Chinese Horrors and Persecutions of the Christians Containing a Full Account of the Great Insurrection in China; Atrocities of the &Quot;Boxers&Quot; ... Together With the Complete History of China Down to the Pres

CORNELL
UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
THE
CHARLES WILLIAM WASON
COLLECTION ON CHINA
AND THE CHINESE
fnfo^F.-Ly-
^'
\}^
0~
u\
Chinese Horrors
AND
:ÊRSECUTIONS of the CHRISTIANS

CONTAINING A
'ULL ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT INSURRECTION IN CHINA;

ATROCITIES OF THE "BOXERS;" MASSACRE OF
FOREIGNERS AND NATIVE CHRISTIANS;
HEROIC ATTEMPTS TO RESCUE THE
FOREIGN MINISTERS AND
AMBASSADORS, ETC.
TOGETHER WITH THE.
COMPLETE HISTORY OF CHINA

OWN TO THE PRESENT TIME, INCLUDING THE WAR WITH
JAPAN MANNERS, CUSTOMS AND PECULIARITIES
;
OF THE PEOPLE SUPERSTITIONS IDOL ; ;
WORSHIP; INDUSTRIES; NATURAL

SCENERY, ETC., ETC.
By Henry Davenport Northrop

Author of ^^
Queen of Republics,^* " Gem Cyclopedia" xtc.^<ic.
Profusely Illustrated with Superb Illustrations
WORLD BIBLE HOUSE

PHILADEIvPHIA, PA.
-,..!-> »^\,t
UN
EHTERCO ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRE6S, IN THE YEAR 1S00. BV
SEORGE W. BERTRON
t" THC OFFtCC OF rME LtBRARIAN OF CONGRESS, AT WASHINGTON, D .
Cornell University
urn Library
The original of this book is in
the Cornell University Library.
There are no known copyright restrictions in

the United States on the use of the text.
http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924107207387
BOXERS ENROLLING AT A MILITARY POST FOR THE
INSURRECTION IN CHINA.
BIRD'S-EYE VIEW MAP,
SHOWING PEKIN, TIEN TSIN, TAKU AND ALL
IMPORTANT TOWNS, INCLUDING THE GREAT WALL, CHINA.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. CHAPTER IX.
PAOK. PA«X.
Early History of the Celestial The Punishment of Criminals. . . 180

Empire 17
CHAPTER X.
CHAPTER II.
Chinese Mechanics and Merchants 191
The Story op the Han Rulers . . 30
CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER III.
Chinese Marriage Customs 19&
The Mongol Conquest of China . . 44
CHAPTER IV. CHAPTER XII.
The First Manchu Ruler . . . . . 74 Varieties of Chinese Life. 21S
CHAPTER V. CHAPTER XIII.

The Taeping Rebellion and Story Food, Dress and Amusements of the
OF Chinese Gordon 91 Chinese 235
CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER XIV.
Prince Kung and the Regency . . 122
The Religions op China . . 254
CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER XV.
The Reign op the Emperor Kwangsu 145
Country Life in China . , 274
CHAPTER VIII.
CHAPTER XVI.
The Emperor op China and His
Court 162 Agricultural Products and Exports 280
V
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XVII. CHAPTER XXIII.- - . -L
Life and Travel in Corea 289 Two Princes Wakkjng for a Throne 362
CHAPTER XVIII.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Outbreak of the War Between
Perils to Foreigners in China . . . 369
China and Japan 299
'
CHAPTER XIX. . - CHAPTER XXV.

The Battle of Ping-Yang 309 Peculiar Chinese Superstitions and
Customs . 379-
.
CHAPTER XX.
Japan's Great Naval Victory . . .325 CHAPTER XXVI.
CHAPTER XXI. Under the Fire of Boxer Savages . 387
Stirring Incidents OF the Campaign . 338

CHAPTER XXVII.
CHAPTER XXII. Rescue of the Foreign Ministers at
Uprising OF the Boxers 357 Pekin 404
PREFACE.
THElized
horrible massacre of foreigners in China has shocked the whole
world. An insurrection, attended by unparalleled atrocities
o'
aroused the deepest concern in America and Europe.

All intelligent persons are eager to obtain reliable information conct
ing China and the great revolution which has involved the Powers of Eurc
and our own country. This information is contained in this volume.
It treats of the history of China from the earliest times to the prese
day. Dating back to the earliest dawn of history, China has outlived all th
great nations of ancient times, and is a living empire to-day. No other natic
in the world has such a record. Against the flood that has swept might
kingdoms into oblivion, China has stood like an immovable rock. She is th
wonder and the miracle among the august Empires of the East.
The reader traces her surprising growth, her conquests aud her power
at a period when "time was young." He sees the rise and fall of brilliant
dynasties, while one emperor after another appears upon the checkered
scene, each of whom is invested with the proud title of "The Son of Heaven."
He reads the graphic story of the Han Rulers, who, in arms and conquests,
are worthy to be ranked with Roman Caesars. He learns why, for more
than 2,000 years, the Chinese have been proud to call themselves the
" Children of Han."
Then comes the Mongolian conquest. With tramping legions, with
dashing steeds and gleaming spears, the Northern hordes sweep down upon
the plains of the " Flowery Kingdom." The panorama of startling events
moves on, and we are brought to the dynasty by which China is governed at
the present time. The Manchus ascended the "Dragon Throne," and still
sway their sceptre over nearly 400,000,000 of the human race.
The History of China within the present century is read with eager
interest. With the record of other great crises, a masterly and thrilling
account is given of the famous Taeping Rebellion. Suddenly a young Eng-
lish officer appears upon the scene. The world knows him now as the cele-
brated "Chinese Gordon," who performed miracles of valor and conquest.
Fertile in resources, brave and magnetic, silent and stern, unyielding as
granite, his story reads like that of the renowned old heroes of classic fable.
This is followed by an account of Prince Kung and the Regency, and the
history closes with the reign of the present Emperor.
Then comes a full description of China and its people. The gorgeous
splendors of the Emperor's Court and Palace are vividly pictured ^the —
PREFACE.
ly.stery tliat surrounds him, the vast power he wields, the princes and nobles
hat attend upon him, the curious ceremonies of his marriage, the awe with
ch his subjects prostrate themselves before him, the palatial magnificence,
life of the Empress and the disdain for foreign sovereigns.
This superb work also contains a full description of Corea, the "Hermit
ngdom," and furnishes a concise account of the war between China and
pan in 1894. ^^^ causes of the great conflict are stated, and an accurate
—
itimate of the two armies is given their numbers, discipline, equipments
id the ability of their commanders. The rapid movements of the Japanese
-my, its brilliant achievements at Ping-Yang, and the great naval battles
e fully described. The whole course of stirring events is traced, and the
iader sees the rolling battle clouds and hears the shock of contending legions.
But thrilling interest is aroused throughout our country by the bloody
uprising in China against all foreigners, resulting in the murder of the Ger-
man Ambassador and the indiscriminate persecution and slaughter of native
Christians. The " Boxers," a secret society, the members of which do not
look upon murder as a crime, an organization compact, mysterious and dan-
gerous, carried terror to all parts of Northern China, and it has been asserted
by foreigners on the ground, were in league with the Imperial Government.
The dreadful crimes of these desperadoes, of whom many thousands
took up arms, make all civilized nations stand aghast. The greatest anxiety
was manifested by the Great Powers, including our own Government, in the
unexpected events that imperilled all Americans and Europeans within the
bounds of the Flowery Kingdom. No such massacre as that begun by the
" Boxers," with painful evidences that the^ intended to complete it, has
stained the pages of modern history.
A full account is given in this volume of the heroic efforts of the Allied
Powers to reach Pekin and rescue the unfortunate Ministers, Ambassadors
and their families shut up in the Legations, upon which the most desperate
and bloodthirsty attacks were made. This part of the story has in it all the
elements of tragedy, accompanied by the most painful uncertainty as to the
final outcome of the uncontrolled uprising of conspirators.
The value of such a volume as this, which contains only authentic
statements, and is composed of facts gathered
after the most careful scrutiny
cannot be overestimated. It traces the disorder and its attendant massacres
with an impartial hand from the origin of the trouble. It depicts the scenes
that have a horrible fascination for every reader. It tells a plain, unvarnished
tale of the woes suffered by Christians in China. It is a comprehensiv
work that will be prized in every home to which it is admitted.
Lr)ipa : r ron) bi)e rvarlicsb i iir)es
io br)e rresepb JJay.
CHAPTER I.
EARLY HISTORY OF THE "CELESTIAL EMPIRE."
ALL Asia is astir.
have slept the sleep of ages are

Old nations that The Chinese
nation in the world,
are unquestionably the oldest
and their history goes
waking to modern ideas. For back to a period to which no prudent his-
centuries China was almost a torian will attempt to give a precise date.
world by itself; now it forms a part of the They speak the language and observe the
galaxy of eastern empires and is a centre same social and political customs that they
of interest to both Europe and America. did several thousand years ago, and they are
No nation in the world has been so rigid the only living representatives to-day of a
and unchangeable as China, and none has people and government which were contem-
preser\'ed with such tenacity the laws, cus- porary with the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and
toms and national peculiarities which existed the ancient Jews.
long before the Christian era. A most re-
markable people are the Chinese, comprising

Same To-Day as in Early Times,
nearly one-third of the human race, scattered So far as our knowledge enables us to
over a vast realm, maintaining little inter- speak, the Chinese of the present age are in
course with other countries, and lacking in all essential points identical with those of the
that spirit of enterprise which, for the last time of Confucius, and there is no reason to
few years, has distinguished the Japanese. doubt that before his time the Chinese
But modern civilization advances even in national character had been thoroughly
Asia, and China is learning that she cannot formed in its present mould. The limits of
remain the China of three or four thousand the Empire have varied from time to time
years ago. The ships of many nations touch under circumstances of triumph or disunion,
at her ports ; commerce seeks entrance at her but the Middle Kingdom, or China proper,
gates; her most intelligent people are asking of the eighteen provinces has always pos-
questions, and already the darkness is illu- sessed more or less of its existing proportions.
mined with the light of a new and better era. Another striking and peculiar featurt
2 17
18 CHINA: PAST AND PRESENT.
about China is the small amount of influence Even though the details are noi recited the
that the rest of the world has exercised recollection of the antiquity of
China's insti-
upon it. In fact it only during the present tutions must be ever present with the stu-
is
century that that influence can be said to dent, as affording an indispensable clue to
have existed at all. Up to that point China the character of the Chinese people and the
had pursued a course of her own, carrying composition of their government.
on her own struggles within a definite limit, The Chinese are supposed to have
first
and completely indifferent to, and ignorant been a nomad tribe in the province of Shensi ^
of, the ceaseless competition and contests of which lies in the northwest of China, and
mankind outside her orbit, which make up among them at last appeared a ruler, Fohi,
the history of the rest of the old world. whose name at least has been preserved.
The long struggles for supremacy in His deeds and his person are mythical, biif:
Western Asia between Assyrian, Babylonian, he is credited with having given his country
and Persian, the triumphs of the Greek, fol- its first regular government.
lowed by the absorption of what remained
of the Macedonian conquests in the Empire
The First Emperor.
of Rome, even the appearance of Islam and One of his successors was Hwangti (which
the Mahomedan conquerors, who changed means Heavenly Emperor), who was the first
the face of Southern Asia from the Ganges to employ the imperial style of Emperor, the
to the Levant, and long threatened to over- earlier rulers having been content with the
run Europe, had no significance for the inferior title of Wang, or prince. He adopted
people of China, and reacted as little on the convenient decimal division in his admin-
their destiny as if they had happened in istration as well as his coinage. His domin-
another planet. ions were divided into ten provinces, each of
these into ten departments, these again into
A Curious History. ten districts, each of which held ten towns.
All that pertains to China has a peculiar He regulated the calendar, originating the
interest to the reader. He is studying the Chinese cycle of sixty years, and he encour-
history of one of the most remarkable na- aged commerce. He seems to have been a
tions that ever existed. At every step he wise ruler and to have been the first of the
meets with surprises, and eagerly follows the great Emperors. His grandson, who was
record of events, many of them startling and also Emperor, continued his good work and
unparalleled, although they transpired " when earned the reputation of being " the restorer
time was young." As a curiosity in human or even founder of true astronomy."
existence, the earlier history of this country But the most famous of Hwangti's succes-
may justly receive careful notice. In these sors was his great grandson Yao, who is
ancient records we see the beginning and still one of the most revered of all Chinese
progress of a people whose numbers, laws, rulers. He was "diligent, enlightened,

customs, conservatism and strange ideas are polished, and prudent," and if his words
the wonder of the modern world. We learn reflected his actions he must have been most
the infancy of a people who have grown and solicitous of the welfare of his people. He
multiplied to their present vast proportions is specially remarkable for his anxiety to
dis-
and power. cover the best man to succeed Kva I'n t'l-
/ . / /I
'
^-^
iA;','ii,//.iu.
government, and d-iring the last twenty-eight letting most capable and experienced
the
years of his reign he associated the minister minister rule the State.Such an impartial
Chun with him for that purpose. and reasonable mode of selecting the head
On his death he left the crown to him, and of a community can never be perpetuated.
Chun, after some hesitation, accepted the The rulers themselves may see its advan-
cliarge, but he in turn hastened to secure the tages and may endeavor as honestly as these
co-operation of another minister named Yu three Chinese princes to carry out the ar-
in the work of administration, just as he had rangement, but the day must come when the
The period cov- family of the able ruler will assert its rights
been associated with Yao.
ered by the rule of this triumvirate is con- to the succession, and take advantage of its
sidered one of the most brilliant and perfect opportunities from its close connection with
in Chinese history, and it bears a resem- the government to carry out its ends.
blance to the age of the Antonines. The Emperor Yu, true to the practice of
his predecessors,nominated the President of
High Idea of Princes. the Council as his successor, but his son Tiki
These rulers seem to have passed their seized the throne, and became the founder of
leisurefrom practical work in framing moral the first Chinese dynasty which was called
axioms, and in carrying out a model scheme the Hia from the name of the province first
of government based on the purest ethics. ruled by his father. This event is supposed
They considered that " a prince entrusted to have taken place in the year2197 B. C.
with the charge of a State has a heavy task. and the Hia dynasty, of which there were
The happiness of his subjects absolutely seventeen Emperors, ruled down to the year
depends upon him. To provide for every- 1776 B. C. These Hia princes present no
thing is his duty ;
put
his ministers are only and the last of them,
features of interest,
in office to assist him," and also that " a named Kia, was deposed by one of his prin-
prince who wishes to fulfill his obligations, cipal nobles, Ching Tang, Prince of Chang.
and to long preserve his people in the ways
of peace, ought to watch without ceasing that The Chang Rulers.
the laws are observed with exactitude." This prince was the founder of the second
They were staunch upholders of temperance, dynasty, known as Chang, which held pos-
and they banished the unlucky discoverer of session of the throne for years, or down
654
the fact that an intoxicating drink could be to 1 1 22 B. C. With the exception of the
obtained from rice. founder, who seems to have been an able
They also held fast to the theory that all man, this dynasty of twenty-eight Emperors
government must be based on the popular did nothing very noteworthy. The public
will. In fact the reigns of Yao, Chun, and morality deteriorated veiy much under this
Yu are the ideal period of Chinese history and it is said that when one of the
family,
when all questions were decided by moral Emperors wanted an honest man as ministci
right and justice, and even now Chinese he could only find one in the person of a
philosophers are said to test their maxims of common laborer. At last, in the 1 2th cen-
morality by the degree of agreement they tury before our era, the enormities of the
may have with the conduct of those rulers. Chang rulers reached a climax in the person
1 With them passed away the practice of of Chousin, who was deposed by a pop':!;ii
EARLY HISTORY. 21
rising headed by Wou Wang, Prince of and devotion to repair the evils of his day,
Chow. and to raise before his countrymen a higher
This successful soldier, whose name signi- ideal of duty. He has been called the Chi-
fies the Warrior King, founded the third Chi- nese Pythagoras, very learned yet obscure,
nese dynasty of Chow, which governed the and the mysterious Taouism which he founded
Empire 867 years down
for the long space cf holds the smallest or the least assignable part
to 255 B. C. During that protracted period in what passes for the religion of the Chinese.
there were necessarily good and bad Empe- As a philosopher and minister Laoutse will
rors, and the Chow dynasty was rendered always attract attention and excite specula-
specially illustrious by the appearance of the tion, but as a practical reformer and politician
great social and religious reformers, Laoutse, he was far surpassed by his younger and less
Confucius, and Mencius during the existence theoretical contemporary Confucius.
of its power. The founder of the dynasty
instituted the necessary reforms to prove that Influence of the Great Teacher,
he was a national benefactor, and one of his Confucius was an official in the service of
successors, known as the Magnificent King, one of the great princes who divided the
extended the authority of his family over governing power of China among themselves
some of the States of Turkestan. during the whole of the seventh century
before our era, which beheld the appearance
Confucius Appears. of both of these religious teachers and lead-
But on the whole the rulers of the Chow ers. He was a trained administrator with
dynasty were not particularly distinguished, long experience when he urged upon his
and one of them in the eighth century B. C. prince the necessity of reform, and advocated
was weak enough to resign a portion of his a policy of union throughout the States.
sovereign rights to a powerful vassal, Siang- His exhortations v/ere in vain, and so far ill-
kong the Prince of Tsin, in consideration of timed that he was obliged to resign, the
his undertaking the defence of the frontier service of one prince after another. In his
against the Tartars. At this period the day the authority of the Chow Emperor had
authority of the central government passed been reduced to the lowest point. Each prince
under a cloud. The Emperor's perogative was unto himself the supreme authority.
became the shadow of a name, and the last Yet one cardinal point of the policy of
three centuries of the rule of this family Confucius was submission to the Emperor,
would not call for notice but for the genius as implicit obedience to the head of the State
of Laoutse and Confudius, who were both throughout the country as was paid to the
great moral teachers and religious reformers. father of every Chinese household. Although
Laoutse, the founder of Taouism, was the he failed to find a prince after his own heart
first in point of time, and in some respects he his example and precepts were not thrown
v/as the greatest of these reformers. He away, for in a later generation his reforms
found his countrymen sunk in a low state of were executed, and down to the present day
moral indifference and religious infidelity the best points in Chinese government are
which corresponded with the corruption of based on his' recommendations. If " no in-
the times and the disunion in the kingdom. telligent monarch arose" in his time, the
He at once set himself to work with energy greatest Emperors have since sought to con-
.22 CHINA: PAST AND PRESENT.
form with his usages and to rule after the tion of prudence and daring, gradually made
ideal of the great philosopher. His name themselves supreme among their fellows. It
and by a band
his teachings wei-e perpetuated was said of one of them that " like a wolf or a
of devoted disciples, and the book which con- tiger he wished to draw all the other princes
tained the moral and philosophical axioms of into his claws, so that he might devour
Confucius passed into the classic literature of them." Several of the later Tsin princes,
the country and stood in the place of a Bible and particularly one named Chow Siang
for the Chinese. Wang, showed great capacity, and carried
The list of the great Chinese reformers is out a systematic policy for their own aggran-
completed by the name of Mencius, who, disement.
coming two centuries later, carried on with When Nan Wang was approaching the end
better opportunities the reforming work of of his career, the Tsin princes had obtained
Confucius, and left behind him in his Sheking everything of the supreme power short of the
the most popular book of Chinese poetry and name and the right to wear the Imperial yel-
a crowning tribute to the great master. low robes. Ching Wang, or to give him his
later name as Emperor, Tsin Chi Hwangti,
The Warlike Period.
was the reputed great-grandson of Chow
From teachers we must again pass to the Siang Wang, and under him the fame and
chronicle of kings, although few of the later power of the Tsins reached their culminating
Chow Emperors deserve their names to be point. This prince also proved himself one
rescued from oblivion. One Emperor suf- of the greatest rulers who ever sat on the
fered a severe defeat while attempting to Dragon Throne of China.
establish his authority over the troublesome
tribes beyond the frontier ; of another it was A Soldier and Statesman.
written that " his good qualities merited a The country had been so long distracted
happier day," and the general character of by internal strife, and the authority of the
the age may be inferred from its being desig- Emperor had been reduced to such a shadow,
nated by the native chroniclers "The warlike that peace was welcome under any ruler, and
period." the hope was indulged that the Tsin princes,
At what seemed an interminable
last, after who had succeeded in making themselves
old age, marked by weakness and vice, the the most powerful feudatories of the Empire,
Chow dynasty came to an end in the person might be able to restore to the central gov-
of Nan Wang, who, although he reigned for ernment something of its ancient power and
nearly sixty years, was deposed in ignomin- splendor.
ious fashion by one of his great vassals, and Nor was the expectation unreasonable or
reduced to a humble position. His con- ungratified. The Tsins had fairly earned by
queror became the founder of the- fourth their ability the confidence of the Chinese
Chinese dynasty. nation,and their principal representative
During the period of internal strife which showed no diminution of energy on attain-
marked the last four centuries of the Chow ing the throne, and exhibited in a higher
dynasty, one family had steadily waxed post,and on a wider field, the martial and
stronger and stronger among the princes of statesman-like qualities his ancestors had dis-
China. The princes of Tsin, by a combina- played when building up the fabric of their
power as princes of the Empire. Their what is now the Gobi Desert, and made
supremacy was not acquiesced in by the Kami the frontier fortress of the Empire.
other great feudatories without a struggle, In his civil administration Hwangti was
and more than one campaign was fought aided by the minister Lisseh, who seems to
before all rivals were removed from their have been a man of rare ability, and to have
path, and their authority passed unchallenged entered heartily into all his master's schemes
as occupants of the Imperial office. While Hwangti

for uniting the Empire. sat
on the throne with a naked sword in his

Ruler at the Age of Thirteen. hand, as the emblem of his authority, dis-
It was in the middle of this final struggle, pensing justice, arranging the details of his
and when the result might still be held many campaigns, and superintending the
doubtful, that Tsin Chi Hwangti began his innumerable affairs of his government, his
eventful reign. When he began to rule he ministerwas equally active in reorganizing
was only thirteen years of age, but he quickly the administration and in supporting his
showed that he possessed the instinct of a sovereign in his bitter struggle with the
statesman, and the courage of a born com- literary classes who advocated archaic prin-
mander of armies. On the one hand he ciples,and whose animosity to the ruler
sowed dissension between the most formid- was inflamed by the contempt, not unmixed
able of his opponents, and brought about by with ferocity, with which he treated them.
a stratagem the disgrace of the ablest general The Empire was divided into thirty-six pro-
and on the other he increased
in their service, vinces, and he impressed upon the governors
his army in numbers and efficiency, until it the importance of improving communications
became unquestionably the most formidable within their jurisdiction.
fighting force in China.
While he endeavored thus to attain inter- New Roads in All Directions.
nal peace, he was also studious in providing Not content with this general precept, he
for the general security of the Empire, and issued a special decree ordering that " roads
with this object he began the construction of shall be made in all directions throughout
a fortified wall across the northern frontier to the Empire," and the origin of the main
serve as a defence against the troublesome routes in China may be found with as much
Hiongnou tribes, who are identified with the certainty in his reign as that of the roads of
Huns of Attila. This wall, which he began Europe in the days of Imperial Rome. When
in the first years of his reign, was finished advised to assign some portion of his power
before his death, and stilt exists as the Great to his relatives and high officials in the pro-
Wall of China, which has been considered vinces he refused to repeat the blunders of
one of the wonders of the world. hispredecessors, and laid down the per-
He was careful in his many wars with the manent truth that " good government is
tribes ofMongolia not to allow himself to be impossible under a multiplicity of masters,"
drawn far from his own border, and at the He power in his own hands,
centralized the
close of a campaign he always withdrew his and he drew up an organization for the civil
troops behind the Great Wall. Towards service of the State which virtually exists at
Central Asia he was more enterprising,and the present day. The two salient features in
pne of his best cênerals, Moungtien, crossed that organization are the indisputable supre-
EARLY HISTORY. 25
macy of the Emperor and the non-employ- he found that his bitterest opponents were
ment of the officials in their native provinces, men of letters, and that the literary class as
and the experience of two thousand years has a body was hostile to his interests and per-
proved their practical value. son. Instead of ignoring this opposition or
When he conquered his internal enemies seeking to overcome it by the same agency,
he resolved to complete the pacification of Hwangti expressed his hatred and contempt,
his country by effecting a general disarma- not only of the literary class, but of literature ^
ment, and he ordered that all weapons should itself, and resorted to extreme measures of
be sent in to his capital at Hienyang. This coercion. The up the gage of
writers took
" skilful disarming of the provinces added battle thrown down by the Emperor, and
daily to the wealth and prosperity of the Hwangti became the object of the wit and
capital," which he proceeded to embellish. abuse of every one who could use a pencil.
He built one palace within the walls, and His birth was aspersed. It was said that he
the Hall of Audience was ornamented with was not a Tsin at all, that his origin was of
twelve statues, each of which weighed twelve the humblest, and that he was a substituted
thousand pounds. But his principal resi- child foisted on the last of the Tsin princes.
dence, named the Palace of Delight, was
without the walls, and there he laid out
Grand Council Summoned.
magnificent gardens, and added building to These personal attacks were accompanied
building. In one of the courts of this latter by unfavorable criticism of all his measures,
palace, it is said he could have drawn up and by censure where he felt that he deserved
10,000 soldiers. praise. It would have been more prudent
if he had shown greater indifference and
A Standing Army. patience, for although he had the satisfaction

This eye to military acquirements in even of triumphing by brute force over those who
the building of his residence, showed the jeered at him, the triumph was accomplished
temper of his mind, and, in his efforts to by an act of Vandalism, with which his name
form a regular army, he had recourse to will be quite as closely associated in history
" those classes in the community who were as any of the wise measures or great works
without any fixed profession, and who were that he carried out. His vanquished oppo-
possessed of exceptional physical strength." nents left behind them a legacy of hostility
He was thus the earliest possessor in China and revenge of the whole literary class of
of what might be called a regular standing China, which has found expression in all the
army. With this force he succeeded in estab- national histories.
lishing his power on a firm basis, and he may The struggle, which had been in progress
have hoped also to ensure permanence for his for some years, reached its culminating point
dynasty ; but, alas ! for the fallacy of human in the year 213 B. C, when a Grand Council
expectations, the structure he erected fell with of the Empire was summoned at Hienyang.
him. At this council were present not only the
Great as an administrator, and successful Emperor's chief military and civil officers
as a soldier, Hwangti was unfortunate in one from the different provinces, but also the
struggle that he evoked. At an early period large literary class, composed of aspirants to
01 his career, when success seemed uncertain. office and the members of the academies and
college of Censors. The opposing forces in nearerwe approached to it, but the practical
China were thus drawn up face to face, and government which consists in keeping men
itwould have been surprising if a collision within the sphere of their proper duties."
had not occurred. On the one side were the He then proceeded to denounce the literary
supporters of the man who had made China class as being hostile to the State, and to
again an Empire, believers in his person and recommend the destruction of their works
sharers in his glory; on the other were those declaring that " now is the time or never to
who had no admiration for this ruler, who close the mouths of these secret enemies and
detested his works, proclaimed his successes to place a curb on their audacity."
dangerous innovations, and questioned his The Emperor at once from his throne
right to bear the royal name. ratified the policy and ordered that no time
should be lost in executing the necessary
"A Vile Flatterer." measures. All books were proscribed, and
The purpose of the Emperor may be orders were issued to burn every work
detected when he called upon speakers in except those relating to medicine, agriculture,
this assembly of his friends and foes to and such science as then existed. The des-
express their opinions of his administration, truction of the national literature was carried
and when a member of his household rose to out with terrible completeness, and such
extol hiswork and to declare that he had works as were preserved are not free from
"surpassed the very greatest of his predeces- the suspicion of being garbled or incomplete
sors." This courtier-like declaration, which versions of their original text. The burning
would have been excusable even if it had had of the books was accompanied by the execu-
a less basis of truth than it unquestionably tion of five hundred of the literati, and by the
possessed in the case of Hwangti, was banishment of many thousands.
received with murmurs and marks of dissent
by the literary class. One of them rose and Inexcusable Tyranny.
denounced the speaker as "a vile flatterer," By this sweeping measure, to which no
and proceeded to expatiate on the superior parallel is to be found in the history of other
merit of several of the earlier rulers. Not countries, Hwangti silenced during the last
content with this unseasonable eulogy, he few years of his life the criticisms of his chief
advocated the restoration of the Empire to memory has had
enemies, but in revenge his
its old form of principalities, and the conse- to bear for two thousand years the sully of
quent undoing of all that Hwangti had ac- an inexcusable act of tryanny and narrow-
complished. mindedness. The price will be pronounced
Hwangti interrupted this speaker and called too heavy for what was a momentary gratifi-
upon his favorite minister Lisseh to reply to cation.
him and explain his policy. Lisseh began by The reign of Hwangti was not prolonged
stating what has often been said since, and in many years after the burning of the books.
other countries, that " men of letters are, as a In 2IO B. C. he was seized with a serious
rule, very little acquainted with what con- illness, to which he succumbed, partly
cerns the government of a country, not that because he took no precautions, and partly,
government of pure speculation which is no doubt, through the incompetence of his
more than a phantom, vani.shing the
nothinfj physicians. His funeral was magnificent,
and, like the Huns, his grave was dug in the ing produced the great ruler Hwangti, and
bed of a river, and with him were buried his its destiny was Napoleonic in its brilliance
wives and his treasure. and evanescence.

