teaching of the mis¬ 
 sionaries on a mind so disposed, was the declaration of his adhe- 
 
HIS CONVERSION.—FOUNDING OF NAGASAKI. 
 
 319 
 
 sion to the tenets of Christianity. One obstacle alone remained 
 to the public profession of his faith. Sumitanda was childless, 
 and he feared that so decided a step might involve his principali¬ 
 ty, so long as his throne was without a successor, in trouble. He 
 therefore, for the present, contented himself with wearing a cross 
 upon his bosom, and, thus attired, appeared at the court of his 
 relative, the King of Arima, and announced his intention of be¬ 
 coming a Christian as soon as he should be blessed with a son 
 and heir. The result of the visit was to induce the King of Ari¬ 
 ma to send for the ever-active Almeyda, who proceeded to form 
 establishments at various points in his dominions. Meantime the 
 Prince of Omura was zealously forwarding the cause of pros- 
 elytism in his own states, and destroying the temples and idols 
 with which they abounded. 
 
 It was not without serious opposition that Sumitanda thus 
 warmly seconded the efforts of the missionaries. The Buddhist 
 and Sintoo priesthood, finding their religion thus violently attack¬ 
 ed by the highest authority, perceiving that their influence was 
 daily lessening, and their office becoming discredited in the eyes 
 of the people, entered into a conspiracy, at the head of which they 
 placed the illegitimate son of the former prince. This was join¬ 
 ed by many of the councilors of state, who still remained true to 
 their heathen worship. Their first act was to destroy the palace 
 and greater part of the town of Omura by fire, and to proclaim 
 the usurper prince; they then marched upon the obnoxious Por¬ 
 tuguese colony and Jesuit settlement ofVocotsura, and succeeded 
 in reducing it also to ashes. Sumitanda, however, was not dis¬ 
 couraged by these reverses, and, gathering about him those who 
 still remained faithful to his cause, he marched on the insurgents, 
 whom he utterly routed and defeated in a pitched battle with 
 great slaughter, taking prisoner and decapitating their leader. 
 
 Shortly after this Sumitanda received a letter from the King 
 of Portugal, congratulating him upon his conversion to Christian¬ 
 ity, and swearing eternal friendship. In 1569 he formed the 
 project of building a church at a spot in his dominions then call¬ 
 ed Fucaye, or Long Bay, now known as Nagasaki. This latter 
 name is said to have been that by which the district was origi¬ 
 nally known, when the property of a family of Japanese nobility, 
 to whom it belonged previous to its annexation to the principal¬ 
 ity of Omura. Be that as it may, Nagasaki soon rose into a 
 
320 CONVERSION OF PRINCES.—FATE OF NAGASAKI. 
 
 thriving city: its advantages of situation, superior to those of any 
 other port on the coast, attracted a large community of Portu¬ 
 guese, and it quickly became the centre of great commercial act¬ 
 ivity. Meantime the Prince of Omura, waxing stronger in the 
 faith, and more learned in the doctrines of Christianity, believing 
 that inasmuch as “lie that provideth not for them of his own 
 household hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel”— 
 considering farther, that a prince ought to be to his subjects what 
 a father is to his family, and that he would be responsible for 
 the safety of those who died in unbelief—decided on all his sub¬ 
 jects becoming Christian, and, collecting the chief families of his 
 state, received with them the right of baptism. 
 
 Hitherto we have followed exclusively the fortunes of Sumi- 
 tanda, Prince of Omura, not only as being the most interesting 
 and enlightened of the royal converts who abounded in those 
 days, but as the founder of the settlement destined to become cel¬ 
 ebrated on account of the singular position it has since held 
 among the mercantile emporia of the world. It would be a 
 tedious and somewhat unprofitable task to follow the Jesuit 
 fathers in their prolix accounts of the progress of Christianity 
 in all the different principalities into which it was introduced, to 
 narrate the wars between the Princes of Bun go and Firando, to 
 follow the tortuous policy of the King of Arima, or recount at 
 length the extraordinary conversion of his highness of Gotto. 
 Still more difficult would it be, but more interesting withal, to ac¬ 
 company the devoted Father Yilela on his mission into the inte¬ 
 rior, and become involved under his guidance, at Miako or Ximo, 
 in those never-ending intrigues which characterized the imperial 
 court in those days. Father Yilela, more ambitious than his 
 predecessors and colleagues, devoted himself to the conversion of 
 the highest dignitaries of the realm, and, engaging deeply in the 
 political complications, which at that time were working out great 
 changes in the government of the country, hoped to reap for the 
 faith which he promulgated those temporal advantages upon the 
 possession of which he relied for its ultimate triumph. 
 
 It may be necessary, before leaving Japan, to revert cursorily 
 to some other of the more important episodes in its history; but, 
 in the mean time, the fate of Nagasaki and its prince more imme¬ 
 diately claims our attention. In 1579, the persecutions which 
 overtook the Christians in some of the neighboring principalities, 
 whose rulers were bitterly hostile to a faith the aggressive charac- 
 
DEATH OF SUMITANDA. 
 
 321 
 
 ter of which, they had begun to suspect, induced the Portuguese 
 at Nagasaki to prepare for any contingency which might arise in 
 the event of the death of the faithful Sumitanda, by fortifying the 
 city. This was done, and batteries were erected, more especially 
 for the purpose of securing the ships which might be in the har¬ 
 bor. The death of the Christian King of Gotto about this time, 
 and the revolution which succeeded in his state, drove many of 
 his converted subjects to seek a refuge at Nagasaki. About five 
 years after this, the King of Bungo, who had become a convert, 
 the King of Arima, and the Prince of Omura, decided on sending 
 a mission to Pome, consisting of four Japanese of the highest 
 rank, and related to the princes they went to represent. These 
 envoys were most graciously received by his holiness, to whom 
 they presented the letters of which they were the bearers, and 
 which, as they were in all probability written for them by the 
 fathers, are scarcely worth insertion. The heading of the King 
 of Bungo’s is as follows: “ A celui qui doit etre adore, et qui tient 
 la place du Roi du Ciel, le grand et tres Saint Pape.” That of 
 the Prince of Omura, “Les mains eleves vers le Ciel, et dans les 
 sentiments d’une veneration profonde j’adore le tres Saint Pape, 
 qui tient la place de Dieu sur la terre, et lui presente humblement 
 cette lettre.” 
 
 These epistles were cordially responded to by Pope Sixtus V., 
 and, after making a tour of Italy and part of Spain, the Japanese 
 embassadors returned to their country highly delighted with their 
 Western experiences. In 1587, Sumitanda, Prince of Omura, 
 died, to the great grief of all who had at heart the cause of Chris¬ 
 tianity. He was, however, consoled during his last moments by 
 the reflection that in the long-wished-for son, whose tardy appear¬ 
 ance in the world had, it may be remembered, deferred his bap¬ 
 tism, he left behind him a worthy successor. Notwithstanding 
 the good intentions of the young prince, and the zeal of bis sub¬ 
 jects, and many of the most influential among the neighboring 
 princes, misfortunes now began to overtake the Christians; and 
 the first of that series of events occurred which ultimately drove 
 the Jesuits from Japan, and extinguished the faith they had la¬ 
 bored so diligently to propagate. That we may, however, appre¬ 
 ciate the position of the Christians at this epoch, it is necessary to 
 explain in a few words the conditions under which the affairs of 
 the empire were being administered. 
 
 X 
 
322 CONSTITUTION OF THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT. 
 
 In order to understand the system under which Japan is at 
 present governed, it is scarcely needful to go back in our investi¬ 
 gations to the reigns of the five god-men who between them ruled 
 its destinies for 2,342,467 years, and whose successors were all 
 more or less mythological or legendary characters. In the year 
 660 B.C., that theocratic form of government came into existence 
 which still remains under altered conditions, and constitutes so 
 singular a feature in the history of this people. Combined with 
 an ecclesiastical hereditary authority of a very remarkable char¬ 
 acter, the Mikado in former times united theoretically in his own 
 person an absolute and unlimited authority over those numerous 
 feudal princes whose territories composed his empire. It could 
 scarcely be expected that the prestige attending the sacred func¬ 
 tions with which he was invested, and the despotic power which 
 he exercised, would prove sufficient in themselves to check the 
 ambitious designs of those feudal chiefs who, more enterprising 
 and less submissive to spiritual despotism than their fellows, were 
 tempted to make war upon each other, or even cope with the im¬ 
 perial forces. This state of affairs reached its climax about the 
 middle of the twelfth century ; and so serious had it become, that 
 it was found necessary to intrust the entire command of the army 
 to a generalissimo, who assumed the title of Ziogoon. The first 
 ziogoon was a young man, by name Yoritomo, celebrated in the 
 annals of Japan as the founder of that series of subordinate em¬ 
 perors, who, after dividing for a short time the temporal power 
 with the Mikado or spiritual emperor, ultimately retained exclusive 
 possession of it, and who are now, in their turn, being slowly 
 squeezed out of this mundane sphere by the Council of State, who 
 do virtually control the destinies of the country. As the two 
 emperors are called by a variety of names, it may be as well, to 
 avoid confusion, to specify them. 
 
 The proper appellation of the spiritual emperor is Mikado, but 
 he is also frequently called Dairi, which means court or palace, and 
 is an abbreviation of Dairi-Sama, or Lord of the Palace. In time 
 of war the temporal emperor is called Ziogoon, or Generalissimo; 
 in time of peace, Tycoon, or Koboe. The term emperor, as ap¬ 
 plied to this dignitary, is one to which the Japanese especially ob¬ 
 ject, though they do not deny that in him is nominally vested the 
 supreme temporal power. 
 
 One of the ziogoons of Japan, in the days of the early fathers, 
 
TAIKO-SAMA. 
 
 323 
 
 was a certain Nobanunga, originally King of Mino and Yoari, 
 and who, by his determined energy and daring, acquired the tem¬ 
 poral dignity. Nominally the throne of the tycoons is hereditary; 
 but the history of its occupants tells the usual story of violence, 
 intrigue, and blood. 
 
 Under the influence of Fathers Yilela and Yalegnani, the fierce 
 and haughty Nobanunga was induced to regard with a tolerant, 
 if not absolutely favorable eye, the religion of the W est, and dur¬ 
 ing his reign it attained its most flourishing condition. In his 
 answer to the bonzes, as recorded by Don Kodrigo de Yivero y 
 Yelasco, who was shipwrecked there some years afterward, he dis¬ 
 played a freedom from religious bigotry rarely to be met with in 
 civilized countries at that period. “ The bonzes of all the sects 
 having concurred in a request to the emperor that he would ex¬ 
 pel our monks from Japan, the prince, troubled with their impor¬ 
 tunities, inquired how many different religions there were in Jap¬ 
 an ? 4 Thirty-five,’ was the reply. ‘Well,’ said he, ‘where thir¬ 
 
 ty-five sects can be tolerated, we can easily bear with thirty-six: 
 leave the strangers in peace.’ ” This prince fell a victim, in the 
 year 1582, to one of his own generals, who, at the head of an army 
 placed under his command by Nobanunga, besieged that monarch 
 in his palace, and ultimately consumed it by fire, burying in its 
 ashes the unfortunate Koboe and his eldest son. 
 
 His death was the signal for a struggle for the vacant throne. 
 After five years of anarchy, during three of which it was held by 
 Fide Noba, it was seized by the celebrated Faxiba, or Taiko-Sama, 
 a man whose early occupation it had been to cut wood in the for¬ 
 est, and carry it on his shoulders to the town, bat who, being orig¬ 
 inally introduced into the palace of Nobanunga in a menial capac¬ 
 ity, was discovered by that penetrating commander to be the pos¬ 
 sessor of great qualities, rapidly advanced under his favor to the 
 chief command of his army, and finally acquired his throne under 
 the pretext of preserving it for the grandson of his benefactor. 
 
 Taiko-Sama (for this was the name which he subsequently 
 adopted, and which means “most exalted and sovereign lord”) 
 was unquestionably the most remarkable man who ever filled the 
 throne of the ziogoons. Of inordinate ambition, he combined 
 great originality of conception with energy and skill in the exe¬ 
 cution of his daring projects. Fortifying himself by an alliance 
 with the spiritual throne by his marriage with the daughter of 
 
324 
 
 PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS. 
 
 the Mikado, whose indifference to sublunary affairs does not ex¬ 
 tend to his domestic relations, Taiko-Sama ruled the empire with 
 a hand of iron. The condition of the empire at this time, and the 
 change effected in it by this ziogoon, are thus noticed by Kaem- 
 pfer: “The ambition and insolence of the princes of the empire 
 was successively grown to such a height, that at last it became al¬ 
 most impossible for the ecclesiastical emperors to restrain and con¬ 
 trol them. In vain did they, for four ages together, send the 
 crown generals against them, at the head of numerous armies. 
 And yet this great work was brought about by Taiko in about 
 ten years’ time, not so much, indeed, by force of arms, as by his 
 prudent conduct and good management.” At first he professed 
 great regard for the missionaries and respect for their religion, but 
 the result of his observations, made during a tour through the 
 western and most Christian portion of his dominions, induced him 
 to alter his opinion, and issue an edict for the expulsion of every 
 missionary from the empire. This order was received with gen¬ 
 eral dissatisfaction and remonstrance from the kings of Arima and 
 Omura, which only increased the irritation of the emperor, who 
 determined upon depriving the Prince of Omura of the port of 
 Nagasaki, and taking possession of it for his own use. 
 
 The fortifications were consequently destroyed, some of the 
 churches demolished, and the town itself only ransomed at a large 
 price by the Prince of Omura, who was allowed to retain it. 
 Meantime the missionaries concealed themselves in the palaces 
 and cities of their converts, determined not to relinquish without 
 a struggle a field in which their labors had been crowned with 
 such an abundant measure of success. For some time Taiko ap¬ 
 pears to have been too much engaged with his various projects to 
 care to enforce compliance with an edict which may possibly 
 have been promulgated in a moment of irritation. His general 
 success afterward may have rendered him amiable. Be that as it 
 may, the missionaries speedily emerged from their hiding-places, 
 and resumed their efforts with redoubled energy; while the ar¬ 
 rival of the embassadors who had been to Rome, under the guid¬ 
 ance of Father Valegnani, with the pontifical letters, was a most 
 seasonable diversion in their favor. The journey to Miako was a 
 sort of triumphal progress; their reception at the capital an ova¬ 
 tion. At their audience with the Ziogoon it is recorded that they 
 were dressed like Italians, in black velvet, and speedily succeeded 
 
PROJECTS OF TAIKO-SAMA. 
 
 325 
 
 in creating an interest in the narration of their adventures, and 
 conciliating the good-will of their sovereign. Shortly after this 
 these four Japanese nobles entered the Order of Jesus. Mean¬ 
 time the Governor of Nagasaki and his colleague occupied them¬ 
 selves, according to the Jesuit historian, in prejudicing the mind 
 of the Ziogoon against the Christians, and so far succeeded as to 
 induce him again to threaten them with expulsion. Ilis answer 
 to the letter brought to him by Father Yalegnani from the Portu¬ 
 guese Viceroy of Goa is interesting and characteristic. After re¬ 
 capitulating at some length the success with which the execution 
 of his projects had been uniformly attended, and the flourishing 
 condition of the Empire of Japan in consequence, Taiko-Sama 
 goes on to say: 
 
 u This vast monarchy is like an immovable rock, and all the ef¬ 
 forts of its enemies will not be able to shake it. Thus not onty 
 am I at peace at home, but persons come even from the most dis¬ 
 tant countries to render me that homage which is my due. Just 
 now I am projecting the subjugation of China; and as I have no 
 doubt that I shall succeed in this design, I trust that we shall soon 
 be much nearer to each other, and that communication will be 
 much easier between us. As to that which regards religion, Jap- 
 an is the kingdom of the Kamis, that is to say, of Nim, which is 
 the principle of every thing. The welfare of the government, 
 which has been established from the commencement, depends 
 upon the careful observance of those laws upon which it is found¬ 
 ed, and which have the Kamis themselves for their authors. We 
 can not depart from them without perceiving the difference which 
 subsists between sovereign and subjects disappear, as well as that 
 subordination of women to their husbands, children to their par¬ 
 ents, vassals to their lords, servants to their masters. In a word, 
 these laws are necessary for the maintenance of order within and 
 of tranquillity without. The fathers who are called of the com¬ 
 pany (of Jesus) are come into these islands to teach another relig¬ 
 ion ; but as that of the Kamis is too well established to be abol¬ 
 ished, this new law can only serve to introduce into Japan a di¬ 
 versity of religion prejudicial to the welfare of the state. That is 
 why I have prohibited, by imperial edict, these foreign doctors 
 from continuing to preach their doctrine. I have even ordered 
 them to leave Japan, and I am resolved no longer to allow per¬ 
 sons to come here to £ debiter 1 new opinions. I desire, neverthe- 
 
 9 
 
326 
 
 TAIKO-SAMA’S INVASION OF THE COREA. 
 
 less, that our commercial relations shall remain upon the same 
 footing between us. The Portuguese shall be allowed to commu¬ 
 nicate freely with my subjects, and I will permit no one to do 
 them any injury.” 
 
 In pursuance of his scheme for the subjugation of China, to 
 which Taiko-Sama makes such an offhand allusion in the above 
 epistle, he fitted out four armies, three of which he sent to the 
 Corea, where they gained two victories, seized the capital, drove 
 the king from his throne into China, of which empire he was a 
 tributary, and spread consternation far and wide. A Chinese 
 army was, however, speedily dispatched to the Corea, and after 
 sundry bloody engagements the war was terminated by mutual 
 consent, Corean embassadors being sent to treat with Taiko-Sama, 
 who ultimately agreed to the following conditions: 1st. That of the 
 eight provinces of which the Corea is composed, five should be¬ 
 long to the Japanese; 2d. That the Emperor of China should give 
 one of his daughters in marriage to the Emperor of Japan ; 3d. 
 That the commerce which had been for so long interrupted be¬ 
 tween China and Japan should be re-established; 4th. That the 
 Emperor of China should pay an annual tribute to the crown of 
 Japan as a recognition of the superiority of the latter potentate. 
 
 According to Ksempfer, it was about three years after this, or 
 about 1596, that the emperor finally deprived the Prince of Omu- 
 ra of Nagasaki, and annexed it as an imperial city to his domin¬ 
 ions. The Jesuit fathers are wonderfully silent upon his motive 
 for this proceeding, but the Dutch historian states it to have been 
 in consequence of the insolent behavior of a priest to one of the 
 councilors of state whom he met in the street. Whatever may 
 have been the immediate cause, there can be no doubt that the 
 position of the Portuguese at Nagasaki was becoming so consoli¬ 
 dated as somewhat to menace the integrity of the empire, a fact 
 which sundry emissaries, who were sent at different times from 
 the Philippines to maintain relations between the Spanish govern¬ 
 ment and the Emperor of Japan, were not slow to point out to 
 that high personage. Indeed, the intrigues of the Spaniards, in 
 their efforts to dislodge their rivals, form a fertile and rather tire¬ 
 some theme with the old Jesuit chroniclers. 
 
 The rivalry of the Spaniards and Portuguese was religious rath¬ 
 er than commercial, and it was not until the year 1599 that the 
 arrival of the Dutch in Japan imported into the foreign relations 
 
WILLIAM ADAMS. 
 
 327 
 
 of that empire a new element. In the mean time hostilities had 
 recommenced in the Corea, which had ultimately resulted in the 
 withdrawal of the Japanese troops from that province, and the 
 death of the redoubtable Taiko-Sama removed any farther cause 
 of alarm from the breast of his Celestial majesty. 
 
 On the accession of his successor Ogosho-Sama to the throne, 
 both Spaniards and Portuguese redoubled their intrigues against 
 each other, and their combined machinations against the Dutch. 
 They made little impression, however, upon the enlightened and 
 liberal-minded monarch, who denied the right of any power to 
 dictate the policy he should pursue in regard to strangers visiting 
 his dominions, maintaining that all he cared for was the tranquil¬ 
 lity of his country and the welfare of his people; and that, so long 
 as strangers paid obedience to the laws, and by their fair and hon¬ 
 orable dealings promoted the convenience and enjoyment of his 
 subjects, it mattered not to him to what nation they belonged, or 
 to what power in the West they were nominally subject. On the 
 last occasion when a joint memorial was presented on the subject 
 by the Spaniards and Portuguese, Ogosho seems to have lost all 
 patience, and he drove the remonstrants ignominiously from his 
 presence, vehemently declaring that if “devils from hell were to 
 visit his realm, they should be treated like angels from heaven,” 
 so long as they conducted themselves conformably with the prin¬ 
 ciples he had laid down.* 
 
 To Englishmen, the associations connected with this sovereign 
 are particularly interesting; for our countryman William Adams, 
 who had piloted the first Dutch ship to Japan, and who was the 
 first Englishman who had reached that empire, attracted the fa¬ 
 vorable notice of Ogosho-Sama to so great an extent that he in¬ 
 sisted upon his fairly entering his service—a fact which William 
 Adams thus devoutly alludes to : “ Now for my service, which I 
 have doen and daily doe, being employed in the emperor’s serv¬ 
 ice, he hath given me a living like unto a lordship in England, 
 with eightie or nintie husbandmen, that be as my slaves or serv¬ 
 ants ; which or the like precedent was never here before given to 
 any stranger. Thus God hath provided for mee after my great 
 miserie, and to Him only be all honnor and praise, power and 
 glory, both now and forever, worlde without ende.” 
 
 Honest Adams proved that he was a Christian in practice as 
 
 * Rundall’s Memorials. 
 
828 
 
 JAPANESE POLITICAL ECONOMISTS. 
 
 well as in profession; for, in spite of the malignant aspersions 
 which were thrown upon him and his country by Spaniards, Por¬ 
 tuguese, and Dutch, who all yelled in common chorus at an inter¬ 
 loper, he increased in influence and weight at court—“ at which 
 my former enemies did wondef, and at this time must entreat me 
 to do them a friendship, which to both Spaniards and Portihgals 
 have I doen, recompensing them good for evill.” 
 
 A few years after this, in 1613, Captain Saris arrived in Japan 
 in command of the Clove, bearing a letter from King James the 
 First to the Emperor of Japan, and, through the instrumentality 
 of Adams, negotiated a most favorable treaty with Ogosho-Sama, 
 We established a factory at Firando in consequence. It only ex¬ 
 isted for ten years, however; the bitter animosity of the Dutch, 
 and the unscrupulous means they are said to have resorted to, to 
 obstruct our trade, combined with the absence of any adequate 
 demand for our productions, and our ignorance of the resources 
 of the country with which we had opened relations, led to the 
 abandonment of the enterprise after about £40,000 had been spent 
 upon it. 
 
 Meantime both Portuguese and Dutch were driving a lucrative 
 trade: the former especially had derived enormous profits from 
 their exports of gold and silver from Japan—so much so that 
 Kasmpfer remarks, “It is believed that, had the Portuguese en¬ 
 joyed the trade to Japan but twenty years longer, upon the same 
 foot as they did for some time, such riches would have been trans¬ 
 ported out of this Ophir to Macao, and there would have been such 
 a plenty and flow of gold and silver in that town, as sacred writs 
 mention there was at Jerusalem in the times of Solomon.” One 
 of their own political economists, writing subsequently, complains 
 of this. “ I compute,” he says,* 11 the annual exportation of gold 
 at 150,000 kobans, so that in ten years this empire is drained 
 of fifteen hundred thousand kobans, equal to about £2,500,000. 
 With the exception of medicines, we can dispense with every 
 thing that is brought us from abroad. The stuffs and other for¬ 
 eign commodities are of no real benefit to us. All the gold, sil¬ 
 ver, and copper extracted from the mines during the reign of 
 Ogosho-Sama, and since his time, is gone, and, what is still more 
 to be regretted, for things we could do well without.” 
 
 * From a treatise composed in 1708 by the prime minister of the Emperor Tsonna 
 Yosi, quoted by Titzingh in the “Illustrations of Japan.” 
 
EXPULSION OF THE PORTUGUESE. 
 
 329 
 
 We have no reason, however, for supposing that considerations 
 of political economy entered into the policy of the emperor when 
 he determined on the expulsion of the Portuguese from his do¬ 
 minions, and the toleration of the Dutch only under restrictions 
 of the most humiliating character. 
 
 We'have had evidence sufficient of the liberal and tolerant dis¬ 
 position of successive Japanese monarchs upon the subject of for¬ 
 eigners to assume that, had the latter confined themselves to mer¬ 
 cantile operations, that generous hospitality would still have been 
 accorded to them which distinguished the Japanese in their earlier 
 intercourse with strangers. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to enter here upon a discussion of the 
 immediate cause which led to the expulsion of the Portuguese 
 and extermination of the Christians. It forms a subject of much 
 vehement recrimination between the Jesuit fathers and early 
 Dutch chroniclers. According to Ksempfer, letters were inter¬ 
 cepted by the Dutch, revealing a conspiracy in which the Japan¬ 
 ese Christians had engaged, in conjunction with the Portuguese, 
 against the emperor’s life and throne. According to Pere Charle¬ 
 voix, these letters were forged by the Dutch for the purpose of 
 giving color to the malicious libels which the latter were invent¬ 
 ing against their rivals. However that may be, these two enlight¬ 
 ened Western powers succeeded between them in causing the 
 name of Christ to be hated and despised, and in hermetically seal¬ 
 ing up for two centuries a rich and productive country, inhabit¬ 
 ed by one of the most amiable and civilized races in the world. 
 The following proclamation was the result of the miserable tri¬ 
 umph achieved by the Dutch over their competitors: “No Jap¬ 
 anese ship or boat whatever, nor any native of Japan, shall pre¬ 
 sume to go out of the country; who acts contrary to this shall 
 die, and the ship, with the crew and goods on board, shall be se¬ 
 questered until farther orders. All Japanese who return from 
 abroad shall be put to death. Whoever discovers a priest shall 
 have a reward of from four to five hundred shuets (equal to the 
 same number of pounds) of silver, and for every Christian in pro¬ 
 portion. All persons who propagate the doctrine of the Chris¬ 
 tians, or bear this scandalous name, shall be imprisoned in the 
 omera, or common jail of the town. The whole race of the Por¬ 
 tuguese, with their mothers, nurses, and whatever belongs to them, 
 shall be banished to Macao. Whoever presumes to bring a letter 
 
 i 
 
330 
 
 INTRIGUES OF THE DUTCH. 
 
 from abroad, or to return after be bath been banished, shall die, 
 with all bis family also: whoever presumes to intercede for them 
 shall be put to death.” 
 
 Then followed that frightful series of persecutions, not exceed¬ 
 ed in horror or ingenuity of torment by those to which the early 
 Christians were subjected; and in carrying out their ruthless pol¬ 
 icy against the Christians, the Japanese always found in the Dutch 
 ready and willing assistants. These importunate traders lost no 
 opportunity of insinuating themselves into the good graces of the 
 islanders. They brought over the most exquisite objects of art 
 and nature for annual presents, and demeaned themselves rather 
 as willing slaves than as free burghers. When ordered to demol¬ 
 ish their own warehouses and factories because they were built of 
 finer blocks of hewn stone than the buildings of the country, and 
 were inscribed with the date of the Christian era, they did so with 
 seeming satisfaction, and finally put a climax to their obedience 
 by bombarding, at the behest of the Japanese government, 37,000 
 Christians who were cooped up within the walls of Simabarra. 
 
 It was about this time, or in 1636, that Decima was founded. 
 Since that period the Dutch have been confined to its limited 
 area, and have consistently pursued the policy which had been in¬ 
 augurated under such tragical circumstances. During these last 
 two hundred years they have not even had the profits of a lu¬ 
 crative trade to console them for the ignominy with which they 
 have been treated; on the contrary, it has steadily diminished in 
 proportion as the indignities to which they have been exposed 
 have increased, so that they have been glad, during these last few 
 years, to make a merit of necessity, and profess an earnest desire 
 to assist in promoting intercourse between the Japanese and other 
 nations. Already their monopoly has disappeared. In the race 
 which is about to ensue, their full-bosomed old craft will drop be¬ 
 hind the horizon, and in ten years hence the Dutch trade with 
 Japan will have become matter of history. 
 
SURFEIT OF SENSATIONS. 
 
 331 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Surfeit of Sensations.—The Dutch and Russian Bazars.—Money-changers.—Tempt¬ 
 ing Investments.—Visit from the Vice-governor.—A Riding-school.—Surround¬ 
 ing Country.—A Visit to a Tea-garden.—Feasting and Music.—Productions of 
 Fizen.—Coal Mines.—Prince of Satsuma.—Japanese Classes at Nagasaki.—Mil¬ 
 itary Organization.—A Gale of Wind.—Volcanic Eruptions.—Places of future 
 Punishment.—A stormy Night.—Arrival at Simoda.—Dangerous Harbor. 
 
 I find it difficult, in attempting to convey our first impressions 
 of Japan, to avoid presenting a too highly-colored picture to the 
 mind of the reader. The contrast with China was so striking, the 
 evidences of a high state of civilization so unexpected, the circum¬ 
 stances of our visit were so full of novelty and interest, that we 
 abandoned ourselves to the excitement and enthusiasm they pro¬ 
 duced. There exists not a single disagreeable association to cloud 
 our reminiscences of that delightful country. Each day gave us 
 fresh proofs of the amiable and generous character of the people 
 among whom we were. Each moment of the day furnished us 
 with some new fact worthy of notice. Our powers of observation 
 were kept constantly on the stretch, but one felt they were over¬ 
 taxed ; the time was too short; sights and impressions crowded 
 on each other with a painful rapidity and variety. It was like 
 being compelled to eat a whole pate de fois gras at a sitting; the 
 dish was too rich and highly charged with truffles for one’s men¬ 
 tal digestion. At the time it was delicious; it is only afterward, 
 when you try to arrange the facts and describe the experiences, 
 that the inconvenience attending a surfeit of sensations of this sort 
 makes itself felt. 
 
 When we landed at the factory early next morning we found 
 it crowded with British purchasers, both at the Dutch and Rus¬ 
 sian bazars; lackered and china ware, bronzes and delicate basket- 
 work, were arranged in tempting display. The beauty and ele¬ 
 gance of all we saw delighted and astonished us: it was only when 
 we had “shopped” at Yedo that we came to hold Nagasaki work¬ 
 manship at a proper estimation, and to appreciate the difference 
 between those articles which are manufactured and exhibited there 
 for the European market, and those which are made for the Jap- 
 
332 
 
 THE DUTCH AND RUSSIAN BAZARS. 
 
 anese themselves. As a rule, Nagasaki lacker is of a most infe¬ 
 rior description; the shapes and patterns are nearly all of Dutch 
 suggestion, and the mother-of-pearl with which they are so abund¬ 
 antly and gorgeously inlaid is purely a Western invention. The 
 egg-shell china is also manufactured for the European market: it 
 is an exquisitely delicate fabric, made principally in the provinces 
 of Fizen and Satsuma, and not used by the Japanese themselves. 
 We were not able to obtain any of the thinnest description at 
 Yedo. 
 
 In bronzes the Japanese far excel the Chinese, the design and 
 workmanship being infinitely superior. At Nagasaki, the result 
 of intercourse with Europeans for two centuries and a half is 
 very apparent. There were to be seen admirable telescopes of 
 native manufacture, clocks, magnifying-glasses, and glass-ware of 
 various descriptions, besides many imitations of European fabrics. 
 The Russian bazar, which was situated on the main land, is built 
 like an Eastern caravanserai; it is a paved square, surrounded 
 with small wooden houses and verandas, full of articles for sale. 
 At the entrance gateway are a certain number of officials, who 
 now take little heed of the visitor, and always appeared to me en¬ 
 gaged in making servile obeisances to one another, and drinking 
 very hot tea out of curiously-constructed steamers. The chief 
 building in the square is devoted to the exchange of foreign mon¬ 
 ey for Japanese paper currency. 
 
 In an up-stairs room, approached by a scrupulously clean stair¬ 
 case, on the upper step of which is a row of Japanese slippers, sit 
 three or four grave two-sworded officials round a table on which 
 are placed two boxes, one full of metallic, the other of paper cur¬ 
 rency. It is useless to endeavor to persuade a Japanese shop¬ 
 keeper to take a foreign coin, however large and tempting it may 
 be. The government has forbidden him to receive any thing from 
 the foreigner but the little oblong pieces of card which bear the 
 government stamp; so to this little room every foreigner is com¬ 
 pelled to resort to obtain an available circulating medium. The 
 currency between the foreigners and the tradespeople is taels, 
 mace, can, and cash: in name the same as in China, but represent¬ 
 ing very different values, inasmuch as Japanese paper money is 
 granted by the treasury in exchange for Spanish and Mexican 
 dollars at the rate of four taels seven mace per dollar. 
 
 Meantime there is a great crush of naval officers round the small 
 
VISIT FROM THE VICE-GOVERNOR. 
 
 333 
 
 table, and the usual manifestation of impatience on the part of the 
 Anglo-Saxon, but the Japanese lose neither “count” nor “coun¬ 
 tenance.” They maintain the affable imperturbability of croupiers 
 at Herman gambling-tables. They never make a mistake, nor 
 cease to smile blandly; and if we are in a hurry, we had better 
 make up our minds to sit quietly on a bench near the window 
 which overlooks the canal till our turn comes. We can watch 
 the boats plying with heavy loads along it, and observe the fam¬ 
 ily arrangements of the houses, with balconies overhanging it; or 
 we can look inward, and wonder at the extraordinary cleanliness 
 of the padded mat under our feet, and the inexhaustible patience 
 of the money-changers, and moralize over the difference in the 
 civilization and national characters of Englishmen and Japanese, 
 and try whether Mr. Buckle’s theory will account for them; or 
 we may look out of the opposite window into the yard, where an 
 extensive and lucrative business is being carried on by the Jap¬ 
 anese licensed by the government to trade with Europeans. They 
 are struggling manfully with the English language; are inflex¬ 
 ible as regards price, not to be beaten down, and are almost as im¬ 
 portunate and insinuating in their manner to the foreign young 
 gentlemen as if it was a fancy bazar for a charitable purpose, and 
 they were English young ladies and had stalls. Then there are 
 officious porters in readiness to carry away purchases; but their 
 services are rejected by independent middies, who prefer stagger¬ 
 ing away under their own lacker, and all the while at the entrance- 
 gate reverential greetings are continually going on, and the imbib¬ 
 ing of hot tea. 
 
 But we must not linger too long here, for the vice-governor is 
 coming on board to lunch, and it is time for us to return to the 
 ship to receive him. He arrives seated in the bows of a stately 
 barge, surrounded by a number of attendants, and with numerous 
 black and white flags fluttering from the stern. lie is a plebeian¬ 
 looking man, with an extremely smiling countenance and very 
 short legs. They are incased in loose trowsers, not unlike knick¬ 
 erbockers, of damask embroidery, of a pattern that would be con¬ 
 sidered rather too gaudy for curtains. He bows repeatedly and 
 rapidly, and his two swords, like a double tail, cock up respons¬ 
 ively. His legs, below the knee, are neatly gaitered, and his 
 stockinged feet are thrust into straw sandals. Across his bosom 
 are many folds of fine cotton, which compose his shirt, and over 
 
334 
 
 A RIDING-SCHOOL. 
 
 it a thin gauze tunic completes his costume. Luncheon has been 
 prepared for him and some of his followers, and he is soon seated 
 at Lord Elgin’s right hand, drinking Champagne, and handling 
 his knife and fork as if he usually lived in London. The other 
 Japanese present seemed equally accustomed to Western man¬ 
 ners. The vice-governor had been sent on the part of the gov¬ 
 ernor to express his regret that illness prevented his seeing Lord 
 Elgin, and at the same time to request that the yacht, which he 
 understood had been brought over as a present to the emperor, 
 should be made over to the Japanese governor at Nagasaki. As 
 Lord Elgin depended chiefly for an excuse for proceeding to Yedo 
 upon the necessity of delivering the yacht, if possible, to the em¬ 
 peror himself, he assured the governor that it was not in his pow¬ 
 er to part with the yacht except at the capital. Finding that no 
 arguments were of any avail to divert Lord Elgin from this de¬ 
 termination, the vice-governor gave up the matter as hopeless, and, 
 after discoursing with considerable intelligence upon the recent 
 treaty with China and other topics of interest, he took his leave. 
 
 As Lord Elgin had not yet seen much of the town, I accom¬ 
 panied him on shore on another tour of exploration. In the 
 course of our walk we came to a large inclosure, and on entering 
 it found fifteen or twenty men on horseback, galloping and curvet¬ 
 ing about a considerable area, apparently used as a riding-school. 
 This we understood was the constant afternoon amusement of the 
 “ young bloods” of Nagasaki. They were all men of fortune and 
 family, princes and nobles of the land, and this was their Eotten 
 Row. They rode fiery little steeds, averaging about fourteen 
 hands in height, and took a delight in riding full gallop and pull¬ 
 ing up short, after the favorite manner of Arabs. The saddles 
 were constructed on the same principle as they are in China, but 
 with less padding. The stirrup-leathers were short, and the stir¬ 
 rups like huge slippers made of lacker. The bit was powerful, 
 and the reins were of muslin, but strong notwithstanding. The 
 most remarkable feature in the costume of the riders was their 
 hats: these were like shields, almost perfectly flat, made of lacker, 
 and fastened on the head by a variety of lashings. Two strings 
 crossed each other at the back of the head, two crossed under the 
 nose, and two more under the chin. It is as much trouble to tie 
 on a Japanese hat as to put on a pair of skates; and when it is 
 done, the face looks all laced over, as if there was something seri- 
 
SURROUNDING COUNTRY. 
 
 335 
 
 ous the matter with it. Still it is wonderful how effectual the 
 lashing was, and how firmly the flat roof, or rather “tile,” seemed 
 fixed on their heads. 
 
 When we appeared, two or three gooddooking young men pull¬ 
 ed up near us, jumped off their horses, and most good-naturedly 
 pressed them upon us. I took a short uncomfortable gallop upon 
 one with a propensity to kick, and was glad soon to relinquish him 
 to his smiling owner. We were much struck by the gentleman¬ 
 like and unconstrained bearing of these young men, who evident¬ 
 ly wished to show us all the civility in their power. 
 
 Before leaving Nagasaki we wished to extend our wanderings 
 beyond the immediate limits of the streets. The city itself, like a 
 lover at the feet of his mistress, nestles at the base of wooded hills 
 of exquisite form, as though it did not venture to profane with its 
 coarse touch those lovely slopes which are dedicated to the wor¬ 
 ship of Buddh and the Cytherean goddess, for these hill sides are 
 dotted with the most enchanting sites, and every one of them is 
 occupied with a temple or a tea-house. 
 
 In Japan, religion is not used, as in some countries, to conceal 
 immorality, but rather to give it countenance and support, so that 
 practically there is very little difference here between a temple 
 and a tea-house. Both are situated in grounds beautifully laid 
 out. In landscape-gardening the Japanese excel every other na¬ 
 tion in the world. Both are resorted to as agreeable retreats from 
 the turmoil and bustle of the city. The most delightful arbors, 
 the choicest dishes, and the softest music, are provided equally at 
 one and the other. 
 
 It is estimated that there are sixty-two temples (large and small) 
 and seven hundred and fifty tea-houses on the hills round Naga¬ 
 saki, all offering to the Japanese in search of repose delicious tea 
 and extensive panoramic views. It is worth while climbing up 
 to some of them, if only to enjoy the latter. Old moss-grown 
 steps ascend the steep hill side, and you pass through venerable 
 gateways and up more massive flights to a fairy-like wooden 
 structure perched on a projecting point, and backed by terraced 
 gardens and cool shady groves that lead to grottoes, where spark¬ 
 ling water gushes from the hill side. The building seems con¬ 
 structed with a view to the prospect it commands. The bare, 
 softly-matted rooms are surrounded with deep verandas, and from 
 every angle a fresh scene of beauty meets the eye. Behind us are 
 
336 
 
 A VISIT TO A TEA-GARDEN. 
 
 wooded dells, and more temples and tea-houses. At our feet the 
 city is mapped out, and we can inspect the back premises of the 
 houses of families, who are all at this hour engaged in domestic 
 ablutions. It is delightful to see papa, mamma, and all the chil¬ 
 dren splashing so harmoniously in the back garden. Beyond the 
 town are more terraced hills, and the beautiful winding harbor 
 losing itself in deep creeks and bays, to all appearance a placid 
 lake, for the ocean is nowhere visible. 
 
 Meantime the dinner, which has been ordered, has arrived. 
 Spread out upon the floor in lackered bowls, it occupies the great¬ 
 er portion of the room. It has been quickly and deftly arranged 
 by a train of neatly dressed maidens, who now seat themselves 
 round it and invite us to partake. We have long since taken off 
 our shoes, and now squat in a circle on the floor, and gaze with 
 curiosity, not unmixed with alarm, at the display before us. 
 There is raw fish thinly sliced, and salted ginger; there are 
 prawns piled up with a substance which in taste and appearance 
 very much resembles toffy; there are pickled eggs and rock- 
 leeches, and pieces of gristle belonging to animals unknown, to be 
 eaten with soy; and yams and pears, and various sorts of fruits 
 and vegetables, prepared some of them palatably enough; but still 
 the experiment is hazardous, and we are relieved at the sight of a 
 bowl of rice as a safe piece de resistance. 
 
 The ministering spirits seem to delight in pressing upon us the 
 nastiest things, apparently for the amusement which our wry faces 
 afford them. Presently another troop of damsels with lutes and 
 tom-toms come tripping in; but they elicit from their musical in¬ 
 struments the most discordant sounds to our non-Japanese ears, 
 so that we are glad to take refuge in the balcony, and having once 
 more feasted our eyes upon the fading prospect, we descend from 
 our airy position to the streets, now rapidly subsiding into that 
 early evening stillness which gives evidence that the good folks 
 of Nagasaki do not allow either business or pleasure to steal from 
 them the best hours of the night. 
 
 We should have regretted that our stay at Nagasaki was to be 
 so short, had we not had Yedo in prospect. We had scarcely an¬ 
 ticipated, on our departure from Shanghai, so brilliant a pro¬ 
 gramme as the one which was gradually unfolding itself. The 
 arrival of the admiral in the Calcutta set any doubt we had on the 
 matter finally at rest. It had been his original intention to hand 
 
PRODUCTIONS OF FIZEN. 
 
 337 
 
 oyer the yacht himself. This, however, was now impossible, as 
 his presence was urgently required at Canton, where the state of 
 affairs was far from satisfactory. Under these circumstances, it 
 was arranged that Lord Elgin should proceed with the yacht to 
 Yedo, as it was evidently desirable that no time should be lost in 
 proceeding upon this mission. It was therefore impossible for us 
 to attempt to go upon any of those expeditions into the country 
 in the neighborhood of Nagasaki, which Europeans have lately 
 been allowed to make. I understood that the princes of the 
 neighboring territories of Fizen and Tsikuzen were both favor¬ 
 ably disposed toward Europeans. Fizen is indeed one of the 
 most productive provinces in the empire, yielding a revenue to 
 its prince amounting, it is said by Siebold, to £360,000 annually. 
 Besides rice and various descriptions of gum, it produces tea, to¬ 
 bacco, and cotton, vegetable tallow, iron, sulphur, cinnabar, and 
 marble. 
 
 There is a coal mine at a place called Wuku Moto, in the inte¬ 
 rior, which some of the Dutch mission have descended. They 
 describe the mine as being well and judiciously worked, and the 
 coal as bituminous in its nature, and made into coke for use. 
 
 Old Kaempfer tells a story, by way of illustrating the volcanic 
 nature of the country, of a coal mine in the province, which, 
 through the carelessness of the miners, took fire, and has been 
 burning ever since. A very excellent description of porcelain clay 
 is found here, and the European demand for egg-shell china, which 
 is sold in great quantities, is chiefly supplied by the provinces of 
 Fizen and Satsuma. The prince of the former state is, so far as 
 we could learn from our Dutch informants at Nagasaki, a man of 
 tolerabty advanced views; he does not seem, however, to have 
 succeeded in thoroughly divesting himself of old prejudices. 
 This was illustrated a short time prior to our visit by his refusal 
 to allow the Dutch to enter his territory to put up a steam-engine 
 which he himself had ordered out from Europe to pump the wa¬ 
 ter out of one of his coal mines. It should be noticed as the most 
 interesting feature connected with this province, that it is said to 
 produce the most beautiful women in the empire. 
 
 But the Prince of Satsuma was the great hero of the Dutch res¬ 
 idents at Nagasaki, he having at different times invited them to 
 visit him. This prince, who has died since our visit, is said to 
 have been the most enlightened, as he was one of the most pow- 
 
 Y 
 
338 
 
 PRINCE OF SATSUMA. 
 
 erful, of the independent princes. In close alliance with the late 
 emperor, who had married his daughter, he possessed great influ¬ 
 ence at Yedo, where he owned no less than nine town-houses. 
 His is one of the families from which, when a direct heir fails to 
 the temporal throne, an heir-presumptive is selected. One of 
 the ancestors of their great line was the conqueror of the Lew- 
 chew Islands. The province of Satsuma contains vast quantities 
 of the sulphur which may form an item in our trade with Japan. 
 At its southern extremity is situated the island of Ivogasima, or 
 Sulphur Island, which is said to burn incessantly. The mines on 
 this island yield the Prince of Satsuma an annual revenue of two 
 hundred chests of silver. I was informed by Captain Katendyke, 
 a Dutch gentleman at Nagasaki, that this prince had already es¬ 
 tablished an electric telegraph, which was in successful operation 
 between his palace and his capital city, Kagosima, a distance of 
 about three miles. He has also extensive glass factories and can¬ 
 non foundries, in which eight hundred workmen are employed. 
 
 Under Captain Katendyke’s direction, the Japanese were at that 
 time carrying out some extensive public works in the harbor. 
 These principally consisted of a machine shop and foundry, with 
 all the appurtenances necessary for the building and repairing of 
 steamers, which the emperor had recently determined on estab¬ 
 lishing at Nagasaki. For the last six months prior to our arrival 
 the Dutch engineers had been engaged collecting machinery; a 
 large quantity had already arrived. 
 
 The spot selected for the erection of the various buildings is in 
 a beautiful valley, sloping down to, and terminating at, the left 
 bank of the harbor, entering from seaward opposite Nagasaki. 
 We observed a boat-load of Dutch artificers and engineers cross 
 to it daily, but had not time to inspect their progress ourselves. 
 It was calculated that two years would elapse before the works 
 could come into operation. A pier several hundred feet in length, 
 and extending out sufficiently far to insure twenty feet at low 
 water, was being built immediately in front, and as a part of the 
 establishment. In the construction of this pier, the Japanese 
 workmen, under Dutch direction, were making constant use of a 
 diving-bell and Nasmyth’s hammer. 
 
 Japanese are allowed to enter these works as apprentices, in 
 order to perfect themselves in engineering and mechanics, and so 
 strong are their acquisitive propensities, where knowledge is con- 
 
MILITARY ORGANIZATION. 
 
 339 
 
 cerned, that several princes have sought and obtained permission 
 from the emperor to place themselves under instruction, and are 
 to be seen daily at the works, busily engaged at the lathe, the 
 vice, or the forge, as the case may require, while others may be 
 found in the drafting-room, preparing the necessary drawings for 
 the various departments. Besides this, there has been for some 
 years a naval school. By accounts we have received from Na¬ 
 gasaki, dated April last, we learn that an imperial decree has been 
 received from Yedo, directing that the naval school be removed 
 from Nagasaki to the capital, the government believing that their 
 officers have attained such proficiency in navigation as to enable 
 them to dispense with farther instruction in that department. 
 This conclusion appears to have been arrived at from their screw 
 steamer Yedo having lately made a successful passage from Na¬ 
 gasaki to Yedo in nine days, unaccompanied by any foreigner. 
 The school of engineers, however, above alluded to, is still to be 
 continued, as well as one of medicine and surgery, which has been 
 for some time in existence, and very well attended. 
 
 Upon levies raised by the princes of Fizen and Tsikuzen would 
 depend the defense of Nagasaki and the adjacent coast in the event 
 of a war between Japan and any foreign country. Every inde¬ 
 pendent prince throughout the country is bound to contribute a 
 certain quota of troops to assist those of the imperial government. 
 So large a proportion of the male population is considered avail¬ 
 able for this purpose, that the standing army of Japan ranks prob¬ 
 ably among the largest in the world, though totally deficient in 
 that training or scientific knowledge of the military art which 
 would render it formidable to a civilized people. 
 
 The occupation of a soldier is held in high estimation in the 
 country. They belong to the fourth social grade, and are called 
 Samlai, holding their lands by a nominal tenure of their feudal 
 superiors, in consideration of their military service. The imperial 
 troops, as distinguished from those of the feudal princes, have 
 been estimated at 100,000 foot and 20,000 horse. I do not feel 
 certain, however, that my authority for this is to be relied upon. 
 
 At three o’clock in the afternoon of the 5th of August we 
 weighed anchor, and steamed out of Nagasaki harbor, the Retri¬ 
 bution, yacht, and Lee gun-boat in company. Just as we did so 
 a salvo of guns announced a foreign sail in sight, and as we clear¬ 
 ed the Iwo-Sima Islands we discerned a large Butch ship beating 
 
340 
 
 A GALE OE WIND. 
 
 bravely up from the southward. We little guessed that at that 
 moment a storm was brewing which should in a few hours strew 
 the ribs of that goodly craft upon the rocks under our lee, and 
 drive us for a shelter under the wild headland of Chichakoff 
 We went under easy sail, so as to get daylight for our passage 
 through Yan Diemen’s Straits, and found ourselves next morning 
 between two conical volcanic peaks, the apparent counterpart of 
 each other, about 2500 feet in height, and situated some twenty 
 miles apart. The wind now freshened to a gale; rocks and islands 
 studded this little-known sea in every direction; and, as the 
 weather thickened, it became evident that we must seek some 
 friendly harbor in which to ride out the violence of the gale. 
 
 It was an anxious moment as we felt our way under the bluff 
 cliffs of Cape Chichakoff, sounding in vain, and poking our nose 
 into unpleasant proximity to breakers. Beyond the storm-beaten 
 cape we need not hope for shelter. Our only chance was to push 
 up the deep unsurveyed Bay of Kagosima until we found a safe 
 anchorage. Fortunately we had not far to go—a slight indenture 
 in the coast, with a few fishing cottages on the sandy beach, and 
 a boat or two hauled up on it, gave promise of an anchorage, 
 which we found about a mile distant from the shore. It was an 
 iron-bound coast, the steep grassy hills terminating in rocky bluffs, 
 at the base of which the sea broke heavily. Here, however, as 
 long as the wind continued in one direction, we were secure, and 
 accordingly, within a cable’s length of us the Retribution and 
 yacht were soon moored. Of the Lee, however, we had seen 
 nothing since the previous evening, and were not a little anxious 
 as to her fate. We almost regretted that fortune did not drive 
 us up the bay to Kagosima, the capital of Satsuma, where we 
 should have had an opportunity of visiting the residence of the 
 prince, and of inspecting the progress of those foreign arts and 
 inventions which he has introduced, and which have already 
 contributed so largely to the prosperity of the chief city of his 
 province. 
 
 The whole of this section of the coast of Japan is eminently 
 volcanic; peaked mountains were observable far inland, while 
 out to seaward peaked islands gave evidence of their fiery origin. 
 In the island of Kiusiu alone, at the southernmost point of which 
 we were now at anchor, there are no less than five active volca¬ 
 noes ; of these one is in Satsuma, but the most celebrated is the 
 
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS. 
 
 o M 
 Oil 
 
 Wunzen-take, or the “High Mountain of warm Springs,” in Fi- 
 zen. An account of one of its eruptions is contained in the Chi¬ 
 nese Repository. In 1793 the summit of the mountain sank en¬ 
 tirely down; torrents of boiling water issued from all parts of 
 the deep cavity which was thus formed, and the vapor arose like 
 thick smoke. In one of its eruptions it is recorded to have de¬ 
 stroyed the ill-fated city of Sima Barra, when 35,000 persons are 
 said to have perished. Old Father Froes, writing in 1586, tells a 
 story of a strong castle in the kingdom of Mino, built at the top 
 of a hill, which, after several violent shocks, sank down and dis¬ 
 appeared of a sudden—“ the earth gaping that not the least foot¬ 
 step remained, a lake quickly filling the place where the founda¬ 
 tions of the castle had been. Another accident of this kind oc¬ 
 curred in the province of Tkeja. Very many gaps and openings 
 were observed up and down the empire, some of which were so 
 wide and deep that, guns being fired into them, the balls could 
 not be heard to reach the other end, and such a smoke and stench 
 issued out of them that people would not venture to travel that 
 way.” Ksempfer describes a small island near Firando which has 
 been burning and trembling for centuries; while many hot and 
 sulphurous springs bubble up all over the empire, and are much 
 frequented for the healing qualities they are supposed to possess. 
 
 It is not to be wondered at, in such a country of fire and brim¬ 
 stone, that the inhabitants should speculate learnedly upon the 
 infernal regions, and now and then choose some seething well or 
 flaming mountain as the descensus Averni. They have, moreover, 
 decided upon the various departments of punishment. To one 
 spring, which is covered at the top with a white cream-like froth, 
 are consigned pastry-cooks and confectioners who practiced adul¬ 
 teration while in this life; while deceitful brewers pass a misera¬ 
 ble existence in a spring as thick and muddy as the beer or sakee 
 they sold their customers. 
 
 To ride at anchor on wild, stormy nights off* such an “ uncan¬ 
 ny” coast, was like being condemned to sleep in a haunted room. 
 We were a prey to vague imaginary terrors, and never knew 
 whether, in some convulsion of nature, the waters might not sud¬ 
 denly recede, and leave us, as they did the Russian frigate Diana, 
 stranded on the bottom. 
 
 We remained at anchor in this dismal spot for about thirty-six 
 hours, during which time the gale blew with such violence as to 
 
342 
 
 ARRIVAL AT SIMODA. 
 
 render it impossible to attempt a landing. About midnight on 
 the 7th, however, it shifted suddenly. Captain Osborn, anticipat¬ 
 ing a quick change, had hove the cable short, and we were under 
 weigh in a few minutes with a blinding wind and sea in our teeth, 
 and our bows under at every heave. The huge pointed rocks off 
 ChichakofF loomed black and threatening in the thick darkness, 
 and we could hear the waves roaring against them as we strug¬ 
 gled past this point—the Retribution, with the yacht in tow, do¬ 
 ing her work manfully, and her light, like an ignis fatuus , dancing 
 on the waves close to our quarter. We did not know until we 
 met her at Yedo, just a week afterward, how nearly the Lee had 
 left her bones to whiten on that inhospitable coast. Nailed to a 
 lee shore for some hours, her life was despaired of by her gallant 
 commander, Captain Grahame, whose skill and seamanship, ably 
 seconded by Captain Colin Campbell, who was on board as a guest 
 at the time, rescued her from her precarious predicament. 
 
 Though it blew very hard for the three following days, the 
 wind was fair, and we made rapid progress. On the morning of 
 the 10th we saw on the distant horizon the lofty cone of Fusi- 
 yama, a mountain of whose very existence I had heretofore been 
 ignorant, and whose celebrity we did not even then suspect. At 
 that great distance it was a striking object. Towering over all 
 minor elevations, it reared its snow-streaked crest to a height of 
 12,000 feet above the sea, presenting in its form and outline very 
 much the appearance of Mount Etna. According to Japanese 
 accounts, it has not been active for upward of a century. Alter¬ 
 ing our course for this landmark, so worthy the great city of 
 Yedo, we made out shortly on our starboard beam the u Isles 
 Brisees,” and near them the active volcano of Yries, with a puff 
 of smoke resting above it as though a shell had burst upon its 
 apex. 
 
 Our immediate destination was Simoda, but its narrow entrance 
 on that bay-indented coast was somewhat difficult to find. As 
 we neared the shore we observed numerous craft dodging in and 
 out of harbors, and playing at “hide-and-seek” round bold green 
 headlands, and behind rocky islets; and at last we opened the 
 snug-looking bay of Simoda, and glided into its peaceful waters 
 between shores heavily clothed with timber, and resplendent with 
 brilliant foliage. Deep coves invited the tempest-tossed fisherman 
 to calm security, the entrance guarded by rocks, the shores feath- 
 
DANGEROUS HARBOR. 
 
 343 
 
 ered to the water’s edge, and the water itself clear as crystal, and 
 alive with glancing fishes. We only gazed wistfully into these 
 tempting retreats, too small for any thing hut a fishing-boat, and 
 steamed gently on into the tranquil harbor, in which two large 
 rocks, rising from its centre, are a picturesque but most incon¬ 
 venient feature. One of these, called Centre Island, is perforated 
 with a cavern and crowned with trees. The water is deep all 
 round it, and, as long as the wind is not blowing from the south¬ 
 east, is perfectly smooth. 
 
 To the unwary visitor the harbor seems the perfection of secu¬ 
 rity, so snugly embayed; while above it the hills rise in tumbled 
 masses, surrounding the little town, and giving birth to the river 
 that winds its sluggish course through a valley that might be in 
 fairyland, to the sea. With a sullen plunge the anchor falls into 
 the water deep and blue within a few yards of the shore, and sends 
 a throb of fresh excitement through our veins as we gaze with 
 ecstasy on the lovely scene around us, and prepare to explor.e its 
 unknown charms. 
 
344 
 
 RESIDENCE OF THE AMERICAN CONSUL. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Residence of the American Consul.—A Hermitage.—Visit to the American Consul. 
 —His recent Success at Yedo.—Bazar at Simoda.—Torturing Indecision.—A Jap¬ 
 anese Grave-yard.—Buddhist Temples.—The Sintoo Religion.—Household Gods. 
 —A Japanese Temple.—Doctrines of the Sintoos.—Theological Speculations.— 
 The Value of Sintooism.—A Visit from the Governor.—An expensive Form of 
 Politeness.—General Appearance of Simoda.—Voyage up the Bay of Yedo.—Jap¬ 
 anese Cottages.—Kanagawa.—Approach to Yedo. 
 
 At the head of the Bay of Simoda, and about a mile distant 
 from the town, is situated a pleasant grove of trees. Its mysteri¬ 
 ous shades are dedicated, doubtless, to religious purposes, and con¬ 
 ceal in their solemn recesses some picturesque old temple, in which, 
 for an untold number of years, shriveled priests have performed 
 their sacred functions. It is a spot eminently suggestive of re¬ 
 pose and religious retirement; and we could scarcely believe our 
 eyes when, on bringing our telescopes to bear, we distinguished, 
 fluttering among the leaves of a sacred Bo-tree, the well-known 
 combination of red, white, and blue which forms the national flag 
 of our transatlantic cousins. Yet so it is; the stars and stripes 
 wave proudly over the premises originally occupied by some re¬ 
 cent incarnation of Buddh; and Mr. Harris, the American consul, 
 has converted the shrine of that divinity into a four-poster. We 
 learn all this from Mr. Hewsken, Mr. Harris’s secretary, who comes 
 off to visit us before we have had time to land, and who brings 
 Lord Elgin an offer of services on the part of the American consul. 
 
 I landed with Lord Elgin to pay Mr. Harris a visit. The ex¬ 
 ternal aspect of his abode, as seen from the ship, did not belie its 
 romantic character upon a closer acquaintance. Had one wished 
 to retire altogether from the cares and anxieties of this trouble¬ 
 some world, it would be difficult to conceive a retreat more per¬ 
 fectly adapted for the purpose. When, however, entire and total 
 seclusion is the result rather of necessity than choice, it is small 
 consolation to feel that you are imprisoned in a corner admirably 
 suited to a recluse. Often, in the course of his wanderings, the 
 traveler is struck with the charms of some silent nook in this 
 bustling universe. His first impression is, “ What a delightful 
 
VISIT TO THE AMERICAN CONSUL: 
 
 345 
 
 spot for a hermit!”—his next, “How I should pity the poor 
 wretch!” For disciples of Zimmerman, notwithstanding, or lovers 
 in a Petrarchian state, Japan offers greater attractions, probably, 
 than any other country in the globe, but neither Mr. Harris nor 
 Mr. Hewsken seemed altogether to appreciate them. A well- 
 stored library, and a few rooms comfortably fitted up, gave an 
 agreeable air of civilization to the establishment; but what can 
 compensate for two years of almost entire isolation and banish¬ 
 ment from communion with one’s fellow-men ? Except upon the 
 rare occasions of Simoda being visited by some foreign vessel, 
 these two gentlemen had not seen a creature with whom they 
 could exchange an idea. They had. been for eighteen months 
 without receiving a letter or a newspaper, and two years without 
 tasting mutton—-sheep being an animal unknown in Japan. Still, 
 this exile had not the effect of disgusting them with the country 
 of their banishment. Mr. Harris spoke in terms even more eulo¬ 
 gistic than those universally employed by the Hutch of the Jap¬ 
 anese people. His residence among them, under circumstances 
 which compelled him to form intimate relations with them—for 
 they were his only companions—only served to increase his high 
 opinion of their amiable qualities and charming natural disposi¬ 
 tions. He told us numerous anecdotes illustrative of this, more 
 especially of the extraordinary attention shown him by the em¬ 
 peror and empress on the occasion of a serious illness which he 
 had suffered. The emperor insisted on sending his own medical 
 man to attend upon him, while her majesty delighted in providing 
 him with culinary delicacies, prepared by herself, and suited to his 
 state of health. 
 
 Mr. Harris had only recently returned from Yedo, where he had 
 just succeeded in negotiating a more favorable treaty with the 
 Japanese government than had been made since the days of Cap¬ 
 tain Saris. He had passed some months in that city, during which 
 time both he and Mr. Honker Curtius had been engaged in fruit¬ 
 less efforts to induce the government to accede to their terms. In 
 1855 the latter gentleman had concluded a mercantile arrange¬ 
 ment, by which certain concessions were allowed to foreigners; 
 but the cumbersome machinery of the Geldkammer was still re¬ 
 tained, and the monopoly of the trade was reserved to the Japan¬ 
 ese government, under conditions which rendered the concessions 
 worthless to nations engaged in commerce upon enlightened prin- 
 
346 
 
 HIS RECENT SUCCESS AT YEDO. 
 
 ciples. Mr. Harris, however, was determined to make a treaty 
 worthy the progressive people whom he represented; and Mr. 
 Donker Curtius, finding him so engaged, repaired to Yedo, de¬ 
 termined, if possible, not to be outdone. It so happened that his 
 precautions were unavailing. 
 
 Finding the Japanese government inexorable, both gentlemen 
 left in despair—Mr. Honker Curtius upon a long overland jour¬ 
 ney of two months to Nagasaki, Mr. Harris to return to Simoda. 
 He had scarcely reached it, however, before the Powhattan ar¬ 
 rived with intelligence of the Treaty of Tientsin. Mr. Harris then 
 lost not a moment in himself carrying the news of this to the cap¬ 
 ital ; and while Mr. Honker Curtius was journeying laboriously to 
 Nagasaki, ignorant of the great events which had taken place, his 
 rival had signed his treaty, and was back again at Simoda repos¬ 
 ing on his laurels. 
 
 We walked along the edge of the bay from Mr. Harris’s temple- 
 abode to the town. Simoda is a mean place compared with Na¬ 
 gasaki, and it is difficult to conceive why Commodore Perry 
 should have fixed upon it as a port. Even in those days it was 
 little more than a fishing village, and since then it has been visit¬ 
 ed by an earthquake, from the effects of which neither town nor 
 harbor has yet recovered. Always exposed, even where the an¬ 
 chorage was tolerable, there is now no holding-ground in the event 
 of a storm, so completely did that terrible convulsion of nature 
 change the surface of the bottom. 
 
 The town, which is situated at the debouching of the small river 
 into the sea, is composed of a few mean streets, running at right 
 angles to each other, and contains, probably, from three to four 
 thousand inhabitants. At one corner of it is a bazar established 
 for the benefit of foreigners, containing lacker of a superior de¬ 
 scription to that exhibited at Nagasaki, and sundry articles of na¬ 
 tive manufacture I had observed before. Among others, I bought 
 some water-proof great-coats for eighteen pence apiece, made of 
 wax paper, and as completely effectual in a storm of rain as the 
 best mackintosh that ever was manufactured. They are very 
 light and portable, the only drawback being a liability to tear; 
 but then they are half the price of a pair of white kid gloves. 
 
 These bazars are the most tantalizing of resorts. There is so 
 much displayed, and it is all so beautiful and new, that one walks 
 through avenues of brilliant novelties in a stupefied condition of 
 
BAZAR AT SIMODA. 
 
 347 
 
 mind, and with a strong sensation of overwhelming responsibility. 
 If any body would only come and tell one which to choose, and 
 what was most likely to be admired at home. Alas! every body 
 else is buying furiously; nobody seems to have a doubt upon the 
 subject; all the best things are being bought up under your nose, 
 and there you stand bewildered and dismayed; so you finally de¬ 
 termine to buy recklessly and indiscriminately until your pocket 
 is emptied of its contents. The process is simple. As soon as 
 the article is determined upon, the Japanese vendor hands you a 
 slip of paper and a fine hair brush dipped in ink. On this you 
 write your name and the price, after which you convey the sim¬ 
 plest expression of which your name will admit to the Japanese, 
 who writes in his own language the nearest approximation which 
 his ear retains of the uncouth sound. At the end of the day you 
 proceed to a sort of bureau, where all the purchases are piled up, 
 duly labeled, and their prices attached. These are added up by 
 the officials employed, and the foreign coin which is tendered 
 taken by weight. There is no haggling in the first instance, or 
 disputes afterward; every thing is managed with perfect order 
 and system. 
 
 Another inconvenience attending these bazars is the waste of 
 time which they involve. One is a martyr to one’s conscience all 
 the while. What business have you to stand and stare at lacker 
 all day, when the town and its neighborhood are to be explored, 
 and numerous interesting and important facts are to be observed 
 and noted? It is less expensive and more instructive to turn 
 one’s back upon this scene of extravagance, and start off in search 
 of the novel and the picturesque. We have not far to go. Just 
 behind the bazar rises a densely-wooded hill, and of course it is 
 adorned with temples and shrines, which we reach by clambering 
 up long flights of steps, and find little figures standing behind 
 strips of colored paper, and inscriptions, and the ashes of a sacred 
 fire. We look down over the town and bay, and then follow a 
 romantic path which winds through the damp impenetrable shade 
 formed by dense foliage, and suddenly opens upon an extensive 
 grave-yard, where quaintly-carved tomb-stones are planted thick 
 under the tall trees. The graves, of which these monuments indi¬ 
 cate the position, are said to be of circular form, plastered with 
 lime to prevent the infiltration of water. According to old Ar- 
 noldus Montanus, the women are placed in these in a sitting pos- 
 
348 
 
 A JAPANESE GRAVE-YARD. 
 
 ture, with their hands separated, and their faces turned as though 
 looking over the shoulder; the men are seated in a devotional at¬ 
 titude, with their hands clasped. The tomb-stones are called sisek, 
 and some of them are elaborately carved, and adorned with repre¬ 
 sentations of warriors fighting, or, in the case of women’s graves, 
 with drawings of flowers. The inscriptions are carved in the 
 stone, and left in that condition until the owner of the grave be¬ 
 comes its occupant, when they are gilt. 
 
 Altogether, a Japanese grave-yard, abundantly supplied with 
 tall sculptured monumental stones, many of them hoary and moss- 
 grown, embowered amid dense foliage, and overshadowed by the 
 twisted gables of some sacred edifice, is an object of interest and 
 tranquil beauty, calculated to produce in the mind of the stranger 
 from the Western world a strong impression in favor of a people 
 whose taste and sentiments upon so solemn a subject seem to be 
 in accordance with his own. 
 
 We passed from the grave-yard into the temple. The interior 
 was a spacious hall, matted and hung with large lanterns; a cen¬ 
 tre space, inclosing sacred tapers, and images of different sizes, 
 was railed off, as is usual in Buddhist temples. To those not 
 deeply versed in the mysteries of the religion, neither the princi¬ 
 pal idol nor the general aspect of the building seemed to differ 
 very much from temples dedicated elsewhere to the same wor¬ 
 ship ; but, inasmuch as there are thirty-five sects in Japan, or, at 
 any rate, were in the days of Nobanunga, there was doubtless 
 much that was not orthodox in the temple in question. The 
 priest, a venerable old man in a long gray robe, was remarkably 
 civil to us; but, as it was impossible to exchange an idea with 
 him, we contented ourselves by looking as pleased and interested 
 as we could. 
 
 The numerous temples in the neighborhood of Simoda form the 
 most attractive feature in its environs. They are more easily ap¬ 
 proached than those at Nagasaki: there is less climbing, and the 
 walks are prettier. Under almost every hill is hidden a yasiro 
 or miya: the entrance gateway is probably composed of two mon¬ 
 oliths, and resting upon them a long block of stone, upturned at 
 the ends, and perhaps curved in the centre; from this a broad 
 paved avenue leads to a flight of steps, at the top of which sits en¬ 
 shrined a many-armed divinity. Dense groves of bamboos and 
 other trees offer a delicious and refreshing shade to the pedestrian, 
 
THE SINTOO RELIGION. 
 
 349 
 
 who can lounge upon the hottest day along shady walks from one 
 temple to another, and smoke innumerable cigars on the steps of 
 them. Most of these temples bore a strong resemblance to each 
 other; one, however, which we visited, differed entirely from the 
 rest, and this we discovered to be Sintoo. 
 
 A Japanese on a visit to this country, who should endeavor to 
 impart to his friends in Japan some idea of the varied shades of 
 religious opinion which obtain in it, would find but little light 
 thrown on the subject by the comparison and inspection of any 
 number of cathedrals, churches, or chapels; and if his time was 
 limited, and his interpreter imperfect and not versed in theol¬ 
 ogy, his account of the religious denominations of the British 
 empire would be somewhat confused. So, of our own knowledge, 
 we can say but little of the religions of Japan; that one, however, 
 which is entitled to be called the national religion, and which 
 dates from the earliest period, is the religion ofSinsyn, or “Faith 
 of the Gods.” The votaries are called Sintoos, and its temporal 
 head is the Mikado, or Spiritual Emperor. The divinity who is 
 the chief object of adoration is the goddess Ten-sio-dai-zin, or pa¬ 
 tron deity of Japan. She was the daughter of the first god who 
 ever married, and who created the world, which then consisted of 
 Japan: prior to him there extends a mythological history scarce¬ 
 ly necessary to follow. This goddess with the long name was 
 succeeded by four terrestrial gods, the last of whom married a 
 mortal wife, and left a mortal son upon earth, the immediate pred¬ 
 ecessor of the mikados. 
 
 This mikado, besides being the spiritual emperor of Japan, is a 
 species of intercessory mediator between his subjects in this world 
 and the spirits and canonized beings of the next. In many re¬ 
 spects his functions seem very similar to those of the Pope. In 
 him rests the power of canonization, a much-coveted honor among 
 the kamis and great men of the empire. When canonized, they 
 retain the name of kami in the next world, and are chiefly use¬ 
 ful in interceding with the goddess Ten-sio-dai-zin, who can not 
 be approached directly; so every Sintoo Japanese has his patron 
 kami, who are enshrined in his house, and constitute his Lares and 
 Penates. The kamis are divided into superior and inferior, 492 
 being born gods, and 2640 being deified or canonized men. 
 
 The temple we visited contained numbers of these little shrines, 
 with representations of kami, together with models of ships and 
 
350 
 
 A JAPANESE TEMPLE. 
 
 other curiosities called Jemma, which, however, are only placed 
 there as donations by grateful worshipers, to furnish amusement 
 to persons frequenting the temple. The building itself was de¬ 
 void of all architectural pretension, and of a slate-color, the inte¬ 
 rior remarkable for its simplicity as compared with Buddhist tem¬ 
 ples. Its chief external peculiarity consisted in a curious orna¬ 
 mented spire, of which the annexed Japanese drawing will con¬ 
 
 vey a better idea than any description. The popular mountain 
 of Fusi-yama appears in the background covered with snow. 
 The distinguishing feature of Sintoo temples is a looking-glass, as 
 emblematic of the soul’s purity. On the right-hand side, on en¬ 
 tering, was a sort of font containing water, and opposite to it a 
 large bell. An oblong open box, laced across the top with wire, 
 is a conspicuous object to remind the worshipers of their duties as 
 almsgivers. The form of worship is very simple. Church-goers 
 commence by washing themselves in the font; they then pray op¬ 
 posite the looking-glass, asking for their necessities as we do; then 
 chink a few coppers into the wire-covered box, strike the bell thrice 
 
DOCTRINES OF THE SINTOOS. 
 
 351 
 
 as a signal that it is all over, and retire. Some, with a metaphys¬ 
 ical turn of mind, suppose that God sees into their hearts as 
 plainly as they do into the looking-glass, and therefore do not 
 pray at all. 
 
 I observed many strips of white paper, called by Siebold “ Go- 
 hei,” and on which Japanese characters were inscribed. Ksempfer 
 states that the Sintoo believes in Elysian or sub-celestial fields as 
 the abode of disembodied spirits, but that he is a universalist in 
 the matter of future punishment, and can form no idea of a devil 
 except as represented by a fox. Siebold, however, says that “the 
 Sintooist has a vague notion of the soul’s immortality—of an eter¬ 
 nal state of future happiness and misery, as the reward respective¬ 
 ly of virtue or vice—of separate places whither the soul goes aft¬ 
 er death. Heavenly judges call each to account: to the good is 
 allotted Paradise, and they enter the realm of the kami; the wick¬ 
 ed are condemned, and thrust into hell.” Certainly the famous dis¬ 
 pute about the color of the devil would go to show that they be¬ 
 lieve in one, and disprove Kkempfer’s assertion. The following is a 
 translation of a text from one of their sacred books given by that 
 author : “ In the beginning of the opening of all things, a chaos 
 floated, as fishes swim in the water for pleasure: out of this chaos 
 arose a thing like a prickle, movable and transformable. This 
 thing became a soul or spirit, and this spirit is called Kunitoko 
 Hatsuo Mikotto.” 
 
 The numerous sects which exist in Japan seem to be modifica¬ 
 tions, in divers degrees, of Buddhism and Sintooism. Buddhism 
 was not introduced in Japan until the year A.D. 552, and, after 
 some struggle to obtain a footing, finally took root about the end 
 of the century, and became gradually infused into the religion of 
 the country. After all, it differed in no great degree from the 
 existing worship. They both inculcated a high moral standard: 
 purity of heart and life was the great feature of Sintooism; purity 
 of body was enforced by ceremonial ordinances, almost Levitical 
 in their character. Certainly, in that vague condition of future 
 bliss which the Buddhist looks forward to in Nirvana, he does 
 not approximate to the Sintoo notion of Paradise; but then, sup¬ 
 posing Siebold to be correct, he escapes the infernal regions of the 
 latter by his doctrine of Metempsychosis. On the other hand, 
 Sintoo priests are a more favored race than those of Buddha; for 
 marriage is permitted them, the Mikado setting the example. 
 
352 
 
 THE VALUE OF SINTOOISM. 
 
 This spiritual functionary dwells theoretically in heaven, but he 
 is doubtless occasionally reminded of his propinquity to this vale 
 of tears by some of the twelve wives to which by law he is entitled. 
 
 Buddhist priests invariably shave the head, which they leave 
 uncovered. The Sintoo priesthood allow their hair to grow, and 
 wear a remarkable head-dress, resembling an inverted boat lack¬ 
 ered, and often of a most brilliant color. 
 
 In addition to the religions of Sinsyn and Buddha, with their 
 various shades of intermixture, is the philosophic creed of Sutoo, 
 or “ the Way of Life,” apparently a modification of Confucianism, 
 which is here, as in China, sufficiently “broad” and elastic to con¬ 
 sist with any form of superstition. Properly speaking, it recog¬ 
 nizes no gods, temples, or places of worship; acknowledges a uni¬ 
 versal pervading spirit; denies any future state of rewards and 
 punishments, holding that happiness consists in a righteous life, 
 and that, when the five cardinal virtues are practiced, the man is 
 perfect. These are, to live virtuously, to do right, to be courteous, 
 to govern wisely, and to obey the conscience. 
 
 We may assume that in Japan, as in all countries where Bud¬ 
 dhism exists, those elevated and somewhat mystic tenets which are 
 developed in its sacred books commend themselves to the under¬ 
 standings of the more enlightened and refined classes of society; 
 while the humbler portion of the population take refuge in the 
 idolatry of that gross material form which can alone satisfy their 
 coarse, sensuous requirements. It seems a question whether the 
 vulgar mind is really the crucible in which to test the power and 
 value of a theology; how often does it degrade the noblest faith 
 to its own level, and the hasty observer judges the religion by its 
 coarsest development! If, however, we are to consider the char¬ 
 acter of the Japanese with reference to their religious training 
 alone, Buddhism is certainly not the religion which has exercised 
 the most favorable influence upon their minds and dispositions. 
 Buddhism is said to be the religion of three hundred and fifteen 
 millions of the human race, who are all morally and intellectually 
 inferior to the Japanese. If, therefore, we ignore all physical 
 causes, and those theories by which it has recently been sought 
 to account for civilization and social progress, and reduce it to a 
 question of religion alone, we are forced to admit that the Sintoo 
 religion has produced results which entitle it to a very high rank 
 among the religions of the world. 
 
A VISIT FROM THE GOVERNOR. 
 
 353 
 
 Having arrived at which conclusion, we descend from the steps 
 of the temple of Sinsyn, upon which we have seated ourselves 
 while speculating upon the value of the creed; and the sun being 
 by this time concealed behind the peaked hills of the valley, we 
 can stroll along the rice-fields by the river’s brink, and enjoy the 
 balmy air of evening, or stop in answer to an invitation, and in¬ 
 dulge in delicious tea without paying for it. In its present unso¬ 
 phisticated state, Japan is a cheap as well as a pleasant residence, 
 foreign coin being forbidden, and the inhabitants being either 
 very conscientious, or very much afraid of being reported to gov¬ 
 ernment. We smoke pipes, drink tea in delightful summer¬ 
 houses, cross ferries, and in various manners incur pecuniary li¬ 
 abilities which we have no means of liquidating, for our money is 
 resolutely declined, and with an air of politeness which quite makes 
 us regret that we ever made the tender; so we are compelled to 
 reconcile ourselves to our fate, and by an interchange of tobacco 
 endeavor to convey a reciprocity of cordial sentiments. 
 
 The day following our arrival at Simoda, Lord Elgin received 
 a visit from the governor. He had learned that we proposed go¬ 
 ing up the Bay of Yedo, and his object now was to exert all his 
 powers of persuasion to induce Lord Elgin to forego this inten¬ 
 tion. He brought a large suite on board with him, all of whom 
 seemed to appreciate an English luncheon. I was rather startled 
 to hear one of them refuse Cura 9 oa, and ask for Maraschino in¬ 
 stead. The governor himself was a man of a most jovial temper¬ 
 ament. He indulged in constant chuckles, and rather reminded 
 one of Mr. Weller senior. He seemed to consider every thing a 
 capital joke—even Lord Elgin’s positive refusal to comply with 
 his request to hand over the yacht at Simoda and remain at that 
 place. He used every possible argument to carry his point, but 
 without avail. He said he dreaded the consequences to himself, 
 and chuckled; still more did he dread the consequences to us, and 
 chuckled again ; and when at last he found that we were neither 
 to be frightened or cajoled, he seemed perfectly contented, and 
 proceeded to wrap up in square pieces of paper any articles of 
 food which particularly struck his fancy, which he carried in the 
 folds of his shirt, saying, as he did so, that he had a number of 
 children at home of an age to appreciate the culinary curiosities 
 of foreign parts. Many of his suite seemed to have families also, 
 for they followed his example. I rather think one attempted to 
 
 Z 
 
354 
 
 GENERAL APPEARANCE OF SIMODA. 
 
 carry away some strawberry jam in his bosom, or in the sleeve of 
 his coat, which was made full and baggy for the purpose. These 
 square pieces of paper are not used exclusively for wrapping up 
 food in ; upon them inquisitive Japanese take notes, and in them 
 they blow their noses. It is a mark of politeness to carry away a 
 quantity of food from a dinner-table; so much so, that a very civil 
 guest sometimes brings a servant and a basket to carry away 
 those remnants which a good English housekeeper would appro¬ 
 priate to luncheon next day. This is a somewhat expensive mode 
 of showing approval of one’s friend’s dinner, but not so disagree¬ 
 able as the gradations which a man of good-breeding indulges in 
 with the same object. 
 
 The governor told us that he was allowed to have his wife with 
 him at Simoda, but this, as we understood, was only because his 
 rank was not sufficiently high to bring him within the category 
 of those obliged to leave their wives at Yedo. There are two 
 governors of Simoda, who relieve each other every six months, 
 the object being that each should serve as a check upon his col¬ 
 league. The governor, having now apparently satisfied his con¬ 
 science, prepared to take leave. He subsequently preferred a re¬ 
 quest in writing that two Japanese officials should be allowed a 
 passage in the Furious up the harbor. This, however, was de¬ 
 clined, upon the plea that it was contrary to the rules of the serv¬ 
 ice to take on board passengers. 
 
 Under the new treaty Kanagawa is substituted for Simoda, 
 which ceases to be an open port. It is indeed valueless as such : 
 the harbor is unsafe, the population is small and of the poorest 
 description, consisting chiefly of fishermen. The means of com¬ 
 munication with the interior are bad, as the town is situated on a 
 peninsula, to pass from which into the country it is necessary to 
 cross a mountain range about six thousand feet in height. 
 
 The houses are all built of wood, many of them only of one 
 story. The shops are poor and thinly supplied. Here, as at Na¬ 
 gasaki, the poorer classes are but lightly clad, the men having lit¬ 
 tle on besides a loin-cloth, and the women being generally uncov¬ 
 ered above the waist. They manifested but little curiosity at us 
 as we strolled about the streets, but I was amused to observe a 
 crowd collected round a dog belonging to one of our party, of the 
 Shantung terrier breed, and which, though a purely Chinese dog, 
 is scarcely to be distinguished from a Skye terrier. This long- 
 
VOYAGE UP THE BAY OE YEDO. 
 
 355 
 
 haired specimen of the canine race created immense excitement 
 and interest, both among Japanese dogs and men, as he trotted 
 complacently along the streets of Simoda. 
 
 We experienced great civility and kindness from Mr. Harris 
 during our short stay at Simoda, but were more especially indebt¬ 
 ed to him for the liberality with which he supplied a most import¬ 
 ant deficiency, in placing at Lord Elgin’s disposal the services of 
 his excellent Dutch interpreter, Mr. Hewsken. This gentleman 
 proved, during our stay at Yedo, a very obliging and agreeable 
 companion, as well as a most able assistant. Having spent two 
 years in the country, he had picked up a good deal of the lan¬ 
 guage, and I am indebted to him for much interesting information. 
 In all official transactions a Japanese interpreter was employed to 
 interpret from Dutch into Japanese. 
 
 We got under weigh from Simoda at daylight on the morning 
 of the 12th of August, and with a fair wind proceeded rapidly up 
 the bay, passing on our left a mountain range of about 6000 feet 
 in height. The shores now begin to close in, and at the Straits of 
 ITraga, which we reached in about five hours from Simoda, they 
 are not above ten miles apart. At this point the scenery was very 
 
 A Japanese Village (from a native drawing). 
 
356 
 
 KANAGAWA. 
 
 pretty; wooded hills rise from the water’s edge, sloping gently 
 back, here and there deeply furrowed with a charming glen, in 
 which cottages with steep-thatched roofs and overhanging eaves 
 are snugly ensconced. The western shore resembles some parts 
 of the coast of the Isle of Wight. The town of Uraga itself is the 
 most important-looking place on the coast. It is considered a sort 
 of barrier to Yedo, and even country craft should stop here to give 
 an account of themselves. Two boat-loads of two-sworded officials 
 pushed off in haste as we steamed up, and by gesticulations and 
 gestures of entreaty invited us to stop ; but we passed on, utterly 
 indifferent to their signals; and as we left them far behind, we 
 could still discern them tugging hopelessly after us, in the vain 
 attempt to overtake a steamer of 400 horse-power going at full 
 speed. 
 
 We could scarcely believe our eyes when, at anchor, the same 
 night, we observed these identical boats pull alongside, they hav¬ 
 ing never relinquished the pursuit. 
 
 Meantime we steamed steadily on through waters traversed for 
 the first time by Commodore Perry’s squadron a few years ago, 
 and consequently but little surveyed. Passing the Perry and 
 Webster islands, prettily wooded, and of a picturesque form, we 
 came within sight of the Russian squadron, anchored at Kanaga- 
 wa, at about midday. This place is situated at a distance of 
 eighteen miles from Yedo. It affords good anchorage about half 
 a mile from the shore; it is a town of considerable importance, 
 and has been selected as one of the new ports. Count Poutia- 
 tine, who had proceeded to Japan direct from the Gulf of Peche- 
 lee, had arrived here about a fortnight previously, and been en¬ 
 gaged during that period in making arrangements for his proper 
 reception at the capital. Lord Elgin, however, instead of stop¬ 
 ping at Kanagawa, determined to adopt the unprecedented course 
 of sailing straight up to the capital, believing that, if the achieve¬ 
 ment were feasible, it would not only save valuable time, but that 
 the presence of our ships there would produce a most salutary 
 effect upon the government, and in all probability tend to facili¬ 
 tate our negotiations. It was eminently fortunate that on occa¬ 
 sions of this sort he had in Captain Sherard Osborn a commander 
 upon whose zeal and professional skill he could always place the 
 most perfect reliance. 
 
 Our unexpected appearance must have somewhat astonished 
 
APPROACH TO YEDO. 
 
 357 
 
 our Muscovite friends, more especially as we passed on at full 
 speed up the bay, where no Western ship had ever before ven¬ 
 tured. Up to this point, the western shore under which we had 
 been coasting was uniformly high, and broken with projecting 
 promontories; now, however, it sank to a level with the waters 
 of the bay. The soundings in Perry’s chart cease just before 
 reaching Kawasaki Point—a long sandy spit which runs far out 
 into the bay, and off which the Japanese have placed a beacon. 
 
 The water now became shallow, and the channel somewhat in¬ 
 tricate. We were just doubting whether the undertaking was 
 practicable, when we saw in the distance some large square-rigged 
 ships, of a tonnage which satisfied us that their anchorage would 
 do for us ; but for a moment we felt bitterly disappointed at the 
 discovery of European-built ships, betokening, as we supposed, 
 the presence of some foreign flag more enterprising than our own. 
 It was only when we approached nearer that we perceived that 
 these Western-looking craft were in reality Japanese, and ob¬ 
 served the white flag with the red ball floating from the peak of 
 a dapper little steamer, and marking it “ Imperial.” 
 
 Gradually behind these vessels the island forts, and then the 
 houses of the city of Yedo, rose into view. Gently, with two 
 leads going, we crept up to the long-desired haven, closely follow¬ 
 ed by the Retribution and yacht; and by two o’clock the same 
 afternoon, after a most prosperous passage from Simoda, we an¬ 
 chored not far from the Japanese fleet, at a distance of about 
 three miles from the shore, and five from the capital of the em¬ 
 pire. 
 
858 
 
 OFFICIAL VISITORS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Official Visitors.—We shift our Anchorage.—A Visit from Princes.—Object of the 
 Interview.—A Japanese Man-of-war.—Visit to the Admiral.—Japanese Junks.— 
 Imperial Uniform.—Inquisitive Water-parties.—Moriyama.—Visit of the Com¬ 
 missioners.— Landing-parties.— The Landing-place.—A Japanese Saddle.—The 
 Procession through Yedo.—Excited Crowds.—The fair Sex.—Disfigurement of 
 married Women.—Japanese Pleasure-parties.—Arrival at our future Residence. 
 
 We had not been long at anchor before we were boarded by 
 those ever-vigilant and active two-sworded gentry, who seem to 
 swarm upon the shores of Japan, and who ponnce upon the 
 stranger as if he was their peculiar property. They always come 
 tumbling up the ladder full of smiles and impetuosity, not the 
 least afraid of boarding the foreign ship; then they bow and look 
 amiable, and talk with excessive volubility in Dutch and Japan¬ 
 ese, jerking out now and then a word of English. They want to 
 know who we are, how many guns we mount, how many men there 
 are on board, what our object is in coming, whether more ships 
 are following. Suddenly they recognize Mr. Hewsken; he is an 
 old friend, and there is Mr. Harris’s palanquin (he had kindly lent 
 it to Lord Elgin). Our visitors are much puzzled. It is evident 
 Mr. Harris is secreted somewhere on board, or else how comes it 
 that here are both his secretary and his palanquin ? But then 
 Mr.Harris sails under the “stars and stripes,” and the Japanese 
 know that the flag waving above them is the British ensign. 
 They bombard Mr. Hewsken with questions, which they do not 
 give him time to answer, and, at all events, are perfectly clear 
 upon one point—whether Mr. Harris is on board or not, we must 
 instantly return to Kanagawa. We explain that the British min¬ 
 ister is on board, though not visible to their vulgar gaze, and that 
 we can not venture to broach such a proposition to him. Mean¬ 
 time more official boats arrive, and we learn that Count Poutia- 
 tine has that day arrived from Kanagawa, and made his official 
 entry by land into Yedo, where he has taken up his residence. 
 It was evident that none of our visitors were men of rank; they 
 came rather with the view of collecting information than as offi¬ 
 cial messengers; but the burden of the song always was, “Go 
 
A VISIT FROM PRINCES. 
 
 859 
 
 back to Kanagawa.” Lord Elgin sent a letter on slrore the same 
 afternoon to tire prime minister, stating that he had come to make 
 a treaty, and to present the yacht to the emperor, and requesting 
 that he might be furnished with a suitable residence on shore. 
 
 On the following morning, finding by our boats that we could 
 get nearer the shore, we ran on into three-fathom water, and an¬ 
 chored about a mile and a half from it, and in the midst of the 
 Japanese fleet. This consisted of two large, square-rigged ships, 
 a pretty little paddle-wheel steamer, which had been purchased 
 from the Dutch government, and a three-masted schooner. From 
 our present anchorage we could follow the houses of the city 
 lining the shores of the bay from the suburb of Sinagawa, off 
 which we were lying, to a long bridge just visible in the extreme 
 distance. This view was intercepted by five island forts, which 
 rose from the shallow waters of the bay about half way between 
 ns and the centre of the city. Low hills prettily wooded, and 
 crowned with temples, formed a background to Sinagawa and the 
 western portion of the city, while a wooded eminence in the cen¬ 
 tre, gleaming here and there with a patch of white wall, and dis¬ 
 tinguished by the roofs of a pagoda, marked the citadel, or resi¬ 
 dence of the Tycoon. 
 
 Towering over all in the western distance, but too often con¬ 
 cealed by clouds, the majestic Fusi-yama reared its conical sum¬ 
 mit. The princes came off to luncheon about midday, bringing 
 with them an answer to the letter of yesterday. These dignitaries 
 are only Saimios, or titular princes, and are of an inferior rank to 
 the Daimios, or hereditary princes. One of them, Sinanono-kami, 
 was the alternate Governor of Simoda, the colleague of our jovial 
 friend of yesterday. They were plainly dressed, and accompanied 
 by the usual retinue, the use of which we now began to perceive. 
 Most of them were engaged during the whole period of their in¬ 
 terview with Lord Elgin in reporting in note-books precisely 
 every word that passed. I even caught one fellov^ as I glanced 
 over his shoulder, making a sketch of his excellency. 
 
 When no conversation was actually taking place, they noted 
 down observations of surrounding objects. Most inquisitive were 
 they in their inquiries about every thing, and ready in booking 
 the answer. The people who had no note-books were spies, whose 
 business it was to see whether those who had did their duty prop¬ 
 erly; also to keep an eye on the princes, and report any indis- 
 
360 
 
 OBJECT OF THE INTERVIEW. 
 
 cretion of whicli they might be guilty. So, when every body was 
 watching every body else, it was only natural that the Japanese 
 should wonder who was watching us. They solved this difficulty 
 in an amusing way. Finding that there was only one British 
 minister on board, but observing also that his letter had been 
 signed Elgin and Kincardine, they gave us to understand, in the 
 least offensive way possible, that Kincardine, who was nowhere 
 visible, they supposed to be engaged in keeping his eye on Elgin. 
 It was some time before we made them understand how two titles 
 could be vested in one and the same person. 
 