This great ruler left behind him an example Looking back at the long period which
of vigor such as is seldom found in the list of connects the mythical age with what may be
Chinese kings of effete physique and apathetic considered the distinctly historical epoch 01
life. He is the only Chinese Emperor of the Tsins, we find that by the close of
whom it is said that his favorite exercise was the third century before the Christian era
walking, and his vigor was apparent in every China possessed settled institutions, the most
department of State. On one occasion when remarkable portion of its still existing liter-
he placed a large army of, it is said, 600,000 ature, and mighty rulers. It is hardly open
men at the disposal of one of his generals, to doubt that the Chinese annahst finds in
the commander expressed some fear as to these remote agesas much interest and
how this huge force was to be fed. Hwangti instruction as we should in the record of
at once replied, "Leave it to me. I will more recent times, and proof of this may be
provide for everything. There shall be want discovered in the fact that the history of the
rather in my palace than in your canip." first four dynasties, which we must dismiss in
these few pages, occupies as much space in
A Famous Ruler. the national history as the chronicle of events
He does not seem to have been a great from Tsin Chi Hwangti to the end of the
general himself, but he knew how to select Ming dynasty in 1644, at which date the
the best commanders, and he was also so official history of China stops, because the
quick in discovering the merits of the history of the Manchu dynasty, which has
generals opposed to him, thatsome of his most occupied the throne ever since, will only be
notable victories were obtained by his skill in given to the world after it has ceased to rule.
detaching them from their service or by ruin-
ing their reputation by some intrigue more Folly and Incompetence.
astute than honorable. Yet, all deductions We must not be surprised at this discur-
made, Tsin Chi Hwangti stands forth as a siveness, because the teachings of human
great ruler and remarkable man. experience are as clearly marked in those
The Tsin dynasty only survived its founder early times as they have been since, and
a few years. Hwangti's son Eulchi became Chinese historians aim as much at establish-
Emperor, but he reigned no more than three ing moral and philosophical truths as at giv-
years. He was foolish enough to get rid of ing a complete record of events. The conse-
the general Moungtien, who might have been quences of human folly and incompetence
the buttress of his throne; and the minister are as patent and conspicuous in those daj's
Lisseh was poisoned, either with or without as they are now. The ruling power is lost
his connivance. Eulchi himself shared the by one family and transferred to another
same fate, and his successor, Ing Wang, because the prince neglects his business,
reigned only six weeks, committing suicide gives himself over to the indulgence of plea-
after losing a battle, and with him the Tsin sure, or fails to see the signs of the times.
dynasty came to an end. Its chief, nay its Cowardice and corruption receive their due
only claim to distinction, arises from its hav- and inevitable punishment. The founders of
EARLY HISTORY. 29
the dynasties are all brave and successful defiant and aggressive, and defeated the
warriors, who are superior to the cant of a Imperial forces. The provincial governors
hyper-civilized state of society, which covers asserted their independence, and founded
declining vigor and marks the first phase of ruling families. The Empire became atten-
effeteness, and who see that as long as there uated by external attack and internal divi-
are human passions they may be moulded by sion. But, to use the phrase of the Chinese
genius to make the many serve the few and historians, "after long abiding disunion,
to build up an autocracy. union revived." The strong and capable
Nor are the lessons to be learnt from his- man always appears in one form or another,
tory applicable only to individuals. The and the Chinese people, impressed with a
faults of an Emperor are felt in every house- belief in both the divine mission of their
hold of the community, and injure the State. Emperor and also in the value of union, wel-
Indifference and obtuseness at the capital come with acclaim the advent of the prince
entailed weakness on the frontier and in the who will restore their favorite and ideal
provincial capitals. The barbarians grew system of one-man government.
CHAPTER II.
THE STORY OF THE HAN RULERS.

the Chinese are still proud to call many works of public utility, among which
AS themselves the sons of Han

be understood that the period cov-
it will roads and bridges
place. He removed
occupied the foremost
his capital from Loyang
ered by the Han rulers must be an in Honan to Singanfoo in Shensi, and as
important epoch in their history, and in more Singan was difficult of access in those days,
than one respect they were the first national he constructed a great high road from the
dynasty. When the successors of Tsin Chi centre of China to this somewhat remote
Hwangti proved unable to keep the throne, spot on the western frontier.
the victorious general who profited by their
He The First Suspension Bridge.

discomfiture was named Liu Pang.
had been a trusted official of the Emperor This road still exists, and has been
Hwangti, but on finding that his descendants described by several travellers in our time.
could not bear the burden of government, It was constructed by the labor of 100,000
he resolved to take his own measures, and men through the most difficult country,
he lost no time in collecting troops and in crossing great mountain chains and broad
making a bid for popularity by endeavoring rivers. The Chinese engineers employed on
to save all the books that bad not been the making of this road, which has excited
burned. This was in the year 202 B. C. the admiration of all who have traversed it,
His career bears some resemblance to first discovered and carried into execution
that of Macbeth, for a soothsayer meeting the suspension bridge, which in other coun-
him on the road predicted, " by the expres- tries is quite a modern invention. One of
sion of his features, that he was destined to these "flying bridges," as the Chinese called
become Emperor." He began his struggle them, is 150 yards across a valley 500 feet
for the throne by defeating another general below, and is still in use.
named Pgiwang, who was also disposed to At regular intervals along this road Kaot-
make a bid for supreme power. After this sou constructed rest-houses for travellers,
success Liu Pang was proclaimed Emperor and postal-stations for his couriers. No
as Kao Hwangti, meaning Lofty and August Chinese ruler has done anything more use-
Emperor, which has been shortened into ful or remarkable than this admirable road
Kaotsou. He named his dynasty the Han, from Loyang to Singanfoo. He embellished
after the small state in which he was born. hisnew capital with many fine buildings,
Kaotsou began his reign by a public pro- among which was a large palace, the grand-
clamation in favor of peace, and deploring eur of which was intended to correspond
the evils which follow in the train of war. He with the extent of his power.
called upon his subjects to aid his efforts for The reign of Kaotsou was, however, far
Iheir welfare by assisting in the execution of from being one of unchequered prosperity
30
THE STORY OF THE HAN RUL1:RS.
Among his own was
subjects his popularity and most was to carry on
profitable policy
great because he promoted commerce and implacable war with their weak and wealthy
improved the administration of justice. He neighbors. Meha's success was so great
also encouraged literature, and was the first that in a single campaign he recovered all
ruler to recognize the claims of Confucius, the districts taken from the Tartars by the
at whose tomb he performed an elaborate general Moungtien. He turned the western
ceremony. He thus acquired a reputation angle of the Great Wall, and brought down
which induced the King of Nanhai —a state his frontier to the river Hoangho. His light
composed of the southern provinces of China cavalry raided past the Chinese capital into
with its capital at or near the modern Canton the province of Szchuen, and returned laden
—
. to tender his allegiance. But he was with the spoil of countless cities.
destined to receive many slights and injuries

at the hands of a foreign enemy who at this
Rescued by a Maiden.
time began a course of active aggression that These successes were crowned by a signal
entailed serious consequences for both China Emperor in person. Kaot-
victory over the
and Europe. sou was drawn into an ambuscade in which

his troops had no chance with their more
A Desert Chieftain. active adversaries, and to save himself from
Reference has been made to the Hiongnou capture, Kaotsou had no alternative but to
or Hun tribes, against whom Tsin Hwangti take refuge in the town of Pingching, where
built the Great Wall. In the interval be- he was closely beleaguered. It was impos-
tween the death of that ruler and the con- sible to defend the town for any length of
solidation of the power of Kaotsou, a time, and the capture of Kaotsou seemed in-
remarkable chief named Meha, or Meta, had evitable, when recourse was had to a strata-
established his supremacy among the dis- gem. The most beautiful Chinese maiden
united clans of the Mongolian Desert, and was sent as a present to propitiate th,e con-
had succeeded in combining for purposes of queror, and Meha, either mollified by the
war the whole fighting force of what had compliment, or deeming that nothing was to
been a disjointed and barbarous confederacy. be gained by driving the Chinese to desper-
The Chinese rulers had succeeded in keeping ation, acquiesced in a convention which
back this threatening torrent from overflow- while it sealed the ignominious defeat of the
ing the fertile plains of their country, as much Chinese, rescued their sovereign from his
by sowing dissension among these clans and predicament.
by bribing one chief to fight another, as by This disaster, and his narrow personal es-
superior arms. cape, seem to have unnerved Kaotsou for
But Meha's success rendered this system when the Huns resumed their incursions in
of defence no longer possible, and the desert the very year following the Pingching con-
chieftain, realizing the opportunity of spoil vention, he tookno steps to oppose them,
and conquest, determined to make his posi- and contented himself with denouncing in
tion secure by invading China. If the enter- his palace Meha as " a wicked and faithless
prise had failed,there would have been an man, who had risen to power by the murder
end to the power of Meha, but his rapid suc- of his father, and one with whom oaths and
cess convinced the Hia'ns that their proper treaties carried no weight." Notwithstand-
ing this opinion, Kaotsou proceeded to nego- the public dissatisfaction warned her that she
tiate with Meha as an equal, and gave this was going too far.
barbarian prince his own daughter in mar- She then adopted a supposititious child as
riage as the price of his abstaining from her grandson, and governed as regent in his
further on the Empire. Never,
attacks name. The mother of this youth seems to
wrote a historian, " was so great a shame have made inconvenient demands on the
inflicted on the Middle Kingdom, which then Empress, who promptly put her out of the
lost its dignity and honor." way, and when the son showed a disposition
Meha observed this peace during the life to resent this action, she caused him to be
of Kaotsou, who found that his reputation poisoned. She again ruled without a puppet
was much diminished by his coming to terms Emperor, hoping to retain power by placing
with his uncivilized opponent, but although her relatives in the principal offices ; but the
several of his generals rebelled, until it was dissatisfaction had now reached an acute
said that "the very name of revolt inspired point, and threatened to destroy her. It may
Kaotsou with apprehension," he succeeded be doubted whether she would have sur-
in overcoming them all without serious diffi- mounted these difficulties and dangers, when
culty. His troubles probably shortened death suddenly cut short her adventurous
his life, he died when he was only fifty-
for career.
three, leaving the crown to his son Hoeiti, The popular legend is that this Chinese
and injunctions to his widow, Liuchi, as to Lucrezia Borgia died of fright at seeing the
the conduct of the administration. apparitions of her many victims, and there
can be no doubt that her crimes did not con-
A Wicked Empress, duce to make woman government more
The brief reign of Hoeiti is only remark- popular in China.
able for the rigor and terrible acts of his
mother, the Empress Liuchi, who is the first Better Government.
woman mentioned in Chinese history as It says much for the excellence of
taking a supreme part in public affairs. Kaotsou's work, and for the hold the Han
Another of Kaotsou's widows aspired to the family had obtained on the Chinese people,
throne for her son, and the chief direction that when it became necessary to select an
for herself. Liuchi nipped their plotting in Emperor after the death of Liuchi the choice
thebud by poisoning both of them. She should have fallen unanimously on the Prince
marked out those who differed from her, or of Tai, who was the illegitimate son of
who resented her taking the most prominent Kaotsou. On mounting the throne, he took
part in public ceremonies, as her enemies, to the name of Wenti. He began his reign by
be removed from her path by any means. remitting taxes and by appointing able and
At a banquet she endeavored to poison one honest governors and judges. He ordered
of the greatest princes of the Empire, but that all old men should be provided with
her plot was detected and baffled by her son. corn, meat, and wine, besides silk and cotton
It is, perhaps, not surprising that Hoeiti did for their garments. At the suggestion of
not long after this episode, and then
live his ministers, who were alive to the dangers
Liuchi ruled in her own name, and without of a disputed succession, he proclaimed his
filling up the vacancy on the throne, until eldest son heir to the throne. He purified
C3
Z
O
M
Pi
o
H
o
o
O
«
<!
K
Q
<
o
H
33
the administration of justice by declaring peace. Kua, a general who had com-
Wang
and peasant must be equally sub-
that prince manded on the frontier, and who knew the
ject to he abolished the too
the law; Hun mode of warfare, represented that suc-
common punishment of mutilation, and had cess would be certain, and at last gained the
the satisfaction of seeing crime reduced to Emperor's ear.
» such low proportions in the Empire that the Vouti decided on war, and raised a large
/jails contained only 400 prisoners. army for the purpose. But the result was not
Wenti was a strong advocate of peace, auspicious. Wang Kua failed to bring the
which was, indeed, necessary to China, as it Huns to an engagement, and the campaign
had not recovered from the effects of the which was to produce such great results
last Hun invasion. He succeeded by diplo- ended ingloriously. The unlucky general
macy in inducing the Prince at Canton, who who had promised so much anticipated his
had shown a disposition to assert his inde- master's displeasure by committing suicide.
pendence, to recognize his authority, and Unfortunately for himself, his idea of engag-
thus averted a civil war. ing in a mortal struggle with the Tartars
gained ground, and became in time the fixed
Purchasing Peace. policy of China.
In his relations with the Huns, among
whom the authority of Meha had passed to Annexing a Province.
his son Lao Chang, he strove to preserve the Notwithstanding this check, the authority
peace, giving that chief one of his daughters of Vouti continued to expand. He annexed
and showing moderation in face
in marriage, Szchuen, a province exceeding in size and
of much provocation. When war was forced population most European states, and he
upon him by their raids he did everything received from the ruler of Manchuria a for-
he could to mitigate its terrors, but the ill mal tender of submission. In the last years
success of his troops in their encounters of his reign the irrepressible Hun question
with the Tartars broke his confidence, and again came up and the episode
for discussion,
he died prematurely after a reign of twenty- of the flight of the Yuchi from Kansuh
three years, which was remarkable as wit- affords a break in the monotony of the
nessing the consolidation of the Hans. The struggle, and is the first instance of that
good work of Wenti was continued during western movement which brought the tribes
the peaceful reign of sixteen years of his son of the Gobi desert into Europe. The Yuchi
Kingti. are believed to have been allied with the Jats
The next Emperor was Vouti, a younger of India, and there is little or no doubt that
son of Kingtr, and one of his earliest con- the Sacae, or Scythians, were their descend-
quests was to add the difficult and inaccess- ants.They occupied a strip of territory in
ible province of Fuhkien to the Empire. Kansuh from Shachow to Lanchefoo, and
He also endeavored to propitiate the Huns after suffering much at the hands of the
by giving one of the princesses of
their chief Huns under Meha, they resolved to seek a
his family as a wife, but the opinion was fresh home in the unknown regions of West-
gaining ground that it would be better to ern Asia.
engage in a war for the overthrow of the The Emperor Vouti wished to bring them
national enemy than to purchase a hollow back, and he sent an envoy named Chang
THE STORY OF THE HAN RULERS. 35
Keen them to return. That officer

to induce might have proved successful but for the
iiscovered them in the Oxus region, but all mistake of entrusting the command to an in-
jiis arguments failed to incline them to leave competent general.
a quarter in which they had recovered power In an ill-advised moment, he gave his
and prosperity. Powerless against the Huns, brother-in-law, Li Kwangli, the supreme
they had more than held their own against direction of the war. His incompetence en-
the Parthians and the Greek kingdom of tailed a succession of disasters, and the only
Bactria. They retained their predominant redeeming point amid them was that Li
position in what is now Bokhara and Balkh, Kwangli was taken prisoner and rendered
until they were gathered up by the Huns in incapable of further mischief. Liling, the
their western march, and hurled, in conjunc- grandson of this general, was entrusted with
tion with them, on the borders of the Roman a fresh army to retrieve the fortunes of the
Empire. war ; but, although successful at first, he was
Meantime, the war with the Huns them- out-mancEuvred, and reduced to the unpleas-
selves entered upon a new phase. A general ant pass of surrendering to the enemy.
named Wei Tsing obtained a signal victory
over them, capturing 15,000 prisoners and
Death of a Great Ruler.
the spoil of the Tartar camp. This success Both Li Kwangli and Liling adapted them-
restored long-lost confidence to the Chinese selves to circumstances, and took 'service
troops, and it was followed by several other under the Tartar chief. As this conduct ob-
victories. One Chinese expedition, composed tained the approval of the historian Ssemat-
entirely marched through the

of cavalry, sien, it is clear that our views of such a pro-
Hun country to Soponomo on the Tian ceeding would not be in harmony with the
Shan, carrying everything before it and opinion in China of that day. The long war
returning laden with spoil, including some which Vouti waged with the Huns for half a
of the golden images of the Hun religion. century, and which was certainly carried on
in amore honorable and successful manner
The Tartar King. than any previous portion of that historic
Encouraged by these successes, Vouti at struggle, closed with discomfiture and defeat,
lasttook the field in person, and sent a for- which dashed to the ground the Emperor's
mal summons to the Tartar King to make hopes of a complete triumph over the most
his submission to China. His reply was to formidable national enemy.
imprison the bearer of the message, and to After a reign of fifty-four years, which must
defy the Emperor to do his worst. This be pronounced glorious, Vouti died, amidst
boldness had the effect of deterring the Em- greater troubles and anxieties than any that
jror from his enterprise. He employed his had beset him during his long reign. He
.1 oops in conquering Yunnan and Leaoutung was unquestionably a great ruler. He added
instead of in waging another war with the several provinces to his Empire, and the suc-
'iuns. But he had only postponed, not cess he met with over the Huns was far from
abandoned, his intention of overthrowing, being inconsiderable. He was a Nimrod
once and for all, this most troublesome and among the Chinese, and his principal enjoy-
formidable national enemy. He raised an ment was to chase the wildest animals with-
enormous force for the campaign, which out any attendants.
Like many other Chinese princes, Vouti tunate one, and "Ho Kwang gave all his
was prone to believe in the possibility of care to perfecting the new Emperor in the
prolonging human life, or, as the Chinese science of government." As a knowledge

put it, in the draught of immortality. In of his connection with the Imperial family,
connection with this weakness an anecdote is had been carefully kept from him, Siuenti
preserved that will bear telling. A magician was brought from a very humble sphere to
offered the Emperor a glass containing the direct the destinies of the Chinese, and his
pretended elixir of eternal life, and Vouti was greater energy and more practical disposition
about to drinkit when a courtier snatched it were probably due to his not having been bred
from his hand and drained the goblet. The in the enervating atmosphere of a palace.
enraged monarch ordered him to prepare for

Compelled to Poison Themselves.
instant death, but the ready courtier at once
replied, " How can I be executed since I have He, too, was brought at an early stage of
his career face to face with the Tartar ques-
drunk the draught of immortality ? " To so
convincing an argument no reply was possi- tion, and he had what may be pronounced a
ble, and Vouti lived to a considerable age
unique experience in his wars with them.
without the aid of magicians or quack medi- He sent several armies under commanders
cines. of reputation to wage war on them, and the
generals duly returned, reporting decisive and
An Emperor Eight Years Old. easily obtained victories. The truth soon
Of him also it may be said that he added leaked out. The victories were quite imagi-
to the stability of the Han dynasty, and he nary. The generals had never ventured to
left the throne to Chaoti, the youngest of his face the Tartars, and they were given no
sons, a child of eight, for whom he appointed option by their enraged and disappointed
histwo most experienced ministers to act as master but to poison themselves.
governors. As these ministers were true to Other generals were appointed, and the
their duty, the interregnum did not affect the Tartars were induced to sue for peace, partly
fortunes of the State adversely, and several from fear of the Chinese, and partly because
claimants to the throne paid for their ambi- they were disunited among themselves. Such
tion with their lives. The reign of Chaoti was the reputation of Siuenti for justice that
was prosperous and successful, but, unfortu- several of the Tartar chiefs carried their
nately, he died at the early age of thirty-one, grievances to the foot of his throne, and his
and without leaving an heir. army became known as "the troops of jus-
After some hesitation, Chaoti's uncle tice." It is said that all the tribes and coun-
Liucho was proclaimed Emperor, but he tries of Central Asia as far west as the Cas-
proved to be a boor with low tastes, whose pian sent him tribute, and to celebrate the
sole idea of power was the license to indulge event he built a kiln or pavilion, in which
in coarse amusements. The chief minister. he placed statues of all the generals who had
Ho Kwang, took upon himself the responsi- contributed towards his triumph.
bility of deposing him, and also of placing on Only one incident marred the tranquility
the throne Siuenti, who was the great-grand- of Siuenti's reign. The great statesman, Ho
son, or, according to another account, the Kwang, had sunk quietly into private life as
grandson, of Vouti. The choice was a for- soon as he found the Emperor capable of
governing for himself, but his wife Hohien out its influence on the fate of his successors.
was more ambitious and less satisfied with He had disgraced and dismissed from the
her position, although she had effected a service an official named Wang Mang, who
marriage between her daughter and Siuenti. had attained great power and influence under
This lady was only one of the queens of the Chingti. The ambition of this individual
ruler, and not the Empress. Hohien, to proved fatal to the dynasty. • On Gaiti's
further her ends, determined to poison the death he emerged from his retirement, and
Empress, and succeeded only too well. Her in conjunction with that prince's mother,
guilt would have been divulged by the doctor seized the government.
she employed, but that Ho Kwang, by an
exercise of his authority, prevented the appli-
Crime to Gain the Throne.
cation of torture to him when thrown into They placed a child, grandson of Yuenti,
prison. on the throne, and they gave him the name
This narrow escape from detection did not of Pingti, or the Peaceful Emperor, but he
keep Hohien from crime. She had the satis- never governed. Before Pingti was fourteen,
faction of seeing her daughter proclaimed Wang Mang resolved to get rid of him, and
Empress, but her gratification was dimin- he gave him the poisoned cup with his own
ished by the son of the murdered Hiuchi hands. This was not the only, or perhaps
Hohien
being selected as heir to the throne. the worst, crime that Wang Mang, perpe-
resolved to poison this prince, but her design trated to gain the throne. Pressed for
was discovered, and she and all the members money to pay his troops, he committed the
of her family were ordered to take poison. sacrilege of stripping the graves of the
The minister. Ho Kwang, had taken no part princes of the Han family of the jewels
in these plots, which, however, injured his deposited in them. One more puppet prince
reputation, and his statue in the Imperial was placed on the throne, but he was soon
pavilion was left without a name. got rid of, and Wang Mang proclaimed him-
self Emperor. He also decreed that the Han
A Head Hung on the Walls. dynasty was extinct, and that his family should
Siuenti did not long survive these events, be known as the Sin.
and Yuenti, the son of Hiuchi, became Em- Wang Mang the usurper was certainly a
peror. His reign of sixteen years presents capable administrator, but in seizing the
no features of interest beyond the signal throne he had attempted a task to which he
overthrow of the Tartar chief. Chichi, whose was unequal. As long as he was minister
head was sent by the victorious general to or regent, respect and regard for the Han
be hung on the walls of Singan. Yuenti was family prevented many from revolting against
succeeded by his son Chingti, who reigned his tyranny, but when he seized the throne
twenty-six years, and who gained the repu- he became the mark of popular indignation
tation of a Chinese Vitellius. His nephew, and official jealousy. The Huns resumed
Gaiti, who was the next Emperor, showed their incursions, and, curiously enough, put
himself an able and well-intentioned prince, forward a proclamation demanding the resto-
but his reign of six years was too brief to ration of the Hans.
allow of any permanent work being accom- Internal enemies sprang up on every side,
plished. One measure of his was not with- and Wang Mang's attempt to terrify them by
severity and wholesale executions only aggra- Liu Hiuen, was placed on the throne, and
vated the situation. It became clear that the the capital was removed fi-om Singan to
Loyang, or Honan. Nothing could have
struggle was to be one to the death, but this
fact did not assist Wang Mang, who saw his been more popular among the Chinese
resources gradually reduced, and his enemies people than the restoration of the Hans.
more confident as the contest continued. It is said that the old men cried for joy
After twelve years' fighting, Wang Mang when they saw the banner of the Hans
was besieged at Singan. The city was soon again waving over the palace and in the
carried by storm, and Wang Mang retired to field. But Liu Hiuen was not a good ruler,
SALE OF PRAYERS IN A CHINESE TEMPLE.
the palace to put an end to his existence. and there might have been reason to regret
But his heart failed him, and he was cut the change if he had not wisely left the con-
down by the foe. His last exclamation and duct of affairs to his able cousin, Liu Sieou.
the dirge of his short-lived dynasty, which is At last the army declared that Liu Sieou
denied a place in Chinese history, was, " If should be Emperor, and when Liu Hiuen
Heaven had given me courage, what could attempted to form a faction of his own he
"
the family of the Hans have done ? was murdered by Fanchong, the leader of
The eldest of the surviving Han princes, a confederacy known as the Crimson Eye-
brows, on whose co-operation he counted. the part of the Chinese ruler to bring his
The Crimson Eyebrows were so called neighbor to her senses. The occupant of
from the distinguishing mark which they the Dragon Throne could not sit down
had adopted when first organized as a pro- tamely under a defeat inflicted by a woman,
test against the tyranny of Wang Mang. At and an experienced general named Mayuen
first they were patriots, but they soon be- was sent to punish the Queen of Kaochi.
came brigands. After murdering the Em- The Boadicea of Annam made a valiant
peror, Fanchong, their leader, threw off all defence, but she was overthrown, and glad
disguise, and seizing Singan, gave it over to to purchase peace by making the humblest
his followers to plunder. Liu Sieou, on be- submission. The same general more than
coming Emperor, took the style of Kwang held his own on the northern and northwest
Vouti, and his first task was to overthrow frontiers. When Kwang Vouti died, in
the Crimson Eyebrows, who had become a A. D. 57, after a brilliant reign of thirty-
public enemy. He entrusted the command three years, he had firmly established the
of the army he raised for this purpose to Han dynasty, and he left behind him the
Fongy, who justified his reputation as the reputation of being both a brave and a just
most skilful Chinese general of his day by prince.
gaining several victories over a more numer-
ous adversary. Within two years Kwang
A Prosperous Reign.
Vouti had the satisfaction of breaking up the His son and successor, Mingti, was not
formidable faction known as the Crimson unworthy of his father. His acts were char-
Eyebrows, and of holding its leader Fan- acterized by wisdom and clemency, and the
chong as a prisoner in his capital. country enjoyed a large measure of peace

through the policy of Mingti and his father.
Constant Wars. A general named Panchow, who was per-
Kwang Vouti was engaged for many more haps the greatest military commander China
years in subduing the numerous potentates ever produced, began his long and remark-
who had repudiated the Imperial authority. able career in this reign, and, without the
His efforts were invariably crowned with semblance of an effort, kept the Huns in
success, but he acquired so great a distaste order, and maintained the Imperial authority
for war that it is said when his son asked over them. Among other great and import-
him to explain how an army was set in ant works, Mingti constructed a dyke, thirty
battle array he refused to reply. But the miles long, for the relief of the Hoangho,
love of peace will not avert war when a and the French missionary and writer, Du
State has turbulent or ambitious neighbors Halde, states that so long as this was kept
who are resolved to appeal to arms, and so in repair there were no floods.
Kwang Vouti was engaged in almost con- The most remarkable event of Mingti 's
stant hostilities to the end of his days. reign was undoubtedly the official introduc-
Chingtse, the Queen of Kaochi, which tion of Buddhism into China. Some knowl-
may be identified with the modern Annam, edge of the great Indian religion and of the
defied the Chinese, and defeated the first teacher Sakya Muni seemed to have reached
army sent to bring her to reason. This China through either Tibet, or, more prob-
reverse necessitated a still greater effort on ably, Burma, but it was not until Mingti, in
consequence of a dream, sent envoys to formed an alliance with the Sienpi tribes of
India to study Buddhism, that its doctrine Manchuria, who were probably the ancestors
became known Under the
in China. direct of the present Manchus, and thus arranged
patronage of the Emperor it made rapid for a flank attack on the Huns.
progress, and although never unreservedly This systematic attack was crowned with
popular, it has held its ground ever since its success. The pressure brought against
! introduction in the first century of our era, them compelled the Hiongnou to give way,
and is now inextricably intertwined with the and as they were ousted from their posses-
religion of the Chinese state and people. sions, to seek fresh homes further west. In
Mingti died after a successful reign of eigh- this they were, no doubt, stimulated by the
teen years in 75 A. D. His son, Changti, example of their old opponents, the Yuchi,
with the aid of his mother, Machi, the but Panchow's energy supplied a still more
daughter of the general Mayuen, enjoyed a convincing argument. He pursued them
peaceful reign of thirteen years, and died at wherever they went, across the Gobi desert
an early age lamented by his sorrowing and beyond the Tian Shan range, taking up
people. a strong position at modern Kuldja and
Kashgar, sending his expeditions on to the
The Huns Conquered. Pamir, and preparing to complete his
After Changti came his son Hoti, who was triumph by the invasion of the countries of
only ten at the time of his accession, and the Oxus and Jaxartes.
who reigned for seventeen years. He was a
virtuous and well-intentioned prince, who A Brilliant Campaign.
instituted many internal reforms, and during When Hoti was still a youth, he com-
his reign a new writing-paper was invented, pleted this programme by overrunning the
which is supposed to have been identical region as far as the Caspian, which was prob-
with the papyrus of Egypt. ably at that time connected with the Aral,
But the reign of Hoti is rendered illus- and it may be supposed that Khiva marked
trious by the remarkable military achieve- the limit of the Chinese general's triumphant
ments of Panchow. The success of that progress. It is affirmed with more or less
general in his operations with the Huns has show of truth that he came into contact with
already been referred to, and he at last the Roman Empire or the great Thsin, as
formed a deliberate plan for driving them the Chinese called it, and that he wished to
away from the Chinese frontier. Although establish commercial relations with it. But,
he enjoyed the confidence of his successive however uncertain this may be, there can be
sovereigns, the Imperial sanction was long no doubt that he inflicted a most material
withheld from this vast scheme, but during injury on Rome, for before his legions fled
the life of Changti he began to put in opera- the Huns, who, less, than four centuries later,
tion measures for the realization of this pro- debased the majesty of the Imperial City,
ject that were only matured under Hoti. He and whose leader, Attila, may have been a
raised and trained a special army for frontier descendant of that Meha, at whose hands
war. He enlisted who had nerer
tribes the Chinese suffered so severely.
served the Emperor before, and who were After this brilliant and memorable war
specially qualified for desert warfare. He Panchow returned to China, where he died
E-
Pi
O
U
1-1
<
D
H
I—
<
at the great age of eighty. With him dis- ness on the frontier, and the Sienpi were
appeared the good fortune of the Han again defeated. The battle is chiefly mem-
dynasty, and misfortunes fell rapidly on the orable because the Sienpi endeavored to
family that had governed China so long and frighten the Chinese general by threatening
so well. Hoti's infant son lived only a few to kill his mother, who was a prisoner in
months, and then his brother Ganti became he attacked.

their hands, if
Emperor. The real power rested in the Not deterred by this menace, Chow Pow
hands of the widow of Hoti, who was ele- attacked the enemy, and gained a decisive*
vated to the post of Regent. Ganti was victory, but at the cost of his mother's life,
succeeded in A. D. 124 by his son Chunti, which so affected him that he died of grief
in whose time several rebellions occurred, shortly afterwards. After some time dissen-
threatening the extinction of the dynasty. sions rose in the Han family, and two half
brothers claimed the throne. became
Pienti
Ambitious Schemes. Emperor by the skilful support of his uncle.
Several children were then elevated to the General Hotsin, while his rival Hienti en-
throne, and at last an ambitious noble named joyed the support of the eunuchs. A deadly
Leangki, whose was one of the Em-
sister feud ensued between the two parties, which
presses, acquired the supreme direction of was aggravated by the murder of Hotsin,
affairs. He gave a great deal of trouble, who rashly entered the palace without an
but at last, finding that his ambitious schemes escort. His soldiers avenged his death,
did not prosper, he took poison, thus antici- carrying the palace by storm, and putting
pating a decree passed for his execution. 10,000 eunuchs to the sword.
Hwanti, the Emperor who had the courage
to punish this powerful noble, was the last End of a Famous Dynasty.
able ruler of the Hans. His reign was, on After this the last Emperors possessed
the whole, a brilliant one, and the Sienpi only the name of Emperor. The practical
tribes, who had taken the place of the authority was disputed among several gen-
Hiognou, were, after one arduous campaign, erals, of whom Tsow Tsow was the most
defeated in a pitched battle. The Chinese distinguished and successful; and he and
were on the verge of defeat when their his son Tsowpi founded a dynasty. In
general, Twan Kang, rushed to the front, A. D. 220 Hienti, the last Han ruler, re-
exclaiming: "Recall to your minds how tired into private life as Prince of Chanyang,
often you have beaten these same
before thus bringing to an end the famous Han
opponents, and teach them again to-day dynasty, which had governed China for 475
that in you they have their masters." years.
After Hwanti's death the decline of the Among the families that have reigned in
Hans was rapid. They produced no other China none have obtained as high a place in ,
ruler worthy of the throne. In the palace popular esteem as the Hans. They ren-
the eunuchs, always numerous at the Chi- dered excellent work in consolidating the
nese Court, obtained the upper hand, and Empire and in carrying out what may be
appointed their own creatures to the great called the Imperial mission of China. Yun-
governing posts. Fortunately this dissen- nan and Leaoutung were made provinces for
sion at the capital was not attended by weak- the first time. Cochin China became a vas-
sal state. The writ of theEmperor ran as this, and it managed to retain the throne
far as the Pamir. The wealth and trade of when less favored rulers would have ex-
the country increased with the progress of piated their mistakes and shortcomings by
its armies. Some of the greatest public the loss of the Empire. With the strong
works, in the shape of roads, bridges, canals. support of the people, the Hans overcame
and aqueducts, were constructed during this innumerable and even the natural
difficulties,
period,and still remain to testify to the glory process of decay and when
; they made their
of the Hans. final exit from history it was in a graceful
As has been seen, the Hans produced manner, and without the execration of the
several great rulers. Their fame was not masses, which generally attends the fall of
the creation of one man alone, and as a greatness and the loss of sovereign authority.
consequence the dynasty enjoyed a length- That this feeling retains its force is shown in
ened existence equalled by few of its prede- the pride with which the Chinese still pro-
cessors or successors. No ruling family was claim themselves to be the sons of Han and
ever more popular with the Chinese than glory in their ancestry.
IMAGE OF BUDDHA.
CHAPTER III.
THE MONGOL CONQUEST OF CHINA.

was short and was granted. But
THEWang ignominious failure of the usurper
Mang to found a dynasty-
respite it
the disappointment of the besieger, already

was too recent to encourage any- counting on success, was great when a few
one to take upon himself the heavy days later he saw that the breaches had been
charge of administering the whole of the repaired, that fresh defences had been impro-
Han Empire, and so the state was split up vised, and that Sinching was in better condi-
into three principalities, and the period is tion than ever to withstand a seige.
known from this fact as the Sankoue. One On sending to inquire the meaning of
prince, a member of the late ruling family, these preparations, Changte, gave the fol-
held possession of Szchuen, which was called lowing reply :

" I am preparing my tomb and
the principality of Chow. The southern to bury myself in the ruins of Sinching.''
provinces were goverened by a general Of such gallantry and resource the interne-
named Sunkiuen, and called Ou. cine strife of the Sankoue period presents few
The central and northern provinces, con- instances, but the progress of the struggle
taining the greatest population and resources, steadily pointed in the direction of the
formed the principality of Wei, subject to triumph of Wei.
Tsowpi, the son of Tsow Tsow. A
struggle
for supremacy very soon began between these Period of United Government.
princes, and the balance of success gradually A long period of dissension prevailed in
declared itself in favor of Wei. China. Then came the powerful Tang
It would serve no useful purpose to enu- dynasty, A. D. 617, which succeeded in
merate the battles which marked this struggle, largely restoring the unity of the nation.
yet one deed of heroism deserves mention, A termination was at last reached to the
the defence of Sinching by Changte, an internal division and weakness that had
officer of the Prince of Wei. The strength lasted for more than 750 years.
of the place was insignificant, and, after a The student reaches at this point firmer
siege of ninety days, several breaches had ground in the history of China as an Empire,
been made in the walls. In this strait and his interest in the subject must assume a
Changte sent a message to the besieging more definite form on coming to the begin-
general that he would surrender on the hun- ning of that period of united government and
dredth day if a cessation of hostilities were settled authority which has been established
granted, " as it was a law among the princes for nearly 1,000 years, during which no more
of Wei that the governor of a place which than four separate families have held posses-
held out for a hundred days and then surren- sion of the throne.
dered, with no prospect of relief visible, After the rival dynasties of the Sungs and
should not be considered as guilty." The Kins rose to supremacy, the Chinese were
44
THE MONGOL CONQUEST OF CHINA. 45
subjugated by a race more powerful than more than this, he would still have done
themselves. much to justify his memory being preserved
We must consider the origin and the among a free and independent people. But
growth of the power of the Mongols, who he seems to have incited his followers to
were certainly the most remarkable race of pursue an active and temperate life, to
conquerors Asia, or perhaps the whole world, remain warriors rather than to become rich
ever produced. and lazy citizens. He wrapped up this
The home of the Mongols, whose name counsel in the exhortation, " What is the use
signifies "brave men," was in the strip of of embarrassing ourselves with wealth ? Is
territory between the Onon and Kerulon not the fate of men decreed by Heaven ?
rivers, which are both tributaries or upper He sowed the seed of future Mongol great-
courses of the Amour. They first appeared ness, and the headship of his clan remained
as a separate clan or tribe in the ninth cen- vested in his family.
tury, when they attracted special attention
for their physical strength and courage
Overthrown in Battle.
during one of China's many wars with the In due order of succession the chiefship
children of the desert, and it was on that passed to Kabul Khan, who in the year
occasion they gained the appellation under 113s began to encroach on the dominion of
which they became famous. Hola, the Kin Emperor. He seems to have
been induced to commit this act of hostility
The Head of the Clan. by a prophecy, to the effect that his children
The earlier history of the Mongol tribe is should be emperors, and also by discourteous
obscure, and baffles investigation, but there treatment received on the occasion of his
seems no reason to doubt their affinity to visit to the court of Oukimai. Whatever the
the Hiongnou, with whose royal house cause of umbrage Kabul Khan made the
Genghis himself claimed blood relationship. Kins pay dearly for their arrogance or short-
If this claim be admitted, Genghis and sighted policy. Hola sent an army under
Attila, who were the two specially typical one of his best generals, Hushahu, to bring
Scourges of God, must be considered mem- the Mongol chief to reason, but the inacces-
bers of the same race, and their probability sibility of his home stood him in good stead.
is certainly strengthened by the close resem- The Kin army suffered greatly in its futile
blance in their methods of carrying on war. attempt to cross the desert, and during its
Budantsar is the first chief of the house of retreat it was harassed by the pursuing
Genghis whose person and achievements are Mongols.
more than mythical. Ho selected as the When the Kin army endeavored to make
abode of his race the territory between the a stand against its pursuers, it suffered a
Onon and the Kerulou, a region fertile in crushing overthrow in a battle at Hailing,
itself, and well protected by those rivers and on the Kins sending a larger force
against attack. against the Mongols in 1 1 39, it had no
It was also so well placed as to be beyond better fortune. Kabul Khan, after the
the extreme limit of any triumphant pro- second success, caused himself to be pro-
gress of the armies of the Chinese emperor. claimed Great Emperor of the Mongols.
If Budantsar had accomplished nothing His success in war, and his ambition, which
rested satisfied with no secondary position, woman's yart was pitched. Then said
indicated the path on which the Mongols Yissugei, '

This woman will bear a valiant
proceeded to the acquisition of supreme son.' He discovered that she was the
power and a paramount military influence damsel Ogelen Eke {i. e., the mother of
whithersoever they carried their name and nations), and that she was the wife of Yeke
standards. Yilatu, chief of a Tartar tribe. Yissugei

carried her off and made her his wife."
Union of Warlike Races.
well con- Birth of the "Valiant Son."
The work begun by Kabul was
tinued by his son Kutula, or Kablai. He, Immediately after his overthrow of Temu-
too, was a great warrior, whose deeds of jin, chief of one of the principal Tartar
prowess aroused as much enthusiasm among tribes, Yissugei learned that the promised
the Mongols as those of Coeur-de-Lion " valiant son "was about to be born, and in
evoked in the days of the Plantagenets. honor of he gave him the name
his victory
The struggle with the Kins was rendered of Temujin, which was the proper name of
more bitter by the execution of several the great Genghis. The village or encamp-
Mongols of importance, who happened to ment in which the future conqueror first saw
fall into the hands of the Kins. When the light of day still bears the old Mongol
Kutula died the chiefship passed to his name, Dilun Boldak, on the banks of the
nephew, Yissugei, who greatly extended the Onon. When Yissugei died, Temujin, or
influence aud power of his family among the Genghis, was only thirteen, and his clan of
tribes neighboring to the Mongol home. 40,000 families refused to recognize him as
Many of these, and even some Chinese, their leader. At a meeting of the tribe
joined the military organization of the domi- Genghis entreated them with tears in his
nant tribe, so that what was originally a eyes to stand by the son of their former
small force of strictly limited numbers, chief, but the majority of them mocked at
became a vast and. ever-increasing con- him, exclaiming, "The deepest wells are
federacy of the most warlike and aggressive sometimes dry, and the hardest stone is
races of the Chinese northern frontier. Im- sometimes broken, why should we cling to
portant as Yissugei's work in the develop- thee?"
ment of Mongol power undoubtedly was, Genghis owed to the heroic attitude of
his chief historical interest is derived from his mother, who flung abroad the cow-tailed
the fact that he was the father of Genghis banner of his race, the acceptance of his
Khan. authority by about half the warriors who
There are several interesting fables in con- had obeyed his father. The great advantage
nection with the birth of Genghis, which of this step was that it gave Genghis time to
event may be safely assigned to the year grow up to be a warrior as famous as any of
1 162 A. D. One of these reads as follows: his predecessors, and it certainly averted
— " One day Yissugei was hunting in com- what might have become the irretriev-
easily
pany with his brothers, and was following able disintegration of the Mongol alliance.
the tracks of a white hare in the snow. They The youth of Genghis was passed in one
struck upon the track of a wagon, and fol- ceaseless struggle to regain the whole of his
lowing it up came to a spot where a birthright. His most formidable enemy was
Chamuka, chief of the Juriats, and for a long not realize his expectations. Wang Khan
time he had all the worst of the struggle, being deserted Genghis v/hile engaged in a joint
taken prisoner on one occasion, and under- campaign against the Naimans, but he was
going marked indignity. On making his the principal sufifererer by his treachery,
escape he had rallied his remaining followers for the enemy pursued his force, and inflicted
round him for a final effort, and on the a heavy defeat upon it. In fact, he was
advice of his mother Ogelen Eke, who was only rescued from destruction by the timely
his principal adviser and staunchest sup- aid of the man he had betrayed.
porter, he divided his forces into thirteen But far from inspiring gratitude, this inci-
regiments of i,ooo men each, and confined dent inflamed the resentment of Wang Khan,
his attention to the defence of his own terri- who, throwing off the cloak of simulated
tory. friendship, declared publicly that either the
Kerait or the Mongol must be supreme on
Unexpected Victory.
the great steppe, as there was not room for
Chamuka, led away by what he deemed both. Such was the superiority in numbers
the weakness of his adversary, attacked him of the Kerait, that in the first battle of this
on the Onon with as he considered the over- long and keenly-contested struggle, Wang
whelming force of 30,000 men but the re- ;
Khan defeated Temujin near Ourga, where
sult dispelled his hopes of conquest, for the mounds that cover the slain are still
Genghis gained a decisive victory. Then shown to the curious or skeptical visitor.
was furnished a striking instance of the After this serious, and in some degree unex-
truth of the saying that "nothing succeeds pected reverse, the fortunes of Genghis sank
like success." The despised Temujin, who to the lowest ebb. He was reduced to ter-
was thought to be unworthy of the post of rible and had to move his camp
straits,
ruling the Mongols, was lauded to the skies, rapidly from one spot to another.
and the tribes declared with one voice,
"Temujin alone is generous and worthy of Put Him to Death.
ruling a great people." At this time also he A small section of his followers, mindful
began to show the qualities of a statesman of his past success and prowess, still clung
and diplomatist. He formed in 1 194 a tem- to him,and by a sudden and daring coup he
porary alliance with the Kin emperor, Mada- changed the whole aspect of the contest.
cou, and the richness of his reward seems to He surprised Wang Khan in his camp at
have excited his cupidity, while his expe- night, and overwhelmed him and his forces.
rience of the Kin army went to prove that Wang Khan escaped to his old foes, the Nai-
they were not so formidable as had been mans, who, disregarding the laws of hospi-
imagined. tality, put him to death. The death of
The discomfiture of Chamuka has been Wang Khan signified nothing less than the
referred to, but he had not abandoned the wholesale defection of the Kerait tribe, which
hope of success, and when he succeeded in joined Genghis to the last man. Then Geng-
detaching the Kerait chief Wang Khan from his turned westwards to settle the question
the Mongols, to whom he was bound by ties of supremacy with the Naimans, who were
of gratitude, he fancied that he again held both hostile and defiant.
victory in his gi'asp. But the intrigue did The Naiman chief shared the opinion of
Wang Khan, that there could not be two to represent the sound "the bird of
of
masters on the Tian Shan, and with that heaven." At this assemblage, which was
vigorous illustration which has never been the first of a long succession of Mongol
wanting to these illiterate tribes, he wrote, councils summoned at the same place on
"There cannot be two suns in the sky, two critical occasions, it was supposed and agreed
swords in one sheath, two eyes in one eyepit, that the war should be carried on with the
or two kings in one empire." Both sides richer and less warlike races of the south.
made strenuous efforts for the fray, and
brought every fighting man they could into Rewards and Decorations.
the field. The decisive battle of thewar Among soldiers it is necessary to pre-
was fought in the heart of Jungaria, and serve the spirit of pre-eminence and warlike
the star of Genghis rose in the ascendant. zeal by granting rewards and decorations.
The Naimans fought long and well, but they Genghis realized the importance of this
were borne down by the heavier armed matter, and instituted the order of Baturu or
Mongols, and their desperate resistance only Bahadur, meaning warrior. He also made
added to their loss. Their chief died of his his two leading generals Muhula and Porshu
wounds, and the triumph of Genghis was princes, one to sit on his right hand and the
rendered complete by the capture of his old other on his left. He addressed them before
enemy, Chamuka. council in the following words: —"It is to
you that I owe my empire. You are and
Nine White Yak-Tails. have been to me as the shafts of a carriage
As Genghis had sworn the oath of friend- or the arms to a man's body." Seals of
ship with Chamuka, he would not slay him, office were also granted to all the officials, so
but he handed him over to a relative, who that their authority might be the more evi-
promptly exacted the rough revenge his past dent and the more honored.
hostility and treachery seemed to call for. In A. D. 1207 Genghis began his war
On his way back from this campaign the with the state of Hia, which he had deter-
Mongol chief attacked the Prince of Hia, mined to crush as the preliminary invasion of
who Kansuh and Tangut, and
reigned over China. In that year he contented himself
thus began the third war he waged for the with the capture of Wuhlahai, one of the
extension of his power. Before this assumed border fortresses of that principality, and in
serious proportions he summoned a Grand the following year he established his control
Council or Kuriltai, at his camp on the over the tribes of the desert more fully, thus
Onon, and then erected outside his tent the gaining many and Naiman aux-
Kirghiz
royal Mongol banner of the nine white yak- iliaries. In 1 209 he resumed the war with
taiils. Hia. in a determined spirit, and placed, him-
was on this occasion that Temujin took,
It self in person at the head of all his forces.
and was proclaimed among the Mongol Although the Hia ruler prepared as well as
chiefs by, the highly exalted name of he could for the struggle, he was really un-
Genghis Khan, which means Very Mighty nerved by the magnitude of the danger he
Khan. The Chinese character for the name had to face. His army was overthrown, his
signifies " Perfect Warrior," and the earlier best generals were taken prisoners, and he
European writeriS afiSrm that it is supposed himself had no resource left but to throw
4
himself on the consideration of Genghis. before the time of Genghis. War had be-
For good reasons the Mongol conqueror come a science.
was lenient. He married one of the daugh- But the Mongols carried the teaching of
ters of the king, and he took him into sub- the past to a further point than any of the
sidiary alliance with himself. former or contemporary Chinese com-
Thus Hia power,
did Genghis absorb the manders, indeed, than any in the whole
which was very considerable, and prepared world had done ; and the revolution which
to enrol it with all his own resources against they effected in tactics was not less remark-
the Kin empire. The Mongols owed their able in itself, and did not leave a smaller im-
A CHINESE BRIDGE.
military success to their admirable discipline pression upon the age, than the improve-
and to their close study of the art of war. ments made in military science by Frederick
Their military supremacy arose from their the Great and Napoleon did in their day.
superiority in all essentials as a fighting The Mongol played in a large way in Asia
power to their neighbors. Much of their the part which the Normans on a smaller
knowledge was borrowed from China, where scale played in Europe. Although the land-
the art of disciplining a large army and marks of triumph have almost wholly
their
mancEuvring it in the field had been brought vanished, they were for two centuries the
to a high state of perfection many centuries dominant caste in most of the states of Asia.
Having thus prepared the way for a larger and generally responded to, and it was at
enterprise, it only remained to find a plaus- the head of an enormous force that Genghis
ible pretext for attacking the Kins, the other set out in March, 1 2 1 1 to effect the con-
,
dynasty, ruling in southern China. With or quest of China. The Mongol army was led
without a pretext Genghis would no doubt by Genghis in person, and under him his
have made war, but even the ruthless Mongol four sons and his most famous general,
sometimes showed a regard for appearances. Chepe Noyan, held commands.
Many years before the Kins had sent as
envoy to the Mongol encampment Conghei, Ravages of War.
a member of their ruling house, and his mis- Theplan of campaign of the Mongol
sion had been not only unsuccessful, but had ruler was as simple as it was bold. From
led to a personal antipathy between the two his camp at Karakoram, on the Kerulon, he
men. In the course of time Conghei suc- marched in a straight line through Kuku
ceeded Madacou as emperor of the Kins, Khoten and the Ongut country to Taitong,
and when a Kin messenger brought intelli- securing an unopposed passage through the
gence of this event to Genghis, the Mongol Great Wall, by the defection of the Ongut
ruler turned towards the south, spat upon tribe. The Kins were unprepared for this
the ground, and said, " I thought that your sudden and vigorous assault directed on their
sovereigns were of the race of the gods, but weakest spot, and successfully executed be-
do you suppose that I am going to do fore their army could reach the scene. Dup-
" ing the two years that the forces of Genghis
homage to such an imbecile as that ?
kept the field on this occasion, they devas-
All the Tribes Rallied, tated the greater portion of the three northern
The affront rankled in the mind of Chon- provinces of Shensi, Shansi, and Pechihli.
chei, and while Genghis was engaged with But the border fortress of Taitong and the
Hia, he sent troops to attack the Mongol out- Kin capital, Tungking, successfully resisted
posts. Chonghei thus placed himself in the all the assaults of the Mongols, and when
wrong, and gave Genghis justification for de- Genghis received a serious wound at the
and not he began the war.
claring that the Kins former place, he reluctantly ordered the re-
The reputation of the Golden dynasty, al- treat of his army, laden with an immense
though not as great as it once was, still quantity of spoil, but still little advanced in
stood sufficienty high to make the most its main task of conquering China. The
adventurous of desert chiefs wary in attack- success of Khitan Yeliu Liuko had not been
ing it. Genghis had already secured the less considerable, and he was proclaimed
co-operation of the ruler of Hia in his enter- King of Leaou as a vassal of the Mongols.
prise, and he next concluded an alliance The planting of this ally on the very thresh-
with Yeliu Liuko, chief of the Khitans, who old of Chinese power facilitated the subse-
were again manifesting discontent with the quent enterprises of the Mongols against the
Kins. Kins, and represented the most important
Genghis finally circulated a proclamation result of this war.
among all the desert tribes, calling upon In 121 3 Genghis again invaded the Kin
them to join him in his attack upon the dominions, but his success was not very
common enemy. This appeal was heartily striking, and in several engagements of no
very great importance the Kin arms met Kin Emperor implied an unwarrantable sus-
with some success. The most important picion of his intentions, and he sent his army
events of the year were, however, the depo- across the frontier to recommence his humilia-
sition and murder of Chonghei, the murder tion.
of a Kin general, Hushahu, who had won a On this occasion a Kin general deserted to
battle against the Mongols, and the procla- them, and thenceforward large bodies of the
mation of Utubu as Emperor. The change Chinese of the north attached themselves to
of sovereign brought no change of fortune the Mongols, who were steadily acquiring a
to the unlucky Kins. Utubu was only able unique reputation for power as well as mili-
to find safety behind the walls of his capital, tary prowess. The great event of this war
and he was delighted when Genghis wrote —
was the siege of Yenking on the site of
him the following letter: "Seeing your which now stands the capital Pekin the —
wretched condition and my exalted fortune, defence of which had been entrusted to the
what may your opinion be now of the will Prince Imperial, but Utubu, more anxious
of heaven with regard to myself? At this for his son's safety than the interests of the
moment I am desirous to return to Tartary, state, ordered him to return to Kaifong. The
but could you allow my soldiers to take their governor of Yenking offered a stout resist-
departure without appeasing their anger with ance to the Mongols, and when he found
"
presents ? thathe could not hold out, he retired to the
temple of the city and poisoned himself. His
An Inhuman Massacre. last actwas to write a letter to Utubu beg-
In reply, Utubu sent Genghis a princess ging him to listen no more to the pernicious
of a family as a wife, and also " 500 youths, advice of the man who had induced him to
the same number of girls, 3000 horses, and murder Hushahu.
a vast quantity of precious articles." Then
Genghis retired once more to Karakoram, On to Central China.
but on his march he stained his reputation The capture of Yenking, where Genghis
by massacring all his prisoners — the first obtained a large supply of war materials, as
gross act of inhumanity he committed during well as vast booty, opened the road to Cen-
his Chinese wars. tral China. The Mongols advanced as far
When Utubu saw the Mongols retreating, as the celebrated Tunkwan pass, which con-
he thought to provide against the most seri- nects Shensi and Honan, but when their gen-
ous consequences of their return by removing eral, Samuka, saw how formidable it was,
his capital to a greater distance from the and how strong were the Kin defences and
frontier, and with this object he transferred garrison, he declined to attack it, and, mak-
his residence to Kaifong. The majority of ing a detour through very difficult country,
his advisers were against this change, as a he marched on Kaifong, where Utubu little
retirement could not but shake public confi- expected him. The Mongols had to make
dence. It had another consequence, which their own road, and they crossed several
they may not have contemplated, and that ravines by improvised "bridges made of
was its providing Genghis with an excuse for spears and the branches of trees bound
renewing his attack on China. The Mongol together by strong chains." But the Mon-
at once complained that the action of the gol force was too small to accomplish any
CHINESE DANCING GIRL WITH SMALL FEET
great result, and the impetuosity of Samuka of Khwaresm and the other great rulers of
was nearly leading to his destruction. A Western Asia.

prompt retreat, and the fact that the Hoangho Muhula more than justified the selection
was frozen over, enabled him to extricate his and confidence of his sovereign. In the year
army after much fatigue and reduced in 1 2 18—19 he invaded Honan, defeated the best
numbers, from its awkward position. of the Kin commanders, and not merely
overran, but retained possession of the places
Sudden Successes. he occupied in the Kin dominions. The dif-
The retreat of the Mongols inspired ficulties of Utubu were aggravated by an
Utubu with sufficient confidence to induce attack from Ningtsong the Sung Emperor,
him to attack Yeliu Liuko in Leaoutung, who refused any longer to pay tribute to the
and the success of this enterprise imparted a Kins as they were evidently unable to enforce
gleam of sunshine and credit to the expiring the claim, and the Kin armies were equally
cause of the Kins. Yelin Liuko was driven unfortunate against their southern opponents
from his newly-created kingdom, but Geng- as their northern. Then Utubu endeavored
his hastened to the assistance of his ally by to negotiate terms with Muhula for the
sending Muhula, the greatest of all his gen- retreat of his army, but the only conditions
erals, at the head of a large army to recover the Mongol general would accept were the
Leaoutung. His success was rapid and surrender of the Kin ruler and his resigna-
remarkable. The Kinj were speedily over- tion of the Imperial title in exchange for the
thrown, Yeliu Liuko was restored to his principality of Honan.
authority, and the neighboring King of
Corea, impressed by the magnitude of the Had his Eye on India.
Mongol success, hastened to acknowledge Utubu, low as he had sunk, declined to

himself the vassal of Genghis. abase himself further and to purchase life at
The most important result of this cam- the loss of his dignity. The sudden death
paign was that Genghis entrusted to Muhula of Muhula gained a brief respite for the dis-
the control of all military arrangemeats for tressed Chinese potentate, but the advantage
the conquest of China. He is reported to was not of any permanent significance, first
have said to his lieutenant: "North of the of all because the Kins were too exhausted
Taihing mountains I am supreme, but all the by their long struggle, and, secondly, because
regions to the south I commend to the care of Genghis hastened to place himself at the head
Muhula," and he " also presented him with a of his army. The news of the death of
chariotand a banner with nine scalops. As Muhula reached him when he was encamped
he handed him this last emblem of authority, on the frontier of India and preparing to add
he spoke to his generals, saying, '
Let this the conquest of that country to his many
banner be an embelm of sovereignty, and let other triumphs in Central and Western Asia.
the orders issued from under it be obeyed as He at once came to the conclusion that he
my own.' " The principal reason for entrust- must return to set his house in order at
ing the conquest of China to a special force home, and to prevent all the results of
and commander, was that Genghis wished to Muhula's remarkable triumphs being lost.
devote the whole of his personal attention to What was a disadvantageChina
for
the prosecution of his new war with the King proved a benefit for India, and possibly for
Europe, as there is no saying how much by this phenomenon that on his death-bed he
further the Mongol encroachment might expressed "the earnest desire that hence-
have extended westward, if the direction of forth the lives of our enemies shall not be
Genghis had not been withdrawn. While unnecessarily sacrified. " The expression of
Genghis was hastening from the Cabul river this wish undoubtedly tended to mitigate the
Hindoo Koosh
to the Kerulon, across the terrors of war as carried on by the Mongols
and Tian Shang ranges, Utubu died, and
Ninkiassu reigned in his stead.
How He Died.
One of the first consequences of the death The immediate successors of Genghis con-
of Muhula was that the young King of Hia, ducted their campaigns after a more humane
believing that the fortunes of the Mongols fashion, and it was not until Timour revived
would then wane, and that he might obtain the early Mongol massacres that their oppo-
a position of greater power and indepen- nents felt there was no chance in appealing
dence, threw off his allegiance, and adopted to the humanity of the Mongols. Various
hostile measures against them. The prompt accounts have been published of the cause
return of Genghis nipped this plan in the of Genghis's death, some authorities ascrib-
bud, but was made quite evident that the
it
ing it to violence, either by an arrow, light-
conquest of Hia was essential to the success ning or drowning, and others to natural
of any permanent annexation of Chinese ter- causes. The event seems to have unques-
ritory, and as its prince could dispose of an tionably happened in hiscamp on the bor-
army which he boasted numbered half-a-mil- ders of Shansi on 27th August, 1227, when
lion of men, it is not surprising to find that he was about 65 years of age, during more
he took a whole year in perfecting his than fifty of which he had enjoyed supreme
arrangements for so grave a contest. command of his own tribe.

The area of the undertakings conducted
Battle on Ice. under his eye was more vast and included a
The war began in 1225 and continued for greater number of countries than was the
two years. The success of the Mongol case with any other conqueror. Not a coun-
army was decisive and unqualified. The try Euxine to the China Sea
from the
Hias were defeated in several battles, and in escaped the tramp of the Mongol horse-
one of them fought upon the frozen waters men, and if we include the achievements of
of the Hoangho, when Genghis broke the his immediate successors, the conquest of
ice by means of his engines, the Hia army Russia, Poland and Hungary, the plundering
was almost annihilated. The King Leseen of Bulgaria, Roumania and Bosnia, the final
was deposed, and Hia became a Mongol subjection of China and its southern tribut-
province. aries must be added to complete the tale of
It was immediately after this successful Mongol triumph. The sphere of Mongol
war was seized with his fatal
that Genghis influence extended beyond this large portion
illness. Signs had been seen in the heavens of the earth's surface, just as the conse-
which the Mongol astrologers said indicated quence of an explosion cannot be restricted
the near approach of his death. The five to the immediate scene of the disaster. If we
planets had appeared together in the south- may include the remarkable achievements of
west, and so much impressed was Genghis his descendant Baber, and of that prince's
decendant Akbar, in India three centuries of Asiatic history have been treated, the
later, not a country in Asia enjoyed immun- name of Genghis preserves its magic spell.
ity from the effect of their successes. It is still a name to conjure with when record-
Perhaps the most important result of their ing the great revolutions of a period which
great outpouring into Western Asia, which beheld the death of the old system in China,
certainly was the arrest of the Mahomedan and the advent in that country of a newer
career in Central Asia, and the diversion of and more vigorous government which, slowly
the current of the fanatical propagators of acquiring shape in the hands of Kublai and
the Prophet's creed against Europe, is not a more national form under the Mings, has
yet as fully recognized as it should, be. The attained the pinnacle of its utility and strength
doubt has been already -expressed whether under the influence of the great Emperors of
the Mongols would ever have risen to higher the Manchu dynasty. But great as is the
rank than that of a nomad tribe but for the reputation Genghis has acquired it is pro-
appearance of Genghis. Leaving that sup- bably short of his merits. He is remembered
position in the category of other interesting as a relentless and irresistible conquerer, a
but problematical conjectures, it may be human scourge; but he was much more.
asserted that Genghis represented in their He was one of the greatest instruments of
highest forms all the qualities which entitled destiny, one of the most remarkable moulders
his race to exercise governing authority. of the fate of nations to be met with in the
history of the world. His name still over-

The Mongol Napoleon. shadows Asia with its fame and the tribute of
He was, moreover, a military genius of our admiration cannot be denied.
the very first order, and it may be ques-
tioned whether either Caesar or Napoleon can The Struggle Continues.
as commanders be placed on a par with him. The death of Genghis did not seriously
Even the Chinese said that he led his armies retard the progress of the war against the
like a God. The manner in which he Kins. He expressed the wish that war
moved large bodies of men over vast dis- should be carried on in a more humane and
tances without an apparent effort, the judg- less vindictive manner, but he did not advo-
ment he showed in the conduct of several cate there being no war or the abandonment
wars in countries far apart from each other, of any of his enterprises. His son and suc-
his strategy in unknown regions, always on cessor Ogotai was indeed specially charged
the alert, yet never allowing hesitation or to bring the conquest of China to a speedy
over-caution to interfere with his enterprise, and victorious conclusion. The weakness of
the sieges which he brought to a successful the Mongol confederacy was the delay con-
termination, his brilliant victories, a succes- nected with the proclamation of a new Khan
sion of "suns of Austerlitz," all combined and the necessity of summoning to a Grand
make up the picture of a career to which Council all the princes and generals of the
Europe can offer nothing that will surpass, race, although it entailed the suspension and
if, indeed, she has anything to bear compari- often the abandonment of great enterprises.
son with it. The death of Genghis saved India but not
After the lapse of centuries, and in spite of China. Almost his last instructions were to
the indifference with which the great figures draw up the plan for attacking and turning
the great fortress of Tunkwan, which had engaged in the task, and slew 10,000 of
provided such an efficient Honan
defence for them. When the main Kin army accepted
on the north, and in 1230, Ogotai who had battle before the town of Yuchow, it was
already partitioned the territory taken from signally defeated, with the loss of three of its
the Kins into ten departments, took the field principal generals, and Ninkiassu fled from
in person, giving a joint command to his Kaifong to a place more removed from the
brother Tuli, under whom served the experi- scene of war. The garrison and townspeople
enced generals Yeliu Chutsia, Antchar, and of Kaifong —an immense city with walls 36
Subutai. At first the Mongols met with no miles in circumference, and a population dur-
great success, and the Kins, encouraged by a ing the siege it is said of 1,400,000 families,
momentary gleam of victory, ventured to or nearly seven million people — offered a
reject the terms offered by Ogotai and to stubborn resistance to the Mongols, who
insult his envoy. The only important fight- entrusted the conduct of the attack to Subutai,
ing during the years 1 230-1 occurred round the most daring of commanders.
all their
Fongsian, which after a long siege sur- The Mongols employed most formid-
their
rendered to Antchar, and when the campaign able engines, catapults hurling immense
closed the Kins presented a bold, front to the stones, and mortars ejecting explosives and
Mongols and still hoped to retain their power combustibles, but twelve months elapsed
and dominions. before the walls were shuttered and the
courage and provisions of the defenders
Attacked on Two Sides.
exhausted. Then Kaifong surrendered at
In 1232 the Mongols increased their armies discretion,and Subutai wished to massacre
in the field, and attacked the Kins from the the whole of the population. But fortunately
two sides. Ogotai led the main force against for the Chinese Yeliu Chutsai was a more
Honan, while Tuli, marching through Shensi humane and a more influential general, and
into Szchuen, assailed them on their western under his advice Ogotai rejected the cruel
flank. The difficulties encountered by Tuli proposal.
on this march, when he had to make his own
roads, were such, that he entered the Kin The Brave Kins.
territories with a much reduced and exhausted At this moment, when it seemed impossible
army. The Kin forces gained some advan- for fate to have any worse experience in store
tage over it, but by either a feigned or a for the unfortunate Kins, their old enemies
forced retreat, Tuli succeeded in baffling their the Sungs declared war upon them, and
pursuit, and in effecting a junction with his placed a large army in the field under the
brother Ogotai, who had met with better their Mongkong. The relics
best general,
fortune. Tuli destroyed everything along of the Kin army under their sovereign Nin-
his line of march, and his massacres and kiassu, took shelter in Tsaichau, where they
sacks revived the worst traditions of Mongol were closely besieged by the Mongols on
ferocity. one side and the Sungs on the other. Driven
In these straits the Kins endeavored to thus into a comer, the Kins fought with the
flood the country round their capital, to courage of despair, and long held out against
which the Mongols had now advanced, but the combined efforts of their enemies. At
the Mongols fell upon the workmen while last Ninkiassu saw the struggle could not be
prolonged, and he prepared himself to end cation at the misfortunes of his old oppooen^.
his life and career in a manner worthy of the The nearer the Mongols came, and the worse
race from which he sprang. the plight to which the Kms were reduced,
When the enemy broke into the city, and the more did he rejoice. He forgave Tuli
he 'heard the stormers at the gate of his the violation of Sung territory, necessary for
palace, he retired to an upper chamber and his flank Honan, and when the
attack on
set fire to the building. Many of his gen- knell of the Kins sounded at the fall of Kai-
erals, and even of his soldiers, followed his fong, he hastened to help in striking the final
example, preferring to end their existence blow at them, and to participate, as he hoped,
rather than to add to the triumph of their in the distribution of the plunder. By this
Mongol and Sung opponents. Thus came time Litsong had succeeded his cousin
to an end 1234 the famous dynasty of the
in Ningtsong as ruler of the Sungs, and it is
Kins, who under nine Emperors had ruled said he received from Tsaichau the
that
Northern China for 118 years, and whose armor and personal spoils of Ninkiassu,
power and military capacity may best be which he had the satisfaction of ofiering up
gauged by the fact that without a single ally in the temple of his ancestors.
they held out against the all-powerful Mon-
gols for more than a quarter of a century. Saw his Mistake.
Ninkiassu, the last of their rulers, was not But when he requested the Mongols to
able to sustain the burden of their authority, comply with the more important part of the
but he at least showed himself equal to end- convention, by which the Sung forces had
ing it in a worthy and appropriately dramatic joined the Mongols before Tsaichau, and to
manner. evacuate the province of Honan, he experi-
enced a rude awakening from his dream that
Warnings not Heeded. the overthrow of the Kins would redound to
The Sungs had completed the
folly of the his advantage, and he soon realized what
discomfiture of the Kins, and had brought to value the Mongols attached to his alliance.
their own borders the terrible peril which had The military capacity of Mongkong inspired
beset every other state in Asia, and which had the Sung ruler with confidence, and he called
in almost every case entailed destruction. upon the Mongols to execute their promises,
How could the Sungs expect to avoid the or to prepare for war. The Mongol garri-
same fate, or to propitiate the most implac- sons made no movement of retreat, and the
able and insatiable of conquering races? utmost that Litsong was offered was a por-
They had done this to a large extent with tion of Honan, if it could be practically
their eyes open. More than once in the divided. The proposition was probably
early stages of the struggle the Kin rulers meant ironically, but at all events Litsong
had sent envoys to beg their alliance, and to rejected it, and sent Mongkong to take by
warn them that if they did not help in keep- force possesion of the disputed province.
ing out the Mongols, their time would come The Mongol forces on the spot were fewer
to be assailed and to share in the common than the Chinese, and they met with some
ruin. reverses. But the hope of the Sungs that
But Ningtsong did not pay heed to the the fortune of war would declare in their
warning, and scarcely concealed his gratifi- favor was soon destroyed by the vast pre-
THE GIANT CHANG.
59
parations of the Mongols, who, at a special dimmed, however, by the death of Kuchu,
kuriltai, held at Karakoram, declared that the son and proclaimed heir of Ogotai.
the conquest of China was to be completed. This event, entailing no inconsiderable doubt
Then Litsong's confidence left him, and he and long-continued disputes as to the suc-
sent an appeal for peace to the Mongols, cession, was followed by the withdrawal of
giving up all claim to Honan, and only ask- the Mongol forces from Sung territory, and
ing to be left in undisturbed possession of during the last six years of his life Ogotai
his original dominions. It was too late. abstained from war, and gave himself up to
The Mongols had passed their decree that the indulgence of his gluttony. He built a
the Sungs were to be treated like the Kins, great palace at Karakoram, where his ances-
and that the last Chinese government was to tors had been content to live in a tent, and
be destroyed. he entrusted the government of the old Kin
dominions to Yeliu Chutsai, who acquired
An Army of Half a Million. great popularity among the Chinese for his
In 1235, the year following the immola- clemency and regard for their customs.
tion of Ninkiassu, the Mongols placed half a
milHon men in the field for the purpose of Died of Grief.
destroying the Sung power, and Ogotai divi- Yeliu Chutsai adopted the Chinese mode
ded them into three armies, which were to of taxation, and when Ogotai's widow, Tura-
attack Litsong'skingdom from as many kina, who acted as Regent after her husband's
sides. The Mongol ruler entrusted the most death, ordered him to alter his system and
difficult task to his son Kutan, who invaded to farm out the revenues, he sent in his resig-
the inaccessible and vast province of Szchuen, nation, and it is said, died of grief shortly
at the head of one of these armies. Not- afterwards. Ogotai was one of the most
withstanding its natural capacity for offering humane and amiable of all the Mongol rulers,
an advantageous defence, the Chinese turned and Yeliu Chutsai imitated his master. Of
their opportunities to poor account, and the the latter the Chinese contemporary writers
Mongols succeeded in capturing all its fron- said " he was distinguished by a rare dis-
tier fortresses, with little or no resistance. interestedness. Of a very broad intellect, he
The shortcomings of the defence can be in- was able, without injustice and without
ferred from the circumstances of the Chinese wronging a single person, to amass vast
annalists making special mention of one treasures, and to enrich his family, but all
governor having had the courage to die at his care and labors had for their sole object
his post. the advantage and glory of his masters.
For some reason not clearly stated the Wise and calculating in his plans, he did
Mongols did not attempt to retain possession little of which he had any reason to repent."
of Szchuen on this occasion. They with- During the five years following the death
drew when they were in successful occupa- of Ogotai, the Mongols were absorbed in the
tion of the northern half of the province, and question who should be their next Great
when it seemed as if the other lay at their Kahn, and was only after a warm and pro-
it
mercy. In the two dual provinces of Kiang- tracted discussion, which threatened to entail
nan and Houkwang, the other Mongol armies the disruption of Mongol power, and the
met with considerable success, which was revelation of many rivalries among the de-
CHINESE OFFICIAL READING AN IMPERIAL EDICT CONCERNING THE
INSURRECTION AT THE RESIDENCE OF A PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR
INVOKING THE- CHINESE OOD OF WAR AT THE GATE OF HIS SHRINE
BOMBS AND FIRECRACKERS ARE FIRED OFF, PRAYERS ARE MADE, AND THE DIN AND NOISE
ARE SUPPOSED TO APPEASE THE OFFENDED DEITY. THE SHRINE DESERTED
IN PEACE, IS THRONGED IN TIME OF WAR
scendants of Genghis, that Kuyuk, the eldest from the family disputes following his death,
son of Ogotai, was proclaimed Emperor. peace for more than fifteen years. The
At the kuriltai held for this purpose, all the advantage ofthis tranquility was almost nul-
great Mongol leaders were present, including by the death of Mongkong, a general
lified
Batu, the conqueror of Hungary, and after whose reputation may have been easily
the Mongol chiefs had agreed as to their gained, but who certainly enjoyed the confi-
the captive kings, Yaroslaf of Russia,
chief, dence of his soldiers, and who was thought
and David of Georgia, paid homage to their by his countrymen to be the best commander
conqueror. We owe to the monk Carpino, of his day.
who was sent by the Pope to convert the When the Chinese Emperor Litsong saw
Mongol, a graphic account of one of the the storm again approaching his northern
most brilliant ceremonies to be met with in frontier, he found that he had lost the main
the whole course of Mongol history. support of his power, and that his military
resources were inferior to those of his enemy.
Pushing Forward the Conquest.
He had allowed himself to be lulled into a
The delay in Kuyuk, whose prin-
selecting false sense of security by the long inaction of
cipal act of sovereignty was to issue a seal the Mongols, and although he seems to have
having this inscription " God in Heaven and
:
been an amiable prince, and a typical Chinese
Kuyuk on earth by the power of God the
;
ruler, honoring the descendants of Confucius
ruler of all men," had given the Sungs one with the hereditary title of Duke, which still
respite, and his early death procured them remains in that family, and is the only title
another. Kuyuk died in 1248, and his of its kind in China, and encouraging the
cousin Mangu, the son of Tuh, was appointed literary classes of his country, he was a bad
his successor. By this time the Mongol sovereign to be entrusted with the task of
chiefs of the family of Genghis in Western defending his realm and people against a bold
Asia were practically independent of the and determined enemy.
nominal Great Khan, and governed their
states in complete sovereignty, and waged A Wise Policy.
war without reference to Karakoram. This Kublai prepared the. way for his campaigns
change left the Mongols in their original in Southern China by following a very wise
home on the Amour absolutely free to devote and moderate policy in Northern China
all their attention to the final overthrow of similar to that begun by Muhula, and carried
the Sungs, and Mangu declared that he out with greater effect by Yeliu Chutsai.
would know no rest until he had finally sub- He had enjoyed the advantage of a Chinese
jected the last of the Chinese ruhng families. education, impartedby an able tutor named
In this resolution Mangu received the hearty Yabchu, who became the prince's private
support of his younger, but more able brother, secretary and mentor in all Chinese matters.
[Cublai, to whom was entrusted the direction At his instigation, or, at least, with his
in the field of the armies sent to complete the hand the restor-
co-operation, Kublai took in
conquest of China. ation of the southern portion of Honan,
Kublai received this charge in 1251, so which had been devastated during the wars,
that the Sungs had enjoyed, first through the and he succeeded in bringing back its popu-
pacific disposition of Ogotai, and, secondly, lation and prosperity to that great province
of Central China and retrieving the misfor- long, and soon Kublai was in a position to
tunes of past years. return to his own state, leaving Uriangkadai
He thus secured a base for his operations with a considerable garrison in charge of
close to the Sung frontier, while he attached Yunnan. That general, believing that his
to his person a large section of the Chinese position would be improved by his resorting
nation. There never was any concealment to an active offensive, carried the standard of
that this patronage of Chinese ofificials and his race against the many turbulent tribes in
these measures for the amelioration of many his neighborhood, and
Burmah,
invaded
millions of Chinese subjects, were the well whose king, one campaign, was glad to
after
calculated preliminaries to the invasion of recognize the supremacy of the Mongols.
Southern China, and the extinction of the The success and the boldness, which may
Sung dynasty. have been considered temerity, of this cam-
paign, raised up enemies to Kublai at the
A Bold Campaign.
court of Karakoram, and the mind of his
If Kublai had succeeded in obtaining a Mangu was poisoned against him by
brother
wise adviser in Yaochu, he was not less for- many who declared that Kublai aspired to
tunate in procuring a great general in the complete independence. These designs so
person of Uriangkadai, the son of Subutai, far succeeded, that in 1257 Mangu finally
and his remarkable and unvarying successes deprived Kublai of commands, and
all his
were largely due to the efforts of those two ordered him to proceed to Karakoram. At
men in the cabinet and the field. The plan this harsh and unmerited treatment Kublai
of campaign, drawn up with great care and showed himself inclined to rebel and dispute
forethought by the prince and his lieutenant, his brother's authority. If he had done this,
had the double merit of being both bold and although the provocation was great, he would
original. Its main purpose was not one that have confirmed the charges of his accusers,
the Sung generals would be likely to divine. and a war would have broken out among the
It was determined to make a flank march
Mongols, which would probably have rent
round the Sung dominions, and to occupy their power in twain in Eastern Asia.
what is now
the province of Yunnan, and by
placing anarmy in the rear of their kingdom, Proved his Innocence.
to attack them eventually from two sides. But fortunately Yaochu was at hand to
At this time Yunnan formed an independent give prudent advice, and, after much hesita-
state, and its ruler, from his position behind tion, Kublai yielded to the impressive exhor-
the Sung must have fancied him-
territory, tations of his experienced and sagacious
self secure against any attack by the Mon- minister. He is reported to have addressed
gols. He was destined to a rude awakening. Kublai in the following terms: — "Prince!
Kublai and Uriangkadai, marching across You are the brother of the Emperor, but you
Szchuen and crossing the Kinchakiang, or are not the less his subject. You cannot,
"river of golden sand," which forms the without committing a crime, question his
upper course of the Great River, on rafts, decisions, and, moreover, if you were to do
burst into Yunnan, speedily vanquished the would only
so, it result in placing you in a
frontier garrisons, and laid siege to the more dangerous predicament, out of whicli
capital, Talifoo. That town did not hold out you could hardly succeed in extricating your-
self, you are so far distant from the capital