 Meantime they did not forget the main object of their visit: 
 this was to endeavor to persuade Lord Elgin to return to Kana- 
 gawa, at which point, they assured us, arrangements could much 
 more easily be made for his reception at Yedo. This was by no 
 means evident. Lord Elgin objected that going eighteen miles 
 farther could not facilitate his coming to the capital; then they 
 said that the anchorage was very dangerous. They were recoim 
 mended, in that case, to remove their own fleet to a place of greater 
 safety. Farther, they urged it would be impossible to send sup¬ 
 plies to the ship; but they were assured that we were quite inde. 
 pendent, having a sufficient stock of supplies on board. In fact, 
 each prince severally made a remonstrance, doubtless for the ben¬ 
 efit of his spy; and when they had fulfilled this duty, they re¬ 
 ceived with smiles Lord Elgin’s assurance that any movement 
 from his present anchorage was impossible until he had fulfilled 
 the object of his visit, and handed over the yacht to the imperial 
 government. This decision, they said, they would report to their 
 superiors, and for the remainder of their visit they devoted them¬ 
 selves to pate de fois gras and Champagne. They ultimately de¬ 
 parted, promising to return with an answer on the morrow. The 
 next day, however, was so wet that we could hardly blame them 
 for not braving the elements; and, to relieve the monotony, a 
 party of us went on a voyage of exploration to the largest ship 
 in the fleet, and then on to the forts. 
 
 Both the square-rigged ships looked like those cumbrous arks 
 in which our ancestors used to circumnavigate the globe, and 
 were, in fact, built upon old Butch models, although of recent 
 construction. The one we boarded was painted a bright red; 
 her masts were of ponderous size, built and ribbed with iron 
 hoops; the rigging bleached white, and ragged from the action 
 

 ' 
 
 
 * 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 nf ^jpN 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Yedo Forts. 
 
VISIT TO THE ADMIRAL. 
 
 363 
 
 of the weather and the absence of tar. We ascended the heavy 
 ladder to a large square hole, which admitted us to the main deck. 
 We were most civilly received by an individual who may be sup¬ 
 posed to have been the officer of the watch, and shown over the 
 ship. Two or three 32-pound Paixhan guns were lying about, 
 but there was not a vestige of a carriage, or any bolts for side- 
 tackles. The scantling was of enormous thickness, and the port¬ 
 holes were closed with clumsily-built shutters. There was an 
 appearance of comfort, nevertheless, about the main deck gener¬ 
 ally, which was inhabited by the crew, whose mats were all neat¬ 
 ly arranged round it. The lower deck was empty, with the ex¬ 
 ception of a few stores and water-casks. 
 
 Under a high poop astern was the captain’s cabin. We entered 
 it, and found two or three naval dignitaries squatted upon the 
 floor drinking tea; one of these we afterward discovered to be 
 the admiral-in-chief of the imperial navy. He was appointed one 
 of the commissioners to treat with Lord Elgin, and proved to be 
 a most intelligent person. We had no idea that the plain-looking 
 group before us contained so important a personage; and, in an¬ 
 swer to a polite invitation to join their party, we twisted our legs 
 under us, received from them pipes containing homoeopathic doses 
 of tobacco in exchange for our cigars, and refreshed ourselves 
 with some delicious tea. Unfortunately, we were compelled to 
 confine our observations to smacking our lips and puffing out 
 smoke, for we were without an interpreter. We did, indeed, ul¬ 
 timately, by the exercise of great intelligence on both sides, get 
 so far as to learn the Japanese numerals up to ten, and teach them 
 the English; but the intellectual effort was too great to be sus¬ 
 tained ; and we parted with feelings of mutual relief, and the 
 warmest expressions of good-will, as conveyed in our mother 
 tongue. The cabin in which we had been entertained was devoid 
 of furniture, as rooms in Japan always are; but the mats were 
 soft, and there was an air of comfort and cleanliness about the 
 apartment. It was built apparently of fir-wood, the carpentering 
 of perfect workmanship. 
 
 We now made for the left-hand point of the left-hand fort, tak¬ 
 ing advantage of the opportunity to sound as we sailed slowly 
 along. We found the forts constructed of huge blocks of stone, 
 surmounted by guns of large calibre, and staked round with piles. 
 Considerable knowledge of fortification has been displayed both 
 
864 
 
 JAPANESE JUNKS. 
 
 in their construction and situation. They extend in a parallel 
 line with the coast for some distance. Between some of them the 
 water is so shallow as not even to admit of the passage of boats; 
 between the two westernmost, however, it is comparatively deep. 
 We were in the deepest channel, to judge from the size of the na¬ 
 tive craft which chose it, and found at half flood eight feet of wa¬ 
 ter at our farthest sounding. At this point numbers of junks 
 were anchored, and some small schooners built from European 
 models. The largest of these junks may have been of 150 tons 
 burden, high-sterned, heavily-masted, quaint-looking craft; the 
 masts are not composed of a single spar, but built and ribbed with 
 iron, rising from the deck like some gigantic forest-tree to a height 
 of forty or fifty feet: the top of the mast was slightly bent, and 
 from it depended a vast expanse of a coarse cotton fabric, attach¬ 
 ed to a yard on the same scale as the mast, so massive, that to 
 hoist it must be as laborious an operation as weighing anchor. 
 The rudder projects far astern, and is moved by a huge tiller ex- 
 
 A Junk in the Bay of Yedo (from a native drawing). 
 
 tending half the length of the craft. An extensive assortment of 
 anchors garnish the bow, and on deck there is frequently a thatch¬ 
 ed shed for the crew. Altogether the rig is clumsy to the nautic¬ 
 al eye; but we met several of their junks making good weather 
 of it when it was blowing freshly. It is said, however, that a gov- 
 
IMPERIAL UNIFORM.—INQUISITIVE WATER-PARTIES. 365 
 
 ernment rule exists, compelling tliem to be built on a principle 
 which, renders it dangerous for them to venture far from shore, so 
 as to prevent their visiting foreign countries. The annexed Jap¬ 
 anese drawing conveys a very good idea of a scene in the Bay of 
 Yedo, with Fusi-yama in the distance. 
 
 On our return to the ship we found a message had arrived apol¬ 
 ogizing for the non-appearance of the commissioners, and inclosing 
 a copy of the American treaty. We were always able to recog¬ 
 nize government messengers from afar. Generally they came in 
 a boat painted red, about the size of a pinnace, and rigged with 
 two lug-sails. The crews were always in uniform—either in blue 
 or black, with white stripes. Black and white are the imperial 
 colors, but the national flag is a red ball on a white ground. The 
 Japanese seem to hold the sun in almost as great respect as the 
 Parsees. Their patron divinity, Ten-sio-dai-zin, is the sun-god¬ 
 dess, and they have adopted the luminary as their national em¬ 
 blem. 
 
 While the costume of the government boatmen was uniform 
 and respectable, the same can not be said of the crews of the nu¬ 
 merous other boats which used constantly to surround us. A 
 pocket-handkerchief would have supplied material for a full suit; 
 but even then it must be torn in half, and while one piece crosses 
 the loins, the other is drawn tightly over the nose. It is not, as 
 may be supposed, from any feeling of modesty that this feature is 
 concealed: the idea is, that it is sensitive to cold; but the general 
 effect of a man with nothing on but two scanty strips of cotton— 
 one round the middle of his body, and the other round the mid¬ 
 dle of his face—is in the highest degree ludicrous. 
 
 In the afternoon, pleasure parties from the shore used to come 
 and inspect us; boat-loads of ladies, with a great deal of white 
 powder on their cheeks, and lips painted a brilliant vermilion, 
 gazed on us with the utmost interest and delight, making witty 
 remarks at our expense, and then laughing immoderately. Some 
 of the gentlemen ventured on board, and one of them mistook Lord 
 Elgin’s Chinese chair for a shrine, and, being evidently of a toler¬ 
 ant and liberal spirit in religious matters, did us the honor of pros¬ 
 trating himself before what he supposed was one of our divinities; 
 but his fair companions contented themselves with gyrating round 
 us, and looking in at our port-holes with that curiosity which 
 doubtless characterizes the sex even here. We had not much op- 
 
366 
 
 MORI YAM A. 
 
 portunity of judging of the extent to which this propensity is in¬ 
 dulged; but, considering that the most inquisitive men in the 
 world are certainly Japanese men, it is difficult to form a concep¬ 
 tion of what the women must be. 
 
 On the following day five commissioners came off to complete 
 the arrangements for our taking up our residence on shore. In 
 addition to the three whom we had already seen was our naval 
 friend of yesterday, Admiral Nangai Grembano-kami, and a cheer¬ 
 ful colleague, by name Higono-kami, who turned out the most 
 agreeable and intelligent person I met in Japan. These gentle¬ 
 men were accompanied by an individual who played a very im¬ 
 portant part throughout the negotiations, and whose real value 
 was indeed very little below his own very high estimate of it. He 
 was the interpreter Moriyama, for some time resident at Nagasaki; 
 he wrote and spoke Dutch with almost as much facility as Japa¬ 
 nese, and was the means of communication between Mr. Hewsken 
 and the commissioners. 
 
 Beneath a ludicrous affectation of manner Moriyama concealed 
 an infinite amount of practical, shrewd common sense. He was, 
 in fact, a diplomate of the Talleyrand school, always silky and 
 smiling, anxious to impress upon you that he was a mere humble 
 interpreter, while through his bland diffidence it was easy to dis¬ 
 tinguish a latent ambition to have every thing his own way, and a 
 perfect confidence in his own powers. When we jokingly called 
 him a humbug, and tried to explain to him the meaning of the 
 term, he evidently regarded it as a compliment, while he depre¬ 
 cated it in his usual air of insinuating self-satisfaction. 
 
 I was fortunate enough to sit next Higono-kami at lunch, and 
 we employed ourselves in making a vocabulary on his fan. 
 Though he had never seen a foreigner, until within the last few 
 months, in his life, he could write in the English character, and was 
 very quick in picking up and retaining the correct pronunciation 
 of every vowel I told him. He informed me that he was qualify¬ 
 ing himself to be appointed one of the embassadors to be sent to 
 Europe, and anxious, in consequence, to lose no opportunity of 
 learning English. I saw him almost every day during the remain¬ 
 der of my stay in Yedo, and he generally used to repeat without a 
 mistake the lesson of the day before. He was infinitely more in¬ 
 terested in studying English than in watching the progress of the 
 negotiations, and carried perpetually about in his bosom a stock 
 
 % 
 
LANDING-PARTIES. 
 
 367 
 
 of fans, which contained his vocabulary. At luncheon, however, 
 he generally contrived to combine duty with inclination, and hav¬ 
 ing carefully noted the name of each dish, forthwith proceeded to 
 partake of it. 
 
 Our guests informed us that a choice of two houses was at our 
 disposal, but that they regretted that the emperor’s illness would 
 prevent his giving Lord Elgin the audience he desired. In the 
 mean time, it was arranged that some of our party should go on 
 shore to examine our future abode. After luncheon the admiral 
 went over the ship, inspecting her thoroughly, when he took oc¬ 
 casion to discuss the merits of oscillating cylinders, and show him¬ 
 self well versed in machinery. 
 
 Upon our visitors taking their departure, the humbler members 
 of their retinue, who were all ranged upon the deck, prostrated 
 themselves as their lords and kamis passed. 
 
 In consequence of the unfavorable state of the weather, our 
 landing was postponed until the 17th of August. On the morn¬ 
 ing of that day great preparations were made, in order that the 
 event might take place with due eclat. It had been arranged 
 that some Japanese officials should come off to accompany his 
 excellency on shore. They were evidently under the impression 
 that we were going to land in their boats, and were not a little 
 startled to find themselves on board the Lee, in company with 
 the greater part of the officers of the squadron, all in full dress, 
 and with thirteen ships’ boats in tow, looking spruce and gay, 
 with their neat crews, and ensigns flying. The Retribution, 
 Furious, and yacht were all dressed out; and as the little Lee 
 steamed boldly on past the forts, and threaded her way among 
 the junks beyond, the faces of our Japanese friends elongated 
 at finding our entire indifference to shallow water and sand¬ 
 banks. 
 
 At last soundings in seven feet reminded us that even the Lee 
 had a bottom, and we dropped anchor and got into our boats. As 
 we did so the ships thundered forth a salute, the band of the Ret¬ 
 ribution, in a paddle-box boat, struck up “Rule, Britannia,” the 
 rest of the boats formed in procession, Lord Elgin’s barge in the 
 centre between four paddle-box boats, each with a brass gun in 
 the bow, and in this order we pulled along the shore for about 
 three miles, a spectacle such as Japanese eyes had never before 
 witnessed, and the novelty of which induced numerous boats to 
 
368 
 
 TIIE LANDING-EL ACE. 
 
 push off and take a nearer view of us as we moved steadily and 
 rapidly along. The landing-place was about the centre of the 
 city, which is here protected along the sea-face by green batteries: 
 the grassy slopes, dotted with handsome trees, would rather lead 
 us to suppose that we were approaching a park than the most 
 populous part of a densely-crowded city. We turned off from 
 the waters of the bay into a little creek, spanned by a bridge. So 
 shallow, however, was the water, that we had some difficulty in 
 
 The Landing-place, Yedo. 
 
 forcing even the smaller boats to the foot of the stairs; we were 
 consoled for the inconvenience by being informed that this was 
 the landing-place reserved for the exclusive use of the highest 
 officers of state. 
 
 At this point there was comparatively no crowd, the batteries 
 being inclosed, and not open to the general public. Had the Jap¬ 
 anese been as civilized as we are, they would have admitted a se¬ 
 lect few with tickets, to obtain which it would have been neces¬ 
 sary to make immense interest with our friend Admiral Nangai 
 Grembano-kami. As it was, all who were there seemed in some 
 way officially connected with the day’s proceedings. We were 
 supplied with tea while the norimons and horses were getting 
 ready. Norimons are the palanquins of Japan; they differ, how¬ 
 ever, from the ordinary palanquin in being square instead of ob- 
 
A JAPANESE SADDLE. 
 
 369 
 
 long, so that a reclining posture is impossible. The occupant sits 
 cross-legged, and is very near the ground, the pole on which the 
 norimon is supported passing over the roof. Four men carry this 
 somewhat uncomfortable contrivance, which is by no means well 
 adapted to the stranger desirous of looking about him; under 
 these circumstances, I always avoided a norimon when it was 
 possible to get a horse. Upon this occasion we had our choice; 
 they were all standing outside the gate, where an immense crowd 
 was already collected. 
 
 I soon found myself upon a fiery galloway, perched on a very 
 hard saddle, my feet in stirrups almost big enough to go to sea in, 
 and something between a catamaran and a Turkish slipper in 
 shape. They are pointed at one end so as to serve the purpose 
 of a spur; and if the horse is fresh, the great business of life is to 
 keep the stirrup from touching him; but it is impossible to de¬ 
 vote one’s whole attention to this; for, as the stirrup-leathers are 
 full of knots, and the saddle full of knobs, and most of us have 
 left China martyrs to that scourge of the country, boils—our minds 
 are fully occupied with a variety of weighty considerations. Still 
 I found time to observe that my horse’s tail was carefully tied up 
 in a long bag which almost reached the ground; that his feet were 
 swaddled in straw shoes, an abundant supply of which I carried 
 
 A Japanese Horse-shoe and Saddle. 
 
 hanging under my stirrups. These were carefully fastened on 
 with lashings of twisted straw, and whenever one shoe was worn 
 out or kicked off, another was immediately tied on; hence arises 
 
 the custom in Japan of measuring distances by horses’ shoes. 
 
 A A 
 
370 
 
 THE PROCESSION THROUGH YEDO. 
 
 Here you ask in how many horse-shoes will I reach, the residence 
 of the spiritual emperor? which, after all, does not differ very 
 much from the old problem of how many cows’ tails will reach 
 the moon. 
 
 Fortunately, each horse was attended by two grooms, it being 
 a great point with a Japanese that the public should suppose him 
 riding an animal so spirited that the combined exertions of two 
 men are scarcely sufficient to restrain his ardor. These men tug¬ 
 ged incessantly at the mouth of my poor steed, shouting to him 
 constantly “Chai, chai,” which means “Gently, gently,” and mak¬ 
 ing an immense fuss whenever we came to a gutter; but I was 
 too glad to be relieved of the responsibility of guiding him to in¬ 
 terfere, and the muslin reins hung listlessly between my fingers. 
 
 Meantime the procession was formed, and was by no means un- 
 picturesque. In front marched a pompous official, accompanied 
 by a man carrying a spear, the badge of authority ; he was close¬ 
 ly followed by a knot of officials in a neat costume of a coarse- 
 looking black gauze, like thick musquito-curtains. On their backs 
 or shoulders was stamped the imperial trefoil, or the private arms 
 of the owner. Some were dressed exactly alike, others wore blue 
 and white dresses; but every individual was evidently in a uni¬ 
 form befitting his rank and position. All these men, however, 
 were probably servants, or quite subordinate officials; some car¬ 
 ried aloft umbrellas covered with large water-proof bags, and oth¬ 
 ers lackered portmanteaus on poles over their shoulders. This 
 was supposititious baggage. On each side of the procession walk¬ 
 ed policemen in a sort of harlequin costume, composed of as many 
 colors as if their dress was made from a patchwork counterpane: 
 each of these men carried iron rods six or seven feet long, from 
 the top of which depended a quantity of iron rings. Every time 
 that this rod was brought to the ground with the jerk of author¬ 
 ity, it emitted a loud jingle, which was heard far and wide through 
 the crowd, and was, I am bound to say, respected by them accord¬ 
 ingly. Behind this vanguard we came, some on horseback and 
 some in norimons; and more men in black gauze, and umbrella- 
 carriers, and variegated policemen, brought up the rear. 
 
 As for the crowd, it was wild with excitement; the inhabitants 
 of every cross street and lane poured out to see us pass. The ex¬ 
 citement of maid-servants in our own country, where the strains 
 of martial music fall upon their ears, was nothing to it. There were 
 
THE FAIR SEX. 
 
 371 
 
 mothers with small babies hanging over their shoulders, reckless 
 of their progeny, hastening to swell the crowd; children dodging 
 under old people’s legs, and old people tottering after children, 
 and bathers of both sexes, regardless of the fact that they had 
 nothing on but soap, or the Japanese substitute for it, crowding 
 the doorways. The clatter of pattens was quite remarkable: as 
 all the women wear high wooden pattens, which are very incon¬ 
 venient to run in, and as women in Japan, as in England, formed 
 the largest proportion of the mob, the scuffling they made added 
 to the tumult. Not that the people were the least disorderly; 
 they laughed, and stared, and ran parallel with us, till stopped by 
 a barrier, for the Japanese are perfect in the management of 
 crowds. In the principal street there are wooden gates about ev¬ 
 ery two hundred yards, with a gatekeeper seated in a little house 
 like a turnpike. The moment we pass this the gate is shut, and 
 the old crowd is left behind to crane through the bars, and watch 
 with envious eyes the new crowd forming. All the cross streets 
 entering'the main street are shut off from it by rojDes stretched 
 across them, under or over which the people never attempt to pass. 
 
 The crowd was, to all appearance, entirely composed of the 
 shopkeepers and lower classes. The men were decently clothed, 
 and the women wore a sort of jacket above their skirt, which was, 
 however, constructed upon a rather neglige principle. The first 
 impression of the fair sex which the traveler receives in a Japa¬ 
 nese crowd is in the highest degree unfavorable ; the ghastly ap¬ 
 pearance of the faces and bosoms, thickly coated with powder, the 
 absence of eyebrows, and the blackened teeth, produce a most 
 painful and disagreeable effect. Were it not for this abominable 
 custom, Japanese women would probably rank high among East¬ 
 ern beauties, certainly far before Chinese. All Japanese writers 
 whom I have read upon the subject affirm that to have no eye¬ 
 brows and black teeth is considered a beauty in Japan, and that 
 the object of the process is to add to the charms of the fair one. 
 The result of my inquiry and observation, however, rather led me 
 to form an opposite conclusion. 
 
 In the first place, young ladies do not, as a rule, neglect any 
 means of improving their looks; but no Japanese young ladies, 
 even after they are “ out,” think of taking this method of increas¬ 
 ing their powers of fascination ; they color their cheeks and lips, 
 and deck their hair, but it is not until they have made a conquest 
 
 .* 
 
372 
 
 DISFIGUREMENT OF MARRIED WOMEN. 
 
 of some lucky swain, that, to prove tkeir devotion to him, they be¬ 
 gin to blacken their teeth and pull out their eyebrows. He, priv¬ 
 ileged being, is called upon to exhibit no such test of his affection; 
 on the contrary, his lawful wife having so far disfigured herself as 
 to render it impossible that she should be attractive to any one 
 else, seems to lose her charms for her husband as well; so he 
 places her at the head of his establishment, and adds to it an in¬ 
 definite number of handmaidens, who neither pull out their eye¬ 
 brows nor blacken their teeth ; hence it seems not difficult to ac¬ 
 count for the phenomenon which is universally admitted, that 
 while Japanese wives are celebrated for their virtue, their hus¬ 
 bands are no less notorious for their licentiousness. 
 
 It is only fair to state that, in addition to black teeth and bare 
 brows, a Japanese Lothario has the avenging dagger to deter him 
 from intrigue, adultery in Japan being punished by the death of 
 both the guilty parties. But it must not be supposed that the la¬ 
 dies of Japan consider themselves a more ill-used race than those 
 in other parts of the world; so far from it, there is probably no 
 Eastern country in which the women have so much liberty or such 
 great social enjoyment. Polygamy is not permitted, and, from all 
 we could learn, the position of the ladies corresponds more nearly 
 to that which they occupy in the West than in the East. They 
 are respected in society as lawful wives, and their children inherit 
 whatever titles or property appertain to the family. To them be- 
 
 Japanese Ladies and Children (from a native drawing). 
 
JAPANESE PLEASURE-PARTIES. 
 
 373 
 
 long all the privileges of legitimacy in a country where u family’’ 
 is much esteemed : a matrimonial alliance is, consequently, a mat¬ 
 ter of serious consideration to parents, and a good match much to 
 be desired. Then these ladies are subject to no seclusion, but go 
 to theatres, breakfasts, picnics, and even flower-shows, conducted 
 after their own fashion. They are very fond of pleasure-parties 
 on the water, and are skilled in the guitar, so that it is quite pos¬ 
 sible to be sentimental in Japan even with black teeth. The la¬ 
 dies are also said to be adepts at dancing, but the gentlemen look 
 on instead of offering themselves as partners. We had, unfortu¬ 
 nately, no opportunity of seeing any Japanese ladies, our time was 
 so fully occupied ; and when I did at last obtain a promise from 
 Moriyama to take me to his abode, we could not find a spare hour. 
 
 Fortunately, we did not digress so much from the main street 
 of Yedo as I have from this account of our progress along it. For 
 at least two miles did we pass between two rows of human beings 
 six or eight deep, until at last, turning down a short lane, and 
 passing between a pair of heavy wooden gates, which closed be¬ 
 hind us, we entered a court-yard formed by a temple and its ad¬ 
 jacent buildings, at one corner of which a number of servants 
 were standing on the steps of a veranda waiting to receive us. 
 
 Here we dismounted, and exultingly took possession of our fu¬ 
 ture residence in Yedo. 
 
874 
 
 RESIDENCE OF THE BRITISH MISSION. 
 
 CHAPTER XXYI. 
 
 Residence of British Mission.—Plan of our House.—Soft Matting.—Japanese Spies. 
 —Shingle Roofs.— The Princes’ Quarter.—An obstructive Aristocracy.—Argu¬ 
 ments on their side.—Evils of Civilization.—Restrictions on the Nobles.—Palaces 
 of the Princes.—The Citadel.—Panorama of Yedo.—An imperial Banquet.—A 
 shopping Expedition.—Fire-ladders.—We are mistaken for Chinese.—Bathing- 
 houses.—Handsome Lacker-ware.—A Silk-mercer’s.—An active Police.—Organ¬ 
 ization of the Police Department.—Street Dogs.—Wild Deer. 
 
 The apartments appropriated to tire use of the British mission 
 were connected with a Buddhist temple, in which some descrip¬ 
 tion of service seemed constantly to be going on. Before land¬ 
 ing, Lord Elgin had been requested to send in an exact list of 
 the number of Europeans, including servants, by whom he was to 
 be accompanied, and he accordingly furnished a requisition for 
 accommodation for eighteen. This included a certain number of 
 officers from the squadron. Some of these occupied rooms usual¬ 
 ly inhabited by priests, immediately to the right on entering the 
 outer yard. Our rooms formed one side of an inner court, or 
 rather garden, consisting of a lawn, in the centre of which was a 
 pond covered with lotus, and containing a tiny island, approached 
 by a rustic bridge. Yery large gold-fish floated lazily about un¬ 
 der the broad lotus-leaves. 
 
 This agreeable refireat was shut in from the outer world by the 
 temple on one side, and in all other directions by a high artificial 
 bank, covered with shrubbery and pine trees, from between the 
 lower branches of which, nevertheless, curious eyes might fre¬ 
 quently be detected watching the movements of the mysterious 
 strangers. The lower rooms were all divided from each other by 
 paper screens running on slides, and movable at pleasure, so that 
 they could be subdivided as circumstances required. By these 
 means we procured a large dining-room,'besides Lord Elgin’s sit¬ 
 ting-room ; and a spacious loft up stairs, in addition to the rooms 
 below, furnished sleeping accommodation for the whole party. 
 
 Considering how short a time had been allowed our hosts to 
 make preparations for our reception, it was quite wonderful how 
 carefully they had forestalled our wants. They had first been 
 
SOFT MATTING. 
 
 375 
 
 made acquainted with the requirements of Europeans in the mat¬ 
 ter of furniture through Mr. Harris. Prior to that gentleman’s 
 visit, the government had sent privately to Simoda to have exact 
 copies made of his furniture, so that, on reaching Yedo, he found, 
 to his astonishment, chairs, tables, and beds, in a city where all 
 such articles had been previously unknown. So we were de¬ 
 lighted to find not only beds, but mattresses, and musquito cur¬ 
 tains, and comfortable dressing-gowns, of rather too thick a tex¬ 
 ture, however, for the time of year. 
 
 On my dressing-table was a black lacker jug and basin, but on 
 a purely Japanese model, the jug like a small bucket, the basin 
 like a miniature tub; besides this there was a black lackered to¬ 
 bacco-stand, furnished with pipes and tobacco. These stands are 
 like small trays, and contain two compartments for tobacco; one 
 for fire, which is preserved in a glowing cake under ashes, and 
 one for the discharged remains of the pipes: these lie like pens 
 in their own division. I had, moreover, a little window overlook¬ 
 ing the residence of a Japanese family of moderate means. From 
 this post of observation I could see the children playing games, 
 the mamma sewing, or busy with household cares, and listen to a 
 young lady who used to be rather too fond of playing the lute. 
 
 All our rooms were matted in the usual way with wadded 
 mats, so scrupulously clean that we began by walking about in 
 our own or Japanese socks, for fear of dirtying them ; but it was 
 so exceedingly troublesome to be perpetually putting on and 
 kicking off our shoes, that we ultimately sacrificed cleanliness to 
 convenience. We found, moreover, that a Japanese sandal was 
 
 A Japanese Sandal. 
 
 by no means adapted to the tender toes of the West. These 
 mats were all exactly the same size, so that there is never a diffi¬ 
 culty about getting them to fit the apartment. Each mat was six 
 feet three inches long, three feet two inches wide, and four inches 
 
376 
 
 JAPANESE SPIES. 
 
 thick; they were made of rice or wheat straw plaited tightly. A 
 mat has thus come to be regarded as a standard measure in Jap¬ 
 an ; and inasmuch as the rooms are capable of expansion or re¬ 
 traction at pleasure by sliding the screens, and the mats are con¬ 
 veniently small and movable, the internal fitting of a house is not 
 a very elaborate process. 
 
 The bathing arrangements were perhaps the most complete 
 part of the establishment. There were three bathing-rooms, each 
 containing two large new wooden tubs, one of which was kept 
 constantly supplied with hot, the other with cold water. There 
 were buckets of all sizes for convenient douching and splashing. 
 
 As the Lieutenant Governor of Yedo was the high official re¬ 
 sponsible for our good behavior, and for all contingencies which 
 might arise out of our sojourn in the capital, it was only natural 
 that he should adopt the necessary precautionary measures. The 
 large anteroom adjoining our apartments was accordingly filled 
 with a numerous body of Japanese, told off ostensibly to wait 
 upon us, but really to watch and report our hourly proceedings 
 as well. These men swore allegiance to one Tainoske, an inter¬ 
 preter of an inferior grade to the distinguished Moriyama, but a 
 most civil and obliging person; nevertheless, he made up for a 
 scanty knowledge of Dutch by an anxious willingness, and an 
 imperturbable temper, under sometimes rather trying circum¬ 
 stances. It is due to his satellites to say that they were equally 
 amiable, and when caught poking their heads above the stairs to 
 watch the process of the Briton going to bed, and ordered by him 
 peremptorily to decamp, they always did so with smiles and bows, 
 only, however, to peep at him again when the first opportunity 
 offered. The excuse which naturally occurs to a Japanese when 
 he visits your apartment is that he has come to clean something. 
 
 Some of our party inhabiting the rooms near the entrance gate¬ 
 way were more highly honored. They were separated from an 
 adjoining house only by a paper screen. One morning, while 
 dressing, their attention was arrested by a scratching upon the 
 paper, followed by a suppressed tittering. Upon investigating 
 the cause, a pair of sparkling eyes were visible at two little peep¬ 
 holes expressly constructed: it was evident that a toilet, as per¬ 
 formed by an English gentleman, was a spectacle which afforded 
 intense amusement to the young ladies of the family next door. 
 
 The outer court-yard was a constant scene of bustle and confu- 
 
SHINGLE EOOFS. 
 
 377 
 
 sion; here were norimans and horses always in readiness, and a row 
 of impromptu stables was run up during our stay with wonderful 
 rapidity. I watched with astonishment the process of roofing 
 them with shingles. A man crawled along with a basket under 
 his arm full of shingles about three inches square, and a little 
 thicker than wafers, and his mouth full of wooden tacks: these he 
 disgorged, and tapped in with a small mallet with extraordinary 
 skill and quickness, completing a water-proof roof in a very short 
 time, but so fragile in appearance that it seemed as though a puff 
 of wind would blow it away. The Japanese are very skillful 
 builders. The annexed wood-cut is a representation, by a native 
 artist, of the mode of plastering a house. 
 
 Plasterers at Work (from a native drawing). 
 
 Altogether we were well pleased with our abode, and, having 
 seen ourselves fairly installed in it, the appetite for more novelty 
 began again to make itself felt, and we were glad of the excuse 
 which a visit to Count Poutiatine afforded us to sally forth once 
 more into the streets of Yedo. 
 
 This time we soon turned out of the main street, and, leaving 
 the dense crowd behind us, dived into the Princes’ or aristocratic 
 
378 
 
 THE PRINCES’ QUARTER. 
 
 quarter. We were amazed at the different aspect wliicli the streets 
 here presented from those we had just left; the party-colored po¬ 
 licemen did not think it worth while to accompany us, so small 
 was the crowd that gathered as we went. Belgravia in Septem¬ 
 ber does not look more deserted than did these fashionable thor¬ 
 oughfares, so dull, clean, and respectable. On each side of the 
 street, which was twenty or thirty yards wide, was an open paved 
 drain, about four feet in depth and as many in breadth; an abund¬ 
 ant stream of running water carried off any impurities which 
 might be thrown into it. These conduits looked moats in min¬ 
 iature to the princely habitations under the walls of which they 
 passed. The lower parts of these walls were built of huge blocks 
 of rough stone, above which they were raised to the height of 
 about twenty feet, constructed of masonry, but carefully white¬ 
 washed, and ornamented with raised groinings. In the centre 
 was a gateway painted red or some bright color, with a pent roof, 
 and ornaments in lacker upon it. Beyond this there was no sort 
 of architectural pretension about these palaces. They evidently 
 covered a large area of ground, as four or live were sufficient to 
 compose a whole street, the walls of one residence extending for 
 two or three hundred yards, and here and there perforated with 
 windows, from between the bars of which peered female faces. 
 
 We had no opportunity of inspecting the internal economy of 
 any of these sumptuous abodes. They belong to a class who are 
 for the most part unfavorable to the introduction of foreigners 
 into Japan. With few exceptions, the old aristocracy of Japan 
 dread the foreign element as possibly subversive of that influence 
 which they at present exercise in the government of the country. 
 
 Knowing that these sentiments prevailed largely, and were to 
 some extent gaining ground in consequence of the concessions 
 made in the treaty recently concluded with Mr. Harris, it was with 
 some dismay that we heard that the enlightened prime minister, 
 Bitsuno-kami, with whom that treaty had been negotiated, had 
 been turned out of office a few days before our arrival, and was 
 succeeded by men known as prominent members of what might 
 be called the Tory party of Japan. In fact, we arrived imme¬ 
 diately after a political crisis which had turned upon the foreign 
 question, and in which the government of the day had been 
 beaten. 
 
 As we rode past the palaces of these obstructive grandees, we 
 
AN OBSTRUCTIVE ARISTOCRACY. 
 
 379 
 
 could scarcely wonder at their opposition to the introduction of 
 any disturbing element into the country. Had they known as 
 much of the civilization of the West as we did, they might, per¬ 
 haps, have doubted about the propriety of excluding it. Not be¬ 
 ing so well informed, they argue probably in this way: “Our 
 country supplies every want which is felt by the population that 
 inhabits it. Abundantly favored by Providence, we are depend¬ 
 ent for no one single article upon our neighbors, and are still de¬ 
 prived of none of the necessities or luxuries of life. Our large 
 population, estimated at thirty-five millions, has, nevertheless, 
 space enough in the area furnished by these fertile islands. With 
 the exception of a few orders of religious mendicants, abject pov¬ 
 erty is unknown among us. The government is conducted upon 
 a system which supervises all classes of the community, from the 
 greatest man in the realm to the humblest individual in it; while, 
 in order to the due protection of society, it requires a strict adher¬ 
 ence to the criminal code, which punishes severely those who in¬ 
 fringe it. Thus the great mass of the people are happy and con¬ 
 tented, while we, the nobles of the land, are by no means disposed 
 to imperil the privileges attaching to our exalted position. We 
 see no change by which either we or those beneath us can possi¬ 
 bly be benefited. We desire nothing which we have not got. 
 It has not been proved to us that railroads or electric telegraphs 
 make people happier. We tried the Christian religion, and it led 
 to the destruction of thousands of our countrymen. We do not 
 think our civilization would be increased by a knowledge of the 
 latest improvement in gunnery, or the newest invention for the 
 destruction of our fellow-creatures. We are contented with sakee, 
 and desire neither brandy, rum, gin, whisky, nor any other spirit¬ 
 uous production of progressive countries. We can bear to be de¬ 
 prived of opium, a luxury the charms of which are as yet un¬ 
 known to us. There are also a few diseases which do not exist 
 among us, and the importation of which we do not think would 
 increase our general happiness. At present our subjects are peace¬ 
 able and well-conducted, of an honest and simple nature, not given 
 to brawling and quarreling; but from what we have seen of the 
 Europeans who man the ships coming to our country, we do not 
 think this simplicity and tranquillity in our sea-ports wojild be 
 likely to continue.* For these reasons we, the pig-headed aris- 
 
 * The following extract from a late Hong Kong paper will confirm the statement 
 
380 
 
 RESTRICTIONS ON THE NOBLES. 
 
 tocracy of Japan, do not desire to see that happy and favored 
 empire opened to the civilization of the West.” 
 
 If such be their mode of reasoning, we can only pity their ig¬ 
 norance and blindness, and refer them to the other side of the 
 Atlantic for a definition of the term “ manifest destiny.” It must 
 not, however, be supposed that, because these princes are content¬ 
 ed with their condition, it is such as would suit the aristocracy of 
 other countries, except, perhaps, that of Russia. It has been, 
 doubtless, the result of their own turbulence and insubordination 
 that they are now so narrowly watched by the government, and 
 treated as though they were the natural enemies of the state. In 
 former times Japan was divided into sixty-eight separate princi¬ 
 palities. In consequence, as I understood, of the difficulty of 
 keeping in order some of these minor potentates, it was found 
 expedient, when the opportunity offered, to subdivide their ter¬ 
 ritories with a view of lessening their power, so that there are 
 now three hundred and sixty feudal princes of greater or less im¬ 
 portance, each of whom is compelled to have a residence in Yedo, 
 to live in the capital during six months of the year, and during 
 the remaining six months to retire in solitude to his principality, 
 leaving his wife and family at Yedo as hostages for his good be¬ 
 havior. 
 
 Besides these, there are about three hundred smaller divisions 
 of territory, so that the empire is altogether divided into upward 
 of six hundred fiefs. I could not exactly discover the nature of 
 the tenure by which these were severally held. The original 
 sixty-eight doubtless owed allegiance to the Mikado alone. Oth¬ 
 ers hold of the Tycoon, or temporal emperor; while others ap¬ 
 pear to be vassals to the larger princes, or, if not holding directly 
 of them, at any rate recognize their ascendency, and are consider¬ 
 ed so far beneath them in rank as to be deprived even of the priv- 
 
 of the Japanese in this regard : “The sooner the consuls are at their posts in Japan, 
 and the treaties ratified, the better. The sailors from the ships are bringing sad 
 disgrace on the foreign name. At the fire which occurred at Decima a few weeks 
 back, they behaved most shamefully, and it was known that they had plundered dol¬ 
 lars to a considerable amount. These they of course desired to spend after the Jack- 
 on-shore fashion. They accordingly go on shore in quest of drink, and commit all 
 those excesses for which their class, under such circumstances, is notorious. Some 
 of these sailors had armed themselves, and had taken refuge in the mountains, but 
 had been apprehended and sent back to their ships. The Japanese government 
 were naturally much incensed at this, and the foreign community greatly grieved.” 
 —Daily Press , Hong Kong, 21st of April, 1859. 
 
PALACES OF THE PRINCES. 
 
 381 
 
 ilege of haying a wife and family permanently resident in the cap¬ 
 ital. Doubtless some of these princes are, practically, absolute in 
 their own dominions, and set even the council of state at defiance. 
 Kangono-kami, who is the first prince in the empire; Satsuma, 
 whose daughter is married to the temporal emperor; Achino- 
 kami, and others, are not to be trifled with, and do not allow gov¬ 
 ernmental interference in the internal management of their affairs. 
 It is a hazardous office to play the spy in the capital of one of 
 these magnates. Others, however, are less fortunate; they are 
 compelled to submit to the supervision of two government secre¬ 
 taries, who take it in turn to administer the affairs of their terri¬ 
 tories. 
 
 The Prince of Satsuma was reported to have no less than nine 
 town-houses in Yedo, and he pays his annual visit to the capital 
 accompanied by an army of very respectable dimensions. It is 
 an ordinary thing for one of these princes to parade the country 
 with a force of some thousands of men. When we remember 
 that all these followers have to be lodged on the premises of their 
 chief, and that there are three hundred and sixty of these digni¬ 
 taries, we can not wonder that their residences are necessarily ca¬ 
 pacious, and cover a very great extent of ground. To judge from 
 the noble trees we observed rising above the walls, spacious pleas¬ 
 ure-grounds must be inclosed within them. The handsomest pal¬ 
 ace I observed in Yedo was that belonging to Prince Achi. Sit¬ 
 uated on the steep side of a hill, the gates were tastefully orna¬ 
 mented, the walls surmounted with trellis-work, and numerous 
 magnificent plane and other trees drooped over them into the 
 street, tempting one to effect a burglarious entrance, and explore, 
 if possible, the sacred precincts. Occasionally, in the course of 
 our explorations of the city, we met men of rank riding along one 
 of those silent streets, their retinue taking up almost its entire 
 length, consisting, as usual, of men carrying badges on long poles, 
 the insignia of the rank of their lord, umbrellas in bags, and lack¬ 
 ered portmanteaus. When a great man wishes to move about 
 “nayboen,” or incognito, his retinue is not decreased, but these 
 badges of his rank are packed up in the aforesaid portmanteaus. 
 
 If the residence of Count Poutiatine, which we at last reached, 
 was in a more fashionable quarter than ours, it was neither so 
 commodious nor so picturesque. His excellency was having his 
 audience with the prime minister, so we prolonged our ride toward 
 
382 
 
 THE CITADEL.—PANORAMA OF YEJDO. 
 
 the citadel. Crossing a species of canal which forms the outer 
 moat, we continued to pass through a quarter still occupied by 
 the residences of the nobility, until we burst suddenly upon a 
 view so unexpected and so remarkable in its character, that we 
 could scarcely believe that we were -still in the centre of a huge 
 city, and that city the capital of an empire supposed to be in a 
 state of barbarism. Standing on a broad terrace, we looked down 
 some seventy or eighty feet upon a moat fifty or sixty yards in 
 width, but expanding to a small lake, covered with lotus, as it 
 approached the precipitous causeway by which it was traversed. 
 A steep slope of grassy turf rose from the opposite edge of the 
 water to an even greater elevation than that at which we were 
 standing. Groups of trees fringed the water, and drooped their 
 boughs into it; while a massive wall, constructed of blocks of 
 stone almost Cyclopean in their proportions, crowned the high 
 bank. This wall was in its turn surmounted by a wooden pali¬ 
 sade—the spreading branches of gigantic cedars, and the leafy 
 crowns of numerous tall trees appearing above it, gave evidence 
 of gardens and pleasure-grounds within. 
 
 Following along the margin of this gigantic ditch, the largest 
 artificial work of the sort I ever saw, we reached the narrow 
 causeway which affords ingress to this rus in urbe , for from this 
 point we were emphatically reminded that we were indeed in the 
 centre of a vast city. We had now attained a considerable eleva¬ 
 tion, and, except where the prospect was interrupted by the citadel 
 itself, obtained an extensive panoramic view over the greater part 
 of Yedo, extending in an endless series of house-tops in a souther¬ 
 ly direction, and fully confirming the impression which was rapidly 
 gaining upon us, that the capital of Japan must take a first-class 
 position, in point of extent and population, among the cities of 
 the world. The citadel alone is said to measure eight miles in 
 circumference, and to afford shelter to forty thousand souls, which 
 it may well do, and yet leave room for spacious palaces, and 
 scenes of rural retirement and rustic beauty. As its imperial oc¬ 
 cupant is too great a person ever to be permitted to pass into the 
 vulgar world outside its walls, he is, poor man, entitled to as much 
 space as can reasonably be afforded to him within them. 
 
 Reluctantly turning our backs upon the entrance to these for¬ 
 bidden precincts, we jogged homeward back through the quiet 
 streets to where policemen again waited to take us in charge, 
 
AN IMPERIAL BANQUET. 
 
 QQQ 
 
 ooo 
 
 and crowds again pressed and scrambled to stare at ns; and so. 
 thoroughly exhausted by our first day in Yedo, to seek repose in 
 the cloisters of our temple. We found, however, that another 
 ordeal was to be passed before we could flatter ourselves that we 
 should be left alone. The emperor had sent a Japanese dinner to 
 his excellency, and when we arrived the floor of our dining-room 
 was strewn with delicacies. Each person was provided with a 
 little repast of his own, the exact ditto to that in which all his 
 friends were indulging; and when any body made a gastronomic 
 discovery of any value, he announced it to the company; so, at 
 the recommendation of one, we all plunged into the red lacker 
 cups on the right, or, at the invitation of another, dashed reck¬ 
 lessly at what seemed to be pickled slugs on the left. We found 
 it difficult even then to describe to each other the exact dishes we 
 meant, how much more hopeless to attempt it now ? There was 
 a good deal of sea-weed about it, and we each had a capital broiled 
 fish. With that, and an immense bowl of rice, it was impossible 
 to starve; but my curiosity triumphed over my discretion, and I 
 tasted of every pickle and condiment, and each animal and veg¬ 
 etable delicacy, of every variety of color, consistency, and flavor; 
 an experience from which I would recommend any future visitor 
 to Japan to abstain. 
 
 As the Japanese have neither pigs nor sheep, poultry, venison, 
 and fish are the staples. Many of the religious sects in the coun¬ 
 try forbid the consumption of animal food. Meanwhile our lacker 
 cups were abundantly replenished with hot sakee, a spirit extract¬ 
 ed from rice, and of a pale-sherry color. It is by no means of a 
 disagreeable flavor, though, when imbibed very hot, it is some¬ 
 what intoxicating. We were thankful at last to get to bed after 
 so much excitement; and if our rest was somewhat troubled, we 
 had no right to complain. 
 
 On the following morning we started immediately after break¬ 
 fast on a shopping expedition. Turning to the left on entering 
 the main street, we followed it for upward of an hour. As our 
 horses stepped out well, I should judge the distance traversed to 
 have been about four miles. Throughout its entire length, we 
 passed between crowded lines of spectators, and through a long 
 series of barriers. I observed that we were preceded by runners, 
 who went in advance to inform the ward-keepers of our approach. 
 At most of the barriers a ladder was erected with a bell at the top 
 
884 
 
 FIRE-LADDERS. 
 
 A Fire-ladder (from a native drawing). 
 
 of' it, to be rung in case of fire. These ladders present a singular 
 appearance as you pass along the street, and look as if they form¬ 
 ed part of a show, and only waited for “ the donkey.” The 
 houses were most of them built of wood, but tiled, and of two 
 stories. The architecture of Japan, however, is so unpretending, 
 that, although the streets are broad and clean, and thronged with 
 passengers in the business quarter, they are by no means impos¬ 
 ing. Here and there we pass a building higher than the rest, 
 built of unburnt brick, with iron shutters. This is a fire-proof 
 store, in which property can be stowed away in safety at the first 
 tinkle of the fire-bell. Some of the houses are supplied with large 
 tubs, kept constantly full of water, in anticipation of the same 
 much-dreaded element. 
 
 As the only foreigners of whom the untraveled inhabitants of 
 Yedo have ever heard are the Chinese, we had the very high 
 compliment paid us of being supposed to belong to that favored 
 nation; so that, as in China you are called, as you ride along the 
 streets, a barbarian or a “ foreign devil,” in Japan the gamins run 
 after you and say, u Look at the Chinamen!” u There go the 
 
BATHING-HOUSES. 385 
 
 Chinamen!” while their commercial instinct is betrayed by the 
 shout, “Chinamen, Chinamen! have you any thing to sell?” 
 
 This trilling circumstance enables us forcibly to realize the ex¬ 
 tent of that entire exclusion of strangers which has been for so 
 long so jealously and successfully maintained. As we approach¬ 
 ed the heart of the city the shops improved in appearance. They 
 are open to the street, the wares displayed for the most part upon 
 a counter facing it. We passed over three wooden bridges on 
 piles, crossing branches of the Todagawa. Many of the shops 
 have sign-boards on single posts, like those of public houses in 
 England, inscribed with both Chinese and Japanese characters; 
 others have them written on pieces of cotton. The bathing-houses 
 are all distinguished by a dark blue or black strip of cotton, like 
 a banner, waving over the doorway. These establishments are 
 always full of occupants, and I consequently observed no bathing 
 in the streets as at Nagasaki. They differ slightly from those at 
 Simoda. In that primitive town there was only one room for 
 both sexes; but at Yedo there was sometimes a partition about 
 breast high to divide the ladies from the gentlemen. Over the 
 bathing-rooms there are generally tea-rooms, to which the bathers 
 resort when in that soothed and relaxed state which is produced by 
 the abundant use of hot water, and, without troubling themselves 
 about their personal appearance, refresh themselves with that most 
 popular beverage. 
 
 At last, after a progress which seemed interminable, we arrived 
 at a celebrated lacker-shop, and were soon ushered up stairs to the 
 show-rooms. Here we found specimens of that manufacture far 
 • superior to any thing we had seen either at Nagasaki or Simoda, 
 the excellence consisting in the extent to which the design is 
 raised upon the wood. 
 
 The varnish itself is extracted from a shrub called the Orrosino- 
 ki, or Rhus vernix: it is said to be procured from incisions made 
 on stems that are three years old, from which it oozes like the 
 milk of the India-rubber-tree. It is tinted in a great variety of 
 colors with coloring matter, which is rubbed into it upon a copper 
 plate: it is then laid on in successive coats, and heavily embossed 
 in gold or silver. 
 
 The most common designs are the three emblems of longevity, 
 the tortoise, the stork, and the pine-tree. The Japanese are very 
 
 fond of chimerical animals. Thus the tortoise is often represent- 
 
 B B 
 
386 
 
 A SILK MERCER’S. 
 
 ed with a large bushy tail; in this form he is called Mooki. They 
 are also fond of a fabulous monster with the head of a dragon, the 
 body of a horse, and the hoofs of a deer. In addition to which, 
 Fusi-yama, junks under full sail, or fishes lashing the waves furi¬ 
 ously with their tails, are very favorite subjects. 
 
 The charm of every thing we saw at Yedo lay in the fact of its 
 being purely for Japanese use. Every article was illustrative of 
 the customs of the country. There were luncheon-trays, ladies’ 
 toilet-stands, arrangements for carrying fire, writing-cases, cabinets 
 to be presented on the occasion of weddings; in fact, a host of 
 patterns and contrivances, strange to our Western eyes, but ex¬ 
 quisitely finished, and most elaborately ornamented with quaint 
 and beautiful devices. 
 
 Having ticketed our purchases here, to be paid for in all due 
 form through the government money-changers afterward, we pro¬ 
 ceeded to an extensive silk-shop upon the scale of Howell & 
 James’s. The whole of the lower story was open to the street, 
 and looked like a vast hall fifty or sixty yards long by twenty in 
 width, intersected with counters nicely matted, and surrounded by 
 shelves and drawers containing goods; but the largest show-rooms 
 were up stairs. Following obsequious shopmen to the upper story, 
 we were soon seated on a low divan, covered with red cloth, where 
 a train of boys, carrying tea and pipes, made their entry, and pre¬ 
 sented them to us on their knees. As sugar is considered a great 
 luxury in Japan, and is one of the few articles imported into the 
 country, it is considered a mark of refinement to furnish eau sucre 
 on these occasions; but the most sentimental description of bever¬ 
 age is hot water poured over rose-leaves. It requires a highly 
 aesthetic frame of mind to relish a rosebud cocktail. 
 
 While we are sipping our tea, the whole floor has become 
 strewn with silks, crapes, and embroideries of every description 
 of texture, shade of color, and brilliancy of pattern. The silks in 
 Japan are said to be inferior to those of China, though to our in¬ 
 experienced eyes they looked quite equal to them. The gauzes 
 and crapes would create a furor in England, particularly the for¬ 
 mer, as the stuff is made of so stiff a material that it would an¬ 
 swer the double purpose of a cage and a dress. The embroider¬ 
 ies were infinitely superior to any thing that China can produce; 
 they are usually worked on satin, and remind one rather of the 
 Gobelin tapestry than of any modern embroidery. Many of the 
 
ORGANIZATION OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
 
 387 
 
 patterns and combinations of color show great taste. The Jap- 
 
 Pattern-designer (from a native drawing). 
 
 anese are remarkable for the sim¬ 
 plicity and elegance of their taste 
 in matters of dress or ornament, 
 as a general rule avoiding gaudy 
 patterns, or any thing which, in 
 the vernacular of the day, is 
 known as “loud.” Here is an 
 old gentleman with spectacles on 
 nose, whom a native artist, with 
 some humor, has represented as 
 
 engaged in designing patterns. 
 
 We quite regretted that all these curiosities of dress and mate¬ 
 rial should be displayed before persons so little able to appreciate 
 them. There can be no doubt that the contents of a Japanese 
 silk-mercer’s shop, transported to England, and exhibited to the 
 female public of our metropolis, would draw large and fashiona¬ 
 ble crowds. While we were in despair about what to buy, and 
 lost in perplexed speculation as to what would do for dresses, I 
 was amused in watching the humors of the crowd collected in the 
 street below, waiting for our appearance. They were kept from 
 pressing near the doorway by a cord drawn in a semicircle round 
 it. But a good deal of badinage went on; and one man was so 
 much laughed at that he got excited, and was about to resort to 
 violent measures, when he was at once collared by the ever-vigil¬ 
 ant police, his hands were fastened behind him, and he was walk¬ 
 ed off in double-quick time, to the great amusement of the by¬ 
 standers. 
 
 I also observed, for the first time, one or two carts of a very 
 rude construction, and drawn by bullocks: but they are apparent¬ 
 ly very little used in Japan. The lower orders, whose rank does 
 not entitle them either to ride on horseback or to go in norimons, 
 are carried by two men in a most uncomfortable sort of basket, 
 which doubles their knees up to their chins, so that it almost 
 gives one the cramp to look at them. 
 
 The whole system of municipal government in the cities in Ja¬ 
 pan seems very perfect. There is a mayor or governor, some of 
 whose emissaries lived in our ante-chamber; and there are a cer¬ 
 tain number of deputies to assist him, and a class of officials who 
 seem to be the intermediaries between the people and those in 
 
388 
 
 STREET-DOGS. 
 
 authority, and whose business it is to receive and present peti¬ 
 tions, and to forward complaints to the governors, and plead the 
 cause of the aggrieved memorialists. Then every street has its 
 magistrate, who is expected to settle all disputes, to know the 
 most minute details of the private and public affairs of every 
 creature within his jurisdiction, as reported to him by spies, and 
 to keep an accurate record of births, deaths, and marriages. He 
 is responsible for all broils and disturbances, and for the good 
 conduct of the street generally. This functionary is also provided 
 with deputies, and is elected by the popular voice of the inhabit¬ 
 ants of the street. To render the task easier, the male household¬ 
 ers are divided into small companies of four or five each, the head 
 of which is responsible to the magistrate for all the proceedings 
 of the members. This complete organization is furnished with a 
 secretary, a treasurer, a certain number of messengers, etc. Be¬ 
 sides the regular constables, it is patrolled at night by the inhabit¬ 
 ants themselves, in parties of two or three. From all which it will 
 appear that “our streets,” in a Japanese city, must be a source of 
 considerable interest and occupation to its inhabitants. 
 
 The streets of Yedo are infested with dogs—not the wretched 
 mangy curs of Constantinople or the pariahs of India, but sleek, 
 well-fed, audacious animals, who own no masters, but who seem 
 to thrive on the community, and bid it defiance. They trot proud¬ 
 ly about, with ears and tail erect, and are most formidable to meet 
 in a by-lane. These animals are held in as high veneration and 
 respect as they were in former times in Egypt; the most ancient 
 traditions attach to them, and it is a capital crime to put one to 
 death. There are even guardians appointed for their protection, 
 and hospitals to which they are carried in case of illness. Cer¬ 
 tainly a long experience has taught them to profit by the immu¬ 
 nity from persecution which they enjoy. It is only due to them 
 to say that, as a race, they are the handsomest street-dogs I ever 
 saw. The only large animals in Japan are horses, oxen and cows, 
 and buffaloes; but milk, butter, and cheese are unknown as ar¬ 
 ticles of consumption. There are no asses or mules, and scarcely 
 any pigs. The largest wild animals are deer, of which, however, 
 there are very few. 
 
 As the audience with the two chief ministers of state was fixed 
 for the afternoon, we were obliged to hurry home to prepare for 
 that important ceremony. 
 
A Street in the aristocratic Quarter oi i'edo. (From a native Drawing.) 
 
 \ 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 V. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 , 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONSTITUTION OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 391 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Constitution of Government.—“Nayboen.”—The Spy System.”—The Council of 
 State.—A political Crisis.—The “Happy Dispatch.”—Ruining a Politician.— 
 The Japanese social Scale.—A Visit to the Citadel.—The Japanese Ministers.— 
 Japanese Flunkies.—Tea and Sweetmeats.—Shopping in Yedo.—Dog Mania.— 
 Official Visit of Commissioners.—Official Costume.—Ham and Champagne.—The 
 first Day’s Conference.—Jocosity of Higo-no-kami.—General Good-humor. 
 
 Before proceeding to describe onr audience with the ministers 
 of state, it will be necessary to give a brief sketch of the system 
 of government of Japan, although gathered from somewhat im¬ 
 perfect sources; for the communicative Moriyama was generally 
 too busy to enter upon any detailed account of Japanese institu¬ 
 tions ; and, although he professed the utmost frankness in his in¬ 
 tercourse with us, there can be no doubt that he shared the prej¬ 
 udices and obeyed the instructions of his government in withhold¬ 
 ing from us all the information in his power. It was rather from 
 incidental circumstances, in the course of our negotiations, that we 
 gathered some idea of the true source of authority in Japan. 
 
 Although nominally consulted in temporal matters, and jealous¬ 
 ly distinguished from his temporal rival by the term emperor, the 
 Mikado, or spiritual emperor, is in fact a mere puppet. He occa¬ 
 sionally receives visits of ceremony from the Tycoon, and gives a 
 formal sanction to matters of state, but generally votes the spiritu¬ 
 al crown a bore before he has worn it very long, and, abdicating 
 in favor of a son, descends from the realms above, and passes a 
 peaceful old age in this sublunary sphere. 
 
 The Tycoon, on the other hand, is ostensibly the administrator 
 of the empire; but he, too, has been exalted to so high a pitch of 
 temporal dignity that his lofty station has been robbed of all its 
 substantial advantages, and he passes the life of a state prisoner, 
 shut up in his magnificent citadel, except when he pays a state 
 visit to Miako. It was a cruel satire upon this unhappy poten¬ 
 tate to present him with a yacht; one might as well request the 
 Pope’s acceptance of a wife. There is, indeed, a practice which 
 exists in Japan, and which may have extended to other countries, 
 of doing improper things u nayboen,” as it is called here; in other 
 
892 
 
 THE SPY SYSTEM. 
 
 words, in a recognized incognito. Whether, under this happy ar¬ 
 rangement, the emperor sometimes slips out of his back door, I 
 was not informed; but it is certain that the nobles of the land 
 avail themselves extensively of the latitude which it permits. 
 
 In a country governed by etiquette, and in which every indi¬ 
 vidual is a slave to conventional rules of the most precise and rigid 
 description, it is necessary to have a loop-hole which enables them 
 to sink" to the level of ordinary mortals; in other words, to in¬ 
 dulge their natural appetites for pleasure or vice. Under the con¬ 
 venient system of “ nayboen,” a noble may do any thing which 
 is not forbidden to the meanest subject. If the emperor can hot 
 take advantage of “nayboen” while he is alive, he can, as we aft¬ 
 erward discovered, die “nayboen.” This is a common practice 
 among grandees, their death being kept secret until the next heir 
 is firmly installed in the possession of the family dignity and 
 honors. 
 
 The time of the emperor seems to be occupied with audiences, 
 receiving reports, and other official formalities, and he is nomin¬ 
 ally consulted, and his ratification obtained to every measure de¬ 
 cided upon by his council of state. It is said that he is as nar¬ 
 rowly watched by spies as any of his subjects. In fact, the more 
 we investigate the extraordinary system under which Japan is 
 governed, the more evident does it become that the great princi¬ 
 ple upon which the whole fabric rests is the absolute extinction 
 of individual freedom: to arrive at this result, resort is had to a 
 complicated machinery so nicely balanced that, as every bod}?- 
 watches every body, so no individual can escape paying the penal¬ 
 ty to society of any injury he may attempt to inflict upon it. One 
 most beneficial result arising from this universal system of espion¬ 
 age—for it extends through all classes of society—is the entire 
 probity of every government employe. So far as we could learn 
 or see, they were incorruptible. When men can neither offer nor 
 receive bribes; when it is almost impossible, even indirectly, to 
 exercise corrupt influences, there is little fear of the demoralization 
 of public departments of the state. In this respect Japan affords 
 a brilliant contrast to China, and even to some European coun¬ 
 tries. So long as this purity exists, even though purchased at the 
 cost of secret espial, there can be little cause to fear the decadence 
 of the empire. Nominally not a constitution, but a despotism, the 
 government of Japan is practically an oligarchy; but every noble 
 
THE COUNCIL OF STATE. 
 
 393 
 
 is watched by the spies and enthralled by the public opinion of 
 his class, which he dares not venture to outrage. There is, in¬ 
 deed, a council of state, composed of five of the highest grade of 
 the aristocracy, who are chosen by the Tycoon himself, and a 
 minor council, consisting of eight of the titular princes. All these 
 are under the strict surveillance of private spies, who report to 
 their own masters; and from the evident difficulty the commis¬ 
 sioners found in conceding certain points to which the kamis or 
 princes were avowedly hostile, the government probably stand in 
 awe of that influential body. It was doubtless owing to the press¬ 
 ure which the latter brought to bear upon the government of Bit- 
 su-no-kami, the late prime minister, that he was compelled to re¬ 
 sign his office. It is a singular fact, that in Japan, where the in¬ 
 dividual is sacrificed to the community, he should seem perfectly 
 happy and consented; while in America, where exactly the oppo¬ 
 site result takes place, and the community is sacrificed to the in¬ 
 dividual, the latter is in a perpetual state of uproarious clamor for 
 his rights. 
 
 It is this council, then, influenced by the public opinion of the 
 aristocracy, which governs Japan. To it all official spies report; 
 they appoint all governors and secretaries for the administration 
 of the affairs of provinces belonging to the crown and many of the 
 princes, and are supposed to act as a check upon these latter, who 
 are, however, in all probability, kept in better order by rival jeal¬ 
 ousies than direct governmental influence. There is another body 
 of men who possess great influence in the state; these are the 
 princes of the blood. Should the Tycoon and his council differ 
 upon any weighty matter of state government, the question is re¬ 
 ferred for arbitration to a tribunal composed of three of these roy¬ 
 al princes. Should they confirm the opinion of the council, the Ty¬ 
 coon, to whom is denied the privilege of hara-kiri, or the “happy 
 dispatch,” has no alternative but to abdicate incontinently in favor 
 of his nearest heir. Should, on the other hand, the umpires agree 
 with their royal relative, which in all probability they do, unless 
 public opinion is too strongly against them, then the whole of the 
 council are bound, without farther ceremony, at once to dispatch 
 themselves, in the happy manner peculiar to Japan, to those Elys- 
 ian fields, where they will probably become distinguished as canon¬ 
 ized kamis, and the patron saints of many a Japanese household. 
 
 This notorious method of suicide, the only Japanese custom 
 
394 
 
 THE “ HAPPY DISPATCH.” 
 
 with which the Western world has long been familiar, has of late 
 years assumed a somewhat modified form, and no longer consists 
 in that unpleasant process of abdomen ripping, which must have 
 been almost as disagreeable an operation to witness as to perform. 
 My friend Higo-no-kami presented me with a knife proper to be 
 used under the old system—an exceedingly businessdike weapon 
 about ten inches long, sharp as a razor, and made of steel of the 
 highest temper. Now this knife is only used to make a slight in¬ 
 cision, significant of the intention of the victim to put an end to 
 himself. He has collected his wife and family to see how a hero 
 can die; his dearest friend, he who in our own country would 
 have been his best-man at his wedding—stands over him with a 
 drawn sword, and when he commences to make the aforesaid in¬ 
 cision, the sword descends, and the head rolls at the feet of his dis¬ 
 consolate family. 
 
 Whether this mode of suicide is really common at the present 
 day, I could not ascertain; no instance of it came to our knowl¬ 
 edge during our stay; and I imagine it is too serious a step to be 
 taken except on very weighty grounds. These may arise either 
 from failure or neglect in a public trust, or in consequence of the 
 commission of some private injury. In some instances it seems 
 to answer the purpose of a duel; it is the reduction of that prac¬ 
 tice to its logical conclusion, and terminates in the death of both 
 parties by the hands of their friends; but more commonly it is re¬ 
 sorted to as the means of preserving from disgrace a whole fam¬ 
 ily, one member of which has in some way dishonored his name: 
 it is a certificate which whitewashes all the survivors. A man 
 who fears to face his destiny in this form, when the claims of hon¬ 
 or demand it, places his entire family without the social pale. I 
 am not aware wherein the Japanese points of honor consist, but 
 we may assume that where the preservation of it in the individ¬ 
 ual requires so great a sacrifice, the standard is proportionably 
 high—far more so, probably, than would suit our views in En¬ 
 gland, where it would be an exceedingly unpopular way of solv¬ 
 ing a constitutional difficulty. A ministry would always prefer 
 a dissolution of Parliament to a personal dissolution of this na¬ 
 ture. It is pleasanter to go to the country than out of it. A mere 
 change of government, even in Japan, however, does not involve 
 these consequences, unless the Tycoon is implicated. Witness the 
 still-living Bitsu-no-kami. 
 
RUINING A POLITICIAN.—THE JAPANESE SOCIAL SCALE. 395 
 
 Perhaps it is because the 11 happy dispatch” is found to be an 
 inconvenient way of settling personal or political difficulties that 
 another mode exists of removing a dangerous person much more 
 refined in its character. When a man becomes an object of dis¬ 
 trust or suspicion to the government, either from his great influ¬ 
 ence or wealth, he is promoted to some office generally at Miako, 
 which he is compelled to accept, and which entails such a vast ex¬ 
 penditure that he is inevitably ruined. Even if his means stand 
 the first shock, one visit from the Tycoon, when he goes to pay 
 his respects to the Mikado, completes the work. 
 
 Such is an imperfect outline of the system of government and 
 of the constitution of the upper ranks in society. Although the 
 commissioners were called kamis, it did not necessarily follow that 
 they were of princely rank, or belonged to the first class of nobles. 
 Kami seems to be a generic appendage to the names of men of a 
 certain rank, just as, in England, all noblemen between the ranks 
 of marquess and baron are styled lord. It is a title which can not 
 be used except by those of gentle blood. Next in order to the 
 Saimios, or second class of nobles, come the priests, who are in 
 their turn followed by the first and second classes of officials, who 
 are for the most part men belonging to the military grade, and 
 have achieved their rank, and the privilege of wearing two swords, 
 by their merit. They are followed by the professional class— 
 merchants, traders, and peasantry. In addition to these social dis¬ 
 tinctions, there is a pariah or despised caste, consisting of tanners 
 and others. 
 
 To return, however, to the council of state, each of the five min¬ 
 isters of which it is composed are appointed by the Tycoon, and 
 preside over separate departments; they rank in regular order, 
 and, among their other functions, to the? two senior is committed 
 the control of foreign affairs. There were two gentlemen, Otto 
 Bungo-no-kami and another, whose acquaintance we were now 
 about to make. Our morning had been so much occupied in the 
 lacker and silk shops that it was late in the afternoon before we 
 started on a five-mile journey to the official residence of these dig¬ 
 nitaries, which was just inside the farther gate of the citadel. 
 
 Our way, as usual, led us down the main street. I made my 
 first experience of a norimon on this occasion, and obtained a view 
 of the crowd in a squatting posture; for, while the train of ten 
 norimons was passing, the people sat on their heels to obtain a 
 
396 
 
 A VISIT TO THE CITADEL. 
 
 view of fhe occupants. As some of these were naval officers in 
 full uniform, they exhibited signs of unusual satisfaction. 
 
 In order not to dirty the mats of our hosts, we were each pro¬ 
 vided with a pair of slippers in which to scuffle across the yard, 
 for it is not etiquette in Japan for any but the owner of the house 
 to go beyond the outer threshold in his norimon. At that point 
 all guests are put down, and walk to the next entrance. 
 
 Passing over a bridge which spanned the moat, and under a 
 gateway of massive proportions, we found ourselves within the 
 walls of the citadel at the opposite side from that on which we 
 had visited it in our ride of the day before. 
 
 Unluckily we had not far to go, so that we saw scarcely an}^ 
 thing of the interior of this interesting spot. A broad street, sim¬ 
 ilar to those in the Princes’ quarter, led us to a handsome gate¬ 
 way ; this, on one account, at all events, we were not a little re¬ 
 lieved to find, was our journey’s end, as the posture during an 
 hour and a half had been a trying one for British legs. Emerg¬ 
 ing from our box-like conveyances, we shuffled after Moriyama, 
 who was always at his post. Ascending some steps, at the top of 
 which we relinquished our slippers, we passed through a series of 
 ante-chambers, with walls of paper screens, until we were ushered 
 finally into an oblong apartment, at the farther end of which, on 
 the left-hand side, stood the two ministers behind two low square 
 tables and six wax candles on single stands, for it was by this 
 time 7 P.M. Exactly facing them were three tables and six more 
 candles, behind which we took up our position. For some time 
 we all remained standing, and the usual complimentary expressions 
 were interchanged. Then, all having left the room except Lord 
 Elgin, Mr. ILewsken, and myself, we sat down on chairs (an unex¬ 
 pected luxury), and proceeded to business. Moriyama, during all 
 this time, was in a prostrate attitude on the floor between Lord 
 Elgin and the ministers, touching the ground reverentially with 
 his forehead whenever he was called upon to interpret. Lower 
 down, and remaining standing, were our friends the commission¬ 
 ers ; while in a sort of passage formed by a hanging screen behind 
 the ministers were a row of people'who ostensibly took no part in 
 the ceremony, but some of whom were no doubt spies, while oth¬ 
 ers I observed occasionally prompting the ministers. These latter 
 personages seemed somewhat embarrassed by the novelty of their 
 situation, and gave one the impression of being very new to office. 
 
Interview between the Earl of Elgin and the Prime Ministers of Japan. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
JAPANESE FLUNKIES. 
 
 399 
 
 Otto Bungo-no-kami was a thin, spare man, with a shriveled 
 face, indicating shrewdness, and I should have guessed parsimony. 
 His colleague was heavier-looking, and without any marked ex¬ 
 pression. They opened the conversation by manifesting some 
 anxiety about the yacht, and wished to know at what period his 
 excellency intended to make it over to the Japanese government. 
 Lord Elgin assured them that its delivery should take place im¬ 
 mediately on the signing of the treaty. After a somewhat pro¬ 
 longed discussion on the subject of full powers, so difficult of com¬ 
 prehension to the Eastern mind, it was arranged that the inter¬ 
 change should take place on the following day. 
 
 While this was going on, a train of youths entered, bearing pipes 
 and tea. They were all dressed simply and uniformly; indeed, 
 so exactly did they resemble one another, that they must have 
 been selected as good matches. They entered with an air of pro¬ 
 found respect, the head slightly bent, the eyes fixed on the ground, 
 and moved with a shuffling gait, as though afraid to lift their feet 
 from the floor. 
 
 During the period of our visit these young men were constant¬ 
 ly coming in with refreshments, and as they never looked up, it 
 was always a matter of wonder to me how they found their way, 
 while the monotonous regularity of their movements was quite 
 painful. Notwithstanding which, it must be admitted that the 
 manners of flunkies in Japan are infinitely more agreeable than 
 those of the same race in our own country. 
 
 After the ordinary tea, we were supplied with a beverage pe¬ 
 culiar to the upper classes of Japan : this consists of a sort of jpuree 
 made of the tea-leaves themselves. They are first stewed, then 
 dried and ground in a hand-mill into a powder; this is mixed 
 with hot water and whipped with a split bamboo until it creams. 
 It is served up hot, and looks like physic. Altogether, I thought 
 it more palatable than senna. This delicacy is called koitscha/or 
 thick tea; it was succeeded by a number of small square wooden 
 boxes on little stands; they were rather like toy-boxes, and might 
 be supposed to contain some description of game. We each had 
 one of these to ourselves. When the lids were removed, we dis¬ 
 covered a very tempting assortment of barley-sugar, sponge-cakes, 
 Gibraltar rock, and other confectionery, not to be distinguished in 
 taste from the manufactures of our own country, except by school¬ 
 boys or those really versed in the subject. We were not only 
 
400 
 
 SHOPPING IN YEDO. 
 
 supposed to nibble at these sweetmeats during the visit, but the 
 boxes, with all that remained in them, were sent after us to our 
 abode, so that we were enabled, for some days afterward, to retire 
 to the privacy of our chambers whenever we felt moved, and feast 
 in secrecy upon their luscious contents. Our audience having at 
 last come to an end, we took leave with many profound bows and 
 polite speeches, and returned to our norimons, our companions 
 having in the mean time been feasted with tea and sweetmeats in 
 an adjoining room. 
 
 I was not sorry for the opportunity of passing through the streets 
 of Yedo by night. The effect of our procession was very pictur¬ 
 esque. In addition to the jingling police, we were accompanied 
 by men bearing on high huge lanterns attached to poles. 
 
 Pretty lamps, painted in bright colors and covered with quaint 
 devices, hung in clusters over the shops, illuminated the bath¬ 
 houses, flared over street-stalls, or depended from ropes slung 
 across the side-streets. As the crowd seemed even more dense 
 than in the daytime, the brilliant glare lit up their eager, curious 
 faces and half-clad figures, and imparted a wild, uncouth aspect to 
 the scene. It was nearly ten o’clock at night before we reached 
 home, and we had as yet no reason to reproach ourselves with 
 idleness or inactivity. 
 
 The representations which we had frequently made to our friend 
 and guardian Tainoske, and the avidity which we manifested in 
 the purchase of all Japanese articles of manufacture, induced that 
 worthy to collect for our benefit, every morning, a number of ven¬ 
 dors of lacker, china, and embroidery, who used to spread, their 
 wares in our verandas; so that, during the earlier part of the day, 
 they assumed somewhat the appearance of a bazar. In the enjoy¬ 
 ment of this extravagant amusement, our mornings used to fly 
 rapidly. Each box contained some specimen we had not yet seen. 
 The china, in particular, was an endless source of interest, from the 
 variety of patterns and devices which it presented. On some of 
 the cups were raised lacker representations of pleasure-boats, with 
 tiny windows, on opening which a party of ladies and gentlemen 
 drinking tea were discovered within, all on the minutest possible 
 scale. At the bottom of other cups, a tortoise, beautifully exe¬ 
 cuted in china, might be observed placidly reposing, until the tea 
 was poured in, when he rose to the surface a most animated rep¬ 
 tile. 
 
\ 
 
 OFFICIAL VISIT OF COMMISSIONEES. 401 
 
 But the taste for China and the rage for lacker were nothing 
 as compared to the mania for dogs. The dog peculiar to Japan, 
 and which is supposed to have been the origin of the King 
 Charles spaniel, does indeed bear a considerable resemblance to 
 that breed: the ears are not so long and silky, and the nose is 
 more of a pug; but the size, shape, and color of the body are al¬ 
 most identical. The face is by no means attractive: the eyes are 
 usually very prominent, as though starting from the head; the 
 forehead is overhanging, and the nose so minute that it forms 
 rather a depression than a projection on the face; the jaw is 
 somewhat prominent, and is frequently so much underhung that 
 the mouth can not be shut, in consequence of which the tongue 
 protrudes in a waggish manner, at variance with the staring eye, 
 which should, for the sake of consistency, be slightly closed, with 
 a tendency to wink. 
 
 When the great majority of our party had furnished them¬ 
 selves with three or four of these prepossessing animals each, 
 which were confined in kennels formed of paper screens up in 
 our loft, the consequences to an unhappy victim like myself, who 
 had resisted their charms, were most trying. They used to de¬ 
 molish their paper kennels with their teeth, quarrel with each 
 other, howl dismally during the still hours of the night, or have 
 spasms. They were subject to weakness and violent cramp in 
 the loins and hind legs, and then their owners used to devote the 
 small hours of the morning to fomenting them with hot water, 
 and wrapping them in warm flannels. In spite of all their efforts, 
 some of these delicate little creatures died, to the inexpressible 
 grief of those who had listened so often to their nocturnal winn¬ 
 ings. Even in Yedo, the price of a handsome pair of these dogs 
 is as much as fifty or sixty dollars, so that it is worth while to sit 
 up at night to alleviate their sufferings. 
 
 In accordance with the arrangement arrived at on the preceding 
 day, the six commissioners appeared a little before luncheon, in 
 order to exhibit their full powers, and enter upon the prelimina¬ 
 ries of the treaty. They were dressed in the official costume 
 used upon state occasions, and which was remarkable for its sim¬ 
 plicity. The fashion and color of their garments are all pre¬ 
 scribed by a rigid code of official etiquette. A pale straw-color 
 is considered full dress; this, combined with pale or dark blue 
 and black, are the orthodox colors on state occasions. On gala- 
 
 Cc 
 
 % 
 
402 
 
 OFFICIAL COSTUME. 
 
 days tlieir costume is somewhat more gaudy and fantastic. We 
 had an opportunity, before leaving, of seeing them thus attired; 
 on their ordinary official visits, however, they wore a sort of un¬ 
 dress or riding costume. This differs from full dress in the cut 
 of the trowsers, which admit of the legs being widely separated, 
 an impossible achievement in their best clothes. They also, in 
 riding, dispense with the light gauze sort of habit shirt, which is 
 thrown over the rest of the costume, and, projecting at the shoul¬ 
 der like wings, falls in long bands in front. In formal salutations, 
 it is the correct thing to stoop until the ends of these bands touch 
 the ground. 
 
 The Japanese seldom wear any thing on their heads except 
 when riding. The head is shaved on the crown, and the side and 
 back hair brought forward in a roll about the thickness of a small 
 sausage to the top of the forehead; here it is firmly gummed 
 down with a species of bandoline, in the manufacture of which 
 the Japanese are very proficient. Wigs are common in the 
 
 shops, but are only worn as a part 
 of a masquerade dress. Hot a parti¬ 
 cle of hair is ever allowed to appear 
 on their faces. The winter costume 
 consists in robes cut like dressing- 
 gowns, padded throughout with silk 
 
 casions, and are a standing item in 
 the list of imperial presents to a for¬ 
 eign mission. But the most singu¬ 
 lar portion of their apparel are the 
 a Japanese wig. trowsers which they wear at their 
 
 audiences with the Tycoon; they seem to be cut upon a princi¬ 
 ple precisely the opposite to that which regulates our court-dress. 
 We consider that when we have brought our nether garments 
 down to the knee, we have not only satisfied decency, but reach¬ 
 ed the highest pitch of refinement and elegance. The great ob¬ 
 ject of the Japanese is to create an entire misconception in the 
 mind of the spectator as to the situation of that important joint; 
 he wishes it to be supposed that he shuffles into the royal pres¬ 
 ence on his knees ; but, finding that process attended with much 
 practical inconvenience, he compromises the matter by having his 
 
 wadding. These unwieldy articles 
 of attire are also used upon state oc- 
 
THE FIRST DAY’S CONFERENCE. 
 
 405 
 
 trowsers made about eighteen inches longer than his legs; by 
 these means his feet are made to represent his knees, and he is 
 enabled to walk upon them comfortably with his sham legs drag¬ 
 ging after him. 
 
 The commissioners brought us the intelligence that, the Tycoon 
 being childless, he had within the last few days adopted a son. 
 This lad was to be his successor; and in the event of his subse¬ 
 quently having a son of his own, he would be compelled to give 
 him away rather than dispossess the adopted one. The choice of 
 adoption is confined to the sons of six of the princes of the blood. 
 What amount of truth there was in this information we had not 
 at the time any opportunity of judging. 
 
 Before proceeding to work, our guests sat down with great 
 readiness to luncheon, and made formidable inroads upon the 
 ham, the dish of all others which they most highly appreciate. 
 They also indulged freely in Champagne; indeed, so conscious 
 were they of the risk attending these libations preparatory to en^. 
 tering upon business, that Higo facetiously expressed a hope that 
 the Treaty would not taste of ham and Champagne. 
 
 After luncheon we adjourned to Lord Elgin’s sitting-room, 
 where his excellency and the commissioners seated themselves 
 round the table and mutually exhibited their full powers. While 
 some necessary details involved in this process were being trans¬ 
 acted, Mr. Bedwell took the opportunity of making the accompa¬ 
 nying characteristic and truthful drawing—a fact which Higo no 
 sooner remarked than, seizing a pencil and paper, he proceeded 
 to caricature the artist, and suddenly interrupted the proceedings 
 by triumphantly producing & very fair attempt at a likeness. 
 
 How that we had really settled down to work, every body 
 lighted a pipe or a cigar, and although, as regarded from a red- 
 tape point of view, the general aspect of the scene may have been 
 somewhat informal, a great deal of business was accomplished. It 
 was necessary, however, to get over a difficulty in the first in¬ 
 stance, arising from the necessity which the commissioners felt of 
 ^ being watched. It was an unnatural thing for them to transact 
 business except in the presence of government and private spies, 
 so they formally requested that a certain number of these gentry 
 should be allowed to be present during the conferences. This 
 was of course objected to by Lord Elgin, his excellency remark¬ 
 ing that there were already six Japanese commissioners to one 
 English minister, and that any farther accession of force on the 
 
JOCOSITY OF HIGO-NO-KAMI. 
 
 406 
 
 other side would be manifestly quite unfair. On which the com¬ 
 missioners neatly enough replied “that it did indeed take six 
 Japanese heads to cope with such an English head as they saw 
 before them, and that, in fact, they felt quite unequal to the 
 task.” The matter was ultimately compromised by the presence 
 of one secretary being allowed in addition to the indispensable 
 Moriyama. 
 
 We were now able to enter upon the body of the treaty, and 
 very soon discovered that the commissioners manifested the great¬ 
 est acumen in the discussion of points of detail, never resting sat¬ 
 isfied until they thoroughly comprehended the rationale of every 
 question raised. Once, indeed, so serious a difficulty arose that, 
 to create a diversion, some one proposed that we should have 
 some cha (tea), upon which Lord Elgin suggested cha -pagne, an 
 amendment which caused infinite merriment, and which was car¬ 
 ried by acclamation. The Japanese have a keen appreciation of 
 the ludicrous, and many a knotty point was solved by bon mot; 
 indeed, to judge by the perpetual laughter in which they indulge, 
 they are forever making jokes. Higo was the wit of the party, 
 and was often, in consequence, not only inattentive himself, but 
 apt to distract the attention of the others. It was evident in the 
 twinkle of his eye when he was meditating a pun. His observa¬ 
 tions, nevertheless, upon business matters, whenever he conde¬ 
 scended to make them, were always shrewd and to the point. 
 The following are the names of the six commissioners, as written 
 down by him in the English character upon a fan which he pre¬ 
 sented to me. The spelling is his own. 
 
 1. Midjmats-ko-goni-kami (formerly Governor of Nagasaki). 
 
 2. Nagai Gembono-kami (the admiral). 
 
 3. Inogge Sinanono-kami (Governor of Simoda). 
 
 4. Iwase Ilffio-no-kami. 
 
 5. Holi Olibeno-kami. 
 
 6. Tsuda-handzoboro. 
 
 The admiral was the most intelligent and active member of 
 the party; and when he and the ex-Governor of Nagasaki were 
 agreed the rest seldom failed to follow their lead. 
 
 Altogether we had every reason to be satisfied with the result 
 of our first day’s conference; it inaugurated a series of meetings 
 invariably characterized by the utmost harmony and good-humor, 
 and which must recall to the memory of those who participated in 
 them many agreeable associations and pleasant reminiscences. 
 
A RIDING-PARTY. 
 
 407 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 A Riding-party.—Beauty of the Suburbs.—A pleasant Tea-house. Tea-gardens at 
 Hojee.—A picturesque Picnic.—Internal Arrangements of a Tea-house.—A Bath¬ 
 ing-room.—Scenery of the Interior of Japan.—The Botanical Gardens.—A Visit 
 to the Prime Ministers.—The Commissioners at Luncheon.—“The Scoundrel.” 
 —Schools at Yedo.—Linguistic Acquirements of the Japanese. System of na¬ 
 tional Education.—Japanese Literature.—The Postage System.—The Japanese 
 Language: its Construction.—Universal use of Paper.—Ingenuity of the Jap¬ 
 anese. 
 
 It had been arranged with the commissioners that Lord Elgin 
 should make a trip into the country upon the day following the 
 exchange of full powers. Our destination was a summer resort 
 about ten miles distant, called Ilojee, where pretty scenery, botan¬ 
 ical gardens, and well-appointed tea-houses were the attractions. 
 Accordingly, immediately after breakfast our steeds appeared at 
 the door, and we started off, a party of eight or ten, in that enjoy¬ 
 able frame of mind which is produced by pleasurable anticipa¬ 
 tions. For the first four or five miles our way led us through the 
 town, along the castle moat, past the point at which we again ob¬ 
 tained a panoramic view of the city, and on through more wind¬ 
 ing streets, which we had not before explored, and which seemed 
 interminable. At last we got clear of the more crowded thorough¬ 
 fares, and found ourselves traversing pleasant suburban lanes, 
 passing the spacious palace of the most powerful prince in the 
 empire, Kagano-kami. The outer walls of this establishment in¬ 
 close an immense area of ground, and contain buildings which are 
 said to afford accommodation to ten thousand men. The groves 
 of lofty trees which towered above the walls gave token of the 
 beauty of the gardens within them. Many of the streets and 
 roads which we traversed were lined with peach and plum trees; 
 at the period of the year when these are in full blossom, they 
 must form a most charming and fragrant avenue. 
 
 We were filled with astonishment and delight at the exquisite 
 taste displayed in the gardens and cottages upon the roadside. 
 Xo model estate in England can produce “cottages orne^s” com¬ 
 parable to those which adorn the suburbs of Yedo. We always 
 
408 
 
 BEAUTY OF THE SUBURBS. 
 
 fail in our detail; there is a want of that minuteness which the 
 Chinaman glories in until he becomes grotesque. The Japanese 
 have hit the happy medium. With an elaborate delicacy of de¬ 
 tail, they combine the art of generalization in design, so that the 
 relation of the parts with the whole is maintained throughout, 
 and the general effect is not sacrificed to minor beauties. These 
 charming little cottages, raising their thatched roofs amid the 
 fruit-trees and creepers which threatened to smother them in 
 their embraces, were surrounded by flower-beds tastefully laid 
 out, resplendent with brilliant hues, and approached by walks 
 between carefully-clipped hedges. Yew-trees, cut into fantastic 
 shapes, and dwarfed trees, extending their deformed arms as if for 
 assistance and support, are favorite garden ornaments. Here and 
 there, at the end of a long avenue, we could discern a temple em¬ 
 bowered amid trees; and ancient priests in gauzy and transparent 
 costume, with broad embroidered belts and sashes, and enormous 
 lackered hats, would hurry to the entrance to see the strangers 
 pass. The beauty of the cemeteries was in keeping with the taste 
 displayed in every thing else; here walks wound amid flowering 
 shrubs and drooping cypresses. 
 
 We could always judge of the respectability of the quarter 
 through which we passed by the size and character of the crowd 
 which accompanied us. In some parts of the suburb we were 
 followed by a noisy mob, who pressed upon us cheering and 
 laughing—not, however, showing any signs of ill-will. Some of 
 our party, on the previous day, not attended by a sufficiently 
 large body of policemen to inspire awe, passing through some of 
 the less reputable parts of the town, had been hooted, and even 
 pelted, the crowd calling out, “Chinamen, Chinamen! have you 
 any thing to sell?” a circumstance for which the commissioners 
 never ceased apologizing, while they took occasion to impress 
 upon us the necessity, which we were always anxious to forget, 
 of never moving about unless accompanied by a proper staff of 
 police. Upon this occasion we were attended by twenty officials, 
 in a black gauze uniform, who marched in front of us. As we 
 were desirous not to lose time, and our steeds were willing, some 
 of the elder members of this party were knocked up before we 
 got to the half-way tea-house, where we changed our escort. 
 
 As wb got farther from town the cottages became more scatter¬ 
 ed, but the country did not lose its air of civilization. Groves of 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 * 
 
 
 ' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 * 
 
 
 
 
 * 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tea-garden near Yedo, 
 
A PLEASANT TEA-HOUSE. 
 
 411 
 
 tall trees overshadowed the road, apparently bordering some or¬ 
 namental grounds, for they were inclosed by palings exactly re¬ 
 sembling those of our own parks. 
 
 The tea-house at which we stopped to rest was situated in a 
 garden where sparkling water gushed out of mossy grottoes, and 
 quilted mats invited to repose. Here pipes and tea were served 
 by fair damsels, who also pressed upon our acceptance unripe 
 pears. Beyond this tea-house we found ourselves fairly in the 
 country; we had exchanged the suburbs of London for the lanes 
 of Devonshire. 
 
 Although the country was undulating, the road was neither 
 too steep nor too narrow for wheeled vehicles. Sometimes it 
 passed between high banks crowned with hedgerows and shrubs, 
 among which I observed the holly. With the exception of groves 
 of trees, left doubtless for a special purpose, and which served to 
 diversify the prospect, every acre of ground seemed cultivated. 
 This is probably partly in consequence of a law compelling every 
 man to cultivate his land within the year, upon pain of forfeiting 
 it. Fields of yams and egg-plant or brinjall, of beans and Indian- 
 corn, millet and onions, alternated with each other in rapid suc¬ 
 cession. At every clump of trees through which the road passed 
 were resting-places for all classes of travelers—simple benches 
 under the gnarled branches of some venerable oak or plane tree 
 for humble wayfarers, and little tables with fruit and tea set out 
 in the cool shade; or summer-houses, composed of a single hut, 
 with the same invariable beverage hot and ready to refresh the 
 thirst of the weary pedestrian; or an establishment of greater pre¬ 
 tensions, where men of rank might stay and rest. 
 
 At last we suddenly descended into a dell where a charming 
 village lay embosomed in a wood. It consisted of a few cottages > 
 and a tea-house on a grand scale. At the entrance to this estab¬ 
 lishment we dismounted, much to the edification of the whole 
 population of the village, who assembled to stare and wonder at 
 us. We found the tea-house situated on the edge of a brawling 
 stream, the balconies of the upper rooms overhanging the water. 
 Hanging woods and gardens, tastefully laid out with rock-work, 
 and yew-trees cut into quaint shapes, fringed the bank of the 
 river, to the point at which it entered the grounds in a picturesque 
 cascade. Taking possession of .a summer-house perched on a 
 projecting point, and which commanded a charming view of the 
 
412 
 
 INTERNAL ARRANGEMENTS OF A TEA-HOUSE. 
 
 surrounding objects, we signified to a group of young ladies, who 
 came to look at us under the pretext of waiting for orders, our 
 desire to be furnished with some luncheon. 
 
 We were not kept long in waiting for our meal, which consist¬ 
 ed of some excellent vegetable soup, and some rice and fish. By. 
 way of dessert we had marshmelons, apricots, and pears, so that 
 we had no difficulty in satisfying the cravings of hunger. We 
 found that these gardens were a favorite resort of pleasure-parties 
 from Yedo of the highest rank. When any grandee wishes to 
 enjoy a domestic treat of this sort, accompanied by his wife and 
 family, he gives a previous notice of his intention to the keeper 
 of the tea-house, so that a dignified privacy may be secured to 
 him. There, screened from the vulgar gaze, he and his compan¬ 
 ions give themselves up to the enjoyment which this species of 
 recreation affords. Their wives play, dance, or sing for their ben¬ 
 efit; in fact, so far as I could gather, they behave very much as 
 we do when we are working off the fag-end of the season in pic¬ 
 nics to the Star and Garter, or Hampton Court. I was not able 
 to discover, however, under what conditions the unmarried mem¬ 
 bers of society were allowed to partake of these amusements. 
 
 If any aristocratic picnic was going on during our visit to Ho- 
 jee, we were not fortunate enough to get a glimpse of it. We 
 did, nevertheless, explore the internal economy of the establish¬ 
 ment. Unfortunately, it not being the custom for the guests to 
 go into the kitchen, I was ignominiously expelled from that de¬ 
 partment just as I was commencing my investigations into the ar¬ 
 rangements by which so large a number of guests were kept con¬ 
 stantly supplied with every description of Japanese delicacy, and 
 tea in rivers. I had only time to find myself encompassed by a 
 bevy of active, bustling waitresses, and to catch sight of huge 
 steaming caldrons, when a strong-minded old woman showed me 
 the door with a soup-ladle. The accompanying illustration, taken 
 on the spot by Mr. Bedwell, will convey a better idea than any 
 description of the interior of the public rooms, and of the costume 
 of the attendants. The complexions of many of these girls were 
 quite as fair as those of our own countrywomen. In waiting, 
 their manners are graceful and respectful. Almost every thing 
 is served in lacker, and is presented in a reverential attitude. 
 The guests sit dotted about on the mat till they have done dinner, 
 when they lie down to smoke, sip tea, and digest. According to 
 

Interior of Tea-gardens. 
 