as army long any aid could have reached
before
where your enemies seek to injure you. My it from the north. Once Mangu had formed
advice is that you should send your family his resolution the rapidity of his movements
to Mangu, and by this step you will justify left the Sungs little or no chance of attack-
yourself and remove any suspicions there may ing Uriangkadai.
be."
Kublai adopted this wise course, and pro- A Council of War.
ceeded in person to Karakoram, where he This campaign began in the winter of
succeeded in proving his innocence and in 1257, when the troops were able to cross
discomfiting his enemies. It is said that the frozen waters of the Hoangho, and the
Mangu was so affected at the mere sight of immense Mongol army was divided into
his brother that he at once forgave him with- three bodies, while Uriangkadai was ordered
out waiting for an explanation and reinstated to march north and effect a junction with his
him in all his offices. To ratify this reconcilia- old chief Kublai in Szchuen. The principal
tion Mangu proclaimed that he would take the fighting of the first year occurred in this part
field in person,and that Kublai should hold of China, and Mengu hastened there with
joint command with himself When he another of his armies. The Sung garrison
formed this resolution to proceed to China in was large, and showed great courage and
person, he appointed his next brother, Arik- fortitude. The difficulty of the country and
buka, to act as his lieutenant in Mongolia. the strength of several of their fortresses
It is necessary to recollect this arrangement seconded their efforts, and after two years'
as Mangu died during the campaign, and it fighting the Mongols felt so doubtful of suc-
led to the separation of the Chinese empire cess that they held a council of war to decide
and the Mongolian, which were divided after whether they should retreat or continue to
that event between Kublai and Arikbuka. prosecute the struggle.
It has been said that councils of war do
Rapid Movements. not come to bold resolutions, but this must
Mangu did not come to his resolution to have been an exception, as it decided not to
prosecute the war with the Sungs any too retreat, and to make one more determined
soon, for Uriangkadai was beginning to find effort to overcome the Chinese. The cam-
his isolated position not free from danger. paign of 1259 began with the siege of
Large as the army of that general was, and Hochau, a strong by a valiant
fortress, held
he had endeavored to improve
skilfully as garrison and commander, and to whose aid
his position by strengthening the fortresses a Chinese army under Luwenti was hasten-
and recruiting from the warlike tribes of ing. The governor, Wangkien, offered a
Yunnan, Uriangkadai found himself threat- stout resistance, and Luwenti succeeded in
* ened by the collected armies of the Sungs, harassing the besiegers, but the fall of the
who occupied Szchuen with a large garrison fortress appeared assured, when a new and
and menaced the daring Mongol general more formidable defender arrived in the form
with the whole of their power. There of dysentery. The Mongol camp was rav-
seems eveiy reason to believe that if the aged by this foe, Mangu himself died of the
Sungs had acted with only ordinary prompti- disease, and those of the Mongols who es-
tude they might have destroyed this Mongol caped beat a hasty and disorderly retreat
back to the north. Once more the Sungs He Arikbuka his full pardon, he rein
sent
obtained a brief respite. statedhim in his rank of prince, and he left
The death of Mangu threatened fresh dis- him virtually supreme amongst the Mongol
putes and strife among the Mongol royal tribes. He retraced his steps to Pekin, fully
family. Kublai was his brother's lawful resolved to become Chinese Emperor in
heir, but Arikbuka, the youngest of the reality, but prepared to waive his rights as
brothers, was in possession of Karakoram, Mongol Khan. Mangu Khan was the last
and supreme throughout Mongolia. He of theMongol rulers whose authority was

was hostile to Kublai, and disposed to assert recognized in both the east and the west,
all his rights and to make the most of his and his successor, Kublai, seeing that jts old
opportunities. significancehad departed, was fain to estab-

lish hison a new basis in the fertile, ancient,
A Generous Conqueror. and wide-stretching dominions of China.
No Great Khan could be proclaimed any- Before Kublai composed the difficulty with
where save at Karakoram, and Arikbuka Arikbuka he had resumed his operations
would not allow his brother to gain that against the Sungs, and even before Mangu's
place, the cradle of their race and dynasty, death he had succeded in establishing some
unless he could do so by force of arms. posts south of the Yangtsekiang, in the im-
Kublai attempted to solve the difficulty by passability of which the Chinese fondly be-
holding a grand council near his favorite lieved. During the year of 1260 he laid
city of Cambaluc, the modern Pekin, and siege to Wochow, the modern Wouchang,
he sent forth his proclamation to the Mon- but he make any impression on the
failed to
gols as their Khan. But they refused to fortress on this occasion, and he agreed to
recognize one who was not elected in the the truce which Litsong proposed.
orthodox fashion at Karakoram ; and Arik-
buka not merely defied Kublai, but sum- Terms of the Treaty.
moned his own kuriltai at Karakoram, where By the terms of this agreement Litsong
he was proclaimed Khakhan in the most acknowledged himself a Mongol vassal, just
formal manner and with all the accustomed as his ancestors had subjected themselves to
ceremonies. Arikbuka was undoubtedly to the Kins, paid a large tribute, and forbade
popular among the Mongols, while Kublai, his generals anywhere to attack the Mongols.
who was regarded as half a Chinese on The last stipulation was partly broken by an
account of his education, had a far greater attack on the rear of Uriangkadai's corps,
reputation south of the wall than north of it. but no serious results followed, for Kublai
Kublai could not tolerate the open defi- was well satisfied with the manner in which
ance of his kuthority, and the contempt the campaign terminated, as there is no
shown for what was his birthright, by Arik- doubt that his advance across the Yangtse
buka; and in 1261 he advanced upon Kara- kiang had been precipitate, and he may have
koram at the head of a large army. A thought himself lucky to escape with the
single battle sufficed to dispose of Arik- appearance of success and the conclusion of
buka's pretensions, and that prince was glad It was wdth the reputa-
a gratifying treaty.
to find a place of refuge among the Kirghiz. tion gainedby his nominal success, and by
Kublai proved himself a generous enemy. having made the Sungs his tributaries, that
<
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65
Kublai hastened northwards to settle his out the magnitude of his power and dilated
rivahy with Arikbuka. on the extent of the Mongol conquests.
Having accomplished that object with Half by flattery and half by menace Kublai
complete success he decided to put an end brought the Corean court to reason, and
to the Sung dynasty. The Chinese Em- Wangtien again entered into bonds of alli-
peror, acting with strange fatuity, had given ance with Cambaluc and renewed his old
fi-esh cause of umbrage, and had provoked a oaths of friendship.
war by many petty acts of discourtesy, cul-
Change of Rulers,
minating in the murder of the envoys of
In 1 263 Kublai issued his proclamation of
Kublia, sent to notify his proclamation as
Great Khan of the Mongols. Probably the war, calling on his generals "to assemble
Sung ruler could not have averted war if

their troops, to sharpen their swords and
he had shown the greatest forbearance and their pikes,and to prepare their bows and
humility, but this cruel and inexcusable act arrows," for he intended to attack the Sungs
precipitated the crisis and the extinction of by land and sea. The treason of a Chinese
his attenuated authority. If there was any general in his service named Litan served to
delay in the movements of Kublai for the delay the opening of the campaign for a few
purpose of exacting reparation for this out- weeks, but this incident was of no import-
rage, it was due to his first having to arrange ance, as Litan was soon overthrown and
a difficulty that had arisen in his relations executed. was the interval, it was
Brief as
with the King of Corea. That potentate had marked by one striking and important event
long preserved the peace with his Mongol — the death of Litsong, who was succeeded
neighbors, and perhaps he would have re- by his nephew, Chowki, called the Emperor
mained a friend without any interruption, had Toutsong. Litsong was not a wise ruler,
not the Mongols done something which was but compared with many of his successors,
construed as an infraction of Corean liberty. he might be more accurately styled unfortu-
nate than incompetent.
Uprising of the Coreans. Toutsong, and his weak and arrogant
The Corean love of independence took fire minister, Kiasseto, hastened to show that
at the threatened diminution of their rights, there were greater heights of folly than any
they rose en masse in defence of their coun- to which he had attained. Acting on the
try, and even the king, Wangtien, who had advice of a renegade Sung general, well
been well disposed to the Mongol rulers, acquainted with the defences of Southern
declared that he could not continue the alli- China, Kublai altered his proposed attack,
ance, and placed himself at the head of his and prepared for crossing the Yangtsekiang
people. Seeing himself thus menaced with by first making himself supreme on its tribu-
a costly war in a difficult country on the tary, the Han river. His eariier attack on
eve of a more necessary and hopeful contest, Wouchang, and his compulsory retirement
Kublai resorted to diplomacy. He addressed from that place had taught him the evil of
Wangtien in complimentary terms and dis- making a premature attack. His object
claimed all intention of injuring the Coreans remained the same, but instead of marching
with whom he wished to maintain friendly direct to it across the Yangtsekiang he took
relations, but at the same time he pointed the advice of the Sung general, and attacked
the fortress of Sianyang on the Han river, clusion to relieve it at all hazards. It was
with the object of making himself supreme evident that the crisis had arrived.
on that stream, and wresting from the Sungs The campaign of 1270 began with a
the last first-class fortress they possessed in heroic episode— ^the successful despatch of
the northwest. provisions into the besieged town, under the
By the time all these preliminaries were direction of two Chinese officers named
completed and the Mongol army had feiirly Changkoua and Changchun, whose names
taken the field it was 1 268, and Kublai sent deserve to be long remembered for their
60,000 of his best troops, with a large num- heroism. The flotilla was divided into two
ber of auxiliaries, to lay siege to Sianyang, bodies, one composed of the fighting, the
which was held by a large garrison and a other of the storeships. The Mongols had
resolute governor. The Mongol lines were made every preparation to blockade the
drawn up round the town, and also its neigh- river, but the suddenness and vigor of the
bor of Fanching, situated on the opposite Chinese attack surprised them, and, at first,
bank of the river, with which communication the Chinese had the best of the day. But
was maintained by several bridges, and the soon the Mongols recovered, and from their
Mongols built a large fleet of fifty war junks, superior position threatened to overwhelm
with which they closed the Han river and the assailing Chinese squadron. In this
effectually prevented any aid being sent up it perilous moment Changchun, devoting him-
from Hankow or Wouchang. self to death in the interest of his country,
collected all his war-junks, and making a
A Long Siege.
desperate attack on the Mongols, succeeded
Liuwen Hoan, the commandant of Sian- in obtaining sufficient time to enable the
yang, was a brave man, and he commanded storeships under Changkoua to pass safely
a numerous garrison and possessed supplies, up to Sianyang. The life of so great a hero
• as he said, to stand a ten years' siege. He asChangchun was, however, a heavy price
repulsed all the assaults of the enemy, and, topay for the temporary relief of Sianyang,
undaunted by his isolation, replied to the which was more closely besieged than ever
threats of the Mongols to give him no quar- after the arrival of Kublai in person.
ter if he persisted in holding out, by boasting
that he would hang their traitor general in All Were Destroyed.

chains before his sovereign. The threats and The heroic deed ofChangchun roused a
vaunts of the combatants did not bring the spirit of worthy emulation in the bosom of
siege any nearer to an end. The utmost his comrade, Changkoua, who having
that the Mongols could achieve was to pre- thrown the needed supplies into Sianyang
ent any provisions or reinforcements being was no longer wanted in that beleagured
thrown into the town. But on the fortress city. He determined to cut his way back
itself they made no impression. Things had with such forces as he could collect, and to
gone on like this for three years, and the take a part in the operations in progress for
had begun to languish,
interest in the siege At the head of the
the relief of the town.
when Kublai determined to make a supreme few remaining war-junks he succeeded in
effort to carry the place, and at the same breaking his way through the chains and
moment the Sung minister came to the con- other barriers by which the Mongols sought
to close the river, and for a brief space it lamentations,and buried beside that of
seemed as if he would evade or vanquish Changchun, whose corpse had been rescued
such of the Mongol ships as were on the from the river.
alert. But the Mongols kept good watch, After this affair the Mongols pushed the
and as Changkoua refused to surrender he siege with greater vigor, and instead of con-
A MOVABLE COOK-SHOP.
and his small band were destroyed to the centrating their efforts on Sianyang they
last man. attacked both that fortress and Fanching
After the brief struggle was ended the from all sides. The Mongol commander,
Mongols sent the body of Changkoua into Alihaya, sent to Persia, where the Mongols
Sianyang, where it was received with loud were also supreme, for engineers trained in
CHINESE STUDENT OF YUNNAN PROVINCE
the working of mangonels or catapults, accepted the magnanimous terms of his con-
engines capable of throwing stones of i6o- queror, and become as loyal a lieutenant of
Ibs. weight with precision for a considerable Kublai as he had shown himself to be of the
distance. By their aid the bridges across Sung Toutsong. The death of that ruler
the river were first destroyed, and then the followed soon afterwards, but as the real
walls of Sianyang were so severely damaged power had been in the hands of the Minister
that an assault appeared to be feasible. Kiassetao, no change took place in the policy
or fortunes of the Sung kingdom.
Letter from the Mongol Emperor.
At this moment Kublai succeeded in
But Fanching had suffered still more from obtaining the services of Bayan, a Mongol
the Mongol bombardment, and Alhaya, general who had acquired a great reputa-
therefore, attacked it first. The garrison tion under Khulagu in Persia. Bayan, whose
offered a determined resistance, and the fight- name signifies the noble or the brave, and
ing was continued in the streets. Not a who was popularly known as Bayan of the
man of the garrison escaped, and when the Hundred Eyes, because he was supposed to
slaughter was over the Mongols found that see everything, was one of the greatest mili-
they had only acquired possession of a mass tary leaders of his age and race. He was
of ruins. But they had obtained the key to entrusted with the command of the main
Sianyang, the weakest flank of which had army, and under him served, it is interesting
been protected by Fanching, and the Chinese to state, Liuwen Hoan. Several towns were
garrison was so discouraged that Liuwen captured after more or less resistence, and
Hoan, despairing of relief, agreed to accept Bayan bore down with all his force on the
the terms offered by Kublai. Those terms triple cities of Hankow, Wouchang and
were expressed in the following noble letter Hanyang. Bayan concentrated all his
from the Mongol Emperor efforts on the capture of Hanyang, while the
"The generous defence you have made Mongol navy under Artchu compelled the
during five years covers you with glory. It Chinese fleet to take refuge under the walls
is the duty of every faithful subject to serve of Wouchang. None of these towns offered
his prince at the expense of his life, but in a very stubborn resistance, and Bayan had
the straits to which you are reduced, your the satisfaction of receiving their surrender
strength exhausted, deprived of succor and one after another. Leaving Alihaya with
without hope of receiving any, would it be 40,000 men to guard these places Bayan
reasonable to sacrifice the lives of so many marched with the rest of his forces on the
brave men out of sheer obstinacy? Submit Sung capital, Lingan or Hangchow, the cele-
in good faith to us and no harm shall come brated Kincsay of mediaeval travellers.
to you. We promise you still more; and
that is to provide each and all of you with The National Defence.
honorable employment. You shall have no The retreating fleet and army of the Sungs
grounds of discontent, for that we pledge carried with them fear of the Mongols, and
you our Imperial word." the ever-increasing representation of their
It will not excite surprise that Liuwen extraordinary power and irresistible arms.
Hoan, who had been practically speaking In this juncture public opinion compelled
deserted by his own sovereign, should have Kiassetao to take the lead, and he called
upon all the subjects of the Sung to contri- duty. Kiassetao attempted to resist the
bute arms and money for the purpose of Mongol advance Kien Kang, the modern
at
national defence. But his own incompe- Nankin, but after £in engagement on land and
tence in directing this national movement water the Sungs were driven back, and their
deprived it of half its force and of its natural fleet only escaped destruction by retiring pre-
chances of success. Bayan's advance was cipitately to the sea. After this success
rapid. Many towns opened their gates in Nankin surrendered without resistance,
terror or admiration of his name, and Liu- although its governor was a valiant and ap-
wen Hoan was frequently present to assure parently a capable man. He committed
them that Kublai was the most generous of suicide sooner than surrender, and among
masters, and that there was no wiser course his papers was found a plan of campaign,
than to surrender to his generals. after perusing which Bayan exclaimed, "Is
it possible that the Sungs possessed a man
"A Little Too Late."
capable of giving such prudent counsel ? If
The Mongol forces at last reached the they had paid heed to it should we ever have
neighborhood of the Sung capital where reached this spot ?"
Kiassetao had succeeded in collecting an After this success Bayan pressêd on with
army of 130,000 men, but many of them increased rather than diminished energir, and
were ill-trained, and the splendor of the the Sung Emperor and his court fled frnro
camp provided a poor equivalent for the the capital. Kublai showed an inclination to
want of arms and discipline among the men. temporize and to negotiate, but Bayan would!
Kiassetao seems to have been ignorant of not brook any delay. " To relax your grip
the danger of his position, for he sent an even for a moment on an enemy whom you
arrogant summons to the Mongols to retire, have held by the throat for a hundred years
stating also that he would grant a peace would only be to give him time to recover
based on the Yangtsekiang as a boundary. his breath, to restore his forces, and in the
Bayan's simple reply to this notice was " If :
end to cause us an. infinity of trouble."
you had really aimed at peace, you would
have made this proposition before we crossed Repulsed with Heavy Loss.
the Kiang. Now that we are the masters of The Sung fortunes showed some slight
it, it is a little too late. Still if you sin- symptoms of improving when Kiassetao wa-s
cerely desire it, come and see me in person, disgraced, and a more competent general
and we will discuss the necessary condi- was found in the person of Chang Chikia.
tions." Very few of the Sung lieutenants But the Mongols never abated the vigor of
offered a protracted resistance,
and even the their attack or relaxed in their efforts to cut
isolated cases of devotion were confined to off all possibility to succor from the Sung
the official class who were more loyal than capital. When Chang Chikia hoped to im-
the mass of the people. prove the position of his side by resuming
Chao Maofa and his wife Yongchi put an the offensive he was destined to rude disap-
end to their existence sooner than give up pointment. Making an attack on the strong
their charge at Chichow, but the garrison position of theMongols at Nankin he was
accepted the terms of the Mongols without repulsed with heavy loss. The Sung fleet
compunction and without thinking of their was almost annihilated and 700 war-junks
were taken by the victors. After this the life ; it is just to thank him for it and to pay
Chinese never dared io face the Mongols him homage."
again on the water. The victory was due to Bayan made a triumphal entry into the
the courage and capacity of Artchu. city, while the Emperor Kongtsong was sent
Bayan now returned from a campaign in off to Pekin. The majority of the Sung
Mongolia to resume the chief conduct of the courtiers and soldiers came to terms with
war, and he signalized his return by the cap- Bayan, but a few of the more desperate or
ture of Changchow. At this town he is said faithful endeavored to uphold the Sung cause
to have sanctioned a massacre of the Chi- in Southern China under the general, Chang
nese troops, but the facts are veiled in uncer- Chikia. Two of the Sung princes were sup-
tainty;and Marco Polo declares that this ported by this commander and one was pro-
was only done after the Chinese had treach- claimed by the empty title of emperor.
erously cut up the Mongol garrison. Capricious fortune rallied to their side for a
Alarmed by the fall of Changchow the Sung brief space, and some of the Mongol detach-
ministers again sued for peace, sending an ments which had advanced too far or with
imploring letter to this effect :
— " Our ruler undue precipitancy were cut up and de-
is young and cannot be held responsible for stroyed.
the differences that have arisen between the
Kiassetao the guilty one has been
Capture of Canton.
peoples.
punished; give us peace and we shall be The Mongols seem to have thought that
better friends in the future." the war was over, and the success of Chang
Chikia's efforts may have been due to their
The Surrender. negligence rather than to his vigor. As
Bayan's reply was severe and uncompro- soon as they realized that there remained a
mising. " The age of your prince has flickering flame of opposition among the
nothing to do with the question between us. supporters Sungs they sent two
of the
The war must go on to its legitimate end. armies, one into Kwantung and the other
Furthur argument is useless." The defences into Fuhkien, and their fleet against Chang
of the Sung capital were by this time re- Chikia. Desperate as was his position, that
moved, and the unfortunate upholders of officer still exclaimed, " If heaven has not
that dynasty had no option save to come to resolved to overthrow the Sungs, do you
terms with the Mongols. Marco Polo think that even now it cannot restore their
describes Kincsay as the most opulent city ruined throne?" but his hopes were dashed
of the world, but it was in no position to to the ground by the capture of Canton, and
stand a siege. The Empress-Regent acting the expulsion of all his forces from the main-
for her son sent in her submission to Bayan, land. One puppet emperor died and then
and agreed to proceed to the court of the Chang proclaimed another as Tiping. The
conqueror. She abdicated for herself and last supporters of the cause took refuge on
family all the pretensions of their rank, and the island of Tai in the Canton estuary,
she accepted the favors of the Mongol with where they hoped to maintain their position.
due humility, saying, " The Son of Heaven The position was strong and the garrison
(thus giving Kublai the correct Imperial was numerous but the Mongols were not
;
.style) grants you the favor of sparing your to be frightened by appearances. Their fleet
bore down on the last Sung stronghold with Thus was the conquest of China by the
absolute confidence, and, although the Chi- Mongols completed. Afl:er half a century
nese resisted for three days and showed great of warfare the kingdom of the Sungs shared
gallantry, they were overwhelmed by the the same fate as its old rival the Kin, and
superior engines as well as the numbers of Kublai had the personal satisfaction of com-
the Mongols. pleting the work begun by his grandfather
Chang Chikia with a few ships succeeded Genghis seventy years before. Of all the
m escaping from the fray, but the emperor's Mongol triumphs it was the longest in being
vessel was less fortunate, and finding that attained. The Chinese of the north and of
escape was impossible, Lousionfoo, one of the south resisted with extraordinary powers
the last Sung ministers, seized the emperor of endurance the whole force of the greatest
in hisarms and jumped overboard with him. conquering race Asia ever saw. They were
Thus died Tiping, the last Chinese Emperor not skilled in war and their generals were
of the Sungs, and with him expired that ill- generally incompetent, but they held out
fated dynasty. Chang Chikia renewed the with desperate courage and obstinacy long
struggle with aid received from Tonquin, but after other races would have given in.
when he was leading a forlorn hope against The student of history will not fail to see
Canton he was caught in a typhoon and he in these facts striking testimony of the extra-
and his ships were wrecked. His invocation ordinary resources of China, and of the
to heaven, " I have done everything I could capacity of resistance to even a vigorous
to sustain on the throne the Sung dynasty. conqueror possessed by its inert masses.
When one prince died I caused another to Even the Mongols did not conquer until
be proclaimed emperor. He also has per- they had obtained the aid of a large section
ished, and I still live ! Oh, heaven, shall I of the Chinese nation, or before Kublai had
be acting against thy desires if I sought to shown that he intended to prove himself a
place a new prince of this family on the worthy Emperor of China and not merely a
throne ?" sounded the dirge of the race he great Khan of the Mongol Hordes, a bar-
had served so well. barous conqueror and not a wise ruler.
CHAPTER IV.
THE FIRST MANCHU RULER.
THE history of China from this time

on presents a succession of wars
vation of circumstances, greatly increases
wonder with which the Manchu conquest
thei
and conquests, and rising and must ever be regarded. But the most signifi-
falling dynasties. The Mongol cant feature of the Manchu conquest is that
dynasty gave way to the Ming, and this in it provides a durable proof of the possibility
turn went into decline. In the first half of of China being conquered by a small but
the 1 7th century the country was conquered determined body of men. Once Wou Sank-
by the Manchus who established the present wei had opened the door to the foreigner, the
reigning Tsin dynasty. end proved easy, and was never in doubt.
How a small Tartar tribe succeeded after The Chinese were subjugated with extraor-
fifty years of war in imposing its yoke on dinary ease, and the only testimony to their
the skeptical, freedom-loving, and intensely undiminished vitality has been the quiet and
national millions of China will always remain silent process by which the conquerors have
one of the enigmas of history. The military been compelled to assimilate themselves to
genius of Wou Sankwei, the widely prevalent the conquered.
dissensions among the people, and the effete-
ness of the reigning house on the one hand, Lives and Property Respected.
and the superior discipline, sagacity, and While the Manchu generals and arnues
political knowledge of the Tartars on the were establishing their power in southern
other, are some of the principal causes of the China the young Emperor Chuntche, under
Manchu success that at once suggest them- the direction of his prudent uncle, the regent
selves to the mind. Ama Wang, was setting up at Pekin the
But no other case has a people, boldly
in central power of a ruling dynasty. In doing
resisting to the end and cheered by occasional so little or no opposition was experienced at
flashes of victory, been subjected after more the hands of the Chinese, who showed that
than a whole generation of war, with a des- they longed once more for a settled govern-
pised an truly insignificant enemy in the ment; and this acquiescence on the part of
durable form in which the Manchus trod the the Chinese people in their authority no
Chinese under their heel, and secured for doubt induced the Manchu leaders to adopt
themselves all and honor
the perquisites a far more conciliatory and lenient policy)
accruing to the governing class in one of the towards the Chinese than would otherwise
richest and largest empires under the sun. have been the case. Ama Wang gave
The Chinese were made to feel all the special orders that the lives and property of
bitterness of subjection by the imposition of all who surrendered to his lieutenants should
a hated badge of servitude, and that they be scrupulously respected.
proved unable to succeed under this aggra- This moderation was only departed from
74
THE FIRST MANCHU RULER. 75
in the case of some rebels in Shensi, who, The Chinese were shocked at this outrage,
after accepting, repudiated the Manchu and clamored for the prompt punishment of
authority, and laid close siege to the chief its perpetrators.The governor, Kiangtsai,
town of Singan, which held a garrison of supported the demand of the citizens, but,
only 3,000 Manchus. The commandant unfortunately, the Manchu prince was indif-
wished to make his position secure by mas- ferent to the Chinese indignation, and made
sacring the Chinese of the town, but he was light of his comrades' conduct. Then the
deterred from taking this extreme step by Chinese resolved to enact a terrible ven-
the representations of a Chinese officer, who, geance, and Kiangtsai organized a move-
binding himself for the good faith of his ment to massacre every Manchu in the
countrymen, induced him to enrol them in place. He carried out his intention to the
the ranks of the garrison. They proved letter, and the Manchu prince was the only
faithfuland rendered excellent service in the one to escape, thanks to the swiftness of his
siege; and when a relieving Manchu army horse.
came from Pekin the rebels were quickly
scattered and pursued with unflagging bitter-
Became a Rebel.
ness to their remotest hiding places. The inevitable consequence of this act
was that Kiangtsai passed from a loyal ser-
A Bride Carried Off. vant into a rebel. Ama Wang might have
In the adjoining province of Shansi condoned his offence out of consideration
another insurrection temporarily upset Man- for the provocation, but Kiangtsai, thinking
chu authority, but it was brought about by of his own safety, decided that there was no
an outrage of a Manchu prince. In 1649 course open to him save to pose as the
Ama Wang sent an embassy to the principal enemy of the Manchu. He seems to have
khan of the Mongols, with whom it was the done everything that prudence suggested to
first object of the Manchus to maintain the strengthen his position, and he showed the
closest friendly relations, in order to arrange grasp of a statesman when he turned to the
a marriage between Chuntche and a Mongol Mongols and sought to obtain their alliance
princess. The mission was entrusted to a by begging them to restore the Empire,
Manchu prince, who took up his residence and to assert their national superority over
at Taitong, in Shansi, a place still held by a the Manchus. His policy at first promised
Chinese garrison under an officer named to be signally successful, as the Mongol
Kiangtsai. The Manchu prince and his chief entered into his plans and promised to
attendants behaved in a most arrogant and render him all the aid in his power.
overbearing manner, and at last their conduct But his hopes on this score proved short-
culminated in an outrage which roused the lived, for Ama Wang, realizing the situation
indignation of the Chinese populace, and at a glance, nipped the alliance between
converted a loyal city into a hostile centre. Kiangtsai and the Mongols in the bud by
The daughter of one of the most influen- sending a special embassy with exception-
tial citizens of Taitong was being led through ally costly gifts to the Mongol camp. The
the streets in honor of her wedding day when cupidity of the Mongols prevailed, and they
several of the ambassador's associates broke repudiated with scant ceremony the conven-
into the procession and carried off the bride. tion they had just concluded with Kiangtsai.
Then the Manchus bore down from all sides exceeded 100,000 men, and Kiangtsai was
on Kiangstai, who had assumed the title of as eager to force on a battle as Ama Wang
Prince of Han. He had gathered round was to avoid it.
him such a considerable force that he did During two months there was much man-
not hesitate to march out to meet the Man- oeuvring and counter-manoeuvring, and at
chus, and he trusted for victory to a skil- last Kiangtsai, apprehensive of losing Tai-
fully-devised artifice as much as to superior tong and finding his supphes failing, retired
numbers. He sent forward, under a small into that place, flattering himself that an
guard, a number of wagons containing can- enemy who feared to attack him in the open
isters of gun-powder, and when the Tartar would never venture to assail him in a fort-
cavalry saw this baggage train approaching ress. But the object of Ama Wang was
they at once concluded that it was a valu- accomplished, and he proceeded to invest
able prize, and pounced down upon it. The the place on all sides. Then Kiangtsai
Chinese guard having fired the train took to realized his error, and saw that he had no
flight, and the Manchus lost many men in alternative between fighting at a disadvan-
the ensuing explosion, but the most serious tage to cut his way out and remaining
consequence was that it threw the whole besieged until the want of supplies should
Manchu army into confusion, and thus compel him to surrender. He chose the
enabled Kiangtsai to attack it at a disad- more valiant course, and haranguing his
vantage, and to overthrow it with a loss of men words he led them out
in the following
15,000 men. In a second battle he con- to assault the Manchua lines. "I will not
firmed the verdict of the first, and it is lose a moment in exposing to you the dan-
almost unnecessary to add that the reputa- ger which threatens us, it must be evident to
tion of Kiangtsai was raised to a high point, yourselves. Your valor alone can avail to
and that the Manchus trembled on the secure safety for us all. Success is not
throne. If the Mongols had only joined impossible, but it will require a great effort
him, it is impossible to say what might not of valor on your part. Whom have we to
have happened. fight after all ? Men already weakened and
discouraged by two defeats, and who so
Takes the Field in Person.
much feared a third battle that all our efforts
So grave did the possible consequences of to bring them to an engagement failed.
these defeats appear that Ama Wang The part which alone remains for us is not
decided to take the field in person, and to doubtful. If we must perish, let it be with
proceed against Kiangtsai with the very best arms in our hands. Is it not better to sell
troops he could collect. Matters had our lives like brave men than to fall inglori-
reached such a pass that, if a general insur- ously under the steel of the Tartars?"
rection were to be averted, the Taitong ris-
ing would have to be put down without A Terrible Onslaught.
delay. Ama Wang resolved to strike Such was the impetuosity of the Chinese
promptly, yet he had the prudence to adopt onslaught that after four hours' fighting the
Fabian tactics in front of an opponent whose Manchus were driven from their first
confidence had been raised by two successes entrenchments. The Chinese were as much
in the field. The opposing armies each elated as their adversaries were depressed by
o
CO
u
o
ca
;2!
,7f
this initial success, and counted on victory. monster have rarely, if ever, been surpassed.
A single incident served to change the for- His rage or appetite for destruction was not
tune of the day. Kiangtsai placed himself appeased by human sacrifices. He made
at the head of his men to lead them to the equal war on the objects of nature and the
attack of the remaining Manchu positions works of man. He destroyed cities, levelled
when he was struck in the head by an forests, and overthrew all the public monu-
arrow. The death of their leader created a ments that embeUished his province. In the
panic among the Chinese troops, who, midst of his excesses he was told that a
abandoning all they had won, fled in irre- Manchu army had crossed the frontier, but
back to Taitong, where
trievable confusion he resolved to crown his inhuman career by
they were more closely beleaguered than a deed unparalleled in the records of his-
before by the Manchus. The discouraged tory, and what is more extraordinary, he suc-
and disorganized Chinese offered but a feeble ceeded in inducing his followers to execute
resistance, and in a very short time the his commands. His project was to massacre
Manchus were masters of Taitong; and the all the women in attendance on his army,
most formidable Chinese gathering which and his motives can only be described in his
had, up to that time, threatened the new own words.
dynasty was broken up. The Taitong insur-
gents acquired all their strength from the
Murder by the Wholesale.
personal genius and ascendancy of Kiang- "The province of Szchuen is no more
tsai, and with his death they collapsed. than a mass of ruins and a vast desert. 1
have wished to signalize my vengeance, and

" King of the West." at the same time to detach you from the
In the province of Szchuen a Chinese wealth which it offered, in order that your
leader of very different character and capa- ardor for the conquest of the Empire, which
city from Kiangtsai set up an administra- I have sttU every hope of attaining, should
tion. He distinguished himself by his brut- not flag. The execution of my project is
ality, and although he procliiimed himself easy, but one obstacle which might prevent
Si Wang, or King of the West, he was exe- or delay the conquest, I meditate, disturbs
crated by those who were nominally his sub- my mind. An effeminate heart is not well
jects. Among the most heinous of his suited to great enteiprises ; the only passion
crimes was his invitation to literary men to heroes should cherish is that glory. All of
come to his capital for employment, and you have wives, and the greater number of
when they had assembled to the number of yju have several in your company. These
30,000, to order them to be massacred. He women can only prove a source of embar-
dealt in a similar manner with 3,000 of his rassment in camp, and especially during
courtiers, because one of them happened to marches or other expeditions demanding
omit a portion of his full titles. His celerity ofmovement. Have you any appre-
excesses culminated in the massacre of hension lest you should not find elsewhere
Chentu, when 600,000 innocent persons are wives as charming and as accomplished? In
said to have perished. a very short time I promise you others who
Even allowing for the eastern exaggera- will give us every reason to congratulate
tion of numbers, the crimes of this inhuman ourselves for having made the sacrifice which
I propose to you. Let us, therefore, get rid everything before them, and that city itself
of the embarrassment which these women at last was captured, afterwhat passed for a
cause us. I feel that the only way for me stubborn resistance. Canton was given over
to persuade you in this matter is by setting to pillage, and the sack continued for ten
you an example. To-morrow, without days. The Ming pretender fled to Yunnan,
further delay, I will lead my wives to the and afterwards into Burmah, where he en-
public parade. See that you are all present, joyed shelter for seven years. At this
and cause to be published, under most severe moment of success Ama Wang, the wise
penalties, the order to all your soldiers to regent, died. His last years had been
assemble there at the same time, each accom- full of anxiety from the dangers that had
panied by his wives. The treatment I arisen in the path of the Manchus, but he
accord to mine shall be the general law. lived long enough to see it much allayed,
and the most serious perils removed. He
Killed by an Arrow. gave all his time and energy to improving his
When the assembly took place Si Wang nephew in the work of government, and to
slew his wives, and his followers, seized with looking after his interests. Towards the
an extreme frenzy, followed his example. It Chinese he assumed an attitude of modera-
is said that as many as 400,000 women were tion, and even of studied conciliation, which
slain that day, and Si Wang, intoxicated by produced a beneficial effect on the public
his success in inducing his followers to exe- mind. To this attitude, as well as to the
cute his inhuman behests, believed that he had successful measures of his government, must
nothing to fear at the hands of the Manchus. be attributed the success he experienced in
But he was soon undeceived, for in one of the tranquillizing the country. He was not the
earliest affairs at the outposts he was killed first nor the last of the great rulers and
by an arrow. His power at once crumbled statesmen which the present imperial family
away, and Szchuen passed under the of China has produced in the last three cen-
authority of the Manchus. turies.
The conquest of Szchuen paved the way
for the recovery of the position that had
Choosing an Emperor.
been lost in Southern China, and close seige Some of the elder princes of the Manchu
was laid to the city of Canton, where the family attempted to succeed to his position,
Chinese leaders had collected all their forces. but the principal ministers and courtiers com-
The Manchus adopted the astute course of bined together and insisted that the Emperor
giving the highest nominal commands to Chuntche was old enough to rale for him-
Chinese, and consequently many of their and that they would not recognize any
self,
countrymen surrendered to them more other master. This extreme step settled the
readily than if they had been foreigners. question, and Chuntche assumed the reins of
One officer, named Kiuchessa, who is said to government. He at once devoted his atten-
have been a Christian, remained faithful to tion to administrative reforms. It is said
theMing prince of Southern China until his that corruptionhad begun to sway the public
execution, and he refused to accept a pardon examinations, and that Chuntche issued a
as the price of his apostacy. special edict, enjoining the examiners to give
Outside Canton the Manchus carried fair awards and to maintain the purity of the
service. But several examiners had to be prostration by beating the ground with the
executed and others banished beyond the forehead — the Dutch merchants, who were
Wall before matters were placed on a satis- sent as envoys, were admitted to audience,
factory basis. He also adopted the astro- but although they bribed freely, the only
nomical system in force in Europe, and he favor they obtained was the right to present
appointed the priest Adam Schaal head of tribute at stated intervals, which was a
the Mathematical Board at Pekin. doubtful gain. The Emperor restricted their
But most important work was the in-
his visit to once in every eight years, and then »
stitution of the Grand Council, which still they were not to exceed one hundred,
exists, and which is the supreme power persons, of whom only twenty might pro-
under the Emperor of the country. It is ceed to the capital.
composed of only four members two —
—
Manchus and two Chinese who alone pos- An Official from Siberia.
sess the privilege of personal audience with The most interesting circumstance in con-
the Emperor whenever they may demand it. nection with this embassy is that it provided
They are far higher in rank than any member Nieuhoff, the secretary, to the envoys, with
of the Six Tribunals or the Board of Censors, the material for a description of Pekin at a
whose wide liberty of expression is limited time when had not recovered from the
it
to written memorials. effects we have described. The

of the wars
As this act gave the Chinese an equal conquest of Siberia by the Cossack Irmak
place with the Manchus in the highest body had brought the Russians into immediate
of the Empire was exceedingly welcome,
it contact with the Chinese, and it was held
and explains, among other causes, the popu- desirable to establish some sort of diplomatic
larity and stability of the Manchu dynasty. relations with them. An officer was accord-
When allotting Chuntche his place among ingly sent from Siberia to Pekin, but as he
the founders of Manchu greatness allowance persistently refused to perform the Kotao, he
must be made and far-reaching

for this wise was denied audience, and returned without
measure, the consequences of which cannot having accomplished anything. The com-
be accurately gauged. mencement of diplomatic relations between
Russia and China was therefore postponed to
Embassies from Europe. a later day.
Another interesting event in the reign of With Tibet, Chuntche succeeded in estab-
Chuntche, was the arrival at Pekin of more lishing relations of a specially cordial nature,
than one embassy from European States. which preserve their force to the present
The Dutch and the Russians can equally time. In 1653 ^^ received a visit from the
claim the honor of having had an envoy Grand Lama of Lhasa, and he conferred
resident in the Chinese capital during the upon him the title of Dalai, or Ocean Lama,
year 1656, but in neither case could the because his knowledge was as deep and pro-
result be described as altogether satisfactory. found as the ocean. It says much for the
After some delay and difficulty and on influence of China, and the durability of the
making the required concessions to the tie thus established, that the supreme Lama
dignity of the Emperor —
which means the of Lhasa, has been generally known by this
performance of the Kotao, or making the title ever since its being conferred on him.
During the last years of the reign of Kpshinga's dreams of posing as a national
Chuntche, the growth of the naval power of deliverer. After this episode he could only
Koshinga, son of Ching Chelong, attracted hope to be powerful as a rover of the sea,
considerable attention. When Canton fell, and the head of a piratical confederacy.
many Chinese escaped in their junks, and as In 166 1, the health of Chuntche became
the Manchus had no fleet they were unable so bad that it was evident to his courtiers
to follow the fugitives, and the Chinese that his end was drawing near, although he
derived fresh confidence from this security at was little more than thirty years of age.
sea. The daring and activity of Koshinga Authorities differ as to the precise cause of
became the solace and admiration of his his death. was
Philippe Couplet says that it
countrymen. He first established his head- small-pox, but the more general version was
quarters on the island of Tsong-ming, at the that it was grief at the death of his favorite
mouth of the river Yangtsekiang, and had he wife and infant son. Probably his domestic
been content with operations along the sea- affliction aggravated his malady, and nullified
coast, he might have enjoyed immunity from the efforts of his physicians. On his death-
attack, and an indefinite scope for plunder bed he selected as his successor the second
for many years. But his ambition led him of his sons, who became famous
afterwards
to take an exaggerated view of his power, as the Emperor Kanghi, and the choice
and, by attempting too much, he jeopardized proved an exceedingly fortunate one.
all he had gained, and finally curtailed his The reign of Chuntche was specially
sphere of enterprise. remarkable as witnessing the consolidation
of Manchu authority, the introduction of the
The Opportunity Lost.
Chinese to a share in the administration, and
In 1656, he sailed up the river to attack the adoption of a policy of increased moder-
Nankin, and his enterprise was so far well- ation towards the subject people.
timed that the Manchu garrison was then
very weak, and the chances of a popular Engraved on Iron Tablets.
rising in his favor were also at their highest When Kanghi was placed on the throne
point. But he seems to have relied for suc- he was only eight years old, and the admin-
ces mainly on the latter contingency, and in istration was consequently entrusted to four
the desire to spare his men, he postponed his of the chief and most experienced officials.
attack until the favorable opportunity had These co-regents devoted themselves to their
passed away, and the Manchu garrison being duty with energy and intelligence. Their
strongly reinforced, the townspeople were first act was to impeach the principal
both afraid to revolt, and Koshinga to deliver eunuchs who had acquired power under
his attack. When at last he nerved himself Chuntche, and to issue a decree prohibiting
to assault the place, the Manchus anticipated the employment of any of that unfortunate
his intention by delivering a night attack class in the public service. This law was
upon his camp, which was completely suc- engraved on iron tablets weighing more than
cessful. Three thousand of his best men were 1,000 pounds, and the Manchu rulers have
slain, and Koshinga and the remainder were ever since remained faithful to the pledge
only too glad to seek shelter in their ships. taken by these Manchu regents in the name
The repulse at Nankin destroyed all of the young Emperor Kanghi.
6
The very first year of Kanghi's reign wit- to carry out this plan, Koshinga had to oust,
nessed the zenith and the fall of the power of not the aboriginal tribes who held most of
of Koshinga. After the failure of his attack the interior of the island, but the Dutch
on Nankin, Koshinga fixed his designs on traders who had seized most of the ports and
SENDING PRAYERS TO HEAVEN BY BURNING THEM.
the island of Formosa, which offered, as it had fortified them. Koshinga found willing
seemed, the best vantage ground for a naval allies in the Chinese emigrants who had fled
confederacy such as he controlled. In order from the mainl2md to Formosa. They rose
up against the Dutch, and before they were popular ignorance and fanaticism, against the
subdued the warlike aboriginal tribes had to Christian priests, who had obtained various
be recruited against them. posts under the Chinese government. They
But the Dutch, who had been on the had not not been very successful as the
island for 3 5 years, flattered themselves that propagators of religion, but they had
they could hold their own, and that it might undoubtedly rendered the Chinese valuable
not be impossible to live on friendly service as and men of
mathematicians
terms with Koshinga. They themselves had science. The Emperor Chuntche had treated
acquired their place in Formosa by the retire- them with marked consideration, and there
ment of the Japanese from Taiwan, in 1624, was little to cause surprise in this favor being
when the Dutch, driven away by the Portu- resented by the Chinese officials, and in their
guese from Macao, sought a fresh site for intriguing to discredit and injure the
their proposed settlement in the Pescadore foreigners whose knowledge was declared to
group, and eventually established themselves be superior to their own. They formulated
at Fort Zealand. The Dutch seem to have a charge against them of "propagating a false
been lulled into a sense of false security by and monstrous religion," which was easily
their success over the Chinese settlers, and understood and difficult to refute. The
to have believed that Koshinga was not as Abbe Schaal was deposed from the President-
formidable as he was considered to be. ship of the Mathematical Board, and cast
into prison.
End of a Remarkable Career.
Koshinga did not strike until all his plans A Narrow Escape.
were completed, and then he laid siege to The other Europeans were also incarcerated.
Fort Zealand. The Dutch fought well, but They were all tried on a common charge, and,
they were overpowdered, and lost their pos- the case being taken as proved, all condemned
sessions, which passed to the Chinese adven- to a common death. The only respite granted
turer. Koshinga assumed the style of King between sentence and execution was for the
of Formosa, but he did not long survive this purpose of discovering some specially cruel
triumph. In the year after this conquest he mode of execution that might be commensu-
died of a malady which was aggravated by rate to the offence, not merely of being a Chris-
resentment at the insubordination of his eldest tian, but of holding offices, that were the pre-
son, and thus terminated his remarkable scriptive right of the followers of Confucius.
career when he was no more than thirty- The delay thus obtained enabled one of the
eight. The Chinese province of Formosa regents, named Sony, and a man of an
endured for another twenty years, but its enlightened and noble mind, to take steps to
,
spirit and formidableness departed with save these victims of ignorance. Supported
Koshinga. In his relations with the English by the mother of Kanghi, he succeeded in
and Dutch merchants he showed all the pre- gaining his point, and in obtaining a reversal
judice and narrow-mindedness of his country- of the iniquitous sentence of ignorant
men. jealously, but the reprieve came too late to
One of the earliest incidents in the reign save the life of the Abbe Schaal, who escaped
of Kanghi was an agitation got up by some the public executioner, only to perish from
of the most bigoted courtiers, and fanned by the consequences of his sufferings in prison.
Unfortunately, Sony did not live long A verdict of guilty was returned, and he and
after this for his country to profit by his his family suffered the supreme punishment
clemency, or to display it in other acts of for treason. This act of vigor inaugurated
the government. It was during these inci- the reign of Kanghi, and the same resolu-
dents that the young Emperor Kanghi gave tion and courage characterized it to the end.
the first indication of his capacity to judge In this early assertion of sovereign power,
important matters for himself, by deciding as in much else, it will be seen that Kanghi
after personal examination that the astro- bore a striking resemblance to his great con-
nomical system of Europe was superior to temporary, Louis the Fourteenth of France.
that of China, and by appointing Father
Verbiest to succeed the Abbe Schaal.
Kwei Wang Taken Prisoner.
The death of the regent Sony threatened The interest of the period now passes
not merely disorders within the supreme from the scenes at court to the camp of
administration, but an interruption of the Wou Sankwei, who, twenty years earlier, had
good work of the government itself. introduced the Manchus into China. During
Kanghi, with, no doubt, the support of his the Manchu campaign in Southern China he
mother, solved the difficulty by assuming had kept peace on the western frontier, grad-
the personal direction of affairs, although he ually extending his authority from Shensi
was then only fourteen years of age. Such into Szchuen and thence over Yunnan. When
a bold step undoubtedly betokened no ordi- the prince, Kwei Wang, who had fled
Ming
nary vigor on the part of a youth, and its into Burmah, returned with the support of
complete success reflected still further credit the King of that country to make another
upon him. He seems to have been specially bid for the throne, he found himself con-
impelled to take this step by his disapproval fronted by all the power and resources of
of the tryannical and overbearing conduct of Wou Sankwei, who was still as loyal a
another of his regents, Baturu Kong, who servant of the Manchu Emperor as when he
had only been kept in check by the equal carried his ensigns against Li Tseching.
influence of Sony, and who promised him- Kwei Wang does not appear to have ex-
self on his rival's death a course of unbridled pected opposition from Wou Sankwei, and
power. in the first encounter he was overthrown and
taken prisoner.
The Regency Dissolved. The conqueror, who was already under
Baturu Kong had taken the most promi- suspicion at theManchu Court, and whom
nent part in the agitation against the Chris- every Chinese rebel persisted in regarding as
tians, and the success of his schemes would a natural ally, now hesitated as to how he
have undoing of much of the
signified the should treat these important prisoners. Kwei
good work accomplished during the first Wang and his son —the last of the Mings
twenty years of Manchu power. The vigi- were eventually led forth to execution,
lance and resolution of the young Emperor although it should be stated that a less
thwarted his plans. By an imperial decree authentic report affirms they were allowed to
the regency was dissolved, and Kong was strangle themselves. Having made use of
indicted on twelve separate charges, each Wou Sankwei, and obtained as they thought
3ufficient to receive the punishment of death. the full value of his services, the Manchus
HEADS OF CRIMINALS DISPLAYED FOR A WARNING.
85
sought to treat him with indifference and to and he accordingly sent Wou Sankwei an
throw him into the shade. But the splendor invitation to visithim at Pekin. This was
of his work was such that they had to con- in 1 67 1, when Kanghi had reached the age
fer on him the title of Prince, and to make of eighteen. There was nothing unreason-
him Viceroy of Yunnan and the adjacent able in this request, for Wou Sankwei had
territories. He exerted such an extraor- not visited Pekin since the accession of
dinary influence over the Chinese subjects Kanghi, and any tender of allegiance had
that they speedily settled down under his been made by deputy.
authority; revenue and trade increased, and It was the practice of the time that all the
the Manchu authority was maintained with- great governors should have a son or other
out a Tartar garrison, for Wou Sankwei's near relative at the Manchu Court as a host-
army was composed exclusively of Chinese, age for their good conduct, and a son of
and its nucleus was formed by his old garri- Wou Sankwei resided in this character at
son of Ningyuen and Shanhaikwan. Pekin. He had been treated with special
honor by the Manchu rulers, and was mar-
A Cunning Plot.
ried to a half sister of the Emperor Kanghi.
There is no certain reason for saying that He received the title of a Royal Duke, and
Wou Sankwei nursed any scheme of per- was admitted into the intimate life of the
sonal aggrandizement, but the measures he Palace. When he heard of the invitation to
took and the reforms he instituted were cal- his father he sent ofif a message to him,
culated to make his authority to become warning him of the disfavor into which he
gradually independent of Manchu control. had fallen, and advising him not to come to
For a time the Manchu Government sup- Pekin. The advice, although prompted by
pressed its apprehensions on account of this affection, was not good, but Wou Sankwei
powerful satrap, by the argument that in a took it, and excused himself from going to
few years his death in the course of nature court on the ground that he was very old,
must relieve it from this peril, but Wou and that his only wish was to end his days
Sankwei lived on and showed no signs of in peace. He also deputed his son to tender
paying the common debt of humanity. Then his allegiance to the Emperor and to per-
it seemed to Kanghi that Wou Sankwei was form the Kotao in his name.
gradually establishing the solid foundation of
a formidable and independent power. The The Old Man's Answer.
Manchu generals and ministers had always But Kanghi was not to be put off in this
been jealous of the greater fame of Wou way, and he sent two trusted officials to Wou
Sankwei. When they saw that Kanghi Sankwei to represent that he must comply
wanted an excuse to fall foul of him, they with the exact terms of his command, and
carried every tale of alleged self-assertion on to point out the grave consequences of his
the part of the Chinese Viceroy to the Im- refusing. There is no doubt that they were
perial ears, and represented that his power also instructed to observe how far Wou
dwarfed the dignity of the Manchu throne Sankwei was borne down by age, and what
and threatened its stability. was the extent of his military power. The
At last Kanghi resolved to take some de- envoys were received with every courtesy
cisive step to bring the question to a climax, and befitting honor, but when they repeated
Kanghi's categorical demand to come to hope of liberty, proved very ready tools to
Pekin on penalty of being otherwise treated his designs. They bound themselves together
as a rebel, he broke loose from the restraint by a solemn oath to be true to one another,
he had long placed upon himself, and there and all the preparations were made to mas-
and then repudiated the Manchu authority sacre the Manchus on the occasion of the
in themost indignant and irrevocable terms, New Year's Festival.
which, at least, exposed the hoUowness of This is the grand religious and social cere
his statement that he felt the weight of years mony of the Chinese. It takes place on the
and thought only of making a peaceful end. first day of the first moon, which falls in our
His rely to the envoys of Kanghi was as month of February. All business is stopped,
follows :
— " Do they think at the Court that the tribunals are closed for ten days, and a
I am so blind as not to see the motive in state of high festival resembling the Carnival
this order of summons? I shall, indeed, prevails. The conspirators resolved to take
present myself there if you continue to press advantage of this public holiday, and of the
me, but it bewill head of twice forty
at the excitement accompanying it to carry out their
thousand men. You may go on before, but scheme, and the Manchus appear to have
I hope to follow you very shortly with such been in total ignorance until the eleventh
a force as will speedily remind those in power hour of the plot for their destruction. The
of the debt they owe me." Thus did the discovery of the conspiracy bears a close
great Wou
Sankwei cast off his allegiance to resemblance to that of the Gunpowder Plot.
the Manchus, and enter upon a war which A Chinese slave, wishing to save his master,
aimed at the subversion of their authority. gave him notice of the danger, and this
Manchu officer at once informed Kanghi of
A Daring Conspiracy.
the conspiracy.
Such was the reputation of this great com-
mander, to whose ability and military Arrested and Executed.
prowess the Manchus unquestionably were The son of Wou
Sankwei and the other
indebted for their conquest of the empire, conspirators were immediately arrested and
that a large part of southern China at once executed without delay. The Manchus thus
admitted his authority, and from Szchuen to escaped by the merest accident from a danger
the warlike province of Hunan his lieutenants which threatened them with annihilation, and
were able to collect all the fighting resources Kanghi, having succeeded in getting rid of
of the State, and to array the levies of those the son, concentrated his power and attention
provinces in the field for the approaching on the more difficult task of grappling with
contest with Kanghi. the father.
While Wou Sankwei was making these But the power and reputation of Wou
extensive preparations in the south, his son Sankwei were so formidable that Kanghi
at Pekin had devised an ingenious and daring resolved to proceed with great caution, and
plot for the massacre of the Manchus and the Emperor began his measures of offence
the destruction of the dynasty. He engaged by issuing an edict ordering the disbandment
in his scheme the large body of Chinese slaves of all the native armies maintained by the
who had been placed in servitude under their Chinese Viceroys, besides Wou Sankwei.
Tartar conquerors, and these, incited by the The object of this edict was to make all the
governors of Chinese race to show their where the governor and Ching had reduced
hands, and Kanghi learnt the full measure of themselves to a state of exhaustion by a
the hostility he had to cope with by every contest inspired by personal jealousy, not
governor from the sea coast of Fuhkien to patriotism. From Fuhkien his successful
Canton defying him, and throwing in their lieutenants passed into Kwantung, and the
lot with Wou Sankwei. The piratical con- Chinese, seeing that the Manchus were not
federacy of Formosa, where Ching, the son sunk as low as had been thought, abandoned
of Koshinga, had succeeded to his authority, all resistance, and again recognized the Tar-
also joined in with what may be called the tar authority. The Manchus did not dare
national party, but its alliance proved of little to punish the rebels except in rare instances,
value, as Ching, at an early period, took and, therefore, the recovery of Canton was
umbrage at his reception by a Chinese unaccompanied by any scenes of blood.
official, and returned to his island home. But a garrison of Manchus was placed in
each town of importance, and it was by
A Cavalry Raid. Kanghi's order that a walled town, or " Tar-
But the most formidable danger to the was built within each city for the
tar city,"
young Manchu ruler came from an accommodation and security of the dominant
unexpected quarter. The Mongols, seeing race.
his embarrassment, and believing that the
hours of the dynasty were numbered, The Old Warrior Defeated.
resolved to take advantage of the occasion But notwithstanding these successes Kang-
to push their claims. Satchar, chief of one hi made little or no progress against the
of the Banners, issued a proclamation, calling main force of Wou Sankwei, whose sup-
his race to his side, and declaring his inten- remacy was undisputed throughout the
tention to China at the head of
invade whole of south-west China. It was not until
100,000 men. seemed hardly possible for