A BATHING-ROOM. 
 
 415 
 
 Grolownin, the varnish with which the lacker is composed is poi¬ 
 son. Not only is it perfectly free from any injurious effect on 
 this account, but, although the hottest tea may be served in lack¬ 
 er cups, it is impossible to detect the slightest flavor of the var¬ 
 nish. 
 
 Whether the tea of Japan is actually superior to that of China, 
 or only prepared in a different way, I had no opportunity of 
 judging; but the flavor struck me as much more delicate. Ac¬ 
 cording to Siebold, the plant is manured with dried anchovies, 
 and a liquor pressed out of mustard-seed. 
 
 One method of preparing the tea is by keeping it constantly 
 boiling. Enough of tea leaves are put into the kettle for the 
 day’s consumption, and the decoction is never taken off the fire. 
 This is, however, generally only used at wayside refreshment- 
 houses. 
 
 We did not observe any of it growing, as it is said that the 
 plantations are generally remote from the habitations of men, lest 
 they should be injured by smoke, or any other deleterious emana¬ 
 tions. 
 
 A Japanese Bath. 
 
 Attached to the tea-house was a bathing-room containing a sin¬ 
 gular oval depression in the floor, to which the bathers confine 
 themselves during their ablutions, as outlets are constructed for 
 
416 
 
 SCENERY OF THE INTERIOR OF JAPAN., 
 
 the escape of the water. Hot water is abundantly provided, 
 while the cold flowed in a perpetual cascade from a green grotto 
 in the wall. 
 
 Leaving Hojee, we rode up to the brow of the hill behind the 
 village. To do so it was necessary to diverge from the high 
 road, and gallop across a greensward dotted with handsome park¬ 
 like trees. Our attendants, not prepared for this sudden escapade, 
 ran breathlessly after us, vehemently remonstrating, and passing 
 their hand across their throats, as an indication that our transgres¬ 
 sion would be visited upon them with summary punishment; but 
 our curiosity to obtain a view from our elevated position over¬ 
 came our scruples on their account, and we were well repaid for 
 our want of humanity. The prospect upon which we feasted our 
 gaze more nearly resembled that from Richmond Hill than any 
 other with which I am acquainted. Beneath us was a winding 
 river, now hidden among thick woods, now shining in the broad 
 light of day as it emerged upon grassy fields. Beyond, as far as 
 the eye could reach, the country was richly cultivated and charm¬ 
 ingly diversified, while here and there the smoke of a town or 
 hamlet imparted an air of animation to the view. It was a most 
 tantalizing sight, and we longed to explore the unknown scenes 
 which lie still unvisited in the heart of this magnificent country. 
 
 It is some consolation to know that the interior of Japan will in 
 all probability, ere long, be laid ojoen. By the late treaty it is re¬ 
 served to the consul general and his immediate staff, and to them 
 alone, to travel to any part of the empire. We know, from the 
 accounts of the Jesuits and the Butch missions, how many objects 
 of interest there are at Miako, and other places upon the main route 
 to Nagasaki, but our curiosity has been chiefly stimulated by the 
 illustrations contained in the Japanese picture-books of the most 
 striking features in their scenery. The Japanese are one of the 
 few so-called uncivilized nations who really seem to have an intui¬ 
 tive appreciation of the picturesque. Even the Chinese, who oc¬ 
 casionally venture upon representations of scenery, choose some 
 uninteresting subject, and invariably make it subservient to a 
 scene of domestic or military life in the foreground, displaying, 
 moreover, an entire ignorance of perspective; but the Japanese 
 portray the grandest scenic features of their country evidently for 
 their own sake alone. Waterfalls and precipices, picturesque vil¬ 
 lages perched on overhanging cliffs, or rocky ledges running out 
 
THE BOTANICAL GARDENS. 
 
 417 
 
 * 
 
 into the sea, are favorite subjects, and executed with a much more 
 correct notion of art than has been attained in the sister empire. 
 From the views which many of these books contain, there must 
 be scenery in Japan worth a pilgrimage to that distant island, 
 were it for no other purpose but to visit it. Even our followers 
 seemed to think it natural that we should wish to linger on the 
 green edge of the hill, to take a long last look at the widespread 
 prospect before us, but they were evidently relieved when we 
 slowly turned our horses’ heads into the narrow path which was 
 to lead us to the botanical gardens. 
 
 A thick grove of overhanging trees afforded a grateful shade 
 from the rays of the August sun, while little wicket-gates opened 
 off it into gardens that formed a setting of flowers to the cottages 
 in their midst. The botanical gardens themselves did not exact¬ 
 ly correspond to our notions on the subject. There were neither 
 fine old trees in great variety, nor a large and curious collection 
 of all descriptions of plants. The rage of horticulturists in this 
 country seemed to be grasses, mosses, and ferns of all sorts, added 
 to which there was an extensive assortment of dwarfed trees. In¬ 
 stead of glass green-houses, there were long mat-sheds for the more 
 delicate specimens; while ranged upon stands, as in England, 
 were quantities of porcelain pots of various shapes and colors, but 
 generally blue, with a piece of rock in the centre, and a root of 
 grass or moss growing round it. But a Japanese gardener chiefly 
 prides himself upon his skill in dwarfing. The most venerable 
 forest-trees may here be seen in flower-pots, their old stems, gnarl¬ 
 ed and twisted as if writhing under the torture of distortion, per¬ 
 haps scarce two feet high, while their unnatural branches spread 
 out laterally like the fingers of a deformed hand. One of the 
 Dutch factory told a story of a box three inches long by two 
 broad, containing a fir-tree, a bamboo, and a plum-tree in full 
 blossom, which was sold for a sum equal to twelve hundred dol¬ 
 lars. There was a pine wood behind the gardens, with some 
 pleasant retreats in it, and artificial hillocks crowned with sum¬ 
 mer-houses. These gardens are also a very favorite resort for pic¬ 
 nics from Yedo. 
 
 Once more swinging ourselves into our uncomfortable saddles, 
 we jogged home, a weary three hours’ ride ; but we had been am¬ 
 ply repaid for our fatigue by the novelty and interest of the day’s 
 experiences. 
 
 D D 
 
418 
 
 A VISIT TO THE PRIME MINISTERS. * 
 
 On the following morning we paid another visit to the chief 
 ministers of state, as Lord Elgin wished to make farther arrange¬ 
 ments with reference to the delivery of the yacht, and to introduce 
 Captains Barker and Osborn, and Commander Ward, in whose 
 charge she had come out from England. The ceremony differed 
 in no respect from that of the previous occasion, except that it 
 took place in the daytime. The ministers were anxious to know 
 the difference between a nHn-of-war and a yacht; and then there 
 was some discussion as to the salute which should be fired by the 
 Japanese, they having never, upon any previous occasion, saluted 
 a foreign flag. The ministers took the opportunity of expressing, 
 on behalf of the Tycoon, his regret at not being able to see Lord 
 Elgin, but it was suggested that his excellency might have an au¬ 
 dience with his son, a lad of thirteen years of age. This proposal 
 Lord Elgin did not deem it expedient to accept. 
 
 We reached home just in time to receive the commissioners for 
 luncheon. They expressed themselves extremely embarrassed at 
 always arriving at our luncheon hour—“they really could not 
 think of partaking of any to-day—it would seem so very much as 
 if they had come for ham and Champagne.” Lord Elgin, how¬ 
 ever, answered them that no such suspicion had ever entered his 
 head; and that, unless the proper amount of ham and Champagne 
 had been consumed, it would be impossible to proceed with the 
 treaty. This argument seemed at once to decide them; and they 
 had evidently fasted carefully, in order to a more thorough appre¬ 
 ciation of the meal they pretended to repudiate. After luncheon 
 we had no difficulty in getting through fifteen articles, by which 
 Moriyama was the only sufferer, for he was engaged in making 
 duplicate copies in Japanese and Dutch. One day Lord Elgin 
 asked him whether he had nearly finished copying the treaty; 
 but Moriyama was too good an interpreter to give a direct answer 
 to any question in the presence of his superiors; so, turning to the 
 commissioners, he asked them, “ Has Moriyama nearly finished 
 copying the treaty?” Upon which they gravely replied, after 
 consultation with him, “ No, Moriyama has not yet finished copy¬ 
 ing the treaty, but he is getting on with it as fast as he can.” 
 When an inferior in Japan is in conversation with a superior, the 
 correct posture for the former is to rest his hands upon his knees 
 and remain slightly stooping—practically, this is abbreviated into 
 a rapid slipping of the hand down the thigh to the knee, a gesture 
 
“THE SCOUNDREL.”—SCHOOLS AT YEDO. 
 
 419 
 
 which Moriyama used constantly to perform, accompanying it 
 with a noisy inhalation of the breath, as if he had just sucked a 
 sherry-cobbler through a quill, and was relishing it still. 
 
 But we made another acquaintance at Yedo even more note¬ 
 worthy than Moriyama. He was popularly known as “the 
 Scoundrel,” but his real name was Tanjeram. This man appear¬ 
 ed in our garden one evening, and astonished us all by speaking 
 English without any perceptible accent, using very long words, 
 and informed us that he was in the habit of taking lunar observ¬ 
 ations. He farther asserted that he had never been out of Japan 
 in his life, and that he acquired his knowledge of the English lan¬ 
 guage at a school at Yedo. This school he described as being at¬ 
 tended by Japanese desirous of learning foreign languages, which 
 they were taught by professors, who had qualified themselves by 
 study for the purpose. With all our respect for the intelligence 
 and advancement of the Japanese, this was rather more than we 
 could accept, and we could gain no corroborative testimony .on the 
 subject, so that I have no doubt it was a pure piece of invention 
 on the part of Tanjeram, who had evidently, by some accident or 
 other, passed some years of his life in the United States. He 
 stoutly denied that such was the case, and he spoke with a slight 
 nasal twang, making use of expressions which he certainly must 
 have acquired from a professor who had studied the “American” 
 and not the English language. The expression of his face was 
 totally different from that of any other Japanese I ever saw. 
 There was a mixture of cunning and insolence in his manner for¬ 
 eign to the nature of his countrymen, and which indisputably 
 proved that he had lived long enough abroad to substitute the 
 manners of Western civilization for those of Japanese barbarism. 
 
 But, although we took leave to doubt the existence of profess¬ 
 ors of European languages at Yedo, there is no question about the 
 advanced state of education, and its wide diffusion throughout the 
 empire. Dutch is certainly taught at Yedo as well as at Nagasa¬ 
 ki ; and pupils who have studied the latest mechanical and scien¬ 
 tific inventions at the latter place under the Dutch, come to the 
 capital as teachers. Thus they are competent to manage their 
 own steam-engines, and to navigate their own ships, working their 
 course by observation. They are extremely sensitive at being 
 supposed incapable of acquiring any branch of knowledge which 
 is possessed by others, and have a very high estimate of their 
 
420 LINGUISTIC ACQUIREMENTS OF THE JAPANESE. 
 
 powers in this respect. This was amusingly illustrated in a dis¬ 
 cussion which took place as to the language which should here¬ 
 after be the medium of official correspondence. “Oh,” said one 
 of the commissioners, “you had better make English the official 
 language ; there is no telling how long it will be before you will 
 be able to write a dispatch in Japanese; but give us five years, 
 and we shall be quite competent to correspond with you in En¬ 
 glish.” This affords a striking contrast to our experience at Tien¬ 
 tsin, where we found such difficulty in inducing the Chinese to 
 accept the English as the official language, even as a prospective 
 arrangement—one, indeed, which I have little hope of ever seeing 
 carried out; for, even if a Chinaman could be induced to study a 
 foreign language, he is so utterly destitute by nature of the facul¬ 
 ty of acquiring any tongue but his own that a lifetime would be 
 spent in the vain attempt. During the whole period of my stay 
 in China I did not meet a single native who could speak, read, 
 and write English correctly. 
 
 In Japan, on the other hand, there is a rage for the acquisition 
 of every description of knowledge. A Chinaman thinks that any 
 study but that of the Confucian books is degrading, and treats 
 every modern invention with an air of calm contempt. Probably 
 he contends that the art has long been known in China; so that 
 if you were to show him a railway, he would most likely say, 
 “ Hab got alo same that Pekin side, only two tim more chop chop 
 can go.”* A Japanese, on the other hand, is full of zeal and cu¬ 
 riosity. He examines and asks questions about every thing with¬ 
 in his reach, carefully noting the answers. 
 
 P&re Charlevoix says that in the time of Xavier there were in 
 the neighborhood of Miako four academies, at each of which edu¬ 
 cation was afforded to between three and four thousand pupils, 
 adding that, considerable as these numbers were, they were quite 
 insignificant in -comparison with the numbers instructed near the 
 city of Bandone, and that such institutions were universal through¬ 
 out the empire. Mr. Macfarlane, quoting from M. Meylan, a more 
 recent authority, states that children of both sexes and of all ranks 
 are invariably sent to rudimentary schools, where they learn to 
 read and write, and are initiated into some knowledge of the his¬ 
 tory of their own country. To this extent, at least, it is consider¬ 
 ed necessary that the meanest peasant should be educated. 
 
 * Anglice —We have got the same at Pekin, only it goes twice as quickly. 
 
JAPANESE LITERATURE. 
 
 421 
 
 From this account, which was corroborated by all I could gather 
 upon the subject, it will appear that a more widely-diffused sys¬ 
 tem of national education exists in Japan than in our own coun¬ 
 try, and that in that respect, at all events, if in no other, they are 
 decidedly in advance of us. Often in passing along the streets I 
 heard the pleasant babble of children learning their lessons. 
 
 Closely connected with this subject is that of the literature of 
 the country; but upon this head it was difficult to collect inform¬ 
 ation—still more so to obtain books. Although book-stalls 
 were numerous, and their contents were temptingly displayed 
 toward the street, whenever we approached one a general scram¬ 
 ble invariably took place to secure the contents. It was evident 
 that a government order had been issued not to sell books to the 
 strangers; and although our attendants used to pretend to assist 
 us in procuring them, we used to discover them secretly abetting 
 the shop-keepers. Once when I seized a great prize—a map of a 
 province in the empire—it was snatched from me by an old lady 
 who had the fear of government very vividly before her eyes, so 
 that I only carried off a small fragment. Still, by soft speeches 
 and perseverance, we managed to pick up a good many picture- 
 
422 
 
 JAPANESE LITERATURE. 
 
 books. One of these, illustrative of various trades in Japan, was 
 a most interesting study. The preceding wood-cut gives some 
 idea of the graphic character of the dra wings. Most of the books 
 which I obtained, written in Japanese, were of little use, as no¬ 
 body could read them; but I procured one or two bulky volumes 
 in the Chinese character. According to the Dutch authors, Japa¬ 
 nese literature generally comprises works of science, history, biog¬ 
 raphy, geography, travels, moral philosophy, natural history, poet¬ 
 ry, the drama, and encyclopedias—a very goodly catalogue, if it 
 be a correct one. 
 
 Besides the books containing nothing but pictures are works 
 of fiction illustrated with wood-cuts, the engravings being made 
 upon the same blocks with the type. It is said that recently the 
 art of engraving on copper has been introduced. 
 
 Though ignorant of the art of painting in oils, the Japanese are 
 skillful in the management of water-colors, and some of their col- 
 
 Group of Horses (from a native drawing). 
 
 ored prints are life-like and characteristic. They are generally 
 in a regular sequence, and the thread of a story is to be followed 
 throughout. I procured one book containing a series of sketches 
 of groups of horses, in crayon, drawn with much spirit and artistic 
 talent. 
 
 We may fairly presume that the Japanese are a reading peo- • 
 pie; and from all I could learn, the fair sex were not behind their 
 lords in the improvement of their minds. Golownin bears testi- 
 
JAPANESE LANGUAGE: ITS CONSTRUCTION. 
 
 423 
 
 mony to this fact. 11 The Japanese,” he says, “ are extremely fond 
 of reading. Even the common soldiers, when on duty, were con¬ 
 tinually engaged with books. This passion for literature, how¬ 
 ever, proved somewhat inconvenient to us, as they always read 
 aloud in a tone of voice resembling singing.” They are also al¬ 
 most as fond of writing notes to each other as if they rejoiced in 
 the luxury of a penny-post. Although they have not made that 
 important discovery, an organization does exist for the transmis¬ 
 sion of letters from one end of the empire to the other, of the most 
 perfect description. The letter-carrier is always attended by a 
 companion, to guard against the chances of sickness or accident 
 delaying the regular postman. These men are constantly relieved, 
 each stage being performed at their utmost speed. I once met 
 one of these carrying his packet and dashing along with a vehe¬ 
 mence which induced me to inquire what his errand could be. 
 He was, however, alone: probably it is not considered necessary 
 for town postmen to run in couples. 
 
 The Japanese write, like the Chinese, in columns, from the top 
 to the bottom of the paper, beginning at the right-hand side. The 
 character is less fantastic and far more running than the Chinese. 
 There is, indeed, not the slightest similarity between the lan¬ 
 guages, the one being monosyllabic and the other polysyllabic. 
 The Japanese words are often of unconscionable length, but the 
 sounds are musical, and not difficult to imitate ; whereas the Chi¬ 
 nese words, though of one syllable, consist generally of a gulp or 
 a grunt, not attainable by those whose ears have not become 
 thoroughly demoralized by a long residence in the country. We 
 learned more Japanese words in a week than we had of Chinese in 
 a year; and in making a small, rough vocabulary, I found no dif¬ 
 ficulty in so allocating the letters of the English alphabet as to 
 convey to my memory a fair representation of the sound I wished 
 to recollect. In Chinese this is quite impossible. Klaproth says, 
 in his Asia Polyglotta , that the Japanese language is so dissimilar 
 from all known languages in structure, grammar, and every char¬ 
 acteristic, that the nation who speak it must be a distinct race. 
 It is impossible to see them and not to arrive at this conclusion, 
 on other grounds besides the construction of their language. That 
 • they originally sprang from the same Mongol stock, the descend¬ 
 ants of which now form a large proportion of the population of 
 China, seems to be generally admitted; but the peopling of Jap- 
 
424 
 
 JAPANESE LANGUAGE: ITS CONSTRUCTION. 
 
 an was, in all probability, an event prior to the first Mongol in¬ 
 vasion. Their features differ essentially from the Chinese type. 
 Their noses are not so broad and flat, and their eyes are more 
 prominent and not so oblique. Altogether, the cast of counte¬ 
 nance is far more agreeable. Those of our party who had visited 
 the South Sea Islands found in the Japanese many points of re¬ 
 semblance with the natives of that archipelago. It would be in¬ 
 teresting to discover whether any similarity existed also in their 
 language. 
 
 The student of Japanese will possess one great advantage over 
 the victim condemned to the acquirement of the tongue of the 
 Celestials, inasmuch as he starts with the benefit of an alphabet, 
 or rather a syllabarium—an appendage to his language which a 
 Chinaman despises. The Chinese character is, nevertheless, con¬ 
 stantly to be seen on sign-boards and the walls of buildings. It 
 is read by educated Japanese, but with a pronunciation which a 
 Chinaman would find it difficult to understand. Nor does the 
 character always represent to the Japanese mind the idea which 
 it would convey to the natives of the Celestial Empire. The dif¬ 
 ference in pronunciation may be accounted for by the fact that 
 the Japanese also attempt to render the Chinese sounds by means 
 of their own alphabetic symbols. It would, indeed, appear that 
 there are two distinct languages in vogue in Japan, called the 
 Yomi and Kaye, of which the former is the national and popular 
 tongue, and the latter Chinese, with a Japanese pronunciation. 
 This is a subject, however, upon which our information is scanty; 
 but with our present establishment of students at the new ports, 
 we shall, ere long, have abundant light thrown upon this most in¬ 
 teresting field of investigation. The student would do well to fol¬ 
 low the example of the Japanese in one respect, and carry about 
 with him a note-book. Every Japanese wears on a string round 
 his waist a little portable inkstand : this is usually neatly lacker¬ 
 ed, and contains one pen, or rather brush, and a little water-tight 
 compartment for ink: in his bosom are many sheets of paper, ei¬ 
 ther separately or made into the form of a note-book. Our metal¬ 
 lic note-books were always subjects of envy and curiosity, and the 
 merits of India-rubber bands were duly appreciated. 
 
 We found, on the other hand, no less interest in examining the 
 various uses to which they apply that most essential item in their 
 wants—paper. It constituted the walls of our rooms and the fans 
 
UNIVERSAL USE OF PAPER. 
 
 425 
 
 that were in universal vogue; it was the wrapping of every pur¬ 
 chase, and furnished the string with which it was afterward tied. 
 In square pieces it was used as pocket-handkerchiefs, and, pressed 
 together and lackered, it was worn as hats: it was of every con¬ 
 sistency, thick, and coarse, and full of impurities, or thinner and 
 more transparent than the finest tissue paper, but always wonder¬ 
 fully tough. As it is prepared from the bark of the mulberry- 
 tree, this is not to be wondered at. The younger branches furnish 
 the whitest paper. The process consists in boiling down the bark 
 and straining it through a sieve, when it is mixed with rice, and 
 the water is gradually drawn off. The pap-like substance is then 
 spread carefully out into sheets, pressed between boards, and laid 
 out in the sun to harden and dry. It is impossible to tear this 
 paper against the grain; thin strips of it torn in the opposite di¬ 
 rection, and rolled up, make tough and convenient pieces of string. 
 
 The more we saw of this singular and attractive people, the 
 more we felt that though we, on our side, had much to exhibit 
 which astonished and delighted them, we were the greatest gain¬ 
 ers, for the investigation of their manufactures and appliances, at 
 once so original and ingenious, proved a never-failing source of 
 interest and amusement. 
 
 Japanese Artist (from a native drawing). 
 
426 
 
 A JAPANESE FUNERAL. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 A Japanese Funeral.—Mode of dressing Ladies’ Hair.—Excellence of Japanese Steel. 
 —Carvings in Ivory.—Musical Instruments.—Japanese War-fans.—An Expedi¬ 
 tion into the Country.—A Religious Festival.—Elaborate Tattooing.—The Logos 
 River.—The Temple of Dai Cheenara.—The Interior of the Temple.—A singular 
 Postscript.—Sumptuary Laws.—Sinagawa.—Taxation in Japan.—The Character 
 of the Legislation.—Japanese Management of Children.—Results of our Experi¬ 
 ence.—Japanese Love of Pleasure.—Effect of Contact with Europeans. 
 
 For the two or three days following our excursion to Hojee 
 our time was fully occupied with the commissioners. Some of 
 our guests, however, were enabled to employ themselves agree¬ 
 ably and profitably in riding about the town. Xot far from our 
 residence was a most tempting-looking temple, entered by a mass¬ 
 ive gateway at the end of an avenue which led to the base of a 
 wooded hill on the summit of which the gables of the building 
 appeared amid the foliage. Some enterprising explorers made an 
 ineffectual attempt to visit this attractive-looking spot, but were 
 refused admittance in a manner rather too peremptory and abrupt 
 to be consistent with the uniform courtesy of the people general¬ 
 ly. Upon this circumstance being mentioned to the commission¬ 
 ers, they were, as usual, profuse in their apologies, but begged us 
 not to press the point, as the temple in question was sacred to the 
 manes of defunct tycoons. This fact only stimulated our curiosi¬ 
 ty still farther, but we refrained from urging a request which 
 seemed distasteful. On another occasion, some of our party were 
 fortunate enough to witness a Japanese funeral. In consequence 
 of the corpse being placed in a sitting posture, the shape of the 
 coffin is more that of a sedan chair than an oblong case. It is 
 preceded by servants and members of the establishment, and fol¬ 
 lowed by priests and mourners in white, with norimOns for the 
 ladies, and policemen, as usual, to keep off the crowd. Accord¬ 
 ing to Siebold, the corpse is interred to funeral music, produced 
 by striking copper basins. 
 
 We were so fortunate as to discover, not far from our abode, a 
 small back street, which was an unfailing resource when time did 
 not permit of an expedition into that part of the city which cor¬ 
 responds to the borough of London. Here were a quantity of 
 
Japanese Funeral 
 
EXCELLENCE OF JAPANESE STEEL. 
 
 429 
 
 book-stalls, some shops containing very curious China, and a great 
 variety of the peculiar manufactures of the country. The Japa¬ 
 nese are a people plain and simple in their tastes, and, as a rule, 
 eschewing ornaments. Those, however, in which the ladies in¬ 
 dulge most freely are made of glass, in the fabrication of which 
 into quaint devices the manufacturers are peculiarly expert. A 
 favorite trick is to fill glass tubes of various shapes and patterns 
 with colored fluids. These are frequently used as hair-pins. 
 Sometimes there is a globe at the end, in which the liquid may 
 be detected by the air-bubble as it glances in the raven tresses of 
 a Japanese belle. Most of the women wear their hair somewhat 
 in the style which was in vogue among ourselves forty or fifty 
 years ago—the back-hair being massively arranged, and skewered 
 in various directions with glass ornaments. The female attend-* 
 ants in the establishments of princes are alone allowed to wear 
 their hair a Timjoeratrice. It is singular that while the Japanese 
 have brought the manufacture of glass to such perfection in cer¬ 
 tain forms—as, for instance, the most exquisitely-shaped bottles, 
 so light and fragile that they seem as though they were mere 
 bubbles, of every shade of color, and beautifully enameled with 
 devices—plate-glass is unknown among them. Their looking- 
 glasses are circular pieces of steel, polished so highly as to answer 
 all the purposes of a mirror, and usually elaborately ornamented 
 on the back. 
 
 The ornaments worn by the men are almost exclusively con¬ 
 fined to the handles of their swords. These are generally gold, 
 or of a composite metal called syakfdo, consisting of gold and 
 copper mixed with other metals, the effect of which is very 
 beautiful. The device is generally the representation of some 
 bird or animal, executed in the most perfect and finished style. 
 In most cases the handles of the swords are covered with sha¬ 
 green, upon which these ornaments are bound with silk cord. 
 The scabbards are either of leather or wood, beautifully lackered, 
 and the blades of steel of the rarest temper. I procured a pair 
 for thirty dollars, which bore the edge of a razor; but the price 
 was considered paltry; and a really good sword, such as, accord¬ 
 ing to Fischer, can cut through a European sword without turn¬ 
 ing its edge, is of fabulous value. I afterward learned that Baron 
 Grros had obtained some of the finest swords which were to be 
 procured at Yedo, and had paid in proportion. 
 
430 
 
 CARVINGS IN IVORY. 
 
 There can be no doubt that they have attained to the highest 
 pitch of excellence in the art of tempering steel. Old Struys 
 says of the manufacturers of swords in Japan: “ They are grown 
 famous in all the East for expert armorers, and temper steel bet¬ 
 ter than the Chineezes, which far exceed the Europeans. Their 
 swords are so well tempered that I have struck with one through 
 an iron pin, of half an inch thick, without the least token of 
 damage to the edge.” At first we found great difficulty in per¬ 
 suading our attendants to procure us some swords to purchase; 
 they even exhibited some reluctance to draw those they had on 
 when informed that we wished to inspect them. There is some 
 superstition connected with their sale to foreigners, as the exporta¬ 
 tion has heretofore been rigorously prohibited. Latterly, how¬ 
 ever, we completely overcame these scruples. 
 
 The same prohibition is laid upon the sale of gold, and this we 
 did not find it so easy to remove. Indeed, ornaments of pure 
 gold were excessively rare: but we were consoled by the charm¬ 
 ing little wood and ivory carvings, which are extensively used by 
 the dandies of Japan as appendages to their pipes, just as those of 
 this country tie bundles of charms or chatelaines to their watch- 
 chains. Some of these combine, with the utmost delicacy of exe¬ 
 cution, a keen sense of the ludicrous, and often represent objects 
 highly characteristic of the people and their manners. The carv¬ 
 ings in ivory I preferred to any 
 thing of the same description in 
 China; they were the most ex¬ 
 pensive trifles which we discov¬ 
 ered at Yedo. The pipes, to 
 which these are attached by a 
 silk cord, are worn buttoned on 
 to the dress near the waist. The 
 stem is generally composed of a 
 reed, with a mouth-piece of brass 
 or composite metal elaborately 
 
 Croup from an Ivory Carving. chased, and Si bowl of the Same 
 
 material, but absurdly small to our Western notions. A pipe con¬ 
 tains merel} 7, a whiff; a pinch of tobacco is rolled up to the size 
 of a pea, and one long soothing inhalation completes the process: 
 as in the East generally, the smoke is retained for some time in 
 the lungs. The apparatus being constantly at hand, a Japanese 
 
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 
 
 431 
 
 will smoke fifty suck pipes in a morning. Tke tobacco is of a 
 pale yellow color, not unlike Turkish, except in being cut more 
 finely, and having a more delicate flavor. The best tobacco is 
 grown in the territories of the Prince of Satsuma, and the neigh 
 borhood of Nagasaki. The plant was first introduced by the ear¬ 
 ly Portuguese traders. 
 
 Japanese Pipe, Case, and Pouch. 
 
 Some of these shops were devoted to the sale of musical instru¬ 
 ments, but they were somewhat cumbersome as curiosities. The 
 most popular is the samsie or lute. It is played with a thin slip 
 of wood, and is as necessary an accomplishment among the fair 
 sex as the piano-forte is with us. Reed pipes, tomtoms, and flutes 
 are also among the instruments we observed exhibited. Next 
 door lived an old man, whose occupation consisted in the manu¬ 
 facture of bows and arrows, which are still used as offensive weap¬ 
 ons in war. Some of the bows were prettily lackered. 
 
 A Samsie or Lute. 
 
432 
 
 AN EXPEDITION INTO THE COUNTRY. 
 
 Perhaps, however, the most singular arm which the Japanese 
 employ in the battle-field is the war-fan. This is a paper fan of 
 a larger size than usual, the sheaths of which are made of iron, so 
 that if, fatigued by a violent personal encounter, a warrior sits 
 down for a moment to rest and cool himself, and is unexpectedly 
 attacked, he immediately hits his enemy over the head with his 
 fan. I endeavored to obtain one of these; but they were only 
 made to order, and were not completed when we left Yedo. The 
 pattern on the fan is the national emblem, a red sun on a black 
 ground ; but the process of fanning one’s self with an iron fan can 
 not be cooling. In strong contrast to these is a description of fan 
 made of a substance so thin and transparent that it resembles gold¬ 
 beater’s skin; nothing can be conceived lighter or pleasanter to 
 use. The fan is an inseparable part of a Japanese dress. It is 
 his shelter from the sun, his note-book, and his plaything if it does 
 not happen to be hot. Without it he is as much at a loss to know 
 what to do with his hands as an Englishman is at an evening party 
 without his hat. There is so great a variety that it would be quite 
 an interesting occupation to take up the subject seriously and 
 make a collection. 
 
 On the 24th of August we started on another riding expedition 
 to the celebrated temple of Dai Cheenara, situated about ten miles 
 from Yedo, toward Kanagawa. Our road, therefore, led in the 
 opposite direction from that which we had followed upon the for¬ 
 mer occasion, and took us through the long western suburb that 
 skirts the bay for a distance of five or six miles, first through the 
 notorious quarter called Sinagawa which we saw to greater ad¬ 
 vantage on our return journey, then for half a league through 
 Omogawa, and past a spot which was celebrated as the place for 
 public executions; it was just on the outskirts of the town, in an 
 aceldama where the grass was long and rank, and a monolith, eight 
 f or ten feet high, was surrounded by a stone bench, the victim’s 
 last seat. Generally criminals who have committed crimes wor¬ 
 thy of death forestall the public executioner, and save themselves 
 the disgrace by hara-kiri. The ordinary mode of execution is de¬ 
 capitation. Titsingh, however, says that in some cases the torture 
 is prolonged as much as possible, and the skill of the executioner 
 is tested by the number of wounds he can inflict without causing 
 death. 
 
 A little beyond this disagreeable locality we come out upon 
 
A RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL.—ELABORATE TATTOOING. 433 
 
 pleasant rice-fields and wide areas of cultivation, divided by rows 
 of trees, which are occasionally grouped in clumps. The country 
 is perfectly level, the road broad and good, and lined with trees; 
 wayfarers are abundant, generally on foot, but sometimes in the 
 basket-chairs peculiar to the middle classes. Even after the town 
 has ceased houses are thickly dotted along the road. But our 
 journey to-day is doubly interesting, because it happens to be a 
 religious festival. The Japanese celebrate these about twice a 
 month, upon each occasion to do honor to some special divinity 
 or saint. One, indeed, is in honor of the devil, and originated in 
 a dispute which for some time agitated the religious world in Jap¬ 
 an as to the color of his Satanic majesty. One sect maintained 
 it was black, another white, another red, and another green. The 
 Mikado, deprived of the assistance of an ecclesiastical court, de¬ 
 termined the matter in a manner worthy his infallible pretensions. 
 He declared that the devil was of all these four colors at will—a 
 decision which carried conviction to the minds of all. This is a 
 story told by Meylan. Siebold, as I have before said, denies that 
 the Japanese believe in a devil at all, while, according to Kgemp- 
 fer, their only idea of him is in the likeness of a fox. It did not 
 occur to me to make inquiries upon the subject. 
 
 Another celebrated festival is the Feast of Lamps. When this 
 takes place, processions of boats, brilliantly illuminated, move 
 about the harbor, and produce a striking effect. I have forgotten 
 the name of the saint in whose honor the whole world was bask¬ 
 ing in the sun, doing nothing, when we went to Dai Cheenara, but 
 the streets had never before seemed so crowded; flags waved from 
 balconies, and strips of bright-colored cotton, covered with charac¬ 
 ters, fluttered from poles; the women wore flowers in their hair, 
 and the men had more on than usual. Some, however, denied 
 themselves the benefit of dress, apparently for the purpose of ex¬ 
 hibiting the brilliant patterns in which their skins were tattooed. 
 One man had a monster crab in the- small of his back, and a pret¬ 
 ty cottage on his chest. It is rather fashionable to have scarlet 
 fishes playing sportively between your shoulders. The scarlet 
 tattooing presents a very disgusting appearance. The skin looks 
 as if it had been carefully peeled off into the required pattern. 
 On a really well tattooed man there is not an inch of the body 
 which does not form part of a pictorial representation. If the 
 general effect is not agreeable, it is perfectly decent, for the skin 
 
 E E 
 
434 
 
 THE TEMPLE OF DAI CHEENARA. 
 
 ceases to look bare, or like skin at all; it rather resembles a har¬ 
 lequin’s costume. It must be dreadful to feel that one can never 
 undress again. Yet what anguish does the victim undergo in or¬ 
 der to put himself into a permanent suit of red dye and gunpow¬ 
 der ! 
 
 Of course, after we had completed a little more than half our 
 journey, we stopped at a tea-house. The day was scorchingly 
 hot. Riding in the sun on a lacker-saddle, without an umbrella, 
 in the middle of August, is a process which makes one appreciate 
 the merits of a tea-house. We find the coolest corner, stretch our¬ 
 selves full-length on the soft mats, drink tea, eat fruit, smoke in¬ 
 finitesimal pipes, and get ourselves fanned into a comatose state 
 by fair damsels, until the inexorable Tainoske tells us that the 
 time is up, and that, if we are to see the temple, we must once 
 more brave the rays of the Japanese sun. So we are again en 
 route , and jog on till we reach the Logos River, a deep stream 
 about fifty yards broad, and which is chiefly noteworthy because 
 it is named by the treaty as the future limits of the rambles of the 
 European community in this direction. Round every one of the 
 new ports is a line of demarcation, beyond which it will not be 
 permitted to Europeans to penetrate. This, as a general rule, 
 comprises a radius of about twenty miles. 
 
 We were ferried across the Logos River, and found ourselves in 
 the village of Kawasaki; after traversing which we are once more 
 in the open fields, but our road has narrowed to a bridle-path, and 
 it leads between neatly-clipped hedges, along the margin of purl¬ 
 ing streams; past more cottages with steep thatched roofs: some¬ 
 times these are double; a sort of hood is constructed above the 
 regular roof, which has deep overhanging eaves that are formed 
 into verandas. Here, as on the road to Hojee, the people love to 
 bury themselves beneath creepers and flowering shrubs, but they 
 do not neglect the essentials altogether. There are kitchen-gar¬ 
 dens attached to every establishment, with vegetables, and fruit- 
 trees, and orchards, where the pears are trained on trellises like 
 grapes. At last we reach a spacious pile of building, which is 
 surrounded by a ditch, and a massive wall surmounted by a pal¬ 
 ing, which is in its turn overshadowed by lofty trees. 
 
 The single street which composed the village was gay with flags 
 and crowded with people; it led us straight up to the principal 
 entrance to the temple, and the crowd thronged us as we pushed 
 
THE INTERIOR OE THE TEMPLE. 
 
 435 
 
 on, so that we were glad to get inside the gates, which were at 
 once closed after ns. But we were little better off here. The 
 spacious court was filled with a dense crowd, who clustered on 
 the broad flight of steps leading up to the temple. 
 
 In this court was a ponderous bell, swinging in a handsome bel¬ 
 fry of carved wood, on a massive pedestal. In Japan the bells 
 never have tongues or clappers, but are always struck from with¬ 
 out by a piece of wood conveniently suspended. Near the prin¬ 
 cipal flight of steps hung a large gong, while in the outer veranda 
 were swinging paper lanterns, some of an oval shape, ten or twelve 
 feet in length by about six in breadth, and others like truncated 
 columns. 
 
 The building itself was in the form of a shed, with very deep 
 verandas, slightly twisted gables, a steep roof, and substantial 
 walls. The columns which supported the veranda were of wood, 
 sheathed in copper at the base, while the capital was ornamented 
 with carved representations of lions. 
 
 Within the building were more similar columns. The wood¬ 
 en panels which formed the ceiling were elaborately carved, 
 and abundantly ornamented with 
 colored lacker, covered with pret¬ 
 ty landscapes. In the space, in¬ 
 closed by a railing, at the farther 
 end of which was the tiny image, 
 were magnificent brass candela- 
 bras, elegantly shaped, so as to rep¬ 
 resent the sacred lotus. A profu¬ 
 sion of brazen and tinsel ornaments 
 almost concealed the minute god, 
 seated on his table in the dim dis¬ 
 tance, in the centre of a screen 
 which bore the imperial arms. In 
 the middle of the apartment a priest 
 in green robes was performing serv¬ 
 ice ; assisting him was another in 
 yellow; while some more in red were present as by-standers. 
 
 The chief priest soon took an opportunity of coming up to 
 Lord Elgin with the polite intention of doing the honors of the 
 establishment, but our means of communication were too limited 
 to enable us to extract very much information from him. He 
 
486 
 
 A SINGULAR POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 was a man of mild, amiable countenance, which did not, however, 
 betoken a very high order of intellect. 
 
 Meantime the news had spread that beings of strange aspect 
 were in the temple, and when we emerged from it the crowd had 
 increased so much that we had some difficulty in remounting our 
 steeds. By the time we reached Kawasaki the fatigues of the 
 day were beginning to tell upon us, and we felt that a meal was 
 necessary to the restoration of our prostrate energies; so we took 
 possession of the upper story of a tea-house, from the balcony of 
 which we could look over the garden, with its ponds, and orna¬ 
 mental rock-work, and artificial islands, and awaited the repast 
 which it might please the cook to send us. We had faith in the 
 never-failing rice and fish, and were not disappointed. To crown 
 all, a breathless messenger appeared bearing a huge dish of pears 
 —a present from the priest of the temple we had just left to Lord 
 Elgin—a fact which was intimated in a note, which contained, by 
 way of an inclosure, a piece of dried salt fish. This singular ac¬ 
 companiment forms a recognized part of Japanese correspondence. 
 It is the postscript to the letter, and the burden of it is, u Happy 
 those who never depart from the wisdom of their ancestors.” In 
 other words, “ Remember we were originally a nation of fisher¬ 
 men ; let us not now become effeminate and luxurious, but recog¬ 
 nize in the inclosed slice of fish the emblem of our former occu¬ 
 pation, and let it recall to us the necessity of abstinence and fru¬ 
 gality.” Kor is the moral thus intended to be conveyed a mere 
 piece of barren sentiment. It is the embodiment of an active 
 principle in Japan, and accounts for that Spartan simplicity and 
 absence of display which characterizes the natives. The aristoc¬ 
 racy, in their domestic arrangements, are said to practice the ut¬ 
 most economy, and, except in obedience to official requirements 
 or the claims of conventional etiquette, to avoid as much as pos¬ 
 sible all ostentation or personal extravagance. 
 
 Alluding to this striking feature in the national character, 
 Thunberg says: “ It is in Japan, above all, that I have found that 
 wise and useful economy, which must not be confounded with 
 avarice, and to which I do not hesitate to accord the name of vir¬ 
 tue, because the opposite is one of the most disgusting of vices. 
 This virtue is practiced equally in the palace of the emperor and 
 in the hut of the pauper. The latter knows how to content him¬ 
 self with the little he possesses, while the rich man does not dissi- 
 
SINAGAWA. 
 
 437 
 
 pate his wealth in a profusion at once hurtful to the poor man and 
 fatal to the general well-being of society. Hence arises a happy 
 ignorance of those two scourges so common among our wise Eu¬ 
 ropean nations, scarcity and high prices, words for which it would 
 be difficult to find synonyms in the Japanese language.” 
 
 The rigid code of sumptuary laws which obtains in Japan, pro¬ 
 scribing certain luxuries, and defining minutely the style of dress 
 to be worn by each grade in the social scale, singularly illustrates 
 the powerful influence which this marked national characteristic 
 exercises over the community at large. 
 
 It was late in the afternoon ere we re-entered Sinagawa, and 
 the streets seemed more crowded than ever; but the most singu¬ 
 lar feature in this suburb is the houses of which it is composed, 
 and the purpose to which they are dedicated. For at least a mile 
 we rode between establishments organized on a most extensive 
 scale. Deep verandas, approached by flights of steps, seemed lit¬ 
 erally packed with the unfortunate victims of a system which is 
 one of the most singular characteristics of the country.* While, 
 however, it is impossible either to extenuate or to justify the tol¬ 
 eration by society, or the countenance by government, of an evil 
 which must exercise so pernicious an influence upon all classes 
 of the community, it is only fair to estimate at its true value the 
 extent of that influence. It is impossible to compare the general 
 social well-being of Japan with that of any other country, and 
 not admit that, notwithstanding the existence of this peculiar de¬ 
 velopment of immorality, it will gain by the contrast. 
 
 Universal testimony assures us that in their domestic relations 
 the men are gentle and forbearing, the women obedient and virtu¬ 
 ous. I will venture to assert that it is unknown in Japan for a 
 man to knock down his wife and then stamp upon her, having 
 previously driven her teeth down her throat with an iron bolt; 
 perhaps because his wife has never, either by her intemperate 
 habits, frail conduct, or abusive language, given him cause to do 
 so; and so, in every department of crime, we have reason to be¬ 
 lieve that the amount of grave offenses committed against society 
 is less in proportion to the population than that of other countries. 
 
 It is true that their criminal code is severe; but the best author¬ 
 ities on the subject state that there is an absolute impartiality in 
 the infliction of punishment. The great principle upon which 
 
 * See Appendix. 
 
438 
 
 TAXATION IN JAPAN. 
 
 tlieir legal system is based is the administration of equal justice, 
 and the punishment which comes home to the rich as well as to 
 the poor man, with equal force, is death. This, then, is the pen¬ 
 alty in most cases; but imprisonment and corporal punishment 
 are also resorted to. 
 
 But it would appear from Rundall’s notes* that the Japanese 
 not only enjoy the advantage of a just and impartial administra¬ 
 tion of justice; they are still more highly privileged by exemp¬ 
 tion from taxation in the strict sense of that term. The territory 
 of which the empire consists is vested entirely in the crown. The 
 revenues are derived solely from the rents of the land, which vary 
 according to the crops. There are assessors annually appointed, 
 whose business it is to make the necessary valuation and adjusl 
 the respective rights of landlord and tenant. The land is held 
 either directly under the crown, or under the princes or nobles 
 who have been invested by the crown with territorial rights, and 
 who, in return, pay rent, accompanied by the performance of cer¬ 
 tain feudal services. Tenants holding direct from the crown pay 
 to the emperor’s stewards four parts out of ten of the produce of 
 the soil, whether of rice, corn, or pulse, reserving the residue for 
 their own use. Such as hold under the princes pay six parts out 
 of ten. 
 
 In cities a house-tax is levied. Houses, however, under ninety 
 feet in length, are exempt from this impost. The same authority 
 also states that, though sanguinary in principle, the laws are great¬ 
 ly modified in practice. All the Dutch writers unite in extolling 
 the excellence of the native tribunals, and their competence to 
 deal with criminal, and give satisfaction in civil causes. Ksemp- 
 fer says: “I would not have the reader suppose that the Japanese 
 live entirely without laws; far from it; their laws and constitu¬ 
 tions are excellent, and strictly observed.” Our information upon 
 this subject is, however, not sufficiently ample to enable us to de¬ 
 cide upon the extent of influence exercised by the administration 
 of justice in the prevention of crime. Macfarlane, quoting Dutch 
 authorities, after describing the safety of the roads, states: “This 
 result is not all produced by legislations, severe laws, and munic¬ 
 ipal and police regulations; the Japanese, as a proud people, have 
 a contempt or abhorrence of cheating, pilfering, stealing, or rob¬ 
 bing.” There are doubtless many causes operating to produce 
 
 * Rundall’s King dome of Japonica (Notes). 
 
JAPANESE MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. 
 
 439 
 
 the same effect, but it would require a closer insight into the con¬ 
 stitution of society and character of the people than we were able 
 to obtain to specify what they are. We could only judge by the 
 result. As locks and keys did not exist, our rooms were open to 
 the incursions of any of the numerous attendants who swarmed 
 about our lodgings, and, though we left the most tempting English 
 curiosities constantly displayed, yet we never had to complain of 
 a single article missing, even of the most trifling value. 
 
 I thought it singular that, during the whole period of our stay 
 in Yedo, I should never have heard a scolding woman, or seen a 
 disturbance in the streets, although, whenever I passed through 
 them, they were densely crowded. Upon no single occasion, 
 though children were numerous, did I ever see a child struck or 
 otherwise maltreated. Thunberg, who passed many years in Jap¬ 
 an, mentions the same fact; and in a description of the empire 
 in the sixteenth century, from “ The Firste Booke of Relations of 
 Moderne States,” Harleian MS. 6249, the following passage oc¬ 
 curs: “They chastice their children with wordes onlye, and the" 
 admonishe theire children when they are five yeares oulde, as yf 
 the’ weare oulde men.” To our own knowledge, this mode of 
 educating youth has been in existence for more than three cen¬ 
 turies, and the result, according to universal testimony, is in the 
 highest degree satisfactory. Kasmpfer, Charlevoix, and Titsingh 
 agree in saying that the love, obedience, and reverence manifested 
 by children toward their parents is unbounded; while the con¬ 
 fidence placed by paints in their children is represented to be 
 without limit. Parents select their children to be arbitrators in 
 their disputes with others, and submit implicitly to their decis¬ 
 ions ; it is also a constant practice for parents to resign their state 
 and property to a son when he shall have attained a suitable age, 
 remaining for the rest of life dependent on him for support; and 
 abuse of this trust is said to be unknown. 
 
 With the exception of one or two religious mendicants, I did 
 not observe in this vast and populous city any beggars. Kaamp- 
 fer, however, records having seen them on the country roads. 
 Deformed objects rarely met the eye; not a drunkard crossed our 
 path, though from recent accounts revelers occasionally parade the 
 streets of an evening. From the numbers of people marked with 
 small-pox, that disease must rage with virulence in Japan, but the 
 appalling sights so familiar in China are unknown there. 
 
440 
 
 RESULTS OF OUR EXPERIENCE. 
 
 So, in our daily intercourse with, the commissioners and our at¬ 
 tendants, no instance occurred of any Japanese losing his temper, 
 though it is impossible to suppose that, belonging to a race natu¬ 
 rally proud and haughty, they were never tried. These were our 
 experiences, but it does not by any means follow that those who 
 live longer in the country may not have reason to change them. 
 We left Japan thoroughly agreeing with old Kaempfer, who, after 
 a residence of many years there, thus sums up his estimate of the 
 character of the people: “United and peaceable, taught to give 
 due worship to the gods, due obedience to the laws, due submis¬ 
 sion to their superiors, due love and regard to their neighbors, 
 civil, obliging, virtuous; in art and industry excelling all other 
 nations; possessed of an excellent country, enriched by mutual 
 trade and commerce among themselves; courageous, abundantly 
 supplied with all the necessaries of life, and, withal, enjoying the 
 fruits of peace and tranquillity.” Xavier says as the result of his 
 long missionary experience: u The Japanese, so far as I have been 
 able to judge, surpass in virtue and in probity all other nations 
 hitherto discovered. They are of a mild disposition, opposed to 
 chicanery, covetous of honors, which they prefer to every thing. 
 Poverty is very common among them, but in no way discredita¬ 
 ble, although they endure it with difficulty.” 
 
 It can not be denied that their good qualities are dimmed by 
 . sundry weaknesses, without which they would be more than hu¬ 
 man. They are notoriously vindictive, superstitious, haughty, 
 exceedingly tenacious of their honor, and often cruel and unspar¬ 
 ing in their mode of protecting or revenging it. 
 
 From what we saw of the habits of the people, we should be 
 disposed to agree with those who charge them with being a some¬ 
 what frivolous and pleasure-loving race ; but this has by no means 
 the effect of rendering them effeminate. “ The Japaneezes,” says 
 Struys, “ are in general a very hardy people, and can endure any 
 extremity of heat or cold, hunger or thirst, to a miracle. This 
 they seem to come to by a hardy usage when young, for they al¬ 
 ways bathe their infants in cold water in rivers, and sometimes 
 plunge them over head and ears in snow.” 
 
 It would seem that, while physically robust, their minds are of 
 a cultivated and dilettante order. They love not idleness, but 
 occupations which are refined and congenial to their tastes. Com¬ 
 merce is considered by them a degrading pursuit; while literature 
 
EFFECT OF CONTACT WITH EUROPEANS. 
 
 441 
 
 and the fine arts, and scientific acquirements, are held in high 
 estimation. It is a question whether that activity of mind and 
 energy of character which finds expression in pleasure-parties and 
 gala-days is not far preferable to the apathetic indifference of a 
 Chinese mandarin, who thinks gayety undignified, active exercise 
 a penance, and who only desires to be left alone with his pipes 
 and women, rapt in contemplation of the Taoli, and the red tape 
 peculiar to the Board of Rites. One result of this difference be¬ 
 tween the habits and mode of feeling of the two nations is un¬ 
 doubtedly this, that whereas the Chinese are steadily retrograding, 
 and will, in all probability, continue to do so until the empire fall 
 to pieces, the Japanese, if not actually in a state of progressive ad¬ 
 vancement, are in a condition to profit by the flood of light that 
 is about to be poured in upon them, and to take advantage of 
 those improvements and inventions which the Chinese regard 
 with contemptuous scorn, but which the Japanese will, in all prob¬ 
 ability, when they come to know us better, be both able and anx¬ 
 ious to adopt. 
 
 It will be a happy thing for Japan if this light is not followed 
 by a very thick darkness. In the mean time, it would be con¬ 
 trary to all our experience of human nature to expect that the in¬ 
 auguration of our intercourse with a nation wedded to the habits 
 and traditions of centuries, coming for the first time into contact 
 with a civilization so different from its own, will be unattended 
 with difficulty. 
 
442 
 
 POPULATION OF YEDO. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Population of Yedo.—The Nipon Bas.—The Quanon Temple.—A Fair.—An Avi¬ 
 ary.—A singular Tableau.—Theatrical Representations.—Toy-shops.—Astronom¬ 
 ical System.—Mountain Pilgrims.—Japanese Wrestlers.—A conjuring Exhibi¬ 
 tion.—The Butterfly Trick.—The Commissioners at a Dinner-party.—After-din¬ 
 ner Enthusiasm.—Presents to the Mission.—Capacious Dressing-gowns.—Last 
 Night in Yedo. 
 
 There remained yet one section of the city unvisited. The 
 whole of the eastern quarter, as distant from our abode as Black- 
 wall is from Chelsea, was still a terra incognita. There was a cele¬ 
 brated temple to be seen here, and the far-famed Xipon Bas to be 
 traversed in reaching it. This ride, taken in connection with our 
 previously acquired knowledge of the extent of the town in the 
 opposite direction, gave us some idea of the vastness of this gi¬ 
 gantic city. It is difficult to form an estimate of the population 
 it contains, as the people are more closely packed in some parts 
 than in Western cities; while in the large area occupied by the 
 princes’ quarter, the population must be comparatively thin. 
 Upon this occasion we rode at a fast walk for two consecutive 
 hours between dense masses of people. We had done so the day 
 before along the continuation of the same street in the opposite 
 direction. Ktempfer, who visited Yedo during the early part of 
 the last century, confirms our impressions upon the subject. 
 “Yedo,” he says, “properly the capital of the whole empire, and 
 the seat of the secular monarch, is so large that I may venture to 
 say that it is the biggest town known. Thus much I can affirm 
 from my own certain knowledge, that we were one whole day 
 riding a moderate pace from Sinagawa, where the suburb begins, 
 along the chief street, which goes across, a little irregularly indeed, 
 to the end of the town.” 
 
 Gfolownin has made a rather wild estimate of the population at 
 8,000,000. This is a statement worthy of P£re Hue. Hon Rod¬ 
 rigo de Yivero y Yelasco, on the other hand, puts it at 700,000 ; 
 but two hundred and fifty years have elapsed since the visit of 
 the Spaniard. The present population would, in all probability, 
 be found to exceed two millions. Yedo is built upon the banks 
 
THE NIPON BAS.—THE QUANON TEMPLE. 
 
 US 
 
 of tlie Todagawa, at the point where that river debouches into the 
 head of the Bay of Yedo. The principal part of the city is situ¬ 
 ated on the right bank. The river, expanding as it nears the sea, 
 is, at a point at which it has attained a considerable breadth, span¬ 
 ned by the Nipon Bas, a bridge of enormous length, built on piles. 
 It is notorious as the ITyde Park Corner of Japan—the point from 
 which all the mile-stones throughout the empire are numbered. 
 Crossing it, we gradually emerged from the more densely crowded 
 streets, and found ourselves at last in a lane which presented all 
 the appearance of a fair. Booths on each side displayed an infi¬ 
 nite variety of toys, women’s ornaments, prints, and playthings of 
 every description. Crowds of idle loungers thronged the thor¬ 
 oughfare, at the end of which we could discern the massive pro¬ 
 portions of the temple rising among the trees, and towering above 
 them and the peaked roofs of a five-storied pagoda. It was dedi¬ 
 cated to Quanon, a popular divinity in Japan, though of Buddhist 
 extraction, and imported from China. The most celebrated tem¬ 
 ple in honor of this deity is at Miako. 
 
 Passing under an entrance archway, the shops on each side were 
 replaced by an avenue of handsome trees. This terminated in an 
 open space which was densely crowded, as was the broad flight of 
 steps leading up to the veranda. We heard a good deal of hoot¬ 
 ing and yelling, but it was not accompanied by pelting or other 
 marks of ill-will, and was probably the result of excitement and 
 exuberant spirits on the part of the more juvenile and least repu¬ 
 table part of the mob. They were always sufficiently civil to leave 
 a small vacant space immediately round us. As we stood at the 
 top of the steps, and looked down upon the sea of upturned faces 
 gazing at us, I doubted whether the spectacle which we presented 
 was as striking to them as their appearance was to us. 
 
 The interior of this temple did not differ materially from those 
 we had already visited. It was the oldest and most cobwebby, 
 and therefore, in an ecclesiastical point of view, the most respect¬ 
 able. The paper lanterns were more monstrous—some of them 
 were at least twenty feet in height—I should think double that in 
 circumference, and covered with characters. The temple was dec¬ 
 orated with numerous pictorial representations; among others 
 were depicted scenes of by no means a religious character, the 
 originals of which were to be found in a neighboring quarter, to 
 which I have already alluded as the least reputable part of the 
 
444 
 
 A FAIR.—AN AVIARY. 
 
 city. We failed to perceive the connection between them and the 
 holy rites to which the temple was dedicated. 
 
 In the gardens surrounding the building we had a still more 
 striking illustration of this blending of the sacred with the pro¬ 
 fane. In all the grosser forms of superstition, it seems essential 
 to the very existence of the religion that it should contain a 
 strong infusion of the carnal and material element. So, while the 
 priest inside was propitiating the many-armed deity in whose im¬ 
 age he saw but the representation of a divine being, the congrega¬ 
 tion without were paying their devotions to peep-shows and pleas¬ 
 ure-booths, which had been erected for their benefit in the temple- 
 grounds. 
 
 These we now proceeded to explore. As we approached them, 
 the tapping of tom-toms and shrill whistle of pipes gave token of 
 gayety and merry-making. The scene did not differ materially 
 from an English fair. Aunt Sally, under divers modifications, 
 seems to be a relative of the universe. It is worthy of remark, 
 however, that gambling is not allowed by the government, or even 
 games of cards. Here were people throwing sticks at marks, shoot¬ 
 ing arrows at so much a shot, looking into peep-shows through 
 small slits in the canvas, or lounging through flower-booths. 
 There was, indeed, a better show of flowers here, and more curi¬ 
 ous specimens of plants, than we had seen at Hojee ; the gardens 
 were more extensive and tastefully laid out, particular localities 
 being set apart for grandees, from which the vulgar herd are ex¬ 
 cluded by cords stretched across the entrance. 
 
 To one of these we retired for rest and tea; then we proceeded 
 to inspect an aviary which contained an extensive collection of 
 birds interesting to the ornithologist. Unfortunately, my knowl¬ 
 edge of the subject does not warrant my venturing to describe 
 them. There were pheasants, green pigeons, rice-birds, and tiny 
 little flutterers, somewhat resembling avadavats. But the greater 
 part were species with which I was not familiar. 
 
 One young bird, apparently moulting, and the most hideous 
 specimen of the feathered tribe I had ever seen, I in vain endeav¬ 
 ored to purchase. It made a noise corresponding to its disgusting 
 personal appearance—a wheezing, spasmodic choke, as if it was in 
 the last stage of suffocation, or subject to violent asthmatic attacks. 
 They assured me it grew to a monstrous size, and would not hear 
 of selling it for less than thirty dollars. It seemed scarcely worth 
 
SINGULAR TABLEAUX. 
 
 445 
 
 while to pay so much for the privilege of having an asthmathic 
 companion saddled upon one for the remainder of the voyage. 
 Lord Elgin, however, purchased a pair of very beautiful green 
 pigeons, both of which arrived safely in this country. We now 
 went to examine the shows in the fair. The discordant jangle of 
 musical instruments is resorted to in Japan, as in England, to en¬ 
 tice the passers-by into entering the mysterious precincts. We 
 could not resist the inducement, the ever-ready Tainoske, as usual, 
 settling all our pecuniary liabilities. 
 
 Immediately on entering, a gorgeously decorated junk, almost 
 the size of nature, gayly freighted with a pleasure-party, was sail¬ 
 ing over an ocean so violently agitated that only one result could 
 be anticipated in real life; but the junk was merely a sort of scene 
 to conceal the exhibition behind it. This consisted of a series of 
 groups of figures carved in wood the size of life, and as cleverly 
 colored as Madame Tussaud’s wax-works. No. 1 was a group of 
 old men, in which decrepitude and senility of countenance were 
 admirably portrayed. No. 2, a group of young Japanese Hebes 
 dressing, and a country clodhopper rooted to the spot in ecstasy 
 at the contemplation of their charms. The humor of this tableau 
 consisted in an appearance of unconsciousness on the part of the 
 ladies. No. 3 was a princess in magnificent array, seated on a 
 dais, watching her maids of honor going through divers gymnas¬ 
 tic performances: one of them was in a position more agile than 
 graceful, her occupation being, while extended on her back, to keep 
 a ball dancing in the air on the soles of her feet. The attitudes, 
 which were extremely difficult to represent correctly in wood¬ 
 carving, were executed with wonderful spirit and truth to nature. 
 No. 4 was a group of men quarreling over sakee; the fragments 
 of the cups, dashed to pieces in their anger, lay strewn about. 
 Upon the countenances of two of the men the expression of un¬ 
 governable rage was well depicted. The other was leaning back 
 and laughing immoderately. No. 5 was a group of women bath¬ 
 ing in the sea: one of them had been caught in the folds of a cut¬ 
 tle-fish ; the others, in alarm, were escaping, leaving their compan¬ 
 ion to her fate. The cuttle-fish was represented on a huge scale, 
 its eyes, eyelids, and mouth being made to move simultaneously 
 by a man inside the head. 
 
 I have given a somewhat detailed account of this “show,” as 
 it displayed a good deal of artistic talent. The subjects were char- 
 
446 
 
 TOY-SHOPS. 
 
 acteristic, and it is a fair sample of the perfection at which the 
 Japanese have arrived even in the lowest walks of art. 
 
 We had made arrangements to go some night “nayboen” to 
 witness some of their theatrical performances: unfortunately, with 
 many other projects, we were compelled to abandon this one for 
 want of time. From all we could learn, however, we did not miss 
 much. The theatres differ from those in China in being more 
 commodiously arranged, as the spectators are all seated, and there 
 is some attempt at stage scenery. Boys perform the part of wom¬ 
 en, and, according to Thunberg, there are seldom more than two 
 actors on the stage at the same time. He states the subjects of 
 their representations to be generally deeds of heroism, the loves 
 of their gods and of their heroes, expressed in verse. There is a 
 drop-scene as with us. 
 
 Japanese Gymnastics (from a native drawing). 
 
 We examined the toy-shops on our way back, and bought won¬ 
 derful Jacks-in-the-box; representations of animals, beautifully 
 executed in straw; models of norimons and Japanese houses, as 
 neatly finished as Swiss models; figures, some of them more hu¬ 
 morous than decent, carved in wood; little porcelain figures, whose 
 heads wagged and tongues shot out unexpectedly; tortoises, whose 
 head, legs, and tail were in perpetual motion; ludicrous picture- 
 books, grotesque masks and sham head-dresses of both sexes. 
 Enough absurd contrivances were here exhibited to create a rev- 
 
ASTRONOMICAL SYSTEM. 
 
 447 
 
 olution in the nurseries of England. When we got back into the 
 business part of the town, we stopped at a watchmaker’s to buy 
 jewelry and clocks: the former consisted chiefly of the sword or¬ 
 naments already described, but the latter were of various descrip¬ 
 tions, some constructed on European models, others fashioned upon 
 a principle peculiar to Japan, and supposed to be more convenient 
 for the registration of the singular division of their time. 
 
 The twenty-four hours are divided in Japan into twelve periods 
 
 
 Japanese Astronomers (from a native drawing). 
 
 of tipie, six of which are appropriated to darkness and six to the 
 light. The day being calculated from sunrise to sunset, there is a 
 necessary variation in the length of the six day and six night 
 hours, the latter being the longest in winter, the former in sum¬ 
 mer. The clocks are altered periodically to suit the seasons of the 
 year. As I never succeeded in comprehending the system by 
 which these hours are numbered, I shall not venture upon any at¬ 
 tempt at explanation. Some of the old Dutchmen have, however, 
 mastered the mystery, and the reader, curious in the Japanese di¬ 
 vision of time, can consult Kaempfer or Siebold. Their whole 
 chronological system is in the highest degree complicated; one 
 
JAPANESE PILGRIMAGES 
 
 448 
 
 set of cycles is fixed arbitrarily by the mikado, another depends 
 upon the length of his reign; while a third, called the astronom¬ 
 ical cycle, is a wonderful combination of the “ ten elements” with 
 the twelve signs of the zodiac. 
 
 We returned home by a different route, passing one quarter, 
 dedicated to the sale of china, at which we would fain have stop¬ 
 ped. The shops were upon a more extensive scale, and more 
 abundantly supplied than any we had yet seen. Unfortunately, 
 the commissioners were waiting for us, so we pushed on, passing 
 into the outer inclosure of the citadel through an archway, the 
 buttresses of which were composed of gigantic blocks of stone. 
 
 We returned home highly gratified by our visit to the Quanon 
 temple; altogether, had we been Japanese, we could scarcely have 
 been more assiduous in making pilgrimages to holy places. 
 Among them such journeys are acts of the highest merit. There 
 is the pilgrimage which it is incumbent upon every Japanese to 
 perform once in his life, while the pious perform it annually. I 
 
 Pilgrims ascending a Mountain (from a native drawing). 
 
 regretted that the undertaking must fall to the lot of some future 
 explorer. It is to the shrine of the sun-goddess, Ten-sio-dai-zin, 
 
MOUNTAIN PILGRIMS. 
 
 449 
 
 the patron divinity of Japan, and is situated at Isye, her supposed 
 birthplace. Another very favorite act of devotion, and one in 
 which some enterprising Englishman will doubtless, ere long, 
 participate, is the ascent of the celebrated Fusi-yama, the “Match¬ 
 less Mountain,” the Mount Meru of Japan. The ascent is said 
 to occupy three days. Its rugged sides are always inhabited by 
 a sect of mountain priests, called Jemmabos. Their daughters, 
 according to Ka 0 mpfer, a beautiful race, are among the few beg¬ 
 gars to be met with in the country. Their occupation is unhappi¬ 
 ly not confined to begging, and their parents are supported on the 
 contributions of the licentious, as well as on the alms of the pious. 
 
 Another mendicant sect are the Fekis, an order of the blind, so 
 named after their founder, a rebel prince. But, while Fusi-yama 
 is regarded as the object of religious veneration, it is no less ad¬ 
 mired for its scenic beauty, its striking form, great elevation, and 
 volcanic character, and has made a deep impression on the artist¬ 
 ic mind of Japan. It forms the background of almost every 
 picture, and is a favorite device on lacker and china; sometimes 
 covered with snow, at others in a state of eruption, its appearance 
 during that terrific natural convulsion having been handed down 
 by tradition. 
 
 From an account given in the Chinese Repository, it would ap¬ 
 pear that the last eruption took place in 1707, on the night of the 
 23d day of the 11th moon, when “two violent shocks of an earth¬ 
 quake were felt. Mount Fusi opened, vomited flames, and hurl¬ 
 ed cinders to the distance of ten leagues. Next day the eruption 
 ceased, but it was revived with greater violence on the 25th and 
 26th. Enormous masses of rock, sand reddened by heat, and an 
 immense quantity of ashes, covered all the neighboring plateau. 
 The ashes were driven to a great distance, and fell several inches 
 thick at Yedo.” 
 
 As Lord Elgin was desirous of seeing some of the national 
 sports and amusements, it had been arranged with the commis¬ 
 sioners that they should come to dine with us, and that previous 
 to the entertainment some wrestlers, top-spinners, and jugglers 
 should exhibit for the benefit of our own party, and a number of 
 officers who were to come on shore expressly to witness the per¬ 
 formances. Unfortunately, through some mistake, neither the 
 top-spinners nor wrestlers made their appearance. Mr. Hewsken, 
 who had seen both, pronounced the exhibition of the latter to be 
 
 F F 
 
450 
 
 JAPANESE WRESTLERS. 
 
 somewhat disgusting. From the detailed description contained 
 in the account of the American expedition to Japan, the sight 
 must resemble a human bull-fight. The wrestlers are described 
 
 Japanese Wrestlers (from a native drawing). 
 
 as “so immense in flesh that they appeared to have lost their dis¬ 
 tinctive features, and seemed only masses of fat. Their eyes were 
 barely visible through a long perspective of socket; the promi¬ 
 nence of their noses was lost in the puffiness of their bloated 
 cheeks, and their heads were almost directly set upon their bodies, 
 with only folds of flesh where the neck and chin are usually form¬ 
 ed. Their great size, however, was more owing to the develop¬ 
 ment of muscle than to the mere deposition of fat; for, although 
 they were evidently well fed, they were not the less well exer¬ 
 cised, and capable of great feats of strength.” 
 
 Under these circumstances it was perhaps scarcely to be regret¬ 
 ted that we were not favored with these gentlemen’s company. 
 The top-spinners Mr. Hewsken described as most dexterous in 
 their management of this popular plaything, one great achieve¬ 
 ment being to spin it along a string as though it were dancing a 
 tight-rope. 
 
A CONJURING EXHIBITION.—THE BUTTERFLY TRICK. 451 
 
 We were, however, not disappointed by the juggler; he arrived 
 late in the afternoon with attendants, wearing the apparatus indic¬ 
 ative of his calling, and proceeded to convert Lord Elgin’s sitting- 
 room into a theatre for his operations. The spectators were ranged 
 on seats in the garden. The conjuror was a venerable old man with 
 a keen eye, a handsome intelligent face, and a long gray beard, 
 the only instance I saw in the country of a countenance so adorn¬ 
 ed. His dress was very similar to that usually worn by the magi¬ 
 cians of Egypt, and was well calculated to increase his imposing 
 aspect. Its ample folds and flowing sleeves, moreover, afforded 
 him many facilities in the exercise of his sleights of hand. Those 
 tricks which were dependent merely on prestidigitation were cer¬ 
 tainly not superior to the ordinary tricks of conjurors in other 
 countries. He produced inexhaustible substances out of very 
 shallow boxes, which became unaccountably full and empty, and 
 magically converted a small quantity of cotton which he had tap¬ 
 ped into an egg upon his fan into a number of very substantial 
 umbrellas; but these were the mere tricks of the trade, the excel¬ 
 lence of which could best be appreciated by professional artists. 
 That about which there was no trick, but which struck us as ex¬ 
 hibiting the most singular display of skill, was the famous per¬ 
 formance with, artificial butterflies. These were made in the sim¬ 
 plest manner. A sheet of paper torn into slips supplied all the 
 materials. By tearing these again into small oblong pieces, and 
 twisting them in the centre, they were made roughly to represent 
 the body and two wings. Two of these impromptu butterflies 
 were then puffed into the air, and kept in suspense there by the 
 action of the fan beneath them. This required to be most care¬ 
 fully and scientifically applied, so as not only to prevent their sep¬ 
 arating, but to guide their motions in any required direction. 
 How they would flutter aloft as though chasing each other in 
 playful dalliance, at one moment twine together, at another so far 
 apart that it seemed a mystery how the same fan could act upon 
 both. Then they would settle together upon the leaf of a neigh¬ 
 boring shrub, or, more curious still, alight gently on the edge of 
 the fan itself. The intense attention which this performance re¬ 
 quired on the part of the operator proved that, though to the spec¬ 
 tators the matter seemed easy enough, it called forth the exercise 
 of all the faculties, and involved, no doubt, a long course of prac¬ 
 tice before proficiency could be attained. 
 
452 
 
 THE COMMISSIONERS AT A DINNER-PARTY. 
 
 During the whole period of his performances, the wizard, after 
 the manner of that fraternity, never ceased talking; and, to judge 
 by the merriment he excited among the commissioners, and the 
 extent to which Higo was tickled, his remarks must have been of 
 a highly facetious character, though he maintained himself the 
 most imperturbable gravity throughout. 
 
 When the entertainment was over we adjourned to dinner. As 
 this was a more formidable meal than those luncheons at which 
 the commissioners had been in the habit of assisting, they address¬ 
 ed themselves to it with becoming solemnity, partaking steadily 
 of every thing that was offered to them, and mixing up the most 
 incongruous articles of food in a manner which was somewhat dis¬ 
 tressing, but difficult always to prevent. On the whole, they fed 
 more like Christians than any other unchristian nation I have ever 
 seen, constantly glancing at us slyly out of the corners of their 
 eyes to see what we were eating, and how we were doing it. At 
 last the final act was concluded, and Lord Elgin informed the com¬ 
 missioners that, it being the habit among loyal Englishmen to 
 drink the health of their sovereign, he was now about to propose 
 that toast. This was evidently a custom entirely new to them; 
 and they had scarcely had time to comprehend its meaning before 
 their ears were startled by the noisy “honors” with which it was 
 immediately followed. Quickly taking their cue, however, the 
 three times three had not been rung out before it was lustily join¬ 
 ed in by our guests. The next toast was the health of his majes¬ 
 ty the Tycoon, which was no less uproariously responded to, the 
 commissioners by this time having arrived at a pitch of enthusi¬ 
 asm and Champagne which made them enter warmly into the pro¬ 
 ceedings of the evening. u When you in the West want to honor 
 a person especially, you roar and shout after your meals. It was 
 a curious custom, but they understood it now.” Indeed, to prove 
 it, Sina-nono-kami, a very grave old man, during a dead pause in 
 the conversation, suddenly started to his feet and emitted a sten¬ 
 torian cheer, after which he sat solemnly down, the effect on the 
 rest of the company being to produce an irresistible shout of 
 laughter. 
 
 But, though Sina-nono made a slight mistake upon this occa¬ 
 sion, it was worthy of remark how easily our guests seemed to fall 
 into our ways, and how quickly they adapted themselves to them. 
 It very soon occurred to them that some sort of acknowledgment 
 was due from them, which they begged to express; and then Lord 
 
PRESENTS TO THE MISSION.—CAPACIOUS DRESSING-GOWNS. 453 
 
 Elgin’s health was drunk, and their own healths, and, by the time 
 dinner was over, they had evidently come to the conclusion that 
 the dinners and customs of the English were not devoid of merit. 
 
 As the period of our departure from Yedo was approaching, 
 the emperor had sent Lord Elgin and the members of the mission 
 a number of presents. These were all displayed in a room at the 
 back of the temple, and thither we repaired after dinner to inspect 
 them. The handsomest article was a group of storks, beautifully 
 worked in silver, about eighteen inches in height, and of exquisite 
 design. This was presented to his excellency. To each of us 
 was given a number of rolls of silk. These were all spread out 
 upon trays, and differed only in pattern. They were in strips 
 about three yards in length and one in width, useless, therefore, 
 for any practical purpose. 
 
 Their chief merit consisted in the associations connected with 
 their manufacture. In Japan, distinguished culprits are not sent 
 to a reformatory to make mats, but are banished to an island by 
 themselves, where they fabricate silks. To enjoy this privilege, 
 they must, however, be nobles—exiled probably for political of¬ 
 fenses—as, according to the criminal code, it is affirmed that jus¬ 
 tice is meted out equally to the prince and the peasant. 
 
 However that may be, these silks were woven by nobles ban¬ 
 ished to the island of Fatsizio. No man below a certain rank is, 
 in consequence, allowed to wear them, or even to have them in 
 their houses, so that they are not to be purchased in shops. Some 
 of the patterns were remarkably neat and tasteful; others were 
 somewhat gaudy. The texture of the silk itself was most sub¬ 
 stantial, and, from its appearance, I should imagine, durable. 
 
 Commander Ward, who brought out the yacht, was presented 
 with a very handsome china bowl, curiously lackered inside, and 
 a lackered cabinet very highly finished. But the most singular 
 item in the list of presents was the dressing-gowns or robes of 
 state, for they seemed indiscriminately applied to both purposes. 
 Lord Elgin was overwhelmed with about thirty of these, each one 
 occupying as much space as a large German duvet, and contain¬ 
 ing an equal amount of warmth. We found the deck of the Fu¬ 
 rious piled with these most inconvenient articles of attire when 
 we subsequently went on board of her, the sight of which, with 
 the thermometer at 80°, was the reverse of refreshing; while their 
 enormous dimensions occupied half the quarter-deck, and threat¬ 
 ened to produce serious effects upon the mind of the first lieuten- 
 
454 
 
 LAST NIGHT IN YEDO. 
 
 ant. The lining consisted of silk wadding, a discovery we made 
 in ripping them open to take it out, as in no other way was it 
 possible to stow away such bulky additions to one’s wardrobe. 
 The wadding proved most serviceable in packing egg-shell china. 
 
 Lord Elgin, not having been supplied with any suitable pres¬ 
 ents to bestow in return for this manifestation of good-will on the 
 part of his majesty, was compelled to make a selection from the 
 ship’s stores of the Furious, of which he requested the acceptance 
 of the commissioners. They seemed perfectly satisfied with the 
 flannel, blue cloth, soap, and chocolate, which was abundantly 
 pressed upon them, and more especially appreciated the addition 
 of some rifles and carbines. 
 
 It was with no little reluctance that we parted late in the even¬ 
 ing ; it was our last night in Yedo. We looked forward with hor¬ 
 ror to a return to that empire, the reverse of celestial, with which 
 so many disagreeable associations were connected, and looked back 
 with regret on the few but happy days we had passed in the cap¬ 
 ital of Japan. The life of a traveler is a succession of such expe¬ 
 riences ; he has long since ceased to growl at them, for they point 
 the moral of his metier , and furnish him with a philosophy which 
 should avail him at all times and in all lands, even in that retire¬ 
 ment to which he will probably be doomed on his return to his 
 own country. 
 
 Travelers in a Snow-storm (from a native drawing). 
 
SETTLING-DAY. 
 
 455 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 % 
 
 Settling-day.—Japanese Currency.—Gold and silver Coins.—The Currency Diffi¬ 
 culty.—Japanese Packing.—Signing of the Treaty.—Death of the Tycoon “Nay- 
 boen.”—Probable Cause of his Death.—Profound Secrecy observed.^-Evacuation 
 of our Lodgings.—Presentation of the Yacht.—Parting Scenes. 
 
 The 26th of August was the day fixed for the signing of the 
 treaty. On that day two months before, the Treaty of Tientsin 
 had been signed under very different circumstances. 
 
 From the earliest hour of the morning our abode was a scene 
 of turmoil and bustle. The day’s programme was so extensive, 
 it seemed quite hopeless to get through it. The hubbub in the 
 apartment assigned to our Japanese retinue was so constant that 
 I went to investigate the cause. Here were collected tradesmen 
 who had all come to have their “little bills” settled under gov¬ 
 ernment auspices; visitors who came to take a last look at the 
 English strangers; many faces familiar to us as attendants on 
 sundry expeditions; our old servants and spies; and presiding 
 over all, a functionary appointed by the lieutenant governor to 
 superintend arrangements, settle disputes should any arise, and re¬ 
 port upon all matters connected with the foreigners. 
 
 An amount of tea and tobacco was being consumed sufficient 
 to fumigate a seventy-four, and float her afterward. Piled up in 
 corners were Japanese costumes ordered by one gentleman; teth¬ 
 ered opposite were two little Japanese dogs ordered by another. 
 Stacked against the wall were a number of swords, heaped near 
 them a quantity of books, articles which it was impossible to get 
 the first day, but which were coming in readily enough now. 
 
 Unfortunately all these had to be paid for. The settling of 
 these formidable accounts loomed in prospect, all the more dread¬ 
 ful from the solemnity of the process. Two old Japanese, senior 
 wranglers probably of their year, with corrugated foreheads and 
 countenances betokening unlimited sagacity, stalked gravely in, 
 with attendants carrying balances, scales, weights, pens, ink, and 
 paper, and seated themselves in the centre of the dining-room. 
 Then approached tremblingly the shop-keeper and the victim 
 who was to pay him. The latter had a strong presentiment that 
 
456 
 
 JAPANESE CURRENCY. 
 
 all the dollars in his possession, nay, even the entire amount of 
 the handsome annual income he enjoyed, in consideration of the 
 valuable services he was rendering his country in these distant 
 regions, would be insufficient to meet the terrific expenditure he 
 had been induced to incur in this seductive city. Anxiously he 
 emptied his bag of dollars into one scale of the balance. The sil¬ 
 ver itzibus in the other kicked the beam. Moment of intense re¬ 
 lief! he remained the happy possessor of two dollars, having, it 
 must be premised, previously borrowed as much from all his 
 neighbors as they could possibly spare. There was very little 
 discussion over the settlement. The officials came provided with 
 an exact list furnished by the shopkeepers; they knew how much 
 each of us owed the moment we gave our names. The amount 
 had been added up. There was no discrepancy in our accounts; 
 the right number of itzibus were in the balance; nothing remain¬ 
 ed but to weigh our dollars against them. Then the itzibus were 
 handed to the shopkeepers, and the dollars retained by the gov¬ 
 ernment. 
 
 The currency of the country consists of a great variety of gold, 
 silver, and copper coins. These are all specified at great length 
 in Thunberg, but our observation does not quite agree with his 
 information on the subject. The largest gold coin known is the 
 obang, a most inconvenient circulating medium, as it is nearly six 
 inches in length and three inches and a half in breadth. I did 
 not see a specimen of this unwieldy piece of gold. It is estimated 
 in value at £20 sterling, but is not in common use. The gold 
 coin in ordinary circulation is the cobang: it is about two inches 
 and a half in length, and an inch and a quarter wide. Its ex¬ 
 treme thinness, however, diminishes its value; it is intrinsically 
 worth £1 10s. Although I saw this coin, I was unfortunate in 
 not being able to procure one. We found the greatest difficulty 
 in obtaining specimens of the currency of the country, and I 
 came away at last the possessor of a solitary itzibu. These are 
 either of gold or silver: the gold itzibu is a small oblong piece of 
 money, intrinsically worth about seven and sixpence. The intrin¬ 
 sic value of the gold half-itzibu, which is not too large to convert 
 into a shirt-stud, is about one and tenpence. 
 
 1 have spoken of the intrinsic value of these coins, because by 
 the treaty our gold should pass in Japan for its corresponding 
 weight in Japanese gold; but inasmuch as it is not nearly so pure 
 
THE CURRENCY DIFFICULTY. 
 
 457 
 
 as that of Japan, there must always be a difference between its 
 actual and intrinsic value. The value of silver in Japan is as 
 nearly as possible the same as it is with us. The silver itzibus, 
 against which our dollars were weighed, were worth rather more 
 than a shilling apiece. These are divided into half and quarter 
 itzibus, and at last we descend to the lowest medium, copper and 
 iron cash. Most of these coins have the stamp of the mint upon 
 them, consisting of some Japanese characters, as well as the print 
 of flowers, like fleurs-de-lis and other devices. 
 
 The dollars which we paid in lieu of this money, together with 
 all the foreign coin that has entered the government treasury since 
 the signing of the treaty, have been melted down and coined into 
 a new currency, the circulation of which, I regret to observe by 
 the last accounts from Japan, the government, in opposition to 
 the spirit of the treaty, has endeavored to confine to commercial 
 transactions with foreigners. It was to avoid the inconveniences 
 arising out of the former system that the currency clause was in¬ 
 serted in the treaty, by which it is stipulated that “ all foreign 
 coin shall be current in Japan, and shall pass for its correspond¬ 
 ing weight in Japanese coin of the same description. British and 
 Japanese subjects may freely use foreign or Japanese coin in mak¬ 
 ing payment to each other.” By the term Japanese coin was in¬ 
 tended the then existing currency of the empire. Instead of ac¬ 
 cepting this as the meaning of the clause, however, the Japanese 
 government has issued a new coin called a nichon, which is in¬ 
 trinsically worth about, and is declared current at, half a dollar: 
 it is not allowed, however, to pass current among the people, and 
 the Japanese merchant is consequently compelled to take them to 
 the government treasury, where he is obliged to receive one old 
 itzibu, worth about one shilling and twopence, in exchange for 
 two nichons, worth four and twopence. It is evident that this 
 arrangement must operate as an actual bar to trade. The mo¬ 
 tives which may have induced the government to adopt it I shall 
 consider presently. Meantime we may be thankful that our own 
 account is settled, and it only now behooves us to pack up our 
 purchases. 
 
 We have had gigantic deal cases ordered some days back, and 
 the skill of Japanese carpenters has been displayed in the finish 
 and solid workmanship of our boxes; but it is a serious question 
 whether that mountain of lacker and those pyramids of china can 
 
458 
 
 SIGNING OF THE TREATY. 
 
 be disposed of in their recesses. We have dreadful visions of un¬ 
 packing them at some future day, and finding all that delicate 
 egg-shell, those charming devices, which are to be the wonder and 
 delight of our friends at home, crushed into infinitesimal atoms. 
 Fortunately, every piece of china has a little box to itself, the lid 
 of which fits to perfection, and the contents have been so carefully 
 swathed in cotton by the shopkeeper that we don’t venture to 
 open them. Every piece of lacker has been similarly cared for, 
 and we put a blind trust in the Japanese packers, and stow away 
 our fragile purchases hopefully amid a universal hammering, and 
 bargaining, and settling, and packing, until at last we know that 
 the luncheon hour has stolen upon us by the opportune arrival 
 of the commissioners, who are much amused at the apparent con¬ 
 fusion which reigns every where. 
 
 The signing of the treaty was a most solemn and serious opera¬ 
 tion, inasmuch as there were copies made in Dutch, Japanese, and 
 English, of which each were in triplicate, and each required the 
 signatures of Lord Elgin and the six commissioners, besides sun¬ 
 dry additional clauses to be signed separately; no fewer than 
 eighty-four signatures had to be appended. Some of the com¬ 
 missioners were, moreover, very particular in making pretty sig¬ 
 natures, and painted away at the hieroglyphics which represented 
 their names with evident care and anxiety. Others, friend Higo, 
 for instance, dashed away with his brush, perfectly regardless of 
 the opinion which people in England might form of his hand¬ 
 writing. The process of sealing, unknown to them, created a 
 good deal of interest and curiosity; and afterward, when Lord 
 Elgin proposed an interchange of pens, he having purposely made 
 use of six different ones, the admiral appropriately remarked that 
 he gladly availed himself of this opportunity of inaugurating the 
 interchange of the products of the two countries, which he trusted 
 might ever be marked with that interchange of good feeling which 
 had characterized our mutual interchange hitherto. 
 
 Then came Moriyama’s turn to receive those compliments which 
 his skill and ability amply justified. He had made a copy of the 
 treaty in Dutch, the caligraphy of which would have been a credit 
 to a Dutch writing-master; and he smirked and smiled like a 
 bashful young lady on having his performance eulogized. By 
 this time the ceremony was concluded, and the treaty had been 
 ratified in a loving cup, in anticipation of that future day when it 
 
DEATH OF THE TYCOON “NAYBOEN.” 
 
 459 
 
 should be more formally recognized by our respective sovereigns. 
 We found that a grand banquet had been provided for us by the 
 emperor, who sent Lord Elgin a great many civil speeches, ex¬ 
 pressed in the warmest terms his regret at never having been able 
 to receive him, and wished him a brilliant career, and future suc¬ 
 cess and prosperity. 
 
 Fortunately we were spared, at the time, that shock which the 
 nerves of the susceptible reader will sustain, when he learns that 
 his majesty the Tycoon had taken his departure “nayboen” from 
 the domestic and political troubles of this weary world about the 
 period of our arrival in Yedo, and was now in the realm of the 
 kamis, little heedful, probably, of the affairs of his late temporal 
 kingdom, and rapt in the contemplation of u Xim which is the 
 principle of every thing.” 
 
 We were not informed of this melancholy event until the re¬ 
 turn of the French mission from Yedo to Shanghai, about two 
 months afterward. The fact had then been made public, and the 
 whole city was in mourning. Our only consolation was that ev¬ 
 ery body else had been taken in as well as ourselves. The de¬ 
 ceit which had been practiced was in no way referable to the 
 presence of foreigners. The custom of the country is, that for six 
 weeks after the death of a tycoon it shall be kept profoundly se¬ 
 cret, until the successor is firmly seated on the vacant throne, and 
 all possibility of any disputes with reference to it is removed. 
 Of whom consist the favored few whose office it is to gull every 
 body else, I was not informed; doubtless the crown princes, and 
 probably the council, so that it is just possible that our friends 
 the commissioners were themselves ignorant of the fact. If they 
 were not, they had certainly attained a high proficiency in the art 
 of living a lie, for the conversation frequently turned upon the 
 emperor’s health, and they sometimes volunteered the information 
 that it was so much improved that, after all, an audience might be 
 practicable. 
 
 It was a still more gratuitous piece of false intelligence on their 
 part to tell us the story of his adopting a son; nor can one clear¬ 
 ly perceive the object of the fable. 
 
 We never exactly learned the date of his death. The Dutch, 
 who are perhaps a little jealous at the rapidity of our success, de¬ 
 clare that he put an end to himself during our stay in Yedo, in 
 consequence of the difficulties in which the policy of his govern- 
 
460 
 
 PRESENTATION OF THE YACHT. 
 
 ment with regard to foreigners was involving him. The French, 
 on the other hand, assert that he died shortly after Mr. Harris’s 
 treaty was signed, overcome, possibly, by that event; while Mr. 
 Harris himself, who had an audience with his majesty, described 
 him to us as a wretchedly delicate-looking man, and a victim to 
 epilepsy. It is therefore most probable that his death was the re¬ 
 sult of natural causes, and occurred about the time of our arrival. 
 This is taking the French account, and calculating upon an inter¬ 
 val of six weeks intervening between the occurrence of the event 
 and its being made public. 
 
 Under all circumstances, it is a striking illustration of the per¬ 
 fect organization which pervades all classes of society, and of the 
 system to which all possible contingencies and events are by law 
 reduced. Many retainers and servants in the palace must have 
 been aware of the circumstance. A burial of some sort probably 
 took place. It is difficult to conceive, even if it did not, how such 
 absolute and entire secrecy could have been maintained, or to im¬ 
 agine it possible that the female part of the establishment, some 
 of whom must have been cognizant of so important an event, 
 should have been able to preserve a discreet silence upon it. 
 
 Certain it is that the world at large were as little conscious of 
 it as we were, when, doing justice to the dinner of our defunct 
 entertainer, we drank his health in hot sakee. 
 
 The most important part of the day’s work was yet to come. 
 The yacht was still flying the British ensign, and the ceremony 
 of handing her over to her new owners was to be the occupation 
 of the afternoon. The commissioners had already started off to 
 attire themselves in the robes appropriate to the occasion. It 
 happened to be Prince Albert’s birthday, and the usual salutes 
 had already been fired, the ships remaining dressed out all day. 
 In one of the Japanese forts no small amount of excitement 
 reigned. For the first time in the annals of Japan a salute was 
 to be fired in honor of a foreign flag. This was a concession 
 which had never before been made to any nation, and we were 
 curious to observe how the performance would be executed. 
 Meantime our sacred lodgings were beginning to assume a melan¬ 
 choly and deserted appearance; servants and baggage were mov¬ 
 ing about the yard, sturdy Japanese porters pervaded our sleep¬ 
 ing apartments. We took a lingering look at our quaint abode, 
 so comfortable, and yet so unlike any house that any body had 
 
EVACUATION OE OUR LODGINGS. 
 
 461 
 
 ever lived in before, and with a sigh of regret mounted our steeds 
 for the last time. The sensation is not unlike that which is felt 
 if, when very hot and thirsty, one is stopped in the middle of a 
 delicious draught of beer, having only had time to swallow two 
 mouthfuls. However, we were not destined to have “more;” so 
 we rode again down the main street, through crowds as dense as 
 those which had greeted us on our first arrival, and, seating our¬ 
 selves once again in the barge, pushed off from that shore on 
 which we had spent nine such interesting and exciting days. 
 
 We found the commissioners had preceded us, and were now 
 strutting about the deck of the yacht in all the bravery of their 
 resplendent costumes. I had no notion that it entered into Jap¬ 
 anese customs to wear such dresses. They are only donned on 
 festive occasions, such as this was supposed to be. 
 
 Higo was literally covered with crabs, some of them large 
 enough to be an honor to an English sea-port. The dress was 
 embroidered silk, with these crabs in raised silver, standing out 
 in high relief. Another of the commissioners flaunted about 
 with a robe ornamented with the cheerful device of a skull. 
 Each had his peculiar emblem, worked on a large scale, on his 
 breast and back. Though somewhat gaudy and fantastic in de¬ 
 tail, the general effect was striking and imposing. 
 