It 1677 that Kanghi ventured to move his
Kanghi to extricate himself from his many armies against Wou Sankwei in person.
dangers. With great quickness of percep- Although he obtained no signal success in
tion Kanghi saw that the most pressing the field the divisions among the Chinese
danger was that from the Mongols, and he commanders were such that he had the satis-
sent the whole of his northern garrisons to faction of them to evacuate

compelling
attack Satchar before the Mongol clans could Hunan, and when Wou Sankwei took his
have gathered to his assistance. The Man- first backwards the sun of his fortunes
step
chu cavalry, by a rapid march, surprised began to set. Calamity rapidly followed
Satchar in his camp, and carried him and calamity. Wou Sankwei had not known
his family off as prisoners to Pekin. The the meaning of defeat in his long career of
capture of their chief discouraged the Mon- fifty years, but now, in his old age, he saw
gols and interrupted their plans for invading his affairs in inextricable confusion. His
China. Kanghi thus obtained a respite from adherents deserted him, many rebel officers
what seemed his greatest peril. sought to come to terms with the Manchus,
Then he turned his attention to dealing and Kanghi's armies gradually converged on
with Wou Sankwei, and the first effort of his Wou Sankwei from the east and the north.
armies resulted in the recovery of Fuhkien, Driven out of Szchuen, Wou Sankwei
endeavored to make a stand in Yunnan. He arrangement he would have left a name for
certainly succeeded in prolonging the struggle conspicuous loyalty and political consistency
down to the year 1679, when his death put in the service of the great race, which he
a sudden end to the contest, and relieved had been mainly instrumental in placing over
Kanghi from much anxiety, for although the China. But even as events turned out he
success of the Manchus was no longer was one of the most remarkable personages
uncertain, the military skill of the old the Chinese race ever produced, and his
Chinese warrior might have indefinitely pro- military career shows that they are capable
longed the war. Wou Sankwei was one of of producing great generals and brave
the most conspicuous, and attractive figures soldiers.
to be met with in the long course of Chinese

history, and his career covered one of the
The Uprising Ended.
most critical periods in the modern existence The death of Wou Sankwei signified the
of that empire. overthrow of the Chinese uprising which had

threatened to extinguish the still growing
A Brilliant Career. power of the Manchu under its youthful
From the time of his first distinguishing Emperor Kanghi. Wou Shufan the grand-
himself in the defence of Ningyuen until he son of that prince endeavored to carry on the
died, half a century later, as Prince of Yun- task of holding Yunnan as an independent
nan, he occupied the very foremost place in territory, but by the year 168 1 his posses-
the minds of his fellow-countrymen. The sions were reduced to the town of Yunnanfoo,
part he had taken, first in keeping out the where he was closely besieged by the Man-
Manchus, and then in introducing them into chu forces. Although the Chinese fought
the State, reflected equal credit on his ability valiantly, they were soon reduced to extremi-
and his patriotism. In requesting the Man- ties, and the Manchus carried the place by
chus to crush the robber Li and to take the storm. The garrison were massacred to the
throne which the fall of the Mings had ren- lastman, and Wou Shufan only avoided a
dered vacant, he was actuated by the purest worse fate by committing suicide. The
motives. There was only a choice of evils, Manchus not satisfied with his death, sent his
and he selected that which seemed the less. head to Pekin to be placed on its principal
He gave the empire to a foreign ruler of gate in triumph, and the body of Wou Sank-
intelligence, but he saved it from an unscru- wei himself was exhumed so that his ashes
pulous robber. He played the part of king- might be scattered in each of the eighteen
maker to the family of Noorhachu, and the provinces of China as a warning to traitors.
magnitude of their obligations to him could Having crushed most redoubtable
their
not be denied. They were not as grateful £is antagonist, the Manchusresorted to more
he may have expected, and they looked severe measures against those who had sur-
askance at his military power and influence rendered in Fuhkien and Kwantung, and
over his countrymen. many insurgent chiefs who had surrendered,
Probably he felt that he had not been well and enjoyed a brief respite, ended their lives
treated, and chagrin undoubtedly induced under the knife of the executioner. The
him to reject Kanghi's request to proceed to Manchu soldiers are said to have been given
Pekin. If he had only acceded to that spoil to the extent of nearly two millions
sterling, and the war which witnessed the became so far as in them lay respectable
final assertion of Manchu power over the citizens.
Chinese was essentially popular with the The overthrow of Wou Sankwei and the
soldiers who carried it on to a victorious conquest of Formosa completed what may
conclusion. A very short time after the be called the pacification of China by the
final overthrow of Wou Sankwei and his Manchus. From that period to the Taeping
family, the Chinese regime in Formosa was rebellion, or for nearly 200 years, there was
brought to an end. no internal insurrection on a large scale.
Kanghi, having collected a fleet, and con- On the whole the Manchus stained their
cluded a convention with the Dutch, deter- conclusive triumph by few excesses, and
mined on the invasion and conquest of Kanghi 's moderation was scarcely inferior to
Formosa. In the midst of these preparations that of his father, Chuntche. The family of
Ching, the son of Koshinga died, and, no Wou Sankwei seems to have been rooted out
doubt, the plans of Kanghi were facilitated more for the personal attempt of the son at
by the confusion that followed. The Man- Pekin than for the bold ambition of the
chu fleet seized Ponghu, the principal island potentate himself. The family of Koshinga
of the Pescadore group and thence the Man- was spared, and its principal representative
chus threw a force into Formosa. It is said received the patent of an earl. Thus, by
that they were helped by a high tide, and by a policy judiciously combined of severity
the superstition of the islanders, who ex- and moderation, did Kanghi make himself
claimed, " The first Wang (Koshinga), got supreme, and complete the work of his race.
possession of Taiwan by a high tide. The Whatever troubles may have beset the gov-
fleet now comes in the same manner. It is ernment in the last 220 years it will be
the will of Heaven." Formosa accepted the justifiable to speak of the Manchus and the
supremacy of the Manchus without further Tatsing dynasty as the legitimate authorities
ado. Those of the islanders who had ever in China, and instead of foreign adventures,
recognized the authority of any government, as the national and recognized rulers of the
accepted that of the Emperor Kanghi, shaved Middle Kingdom. They gained an empire
their heads in token of submission, and and have kept their great prize.
CHAPTER V.
THE TAEPINQ REBELLION AND STORY OF
"CHINESE GORDON."
THAT lies
part of Chinese history which
within the present century,
tices in order to acquire a popular reputation
and a following among the masses.
has a special interest to all readers Tien Wang announced his decision to
The year 1850 found Hienfung on seize the throne by issuing a proclamation,
the throne, confronted by old abuses in the in the course of which he declared that he
administration of the government and great had received " the Divine commission to ex-
national discontent. During this year an terminate the Manchus, and to possess the
abundant harvest and voluntary contributions Empire as its true sovereign " and, as it
;
served to remove the worst features of the was also at this time that his followers
prevailing scarcity and suffering. But these became commonly known as Taepings, it
temporary and local measures could not may be noted that the origin of this name is
improve a situation that was radically bad, somewhat obscure. According to the most
or allay a volume of popular disaffection plausible explanation it is derived from the
that was rapidly developing into unconcealed small town of that name, situated in the
rebellion. southwest corner of the province of Kwangsi,
The storm at length burst under the Tae- where the rebel movement seems to have
ping leader, Tien Wang. This individual commenced. Another derivation gives it as
had a very common origin and sprang from the style of the dynasty which Tien Wang
an inferior race. Hung-tsuien —such was hoped to found, and its meaning as " Univer-
his own name —was the son of a small sal peace."
farmer near Canton, and was a hakka, a

despised race of tramps who bear some A Daring Chieftain.
resemblance to the gypsies. He seems to Tien Wang was a man of great native
have passed all his examinations with special force, very resolute and daring, and gather-
credit, but the prejudice on account of his ing to himself a large number of discon-
birth prevented his obtaining any employ- tented spirits he gained some successes,
ment in the civil service of his country. He finally leading his rebellious followers to
was therefore a disappointed aspirant to Nankin, where they maintained themselves
ofiSce, and it is not surprising that he became with some difficulty against two Imperial
an enemy of the constituted authorities and armies raised by the loyal efforts of the
the government. As he could not be the inhabitants of the central provinces. This
servant of the state he set himself the ambi- was at the beginning of 1857,and there is
tious task of being its master, and with this no doubt that if the Government had avoided
object in view he resorted to religious prac- a conflict with the Europeans, and concen-
91
trated its efforts and power on the contest, he was defeated in a vigorous attempt to
with the Taeping rebels they would have cut his way through a far larger Imperial
speedily annihilated the tottering fabric of force. Such, however, was his reputatiori
Tien Wang's authority. But the respite of that the Imperial commanders before Nankin
four years secured by the attention of the sent many of their men to assist the officers
central government being monopolized by operating against him, and Chung Wang,
the foreign question enabled the Taepings to seizing the opportunity, made his way by
consolidate their augment their
position, forced marches back to Nankin, overcoming
fighting forces, and present a more formid- such resistance as the enfeebled besiegers
able front to the Imperial authorities. were able to offer. The whole of the year
1859 was passed in practical inaction, but at
Prompt Action Required. its close the Taepings only retained posses-
When Prince Kung, who may be styled sion of four towns, besides Nankin, on the
the Chinese Premier, learned from Lord Yangtse.
Elgin the full extent of the success of the
Taepings on the Yangtse, of which the A Remarkable Campaign.
Pekin seemed to possess a very
officials at It again became necessary for Chung
imperfect and inaccurate knowlege, the Wang to sally forth and assume the offensive
Manchu authorities realized that it was a in the rear and on the line of supplies of the
vital question for them to reassert their beleaguering Imperialists. His main diffi-
authority without further delay, but on culty was in obtaining the consent of Tien
beginning to put their new resolve into Wang, who was at this time given over to
practice they soon experienced that the posi- religious pursuits or private excesses, and
tion of the Taepings in 1861 differed materi- Chung Wang states that he only consented
ally from what it was in 1857. when he found that he could not stop him.
The course of events during that period In January, i860, Chung Wang began what
must be briefly summarized. In 1858 the proved to be a very remarkable campaign.
Imperialists under Tseng Kwofan and Chang He put his men in good humor by distribu-
Kwoliang renewed the seige of Nankin, but sum of money among them, and
ting a large
as the citywas well supplied with provisions, he succeeded in eluding the Imperial com-
and as the Imperialists were well known to manders, and in misleading them as to his
have no intention of delivering an assault, the intentions. While they thought he had gone
Taepings did not feel any apprehension. off to relieve Ganking, he had really hastened
After the investment had continued for nearly Hangchow,
to attack the important city of
a year, Chung Wang, who had now risen to where much and material for carrying
spoil
the supreme place among the rebels, insisted on the war might be secured by the victor.
^ on quitting the city before it was completely He captured the city with little or no loss,
, surrounded, with the object of beating up on March 19, i860, but the Tartar city held
levies and generally relieving the pressure out until relieved by Chang Kwoliang, who
caused by the besiegers. hastened from Nankin for the purpose.
In this endeavor he more than once Once again the Imperial Commanders in
experienced the unkindness of fortune, for their anxiety to crush Chung Wang had re-
when he had collected 5,000 good troops duced their force in front of Nankin to an
"CHINESE GORDON.' 93
excessively low condition, and the Taeping the advance of the Taepings, and fought
leader, placed in a desperate position, seized and lost three battles before Chung Wang
the only chance of safety by hastening from reached Soochow. That place was too large
Hangchow to Nankin at full speed, and at- to be successfully defended by a small force,
tacking the Imperial lines. This battle was and the Imperialists hastily abandoned it.
fought early in the morning of a cold, snowy At this critical moment —May, i860 —Ho
day —May 3, i860 —and resultecf in the loss Kweitsin, the Viceroy of the Two Kiang,
of 5, 000 Imperialists, and the compulsory implored the aid of the English and French,
raising of the siege. The Taeping cause who were at this moment completing their
might have been resuscitated by this signal arrangements for the march on Pekin, against
victory if Tien Wang had only shown him- these rebels, and the French were so far
self able to act up to the great part he had favorable to the suggestion that they offered
assumed ; but not merely was he incapable to render the assistance provided the Eng-
of playing the part of either a warrior or a lish would combine with them.
statesman, but his petty jealousy prevented
Curious Incident.
his making use of the undoubted ability of
his lieutenant Chung Wang, who, after the The British minister, Mr. Bruce, however,
greatest and most opportune of his successes declined the adventure, which is not sur-
was forbidden to re-enter Nankin. prising, considering that England was then
engaged in serious hostilities with the Chi-
Takes Possession of Soochow. nese, but the incident remains unique of a
The energy and spirit of Chung Wang country asking another for assistance during
impelled him to fresh enterprises, and see- the progress of a bitter and doubtful war.
ing the hopelessness of Tien Wang, he deter- The utmost that Mr. Bruce would do was to
mined to secure a base of operations for issue a notification that Shanghai would not
himself, which should enable him to hold be allowed to again fall into the hands of an
his own in the warring strife of the realm, insurgent force. The Viceroy who solicited
and perhaps to achieve the triumph of the the aid was at least consistent. He mem-
cause with which he was associated. It orialized the Throne, praying that the de-
says much for his military energy and skill mands of the Europeans should be promptly
that he was able to impart new vigor to the granted, and that they should then be em-
Taeping system, and to sustain on a new ployed against the Taepings. His memorial
field his position single-handed against the was ill-timed. He was summoned to Pekin
main forces of the Empire. He determined and executed for his very prudent advice.
to obtain possession of the important city of With the possession of Soochow, Chung
Soochow, on the Grand Canal, and not very Wang obtained fresh supplies of money,
far distant from Shanghai. material, and men, and once more it was
On his way to effect this object he gained impossible to say to what height of success
a great victory over Chang Kwohang, who the Taepings might not attain. But Chung
was himself killed in the battle. As the Wang was not satisfied with Soochow
ex-Triad chief possessed great energy, his alone; he wished to gain possession of
loss was a considerable one for the govern- Shanghai.
ment, but his troops continued to oppose Unfortunately for the realization of his
project, theEuropeans had determined to fusion, and with the loss of all its guns and
defend Shanghai at all hazards, but Chung stores.
Wang believed either that they would not, Encouraged by this success, Chung Wang
or that their army being absent in the north then thought the time opportune for attack-
they had not the power to carry out this ing Shanghai, and he accordingly marched
resolve. The necessity of capturing Shang- against it, burning and plundering the vil-
hai was rendered the greater in the eyes of lages along* the road. The Imperialists had
Chung Wang by its being the base of hos- established a camp or stockade outside the
tile measures against himself, and by a western gate, and Chung Wang carried this
measure which threatened him with a new without any difficulty, but when he reached
peril. the walls of the town he found a very differ-
ent opponent in his path. The walls were

Two Americans in the War. lined with English and French troops, and
The wealthy Chinese merchants of Shang- when the Taepings attempted to enter the
hai had formed a kind of patriotic associa- city they were received with a warm fire,
tion, and provided the funds for raising a which quickly sent them to the rightabout.
European contingent. Two Americans, Ward
and Burgevine, were taken into their pay, and Compelled to Retreat.
in July, 1 860, they, having raised a force of Chung Wang renewed the attack at dif-
100 Europeans and 200 Manilla men, began ferent points during the next four or five
operations with an attack on Sunkiang, a large days, but he was then obliged to retreat.
walled town about twenty miles from Shang- Before doing so, however, he sent a boast-
hai. This first attack was repulsed with some ing message that he had come at the invita-
loss, but Ward, afraid of losing the large re- tion of the French, who were traitors, and
ward he was promised for its capture, renewed that he would have taken the city but for
the attack, and with better success, for he foreigners, as " there was no city which his
gained possession of a gate, and held it until men could not storm." At this moment the
the whole Imperial army had come up and attention of Chung Wang was called off to
stormed the town. Nankin, which the Imperialists were invest-
After this success Ward was requested to ing for a sixth time, under Tseng Kwofan,
attack Tsingpu, which was a far stronger who had been elevated to the Viceroyalty of
place than Sunkiang, and where the Taepings the Two Kiang. Tien Wang, in despair, sent
had the benefit of the advice of several Eng- off an urgent summons to Chung Wang to
lishmen who had joined them. Ward at- come to his assistance, and although he went
tacked Tsingpu on August 2, i860, but he with reluctance he felt that he had no course
was repulsed with heavy loss. He returned but to obey.
to Shanghai for the purpose of raising another Chung Wang found matters in great con-
force and two larger guns, and then renewed fusion at Nankin, and the chief Wangs quite
the attack. It is impossible to say whether the incapable of following a wise course under
place would have held out or not, but after the critical circumstances of the hour. When
seven days' bombardment Chung Wang sud- they enunciated such ridiculous statements
denly appeared to the rescue, and, surprising that Tien Wang, as the lord of Heaven, had
Ward's force, drove it away in utter con- only to say the word, and there would be
95
peace, he curtly admonished them to buy to have encouraged Chung Wang to take
rice and prepare for a seige. Having done what he hoped would prove a decisive step.
what he could to place Nankin in an effi- On the 14th of January, 1862, the Taep-
cient state of defence, Chung Wang hastened ings reached the immediate vicinity of the
back to Soochow to resume active prepara- town and foreign settlement. The surround-
tions. It is unnecessary to describe these in ing country was concealed by the smoke of
detail; but although Chung Wang was the burning villages, which they had ruth-
twice defeated by a Manchu general named lessly destroyed. The foreign settlement
Paochiaou, he succeeded, by rapidity of was crowded with thousands of fugitives,

movement, in holding his own against his imploring the aid of the Europeans to save
more numerous adversaries. their houses and property. Their sufferings,
which would at the best have been great,
"The Ever Victorious Army." were aggravated by the exceptional severity
In the meantime an important change had of the winter. The English garrison of two
taken place in the situation. The peace be- native regiments and some artillery, even
tween China and the foreign powers com- when supported by the volunteers, was far
pelled a revision of the position at Shanghai. too weak to attempt more than the defence
Admiral Hope up to Nankin, inter-
sailed of the place but this it was fortunately able
;
viewed the Wangs, and exacted from them a to perform.

pledge that Shanghai should not be at-
tacked for twelve months, and that the Taep- Important Capture.
ing forces should not advance within a radius The rebels, during the first week after
of thirty miles of that place. In conse- their reappearance, plundered and burned in
quence of this arrangement Ward and all directions, threatening even to make an
Burgevine were compelled to desist from re- attack on Woosung, the port at the mouth
cruiting Europeans ; but after a brief interval of the where they were repulsed by the
river,
they were taken into the Chinese service for French. Sir John Michel arrived at Shang-
the purpose of drilling Chinese soldiers, a hai with a small reinforcement of English
measure from which the most important troops, and Ward, having succeeded in dis-
consequences were to flow, for it proved to ciplining two Chinese regiments about one
be the origin of the Ever Victorious Army. thousand strong in all, sallied forth from
These preparations were not far advanced Sunkiang for the purpose of operating on
when Chung Wang, elated by his capture of the rear of the Taeping forces. Ward's cap-
Ningpo and Hangchow, resolved to disre- ture of Quanfuling, with several hundred
gard Tien Wang's promise, and make a rebel boats which were frozen up in the
second attack on Shanghai, the possession of river, have warned the Taepings
should
which he saw to be indispensable if his cause that was nearly time for them to letire.
it ,
was to attain any brilliant triumph. He However, they did not act as prudence
issued a proclamation that " the hour of the would have dictated, and, during the whole
Manchus had come! Shanghai is a little of February their raids continued round
place, and we have nothing to fear from it. Shanghai. The suburbs suffered from their
We must take Shanghai to complete our attacks, the foreign factories and boats were
dominions." The death of Hienfung seems not secure, and several outrages on the per-
'CHINESE GORDON." 97
sons of foreigners remained unatoncd for. seven hundred were killed, and three hun-
It was impossible to any longer. their
tolerate dred were taken prisoners after fighting with
enormities. The English and French com- the most resolute bravery.
manders came to the determination to attack The favorable opinion formed of the Ever
the rebels, to enforce the original agreement Victorious Army by the action at Kachiaou
with Tien Wang, and to clear the country was confirmed by the more serious affair at
round Shanghai of the presence of the Taep- Tseedong; and Mr. Bruce at Pekin brought
ings for the space of thirty miles. it under the favorable notice of Prince Kung
and the Chinese Government. Having taken

Guns on the Walls. these hostile steps against the rebels, it neces-
On the 2 1 St of February, therefore, a joint sarily followed that no advantage would ac-
force composed of 336 English sailors and crue from any further hesitation with regard
marines, 160 French seamen, and 600 men to allowing Europeans to enter the Imperial
from Ward's contingent, accompanied by service for the purpose of opposing them.
commanders, with Admiral
their respective Ward was officially and allowed
recognized,
Hope in chief charge, advanced upon the to purchase weapons and to engage officers.
village of Kachiaou, where the Taepings An Englishman contracted to convey nine
had strengthened their position, and placed thousand of the troops who had stormed
guns on the walls. After a sharp engage- Ganking from the Yangtse to Shanghai.
ment the place was stormed. Ward's men These men were Honan braves, who had
leading the attack with Burgevine at their seen considerable service in the interior of
head. The drilled Chinese behaved with China, and it was proposed that they should
great steadiness, but the Taepings were garrison the towns of Kiangsu accordingly
not to be dismayed by a single defeat. as they were taken from the rebels.
They even resumed their attacks on the
Europeans. Repulsed with Heavy Loss,
On one occasion Admiral Hope himself The arrival of General Staveley from
was compelled to retire before their superior Tientsin at the end of March, with portions
numbers, and to summon fresh troops to his of two English regiments (the 3 ist and 67th)
assistance. The reinforcements consisted of put a new face on affiiirs, and showed that
450 Europeans and 700 of Ward's forces, the time was at hand when it would be pos^-
besides seven howitzers. With these it was sible to carry out the threat of clearing the
determined to attack Tseedong, a place of country round Shanghai for the space of
great strength, surrounded by stone walls thirty miles.
and ditches seven feet deep. The Taepings The first place to be attacked towards the
stood to their guns with great spirit, receiv- realization of this plan was the village of
ing the advancing troops with a very heavy Wongkadza, about twelve miles west of
fire. When, however, Ward's contingent, Shanghai. Here the Taepings ofifered only
making a detour, appeared in the rear of the a brief resistance, retiring to some stronger
place, they hastily evacuated their positions, stockades four miles further west. General
but the English sailors had carried the walls, Staveley, considering that his men had done
and, caught between two fires, they offered a enough work for that day, halted them, in-
stubborn but futile resistance. More than tending to renew the attack the next morn-
7
ing. Unfortunately, Ward was carried away but in the attack the French commander.
by his impetuosity,and attacked this inner Admiral Protet, a gallant officer who had
position with hundred of his own
some five been to the front during the whole of these
men. Admiral Hope accompanied him. operations, was shot dead. The rebels, dis-
The Taepings met them with a tremendous heartened by these successive defeats, rallied
fire, and after several attempts to scale the at Cholin, where they prepared to make a
"
works they were repulsed with heavy loss. final stand. The allied force attacked Cholin
Admiral Hope was wounded in the leg, on the 20th of May, and an English detach-
seven officers were wounded, and seventy ment carried it almost at the point of the
men killed and wounded. bayonet. With this achievement the opera-
The attack was repeated in force on the tions of the English troops came for the
following day, and after some fighting the moment to an end, for a disaster to the
Taepings evacuated their stockades. The imperial arms in their rear necessitated their
next place attacked was the village of turning their attention to a different quarter.
Tsipoo; and, notwithstanding their strong
earthworks and three wide ditches, the rebels A Cunning Stratagem.
were driven out in a few hours. It was then The troops summoned from Ganking had
determined to attack Kahding, Tsingpu, at last arrived to the number of five or six
Nanjao and Cholin, at which places the thousand men ; and the Furai Sieh, who was
Taepings were known to have mustered in on the point of being superseded to make
considerable strength. room for Li Hung Chang, thought to
employ them before his departure on some
Attempt to Burn Shanghai. enterprise which should redound to his
The first place was taken with little resis- credit and restore his sinking fortunes. The
tance, and its capture was followed by prepa- operation was as hazardous as it was am-
rations for the attack on Tsingpu, which bitious. The resolution he came to was to
were hastened rather than delayed by a des- attack the city and forts of Taitsan, a place
perate attempt to set fire to Shanghai. The northwest of Shanghai, and not very distant
plot was fortunately discovered in time, and from Chung Wang's headquarters at Soo-
the culprits captured and summarily executed chow. The Imperialist force reached Taitsan
to the number of two hundred. Early in on the 1 2th of May, but less than two days
May a strong force was assembled at Sun- later Chung Wang arrived in person at the
kiang, and proceeded by boat, on account of head of ten thousand chosen troops to
the difficulties of locomotion, to Tsingpu. relieve the garrison.
The fire of the guns, in which the expedition A
battle ensued on the day following,
was exceptionally strong, proved most de- when, notwithstanding their great superiority
structive, and two breaches being pronounced in numbers, the Taepings failed to obtain
practicable the place was carried by assault. any success. In this extremity Chung Wang
The rebels fought well and up to the last, resorted to a stratagem. Two thousand of
when they found fight impossible. The his men shaved their heads and pretended to
Chinese troops slew every man found in the desert to the Imperialists. When the battle
place with arms in his hands. was renewed at sunrise on the following
A few days later Nanjao was captured. morning this band threw aside their assumed
FOLLOWING THE DEAD TO THE CEMETERY.
9d
character and turned upon the Imperialists. of the Europeans and the Imperialists in the
A dreadful slaughter ensued. Of the seven province of Kiangsu.

thousand Honan braves and the Tartars from From the scene of his successes Chung
Shanghai, five thousand fell on the field. Wang was once more called away by the
The consequences of this disaster were to timidity or peril of Tien Wang, who was
undo most of the good accomplished by- barely able to maintain his position at
General Staveley and his force. The Im- Nankin, but when he hastened off to assist
perialists were for the moment dismayed, and the chief of the Taepings he found that he
the Taepings correspondingly encouraged. was out of favor, and that the jealousy or
General Staveley's communications were fear of his colleagues brought about his
threatened, one detachment was cut off, and temporary disgrace and loss of title. Shortly
the general had to abandon his intended plan after Chung Wang's departure Ward was
and retrace his steps to Shanghai. killed in action and Burgevine succeeded to
the command, but it soon became apparent
Discovered Just in Time. that his relations with the Chinese authori-
Chung Wang then laid regular siege to tieswould not be smooth. General Ching
Sunkiang, where Ward was in person, and was jealous of the Ever-Victorious Army
he very nearly succeeded in carrying the and wished to have all the credit for himself.
place by escalade. The attempt was fortu-
nately discovered by an English sailor just A Sharp Quarrel.

in time, and repulsed with a loss to the rebels Li Hung Chang who had been appointed
of one hundred men. The Taepings con- Futai or Governor of Kiangsu entertained
tinued to show great daring and activity doubts of the loyalty of this adventurer, and
before both Sunkiang and Tsingpu ; and a feud broke out between them at an early
although the latter place was bravely stage of their relations. Burgevine was a
defended, it became clear that the wisest man of high temper and strong passions,
course would be to evacuate it. A body of who was disposed to treat his Chinese col-
troops was therefore sent from Shanghai to leagues with lofty superciliousness, and who
form a junction with Ward at Sunkiang, and met the wiles of the Futai with peremptory
to effect the safe retreat of the Tsingpu gar- demands to recognize the claims of himself
rison. and his band. Nor was this all. Burgevine
The earher proceedings were satisfactorily had designs of his own. Although the pro-
arranged, but the last act of all was grossly ject had not taken definite form in his mind
mismanaged and resulted in a catastrophe. — for an unsubdued enemy was still in pos-
Ward caused the place to be set on fire, session of the greater part of the province
when the Taepings, realizing what was being the inclination was strong within him to play
done, hastened into the town, and assailed the part of military dictator with the
the retiring garrison. A scene of great con- Chinese ; or failing that, to found an inde-
fusion followed;many lives were lost, and pendent authority on some convenient spot
the Commandant who had held it so cour- of Celestial territory.
ageously was taken prisoner. Chung Wang Burgevine's character was described at a
could therefore appeal to some facts to sup- later period as being that of "a man of large
port his contention that he had got the better promises and few works." " His popularity
CHINESE LADIES OF THE HIGHER CLASS
was great among a certain class. He was take part in the siege of that city. The ships
extravagant in his generosity, and as long as were actually prepared for their conveyance,
he had anything would divide it with the so- and the Taotai Wou, who had first fitted out
called friends, but never was a man of any a fleet against the rebels, was in readiness to
administrative or military talent and latterly,
; accompany Burgevine, when Li and his col-
through the irritation caused by his unhealed league, as suspicious of Burgevine's com-
wound and other causes, he was subject to pliance as they would have been indignant at
violent paroxysms of anger, which rendered his refusal, changed their plans and counter-
precarious the safety of any man who ten- manded the expedition. Instead of carrying
dered to him advice that might be distasteful. out this project, therefore, they laid a number
He was extremely sensitive of his dignity, of formal complaints before General Staveley
and held a higher position in Soochow than as to Burgevine's conduct, and requested the
any foreigner did before." TheFutai antici- English Government to remove him from his
pated, perhaps, more than divined his wishes. command, and to appoint an English officer
In Burgevine he saw, very shortly after their in his place.
coming into contact, not merely a man whom

he disliked and distrusted, but one who, if
An Unsafe Adventurer.
allowed to pursue his plans unchecked, The charges against Burgevine did not at
would in theend form a greater danger to this time amount to more than a certain
the Imperial authority than even the Tae- laxness in regard to the expenditure of the
pings. It is not possible to deny Li's shrewd- force, a disregard for the wishes and predju-
ness in reading the character of the man dices of the Chinnese Government, and the
with whom he had to deal. want of tact, or of the desire to conciliate, in
his personal relations with the Futai. If
Patriotism of the Merchants. Burgevine had resigned, would have been
all
Although Burgevine had succeeded to well, but he regarded the position from the
Ward's command, he had not acquired the stand-point of the adventurer who believes
intimacy and confidence of the great Chinese that his own interests form a supreme law
merchant, Takee and his colleagues, at and are the highest good. As commander
Shanghai, which had been the main cause of of the Ever-Victorious Army he was a per-
his predecessor's influence and position. In sonage to be considered even by foreign
Ward they felt implicit faith ; Burgevine was governments. He would not voluntarily
comparatively unknown, and where known surrender the position which alone preserved
only regarded with suspicion. The patriot- him from obscurity. Having come to this
ism of the Shanghai merchants consisted in decision it was clear that even the partial
protecting their own possessions. Having execution of his plans must draw him into
succeeded in this they began to consider many errors of judgment which could not
whether it was necessary to expend any but embitter the conflict.
longer the large sums voluntarily raised for The reply of the English commander was
the support of the contingent. to the effect that personally he could not
The Futai Li, in order to test his obedi- interfere, but that he would refer the matter
ence, proposed that Burgevine and his men to London as well as to Mr. Bruce at Pekin.
should be sent round by sea to Nankin to In consequence of the delay thus caused the
project of removing the force to Nankin was turned at this moment to Soochow, and in
revived, and, the steamers having been char- Kiangsu the cause of the Taepings again
tered, Burgevine was requested to bring down revived through his energy. In February
his force from Sunkiang and to embark it at a detachment of Holland's force attacked
Shanghai. This he expressed his willingness Fushan, but met with a check, when the
to do on payment of his men who were two news of a serious defeat at Taitsan, where
months in arrear, and on the settlement of the former Futai Sieh had been defeated,
all outstanding claims. Burgevine was sup- compelled its speedy retreat to Sunkiang.
ported by his troops. Whatever his dislike Li had some reason to believe that Taitsan
to the proposed move, theirs was immeasur- would surrender on the approach of the
ably greater. They refused to move without Imperialists, and he accordingly sent a large
the payment of all arrears ; and on the 2d army, including 2,500 of the contingent, to
of January they even went so far as to openly attack it.
mutiny. The affair was badly managed. The

assaulting party was stopped by a wide
Struck a Mandarin. ditch ; neither boats nor ladders arrived.
Two days later Burgevine went to Shang- The Taepings fired furiously on the exposed
hai, and had an interview with Takee. The party, several officers were killed, and the
meeting was stormy. Burgevine used per- men broke into confusion. The heavy guns
sonal violence towards the Shanghai mer- stuck in the soit ground and had to be aban-
chant, whose attitude was at first overbearing, doned ; and despite the good conduct of the
and he returned to his exasperated troops contingent the Taepings achieved a decisive
with the money, which he carried off by success (13th February). Chung Wang
force. The Futai Li, on hearing of the was able to feel that his old luck had not
assault on Takee, hastened to General deserted him, and the Taepings of Kiangsu
Staveley to complain of Burgevine's gross recovered all their former confidence in
insubordination in striking a mandarin, which themselves and their leader. This disaster
by the law of China was punishable with inflicted a rude blow on the confidence of
death. Burgevine was dismissed from the Li and his assistants ; and it was resolved
Chinese service, and the notice of this re- that nothing should be attempted until the
moval was forwarded by the English General, English officer, at last appointed, had as-
with recommendation to him to give up his
J -
sumed the active command.
command without disturbance. This Burge-
vine did, for the advice of the English general Gordon in Command.
was equivalent to a command, and on the Such was the position of affairs when on
6th of January, 1863, Burgevine was back 24th of March, 1863, Major Gordon took
at Shanghai. command of the Ever-Victorious Army. At
Captain Holland was then placed in tem- moment it was not merely discouraged
that
porary command, while the answer of the by its recent reverses, but it was discontented
Home Government was awaited to General with its and when Major Gordon
position,
Staveley's proposition to entrust the force to assumed the command at Sunkiang there
the care of a young captain of engineers, was some fear of an immediate mutiny.
(lamed Charles Gordon, Chung Wang re- The new commander succeeded in allaying
their discontent, and believing that active evening, when a breach seemed to be practi-
employment was the best cure for insubor- cable, and two regiments were ordered to the
dination resolved to relieve Chanzu without assault. The rebels showed great courage
delay. The Taepings were pressing the and swarming in the breach and
fortitude,
siege hard and would probably have cap- pouring a heavy and well-directed fire upon
tured the place before many days when the troops.
Major Gordon attacked them in their stock- The attack was momentarily checked;
ades and drove them out with no inconsider- but while the stormers remained under such
able loss. cover as they could find, the shells of two
howitzers were playing over their heads and
The Next Move. causing frightful havoc among the Taepings
Having thus gained the confidence of his in the breach. But for these guns. Major
men and the approbation of the Chinese Gordon did not think would
that the place
authorities Major Gordon returned to Sun- have been carried at all; but after some
kiang where he employed himself in ener- minutes of this firing at such close quarters,
getically restoring the discipline of his force, the rebels began to show signs of wavering.
and in preparing for his move which at
next A party of troops gained the wall, a fresh
the request of Li Hung Chang was to be the regiment advanced towards the breach, and
capture of Quinsan. On the 24th of April the the disappearance of the snake flag showed
force left Sunkiang to attack Quinsan, but it that the Taeping leaders had given up the
had not proceeded far when its course had fight. Taitsan was thus captured, and the
to be altered to Taitsan, where, through an three previous disasters before it retrieved.
act of treachery, a force of 1,500 Imperialists
had been annihilated. became necessary
It Gordon's Difficulties.
to retrieve this disaster without delay, more On the 4th of May the victorious force
especially as all hope of taking Quinsan had appeared before Quinsan, a place of consider-
for the moment to be abandoned. able strength and possessing a formidable
Major Gordon atonce altered the direc- artillery directed by a European. The
tion of his march, and joining en route town was evidently too strong to be carried
General Ching, who had, on the news, broken by an immediate attack, and Major Gordon's
up his camp before Quinsan, hastened as movements were further hampered by the
rapidly as possible to Taitsan, where he conduct of his own men, who, upon their
arrived on the 29th of April. Bad weather arrival at Quinsan, hurried off" in detachinents
obliged the attack to be deferred until to Sunkiang for the purpose of disposing of
the 1st May, when two stockades on
of their spoil.
the west side were carried, and their defen- Ammunition had also fallen short, and
ders compelled to flee, not into the town as the commander was consequently obliged to
they would have wished, but away from it return to refit and to rally his men. At
towards Chanzu. On the following day, the Sunkiang worse confusion followed, for the
attackwas resumed on the north side, while men, or rather the officers, broke out into
the armed boats proceeded to assault the mutiny on the occasion of Major Gordon
place from the creek. The firing continued appointing an English oflScer with the rank
from nine in the morning until five in the of lieutenant-colonel to the control of the
"CHINESE GORDON." 105
commissariat, which had been completely Like a prudent commander Major Gordon
neglected. The men who had served with determined to reconnoitre; and, after much
Ward and Burgevine objected to this, and grumbling on the part of General Ching, he
openly refused to obey orders. Fortunately decided that the most hopeful plan was to
the stores and ammunition were collected, carry some stockades situated seven miles
and Major Gordon announced that he would west of the town, and thence assail Quinsan
march on the following morning, with or on the Soochow side, which was weaker than
without the mutineers. Those who did not the others. These stockades were at a
answer to their names at the end of the first village called Chumze. On the 30th of May
half-march would be dismissed, and he spoke the force detailed for his work proceeded to
with the authority of one in complete accord carry it out. The Hyson and fifty imperial
with the Chinese authorities themselves. gunboats conveyed the land force, which
consisted of one regiment, some guns, and a
Anxious for the Fray.
large body of Imperialists.
The soldiers obeyed him as a Chinese The rebels at Chumze offered hardly the
official, because he had been made a tsung- least resistance; whether it was that they
ping or brigadier-general, and the officers were dismayed at the sudden appearance of
feared to disobey him as they would have the enemy, or, as was stated at the time,
liked on account of commanding the
his because they considered themselves illtreated
source whence they were paid. The muti- by their comrades in Quinsan. The Hyson
neers fell in, and a force of nearly 3,000 men, vigorously pursued those who fled towards
well-equipped and anxious for the fray, Soochow, and completed the effect of this
returned to Quinsan, where General Ching success by the capture of a very strong and
had, in the meanwhile, kept the rebels closely well-built fort covering a bridge at Ta Edin.
watched from a strong position defended by An Imperialist garrison was installed there,
several stockades, and supported by the and the Hyson continued the pursuit to with-
Hysan steamer. Immediately after his ar- in a mile of Soochow itself.
rival.Major Gordon moved out his force to

attack the stockades which the rebels had A Lively Panic.
constructed on their right wing. These The defenders of Quinsan itself were
were strongly built; but as soon as the terribly alarmed at the cutting off of their
defenders perceived that the assailants had communications. They saw themselves on
gained their flank they precipitately withdrew the point of being surrounded, and they
into Quinsan itself. General Ching wished yielded to the uncontrollable impulse of
the attack to be made on the Eastern Gate, panic. During the night, after having suf-
opposite to which he had raised his own fered severely from the Hyson fire, the garri-
intrenchments, and by had
which he son evacuated the place, which might easily
announced his intention of forcing his way; have held out; and General Ching had the
but a brief inspection showed Major Gordon personal satisfaction, on learning from some
that that was the strongest point of the deserters of the flight of the garrison, of lead-
town, and that a direct attack upon it could ing hismen over the eastern walls which he
only succeed, if at all, by a very considerable had wished to assault. The importance of
sacrifice of men. Quinsan was reahzed on its capture. Major
Gordon pronounced it to be the key of Soo- The change was not acceptable, however,
chow, and at once resolved to establish his to the force itself; and the artillery in parti-
headquarters there, partly because of its cular refused to obey orders, and threatened
A CHINESE FESTIVAL.
natural advantages, but also and not less on to shoot their officers. Discipline was, how-
account of its enabling him to gradually des- ever, promptly reasserted by the energy of
troy the evil associations and vicious habits the commander, who ordered the principal
which the men had contracted at Sunkiang. ringleader to b" shot 'mc^ the Ever Victori-
ous Army became gradually reconciled to Tapp or anyone else " as their colonel. They
its new position at Quinsan. After the cap- were promptly reinstated.
ture of Quinsan there was a cessation of With these troops, part of whom had only
two months. It
active operations for nearly just returned to a proper sense of discipline,
was the height of summer and the new Gordon proceeded to attack Kahpoo, a place
troops had to be drilled. The difficulty with on the Grand Canal south of Soochow, where
Ching, who took all the credit for the cap- the rebels held two strongly-built stone forts.
ture of Quinsan to himself, was arranged The force had been strengthened by the addi-
through the mediation of Dr. Macartney, tion of another steamer, the Firefly, a sister
who had just left the English army to vessel to the Hyson. Major Gordon arrived
become Li's right-hand man. before Kahpoo on the 27th of July; and the
garrison, evidently talcen by surprise, made
Removal of a Commander. scarcely the least resistance. The capture
Two other circumstances occurred to em- of Kahpoo placed Gordon's force between
young commander. There were
barrass the Soochow and Wokong, the next object of
rumors of some meditated movement on attack. At Wokong the rebels were equally
the part of Burgevine, who had returned unprepared.
from Pekin with letters exculpating him and
who endeavored to recover the command in The Place Surrendered.
spite of Li Hung Chang, and there was a The garrison at Kahpoo, thinking only of
further manifestation of insubordination in its own safety, had fled to Soochow, leaving
the force, which, as Gordon said, bore more their comrades at Wokong unwarned and to
resemblance to a rabble than the magnificent their fate. So heedless were the Taepings at
army was popularly supposed to be. The
it this place of all danger from the north, that
artillery had been cowed by Major Gordon's they had even neglected to occupy a strong
vigor, but its efficiency remained more doubt- stone fort situated about 1,000 yards north
ful than could be satisfactory to the general of the walls. The Taepings attempted too
responsible for condition, and also relying
its late to repair their error, and the loss of this
upon it most potent arm of his force.
as the fort caused them that of all their other stock-
He resolved to remove the old commander, ades. Wokong itself was too weak to offer
and to appoint an English officer, Major any effectual resistance; and the garrison on
Tapp, in his place. the eve of the assault ordered for the 29th of
On carrying his determination into effect July sent out a request for quarter, which
the officers sent in " a round robin," refusing was granted, and the place surrendered with-
to accept the new officer. This was on the out further fighting. Meanwhile an event of
25th of July, and the expedition which had far greater importance had happened than
been decided upon against Wokong had con- even the capture of these towns, although
sequently to set out the following morning they formed the necessary preliminary to
without a single artillery officer. In face of the investment of Soochow. Burgevine had
the inflexible resolve of the leader, however, come to the decision to join the Taepings.
the officers repented, and appeared in a body Disappointed in his hope of receiving the
at the camp begging to be taken back, and command, Burgevine remained on at Shang-
expressing their willingness to accept " Major hai, employing his time in watching the vary-
ing phases of a campaign in which he longed him shortly. This letter was written as
to take part, and of which he beheved that it a blind, and, unfortunately, Major Gordon
was only his due to have the direction, but attached greater value to Burgevine's worcJ
still what decision it behoved
hesitating as to than he did to the precise information of Dr.
him to take. His contempt for all Chinese Macartney. He was too much disposed tc
officials became hatred of the bitterest kind think that, as the officer had to a certaii:
of the Futai, by whom he had been not extent superseded Burgevine in command,
merely thwarted but overreached, and pre- he was bound to take the most favorable
disposed him to regard with no unfavorable view of all his actions, and to trust implicitly
eye the idea of joining his fortunes with those in his good faith. Major Gordon, trusting
of the rebel Taepings. to his word, made himself personally respon-
sible to the Chinese authorities for his good
Jealous of Gordon. faith, and thus Burgevine escaped arrest.
To him in this frame of mind came some Burgevine's plans had been deeply laid.
of the dismissed officers and men of the He had been long in correspondence with
Ward force appealing to his vanity by declar- the Taepings, and his terms had been ac-
ing that his soldiers remembered him with cepted. He proclaimed his hostility to the
affection,and that he had only to hoist his Government by seizing one of their new
flag for most of his old followers to rally steamers.
round him. There was little to marvel at
if he also was not free from some feeling of
Immediate Danger.
jealousy at the success and growing fame of At this very moment Major Gordon came
Major Gordon, for whom he simulated a to the decision to resign, and he hastened
warm friendship. The combination of mo- back to Shanghai in order to place his with-
tives proved altogether irresistible as soon as drawal from the force in the hands of the
he found that several hundred European Futai. He arrived there on the very day
adventurers were ready to accompany him that Burgevine seized the Kajow steamer at
into the ranks of the Taepings, and to en- Sunkiang, and on hearing the news he at
deavor to do for them what they failed to once withdrew his resignation, which had
perform for the Imperialists. been made partly from irritation at the
On the iSth of July, Dr. Macartney wrote irregular payment of his men, and also on
to Major Gordon stating that he had positive account of the cruelty of General Ching.
information that Burgevine was enlisting men Not merely did he withdraw his resignation,
for some enterprise, that he had already col- but he hastened back to Quinsan, into which
lected about 300 Europeans, and that he had he rode on the night of the very same day
even gone so far as to choose a special flag, that had witnessed his departure. The im-
a white diamond on a red ground, and con- mediate and most pressing danger was from
taining a black star in the centre of the dia- the possible defection of the force to its old
mond. On the 2 1st of the same month leader, when, with the large stores of artil-
Burgevine wrote to Major Gordon saying lery and ammunition at Quinsan in their pos-
that there would be many rumors about session, not even Shanghai, with its very
him, but that he was not to believe any weak foreign garrison, could be considered
of them, and that he would come and see safe from attack.
CHINESE SOLDIERS ENTERING THE PRINCIPAL GATE AT PEKIN
....jgr-"-... -^ .>...,<i>t....»^^.
CHINESE IMPERIAL TROOPS OUTSIDE THE GATES OF PEKIN

As a measure of precaution Major Gor- communi-

to cut off General Ching's lengthy
don sent some of his heavy guns and stores cations, moved forward to Waiquaidong to
back to Taitsan, where the English com- support him but when he arrived, he found
;
mander, General Brown, consented to guard that the impatient mandarin, encouraged
them, while he hastened off to Kahpoo, now either by the news of his approach or at the
threatened both by the Soochow force and inaction of the Taepings inSoochow, had
by the foreign adventurers acting under made a still two miles, so
further advance of
Burgevine. He arrived at the most critical that he was only 1,000 yards distant from
moment. The garrison was hard pressed. the rebel stockades in front of the East Gate.
General Ching had gone back to Shanghai, Major Gordon had at this time been rein-
and only the presence of the Hyson pre- forcedby the Franco-Chinese corps, which
vented the rebels, who were well armed and had been well disciplined, under the com-
possessed an efficient artillery, from carrying mand of Captain Bonnefoy, while the neces-
the fort by a The arrival
rush. of Major sity of leaving any strong garrison at Quin-
Gordon with 150 men on board his third san had been obviated by the loan of 200
steamer, the Cricket, restored the confidence Belooches from General Brown's force.
of the defenders, but there was no doubt that

Effective Fire of the Gimboat.
Burgevine had lost a most favorable oppor-
tunity, for if he had attacked this place in- The rebel position having been carefully
stead of proceeding to Soochow it must have reconnoitred, both on the east and on the
fallen. south. Major Gordon determined that the first
step necessary for its proper beleaguerment
Moving on the Rebel Stronghold. was to seize and fortify the village of Pata-
General Ching, who was a man of almost chiaou, about one mile south of the city wall.
extraordinary energy and restlessness, re- The village, although stockaded, was evacu-
solved to signalize his return to the field by ated by the garrison after a feeble resist-
some striking act while Major Gordon was ance, and an attempt to recover it a few
completing his preparations at Quinsan for a hours later by Mow Wang in person resulted
fresh effort. His headquarters were at the in a rude repulse chiefly on account of the
strong fort of Ta Edin, on the creek leading effective fire of the Hyson. Burgevine,
from Quinsan to Soochow, and having the instead of fighting the battles of the failing
Hyson with him, he determined to make a cause he had adopted, was traveUing about
dash to some point nearer the great rebel the country : at one moment in the capital
stronghold. On the 30th of August he had interviewing Tien Wang and his ministers,
seized the position of Waiquaidong, where, at another going about in disguise even in
in three days, he threw up stockades, admir- the streets of Shanghai.
ably constructed, and which could not have But during the weeks when General
been carried save by a great effort on the Ching might have been taken at a disadvan-
part of the whole of the Soochow garrison. tage, and when it was quite possible to
"Towards the end of September, Major recover some of the places which had been
Gordon, fearing lest the rebels, who had now lost, he was absent from the scene of military
the supposed advantage of Burgevine's pres- operations. After the capture of Patachiaou
ence and advice, might make some attempt most of the troops and the steamers that had
taken it were sent back to Waiquaidong, but Chinese official world, he was loth to lose
Major Gordon remained there with a select or surrender the position which gave him
body of his men and three howitzers. The a certain importance. He vacillated between
rebels had not resigned themselves to the a number of suggestions, and the last he
loss of Patachiaou, and on the ist of October came to was the most remarkable, at the
they made a regular attempt to recover it. same time that it revealed more clearly than
They brought the Kajow into action, and, as any other the vain and meretricious charac-
it had found a daring commander in a man ter of the man.
named Jones, its assistance proved very con-
siderable. They had also a 32-pounder gun A Scheme of Treachery.
on board a junk, and this enabled them to In his second interview with Major Gor-
overcome the fire of Gordon's howitzers and don he proposed that that officer should join
also of the Hyson, which arrived from Wai- him, and combining the whole force of the
quaidong during the engagement. But not- Europeans and the disciplined Chinese, seize
withstanding the superiority of their artillery, Soochow, and establish an independent
the rebels hesitated to come to close quarters, authority of their own. It was the old fili-
and when Major Gordon and Captain Bon- bustering idea, revived under the most
nefoy led a sortie against them at the end of unfavorable circumstances, of fighting for
the day they retired precipitately. their own hand, dragging the European
name in the dirt, and founding an indepen-
Âîshes to Surrender. dent authority of some vague, undefinable
At this stage Burgevine wrote to Major and transitory character. Major Gordon
Gordon two letters the — first exalting the listened to the unfolding of this scheme of
Taepings, and the second written two days miserable treachery, and only his strong
later asking for an interview, whereupon he sense of the utter impossibility, and indeed
expressed his desire to surrender on the pro- the ridiculousness of the project, prevented
vision of personal safety. He assigned the his contempt and indignation finding forcible
state of his health as the cause of this change, expression.
but there was never the least doubt that the Burgevine, the traitor to the Imperial
true reason of this altered view was dissatis- cause, the man whose health would not
faction with his treatment by the Taeping allow him to do his duty to his new masters
leaders and a conviction of the impossibility in Soochow, thus revealed his plan for defy-
of success. Inside Soochow, and at Nankin, ing all parties, and for deciding the fate of
it was possible to see with clearer eyes than the Dragon Throne. The only reply he
at Shanghai that the Taeping cause was one received was the cold one that it would be
that could not be resuscitated. better and wiser to confine his attention to
But although Burgevine soon and very the question of whether he intended to yield
clearly saw the hopelessness of the Taeping or not, instead of discussing idle schemes of
movement, he had by no means made up his "vaulting ambition."
mind to go over to the Imperialists. With Meantime, Chung Wang had come down
a considerable number of European followers from Nankin to superintend the defence of
at his beck and call, and with a profound Soochow; and in face of a more capable
and ineradicable contempt for the whole opponent he still did not despair of success,
1^
w
o
in
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or at the least of making a good fight of it. turers, he reached Monding, where the
He formed the plan of assuming the offensive Imperialists were strongly intrenched at the
againstChanzu whilst General Ching was junction of the main creek from Chanzu
employed in erecting his stockades step by- with the canal. He attacked them, and a
step nearer to the eastern wall of Soochow. severely contested struggle ensued, in which
In order to prevent the realization of this at first the Taepings carried everything
project Major Gordon made several demon- before them. But the fortune of the day
strations on the western side of Soochow, soon veered round. The Kajow was sunk
which had the effect of inducing Chung by a lucky shot, great havoc was wrought
Wang to defer his departure. by the explosion of a powder-boat, and the
At this conjuncture serious news arrived Imperiahsts remained masters of a hard-
from the south. A large rebel force, assem- fought field.
bled from Chekiang and the silk districts

Succeeded in Escaping.
south of the Taho lake, had moved up the
Grand Canal and held the garrison of The defection of the Europeans piaced
Wokong in close confinement. On the loth Burgevine in serious peril, and only Major
of October the Imperialists stationed there Gordon's urgent representations and acts of
made a sortie, but were driven back with the courtesy to the Mow Wang saved his life,
loss of several hundred men killed and The Taeping leader, struck by the gallantry
wounded. and fair dealing of the English officer, set

Burgevine free, and the American consul
Hard Fought Battle. thanked Major Gordon for his great kindness
Their provisions were almost exhausted, to that misguided officer. Burgevine came
and it was evident that unless relieved they out of the whole complication with a reputa-
could not hold out many days longer. On tion in every way tarnished. He had not
the 1 2th of October Major Gordon therefore even the most common courage which would
hastened to their succor. The rebels held have impelled him to stay in Soochow and
a position south of Wokong, and, as they take the chances of the party to which he
felt sure of a safe retreat, they fought with had attached himself Whatever his natural
great determination. The battle lasted three talents might have been, his vanity and
hours ; the guns had to be brought up to weakness obscured them all. With the in- .
within fifty yards of the stockade, and the clination to create an infinity of mischief, it
whole affair is described as one of the hardest must be considered fortunate that his ability
fought actions of the war. On the return of was so small, for his opportunities were
the contingent to Patachiaou, about thirty abundant.
Europeans deserted the rebels, but Burge- The conclusion of the Burgevine incident
vine and one or two others were not with removed a weight from Major Gordon'^
them. mind. Established on the east and south of
Chung Wang had seized the opportunity Soochow, he determined to secure a similar
of Gordon's departure for the relief of position on its western side, when he would
Wokong to carry out his scheme against be able to intercept the communication still
Chanzu. Taking the Kajow with him, and held by the garrison across the Taho lake.
a considerable number of the foreign adven- In order to attain this object it was necessary,
"CHINESE GORDON.' 113
in the first place, to carry the stockades at At campaign there were

this stage of the
Wuliungchow, a two miles west of
village 13,500 men round Soochow, and of these
Patachiaou. The place was captured at the 8,500 were fully occupied in the defence of
first attack and successfully held, notwith- the stockades, leaving the very small number
standing a fierce attempt to recover it under of 5,000 men available for active measures
the personal direction of Chung Wang, who in the field. On the other hand, Santajin
returned for the express purpose. had not fewer than 20,000, and possibly as
This was followed by others.
success many as 30,000 men under his orders. But
Another large body of rebels had come up the Taepings still enjoyed the numercial
from the south and assailed the garrison of superiority.They had 40,000 men in
Wokong. On the 26th of October one of Soochow, 20,000 at Wusieh, and Chung
Gordon's lieutenants, Major Kirkham, in- Wang occupied a camp, half-way between
flicted a severe defeat upon them, and vigor- these places, with 18,000 followers. The
ously pursued them for several miles. The presence of Chung Wang was also estimated
next operation undertaken was the capture to be worth a corps of 5,000 soldiers.
of the village of Leeku, three miles north of
Soochow, as the preliminary to investing the Petty Rivalries.
city on the north. Here Major Gordon re- Had Gordon been free to act, his plan of
sorted to his usual flanking tactics, and with campaign would have been simple and
conspicuous success. The rebels fought decisive. He would have effected a junction
well; one officer was killed at Gordon's side, of his forces with Santajin, he would have
and the men in the stockade were cut down overwhelmed Chung Wang's 18,000 with
with the exception of about forty, who were his combined army of double that strength,
made prisoners. and he would have appeared at the head of

his victorious troops before the bewildered
The Force too Small. garrison of Wusieh. It would probably
Soochow was then assailed on the northern have terminated the campaign at a stroke.
as well as on the other sides, but Chung Even the decisive defeat of Chung Wang
Wang's army still served to keep open com- alone might have entailed the collapse of a
munications by means of the Grand Canal. cause now tottering to its fall. But Major
That army had its principal quarters at Gordon had to consider not merely the mili-
Wusieh, where it was kept in check by a tary quality of his allies, but also their
large Imperialist force under Santajin, Li's jealousies and differences.
brother, who had advanced from Kongyin General Ching hated Santajin on private
on the Yangtse. Major Gordon's main diffi- grounds as well as on public. He desired a
culty now arose from the insufficiency of his monopoly of the and honor of the
profit
force to hold so wide an extent of country; campaign. His own reputation would be
and in order to procure a reinforcement from made by the capture of Soochow. It would
Santajin, he agreed to assist that commander be diminished and cast into the shade were
against his able opponent Chung Wang. another Imperial commander to defeat Chung
With a view to accomplishing this the Taep- Wang and close the line of the Grand Canal.
ing position at Wanti, two miles north of Were Gordon to detach himself from General
Leeku, was attacked and captured. Ching he could not feel sure what that
8
jealous and impulsive commander would do. the information provided by the European
He would certainly not preserve the vigilant and other deserters who had been inside.
defensive beforeSoochow necessary to ensure The Taepings were not without their spies
army operating to the north.
the safety of the and sympathizers also, and the intended
The commander of the Ever-Victorious attempt was revealed to them. The attack
Army had consequently to abandon the was made at two in the morning of the 27th
tempting idea of crushing Chung Wang and of November, but the rebels had mustered
to have recourse to slower methods. in force and received Major Gordon's men
with tremendous volleys. Even then the
An Unexpected Retreat. disciplined troops would not give way, and
On the 19th of November Major Gordon encouraged by the example of their leader,
collected the whole of his available force to who seemed to be at the front and at every
attack Fusaiquan, a place on the Grand point at the same moment, fairly held their
Canal six miles north of Soochow. Here own on the edge of the enemy's position.
the rebels had barred the canal at three dif-
ferent points, while on the banks they occu- The Troops Confused.
pied eight earthworks, which were fortu- Unfortunately the troops in support
nately in a very incomplete state. A behaved badly, and got confused from the
desperate resistance was expected from the heavy fire of the Taepings which never
rebels at this advantageous spot, but they slackened. Some
of them absolutely retired
preferred their safety to their duty, and and others were landed at the wrong places.
retreated to Wusieh with hardly any loss. Major Gordon had to hasten to the rear to
In consequence of Chung Wang
this reverse restore order, and during his absence the
withdrew his forces from his camp in face of advanced guard were expelled from their
Santajin, and concentrated his men at Mon- position by a forward movement by Mow
led
ding and Wusieh for the defence of the Grand Wang in person. The attack had failed,
Canal. The investment Soochow being
of and there was nothing to do save to draw
now number of troops
as complete as the off the troops with as little further loss as
under the Imperial standard would allow, possible. This was Major Gordon's first
Major Gordon returned to General Ching's defeat, but was so evidently due to the
it
stockades in front of that place, with the accidents inseparable from a night attempt,
view of resuming the attack on the Eastern and to the fact that the surprise had been
Gate. General Ching and Captain Bonnefoy revealed, that it produced a less discourag-
had met with a slight repluse there on the ing effect on officers and men than might
14th of October. The stockade in front of have seemed probable. Up to this day Major
the east gate was known by the name of Gordon had obtained thirteen distinct vic-
the Low Mun, and had been strengthened to tories besides the advantage in many minor
the best knowledge of the Taeping engineers. skirmishes.

Their position was exceedingly formidable, Undismayed by this reverse Major Gordon
consisting of a line of breastworks defended collected all his troops and artilleryfrom the
at intervals with circular stockades. other stockades, and resolved to attack the
Major Gordon decided upon making a Low Mun position with his whole force. He
night attack, and he arranged his plans from also collected all his heavy guns and mor-
tarsand connonaded the rebel stockade for Gordon had impressed on both of his
some time but on an advance being ordered
; Chinese colleagues the imperative necessity
the assailants were compelled to retire by there was, for reasons of both policy and
the fire which the Taepings brought to bear prudence, to deal leniently and honorably by
on them at every available point. Chung the rebel chiefs. All seemed to be going
Wang had hastened down from Wusieh to well. General Ching took an oath of
take part in the defence of what was rightly brotherhood with Lar Wang, Li Hung
regarded as the key of the position at Soo- Chang agreed with everything that fell from
chow, and both he and Mow Wang super- Gordon's lips. The only one exempted from
intended in person the defence of the Low this tacit understanding was Mow Wang,
Mun stockade. always in favor of fighting it out and defend-

ing the town ; and his name was not men-
Superb Bravery. tioned for the simple reason that he had
After a further cannonade the advance was nothing to do with the negotiations.
again sounded, but this second attack would
also have failed had not the officers and A Gallant Enemy.
men boldly plunged into the moat or creek For Mow Wang Major Gordon had
and swum across. The whole of the stock- formed the esteem due to a gallant enemy,
ades and a stone fort were then carried, and and he resolved to spare no efforts to save
the Imperial forces firmly established at a his life. His benevolent intentions were
point only 900 yards from the inner wall of thwarted by the events that had occurred
Soochow. Six officers and fifty men were within Soochow. Mow Wang had been
killed, and three officers, five Europeans and murdered by the other Wangs, who feared
128 men were wounded in this successful that he might detect their plans and prevent
attack. The capture of the Low Mun their being carried out. The death of Mow
stockades meant practically the fall of Soo- Wang removed the only leader who was
chow. Chung Wang then left it to its fate, heartily opposed to the surrender of Soo-
and all the other Wangs except Mow Wang chow, and on the day after this chief's
were in favor of coming to terms with the murder the Imperialists received possession
Imperialists. Eveia before this defeat Lar of one of the gates. The inside of the city
Wang had entered into communications had been the scene of the most dreadful con-
with General Ching for coming over, and, as fusion. Mow Wang's men had sought to
he had the majority of the troops at Soo- avenge their leader's death, and, on the
chow under his orders, Mow Wang was other hand, the followers of Lar Wang had
practically powerless, although resolute to shaved their heads in token of their adhesion
defend the place to the last. to the Imperialist cause.
Several interviews took place between the Some of the more prudent of the Wangs,
Wangs and General Ching and Li Hung not knowing what turn events might take
Chang. Major Gordon
saw the former,
also amid the prevailing discord, secured their
and had one interview with Lar Wang in safety by a timely flight. Major Gordon
person. The English officer proposed as kept his force well in hand, and refused to
the most feasible plan his surrendering one allow any of the men to enter the city, where
of the gates. During all this period Major they would certainly have exercised the
privileges of a mercenary force in respect of circumstances of their fate were never
pillage. Instead of this Major Gordon en- known ; but nine headless bodies were dis-
deavored to obtain for them two months' pay covered on the opposite side of the creek,
from the Futai, which that official stated his and not far distant from the Futai's quarters.
inability to procure. Major Gordon there- It then became evident that Lar Wang
upon resigned in disgust, and on succeeding and his fellow Wangs had been brutually
in obtaining one months' pay for his men, murdered. Major Gordon was disposed to
he sent them back to Quinsan without a dis- take the office of their avenger into his own
turbance. hands, but the opportunity of doing so for-
tunately did not present itself He hastened
Nine Headless Bodies. back to Quinsan, where he refused to act
The departure of the Ever Victorious any longer with such false and dishonorable
Army for its headquarters was regarded by colleagues. The matter was reported to
the Chinese officials with great satisfaction Pekin. Both the mandarins sought to clear
and for several reasons. In the flush of the themselves by accusing each the other; and
Soochow both that
success at force and its a special decree came from Pekin conferring
commander seemed in the way of the Futai, on the English officer a very high order and
and to diminish the extent of his triumph. the sum of 14,000 dollars. Major Gordon
Neither Li nor Ching also had the least returned the money, and expressed his regret
wish for any of the ex-rebel chiefs, men of at being unable to accept any token of honor
ability and accustomed to command, to be from the Emperor in consequence of the
taken into the service of the government. Of Soochow affair.
men of that kind there were already enough.
General Ching himself was a sufficiently for- Gordon Again in the Field.
midable rival to the Futai, without any as- A variety of reasons, all equally credit-
sistanceand encouragement from Lar Wang able to Major Gordon's judgment andsingle-
and the others. Li had no wish to save mindedness, induced him after two months'
them from the fate of the rebels; and al- retirement to abandon his inaction and to
though he had promised, and General Ching sink his difference with the Futai. He saw
had sworn to, their personal safety, he was very clearly that the sluggishness of the
bent on getting rid of them in one way or Imperial commanders would result in the
another. prolongation of the struggle with all its at-
He Major Gordon, but he also

feared tendant evils, whereas, if he took the field,
thought that the time had arrived when he he would be able to bring it to a conclusion
could dispense with him and the foreign- within two months. Moreover, the Quinsan
same way as he had got
drilled legion in the force, never very amenable to discipline,
rid of Sherard Osborn and his fleet. The shook off all restraint when in quarters, and
departure of the Quinsan force left him free promised to become as dangerous to the
to follow his own inclination. The Wangs government in whose way it was as to the
were invited to an entertainment in the enemy against whom it was engaged to

Futai 's boat, and Major Gordon saw them fight.
both in the city and subsequently when on Major Gordon, in view of these facts,
their way to Li Hung Chang. The exact came to the prompt decision that it was his
duty, and the course most calculated to do of February, 1864, he accordingly left
good for him to retake the field, and strive Quinsan at the head of his men who showed
W'7' '^ni
CHINESE MANDARIN AND HIS WIFE.
as energetically as possible to expel the great satisfaction at the return to active cam-
rebels from the small part of Kiangsu still paigning. Wusieh had been evacuated on
remaining in their possession. On the 18th the fall of Soochow, andChung Wang's
force retired to Changchow, while that chief be admirably constructed, and as it contained
himself returned to Nankin. few weeks A a garrison of fifteen thousand men and a plenti-
later General Ching had seized Pingwang, ful supply of provisions. From Liyang, Major
thus obtaining the command of another en- Gordon marched on Kintang, a town due
trance into the Taho Lake. Santajin estab- north of Liyang, and about half-way between
lished his force in a camp not far distant Changchow and Nankin. The capture of
from Changchow, and engaged the rebels in Kintang, by placing Gordon's force within
almost daily skirmishes. striking distance of Changchow and its com-
This was the position of affairs when munications, would have compelled the rebels
Major Gordon took the field towards the end to suspend these operations and recall their
of February, and he at once resolved to carry forces.

the war into a new country by crossing the
Taho lake and attacking the town of Yesing A Resolute Garrison.
on its western shores. By seizing this and Unfortunately the attack on Kintjmg re-
the adjoining towns he hoped to cut the vealed unexpected difficulties. The garrison
rebellion in two, and to be able to attack showed extraordinary determination; and

Changchow in the rear. The operations at although the wall was breached by the heavy
Yesing occupied two days ; but at last the fire,two attempts to assault were repulsed
rebel stockades were carried with tremend- with heavy loss, the more serious inasmuch
ous loss, not only to the defenders but also as Major Gordon was himself wounded below
to a relieving force sent from Liyang. Five the knee, and compelled to retire to his boat.
thousand prisoners were also taken. This was the second defeat Gordon had ex-
perienced.
Marching Onward. In consequence of this reverse, which
Liyang itself was the next place to be dashed the cup of success from Gordon's
attacked ; but the intricacy of the country, hands when he seemed on the point of
which was intersected by creeks and canals, bringing the campaign to a close in the most
added to the fact that the whole region had brilliant manner, the force had to retreat to
been desolated by famine, and that the rebels Liyang, whence the commander hastened
had broken all the bridges, rendered this ijack with one thousand men to Wusieh.
undertaking one of great difficulty and some He reached Wusieh on the 25th of March,
risk. However, Major Gordon's fortitude four days after the repulse at Kintang, and
vanquished all obstacles and when he ap- he there learnt that Fushan had been taken
peared before Liyang he found that the rebel and that Chanzu was being closely attacked.
leaders in possession of the town had come The Imperialists had fared better in the
to the decision to surrender. At this place south. General Ching had captured Kash-
Major Gordon came into communication ingfoo, a strong place in Chekiang, and on
with the general Paochiaou, who was cover- same day as the repulse at
the very Kintang
ing the siege operations against Nankin Tso Tsung Tang had recovered Hangchow.
which Tseng Kwofan was pressing with Major Gordon, although still incapacitated
ever-increasing vigor. by his wound from taking his usual foremost
The surrender of Liyang proved the more place in the battle, directed all operations
important, as the fortifications were found to from his boat. He succeeded, after numer-
'CHINESE GORDON.' 119
ous skirmishes, in compelling the Taepings their upon them, and very
exactions, rose
to quit their position before Chanzu ; but few rebels escaped. The
pursuit was con-
they drew up in force at the village of tinued for a week, and the lately victorious
Waisso, where him battle.
they offered army of Waisso was practically annihilated.
Most unfortunately Major Gordon had to The capture of Changchbw was to be the
entrust the conduct of the attack to his next crowning success of the campaign.
lieutenants, Colonels Howard and Rhodes, For this enterprise the whole of the Ever-
while he superintended the advance of the Victorious Army was concentrated, including
gunboats up the creek. Finding the banks the ex-rebel contingent of Liyang. On the
were too high to admit of these being use- 23d of April Major Gordon carried the
fully employed, and failing to establish com- stockades near the west gate. In their cap-
munications with the infantry, he discreetly ture the Liyang men, although led only by
returned to his camp, where he found every- Chinese, showed conspicuous gallantry, thus
thing in the most dreadful confusion owing justifying Major Gordon's belief that the
to a terrible disaster. Chinese would fight as well under their own
countrymen as when led by fordgners.
Routed with Great Loss.
Batteries were then constructed for the bom-
The infantry in fact had been out-man- bardment of the town itself. Before these
oeuvred and routed with tremendous loss. were completed the Imperialists assaulted,
Seven and 265 men had been killed,
officers but were repulsed with loss. On the follow-
and one officer and sixty-two men wounded. ing day (April 27th) the batteries opened
Such an overwhelming disaster would have fire, and two pontoon bridges were thrown
crushed any ordinary commander, particu- across, when Major Gordon led his men to
larly when coming so soon after such a rude the assault.
defeat as that at Kingtang. It only roused
Major Gordon to increased activity. He at A Bridge of Casks.
once took energetic measures to retrieve this The first attack was repulsed, and a second
disaster. He sent his wounded to Quinsan, one, made in conjunction with the Imperial-
collected fresh troops, and, having allowed ists, fared not less badly. The pontoons
his own wound by a week's rest,
to recover were lost,and the force suffered a greater
resumed in person the attack on Waisso. loss than at any time during the war, with
On the loth of April Major Gordon pitched the exception of Waisso. The Taepings also
his camp within a mile of Waisso, and paid lost heavily ; and their valor could not alter
his men as the preliminary to the resumption the inevitable result. Changchow had conse-
of the offensive. quently to be approached systematically by
The attack commenced on the following trenches, in the construction of which the
morning, and promised to prove of an ardu- Chinese showed themselves very skiMul. The
ous nature ; but by a skilful flank movement loss of the pontoons compelled the formation
Major Gordon carried two stockades in per- of a cask -bridge ; and, during the extensive
son, and rendered the whole place no longer preparations for renewing the attack, several
tenable. The rebels evacuated their position hundred of the garrison came over, reporting
and retreated, closely pursued by the Imper- that it was only the Cantonese who wished to
ialists. The villagers who had suffered from fight to the bitter end.
On the I May, the fourth anniver-
ith of Nankin alone in their hands. Inside that
sary of its by Chung Wang, Li
capture city there was the greatest misery and suffer-
requested Major Gordon to act in concert ing. Tien Wang had refused to take any
with him for carrying the place by storm. of the steps pressed on him by Chung Wang,
The attack was made in the middle of the and when he heard the people were suffering
day, to the intense surprise of the garrison, from want, all he said was, " Let them eat
' who made only a feeble resistance, and the the sweet dew." Tseng Kwofan drew up his
town was at last carried with little loss. lines on all sides of the city, and gradually
drove the despairing rebels be-

hind the walls. Chung Wang
sent out the old women and
children; and let it be recorded
to the credit of Tseng Kwot-
siuen that he did not drive them
back, but charitably provided
for their wants, and despatched
them to a place of shelter.
In June Major Gordon visited
Tseng's camp, and he found his
works covering twenty-four to
thirty miles, and constructed in
the most elaborate fashion. The
Imperialists numbered eighty
thousand men, but were badly
armed. Although their pay
was very much in arrear, they
were well fed and had great
confidence in their Ieader,Tseng
Kwofan. On the 30th of June,
Tien Wang, despairing of suc-
cess, committed suicide by swal-
lowing golden leaf. Thus died

the Hungtsiuen who had erected
GENERAL GORDON.
the standard of revolt in Kwangsi
The commandant. Hoc Wang, was made thirteen years before. His son was proclciimed
prisoner and executed. This proved to be Tien Wang on his death becoming known, but
the last action of the Ever Victorious Army, his reign was brief.
which then returned to Quinsan, and was The last act of all had now arrived. On
quietly disbanded by his commander before the 19th of July the Imperialists had run
the 1st of June. a gallery under the wall of Nankin, and
To sum up the closing incidents of the charged it with forty thousand pounds of
Taeping war, Tayan was evacuated two powder. The explosion destroyed fifty yards
days after the fall of Changchow, leaving of the walls, and the Imperialists, attacking
on all sides, poured in through the breach. under their own officers, and that the inevi-
Chung Wang made a desperate resistance table consequence of their being placed under
in the interior, holding his own and the Tien Europeans was that they became rebels to
Wang's place to the last. He made a fur- their government.
ther stand with a thousand men at the These opinions show the disinterested spirit
southern gate, but his band was over- in which he served the Chinese. He fought
whelmed, and he and the young Tien Wang the Taepings not for any empty or vain-
fled into the surrounding country. In this glorious desire to make a military reputa-
supreme moment of danger Chung Wang tion, but because he saw an opportunity of
thought more of the safety of his young rendering a great service to a suffering people,
chief than of himself, and he gave him an among whom the horrors of a civil war had
exceptionally good pony to escape on, while spread death and disease. It is impossible
he himself took a very inferior animal. As a to exaggerate the impression made by his
consequence Tien Wang the Second escaped, disinterestedness on the Chinese people, who
while Chung Wang was captured in the hills elevated him for his courage and military
a few days later. prowess to the pedestal of a national god of
war. The cane which he carried when lead-
Captured and Beheaded. ing his men to the charge became known as
Chung Wang, who had certainly been the " Gordon's wand of victory " and the troops
;
hero of the Taeping movement, was beheaded whom he trained, and converted by success
on the 7th of August, and the young Tien from a rabble into an army, formed the
Wang was eventually captured and executed nucleus of China's modern army.
also, by Shen Paochen. For this decisive
victory, which extinguished the Taeping re- Brilliant Services.
bellion, Tseng Kwofan, whom Gordon called The service he rendered his adopted coun-
" generous, fair, honest and patriotic," was try was, therefore, lasting as well as striking,
made a Hou, or Marquis, and his brother and the gratitude of the Chinese has, to their
Tseng Kwotsiuen an Earl. credit, proved not less durable. The name
Although Gordon took no direct part in of Gordon is still one to conjure with among
the closing scene of Taeping power at Nan- the Chinese, and if ever China v/ere placed in
kin, everybody felt, and history accepts the the same straits, she would be the more will-
view, that the triumphant and speedy sup- ing, fromexample, to entrust her cause
his
pression of the rebellion was due to his ex- to an English officer. As to the military
traordinary military successes. He himself, achievements of General Gordon in China,
with characteristic modesty, was disposed to nothing fresh can be said. They speak in-
minimize the importance of his services ; and deed for themselves, and they form the most
he often declared that the Imperialists were solid portion of the reputation which he
certain to have overcome the Taepings eventu- gained as a leader of men. In the history
ally, although their caution and military in- of the Manchu dynasty he will be known as
experience might have prolonged the strug- " Chinese Gordon ; " although for others his
gle. Another opinion to which he strongly must needs give place, from
earlier soubriquet
adhered was, that the Chinese did not require and ever-regrettable death, to that
his heroic
European leading, that they were very good of " Gordon of Khartoum."
CHAPTER VI.
PRINCE KUNQ AND THE REGENCY.
WHILE the suppression of the