 Lord Elgin now formally addressed the commissioners, hand¬ 
 ing over to them, on behalf of her majesty, the yacht which she 
 had presented to the Tycoon as a token of friendship and good¬ 
 will. Then down came the English ensign, and up went the red 
 balls on the white ground, the signal for the forts to salute; and 
 the puff curling over the blue waters of the bay, and followed by 
 a dull roar, proved how well the Japanese signal-man had kept 
 his watch. 
 
 With perfect precision, the native gunners fired twenty-one 
 guns with an interval of ten seconds between each. The weather 
 was lovely, the bay was alive with pleasure-boats—the wonder- 
 struck Japanese listening to their own forts conducting themselves 
 in this totally unprecedented manner. Then came the sharp, 
 ringing response from the 68-pounders of the Retribution and 
 Furious, and the yacht got slowly under weigh, commanded by a 
 Japanese captain, manned by Japanese sailors, and her machinery 
 worked by Japanese engineers. Notwithstanding the horizontal 
 cylinders and other latest improvements with which her engines 
 
462 
 
 PARTING SCENES. 
 
 were fitted, the men had learned their lesson well, and were con¬ 
 fident in their powers. We steamed gallantly through the fleets, 
 the admiration of all beholders, whether British or Japanese. A 
 brilliant sunset added its glories to this lively and attractive scene. 
 The shores of the bay were lined with people; in places green 
 wooded banks came down to the water, and the smoke from their 
 guns still rested upon the island forts. Many-colored flags flut¬ 
 tered in the breeze, hundreds of boats flitted to and fro on the 
 still waters of the bay ; while, rearing its conical summit far into 
 the blue sky, old Fusi-yama formed a noble background to a pic¬ 
 ture such as had never before been witnessed in the course of all 
 the many centuries during which this majestic peak has presided 
 over the capital of Dai Nipon. Captain Barker had prepared a 
 feast for the commissioners on board the Retribution, and they 
 examined the fittings of this handsome vessel with much interest. 
 At last the moment of parting arrived, and, amid many demon¬ 
 strations of affection on both sides, they bade us a final farewell. 
 
 As night closed in, the golden sun was followed by a moon 
 which had borrowed a lustre from the reflected rays of the lumin¬ 
 ary it rivaled. Then rockets shot into the heavens, and blue- 
 lights burned at the yard-arms, and the rows of forts were illu¬ 
 minated in quick reply. The long day was over at last, and with 
 it we felt that our Japanese experiences had finally terminated. 
 They had been marked by an interest and a novelty not to be 
 surpassed, and by a success, in a political point of view, scarcely 
 to have been anticipated. The 26th of August, 1858, will be a 
 date long to be remembered by all of us who shared in the singu¬ 
 lar and interesting proceedings of that day; but it will be an 
 epoch in the history of the Japanese empire, and, in centuries to 
 come, natives and foreigners will alike record with interest the 
 anniversary of an event pregnant^ with such important results to 
 commerce and civilization. 
 
FUTURE PROSPECTS. 
 
 463 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Future Prospects.—Civilization of Japan.—The Effect of the Treaty.—Dutch Sub¬ 
 serviency.—Interviews of the Dutch with the Tycoon.—Policy to be pursued.— 
 Necessity of mercantile Morality.—Resources of Japan.—Commercial Intercourse 
 with China.—Government Interference.—Chow-chow Cargoes.—Competition with 
 native Manufactures.—Probable Demand for woolen Manufactures, etc.—Vege¬ 
 table Products.—Japan Wax.—Mineral Resources.—Commercial Prospects.— 
 Leave Japan.—The Port of Hiogo.—Ohosaka.—Kioto.—Caught in a Typhoon.— 
 Arrival at Shanghai. 
 
 Before bidding a final adieu to Japan, it may be interesting 
 to cast a brief glance at the present state and future prospects of 
 our political and commercial relations with that empire. In the 
 account which I have given of our intercourse with its officials 
 and people generally, I have endeavored to convey honestly the 
 impression produced upon our minds during our brief experience 
 among them. These impressions coincided thoroughly with the 
 accounts we received from Dutch and American gentlemen, whose 
 acquaintance with the country had dated from a longer period; 
 but it is more than probable that, as our relations with the Japa¬ 
 nese become more extended, the character they will receive at our 
 hands will be less favorable. This may arise from two causes. 
 In the first place, they will very probably be provoked and irri¬ 
 tated into an antagonism to us by the overbearing and insolent 
 behavior, common, unhappily, to a certain class of our country¬ 
 men when brought into contact with semi-civilized races; and, in 
 the second, even those among us who are superior to any such 
 imputation rarely make allowances for different moral standards, 
 and altogether dissimilar habits and modes of thought from those 
 to which they are themselves accustomed. They forget, for in¬ 
 stance, that truth is a virtue unknown except to a mere fraction 
 of the human family—that, as a general rule, a strict adherence 
 to truth is to be met with only in countries peopled by races 
 among whom chivalry has existed as an institution. To the east 
 of Europe I have ever found it regarded rather as a weakness 
 than a virtue—a fact which in no way militates against Asiatics 
 being in some respects superior to Europeans. 
 
 It is nevertheless possible that many persons will go to Japan, 
 
464 
 
 THE EFFECT OF THE TREATY. 
 
 and, because they do not find a code of honor corresponding to 
 our own, complain that the moral qualities of the people have 
 been overstated. 
 
 The civilization of Japan differs entirely from that of any other 
 country, and if we expect them to meet us half way in the spirit 
 of advancement and progression common to the West, we shall 
 be grievously disappointed. There are, it is true, among the aris¬ 
 tocracy of Japan men who are said to be really desirous of admit¬ 
 ting foreigners into the empire, and of deriving for their country¬ 
 men all the advantages which may be gained by a liberal and 
 progressive policy. Some nobles of this party were in power at 
 the time of our arrival there, and violent discussions were report¬ 
 ed to have taken place as to the policy to be pursued; for, with 
 the majority of the aristocracy, the prejudices even of two centu¬ 
 ries could not be removed at a bound. 
 
 With them that exclusive system, which originated in the dis¬ 
 covery of the ambitious designs and treacherous machinations of 
 the first Europeans with whom they came in contact, was at last 
 abandoned only under the influence of fear. The cordiality of 
 our reception at Yedo was, in certain quarters, the mask which a 
 somewhat shallow diplomacy led them to assume, in order to avert 
 a danger they deemed imminent, and which they dared not meet. 
 They fancied they saw impending over them the fate of India, and 
 they believed that the only alternative was to grant us concessions 
 such as we had already wrung from China. It is only fair to our¬ 
 selves to say that they were entirely mistaken in this assumption. 
 The treaty with America had already been made, and ours follow¬ 
 ed as a matter of course; but it is scarcely to be wondered at that, 
 when this fear was removed, the liberals should be at a discount, 
 and their opponents should endeavor, even at the expense of good 
 faith, to retreat from engagements they would never willingly 
 have entered into, more especially when encouraged by the intel¬ 
 ligence that the Chinese government had already commenced to 
 pursue the same policy with success. 
 
 With a crude knowledge of the sacredness of treaty obligations, 
 and an instinctive dread of the aggressive tendencies of people 
 from the West, the old Japanese party seem now inclined to ig¬ 
 nore stipulations actually ratified by the government. If we hope 
 to conduct relations with Japan upon a satisfactory footing, our 
 true policy is to intimate distinctly to the government that we in- 
 
INTERVIEWS OF THE DUTCH WITH THE TYCOON. 405 
 
 tend to enforce every one of our rights to the uttermost letter. 
 The subserviency of the Dutch for upward of two centuries will 
 doubtless render it more difficult for us to maintain our relations 
 upon that footing of equality, without which the evil results of a 
 false position must necessarily ensue, than if no intercourse had 
 hitherto existed between Japan and European countries. 
 
 In order to appreciate the pitch to which the Dutch carried 
 their compliance with the humiliating code of court etiquette 
 forced upon them by the Japanese government, it is worth while 
 glancing at the account which we have received from the vera¬ 
 cious Ksempfer of the ceremonies of the audience at Yedo between 
 the resident of the Dutch factory and the temporal emperor. “ As 
 soon as the resident entered the hall of audience,” says the old 
 German physician, “they cried out ‘Holanda captain,’ which was 
 the signal for him to draw near and make his obeisances. Ac¬ 
 cordingly, he crawled on his hands and knees to a place shown 
 him, between the presents ranged in due order on one side, and 
 the place where the emperor sat on the other; and there kneel¬ 
 ing, he bowed -his forehead quite down to the ground, and so 
 crawled backward, like a crab, without uttering a single word. 
 So mean and short a thing is the audience we have with this 
 mighty monarch.” 
 
 This was the form of the audience of ceremony, but now let us 
 see what took place on the next occasion, when his Japanese maj¬ 
 esty condescended to unbend. After the members of the Dutch 
 mission had, to use the word of the same writer, crept into the 
 audience chamber, “ the emperor sat himself on our right behind 
 the lattices, as near as he possibly could. Then he ordered us to 
 take off our cappa or cloak, being our garment of ceremony; then 
 to stand upright, that he might have a full view of us; again to 
 walk, to stand still, to compliment each other, to dance, to jump, 
 to play the drunkard, to speak broken Japanese, to read Dutch, 
 to paint, to sing, to put our cloaks on and off. Meanwhile we 
 obeyed the emperor’s commands in the best manner we could. I 
 joined to my dance a love-song in High German. In this man¬ 
 ner, and with numerous other such apish tricks, we must suffer 
 ourselves to contribute to the emperor’s and the court’s diversion.” 
 
 In the present state of our political relations, not only with Jap¬ 
 an, but with China, it is most important that we should recall the 
 history of the earlier intercourse which Europeans maintained 
 
 G G- 
 
466 
 
 POLICY TO BE PURSUED. 
 
 with those countries, as tending to encourage in these semi-civil¬ 
 ized courts that assumption of superiority which must sooner or 
 later be resisted, and to which may be traced all the political com¬ 
 plications which have arisen, or are likely to arise, with those em¬ 
 pires. 
 
 We are at this moment suffering in China from the false posi¬ 
 tion which we assumed during those years when our trade was 
 confined to Canton and governed by a monopoly of Hong mer¬ 
 chants, and when we submitted to restrictions and indignities, not 
 so insulting, indeed, as those offered to the Dutch in Japan, but 
 sufficiently so to establish in the Celestial mind our position of 
 inferiority, of which we have never yet succeeded in disabusing it. 
 
 In Japan, fortunately, we have not as yet thus committed our¬ 
 selves, but there can be no doubt that we suffer to a certain ex¬ 
 tent from the low moral position which the Dutch took up at the 
 outset, and which must more or less affect all foreigners. As¬ 
 suredly, if our political agents in Japan inaugurate our intercourse 
 with that court by crawling about on their hands and knees, play¬ 
 ing the drunkard and singing love-songs, we shalbvery soon have 
 a Japanese war on our hands. Happily, in our consul general at 
 Yedo we have a sagacious and experienced man, who is not likely 
 to give way upon points of national dignity; but, unless our di¬ 
 plomacy is conducted upon principles calculated to make us re¬ 
 spected as a nation at the outset, it will be impossible for us, in 
 the long run, to maintain satisfactory relations with the Japanese 
 government. It is no doubt true that the influence of the gov¬ 
 ernments both of China and Japan, and, indeed, their stability, de¬ 
 pend in a great measure upon the prestige which attaches to them 
 in the eyes of the people at large; but if that prestige is to be pur¬ 
 chased at the price of the humiliation of Great Britain as a nation, 
 we had better leave to more mercenary countries the privilege of 
 trading with those empires. So far as Japan is concerned, there 
 is no reason to suppose that the application of force will be nec¬ 
 essary to inculcate the principal lessons of reciprocal international 
 obligations. With so quick-sighted and intelligent a people, mor¬ 
 al influences may be made to operate more effectually than phys¬ 
 ical force, and with far happier results. 
 
 But if it is so essential to the maintenance of an amicable inter¬ 
 course with Japan that our diplomatists in that country carry out 
 a policy of combined firmness and forbearance, it is no less vital 
 
RESOURCES OF JAPAN. 
 
 467 
 
 to the success of commercial enterprise, in this new and compara¬ 
 tively unexplored field, that our merchants set an example, to a 
 people totally inexperienced in transactions of this nature, of a 
 rigid adherence to treaty obligations. Where these are sought to 
 be evaded, and advantage is taken of the ignorance or stupidity 
 of native officials to infringe even in the smallest degree the strict 
 letter of the law, the consequences of such a course are certain to 
 recoil upon the mercantile community generally. Sooner or later 
 the government becomes aware of the abuse, and either resents 
 the wrong by creating out of it a cause of international difficulty, 
 or perhaps, unable to remedy the mischief, recognizes the princi¬ 
 ple, and thus introduces an element of dishonesty which can not 
 fail in the end to exercise a most demoralizing influence upon all 
 persons engaged in the trade. 
 
 There are so many most tempting occasions for stretching the 
 provisions of a treaty which, in the case of a country like Japan, 
 must necessarily be somewhat vague, that it is by the spirit rather 
 than by the letter that foreigners should be guided. By observ¬ 
 ing this principle we shall the more rapidly and successfully de¬ 
 velop the resources which yet lie hidden in Japan. 
 
 It would be somewhat rash for a visitor whose experience of the 
 country has been limited to a residence of a fortnight in its cap¬ 
 ital to attempt to detail with any certainty what those resources 
 are. That they are very varied we know, from the circumstance 
 that they suffice for every want of a civilized and cultivated peo¬ 
 ple. That they are very extensive we can not doubt, because be¬ 
 tween thirty and forty millions of people are dependent on them 
 alone. How far they are yet capable of expansion we shall only 
 learn from those who have extended opportunities of judging. 
 
 We may, however, venture to predict that, in the first instance, 
 the great preponderance of the trade of Japan will be with China. 
 Formerly the intercourse between these two countries was limited 
 to ten Chinese junks a year—Chapoo, near Shanghai, being the 
 only port in China to or from which junks were permitted to 
 trade. No Japanese junk was allowed to engage in this trade, 
 their construction, indeed, involving a coasting voyage; and this 
 construction results not from their ignorance of a better model, 
 but from the stringent regulations forbidding them to build on a 
 principle which would enable them to enter upon distant voy¬ 
 ages. The cargoes of the Chinese junks consisted principally of 
 
468 
 
 GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE. 
 
 sugar, besides spices, dyes, and drugs of various descriptions. In 
 return, a certain quantity of bar copper was allotted to each junk, 
 the remainder of the cargoes consisting of lackered ware, dried 
 fish, wliale oil, etc. 
 
 According to Thunberg, the crew were always brought on 
 shore, and all charge of the vessel taken from them till such time 
 as every thing was ready for their departure; consequently, the 
 Japanese unloaded it entirely, and afterward brought the vessel 
 on shore, where, at low water, it was quite dry. The next year 
 it was loaded with other goods. They were, in fact, treated with 
 even greater indignity than the Dutch, while, as a larger percent¬ 
 age was deducted from their merchandise, their profits were even 
 less. 
 
 So complete has been the control which the government has 
 uniformly exercised over all commercial transactions in which its 
 subjects have engaged, that we shall doubtless find considerable 
 difficulty in emancipating trade from its undue interference. I 
 have already remarked that, even in the last treaty negotiated by 
 the Dutch in 1855, the old machinery of the Geld Kammer was 
 preserved, by which government reserved to itself the control 
 over the sale of every cargo arriving at Nagasaki. With a gov¬ 
 ernment still laboring under the traditions of a commercial pol¬ 
 icy, the essential principle of which is a minute investigation into 
 every act of the trader, and an immediate supervision of his every 
 mercantile transaction, we must be prepared for difficulties in our 
 commercial intercourse at every turn. A Japanese has no more 
 idea of individual freedom than a child of three years old, and is 
 about as learned in matters of trade. He has always been in the 
 nursery, and is contented to remain there. 
 
 His paternal, or rather maternal government, tells him the price 
 at which he is to purchase his goods, the description of money he 
 is to pay for them in, and what he is to sell in return. When the 
 Englishman, with his notions of personal liberty and his habits of 
 free trade, comes into business contact with a slave instead of a 
 free man, and finds himself hampered by regulations which apply 
 to his customer in' such a manner as to act most injuriously on 
 himself, it requires no prophet to foretell the results. We shall 
 have a considerable and very natural irritation produced, and bit¬ 
 ter complaints made against the Japanese government, who must 
 learn to conform to the usages of civilized nations in this respect, 
 
COMPETITION WITH NATIVE MANUFACTURERS. 469 
 
 and be taught that, beyond a certain point, no isolated commu¬ 
 nity has a right to dictate to the rest of the world upon a matter 
 in which mankind are universally interested. 
 
 The appointment of a Japanese embassy to this country would 
 do more than any thing else to convey this necessary and whole¬ 
 some truth to the minds of the council at Yedo. 
 
 The trade between China and Japan, to which I have already 
 alluded, and of which foreign ships would always retain the mo¬ 
 nopoly, consists principally in the interchange of articles of diet pe¬ 
 culiar to those countries. Thus one of the most expensive lux¬ 
 uries in China is the root called ginseng; it is used medicinally, 
 or by the rich as an agreeable tonic; but the price at which it is 
 sold in the bazars in China is something fabulous. Already great 
 quantities of ginseng have been exported from Japan, where it 
 grows abundantly. Dried fish, sharks’ fins, and sea-slugs are also 
 enumerated among the imports into China from Japan, while the 
 Chinese have been supplying their neighbors, in return, with pre¬ 
 served eggs, birds’ nests, and various spices and drugs used as 
 medicines, too numerous to mention. The generic name for a car¬ 
 go composed of miscellanies of this nature is chow-chow. 
 
 As Japan does not produce sugar, when the taste for that arti¬ 
 cle becomes more universal there will probably be a large demand 
 for it. The most convenient source of supply is Formosa; but the 
 taste for sugar is only one among numerous wants which we have 
 yet to create in order to provide ourselves with a market in Japan. 
 Hitherto they have lived in blissful ignorance of the comfort of a 
 cotton pocket-handkerchief, and have satisfied themselves with 
 square pieces of whity-brown paper. The mysteries of long ells 
 and Spanish stripes have not yet been made known to them, nor 
 could they distinguish between broad-cloths and velveteens. 
 Printed cottons, American domestics, drills, and all varieties of 
 piece-goods, have been supplied hitherto by articles of native man¬ 
 ufacture. It will be for the manufacturer of this country to sub¬ 
 stitute for them goods which can answer the same purpose, of a 
 more suitable material and at a lower figure. 
 
 In China we have hitherto failed in producing that great rev¬ 
 olution in the fabric of which the dress of the people is composed, 
 which was predicted on the conclusion of the Pottinger treaty. 
 Chinese cottons, manufactured by the hand, still compete success¬ 
 fully with the productions of the machinery of this country, al- 
 
470 
 
 DEMAND FOR WOOLEN MANUFACTURES, ETC. 
 
 though it is fair to say that a gradual improvement is taking place 
 in this respect, and the new regulation affecting the transit-dues 
 will materially facilitate the introduction of foreign produce into 
 the country. So far as we are aware, no such obstructions to the 
 free internal traffic of the country exist in Japan. When once 
 the goods are disposed of, their circulation is unrestricted. Of 
 course, the extent of that circulation will depend in a great meas¬ 
 ure on the facilities of internal communication which the empire 
 affords. Its volcanic and mountainous character renders the 
 transport of goods by land expensive, although the roads are oft¬ 
 en broad enough for wheeled vehicles; but very few of these are 
 used, and then almost exclusively for agricultural purposes. On 
 the other hand, the great extent of the Japanese sea-board, and the 
 large population to which easy access may thus be obtained, will 
 render the task of supplying their wants comparatively easy. 
 
 There is one material, in particular, for which there ought cer¬ 
 tainly to be a large demand in Japan when its merits become 
 known. Old William Adams, who sailed for South America with 
 a cargo of woolens three hundred years ago, thus describes the re¬ 
 sult of a conference held on board the Dutch ship Erasmus, when 
 they had failed in disposing of her cargo: “ At last it was resolved 
 to go to Japan, for by report of one Derrick Geritson, which had 
 been there with the Portugals, woolen cloth was in great estima¬ 
 tion in that island, and we gathered by reason that the Malaccas, 
 and most part of the East Indies, were hot countries, where wool¬ 
 en cloths would not be much accepted; therefore it was we agreed 
 to go for Japan.” 
 
 At present the Japanese wear in winter garments thickly pad¬ 
 ded either with cotton or silk wool. In the latter case warm cloth¬ 
 ing is somewhat expensive, and there can be little doubt that our 
 woolen fabrics would answer the purpose better, and be far cheap¬ 
 er. In China, sheepskins and coarse furs are used by the lower 
 orders, but I did not observe any fur-shops in Yedo. By the 
 treaty both cottons and woolens are admitted into Japan at a duty 
 of five per cent. The remaining articles included in the five per 
 cent, list are all articles used for the purpose of building, rigging, 
 repairing, or fitting out of ships; whaling gear of all kinds; salted 
 provisions of all kinds; bread and bread-stuffs; living animals of 
 all kinds; coals, timber for building houses, rice, paddy, steam- 
 machinery, zinc, lead, tin, and raw silk. A duty of thirty-five per 
 
VEGETABLE PRODUCTS.—JAPAN WAX. 
 
 471 
 
 cent, is placed upon all intoxicating liquors. Gold and silver, 
 coined or uncoined, are admitted duty free. All other articles 
 pay a duty of twenty per cent. 
 
 The exportation of rice and wheat, gold and silver coin, and 
 copper in bars, is prohibited. The Japanese government, how¬ 
 ever, engages to sell from time to time, at public auction, any sur¬ 
 plus quantity of copper that may be produced. This, together 
 with all other articles of Japanese production which are exported 
 as cargo, is liable to a duty of five per cent. One of the most im¬ 
 portant clauses in these regulations is the right reserved of revi¬ 
 sion of the tariff at the end of five years. 
 
 Silk, camphor, vegetable oil, and vegetable wax are among the 
 principal products which are likely to be exported to this coun¬ 
 try ; the tea and tobacco are both of a very superior quality; while, 
 among manufactured articles, lacker and china in small quantities 
 will always find a market in the West. Hitherto the most suc¬ 
 cessful cargo brought to this country from Japan has been one of 
 Japanese wax. Mr. Simmonds, in the China Telegraph , gives the 
 following account of Japan wax: “Rhus succedanea, the species 
 which furnishes the Japan wax, has long been grown in our 
 green-houses, having been introduced from China nearly a cen¬ 
 tury ago. 
 
 “ It might be raised, we should suppose, in the Cape and Aus¬ 
 tralian colonies, in the Mauritius and India, and would be far 
 preferable as an oleaginous plant to the species of candleberry 
 myrtles from which wax is obtained. It will grow in any com¬ 
 mon soil, and may be readily increased by cuttings. We shall 
 probably soon learn what is the ordinary mode of culture in the 
 plantations of Japan, and whether any attention is paid to prun¬ 
 ing, manuring, etc. The wax is of medium quality, between bees¬ 
 wax and the ordinary vegetable tallows, such as Bassia buiter, 
 Borneo vegetable tallows, Cocum butter, etc. Though there are 
 shades of difference, several of these varieties of wax possess the 
 essential properties of that formed by bees; indeed, it was former¬ 
 ly supposed that bees merely collected the wax already formed 
 by the vegetable, but Huber’s experiments show that the insect 
 has the power of transmuting sugar into wax, and that it is, in 
 fact, a secretion. Japan wax is softer, more brittle and fatty than 
 beeswax, easily kneaded, and melts between 40° and 42° C. It 
 contains twice as much oxygen as beeswax, and has a different 
 
472 
 
 MINERAL RESOURCES. 
 
 composition, consisting of palmitic acid united with, oxyde of gly- 
 ceryle. The small parcels which formerly reached this country 
 have been used in Price’s Patent Candleworks in substitution for 
 wax, and for hard neutral fat, and, after conversion into the acid 
 state, both for candles and night-lights. If the wholesale price 
 can be reduced, this wax will find its way into extensive con¬ 
 sumption on the Continent for various purposes.” 
 
 The seeds of another tree, called the Rhus vernicefera, also con¬ 
 tain a tallow-like oil which is used in the making of candles. 
 
 But, so far as our present limited knowledge of the resources 
 of Japan will enable us to form an opinion, its mineral are more 
 likely to form a profitable source of commerce than its vegetable 
 productions. At present there is every probability of the govern¬ 
 ment placing obstacles in the way of European enterprise in this 
 direction. They have reserved to themselves the monopoly of 
 that most abundant mineral in Japan, copper, which is used for 
 mechanical and other purposes there almost as we should use iron. 
 Iron, however, also abounds in various parts of Japan, and the 
 mines appear to be extensively worked. Judging from articles 
 of casting of their own construction, the ores must be of excellent 
 quality. Specimens of wrought iron, cast and blister steel, have 
 been examined with very satisfactory results. The wrought iron 
 is usually hammered, and in small flat bars varying from twelve 
 to twenty lbs. each. This is probably to be attributed to a want 
 of proper machinery for heavier bars, and its being better suited 
 to their purposes. 
 
 Coal, as well as copper, is a government monopoly. Hitherto 
 the coal brought for sale since the opening of trade has been sur¬ 
 face coal, and consequently inferior in quality: it is described as 
 small. It burns slaty, leaving considerable ash, and is very light. 
 The price at the first opening of trade was 3-J- Mexican dollars a 
 ton, but it has probably risen since then. There can be little 
 doubt that good coal will be found in the islands when the mines 
 begin to be properly worked, but whether or not the government 
 will permit English engineers to enter the country to assist in 
 developing them is highly problematical. 
 
 However much we may regret the difficulties which oppose 
 themselves to the commercial exploration of so fertile and pro¬ 
 ductive a country as Japan, the result of our experience leads us 
 to believe that we must wait for many years before trade can be 
 
COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS.—LEAVE JAPAN. 
 
 473 
 
 carried on with it upon an extensive and really profitable scale. 
 Still we need not despair of a prosperous era ultimately arriving. 
 We have already succeeded in demolishing that external rampart 
 of exclusiveness which had successfully resisted the assaults of 
 Western nations for upward of two centuries. We must now 
 apply ourselves steadily to undermine the inner barriers which 
 have been constructed during that period, under the influence of 
 long-standing prejudices and bitter memories of the past. We 
 shall most successfully achieve this important result by the exer¬ 
 cise of forbearance and integrity on the part of our merchants, 
 and by the maintenance of a dignified but conciliatory policy on 
 the part of our government. 
 
 It will be a source of legitimate pride and gratification to this 
 country if, on some future day, a Japanese, looking back through 
 the history of the empire, can point to the pages which record our 
 first intercourse with it as being those which mark the dawn of a 
 brighter and purer civilization. 
 
 «)»••••••»* 
 
 When the day broke on the following morning we were no 
 longer visible to the good people at Yedo. Early in the after¬ 
 noon we were abreast of Simoda, and bade adieu to our invalua- 
 able interpreter and friend Mr. Hewsken, consigning him the less 
 reluctantly to his hermitage on shore because the days of his soli¬ 
 tary confinement were drawing to an end, and intercourse with 
 China would henceforward be a matter of common occurrence. 
 
 We had hoped, on our return voyage to Shanghai, to explore 
 the Suwonada Sea and those interesting waters which lie between 
 the islands of Kiu-siu, Sikok, and Nipon, and which have not as 
 yet been traversed by foreign keel, and which must afford a most 
 interesting field for surveys of a scientific character, as also for 
 general observation. The Suwonada Sea is thickly covered with 
 islands, and was reported to us by the Japanese as navigable for 
 ships of large draught. The large and important island of Sikok 
 intervenes between it and the fSTorth Pacific Ocean, with which 
 this sea is connected by the Straits of Bun go on the west, and the 
 narrow Channel of Kino on the east. Sikok is, as its name im¬ 
 plies, divided into four provinces; as, however, we did not even 
 sight its shores, we had no opportunity of obtaining any informa¬ 
 tion about it. It is about 150 miles long, with an average breadth 
 of 70 miles, and is computed to contain about 20,000 square miles. 
 
474 
 
 THE PORT OF HIOGO.—OHOSAKA. 
 
 With, the Suwonada Sea, however, we are more closely inter¬ 
 ested, for upon its margin is the port of Hiogo, opened by the 
 treaty to the commerce of the West. 
 
 This port is situated in the Bay of Ohosaka, opposite to the 
 celebrated city of that name, from which it is ten or twelve miles 
 distant. The Japanese government have expended vast sums in 
 their engineering efforts to improve its once dangerous anchorage. 
 A breakwater, which was erected at a prodigious expense, and 
 which cost the lives of numbers of workmen, has proved suffi¬ 
 cient for the object for which it was designed. There is a tradi¬ 
 tion that a superstition existed in connection with this dike, to 
 the effect that it would never be finished unless an individual 
 could be found sufficiently patriotic to suffer himself to be buried 
 in it. A Japanese Curtius was not long in forthcoming, to whom 
 a debt of gratitude will be due in all time to come, from every 
 British ship that rides securely at her anchor behind the break¬ 
 water. 
 
 Hiogo has now become the port of Ohosaka and Miako, and 
 will, in all probability, be the principal port of European trade in 
 the empire. The city is described as equal in size to Nagasaki. 
 When Ksempfer visited it, he found three hundred junks at an¬ 
 chor in its bay. 
 
 The Butch describe Ohosaka as a more attractive resort than 
 even Yedo. While this latter city may be regarded as the Lon¬ 
 don of Japan, Ohosaka seems to be its Paris. Here are the most 
 celebrated theatres, the most sumptuous tea-houses, the most ex¬ 
 tensive pleasure-gardens. It is the abode of luxury and wealth, 
 the favorite resort of fashionable Japanese, who come here to 
 spend their time in gayety and pleasure. Ohosaka is one of the 
 five imperial cities, and contains a vast population. It is situated 
 on the left bank of the Jedogawa, a stream which rises in the 
 Lake of Oity, situated a day and a half’s journey in the interior. 
 It is navigable for boats of large tonnage as far as Miako, and is 
 spanned by numerous handsome bridges. 
 
 The port of Hiogo and city of Ohosaka will not be opened to 
 Europeans until the 1st of January, 1863. The foreign residents 
 will then be allowed to explore the country in any direction for 
 a distance of twenty-five miles, except toward Miako, or, as it is 
 more properly called, Kioto. They will not be allowed to ap¬ 
 proach nearer than twenty-five miles to this far-famed city. 
 
KIOTO.—CAUGHT IN A TYPHOON. 
 
 475 
 
 As the Dutch, have constantly been in the habit of passing 
 through Kioto, it is probable that before very long this restriction 
 will be removed, and Europeans will be permitted to visit what 
 is, without question, the most interesting spot in the empire. If 
 Yedo is the London, and Ohosaka the Paris, Kioto is certainly 
 the Rome of Japan. It is here that the spiritual emperor resides, 
 and that enormous ecclesiastical court by which he is surrounded, 
 and which is called the Dairi, is permanently fixed. It is here 
 that the celebrated tomb of the great Taiko-Sama, the most fa¬ 
 mous of Japanese temporal emperors, is situated; and here are to 
 be seen the most magnificent and imposing temples of which the 
 empire can boast. The population of Kioto is said to be half a 
 million, and it has had the reputation of being the principal man¬ 
 ufacturing town in the empire. Had we then known how little 
 our presence was needed at Shanghai, we might have been the 
 first foreign ship to visit the new port of Iliogo. Unfortunately, 
 however, the period fixed upon by the commissioners for their 
 arrival from Pekin was already passed, and Lord Elgin felt bound 
 to push on with all speed to meet them at the appointed rendez¬ 
 vous. We afterward found that any anxiety in this respect was 
 misplaced, for, with true Chinese indifference, they had postponed 
 their journey for many weeks. Meanwhile we were plowing the 
 rough seas of Japan in hot haste, a gale of wind astern driving us 
 more rapidly than we cared for to the unloved shores of China. 
 Cape Chichakoff, our old enemy, though we had reason to be 
 thankful to him for friendly shelter, looked more inhospitable 
 than ever as we swept past him. Heavy storms, strong currents, 
 and numerous rocks, with probably many more undiscovered, 
 combine to render navigation on the shores of J apan a somewhat 
 anxious undertaking. Fortunately, we had passed the Straits of 
 Yan Diemen before the tail of a typhoon caught us suddenly, car¬ 
 rying away every thing that was set, and rendering an immediate 
 reference to the law of storms necessary. There can be little 
 doubt that the application of this law saved us some heavy weath¬ 
 er ; for, instead of holding on our course, we fairly turned tail, 
 and fled from the circle of its influence. 
 
 Count Poutiatine, in the large frigate to which he had now 
 transferred his flag, was less fortunate. She suffered so severely 
 in the same storm that she was compelled to put into Nagasaki 
 to refit. We were perfectly contented with our allowance, never- 
 
476 
 
 ARRIVAL AT SHANGHAI. 
 
 theless, and spent a period of much anxiety, in consequence of the 
 risks to which our lacker was exposed. Captain Osborn had most 
 good-naturedly permitted us to stow it away on the main deck, 
 for our cabins were incapable of containing a fourth part of our 
 purchases; but, as the main deck was often ankle-deep in water, 
 the fate of our Japanese curiosities caused us serious misgivings. 
 
 There was, moreover, that constant struggle between a desire 
 for air and light, and a dread of shipping seas, so familiar to those 
 who have made voyages in hot latitudes. Once only was I tempt¬ 
 ed to trice up my port, and had hardly done so before I paid 
 dearly for my indiscretion. Five thousand cheroots, a small Jap¬ 
 anese dog that was accidentally visiting me, all my boots, and a 
 considerable part of my wardrobe, were swimming together in 
 hopeless confusion, and the weather continued so bad that two or 
 three days elapsed before I could dry them. The dog was ever 
 after a martyr to cramp in his loins. 
 
 In spite of all these misadventures we made the passage from 
 Yedo to Shanghai in a week, and had the satisfaction of announc¬ 
 ing to our friends there, whom we had left scarce a month before, 
 that this short interval had sufficed to enable Lord Elgin to open 
 a new market to the British merchant, and one from which those 
 residing at this port would most immediately benefit. 
 
EFFECTS OF THE CHINESE CLIMATE. 
 
 477 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 Effects of the Chinese Climate.—The Amenities of Shanghai.—Arrival of the Im¬ 
 perial Commissioners.—Correspondence relative to Canton.—Peace Proclamation. 
 —Appointment of Sub-commission.—Our Chinese Colleagues.—Daily Confer¬ 
 ences.—Rate of the new Tariff.—Transit Duties.—Collection of foreign Customs. 
 —The Opium-trade.—Mr. Reed’s Dispatch on Opium.—Reply of Lord Elgin.— 
 Final Adjustment of the Question.—Visit of the Commissioners.—The jovial Ho. 
 —A Dinner with the Commissioners.—The resident Minister at Pekin.—Pro¬ 
 posed Expedition up the Yang-tse-kiang.—Signing the Trade Regulations.—De¬ 
 parture from Shanghai. 
 
 The first intelligence which, we received npon our return to 
 Shanghai was not of a nature calculated to console us for our hur¬ 
 ried flight from Japan. It appeared that the departure of the 
 imperial commissioners from Pekin had been postponed for some 
 weeks, an interval which we might have spent with pleasure and 
 profit in making excursions in the neighborhood of Yedo, or ex¬ 
 ploring the Suwonada Sea. In default of any such excitement, 
 we found ourselves thrown upon our own resources at Shanghai 
 at a period of the year when the climate seems to be most trying 
 to European constitutions, though the temperature was not so high 
 as it had been six weeks previously. 
 
 We had now been for nearly eighteen months knocking about 
 on the coast of China, and the results were beginning to manifest 
 themselves. Mr. Loch went home on sick certificate, taking with 
 him the Japanese treaty. Of those that remained, all of us more 
 or less suffered from the effects of climate; and the hot days, 
 chilly evenings, and malarious exhalations of Shanghai were not 
 calculated to remove a tendency to ague, where such existed. 
 Our own experience enabled us, without any difficulty, to credit 
 the fact which is established by the official returns, that the China 
 station is the most unhealthy to which our ships are sent, the 
 sickness and mortality being greater here than even on the west 
 coast of Africa. 
 
 Meantime the period of our return home seemed more remote 
 than ever. We were reminded of a Japanese fable which seemed 
 not altogether inappropriate to our condition. A moth is said 
 to exist in Japan so beautiful that all the night-flies fall in love 
 
478 
 
 THE AMENITIES OF SHANGHAI. 
 
 with it. To get rid of their importunity, she sends them to bring 
 her fire; and her rash admirers, in their ardent attempts to do 
 her bidding, are consumed in a flame, fatal alike to themselves 
 and their aspirations. Moral: Beware how you allow yourself to 
 become a night-fly in the service of your country. 
 
 As Shanghai is situated in a flat and highly-cultivated country, 
 intersected by canals and ditches, and traversed by narrow foot¬ 
 paths, driving is impossible, and riding attended with discomfort, 
 if not actual risk, the pleasure of crawling at a foot-pace in Indian 
 file being varied only by the excitement of crossing a single-log 
 bridge. The enterprising community of Shanghai, to compensate 
 for these drawbacks, have constructed a race-course, round which 
 equestrians gyrate daily, as though they were being lounged. 
 Those who prefer gossip to exercise frequent the bund, a broad 
 quay which extends along the whole length of the settlement, 
 and which is crowded with Chinese porters all the morning, and 
 sprinkled with European ladies and gentlemen in the afternoon. 
 
 Sportsmen who do not mind foul odors may plod through cot¬ 
 ton-fields all day, and return home well satisfied with their luck 
 if they bag a brace of pheasants to each gun. And pedestrians 
 have been known to sacrifice their noses to their livers, and take 
 long walks into the wearisome country for the good of their health. 
 Backets, American bowls, and billiards afford relaxation to a large 
 section of society; and now and then a ball, at which the propor¬ 
 tion of gentlemen to ladies is ten to one, or an amateur theatrical 
 entertainment, infuses a little animation into the world. 
 
 As the utmost harmony and hospitality characterized the com¬ 
 munity during our stay at Shanghai, we found it infinitely the 
 most agreeable place of residence in China, and the month which 
 elapsed prior to the arrival of the commissioners slipped rapidly 
 by. We occupied the handsome residence of the British consul, 
 and experienced some relief, after our long confinement on ship¬ 
 board, in the comfort of its spacious apartments. 
 
 On the 8d of October the four commissioners, Kweiliang and 
 Hwashana, Ming and Twan, arrived at Shanghai. As Lord Elgin 
 had been disappointed in his desire to see the Canton braves sum¬ 
 marily chastised, it became incumbent upon him to accomplish by 
 moral pressure what had better have been achieved by physical 
 force; before, therefore, consenting to an interview with the com¬ 
 missioners, his excellency addressed certain inquiries to them 
 
PEACE PROCLAMATION. 
 
 479 
 
 •with, reference to the conduct of Hwang, the successor to Yeh, as 
 governor general of the province of Kwang-tung, and to.the ap¬ 
 pointment of a war committee, which had been instrumental in 
 raising braves for the purpose of harassing our garrison in Can¬ 
 ton. Until a satisfactory reply was made to these inquiries, his 
 excellency declined to enter upon any business with the imperial 
 commissioners. 
 
 The committee for the organization of militia, or braves, was 
 principally under the direction of these political adventurers, well 
 known for their turbulent character, and who were now seeking 
 to win promotion by making themselves prominent as the lead¬ 
 ers of that patriotic party who had sworn to devote themselves 
 to the extermination of the barbarians. The names of these men 
 were Lung, Lo, and Su. 
 
 We had good reason to suppose, and we were afterward con¬ 
 firmed in the belief, that these men were acting in accordance 
 with secret instructions from Pekin, directly opposed to protesta¬ 
 tions of amity which the commissioners were at this moment 
 making in behalf of the emperor. 
 
 With reference to the subjects referred to in Lord Elgin’s dis¬ 
 patch, the imperial commissioners stated that the news of the 
 treaty had not yet reached Canton, nor the treaty itself been offi¬ 
 cially promulgated; that Hwang had therefore not changed his 
 policy; and that, as to the “ high officers, Lung, Lo, and Su, they 
 are gentlemen and literates, who have had the honor to receive 
 the emperor’s commands to superintend the organization of the 
 militia. This is so in every province; it is not in Kwang-tung 
 alone. Wherever the country is unsettled, it is the business of 
 the gentry who superintend the organization of the militia to be 
 the first informed.” 
 
 They proposed, however, to order Hwang to issue the following 
 proclamation, and to publish it extensively themselves: 
 
 u Draft Proclamation. 
 
 u The commissioners hereby give notice that a treaty of peace 
 to endure forever, between China and England, France, and Amer¬ 
 ica, has been concluded by them at Tientsin; and as they are in¬ 
 deed apprehensive that the same may not be generally known to 
 the gentry, merchants, and population at large of the different 
 ports, they deem it right to issue a proclamation to that effect. 
 
480 
 
 APPOINTMENT OF SUB-COMMISSION. 
 
 “They accordingly proclaim to tlie merchants, and all other 
 persons of the different ports, that a good understanding is ever¬ 
 more to endure and increase between the Chinese and the for¬ 
 eigners of all nations, and that they are together to share the en¬ 
 joyment of comfort and advantage. Such is the earnest hope of 
 the commissioners. Let none disobey. 
 
 “Attend! 
 
 “Attend! 
 
 “A special proclamation.” 
 
 So far from accepting this communication as a satisfactory an¬ 
 swer to his demands, Lord Elgin announced to the commissioners 
 in reply that, “ after all that has happened, he can not accept any 
 measure short of the removal of the governor general, and the 
 withdrawal of the special powers with which the gentry are in¬ 
 vested, as proof of the sincerity of the imperial government in its 
 desire for the establishment and maintenance of peaceful relations 
 between the two countries.” 
 
 In reply, the commissioners promised to obtain the removal of 
 Hwang, and the withdrawal of their powers from the War Com¬ 
 mittee. 
 
 This matter being so far satisfactorily arranged, the commis¬ 
 sioners express their readiness to enter upon the consideration of 
 the revision of the tariff and the settlement of trade regulations, 
 this being the ostensible object of their journey from Pekin. In 
 the mean time, the Governor General of the Two Kiangs, Ho- 
 kwei-tsick, joins them as imperial commissioners, and is reputed 
 to bring to their councils the most subtle intellect as well as the 
 most liberal mind. The population over which his supreme ad¬ 
 ministrative functions extend is about equal to that of Great 
 Britain and Ireland. 
 
 In order to discuss the details of the tariff and trade regula¬ 
 tions, a commission was appointed, consisting, on the part of the 
 Chinese government, of Wang, the provincial treasurer, and Sieh, 
 the provincial judge; and on the part of the English, of Mr. 
 Wade and myself. It was arranged that Mr. Lay should also be 
 present, though not as one of the commission. In his dispatch 
 to the commissioners upon the subject, Lord Elgin states “ that 
 the peculiar nature of Mr. Lay’s relation to the Chinese authori¬ 
 ties has alone prevented the undersigned from officially attaching 
 
OUR CHINESE COLLEAGUES. 
 
 481 
 
 that gentleman to the commission above nominated. As, howev¬ 
 er, it is most important that, in a matter involving such grave in¬ 
 terests on both sides, neither party should be deprived of the ex¬ 
 perience and information which Mr. Lay can bring to bear upon 
 the subject, it is his wish that that gentleman should be present 
 at the meetings of the commission.” 
 
 These meetings took place at a building called the Ye-shi Yuen, 
 situated at the farther extremity of the city, nearly four miles dis¬ 
 tant from the consulate: the daily journey thither in chairs, 
 through the narrow, reeking streets of Shanghai, was certainly, if 
 not the most arduous, the least pleasant part of our duties. Our 
 Chinese colleagues were both agreeable, intelligent men. The 
 treasurer, Wang, though superior in rank to the judge, took lit¬ 
 tle part in the discussions. His experience of barbarians had 
 been limited, and his principal recommendation lay in his gentle, 
 
 Sieh, late Taoutai of Shanghai. 
 
 conciliatory manner, and the absence of any marked antipathy 
 toward foreigners. It was in Sieh that the imperial commission¬ 
 ers reposed all their confidence. For many years taoutai or in- 
 
 Hh 
 
482 
 
 RATE OF THE NEW TARIFF. 
 
 tendant at Shanghai, there is certainly no Chinese mandarin in 
 the empire whose intercourse with foreigners has been so extens¬ 
 ive, or whose views upon foreign policy are so enlightened. 
 There can be little doubt that, had the advice of Sieh been attend¬ 
 ed to, the Chinese government would not recently have commit¬ 
 ted an act which now calls for a heavy retribution. 
 
 At that time his opinion carried great weight in the councils of 
 the imperial commissioners, while he was to a large extent influ¬ 
 enced by his colleague in the service of the Chinese government, 
 Mr. Lay. As our approach was always signified by a runner in 
 advance, we invariably found these high functionaries standing at 
 the door, waiting to receive us with a profusion of ctsin-ctsins. 
 Then we ascended to a cool upper chamber, commanding an ex¬ 
 tensive view of upturned house-tops, and here, with due solemni¬ 
 ty, assisted by a consumption of tobacco which would have quick¬ 
 ened the intellect of a Wouter Van Twilier, and refreshed by co¬ 
 pious relays of almond and ordinary tea, we transacted the busi¬ 
 ness of the day. When it was over, we were regularly pressed to 
 partake of a repast which was laid out for us in a lower room. 
 This part of the ceremony we usually found a pretext for escap¬ 
 ing. It would have been a breach of politeness, however, to have 
 invariably declined to be thus entertained after our labors, though 
 it involved the consumption of much grease and many unknown 
 viands, and usually terminated in a drinking-match of hot sam- 
 shu with the judge, he being naturally of a jovial temperament, 
 and averse to heel-taps. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary here to do more than state briefly the 
 result of our labors, and the arrangements we finally came to with 
 reference to trade regulations and tariff, more particularly as the 
 details are given at some length in the Blue-Book; there are, 
 however, some points which merit a brief notice. 
 
 The general principle upon which the tariff was based, in ac¬ 
 cordance w T ith the treaty, was the imposition of specific duties of 
 import and export, calculated on an ad valorem rate of five per 
 cent. In the case of imports, this principle was adhered to very 
 strictly; in exports, however, it was necessary to apply it with 
 some reserve, as, for instance, in the case of silk, in which the 
 Trench had a special interest, and where the duty already levied 
 was lower than the five per cent. rate. In consideration of this ad¬ 
 vantage, certain reasonable concessions were made in other duties. 
 
TRANSIT-DUTIES. 
 
 483 
 
 Oar discussions, however, were not limited to a consideration 
 of the export and import trade of China alone; the coasting trade 
 claimed a due share of our attention, and various restrictions which 
 had hitherto operated most prejudicially upon foreigners trading 
 between different ports in the empire were removed. As, how¬ 
 ever, the native junk traffic was likely to be seriously affected by 
 the new regulations upon this head, it did not seem fair to refuse 
 every concession in its favor; and, in consequence of the urgent 
 representation of the judge Sieh, the export of pulse and bean- 
 cake from the new ports of Teng-chow and New Chwang, under 
 the British flag, was prohibited. This trade is chiefly carried on 
 with Shanghai, some thousands of the sailors engaged in it belong¬ 
 ing to that city. An act which should deprive these men of the 
 means of earning their livelihood the Chinese commissioners fear¬ 
 ed would in all probability create serious riots and local disturb¬ 
 ances. 
 
 More difficult of arrangement were the details involved in that 
 article of the treaty which provides for the commutation of the 
 transit-dues, and the scope and object of which I have already de¬ 
 scribed. It was finally arranged that this commutation should be 
 limited to a sum not exceeding one half of the tariff-duties, except 
 in the case of the duty-free goods, which should be liable to a 
 transit-duty of 2J per cent, ad valorem. The importance of this 
 regulation, as affecting certain articles, and more especially tea, 
 may be gathered from the fact that a transit-duty, at the rate of 
 nearly 100 per cent., has in some cases been said to have been 
 levied on this commodity. “ If I am not misinformed,” says Mr. 
 Reed,* in a letter to Lord Elgin on the subject, “the transit-du¬ 
 ties on tea alone often amount to quite as much as the article it¬ 
 self, and the hope is reasonable that the new treaty will very 
 much reduce them.” The present export duty on tea in China is 
 about one tenth of that which we levy on its import into this coun¬ 
 try, and its transit-due is now reduced to half the former amount. 
 
 Involved in the consideration of this most important clause af¬ 
 fecting the transit-dues was also the regulation of the conditions 
 under which certificates should be issued, both in the case of ex¬ 
 ports and imports. These details were often complicated and dif¬ 
 ficult ; the more so, as we had no experience or precedent to guide 
 us in framing them. 
 
 * Blue-Book , p. 393. 
 
484 
 
 COLLECTION OF FOREIGN CUSTOMS. 
 
 But perhaps the most important rule in the trade regulations is 
 that which provides for the collection of duties under one system 
 at all the ports, and in which it is stipulated that the high officer 
 appointed by the Chinese government to superintend foreign trade 
 shall be at liberty, of his own choice, and independently of the 
 suggestion or nomination of any British authority, to select any 
 British subject he may see fit to aid him in the administration of 
 the Customs revenue. In pursuance of the plan thus adopted by 
 the Chinese government, they have applied through Mr. Lay for 
 Englishmen to assist him in the important department over which 
 he presides, and twelve gentlemen have already left this country 
 for China to supply the place of Chinese employes in the collec¬ 
 tion of the foreign customs. Although the recent rupture has 
 prevented this system from coming into operation, there can be no 
 doubt that it will be the one ultimately adopted. 
 
 It will readily be conceived that the imperial government would 
 not have consented thus to substitute foreigners for its own sub¬ 
 jects, had not a painful experience taught it that it would be im¬ 
 possible, under any other system, to check those malpractices by 
 which the revenue was so extensively defrauded. Unfortunately, 
 the corruption was not confined to Chinese officials alone. For¬ 
 eign merchants were too often induced to take advantage of the 
 ready unscrupulousness of the Custom-house officers, and a system 
 was in vogue which, if persisted in, would have exercised a most 
 demoralizing influence generally. Doubtless the illegal traffic in 
 opium, so extensively carried on as a notoriously contraband 
 trade, largely contributed to produce the same effect; and so 
 keenly alive was Lord Elgin to the serious nature of the evils 
 produced by the trade in opium, as carried out, that he determ¬ 
 ined not to shrink from applying the only remedy which appear¬ 
 ed to him practicable. The views by which he was actuated in 
 dealing with this question are fully set forth in a correspondence 
 which passed between him and Mr. Reed, the American minister, 
 who came out to China with a strong bias against the opium 
 trade, and with instructions from his government conceived in 
 the same spirit, but who nevertheless became an advocate of the 
 legalization of the trade from witnessing the abuses to which its 
 contraband character gave rise. 
 
 In that correspondence, referring to the disinclination which 
 Lord Elgin had evinced to press the matter when at Tientsin, 
 
THE OPIUM TRADE.—MR. REED’S DISPATCH. 
 
 485 
 
 Mr. Reed observes: a I have more than once understood your « 
 excellency to say that you had a strong, if not invincible repug¬ 
 nance, involved as Great Britain already was in hostilities at Can¬ 
 ton, and having been compelled in the north to resort to the in¬ 
 fluence of threatened coercion, to introduce the subject of opium 
 to the consideration of the Chinese authorities. Yet I am confi¬ 
 dent, unless the initiative is taken by your excellency, things 
 must continue as they are, with all their shame; and I appeal to 
 your excellency’s high sense of duty, so often and so strongly ex¬ 
 pressed to this helpless though perverse people, whether we, the 
 representatives of Western and Christian nations, ought to con¬ 
 sider our work done without some attempt to induce or compel 
 an adjustment of the pernicious difficulty. In such an attempt I 
 shall cordially unite.” After alluding to the possibility of putting 
 a stop to the growth of opium in India, Mr. Reed goes on to say: 
 
 “ Of effective prohibition, and this mainly through the inveterate 
 appetite of the Chinese, I am not sanguine; and I therefore more 
 confidently, though not more' earnestly, call your excellency’s 
 attention to the only other course open to us—attempt to per¬ 
 suade the Chinese to put such high duties on the drug as will 
 restrain the supply, regulate the import, and yet not stimulate 
 some other form of smuggling, with or without the connivance of 
 the Chinese. The economical arguments in favor of this course 
 are so fully stated in the accompanying paper that I need not 
 allude to them farther.” 
 
 In his reply to this communication Lord Elgin states: “I so 
 cordially assent to the views expressed by your excellency in 
 reference to the opium trade, that I do not think it necessary to 
 dwell on this part of your letter. I would only venture to ob¬ 
 serve, on this head, that when I resolved not to press this matter 
 upon the attention of the Chinese commissioners at Tientsin, I did 
 so, not because I questioned the advantages which would accrue 
 from the legalization of the traffic, but because I could not recon¬ 
 cile it to my sense of right ‘to urge the imperial government to 
 abandon its traditional policy in this respect, under the kind of 
 pressure which we were bringing to bear upon it at Tientsin. 
 
 “ The circumstances under which this question will come up 
 for discussion in the conferences on the subject of the tariff, which 
 are now being held at this place, are happily different, and I shall 
 not fail to instruct the gentlemen who are acting for me on this 
 
486 
 
 FINAL ADJUSTMENT OF THE QUESTION. 
 
 occasion to call the attention of the officers of the Chinese govern¬ 
 ment, with whom they are negotiating, to the considerations so 
 ably stated in your letter. I have little doubt but that it will be 
 found that legalization is the only available remedy for the evils 
 which have attracted your excellency’s notice, because I am con¬ 
 fident that, even if the other difficulties to which you advert could 
 be removed, it would be found practically impossible to suppress 
 the traffic in an article so easily raised and transported, and the 
 demand for which in this country is so great that when the sup¬ 
 ply, from some cause or another, has fallen short, the price has, I 
 am informed, even within the last few years, risen occasionally to 
 upward of one thousand dollars per chest—a sum exceeding, I 
 should presume, five times the cost of production.” 
 
 In pursuance of this view, it was represented to the commission¬ 
 ers that many abuses connected with the traffic in opium would 
 be obviated if the drug, which was already practically legalized 
 by the surreptitious levy of a duty upon it by the officers of the 
 government, was placed upon the footing of other imports. The 
 commissioners concurred in this opinion, and opium was inserted 
 in the tariff as liable to a duty of thirty taels per chest. A marked 
 distinction was, however, established between this article and oth¬ 
 er imports. I have already explained that, by the new regula¬ 
 tion, foreigners were empowered to convey their goods into the 
 interior of the country, and that the goods so conveyed were liable 
 to a duty not exceeding 2-J- per cent, ad valorem. From these 
 advantages the trade in opium was expressly excluded. The 
 Chinese commissioners observed that abuses and collisions with 
 the authorities might arise if foreigners were permitted to carry 
 this drug into the country, and force it into the markets of the 
 interior. Lord Elgin concurred in this opinion; and, farther, 
 deeming an article of this description a very proper subject for 
 taxation, he agreed that the stipulation respecting transit-duties, 
 to which I have referred, should not apply to it. Hone of the 
 new privileges, therefore, acquired under Lord Elgin’s treaty, were 
 extended to opium. It remained on the footing on which general 
 imports stood under the provisions of the Treaty of Nankin. 
 Foreigners could enter it at the open ports upon payment of a 
 duty of thirty taels a chest, but it was then to pass into Chinese 
 hands, and to become subject to such charges as the Chinese 
 government might see fit to impose upon it. 
 
VISIT OF THE COMMISSIONERS. 
 
 487 
 
 As affairs were now in an amicable train, it was arranged that 
 the imperial commissioners should pay a grand visit of ceremony 
 to Lord Elgin, and, accordingly, on the 16th of October a large 
 portion of the Shanghai community repaired to the Bund to wit¬ 
 ness the long uncouth procession, which extended almost from 
 one end of it to the other, and consisted of a most miscellaneous 
 collection of spearmen and banner-men, mounted attendants, and 
 footmen with tall conical red caps, many of them extremely rag¬ 
 ged as to costume, regard being apparently had rather to the 
 quantity than the quality of the escort. A great deal of shouting 
 and discordant music heralded the approach of this tattered cortege. 
 In the midst of it were the five commissioners in state chairs, pre¬ 
 ceded and followed by lesser dignitaries in humble chairs. 
 
 An interval of nearly four months had elapsed since we had 
 parted with the two senior commissioners, Kweiliang and Hwa- 
 shana, at Tientsin, so that when Lord Elgin received them at the 
 front door, a cordial greeting, as between old friends, took place. 
 
 Although they had never before seen a European house, they 
 manifested an orthodox Chinese indifference at the novel arrange¬ 
 ments which now, for the first time, were presented to their view, 
 and, being seated in proper order, the whole party were soon 
 overwhelming each other with the compliments appropriate to 
 the occasion. 
 
 We did indeed remark a much greater ease and affability on 
 the part of our guests than had characterized their demeanor at 
 Tientsin; they were evidently actuated by a strong desire to 
 soothe to the uttermost “ our uncontrollable fierceness,” and took 
 a great apparent interest in Lord Elgin’s description of the Trans¬ 
 atlantic Telegraph, the news of the success of which had just 
 reached us. The most vivacious of the party was the Governor 
 General IIo: so excited did he become upon a glass of Cura§oa 
 at luncheon, that with a flushed face he began an energetic recital 
 of his functions at Pekin, as the emperor’s amanuensis, entering 
 at last into such particulars concerning that high personage, and 
 the etiquette of his court, that his colleagues became alarmed at 
 his garrulous propensities, and my strong-headed friend the judge 
 unceremoniously possessed himself of the next glass which the 
 jovial Ho was about to imbibe, and tossed it down his own throat, 
 with an apologetic remark, tapping his forehead, that Ho was 
 weak in this respect, a statement confirmed by Ho himself, who 
 
488 
 
 A DINNER WITH THE COMMISSIONERS. 
 
 naively informed us that his face was red in consequence of the 
 wine having got into his head. 
 
 The judge afterward told me that in all other respects but that 
 of drink Ho’s head was strong. At the age of twenty-four he had 
 taken the highest scholastic honors in the empire. His literary 
 labors were as extensive as his imagination was brilliant. He 
 was regarded as one of the finest of Chinese poets, and so skillful 
 in transcribing his thoughts that, before his eyesight had become 
 dimmed from work, he could write a whole poem on a melon 
 seed. At this particular juncture Ho was divided between a de¬ 
 sire to conciliate us and chastise the rebels. He evidently con¬ 
 sidered intoxicating himself at a barbarian meal a master-stroke 
 of policy. In a few days he was to repair to the camp of the im¬ 
 perialist forces and attack the rebels, who were committing some 
 depredations in the neighborhood of Nankin. When Lord Elgin 
 informed the party that he wished to retain a more lasting im¬ 
 pression of individuals for whom he had so high a regard than 
 his memory could furnish, and explained to them that Mr. Joce¬ 
 lyn was prepared to take their photographs, they expressed great 
 gratification, and readily took up the required positions, and went 
 through the necessary rigidity of countenance—a simple operation 
 to a Chinaman, who considers it at all times undignified to allow 
 any expression to appear on his face. 
 
 On the 18th Lord Elgin returned the visit of the imperial com¬ 
 missioners with a procession of twelve chairs, accompanied by a 
 guard of a hundred marines, and preceded by the band of the 
 Retribution. 
 
 An elaborate repast was provided for our entertainment upon 
 this occasion, comprising a more than usual array of Chinese cu¬ 
 linary delicacies. The communicative Ho plied Lord Elgin with 
 questions about the government and constitution of England, and 
 showed a greater amount of intelligence and interest in the subject 
 than I had ever before remarked in a Chinaman; even Hwashana, 
 the uncompromising, unbent so far as occasionally to enjoy a joke; 
 while Kweiliang, always anxious to be amiable, constructed pyr¬ 
 amids of edibles upon the plates of his neighbors; altogether, our 
 friends seemed gradually to be attaining a better frame of mind, 
 and expressed themselves well pleased with the harmony which 
 characterized our diplomatic intercourse, and full of anxiety for 
 its continuance. There was, however, still one point in reserve, 
 
THE RESIDENT MINISTER AT PEKIN. 
 
 489 
 
 to which the commissioners had not yet alluded, but the import¬ 
 ance of which was so great in the eyes of the imperial government 
 that it had led to their special mission to Shanghai. Like the 
 postscript in a lady’s letter, however, it had been kept till the last, 
 but the time had now come when the dreaded subject was to be 
 broached, and the effect which their amiability had produced upon 
 the mind of the British plenipotentiary was to be tested. 
 
 As this point was none other than that involved in the third 
 article of the Treaty of Tientsin—according to Great Britain the 
 right of a resident minister at Pekin—and as the correspondence 
 which ensued in consequence is especially interesting at the pres¬ 
 ent juncture, I have given it along with the treaty,* in order that 
 the reader may learn the grounds of objection of the Chinese to 
 the enforcement of this treaty-right, and the view which Lord 
 Elgin took in consequence. 
 
 The result of this correspondence was, that although the treaty- 
 right was not waived, Lord Elgin promised to submit it as his 
 opinion “that, if her majesty’s embassador be properly received 
 at Pekin when the ratifications are exchanged next year, and full 
 effect given in all other particulars to the treaty negotiated at 
 Tientsin, it would certainly be expedient that her majesty’s rep¬ 
 resentative in China choose a place of residence elsewhere than 
 at Pekin, and to make his visits to the capital either periodical, 
 or only as frequent as the exigencies of the public service may 
 require.” 
 
 The commissioners expressed themselves satisfied with this 
 concession, and Lord Elgin determined to take advantage of the 
 temper in which they then were, and their evident desire to satis¬ 
 fy any minor demands in order to gain the one point, to state his 
 determination of proceeding up the Yang-tse-Kiang, “in order 
 that, by personal inspection, he might be the better enabled to 
 judge what ports along its shores it would be most advisable to 
 open, in conformity with the Treaty of Tientsin.” 
 
 His excellency had long previously determined to make this 
 expedition before leaving China, not merely for the purpose above 
 alluded to, but with the view of creating a wholesome moral im¬ 
 pression upon the minds of the people upon its banks, one which 
 should be felt throughout the length and breadth of the empire. 
 He scarcely, however, expected an occasion so opportune as that 
 
 * See Appendix. 
 
490 
 
 SIGNING THE TREATY STIPULATIONS. 
 
 which now presented itself. So far from making any objection 
 to a proposal which, a few months before, would have caused 
 each particular commissioner’s tail to stand on end, they state 
 calmly: “It is our duty to acknowledge this letter, and at the 
 same time to prepare letters, advising the authorities along the 
 lines of your coming. We will also send officers to accompany 
 you with letters, that there may be a satisfactory understanding 
 on both sides.” 
 
 In the mean time Baron Gros returned from Japan, where he 
 had been equally successful with ourselves. From him we learn¬ 
 ed, for the first time, the scarcely credible intelligence to which I 
 have already alluded, of the emperor’s death six weeks before. 
 The fact had been made public prior to his arrival, and the city 
 of Yedo was mourning profoundly for the departed tycoon dur¬ 
 ing the whole period of his residence in it. 
 
 On the 30th of October the commissioners returned Lord El¬ 
 gin’s visit in state, and the project of the Yang-tse-Kiang expedi¬ 
 tion was discussed. It only remained to obtain the concurrence 
 of Baron Gros and Mr. Reed to the tariff and trade regulations, as 
 agreed upon between the British and Chinese governments, pre¬ 
 paratory to their being formally signed. 
 
 The harmony which had characterized Lord Elgin’s intercourse 
 with both his colleagues throughout was not destined now to be 
 interrupted. They thoroughly assented to the stipulations con¬ 
 tained in these important addenda to the Treaty of Tientsin, and 
 on the 8th of November the British and Chinese commissioners 
 met at a temple situated on the outskirts of the city, and affixed 
 their signatures to these documents. 
 
 While thus engaged we -could see the Furious in the river 
 snorting and pawing like an impatient race-horse, puffing off 
 sharp jets of steam, and lashing the water angrily with her pad¬ 
 dles. It was not Lord Elgin’s habit to keep her long waiting. 
 We proceeded straight from the temple to our floating home. In 
 a few moments more we were dashing through a maze of ship¬ 
 ping in a style peculiar to our gallant ship and its gallant com¬ 
 mander, and had proceeded several miles up the broad bosom of 
 the Yang-tse-Kiang before the shades of night compelled us to 
 drop anchor in its little-known waters. 
 
START ON THE YANG-TSE-KIANG EXPEDITION. 
 
 491 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 All the Ships aground.—The Delta of the Yang-tse.—Channel-hunting.—The Ki- 
 ang-yin Bluffs.—Aspect of the River-banks.—Hard and fast.—Silver Island.— 
 Yang-chow.—A Scene of Desolation.—Chinkiang.—Effects of Rebel Occupation. 
 —Golden Island.—Magnificent View.—Oft' the Rock.—Tan-too.—Translation of 
 Chinese Names.—Chinese Orthography.—Entrance to the Grand Canal.—Ab¬ 
 sence of Junk Traffic.—Approach to Nankin.—Action with the Rebels at Nankin. 
 —Its Results. 
 
 I 
 
 The ships which composed the squadron that accompanied 
 Lord Elgin upon his voyage up the Yang-tse-Kiang were the 
 Retribution, Captain Barker, senior officer commanding; the Fu¬ 
 rious, Captain Sherard Osborn; the Cruiser, Captain Bythesea; 
 the Hove, surveying gun-boat, Commander Ward, and the Lee 
 gun-boat, Lieutenant (now Commander) Jones. 
 
 In order to give as clear and detailed account as possible of this 
 most successful and interesting expedition, I shall extract from 
 my journal the daily record of events. 
 
 9 th November. All our squadron are in sight this morning, but 
 we are dotted about the yellow waters of the Yang-tse in a some¬ 
 what irregular fashion. The Cruiser, which had preceded us yes¬ 
 terday, discovered a sand-bank before nightfall, upon which she 
 reposed for many hours, the receding tide leaving her so high and 
 dry that it was found necessary to shore her up, and her officers 
 were enabled to enjoy their exercise in the afternoon by walking 
 round her without wetting their feet. She got off with the high 
 tide, however, and is now at anchor some miles ahead. The Hove 
 and Lee are exploring for a channel; we move on gently in obe¬ 
 dience to their signals : the Retribution, drawing more water than 
 any of us, follows cautiously, but nevertheless takes the bottom; 
 the Hove goes to her assistance, and we are left to find our own 
 way, which we don’t succeed in doing, but ground hopelessly at 
 the top of high water on hard sand. Before dark the Retribution 
 gets off and comes to our assistance, slowly feeling her way, as a 
 man does on weak ice when he goes to rescue a friend who has 
 tumbled in. 
 
 It soon becomes evident that we have no alternative but to 
 
492 
 
 THE DELTA OF THE YANG-TSE. 
 
 lighten the ship, and all night long the crew are engaged transfer¬ 
 ring to the Lee the heavy guns and coal, and pumping the water 
 from the boilers. 
 
 10th. We have already learned to place no reliance on any of 
 the Admiralty charts of the Yang-tse. However accurately the 
 survey may have originally been, the changes which have taken 
 place in the bed of the river since they were made are so great 
 that we have only our instinct for deep water to depend upon. 
 At the spot on which we are now aground nine fathoms are 
 marked in the chart. Meanwhile twenty-four hours of most in¬ 
 cessant and arduous exertions on the part of both officers and 
 men have lightened the ship sufficiently to enable the powerful 
 Retribution to drag her off by main force. 
 
 The Dove and Lee have found the channel at last, and before 
 nightfall we are all anchored together in the Fairway, under Har¬ 
 vey Point. The breadth of the river is still so great that the op¬ 
 posite shore, which is flat, is not visible. 
 
 1 1th. Fortune seems inclined to smile upon us to-day. We 
 move rapidly and freely along, with plenty of water and a fair 
 wind. As we pass the spot marked in the chart as the end of 
 Tsung-ming Island, we observe an unexpected continuation of the 
 shore, which seems to connect this island with the land formerly 
 known as Mason Island, blocking up completely the channel 
 marked in the charts as dividing them. It is not improbable that 
 this important physical change in the delta of the Yang-tse-Kiang 
 may have altered the direction of the current, and diverted a larger 
 portion of it through the northern channel, which may now be 
 found to be the most available for navigation. 
 
 Beyond this the river begins to narrow rapidly. At Fooshan, 
 the Hill of Peace, it is not above six miles in breadth. A village 
 and fort are here picturesquely situated on some low hills on the 
 right bank. On the opposite shore a high conical hill is visible, 
 crowned by a pagoda known as Langskan, or Wolf’s Hill. We 
 are just congratulating ourselves on our rapid progress, when the 
 gun-boats in advance run up the hated signal, “ Ho Channel,” and, 
 splitting off in opposite directions, skirmish cautiously about in 
 search of deep water. 
 
 It is a pretty sight to watch these trusty little craft, acting as 
 pioneers to the three large ships which follow carefully in their 
 track some distance astern, ever on the alert to respond to the 
 
CHANNEL HUNTING.—THE KIANG-YIN BLUFFS. 493 
 
 caution-signal, and placing in them that sort of confidence which 
 a sportsman does in his dogs. Now they are ranging the river 
 far and wide; now they are pointing; we creep up gently, they 
 creep on as gently; the scent seems good: now they are at fault, 
 they throw up their noses, and away again to the right and left, 
 signaling every cast of the lead. We keep under easy steam for 
 a while, reading the flags as they are run up; two fathoms, two 
 and a half, three, two—it is of no use, so we let go the anchor, 
 pipe suppers, and make all snug for the night. 
 
 12th. This is a busy but unsuccessful day; ship’s boats as well 
 as gun-boats are out channel-hunting. There must be a passage 
 somewhere just in front of us—six fathoms are marked on the 
 chart. We pull to the spot, and touch the bottom with a boat¬ 
 hook ; so it is clearly not there. The Dove has harked back and 
 is out of sight; may she bring back good news to-morrow. Mean¬ 
 time we stay where we are. 
 
 13th. Nothing could be more enjoyable than the temperature at 
 this time of year in the Yang-tse-Kiang; but these lovely days 
 only aggravate us, so long as we are chained to one spot. At 
 night the Dove returned with the welcome intelligence that she 
 has found a channel. 
 
 14 th. Under weigh at daylight. We are compelled to retrace 
 our steps for about six miles; then we cross over to the northern 
 shore, and find a deep broad lead, along which we steam freely for 
 the remainder of the day. The river is still very wide and the 
 shores flat until we reach the Kiang-yin bluffs, behind which is 
 situated the city of the same name. The Cruiser, with her limit¬ 
 ed horse-power, has not been able to keep up with us, so we anchor 
 here a little before sunset. 
 
 loth. At the Kiang-yin bluffs the river narrows considerably, 
 and presents scenery of a somewhat picturesque character. Two 
 batteries are built so as to command this pass, but in such a way 
 that their flank might very easily be turned. After rounding the 
 hills, one of which is crowned with a temple, we open up the tall 
 pagoda of Kiang-yin. A great quantity of junks crowded the 
 creek leading to the town. In rear was a range of hills of mod¬ 
 erate elevation, between which and the river margin intervened a 
 strip of pleasantly-wooded country. Beyond this the river again 
 expands; the banks once more sink to a dull uniform level, and 
 the only signs of life are people cutting the enormous bulrushes 
 which fringe them. 
 
494 ASPECT OP THE RIVER-BANKS.—HARD AND FAST. 
 
 We observed large flights of wild geese and ducks passing 
 southward. As the wind was ahead and the current strong, we 
 took the Cruiser in tow. The Retribution performed the same 
 kind office for the Dove and Lee, whose tubes wanted cleaning. 
 Our progress to-day was necessarily slow; fortunately, the navi¬ 
 gation was comparatively free from difficulty. 
 
 16th. At seven o’clock this morning the thermometer stood at 
 37°. Shortly after getting under weigh we passed Keunshan Pa¬ 
 goda, perched upon a hill overhanging the river. At this point 
 the banks become very picturesque—high rocky bluffs rise pre¬ 
 cipitously from the water’s edge, and behind them a range of ir¬ 
 regular pointed hills form a complete amphitheatre. On the left 
 bank the shores are wooded and populous, occasionally extensive¬ 
 ly cultivated, and groups of peasants collect upon the water’s edge 
 to look at us, as the five ships progress steadily in line against both 
 wind and stream. Here, too, we remarked extraordinary changes 
 in the course of the river. At one place it divides; one channel, 
 at least half a mile in width, surrounding a populous island, which, 
 at the date of the chart, had been part of the main land. 
 
 The sharp exhilarating air, our steady progress, and the increas¬ 
 ing interest of the river-banks, all combined to raise our spirits. 
 Presently we sweep round a bold projecting bluff, and Silver Isl¬ 
 and opens to view, with its quaint temples embowered in autum¬ 
 nal foliage; their white walls are gleaming, and their frowzy priests 
 are basking in the midday sun. Beyond, a noble reach of the riv¬ 
 er curves beneath the swelling hills which rise from its margin, 
 their summits crowned with the irregular wall of Chinkiang, and 
 their slopes strewn with the debris of that once populous city; 
 while in the distance, as though rising from mid-stream, stands a 
 precipitous rock called Golden Island, with its tall pagoda point¬ 
 ing to the skies. 
 
 The scene is one of such surpassing interest and beauty that it 
 rivets our gaze. We are just lamenting that we can not stop for 
 a moment to appreciate more fully its merits, when—crash, our 
 wishes are gratified—the old ship gives a heave and a lurch. It 
 is too late now to u stop her,” and go u full speed astern.” We 
 are irrevocably pinnacled on the top of a rock; the Cruiser has 
 barely had time to avoid running into us, and shaves cleverly past 
 us as she sheers off. The Retribution, panic-stricken, has let go 
 her anchor. With her gun-boats swinging in mid-stream astern, 
 
ANCIENT VASE.—SILVER ISLAND. 
 
 495 
 
 she looks like a kite with a tail. The current sweeps and eddies 
 past with impetuous velocity, and gradually succeeds in jamming 
 us broadside on to the rock, converting us into a sort of break¬ 
 water, so that we have quite a little sea on one side, and a dead 
 calm on the other. 
 
 We have ceased to enjoy the view now, that pleasure being 
 transferred to our friends the priests, who are apparently much in¬ 
 terested in the spectacle. We are within easy hailing distance of 
 them: they afterward told us they were perfectly aware of the 
 danger that awaited us, but they gave us no warning. The whole 
 British fleet, consisting of several ships of the line, besides smaller 
 craft, had passed through this channel fifteen years before without 
 discovering this fatal rock, and sixteen fathoms were marked above 
 it. We were by no means proud of our discovery, but nobody 
 was to blame except the priests, and we were too amiable to quar¬ 
 rel with them, so we landed and paid them a visit. The island 
 had been visited by the rebels at a comparatively recent date. A 
 great part of the very handsome temple had been destroyed, and 
 the idols cast into the river by them. A celebrated vase, reputed 
 to be more than two thousand years old, was kept here; but, on 
 the rumored approach of these iconoclasts, those who were intrust¬ 
 ed with the safe-keeping of this precious relic buried it in time to 
 insure its safety, and it had not since been exhumed. A temple, 
 which formerly stood on the highest part of the island, had been 
 burned, more, according to the bonzes, for the purpose of terrify¬ 
 ing the neighborhood than from fanaticism. 
 
 The island itself was little more than a tumulus rising out of 
 the centre of the Yang-tse to a height of scarce two hundred feet, 
 covered with the richest foliage, at this season of the year a blaze 
 of fiery tints. Its highest point was still crowned with a small 
 edifice, pagoda-shaped, but which contained nothing more inter¬ 
 esting than the somewhat unimaginative inscriptions of the Brit¬ 
 ish sailor: most of these bore the date of August, 1842. From 
 this elevated position, an extensive panoramic view was obtained 
 over the broad, richly-cultivated plain, which stretches away to 
 the northward, at this particular juncture the scene of rebel dep¬ 
 redations. We could see, looming through the distant haze, the 
 pagoda of Yang-chow, reported to be recently taken and still oc¬ 
 cupied by the rebels. It was to eject them from this city that the 
 energetic Ho had quitted us so abruptly at Shanghai, so that this 
 
496 
 
 YANG-CHOW.—A SCENE OF DESOLATION. 
 
 martial statesman and poet was even now in our immediate prox¬ 
 imity. Yang-cliow is situated on the Grand Canal, and was for¬ 
 merly reputed to be a city of great wealth and splendor; it has 
 been on three separate occasions in the hands of the insurgents. 
 Mr. Wylie says that a famous imperial library was kept here, of 
 which there were only two duplicates in existence, one at Pekin, 
 and the other at Hang-chow. This valuable collection of books, 
 if not destroyed, is divided and completely dispersed. We could 
 discern the houses of Kwa-chow from the top of Silver Island, 
 well known as the entrance of the Grand Canal into the Yang-tse; 
 and in other directions numerous villages and towns met the eye, 
 dotted over the fertile plains, and giving evidence of a large pop¬ 
 ulation. 
 
 As in nature the most exquisite flowers are generally inhabited 
 by slimy caterpillars, so in China the most lovely retreats are in¬ 
 variably tenanted by grimy ecclesiastics. We are bound to re¬ 
 member, however, that we are indebted to them for picturesque 
 buildings, which harmonize admirably with the scenes in which 
 they are situated; while the priests themselves, in their long, ash- 
 colored robes, are an agreeable addition, so long as they are kept 
 in the back-ground of the picture. These gentry informed us that 
 the tidal influence extended beyond this point, but was not- regu¬ 
 lar in its operations. They led us to expect, however, a rise of 
 two or three feet, and this, we trusted, would be sufficient to float 
 us off. Meantime, in order to be the better able to take advant¬ 
 age of any favorable change which might occur, we commenced, 
 for the second time, to lighten the ship, divesting her of shot, guns, 
 spars, coal, etc., and working all through the night. 
 
 17 th. Landed on the right bank, and walked to Chinkiang over 
 about two miles of plain, intersected by the remains of rough 
 earth-works. This strip of level ground, which intervenes be¬ 
 tween a range of hills and the river, was until recently the abode 
 of a thriving and industrious population. Scarce a year has 
 elapsed since it was a scene of violence and bloodshed, the theatre 
 of an action between the rebel and imperialist forces. The dev¬ 
 astation is now widespread and complete. A few of the peas¬ 
 antry have crawled back to the desolate spots which they recog¬ 
 nize as the sites of their former homes, and, selecting the heaps of 
 rubbish which still belong to them, have commenced to construct 
 out of them wretched abodes—roughly thatching in a gable-end 
 
CHINKIANG. 
 
 497 
 
 that has escaped the general destruction, or replacing the stones 
 which once composed the walls with strips of matting. Miserable 
 patches of garden were being brought into existence between the 
 crumbling, weed-covered walls; but the destitute appearance of 
 the scanty population served rather to increase than diminish the 
 effect which this abomination of desolation was calculated to pro¬ 
 duce. 
 
 We entered the city by the north gate, and might have imag¬ 
 ined ourselves in Pompeii. We walked along deserted streets, 
 between roofless houses, and walls overgrown with rank, tangled 
 weeds; heaps of rubbish blocked up the thoroughfares, but they 
 obstructed nobody. There was something oppressive in the uni¬ 
 versal stillness, and we almost felt refreshed by a foul odor which 
 greeted our nostrils, and warned us that we had approached an 
 inhabited street. 
 
 At a spot where were a few chow-chow shops, and two partial¬ 
 ly-inhabited streets crossed each other, was the most lively place 
 in the town. We obtained a small share of interest here from a 
 mob of hungry, ragged boys; but the people generally seemed 
 too much depressed even to stare at a barbarian, and we strolled 
 unmolested in any direction our fancy led us. 
 
 On our way to a fort which crowned a bluff overhanging the 
 river, we passed under some handsome stone arches, which were 
 still standing conspicuous amid the desolation by which they were 
 surrounded. From our elevated position we commanded an ex¬ 
 tensive view over the area inclosed by the walls of the city, and 
 which was thickly strewn with its ruins. 
 
 Chinkiang was first taken by the insurgents, almost without re¬ 
 sistance, on the 1st of April, 1853, and was held by them against 
 a continued imperialist siege up to the commencement of 1857, 
 when it was evacuated in consequence of the failure of supplies. 
 It has been held by the imperialist forces ever since. To judge, 
 however, from the reluctance manifested by its former inhabitants 
 to return to it, confidence is but partially restored. Only the 
 very poorest class of traders and shopkeepers have ventured into 
 its dilapidated streets; and although efforts are being made by 
 the government to give some stimulus to its repopulation, by re¬ 
 building some of the public buildings, such as the government 
 offices, the Confucian Temple, the Drum Tower, etc., the results 
 are by no means encouraging. The rebels have, during their oc- 
 
 I.I 
 
498 
 
 GOLDEN ISLAND. 
 
 cupation, considerably enlarged the boundaries of the city, having 
 carried a wall over the heights to the east of it, and down nearly 
 to the water’s edge on the bank of the river, inclosing a large 
 space beyond the old wall in both directions. The population of 
 Chinkiang was formerly estimated at about 500,000; it does not 
 now probably contain above 500 souls. 
 
 1 8th. We have painted a water-line on the rocks, so as to be 
 able to detect the variations of the tide at a glance. As, how¬ 
 ever, there were no indications of a rise to-day, and the ship seem¬ 
 ed immovable, we chartered a small native boat, and started off 
 on an expedition to Golden Island, distant about five miles. As 
 we approached it, we discovered, to our astonishment, that it was 
 no longer an island. Flourishing cabbage-fields now occupied 
 the space marked on the chart as a channel with four fathoms of 
 water in it. 
 
 We landed on this recently-formed peninsula, and walked across 
 it to the rock. Climbing up the steps he wn out of the living stone, 
 we reached the base of the pagoda, shorn now of those external 
 decorations which once rendered it celebrated, but still standing, 
 a battered monument of its own departed glory, and of the beauty 
 by which it was surrounded. 
 
 Heaps of unsightly ruins marked the spot where once was 
 grouped a picturesque collection of temples and pagodas. The 
 Chinese themselves appreciated its romantic beauty. Sir John 
 Davis thus describes the impression produced upon him by a dis¬ 
 tant view of it, obtained years before: “ The celebrated Kinshan, 
 br Golden Island, which, with its pagoda, and the ornamental roofs 
 of its temples and other buildings, looked like a fairy creation ris¬ 
 ing out of the waters of the Kiang.” “ This picturesque place,” 
 he remarks, “is celebrated all over China.” 
 
 How, with the exception of the dilapidated pagoda, there is not 
 one stone left upon another of the remaining buildings. Though 
 so recently destroyed, a remarkable air of antiquity seems to per¬ 
 vade this sacred spot. The rock-cut steps are worn and crum¬ 
 bling, and the ruins generally look as though centuries had passed 
 since the destroyer’s hand had been ruthlessly at work. A line 
 of wall with a few wretched guns in the embrasures, a few wretch¬ 
 ed soldiers in some mat tents in rear, and a quantity of gay, flaunt¬ 
 ing flags, indicate that this is a military post. These banners and 
 embrasures are apparent on numerous hill-tops, and surround the 
 
MAGNIFICENT VIEW.—AFLOAT AGAIN. 
 
 499 
 
 city of Chinkiang. If we were to judge by them, the preparations 
 for defense would seem extensive indeed; but it is scarcely too 
 much to assert that there are more flags than embrasures, more 
 embrasures than guns, and more guns than men. 
 
 We sat down on the top of the rock to discuss a sandwich and 
 a glass of sherry, and enjoy the view. It was one of melancholy 
 beauty. On our right the skeleton houses of the city clustering 
 up the hill sides, and filling the whole amphitheatre with their 
 ruins—the straggling wall running along the ridges, gay with 
 gaudy banners when all around is sad, and defending, as though 
 in mockery, a dreary waste of rubbish; beyond, the irregular out¬ 
 line of distant hills, with the broad river spreading itself proudly 
 out upon the fertile plains to the north and east; fronting us Sil¬ 
 ver Island, its bright coloring toned down by distance, and its soft 
 outline contrasting with the precipitous bluffs beside it, all com¬ 
 bined to form a picture upon which it was pleasant to gaze in 
 that mild autumnal afternoon. 
 
 We could discern the ships anchored in mid-stream: one which 
 was broadside on, and leaning very much over, was a feature in 
 the scene we could have gladly dispensed with. In the situation 
 of Chinkiang, its ruined state and the nature of the surrounding 
 country, I was a good deal reminded of Kertch after its evacua¬ 
 tion by the Russians. We walked through it on our way back, 
 and found on our arrival at the ship some excitement existing at 
 the prospect of getting off. The paddle-wheels were revolving 
 violently; hawsers and stream-cables were out in sundry direc¬ 
 tions ; those who were not hauling at something were jumping or 
 rolling the ship. At last a happy and combined effort proved 
 successful, and she seemed literally to tumble off her perch into 
 deep water. The event was signaled by three hearty cheers 
 from all hands, which had no sooner subsided than, to our aston¬ 
 ishment, we heard them faintly echoed from the shore. We were 
 wondering whether the Chinamen were mocking us when they 
 were repeated, and we then discovered that Lord Elgin and a 
 small party of walkers were thus heartily testifying their satisfac¬ 
 tion. The singular stillness of the evening air rendered sounds 
 audible at a great distance. Two hundred and sixty tons in 
 weight had been removed from the ship before she had been suf¬ 
 ficiently lightened to float off the rock. 
 
 19 th. Finding that we should be detained all day in re-embark- 
 
500 
 
 TRANSLATION OF CHINESE NAMES. 
 
 ing our heavy weights, a party of us landed on the right hank to 
 take a stroll with our guns and explore the country. We killed 
 three brace of pheasants in the flat, half-cultivated, half-wild land 
 near the margin of the river, and one of our party had a shot at a 
 deer. We approached, but did not enter the small town of Tan - 
 too. It has been several times in the hands of the rebels, and 
 was the farthest point reached by them in their course seaward. 
 It was in a more flourishing condition than Chinkiang, but pros¬ 
 perous only by contrast. Although it has been in the hands of 
 the imperialists for a much longer time than that city, a large por¬ 
 tion of the town still remains in ruins. There has been no at¬ 
 tempt to rebuild the temples, and many of the poorer inhabitants 
 are living in straw huts. Mr. Wylie, a gentleman connected with 
 the American mission at Shanghai, and who accompanied the 
 squadron for some distance up the river, told us that formerly it 
 was a place of small but active trade, and at times a scene of busy 
 traffic, from the number of boats passing up and down the creek 
 on which it is situated, this being one of the outlets from the 
 Grand Canal at seasons when the route by Chinkiang is impass¬ 
 able. 
 
 2 0th. A little after daylight this morning we bade adieu to our 
 anchorage off Silver Island, or, as it is called by the Chinese, 
 T’seaou Shan, or the Hill of Sorrow—so far as it had concerned 
 us, most appropriately so named. In spite of Mr. Meadows’ 
 amusing criticism upon P5re Hue’s practice of translating Chinese 
 names, in some of which the latter has perhaps given a little too 
 loose a rein to his poetical imagination, I shall indulge with mod¬ 
 eration in the same weakness, partly because I find that other 
 sinalogues do not admit the force of Mr. Meadows’ objection; 
 while I certainly can not grant the truth of his analogy, upon 
 which alone I am competent to have any opinion. 
 
 Mr. Meadows very justly remarks that it would be absurd for 
 any Frenchman talking of u Reading” to translate it by the French 
 word u Lecture,” but he surely is not correct when he says that 
 it would be equally absurd to talk of “ Bath” as “ Bain.” It may 
 very properly be doubted whether “ Reading” is the English for 
 “ Lecture ;” but it is, to say the least of it, highly probable that 
 if no “ Bains” had existed at Bath, that city would have been en¬ 
 dowed with some less significant appellation. 
 
 The name of the great river itself upon which we were now 
 
CHINESE ORTHOGRAPHY. 
 
 501 
 
 voyaging lias usually received an interpretation, which I was as¬ 
 sured by Messrs. Wade and Lay was not the correct one. “ The 
 Son of the Ocean” is certainly a more poetical rendering of the 
 word Yang-tse-Kiang than “the Son that Spreads;” but the lat¬ 
 ter is said to be its literal meaning, and this seems the more prob¬ 
 able, as it is only applied to the river below Silver Island, where 
 the delta commences, and its waters expand over vast alluvial 
 plains to the sea. 
 
 Above this point the river is only known among the natives as 
 the Ta-kiang, or “Great River,” which, if it were written as it is 
 pronounced, would be spelt Ta-cheang. 
 
 I have, however, in this instance retained the old style of spell¬ 
 ing, to avoid confusion. Generally, in giving the names of places 
 upon the river-bank, I have adopted the principle of endeavoring 
 to render with English letters the nearest possible approximation 
 to the sound of the Chinese word. In doing so, I know that I 
 incur the scorn and contempt of even the most amiable of Chi¬ 
 nese sinalogues. These gentlemen have attempted, by a copious 
 use of the alphabets of other European languages, and with the 
 assistance of their forms of accentuation and modes of pronuncia¬ 
 tion, in addition to those contained in our own, to convey to our 
 English ear some idea of the sounds which issue from Chinese 
 throats and noses. 
 
 I deny that by any allocation of the letters known to civilized 
 mortals you can impart to them the faintest notion of sounds of 
 which they are totally ignorant. Indeed, the hopelessness of the 
 task is pretty well proved by the fact that every sinalogue sets 
 about it in a different way. Take, for instance, the following 
 word, the name of a city up the river, which, according to the late 
 Mr. Morrison, is spelled Ke-chow; according to Williams, K’f- 
 chau; according to Wade, Ch’i-chou ; and according to the Jesuit 
 maps, Khi-tcheou. As one utterly unlearned in Chinese myself, 
 and presuming that my reader is equally ignorant of that euphoni¬ 
 ous tongue, I would recommend him to sneeze, as the easiest way 
 of making the same sound that a Chinaman would in alluding to 
 the above city. The town at which we afterward left the Retri¬ 
 bution was spelt by the above authorities in four different ways, 
 viz., Kew-heen, Kiu-hien, Chiu-hsien, Kieou-sien. 
 
 Let us then determine to employ a good, honest Saxon pro¬ 
 nunciation in our use of Chinese proper names, and resign the 
 
502 
 
 ENTRANCE TO THE GRAND CANAL. 
 
 grunts and snorts which, properly belong to them to persons who 
 have studied the art of producing those sounds. At Canton we 
 have Anglicized the native word into something attainable by 
 English tongues, nor do we talk of Ning-po/^/ let us not be driv¬ 
 en into calling Pekin, Pei-cking, as the latest vocabulary has it, 
 for, even if we did, no Chinaman would understand us. 
 
 Henceforth, then, we are to be considered as navigating the 
 mighty waters of the Ta-kiang, and well does it deserve its high- 
 sounding title. A little after passing Golden Island we find our¬ 
 selves abreast the walled town of Kwa-chow, or the Island of 
 
 t • 
 
 Gourds. At this point the Grand Canal enters the Ta-kiang from 
 the northward, and here formerly a dense crowd of trading junks 
 were at all times collected. It was taken by the rebels the day 
 after they captured Chinkiang, and was only recovered about the 
 end of 1857. It is now a military position, and we observed a 
 considerable body of cavalry picketed among its ruins; not a 
 trading junk was visible on what was formerly the great highway 
 for the internal commerce of the empire. 
 
 Lord Elgin thus alludes to the condition in which we found the 
 Grand Canal, as bearing upon his recent policy in the north: 
 “Soon after leaving Silver Island we passed the mouth of the 
 Great Canal, which we found to be entirely deserted save by a 
 few imperialist war-vessels. Captain Osborn informed me that, 
 when he was at the same place in 1842, the grain-junks were so 
 numerous that it was difficult to force a way through them. Your 
 lordship may perhaps remember that when, in April last, I re¬ 
 solved to bring pressure to bear on the emperor by ascending the 
 Peiho Eiver to Tientsin, it was remarked in some quarters that 
 we ought rather to have followed the precedent of the former war, 
 and to have instituted a blockade in the Eiver Yang-tse. I thought 
 at the time that this suggestion was an anachronism, and what I 
 have seen on this trip confirms this opinion. 
 
 “We could hardly have done more than the rebels have done 
 to inflict suffering on the population, and render these districts 
 unproductive to government, and yet no effect has been produced 
 by these proceedings on the court of Pekin.”* 
 
 Proceeding onward from Kwa-chow, we passed the districts of 
 E-ching and Luh-ho, which have frequently been the scene of 
 Tai-ping incursions. Latterly they have been infested by rioters 
 
 * Blue-Book, p. 443. 
 
APPROACH TO NANKIN. 503 
 
 of another class, known among the natives by the name Nee-fei, 
 more local, but not less dreaded than the former. 
 
 The country now becomes more hilly in character, and at half 
 past four P.M. we pass under Ping-shan Pagoda, situated on the 
 top of a hill, backed by irregular ranges, with valleys in deep 
 shadow, and crests glowing in the afternoon sun. But we were 
 getting too near Nankin to think of any other effects than those 
 which are likely to be produced by the appearance of the Lee in 
 front of its batteries. This gun-boat, with Mr. Wade on board, 
 has been sent ahead to feel the way, and communicate with the 
 rebels, should the latter be so disposed.* We follow, a mile or 
 so astern, the Dove leading the Retribution, the Furious towing 
 the Cruiser. 
 
 It may be imagined with what anxious eyes we followed the 
 little craft as she passed battery after battery, apparently unno¬ 
 ticed by their occupants. By this time we were passing through 
 the fleet of imperialist junks, which formed the advanced position 
 of the force then investing Nankin. The crews of these vessels 
 were watching our proceedings with breathless interest. At last, 
 just as the Lee seemed beyond the reach of the farthest battery, 
 the red flag was run up on all the forts, and from the lowest a 
 round-shot was fired, which whistled over the Lee, and caused her 
 
 * The following is the memorandum which Lord Elgin addressed to Captain 
 Barker upon this occasion, together with the instructions furnished by that officer to 
 Lieutenant Jones, commanding the “Lee:” 
 
 Memorandum for Captain Barker's information. 
 
 “Collision with the rebels should, if possible, be avoided. If, therefore, the au¬ 
 thorities in the vicinity of Nankin evince any desire to communicate, we should be 
 prepared to give them every reasonable assurance that we do not present ourselves 
 with hostile intentions. At the same time, it will be proper that they should be in¬ 
 formed that we are proceeding up the river in the exercise of our treaty-rights, and 
 that any attempt to arrest our progress, by whomsoever made, will be resisted. 
 
 “Elgin and Kincardine.” 
 
 Instructions addressed to Lieutenant Jones. 
 
 “It is my direction that you proceed with all possible speed toward Nankin, em¬ 
 barking Mr. T. Wade, Chinese Secretary. Should no notice be taken of the Lee, 
 you will proceed past Nankin, and await my joining. Should you see any boat with 
 officials clearly approaching the Lee, you will stop and communicate. Should a shot 
 be fired at or ahead of you, you will hoist a flag of truce, and close the fort for the 
 purpose of communication. Should the flag of truce be fired upon, you will imme¬ 
 diately rejoin the squadron, and under no circumstances are you to fire without sig¬ 
 nal from me. (Signed), C. Barker, Captain, Senior Officer.” 
 
504 
 
 ACTION WITH THE KEBELS AT NANKIN. 
 
 to run up smartly the flag of truce. So far, however, from this 
 signal producing the desired effect, it had not floated three min¬ 
 utes at the fore before seven shots were fired at it in rapid succes¬ 
 sion ; Lieutenant Jones, true to his orders, not returning the fire 
 until he saw the u engage” signal flying from the mast-head of 
 the Retribution. By this time the Dove had got well within 
 range, and she opened the ball with spirit almost at the same mo¬ 
 ment that the Lee proceeded to indemnify herself for her forbear¬ 
 ance by a vigorous cannonade. The Retribution, Furious, and 
 Cruiser now ranged up as close to the batteries as possible, and, 
 moving very slowly ahead, threw in a pretty hot shower of shot 
 and shell. At this point the river is not above a thousand yards 
 broad, with batteries on both banks, which replied w T armly to our 
 fire, and gave abundant occupation to the starboard as well as the 
 port guns. 
 
 Lord Elgin had taken up his position on the bridge between 
 the paddle-boxes; but a round-shot cutting through a rope with¬ 
 in two feet of his head induced Captain Osborn to exert his au¬ 
 thority as commander, and we were all ordered to the deck. For¬ 
 tunately, although the ship was hulled seven or eight times, two 
 round-shot going into Lord Elgin’s cabin, and another smashing 
 his barge, no more serious casualty occurred than a scratch from 
 a splinter. 
 
 Meanwhile the Retribution, which was just ahead of us, did not 
 escape so happily. She had one man killed and two wounded 
 severely, one of whom, the signal midshipman, Mr. Birch, lost an 
 arm, and the other a leg. It was now nearly half past five; the 
 action had only lasted thirty-five minutes, and we had passed all 
 the forts. As evening was closing in, it was determined to anchor 
 for the night about two miles above the city. Captain Barker, in 
 consultation with Captain Osborn, then decided that the imperti¬ 
 nence of the rebels in offering resistance to our progress up the 
 river in the exercise of our treaty-right, and firing upon a flag of 
 truce, ought not to go unpunished. In this view Lord Elgin fully 
 concurs; and it is accordingly arranged that at daylight to-mor¬ 
 row we drop down abreast of the batteries, and hammer them into 
 ruins and their o-arrisons into submission. 
 
RENEWAL OF THE ACTION. 
 
 505 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 Renewal of the Action.—A sharp Bombardment.—The Batteries silenced.—An 
 Action between Rebels and Imperialists.—Progress up Stream.—The Rebels re¬ 
 ceive a Lesson.—We land for Information.—Destitute Peasantry.—Request to aid 
 the Rebels.—Notification in reply.—Enter the province Ngan-Hwui.—A military 
 Procession.—The Eastern and Western Pillar Gates.—Arrival at Woohoo.'—A 
 Letter from the Rebel Chief.—We pay him a Visit.—A disorderly Mob.—Varie¬ 
 gated Costumes.—An imperialist Spy.—Former Condition of Woohoo.—Its pres¬ 
 ent State.—A Tai-ping Manifesto. 
 
 October 21 si Day liad not yet dawned wlien we were all awake 
 and bustling on board the Furious. The vigorous fire kept up 
 last evening, and the readiness evinced by tbe rebels to commence 
 an engagement, led us to anticipate a sharp action to-day, and we 
 made our preparations accordingly. The morning was chill and 
 biting, but the blood was circulating pretty rapidly in the veins 
 of most of us nevertheless, and we were warmed with the healthy 
 glow arising from the excitement of anticipation. Gradually the 
 two hills, upon the sides and round the base of which Nankin is 
 situated, loomed through the early haze, and then the long line 
 of batteries on the right bank became indistinctly visible. 
 
 Opposite, the solitary fort of Poo-kow was appropriated exclu¬ 
 sively to the Cruiser; and as we scanned the fair proportions of 
 that handsome craft, we doubted not that her eighteen guns would 
 render a very good account of its batteries. Gradually the details 
 of the scene became wonderfully distinct; the batteries seemed get¬ 
 ting suddenly larger; and I for the first time discovered that we 
 were no longer at anchor, but floating silently with the tide into 
 the respective positions allotted to the different ships. 
 
 As the Poo-kow battery was the nearest, the Cruiser got first 
 into action, and her gallant commander, Bythesea, seemed determ¬ 
 ined not to give the garrison any excuse for missing him. He 
 ranged his ship steadily up to within fifty yards of the guns, as 
 though taunting the enemy to begin, and then opened his broad¬ 
 side with telling effect. A few feeble shot were returned in re¬ 
 ply ; but so rapid and destructive was the Cruiser’s fire, that it 
 was evident the fort of Poo-kow was not long destined to be the 
 abiding-place of its brave garrison. 
 
506 A SHARP ENGAGEMENT.—THE BATTERIES SILENCED. 
 
 The discharge of our own pivot-gun roused us from the con¬ 
 templation of the Cruiser’s achievements, and the remaining three 
 ships now began, in concert with ourselves, to pour such a storm 
 of shot, shell, grape, and rockets into the batteries, that our fire of 
 the previous evening seemed mere child’s play to the bombard¬ 
 ment we were now keeping up. It evidently produced its effect 
 in the rebel batteries, for they replied but feebly and at intervals. 
 From the main-top-gallant cross-trees I could look down into the 
 forts, and see the men in bright dresses clustering round the guns, 
 or grouped in sheltered corners, or bolting like rabbits from some 
 spot where a Moorsom shell had just burst, scattering fragments 
 and spreading dismay far and wide. 
 
 The one-sided nature of the action may be gathered from the 
 fact that, during the hour and a half that it lasted, we were only 
 hulled once, while no casualties occurred on board any of the 
 ships. It was evident that either our bombardment of the previ¬ 
 ous evening, or the suddenness with which we opened fire this 
 morning, had thoroughly cowed our opponents. Their fire grad¬ 
 ually ceased entirely, and, as an ardent young midshipman lugu¬ 
 briously remarked, u they seemed determined not to show us any 
 sport.” So the original intention of landing and spiking the guns 
 was given up, and we withdrew, the less reluctantly as we ob¬ 
 served the imperialist fleet through which we had passed the 
 evening before plucking up heart, and, led by a steamer in the 
 service of the Chinese government, commence a fierce action at a 
 three-mile range. 
 
 When the rebels saw that we were in no way connected or co¬ 
 operating with this valiant squadron, they opened fire upon it 
 manfully from some of the batteries which had suffered least from 
 our bombardment; and as w T e steamed away up the river, we 
 could hear the action still raging furiously, in all probability with 
 very slight consequences to either side. 
 
 The Chinese commissioners at Shanghai had appointed a petty 
 mandarin to accompany us, whose presence was intended as a 
 guarantee, to the authorities with whom we might come in con¬ 
 tact, of our recognized right to navigate the waters of the Ta- 
 kiang, and who was also expected to assist us in commissariat and 
 other arrangements. This gentleman lived in a boat which we 
 towed astern, and which, upon the morning of the action, was left 
 at anchor in the stream, while its occupants were taken on board 
 
ACTION BETWEEN REBELS AND IMPERIALISTS. 507 
 
 the Cruiser for safety, where they remained in a considerable state 
 of alarm until it was over. 
 
 We observed the heights in rear of Nankin crowned with the 
 tents and banners of the imperialist forces investing the city, their 
 encampment extending apparently for many miles. 
 
 Shortly after, we observed a fleet of junks ahead which we pre¬ 
 sumed to be rebel, more especially as we saw them firing appar¬ 
 ently at the Dove, then our leading gun-boat. Mr. Wade was ac¬ 
 cordingly sent on in the Lee to investigate, and discovered them 
 to be an imperialist squadron engaging the advanced rebel batter¬ 
 ies in this direction. 
 
 The action was so feebly maintained that we passed through 
 the midst of it without condescending to notice the fire of either 
 side. 
 
 An island about eight miles long extends from Nankin to this 
 point, where the rebel batteries are separated from the imperial po¬ 
 sition of Hea-san-shan by a narrow creek. This is the only point 
 held by the imperialists on the south bank between Nankin and a 
 post a few miles above Woohoo, or about sixty miles higher up 
 the river. 
 
 We now observed ranges of hills, apparently varying between 
 one and two thousand feet in height, on both sides of the river. 
 Those to the north were at a great distance, and only occasional¬ 
 ly visible. The southern ranges, however, in some places approach 
 the river, decreasing in elevation, and forming a line of bluffs over¬ 
 hanging the water. The plain which intervened between us and 
 the northern ranges was apparently thinly populated, and, as far 
 as we could discern, an expanse of marshes and moorland. We 
 passed only one insurgent position on the northern bank, that of 
 Too-tse-ke; and in the distance we could distinguish the pagoda of 
 Ho-chow, the chief city of a department of the same name, and 
 now in the hands of the rebels. It is mentioned by Sir John Da¬ 
 vis as having been visited by some of Lord Amherst’s party on the 
 occasion of their ascent of the river in 1816. When we refer to 
 their account of the traffic upon its waters in those days, it is mel¬ 
 ancholy to think of the change which the last few years have 
 wrought upon the internal trade of central China. During the 
 whole of this day’s steaming we did not observe a single junk 
 upon this magnificent highway of commerce. 
 
 We were destined not to close the day, which had commenced 
 
508 
 
 THE REBELS RECEIVE A LESSON. 
 
 so noisily, without a little more excitement. Upon rounding a 
 bold bluff which projected into the river, we came suddenly upon 
 a small town, built in a recess of the hills, and protected by two 
 or three circular stone redoubts, mounting three or four guns 
 each. These we were inspecting through our telescopes, very 
 much in the spirit in which a Newfoundland would investigate a 
 lapdog, when, to our amazement, a posse of swaggering rebels 
 came trooping down to the water’s edge, dressed, as is usual with 
 them, in many-colored garments, flourishing yellow and crimson 
 flags, and led by a horseman in a crimson coat and loose white 
 trowsers, who looked extremely picturesque, caracoling and va¬ 
 poring in front of his variegated men. He brandished a match¬ 
 lock in his hand, which he fired defiantly at us, we being about 
 five hundred yards distant at the time; thereupon his followers 
 exploded, in a futile and absurd manner, all their gingalls at us. 
 This they did two or three times, and we slackened speed to 
 watch their humors; but when they all repaired into one of the 
 circular redoubts, and popped off one of their brass guns at us, we 
 considered the joke had gone far enough, and sent a round-shot 
 whistling over their heads. But the flags waved more defiantly 
 than ever; so the Ketribution, making splendid practice, dropped 
 a Moorsom right into the centre of the fort, sending the entire 
 construction into the air, and those of its occupants who were still 
 alive skimming along the bare hill side, their panic-stricken lead¬ 
 er, now on foot, rolling repeatedly over and over in his headlong 
 flight, and the bright garments of his soldiers streaming in the 
 wind as they ran after him. The sight tickled Jack’s fancy so 
 much that he could scarcely stand by his gun for laughing. 
 
 The town itself was surrounded by a wall, and perched upon a 
 low hill about fifteen hundred yards distant. A large crowd had 
 collected outside the gate, chiefly composed of rebel soldiers watch¬ 
 ing the proceedings. We sent them a ten-inch shell, just to give 
 them some idea of our armament. The impression which this 
 little episode produced was most salutary, as we found the same 
 evening, when we anchored a few miles higher up, close to the 
 prefectural city of Tai-ping. The place at wfflich it occurred was 
 called Tsae-shih-ke. 
 
 A division of the river into three channels just below Tai-ping 
 baffled us a little before sunset; so we remained there for the 
 night, and I went on shore with Mr. Wade for the purpose of col- 
 
DESTITUTE PEASANTRY. 
 
 509 
 
 lecting information from some stray peasant near the river-bank 
 with reference to the relative merits of the channels ahead. After 
 the little experience we had just had of their feelings toward ns, 
 we were compelled to proceed with caution. As it was not deem¬ 
 ed advisable to go out of sight or range of the ships, we landed 
 near a hut a few yards from the river-bank, and walked up alone 
 to reconnoitre it. Not a soul was visible: a harsh-voiced cur, 
 which bayed incessantly at us, was the only sign of life, until at 
 last we dug out a very decrepit old woman, who refused to com¬ 
 prehend Wade’s excellent Chinese, till an old man, overhearing 
 his repeated assurances that we should do them no harm, emerged 
 from a place of concealment, but proved very little more intel¬ 
 ligent than his better half. His long matted hair only partially 
 concealed the tail that was coiled up beneath it, while his cadav¬ 
 erous countenance and ragged attire proved that he, at all events, 
 had not thriven on rebellion. When we asked him whether he 
 was a rebel, he answered with a shrug, “ How could he be other¬ 
 wise.” He told us that he was wretchedly poor, and gave us to 
 understand that he and all his neighbors had been utterly ruined 
 by the “troublesome pests,” as they are commonly called by the 
 Loyalists. The aspect of the surrounding country fully confirm¬ 
 ed our informant’s account of the destitution of its inhabitants; 
 for, in addition to the rural population which properly belonged 
 to it, the fields were dotted with wretched straw huts, the tem¬ 
 porary abodes of the townspeople, who had been ejected from 
 their urban domiciles by the rebels, it being the practice of these 
 vagabonds to appropriate to themselves the houses of the unfor¬ 
 tunate citizens. 
 
 The entire population in districts occupied by rebels allow their 
 hair to grow, long hair being the distinguishing characteristic of 
 the Tai-ping faction. Hence they are commonly called “the 
 long-haired men.” Generally, however, from prudential motives, 
 they preserve their tails concealed beneath their flowing locks, so 
 that in the event of their falling into the clutches of the imperial¬ 
 ists, they may, by a rapid tonsure, be enabled to assume the as¬ 
 pect of a long-tailed adherent of the imperial cause. 
 
 Shortly after our return to the ship a communication arrived 
 from a rebel chief at Tai-ping, inclosed in a yellow envelope, on 
 one side of which was written, “Your younger brother, junior 
 tsien-tien of the navy, Hiung Kwang Ming, respectfully greets 
 
510 REQUEST OF THE REBELS FOR AID, AND THE REPLY. 
 
 your excellencies the foreigners.” On the other, the date, “13th 
 day of the 10th moon of the 8th year—viz., the Wu-Wu of the 
 Heavenly Kingdom of Tai-ping,” was covered by the official seal 
 of the same Hiung, setting forth his titles as above. 
 
 Within he writes, after repeating the greeting written on the 
 cover: “ Whereas your younger brother is in chief command of 
 the armed (lit., gun) vessels of the Heavenly Kingdom, and has 
 been several years engaged with the boats of the demons without 
 being able to exterminate them, he earnestly prays your foreign 
 excellencies, with all your heart and might, to assist him in anni¬ 
 hilating the rebel vessels; and your younger brother will present 
 a memorial to the Heavenly King, moving him to confer titles and 
 rewards on your foreign excellencies.” 
 
 The inducements here held out were, unfortunately for the 
 rebels, not sufficiently attractive to tempt Lord Elgin to assist 
 them in the laudable undertaking of exterminating the “De¬ 
 mons,” or “ Imps,” as the imperialists are usually styled by the 
 rebels. 
 
 The following notification was returned in reply to the above: 
 
 “The Earl of Elgin, embassador of her majesty the Queen of 
 England, issues a notification : Whereas a number of her majesty’s 
 ships were on their way to Hankow, it was the particular desire 
 of the embassador that the party in possession of Nankin should 
 understand that these ships were proceeding with no hostile in¬ 
 tentions to them. Eor this purpose, a small vessel was specially 
 detached in advance. A gun was fired on her, to which, in obe¬ 
 dience to her instructions, she made no return, but hoisted a flag 
 of truce. The garrison of Nankin, notwithstanding, continued 
 to fire at her. The forts commanding the passage have been, in 
 consequence, taken and demolished, as a warning to all who may 
 be hereafter minded to interfere with the ships of her majesty.” 
 
 We subsequently learned that news of the punishment which 
 we had inflicted on Nankin this morning had reached Tai-ping 
 by land as quickly as we had by water, and produced exactly the 
 impression which Lord Elgin desired upon the rebel leaders at 
 the forts farther up the river. The importance of securing our¬ 
 selves from farther molestation by a vigorous display of force at 
 the outset seemed to him to justify the somewhat rough treatment 
 which the Nankin insurgents had experienced at our hands. 
 
 A farther evidence of their desire to conciliate was obtained at 
 
ENTER THE PROVINCE OF NGAN-HWUI. 
 
 511 
 
 a late hour of the night. After we had u turned in,” some of our 
 party were knocked up to receive a present for Lord Elgin of a 
 number of fowls and two pieces of red cloth. 
 
 22 d. The gun-boats were under weigh early this morning, in¬ 
 vestigating the respective merits of the channels ahead. At last 
 we hit upon the right one, and, as we passed along it, obtained a 
 good view of Tai-ping-foo. This is a prefectural city of the prov¬ 
 ince of Ngan-hwui, and has been for many years a strong-hold of 
 the insurgents. It was first taken by them on the 7th of March, 
 1853. They speak of seven or eight thousand troops being quar¬ 
 tered there. 
 
 We are now in the province of Ngan-hwui, having entered it 
 yesterday, a few miles before arriving at Tai-ping. Ngan-hwui 
 means “Peace and Excellence;” that is, the peaceful and excel¬ 
 lent province. It was formerly joined to Kiang-su as one prov¬ 
 ince, under the name of Kiang-nan. Its area is greater than that 
 of Kiang-su, and is computed at from forty to forty-five thousand 
 square miles. The area of these two provinces is about the same 
 as that of the two states of New York and Pennsylvania, and the 
 population of Ngan-hwui was computed, according to the last 
 census, at about thirty-four millions. 
 
 We had scarcely cleared the intricate channels leading past 
 Tai-ping when the Retribution took the ground, still within sight 
 of the three pagodas of the city. The whole day was employed 
 in getting her off. Meanwhile the time was not lost to our sur¬ 
 veyors, who were actively occupied taking observations and map¬ 
 ping out the river. A party of rebels communicated with Com¬ 
 mander Ward while thus engaged; they assured him that the fir¬ 
 ing upon us at Nankin was quite a mistake; that orders had been 
 given that we should not be fired upon again; and that any de¬ 
 scription of arms and ammunition, but especially percussion-caps, 
 would be thankfully received. While at anchor at this point, we 
 observed a force, which we estimated at about five thousand men, 
 march out of Tai-ping, apparently in the direction of Woohoo. 
 The stream of soldiers lasted for about three quarters of an hour; 
 they presented a gay and picturesque appearance: officers on 
 horseback, in red, blue, or yellow, and men in many-colored uni¬ 
 forms, while hundreds of gaudy umbrellas and waving flags added 
 to the brilliancy of the procession. Just before sun-down, to our 
 infinite joy, the Retribution was hauled off her bank into deep 
 
512 
 
 EASTERN AND WESTERN PILLAR GATES. 
 
 water; it was too late, liowever, to shift our position to-night, 
 and sundry anchors have yet to be picked up, involving a little 
 farther delay. 
 
 23d Under weigh about eleven. Fourteen miles from Tai- 
 ping we reached the finest piece of scenery we have yet seen. 
 The river here forces itself through a mighty barrier of rock, the 
 precipitous walls of which rise from its waters; their rugged 
 flanks are scored with zigzag paths and steps hewn out of the 
 living stone, and their projecting ledges are scarped into batteries. 
 
 These fine masses of rock are called the Se-leang-shan and 
 Tung-leang-shan, or Eastern and Western Pillar Hills, or, more 
 poetically, the Teen-mun, or Celestial Gate. The Se-leang-shan 
 resembled in shape the Rock of Gibraltar on a small scale. Davis 
 calls it five hundred feet in height; I should not have estimated it 
 at more than three hundred. Half w T ay up he visited a temple in 
 the rock, which is now, in all probability, converted into a guard¬ 
 house. Crowds of gay soldiers thronged the batteries, their flags 
 flaunting from dizzy pinnacles, and their guns perched on crags 
 where it looked a service of danger to work them. We congrat¬ 
 ulated ourselves, as we passed through this narrow gorge—for 
 the river was not more than half a mile in width—that the gar¬ 
 rison had received orders to confine themselves to staring at us, 
 which they did most eagerly. 
 
 This pass is the key to the upper part of the river, and would 
 be impregnable in the hands of a civilized force. As it is, not an 
 imperialist junk can show itself between Woohoo and Nankin; 
 and as all the rebel junks have been destroyed, the river is entire¬ 
 ly deserted. At the foot of the Se-leang-shan is a small town, 
 guarded by a battery, and a slip of sand runs out from it into the 
 river, upon which some raking guns might be placed. Immedi¬ 
 ately on emerging from this defile we reach a bifurcation of the 
 river. We follow the southern branch, which is deep and com¬ 
 paratively narrow, winding under bluffs which form its southern 
 bank; while on the flat island opposite are constructed a series 
 of five forts, admirably neat, and substantially built. The walls 
 were apparently of solid mud. They were loop-holed for mus¬ 
 kets, and cut into little embrasures for gingalls. Cannon seemed 
 scarce, and were confined to the angles, which were constructed 
 of stone. 
 
 These batteries were placed within half a mile of each other, 
 
ARRIVAL AT WOOHOO. 
 
 513 
 
 close to the river margin, and were well garrisoned. Altogether, 
 had our observation of the rebels been limited to the appearance 
 presented bj their fortifications and garrisons at this section of 
 the river, we should have been led to form a much more favorable 
 estimate of their power and resources than our subsequent investi¬ 
 gations into them j ustified. The Celestial Grate was undoubtedly 
 the point at which they seemed most formidable, and it will prob¬ 
 ably be the last strong-hold which will remain in their hands. 
 Report says that a good deal of their treasure is kept there. 
 
 About three o’clock in the afternoon we sighted the two pago¬ 
 das which mark the district city of Woohoo, and soon after came 
 to an anchor before its long white walls. Woohoo is the highest 
 point ever previously reached by a foreign ship, the American 
 steam-frigate Susquehanna having visited it some years ago. 
 Lord Amherst’s mission, which ascended the river as far as the 
 Poyang Lake, were conveyed up it in native boats. A large and 
 motley crowd collected on the water’s edge as we deliberately 
 dropped our anchors just abreast of the principal gateway, and 
 Mr. Wade was immediately sent on shore to open communication 
 with them, the chief object of his mission being to obtain supplies. 
 Our Chinese official was, of course, invisible on these occasions, as 
 an imperialist in the heart of the rebel country. The bare notion 
 that his presence should be suspected overwhelmed him with 
 dismay. 
 
 Mr. Wade, who did not land, returned speedily with the in¬ 
 formation which he had obtained from a Hoo-peh man, who de¬ 
 scribed himself as an officer of the garrison, that the authorities 
 were anxious to do all in their power to show us civility. A 
 packet for Lord Elgin from How, the commandant at Woohoo, 
 was also handed to him. It contained the original manifesto of 
 Tai-ping-wang, brought down from Nankin in 1853, and the fol¬ 
 lowing letter: “How, a Tsiang-tien-yen, the truly loyal and 
 patriotic, by the heavenly command of the heavenly kingdom of 
 Tai-ping, to the younger brethren of Jesus. Whereas, owing to 
 the heavenly bounty of the Heavenly Father, and the heavenly 
 elder brother Jesus, the heavenly dynasty has been recently 
 founded, and our truly Holy Master, the Heavenly King, has 
 been desired to descend on earth, and govern the empire (or the 
 world), he has established his throne in the heavenly capital, and 
 for several years (the people of) the four seas have turned their 
 
 K K 
 
514 
 
 VISIT TO A REBEL CHIEF. 
 
 hearts to him, and the myriad places have felt his civilizing in¬ 
 fluence. Five foreign ships belonging to you, the brethren of 
 Jesus, have now come to the central kingdom of the heavenly 
 dynasty, and have arrived in the department of Ning (Kiang- 
 ning, or Nankin). Being in ignorance what propositions you 
 have to make, I have sent a special messenger, Yu-hing-lung, to 
 visit your ships and inquire. If you have any thing to settle, 
 please inform me by letter. The 15th of the 10th moon of the 
 Wu-Wu, or 8th year of the heavenly kingdom of Tai-ping.” 
 
 As the matter we had to settle merely related to beef and vege¬ 
 tables, Fitzroy and I returned to the shore with Wade, accom¬ 
 panied by Mr. Mainprize, the paymaster of the Furious. Mean¬ 
 while Mr. Lay was sent in a gun-boat to communicate with some 
 imperial junks, the streamers of which were visible about three 
 miles higher up the river. 
 
 A noisy parti-colored crowd, jostling each other into the water 
 in their anxiety to inspect us, received us as we stepped on shore. 
 We were surrounded by a mob of these long-haired, long-robed 
 ragamuffins as we walked into the fort through the wretched 
 gateway which served as its principal entrance, and, passing along 
 a narrow, half-ruined street, were ushered into a dilapidated ya- 
 mun in a state of repair. Strains of discordant music announced 
 our approach to the high dignitary within, whom we found seated 
 in solemn state behind a high table or altar, upon which stood 
 two open carved jars like wine-coolers, of silver or imitation sil¬ 
 ver, which contained long thin slips of wood covered with Chi¬ 
 nese characters. The chamber was a small, square apartment, 
 hung with scrolls of yellow silk, covered with texts and mottoes 
 in Chinese, belonging, apparently, as much to Confucianism as to 
 Christianity; and the presiding genius himself was a stout, sen¬ 
 sual-looking man, with a keen eye, and an intelligent but bad cast 
 of countenance. He was dressed in a robe of yellow, which fell 
 from his neck to his heels, and was devoid of ornament; round 
 his head was wrapped an orange-colored handkerchief, in the 
 centre of which, above the forehead, was fastened a single piece 
 of jade, mounted in a gold setting. His long hair was collected 
 in a bag, and hung in the nape of his neck, as though in imitation 
 of the fashion prevalent among English young ladies of the pres¬ 
 ent day. 
 
 Bowing to us slightly as we entered, How—for so was this 
 
A DISORDERLY MOB. 
 
 515 
 
 great man called—beckoned ns to chairs, the mob by which we 
 had been followed crowding unceremoniously into the small 
 apartment. Not the smallest respect was shown by the insubor¬ 
 dinate rabble to their leader, who strove in vain to keep them 
 from pressing round, much to the disparagement of the dignified 
 manner which he evidently desired to maintain in our presence, 
 and by which he hoped to impress us with a due sense of his 
 rank and importance. The odor of garlic which pervaded his 
 undisciplined retainers, their boisterous and noisy manner and 
 filthy aspect, rendered our audience by no means so agreeable as 
 it might otherwise have been. A perfect equality seemed to 
 reign, or rather an absolute confusion of ranks and persons, well 
 dressed and ragged, old and young, thronged impetuously into 
 the little room. It struck me, however, that the young predomi¬ 
 nated : many of these had been rebels all their lives, and had no 
 tails, but generally the tail was wrapped round the long tangled 
 hair. 
 
 How told us that to his functions of commandant and judge he 
 united those of high-priest. The thin slips of wood in the silver 
 vases were inscribed with various punishments, and the form of 
 sentencing consisted in his selecting and throwing to the criminal 
 the punishment to which he was condemned. The building itself 
 was, like its occupant, partly ecclesiastical and partly secular. 
 But we could not obtain from How any very precise description 
 of the form of worship at which he presided. Indeed, we were 
 not tempted to prolong our visit beyond what was necessary, and 
 we gave him a list of our wants, which was rapidly transcribed 
 by his secretary, who stood near him, and concealed the eyes of a 
 countenance which bore a villainous expression with a pair of 
 huge green goggles. His dress consisted of a flowered crimson 
 silk robe, and reached to his heels. Near him stood another 
 scribe, in a bright pea-green tunic and loose red trowsers. Pres¬ 
 ently appeared another high official, apparently of equal rank 
 with How, for he took a seat next to him, and commenced a de¬ 
 liberate and somewhat insolent survey of our persons. His head 
 was wrapped in an orange handkerchief, like his colleague’s, but 
 his robe was of purple, above which he wore a flowered lilac silk 
 tunic. These gay colors looked bright enough when they hap¬ 
 pened to be new, but those of the crowd were for the most part 
 faded; the material of which their garments were composed was 
 
516 
 
 AN IMPERIALIST SPY. 
 
 shabby and torn, giving them a tawdry, disreputable appearance, 
 which was not belied by the dissipated, haggard expression of 
 their countenances. 
 
 The leaders were Canton men of the worst description. Drunk¬ 
 enness and opium-smoking were prevalent vices, as one of their 
 number, who spoke Canton English, and was evidently a black¬ 
 guard of the first water, unhesitatingly admitted. In the original 
 code promulgated by Tai-ping, opium-smoking was punishable by 
 death. One of the first questions we were asked by How was, 
 “What have you got to sell?” They were evidently skeptical 
 when we denied that we were traders, and How recurred to the 
 subject before we left him. He had been a merchant in a small 
 way at Canton. 
 
 We now proceeded to the exploration of the surrounding streets, 
 and found that we were not in the town, but in a military post, 
 consisting of three separate forts on eminences, with a collection 
 of mean houses round them, and a wall, inclosing the whole within 
 its circumference, extending for some distance along the river 
 margin. 
 
 The town of Woohoo we could see about a mile and a half in¬ 
 land. The pagoda was outside the wall, and in order to visit it 
 we passed under a gateway, at which we saw a man chained to 
 the wall by his neck. He was said to be under suspicion of be¬ 
 ing an imperialist spy. The pagoda consisted of five stories, and 
 was very dilapidated, and the guns on the walls of the forts were 
 very inferior and of small calibre. 
 
 We were accompanied on our rambles by a crowd, with the 
 more intelligent of whom Wade got into conversation upon relig¬ 
 ious subjects; but their theology was of the vaguest description, 
 and did not prevent them from using the foulest language to each 
 other. 
 
 We saw very few women, and they were evidently all from the 
 north, probably captured on some of their raids in that direction. 
 It was said that an order had been issued at the commencement 
 of the movement prohibiting wives, and that these had, in conse¬ 
 quence, all been taken from their husbands, but subsequently re¬ 
 distributed differently. 
 
 We had not time to visit the town of Woohoo, which Davis 
 describes as the largest of its class in China. “ The streets,” he 
 remarks, “ proved, on inspection, to be superior to those of many 
 
PRESENT STATE OF WOOHOO. 
 
 517 
 
 of the first-class cities, and some were as large and well furnished 
 with handsome shops as at Canton. It is to the great inland com¬ 
 merce carried on by this line that such unusual wealth and pros¬ 
 perity is to be referred.” It is interesting to compare the above 
 notice of Woohoo with that of Mr. Wylie, who remained behind 
 with the Retribution, while we were up the river, and visited 
 Woohoo, of which he gives the following account: 
 
 “The district city of Woohoo, on the south bank, belongs to 
 Tai-ping-foo, from which city it is distant fifty miles by land, with 
 free communication for the insurgents, who have held it since the 
 4th of March, 1853. The city stands inland from the river about 
 a mile and a half, on the border of a canal, but little is now left 
 standing of it except the wall, and a part of the two principal 
 streets, extending about half a mile each inside to north and east 
 gates, and nearly as far outside. These contain the stores of the 
 few remaining shopkeepers, who appear to be ill at ease in the 
 pursuit of their avocations. 
 
 “ The houses are divided among the various companies of fight¬ 
 ing men quartered there, most of them having up a placard indi¬ 
 cating the officer to whom they belong. Many of the houses have 
 very extensive premises in rear of the shops, where the men and 
 horses find shelter, with the utmost disregard to every thing like 
 order or cleanliness. 
 
 “ There are two or three official residences in the city, one be¬ 
 ing that of the medical officer to the army, appointed by imperial 
 commission. Outside the west gate, nearly up to the river, is one 
 vast field of broken bricks and tiles, with nothing but foundations 
 remaining to show what must once have been a very extensive 
 suburb. A walled camp has been built along the river front by 
 the Tai-pings, with a succession of six forts on natural mounds, 
 the approaches to which are defended by stockades, and the rising- 
 ground thickly studded with pitfalls. Apart from the command¬ 
 ant, How, the chief officer, who has his yamun in the camp, is 
 Hwang Yuh Ching, 23d, (left hand or) chief minister of state. 
 
 “Every fort has its general, with his number attached. They 
 have changed the name of the country about there to Ning-Keang. 
 About eight or ten miles to the south they have a camp, at 
 Hwang-che, where several severe skirmishes have taken place 
 lately. On the opposite side of the river, at Urh-pa, are also sev¬ 
 eral forts which have been taken from the imperialists.” 
 
518 
 
 A TAI-PING MANIFESTO. 
 
 On our return voyage down the river we received at Woohoo 
 a communication purporting to emanate from the rebel Celestial 
 emperor himself, written on a long roll of yellow silk, in red char¬ 
 acters, being, in fact, a manifesto addressed to foreigners generally, 
 but endorsed in this instance, “For the jewel glance of his excel¬ 
 lency, the Earl Lai, imperial commissioner of Great Britain.” I 
 annex a copy of this very singular production, which will convey 
 a better idea than any I could obtain from conversation with the 
 rebels of the nature of their theology, and the amount of their ac¬ 
 quaintance with Holy Writ. Of the extent to which they prac¬ 
 ticed its tenets it was not so difficult to form an opinion: 
 
 Translation of a Manifesto or Decree addressed by the Head of tiie 
 
 Tai-ping Insurgents to Foreigners. 
 
 The following composition was left at Wu-hu by Lin, a rebel chief of high degree, 
 who, it appears, had been sent thither w r ith it from Nankin, and was found at the 
 former place when the Retribution moved down thither from Iiiu-hien. It is writ¬ 
 ten on yellow silk, in red characters— i. e., with the vermilion pencil of majesty, and 
 •was inclosed in a yellow paper envelope, on the side of which was written, 
 
 “Within [the cover] is presented one document”—the word presented being that 
 which indicates the submission of papers or information to a superior; then the 
 date—viz., the — day of the 11th Moon of the Wu-Wu, the 8th year of the Celestial 
 Kingdom of Tai-ping (Universal Peace). 
 
 Over the date are two impressions of seals; above, a circular one with some mystic 
 engraving not very clearly defined, with the character pu, universal, in the margin, 
 and below, an oblong one, like a Chinese title-page, reading as follows: “Chu 
 Iliung-pang, the loyal and patriotic Pu-T‘ien Yen of the Celestial Kingdom of the 
 Tai-ping, appointed to the Board of Works, the officer of the Winter.” 
 
 It is no doubt this person (who, by his surname Chu, is probably one of those that 
 trace descent from the stock of the Ming Emperors), who employs the character pin 
 on the cover, as the letter, or manifesto itself is as from superiors to inferiors. 
 
 On the other side of the cover is the address, which, it is understood was written 
 at Wu-hu, “ For the jewel glance of his excellency the Earl Lai, Imperial Commis¬ 
 sioner of Great Britain.” 
 
 The writing within is mostly in seven-foot verse, of very small literary pretension, 
 and in indifferent handwriting—singularly indifferent when it is borne in mind how 
 generally the educated Chinese are found to write decently, if not well. Many of 
 the expressions establish it, in the opinion of a well-informed Cantonese, to be the 
 production of one of his fellow-provincials. 
 
 The writer uses throughout the imperial pronoun chen or shen , which we ordinarily 
 translate we. 
 
 The column is broken, according to Chinese custom, before names of honor: those 
 that refer, apparently, to the first Person of the Trinity rising two places; those in¬ 
 dicating the second Person, one place. A character coined to represent the Holy 
 Spirit is also allowed two places. It occurs but once. T l ien, heaven, is raised in 
 some lines two places, and is in such cases spelt with a capital letter in the transla¬ 
 tion. 
 
A TAI-PING MANIFESTO. 519 
 
 1. We proclaim for the information of our foreign younger brethren of the Western 
 Ocean, 
 
 2. The things of heaven differ extremely from the things of the world. 
 
 3. The Heavenly Father Shang Ti, the Imperial Shang Ti, 
 
 4. Is the sacred (or sainted) Father of one and all that heaven overspreads. 
 
 5. Our uterine elder brother is Jesus. 
 
 6. Our uterine younger brother is Siu-tsing. 
 
 7. In the third moon of the year mo-sliin (1848) Shang Ti descended, 
 
 8. And commissioned the King of the East to become a mortal (lit., a world man). 
 
 0. In the 9th moon of this year the Redeemer descended, 
 
 10. And commissioned the King of the West to manifest divine powers. 
 
 11. The Father and the Elder Brother led us to sit on [the throne of] the heav¬ 
 enly kingdom; 
 
 12. With great display of authority and might to sit in the hall of heaven; 
 
 13. To make the heavenly city our capital, to found the heavenly kingdom ; 
 
 14. [That] the ministers and people of all (lit. , the myriad) nations might do hom¬ 
 age to their Father-Emperor. 
 
 15. The chapel (or temple) of the True Spirit is within the heavenly court. 
 
 16. The chapel of Ki-tu (Christ) is alike glorious forever. 
 
 17. In the year ting yu (1837) we ascended to heaven. 
 
 18. The Father, with words of truth, bestowed on us a volume of verse, 
 
 19. Enjoining us to read it well and to regard it as a proof: 
 
 20. By the verses to know (or acknowledge) the Father and to keep steady. 
 
 21. The Father moreover commanded the Elder Brother to instruct us how to 
 read it. 
 
 22. The Father and the Elder Brother did personally instruct us, and laid their 
 injunctions upon us again and again. 
 
 23. The Heavenly Father Shang Ti is in the measure of his capacity as the depth 
 of the sea. 
 
 24. Up to the thirty-third heaven the demons burst their way. 
 
 25. The Father and Elder Brother, taking us with them, drove them away time 
 after time. 
 
 26. Supported by the officers and soldiers of heaven on either side of them, 
 
 27. They smote on this occasion two thirds of them; 
 
 28. From one gate of heaven after another were the demons and goblins repulsed, 
 
 29. Until they were all driven down below (or to earth, or under the earth), 
 
 30. And but a remnant of them were left. [Thus] was the august Father (or the 
 Father’s majesty) made manifest. 
 
 31. The Father subsequently (or, then) desired us to return to the world, [promis¬ 
 ing] 
 
 32. In all things to be our support. 
 
 33. He enjoined us to set our heart at rest and not to be alarmed; 
 
 34. He, the Father, would come forward. His injunctions were repeated twice 
 and again. 
 
 35. In the year ivu-shin (1848), when the King of the South was besieged in 
 Kwei-ping, 
 
 36. We besought the Father to come down and manifest his terrors. 
 
 37. We had returned from Ivwang Si to Kwang Tung; 
 
 38. The Heavenly Father did come down to the world, and rescued [the King] 
 of the South. 
 
520 A TAI-PING MANIFESTO. 
 
 39. The King of the East redeems from sickness; he is a holy spirit. 
 
 40. The Father sent him down with a commission to exterminate the demons. 
 
 41. He destroyed goblin-devils -without number, 
 
 42. And so was enabled to arrive without delay at the capital (Nankin). 
 
 43. When the Father descended to the world he made known his holy will. 
 
 44. All this we read, and committing it well to memory, 
 
 45. We knew the Father’s infallibility (or that his power could not fail), 
 
 46. And were brought by the Father and the Elder Brother to found the [dynasty 
 of] T‘ai Ping. 
 
 47. The Father having deputed the King of the East to redeem from sickness, 
 
 48. [On behalf of] the blind, the deaf, and the dumb, 
 
 49. He suffered infinite misery. 
 
 50. When fighting the demons he was wounded in the neck and fell headlong. 
 
 51. The Father had declared by his holy decree, 
 
 52. That when our warriors went forth they would have inexpressible affliction; 
 
 53. That when they come to the court (Nankin ?) they would suffer severely. 
 
 54. [The words of] the Father’s holy decree were all accomplished. 
 
 55. The Elder Brother to ransom sinners gave his life ; 
 
 56. He became a substitute for myriad myriad thousands of the people of the 
 world. 
 
 57. The King of the East, in ransoming the sick, suffered equally with the Elder 
 Brother, 
 
 58. And when he fell with the pestilence he returned to [the place of] spirits, to 
 thank the Father for his goodness. 
 
 59. Which is the right among the writings of the Father and the Elder Brother it 
 is impossible to know; 
 
 60. He who would choose the true must ascend to high heaven. 
 
 61. The holy decrees of the Father are numberless. 
 
 62. We declare the general purport of one or two. 
 
 63. It is some years since the Heavenly Father descended into the world. 
 
 64. He was accompanied by the Heavenly Brother, whose distress was as great as 
 formerly. 
 
 65. Jesus is your Redeeming Lord, 
 
 66. And continues with all his mind to instruct and admonish. 
 
 67. The Heavenly Father produced T‘siuen to be your ruler. 
 
 68. Why are ydu not loyal to the utmost? why do you willfully (or wrongly) pur¬ 
 sue your former course ? 
 
 69. You have often [been guilty of] serious disobedience of commands. 
 
 70. Were we not to issue our decrees your boldness would be great as heaven. 
 
 71. For whom was it that the Heavenly Father descended ? 
 
 72. For whom did Jesus throw away his life? 
 
 73. Heaven has sent you down a king to be your true lord. 
 
 74. Why are you so troubled, your hearts so unsettled? 
 
 75. Let your sons in all parts quit their houses, 
 
 76. Leave their homes, resolved to be loyal ministers; 
 
 77. Come forward to aid their king, fierce as tigers and leopards; 
 
 78. Knowing that now they have a ruler they can be men. 
 
 79. If you believe not that the best in the world has appeared in us, 
 
 80. Yet bethink you that the Spirit Father errs not in the ruler he establishes (lit., 
 sets up a ruler true). 
 
A TAI-PING MANIFESTO. 
 
 521 
 
 81. Accept as proof of the independent authority of heaven, 
 
 82. That though a thousand surround [us] with valor and daring, they are broken 
 as the dust. 
 
 83. The myriad countries, the myriad nations, throng in myriads to [our] court. 
 
 84. [Ours are ?] the myriad hills, the myriad waters, at infinite distance.- 
 
 85. For a myriad li myriad eyes throng their way up. 
 
 86. All (lit., myriad) knowledge, all happiness, all merit [is ours? or, heaven’s?] 
 
 87. Would [a man] conceal any thing from Heaven, let him not say that Heaven 
 is ignorant of it. 
 
 88. Heaven measures as far as the sea in deep; yea, and farther. 
 
 89. See now yourselves without courage or resolution. 
 
 90. How long will you not be faithful servants ? 
 
 91. Remember that if in the third watch [of the night] you escape along the dark 
 road, 
 
 92. The vengeful demon will blind (or bewilder) you before daylight. 
 
 93. Walk each of you, in the true path for our king; 
 
 94. Believe the Heavenly Father, and doubt not. 
 
 95. Heaven produced the rightful ruler to govern the empire (lit., the hills and 
 streams). 
 
 The verses end here for the present; the writer proceeds in prose thus: 
 
 When Shang Ti sent down his holy decree (lit., this single sentence of a holy de¬ 
 cree), he commanded us to add three sentences. We added [these]: 
 
 96. The Heavenly Father, and the Heavenly Elder Brother have great distress of 
 mind (have too much to think of); 
 
 97. All authority and power reverts to the Supreme Ruler ( Shang Chu ). 
 
 98. How is happiness to be given to the whole empire of Tai-ping ? 
 
 Shang Ti sent down another holy decree, saying, 
 
 99. In the nine-fold heaven let there be one King of the East, 
 
 100. To aid the empire as a counselor long to endure. 
 
 When Shang Ti declared his holy pleasure in these two lines, he desired us to add 
 two more. In accordance with the holy pleasure of the Father, we added these two: 
 
 101. Ilo-nai the teacher, who is at the same time the lord redeemer from disease, 
 
 102. Is the great support of all the people in the world. 
 
 At a later period Shang Ti made a change, saying, 
 
 103. Let there be appointed a pair of phoenixes, one to the east and the other to 
 the west. 
 
 104. Let the east, west, north, and south do homage to them (turn to them as the 
 sun). 
 
 Shang Ti made another change, saying, 
 
 105. Let there be appointed a pair of phoenixes, one to the east and the other to 
 the west, 
 
 106. And let them, in gratitude for the bounty of Heaven that has descended on 
 them, do homage together. 
 
 107. This purport of the Father’s holy pleasure, in general terms, 
 
 108. Do we truthfully declare for the information of you, our foreign younger 
 brethren. 
 
 109. That the Heavenly Father and the Heavenly Elder Brother really descend¬ 
 ed on earth, 
 
 110. Is proved to be true by the verses of the Father. 
 
522 
 
 A TAI-PING MANIFESTO. 
 
 111. Their (or His) divine intelligence and authority words can not tell. 
 
 112. Come soon to the heavenly temple, and you will be sensible of it. 
 
 113. The Chief Elder Brother Jesus is the same (or of the same fashion) with the 
 Father. 
 
 114. Not a half sentence of [their] holy decrees shall be changed. 
 
 115. Shang Ti, the Heavenly Father, is the true Shang Ti (or is Shang Ti, the 
 Supreme Ruler, indeed). 
 
 116. Jesus, the Heavenly Elder Brother, is Heavenly Elder Brother indeed. 
 
 117. The Father and the Elder Brother set us to rule the heavenly kingdom; 
 
 118. To sweep away and exterminate the devilish spirits; bestowing on us great 
 honor. 
 
 119. Foreign younger brethren of the Western Ocean, listen to our words. 
 
 120. Join us in doing service to the Father and Elder Brother, and extinguish the 
 stinking reptiles. 
 
 121. In all things the Father, the Elder Brother, and ourself are master (or, act 
 independently of any one else). 
 
 122. Come, brethren, enthusiastically, and merit all honor. 
 
 123. When we were traveling in Kwang-tung some time ago, 
 
 124. In the hall of worship (li pai-t'^ang') we addressed Lo Hiau-tsiuen. 
 
 125. We then told him that we had been up to heaven, 
 
 126. And that the Heavenly Father and the Heavenly Elder Brother had com¬ 
 mitted to us great authority. 
 
 127. Is Lo Hiau-tsiuen now come hither or not? 
 
 128. If he be, let him come to court and speak with us. 
 
 129. We are the second son of Shang Ti. 
 
 130. The Elder Brother and the King of the East are our uterine brothers. 
 
 131. All as one family together adorning the Heavenly Father, 
 
 132. There shall be universal peace (t l aip L ing) on earth. It was said long ago, 
 [0 r it may mean]. We form one family [above] under the Heavenly Father; on 
 
 earth we are [the dynasty] T‘ai P‘ing, as we said long ago (or, as was long ago fore¬ 
 told). 
 
 133. The kingdom of heaven is (or was) at hand; now that it is come, 
 
 134. Brethren of the Western Ocean, be of good cheer. 
 
 135. In former days, when we ascended to heaven, we saw what was destined by 
 the Father, 
 
 136. [To wit, that] the myriad nations should aid us to mount the heavenly tower. 
 
 137. What the Father destined has now come to pass. 
 
 138. Put forth your strength for Heaven; it is a duty, yes, it is a duty. 
 
 139. For the Father, and for the Elder Brother, slay the demon goblins, 
 
 140. Out of gratitude to the Father for your birth and growth; and when you 
 have conquered in battle, return (or, and you will be victorious in fight). 
 
 141. We, the ruler, have given the young ruler, [our son], to be adopted by Jesus; 
 
 142. As the adopted of the Elder Brother and ourself to sit in the heavenly 
 capital, 
 
 143. The young ruler, as one half the son of Jesus, 
 
 144. And one half our son, is the object (or recipient) of the protection of Heaven. 
 
 145. [Thus] for generations the young ruler, as the son of Shang Ti, 
 
 146. Inherits from the Elder Brother and ourself the whole empire. 
 
 147. Brethren of the Western Ocean, adore (or, you adore) the Supreme ( Shang 
 
A TAI-PING MANIFESTO. 
 
 523 
 
 148. It is our wish that the Father and the Elder Brother should cause it so to be. 
 
 149. The Chief Elder Brother being in time past nailed on a gallows shaped like 
 the character shili , ten, sc. the cross, 
 
 150. Left it as his sign. In this there is no mistake. 
 
 151. The sliih tsHuen ta Jcih, the tenfold [that is, all] perfect, and all fortunate is 
 ourself. 
 
 152. In all ways [our course] is that destined by the Father. 
 
 153. That the Chief Elder Brother came to life again in three days, 
 
 154. And in three days built the temple, is not a vain boast. 
 
 155. We were produced |?y the Father in three days; 
 
 156. We built the temple of the Father and Elder Brother, and destroyed the 
 devilish serpents. 
 
 157. In our third year hwci-ckau (1853) we beheaded the devilish serpents. 
 
 158. In the year yih yung (1855) we exterminated the brutes, by the aid of the 
 Father and the Elder Brother. 
 
 159. The serpents and brutes humbled and all exterminated forever, 
 
 160. The whole world together sings the song of peace (or, the song of t l aip l ing). 
 
 161. Foreign brethren of the Western Ocean, you adore Shang Ti; [and it is] 
 
 162. The Father and Elder Brother that have brought us to sit on the throne of 
 the empire (the hills and streams). 
 
 163. We have now declared to you the truth. 
 
 164. Come rejoicing to court, and give thanks to the Father and the Elder Brother. 
 
 165. By the memorials of our ministers 
 
 166. We have been informed of the coming of the brethren to the heavenly capital. 
 
 167. We have desired our ministers to treat you with courtesy. 
 
 168. As brethren in one harmonious community, be not doubtful or suspicious. 
 
 169. Apprehensive that the brethren might not be aware of [our sentiments], 
 
 170. We have issued our manifesto to show our sympathy with you. 
 
 171. Foreign brethren of the Western Ocean, worship Shang Ti. 
 
 172. Man’s blessings, lit., bounty and peace, are in this. 
 
 Respect this ! 
 
 [/« referring to the following notes the reader will he guided by the number of the 
 
 verse .] 
 
 (1.) Proclaim; the word signifies to address authoritatively as a sovereign. . 
 
 (3.) Shang Ti, the most honorable among Chinese spirits; the title adopted by many Protestant 
 missionaries to translate the name of God. 
 
 (C.) Siu-tsing is Yang Siu-tsing, the Eastern King, who arrogated to himself among other titles 
 that of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 (10.) Or, traces of divinity. 
 
 (11.) Ye , the Father, and Ko, the Elder Brother, as the characters are understood to mean by the 
 native assistant consulted, as a missionary suggests, may be but the adoption in ignorance of the 
 Chinese characters employed to spell Jehovah. 
 
 (12.) To be the high-priest? 
 
 (13.) Nan-king, the southern capital, is now, to the insurgents, the tien-king , heavenly capital. 
 (15.) The hall of the True Spirit, chin-shin-tang, is the title formerly taken by a Protestant mis , 
 sionary chapel at Hong Kong, but subsequently abandoned. 
 
 (16.) Ki-tu are the characters intended to represent the word Christ in the translation of the Test¬ 
 ament. 
 
 (18.) Or, did indeed: the expression is Cantonese. 
 
 (20.) Keep steady, be saved from upsetting, not the dynasty, but the man in his conduct; also a 
 Canton phrase. 
 
 (24.) The thirty-third heaven belongs to fairy tales, and the like. 
 
 (31.) Again to descend among the [mortal] community. 
 
524 
 
 A TAI-PING MANIFESTO. 
 
 (35). Kwei-ping is a district in Kwang Si. 
 
 (43.) Holy will, the words often rendered Decree of this Sacred Majesty, the Placet of the Holy 
 One. 
 
 (58.) Pestilence: the word is often used of rebellion. It may have this figurative sense here, in 
 which case Yang must be understood to have fallen in action. He is believed to have been behead¬ 
 ed by Tai-ping Wang’s orders. 
 
 (5S.) Or, returned to his spirit-nature. 
 
 (59.) The word rendered writings is ts l dn, plants or grass. Draughts of documents are in the run¬ 
 ning land ts'du tsz\ the grass character. That the translation is correct here is uncertain, but no 
 more likely meaning has been suggested. 
 
 (67.) Ts4uhn is Hung Siu-ts4uen, Tai-ping Wang, the leader of the present insurrection, 
 
 (OS.) Wantonly or extravagantly renew or repair the past. 
 
 (78.) Men not devils. 
 
 (79.) L?7., the most precious [of the productions] of the hills and streams. 
 
 (SO.) The Spirit is a newly-coined character not in the Lexicons. 
 
 (81.) The text is obscure; it may mean, Relying on the power of heaven to play the chief. 
 
 (S3.) There is apparently here an allusion to omnipotence and infinity, but whether as the attribute 
 of Tai-ping himself, or the Supreme Being, is not quite clear. 
 
 (92.) A proverb much to the same effect as our commonplace Pmto antecedentem scelestum , etc. 
 
 (101.) The characters 
 
 ho and 
 
 Ma?', together make 
 
 sill. 
 
 Yang Siu-tsiuen is here 
 
 referred to as the great physician. 
 
 (102.) The word: a character is used here also which is not authorized, for all together. 
 
 (103.) The fung is the fabulous bird of China. 
 
 (104.) The change, as will be seen, is of the greater part of the 104th verse, of which the 106th is a 
 revision. 
 
 (113.) The title Elder Brother preceding his name Yesu is, nevertheless, made one degree less hon¬ 
 orable by its place in the column. 
 
 (119.) As before, Our words as sovereign. 
 
 (122.) Lit., Establish myriad-fold merit. 
 
 (124.) Lo, supposed to be the Rev. Issachar Roberts, from whom Hung Siu-ts4uen is believed to have 
 obtained his first idea of Christianity. 
 
 (149). Ten, shih is also the number of completeness in China; ten parts is ten tenths, all. 
 
 (151.) There is a play here on shih, ten, the crucifix-shaped character meaning also complete, and 
 ts'-iuen , perfect, which also is part of Hung’s name. The expression is common Cantonese; out-and- 
 out good fortune. 
 
 (156.) Although the construction does not grammatically warrant it, the intention of the writer is 
 plainly that his building the temple and routing the demons were also three-day operations. 
 
 (157.) The two last dates have retained one character of the old Chinese cyclic system, and have 
 altered one. 
 
A BATTLE BETWEEN REBELS AND IMPERIALISTS. 525 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 A Battle between Rebels and Imperialists.—^An Exodus of the Population.—Arrival 
 at Kew-hsien.—The Rebel Position.—Rebel Tactics.—Deserted State of the Coun¬ 
 try.— Tee-kiang. — Fine Scenery. — Recent Rebel Fortifications. — A wild-boar 
 Hunt.—Description of the Country.—Our Pilot.—Cultivation.—Mandarin Visit¬ 
 ors.—Character of the River-banks.—The Imperialist Fleet.—A Visit to the Com¬ 
 modore.—The Legend of the Hen Barrier.—Approach to Ngan-king.—We en¬ 
 gage the Forts.—Attack of the Imperialist Troops.—The eight-storied Pagoda.— 
 Tactics of the Imperialists.—Their Treatment of the Peasantry.—Toong-lew. 
 
 October 24. We weighed at daylight this morning, and about 
 three miles above Woohoo passed a fleet of twenty imperialist 
 junks, at a village called Loo-kiang. They were under command 
 of a Canton man named Woo, with whom Mr. Lay made ac¬ 
 quaintance last evening, and who has politely furnished us with 
 a pilot upon whom he declares we may rely. Eight or ten miles 
 above this we passed a creek, at the mouth of which two imperial 
 junks were stationed. Three or four miles up this creek the in¬ 
 surgents have a camp at the town of Hwang-san-keaou, where 
 they number upward of a thousand fighting men. When we 
 passed, the whole of this army, which had evidently been strongly 
 re-enforced, was hotly engaged with the imperial troops. 
 
 It is impossible to conceive any thing more highly picturesque, 
 or theatrical in its effect, than the scene which now lay spread be¬ 
 fore us. The hills were crowned with the gay flags of the rebels; 
 the rich autumnal tints upon the trees were as bright in their 
 colors as the dresses of the soldiers grouped beneath them; bodies 
 of men were marching in gallant array down the park-like slopes, 
 to meet the foe in the plain beneath. The imperialist position 
 was upon the flat ground upon the river margin. Here they had 
 erected straw screens and temporary earth-works, behind which a 
 few small guns were placed, which were keeping up an apparent¬ 
 ly harmless fire upon the enemy. How and then groups of men 
 carrying gingalls would advance from the hostile ranks, and ap¬ 
 proach to within two or three hundred yards of each other, fire 
 their gingalls, and retire amid a great waving of banners. We 
 could not wait to watch the issue of the battle, which might last 
 forever, if they continued to fight on the same principle. 
 
526 
 
 THE REBEL POSITION. 
 
 As we advanced we became still more enchanted with the 
 scenery. Confused masses of wooded hills rose to a height of 
 about two thousand feet, from a plain charmingly diversified by 
 clumps of timber and rich cultivation. It was lamentable to ob¬ 
 serve that this lovely landscape was being deserted by its inhab¬ 
 itants. It had not before been visited by the pestilent hordes who 
 were now bearing down upon it; and the peasantry, fearful lest 
 they should prove successful in the contest which we had just 
 seen them waging with the imperialists, were now hurrying away, 
 to escape those scenes of rapine and violence which have invaria¬ 
 bly marked their devastating track. Whole families might thus 
 be seen trudging along the narrow pathways, the men staggering 
 under heavy loads of all their goods and chattels, the women 
 hobbling along on their small feet, their arms filled with babies. 
 Cattle and poultry were being driven or carried by boys and 
 girls. A great exodus was in progress. A few faint wreaths of 
 blue smoke were still curling, probably for the last time, from the 
 cottages and hamlets dotted over the smiling landscape, destined 
 before long to share the fate which had already overtaken the sur¬ 
 rounding country, where heaps of blackened cinders and mounds 
 of brickbats alone remained to attest its once populous character. 
 
 “Sunk are thy bowers, in shapeless ruin all, 
 
 And the long grass o’ertops the mouldering wall, 
 
 And, trembling, shrinking from the spoiler’s hand, 
 
 Far, far away thy children leave the land.” 
 
 The principal base of rebel operations, and the head-quarters 
 of their army, was a town called Fan-chang, some twelve or four¬ 
 teen miles in rear of the range of hills which skirted the south 
 bank of the river. To these hills, which are a debatable ground, 
 separating the insurgents from the imperialists, the latter proba¬ 
 bly owe their position, as, with the command of the river, they 
 are always able to keep up their communication. Their princi¬ 
 pal post upon its banks is Kew-hsien, a town we reached at 11 
 A.M. It was picturesquely situated under the hills. The peo¬ 
 ple crowded to the shore to inspect us. They consisted largely 
 of refugee peasantry. As we were not likely to reach another 
 imperialist town for some time, and the great draught of water of 
 the Retribution rendered her an inconvenient ship with which to 
 pioneer unknown waters, it was decided that she should remain 
 here until our return from Hankow. 
 
REBEL TACTICS. 
 
 527 
 
 This arrangement afforded the officers a good opportunity of 
 exploring the surrounding country in search of game, while Mr. 
 Wylie was enabled to obtain some interesting information with 
 reference to the state of the rebels. We found, on our return, 
 that a red deer, and upward of sixty pheasants, had fallen to the 
 guns of the sportsmen, while the following account was furnished 
 to Lord Elgin by Mr.Wylie as the result of his observation: 
 “ Kew-heen” (or hsien, as I have spelt it, as a distinct sibilation 
 was discernible in its pronunciation) “ was formerly the site of the 
 district city of Fan-chang, which now stands fourteen miles in¬ 
 land, in a plain surrounded by high hills. This city, which has 
 been in the possession of the rebels for five years, belongs to the 
 prefecture of Tai-ping. The present rebel governor is surnamed 
 ‘Wei.’ 
 
 “ Kew-heen has some few vestiges of its former importance, but 
 the place is now half in ruins, from previous visits of the insurgents. 
 A little busy retail traffic is carried on, chiefly dependent on the im¬ 
 perial troops stationed there. These amount to from two to three 
 thousand, under the command of a general named Le. This man 
 was the commander of the besieging force at Kiu-kiang in May, 
 1853, when three European ships and twenty-five lorchas were en¬ 
 gaged in the service. He has now under him companies of Kwang- 
 tung, Che-kiang, and Shan-tung braves. About a dozen junks or¬ 
 dinarily lie there, and some ten gun-boats. This place forms a 
 centre of concourse for the peasantry from the surrounding coun¬ 
 try, who are driven from their homes by the incursions of the 
 rebels. Many families, with their whole households, are in a con¬ 
 tinual state of migration, carrying bedding and utensils about 
 wherever they go. These are not beggars, but refugees, who are 
 glad to purchase personal safety by the temporary abandonment 
 of their patrimonial dwellings. A great extent of country adjoin¬ 
 ing the insurgent territory has thus become depopulated, and hos¬ 
 tile encounters between the peasantry who remain, and the rebel 
 invaders, are no uncommon occurrence. It is customary with the 
 latter to make their advances by early dawn; and when they 
 find the peasantry unwilling to enter their service, collisions some¬ 
 times ensue, which terminate in the death or disablement of the 
 latter. In such cases the dwellings are reduced to a ruin, and 
 thus for many miles round scarcely any thing is to be found but 
 bare mud walls. The natives who thus involuntarily enter their 
 
528 
 
 DESERTED STATE OF THE COUNTRY. 
 
 service are not allowed tire same freedom as the old adherents 
 from the south ; and on occasion of affrays with the imperialists, 
 it is said they are placed in the front ranks, and fastened together 
 by the tails. The imperialist communication landward between 
 Kew-heen and Loo-keang is cut off by the rebels, but they have 
 an open thoroughfare for their vessels on the river. The channel 
 of the Yang-tse is here divided by three large islands in the cen¬ 
 tre, two or three miles wide. 
 
 11 The north bank is all held by the insurgents, who have also 
 the departmental city of Woo-wei, the imperialist magistrate of 
 which, Yeh, now has a temporary office in Kew-heen. There is 
 also a rebel encampment on the north bank, opposite Hik-cka- 
 chow, the island facing Kew-heen.” 
 
 Mr. Wylie informed me that he had walked to Fan-chang 
 through a hilly wooded country, but did not enter the town. All 
 the hamlets and houses for the last six miles before reaching it 
 were in ruins. From the accounts he gave of their proceedings, 
 we can not wonder at the absence of all sympathy with the reb¬ 
 els on the part of the peasantry. Not only do they harry and 
 squeeze these unfortunate people, but press the men by violence 
 into their service, retaining for themselves all the best-looking of 
 their women. 
 
 Kew-ksien, as its name implies, was formerly the district city, 
 and its decaying pagoda and ruined temple do indeed impart to it 
 an air of venerable, if not respectable antiquity. I can not say 
 respectable, because the moral character of Kew-ksien is, so to 
 speak, under a cloud. In consequence of a horrible crime hav¬ 
 ing been committed there during the Ming dynasty, it was blot¬ 
 ted out from the list of names in the government maps, and Fang- 
 chang was made the district city: this disreputable locality thus 
 became simply Kew-ksien, or “ the town that was.” 
 
 We exchanged our pilot here for a more brilliant-looking indi¬ 
 vidual, and, with three parting cheers to the Retribution, held on 
 our course up the unknown waters of the Ta-kiang. 
 
 A little above Kew-ksien a large branch of the river communi¬ 
 cates with Lake Ckaou-koo, an extensive sheet of water. On the 
 south we are struck by the romantic beauty of the Pan-tze-chee 
 rock, which rises in a sheer mass from the eddying stream, and is 
 surmounted by the gray, mossy ruins of a temple and pagoda, 
 embowered among trees of many hues. 
 
TEE-KIANG.— FINE SCENERY. 
 
 529 
 
 The hills rise from the water’s edge in grassy slopes, partially 
 wooded to a height of from two to three thousand feet, while love¬ 
 ly valleys, richly timbered, open them up in a southerly direction. 
 The range is called Ta-hwa-shan. It trends away to the south 
 and east at the village of Tee-kiang, which, with its three-arched 
 bridge of heavy masonry, and its white but partially ruined 
 'houses, clustering up the hill side, or nestling among the trees at 
 its base, reminded me of an Italian rather than a Chinese town. 
 As it is only distant about five miles from Kew-hsien, Mr. Wylie 
 visited and thus describes it: “ Te-kiang, which formerly contain¬ 
 ed about ten thousand inhabitants, is now a deplorable ruin. The 
 few inhabitants that remain in the only existing street are in a 
 constant state of apprehension, always in dread of a visit from the 
 Tai-pings. One such took place by a party of from one to two 
 hundred on the morning of the day on which the writer visited 
 it; but they were beaten off before reaching the town by the im¬ 
 perialists, who have a few junks stationed there, under the direc¬ 
 tion of the assistant general Tang Kwo-leen. At ITwang-hoo, a 
 small town ten miles up the creek, it is reported there are a thou¬ 
 sand or more of the insurgent party; and Shungan, a town a few 
 miles farther up, is also held by them. The whole country seems 
 to be open to them from Fan-chang to Tung-ling, the chief city 
 of the adjoining district westward, which is also in their pos¬ 
 session.” 
 
 The river now abruptly leaves the range, which takes a south¬ 
 easterly direction, and, expanding into wide reaches, twists and 
 folds itself back like a huge serpent, embracing large flat islands 
 in its coils, but most imposing in breadth and appearance. 
 
 We frequently could get no soundings with ten fathoms, and 
 made, in consequence, rapid progress. 
 
 We passed on the north bank an imperialist position at Pih- 
 ma-tsing, which seemed, however, to be surrounded by rebels in 
 the immediate neighborhood; and, a little before sunset, anchored 
 for the night between rich alluvial banks, extending in a level 
 plain to the base of distant hills. 
 
 The scenery through which we have passed to-day is infinitely 
 the finest we have yet seen since entering the river. 
 
 2 5th. Weighed at daylight. We found that our anchorage last 
 night had been upon the outskirts of a rebel position on the north 
 bank. A number of flat, rush-covered islands here split the 
 
 Ll 
 
530 
 
 RECENT REBEL FORTIFICATIONS. 
 
 stream, the southern branch, which Lord Amherst’s Embassy fol¬ 
 lowed, passing under the walls of Tung-ling, the chief city of the 
 district, and a strong rebel position. 
 
 I made a practice, during my progress up the river, of spending 
 a great part of the day in the top-gallant cross-trees, from which 
 elevated post of observation I could always obtain a good view 
 of the surrounding country. I now looked northward over a vast, 
 well-cultivated plain, extending for about ten miles to the base of 
 a range which we estimated at three thousand feet in height. 
 The inhabitants of the islands were gathering the reeds and stack¬ 
 ing them, apparently for fuel. 
 
 The rebel town of Too-cheaou, on the north bank, presented a 
 very un-Chinese appearance of whitewash and cleanliness. It - 
 was situated about a mile from the river, and was surrounded by 
 a white wall, which had evidently been lately built, while the for¬ 
 tifications bore all the appearance of recent construction. To 
 judge by the mass of ruins and debris, which spread from the 
 water’s edge to the foot of the wall, the town must formerly have 
 extended to the river. 
 
 The next point of interest at which we arrive is the Nang-shan- 
 ke rock, a precipitous bluff 1 on the southern bank, overhanging 
 the stream, in which a rocky path had been scarped^ and steps cut, 
 to facilitate the tracking of boats. 
 
 The summit was richly wooded, the ruined walls of a temple 
 rising out of the tinted foliage. The stream here forms a broad 
 single sheet of water, but just beyond this it is divided into three 
 branches by two low wooded islands, the largest of which is call¬ 
 ed Ho-yeh-chow, from a plant like arrow-root which it produces. 
 We again followed the northern branch. 
 
 The celebrated mountain of Kew-hwa-shan, famous among oth¬ 
 er things for the enormous bamboos which it produces, now be¬ 
 came visible in the hazy distance, reaching an elevation, probably, 
 of from 4000 to 5000 feet. The range of which it forms part ap¬ 
 proaches the river abruptly, and one of its spurs is the bluff just 
 mentioned. This range, like that behind Kew-hsien, limits the 
 rebel incursions; they hold the country in rear, but the river-banks 
 are here imperialist. The nearer summits were not above 2000 
 feet in height: their slopes were well timbered, and watered by 
 numerous streams, whose course was marked by fertile valleys. 
 While gazing at this interesting scenery through our glasses, our 
 
A WILD-BOAR HUNT.— 1 TA-TOONG. 
 
 531 
 
 attention was suddenly distracted by some remarkable evolutions 
 on the part of the Dove. She had begun to pirouette in mid¬ 
 stream in a manner quite unaccountable, until we made out the 
 signal “ wild pig.” We then discovered that she was engaged in 
 an exciting wild-boar hunt. She succeeded in lowering a boat 
 and capturing the grisly monster before he could reach the bank, 
 and hoisted in her prize with great triumph. His long wiry hair, 
 gleaming tusks, and bristling mane were undeniable evidence of 
 his savage character, even had he not shown sufficient ferocity in 
 his endeavors to avenge himself on his pursuers to put the matter 
 beyond a doubt. We afterward found in his head a piece de re¬ 
 sistance, which was a most valuable and palatable addition to our 
 larder. No sooner was the boar disposed of than we observed a 
 number of porpoises disporting themselves in the muddy stream. 
 Our time, however, did not admit of our attempting the capture 
 of any of these u river pigs,” as they are called by the Chinese. 
 
 Looking southward across the island, we observed the houses 
 of Ta-toong, an imperialist position, but closely invested by the 
 rebels, whose flags we could see flying from the hills immediately 
 in rear. 
 
 Lord Amherst’s party were detained here by contrary winds 
 for four days, and had therefore a good opportunity of exploring 
 the surrounding country. As we were denied any such advant¬ 
 age, I quote a few lines of Mr. Ellis’s description of the neighbor¬ 
 hood. “I had a delightful walk,” he says, “through this truly 
 romantic country. All the valleys are highly cultivated with 
 wheat, rice, cotton, and beans ; the houses substantial, and shaded 
 by trees, some of a very large size, in growth resembling the oak. 
 The leaf is forked, and I believe the tree itself is of the maple spe¬ 
 cies. Pudding-stone and sandstone composed the greater part of 
 the hills we crossed to-day. They are all in a rapid state of dis¬ 
 integration. Great varieties of the oak have been observed here. 
 We have called the jagged lofty mountains the Organ Pipes, from 
 their resemblance to those at Rio Janeiro. The soil of the hills is 
 poor and gravelly, adapted for little else but woodland. We have 
 remarked several plantations of the pinaster. We observed great 
 varieties of the fern. The oak plantations are kept very low, the 
 twigs being used for fire-wood: bundles of oak bark were exposed 
 for sale in the market, employed, I believe, as by us, in tanning. 
 The dried broad leaf of the nelumbrium serves as fuel to the low- 
 
532 
 
 OUR PILOT.—CULTIVATION. 
 
 er orders, many of whom we saw returning to their homes with 
 heaps of it.” 
 
 I observed from the deck some beautiful effects of coloring in 
 the foliage, the dark green of what appeared a species of Scotch 
 hr contrasting charmingly with the varied tints of the maple, or 
 the deep red of the fading leaves of the tallow-tree. 
 
 Our pilot proves quite a character, most communicative and 
 anxious to impart information, but how far it is to be relied upon 
 remains a question. He certainly is not to be depended on in the 
 capacity for which we had engaged him; but he made up for his 
 deficiency in this respect by self-sufficiency and quiet impudence, 
 becoming, nevertheless, highly excited whenever we touched the 
 bottom, as upon these occasions he considers that his head is in 
 danger for getting us into a scrape. He has already made friends 
 with sundry sailors, frequents much the stoke-hole upon cold 
 mornings, and appears on deck in a pair of long woolen stock¬ 
 ings, which have been served out to him from the ship’s stores. 
 Cigars,are his especial weakness, and, in order to enjoy them, he 
 perches himself in the chains like a monkey, and smokes in a 
 sybaritic manner, expressive of keen enjoyment. Altogether, he 
 considers that he has performed his functions as a pilot if, after 
 we have got aground, he emerges from some place of concealment, 
 and tells Captain Osborn that at this place the water is not deep, 
 the proper channel being quite in another direction, which he does 
 not venture to specify, but disappears again to finish his cigar, 
 and contemplate the consequences to himself of our unpleasant 
 situation. 
 
 This worthy now informs me that the principal staples of cul¬ 
 tivation in this district are wheat, cotton, millet, potatoes, rice, and 
 hemp. In the neighborhood of Toong-lew, a city at which we 
 are to arrive to-morrow, they grow tea of an ordinary description, 
 which is sold at tenpence a pound. Tobacco is also grown at a 
 place some distance inland. There is no silk cultivated in this 
 neighborhood. The pilot states that he himself was employed in 
 the junks which transported grain for the annual supply of Pekin 
 prior to the demolition of part of the Grand Canal and the occu¬ 
 pation of the river by the rebels. He holds the rebels in supreme 
 aversion and contempt; “not only,” he says, “do they not shave 
 the head, but call each other brother and sister, not distinguishing 
 the generations.” I remarked that it must be difficult to distin- 
 
MANDARIN VISITORS.—CHARACTER OF THE RIVER BANKS. 533 
 
 guish between rebels from choice and those who are under com¬ 
 pulsion. He said that the length of the hair was a very fair cri¬ 
 terion. The imperialists know how long a place had been in rebel 
 occupation, and those people whose hair did not correspond in 
 length to the period of time were generally regarded as old rebels. 
 
 As we passed the end of the long island where the Ta-toong 
 branch enters the main stream, we observed two official boats, 
 each decorated with four gaudy flags, and propelled by twelve 
 rowers, standing with their faces to the prow, making toward us. 
 We accordingly eased our speed, and discovered them to be two 
 fifth-grade mandarins (crystal buttons), who came on board. 
 They announced themselves as emissaries of Wang and Le, com¬ 
 manding the imperial troops and fleet at Ta-toong, and who were 
 desirous now of presenting their compliments to the great foreign 
 chief, and of making an offer of their services. We gave them 
 some sherry, which they swallowed with very wry faces. They 
 had evidently never seen a European, much less a four hundred 
 horse-power steam-frigate before, and could scarcely deliver them¬ 
 selves of their message, so rapt were they in contemplation of 
 surrounding objects. The pilot at once commenced expatiating 
 to them on the wonders of the barbarian ship, remarking that he 
 had attained the age of thirty-one, and was only now beginning 
 to have his eyes opened. 
 
 Near Ta-toong begins the Meikan Lake, or rather Lagoon, sep¬ 
 arated from the river by a narrow strip of land, and extending 
 parallel to it for about thirty miles. At Wang-chea-tan, an im¬ 
 perial port, which we passed on the north bank, we observed a 
 creek filled with small junks, and shortly after encountered a large 
 fleet of them. Those whom we hailed told us their cargo consist¬ 
 ed of paper. They had emerged from some creek in imperialist 
 occupation on the south shore, and were now on their way up a 
 small tributary into districts not infested by rebels. They were 
 the first trading junks we had seen since entering the river, and 
 the white sails dotted over the broad stream imparted to it an un¬ 
 usual air of animation. 
 
 The north bank of the river is more uniformly flat than the 
 south. The range is generally more distant. The intervening 
 country seems thickly, but by no means densely populated: the 
 people collect into small hamlets, each with its clump of willow 
 or other trees. 
 
534 
 
 AN IMPERIALIST FLEET. 
 
 Before reaching Ch e-chow the stream again divided, we follow¬ 
 ing, as usual, the northern branch, while Lord Amherst’s part}- 
 took that called Ma Show-ja, leading past Che-chow, which im¬ 
 portant city was visible in the distance, a handsome seven-storied 
 pagoda indicating its position from afar. 
 
 The town itself lies among hills; it is a district city, and one 
 of the strongly-fortified positions of the insurgents, under the 
 command of Wei-che-Suen, one of their high officers. 
 
 The view from our airy perch in the cross-trees this afternoon 
 was singularly beautiful. We had exchanged the southern range, 
 which usually skirted the river, for the northern, which now ap¬ 
 proached it abruptly. In this direction the hills rose in undulat¬ 
 ing masses, overtopping each other, till a bold, irregular outline 
 of soft dark blue closed the prospect. Small lakes glittered like 
 gems in the hollows; and over the bright foliage of the woods in 
 which they were embosomed the setting sun shed a yet brighter 
 glow—farms, and hamlets, and green fields gave a domestic char¬ 
 acter to the scenery—and, as we gazed over it, we found it diffi¬ 
 cult to believe that a country which nature had clothed in such 
 warm and cheerful colors, and invested with so many attractions, 
 should be the theatre which men had chosen for the display of 
 all the worst passions of which human nature is capable. Yet so 
 it proved, and the very accident of war contributed another and 
 most picturesque feature to the scene. 
 
 A large imperial fleet was assembled at the mouth of a river, 
 which we could discern winding among the hills, occasionally ex¬ 
 panding into a lake, then twisting away like a silver thread. 
 
 This fleet was composed of fifty handsome war-junks, filled 
 with soldiers in bright uniforms, and gay with flaunting flags; 
 fluttering above one alone, I counted no fewer than twenty-one 
 flags, all of different colors and devices. Some of the junks were 
 of more than usually quaint construction, elaborately ornamented, 
 carrying six and eight brass guns on a side, and propelled by 
 sweeps. As it was now sundown, we anchored amid this gay 
 throng: when we had furpished the charming landscape with 
 this brilliant and novel foreground, the scene altogether was so 
 fanciful and unreal, that, when the curtain of night shrouded it 
 from our view, we might have imagined that the play was over, 
 and that it only now remained to scramble out of the theatre, call 
 a hansom, and go home to bed. 
 
A VISIT TO THE COMMODORE. 
 
 535 
 
 The absence of beef reminded ns of the stern realities of our 
 situation. Messrs. Wade and Lay, therefore, went on board the 
 one from which the greatest number of pennons were flying, and 
 which might not unnaturally be supposed to be the “flag junk,” 
 in search of an admiral. They found only a commodore: Ad¬ 
 miral Yang, it appeared, who, we understand, was at Ta-toong, 
 had gone on to Nankin to superintend operations against the 
 rebels. The commodore promised beef before daylight without 
 fail. We had no doubt of its existence, as we had observed large 
 herds of cattle at pasture on the north bank. It appeared that 
 the fleet was from the province of Hoopeh; that the river at the 
 mouth of which we were now anchored was called the Tsung- 
 yang-ho, and that the town of Tsung-yang was situated among 
 the hills five miles distant. 
 
 We thus terminated a long and interesting day. The distance 
 made was satisfactory, the water had been deep, some of the 
 reaches magnificent, and the scenery, on the whole, beyond our 
 expectations. 
 
 2 6th. The beef never made its appearance after all: the early 
 morning hours were too valuable to waste in waiting for it, so we 
 were once more en route a little after daylight. I counted alto¬ 
 gether anchored on both sides of the river, a little above Tsung- 
 yang, two hundred and fifty war-junks, flying defiant flags, and 
 well manned. 
 
 We soon pass the Tai-tse-kee rock, rising out of the centre of 
 the river but a very few feet above its waters, upon which, never¬ 
 theless, are still visible the ruined walls of an old temple. A few 
 hundred yards beyond it is the 48-chang, or 180-yards’ passage. 
 The river is here barred more than half across its width by rocks 
 which rise out of it like stepping-stones. It is called the Lan- 
 kan-ke, or “Bar-river-hen,” and derives its name from the follow¬ 
 ing legend, as graphically narrated to us by our communicative 
 pilot: 
 
 “In former days the scenery at this place was very beautiful 
 and romantic, gigantic rocks being strewn over the surface of the 
 country. One day a bonze saw in a dream a quarrel arise between 
 the beneficent spirits of the air and those who resided in the rocks. 
 The presiding spirit of these was a rock in the form of a hen; and 
 the result of the quarrel was, that, to give vent to their spleen, the 
 rock-spirits determined to block up the passage of the river. In 
 
536 
 
 APPROACH TO NGAN-KING. 
 
 pursuance of this ill-natured design, off started the hen-rock, fol¬ 
 lowed by all the rocks in her train, when the priest awoke, and, 
 perceiving what was occurring, with infinite presence of mind 
 commenced crowing like a cock. This so fascinated the leading 
 hen-rock that her progress was arrested in mid-channel, on which 
 the goddess Kwan-yin was invoked; then the people subscribed 
 together, and while the hen-rock was thus enthralled by the well- 
 sustained crowing of the priest, they succeeded in cutting her head 
 off: this effectually checked the progress of herself and attendant 
 rocks, and there they remain to this day.” 
 
 To avoid this dangerous pass, a cutting has been made on the 
 southern bank through a corner called No-yang-ho. We, how¬ 
 ever, found deep water and a safe channel close under the oppo¬ 
 site shore. Before reaching Ngan-king the river divides, leaving 
 numerous broad islands, which are flat and extensively cultivated, 
 and well supplied with cattle. We observed green grass spread 
 over the young crops to protect them from the frost. As we heard 
 occasional heavy firing going on ahead, I went up to the cross- 
 trees, and could perceive from them the rebel and imperialist 
 troops skirmishing in the distance. Columns of black smoke ris¬ 
 ing in various directions proved to us that the work of destruc¬ 
 tion was progressing, and that houses and villages were being re¬ 
 duced to ashes far and wide. Presently we open Ngan-king, the 
 capital city of Ngan-hwui, with its handsome eight-storied pagoda 
 rising out of a substantially-built isolated stone fort, and massive 
 walls skirting the river, giving the city quite an. imposing ap¬ 
 pearance. 
 
 Biding along the shore, and keeping up with us as we steamed 
 against the strong current, was an imperialist officer, apparently 
 of high rank—for he rode a handsome white horse, decorated 
 with gay trappings, and was accompanied by ten or twelve horse¬ 
 men, well armed and appointed. It seemed that the government 
 troops had received notice of our approach, and had determined 
 to take advantage of it, in order to make a grand attack upon 
 Ngan-king, the advanced rebel position up the river, and strongly 
 garrisoned by them. The mounted mandarin was evidently a 
 general making a reconnoissance, for he did not venture within 
 .gunshot of the fort, but galloped back, seemingly well satisfied 
 with his achievement. 
 
 The Lee is leading the way, sounding for a channel; we are fol- 
 
WE ENGAGE THE FORTS.—THEY ARE ATTACKED IN REAR. 537 
 
 lowing cautiously, when puff spurts a little cloud of white smoke 
 from one of the embrasures, and a shot comes singing along over 
 the water, but the elevation is deficient, and it falls into it within 
 twenty yards of its mark. However, the direction was good, and 
 this style of reception demands an immediate rejoinder. It is 
 evident that the news of the Nankin episode has not yet reached 
 Ngan-king; indeed, we knew that it was impossible that it could 
 have done so; and as we anticipated a farther act of folly at this 
 end of the rebel position, our decks were cleared for action, and 
 the men stood ready at their guns. The smoke of the first shot 
 had not cleared away from the muzzle of the gun before the well- 
 known flag which heads the list of British signals was flying from 
 our mast-head, and the Furious, Cruiser, Dove, and Lee had open¬ 
 ed in full chorus. The brave garrison just stuck to their gum 
 long enough to fire three times more, and then from my look-out 
 I could see them running like rats out of the fort into the open 
 country in rear of it. Here, however, they found themselves in 
 a dilemma; for the imperialists had descended from the heights 
 behind, and, plucking up courage, were now advancing in light 
 skirmishing order over the open plain, with the evident intention 
 of attacking the fort in rear. They scarcely calculated upon find¬ 
 ing the whole garrison out upon the plain to meet them. We 
 could see the rebels hastily running together, and forming under 
 hedgerows, and the imperialists, afraid to advance, waving banners 
 and firing at them at incredible distances with gingalls. 
 
 At this time the general effect was in the highest degree excit¬ 
 ing and picturesque. The hurrying of bodies of men to and fro 
 over the fields—the waving of flags and firing of gingalls—the 
 thunder of our own heavy guns—the groups of country people 
 hastening across the drawbridge into the city for refuge, stagger¬ 
 ing under heavy loads, and driving cattle before them—the smoke 
 of their burning homes rising up to the cloudless sky—all com¬ 
 bined to form a scene to gaze upon which, as it lay mapped out 
 beneath, must have stirred the heart and sent the blood tingling 
 through the veins of the most unimpassioned nature. 
 
 It is so seldom that we experience emotions which unite in 
 themselves at one and the same moment the highest amount of 
 aesthetic and animal excitement. When Madame de Stael said, 
 “Pour bien gouter la nature il faut ou l’amour, ou la religion,” 
 she had not tried the effect of “la guerre.” Our fire only lasted 
 
588 
 
 TACTICS OF THE IMPERIALISTS. 
 
 for ten minutes; we did not care to deface the ornamented exte¬ 
 rior of the pagoda, or expend our moorsom shells upon empty bat¬ 
 teries. Moreover, as the imperialists had not the pluck to run into 
 the deserted fort when we had cleared it for them, they deserved 
 to lose it; so we ceased firing, and steamed gently under the city 
 walls, and before we had passed them saw the fort reoccupied by 
 the original tenants. 
 
 Some of Lord Amherst’s party visited this pagoda, and describe 
 it as being in good repair, with a handsome marble obelisk in the 
 basement story containing the heart of a celebrated warrior. As 
 a good many of our shot struck the pagoda, the obelisk may have 
 suffered, if the iconoclastic propensities of the rebels have not al¬ 
 ready led them to regard this monument in the light of a sacred 
 emblem. It was fortunate for us that the effect which our fire, 
 short as it was, had created, prevented the rebels from firing at us 
 from the city walls; for the deep channel led us within fifty or 
 sixty yards of them, and we seemed to look into the muzzles of 
 the guns as we passed before them; but the batteries here, too, 
 were partially deserted, and I could look down upon bare places 
 in the city, where groups were collected, half uncertain as to our 
 intentions; and here and there soldiers ran crouching along the 
 walls, not caring to be seen by us. 
 
 Just as we reached the last angle, and were congratulating our¬ 
 selves upon our good luck, two guns were fired upon us in rapid 
 succession, and at rather close quarters. This was a piece of ab¬ 
 surd impertinence, which involved another ten minutes’ bombard¬ 
 ment as a punishment. It came upon them too hot and strong to 
 admit even of a third shot. The battery was speedily silenced, 
 and, after trying our range at some of the most imposing-looking 
 public buildings in the centre of the town, and bursting a shell or 
 two in the streets by way of a warning, we left Ngan-king behind 
 us, and with it got clear of the last strong-hold of our not very 
 agreeable friends the rebels. On this side of the city, as on the 
 other, country people were running in before the advancing im¬ 
 perialists. These latter are concentrating on this city and on Man- 
 kin all their energies, as they are on the extreme right and left of 
 the rebel position, and provincial cities. Though finely situated, 
 and surrounded by a well-built wall, the city is not so extensive 
 or populous in appearance as most towns of its class. I observed, 
 nevertheless, several handsome substantial houses and yamuns. 
 
THEIR TREATMENT OF THE PEASANTRY. 
 
 539 
 
 The suburbs had all been leveled, and presented a lamentable ap¬ 
 pearance of desolation. Mr. Ellis, who explored the city in 1816, 
 says the shops were not so good as at Woohoo, and the streets 
 were unusually narrow. The best shops were those for the sale 
 of horn lanterns and porcelain. “There would,” he remarks, 
 “ have been little difficulty in laying out a large sum in curiosities 
 of all kinds, such as necklaces, old china, agate cups, vases, orna¬ 
 ments of corundum and other stones, curious specimens of carved 
 work in wood and metal.” 
 
 Not long after leaving Ngan-king we passed another imperial 
 fleet of upward of two hundred junks at anchor. We also ob¬ 
 served the country people flitting, and upon asking the pilot the 
 reason of this, he said that doubtless the noise of our bombard¬ 
 ment had led them to suppose that the city would be captured, 
 and a horde of rebels be let loose upon the country to rob and 
 plunder. 
 
 It must not be inferred from this that the insurgents are the 
 only people addicted to these vices. I have already described 
 the country people as flying into Ngan-king before the imperial¬ 
 ist troops. The unhappy peasantry are indeed the victims of the 
 lawless propensities of both sides. Indifferent to either, and de¬ 
 siring only peace and quiet, they are pillaged first by one and 
 then the other ; and in the case of cities, the imperialists, on driv¬ 
 ing out the rebels, generally complete the work which these latter 
 have left half finished. 
 
 We were now cheered by the sight of occasional trading-junks, 
 and passed several collected at the villages of Ilong-tse-kee and 
 Wang-tse-kee, on the south side. At the latter point, red clay 
 bluffs, at the base of which large boulders of rock are strewn, ap¬ 
 proach the river. 
 
 From the cross-trees we saw a vast expanse of water at some 
 distance from the river, on the north bank. This lagoon extends 
 from Ngan-king for a distance of upward of thirty miles parallel 
 with the river, varying in breadth from one to five or six miles. 
 It is known under various names. Behind it high ranges of 
 mountains are visible. In parts the country was park-like, the 
 woods being dotted over it in thick clumps. On the south bank 
 the hills are lower, and wooded, concealing small lakes in their re¬ 
 cesses. Altogether, it seemed as though the combination of moor 
 and loch, wood, marsh, and cultivated ground, should afford abun¬ 
 dant and varied sport. 
 
540 
 
 TOONG-LEW. 
 
 The city of Toong-lew is charmingly situated on the south bank. 
 The houses are overtopped by two pagodas. One of eight stories 
 stands close to the river; the other is built on an eminence some 
 distance inland. The town is of no great extent, and is surround¬ 
 ed by a wall which dips and rises over the undulating ground, 
 and finally descends to the water of a lake which half encircles 
 the town, and is fringed with trees. As we looked into it from 
 aloft we saw acres of charred ruins, the traces of rebel occupation; 
 they, however, merely contented themselves with burning a great 
 part of the city, and then evacuated it after holding it for a very 
 short time. A plain half a mile broad separates it from the river. 
 This was soon thickly dotted with human beings, as the people 
 observed us anchor before their city, and came running to the 
 shore to gaze at us. We procured from them some fowls and 
 other minor additions to our stock. Our day’s run had exceeded 
 fifty miles, so that we were well pleased with our progress. Some 
 of the reaches along which we had passed, carrying plenty of wa¬ 
 ter, were ten miles in length, and between one and two in breadth, 
 without a bend. We are daily more impressed with the capabil¬ 
 ities of this mighty stream. 
 
A FORAGING EXPEDITION.—OUR PILOT ROMANCES. 541 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 A foraging Expedition.—Our Pilot romances.—Grandeur of the Scenery.—The 
 “Little Orphan Rock.”—A windy Locality.—Entrance to the Poyang Lake.— 
 Legend of the “Orphan Rocks.”—Floods of the Yang-tse.—Method of accounting 
 for them.—Rural Statistics.—Appearance of the Women.—Geographical Features 
 of the Country—The Valley of the Yang-tse.—Kew-kiang.—A Survey of its Re¬ 
 sources.—Villages on the Banks.—Magnificent Scenery.—Depredations of the 
 Nee-fei.—We land at Hwang-shih-kang.—Its commercial Activity.—White Tor¬ 
 toise Island.—Enter the Province of Hoopeh.—The Fhilosopher Laoutz’.—The 
 “White Tiger Mills.’’—An unsatisfactory Dialogue.—Approach Hankow. 
 
 October 27. Weighed early from Toong-lew. The mountains 
 on the southern bank now increase in height, but we had hardly 
 begun to enjoy the scenery when we went aground on a sand¬ 
 bank. While they were trying to get the ship off we landed on 
 a foraging expedition, and succeeded in procuring four bullocks. 
 The country was flat, and the soil light and sandy. Small farms 
 were dotted about; and carts drawn by buffaloes, ridden instead 
 of driven, creaked across it. 
 
 The country people told us that not very long since the reb¬ 
 els had overrun their district, and they had been obliged to fly. 
 They were all armed, and many bore on their breasts the inscrip¬ 
 tion “Valiant,” signifying that they were enrolled in the militia. 
 Some of the young men had been kidnapped by the rebels, and 
 one of them, who had escaped from their clutches, was pointed out 
 to us. 
 
 We took our pilot ashore with us, which alarmed him greatly, 
 as he supposed that we were going to inflict some description of 
 summary punishment upon him for running us aground. When, 
 however, he discovered that we only required him to bargain for 
 bullocks, he recovered his composure, and was soon imparting, 
 with much animated action, to a group of admiring countrymen, 
 a very highly-embellished narrative of our late action at Xgan- 
 king. With our heroic performances on that occasion he was 
 careful to identify himself. “You should have seen how we 
 gave it to them,” he said ; “ how our shot told, and how big our 
 shot was ; why, it would have taken three such blessed old fools 
 
542 
 
 GRANDEUR OF THE SCENERY. 
 
 as you to lift one of them.” This was said to a respectable mid¬ 
 dle-aged man, who was sucking a pipe and staring incredulously 
 at the narrator. It turned the laugh in his favor. 
 
 As some of our party had discovered a lake a short distance in¬ 
 land, we started off to explore it. We found it covered with wa¬ 
 ter-fowl. Pelicans, wild swans, geese, ducks, besides cranes, her¬ 
 ons, and a number of feathered bipeds unknown to me, cackled, 
 fluttered, and stalked about, making a great racket. Unfortu¬ 
 nately, we were a large and somewhat noisy party, and they were 
 very shy. A rash shot sent them all wheeling into the air with 
 loud cries, and they continued to circle and scream overhead, to 
 see whether we would go away; and, finding us stationary, tailed 
 off in long strings to some more secure retreat. 
 
 I prosecuted my explorations with two companions, and, cross¬ 
 ing a low ridge, came upon a farm which rejoiced in the descrip¬ 
 tive name of Hwa-yuen-chin, or “ The Flower-garden Station.” 
 It was situated on the margin of a great lagoon, about two miles 
 broad, and of unknown length, called by the natives Ta-hoo, or 
 “The Lake” par excellence. Here I shot a brace of fine ducks; 
 one of them, however, was only wounded, and gave us a long 
 chase in a punt, which we opportunely found and appropriated. 
 The water was nowhere more than six or eight feet in depth. 
 
 We were told that the light sandy soil retained the heat of the 
 sun in summer, making it almost impossible for the people to 
 work in their fields during the heat of the day. Even now, late 
 in November, the midday sun was formidable, though the nights 
 and mornings were absolutely cold. The ship got off about 4 P. 
 M., but remained at anchor for the night. 
 
 28 th. Weighed early. The morning was mild at sunrise, but 
 shortly after a regular northeast gale set in, bitterly cold, and very 
 strong. The scenery upon the south shore assumed a character 
 of grandeur, surpassing any thing we had hitherto seen. The 
 mountains came boldly down to the water’s edge, projecting into 
 the river in rocky promontories or precipitous bluffs. The most 
 striking of these is the Ma-toong-shan, which, however, as we fol¬ 
 lowed a northern channel, we only saw at a distance. The gale 
 now blew furiously, obscuring the atmosphere with clouds of 
 dust. This haziness, and the general blackness of the weather, 
 invested our approach to the gorge of Seaou-koo-shan with quite 
 an imposing effect. The Cruiser, with top-gallant-masts struck, 
 
THE “LITTLE ORPHAN ROCK.” 
 
 543 
 
 it, to a height of near three hundred feet. The mountain opposite, 
 called Chin-tse-shan, or the “Mirror Mountain,” rises in a sheer 
 mass from the river margin, and is crowned by walls running 
 along the brink of precipices, and towers perched on dizzy pin¬ 
 nacles of rock. Part of this fortification is the work of the rebels. 
 A Buddhist temple has been built, or rather let into the face of 
 the Orphan Rock, like a piece of enamel, about midway between 
 the base and the summit. It is approached by steps hewn out of 
 the rock, and presents a most striking and picturesque aspect. 
 Mr. Ellis, who visited this temple, says that a paper was brought 
 to him by the priests stating that the temple had been endowed 
 by the emperor’s mother. Junks usually stop here to make offer¬ 
 ings to propitiate the local deity. We observed an inscription 
 
 lay over to the blast; the two little gun-boats, scarcely visible 
 ahead, seemed plunging into the depths of some infernal region, 
 the gigantic portals of which loomed indistinctly through the 
 mist. Presently we found ourselves forcing our way between 
 two lofty masses of rock, in a channel scarce a quarter of a mile 
 in width, and fifteen or sixteen fathoms deep. 
 
 The Seaou-koo-shan, or “Little Orphan Rock,” rises precipi-. 
 tously out of the midst of the waves, which were dashing against 
 
 The Seaou-koo-shan (Yang-tse-kiang). 
 
544 
 
 A WINDY LOCALITY. 
 
 upon a smooth part of the rock, conspicuously placed, and which 
 Mr. Wade imagined to be a quotation. It was as follows: 
 
 “ Green hill by the river, 
 
 From the extremity of its bend, one beholds thee.” 
 
 This pass marks the boundary between the provinces of Ngan- 
 liwui and Kiang-si. 
 
 We now enter this latter province, described in the Chinese 
 Repository as one spacious valley, comprising an area of 72,176 
 square miles, or about equal to the State of Virginia, with a popu¬ 
 lation of more than twenty-three million of souls. The first place 
 on it at which we arrive is Pang-tse, picturesquely situated among 
 the hills. The few buildings that remain of a town, never very 
 extensive, are surrounded by a wall, which incloses as well a vast 
 area of barren hill and valley. The object of those who planned 
 the wall seems to have been to carry it to the top of the highest 
 hills, and over ridges so steep that they were of themselves a de¬ 
 fense. 
 
 As the wind increased almost to a hurricane this afternoon, we 
 came to an anchor at 2 P.M. at a spot where a very disagreeable 
 bar of sand rendered caution necessary. We were led to believe 
 that gales such as the one we were now experiencing were com¬ 
 mon in this locality, from the numerous sand dunes which we ob¬ 
 served upon the southern bank, and which presented a remarkable 
 contrast to the green knolls and wooded mountains which usually 
 rose from it. 
 
 29 th. The thermometer early this morning fell for the first 
 time to two degrees below freezing. It was found necessary to 
 buoy the channel ahead, and the wind having moderated, we 
 weighed, and carried three fathoms of water across the bar. The 
 gale of yesterday seems to have cleared the air, for the day is 
 beautiful, and enables us to appreciate the magnificent scenery 
 which opens upon us as we approach the entry to the Poyang 
 hake. The channel connecting this extensive sheet of water 
 with the great river is about three miles long and one broad. 
 On its eastern shore, at the point of junction, Hoo-kow, the “City 
 of the Lake’s Mouth,” is perched upon the precipitous rock called 
 Tsa-chee, or the “Jagged Head,” opposite to which the majestic 
 Lew-shan, or “Mule” Mountain, rears its imposing crest to a 
 height of 5000 feet. Pising out of the waters of the lake in soli- 
 tary grandeur, we could discern in the distance the Takoo-shan, 
 
ENTKANCE TO THE POYANG LAKE.—LEGEND. 
 
 545 
 
 Entrance to the Poyang Lake. 
 
 or Great Orphan Rock. These romantic scenes, and the associa¬ 
 tions connected with them, have rendered them the frequent sub¬ 
 jects of poetic celebration among the people. 
 
 Our pilot, who is a great legend-monger, gave us the follow¬ 
 ing account of the origin of the Takoo-shan: A fisherman once 
 dropped his anchor under Seaou-koo-shan, or the Little Orphan 
 Rock, and could not find it again, so he applied to a priest to help 
 him. The priest gave him an invocation, which he was to place 
 upon his forehead, and then dive for his anchor. The spell suc¬ 
 ceeded to a miracle; not only did he discover his lost anchor, but 
 a charming river-nymph as well, who had chosen it for her couch. 
 At first he stood entranced at so fair a vision; then, regaining his 
 presence of mind, he determined on preserving a memento of it, 
 and gently abstracting a tiny shoe from the fascinating crushed 
 foot of this Chinese Naiad, he ascended to the surface with his 
 anchor. But the lady, probably roused by finding herself dis¬ 
 possessed of her iron bedstead, discovered the loss of her shoe, 
 and instantly started in pursuit. Notwithstanding that a stern 
 chase is usually a long chase, the fisherman was rapidly losing 
 ground, when he bethought himself of altering the position of the 
 sails, so as to mislead his fair pursuer as to the direction he was 
 taking, the stem and stern of his junk being alike. This device, 
 
 M M 
 
546 
 
 FLOODS OF THE YANG-TSE. 
 
 however, though it originated an entirely new rig upon the river, 
 failed, and he was ultimately so hard pressed that he was obliged 
 to throw the shoe overboard at the mouth of the Poyang Lake: 
 and on the spot arose the solitary rock called Takoo-shan, or 
 sometimes Sheae-koo-shan, or the Shoe Hill, ever after. 
 
 The navigation at this point was in the highest degree intri¬ 
 cate : the mass of water pouring out of the lake, and meeting the 
 swift current of the river, formed whirlpools and eddies, known in 
 China as “chow-chow” water, and, what we dreaded more, shoals 
 and bars in every direction. 
 
 We had not advanced ten miles from our last night’s anchorage 
 before we found ourselves hard and fast upon one of these pro¬ 
 voking impediments. Hot that delays of this character were to 
 be altogether regretted, as they gave us opportunities of landing 
 and exploring the country. The ship had not been on shore ten 
 minutes before we followed its example, and were straggling far 
 and wide, some of us in search of game, others of information, and 
 others, again, of bullocks and fowls. 
 
 We had landed on the north bank, and the country stretched 
 away, in one unbroken level, to a range of hills just visible in the 
 distance. Herds of buffaloes were grazing upon the pastures, 
 numbers of them bestridden by urchins, who, seated upon the 
 backs of these ungainly animals, tended the herd, presenting, as 
 they did so, a most singular appearance. A levee extended along 
 the river-bank to keep its waters from overflowing the country 
 in rear, and upon it the peasantry had built an almost continuous 
 row of mean cottages, the roofs and walls of which were of reeds. 
 Here and there a stone building had been erected as a rebel post, 
 or as a house of entertainment by some enterprising speculator. 
 A dread of floods operated as the chief inducement to putting up 
 tenements of so unsubstantial a character, many of the owners 
 having farms on the hills, to which they repaired during the 
 rains. They asserted that the river occasionally rose a hundred 
 feet. We were contented to believe, however, our own observa¬ 
 tion, and the marks we perceived convinced us that fifty feet 
 above its then level was a low estimate for its summer rise. Here 
 the current had evidently rushed violently over the face of the 
 country, devastating an immense area of cultivated or pasture 
 land by depositing upon it great quantities of sand. 
 
 It would appear that ultimately the waters only partially re- 
 
METHOD OF ACCOUNTING FOR THEM.—INN. 
 
 547 
 
 cede, leaving vast tracts covered with those lagoons and marshes 
 which we continued to observe on both banks of the river. Dur¬ 
 ing the dry season a considerable subsidence takes place, and the 
 channels by which their surplus waters were discharged into the 
 river dry up. The consequence is, that, after partial rains, all those 
 mountain torrents which would, under other circumstances, go to 
 swell the waters of the parent stream, get absorbed in the lakes 
 at the base of the hills, and, unless the rain is of sufficient duration 
 to overflow them, the river receives no additional supply. Mean¬ 
 time the great evaporation which must take place from so large a 
 surface of water renders the rise of the lakes comparatively slow. 
 This would appear the only way of accounting for the fact that, 
 although partial rises do occur in the river, they are not so com¬ 
 mon as the humidity of the climate would lead one to anticipate. 
 In all probability, it will he found, however, that these rises occur 
 more frequently below the Poyang Lake than above it. This 
 may be presumed from the fact that the waters which supply the 
 Poyang, rising in lower latitudes, are not subject to those frosts, 
 and are more readily thawed than the upper tributaries of the 
 river, and that, consequently, the volume of water discharged from 
 the lake varies in amount to a much greater extent than that 
 which flows down to meet it. 
 
 But the violence of the river was not more dreaded by the un¬ 
 happy peasantry than that of the rebels: when they were not 
 flooded out by the one, they were burnt out by the other. But 
 a few months had elapsed since the “ pests” had scoured this dis¬ 
 trict, and had burnt all the houses for fuel. As one of the peas¬ 
 antry pathetically remarked when he told us of it—“Ah! those 
 were sad times!” 
 
 We entered a small brick cottage, on the door-post of which 
 the owner had signified that it was a house of entertainment for 
 travelers, and found that it was divided into two small rooms and 
 one large one. In the latter were straw beds on the ground, in 
 which eight or ten travelers might have been closely packed. 
 The owner informed us that he possessed three acres of land, pro¬ 
 ducing various descriptions of pulse and grain, which he showed 
 us, and for which he paid government a ground-rent of 35. 6h. 
 He exported his produce to the neighboring districts. 
 
 Close to the inn was a village school, in which there were only 
 eight pupils. The schoolmaster told us that he got eight strings 
 
548 
 
 APPEARANCE OE THE WOMEN.—PA-LE-KIANG. 
 
 of cash, or about nine shillings a year, per pupil, but that many 
 of the country people were too poor to avail themselves of the 
 privilege, and sent their children to tend cattle instead. 
 
 Passing another cottage, we detected the fumes of opium, and 
 on entering found two men smoking tobacco; but a light gleam¬ 
 ing through a crevice from an inner compartment betrayed the 
 secret occupation of the inmate, and on looking in, we found him 
 stretched comfortably on his side, frizzling the opium through a 
 flame into his pipe in the most approved manner. So absorbed 
 was he in the enjoyment of “ kief” that he scarcely condescended 
 to notice us, though we must have presented a very unexpected 
 and startling apparition. His comrades asked us what we had to 
 sell, evidently inferring, from the interest we displayed in the 
 consumption of the “ drug,” that we had some of it to dispose of. 
 
 We did not see many women; those who did favor us with a 
 sight of their countenances might certainly have spared us that 
 treat. I think I never saw the fair sex under a less attractive 
 exterior. 
 
 It was at this point that Lord Amherst’s mission left the Great 
 River, taking the route to Canton by way of the Poyang Lake, 
 which gave rise to the following parting reflection, to be found in 
 Mr. Ellis’s Journal: “In vain will the patriot look for kindred 
 feelings—in vain will the man of honor look for a friend, and still 
 more in vain would amiable woman look for a companion on the 
 banks of the Yang-tse-kiang.” So far as our experience went, 
 this latter sentiment was as true of “ amiable” man. 
 
 The village we had been exploring was called Pa-le-kiang, or 
 the Eight-le-river, and is the spot from which travelers journeying 
 south usually cross the Ta-kiang. Pere Hue, who traveled over¬ 
 land from Woochang, struck it at this point, and crossed to Hoo- 
 kow. 
 
 In a geographical point of view, the section of the river which 
 traverses this corner of Kiang-si is perhaps the most interesting. 
 We had now ascended the Ta-kiang for a distance of four hund¬ 
 red and fifty miles, and had only just reached its first real afflu¬ 
 ent ; for, with the exception of the Tsung-yang River, all those 
 tributaries marked as such in the map turned out to be ditches 
 almost dry in the winter time. But here the great river meets a 
 feeder worthy of it. In a single deep rolling tide the Poyang 
 Lake discharges into it the whole drainage of the vast province 
 
THE VALLEY OF THE YANG-TSE. 
 
 549 
 
 of Kiang-si. Surrounded on all sides by lofty ranges, the north¬ 
 ern barrier of this lake must at some former period have proved 
 the feeblest, and given egress to the accumulated waters through 
 this gorge. 
 
 As though to meet this important accession, the Ta-kiang takes 
 that southern bend which forms one of the most marked features 
 of its course. In forming this curve it has been compelled to 
 force its passage through the Ma-tze-shan, or “ Horse’s Spine” 
 range, which forms part of the western boundary of Kiang-si, di¬ 
 viding that province from Hoopeh. These mountains cross the 
 river at Woo-sueh, and under another name trend away to the 
 northeast, marking the frontier of the province in that direction, 
 and leaving a small strip of it inclosed between them and the 
 northern bank of the Ta-kiang. After having thus fulfilled its 
 mission by dipping into Kiang-si and carrying off the surplus 
 waters of the Poyang, the great river leaves the province by the 
 romantic pass of the Seaou-koo-shan, or “ Orphan Bock,” already 
 described. 
 
 The mountain system of this part of China may be better un¬ 
 derstood by supposing that, with those ranges, along the base of 
 which the river forms its southern curve, a northern range is con¬ 
 nected, forming, as it were, a loop upon it, and opposing barriers 
 which the river has burst to obtain ingress and egress. At the 
 same time, it is to be borne in mind that the mountains compos¬ 
 ing this loop are not the only mountains to the north of the river. 
 As repeatedly observed, high ranges were constantly visible in 
 that direction, though they rarely approached the river. In fact, 
 throughout the whole length of our voyage, the great valley of 
 the Yang-tse, or Ta-kiang, has maintained the same general char¬ 
 acter, which may be described in a few words. Its breadth varied 
 exceedingly, and may have ranged from ten to fifty miles. The 
 river invariably hugged the southern range, which seldom reach¬ 
 ed more than four or five miles from its banks, leaving a strip of 
 alluvial plain, while numerous lakes washed the base of the hills 
 or lay embosomed among them. To the north, plain and lake 
 sometimes extended far as the eye could reach; but generally 
 mountains, more or less distant, closed the prospect. 
 
 30 th. We found, to our disgust, that we had followed the wrong 
 passage; we were therefore obliged to retrace our steps over the 
 bar, and, rounding the island opposite the entrance to the lake, 
 
550 
 
 KEW-KIANG. —A SURVEY OF ITS RESOURCES. 
 
 look for a channel in that direction. This we were at last fortu¬ 
 nate enough to discover, but not without crossing another very 
 difficult bar. At 2 o’clock P.M. we were opposite Kew-kiang. 
 As we had letters to the authorities of this important “foo” city, 
 the first one of its class belonging to the imperialists we had 
 reached since leaving Chin-kiang-foo, we remained here for the 
 remainder of the day, and went on shore to investigate its present 
 condition. We found it to the last degree deplorable. A single 
 dilapidated street, composed only of a few mean shops, was all 
 that existed of this once-thriving and populous city; the remaiu- 
 der of the vast area, comprised within walls five or six miles in 
 circumference, contained nothing but ruins, weeds, and kitchen- 
 gardens. The inhabitants declare that this is partly owing to the 
 five years’ occupation of the town by the rebels, and partly to 
 the destructive propensities of the imperialist troops, who retook 
 it from them only last April, or seven months ago. Its present 
 garrison consisted of four thousand men, while its population 
 scarce amounted to as many hundreds. They seemed, all of them, 
 following in our train, their faces expressive of intense astonish¬ 
 ment, mingled with some alarm. 
 
 In the centre of the city was an eminence covered with ruins, 
 which commanded an extensive and remarkable view. Beneath 
 us lay a dreary waste of brickbats; behind us rose the magnifi¬ 
 cent peaks of the precipitous Lew-shan; before us a chain of 
 lakes extended into the dim distance, until they were merged in 
 the fiery haze of the setting sun; while, sweeping under the 
 walls, the mighty Ta-kiang poured its yellow volume seaward. 
 The only bright object in Kew-kiang was a Confucian temple, 
 which had just been built by the emperor; it contained a tablet 
 inscribed by a celebrated minister of state to the memory of his 
 friend, a Tartar general, who had fallen at the capture of the city. 
 
 In the suburb there was a more substantial street and better 
 shops: one of them was devoted to the sale of foreign fabrics; in 
 it I observed Manchester calicoes and a species of red serge which 
 was imported from Russia. We visited an apothecary’s shop, and 
 saw him prescribe crushed spiders, ginseng, and sundry roots and 
 reptiles, to anxious patients; also a baker’s establishment, where 
 we found that some of the flour used came all the way from the 
 province of Shantung. We nibbled sweetmeats at a grocer’s, in¬ 
 spected cottons at a haberdasher’s, and searched in vain for old 
 
VILLAGES ON THE BANKS. 
 
 551 
 
 china in a crockery-shop. Kew-kiang boasts two pagodas—one 
 outside and one inside the city: the latter partially destroyed. 
 
 December 1. In consequence of the difficulties of the navigation 
 yesterday, the Lee was sent on this morning to explore the river 
 ahead; on her returning with a favorable report, we weighed, and 
 proceeded prosperously for about twenty miles, wffien we were 
 brought up suddenly by a bar, across which it was necessary to 
 buoy a channel. We ultimately scraped over, with about three 
 inches to spare under the keel. At this point the village of 
 Loong-ping is situated on the north bank, and on the opposite 
 side some red clay bluffs are a conspicuous feature. 
 
 Looking in a southerly direction, we could see from the cross- 
 trees a large lake dotted with high wooded islands, upon which, 
 in the distance, the white sails of numerous junks that were nav¬ 
 igating it were visible. 
 
 To the north, an extensive lake, also covered with junks, 
 stretched away to the base of a distant range. I here observed, 
 for the first time, wood-rafts, each with a small population of its 
 own, who lived in huts constructed upon them. The countrj r 
 was flat and well cultivated, maintaining a large and apparently 
 more thriving population than we had observed at any previous 
 section of the river. A much-frequented road traversed the 
 plain, along which numerous travelers journeyed in wheel-bar- 
 rows, protecting themselves from the sun’s rays with bright-col¬ 
 ored umbrellas. 
 
 A few miles farther we pass, on the northern bank, the flour¬ 
 ishing market-town of Woo-sueh, the whole population of wffiich 
 turned out to stare at us; and on the south the pretty village of 
 Ma-kow, charmingly situated in a wooded valley. The Ma-tze- 
 shan, or Horse’s Spine Mountains, now approach the river, rising 
 abruptly from its waters to a height of 1500 or 2000 feet. We 
 are delighted to observe that the northern chain seems to bar our 
 progress ahead, as through them we shall have to force our way 
 to-morrow; and, to judge from the mountainous nature of the 
 country, we may depend upon fine scenery. Meantime our voy¬ 
 age of to-day has been invested with an interest peculiar to itself. 
 Never before had these waters been explored by a foreigner, un¬ 
 less mayhap some stray Jesuit in disguise, who has given us no 
 account of his wanderings, may have traversed them in the course 
 of his missionary labors. We could now, therefore, look forward 
 
552 
 
 MAGNIFICENT SCENERY.—THE NEE-FEI. 
 
 to indulging for some clays in that rare but delightful excitement 
 of gazing for the first time upon scenes heretofore unyisited. 
 
 2 d. We were on deck earlier than usual this morning, determ¬ 
 ined not to miss any of the unknown beauties of the river. 
 Shortly after weighing, we entered the gorge from which the riv¬ 
 er emerges into the province of Kiang-si. Mountains overhang 
 it on both sides, and as it winds between them it assumes all the 
 appearance of a highland loch. The valleys are wooded with 
 dark-green firs; the gray rocks are crowned with purple heather, 
 and wild crags force themselves into bold and picturesque relief. 
 
 The most striking spot is at the precipitous bluff of Pwan- 
 pien-shan, opposite to which the surface of the limestone cliff is 
 quarried out, and on a projecting point a temple is left standing. 
 With almost every revolution of the paddle-wheels a new point 
 of view opened upon us, displaying unexpected attractions of 
 peak and pinnacle in the foreground, and the abrupt outlines of 
 lofty ranges in the distance. To one of these, in consequence of 
 a singular depression in its outline, we gave the name of the “Dev¬ 
 il’s Bite Bange.” 
 
 Passing the towns of Sha-wootze and Tien-shia-chin, we reached 
 at 11 A.M.the sub-prefectural city of Ke-chow, its walls crowning 
 a bluff which overhangs the river. Rising from the midst of the 
 stream is a circular stone fort. We remained here a short time 
 to receive a mandarin, who came on board to present to Lord El¬ 
 gin the compliments of the Governor General of IIoo-Kwang, 
 into whose jurisdiction we had now entered. The river was 
 crowded with small junks, all going in one direction, and foot- 
 passengers thronged the roads along its margin. We learned 
 from our visitor, on asking him the cause of this commotion, that 
 the rebels were at Kwang-tse, a city^ lying thirty or forty miles 
 distant to the northeast, and mentioned by Hue as having been 
 visited by him. 
 
 These were probably not the Tai-ping rebels, but some of the 
 Hee-fei, who had taken advantage of the insecure state of the 
 country to commit depredations which were driving the country 
 people from their homes. Some of the provincial authorities were 
 now in the city, endeavoring to restore confidence; to assist them, 
 a large body of imperial cavalry, numbered at 10,000 by our in¬ 
 formant, had just arrived, and were then encamped in the neigh¬ 
 borhood. Ke-chow had been partially destroyed by the Tai-pings, 
 
HWANG-SHIH-KANG.—ITS COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY. 553 
 
 who held it off and on until they were finally driven away about 
 a year ago. 
 
 A little beyond the city we passed the scene of a bloody fight 
 between the rebels and imperialists in 1854, of which our pilot 
 gave us a most animated description; according to him, the former 
 were beaten, forced into the river, and upward of 20,000 drowned 
 or otherwise destroyed. 
 
 In the afternoon we passed the precipitous bluff Taou-tse-fuh, 
 rising in an unbroken wall to the height of 500 feet out of the 
 water. Behind it, a magnificent mountain range displayed scenes 
 of great grandeur and picturesque beauty. A Chin-chai, or man¬ 
 darin of high degree, followed by a train of boats, passed us in the 
 largest river-junk I have yet seen, handsomely decorated, and 
 with the usual display of gongs, umbrellas, and banners. He was 
 probably on his way “to restore confidence.” We reached the 
 important market-town of Hwang-shih-kang, or “Yellow Stone” 
 —probably so called from the quarries in the neighborhood—in 
 time to explore it before dark. A splendid river-wall of sand¬ 
 stone, surmounted by a handsome balustrade, gave the place a 
 most imposing appearance. The water was so deep that we were 
 compelled to anchor close to the junks, which were made fast to 
 the shore. A dense crowd came pouring out of the gate, and 
 down to the water’s edge, as the huge triton took up its position 
 among the minnows, and commenced blowing off steam in a man¬ 
 ner calculated to confirm the impression that we had arrived di¬ 
 rect from the infernal regions. 
 
 It was almost impossible to step on shore out of the boats, so 
 closely had the people packed themselves into the river itself. 
 On entering the town, we were surprised at the universal cleanli¬ 
 ness of the streets, and the superiority of the shops, generally, 
 over any we had yet discovered at other towns on the river. The 
 numerous junks moored before it gave evidence of a high degree 
 of commercial activity: this general air of prosperity and opu¬ 
 lence was the more striking, as it was quite unexpected, and con¬ 
 trasted so strongly with all that had previously come within the 
 range of our observation. The surrounding country produces 
 great quantities of cotton; as much as 800,000 taels worth of this 
 article, unmanufactured, is transported annually to Chang-sha, the 
 capital of Hoonan. Indigo is also largely grown in the neighbor¬ 
 hood ; and we inspected the process of rolling the newly-dyed cot¬ 
 ton with gigantic stone rollers, worked partly by the feet and part- 
 
554 WHITE TORTOISE ISLAND.—CITY OF IIWANG-CHOW. 
 
 ly by machinery. The raw cotton, of which I got some specimens, 
 seemed short in the staple. Superior hemp is imported from 
 Hing-kwoh, a town not many miles distant, while coal is procured 
 from a mine only five miles off. Neither tea nor silk were culti¬ 
 vated here, but a considerable trade is carried on in grain. I saw 
 in the shops some gray Manchester calicoes and Dutch velveteens. 
 The process of investigation in a Chinese city is never very agree¬ 
 able ; but here, although the crowd was respectful, it was so high¬ 
 ly perfumed, and so pressing in its attentions, that we were glad 
 to get down to our boats once more, and breathe fresh air. 
 
 The immunity which Hwang-shih-kang has enjoyed from rebel 
 violence is probably due chiefly to the absence of any wall or for¬ 
 tification, which could render it a valuable position in a military 
 point of view. 
 
 3 d. In consequence of the intricacy of the navigation, our prog¬ 
 ress to-day was slow. Lakes were visible on both sides, and pret¬ 
 ty broken country to the south, with occasional bluffs, and distant 
 ranges. The river still averages upward of a mile in breadth. In 
 the afternoon we passed Woo-chang-hsien, a walled town with two 
 seven-storied pagodas, a lake at the back, some fine ranges beyond, 
 two very picturesque gates, and a great crowd staring at us from 
 the bank. The town itself seems in good preservation, probably 
 because the rebels evacuated it, and made Hwang-chow their mil¬ 
 itary position. A rock rising out of the stream here is called 
 Peh-kwei, or White Tortoise Island. The name is derived from 
 a fable, to the effect that a soldier was once pursued by his ene¬ 
 mies to this island, and to escape them leaped into the river, when 
 one of the huge tortoises lying near the shore took him upon his 
 spacious back and carried him safely to the opposite bank. 
 
 About two miles higher up is situated the district city of 
 Hwang-chow. It boasts the finest pagoda on the river, which, in 
 spite of rebel occupation, remains in a state of excellent preserva¬ 
 tion. An imperialist army was encamped under the walls, and a 
 fleet of war-junks moored to the shore. The appearance of this 
 combined land and river force was most picturesque. The white 
 tents and bright flags; the horses picketed in groups, and the men 
 clustering into masses in rude parade; the gay junks, each with 
 its special device, formed a striking scene. Here is a gorgeous 
 barge bearing on its flag, “The Leader of the Hoonan Braves 
 and here another, “ The Commissary General of the Flying Camps 
 of Iloopeh.” 
 
PROVINCE OF HOOPEH. 555 
 
 The walls of Hwang-chow inclose the usual howling waste. 
 The city was abandoned by the rebels about two years ago. 
 
 We ran our nose upon a sand-bank a few miles above Hwang- 
 chow, and occupied the whole of the remainder of the day in fruit¬ 
 less efforts to find a channel. 
 
 4zth. We spent almost the whole of to-day at anchor in one spot, 
 the gun-boats channel-hunting. The difficulties in the navigation 
 are now so numerous that we almost despair of forcing the old 
 ship another hundred miles up the river. 
 
 It is, however, some satisfaction to feel that we have reached 
 Hoopeh, one of the central provinces of the empire. “ This prov¬ 
 ince,” says the Chinese Repository, “ enjoys so many advantages of 
 temperature, climate, fertile soil, navigable rivers, and beautiful 
 lake and mountain scenery, that it is called the granary of the 
 empire.” Our own experience fully confirms the latter part of 
 this description. Since entering the province, some lake or other 
 had always been visible from the cross-trees. 
 
 The Liang-tze, which we saw yesterday, is connected with the 
 Ax Lake by a conduit forming a communication across the bend 
 of the Ta-kiang at this place. The population of Hoopeh is es¬ 
 timated at 27,000,000; its area is double that of England with¬ 
 out Wales. The signification of the term Hoopeh is “North of 
 the Lakes.” P£re Hue describes it as being in many respects in¬ 
 ferior to Sz-chuen. The soil is somewhat sterile, though covered 
 with numbers of lagoons and marshes, from which the Chinese, in 
 spite of their patient industry, can extract but little utility; the 
 villages, in consequence, present an appearance of misery and suf¬ 
 fering. The vegetable productions are bread-stuffs, silk, cotton, 
 tea, and timber; it possesses extensive mineral resources, and 
 produces gold, silver, tin, iron, mica, copperas, crystal, marble, ar- 
 gillate, etc. Its manufactures are bamboo paper, wax-cloth, crys¬ 
 tal and other ornaments, which are famed throughout the empire. 
 
 Hoopeh is also celebrated as the province which gave birth to 
 Laoutz’, a philosopher of scarcely less repute than Confucius. 
 He was born fifty-four years before Confucius, and is believed to 
 have had white hair and eyebrows at his birth, and to have been 
 carried in the womb eighty years, whence he was called Laoutz’, 
 or “ The Old Boy,” and afterward Lankiun, or “ The Venerable 
 Prince.” He was the founder of the sect of the Eationalists, or 
 Tau-kia, and is the author of Tau-tih-king , or a “ Memoir on Rea¬ 
 son and Virtue,” which is the text-book of his disciples. 
 
556 
 
 “THE WHITE TIGER HILLS.” 
 
 Late in the afternoon we discovered a narrow and intricate 
 passage behind a low island covered with long grass. We scraped 
 so close under the high river-bank that the groups of peasantry, 
 collected upon it to see us pass, might almost have jumped upon 
 our decks. I landed with Wade on the island in search of game, 
 when he succeeded in bringing down a fine wild goose out of a 
 flock which was sailing overhead. 
 
 5th. We had only one serious difficulty to-day, and made good 
 progress. The country did not seem so thickly inhabited or well 
 peopled as the district through which we had just passed: in 
 parts, the northern bank was well wooded and level, with occa¬ 
 sional lakes ; to the south it was more broken; but there were no 
 hills of any elevation. The “ White Tiger Hills,” which are the 
 most remarkable in form, jut out into the river, but are not above 
 500 feet above it. In summer large tracts of country, now pasture- 
 land, must be under water. The weather is getting sensibly cold¬ 
 er. It hailed last night, and this morning I observed specks of 
 sleet. 
 
 Though nearly five hundred miles from the sea, we saw por¬ 
 poises again to-day, called by the Chinese “ Cheang-choo-tsze.” 
 They use the oil as silk dye. Junks and rafts are more numer¬ 
 ous than formerly, and our terrific aspect creates invariably so 
 great a sensation as almost to stupefy the crews. Not only must 
 our appearance, but our ignorance, astonish them. We bawl out 
 for information about lakes, mountains, and cities, to them well 
 known, but of the names of which our pilot is as ignorant as our¬ 
 selves. He makes up for this, however, by the energy with which 
 he shouts his queries upon all sorts of subjects to the passers-by. 
 Thus he begins: 
 
 “Hi, on the raft there—Ho, father!” The only response is a 
 vacant stare. 
 
 Pilot again, more energetically: “Hi! Ho! Ah! Great uncle!” 
 This more remote term of relationship elicits not only a stare, but 
 a prolonged “ a-a-a-a,” not unlike the bleating of an asthmatic 
 sheep. 
 
 Pilot, getting slightly indignant, becomes even less affectionate, 
 and puts his question: “Much-honored relation, do you hear, 
 what place is this ?” 
 
 Answer from the much-honored relation: “ Ah-ah-ah,” in a dif¬ 
 ferent cadence from before. 
 
 Pilot, angrily: “Venerable party, I ask you what place this is ?” 
 
AN UNSATISFACTORY DIALOGUE. 557 
 
 Venerable party, roused at last, shouts, and points up the river. 
 He says, “ It’s all right; go on.” 
 
 Pilot, now thoroughly exasperated, suddenly substitutes abusive 
 for polite epithets; he rolls these out with great volubility, work¬ 
 ing up the last syllable to a high key, and dwelling upon it long, 
 with great vigor and bitterness of expression, thus: “ Oh, you old 
 addle-pated, thick-skulled, noodle-oodle oodle-o-o-o-o-o, I did not 
 ask you whether it was all right, but the name.” 
 
 Answer: “ Oh-ah-oh, the name of the town—the name of the 
 town—oh-ah-oh, the name of the town you want to know ? The 
 town’s name is—” 
 
 Pilot: “ And what is the name of the lake?” 
 
 Answer: “ There is no lake.” 
 
 Pilot: “I tell you there is a lake.” 
 
 Answer: “A lake, you said; oh-ah-oh, is there a lake? no-oli - 
 no, there is no lake.” And so on, till we steam ahead again in 
 despair. The river is the big river or the old river, and the 
 mountain has no name, and never had one. Occasionally, when 
 we are at anchor, some of these boats approach us, to stare more 
 closely at our huge bulk; then the pilot becomes friendly and 
 communicative. “Come up,” he says, “and see a little of the 
 world.” We never can gather from these visitors any idea of our 
 distance from Han-kow. The nearer we approach it, the greater 
 the number of “ le” invariably becomes, which are still to be trav¬ 
 ersed. 
 
 6 th. The Dove was sent on yesterday, to reach Han-kow if pos¬ 
 sible. We hoped to do the same, but our departure has been de¬ 
 layed by a dense fog. When this cleared off, we saw from the 
 cross-trees a vast arable plain, extending in a northerly direction 
 to a large lake, upon which we could distinguish through the haze 
 the sails of distant junks. To the south the plain was intersected 
 by a low irregular range, apparently densely populated; an ex¬ 
 tensive lake also bounded the prospect in this direction. 
 
 The well-cultivated and well-peopled aspect of the country leads 
 us to hope that we are approaching a large town. Gradually the 
 houses line the banks, and kitchen-gardens, neatly fenced, separ¬ 
 ate them from each other. Then we see a dense mass of houses, 
 and a hill crowned with a wall, and the masts of many junks; 
 among them the white funnel of the Dove, and we know that the 
 goal is reached at last, and that the toils and anxieties of a month’s 
 river navigation are crowned with success. 
 
558 
 
 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF HAN-KOW. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 First Impressions of Ilan-kow.—Its Resemblance to Nijni Novgorod.—Our first 
 Landing.—An orderly Crowd.—Plan of Han-kow.—View of Wo-chang and Han¬ 
 yang.—Population of these Cities.—Manufacture of Bamboo Cables.—Price of 
 Manchester Cottons.—Insect-wax.—The Mode of its Production.—Recent Demo¬ 
 lition of Han-kow.—Its mixed Population.—Mandarinic Diplomacy.—Commer¬ 
 cial Investigations.—Difficulty of obtaining Information.—A Dialogue.—Com¬ 
 merce of Han-kow.—The Tea-producing Districts.—A Visit to Han-yang.—State¬ 
 ments of Pere Hue. 
 
 The general appearance of the celebrated and far-famed mercan¬ 
 tile emporium of Ilan-kow, as seen from the cross-trees of the Fu¬ 
 rious, was eminently disappointing. We had heard so much of 
 the congeries of cities that are situated at the junction of the Han 
 and the Yang-tse—of their extent, population, and commercial ac¬ 
 tivity—we had longed so eagerly to reach them—had doubted so 
 frequently whether we should ever thus be gratified—that we 
 had formed grander expectations, and anticipated a nobler reward 
 after all our anxieties and exertions. Still it was pleasant, after 
 having seen nothing but ruins and heaps of brickbats, as supply¬ 
 ing the places of populous cities, once more to look upon teeming 
 streets and an animated river, even though on a smaller scale than 
 we had been led to suppose. 
 
 In the situation of Han-kow and the topographical features of 
 the surrounding country I was strongly reminded of Nijni Nov¬ 
 gorod. Han-kow occupies the angle formed by the Han and 
 Great River, which meet at right angles. On the opposite or 
 right bank of the Han is a precipitous range of hills, crowned 
 with the fortifications of the now ruined city of Han-yang. These 
 correspond to the Kremlin of Nijni, while Han-kow answers to 
 the fair. On the opposite side of the Yang-tse is the important 
 provincial city of Wo-chang, which has no equivalent on the banks 
 of the Volga. The shape of Han-kow is an acute-angled triangle, 
 the base of which, resting on the Yang-tse, is a mile long, while 
 it extends for about two miles and a half along the banks of the 
 Han, dwindling away almost to a point. Being a purely com¬ 
 mercial city, it is not surrounded by walls or any semblance of 
 fortification. 
 
OUR FIRST LANDING.—“DON’T BE AFRAID.” 
 
 559 
 
 The Han, which is the first important tributary that the Yang- 
 tse receives (ascending the river), varies in breadth from a hund¬ 
 red to a hundred and fifty yards, and is a much less imposing 
 stream than was to have been expected from its long course, and 
 the amount of traffic which is carried on upon its waters. Nu¬ 
 merous ferries supply the place of any bridge. For about half a 
 mile from its point of junction with the parent stream, the Han is 
 as densely crowded with junks as it is possible to pack them; 
 very few, however, remain moored in the Yang-tse. This noble 
 river is three quarters of a mile wide at this point; and imme¬ 
 diately off' the town we were anchored in thirteen fathoms of wa¬ 
 ter, and this at a distance of nearly six hundred miles from the 
 sea. Meantime, while we were engaged in making these obser¬ 
 vations, the crowd became denser, the river more alive with boats; 
 the air resounded with the voices of thousands of persons gazing 
 eagerly at us, and expressing their wonder in confused and audi¬ 
 ble murmurs. Presently boat-loads of minor officials were ob¬ 
 served sculling about among the aquatic spectators, apparently to 
 keep order. These crammed themselves close to the ship, under 
 her bows, stern, and quarters, peering in at the port-holes, and feel¬ 
 ing her sides, as though to see what she was made of. 
 
 We now determined to land, and thus still farther to gratify 
 their curiosity; accordingly, we steered our way with no little 
 difficulty through a maze of boats of all sorts and sizes, and filled 
 with all classes and conditions of sight-seers, to a landing-place 
 from which a flight of steps led up into the town, but which was 
 now so crowded with human beings that it seemed a problem 
 how we should ever succeed in forcing our way through them. 
 We no sooner stepped ashore than a lane was somewhat precipi¬ 
 tately opened, and the people fell back almost as if alarmed. We 
 found the streets as thronged as the steps, but every where the 
 crowd made way respectfully; indeed, it was rather a curious il¬ 
 lustration of the moral influence exercised by the presence of four 
 foreign ships in the very heart of the empire, that we should trav¬ 
 erse the streets of a populous city not only unhindered and un¬ 
 molested, but obliged in a friendly voice to exclaim constantly, 
 “ Puh, pao! puh, pao!” u Don’t be afraid! don’t be afraid!” a 
 most condescending piece of advice for a handful of strangers to 
 give to a million of people. 
 
 The streets themselves were superior to any I had seen in any 
 
560 
 
 AN ORDERLY CROWD.—PLAN OF HAN-KOW. 
 
 other city of the empire. They were well paved, and roofed 
 over with mats as they are in Persian or Egyptian cities, but still 
 broad enough to be bright and cheerful. The shops were well 
 stocked, and upon a much grander and handsomer scale than 
 those at Canton or any of the open ports. Foot-passengers, wheel¬ 
 barrows, loaded either with merchandise or people, and gentlemen 
 of substance in chairs, crowded the thoroughfares. We observed 
 that one chair followed us pertinaciously, and discovered that it 
 contained a petty mandarin, who had either assumed, or was in¬ 
 structed to perform, the office of spy. When we objected to his 
 surveillance, he assured us that he followed us purely out of re¬ 
 gard for our safety, and for the purpose of keeping the crowd in 
 order. Indeed, he soon began to display an amount of vigor in 
 the performance of this duty which we by no means approved, 
 getting out of his chair whenever we entered a shop, and dispers¬ 
 ing the crowd which naturally collected round the doorway with 
 violent blows of his whip. As this was a mode of procedure cal¬ 
 culated to make us unpopular with the people, who were only 
 manifesting a most natural and harmless curiosity, we remon¬ 
 strated, and ultimately succeeded in shaking off our officious at¬ 
 tendant ; but we had reason to suspect that his conduct was in 
 accordance with instructions received from the supreme authority 
 of the province. We were soon after confirmed in this view by 
 the request which our attendant official, Wang, who had accom¬ 
 panied us from Shanghai, made the same day, that Lord Elgin 
 would not press the point of entering the provincial city of Wo- 
 chang, or of calling upon the governor general. 
 
 We observed proclamations posted up in various parts of the 
 town, informing the people of the intended visit of foreigners to 
 their city, but assuring them that their stay was to be a short one, 
 and not for commercial purposes. Nevertheless, the commonest 
 query among those of the crowd who were bold enough to ad¬ 
 dress us was, “What have you got to sell, and when are you com¬ 
 ing to trade?” 
 
 The plan of Han-kow is very simple. Two principal arteries 
 intersect it in parallel lines, while across them run a number of 
 curved streets about equidistant from each other. After we had 
 taken a cursory view of the town and its shops—the latter we 
 proposed to investigate more thoroughly—we crossed the Han, 
 and proceeded to scramble up the hill on its opposite bank. The 
 
TA-PIEH.—VIEW OF WO-CHANG. 561 
 
 tower at its summit was probably about three hundred feet above 
 the plain, and afforded a magnificent and extensive prospect. The 
 hill itself was called Ta-pieh, or “ The Great Dividing Mount.” 
 
 At our feet the mighty Yang-tse rolled its yellow tide seaward, 
 above this point a well-navigated and useful stream, but hencefor¬ 
 ward to flow through a devastated country, and bear upon its bo¬ 
 som the wreck and debris of those populous cities whose active 
 commerce once gave life and animation to its now deserted waters. 
 We looked down upon the decks of our own ships, riding proud¬ 
 ly at anchor where foreign ships had never lain before, towering 
 above the black mass of boats that crowded round them; nor was 
 it possible to help feeling a thrill of exultation as we watched the 
 British ensign fluttering for the first time in the very heart of the 
 empire. 
 
 Facing us as we gazed across the stream, and nobly situated on 
 swelling hills, rose from the water’s edge Wo-chang, the capital of 
 Idoopeh, and worthy of being called the queen of Yang-tse. Its 
 hills, terraced with houses and crowned with pagodas, and its 
 
 Wo-chang. 
 
 double wall lining the margin of the river with towers, gateways, 
 and bastions, all combine to give it an imposing and majestic ap¬ 
 pearance. It was not until we entered its streets that the delusion 
 
 Nn 
 
562 
 
 HAN-YANG.—HAN-IvOW.—POPULATION. 
 
 vanished. Now it was a charming feature in the view. Beneath 
 us, on our right, hemmed in by two steep ridges, along which ran its 
 turreted walls, is the departmental city of Han-yang. We looked 
 down upon its deserted streets, its roofless houses, crumbling walls, 
 and grass-grown courts. Never a city of any great extent, it has 
 suffered severely from rebel occupation, and forms a melancholy 
 but not unpicturesque feature in the view. 
 
 On the left, in strong contrast to this scene of desolation, the 
 crowded mart of Han-kow lay spread upon the plain at our feet, 
 while the Han, teeming with its boat population, was lost in the 
 distance, its winding course marked by the sails of numerous junks. 
 A setting sun shed a warm glow over the lakes which were dot¬ 
 ted over the country to the northward, and beyond them swelling 
 hills closed this magnificent and most interesting panorama. 
 
 The point at which we now stood enabled us to see at a glance 
 the extent of the area occupied by the three cities of Wo-chang, 
 Han-yang, and Han-kow, and to form a very fair estimate of their 
 present populations. Hue, who merely passed through the two 
 latter cities, and does not seem to have had very good opportuni¬ 
 ties of judging, calculates the population at eight millions. With 
 every possible allowance for the faculty which the Chinese possess 
 of packing closely, I do not think that it was practicable to have 
 compressed into the area beneath us a population considerably 
 greater than that of the whole of Ireland. We thought that we 
 made a very liberal calculation when we put the entire population 
 then inhabiting these three cities at one million; but we saw them, 
 doubtless,’ under a very great disadvantage; the area strewn with 
 ruins was about as great as that inhabited, so that in Hue’s time 
 these cities probably contained more than twice their present num¬ 
 ber of inhabitants: perhaps their united populations may have 
 equaled that of London, but certainly never exceeded it. 
 
 Meantime a number of Chinese had discovered the group of 
 foreigners at the top of the hill, and were crowding up it; so we 
 thought it time to descend from our exalted position, more es¬ 
 pecially as we could not help out our calculations by information 
 derived from the by-standers; for when we asked what was the 
 number of persons inhabiting the cities, they gave us the usual 
 Chinese answer on such occasions, u Many myriads.” 
 
 7th. The petty mandarin, Wang, who had accompanied us from 
 Shanghai, and had yesterday expressed the hope that Lord Elgin 
 
BAMBOO CABLE.—PRICE OF MANCHESTER COTTONS. 563 
 
 would not visit the governor general in Wo-chang, was this morn¬ 
 ing dispatched to that city with a note to his excellency, inform¬ 
 ing him of Lord Elgin’s intention to visit him to-morrow. Some 
 officers from some of the ships also went off on an exploratory 
 expedition to Wo-chang. I accompanied Lord Elgin on a voyage 
 of discovery to the left bank, with a view of making more minute 
 investigations into the contents of the shops, and the resources of 
 Han-kow generally. 
 
 We had been struck, when on board the ship, by a number of 
 high stages like watch-towers erected along the river margin. On 
 closer inspection these proved to be bamboo-cable manufactories. 
 The split bamboo is collected upon a stage raised thirty or forty 
 feet from the ground. This stage is of very small dimensions— 
 merely affording accommodation to a single man, who is sheltered 
 by a mat roof. The process of plaiting the cable takes place here, 
 and it is coiled on the ground below, the object of the contrivance 
 being apparently to enable one man unassisted to coil and dispose 
 comfortably of so unwieldy an article as a six-inch bamboo cable. 
 At first sight, the appearance of these stages, with a long rope de¬ 
 pending from them, was most mysterious and puzzling. 
 
 It was Lord Elgin’s habit, when in China, to lose no opportunity 
 of entering into personal communication with the people, and upon 
 this occasion we got upon intimate terms with sundry intelligent 
 artisans and shopkeepers. The first person we observed whose 
 occupation arrested our attention was a man whose arms were a 
 brilliant blue as far as his elbows, and who was engaged in spread¬ 
 ing upon the grass cloths of the same hue. We found, upon a closer 
 inspection, that these were Manchester cottons. He told us they 
 cost him 700 cash a chang.* The process of dyeing them cost 
 200 cash a chang; so that the entire cost of Manchester cotton, 
 dyed blue in China for clothing, was 900 cash a chang, or about 
 ninepence halfpenny a yard. Cotton used for the same purpose, 
 of Chinese manufacture, of one third the width, was worth 200 
 cash a chang, making it, after estimating the difference in width, 
 100 cash cheaper than British. 
 
 The indigo, which was the dye used, is grown in large quanti¬ 
 ties in the immediate neighborhood. It is also extensively culti¬ 
 vated in Kwei-chau. Some of the cotton was being dyed green. 
 This is a cheaper dye than indigo, and prepared from two kinds 
 
 * 4 yards=one chang; 288 cash=one shilling. 
 
564 
 
 INSECT-WAX: THE MODE OF ITS PRODUCTION. 
 
 of bark. We entered the bouse, and saw tbe boiling process go¬ 
 ing on. One species of bark is called Tung-leu, and is grown in 
 Cbang-teb; the other, Shwing-chin. The cloth is washed in a 
 mixed infusion of these twice a day—in the case of native cotton, 
 for live days, and in that of long cloths, for ten days. 
 
 We also inspected the manufacture of a species of native cotton 
 velvet. The cotton cloth/is stretched and scraped with a horse¬ 
 hair brush into a sort of long plush; it is then prepared with a 
 peculiar leaf, an infusion of which poured over it gives it a curly 
 woolen appearance. 
 
 The most interesting subject of our investigations, however, was 
 the Peh-lah, or insect-wax, of which we saw large quantities ex¬ 
 posed for sale in the tallow-chandlers’ shops. It is usually sold 
 in blocks shaped like cheeses, and, when broken, presents a flaky, 
 crystalline appearance not unlike spermaceti. When we went 
 into the tallow-chandler’s back shop, or rather candle manufactory, 
 we discovered one of its principal uses. The vegetable tallow of 
 which candles are usually made melts with great facility ; in or¬ 
 der, therefore, to prevent them from running, they are coated with 
 a thin crust of finest wax: this is extremely hard, and slow to 
 melt, so that it retains the vegetable tallow in a liquid state, and 
 is a clean and economical ingredient. 
 
 While we were in vain endeavoring to extract some precise 
 data from the shopkeeper as to the source of supply of this singu¬ 
 lar production, a man in the crowd volunteered the information. 
 It was, he said, the article in which he traded. The province in 
 which it was produced was Sz’-chuen; but, singular to state, al¬ 
 though the peculiar tree necessary to the sustenance of the insect 
 would thrive there, it was found necessary to keep up the supply 
 of insects by the constant importation of eggs from beyond the 
 western frontier of the province. He had constantly been engaged 
 in these expeditions. He described the insect as being about an 
 inch in length, and of a pale gray color. The tree on which, ac¬ 
 cording to our authority, it feeds exclusively, is called the Peh-lah- 
 shuh. One insect is considered to have performed his part cred¬ 
 itably if he exudes one ounce of wax in the season. This lasts 
 only during the summer months. The insect is not affected by 
 rain or weather, but when the leaves fall it dies. The wax is then 
 collected, and melted in a cloth over boiling water. It is of the 
 purest white. On the large cakes hanging in the grocers’ and tal- 
 
RECENT DEMOLITION AND RESUSCITATION OF HAN-KOW. 505 
 
 low-chandlers’ shops at Han-kow we often observed the inscrip¬ 
 tion written, “It mocks at the frost, and rivals the snow.” The 
 price was forty dollars a picul, or about fifteen pence a pound. 
 
 We were gratified on observing, in some of the shops, well- 
 known British stamps, proving that the manufactures of our own 
 country were at last beginning to find their way into the empire. 
 We asked the price of some ladies’ superfine habit-cloth, and 
 found it five taels and a half a chang,* or about six shillings a 
 yard. 
 
 It is worthy of remark that native-grown opium was freely ex¬ 
 posed for sale in the streets. 
 
 The fur-shops of Han-kow were numerous and well-stocked. 
 The winter supply had evidently just come in, and some of the 
 most expensive and rare furs from the province of Shansi and the 
 Thibetian frontier were to be procured here at the usual fabulous 
 prices. Our searches for old china, bronzes, and curiosities proved 
 vain. Han-kow was apparently too practical a place to offer at¬ 
 tractions to dilettanti; and there was a stir and movement in the 
 streets which betokened great mercantile activity. We could 
 scarcely credit the fact that only two years and four months ago 
 this bustling city had been leveled to the ground. Many of the 
 townspeople, whom we questioned on the subject, assured us that 
 not a stone had been left standing upon another, so completely 
 had the rebels demolished the shops and houses, after having ri¬ 
 fled them of their contents. 
 
 No stronger proof could be afforded of the vitality of trade at 
 this point, and of its importance as a commercial centre, than the 
 marvelous resuscitation of Han-kow. In every direction houses 
 were being built and new shops opened. An additional stimulus 
 was doubtless afforded by the stagnation of the past two years, 
 the unavoidable result of rebel proximity. Now, however, those 
 “ troublesome pests” were removed to a greater distance, and the 
 chances of their revisiting Han-kow were sufficiently remote to 
 encourage the people to re-establish themselves, though a marked 
 disinclination was always evinced to allude to the “long-haired 
 men,” as the rebels were invariably called. Whenever they were 
 mentioned, the cautious Chinaman was always on his guard against 
 saying any thing which might be hereafter brought up against 
 him as an evidence of hostility to the revolutionary cause. It 
 
 * 1200 to 1400 cash=one tael. 
 
566 POPULATION FLUCTUATING.— MANDAEINIC DIPLOMACY. 
 
 was remarkable that at Han-kow all the little shrines in the pri¬ 
 vate houses and verandas were empty. Generally, in a Chinese 
 town, the Lares and Penates of the householder are in these re¬ 
 cesses, and joss-sticks burn before small images. Now there was 
 not one to be seen, in deference, doubtless, to the iconoclastic 
 propensities of the “ long-haired men.” The only sacred edifice 
 which we observed in process of restoration at Han-kow was the 
 Temple of Longevity, in which the emperor’s birthday is cele¬ 
 brated. 
 
 Like great marts which partake in some measure of the nature 
 of fairs, the population of Han-kow is both varied and fluctuating. 
 At certain seasons of the year traders from Ili, Kobdo, and other 
 parts of Thibet visit Han-kow, their marked Tartar features and 
 turbaned heads distinguishing them from the Chinese. In no 
 other city of the empire have I seen so great a variety of type 
 of feature. There is, of course, the general character which dis¬ 
 tinguishes the Mongol in them all; but, though flat noses and ob¬ 
 lique eyes are universal, yet it is scarcely conceivable how many 
 distinct varieties of flat noses and oblique eyes there may be. 
 Then, besides this, the shades of complexion, though they are all 
 of a copper tinge, are very different. Han-kow, being simply a 
 mercantile emporium, comprises in its population a much larger 
 proportion of males to females than is to be found in Chinese 
 cities generally. This is easily accounted for by the fact of so 
 many of its inhabitants being merely visitors. 
 
 We were unable to make any purchases to-day, as the officials, 
 with a view of discouraging, as much as possible, our supposed 
 trading propensities, had forbidden the people to take our money. 
 To such an extent was this carried, that all the dollars which had 
 been expended for ships’ stores, and which had been readily taken 
 by the people before the order was issued, were brought on board 
 by the authorities this afternoon, who wished to return them. 
 Lord Elgin, however, steadily declined to accept any thing with¬ 
 out paying for it, and refused sheep, cattle, etc., which were press¬ 
 ed upon him, unless allowed to give their full value in return. 
 It was not difficult to see through the shallow diplomacy of the 
 mandarins, and to perceive that their object was to prevent, as 
 much as possible, all intercourse with the people, who were only 
 too anxious to be upon the most intimate terms with us. 
 
 We had a still stronger proof of this determination in the after- 
 
COMMERCIAL INVESTIGATIONS. 
 
 567 
 
 noon, when the party returned from Wo-chang after an ineffectual 
 attempt to enter the city. They had been refused entrance by the 
 guards at the gate with some rudeness, and altogether treated in 
 a manner somewhat at variance with the tone which the commis¬ 
 sioners at Shanghai had manifested during our intercourse, and 
 which was at that time supposed to be the tone of the government 
 generally. 
 
 8 th. Although the authorities were by no means in that frame 
 of mind to which it was desirable they should be brought, the 
 governor general scarcely ventured to refuse to see Lord Elgin. 
 Wang therefore returned late last night with a message from the 
 governor general to the effect that he would be prepared to re¬ 
 ceive a visit from the British plenipotentiary, and this morning a 
 special messenger arrived to make arrangements for the ceremony, 
 which is to take place to-morrow at two o’clock. Meantime I 
 went with Mr. Lay on another tour of commercial investigation, 
 but upon this occasion we confined ourselves to the waters of the 
 Han. 
 
 The junks were moored side by side to each bank of the river 
 as closely as it was possible to pack them, leaving only a narrow 
 fairway down the centre of the stream. You could walk for 
 hundreds of yards from the deck of one to that of another, in¬ 
 specting the cargo of each, and cross-examining her owner or 
 captain as you did so. 
 
 The construction of these junks varied according to the district 
 to which they belonged. Many of them had descended the Yang- 
 tse-Kiang, or some of its tributaries, for upward of a thousand 
 miles. Some were long narrow craft, pointed both at stem and 
 stern; others were turned up in the bows like a Turkish slipper, 
 or built like an old Dutch lugger with a swelling bosom. Many 
 of them were handsomely fitted up with cabins, apparently for the 
 accommodation of passengers as well as cargo; others were filth¬ 
 ily dirty, and afforded shelter only to a greasy skipper and still 
 more greasy crew. 
 
 It is a melancholy admission to be obliged to make, that after 
 all our trouble we did not succeed in obtaining any very reliable 
 information. Had we been contented to believe what the first 
 glib Chinaman chose to tell us, we might have returned well sup¬ 
 plied with facts; but, unfortunately, the more we prosecuted our 
 researches, the more difficult did it become to know what to be- 
 
568 
 
 A DIALOGUE. 
 
 lieve, as we never succeeded in getting two people to agree upon 
 any one point, however simple, and, one should suppose, unsus¬ 
 ceptible of dispute. This did not arise from any desire to mis¬ 
 lead ; on the contrary, the people invariably manifested the ut¬ 
 most willingness to impart all the information in their power; 
 they seemed highly gratified at the interest we took in the sub¬ 
 ject, and were evidently most anxious that we should be induced 
 to come and trade with them. The great difficulty was to pre¬ 
 vent them from all speaking at once, and induce them to give di¬ 
 rect or intelligible answers to very plain questions. 
 
 For instance, it was hopeless to expect them to comprehend 
 any inquiry which presupposed any premises whatever. You 
 could not begin by asking where silk was grown. The introduc¬ 
 tion necessary to arrive at this result is the incontrovertible state¬ 
 ment, “ There is such a thing as silk.” 
 
 Chinaman repeats eagerly, “There is such a thing as silk; oh 
 yes ; ah! there is such a thing as silk.” 
 
 “ Silk grows in some provinces; in some it does not.” 
 
 Chinaman repeats, thoughtfully, “Yes, silk grows in some prov¬ 
 inces ; in some it does not.” 
 
 By-standers, who have taken up the idea with greater rapidity, 
 remark to one another, “Ah! true; in some provinces silk does 
 not grow.” 
 
 “Does this province produce silk?” 
 
 “Yes.” 
 
 “Does Sz’chuen produce silk?” 
 
 “No.” 
 
 “ Then do you carry silk to Sz’ckuen ?” 
 
 “No.” 
 
 “What do you carry to Sz’chuen?” 
 
 Chinaman repeats, puzzled, “What do I carry to Sz’chuen?” 
 
 By-standers all repeat, vivaciously, “ What do you carry to 
 Sz’chuen ?” 
 
 Chinaman: “ Sometimes I carry silk to Sz’chuen, and some¬ 
 times I carry cotton.” 
 
 “Does cotton grow in Sz’chuen?” 
 
 “ Yes.” 
 
 “ And yet you carry cotton to Sz’chuen?” 
 
 “Oh! sometimes I bring cotton here from Sz’chuen.” 
 
 By-standers, unanimously: “Sometimes he brings cotton here 
 from Sz’chuem” 
 
COMMERCE OF HAN-KOW, HOONAN, AND SZ’CHUEN. 569 
 
 And so on until one’s patience is fairly exhausted, and one 
 wonders wherein the indisputable intelligence of a Chinaman con¬ 
 sists, and how it happens that, notwithstanding his utter inability 
 to stand cross-examination upon the subject with which he is most 
 familiar, he excels every other nation in his instincts for develop¬ 
 ing the internal traffic in his vast and productive country. 
 
 Fortunately, most of these junks had their cargoes on board, so 
 we could judge for ourselves. Those laden with coal formed a 
 large proportion of the fleet then at anchor in the river, which 
 were principally from Hoonan. We shipped coal, some of a good 
 and some of a very inferior quality, at £2 95. 3d a ton. The best 
 coal comes from a place called Ching-Leang. Hoonan also sends 
 to Han-kow quantities of oil and charcoal; also hemp, beans, rice, 
 and grain. In fact, Hoonan seemed to produce almost every thing 
 but cotton. This is the principal production of Hoopeh, and it 
 forms the bulk of the cargoes to Hoonan and Sz’chuen. We ar¬ 
 rived at very different conclusions with reference both to Hoonan 
 and Hoopeh from the accounts given in the Chinese Repository. 
 According to that very trustworthy authority, the external traffic 
 of Hoonan is trifling, but our observation led us to believe that it 
 formed the principal share of that at Han-kow; so the description 
 of Hoopeh in the Repository would give one to understand that it 
 produced almost every thing, whereas, except cotton and tea, we 
 found it difficult to induce our j unk friends to name a product; 
 but that may have been from a want of imagination on their 
 part. 
 
 Silk seems to be grown in the Lotien district, and some of a 
 yellow description in Ma-ching, which also produces gypsum and 
 some indigo. Shang-teh produces indigo of a very superior de¬ 
 scription. 
 
 Sz’chuen is the great mineral-producing province. Tin, lead, 
 and copper come from the capital, Ching-tu. The best sugar is 
 also grown in Sz’chuen; and indigo, tobacco, and drugs find their 
 way down the Yang-tse from the same province. 
 
 Tin and iron of a superior quality are found at Paouching. 
 
 The trade from Kwei-chau and Hoonan did not seem to be 
 very extensive; the latter was described as a great grazing prov¬ 
 ince, exporting cattle and hides. Kiang-si sends its quota of 
 grain and sugar, but is more especially famous for its porcelain. 
 
 Last, but not least, we come to that most important product, 
 
570 
 
 THE TEA-PRODUCING DISTRICTS. 
 
 tea. The province of Hoopeh, in which we now were, is supposed 
 to produce the finest description of Congo. This is known in 
 Canton and the ports as Oopak tea, Oopak being the Canton pro¬ 
 nunciation of Hoopeh; but it does not seem necessarily to come 
 from this province. These teas are also grown in the mountain¬ 
 ous province of Kwei-chau, and in Hoonan. The best Oopak tea, 
 however, was said to be grown in the district of Toong-shan, in 
 the department of the Wo-chang. 
 
 The yellow teas, commonly stated to be exported to Eussia 
 from Hoopeh, appear to be grown in Hgan-hwui, the adjoining 
 province. 
 
 A bitter tea, somewhat resembling our own strong black tea, 
 which we tasted afterward on the occasion of our visit to the 
 governor general, and which was served immediately after din¬ 
 ner, instead of coffee, as a digestive, is grown only at a place call¬ 
 ed Pu-urh, a department in the province of Yunan, on the Laos 
 frontier and Meikon Biver. This tea is made up in large or 
 small circular cakes, according to its quality. It is very expen¬ 
 sive, and considered the most recherche thing in the way of tea 
 which can be imbibed. I only once tasted it during my residence 
 in China. There are two descriptions of Hoopeh tea, which are 
 made up into bricks tightly pressed, and present somewhat the 
 appearance, when cut transversely, of a cake of cavendish tobacco. 
 I bought these at a little more than two shillings a brick. There 
 can be no doubt, however, that the finest teas grown in China are 
 those of Fukhien and Cheh-kiang, which already compose the 
 principal share of the tea exported to this country. 
 
 I trust that the above very prosaic description of the trade of 
 Han-kow will have been skipped by those of my readers who are 
 not interested in our commerce with China. Those who are must 
 remember the uncertain sources from which it was derived, and 
 not give it more credit than it deserves; the chief portion of it 
 was obtained on board a very handsome junk, used as a grain- 
 store and agency. The heads of the firm happened to be on 
 board at the period of our visit, and regaled us with tea and pipes. 
 A considerable crowd collected before we had been there many 
 minutes, and when, after a long mercantile discussion, we rose to 
 go away, and bade them adieu, hoping that when they next saw 
 Europeans it would be to trade, the intimation was received with 
 a noisy acclamation, as nearly approaching a cheer as could be 
 
A VISIT TO HAN-YANG.—STATEMENTS OF PERE HUC. 571 
 
 expected of a Chinaman. I have inserted in the Appendix a 
 list of prices procured by Captain Osborn at Han-kow, with which 
 he has kindly furnished me. 
 
 We occupied the afternoon in exploring Han-kow to its farther 
 extremity, reaching, after a walk of about two miles, the open 
 country. There we impressed our visit upon the memories of a 
 noisy rabble of urchins who followed by giving them a scramble 
 for cash, under cover of which we effected our escape into a ferry¬ 
 boat, and crossed the Han with a view of visiting the interior of 
 the city of Han-yang. It is surrounded by a massive, well-built 
 wall in good repair, and has evidently been a compact, handsome 
 city of small dimensions, probably not above two miles in circum¬ 
 ference. It was apparently an aristocratic, quiet place, chiefly 
 inhabited by officials and their retainers, and containing all the 
 departmental public buildings. The ruins of these were exten¬ 
 sive. Fragments of lions and dragons, carved in granite or mar¬ 
 ble, lay strewn about the well-paved streets. Here and there, a 
 handsome carved granite archway still spanned the principal 
 thoroughfares; but they were more often prostrate and over¬ 
 grown with weeds. Some were undergoing the process of res¬ 
 toration, and many of the authorities were inhabiting temporary 
 abodes. 
 
 The scene of desolation was as complete here as elsewhere after 
 rebel occupation, and presented the most melancholy traces of its 
 former grandeur. Of the street connecting Han-yang with Han¬ 
 kow, and which must be upward of two miles in length, scarcely 
 a house was left standing. M. Hue says that he took an hour to 
 traverse the long streets of Han-yang. This is probably the street 
 to which he refers, as there is no street inside the walls of Han¬ 
 yang upward of half a mile long; but the Jesuit missionary is 
 not always scrupulously accurate in his statements. He describes 
 the Yang-tse-Kiang as presenting the appearance of an arm of the 
 sea, and dangerous to cross, though wherein the danger consists 
 we were at a loss to discover. 
 
 Again, apparently ignorant of the existence of any such river 
 as the Han, M. Hue describes Han-kow as situated on a river fall¬ 
 ing into the Yang-tse almost under the walls of Wo-chang, and 
 translates the Chinese name Han-kow by “ Boucke de Commerce” 
 instead of “ Bouche de Han,” a rendering which, if it has not the 
 merit of being a translation, is at least descriptive of the character 
 of this great mercantile emporium. 
 
572 
 
 FIRST APPEARANCE OF STRANGERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 First Appearance of Strangers.—Snipe-shooting near Han-kow.—A Visit to the 
 Governor General.—External Aspect ofWo-chang.—Reception by the Governor 
 General.—A magnificent Repast.—The return Visit.—A brilliant Scene.—Inspec¬ 
 tion of Midshipmen.—The Brave Army.—Their singular Uniform.—Panoramic 
 View of Wo-chang.—Reasons for our Return.—Subsidence of the River.—A 
 “Squeeze.”—Civility of the rural Population.—The Lee in Trouble.—Lime- 
 quarries.—Wild Scenery.—Deep Water. 
 
 December 9. Lord Elgin having still reason to be dissatisfied 
 with the tone maintained by the officials, and the determination 
 apparently evinced by them to prevent our making purchases of 
 the most trifling character, sent Messrs. Wade and Lay over to 
 Wo-chang in the Cruiser with a rather tart message, postponing 
 his visit to that high functionary. 
 
 The Cruiser consequently shifted her berth, and took up a po¬ 
 sition immediately facing the principal entrance to the city. This 
 demonstration produced the desired effect. Messrs. Wade and 
 Lay were received with the utmost politeness, and the restrictions 
 of which we complained were at once removed. 
 
 In the afternoon I had an opportunity of testing the good dis¬ 
 positions of the peasantry toward foreigners. In company with 
 Lieutenant Xott, of the Royal Marine Artillery, I walked to a 
 distance of four or five miles from the ships to a charming lake 
 which we discovered lying embosomed among the hills in the 
 distance. The rumor that barbarian ships were at Han-kow may 
 have reached the little village lying in this secluded spot, but 
 certainly no specimen of the mysterious race that navigated them 
 had ever before appeared among its simple inhabitants. Children 
 ran crying at the hideous apparition to the maternal wing, and 
 doubtless to this day are frightened into being good by threats 
 of our reappearance. Laborers suspended, for a longer interval 
 than is usual with an industrious Chinaman, their avocations, to 
 gaze and wonder at the two curiously-clad bipeds who seemed to 
 prefer paddling along the margin of the lake up to their knees in 
 water to walking on the dry land. Fishermen in boats coasted 
 near us, staring, criticising, and marveling at our conduct, which, 
 
A VISIT TO THE GOVERNOR GENERAL. 
 
 573 
 
 to persons innocent of the existence of such an amusement as 
 snipe-shooting, seemed unaccountable; but when a bird fell dead 
 into the water near them, their astonishment and delight were 
 complete, and they willingly performed the office of retrievers 
 without an idea of remuneration. Their good-nature and desire 
 to be useful were unbounded, and we had no difficulty in getting- 
 ferried about the lake in any direction our fancy prompted. 
 
 We only succeeded in bagging four couple of snipe and a hare, 
 yet we were well repaid for the expedition by the beauty of the 
 scenery and the civility of the people. Though it was late before 
 we turned our steps homeward, and we were five miles from the 
 ships, and quite alone among this race, popularly supposed to be 
 so inveterately hostile to foreigners, so reassuring was the manner 
 of the people that we were under no alarm, and plodded back in 
 the dark as confidently as if we were coming home from the 
 moors. 
 
 On our homeward voyage I was constantly out shooting, occa¬ 
 sionally at a considerable distance from the river, and invariably 
 found the same good-will prevailing on the part of the country 
 people. Wherever it does not exist the influence of the manda¬ 
 rins may always be distinctly traced. 
 
 10th. We started on our visit to the governor general to-day at 
 1 P.M. Our party was a large one, consisting of thirty officers 
 in uniform, besides the members of the mission. Forty marines 
 and thirty blue-jackets formed the guard of honor. As the Lee 
 got under weigh with the embassador on board, the heavy guns 
 of the Furious and Cruiser thundered out such a salute as had 
 never before resounded through the crowded streets of Han-kow, 
 or shaken the frame-works of its wooden houses. A dense crowd, 
 which had collected on the water’s edge to see the party embark 
 on board the Lee, incontinently tumbled over one another in their 
 alarm and confusion, and haste to escape; nor was it till some 
 moments had elapsed that they became assured of the harmless 
 character of our fire, and, laughing at their own fears, returned to 
 their old position. 
 
 We were soon ferried across the river in the Lee, and found a 
 number of chairs waiting to convey us through the streets, and a 
 Chinese guard of honor drawn up at the landing-place. As we 
 passed through the city gates, we observed another still stronger 
 guard on duty there. We traversed Wo-chang for at least a mile 
 
574 
 
 RECEPTION BY THE GOVERNOR GENERAL. 
 
 and a half before we reached the yamun of the governor general. 
 The main street was the handsomest I had yet seen in China, 
 Probably the best streets in Soochow equal it, but those along 
 which I passed on the occasion of my visit to that city were cer¬ 
 tainly inferior to the principal thoroughfare in Wo-chang. As 
 our procession of chairs, marines, and blue-jackets filed along it, 
 the crowds drawn up on each side were quiet and respectful, 
 though intensely curious, gazing fixedly into each chair as it pass¬ 
 ed, as though determined that the lineaments of its occupant 
 should be photographed upon their minds. 
 
 A hill terraced with houses intersects the city. The main street, 
 however, tunnels under this, and the shops continue through the 
 tunnel: indeed, the finest part of the street is at the entry to this 
 interesting specimen of Chinese engineering. The shops here are 
 better supplied, and there is a life and gayety which the rest of 
 the town does not present: indeed, it is slowly recovering from 
 the effects of prolonged rebel occupation. We crossed large areas 
 of desolation on our way to the yamun, but we had better oppor¬ 
 tunities of judging of their extent upon a future occasion. 
 
 The yamun itself seems to have been spared by the insurgents, 
 for it was a handsome edifice, in good repair. We were received, 
 on entering, with the usual salutes and discordant music, and 
 found the governor general standing at the door of the inner 
 court, surrounded by a brilliaut staff, waiting to receive Lord El¬ 
 gin. I had never before seen such a splendid gathering of Chi¬ 
 nese mandarins. Usually they do not think it worth while to re¬ 
 ceive barbarians in their official costume, and are scrupulously 
 plain in their attire. Now, however, as the governor general took 
 care to inform Lord Elgin, all the provincial, civic, and military 
 authorities were present in full dress, their silks, satins, and furs 
 of the handsomest material, and their breasts emblazoned with 
 dragons and other devices, elaborately embroidered. The spa¬ 
 cious audience-hall contained at one end the usual raised seat, 
 upon which Lord Elgin and the governor general took their 
 places. On each side, a long row of chairs and little tea-tables 
 afforded accommodation for a British officer and a Chinese man¬ 
 darin alternately; though, beyond hobnobbing over hot tea, it 
 was difficult to interchange civility, much less ideas. 
 
 Kwan, Governor General of Hoopeh and Hoonan, is a Tartar. 
 He stands high in imperial favor, having been very successful in 
 
A MAGNIFICENT REPAST. 
 
 575 
 
 his campaigns against the rebels, whom he has succeeded in ex¬ 
 pelling from his government. He professed great knowledge of 
 foreigners, from the circumstance of his having, at a former peri¬ 
 od of his life, served in Canton as second in command of the Tar¬ 
 tar garrison of that city. He had, therefore, had opportunities of 
 seeing the barbarian occasionally at a distance. 
 
 After a short conversation upon general subjects, our host led 
 the way to another apartment, in which a magnificent banquet 
 was prepared upon a scale infinitely superior to any similar en¬ 
 tertainment at which we had assisted in China. Four sets of ta¬ 
 bles, sufficient to accommodate the whole party, were loaded with 
 all the delicacies of the season, tastefully arranged in pyramidal 
 and globular structures. Nor was this merely the cold collation 
 common to official visits. A great variety of hot dishes made 
 their appearance in rapid succession, generally somewhat greasy 
 in their nature, but occasionally very palatable to persons of a 
 confiding temperament, and who did not care minutely to inves¬ 
 tigate the materials of which these various entrees were com¬ 
 posed. 
 
 Sundry descriptions of hot wines were also pressed upon us, 
 and afterward the excellent Pu-uhr tea, to which I have already 
 alluded. It was not merely from a desire to soothe our ‘‘uncon¬ 
 trollable fierceness” that we were thus magnificently entertained. 
 Our host was evidently a bon-vivant, and a man of hospitable 
 tendencies. He delighted in piling delicacies on his own plate as 
 well as the plates of his neighbors, and took a manifest pride in 
 the excellence of his cuisine, and completeness of his arrange¬ 
 ments generally. We afterward learned that the escort of seven¬ 
 ty men had also been provided with refreshment. At last, after 
 having done thorough justice to his feast, we bade adieu to our 
 sybaritic entertainer, who accompanied Lord Elgin, as usual, to 
 his chair, with many expressions of regret at being obliged to 
 part with him, and assurances that, in the mean time, his only 
 consolation would be in the prospect of returning the visit on the 
 following day. 
 
 We were followed by a considerable crowd on our way back 
 to the river-bank, and re-embarked under a Chinese salute, well 
 satisfied with the day’s experiences, our entire enjoyment being 
 alloyed only by a vague feeling of uneasiness and apprehension at 
 the possible consequences of our gastronomic indulgences, with 
 
576 THE ketukn visit.—a beilliant scene. 
 
 which we were not unnaturally haunted for the succeeding twen¬ 
 ty-four hours. 
 
 11th. The bright, clear autumn days in which we have been 
 reveling are most propitious to the interchange of official civilities, 
 which involved so much open-air display. At eleven this morn¬ 
 ing, the Prefect of Wo-chang, and several other mandarins of 
 rank, came on board to prepare the way for the great man. As 
 the ceremony was to be invested with much pomp and circum¬ 
 stance, the news had spread far and wide, and the surface of the 
 great river was literally alive with boats full of pleasure-parties 
 and sight-seers, who turned out as freely as if our gun-boats had 
 been in Southampton water instead of the Yang-tse-Kiang, and 
 they had come down express to see the great naval review. 
 
 We could discern with our glasses the troops, both cavalry and 
 infantry, lining the opposite bank, and make out the state junk. 
 After the usual amount of suspense and watching, three puffs of 
 smoke indicated the arrival of the governor general; then the 
 unwieldy craft got under weigh, and the excitement became in¬ 
 tense. Official boats, with flags fluttering from stem and stern, 
 darted about, ordering, directing, and clearing the way; the hum 
 of many voices filled the air; the river brink presented a dense 
 mass of heads, whose owners were all squeezing, staring, and gab¬ 
 bling. 
 
 Meantime the huge state junk, covered with flags, and towed 
 by six twenty-oared boats in line, all similarly decorated, was 
 sweeping at a slow and dignified pace across the stream, surround¬ 
 ed by crowds of boats containing minor officials and spectators. 
 As she approached, we added our own collection to the dragons 
 and other Celestial devices which were already waving in the 
 breeze. Suddenly the ships were dressed, and a suppressed “Ay, 
 yah!” of astonishment was uttered by the crowd. Meantime 
 mandarins of all ranks were arriving, and pouring in upon our 
 deck; and the ship was surrounded by boats full of soldiers in 
 red jackets, with spears, bows, matchlocks, and tridents, with oth¬ 
 er quaint and fantastic weapons. 
 
 Among these the executioners were the most conspicuous, with 
 their conical bloodstained hats, truculent countenances, and plait¬ 
 ed thongs for castigation—the badges of their office. Then the 
 great junk was made fast alongside, and all the ships manned 
 yards, and belched out a noisy welcome to the exalted visitor as 
 
THE GOVERNOR GENERAL AND SUITE. 
 
 577 
 
 he stepped on board; and the flags waved, and the gongs beat, 
 and the crowd murmured their satisfaction, while the bright sun 
 shone gloriously upon a scene as exciting and novel as it was ever 
 my good fortune to witness. 
 
 The governor general and suite were now taken over the ship, 
 and looked for the first time upon the wonderful mechanism of a 
 
 The Governor General of Iloo-kwang, with his Suite. 
 
 400-horse-power steam-engine without betraying any astonish¬ 
 ment. When, however, the 95-hundred-weight pivot gun was 
 worked for their edification, a gleam of dignified surprise might 
 be detected by an acute observer lighting up all their counte¬ 
 nances. After a luncheon, which could scarcely equal in its pro¬ 
 portions that of the governor general, but to which he did full 
 justice, he was “posed” for his photograph upon the deck. The 
 result, which may be seen in the annexed wood-cut, charmed his 
 excellency, and he extorted the most solemn promises from Mr. 
 Jocelyn that he should be furnished with a supply of prints to be 
 sent to him from Shanghai. 
 
 Our distinguished guest was particularly struck with the }^outh- 
 
 0 o 
 
578 INSPECTION OF MIDSHIPMEN.—THE BRAVE ARMY. 
 
 fill warriors by whom be found bimself surrounded. Midshipmen 
 are always a source of astonishment to Chinamen, who are accus¬ 
 tomed to treat boys with a kindness almost amounting to respect, 
 and can in no degree comprehend the system which induces us to 
 expose them at so early an age to the perils and dangers which 
 are involved in the service of their country. Kwan requested a 
 collection of these young gentlemen to be brought to him for in¬ 
 spection, and informed them, with an approving smile, that he dis¬ 
 covered, in the expression of their countenances, a very high order 
 of talent. At last the great man took his leave, protesting with a 
 vehement and energetic fervor the satisfaction he had derived 
 from the visit, and professing, in affectionate terms, sentiments of 
 eternal respect and amity. Then, under the thunder of more sa¬ 
 lutes, he stepped on board his gay barge. That ponderous and 
 singular specimen of naval architecture once more swung slowly 
 into the stream, and, like an elephant drawn by an army of rats, 
 followed its fleet of many-oared boats to the opposite shore. 
 
 As we were desirous of a closer inspection of the brave troops 
 drawn up in gallant array under the walls of Wo-chang, and had 
 not yet sufficiently satisfied our curiosity with respect to that city, 
 a party of us pulled across, and reached the opposite bank almost 
 as soon as the governor general himself. We found from fifteen 
 hundred to two thousand men drawn up in a line upon the river 
 margin. 
 
 The cavalry were mounted on rough ponies, thirteen or fourteen 
 hands high. A red jacket of coarse cloth, and a remarkable de¬ 
 scription of lappet, falling over the outside of the thigh over their 
 trowsers, composed the uniform. The men were all armed with 
 matchlocks swung behind their backs, and the officers had swords, 
 and quivers full of arrows. The bows were not visible. But the 
 costume of the infantry was far more grotesque and fantastic. At¬ 
 tached to each regiment were a score or more of men dressed in 
 a complete flesh-colored suit, fitting tightly to the skin, and which 
 reached from the hood that covered their heads down to their 
 ankles. Each man held over the middle of his person a circular 
 straw shield, upon which hideous ogre faces were painted. At a 
 distance these men looked as though they were naked, with noth¬ 
 ing on but their shields. On approaching nearer, however, they 
 assume rather the appearance of harlequins, for then we could dis¬ 
 cern that the yellow skin which covered them was ornamented 
 
SINGULAR UNIFORM.—PANORAMIC VIEW OF WO-CHANG. 579 
 
 with little black twirligigs like tadpoles. Altogether, their as¬ 
 pect was most absurd and ludicrous; and as they seemed to have 
 no weapon of defense, they are probably expected to strike terror 
 into an enemy by their personal appearance. Next in order to 
 this squad of tom-fools was a small body of men in black, armed 
 with matchlocks, the fuses wound round the stock of the gun. 
 Then came the main body of the regiment in red, armed with 
 spears, bows and arrows, and swords. Four or five such regi¬ 
 ments, besides the cavalry, were drawn up to receive the governor 
 general, and a portion of them accompanied him as a guard of 
 honor through the town. We managed to avoid the procession, 
 and, escaping into some by-streets, reached the ridge to which I 
 have already alluded as being tunneled through by the principal 
 street. 
 
 From the summit of this hill, which divides the city into two 
 equal parts, a good panoramic view of it is obtained. The area 
 of ground inclosed by the walls of Wo-chang is probably larger 
 than that occupied by Canton; but not more than a third of this 
 space is built upon and inhabited, so that the relative proportion 
 of its population with that of the latter city is materially altered. 
 
 We estimated the population of Wo-chang at from three to four 
 hundred thousand. The walls are dilapidated, in some parts out 
 of repair, and mount no guns. Large tracts of ground are strewn 
 with ruins and the debris of houses destroyed by the rebels. 
 Some idea of the deserted character of portions of the city may 
 be formed from the fact that, while walking down the centre of 
 it, we put up two brace of pheasants. So solitary was the spot 
 that the crowd did not discover us for some time, and then only 
 collected in small numbers. From the highest point we com¬ 
 manded a bird’s-eye view of all the public buildings left standing. 
 Of these the principal were the hall of examination, the yamun of 
 the Governor General Kwan, that of the governor of the city, and 
 a handsome pagoda. A body of troops was encamped in tents at 
 our feet, and parade was actually going on. 
 
 Altogether the military display at Wo-chang was more com¬ 
 plete and extensive than any thing I had yet seen in China. 
 
 Beyond the walls the country was broken and undulating; nu¬ 
 merous lakes lay glittering beneath the rays of the setting sun, 
 whose ruddy disk, almost touching the level horizon of the plains 
 in a westerly direction, warned us that we had not allowed our- 
 
580 
 
 REASONS FOR OUR RETURN. 
 
 selves more time than was necessary to regain the bank, and 
 cross the wide river to our faithful ship among the junks at Han¬ 
 kow. 
 
 12 th. We had now spent six days at Han-kow; but five weeks 
 had elapsed since our departure from Shanghai, and we began to 
 give our friends credit for feeling some anxiety on our account. 
 Knowing the fertility of the Chinese brain in inventing improba¬ 
 ble stories, and the readiness of the British public to believe them, 
 it became incumbent on us to commence, without unnecessary de¬ 
 lay, our return journey. Nor was there any very valid excuse 
 for pushing farther up the river. Han-kow was the extreme 
 point at which we were to be allowed a port by treaty, and, except 
 for purposes of exploration, we had no public reason for prolong¬ 
 ing our voyage. 
 
 Never before, in the annals of British naval enterprise, had one 
 of her majesty’s frigates accomplished so many miles of river ex¬ 
 ploration ; and it was with the utmost reluctance that we now ex¬ 
 posed the stern instead of the bows of our good ship to the force 
 of that current which she had so bravely breasted. We had at 
 one time been sanguine enough to indulge the hope of reaching 
 the Toong-ting Lake, the largest sheet of water in China, and from 
 which we were scarce a hundred miles distant; this probably 
 would be the extreme limit to which a ship drawing sixteen feet 
 of water could ascend, under the most favorable circumstances; 
 beyond that are the rapids of Kwei, as to the exact character of 
 which obstruction we are not yet informed, but it is not impossi¬ 
 ble, from the vague accounts which have reached us, that river- 
 steamers drawing little water, and with plenty of power, might 
 ascend them. 
 
 During the whole period of our stay the people had never 
 ceased collecting opposite the ships and staring at them; and, 
 doubtless, many years hence, when there are steamers plowing 
 the waters of the Yang-tse as freely as they do now those of the 
 Mississippi, old men will tell their wondering progeny, who are 
 probably stokers, that they remember the day when foreign ships, 
 then supposed to be under demoniacal influence, suddenly appear¬ 
 ed for the first time among the now obsolete craft, formerly known 
 as junks, at Han-kow, and, after remaining a week, as suddenly 
 vanished; and how, for some time afterward, until barbarians 
 again reached Han-kow and built a magnificent city upon its 
 
SUBSIDENCE OF THE RIVER.—WILD FOWL. 531 
 
 river-banks, it was popularly supposed that tlie apparition bad 
 been supernatural. 
 
 We reached the “ Squeeze ,” above Hwang-chow, in time to buoy 
 it out for to-morrow, but found, to our dismay, that since we had 
 last crossed it the water had fallen five feet, and was still subsid¬ 
 ing rapidly. The information, therefore, which we received on 
 our way up, that the water had already been at its lowest, was en¬ 
 tirely false and erroneous. 
 
 13 th. The day was spent in looking in vain for a passage over 
 a bar a little below Hwang-chow. Things begin to look serious; 
 every moment of delay renders our chance of getting over the 
 several bars ahead more remote. The Hove and Lee are inde¬ 
 fatigable in their efforts to find a channel. Some of our party 
 consoled themselves by landing on a sand-bank in pursuit of wild 
 geese, and were fortunate enough to bag three. 
 
 1 4,tli. Hove on shore, and our channel-hunters completely non¬ 
 plused. Gloomy spirits indulge in the most depressing specula¬ 
 tions as to the future, and visions of wintering up the Yang-tse 
 are somewhat forcibly presented to the imagination. By way of 
 testing the resources of the neighborhood in the event of such a 
 contingency, parties of us landed, and shot and explored in all di¬ 
 rections. We found an extensive plain stretching from the vil¬ 
 lages and cultivation which line the bank to the blue distance 
 where trees were faintly discernible. 
 
 This plain is a lake in summer, and we crossed to where some ol 
 its waters still remained. It is traversed by a mere muddy ditch, 
 which is a tributary to an inconsiderable stream called the Paho, 
 which enters the Yang-tse-Kiang at this point. The short green 
 herbage affords grazing to numerous flocks of unapproachable 
 wild geese. Storks, cranes, herons, and all sorts of monster water- 
 fowl stalk about the grass, so shortly cropped that it would not 
 afford shelter for a mouse, and loom in the distant haze like os¬ 
 triches. Historted pigs, and buffaloes ridden by boys, share the 
 pasturage with these birds. 
 
 Many of these water-fowl were of a description entirely new to 
 me. Besides wild duck there were grebe of many varieties, more 
 interesting to the ornithologist than to the sportsman. Teal and 
 widgeon were abundant, and I had no difficulty in killing four 
 brace; but in the absence of a retriever, fishing them out of the 
 water afterward was a less agreeable pastime. Fortunately, I 
 
582 
 
 RURAL CIVILITY.—THE LEE IN TROUBLE. 
 
 found the peasantry liere, as elsewhere, delighted to be of use; and 
 one man abandoned entirely his agricultural operations, and de¬ 
 voted himself to swimming in after the birds, or plunging vigor¬ 
 ously into the tenacious mud, stripping each time to his work. 
 
 We were frequently invited to refresh ourselves, as we plodded 
 through the fields, with the hot tea which the laborers always keep 
 ready boiling to comfort them during their midday toil; a few 
 charges of powder, or a dozen lucifer matches, were more highly 
 appreciated than handfuls of cash: the matches especially were 
 handed about, and treasured as miracles of pyrotechnic skill. In 
 many instances the peasantry declined any pecuniary remunera¬ 
 tion, and would only receive these curiosities at our hands. 
 
 Lord Elgin had in the mean time visited the town of Paho, and 
 described it as a compact little place, substantially built of red 
 sandstone. While I was engaged in ingratiating myself into the 
 affections of the rural population, I suddenly observed the recall 
 signal flying at the mast-head of the Furious, and reached her 
 just in time to share in the excitement of charging a fourteen-feet 
 bar. 
 
 The deepest channel that could be found gave us eighteen inches 
 less water than we were drawing. However, as the only alterna¬ 
 tive was to remain where we were, Captain Osborn felt justified in 
 putting the old ship at it, and it must be admitted that she took 
 her fence in a most creditable style. At one moment she canted 
 over a good deal, and we were in doubt whether the bottom was 
 soft enough and the current strong enough to carry her over. It 
 was with no little satisfaction that we dropped anchor at last in 
 deep water, on the right side of this formidable obstacle. 
 
 15 th. Our hopes of last night have proved as false and shifting 
 as the bed of this most treacherous river. Ho sooner had we con¬ 
 gratulated ourselves upon the success of our late achievement than 
 the Lee was brought up in ten fathoms upon a pinnacle of rock, 
 upon which she began gracefully pirouetting, as though in mock¬ 
 ery of our despair. While her zealous commander, Lieutenant 
 Jones, was engaged in laying out hawsers and stream-cables, and 
 backing astern, and going ahead, and rolling and jumping, and ul¬ 
 timately lightening her, we, who were now familiar with every 
 process to be resorted to with a gun-boat in difficulties, again took 
 advantage of the delay to land and explore some interesting quar¬ 
 ries we had observed on our voyage up. 
 
LIME QUARRIES. 
 
 583 
 
 A precipitous range of limestone cliffs, from 1500 to 2000 feet 
 in height, overhung the river at this point; at its base the village 
 of Shih-wa-yaou, inhabited principally by quarrymen, was pictur¬ 
 esquely situated, while its rugged sides were deeply scored and 
 undermined by the long-prosecuted labor of men. The limestone 
 is hewn out of the hill side with pickaxe and cold chisel, the proc¬ 
 ess of blasting being apparently unknown. The kilns were sit¬ 
 uated at the base of the hill. The fuel used was coal, principally 
 procured from the neighborhood of Hing-kwoh, its price at this 
 place being 18s. a ton. The coal is mixed in the furnaces with 
 red clay. This clay, after it is burnt, is used for building pur¬ 
 poses, and is placed together with unburnt brick in thick layers of 
 lime. All the houses of which the town is composed are con¬ 
 structed in this manner. I did not understand the object of mix¬ 
 ing the clay with the coal in the first instance. As scoriae, it seem¬ 
 ed a convenient building material. 
 
 The quick-lime is stacked in huge wicker frames, thirty or forty 
 feet in height, thatched at the roof, so that they present the appear¬ 
 ance of enormous baskets turned topsy-turvy, the shape being that 
 of an inverted truncated cone. The quick-lime is sold at the rate 
 of 185. a ton, while the slack-lime is used as manure. 
 
 It appeared that the quarries were free to all comers, any man 
 being entitled to purchase the privilege of working them by the 
 payment of a rent of 1000 cash, or about four shillings, for six 
 months, to a company who farm the quarries from the govern¬ 
 ment. 
 
 We were unable to discover the total amount paid by this com¬ 
 pany to the government, nor could we obtain any accurate inform¬ 
 ation as to the quantity of lime annually produced. The atrocious 
 dialect in which our informants spoke rendered the task of acquir¬ 
 ing any precise knowledge of the subject more than usually diffi¬ 
 cult. One piece of intelligence they gave us, however, which was 
 by no means encouraging, and this was, that the river was still 
 likely to fall some feet, as the rock on which the Lee was now 
 perched was distinctly visible at low water. 
 
 We ascended the hill to an elevation of 700 or 800 feet above 
 the river, and reveled in the prospect which was spread out before 
 us. The flourishing town of Hwang-shih-kang, presenting a fa¬ 
 vorable contrast to the demolished cities in its neighborhood, lay 
 basking in the sun a few miles distant—broad blue lakes and 
 
584 
 
 WILD SCENERY.—DEEP WATER, 
 
 grassy plains extended northward to a purple range in the dim 
 distance; while behind us were wooded valleys, and wild rugged 
 hills, with spurs jutting into the great river, and rising in abrupt 
 wild crags from its yellow waters. We descended into a valley 
 where some excavations into the hill side, with blackened edges, 
 gave promise of coal. None of the pits into which we entered 
 were deep. The people said that they had not been worked for 
 fifty years, but that, previous to that period, coal had been extract¬ 
 ed from them. 
 
 We were cheered, on our return to the ship, to find that the Lee 
 had been rescued from her perilous position, though not without 
 injury to her bottom; still, we had every reason to congratulate 
 ourselves that the rock had been discovered by her instead of by 
 the Furious, With her greater draught of water and superior 
 momentum, that excellent old tub, had she struck it, would in all 
 probability have prematurely terminated her existence in the cause 
 of diplomatic exploration. 
 
 Projecting into the river a few miles below us is the remarka¬ 
 ble bluff of Ke-tow, or the Cock’s Head. The Hove has just re¬ 
 turned from sounding beneath this stupendous rock, and reports 
 thirty-three fathoms of water. 
 
EXPLORATION OF A LAKE. 
 
 585 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 Exploration of a Lake.—An educated Peasant.—Charging the Bar.—Intricate Navi¬ 
 gation.—Good Sport.—We abandon the Furious.—Christmas-day.—Close Stow¬ 
 age in the Lee.—Approach Ngan-king.—Mr. Wade’s Visit to the Rebels.—His 
 Report of it.—Arrival at Woohoo.—A Rebel Communication.—We land at Nan¬ 
 kin.—A Visit to a Rebel Chief.—Report of the Interview.—Our Interview with 
 Le.—The real State of the Case.—Morals of the Rebels.—Strength of the Garri¬ 
 son.—The Rebel Theology. 
 
 December 16. Our day’s voyage led us through the gorge of 
 Pwan, undoubtedly the finest piece of scenery on the river. A 
 small river enters the Yang-tse-Kiang from the south, dividing 
 Hoopeh from Kiang-si. At a place called Toong-sha, on this riv¬ 
 er, the finest tea of Hoopeh is said to be produced. Coal and cot¬ 
 ton are two most important productions of this district. 
 
 The downward voyage involved many more difficulties of nav¬ 
 igation than we had experienced on our way up. We had then 
 grounded frequently; now there was five feet less water, and a 
 strong tide sweeping us down on unknown dangers. The inci¬ 
 dents of a voyage down the Volga were forcibly recalled to my 
 mind, but the “pericartes” (or sand-banks) of that noble stream 
 were nothing to the shoals and rocks of the Yang-tse. 
 
 11th. The gun-boats have been employed all day looking for a 
 passage over the bar at the Red Bluffs—a serious obstacle on our 
 way up, and now apparently a hopeless one. We can scarcely 
 regret these constant delays except for the sake of the ship’s bot¬ 
 tom, as they afford us admirable opportunities of becoming ac¬ 
 quainted with the rural population, and the general features of the 
 country. 
 
 After a walk of between two and three miles from the ship 
 across the plain, we reached an extensive lake, the shores of which 
 rose in swelling undulations from its glassy surface. Wooded 
 promontories projected half way across, forming deep bays where 
 cottages were clustered and boats were moored, and cotton-fields 
 terraced the hill sides. 
 
 Water-fowl of many varieties paddled and fluttered upon the 
 margin of this vast sheet of water, for we could not see its whole 
 
586 AN educated peasant.—charging the bar. 
 
 extent from any one point; and a small river, meandering through 
 the plain, watered the meadows, where flocks and herds were graz¬ 
 ing. Sometimes the great river itself overflows this rich expanse- 
 We were informed that this catastrophe had not occurred since 
 1849, when immense damage had been done, and miles of culti¬ 
 vated land were overlaid with five or six feet of sand. We ob¬ 
 served many barren spots, where pits had been dug down to the 
 rich loam that had been thus buried. 
 
 Over one of the cottages in a small village Lord Elgin observed 
 a tablet, which, on being interpreted, was found to be a notice to 
 the effect that one of the members of the family then inhabiting 
 it had taken a high scholastic degree, and, though the son of a 
 peasant, had achieved an important grade of mandarinic dignity. 
 The brother was the present occupant of the humble abode, also a 
 man of literary tastes and tendencies; and, though only the pro¬ 
 prietor of three acres of land, he had paid a hundred and eight 
 taels for one degree, but had unfortunately been plucked at all his 
 succeeding attempts, so that he was reduced to the humiliating al¬ 
 ternative of being obliged to wait until he should attain the age 
 of sixty, when he would be entitled to an ad eundem. In the back 
 of the cottage was a curiously constructed press filled with cotton¬ 
 seed : this was subjected to the blows of a huge beam, swung like 
 a catapult; and the oil thus extracted, we were informed, was used 
 for culinary purposes. 
 
 In whatever direction the different exploring parties wandered, 
 they all met with the same uniform civility from the country peo¬ 
 ple, into whose cottages we never hesitated to enter. This day 
 was memorable to us as the anniversary of our first embarkation 
 on board the Furious. A year’s residence in that ship had suf¬ 
 ficed to attach us to our floating home, though we already begun 
 to suspect that a tender and somewhat abrupt parting was in pros¬ 
 pect. 
 
 l&th. The only incident of the day was the determination at 
 which Captain Osborn arrived of charging the bar to-morrow. 
 
 19th. The Cruiser, drawing a few inches less than fourteen feet, 
 crossed without touching. We, drawing eighteen inches more, 
 knew what to expect, and went at it full speech It was a pleasure 
 to see the gallant way in which the old ship was handled in this 
 cross country work, and how splendidly she behaved; how beau¬ 
 tifully she was kept together as she approached her fences, how 
 
INTRICATE NAVIGATION. 
 
 587 
 
 obedient to the . slightest touch of the reins. The captain on one 
 paddle-box, the master on the other, four men at the wheel, hands 
 by the jib-halliards and spanker out-haul, men by bow and stern 
 anchors, engineers alert in the engine-room; then, with a swinging 
 tide, “full speed ahead!” we rush at the second cutter, anchored 
 on one bank to starboard, in a manner calculated to lead the young 
 gentleman in the boat to suppose that we are bent on his destruc¬ 
 tion ; then, shaving him by a miracle, steer clear of a buoy on the 
 port side by an eighth of an inch, then run out the spanker and 
 haul down the jib in the twinkling of an eye. It is of no use: 
 the ship is perfectly in hand; we keep the channel to a nicety; 
 but, unhappily, it surpasses even the capabilities of the Furious to 
 float in fourteen feet of water when she is drawing fifteen. There 
 is a scrape and a lurch; the paddles revolve helplessly; the order, 
 u Stop her!” is reluctantly given, and the next process of hawsers, 
 stream-cables, and anchors, in all sorts of directions, is vigorously 
 entered upon. By dint of dexterously bringing the ship broad¬ 
 side on to the current, she was converted into a species of dredg¬ 
 ing-machine, and, during upward of twelve hours, we dragged 
 steadily through the mud, shifting our anchors whenever our al¬ 
 tered position rendered this operation necessary. 
 
 19 th. At four o’clock this morning, when we were all profound¬ 
 ly indifferent as to our possible fate, the good ship had been forced 
 by the current through the mud, and was anchored immediately 
 beyond the bar. When day broke we found our position scarce¬ 
 ly improved; we were moored with our nose up stream, in a 
 channel so narrow that it seemed impossible to turn, and equally 
 difficult to find our way, stern first, along the tortuous channel 
 ahead. The manoeuvre was most cleverly effected at last by run¬ 
 ning the ship’s stern actually upon the shore, so as seriously to 
 imperil the toes of some Chinamen standing staring at the water s 
 edge; then the current and the jibs together took her bows round, 
 and we once more found ourselves triumphantly sweeping down 
 
 the turbid waters of the great river. 
 
 As we passed Loong-ping we observed the tents of an impe¬ 
 rialist force, a number of man-of-war junks, and some troops ap¬ 
 parently on the march. Wo augured from this that the rebels 
 were in close proximity. 
 
 We were met just before dark by the Dove, bringing us the 
 painful intelligence that the deepest water to be found on a bai 
 
588 
 
 GOOD SPORT.—GLOOMY PROSPECT. 
 
 ahead was eleven feet. This, if true, was absolute annihilation to 
 all idea of reaching the sea in the Furious. However, we still 
 hoped for the best, and anchored for the night a little below the 
 city of Kew-kiang. 
 
 20 th and 21st. While the Lee and Dove are away channel¬ 
 hunting, we, as usual, are engaged in a less important but more 
 amusing sport. We rambled for miles over the charming coun¬ 
 try which intervenes between the river and the Poyang Lake. 
 We explored in all directions the hills wooded with stunted oak 
 and pine, cultivated with cotton, flax, and corn, of different vari¬ 
 eties, inhabited by a simple population, whose snug houses nestle 
 in the recesses of secluded valleys: these, not being subject to in¬ 
 undation, are more substantially built than those in the plains. 
 Charming lakes are embosomed among the hills, and that most 
 extensive and celebrated of all, the Poyang, lays away to the far 
 south, like an ocean with a horizon of silver. We bag numerous 
 pheasants, magnificent birds with gorgeous plumage, in these 
 woods, wild duck and snipe on the borders of the lakes; and one 
 of our party was fortunate enough to bring home a fine roe-deer 
 as the result of his day’s sport. 
 
 22 d. We made a good bag to-day, but it was not enough to con¬ 
 sole us for the melancholy intelligence we received on our return 
 to the ships of the non-existence of any channel, and the still more 
 melancholy determination that had been arrived at, in conse¬ 
 quence, of deserting the Furious and Cruiser, and proceeding to 
 Shanghai in the Dove and Lee. 
 
 28c?. This day was spent in condoling with our shipmates of the 
 last year on the gloomy prospect in store for them of a winter in 
 the heart of China, for there seemed no hope of a rise in the river 
 before spring. It was a day of sighs and lamentation, bustle and 
 confusion—the rapid transfer of the accumulated effects of a year 
 to the limited capacities of a gun-boat—the abandonment of much 
 in despair—the packing, condensing, and the breakage and ejacu¬ 
 lations incidental thereto; lastly, the final meeting of a spasmod¬ 
 ically jovial character, protracted until a late hour of the evening, 
 when pathetic songs, extemporized for the occasion, were sung, 
 and the memories of scenes of interest and adventure were recall¬ 
 ed for the last time. 
 
 We all turned in with heavy hearts for the last night, as we 
 supposed, on board the Furious. 
 
WE ABANDON THE FURIOUS.—CHRISTMAS DAY. 539 
 
 24 th. The sky was weeping in unison with our feelings this 
 morning. It seemed almost shabby to desert Captain Osborn 
 after his unwearied exertions and splendid achievements, and to 
 abandon our old home, with all its kind and friendly occupants; 
 but the necessity was inevitable; so we resigned ourselves to the 
 inexorable decrees of fate, and made the Lee as comfortable as her 
 accommodation would permit. Then, when all was ready, Lord 
 Elgin addressed Captain Osborn, the officers and ship’s company 
 of the Furious, in a few stirring words, expressive of the regret he 
 felt on being now compelled to leave them; and we parted with 
 many good wishes from our naval companions, with every one 
 of whom, during our long residence on board, we had been upon 
 terms of the utmost intimacy and good-fellowship. Adverting to 
 this incident in his dispatch to the Secretary of State, Lord Elgin 
 says: 11 On personal grounds, I left the Furious with great regret. 
 For upward of a year I had had my home on board of her, dur¬ 
 ing the whole of which period I never once heard that it was dif¬ 
 ficult for the Furious to go any where or to do any thing that the 
 interests of the public service rendered it in my j udgment desira¬ 
 ble to attempt.”* Then came the final salute, and then we cheer¬ 
 ed each other as long as we could respectively be heard, to the 
 intense astonishment of a body of imperial troops, who were ap¬ 
 parently occupied in “matchlock drill” on the north bank of the 
 river. 
 
 2 5th. Our Christmas-day was of the most lugubrious and dole¬ 
 ful description. Notwithstanding the praise worthy efforts of our 
 most attentive host, Lieutenant (now Commander) Jones, it was 
 impossible to be very lively. A storm of sleet and snow swept 
 over the exposed deck of our tiny craft, and reduced us to the 
 condition of amphibious animals whenever we emerged from the 
 cabin. Unfortunately, the alternative of remaining there was 
 scarcely to be preferred. It is most probable that no one of my 
 readers, except those who composed the party on that occasion, 
 knows what it is to form one of twelve first-class passengers in a 
 gun-boat’s cabin. Mr. Jones, to whom the problem first presented 
 itself of how to stow away this invasion of barbarians, made an 
 elaborate diagram of his guests as he intended they should appear 
 in bed. Each man was allowed an inch less than his height, and 
 the smallest of the party was put upon a book-shelf, and formed 
 
 * Blue-Book, p. 446. 
 
 I 
 
590 
 
 CLOSE STOWAGE.—APPROACH NGAN-KING. 
 
 an admirable substitute for tlie light reading which it usually 
 contained. Two men were in cots swung over the only table; 
 two more occupied the said only table; and two more, stretched 
 underneath, used the same article of furniture as a four-poster. 
 When we were not all asleep, some of us were washing and dress¬ 
 ing, and the remainder waiting in the rain on deck for their turn. 
 When all the toilettes had been performed, the meals were begun; 
 and when the meals were over, the fumes of cavendish pervaded 
 the atmosphere until it was bedtime, and we all fitted into one 
 another again like herrings in a barrel. 
 
 By the time eight days and nights had been thus profitably 
 and sociably employed, we could readily appreciate the merits of 
 a description of craft which are a credit to the British navy. 
 “As I think,” says Lord Elgin, in the dispatch above alluded to, 
 “that these useful vessels (gun-boats) are not always sufficiently 
 appreciated, I would beg leave to call your lordships’ attention to 
 the fact that the Lee, with the aid of a junk, which she towed part 
 of the way, and eventually discarded, conveyed safely the whole 
 mission, servants included, from Kew-kiang to Shanghai, a dis¬ 
 tance of some 450 miles, through an intricate navigation, and a 
 country equivocally disposed toward us. It rained incessantly, 
 and we were rather closely packed; but the obliging attentions 
 of Lieutenant Jones enabled us to bear with these trifling incon¬ 
 veniences.”* Poor little Lee! bravely did she do her part wher¬ 
 ever there was work to be done; nor did she in her last hour dis¬ 
 grace the flag that still remained flying at her mast-head. After 
 riding out a typhoon on the coast of Japan, running the gauntlet 
 of the batteries at Nankin, and escaping the dangers of the Yang- 
 tse-Kiang, the Lee left her bones at last on the mud-banks of the 
 Peiho, where, riddled and shattered by shot, and with seventeen 
 out of her small crew killed and wounded on her deck, she sank 
 beneath the feet of her gallant commander. 
 
 We anchored for the night within sight of the batteries of 
 Ngan-king. 
 
 2 6th. I can best describe the proceedings of the earlier part of 
 this day by quoting from the Blue-Book a few lines from Lord 
 Elgin’s dispatch and Mr. Wade’s report. 
 
 “The course,” says his excellency, “to be taken in passing 
 Ngan-king was a matter which required consideration, as I have 
 
 * Blue-Book , p. 446. 
 
MR. WADE’S VISIT TO THE REBELS. 
 
 591 
 
 already mentioned. We were fired at when we reached it on our 
 way up; and the nature of the channel compelled us, on our re¬ 
 turn, to steer so immediately under the city walls that our decks 
 could easily have been swept from them by gingalls. When 
 attacked in passing it previously, the gun-boats were accompanied 
 by two large vessels. They were alone and unsupported when 
 we arrived before it on our route downward. It was, moreover, 
 important to insure a safe passage, not only for ourselves, but for 
 such other vessels as might be sent up from time to time to com¬ 
 municate with the Furious and Cruiser. 
 
 u In order to attain these objects, I thought it necessary to take 
 a pretty high tone with the rebel authorities. 
 
 “ Mr. Wade was accordingly sent on shore at an early hour on 
 the 26th of December to deliver a message, the nature and satis¬ 
 factory result of which are described in his report. To menace 
 with capture by two small gun-boats a great city, walled and 
 garrisoned, might have been bad taste elsewhere, but in China it 
 was the proper thing to do.” 
 
 The following is Mr. Wade’s report of the result of his mission 
 to the rebels at Ngan-king: 
 
 11 On the evening of the 26th of December, as the gun-boats ap¬ 
 proached Ngan-king, by desire of his excellency the Earl of Elgin, 
 I proceeded in the Dove to communicate with the insurgent gar¬ 
 rison who had fired upon our squadron on its way up. Night 
 set in very suddenly, and running on in the darkness, we found 
 ourselves but a few hundred yards from the walls. It seemed to 
 us that we were seen. Lights were visible here and there along 
 the walls, and junks appeared to be moving across the channel 
 ahead of us. Having had no opportunity of testing the disposi¬ 
 tion of the garrison since we exchanged shots with them on the 
 26th of November, I did not think it advisable to discharge my 
 mission without being able to see my way, and accordingly re¬ 
 turned to the Lee. On the following morning, about 8 o’clock, 
 Lieutenant Bullock, of the Actason, called for me. It was raining 
 heavily, and red umbrellas multiplied along the shore as the boat 
 approached the city. The bearers were dressed in the gaudy blue 
 and red, which gave the rebel forces a picturesque appearance. 
 A large red flag was waved, probably to direct our course, which, 
 however, lay toward the point it indicated, namely, the upper or 
 
592 
 
 MR. WADE’S REPORT. 
 
 southwestern angle of the walled position. In advance of this, a 
 rude chevaux-de-frise of some yards’ width protected the slope, 
 and the inner batteries, which are of a yellow stone, apparently 
 easy to work, were finished with some neatness. Three or four 
 of the crowd detached themselves to receive us. One, almost a 
 boy, carried a large red flag on the usual spear-staff; but, with 
 this exception, I saw no signs of arms in the hands of any one, 
 and, except some wretched-looking guns in the embrasures, noth¬ 
 ing of the character of hostile preparation. Being informed by 
 one of these people that the chiefs were all Cantonese, I desired 
 to speak with one, and a young man came forward from the mass 
 assembled under a gate through which the path led from the 
 point off which the boat was lying. He was, I found, a native of 
 Kwang-si, but speaking very good Cantonese. He afterward 
 stated himself to be the third in authority. I told him I was di¬ 
 rected to inquire why the garrison had, without any provocation, 
 fired on her majesty’s ships bound up the river. The chief said 
 it was a mistake due to the ignorance of some of the provincials 
 in their garrison, not Canton or Kwang-si men. The latter were 
 unaware of the circumstance until the ships were some way past 
 the city. They then recognized the English flag (‘ Ta Ying Ki’). 
 The thing would never happen again. I recommended him to be 
 careful. We had no wish to begin a quarrel with any who did 
 not interfere with us, and I had purposely been sent because it 
 was the British minister’s desire not to take life without occasion; 
 but that our vessels would be going up and down, perhaps next 
 month, perhaps the month after; and, although we had no desire 
 to side with either party in the civil war now waging, if any one 
 attacked us we should resent it as we had done at Nankin, where 
 the garrison had fired on us as we were passing, and we had, in 
 consequence, destroyed their forts. 
 
 “ ‘ Oh yes,’ said the chief, ‘ we have heard of what happened at 
 Nankin;’ and then repeated his excuses in even more apologetic 
 phrase than before, for the mistake of his own people. He said 
 they would send a present of oxen and other provisions to our 
 great man. This I of course declined. He also invited me, as 
 had one or two of the others, to land, and pay the principal chief, 
 a Cantonese, a visit. This I also declined, saying that I was sent 
 to deliver the message which I had given, and which I now once 
 more repeated, adding that they no doubt knew how simple a 
 
ARRIVAL AT WOOHOO.— A REBEL COMMUNICATION. 593 
 
 matter it would be for us to sweep them away utterly, were we 
 provoked to do it. To this he assented, with the same evidence 
 of conviction he had given when I mentioned Nankin. As I 
 pushed off he used the common Cantonese salutation, ‘ Go well!’ 
 ‘Good luck!’ etc. 
 
 “ The crowd generally seemed to me in better case than the 
 Woohoo rebels, more healthy-looking, and better dressed. One 
 of them, who was much the reverse, however, had pushed himself 
 forward, and addressed me in Cantonese English. He volunteer¬ 
 ed the information that he came from Whampoa, and bore other 
 marks, besides his acquaintance with our language, of subjection 
 to our influences. He looked, what I have no doubt he was, an 
 opium-smoking coolie. The majority seemed to me to hold back, 
 and but a small number came to the boat’s side.”* 
 
 Passing the rebel batteries unmolested, we made a long day’s 
 run, and anchored for the night at Toongling. 
 
 27th. We just succeeded in reaching the Retribution at Woo¬ 
 hoo before the light failed us. Captain Barker kindly placed his 
 accommodation at the disposal of the mission; but, as we were 
 quite unconscious of feeling crowded, and enjoyed each other’s 
 animal heat in the cold weather, we remained in possession of the 
 cabin of the Lee. 
 
 Captain Barker had, since his arrival at Woohoo, received an 
 apologetic note relative to the affair which had occurred near Tai- 
 ping on our way up. It was probably intended for Lord Elgin, 
 and ran as follows: “Some time since, when your excellency 
 honored our humble place with a visit, certain ignorant people in 
 our central station (or barrier) fired upon you by mistake, on 
 which our Heavenly King, Ilung-siu-tsuen, decapitated all these 
 ignorant scoundrels. Your ships being still in movement, Hung- 
 siu-tsuen could not catch them to make his apologies, and there¬ 
 fore sent instructions to us, your younger brethren, to transmit his 
 decree; but as your honored vessels continued on their way, we 
 failed to overtake them; and as there were demon vessels (impe¬ 
 rialist) also barring the way, we confined ourselves for the time 
 to making a report to the Heavenly King, and waited here for the 
 return of your honored vessel, to pay our respects to you in per¬ 
 son, and to receive from your own mouth your commands, on 
 
 * Blue-Book , p. 448. 
 
594 
 
 WE LAND AT NANKIN. 
 
 which we will make our report to the Heavenly King. We ac¬ 
 cordingly send a person in advance to welcome your excellency.” 
 
 28$. This day w T as a somewhat anxious one, as we were uncer¬ 
 tain whether the Retribution would clear the bar below Tai-ping; 
 fortunately, she went over, with one inch to spare. 
 
 29 th. Reached Nankin about midday. The extremely apolo¬ 
 getic tone of the communication above quoted seemed to Lord 
 Elgin to open the door to farther intercourse with the rebels at 
 Nankin. He therefore sent Messrs. Wade, Lay, Wylie, and my¬ 
 self on shore, to pay a visit to the authorities and pick up inform¬ 
 ation. 
 
 We landed on the south bank, at one of the forts which had 
 been most pertinacious in its fire on our way up. All was silent 
 now, and we felt some slight hesitation in stepping on shore, with 
 such slender knowledge of the dispositions of the brave garrison 
 toward us. Presently a few ragged soldiers emerged from a gate¬ 
 way, as little prepossessed by our looks as we were by theirs. 
 However, our object was to reach the city, and we now found 
 that the nearest part of the suburb was at least a mile distant. 
 Thither we determined on proceeding, and traversed on foot a 
 muddy plain under a pitiless snow-storm. A boy, whom we 
 pressed into service as a guide, led us through some narrow lanes 
 to an official residence of inferior description, where the officer in 
 command of the troops of this division had his head-quarters. 
 As our last communication with this gentleman had been in the 
 shape of a cannon ball, and no formal interchange of amicable 
 sentiments had passed since, we felt a little uncertain as to the 
 view he would take of this unceremonious visit on the part of 
 four of his late enemies. We soon discovered that his intention 
 was to detain us by polite speeches, and send for instructions. 
 As this did not suit our views, and we found four very nice po¬ 
 nies tethered in his court-yard belonging to some of his staff, we 
 decided on appropriating them, and pursuing our way into the 
 city. Finding all remonstrances useless-as we speedily untied 
 and mounted them, the general—for such we found to be his rank 
 —furnished us with a guide, and soon after a courier passed us at 
 full speed, doubtless conveying to the authorities within the walls 
 the intelligence of our approach. 
 
 We skirted the city walls for upward of six miles before we 
 found the gate at which we were intended to enter; on our way 
 
VISIT TO A REBEL CHIEF.—REPORT OF THE INTERVIEW. 595 
 
 we passed the spot on which stood formerly the Porcelain Tower, 
 but not a fragment is left to mark the site of this once celebrated 
 monument. 
 
 Entering the city through a massive gateway furnished with a 
 portcullis, we traversed for upward of a mile its deserted streets 
 before we reached the residence of one of the rebel chiefs named 
 Le. This dignitary met us at the door, and conducted us to his 
 audience-chamber. Here donning an elaborately embroidered 
 head-dress, which was a combination of a bishop’s mitre and a 
 fool’s-cap, he seated himself in his chair of state, and solemnly 
 awaited our statement. This high functionary was dressed in a 
 somewhat similar costume to his colleague at Woohoo: a robe of 
 yellow reached from his neck to his heels. The only ornamental 
 portions of his dress were his shoes and his cap: the former were 
 of a most brilliant pattern; the latter was covered with dragons, 
 and, Mr. Wylie alleged, was an imitation of the cap of office worn 
 during the Ming dynasty. 
 
 As the conversation was carried on between Le and Mr. Wade, 
 I will give this gentleman’s report of what passed in his own 
 words: “We stated the object of our visit, which was to inform 
 the garrison that we had received the explanation forwarded to 
 Woohoo of the mistake they had made in firing upon her majes¬ 
 ty’s ships, and that, as we had ships now up the river, others would 
 be probably going and returning, interference with which would 
 oblige us to resent it as before. Le was apologetic, but without 
 servility. He seemed more anxious to take us on the religious 
 side, beginning again and again that we were brothers of one fam¬ 
 ily as Christians, but this in a constrained way, without impress¬ 
 iveness or enthusiasm. He Said that Hung-siu-tsuen was still 
 Taiping-wang, and had not been, as we had understood, succeeded 
 by his son. 
 
 “We asked for the Eastern King, who, it was long since report¬ 
 ed, had been slain in a fray. This was an embarrassing question; 
 but, after a moment’s hesitation, he replied that Yang was in 
 heaven; and to a farther question, that he was succeeded in his 
 honors and functions by his son. The number of his own force 
 he put at several hundreds of thousands. He himself was Gov¬ 
 ernor General of Kiang-nan, and, as we afterward heard, chief ex¬ 
 ecutive authority in Nankin. He called himself an officer or no¬ 
 ble of the third degree, and wore on his high cap the badge, Yih- 
 
596 
 
 OUR INTERVIEW WITH LE. 
 
 tien-fuk. The last character appears to mark kis degree of nobil¬ 
 ity, though it properly means happiness or blessings. The two 
 first mean to advantage heaven. We asked for any new books 
 he might have, but the few he could produce were almost all the 
 same with those brought down from Nankin in 1853 by Sir George 
 Bonham. In one, a calendar for the coming year, Yang still fig¬ 
 ures as the Eastern King. Le promised us more books if we 
 would stay the night; we could then visit the court of the Heav¬ 
 enly Kingdom. We had already requested permission to do this, 
 but Le declared that, unless bidden thither, he could not present 
 himself. One of his attendants, an intelligent-looking bonze-like 
 personage, appeared rather amused at our eagerness about the 
 books. He and the rest of the Chinese present, who were not 
 very numerous, crowded in with as little restraint as at Woohoo, 
 and sat where they pleased. 
 
 “We asked to see their place of worship; but, though one of 
 them at first seemed to say that there was one at no great dis¬ 
 tance, Le interfered to observe that the brethren celebrated their 
 worship every day in their own houses, and assembled on the Sab¬ 
 bath at the Yu-tai (Jewish ?) temple in the king’s court. This led 
 to some inquiry regarding their days in the week, but we failed 
 to ascertain whether they keep their Sabbath on the first or the 
 seventh day, inasmuch as they certainly were at issue as to the 
 place of the Wednesday we were then passing with them. So 
 much of the day had been consumed by our long ride, that w T e 
 were unable to stay more than a quarter of an hour with Le. Be¬ 
 fore our departure we again referred to the question of our ships. 
 He begged that, if we were coming by, we would let the garrison 
 know, in which case there would be no chance of collision. In 
 accordance with our instructions, we told him that steps should be 
 taken to this end, and, declining refreshment, we departed.” 
 
 We had determined to return to the river through the city in¬ 
 stead of skirting its walls, and therefore, despite the usual remon¬ 
 strances at our independent behavior, started off* on foot in the di¬ 
 rection we wished to go, for we could not depend upon a guide ; 
 but, after effectually losing ourselves under our own guidance, we 
 ultimately got back to the yamun, and Le, finding us obstinate, 
 ordered a good-natured-looking man, of small military rank, to 
 conduct us to the river-gate. By this time it had got dusk, and 
 we had still a walk of five or six miles before us. The night was 
 
MORALS OF THE REBELS. 
 
 597 
 
 thick and sleety, and in the course of that long, dreary trudge we 
 became quite intimate with our guide. At first, and while his 
 companions were within earshot, he declared that the resources 
 of the rebels were abundant, and spoke in Mandarin; but dur¬ 
 ing our solitary walk through the wooded park-like country 
 which is inclosed within the walls of the city of Nankin, he re¬ 
 lapsed into the Canton dialect, and confided to us a very different 
 state of matters. The rebels, he said, were reduced to great ex¬ 
 tremities for supplies; and he was confirmed in this assertion by 
 the proclamations of Le, which we saw on the walls, calling on the 
 people to subscribe. 
 
 Our guide also asked Mr. Wade if he could not take him on 
 board one of the English ships to escape. This, he was told, was 
 impossible, on which he expressed his desire to trade in opium or 
 small-arms. He himself smoked, and so, he said, did one third of 
 the people of Nankin; not openly, however, for indulgence in the 
 drug is forbidden by law, nor is it publicly sold. He said that, 
 although there were not many men in Nankin, there were four 
 large rebel forces in existence—one in the Kwang provinces, one 
 in Fuh-kien, one in Cheh-kiang, and one in Ngan-hwui: the last 
 was very numerous. He spoke of the imperialists, not as the reb¬ 
 els usually affect to do, as demons or imps, but as the troops of 
 government. They always fled, he said, when the rebels attacked 
 them; but he admitted that the rebels, when attacked, also fled, 
 so that the war was likely to last long enough. He also told us 
 that polygamy was the order of the day. The Heavenly King 
 had 300 wives, and he himself admitted to having had a very 
 pretty bride allotted to him recently. The captured women are 
 distributed among the soldiers; and we observed some pleasing 
 female faces as we passed along the streets. 
 
 The captured men are pressed into the service, and tied to¬ 
 gether, and put into the front rank when they go into action. 
 
 The only form of prayer that our guide knew was a short grace 
 said before meals, which he repeated. Sometimes they knelt, and 
 the teacher prayed, but they never understood what he said. 
 Three officers and twenty men had, he said, been killed by the 
 fire of our ships on the way up the river. 
 
 The city of Nankin was occupied exclusively by rebel forces. 
 We did not observe a single shop, nor was there any person en¬ 
 gaged in trade. Many of the streets were entirely deserted, and 
 
598 
 
 STRENGTH OF THE GARRISON. 
 
 the houses unoccupied. A vast portion of the area within the 
 walls has never been built upon, while yamuns and public build¬ 
 ings still exist to attest its former magnificence. The most re¬ 
 markable of these was the Choong-koo-low, or Central Drum Tow¬ 
 er, under which we passed. 
 
 The present strength of the rebel garrison is estimated at from 
 10,000 to 15,000 men; that of the besieging force at double that 
 number. The only hope of the latter seems to be to starve out 
 the insurgents, for which end they have stopped up all thorough¬ 
 fare by the three sides landward, and merely left open the side to¬ 
 ward the river, which the rebels have secured by forts on both 
 sides of the Yang-tse, thus retaining to themselves liberty of egress 
 at pleasure. Six out of the thirteen gates which formerly gave 
 access to the city are open, the rest are bricked up. 
 
 The centre of authority is evidently within the city, but there 
 are circumstances which throw a doubt over the existence of 
 Hung-siu-tsuen, although his followers all speak of him as still 
 living, and edicts are issued under his name, with the title “ Teen- 
 wang” (Celestial prince). The evidence is more complete as to the 
 death of the four secondary princes — North, South, East, and 
 West. Two of these were killed in battle, and the others, who 
 held their courts at Nankin, became the victims of internal feuds. 
 Successors are said to have been appointed to the East, West, and 
 South princes—all minors. Besides the prime minister Tsin, who, 
 it is whispered, personates the prince, the resident executive chiefs 
 seem to be four men, named Chin, Le, Mung, and Sin, and these 
 have their offices within the city. The assistant prince, Shih Ta- 
 kae, was reported to be at the head of the army in Euh-kien, on 
 the east of Kiang-si. 
 
 There are twenty-four chief, and the same number of secondary 
 ministers of state, who are distributed in various parts of the in¬ 
 surgent territory. Most of the offices of trust are held by mem¬ 
 bers of the original confederation, the majority being Kwang-tung 
 or Kwang-si men. 
 
 It will be seen that our intercourse with the rebels, though more 
 extensive than that of any foreigners hitherto, has not been of a 
 character to enable us to acquire any very minute details with 
 reference to their religious tenets. Mr. Wylie, who had for some 
 years watched with interest the progress of the rebellion, was of 
 opinion that the religious eccentricities which began to appear 
 
THE REBEL THEOLOGY. 
 
 599 
 
 soon after its commencement are now assuming such prominence 
 as to threaten the extinction of the vital truths of Christianity. 
 The supremacy of their chief, Hung-siu-tsuen, they seem disposed 
 to insist on, exalting him to divine honors as the third in rank, 
 below whom all believers in Jesus are junior brethren. Whether 
 any large number of them believe in the divine mission of Hung 
 is, Mr. Wylie thinks, questionable; and it is to be feared that 
 skepticism is equally prevalent regarding the better parts of their 
 professed creed. The destruction of temples and idols is still in¬ 
 sisted on, as we saw by the fragments of images which strewed 
 the streets; and proclamations were posted up, urging the extir¬ 
 pation of idolatry in every form. This does not extend to the an¬ 
 cestral temples, however, these being universally respected, which 
 implies that the worship there is in harmony with their profes¬ 
 sion. 
 
 The doctrines of their religion, in so far as they are expounded 
 in their public .documents, appear to consist of an extraordinary 
 jumble of Jewish polity, Christian theology, and Chinese philos¬ 
 ophy. The result, as tested by our observation, was very much 
 what might have been expected from so incongruous a compound. 
 We found the rebels making war like Jews, living like the worst 
 description of professing Christians, and believing like—China¬ 
 men ! 
 
600 
 
 TEE YANG-TSE-KIANG COMMERCIALLY CONSIDERED. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 The Yang-tse-Kiang commercially considered.—Sensation on our Arrival.—Sudden 
 Appearance of the Furious.—The secret Edict.—Correspondence with the Commis¬ 
 sioners.—The Affairs of Canton.—Result of the Correspondence.—Decree publish¬ 
 ed in the “Pekin Gazette.’’—Departure from Shanghai.—Military Promenades 
 near Canton.—Expedition to Fayune.—A Voyage to Hainan.—Adieu to China.— 
 Arrival at Malta. 
 
 As Lord Elgin was anxious to reach Shanghai in time for the 
 mail, we pushed on in the Lee, leaving the Dove to pilot the Ret¬ 
 ribution through the more intricate navigation. We performed 
 the voyage from Kew-kiang to the mouth of the Shanghai River 
 in a week. When we remember that this was at the dryest season 
 $f the year, and our gun-boat drew eight feet of water, we are forced 
 to admit the capabilities of the great river of China for purposes of 
 navigation. When, however, steamers built expressly for the pur¬ 
 pose begin to ply on this great channel of internal communication, 
 they will find that their success depends, not upon the depth of 
 water, but upon the nature of the competition with which they 
 will have to contend. If river-tugs can tow flats at a cheaper rate 
 than the Chinese can work barges upon the canals and inner wa¬ 
 ters of the country, then the Yang-tse-Kiang will become the high¬ 
 way for British commerce. In any other country in the world, 
 machinery, whether applied to steam-ships or cotton-mills, will 
 beat manual labor. In China, where a man’s work is not worth a 
 farthing a day, his labor takes a higher place in competition with 
 steam-power. We have failed to substitute to any extent in Chi¬ 
 na cotton manufactured by machinery for that manufactured by 
 the hand; let us hope that, at all events, we may succeed in re¬ 
 placing junks by steamers. 
 
 Where valuable cargoes, such as opium, are concerned, there is 
 no doubt that steamers will be preferred to the water-conveyances 
 of the country; but in teas and heavier cargoes the question is 
 more problematical. 
 
 If we fail, we shall probably console ourselves by attributing it 
 to the influence of the government in some incomprehensible way. 
 Doubtless the Chinese government has much to answer for, but it 
 
SENSATION ON OUR ARRIVAL. 
 
 601 
 
 can not, and does not, affect the fundamental principles of polit¬ 
 ical economy. Lord Elgin, in referring to our commercial pros¬ 
 pects in the markets of the interior, thus alludes to this popular 
 delusion : a My general impression is, that British manufacturers 
 will have to exert themselves to the utmost if they intend to sup¬ 
 plant, to any considerable extent in the native market, the fabrics 
 produced in their leisure hours, and at intervals of rest from agri¬ 
 cultural labor, by this industrious, frugal, and sober population. 
 It is a pleasing but pernicious fallacy to imagine that the influ¬ 
 ence of an intriguing mandarin is to be presumed whenever a 
 buyer shows a preference for native over foreign calico.”* This 
 will be equally true if he shows a preference for native over for¬ 
 eign river-craft. 
 
 At the same time, this problem—if problem it be—can not be 
 solved until the rebels are dispossessed of their position for a 
 hundred and fifty miles upon the banks of the Yang-tse-Kiang. 
 We can not expect the Chinese government to permit us to trade 
 with the insurgents. Yor, if the river is once opened to the com¬ 
 mercial enterprise of foreigners, is it easy to devise a system by 
 which all intercourse shall be confined to those who are well dis¬ 
 posed toward the constituted authorities of the country. 
 
 The result, then, of our six weeks’ exploration of the great riv¬ 
 er of China had been most satisfactory as regards its navigable ca¬ 
 pabilities, and tolerably so in a commercial point of view, if all 
 political difficulties were removed; but, unfortunately, these latter 
 were of a nature calculated, in a great measure, to neutralize all 
 other advantages. Let us hope that an opportunity may now be 
 afforded, which did not present itself during the period of our dip¬ 
 lomatic experience in China, of removing those obstacles, and open¬ 
 ing this magnificent highway to the merchants of the world. 
 
 We steamed up to Shanghai, and cast anchor among the ship¬ 
 ping that crowded the river, under the pleasing consciousness that 
 we were creating a sensation. A squadron of five ships had left 
 the port six weeks ago; all that returned of it was a solitary gun¬ 
 boat, with Lord Elgin’s flag flying at the main. The public of 
 Shanghai were completely at fault. It had been reported that 
 Lord Elgin, and the rest of the mission, had been captured and 
 sent in cages to Pekin, and that most of the ships had been sunk, 
 and that the Furious alone survived to tell the tale. That was 
 
 * Blue-Book, p. 446. 
 
602 
 
 SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF THE FURIOUS. 
 
 only to be expected; but now it appeared that Lord Elgin bad 
 returned without the Furious. This was a much more startling 
 and unnatural phenomenon. We were received most cordially 
 by a knot of inquirers, who greeted us as we landed on the bund, 
 and all derived thorough satisfaction from the intelligence of two 
 British ships being fixed for the winter in the heart of China. 
 Could any method have been devised by which the country would 
 be more inevitably opened up? What prodigies of exploration 
 might not two such enterprising leaders as Captain Osborn and 
 Bythesea, with their officers, perform during a residence of four or 
 five months in the far interior ? Poor fellows, they would need 
 mental and bodily comforts of all kinds. The Dove, about to re¬ 
 turn with supplies, was consequently loaded with light literature 
 and Bass’s beer, woolen stockings, No. 4 shot, cavendish tobacco, 
 wading-boots, and every luxury or necessary that the kind-heart¬ 
 ed community could contribute, to console them for an existence 
 which, we all devoutly hoped, for the good of commerce generally, 
 might continue over many months. 
 
 Our astonishment may be imagined when, before we had been 
 in Shanghai a week, we were startled about midnight by the un¬ 
 expected appearance of Captain Osborn himself. It seemed that 
 he had taken advantage of a sudden rise of the river, after heavy 
 rains, to make a flying leap over the bar, and had come down at 
 a slashing pace with our good old ship, whose well-known pro¬ 
 portions were visible next morning just off the consulate windows. 
 
 We found the imperial commissioners in a most amiable mood 
 on the occasion of a visit of congratulation which they hastened 
 to pay Lord Elgin on his safe return from the perils of the recent 
 river navigation. 
 
 About this time intelligence reached us from Canton, and gave 
 rise to a correspondence too important not to be noticed. A body 
 of British troops, exercising in the neighborhood of Canton, were 
 unexpectedly attacked by a strong force of braves, and though, 
 fortunately, no serious loss was inflicted, they were compelled to 
 retreat with some haste to the city. This wanton act of hostility, 
 at a time when the imperial government was professing, through 
 its commissioners at Shanghai, sentiments of the most affectionate 
 and conciliatory nature, called for prompt punishment; and an 
 expedition was consequently organized against the small town of 
 Shek-tsing, about seven miles distant from Canton, known as the 
 
THE SECRET EDICT.—CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 603 
 
 head-quarters of a large body of the local militia. This operation 
 was executed with great spirit and success. With a loss of four 
 men wounded, we succeeded in destroying Shek-tsing, driving out 
 the braves, who dispersed in great confusion, and capturing some 
 of the private papers of the commissioners appointed by the gov¬ 
 ernment to organize militia against barbarians, and popularly 
 known as the Fayune commissioners. 
 
 At the same time, a document of a remarkable character, which 
 had fallen into the hands of Mr. Parkes, was forwarded by that 
 gentleman to Lord Elgin. It purported to be an edict secretly 
 issued by the government, inciting the braves to hostile action, 
 and indicating a policy so infamous and treacherous that Lord 
 Elgin forwarded it to the commissioners, with the remark that his 
 excellency u refrains from any comment upon this paper, in the 
 sincere hope that the commissioners will be enabled to assure him 
 that its authors, in imputing to the emperor the insidiously hos¬ 
 tile policy which it declares, have unwarrantably abused his maj¬ 
 esty’s name.” The commissioners, in reply, unhesitatingly affirm 
 this to have been the case. u As regards the document,” they 
 say, u to which your letter refers, and of which you have sent us 
 a copy, we have the honor to assure you most positively that, 
 after examining it together, we entertain no doubt that it is a 
 forgery. 
 
 “ The commissioner Twan has been in the council (by which 
 they are prepared and transmitted) so many years, that he is cer¬ 
 tainly qualified to pronounce upon that point, and an inspection 
 of the document has thoroughly satisfied him that it is a spurious 
 composition.” 
 
 Notwithstanding this assurance, Lord Elgin was so ill pleased 
 with the state of matters in the south that he determined to adopt 
 a tone in his correspondence which should oblige the commis¬ 
 sioners to aid him in remedying the evil; he therefore recurred 
 to, and insisted upon, his original demand, that they should pro¬ 
 cure from the emperor the dismissal of Hwang, the Governor 
 General of Kwang-tung, and the dissolution of the committee of 
 gentry, whose functions were to organize braves ostensibly for the 
 protection of the country against rebels, but really to disturb us 
 in our occupation of Canton. 
 
 It will be remembered that when the commissioners arrived at 
 Shanghai at the commencement of October, Lord Elgin called 
 
604 
 
 THE AFFAIRS OF CANTON. 
 
 their attention to the unsatisfactory position of affairs at Canton, 
 and informed them that he declined to enter into negotiations 
 with them until he should receive from them the assurance that 
 Hwang, the Governor General of Kwang-tung, as well as the chiefs 
 of the Fayune committee, should be removed from office. 
 
 Their excellencies undertook to memorialize the emperor for 
 the removal from office of the persons above named, and to fur¬ 
 nish Lord Elgin with a copy of the decree which the emperor 
 might issue, giving effect to the prayer of their memorial. 
 
 On the faith of these assurances the embassador entered into 
 negotiations with the commissioners on various matters, which it 
 was important to settle definitively, with a view to the establish¬ 
 ment of peace, and a good understanding between Great Britain 
 and China. 
 
 On our return to Shanghai after an interval of three months, 
 when Lord Elgin applied to the commissioners for the copy of the 
 imperial decree which he had been promised, he was furnished 
 with an imperial decree which, so far from removing Hwang and 
 dismissing the Fayune chiefs from office, informs, the commission¬ 
 ers that the emperor declines to be guided in this matter by their 
 advice. At the same time, intelligence is received from Canton 
 to the effect that our troops have been fired upon. Under these 
 circumstances, Lord Elgin informed the commissioners that he had 
 come to the following resolutions: 
 
 First. “ To hold no farther communication with the imperial 
 commissioners on the subject of Canton, as they clearly have no 
 sufficient authority from the emperor to deal with this matter.” 
 
 Second. “ To urge the military and naval commanders of the 
 British forces at Canton to move their troops freely about the 
 province, and to punish severely any braves or others who may 
 have the temerity to molest them.” 
 
 Lord Elgin concludes by saying that “when the undersigned 
 (or his successor) proceeds to Pekin for the exchange of the rati¬ 
 fications of the Treaty of Tientsin, he will ascertain whether the 
 occurrences at Canton, of which he complains, have or have not 
 the sanction of the emperor, and will act accordingly.” 
 
 This missive had the desired effect. We had reason to believe 
 that a copy of it was forwarded to Pekin at the rate of 600 le a 
 day; and it provoked from the commissioners a reply, in which a 
 positive assurance was given that Hwang and the committee should 
 
DECREE PUBLISHED IN THE “PEKIN GAZETTE.” 
 
 605 
 
 be removed, and the conduct of the braves was denounced in the 
 strongest possible terms. Before leaving China, Lord Elgin had 
 the satisfaction of receiving from the commissioners a communi¬ 
 cation inclosing a copy of an imperial decree, transferring to Ho, 
 the enlightened Governor General of the Two Kiangs, the seal of 
 the imperial commissioner hitherto held by Hwang. As this de¬ 
 cree was promulgated avowedly in consequence of Lord Elgin’s 
 representation above quoted, there can be little doubt that the al¬ 
 lusion to his proceeding to Pekin operated strongly upon the im¬ 
 perial mind. 
 
 The last official communication which Lord Elgin received from 
 China, when on his way to England, was a notification that this 
 same decree, removing Hwang and denouncing the secret edict as 
 a forgery, had been published as a spontaneous act on the part of 
 the Chinese government in the Pekin Gazette. It runs as follows: 
 
 IMPERIAL EDICT. 
 
 (From the Pekin Gazette, 31si January.') 
 
 “We have this day received a memorial from Kweiliang and 
 his colleagues to the effect that they have received, with the let¬ 
 ters from the British, a false imperial edict of the kind dispatched 
 directly from the imperial court, and which, they were informed, 
 had been obtained by an Englishman in Kwang-tung.” 
 
 “ On perusing this, Our surprise was extreme. From all time 
 China has held fast by principles of the highest justice in her be¬ 
 nevolent measure for tranquillizing the various nations: she has 
 never laid plans for secretly injuring them.” 
 
 “Subsequently to the failure of Yeh-nfingshin,WE appointed 
 Hwang-tsung-han to be Governor General of the Two Kwang, 
 and gave him the seal of imperial commissioner of Our territories. 
 As to Vice-President Lo-tun-yen and his colleagues, they, stimu¬ 
 lated by patriotic ardor, enrolled braves for the defense of their 
 country—a perfectly rightful occupation for local gentry.” 
 
 “Recently, however, the amicable negotiations of Kweiliang 
 and his colleagues at Tientsin having been finished, Hwang-tsung- 
 han had to busy himself with internal military affairs only, while 
 Lo-tun-yen and his colleagues had, in obedience to Our com¬ 
 mands, to deal solely with native bandits. It was not in contem¬ 
 plation that they should engage in hostilities with the British and 
 French. Although these nations have not yet redelivered the cap- 
 
606 DECREE PUBLISHED IN THE “ PEKIN GAZETTE.” 
 
 ital of Kwang-tung, yet if they maintain proper order among their 
 troops, causing no annoyance to the inhabitants, they may live to¬ 
 gether in peace, free from all troubles.” 
 
 “ A court dispatch has, however, been fabricated, giving cause 
 to difficulties between Lo-tun-yen with his colleagues on the one 
 side, and these two nations on the other, and producing doubt and 
 suspicion in the mind of the British. We now therefore com¬ 
 mand Hwang-tsung-han to take strict measures for the seizure of 
 the lawless fabricators, and to punish them with the utmost rigor 
 of the law. Thus may all nations know that China transacts her 
 affairs in an open, rightful, and liberal spirit, and that, when once 
 a settlement is arrived at, suspicions and doubts may be given up, 
 and so no room be left for the instigation of false mischief-makers. 
 
 “ As Shanghai, where the arrangements connected with the gen¬ 
 eral trade are at present being made, lies at a considerable dis¬ 
 tance from Kwang-tung, We hereby appoint the Governor Gen¬ 
 eral of the Two Keang, Ho-kwei-tsing, to be imperial commission¬ 
 er of foreign affairs, and We hereby command Kwang-tsung-han 
 to send a special officer to deliver to him the, seal of imperial com¬ 
 missioner now in use. Kespect this.” 
 
 When it is remembered that the Pekin Gazette is published pure¬ 
 ly for the information of the Chinese population, and is not sup¬ 
 posed to be read or seen by foreigners, we could not but regard 
 the official promulgation of such conciliatory sentiments as a hope¬ 
 ful symptom of the future. 
 
 Meantime, Lord Elgin was of opinion that his presence at Can¬ 
 ton would tend to facilitate the settlement of matters in that 
 troubled locality: he had already urged upon General Strauben- 
 zee the expediency of vigorously following up his successful opera¬ 
 tions on Shek-tsing. u I think it very important,” says his ex¬ 
 cellency, “ that advantage should be taken of this cool season to 
 accustom the rural inhabitants of the vicinity of Canton to the 
 presence of our troops, and to punish severely braves or others 
 who may venture to attack or resist them—every security, of 
 course, being given that the peaceful inhabitants shall not in any 
 way be molested.” t 
 
 Lord Elgin now announced to the commissioners his determina¬ 
 tion to proceed to Canton, stating as he did so that it was his in¬ 
 tention to return to Shanghai, to discuss with them various ques- 
 
DEPARTURE FROM SHANGHAI.—ORDER SECURED. 607 
 
 tions, the settlement of which was still pending. He was ulti¬ 
 mately prevented from carrying this arrangement into effect by 
 learning on his arrival at Canton that Mr. Bruce, who had been 
 appointed to relieve him, was expected immediately. The mer¬ 
 cantile community, believing that the special mission was about 
 to bid a final adieu to Shanghai, presented his excellency with an 
 address, congratulating him upon the large measure of success 
 with which his diplomatic efforts, both in China and Japan, had 
 been crowned. 
 
 On the 25th of January Lord Elgin gave a farewell ball at the 
 Consulate, immediately after which we once more turned into our 
 familiar cots on board the Furious, and slept till an advanced 
 hour of the following day, when Shanghai was twenty miles 
 astern, and the turbid waters of the Yang-tse-Kiang were for the 
 last time sweeping us rapidly out to sea. 
 
 Early in February, 1859, the Furious took up her berth in the 
 Canton Fiver, at the same anchorage at which I had left her pre¬ 
 cisely a year before. How great a change had been wrought in 
 Canton during the interval! Then the troops were camped on 
 the walls, or roughly barracked in yamuns; the streets were 
 crowded with people leaving the city under the influence of fear; 
 many of the shops were shut; and numbers of houses were unin¬ 
 habited and in ruins. 
 
 Now a well-organized system of government had produced 
 order out of chaos. A body of efficient police patrolled the 
 streets, which were cleaner than those of any other town in Chi¬ 
 na. The gambling-booths were all closed. Vacant spaces had 
 been cleared of rubbish and turned into parade-grounds. Officers 
 and men occupied comfortable quarters, and the streets might be 
 traversed in any direction with perfect security. Trading was 
 flourishing; the merchants, for the most part, occupying tempo¬ 
 rary abodes on Honan Island (on the opposite side of the river) 
 until the site for the new British factory should be definitively 
 decided upon. 
 
 The numerical strength of the police force which kept order in 
 Canton during a year’s occupation only amounted to one hundred 
 and fifty men. Captain Pirn, who commanded this body of men, 
 informed me that, out of the number, he had lost four men killed 
 and twelve wounded in the execution of their duty. These out¬ 
 rages had been committed during the summer, when braves were 
 
608 
 
 MILITARY PROMENADES NEAR CANTON. 
 
 in the habit of secretly entering the city, and assassinating solitary 
 Europeans. The townspeople, however, so far from sympathizing 
 in the proceedings of these ruffians, used frequently to point them 
 out to our men. 
 
 The success of the Shek-tsing expedition, and the wholesome 
 moral effect which had been already produced upon the rural 
 population of the district adjoining Canton, suggested the idea of 
 military promenades on a more extensive scale. One was accord¬ 
 ingly undertaken to Fat-skan, and another to Taileck, the princi¬ 
 pal village of the confederation known as the u Ninety-six Til¬ 
 lages,” both passing off peaceably, and producing, so far as we 
 were enabled to judge, the most salutary effect upon the popula¬ 
 tion. The notorious town of Fayune, however, situated between 
 thirty and forty miles to the north of Canton, had still to be visit¬ 
 ed, and thither General Straubenzee proposed to march with a 
 force of a thousand men. I was permitted to accompany the 
 troops upon this expedition, which proved, in fact, a most inter¬ 
 esting and agreeable five days’ excursion, and partook rather of 
 the character of a picnic than a military reconnoissance. As, how¬ 
 ever, it was fully described at the time, and was invested with no 
 immediate interest beyond that which must necessarily attach to a 
 march through a little-known country, I shall not enter upon any 
 description of it. The political results of this, as of the other mili¬ 
 tary promenades of the same nature which were undertaken about 
 this period, were in the highest degree satisfactory. The country 
 people, whose feeling toward foreigners are naturally amiable, be¬ 
 came accustomed to our presence, and less than ever disposed to 
 subscribe for the support of the disreputable rabble that had col¬ 
 lected in the neighborhood of Canton from other parts of the 
 country, and called themselves “ Braves.” 
 
 The “Braves” themselves found their prestige destroyed by 
 the Shek-tsing affair, and now, for the first time, became aware 
 that barbarians could undertake military movements unsupported 
 by “devil ships,” and that no retreat in the vicinity of Canton 
 was secure from the visits of a foreign force. The dissolution of 
 the Committee of Fayune by imperial edict, and the encampment 
 for twenty-four hours of a thousand men under the walls of that 
 town, effectually extinguished the warlike spirit of the militia, and 
 it will be our own fault if we ever allow it to break forth again. 
 
 As, by the mail due in China at the end of February, we ex- 
 
INHOSPITABLE SHORES OF HAINAN. 
 
 609 
 
 pectecl to receive definite intelligence of the movements of Mr. 
 Bruce, as well as the views of the home government upon a ques¬ 
 tion of policy which might render it necessary for Lord Elgin to 
 return to Shanghai, he determined to occupy the interval by a 
 voyage of discovery and exploration to the new port opened by 
 the Treaty of Tientsin in the island of Hainan. 
 
 Unfortunately, as we approached that little-known and unsur¬ 
 veyed coast, it came on to blow a gale of wind. On our lee bow 
 was a low, sandy, treacherous-looking shore, with a high conical 
 mountain inland; on our quarter, the precipitous Taya Islands 
 loomed dangerously through the haze; round us the waves foam¬ 
 ed and chopped in an unpleasant manner, suggestive of strong 
 currents and hidden reefs. Still the cry of the leadsman, anxious¬ 
 ly waited for as we crept cautiously along, was “Ho bottom:” 
 suddenly there came a sharp short “ Seven fathoms.” Our leads¬ 
 men were too well trained to waste the time in musical cadences 
 on these occasions. In a second the helm was hard down, and 
 the shoaling of the water, as the ship turned almost in her own 
 length, proved how near had been the danger. The sea was run¬ 
 ning too high to make channel-hunting among the coral reefs, 
 without a gun-boat, either an agreeable or safe amusement. So 
 we turned our backs in disgust upon the inhospitable shores of 
 Hainan, and ran for shelter and comfort into a pretty little port on 
 the main land, where a snug pirate village nestled among woods, 
 in a nook so secluded that we only stumbled on it by accident, 
 and found a cutthroat population living in considerable comfort 
 upon no apparent resources beyond what a certain number of 
 well-armed junks could provide them with. After touching at 
 the island of St. John’s, and fruitlessly exploring one of its bays 
 in search of the tomb of FranQois Xavier, we once more anchored 
 in Hong Kong harbor, as we devoutly trusted, “positively for the 
 last time.” 
 
 The arrival of the mail with scarcely any letters for the mission 
 decided the question. It was evident that we were supposed in 
 England to be on our way home, for both private and official 
 correspondence had all but stopped. As Mr. Bruce had been 
 charged to exchange the ratifications, and the admiral had been 
 instructed to have a ship waiting for him at Singapore at the end 
 of February, there was nothing to be gained by lingering longer 
 amid the scenes of our protracted diplomatic labors. 
 
 Qq 
 
610 
 
 ADIEU TO CHINA.—ARRIVAL AT MALTA. 
 
 On the 4th of March we watched with inexpressible delight 
 the rugged coast of China sink behind the horizon, and a week 
 afterward landed at Singapore. It was not, however, until we 
 reached Ceylon that we met Mr. Bruce, whose departure from En¬ 
 gland had been delayed until a somewhat later period than had 
 been anticipated. 
 
 The Furious, more faithful to us than we had been to her in 
 the Yang-tse-Kiang, conveyed us in safety to Suez, where we had 
 the satisfaction of being the first passengers who had ever break¬ 
 fasted in the Red Sea, and dined the same afternoon in the Medi¬ 
 terranean. A very faint idea of our anxiety to get home may be 
 gathered from this circumstance. 
 
 We entered the harbor of Yaletta upon the anniversary of the 
 day on which, two years before, we had steamed out of it on our 
 way to the East. Since then India and China had successively 
 occupied the public mind; and now it was absorbed in watching 
 the destinies of Italy. Unhappily, events have again occurred in 
 the Celestial Empire as unforeseen as they have been unfortunate. 
 Whether our labors during two years in that country have been 
 wasted, and the Treaty of Tientsin becomes at last a reality or a 
 fiction, must depend upon the skill of our diplomacy no less than 
 on the force of our arms. 
 
 I 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 No. r. 
 
 TREATY OF TIENTSIN. 
 
 Inclosure in No. 181. 
 
 Treaty between Her Majesty and the Emperor of China. Signed in the English and 
 
 Chinese languages , at Tientsin , June 26, 1858. 
 
 Her majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and 
 his majesty the Emperor of China, being desirous to put an end to the existing mis¬ 
 understanding between the two countries, and to place their relations on a more satis¬ 
 factory footing in future, have resolved to proceed to a revision and improvement of 
 the treaties existing between them, and for that purpose have named as their pleni¬ 
 potentiaries, that is to say : 
 
 Her majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, the Eight Honorable the 
 Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, a Peer of the United Kingdom, and Knight of the 
 Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle; 
 
 And his majesty the Emperor of China, the High Commissioner Kweiliang, a 
 Senior Chief Secretary of State, styled of the East Cabinet, Captain General of the 
 Plain White Banner of the Manchu Banner Force, Superintendent General of the 
 administration of Criminal Law; and Hwashana, one of his imperial majesty’s Ex¬ 
 positors of the Classics, Manchu President of the Office for the regulation of the 
 Civil Establishment, Captain General of the Bordered Blue Banner of the Chinese 
 Banner Force, and Visitor of the Office of Interpretation; 
 
 Who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, and 
 found them to be in good and due form, have agreed upon and concluded the follow¬ 
 ing Articles: 
 
 ARTICLE i. 
 
 The Treaty of Peace and Amity between the two nations, signed at Nankin on 
 the twenty-ninth day of August, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty- 
 two, is hereby renewed and confirmed. 
 
 The Supplementary Treaty and General Kegulations of Trade having been amend¬ 
 ed and improved, and the substance of their provisions having been incorporated in 
 this treaty, the said Supplementary Treaty and General Regulations of Trade are 
 hereby abrogated. 
 
 ARTICLE II. 
 
 For the better preservation of harmony in future, her majesty the Queen of Great 
 Britain and his majesty the Emperor of China mutually agree that, in accordance 
 with the universal practice of great and friendly nations, her majesty the queen may, 
 if she see fit, appoint embassadors, ‘ ministers, or other diplomatic agents to the 
 
 I 
 
612 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 court of Pekin; and his majesty the Emperor of China may, in like manner, if he 
 see fit, appoint embassadors, ministers, or other diplomatic agents to the court of 
 St. James’. 
 
 ARTICLE III. 
 
 His majesty the Emperor of China hereby agrees that the embassador, minister, or 
 other diplomatic agent, so appointed by her majesty the Queen of Great Britain, may 
 reside with his family and establishment, permanently at the capital, or may visit it 
 occasionally, at the option of the British government. He shall not be called upon 
 to perform any ceremony derogatory to him as representing the sovereign of an inde¬ 
 pendent nation on a footing of equality with that of China. On the other hand, he 
 shall use the same forms of ceremony and respect to his majesty the emperor as are 
 employed by the embassadors, ministers, or diplomatic agents of her majesty toward 
 the sovereigns of independent and equal European nations. 
 
 It is farther agreed that her majesty’s government may acquire at Pekin a site for 
 building, or may hire houses for the accommodation of her majesty’s mission, and 
 that the Chinese government will assist it in so doing. 
 
 Her majesty’s representative shall be at liberty to choose his own servants and at¬ 
 tendants, who shall not be subjected to any kind of molestation whatever. 
 
 Any person guilty of disrespect or violence to her majesty’s representative, or to any 
 member of his family or establishment, in deed or word, shall be severely punished. 
 
 ARTICLE IV. 
 
 It is farther agreed that no obstacle or difficulty shall be made to the free move¬ 
 ments of her majesty’s representative, and that he, and the persons of his suite, may 
 come and go, and travel at their pleasure. He shall, moreover, have full liberty to 
 send and receive his correspondence to and from any point on the sea-coast that he 
 may select; and his letters and effects shall be held sacred and inviolable. He may 
 employ, for their transmission, special couriers, who shall meet with the same protec¬ 
 tion and facilities for traveling as the persons employed in carrying dispatches for the 
 imperial government; and, generally, he shall enjoy the same privileges as are ac¬ 
 corded to officers of the same rank by the usage and consent of Western nations. 
 
 All expenses attending the diplomatic mission of Great Britain shall be borne by 
 the British government. 
 
 \ 
 
 ARTICLE V. 
 
 His majesty the Emperor of China agrees to nominate one of the secretaries of 
 state, or a president of one of the boards, as the high officer with whom the embas¬ 
 sador, minister, or other diplomatic agent of her majesty the queen shall transact 
 business, either personally or in writing, on a footing of perfect equality. 
 
 ARTICLE VI. 
 
 Her majesty the Queen of Great Britain agrees that the privileges hereby secured 
 shall be enjoyed in her dominions by the embassadors, ministers, or diplomatic agents 
 of the Emperor of China accredited to the court of her majesty. 
 
 ARTICLE VII. 
 
 Her majesty the queen may appoint one or more consuls in the dominions of the 
 Emperor of China; and such consul or consuls shall be at liberty to reside in any of 
 the open ports or cities of China, as her majesty the queen may consider most ex- 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 613 
 
 pedient for the interests of British commerce. They shall he treated with due re¬ 
 spect by the Chinese authorities, and enjoy the same privileges and immunities as 
 the consular officers of the most favored nation. 
 
 Consuls and vice-consuls in charge shall rank with intendants of circuits; vice- 
 consuls, acting vice-consuls, and interpreters, with prefects. They shall have ac¬ 
 cess to the official residences of these officers, and communicate with them, either 
 personally or in writing, on a footing of equality, as the interests of the public service 
 may require. 
 
 ARTICLE VIII. 
 
 The Christian religion, as professed by Protestants or Roman Catholics, inculcates 
 the practice of virtue, and teaches man to do as he would he done by. Persons 
 teaching it or professing it, therefore, shall alike be entitled to the protection of the 
 Chinese authorities; nor shall any such, peaceably pursuing their calling, and not 
 offending against the laws, be persecuted or interfered with. 
 
 ARTICLE IX. 
 
 British subjects are hereby authorized to travel, for their pleasure or for purposes 
 of trade, to all parts of the interior, under passports which will be issued by their 
 consuls, and countersigned by the local authorities. These passports, if demanded, 
 must be produced for examination in the localities passed through. If the passport 
 be not irregular, the bearer will be allowed to proceed, and no opposition shall be of¬ 
 fered to his hiring persons, or hiring vessels for the carriage of his baggage or mer¬ 
 chandise. If he be without a passport, or if he commit any offense against the law, he 
 shall be handed over to the nearest consul for punishment, but he must not be sub¬ 
 jected to any ill usage in excess of necessary restraint. No passport need be applied 
 for by persons going on excursions from the ports open to trade to a distance not ex¬ 
 ceeding 100 11 , and for a period not exceeding five days. 
 
 The provisions of this article do not apply to crews of ships, for the due restraint 
 of whom regulations will be drawn up by the consul and the local authorities. 
 
 To Nankin, and other cities disturbed by persons in arms against the government, 
 no pass shall be given until they shall have been recaptured. 
 
 article x. 
 
 British merchant-ships shall have authority to trade upon the Great River (Yang- 
 tsz). The Upper and Lower Valley of the river being, however, disturbed by out¬ 
 laws, no port shall be for the present opened to trade, with the exception of Chin- 
 kiang, which shall be opened in a year from the date of the signing of this treaty. 
 
 So soon as peace shall have been restored, British vessels shall also be admitted to 
 trade at such ports as far as Hankow, not exceeding three in number, as the British 
 minister, after consultation with the Chinese Secretary of State, may determine shall 
 be ports of entry and discharge. 
 
 ARTICLE XI. 
 
 In addition to the cities and towns of Canton, Amoy, Foo-cliow, Ningpo, and 
 Shanghae, opened by the Treaty of Nankin, it is agreed that Biitish subjects may 
 frequent the cities and ports of New-Chwang, Tang-Chow, Tai-Wau (Formosa), 
 Chau-Chow (Swatoa), and Kiung-Chow (Hainan). 
 
 They are permitted to carry on trade with whomsoever they please, and to proceed 
 to and fro at pleasure with their vessels and merchandise. 
 
614 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 They shall enjoy the same privileges, advantages, and immunities at the said 
 towns and ports as they enjoy at the ports already opened to trade, including the 
 right of residence, of buying or renting houses, of leasing land therein, and of build¬ 
 ing churches, hospitals, and cemeteries. 
 
 ARTICLE XII. 
 
 British subjects, whether at the ports or at other places, desiring to build or open 
 houses, warehouses, churches, hospitals, or burial-grounds, shall make their agree¬ 
 ment for the land or buildings they require at the rates prevailing among the people, 
 equitably, and without exaction on either side. 
 
 ARTICLE XIII. 
 
 The Chinese government will place no restrictions whatever upon the employment, 
 by British subjects, of Chinese subjects in any lawful capacity. 
 
 ARTICLE XIV. 
 
 British subjects may hire whatever boats they please for the transport of goods or 
 passengers, and the sum to be paid for such boats shall be settled between the parties 
 themselves, without the interference of the Chinese government. The number of 
 these boats shall not be limited, nor shall a monopoly in respect either of the boats, 
 or of the porters or coolies engaged in carrying the goods, be granted to any parties. 
 If any smuggling takes place in them, the offenders will, of course, be punished ac¬ 
 cording to law. 
 
 % 
 
 ARTICLE XV. 
 
 All questions in regard to rights, whether of property or person, arising between 
 British subjects, shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the British authorities. 
 
 ARTICLE XVI. 
 
 Chinese subjects who may be guilty of any criminal act toward British subjects 
 shall be arrested and punished by the Chinese authorities, according to the laws of 
 China. 
 
 British subjects who may commit any crime in China shall be tried and punished 
 by the consul, or other public functionary authorized thereto, according to the laws 
 of Great Britain. 
 
 Justice shall be equitably and impartially administered on both sides. 
 
 ARTICLE XVII. 
 
 A British subject having reason to complain of a Chinese must proceed to the con¬ 
 sulate and state his grievance. The consul will inquire into the merits of the case, 
 and do his utmost to arrange it amicably. In like manner, if a Chinese have reason 
 to complain of a British subject, the consul shall no less listen to his complaint, and 
 endeavor to settle it in a friendly manner. If disputes take place of such a nature 
 that the consul can not arrange them amicably, then he shall request the assistance 
 of the Chinese authorities, that they may together examine into the merits of the 
 case, and decide it equitably. 
 
 ARTICLE XVIII. 
 
 The Chinese authorities shall at all times afford the fullest protection to the per¬ 
 sons and property of British subjects whenever these shall have been subjected to in- 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 615 
 
 suit or violence. In all cases of incendiarism or robbery, the local authorities shall 
 at once take the necessary steps for the recovery of the stolen property, the supres- 
 sion of disorder, and the arrest of the guilty parties, whom they will punish accord¬ 
 ing to law. 
 
 ARTICLE XIX. 
 
 If any British merchant-vessel, while within Chinese waters, be plundered by rob¬ 
 bers or pirates, it shall be the duty of the Chinese authorities to use every endeavor 
 to capture and punish the said robbers or pirates, and to recover the stolen property, 
 that it may be handed over to the consul for restoration to the owner. 
 
 ARTICLE XX. 
 
 If any British vessel be at any time wrecked or stranded on the coast of China, or 
 be compelled to take refuge in any port within the dominions of the Emperor of 
 China, the Chinese authorities, on being apprised of the fact, shall immediately adopt 
 measures for its relief and security; the persons on board shall receive friendly treat¬ 
 ment, and shall be furnished, if necessary, with the means of conveyance to the near¬ 
 est consular station. 
 
 ARTICLE XXI. 
 
 If criminals, subjects of'China, shall take refuge in Hong Kong, or on board the 
 British ships there, they shall, upon due requisition by the Chinese authorities, be 
 searched for, and, on proof of their guilt, be delivered up. 
 
 In like manner, if Chinese offenders take refuge in the houses or on board the ves¬ 
 sels of British subjects at the open ports, they shall not be harbored or concealed, but 
 shall be delivered up, on due requisition by the Chinese authorities, addressed to the 
 British consul. 
 
 % 
 
 ARTICLE XXII. 
 
 Should any Chinese subject fail to discharge debts incurred to a British subject, 
 or should he fraudulently abscond, the Chinese authorities will do their utmost to 
 effect his arrest, and enforce recovery of the debts. The British authorities will like¬ 
 wise do their utmost to bring to justice any British subject fraudulently absconding or 
 failing to discharge debts incurred by him to a Chinese subject. 
 
 ARTICLE XXIII. 
 
 Should natives of China who may repair to Hong Kong to trade incur debts there, 
 the recovery of such debts must be arranged for by the English courts of justice on 
 the spot; but should the Chinese debtor abscond, and be known to haVe property, 
 real or personal, within the Chinese territory, it shall be the duty of the Chinese au¬ 
 thorities, on application by, and in concert with, the British consul, to do their utmost 
 to see justice done between the parties. 
 
 ARTICLE XXIV. 
 
 It is agreed that British subjects shall pay, on all merchandise imported or ex¬ 
 ported by them, the duties prescribed by the tariff; but in no case shall they be called 
 upon to pay other or higher duties than are required of the subjects of any other 
 foreign nation. 
 
616 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 ARTICLE XXV. 
 
 Import duties shall be considered payable on the landing of the goods, and duties 
 of export on the shipment of the same. 
 
 ARTICLE XXVI. 
 
 Whereas the tariff fixed by Article X. of the Treaty of Nankin, and which was 
 estimated so as to impose on imports and exports a duty at about the rate of five 
 per cent, ad valorem , has been found, by reason of the fall in value of various articles 
 of merchandise therein enumerated, to impose a duty upon these considerably in excess 
 of the rate originally assumed as above to be a fair rate, it is agreed that the said 
 tariff shall be revised, and that, as soon as the treaty shall have been signed, appli¬ 
 cation shall be made to the Emperor of China to depute a high officer of the Board 
 of Revenue to meet at Shanghai officers to be deputed on behalf of the British gov¬ 
 ernment, to consider its revision together, so that the tariff, as Revised, may come 
 into operation immediately after the ratification of this treaty. 
 
 ARTICLE XXVII. 
 
 It is agreed that either of the high contracting parties to this treaty may demand 
 a farther revision of the tariff, and of the commercial articles of this treaty, at the 
 end of ten years; but if no demand be made on either side within six months after 
 the end of the first ten years, then the tariff shall remain in force for ten years more, 
 reckoned from the end of the preceding ten years; and so it shall be at the end of 
 each successive ten years. 
 
 ARTICLE XXVIII. 
 
 I _ 
 
 Whereas it was agreed in Article X. of the Treaty of Nankin that British imports, 
 having paid the tariff duties, should be conveyed into the interior free of all farther 
 charges, except a transit duty, the amount whereof was not to exceed a certain per¬ 
 centage on tariff value; and whereas, no accurate information having been furnished 
 of the amount of such duty, British merchants' have constantly complained that 
 charges are suddenly and arbitrarily imposed by the provincial authorities as transit 
 duties upon produce on its way to the foreign market, and on imports on their way 
 into the interior, to the detriment of trade ; it is agreed that within four months from 
 the signing of this treaty, at all ports now open to British trade, and within a similar 
 period at all ports that may hereafter be opened, the authority appointed to super¬ 
 intend the collection of duties shall be obliged, upon application of the consul, to de¬ 
 clare the amount of duties leviable on produce between the place of production and 
 the port of shipment, and upon imports between the consular port in question and 
 the inland markets named by the consul; and that a notification thereof shall be 
 published in English and Chinese for general information. 
 
 But it shall be at the option of any British subject, desiring to convey produce pur¬ 
 chased inland to a port, or to convey imports from a port to an inland market, to 
 clear his goods of all transit duties, by payment of a single charge. The amount 
 of this charge shall be leviable on exports at the first barrier they may have to pass, 
 or, on imports, at the port at which they are landed; and on payment thereof, a 
 certificate shall be issued, which shall exempt the goods from all farther inland 
 charges whatsoever. 
 
 It is farther agreed that the amount of this charge shall be calculated as nearly 
 as possible, at the rate of two and a half per cent, ad valorem , and that it shall be 
 
APPENDIX. 017 
 
 fixed for each article at the conference to be held at Shanghai for the revision of 
 the tariff. 
 
 It is distinctly understood that the payment of transit dues, by commutation or 
 otherwise, shall in no way affect the tariff duties on imports or exports, which will 
 continue to be levied separately and in full. 
 
 ARTICLE XXIX. 
 
 British merchant-vessels of more than one hundred and fifty tuns burden shall be 
 charged tonnage dues at the rate of four mace per ton; if of one hundred and fifty 
 tons and under, they shall be charged at the rate of one mace per ton. 
 
 Any vessel clearing from any of the open ports of China for any other of the open 
 ports or for Hong Kong, shall be entitled, on application of the master, to a special 
 certificate from the Customs, on exhibition of which she shall be exempted from all 
 farther payment of tonnage dues in any open port of China for a period of four 
 months, to be reckoned from the date of her port clearance. 
 
 ARTICLE XXX. 
 
 The master of any British merchant-vessel may, within forty-eight hours after the 
 arrival of his vessel, but not later, decide to depart without breaking bulk, in which 
 case he will not be subject to pay tonnage dues. But tonnage dues shall be held 
 due after the expiration of the said forty-eight hours. No other fees or charges upon 
 entry or departure shall be levied. 
 
 ARTICLE XXXI. 
 
 No tonnage dues shall be payable on boats employed by British subjects in the 
 conveyance of passengers, baggage, letters, articles of provision, or other articles not 
 subject to duty, between any of the open ports. All cargo-boats, however, conveying 
 merchandise subject to duty shall pay tonnage dues onco in six months, at the rate 
 of four mace per register ton. 
 
 J *•'. « 
 
 pf IkXl i i CLE XXXII. 
 
 Si l 
 
 The consuls and superintendents of customs shall consult together regarding the 
 erection of beacons or light-houses, and the distribution of buoys and light-ships, as 
 occasion may demand. 
 
 ARTICLE XXXIII. 
 
 Duties shall be paid to the bankers authorized by the Chinese government to re¬ 
 ceive the same in its behalf, either in sycee or in foreign money, according to the as¬ 
 say made at Canton, on the thirteenth of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty- 
 three. 
 
 ARTICLE XXXIV. 
 
 Sets of standard weights and measures, prepared according to the standard issued 
 to the Canton Custom-house by the Board of Revenue, shall be delivered by the 
 Superintendent of Customs to the consul at each port, to secure uniformity and pre¬ 
 vent confusion. 
 
 ARTICLE XXXV. 
 
 Any British merchant-vessel arriving at one of the open ports shall be at liberty 
 to engage the services of a pilot to take her into port. In like manner, after she 
 
618 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 has discharged all legal dues and duties, and is ready to take her departure, she 
 shall he allowed to select a pilot to conduct her out of port. 
 
 ARTICLE XXXVI. 
 
 Whenever a British merchant-vessel shall arrive off one of the open ports, the 
 Superintendent of Customs shall depute one or more Customs officers to guard the 
 ship. They shall either live in a boat of their own, or stay on board the ship, as 
 may best suit their convenience. Their food and expenses shall be supplied them 
 from the Custom-house, and they shall not be entitled to any fees whatever from 
 the master or consignee. Should they violate this regulation, they shall be punished 
 proportionately to the amount exacted. 
 
 ARTICLE XXXVII. 
 
 Within twenty-four hours after arrival, the ship’s papers, bills of lading, etc., shall 
 be lodged in the hands of the consul, who will, within a farther period of twenty- 
 four hours, report to the Superintendent of Customs the name of the ship, her regis¬ 
 ter tonnage, and the nature of her cargo. If, owing to neglect on the part of the 
 master, the above rule is not complied with within forty-eight hours after the ship’s 
 arrival, he shall be liable to a fine of fifty taels for every day’s delay: the total 
 amount of penalty, however, shall not exceed two hundred taels. 
 
 The master will be responsible for the correctness of the manifest, which shall con¬ 
 tain a full and true account of the particulars of the cargo on board. For present¬ 
 ing a false manifest, he will subject himself to a fine of five hundred taels; but he 
 will be allowed to correct, within twenty-four hours after delivery of it to the Cus¬ 
 toms officers, any mistake he may discover in his manifest, without incurring this 
 penalty. 
 
 ARTICLE XXXVIII. 
 
 After receiving from the consul the report in due form, the Superintendent of Cus¬ 
 toms shall grant the vessel a permit to open hatches. If the master shall open 
 hatches and begin to discharge any goods without such permission, he shall be fined 
 five hundred taels, and the goods discharged shall be confiscated wholly. 
 
 ARTICLE XXXIX. 
 
 Any British merchant who has cargo to land or ship, must apply to the Superin¬ 
 tendent of Customs for a special permit. Cargo landed or shipped without such 
 permit will be liable to confiscation. 
 
 ARTICLE XL. 
 
 No transhipment from one vessel to another can be made without special permis¬ 
 sion, under pain of confiscation of the goods so transhipped. 
 
 ’ ARTICLE XLI. 
 
 When all dues and duties shall have been paid, the Superintendent of Customs 
 shall give a port clearance, and the consul shall then return the ship’s papers, so that 
 she may depart on her voyage. 
 
 ARTICLE XLII. 
 
 With respect to articles subject, according to the tariff, to an ad valorem duty, if 
 the British merchant can not agree with the Chinese officer in affixing a value, then 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 619 
 
 each party shall call two or three merchants to look at the goods, and the highest 
 price at which any of these merchants would he willing to purchase them shall be 
 assumed as the value of the goods. 
 
 ARTICLE XLIII. 
 
 Duties shall be charged upon the net weight of each article, making a deduction 
 for the tare weight of congee, etc. To fix the tare on any article, such as tea, if the 
 British merchant can not agree with the Custom-house officer, then each party shall 
 choose so many chests out of every hundred, which being first weighed in gross, shall 
 afterward be tared, and the average tare upon these chests shall be assumed as the 
 tare upon the whole, and upon this principle shall the tare be fixed upon all other 
 goods and packages. If there should be any other points in dispute which can not 
 be settled, the British merchant may appeal to his consul, who will communicate the 
 particulars of the case to the Superintendent of Customs, that it may be equitably 
 arranged. But the appeal must be made within twenty-four hours, or it will not be 
 attended to. While such points are still unsettled, the Superintendent of Customs 
 shall postpone the insertion of the same in his books. 
 
 ARTICLE XLIV. 
 
 Upon all damaged goods a fair reduction of duty shall be allowed, proportionate to 
 their deterioration. If any disputes arise, they shall be settled in the manner point¬ 
 ed out in the clause of this treaty having reference to articles which pay duty ad 
 valorem. 
 
 ARTICLE XLV. 
 
 British merchants who may have imported merchandise into any of the open ports 
 and paid the duty thereon, if they desire to re-export the same, shall be entitled to 
 make application to the Superintendent of Customs, who, in order to prevent fraud 
 on the revenue, shall cause examination to be made by suitable officers, to see that 
 the duties paid on such goods, as entered in the Custom-house books, correspond 
 with the representation made, and that the goods remain with their original marks 
 unchanged. He shall then make a memorandum on the port-clearance of the goods 
 and of the amount of duties paid, and deliver the same to the merchant; and shall 
 also certify the facts to the officers of Customs of the other ports. All which being 
 done, on the arrival in port of the vessel in which the goods are laden, every thing 
 being found on examination there to correspond, she shall be permitted to break 
 bulk, and land the said goods, without being subject to the payment of any addi¬ 
 tional duty thereon. But if, on such examination, the Superintendent of Customs 
 shall detect any fraud on the revenue in the case, then the goods shall be subject to 
 confiscation by the Chinese government. 
 
 British merchants desiring to re-export duty-paid imports to a foreign country 
 shall be entitled, on complying with the same conditions as in the case of re-exporta¬ 
 tion to another port in China, to a drawback certificate, which shall be a valid tend¬ 
 er to the Customs in payment of import or export duties. 
 
 Foreign grain brought into any port of China in a British ship, if no part thereof 
 has been landed, may be re-exported without liinderance. 
 
 ARTICLE XLVI. 
 
 The Chinese authorities at such port shall adopt the means they may judge most 
 proper to prevent the revenue suffering from fraud or smuggling. 
 
620 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 ARTICLE XLVII. 
 
 British merchant-vessels are not entitled to resort to other than the ports of trade 
 declared open by this treaty. They are not unlawfully to enter other ports in China, 
 or to carry on clandestine trade along the coasts thereof. Any vessel violating this 
 provision shall, with her cargo, be subject to confiscation by the Chinese government. 
 
 ARTICLE XLVIII. 
 
 If any British merchant-vessel be concerned in smuggling, the goods, whatever 
 their value or nature, shall be subject to confiscation by the Chinese authorities, and 
 the ship may be prohibited from trading farther and sent away, as soon as her ac¬ 
 counts shall have been adjusted and paid. 
 
 ARTICLE XLIX. 
 
 All penalties enforced, or confiscations made under this treaty, shall belong and 
 be appropriated to the public service of the government of China. 
 
 ARTICLE L. 
 
 All official communications addressed by the diplomatic and consular agents of her 
 majesty the queen to the Chinese authorities shall henceforth be written in English. 
 They will, for the present, be accompanied by a Chinese version; but it is understood 
 that, in the event of there being any difference of meaning between the English and 
 Chinese text, the English government will hold the sense as expressed in the En¬ 
 glish text to be the correct sense. This provision is to apply to the treaty now nego¬ 
 tiated, the Chinese text of which has been carefully corrected by the English original. 
 
 ARTICLE LI. 
 
 It is agreed that henceforward the character “I” (barbarian) shall not be ap¬ 
 plied to the government or subjects of her Britannic majesty in any Chinese official 
 document issued by the Chinese authorities, either in the capital or in the provinces. 
 
 ARTICLE LII. 
 
 British ships of war coming for no hostile purpose, or being engaged in the pursuit 
 of pirates, shall be at liberty to visit all ports within the dominions of the Emperor of 
 China, and shall receive every facility for the purchase of provisions, procuring water, 
 and, if occasion require, for the making of repairs. The commanders of such ships 
 shall hold intercourse with the Chinese authorities on terms of equality and courtesy. 
 
 ARTICLE LIII. 
 
 In consideration of the injury sustained by native and foreign commerce from the 
 prevalence of piracy in the seas of China, the high contracting parties agree to con¬ 
 cert measures for its suppression. 
 
 ARTICLE LIV. 
 
 The British government and its subjects are hereby confirmed in all privileges, im¬ 
 munities, and advantages conferred on them by previous treaties; and it is hereby 
 expressly stipulated that the British government and its subjects will be allowed free 
 and equal participation in all privileges, immunities, and advantages that may have 
 been, or may be hereafter, granted by his majesty the Emperor of China to the gov¬ 
 ernment or subjects of any other nation. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 621 
 
 ARTICLE LV. 
 
 In evidence of her desire for the continuance of a friendly understanding, her maj¬ 
 esty the Queen of Great Britain consents to include in a separate article, which shall 
 be in every respect of equal validity with the articles of this treaty, the conditions 
 affecting indemnity for expenses incurred and losses sustained in the matter of the 
 Canton question. 
 
 ARTICLE LVI. 
 
 The ratifications of this treaty, under the hand of her majesty the Queen of Great 
 Britain and Ireland, and his majesty the Emperor of China respectively, shall be 
 exchanged at Pekin within a year from this day of signature. 
 
 In token whereof, the respective plenipotentiaries have signed and sealed this treaty. 
 
 Done at Tientsin, this twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord one thou¬ 
 sand eight hundred and fifty-eight; corresponding with the Chinese date, the six¬ 
 teenth day, fifth moon, of the eighth year of Ilien Fung. 
 
 (l. s.) Elgin and Kincardine. 
 
 Signature 
 
 
 Signature 
 
 of First Chinese 
 
 
 of Second Chinese 
 
 Plenipotentiary. 
 
 
 Plenipotentiary. 
 
 Seal 
 
 of the Chinese 
 Plenipotentiaries. 
 
 _ 
 
 _ f 
 
 Separate Article annexed to the Treaty concluded between Great Britain and China on 
 
 the twenty-sixth day of June , in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight. 
 
 It is hereby agreed that a sum of two millions of taels, on account of the losses sus¬ 
 tained by British subjects through the misconduct of the Chinese authorities at Can¬ 
 ton, and a farther sum of two millions of taels on account of the military expenses of 
 the expedition which her majesty the queen has been compelled to send out for the 
 purpose of obtaining redress, and of enforcing the due observance of treaty provisions, 
 shall be paid to her majesty’s representatives in China by the authorities of the 
 Kwang-tung province. 
 
 The necessary arrangements with respect to the time and mode of effecting these 
 payments shall be determined by her majesty’s representative, in concert with the 
 Chinese authorities of Kwang-tung. 
 
 When the above amount shall have been discharged in full, the British forces will 
 be withdrawn from Canton. 
 
 Done at Tientsin, this twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord one thou¬ 
 sand eight hundred and fifty-eight; corresponding with the Chinese date, the six¬ 
 teenth day, fifth moon, of the eighth year of Ilien Eung. 
 
 (l.s.) Elgin and Kincardine. 
 
 Signature 
 of First Chinese 
 Plenipotentiary. 
 
 
 Signature 
 of Second Chinese 
 Plenipotentiary. 
 
 
 Seal 
 
 of the Chinese 
 Plenipotentiaries. 
 
 
622 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 
 No. II. 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO A RESIDENT MINISTER AT PEKIN. 
 
 No. 216. 
 
 The Earl of Elgin to the Earl of Malmesbury . (Received December 29.) 
 
 (Extract.) Shanghai, November 5, 1858, 
 
 In my dispatch of the 22d ultimo I inclosed a precis of a very important letter 
 which I had just then received from the Chinese imperial commissioners. I inform¬ 
 ed your lordship that it was very becoming in its tone, but that it expressed a very 
 strong hope that her majesty would exercise the option conferred on her by Article 
 III. of the Treaty of Tientsin, by directing her minister to visit Pekin occasionally, 
 instead of residing there permanently, and I requested you not to come to any final 
 decision on this point until you should have heard from me again. I have now the 
 honor to transmit herewith a translation of the letter in question, and of the corre¬ 
 spondence to which it has led. 
 
 In order that your lordship may correctly apprehend the drift of this correspond¬ 
 ence, it is necessary that I should state at the outset that the Chinese authorities con¬ 
 template the permanent residence of foreign ministers at the capital with more aver¬ 
 sion and apprehension than any of the other innovations introduced by the Treaty of 
 Tientsin. 
 
 In reply to the representations which I have been able, through private channels, 
 to make to them in favor of this arrangement as the best means of obviating interna¬ 
 tional disputes, and of preventing them, when they chance to arise, from assuming 
 undue proportions, they are wont to urge, in the first place, of course, the traditional 
 policy of the empire, and, then, the difficulties in which, if he were constantly resi¬ 
 dent at the capital, the idiosyncracies of an individual foreign functionary, of violent 
 temper and overbearing demeanor, might involve them. As regards this latter point 
 (I refer now to communications which have passed between us through official chan¬ 
 nels), they are in the habit of illustrating their meaning by examples. “ If we were 
 quite sure,” say they, “ that you would always send to us men thoroughly wise, dis¬ 
 creet, and considerate, it might be different; but if, for instance, so and so were ap¬ 
 pointed to represent a foreign government at Pekin (and the right, if exercised by 
 you, would, of course, be claimed by all other governments), a month would not 
 elapse before something would occur which would place our highest officers in the 
 dilemma of having either to risk a quarrel or submit to some indignity which would 
 lower the Chinese government in the eyes of its own subjects.” No doubt such ap¬ 
 prehensions are to some extent chimerical; but I am bound to admit that I do not 
 consider them to be altogether so. The doctrine that every Chinaman is a knave, 
 and manageable only by bullying and bravado, like the kindred doctrine that every 
 trading junk carries guns and is piratical, is, I venture with all deference to think, 
 sometimes pushed a little too far in our dealings with this people. Be this, however, 
 as it may, I advert to the point now only because I wish your lordship to understand 
 that I believe that the objections to the permanent residence of foreign ministers at 
 Pekin, which the Chinese authorities urge on this head, are sincerely entertained by 
 them, and not entirely groundless. 
 
 Again, we know from the “Pekin Gazette” that the emperor has issued orders for 
 the reconstruction of the forts which we knocked down at the mouth of the Peiho, 
 and for the erection of other works to protect Pekin. It would hardly, I think, be 
 reasonable on our part to require that the Emperor of China should leave his capital 
 
 4 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 623 
 
 undefended for the express purpose of enabling us, whenever we see fit so to do, to 
 attack him there. Nor do I, on the other hand, think that any works which he is 
 likely to raise will prevent us from reaching it if we resolve to go thither in pur¬ 
 suance of a treaty-right. At the same time, it may be a question whether it would 
 be expedient to exercise the option conferred on her majesty by Article III. of the 
 Treaty of Tientsin in such a manner as would force the emperor to choose between 
 a desperate attempt at resistance and passive acquiescence in what he and his ad¬ 
 visers believe to be the greatest calamity which can befall the empire. 
 
 Short, however, of the extreme measure of a forcible resistance to the invasion of 
 the capital by foreign ministers, with their wives and establishments (these latter be¬ 
 ing, it appears, in the eyes of the Chinese, more formidable than the ministers them¬ 
 selves), there is a risk which I feel myself bound, under present circumstances, not 
 to pass over without notice. 
 
 Your lordship may perhaps remember that, on the eve of the day on which the 
 Treaty of Tientsin was signed, I received a representation to the effect that the Chi¬ 
 nese commissioners would certainly lose their heads if they conceded the articles in 
 my treaty providing for the residence of a British minister at Pekin, and empowering 
 British subjects to travel through the country for trading purposes. 
 
 This representation caused me a good deal of anxiety at the time, but I resolved 
 to disregard it, and to act on the hypothesis that, being in the vicinity of Pekin with 
 an armed force, I might so demean myself as to make the emperor think that he 
 was under an obligation to his plenipotentiaries for having made peace with me even 
 on the terms objected to. 
 
 The result justified this calculation. Kweiliang and Hwashana, the commission¬ 
 ers who negotiated with me the Treaty of Tientsin, are now here, and seem still to 
 enjoy the imperial confidence and favor. Moreover, if they entertained before they 
 arrived here any hope of being able to call in question the concessions secured to 
 foreigners by that treaty, they have been induced since their arrival entirely to aban¬ 
 don it, partly by the peremptory language which I held to them respecting affairs 
 at Canton, and partly by the assurance which has been unofficially conveyed to 
 them, that, if they act toward me in perfect good faith, they will find me reasonable 
 and considerate. If, however, after having, in terms so ample and language so 
 respectful, acceded to my requirements, they are compelled to report to the emperor 
 that they have failed to obtain from me any consideration whatever for the repre¬ 
 sentations urged by them on behalf of their sovereign, I fear that their degradation 
 and punishment will be inevitable, and I need hardly say that an occurrence of this 
 nature would tend much to unsettle the Chinese mind, and to beget doubts as to the 
 emperor’s intentions with respect to the new treaty. 
 
 Moreover, the treaty-right to navigate the Yang-tze, and to resort to ports upon 
 that river for purposes of trade, was also made contingent on the re-establishment 
 of the imperial authority in the ports in qixestion; because, as we have seen fit to 
 affect neutrality between the Emperor of China and the rebels, we could not, of 
 course, without absurdity, require him to give us rights and protection in places 
 actually occupied by a power which we treat with the same respect as his own. 
 
 Nevertheless, it is important that it should be known to Chinese and foreigners 
 that the emperor has conceded in principle the opening up of the river; and I have 
 long thought that if I could contrive to go up it in person, with the consent of the 
 imperial government, with the plea of selecting the ports which would be most suit¬ 
 able for foreign trade, it would be a very effectual way of tendering to the public the 
 required assurance on this point. 
 
624 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 It is only, however, by conciliating the good-will of the imperial commissioners 
 that this result can be brought about; for, until the Treaty of Tientsin is ratified, I 
 have clearly no title to go up the river as a matter of right. 
 
 I might refer to other important subjects that fall within the category of matters 
 which, although they are beyond the strict provisions of the treaty, it is desirable, if 
 possible, to settle amicably at the present time; but I think it unnecessary to swell 
 this dispatch by enumerating them. 
 
 Under these circumstances, it became necessarily my duty to consider whether I 
 might not, by a different mode of proceeding, turn the disposition of the imperial 
 commissioners to better account. 
 
 I find, on inquiry, that by adopting a more conciliating tone in reference to the 
 subject which they have brought under my notice, I can secure the following ob¬ 
 jects : 
 
 Firstly, I can obtain from them, in the fullest terms, a recognition of the rights 
 accruing to her majesty and to British subjects, under the Treaty of Tientsin, in¬ 
 cluding that very right of the permanent establishment of a minister at Pekin which 
 forms the subject of discussion; 
 
 Secondly, I can induce them to take at once all the steps for giving effect to 
 the treaty which they can be properly required to take previously to its ratification; 
 
 Thirdly, I can farther induce them to accede to my wishes in reference to certain 
 other matters not covered by the treaty, but to which I attach, nevertheless, consid¬ 
 erable importance. 
 
 Fourthly, I can contrive so to meet their proposal as to leave in the hands of her 
 majesty’s government, to be wielded at its will, a moral lever of the most powerful 
 description, to secure the faithful observance of the treaty by the Chinese govern¬ 
 ment in all time to come. 
 
 As, in a transaction of so much delicacy, the choice of each word is important, I 
 must refer your lordship to the inclosed correspondence for a full exposition of the 
 method which I have pursued in furtherance of these ends. The upshot of it all is 
 this: that after reserving, in the most unqualified terms, her majesty’s right to exer¬ 
 cise as she may see fit the option conferred on her by Article III. of the Treaty of 
 Tientsin, I have undertaken to communicate to her majesty’s government the rep¬ 
 resentations that have been made to me on the subject by the Chinese imperial com¬ 
 missioners, and humbly to submit it as my opinion that if her majesty’s embassador 
 be properly received at Pekin when the ratifications are exchanged next year, and 
 full effect given in all other particulars to the treaty negotiated at Tientsin, it will 
 be expedient that her majesty’s representative in China be instructed to choose a 
 place of residence elsewhere than at Pekin, and to make his visits to the capital 
 either periodically, or as frequently as the exigencies of the public service may re¬ 
 quire. 
 
 In pursuance of the above pledge, I address to your lordship the present com¬ 
 munication, and respectfully request for it your favorable consideration. 
 
 In conclusion, I would beg leave to remind your lordship that it is only in the 
 British treaty that the right to appoint a minister to reside permanently at Pekin is 
 provided for. Any other nation desiring to exercise this privilege must borrow it 
 from that treaty under the most favored nation clause; and if sxich a claim on the 
 part of any other power were admitted, of course the objection to the residence of 
 a British minister at the capital would be at once, by that fact, removed. 
 
 And, farther, although I adhere to every opinion I have formerly expressed with 
 regard to the importance of the establishment of direct diplomatic relations with the 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 625 
 
 court of Pekin, I am bound to admit that the position of a British minister at the 
 capital during the winter months, when the thermometer, if Humboldt is to be be¬ 
 lieved, falls to 40° below zero, the River Tientsin is frozen, and the Gulf of Pechelee 
 hardly navigable, would not be altogether a pleasant one; and that it is even pos¬ 
 sible that, under such circumstances, his actual presence might be to the mandarin 
 mind less awe-inspiring than the knowledge of the fact that he had the power to take 
 up his abode there whenever the conduct of the Chinese government gave occasion 
 for complaint. 
 
 Inclosure 1 in No. 216. 
 
 Commissioners Kweiliang , Hwashana, etc., to the Earl of Elgin. 
 
 ( Translation.) 
 
 Kwei, a Chief Secretary; Hwa, President, etc.; Ho, Governor General of the Two 
 Kiang; Ming, an officer of the Household; and Tvvau, a titulary President, etc., Im¬ 
 perial Commissioners, make a communication. 
 
 The proper end of treaty negotiations is the maintenance of peace between two 
 nations, with such an interchange of good offices that neither side is advantaged to 
 the prejudice of the other; it will continue long in operation, its benefit unmixed. 
 
 This is the object really belonging to treating of peace and to improvement of re¬ 
 lations. 
 
 When the Commissioners Kwei and Hwa negotiated a treaty with your excellency 
 at Tientsin, British vessels of war were lying at that port; there was the pressure of 
 an armed force, a state of excitement and alarm ;* and the treaty had to be signed 
 at once, without a moment’s delay. Deliberation was out of the question ; the com¬ 
 missioners had no alternative but to accept the conditions forced upon them.f 
 Among these were some of real injury to China, (to waive which) would have been 
 of no disadvantage to your excellency’s government; but in the hurry of the moment, 
 the commissioners had no opportunity of offering your excellency a frank explana¬ 
 tion of these. 
 
 On their return to the capital, accordingly, his majesty the emperor issued a special 
 commission to us all to come to Shanghai to consult together, and earnestly to press 
 a matter which will be to the common advantage of both parties. 
 
 The sincerity of our desire for a lasting continuance of friendly relations is plain 
 to the clear sight of your excellency; and it is naturally our duty, acting toward you 
 in a spirit of honesty, and with no intention to deceive, to set forth with all truth the 
 matter which is the most irksome to China. 
 
 In Article III. of the treaty it is laid down that “the embassador, or other such 
 high officer of her majesty the Queen of England, may reside permanently at the 
 capital, or may visit it occasionally, at the option of the British government.” (The 
 employment of) the word “or” expressing, as it undoubtedly does, the absence of a 
 decision, is evidence enough of the sense and reasonableness of your excellency, who 
 would not precipitately decide upon an arbitrary course toward any one. 
 
 Now the majority of the inhabitants of the capital are Banner-men, £ who, never 
 
 * Lit., weapons of war were constraining, there was a state of crackling fire and of rushing water. 
 
 t Lit., could only bend and give consent. The word rendered u bend” generally implies the em¬ 
 ployment of undue violence. 
 
 t Banner-men: the Manchus, Mongols, and Chinese, enrolled on the same footing, are formed into 
 eight banners, under an establishment part civil, part military. 
 
 R R 
 
626 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 having been beyond its walls, or in intercourse with other poeple, are quite ignorant 
 of the feelings of men or the ways of the world outside. The business the officials, 
 high and low, have to transact in the capital, again, is entirely metropolitan. 
 
 They have had no personal experience of the popular feeling on public affairs of 
 provinces, and know nothing whatever about them. Then the habits and dispositions 
 of the people of the capital are different from those of the eastern and southern prov¬ 
 inces. If foreigners reside in Pekin, it will certainly come to pass that in their move¬ 
 ments something will create misgiving and surprise on the part of the multitude; 
 any slight misunderstanding will be sure to beget a quarrel; and great, indeed, would 
 be the injury to our country were some trifling cause of difference to attain serious 
 dimensions.* China, too, is at the present moment in a crisis of great difficulty, and 
 should the people, as it is to be apprehended they might, be misled by idle words upon 
 this point, they would commence some trouble in addition (to those already on our 
 hands). It would never do, surely, to bring China to such a pass. 
 
 Peace being now to endure to perpetuity between China and your excellency’s 
 country, the grand object of both must be their common interest, a community of weal 
 and woe. 
 
 The fairness with which your excellency proceeds in business is well known to us: 
 you would be reluctant to impose a task of difficulty upon a friendly state; nor surely 
 can there be less reluctance on the part of her majesty, the sovereign of your excel¬ 
 lency’s country, illustrious for well-doing and justice, equitable in her administration, 
 to employ the wealth of her realm and the power of her arm in inflicting this injury 
 upon our country, in disregard of the amicable dispositions of China. 
 
 Besides, by every article of the treaty, several times ten in number, your country is 
 a gainer, and to no slight extent. 
 
 The assent of his majesty the emperor to every proposition really showed an ex¬ 
 traordinary desire to accommodate a large abundance of kindly feeling. 
 
 The condition of residence at Pekin is very irksome to China, and as the French 
 and Americans have not this privilege (lit., article), and it is only your nation that 
 has, we beg your excellency to consider what compromise may be effected, and to dis¬ 
 pense with its peremptory (enforcement). 
 
 Should such an arrangement be agreed on as is proposed, the emperor will still 
 specially depute, on the part of China, a chief secretary of state, or president of a 
 board, to reside in the provinces, at whatever point the high officer sent by your ex¬ 
 cellency’s government may see fit to choose for his residence. When Nankin is re¬ 
 taken, he may, if it suit him, reside at Nankin. 
 
 The several provisions of the treaty recently concluded are, without doubt, to be 
 observed (or will be sure to be observed) from this time forth for evermore. On the 
 violation of any of them, it will be open (to the minister) to establish himself per¬ 
 manently at the capital. ' 
 
 In making this request we have not the smallest intention of violating the treaty. 
 We write to propose that the point be reconsidered in our behalf simply because the 
 words “either” and “or” leave it undecided, and we trust your excellency will 
 yield it. 
 
 If there be any thing else which may be to the advantage of your country, with¬ 
 out doing injury to ours, it will be similarly for us to consider the means of accom¬ 
 modating you. 
 
 A necessary communication addressed to the Earl of Elgin, etc. 
 
 Hien-fung, 8th year, 9th moon, 10th day (October 22, 1858). 
 
 * Lit., because of some little thing, agitation, or ferment, should grow to great hurt. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 627 
 
 Inclosure 2 in No. 216. 
 
 The Earl of Elgin to Commissioners Kweiliang , Hwashana , etc. 
 
 The undersigned has the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the imperial com¬ 
 missioner’s letter of the 22d instant. 
 
 The commissioners express a hope that the undersigned will consent to the estab¬ 
 lishment of her majesty’s minister in China at some other place than Pekin. They 
 base their appeal to the undersigned upon the wording of Article III. of the Treaty 
 of Tientsin, which they quote. 
 
 It is the duty of the undersigned at once to declare emphatically that it is not in 
 his power to alter or modify the conditions of the treaty signed at Tientsin. It must 
 rest with her Britannic majesty alone to decide which of the two courses left open by 
 treaty to her majesty is the more expedient—the permanent residence of her repre¬ 
 sentative at the capita], or his occasional appearance there. The undersigned would, 
 moreover, impress upon the commissioners that, in insisting on the insertion of the 
 article in question in the treaty, he was actuated by no intention to do injury to 
 China, but by an earnest desire to obtain the best possible security for the preserva¬ 
 tion of peace between the two countries. 
 
 It is the usage of England, France, America, Russia, and every other power in the 
 Western world, to maintain representatives at each other’s capitals. These being in 
 direct communication with high officers specially appointed to administer foreign 
 affairs, the contingency of serious differences has been found to be, in a great meas¬ 
 ure, averted. 
 
 It has been the custom with China to intrust the administration of foreign affairs 
 to an imperial commissioner at a great distance from the capital. 
 
 The result has been a succession of misunderstandings between that officer and the 
 representatives of foreign nations. The court of Pekin has persisted in ignoring all 
 complaints against this functionary, whose reports to it, on the other hand, have not 
 been either complete or exact. 
 
 Hence all that has happened of hostility; and it was to secure such a guarantee 
 as the practice of Western nations has shown to be of some avail against the recur¬ 
 rence of wars, to ward off the necessity for farther capture of cities and destruction 
 of forts, that the undersigned, under the instruction of her majesty’s government, de¬ 
 manded access for her majesty’s representative to the capital. 
 
 The right of that officer to reside at Pekin, if her majesty shall see fit, being de¬ 
 termined by treaty, the undersigned begs to repeat that no act or word of his can re¬ 
 strict its exercise as the commissioners propose; nor, indeed, will he lightly under¬ 
 take, the great object of the treaty concession considered, to recommend its restric¬ 
 tion. 
 
 That object has been clearly stated to the commissioners, and the undersigned 
 really fears that it will not be in the power of their excellencies to offer any guaran¬ 
 tee for the good faith of the imperial government, and for the maintenance of peace 
 between the countries, equivalent to that which would be furnished by the perma¬ 
 nent residence of a British minister at Pekin. 
 
 Shanghai, October 25,1S58. 
 
 (Signed), 
 
 Elgin and Kincardine. 
 
628 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Inclosure 8 in No. 21G. 
 
 Commissioners Kiveiliang , Hwashana, etc ., to the Earl of Elgin. 
 
 ( Translation.) 
 
 Kwei, a Chief Secretary, etc. ; Hwa, President of the Board of Civil Office; Ho, 
 Governor General of the Two Iviang; Ming, a high officer of the Household; Twau, 
 a titulary President, Imperial Commissioners, make a communication in reply. 
 
 We are in receipt of your excellency’s letter of the (25th October), to the effect 
 that when you insisted in Article III. of the Treaty of Tientsin that her Britannic 
 majesty’s representatives should either reside in permanence at the capital, or visit it 
 from time to time, you were actuated by no unfriendly feeling toward China, but, on 
 the contrary, by a sincere desire for the continuance of peace between the two coun¬ 
 tries, and that, the importance considered of the condition regarding the permanent 
 residence of the British minister at Pekin, viewed as a guarantee of good faith on the 
 part of China, and uninterruptedness of friendly relations between our two countries, 
 it will be difficult for us, you fear, to substitute any guarantee of equal value. 
 
 Inasmuch as in the Treaty of Peace concluded between our two nations, it is laid 
 down that the British minister shall either reside in permanence at the capital or 
 visit it occasionally, at the option of the British government, such being the plain 
 language of the article, it must doubtless be abided by; and if it be the fixed purpose 
 of your excellency’s government that the residence (of the minister) shall be perma¬ 
 nent, China can not, of course, gainsay this. 
 
 The established reputation of your excellency for justice and straightforwardness, 
 for kind intentions and friendly feeling, make us place the fullest confidence in your 
 assurance that when you exacted the condition referred to, you were actuated by no 
 desire whatever to do injury to China. The permanent residence of foreign minis¬ 
 ters at the capital would, notwithstanding, be an injury to China in many more ways 
 than we can find words to express. In sum, in the present critical and troublous 
 state of our country, this incident would generate, we fear, a loss of respect for their 
 government in the eyes of her people; and that this would indeed be no slight 
 evil, it will not be necessary, we assume, to explain to your excellency, with greater 
 detail. 
 
 It is for this reason that we specially address you a second letter on this subject, 
 and we trust that your excellency will represent for us to her majesty your sovereign 
 the great inconvenience you feel (the exercise of the right would be) to our country, 
 and beseech her not to decide in favor of the permanent residence at Pekin. 
 
 When we bethink us of the lustre shed by the well-doing and justice of her maj¬ 
 esty, we feel assured that she would not wish, by being peremptory in a matter so 
 hurtful to our country, to involve it in embarrassment; and our country will not fail 
 to be impressed with gratitude. 
 
 We are ourselves in perfect good faith, and if there be any method of proceeding 
 by adopting which we demonstrate our sincerity, we beg your excellency to state it 
 frankly; there is no satisfactory arrangement we are not ready to make. 
 
 It is our earnest hope the present feeling maybe constantly observed on both sides, 
 and that our two countries, evermore at peace with one another, may continue in the 
 enjoyment of comfort and advantage. 
 
 A necessary communication, etc. 
 
 Hien-fung, 8th year, 9th moon, 22d day (October 28, 1858). 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 629 
 
 Inclosure 4 in No. 216. 
 
 The Earl of Elgin to Commissioners Kweiliang , Hwashana, etc. 
 
 The undersigned has the honor to acknowledge the imperial commissioners’ letter 
 of the 28th instant. 
 
 The imperial commissioners observe that if, in accordance with the plain language 
 of the treaty-stipulations, her majesty’s government shall determine to place the 
 British minister in permanence at Pekin, it is impossible for Chiila to gainsay this 
 determination. This is doubtless a correct appreciation of the inviolability of the 
 conditions by treaty agreed to. 
 
 Their excellencies admit, at the same time, their faith in the undersigned’s assur¬ 
 ance that this treaty-right was not insisted on by the undersigned with any intention 
 to do injury to China, but, on the contrary, in a sincere desire to secure a continu¬ 
 ance of peace between the two countries. Their excellencies, he begs to assure 
 them, do no more than justice to the intentions of the undersigned. 
 
 The exercise of the treaty-right in question, their letter proceeds to urge, is, not¬ 
 withstanding, of serious prejudice to China, mainly because, in her present crisis of 
 domestic troubles, it would tend to cause a loss of respect for their government in the 
 minds of her subjects ; and their excellencies accordingly request the undersigned to 
 beseech her majesty, to whom the treaty undoubtedly leaves it to determine whether 
 or not her representatives shall permanently reside at the capital, or occasionally 
 visit it, to decide in favor of the latter course. 
 
 Their proposal has been attentively considered by the undersigned; and he now 
 begs to state that, although he is resolved by no act or word to abate one tittle of the 
 rights secured to his government by treaty, it is his wish, so far as such a course is 
 consistent with his duty, to endeavor to reconcile due consideration of the feelings of 
 the Chinese government with the satisfaction of the rights of his own. He is pre¬ 
 pared, consequently, on viewing the whole of the circumstances before him, at once 
 to communicate to her majesty’s government the representations that have been ad¬ 
 dressed to him by their excellencies the imperial commissioners upon this important 
 question, and humbly to submit it as his opinion that if her majesty’s embassador be 
 properly received at Pekin when the ratifications are exchanged next year, and full 
 effect given in all other particulars to the treaty negotiated at Tientsin, it would cer¬ 
 tainly be expedient that her majesty’s representative in China should be instructed to 
 choose a place of residence elsewhere than at Pekin, and to make his visits to the 
 capital either periodical, or only as frequent as the exigencies of the public service 
 may require. 
 
 Her majesty’s treaty-right will, of course, in any case, remain intact; but the un¬ 
 dersigned will take on himself so to express his conviction that, so long as the impe¬ 
 rial government adheres with fidelity to its obligations toward England, China will 
 have no cause to complain of a want of consideration on the part of the government 
 of her Britannic majesty. 
 
 The anxiety expressed by their excellencies for an enduring continuance of peace 
 is not stronger than the desire of the undersigned for an improvement of the friendly 
 relations which he trusts from this time forth are now established between the two 
 countries; and, with a view to the removal of all doubts and misgivings, he begs to 
 add that if, in the opinion of the commissioners, the discussion of any proposition of 
 common interest would be rendered easier or more advantageous by personal explana¬ 
 tion, the undersigned is willing to confer with their excellencies whenever an interview 
 may be convenient to them. (Signed), Elgin and Kincardine. 
 
630 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 No. III. 
 
 THE TREATY OF YEDO. 
 
 Inclosure in No. 200. 
 
 Treaty of Peace , Friendship , and Commerce , between Her Majesty and the Tycoon of 
 
 Japan. Signed in the English , Japanese , and Dutch languages , at Yedo, August 2G, 
 
 1858. 
 
 Her majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 
 and his majesty the Tycoon of Japan, being desirous to place the relations between 
 the two countries on a permanent and friendly footing, and to facilitate commercial 
 intercourse between their respective subjects, and having for that purpose resolved 
 to enter into a treaty of Peace, Amity, and Commerce, have named as their pleni¬ 
 potentiaries, that is to say : 
 
 Her majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Honorable the 
 Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, a Peer of the United Kingdom, and Knight of the 
 Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle : 
 
 And his majesty the Tycoon of Japan, Midzno Tsikfogono Kami; Nagai Gem- 
 bano Kami; Inouwye Sinano no Kami; Hori Oribeno Kami: Iwase Higono Kami; 
 and Tsuda Hanzabro; 
 
 Who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, and 
 found them to be in good and due form, havp agreed upon and concluded the follow¬ 
 ing articles: 
 
 ARTICLE I. 
 
 There shall be perpetual peace and friendship between her majesty the Queen of 
 the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, her heirs and successors, and his 
 majesty the Tycoon of Japan, and between their respective dominions and subjects. 
 
 ARTICLE II. 
 
 Her majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland may appoint a diplomatic 
 agent to reside at the city of Yedo, and consuls or consular agents to reside at any 
 or all the ports of Japan which are opened for British commerce by this treaty. 
 
 The diplomatic agent and consul general of Great Britain shall have the right to 
 travel freely to any part of the empire of Japan. 
 
 His majesty the Tycoon of Japan may appoint a diplomatic agent to reside in 
 London, and consuls, or consular agents, at any or all the ports of Great Britain. 
 
 The diplomatic agent and consul general of Japan shall have the right to travel 
 freely to any part of Great Britain. 
 
 ARTICLE III. 
 
 The ports and towns of Hakodadi, Ivanagawa, and Nagasaki shall be opened to 
 British subjects on the first of July, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine. In 
 addition to which, the following ports and towns shall be opened to them at the dates 
 hereinafter specified : 
 
 Nee-c-gata, or, if Nee-e-gata be found to be unsuitable as a harbor, another con¬ 
 venient port on the west coast of Nipon, on the first day of January, one thousand 
 eight hundred and sixty. 
 
 Iliogo, on the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 631 
 
 In all the foregoing ports and towns British subjects may permanently reside. 
 They shall have the right to lease ground, and purchase the buildings thereon, and 
 may erect dwelling and warehouses ; but no fortification, or place of military strength, 
 shall be erected under pretense of building dwelling or warehouses: and to see that 
 this article is observed, the Japanese authorities shall have the right to inspect, from 
 time to time, any buildings which are being erected, altered, or repaired. 
 
 The place which British subjects shall occupy for their buildings, and the harbor 
 regulations, shall be arranged by the British consul and the Japanese authorities of 
 each place, and, if they can not agree, the matter shall be referred to and settled by 
 the British diplomatic agent and the Japanese government. No wall, fence, or gate 
 shall be erected by the Japanese around the place where British subjects reside, or 
 any thing done which may prevent a free egress or ingress to the same. 
 
 British subjects shall be free to go where they please, within the following limits, 
 at the opened ports of Japan. 
 
 At Kanagawa to the River Logo (which empties into the bay of Yedo, between 
 Kawasaki and Sinagowa), and ten ri in any direction. 
 
 At Hakodadi, ten ri in any direction. 
 
 At Hiogo, ten ri in any direction, that of Kioto excepted, which city shall not be 
 approached nearer than ten ri. The crews of vessels resorting to Hiogo shall not 
 cross the river Enagawa, which empties into the bay between Hiogo and Osaca. 
 
 The distance shall be measured by land from the goyoso, or town-hall, of each of 
 the foregoing ports, the ri being equal to four thousand two hundred and seventy- 
 five yards English measure. 
 
 At Nagasaki, British subjects may go into any part of the imperial domain in its 
 vicinity. 
 
 The boundaries of Nee-e-gata, or the place that may be substituted for it, shall be 
 settled by the British diplomatic agent and the government of Japan. 
 
 From the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, British 
 subjects shall be allowed to reside in the city of Yedo, and from the first day of 
 January, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the city of Osaca, for the 
 purposes of trade only. In each of these two cities a suitable place, within which 
 they may hire houses, and the distance they may go, shall be arranged by the British 
 diplomatic agent and the government of Japan. 
 
 ARTICLE IV. 
 
 All questions in regard to rights, whether of property or person, arising between 
 British subjects in the dominions of his majesty the Tycoon of Japan, shall be subject 
 to the jurisdiction of the British authorities. 
 
 ARTICLE V. 
 
 Japanese subjects, who may be guilty of any criminal act toward British subjects, 
 shall be arrested and punished by the Japanese authorities, according to the laws of 
 Japan. 
 
 British subjects, who may commit any crime against Japanese subjects, or the 
 subjects or citizens of any other country, shall be tried and punished by the consul, 
 or other public functionary authorized thereto, according to the laws of Great Britain. 
 
 Justice shall be equitably and impartially administered on both sides. 
 
632 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 ARTICLE VI. 
 
 A British subject having reason to complain of a Japanese, must proceed to the 
 consulate and state his grievance. 
 
 The consul will inquire into the merits of the case, and do his utmost to arrange 
 it amicably. In like manner, if a Japanese have reason to complain of a British 
 subject, the consul shall no less listen to his complaint, and endeavor to settle it in a 
 friendly manner. If disputes take place of such a nature that the consul can not ar¬ 
 range them amicably, then he shall request the assistance of the Japanese authorities, 
 that they may together examine into the merits of the case, and decide it equitably. 
 
 ARTICLE VII. 
 
 Should any Japanese subject fail to discharge debts incurred to a British subject, 
 or should he fraudulently abscond, the Japanese authorities will do their utmost to 
 bring him to justice, and to enforce recovery of the debts; and should any British 
 subject fraudulently abscond or fail to discharge debts incurrred by him to a Japa¬ 
 nese subject, the British authorities will, in like manner, do their utmost to bring him 
 to justice, and to enforce the recovery of the debts. 
 
 Neither the British or Japanese governments are to be held responsible for the 
 payment of any debts contracted by British or Japanese subjects. 
 
 ARTICLE VIII. 
 
 The Japanese government will place no restrictions whatever upon the employ¬ 
 ment, by British subjects, of Japanese in any lawful capacity. 
 
 ARTICLE IX. 
 
 British subjects in Japan shall be allowed the free exercise of their religion, and 
 for this purpose shall have the right to erect suitable places of worship. 
 
 ARTICLE X. 
 
 All foreign coin shall be current in Japan, and shall pass for its corresponding 
 weight in Japanese coin of the same description. 
 
 British and Japanese subjects may freely use foreign or Japanese coin in making 
 payments to each other. 
 
 As some time will elapse before the Japanese will become acquainted with the 
 value of foreign coin, the Japanese government will, for the period of one year after 
 the opening of each port, furnish British subjects with Japanese coin in exchange 
 for theirs, equal weights being given, and no discount taken for recoinage. 
 
 Coin of all description (with the exception of Japanese copper coin), as well as 
 foreign gold and silver uncoined, may be exported from Japan. 
 
 ARTICLE XI. 
 
 Supplies for the use of the British navy may be landed at Ivanagawa, Hakodadi, 
 and Nagasaki, and stored in w T arehouses, in the custody of an officer of the British 
 government, without the payment of any duty ; but if any such supplies are sold in 
 Japan, the purchaser shall pay the proper duty to the Japanese authorities. 
 
 ARTICLE XII. 
 
 If any British vessel be at any time wrecked or stranded on the coasts of Japan, 
 or be compelled to take refuge in any port within the dominions of the Tycoon of 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 633 
 
 Japan, the Japanese authorities, on being apprised of the fact, shall immediately 
 render all the assistance in their power; the persons on board shall receive friendly 
 treatment, and be furnished, if necessary, with the means of conveyance to the near' 
 est consular station. 
 
 ARTICLE XIII. 
 
 Any British merchant-vessel arriving off one of the open ports of Japan shall be 
 at liberty to hire a pilot to take her into port. In like manner, after she has dis¬ 
 charged all legal dues and duties, and is ready to take her departure, she shall be 
 allowed to hire a pilot to conduct her out of port. 
 
 ARTICLE XIV. 
 
 At each of the ports open to trade, British subjects shall be at full liberty to import 
 from their own or any other ports, and sell there, and purchase therein, and export 
 to their own or any other ports, all manner of merchandise, not contraband, paying 
 the duties thereon^ as laid down in the tariff annexed to the present treaty, and no 
 other charges whatsoever. 
 
 With the exception of munitions of war, which shall only be sold to the Japanese 
 government and foreigners, they may freely buy from Japanese, and sell to them, any 
 articles that either may have for sale, without the intervention of any Japanese 
 officers in such purchase or sale, or in making or receiving payments for the same; 
 and all classes of Japanese may purchase, sell, keep, or use any articles sold to them 
 by British subjects. 
 
 ARTICLE XV. 
 
 If the Japanese Custom-house officers are dissatisfied with the value placed on any 
 goods by the owner, they may place a value thereon, and offer to take the goods at 
 that valuation. If the owner refuses to accept the offer, he shall pay duty on such 
 valuation. If the offer be accepted by the owner, the purchase-money shall be paid 
 to him without delay, and without any abatement or discount. 
 
 ARTICLE XVI. 
 
 All goods imported into Japan by British subjects, and which have paid the duty 
 fixed by this treaty, may be transported by the Japanese into any part of the empire 
 without the payment of any tax, excise, or transit-duty whatever. 
 
 ARTICLE XVII. 
 
 British merchants who may have imported merchandise into any open port in 
 Japan, and paid duty thereon, shall be entitled, on obtaining from the Japanese 
 Custom-house authorities a certificate stating that such payment has been made, to 
 re-export the same, and land it in any other of the open ports without the payment 
 of any additional duty whatever. 
 
 ARTICLE XVIII. 
 
 The Japanese authorities at each port will adopt the means that they may judge 
 most proper for the prevention of fraud or smuggling. 
 
 ARTICLE XIX. 
 
 All penalties enforced, or confiscations made under this treaty, shall belong to, and 
 be appropriated by, the government of his majesty the Tycoon of Japan. 
 
634 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 ARTICLE XX. 
 
 The articles for the regulation of trade which are appended to this treaty shall be 
 considered as forming part of the same, and shall be equally binding on both the con¬ 
 tracting parties to this treaty and on their subjects. 
 
 The diplomatic agent of Great Britain in Japan, in conjunction with such person 
 or persons as may be appointed for that purpose by the Japanese government, shall 
 have power to make such rules as may be required to carry into full and complete 
 effect the provisions of this treaty, and the provisions of the articles regulating trade 
 appended thereto. 
 
 ARTICLE XXI. 
 
 This treaty being written in the English, Japanese, and Dutch languages, and all 
 the versions having the same meaning and intention, the Dutch version shall be con¬ 
 sidered the original; but it is understood that all official communications addressed 
 by the diplomatic and consular agents of her majesty the Queen of Great Britain to 
 the Japanese authorities shall henceforward be written in English. In order, how¬ 
 ever, to facilitate the transaction of business, they will, for a period of five years from 
 the signature of this treaty, be accompanied by a Dutch or Japanese version. 
 
 ARTICLE XXII. 
 
 It is agreed that either of the high contracting parties to this treaty, on giving one 
 year’s previous notice to the other, may demand a revision thereof, on or after the first 
 of July, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, with a view to the insertion 
 therein of such amendments as experience shall prove to be desirable. 
 
 ARTICLE XXIII. 
 
 It is hereby expressly stipulated that the British government and its subjects will 
 be allowed free and equal participation in all privileges, immunities, and advant¬ 
 ages that may have been, or may be hereafter, granted by his majesty the Tycoon of 
 Japan to the government or subjects of any other nation. 
 
 ARTICLE XXIV. 
 
 The ratification of this treaty, under the hand of her majesty the Queen of Great 
 Britain and Ireland, and under the name and seal of his majesty the Tycoon of Jap¬ 
 an, respectively, shall be exchanged at Yedo within a year from this day of signature. 
 
 In token whereof, the respective plenipotentiaries have signed and sealed this 
 treaty. 
 
 Done at Yedo, this twenty-sixth day of August, one thousand eight hundred and 
 fifty-eight, corresponding to the Japanese date, the eighteenth day of the seventh 
 
 month of the fifth year of Ansei Tsut sinonye mma. 
 
 (Signed), Elgin and Kincardine. 
 
 Midzno Tsikfogono Kami. 
 
 Nagai Gembano Kami. 
 
 Inouwye Sinano no Kami. 
 
 Hori Oribeno Kami. 
 
 Iwase Higono Kami. 
 
 Tsuda Hanzabro. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 635 
 
 No. IV. 
 
 TRADE RETURNS BETWEEN SHANGHAI AND JAPAN. 
 
 IMPORTS FROM JAPAN FROM llTII NOT. TO SlST DEC., 1858. 
 
 Dried fish. 150 peculs. 
 
 Ginseng.18,471 catties. 
 
 Mussels. 35 peculs. 
 
 Pice. 1200 — 
 
 Seaweed.. 
 
 Shark-fins.. 
 
 Vegetable wax 
 
 FROM 1ST JANUARY TO 30TH JUNE, 1859. 
 
 Beeswax. 54 peculs. 
 
 Bicho de Mar. 377 — 
 
 Brooms. 1000 pieces. 
 
 Candles. 60 peculs. 
 
 Camphor. 97 — 
 
 Cassia. 77 — 
 
 Copper wire. 5 — 
 
 Cotton manufactures. 3200 pieces. 
 
 Coal. 4955 tons. 
 
 Dried fish. 2335 peculs. 
 
 Flax. 4 — 
 
 Flour. 130 — 
 
 Fungus. 9 — 
 
 Ginger. 3 — 
 
 Ginseng.36,746 catties. 
 
 Hemp cloth. 589 pieces. 
 
 Imitation leather ware ... 4 peculs 
 
 Japan root. 75 — 
 
 Isinglass (Kanting) 
 
 Medicines. 
 
 Mushrooms. 
 
 Mussels. 
 
 Nut-galls. 
 
 Oil, vegetable. 
 
 Paper. 
 
 Peas and beans. 
 
 Rice. 
 
 Raw silk. 
 
 Seaweed, all kinds. 
 
 Shark-fins. 
 
 Silk piece-goods.... 
 
 Soy. 
 
 V ermicelli. 
 
 Wax, vegetable. 
 
 Wheat. 
 
 30 peculs. 
 24 — 
 1206 — 
 
 . 1551 peculs. 
 
 . 108 — 
 
 . 226 — 
 
 . 28 — 
 
 . 1050 — 
 
 . 4786 — 
 
 . 180 — 
 
 . 4180 — 
 13,546 — 
 
 . 366.42 peculs. 
 
 61,561 peculs. 
 
 . 1051 — 
 
 70.28 peculs. 
 . 562 peculs. 
 
 . 459 — 
 
 . 3469 — 
 
 . 5537 — 
 
 Alum. 
 
 Cambrics. 
 
 Cochineal. 
 
 Cottons, dyed... 
 
 11 fancy.. 
 
 “ printed 
 
 Dates. 
 
 Goats’ horns ...... 
 
 Handkerchiefs .. 
 
 Long ells.. 
 
 Medicines.. 
 
 Lead. 
 
 Iron. 
 
 Indigo. 
 
 RE-IMPORTS. 
 
 625 peculs. 
 200 pieces. 
 360 catties. 
 274 pieces. 
 400 — 
 8338 — 
 
 34 peculs. 
 2 — 
 6296 dozen. 
 40 pieces. 
 Ill peculs. 
 704 — 
 1352 — 
 
 50 — 
 
 Muslins. 100 pieces. 
 
 Iron wire. 33 peculs. 
 
 Pepper, black. 8 — 
 
 Quicksilver. 50 flasks. 
 
 Rhubarb. 109 peculs. 
 
 Sugar. 5094 — 
 
 Tin. 32 — 
 
 “ plates. 379 boxes. 
 
 Tortoise-shell .. 2 peculs. 
 
 Velvets and velveteens.. 420 pieces. 
 
 Window-glass. 15 boxes. 
 
 Spanish stripes. 48 pieces. 
 
 Woolen and cotton mix¬ 
 tures . 528 — 
 
 EXPORTS TO JAPAN FROM 27tII NOV. TO 31ST DEC., 1858. 
 
 Cotton, printed... 
 
 Camlets. 
 
 Cottons, dyed. 
 
 Handkerchiefs. 
 
 Long cloths, gray. 
 
 Long ells. 
 
 Muslins. 
 
 Spanish stripes... 
 
 Spelter. 
 
 Tin. 
 
 “ plates. 
 
 1500 pieces. 
 120 — 
 300 — 
 2506 dozen. 
 2850 pieces. 
 220 — 
 100 — 
 228 — 
 500 peculs. 
 325 — 
 450 boxes. 
 
 Betelnut.. 
 
 Cloves. 
 
 Cutch. 
 
 Gamboge. 
 
 Indigo. 
 
 Liquorice. 
 
 Mangrove bark 
 
 Medicines. 
 
 Matting. 
 
 Paper, native... 
 Redwood. 
 
 292 peculs. 
 200 — 
 
 250 — 
 
 1 — 
 
 75 — 
 
 27 peculs. 
 50 — 
 
 19 — 
 
 5 bundles. 
 2 peculs. 
 300 — 
 
636 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 exports to japan PROM 27th nov. to 31st dec., 1858 — continued. 
 
 Rosewood. 500 peculs. 
 
 Rhubarb. 132 — 
 
 Sapanwood. 273G — 
 
 Tortoise-shell. 2 peculs. 
 
 Turmeric. 1 — 
 
 Window-glass. 6 boxes. 
 
 FROM 1ST JANUARY TO 30tII JUNE, 1859. 
 
 Broadcloths. 
 
 Cambrics. 
 
 Camlets. 
 
 Cottons, dyed.. 
 
 “ fancy. 
 
 “ printed.., 
 
 Damasks. 
 
 Dimities. 
 
 Drills, gray.. 
 
 Handkerchiefs. 
 
 Eastings. 
 
 Long cloths, gray.. 
 
 “ white 
 Long ells.. 
 
 . 280 pieces. 
 
 . 400 — 
 
 . 395 — 
 
 . 7680 — 
 
 . 3S43 — 
 11,793 — 
 
 . 1405 — 
 
 . 200 — 
 
 . 420 — 
 
 19,005 dozen. 
 . 46 pieces. 
 
 15,198 — 
 
 . 3600 — 
 
 . 140 — 
 
 Muslins. 625 — 
 
 Spanish stripes. 103 — 
 
 Twills, gray. 300 — 
 
 Velvets and velveteens... 3448 — 
 
 Woolen and cotton mix¬ 
 tures . 867 — 
 
 Window-glass. 21 boxes. 
 
 Iron, nail, rod, and bar.. 1352 peculs. 
 
 Iron wire. 33 — 
 
 Lead. 824 — 
 
 Quicksilver. 78 — 
 
 Spelter. 852 — 
 
 Steel. 55 — 
 
 Tin plates.\... 184 boxes. 
 
 Tin. 60 peculs. 
 
 Amber. 15 — 
 
 Aniseed. 276 — 
 
 Alum. 1875 — 
 
 Betelnut. 1255 — 
 
 “ husk. 
 
 Birds’ nests. 
 
 Buffalo horns. 
 
 Camphor, native 
 
 Cardamum. 
 
 Carpets. 
 
 Cassia buds. 
 
 Chestnut. 
 
 China root. 
 
 “ pencils.... 
 
 Cinnamon. 
 
 Cloves.. 
 
 Clamp shells. 
 
 Cocoanut husk .. 
 
 Colors. 
 
 Copperfoil. 
 
 Cutch. 
 
 Dates. 
 
 Dye stuff.. 
 
 Earthenware .... 
 
 . 39 — 
 
 . . 6 — 
 
 . 17 — 
 
 2 — 
 
 . 32 — 
 
 . 2800 pieces. 
 
 5 peculs. 
 . 97 — 
 
 . 25 — 
 
 43,000 pieces. 
 . 2 peculs. 
 
 . 782 — 
 
 . 14 — 
 
 14 — 
 
 8 — 
 
 5 — 
 
 . 218 — 
 
 . 213 — 
 
 . 68 — 
 
 . 540 pieces. 
 
 Ebony. 
 
 .. 350 peculs. 
 
 Eggs, preserved. 
 
 .. 1500 pieces. 
 
 Fans. 
 
 .. 467 
 
 Galangal. 
 
 .. 185 peculs. 
 
 Gamboge. 
 
 .. 18 — 
 
 Garroo-wood. 
 
 .. 30 — 
 
 Ginseng. 
 
 13.20 peculs. 
 
 Goats’ hair. 
 
 .. 34 peculs. 
 
 Gold thread. 
 
 4 cases. 
 
 Gum, dragons’ blood.. 
 
 1.68 peculs. 
 
 “ myrrh. 
 
 2,50 — 
 
 £ ‘ olibanum. 
 
 103 peculs. 
 
 Gypsum. 
 
 .. 1886 — 
 
 Hartall. 
 
 .. 156 — 
 
 Indigo. 
 
 .. 252 — 
 
 Ink, India. 
 
 7 — 
 
 Joss-sticks. 
 
 5 — 
 
 Laka-wood. 
 
 13 — 
 
 Lamp-wicks. 
 
 .. 10 — 
 
 Liq.uorice. 
 
 .. 771 — 
 
 Medicines. 
 
 .. 2748 — 
 
 Mangrove bark. 
 
 .. 1914 — 
 
 Matting. 
 
 .. 2058 bundles. 
 
 Nankeen towels. 
 
 .. 200 pieces. 
 
 Nutmegs. 
 
 .. 19 peculs. 
 
 Orange peel. 
 
 3 — 
 
 Paper... 
 
 .. 142 — 
 
 Pepper, black. 
 
 .. 120 — 
 
 Putchuck. 
 
 .. 66 — 
 
 Ratans. 
 
 .. 1706 — 
 
 Redwood. 
 
 .. 720 — 
 
 Red and yellow lead .. 
 
 .. 90 — 
 
 Rhinoceros horns. 
 
 3 — 
 
 Rhubarb. 
 
 .. 425 — 
 
 Sandalwood. 
 
 .. 137 — 
 
 Sapanwood. 
 
 .. 2076 — 
 
 Seaweed. 
 
 .. 70 — 
 
 Shark-skins. 
 
 .. 53 — 
 
 Sheep-skins. 
 
 .. 4272 pieces. 
 
 Silk piece-goods. 
 
 14 peculs. 
 
 Sugar. 
 
 .10,507 — 
 
 ‘ ‘ candy. 
 
 .. 1257 — 
 
 Sticklac.. 
 
 30 — 
 
 Straw shoes. 
 
 .. 586 pairs. 
 
 Tortoise-shell. 
 
 .. 5 peculs. 
 
 Tinfoil. 
 
 4 — 
 
 Turmeric. 
 
 .. 388 — 
 
 Vermilion. 
 
 .. 135 — 
 
 Woodware. 
 
 2 — 
 
 Leather cushions. 
 
 .. 183 pieces. 
 
 Liquorice. 
 
 .. 771 peculs. 
 
 Lucraban seed. 
 
 .. 487 — 
 
 / 
 
No. Y. 
 
 List of Articles generally sold, and of Staples found in the Shops at Han-kow, when visited by H. M. Steam-ship “Furious,” Dec., 1858. 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 637 
 
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 1000 cash are equal to the dollar at 50 pence English. t A chang is equal to 3 yards 2 feet 3 inches English. SllERAIlD OSBORN, Captain. 
 
638 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 No. VI. 
 
 NOTE ON PROSTITUTION. 
 
 Though the “social evil” is never an agreeable subject to treat of, it enters into 
 the manners and customs of the people in a manner so singular, and at the same time 
 so prominent, that no account of Japan would be complete without some allusion to 
 it. The same order which governs all the other institutions of the country is applied 
 to this one. There is nothing slovenly in the mode of administration. Vice itself is 
 systematized. Thus courtesans are divided into four classes, and are held in various 
 degrees of estimation according to their rank in the social scale. Two distinct quar¬ 
 ters of this vast city of Yedo are set apart for purposes of debauchery. The eastern 
 suburb, which seems to be frequented by the middle and lower classes, contains per¬ 
 sons of the second and third class, and is simply a den of infamy where the poor 
 creatures flaunt about the streets, as they do in our own large cities. 
 
 Sinagawa, however, is the resort of the aristocracy. Hither noblemen repair with 
 their wives and families, to pass an hour or two in the society of women who are 
 considered the most highly accomplished of their sex. Not only are they expert in 
 music, singing, painting, dancing, and embroidery, but it is said that they are highly 
 educated, and charm by reason of their conversational powers. 
 
 Although it is usual to visit such resorts “nayboen,” it is considered no disgrace 
 for the master of the house to be accompanied by the female members of his family. 
 Nor is it any uncommon thing for a man of rank to choose his wife from an estab¬ 
 lishment of this description. That a woman should have been brought up in one of 
 them operates in no way unfavorably against her in a social point of view; nor after 
 her eyebrows are pulled out, and her teeth blackened, is she less likely to make a 
 good wife than any one else. It would, indeed, be somewhat unfair upon her if she 
 suffered for this accident of her early life, for she is bought as a mere child by the 
 degraded men who speculate in this trade, of indigent parents, who are unable to 
 maintain a family of girls, and at the age of seven or eight enters the establishment. 
 Her first years are spent in her education, and after she is grown up her master is 
 ready to part with her whenever he receives a fair offer. 
 
 As it was just at the gayest hour of the festive day that we rode through Sinagawa, 
 every house contributed its swarms of gazers; on each side their faces, painted in 
 pink and white, rose in tiers above each other. I could not judge of the numbers, 
 but they were to be estimated by thousands rather than hundreds. The houses were 
 handsomer than any I had seen in Yedo, except the residences of the princes. 
 We could generally see through them into court-yards, where fountains played in 
 cool gardens. 
 
 It would seem that the government not only sanctions by license these establish¬ 
 ments, but lends itself to the still farther disgrace of deriving a direct revenue from 
 this infamous source. 
 
 Mr. Loch obtained upon good authority the following curious information upon 
 the subject, with which he has kindly furnished me: 
 
 “Prostitution is supported and protected by the government, large districts being 
 set apart for the residence of the females, who are kept under strict surveillance. 
 Parents who are unable, or disinclined to bring up their female children, can sell 
 them to government between the ages of six and ten. Until they are fourteen they 
 remain as servants, and are educated in various domestic duties, such as cooking, 
 housekeeping, etc. At that age they come on the regular establishment, are open 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 639 
 
 to the public, and are obliged to serve in this capacity for ten years. Should any 
 man, before that period elapses, wish to marry any one of them, he must pay the 
 government a sum of money for permission to do so; her name, however, being 
 still retained on the books. Should no such offer be made, at the expiry of the ten 
 years she is returned to her parents or friends, with a small sum of money, and hav¬ 
 ing been taught some employment. No disgrace attaches to women who have been 
 brought up in this manner, and they generally make good marriages; but should 
 she be guilty, after marriage, of any indiscretion, it is in her case (as in that of every 
 •Japanese wife) punishable by death.” 
 
1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 G 
 
 r- 
 
 i 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 19 
 
 20 
 
 21 
 
 22 
 
 23 
 
 24 
 
 25 
 
 26 
 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 29 
 
 30 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 G 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 1G 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 19 
 
 20 
 
 21 
 
 22 
 
 23 
 
 24 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 No. VII. 
 
 TIIER3IOMETPJCAL REGISTER KEPT BY DR. SAUNDERS, R.N., 
 
 From April 1, 1858, to March 31, 1859. 
 
 4 
 
 Position. 
 
 s 
 
 « i 
 £ < 
 
 © 
 
 «» i 
 
 V 
 
 © 
 
 ? 
 
 X 
 
 O 
 
 a 
 
 © 
 
 u, 
 
 —* 
 
 X 
 
 £3 
 
 Wind. 
 
 j 
 
 Weather. 
 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 i 
 
 
 At Shanghai 
 
 60 
 
 
 70 
 
 58 
 
 w. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 do. 
 
 50 
 
 
 67 
 
 50 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 46 
 
 
 54 
 
 46 
 
 S. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 46 
 
 
 57 
 
 46 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 52 
 
 
 00 
 
 45 
 
 E. 
 
 Rainv. 
 
 do. 
 
 51 
 
 
 57 
 
 50 
 
 E. 
 
 Rain}*. 
 
 do. 
 
 51 
 
 
 00 
 
 50 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 do. 
 
 51 
 
 
 54 
 
 51 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 51 
 
 
 “oo 
 
 51 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 At Woosung 
 
 54 
 
 
 64 
 
 54 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Lat. 33° 16' X., Long. 122° 55' E. 
 
 55 
 
 
 GO 
 
 54 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 35° 47' N., 123° 13' E. 
 
 50 
 
 
 54 
 
 49 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 37° 19’ N., 121° 38' E. 
 
 45 
 
 
 62 
 
 44 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 In Gulf of Pechelee 
 
 49 
 
 
 53 
 
 46 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 50 
 
 
 54 
 
 48 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 55 
 
 
 61 
 
 48 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 53 
 
 
 59 
 
 53 
 
 w. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 50 
 
 
 62 
 
 49 
 
 SAY. 
 
 Rainv, and squally. 
 
 do. 
 
 58 
 
 
 65 
 
 49 
 
 S.W. 
 
 Fine, squally. 
 
 do. 
 
 53 
 
 
 66 
 
 52 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 49 
 
 
 G5 
 
 50 
 
 SAY. 
 
 Fine, squally. 
 
 do. 
 
 54 
 
 
 62 
 
 48 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 47 
 
 
 58 
 
 42 
 
 E. 
 
 Fogg7, squally. 
 
 do. 
 
 53 
 
 
 61 
 
 53 
 
 NAY. 
 
 bine. 
 
 do. 
 
 oo 
 
 
 58 
 
 53 
 
 SAY. 
 
 Fine, strong breeze. 
 
 do. 
 
 51 
 
 
 60 
 
 51 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Rain a*. 
 
 do. 
 
 50 
 
 
 59 
 
 50 
 
 NAY. 
 
 Foggy, fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 50 
 
 
 62 
 
 48 
 
 NAY. 
 
 Fine, gale. 
 
 do. 
 
 56 
 
 
 62 
 
 51 
 
 NAY. 
 
 Fine, strong breeze. 
 
 do. 
 
 60 
 
 
 74 
 
 60 
 
 W. 
 
 Fogg}*. 
 
 do. 
 
 60 
 
 
 68 
 
 60 
 
 s.w. 
 
 Foggy, fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 58 
 
 
 66 
 
 58 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Rainy, squally. 
 
 do. 
 
 57 
 
 
 64 
 
 57 
 
 W. 
 
 bine. 
 
 do. 
 
 57“ 
 
 
 67 
 
 57 
 
 NAY. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 59 
 
 
 61 
 
 55 
 
 SAY. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 58 
 
 
 64 
 
 58 
 
 S. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 do. 
 
 57 
 
 
 64 
 
 0/ 
 
 SAY. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 61 
 
 
 67 
 
 54 
 
 S. 
 
 Fine, squally. 
 
 do. 
 
 61 
 
 
 61 
 
 59 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Shower}*, thun., etc. 
 
 do. 
 
 54 
 
 
 65 
 
 54 
 
 N. 
 
 Showery, squally. 
 
 do. 
 
 58 
 
 
 59 
 
 58 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine, strong breeze. 
 
 do. 
 
 60 
 
 
 60 
 
 59 
 
 SAY. 
 
 bine, strong breeze. 
 
 do. 
 
 59 
 
 
 60 
 
 57 
 
 S.W. 
 
 Fine, strong breeze. 
 
 do. 
 
 60 
 
 
 68 
 
 60 
 
 S. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 60 
 
 .. 
 
 68 
 
 60 
 
 SAY. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 GO 
 
 
 66 
 
 60 
 
 S. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 do. 
 
 57 
 
 
 65 
 
 63 
 
 N. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 do. 
 
 59 
 
 .. 
 
 64 
 
 56 
 
 NAY. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 63 
 
 .. 
 
 63 
 
 53 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 63 
 
 
 63 
 
 58 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 G4 
 
 
 64 
 
 55 
 
 SAY. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 65 
 
 
 65 
 
 60 
 
 SAY. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 64 
 
 
 65 | 
 
 60 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 do. 
 
 66 
 
 •• 
 
 70 
 
 62 
 
 SAY. 
 
 Fine. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 641 
 
 Date. 
 
 1858. 
 
 Position. 
 
 Ther. in Shade, 
 
 7 A.M. 
 
 Thor, in Shade. 
 
 4 P.M. 
 
 Extreme Iieat. 
 
 Extreme Cold. 
 
 Wind. 
 
 Weather. 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 May 25 
 
 In Gulf of Pechelee 
 
 67 
 
 
 
 
 S. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 26 
 
 do. 
 
 64 
 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Cloudy, strong: br. 
 
 27 
 
 do. 
 
 64 
 
 
 
 
 N. 
 
 line. 
 
 28 
 
 do. 
 
 68 
 
 72 
 
 
 
 S.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 29 
 
 do. 
 
 69 
 
 73 
 
 79 
 
 69 
 
 s.w. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 30 
 
 do. 
 
 68 
 
 71 
 
 71 
 
 68 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 31 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 71 
 
 75 
 
 67 
 
 S.W. 
 
 Showery, squall}-. 
 
 June 1 
 
 do. 
 
 67 
 
 71 
 
 76 
 
 65 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 2 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 80 
 
 85 
 
 68 
 
 s. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 3 
 
 do. 
 
 69 
 
 76 
 
 79 
 
 69 
 
 s. 
 
 Showery, thunder. 
 
 4 
 
 do. 
 
 72 
 
 i 82 
 
 82 
 
 71 
 
 s.w. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 5 
 
 In Peiho River 
 
 78 
 
 88 
 
 88 
 
 74 
 
 s.w. 
 
 Showerv. 
 
 Sund. 6 
 
 At Tientsin 
 
 76 
 
 79 
 
 79 
 
 70 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 7 
 
 do. 
 
 72 
 
 i 75 
 
 82 
 
 65 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Showerv, squally. 
 
 8 
 
 do. 
 
 62 
 
 72 
 
 72 
 
 62 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Showerv, squallv. 
 
 9 
 
 do. 
 
 65 
 
 74 
 
 74 
 
 63 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine, squally. 
 
 10 
 
 do. 
 
 65 
 
 76 
 
 76 
 
 62 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 11 
 
 do. 
 
 64 
 
 79 
 
 79 
 
 64 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 12 
 
 do. 
 
 68 
 
 75 
 
 77 
 
 67 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 13 
 
 do. 
 
 67 
 
 71 
 
 73 
 
 67 
 
 E. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 14 
 
 do. 
 
 66 
 
 80 
 
 80 
 
 66 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 15 
 
 do. 
 
 72 
 
 83 
 
 84 
 
 72 
 
 S.W. 
 
 Shower}-, thun., etc. 
 
 16 
 
 do. 
 
 73 
 
 82 
 
 82 
 
 72 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine, squally. 
 
 17 
 
 do. 
 
 72 
 
 81 
 
 82 
 
 72 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 18 
 
 do. 
 
 75 
 
 83 
 
 86 
 
 73 
 
 N. 
 
 Showerv, thun., etc. 
 
 19 
 
 do. 
 
 69 
 
 82 
 
 82 
 
 69 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 20 
 
 do. 
 
 73 
 
 83 
 
 83 
 
 73 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 21 
 
 do. 
 
 73 
 
 70 
 
 74 
 
 70 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 22 
 
 do. 
 
 68 
 
 77 
 
 77 
 
 68 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 23 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 78 
 
 78 
 
 70 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Cloudy, thunder, etc. 
 
 24 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 81 
 
 81 
 
 71 
 
 S.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 25 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 83 
 
 83 
 
 71 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 26 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 82 
 
 84 
 
 71 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 27 
 
 do. 
 
 72 
 
 83 
 
 83 
 
 72 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine, thunder, etc. 
 
 28 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 71 
 
 76 
 
 71 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Rainy, thunder, etc. 
 
 29 
 
 do. 
 
 69 
 
 76 
 
 77 
 
 69 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine.* 
 
 30 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 84 
 
 83 
 
 71 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 July 1 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 82 
 
 83 
 
 71 
 
 S. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 2 
 
 do.' 
 
 — O 
 
 i o 
 
 84 
 
 83 
 
 O 
 
 i 6 
 
 s. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 do. 
 
 79 
 
 91 
 
 91 
 
 78 
 
 S.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 4 
 
 do. 
 
 81 
 
 92 
 
 96 
 
 80 
 
 w. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 5 
 
 do. 
 
 83 
 
 92 
 
 92 
 
 82 
 
 S.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 6 
 
 Steaming down Peiho River 
 
 81 
 
 . . 
 
 92 
 
 81 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 rr 
 
 ( 
 
 In Gulf of Pechelee 
 
 
 83 
 
 
 83 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 8 
 
 Lat. 39° 56' N., Long. r2(P 5' E. 
 
 78 
 
 80 
 
 80 
 
 78 
 
 N. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 9 
 
 37° 49' N., 122° 7 E. 
 
 72 
 
 82 
 
 82 
 
 72 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 10 
 
 35° 15' N., 122° 47' E. 
 
 75 
 
 81 
 
 81 
 
 75 
 
 S. 
 
 Shower}-. 
 
 Sund. 11 
 
 32 3 18' N., 122° 50' E. 
 
 81 
 
 83 
 
 83 
 
 80 
 
 S.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 12 
 
 At Shanghai 
 
 82 
 
 86 
 
 86 
 
 82 
 
 s.w. 
 
 Fine, lightning. 
 
 13 
 
 do. 
 
 85 
 
 91 
 
 91 
 
 83 
 
 s. 
 
 Fine, lightning. 
 
 14 
 
 do. 
 
 86 
 
 94 
 
 94 
 
 86 
 
 s. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 15 
 
 do. 
 
 86 
 
 92 
 
 92 
 
 86 
 
 Calm. , 
 
 Fine. 
 
 16 
 
 do. 
 
 86 
 
 91 
 
 
 
 Calm. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 17 
 
 do. 
 
 86 
 
 93 
 
 
 
 Calm. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 18 
 
 do. 
 
 87 
 
 93 
 
 
 
 Calm. 
 
 Cloudy, thunder, etc. 
 
 19 
 
 do. 
 
 81 
 
 86’ 
 
 
 
 Calm. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 20 
 
 do. 
 
 83 
 
 82 
 
 
 
 S. 
 
 Showery, thun., etc. 
 
 21 
 
 do. 
 
 83 
 
 
 
 
 9 . 
 
 Showery, thun., etc. 
 
 22 
 
 do. 
 
 81 
 
 81 
 
 
 
 • • 
 
 Showery, thun., etc. 
 
 23 
 
 do. 
 
 79 
 
 83 
 
 
 
 • . 
 
 Showerv-, thun., etc. 
 
 24 
 
 do. 
 
 79 
 
 86 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Ss 
 
642 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Date, 
 
 1858. 
 
 Position. 
 
 Tlier. in Shade, 
 
 7 A.M. 
 
 Ther. in Shade, 
 
 4 P.M. 
 
 Extreme Heat. 
 
 Extreme Cold. 1 
 
 Wind. 
 
 ~1 
 
 Weather. 
 
 J uly, 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 Sund. 25 
 
 At Shanghai 
 
 81 
 
 87 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 26 
 
 do. 
 
 83 
 
 85 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 27 
 
 do. 
 
 83 
 
 87 
 
 
 
 
 Squall}', thun., etc. 
 
 28 
 
 do. 
 
 81 
 
 82 
 
 
 
 
 Showery, thun., etc. 
 
 29 
 
 do. 
 
 80 
 
 86 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 30 
 
 do. 
 
 80 
 
 85 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 31 
 
 Steaming down river 
 
 84 
 
 85 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Aug., 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 Sund. 1 
 
 Lat. 31° 33' N., Long. 125° 0' E. 
 
 83 
 
 83 
 
 
 
 
 Showery. 
 
 2 
 
 31° 51' N., 127° 38' E. 
 
 83 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 
 At Nagasaki, Japan 
 
 82 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 
 Showerv*. 
 
 4 
 
 do. 
 
 84 
 
 86 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 5 
 
 32° 44' N. do. 129° 52' E. 
 
 83 
 
 87 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 G 
 
 31° 0' N. do. 130° 20' E. 
 
 84 
 
 83 
 
 
 
 
 Showery. 
 
 r? 
 
 / 
 
 Near Cape ChichacofF 
 
 84 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 s.w. 
 
 Showery, gale. 
 
 Sund. 8 
 
 Lat. 31° 21' N., Long. 132° 5' E. 
 
 84 
 
 85 
 
 
 
 s.w. 
 
 Showery, gale. 
 
 9 
 
 31° 51' N., 136° 49' E. 
 
 83 
 
 83 
 
 
 
 S.W. 
 
 line, strong breeze. 
 
 10 
 
 At Simoda, Japan 
 
 78 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 w. 
 
 Fine, strong breeze. 
 
 11 
 
 do. 
 
 80 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 w. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 12 
 
 At Yedo, Japan 
 
 78 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 w. 
 
 Fine, squally. 
 
 13 
 
 do. 
 
 82 
 
 80 
 
 
 
 s.w. 
 
 Showerv, squally. 
 
 14 
 
 do. 
 
 73 
 
 76 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 Sund.15 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 78 
 
 
 
 Calm. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 16 
 
 do. 
 
 73 
 
 72 
 
 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 17 
 
 do. 
 
 72 
 
 78 
 
 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 18 
 
 do. 
 
 73 
 
 77 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 19 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 76 
 
 
 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 20 
 
 do. 
 
 68 
 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 21 
 
 do. 
 
 75 
 
 si 
 
 
 
 
 Showery. 
 
 Sund.22 
 
 do. 
 
 — r- 
 
 lO 
 
 79 
 
 
 
 
 Rainv. 
 
 23 
 
 do. 
 
 77 
 
 80 
 
 
 
 
 Showery, strong hr. 
 
 24 
 
 do. 
 
 76 
 
 8o 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 25 
 
 do. 
 
 75 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 26 
 
 do. 
 
 73 
 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 27 
 
 Steaming out of Yedo River 
 
 75 
 
 78 
 
 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 28 
 
 Lat. 32° 54' N., Long. 135° 33' E. 
 
 81 
 
 82 
 
 
 
 
 Showery. 
 
 Sund. 29 
 
 31° 57' N., 131° 51' E. 
 
 83 
 
 80 
 
 
 
 
 Rainy, gale. 
 
 30 
 
 Cape Chicliacoff 
 
 80 
 
 82 
 
 
 
 
 Showery, squally. 
 
 31 
 
 Lat. 31° 2' N., Long. 125° 31' E. 
 
 79 
 
 76 
 
 
 
 • • 
 
 Showery, gale. 
 
 Sept. 1 
 
 30° 33' N., 123° 53' E. 
 
 74 
 
 79 
 
 82 
 
 70 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Showery, strong hr. 
 
 2 
 
 In Woosung River 
 
 77 
 
 78 
 
 80 
 
 70 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Showerv. 
 
 o 
 
 C 
 
 At Shanghai 
 
 74 
 
 81 
 
 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine, strong breeze. 
 
 4 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 83 
 
 83 
 
 70 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. £ 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 79 
 
 82 
 
 69 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine, strong breeze. 
 
 6 
 
 do. 
 
 r-n 
 / O 
 
 82 
 
 84 
 
 68 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 r~ 
 
 l 
 
 do. 
 
 74 
 
 80 
 
 80 
 
 r-O 
 
 / o 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine, squally. 
 
 8 
 
 do. 
 
 76 
 
 80 
 
 80 
 
 73 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 9 
 
 do. 
 
 78 
 
 85 
 
 85 
 
 74 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 10 
 
 do. 
 
 79 
 
 82 
 
 85 
 
 74 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 11 
 
 do. 
 
 79 
 
 80 
 
 80 
 
 75 
 
 E. 
 
 Showery, strong br. 
 
 Sund. 12 
 
 do. 
 
 79 
 
 80 
 
 80 
 
 76 
 
 E. 
 
 Cloudy, strong br. 
 
 13 
 
 do. 
 
 79 
 
 80 
 
 82 
 
 76 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Showery, strong br. 
 
 14 
 
 do. 
 
 79 
 
 81 
 
 81 
 
 75 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Showerv. 
 
 15 
 
 do. 
 
 79 
 
 87 
 
 87 
 
 75 
 
 S. 
 
 Showery, lightning. 
 
 16 
 
 do. 
 
 78 
 
 77 
 
 82 
 
 72 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 17 
 
 do. 
 
 76 
 
 78 
 
 80 
 
 70 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 18 
 
 do. 
 
 75 
 
 78 
 
 78 
 
 69 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine, strong breeze. 
 
 Sund. 19 
 
 do. 
 
 74 
 
 82 
 
 82 
 
 74 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 20 
 
 do. 
 
 78 
 
 83 
 
 85 
 
 69 
 
 S. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 21 
 
 do. 
 
 73 
 
 77 
 
 78 
 
 70 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine, strong breeze. 
 
 22 
 
 do. 
 
 75 
 
 77 
 
 79 
 
 69 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 G43 
 
 Date, 
 
 1858. 
 
 Position. 
 
 \ 
 
 Ther. in Shade, 
 
 7 A.M. 
 
 1 her. in Shade, 
 
 4 F.M. 
 
 Extreme Kent. 
 
 Extreme Cold. 
 
 Wind. 
 
 Weather. 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 Sept. 23 
 
 At Shanghai 
 
 75 
 
 75 
 
 75 
 
 66 
 
 N. 
 
 Rainy, squallv- 
 
 24 
 
 do. 
 
 69 
 
 71 
 
 71 
 
 65 
 
 N. 
 
 Rainy, squally. 
 
 25 
 
 do. 
 
 68 
 
 73 
 
 74 
 
 63 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 26 
 
 do. 
 
 67 
 
 75 
 
 77 
 
 65 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 27 
 
 do. 
 
 69 
 
 75 
 
 77 
 
 65 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 28 
 
 do. 
 
 71 
 
 To 
 
 77 
 
 66 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 29 
 
 do. 
 
 73 
 
 77 
 
 79 
 
 69 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 30 
 
 do. 
 
 — o 
 i O 
 
 80 
 
 81 
 
 70 
 
 S. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 Oct. 1 
 
 do. 
 
 70 
 
 65 
 
 71 
 
 61 
 
 N. 
 
 Cloudy, squalh\ 
 
 2 
 
 do. 
 
 64 
 
 71 
 
 72 
 
 60 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 3 
 
 do. 
 
 65 
 
 74 
 
 74 
 
 64 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 4 
 
 do. 
 
 67 
 
 71 
 
 74 
 
 64 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 5 
 
 do. 
 
 67 
 
 72 
 
 73 
 
 60 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 6 
 
 do. 
 
 64 
 
 71 
 
 73 
 
 62 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 r~ 
 
 ( 
 
 do. 
 
 63 
 
 72 
 
 72 
 
 62 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 8 
 
 do. 
 
 66 
 
 73 
 
 73 
 
 64 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 9 
 
 do. 
 
 65 
 
 73 
 
 73 
 
 64 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 10 
 
 do. 
 
 65 
 
 70 
 
 71 
 
 64 
 
 E. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 11 
 
 do. 
 
 66 
 
 72 
 
 73 
 
 60 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 12 
 
 do. 
 
 65 
 
 72 
 
 72 
 
 59 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 13 
 
 do. 
 
 63 
 
 72 
 
 73 
 
 61 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 34 
 
 do. 
 
 66 
 
 69 
 
 71 
 
 55 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 15 
 
 do. 
 
 57 
 
 69 
 
 69 
 
 57 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 16 
 
 do. 
 
 64 
 
 65 
 
 69 
 
 57 
 
 N. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 Sund. 17 
 
 do. 
 
 62 
 
 67 
 
 69 
 
 56 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 18 
 
 do. 
 
 59 
 
 67 
 
 69 
 
 56 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 19 
 
 do. 
 
 62 
 
 67 
 
 68 
 
 54 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 20 
 
 do. 
 
 56 
 
 67 
 
 68 
 
 54 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 21 
 
 do. 
 
 64 
 
 67 
 
 69 
 
 61 
 
 E. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 22 
 
 do. 
 
 63 
 
 69 
 
 69 
 
 53 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 23 
 
 do. 
 
 55 
 
 64 
 
 64 
 
 49 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 24 
 
 do. 
 
 52 
 
 67 
 
 67 
 
 52 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 25 
 
 do. 
 
 52 
 
 68 
 
 68 
 
 52 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 26 
 
 do. 
 
 60 
 
 70 
 
 70 
 
 51 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 27 
 
 do. 
 
 53 
 
 70 
 
 70 
 
 52 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 28 
 
 do. 
 
 55 
 
 67 
 
 67 
 
 55 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 29 
 
 do. 
 
 60 
 
 71 
 
 71 
 
 56 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 30 
 
 do. 
 
 00 
 
 62 
 
 64 
 
 45 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 31 
 
 do. 
 
 48 
 
 66 
 
 66 
 
 47 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Nov. 1 
 
 do. 
 
 49 
 
 69 
 
 70 
 
 48 
 
 s.w. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 2 
 
 do. 
 
 50 
 
 69 
 
 70 
 
 49 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 
 do. 
 
 47 
 
 68 
 
 69 
 
 47 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Foggy, fine. 
 
 4 
 
 do. 
 
 53 
 
 62 
 
 63 
 
 48 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 5 
 
 do. 
 
 51 
 
 63 
 
 63 
 
 48 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 6 
 
 do. 
 
 55 
 
 67 
 
 67 
 
 46 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 7 
 
 do. 
 
 50 
 
 66 
 
 69 
 
 42 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 8 
 
 Steaming down river 
 
 46 
 
 62 
 
 66 
 
 41 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 9 
 
 In Yang-tse-Keang 
 
 58 
 
 68 
 
 69 
 
 50 
 
 S. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 10 
 
 do. 
 
 57 
 
 67 
 
 71 
 
 47 
 
 w. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 11 
 
 Off Fooshan 
 
 00 
 
 66 
 
 66 
 
 43 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 12 
 
 do. 
 
 53 
 
 67 
 
 69 
 
 44 
 
 w. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 13 
 
 do. 
 
 56 
 
 67 
 
 73 
 
 I 51 
 
 w. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 14 
 
 Between Fooshan and Kiang-yin 
 
 57 
 
 66 
 
 68 
 
 46 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 15 
 
 Near Kiang-yin 
 
 54 
 
 57 
 
 60 
 
 '42 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine, strong breeze. 
 
 16 
 
 Silver Island hock 
 
 37 
 
 53 
 
 55 
 
 36 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 17 
 
 do. 
 
 42 
 
 62 
 
 62 
 
 42 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 18 
 
 do. 
 
 49 
 
 ? 
 
 66 
 
 47 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 19 
 
 do. 
 
 50 
 
 ? 
 
 65 
 
 48 
 
 . 
 
 Fine. 
 
 2C 
 
 Between Chin-kiang and Nanking 
 
 48 
 
 65 
 
 67 
 
 48 
 
 S.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 jSund. 21 
 
 Between Nenkin and Taiping 
 
 48 
 
 62 
 
 64 
 
 40 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 1 2S 
 
 !] Off Taiping 
 
 46 
 
 6! 
 
 61 
 
 45 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
644 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Date. 
 
 1858. 
 
 Position. 
 
 Ther. in Shade, 
 
 1 A.M. 
 
 Ther. in Shade, 
 
 4 P.M. 
 
 Extreme Heat. 
 
 Extreme Cold. 
 
 Wind. 
 
 i 
 
 Weather. 
 
 Nov. 23 
 
 Between Taiping and Wuhu 
 
 o 
 
 45 
 
 o 
 
 65 
 
 0 
 
 65 
 
 o 
 
 45 
 
 w. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 24 
 
 Off Kewheen 
 
 50 
 
 62 
 
 62 
 
 42 
 
 w. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 25 
 
 Between Kewheen andTsung-yang 
 
 46 
 
 63 
 
 63 
 
 44 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 26 
 
 Off* Nganking-foo 
 
 49 
 
 62 
 
 62 
 
 45 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 27 
 
 Above Tungliu 
 
 48 
 
 65 
 
 65 
 
 48 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 28 
 
 Near Pangtsch-hien 
 
 53 
 
 52 
 
 58 
 
 48 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine, strong breeze. 
 
 29 
 
 Off Hukau 
 
 31 
 
 48 
 
 48 
 
 28 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 30 
 
 Off Kiukiang-foo 
 
 39 
 
 V 
 
 44 
 
 31 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Dec. 1 
 
 Between Kewkeang and Kecliow 
 
 38 
 
 51 
 
 51 
 
 34 
 
 Calm. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 2 
 
 Passing Ivechow 
 
 49 
 
 55 
 
 55 
 
 42 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 
 Between Ivechow and Hwanchow 
 
 48 
 
 54 
 
 54 
 
 37 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 4 
 
 Above Hwanchow 
 
 43 
 
 53 
 
 53 
 
 37 
 
 E. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 Sund. 5 
 
 Between Hwanchow and Yanglo 
 
 47 
 
 48 
 
 50 
 
 43 
 
 E. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 6 
 
 Between Yanglo and Hankow 
 
 36 
 
 ? 
 
 48 
 
 36 
 
 E. 
 
 Foggy, fine. 
 
 7 
 
 At anchor off Hankow 
 
 43 
 
 57 
 
 57 
 
 39 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 8 
 
 do. 
 
 47 
 
 63 
 
 63 
 
 42 
 
 Calm. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 9 
 
 do. 
 
 52 
 
 54 
 
 57 
 
 48 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 10 
 
 do. 
 
 45 
 
 57 
 
 57 
 
 39 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 11 
 
 do. 
 
 54 
 
 58 
 
 58 
 
 44 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 12 
 
 Between Hankow and Hwanchow 
 
 50 
 
 p 
 
 50 
 
 47 
 
 E. 
 
 Foggy, showery. 
 
 13 
 
 Betw. Hwancho'vtf and Woochang 
 
 35 
 
 56 
 
 56 
 
 35 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 14 
 
 Between Hwanchow and Paho 
 
 43 
 
 ? 
 
 50 
 
 32 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 15 
 
 Between Paho and Shihwavu 
 
 37 
 
 51 
 
 51 
 
 31 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 16 
 
 Between Shihwayu and Wooseuh 
 
 43 
 
 43 
 
 52 
 
 43 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Rainy, hail. 
 
 17 
 
 Between Wooseuh and Ivew-keang 
 
 44 
 
 45 
 
 53 
 
 44 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Rainy, squally. 
 
 18 
 
 do. 
 
 44 
 
 ? 
 
 54 
 
 42 
 
 E. 
 
 Rainy, squallv. 
 
 Sund. 19 
 
 do. 
 
 44 
 
 44 
 
 49 
 
 41 
 
 N. 
 
 Rain} 7 . 
 
 20 
 
 Near Kew-keang 
 
 42 
 
 46 
 
 51 
 
 42 
 
 E. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 21 
 
 At anchor below Kew-keang 
 
 47 
 
 ? 
 
 57 
 
 42 
 
 W. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 22 
 
 do. 
 
 43 
 
 46 
 
 54 
 
 43 
 
 E. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 23 
 
 do. 
 
 43 
 
 ? 
 
 49 
 
 39 
 
 W. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 24 
 
 Between Kew-keang and Tungliu 
 
 44 
 
 46 
 
 50 
 
 42 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Rainy, strong breeze. 
 
 25 
 
 Between Tungliu and Nganking 
 
 43 
 
 45 
 
 47 
 
 41 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 Sund. 26 
 
 Between Nganking and Toonglu 
 
 39 
 
 41 
 
 46 
 
 39 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Rain, snow. 
 
 27 
 
 Between Tookeaow and Woohoo 
 
 43 
 
 46 
 
 49 
 
 43 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Iiainv. 
 
 28 
 
 Between Woohoo and Taiping 
 
 41 
 
 45 
 
 46 
 
 40 
 
 N. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 29 
 
 Between Taiping and Nanking 
 
 39 
 
 39 
 
 44 
 
 37 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Snow. 
 
 30 
 
 Between Nanking and Chosan 
 
 34 
 
 38 
 
 46 
 
 34 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Snow. 
 
 31 
 
 Between Chosan and Plover P. 
 
 34 
 
 41 
 
 43 
 
 34 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 1859. 
 Jan. 1 
 
 At Shanghai 
 
 36 
 
 47 
 
 47 
 
 33 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. , 
 
 Sund. 2 
 
 do. 
 
 32 
 
 33 
 
 37 
 
 28 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 3 
 
 do. 
 
 29 
 
 34 
 
 40 
 
 27 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 4 
 
 do. 
 
 23 
 
 38 
 
 40 
 
 23 
 
 S.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 5 
 
 do. 
 
 30 
 
 39 
 
 45 
 
 30 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 6 
 
 do. 
 
 26 
 
 43 
 
 47 
 
 26 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 7 
 
 do. 
 
 30 
 
 ? 
 
 41 
 
 30 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 8 
 
 do. 
 
 29 
 
 41 
 
 45 
 
 29 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 9 
 
 do. 
 
 36 
 
 51 
 
 54 
 
 36 
 
 S. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 10 
 
 do. 
 
 37 
 
 55 
 
 53 
 
 34 
 
 w. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 11 
 
 do. 
 
 31 
 
 45 
 
 52 
 
 31 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 12 
 
 do. 
 
 33 
 
 47 
 
 53 
 
 33 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 13 
 
 do. 
 
 36 
 
 53 
 
 56 
 
 36 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 14 
 
 do. 
 
 42 
 
 42 
 
 47 
 
 33 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Rainy, squallv. 
 
 15 
 
 do. 
 
 29 
 
 37 
 
 49 
 
 28 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 16 
 
 do. 
 
 27 
 
 39 
 
 44 
 
 27 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 17 
 
 do. 
 
 29 
 
 37 
 
 44 
 
 25 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine, squally. 
 
 18 
 
 do. 
 
 21 
 
 40 
 
 40 
 
 21 
 
 S. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 19 
 
 do. 
 
 35 
 
 55 
 
 55 
 
 35 
 
 s. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 20 
 
 do. 
 
 41 
 
 49 
 
 52 
 
 41 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Pogg3 T - 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 21 
 
 do. 
 
 44 
 
 45 
 
 47 
 
 39 
 
 N.E. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 645 
 
 Date, 
 
 1859. 
 
 Position. 
 
 1 Ther. in Shade, 
 7 A.M. 
 
 Ther. in Shade, 
 
 4 P.M. 
 
 Extreme Heat. 
 
 Extreme Cold. 
 
 Wind. 
 
 Weather. 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 Jan. 22 
 
 At Shanghai 
 
 39 
 
 42 
 
 
 
 N. 
 
 Rain}'. 
 
 Sund. 23 
 
 do. 
 
 37 
 
 34 
 
 
 . 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Rain, snow. 
 
 24 
 
 do. 
 
 34 
 
 41 
 
 
 , , 
 
 N. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 25 
 
 do. 
 
 39 
 
 ? 
 
 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Rainy. 
 
 26 
 
 Steaming down river 
 
 42 
 
 41 
 
 
 27 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 27 
 
 Anchor at Woosung 
 
 30 
 
 31 
 
 
 27 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 28 
 
 Steaming down river 
 
 31 
 
 43 
 
 
 26 
 
 N.NE. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 29 
 
 Between Woosung and Hong Kong 
 
 49 
 
 50 
 
 
 
 N.NE. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 Sund. 30 
 
 do. 
 
 53 
 
 54 
 
 
 
 N.NE. 
 
 Misty rain. 
 
 31 
 
 do. 
 
 56 
 
 58 
 
 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 Feb. 1 
 
 Pedro Blanca in sight 
 
 59 
 
 66 
 
 
 
 3 N. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 2 
 
 Anchor at Hong Kong 
 
 56 
 
 57 
 
 
 
 2 N.W. 
 
 Showerv. 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 
 Canton River 
 
 53 
 
 51 
 
 
 
 3 N. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 4 
 
 do. 
 
 45 
 
 46 
 
 
 
 2 N.W. 
 
 Rainv. 
 
 5 
 
 do. 
 
 44 
 
 ? 
 
 
 
 2 N. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 Sund. 6 
 
 do. 
 
 46 
 
 51 
 
 
 
 4 N.W. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 7 
 
 do. 
 
 48 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 2 N.W. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 8 
 
 do. 
 
 46 
 
 61 
 
 
 
 1 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 9 
 
 do. 
 
 54 
 
 64 
 
 
 
 1 S.E. 
 
 Misty rain. 
 
 10 
 
 do. 
 
 59 
 
 69 
 
 
 
 Calm. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 11 
 
 do. 
 
 59 
 
 68 
 
 
 
 2 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 12 
 
 do. 
 
 59 
 
 68 
 
 
 
 3 W. 
 
 Fine. , 
 
 Sund. 13 
 
 do. 
 
 53 
 
 69 
 
 
 
 2 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 14 
 
 do. 
 
 52 
 
 69 
 
 
 
 2 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 15 
 
 do. 
 
 59 
 
 71 
 
 
 
 Calm. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 16 
 
 Anchor at Macao 
 
 64 
 
 67 
 
 
 
 Calm. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 17 
 
 Between Macao and Hainan 
 
 58 
 
 63 
 
 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 18 
 
 Hainan 
 
 70 
 
 73 
 
 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 19 
 
 Hoilangshan 
 
 64 
 
 68 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 20 
 
 St. John’s 
 
 62 
 
 65 
 
 
 
 E.NE. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 21 
 
 Between St. John’s and C. R. 
 
 57 
 
 58 
 
 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Cloudy, 
 
 22 
 
 Hong Kong 
 
 53 
 
 60 
 
 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 23 
 
 do. 
 
 53 
 
 66 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 24 
 
 do. 
 
 53 
 
 60 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 25 
 
 do. 
 
 59 
 
 64 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 26 
 
 do. 
 
 65 
 
 73 
 
 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 Sund.27 
 
 do. 
 
 69 
 
 75 
 
 
 
 Calm. 
 
 Misty rain. 
 
 28 
 
 do. 
 
 73 
 
 73 
 
 
 
 Calm. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 Mar. 1 
 
 do. 
 
 73 
 
 74 
 
 
 
 Calm. 
 
 Showerv. 
 
 2 
 
 Canton River 
 
 69 
 
 74 
 
 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Thund., lightg., etc. 
 
 3 
 
 do. 
 
 65 
 
 60 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Rainv. 
 
 4 
 
 Steaming out of river 
 
 51 
 
 56 
 
 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Cloudy. 
 
 5 
 
 Lat. N., Long. E. 
 
 71 
 
 74 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Sund. 6 
 
 
 77 
 
 70 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 7 
 
 12° 40' N., E. 
 
 80 
 
 82 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 8 
 
 10° 7' N., E. 
 
 80 
 
 82 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 9 
 
 7° 23' N., E. 
 
 80 
 
 82 
 
 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 10 
 
 4° 20' N., E. 
 
 82 
 
 83 
 
 
 
 S.E. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 11 
 
 Pedro Blanca 
 
 79 
 
 76 
 
 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 12 
 
 At Singapore 
 
 76 
 
 82 
 
 
 
 N.E. 
 
 Showery. 
 
 Sund. 13 
 
 Left Singapore 2 P.M. 
 
 82 
 
 83 
 
 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 14 
 
 M. Straits of Malacca 
 
 79 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 15 
 
 At Penang 
 
 82 
 
 85 
 
 
 
 N.W. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 16 
 
 Left Penang 8 A.M. 
 
 80 
 
 85 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 17 
 
 Lat. Long. 
 
 84 
 
 , , 
 
 
 
 N. 
 
 Fine. 
 
 18-31 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 THE END. 
 
 / 
 
\ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 * 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 * \ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 * 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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