Taeping rebellion was in pro-
of the Dragon Throne
potentates as in
to
no degree equal to
treat all othei
himself.
gress, events of great interest But the continued residence of the Empe-
and importance happened at ror at Jehol was not popular with either his
f ekin. When the allied forces approached own family or the inhabitants of Pekin.
that city in 1 860, the Emperor Hienfung fled The members of the Manchu clan, who re-
to Jehol, and kept himself aloof from all the ceived a regular allowance during the Empe-
peace negotiations which were conducted to ror's residence at Pekin, were reduced to the
a successful conclusion by his brother. Prince greatest straits, and even to the verge of
Kung. After the signature of the convention starvation, while the Chinese naturally re-
in Pekin, ratifying the Treaty of Tientsin, sented the attempt to remove the capital to
he refused to return to his capital ; and he any other place. This abnegation of author-
even seems to have hoped that he might, by ity by Hienfung, for his absence meant
asserting his Imperial prerogative, transfer the nothing short of that, could not have been
capital from Pekin to Jehol, and thus evade prolonged indefinitely, for a Chinese Empe-
one of the principal concessions to the for- ror has many religious and secular duties to
eigners. But if this was impossible, he was perform which no one else can discharge,
quite determined, for himself, to have nothing and which, if not discharged, would reduce
to do with them, and during the short re- the office of Emperor to a nonenity.
mainder of his life he kept his Court at Jehol.
His Case Hopeless.
While his brother was engaged in meeting
the difficulties of diplomacy, and in arranging Reports began to be spread of the serious
the conditions of a novel situation, Hienfung, illness of the Emperor, and a pamphlet which
by collecting round his person the most big- enjoyed considerable circulation stated that
oted men of his family, showed that he pre- " his doctors declared his case to
be hopeless,
ferred those counsellors who had learnt and that, he promptly abandoned
even if
nothing from recent events, and who would some pernicious habits, he could not hope to
support him in his claims to undiminished hve beyond six months." All the available
superiority and inaccessibility. Prominent evidence went to show that he did not take
among the men in his confidence was Prince any precautions, but during the summer
Tsai, and among his advisers were several nothing definite was stated as to his health,
inexperienced and impulsive members of the although rumors of the gravity of Hienfung's
Manchu family. They were all agreed in the complaint continued to circulate so freely
policy of recovering, at the earliest possible that theannouncement of his death at any
moment, what they considered to be the moment would not have caused surprise.
natural and prescriptive right of the occupant The superstitious were the more disposed to
122
PRINCE KUNG AND THE REGENCY. 123
believe that something extraordinary might ing their own plan of action, and in making
happen, because a comet appeared in the sky sure of the fidelity of a certain number of
and remained some weeks ; for in China, as troops.
in mediaeval Europe, it was held Throughout these preparations Prince
Kung was ably and energetically supported
"Wheii beggars die there are no comets seen,
by his brother, Prince Chun, by his col-
The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of
princes." league, Wansiang, and by his aged father-
in-law, the minister Kweiliang. But the
In August Prince Kung hastened to Jehol, conspirators could not keep the young
the object of his journey, and indeed the Emperor at Jehol indefinitely, and when,
journey itself, being kept secret. Not merely at the end of October, it became known that
was Hienfung dying, but it had become known he was on the point of returning to Pekin,
to Prince Kung and his friends that he had
it was clear that the hour of conflict had
left the governing authority during the minor- arrived. At Jehol the Board of Regency
ity of his son, a child less than six years of could do little harm; but once its preten-
age, to a Board of Regency composed of sions and legality were admitted at the
eight of the least intelligent and most arro- capital, all the ministers would have to take
gant and self-seeking members of the Im- their orders from it, and to resign the func-
perial family, with Prince Tsai at their head.
tions which they had retained. The main
The Emperor died on the 22d of August. issue was whether Prince Kung or Prince
A few hours later the Imperial decree notify- Tsai was to be supreme.
ing the last wishes of the ruler as to the
mode of government was promulgated. The Arrival of the Emperor.
Board of Regency assumed the nominal On the 1st of November the young Em-
control of and Hienfung's son was
affairs, peror entered his capital in state. It was
proclaimed Emperor under the style of said that he was driven through the streets
Chiseang. in sitting on his mother's lap,
a carriage,
while the Empress Dowager, or the princi-
Intrigue to Obtain Power. pal widow of Hienfung, occupied another
In ail of these arrangements neither Prince seat in the same carriage; but no European
Kung nor his brothers, nor the responsible saw the cortege, because Prince Kung
actually
ministers at the capital, had had the smallest had asked the ministers as a favor to keep
part. It was an intrigue among certain their suites at home until the procession
members of the Imperial clan to possess reached the palace. A large number ot
themselves of the ruling power, and for a soldiers, still dressed in their white mourn-
time it seemed as if their intrigue would be ing, accompanied their Sovereign from Jehol
only too successful. Nothing happened but Shengpao's garrison was infinitely more
during the months of September and Octo- numerous, and thoroughly loyal to the cause
ber to disturb their confidence, for they of Prince Kung. The majority of the Re-
remained at Jehol, and at Pekin the routine gents had arrived with the reigning prince;
of government continued to be performed those who had not yet come were on the
by Prince Kung. That statesman and his road, escorting the dead body of Hienfung
colleagues employed the interval in arrang- towards its resting-place.
If ablow was to be struck at all, now was Emperor. Two precedents for the adminisv
the time to strike it. The Regents had not tration being entrusted to an empress were
merely placed themselves in the power of easily found by the Hanlin doctors during
their opponent, but they had actually brought the Ming dynasty, when the Emperors Chit-
with them the young Emperor, without whose song and Wanleh were minors. Special
person Prince Kung could have accomplished edicts were issued and arrangements made for
little. Prince Kung had .spared no effort to the transaction of business during the con-
secure, and had fortunately succeeded in tinuance of the Regency, and as neither of
obtaining, the assistance and co-operation of the empresses knew Manchu it was specially
the Empress Dowager, Hienfung's principal provided that papers and documents, which
widow, named Tsi An. Her assent had been were always presented in that language,
obtained to the proposed plot before the should be translated into Chinese.
arrival in Pekin, and it now only remained Concurrently with these measures for the
to carry it out. settlement of the Regency happened the
closing scenes in the drama of conspiracy
Not Given a Choice. which began so successfully at Jehol and
On the day following the entry into the ended so dramatically at Pekin. For com-
capital, Prince Kung hastened to the palace, plete success was necessary
and security it
and, producing before the astonished Regents that all the ringleaders should be captured,
an Imperial Edict ordering their dismissal, and some of them were still free.
he asked them whether they obeyed the
decree of their Sovereign, or whether he Arrested and Executed.
must call in his soldiers to compel them. The bravest, if not the ablest, of the late
Prince Tsai and his companions had no Board of Regency, Sushuen, remained at
choice save to signify their acquiescence in large. He had been charged with the high
what they could not prevent ; but, on leav- and honorable duty of escorting the remains
ing the chamber in which this scene took of Hienfung to the capital. It was most
place, they hastened towards the Emperor's important that he should be seized before he
apartments in order to remonstrate against became aware of the fate that had befallen
their dismissal, or to obtain from him some his colleagues. Prince Chun volunteered to
counteredict reinstating them in their posi- capture the last, and in a sense the most for-
tions. They were prevented from carrying midable, of the intriguers himself, and on
out their purpose, but this proof of contu- the very day that the events described
macy sealed their fate. They were promptly happened at Pekin he rode out of the capital
arrested, and a second decree was issued at the head of a body of Tartar cavalry.
ordering their degradation from their official On the following night Prince Chun
and hereditary rank. To Prince Kung and reached the spot where he was encamped,
was entrusted the charge of trying
his allies and, breaking into the house, arrested him
and punishing the offenders. whilst in bed. Sushuen did not restrain his
The next step was the proclamation of a indignation, and betrayed the ulterior plans
new Regency, composed of the two em- entertained by himself and his associates by
presses, Tsi An, principal widow of Hien- declaring that Prince Chun had been only
fung, and Tsi Thsi, mother of the young just in time to prevent a similar fate befalling
himself. He was at once placed on his trial rials that "if the Imperial household be the
with the other prisoners, and on the loth of first to begin misunderstandings " there was
November the order was given in the Em- no telling where the excitement would not
peror's name for their execution. Sushuen extend. These representations could not
was executed on the public ground set apart fail to produce their due effect.
for that purpose; but to the others, as a Five weeks after his fall Prince Kung was
special favor from their connection with the reinstated, on the 8th of May, in all his
Imperial family, was sent the silken cord, offices, with the exception of that of Presi-
with which they were permitted to put an dent of the Council. This episode, which
end to their existence. might have produced grave complications,
closed with a return to almost the precise
Strange Stroke of Misfortune.
state of things previously existing. There
The events of this introductory period was one important difference. The two em-
may be appropriately concluded with the presses had asserted their predominance.
strange stroke of misfortune that befell Prince Prince Kung had hoped to be supreme, and
Kung in the spring of 1865, and which to rule uncontrolled. From this time forth
seemed to show that he had indulged some he was content to be their minister and ad-
views of personal ambition. The affaii; had viser,on terms similar to those that would
probably a secret history, but if so the truth have applied to any other official.
is hardly likely to be ever known. The
known facts were as follows : On the 2d of Trouble in Remote Quarters.
April, 1865, there appeared an edict degrad- The year 1865, which witnessed this very
ing the Prince in the name of the two Regent- interesting event in the history of the Chinese
Empresses. The charge made him against Government, beheld before its close the de-
was of having grown arrogant and assumed parture of Sir Frederick Bruce from Pekin,
privileges to which he had no right. He and the appointment of Sir Rutherford Al-
was at first "diligent and circumspect," but cock, who had been the first British minister
he has now become disposed "to overrate to Japan during the critical period of the in-
his own importance." In consequence, he troduction of foreign intercourse with that
was deprived of all his appointments and dis- country, to fill the post of Resident Min-
missed from the scene of public affairs. ister at Pekin.
There was not much likelihood that a man While the events which have been set
who had taken so decisive a share in arrang- forth were happening in the heart of China,
ing the accession of the ruling prince, and in other misfortunes yet had befallen the exe-
the appointment of the Regents during his cutive in the more remote quarters of the
minority, would tamely acquiesce in being realm, but resulting none the less in the loss
set on one side by the decree of two women. and ruin of provinces, and in the subversion^
All his friends on the Imperial Council peti- of the Emperor's authority. Two great
tioned the Throne, representing in the plainest uprisings of the people occurred in opposite
terms the great inconvenience that would be directions, both commencing while the Taep-
entailedby the withdrawal of Prince Kung ing rebellion was in full force, and continu-
from the control of public affairs. It was ing to disturb the country for many years
significantly observed in one of these memo- after its suppression. The one had for its
scene the great south-western province of The Panthay rising calls for description in
Yunnan ; the other the two provinces of the the first place, because it began at an earlier
north-west, Shensi and Kansuh, and extend- period than the other, and also because the
ing thence westwards to the Pamir. They details have been preserved with greater
resembled each other in one point, and that fidelity.Mahomedanism is believed to have
was that they were instigated and sustained been introduced into Yunnan in or about the
by the Mahomedan population alone. year 1275, and it made most progress
The Panthays and the Tungani were among the so-called aboriginal tribes, the
either indigenous tribes or foreign immi- Lolos and the Mantzu. The officials were
CHINESE PEDLER.
grants who had adopted or imported the mostly Chinese or Tartars, and, left practi-
tenets of Islam. Their sympathies with the cally free from control, they more often
Pekin Government were probably never very abused their power than sought to employ it
great, but they were impelled in both cases for the benefit of the people they governed.
to revolt more by local tyranny than by In the very first year of Hienfung's reign
any distinct desire to cast ofif the authority (185 1) a petition reached the capital from a
of the Chinese ; but, of course, the obvious Mahomedan land proprietor in Yunnan
embarrassment of the central executive en- named Ma Wenchu, accusing the Emperor's
couraged by simplifying the task of rebellion. officials of the gravest crimes, and praying
that "a just and honest man" might be tion to avenge him, and fled to join the
sent to redress the wrongs of an injured and Mahomedan fugitives in the mountains. In
long-suffering people. this secure retreat they rallied their forces,
The petition was carefully read and favor- and, driven to desperation by the promptings
ably considered at the capital ; but beyond a of want, they left their fastnesses with the
gracious answer the Emperor was at the view of regaining what they had lost. In
time powerless to apply a remedy to the evil. this they succeeded better than they could
Four years passed away without any open have hoped for. The Chinese population
manifestation of the deep discontent smoul- experienced in their turn the bitterness of
dering below the surface. But in 185s the defeat; and the mandarins had the less
Chinese and the Mahomedan laborers quar- difficulty in concluding a temporary under-
relled in one of the principal mines of the standing between the exhaused combatants.
province, which is covered with mines of Tranquillity was restored, and the miners
gold, iron, and copper. It seems that the resumed their occupations.
greater success of the Mahomedans in the
Plot for a General Massacre.
uncertain pursuit of mining had roused the
displeasure of the Chinese. Disputes ensued, But the peace was deceptive, and in a little
inwhich the Mussulmans added success in time the struggle was renewed with increased
combat to success in mining ; and the official fury. In this emergency the idea occurred
appointed to superintend the mines, instead to some of the officials that an easy and
of remaining with a view to the restoration of efficacious remedy of the difficulty in which
order, sought by precipi-

his personal safety they found themselves would be provided by
tate flight to the town of Yunnan. During the massacre of the whole Mussulman popu-
his absence the Chinese population raised a lation. In this plot the foremost part was
levy en masse, attacked the Mahomedans taken by Hwang Chung, an official who
who had gained a momentary triumph, and bitterly hated the Mahomedans. He suc-
compelled them by sheer weight of numbers ceeded in obtaining the acquiescence of all
to beat a hasty retreat to their own homes in his colleagues with the exception of the
a different part of the province. Viceroy of the province, who exposed the
iniquity of the design, but who, destitute of
Ill-Will Against the Mahomedans. all support, was powerless to prevent its exe-
This success was the signal for a general cution. At the least he resolved to save his
outcry against the Mahomedans, who had honor and reputation by committing suicide,
long been the object of the secret ill-will of and he and his wife were found one morning
the other inhabitants. Massacres took place hanging up in the hall of the yamen. His
in several parts of Yunnan, and the followers death simplified the execution of the project
of the Prophet had to flee for their lives. which his refusal might possibly have pre-
Among those who were slain during these vented.
popular disorders was a young chief named The 19th of May, 1856, was the date
Ma Sucheng; and when the news of his fixed for the celebration of this Chinese
murder reached his native village, his younger St. Bartholomew. But the secret had not
brother. Ma Sien, who had just received a been well kept. The Mahomedans, whether
small military command, declared his inten- warned or suspicious, distrusted the authori-
ties and their neighbors, and stood valiantly highest among his co-religionists. He was
on their guard. At this time they looked therefore a man in high repute.
chiefly to a high priest named Ma Tesing for While Ma Tesing exercised the supremacy
guidance and instruction. But although on due to his age and attainments, the young
the alert they were, after all, taken to some chief Ma Sien led the rebels in the field.
extent by and many of them were
surprise, His energy was most conspicuous, and in
massacred after a more or less unavailing the year 1858 he thought he was sufficiently
resistance. But if many of the Mussulmans strong to make an attack upon the city of
were slain, the survivors were inspired with a Yunnan His attack was baffled by
itself.
desperation which the mandarins had never the resolute defence of an officer named Lin
contemplated. From one end of Yunnan to Tzuchin, who had shown great courage as a
the other the Mahomedans, in face of great partisan leader against the insurgents before
personal peril, rose by a common and spon- he was entrusted with the defence of the
taneous impulse, and the Chinese population Ma Sien was compelled
provincial capital.
was compelled to take a hasty refuge in the to beat a retreat, and to devote himself to the
towns. organization of the many thousand Ijen or

Lolos recruits who signified their attachment
They Held the City. to his cause. For the successful defence of
At Talifoo, where the Mahomedans formed Yunnan, Lin was made a Titu, and gradually
a considerable portion of the population, the collected into his own hands such authority
most desperate fighting occurred, and after as still remained to the Emperor's lieutenants.
three days' carnage the Mussulmans, under
Tu Wensiu, were left in possession of the Suicide of a Mandarin.
city. Their success inspired them with the On both sides preparations were made for
hope of retaining the freedom they had won, the renewal of the struggle, but before the
and, impressed with the conviction that noth- year 1858 ended Ma Sien met with a second
ing would atone for their acts of rebellion in repulse at the town of Linan. The year
the eyes of the government, they had no 1859 w^s "°t marked by any event of signal
choice save to exert themselves for the reten- importance, although the balance of success
tion of their independence. The rebels did inclined on the whole to the Mussulmans.
not remain without leaders, whom they will- But in the following year the Mahomedans
ingly recognized and obeyed ; for the kwan- drew up a large force, computed to exceed
shihs, or chiefs, who had accepted titles of 50,000 men, round Yunnanfoo, to which they
authority from the Chinese, cast off their laid vigorous siege. The Imperialists were
allegianceand placed themselves at the head taken at a disadvantage, and the large
of the popular movement. The priest Ma number of people who had fled for shelter
Tesing was raised to the highest post of all into the town rendered the small store of
as Dictator, but Tu Wensiu admitted no provisions less sufficient for a protracted

higher authority than his own within the defence. Yunnanfoo was on the point of
walls of Talifoo. Ma Tesing had performed surrender when an event occurred which not
the pilgrimage to Mecca, he had resided at merely relieved it from its predicament, but
Constantinople for two years, and his repu- altered the whole complexion of the struggle.
tation for knowledge and saintliness stood The garrison had made up its mind to
yield. Even the brave Lin had accepted the sible personal advantage with the minimum
inevitable,and begun to negotiate with the of risk. But they were also influenced by
two Ma Sien and the priest
rebel leaders, other considerations. Powerful as they were,
Ma Teaing. Those chiefs, with victory in there were other Mahomedan leaders seeking
their grasp, manifested an unexpected and to acquire the supreme position among their
surprising moderation. Instead of demand- co-religionists and foremost among these
;
ing from Lin a complete and unconditional was Tu Wensiu, who had reduced the whole
surrender, they began to discuss with him of Western Yunnan to his sway, and reigned
what terms could be agreed upon for the at Talifoo.
cessation of the war and for the restoration The Mahomedan cause, important as it
of tranquillity to the province. At first it was, did not afford scope for the ambitions of
was thought that these propositions con- two such men as Ma Julung and Tu Wensiu.
cealed some intended treachery, but their The former availed himself of the favorable
sincerity was placed beyond dispute by the opportunity to settle this difficulty in a prac-
suicide of the mandarin Hwang Chung, who tical and, as he shrewdly anticipated, the
had first instigated the people to massacre most profitable manner for himself person-
their Mahomedan brethren. ally, by giving in his adhesion to the govern-
ment.
Deserters to the Government.
The terms of peace were promptly ar- Every Man for Himself.
ranged, and a request was forwarded to Pekin This important defection did not bring in
for the ratification of a convention concluded train any certainty of tranquillity.
its Incited
under the pressure of necessity with some of by the example of their leaders, every petty
the rebel leaders. The better to conceal the officerand chief thought himself deserving
fact that this arrangement had been made of the highest honors, and resolved to fight
with the principal leader of the disafifected, for his own hand. Ma Julung left Yunnan-
Ma Sien changed his name to Ma Julung, foo for the purpose of seizing a neighboring
and received the rank of general in the town which had revolted, and during his
Chinese service; while the high priest ac- absence one of his lieutenants seized the
cepted as his share the not inconsiderable capital, murdered the Viceroy, and threat-
pension of ;^28,ooo a month. ened to plunder the inhabitants. Ma Julung

It is impossible to divine the true reasons was summoned to return in hot haste, and as
which actuated these instigators of rebellion a temporary expedient the priest Ma Tesing
in their decision to go over to the side of was elected Viceroy.
the government. They probably thought When Ma Julung returned with his army
that they had done sufficient to secure all he had to lay siege to Yunnanfoo, and
practical advantages, and that any persistence although he promptly effected an entrance
would only result in the increased
in hostilities into the city, it took five days' hard fighting
misery and impoverishment of the province. in the streets before the force in occupation
They thought that their kinsmen and fol- was expelled. The insurgent officer was
lowers would obtain justice and security; captured, exposed to the public gaze for one
and, as for themselves, no moment would be month in an iron cage, and then executed in
more opportune for securing the largest pos- a cruel manner. Ma Tesing was deposed
9
from the elevated position which he had held With the year 1867, both sides having
for so short a time, and a new Chinese Vice- collected their strength, more active opera-
roy arrived from Kweichow. The year 1863 tions were commenced, and Ma Julung pro-
opened with the first active operations against ceeded in person, at the head of the best
Tu Wensui, who, during these years of dis- troops he could collect, to engage Tu
order in central Yunnan, had been governing Wensiu.
the western districts with some prudence.
It would have been better if they had not
The Red Flag.
been undertaken, for they only resulted in It was at this time that the Imperialists
the defeat of the detachments sent by Ma adopted the red flag as their standard in
Julung to engage the despot of Talifoo. contradistinction to the white flag of the
insurgents. A desultory campaign ensued,
Rejected with Disdain. but although Ma
Julung evinced both cour-
Force having failed, they had recourse to age and capacity, the result was on the whole
diplomacy, and Ma Tesing was sent to sound unfavorable to him; and he had to retreat
Tu Wensiu as to whether he would not imi- to the capital, where events of some import-
tate theirexample and make his peace with ance had occurred during his absence in the
the authorities. These overtures were re- field. The Viceroy, who had been staunchly
jected with disdain, and Tu Wensiu pro- attached to Ma Julung, died suddenly and
claimed his intention of holding out to the under such circumstances as to suggest a
last, and refused to recognize the wisdom suspicion of foul play; and Tsen Yuying
or the necessity of coming to t^rms with had by virtue of his rank of Futai assumed
the government. The embarrassment of the temporary discharge of his duties. The
Ma Julung and the Yunnan officials, already retreat of Ma Julung left the insurgents free
sufficiently was at
afcute, conjuncture
this to follow up their successes; and in the
further aggrsnâtedby an outbreak in their course of 1868, the authority of the Em-
rear among the Miaotze and some other peror had disappeared from every other part
mountain tribes in the province of Kwei- of the province except the prefectural city
chow. To the difficulty of coping with a of Yunnanfoo.
strongly placed enemy in was thus
front This bad fortune led the Mussulmans who
added that of maintaining communications had followed the advice and fortunes of Ma
through a hostile and difficult region. Julung to consider whether it would not be
A
third independent party had also come wise to rejoin their co-religionists, and to at
into existence in Yunnan, where an ex-Chi- once finish the contest by the destruction of
nese official named Liang Shihmei had set the government. Had Ma Julung wavered
up his own authority at Linan, mainly, it in his fidelity for a moment they would have
was said, through jealousy of the Mahome- all joined the standard of Tu Wensiu, and
dans taken into the service of the govern- the rule of the Sultan of Talifoo would have
ment. The greatest difficulty of all was to been established from one end of Yunnan to
reconcile the pretensions of the different the other, but he stood firm and arrested
commanders, for the Chinese officials, and the movement in a summary manner.
the Futai Tsen Yuying in particular, re- Tu Wensiu,
having established the security
garded Ma Julung with no friendly eye. of his communications with Burmah, whence
he obtained supplies of arms and munitions those of the rebel leaders who had come
of war, devoted his efforts to the capture of over, and put them all to a cruel death.
Yunnanfoo, which he completely invested. The natural consequence of this foolish
The garrison was reduced to the lowest and ferocious act was that the Mahomedans
straits before Tsen Yuying resolved to come again reverted to their desperate resolve to
to the aid of his distressed colleague. The stand firmly by the side of Tu Wensiu.
loss of the prefectural town would not The war again passed into a more active
merely entail serious consequences to the phase. Ma Julung had recovered from his
Imperialist cause, but he felt it would per- wounds. A new Viceroy, and a man of
sonally compromise him as the Futai at some energy, was sent from Pekin. Lin
Pekin. In the early part of 1869, there- Yuchow had attracted the notice of Tseng
fore, he threw himself into the town with Kwofan among those of his native province
three thousand men, and the forces of Tu who had responded to his appeal to defend
Wensiu found themselves obliged to with- Hoonan against the Taepings sixteen years
draw from the eastern side of the city. A before ; and shortly before the death of the
long period of inaction followed, but during last Viceroy of Yunnan, he had been made
this time the most important events hap- Governor of Kweichow. To the same pa-
pened with regard to the ultimate result. tron at Pekin he now owed his elevation to
the Viceroyalty. It is said that he lost the
No Hope of Success.
energy which once characterized him ; but
Ma Julung employed all his artifice and he brought him several thousand
with
arguments to show the rebel chiefs the utter Hoonan braves, whose courage and military
hopelessness of their succeeding against the experience made them invaluable auxiliaries
whole power of the Chinese Empire, which, to the embarrassed authorities in Yunnan.
from the suppression of the Taeping rebel-
lion, would soon be able to be employed Many Towns Recovered.
against them. They felt the force of his The details of the campaign that followed
representations, and they were also op- would fail to be instructive, and the mention
pressed by a sense of the slow progress of names that are not merely uncouth but
they had made towards the capture of unpronounceable would only repel the
Yunnanfoo. Some months after Tsen Yu- reader. The result is the principal, or, in-
ying's arrival, those of the rebels who were deed, the single fact worthy of our consid-
encamped to the north of the city hoisted eration. In the course of the year 1870
the red flag and gave in their adhesion to most of the towns in the south and the
the government. north of Yunnan were recovered, and com-
Then Ma Julung resumed active opera- munications were re-opened with Szchuen.
tions against the other rebels, and obtained As soon as the inhabitants perceived that the
several small successes. A wound received government had recovered its strength, they
during one of the skirmishes put an end to hastened to express their joy at the change
'
his activity, and the campaign resumed its by repudiating the white flag which Tu
desultory character. But Ma Julung's ill- Wensiu had compelled them to adopt. The
ness had other unfortunate consequences; Imperialists even to the last increased the
for during it Tsen Yuying broke faith with difficulty of their work of pacification by
exhibiting a relentless cruelty ; and while In this extremity Tu Wensiu, although there
the inhabitants thought to secure their safety was every reason to believe that the Im-
by a speedy surrender, the Mussulmans perialists would not fulfil their pledges, and
were rendered more desperate in their re- that surrender simply meant yielding to a
solve to resist. cruel death, resolved to open negotiations
The chances of a Mahomedan success with Yang Yuko for giving up the town. The
*
were steadily diminishing when Yang Yuko, Emperor's generals signified their desire for
a mandarin of some military capacity, who the speedy termination of the siege, at the
had begun his career in the most approved same time expressing acquiescence in the
manner as a rebel, succeeded in capturing general proposition of the garrison being
the whole of the salt-producing district admitted to terms. Although the Futai and
which had been the main source of their Yang Yuko had promptly come to the
strength. In the year 1872 all the prelimi- mutual understanding to celebrate the fall of
nary arrangements were made for attacking Talifoo by a wholesome massacre, they ex-
Talifoo itself. A supply had been
of rifles pressed their intention to spare the other
received from Canton or Shanghai, and a rebels on the surrender of Tu Wensiu for
few pieces of artillery had also arrived. With execution and on the payment of an indem-
these improved weapons the troops of Ma nity.
Julung and Tsen Yuying enjoyed a distinct The terms were accepted, although the
advantage over the rebels of Talifoo. more experienced of the rebels warned their
comrades that they would not be complied
A Terrible Plague.
with. On the isth of January, 1873, Tu
The horrors of war were at this point in- Wensiu, the original of the mythical Sultan
creased by those of pestilence, for the plague Suliman, the fame of whose power filled the
broke out at Puerh on the southern frontier, world, and who had been an object of the
and, before it disappeared, devastated the solicitude of the Indian government, accepted
whole of the province, completing the effect the decision of his craven followers as express-
of the civil war, and ruining the few districts ing the will of Heaven, and gave himself up
which had escaped from its ravages. The for execution.
direct command of the siege operations at
Talifoo was entrusted to Yang Yuko, a Rode in State to His Death.
hunchback general, who had obtained a re- He attired himself in his best and choicest
putation for invincibility; and when Tsen garments, and seated himself in the yellow
Yuying had completed his own operations palanquin which he had adopted as one of
he also proceeded to the camp before the the few marks of royal state that his oppor-
Mahomedan capital for the purpose of tak- tunities allowed him to secure. Accom-
ing part in the crowning operation of the panied by the men who had negotiated the
war. surrender, he drove through the streets re-
Tu Wensiu and the garrison of Talifoo, ceiving for the last time the homage of his
although driven to desperation, could not people, and out beyond the gates to Yang
discover any issue from their difficulties. Yuko's camp. Those who saw the cortege
They were reduced to the last stage of desti- marvelled at the calm indifference of the
tution, and starvation stared them in the face. fallen despot. He seemed to have as little
fear of his fate as consciousness of his sur- common to Oriental struggles. Nobody
roundings. The truth soon became evi- benefited by the contest, and the prosperity
dent. He had baffled his enemies by taking of Yunnan, which at one time had been far
slow poison. Before he reached the presence from inconsiderable, sank to the lowest pos-
of the Futai, who had wished to gloat over sible point.
the possession of his prisoner, the opium had A new class of officials came to the front
done its and Tu Wensiu was no
work, during this period of disorder, and fidelity
more. seemed but an inadequate triumph

It was a sufficient passport to a certain rank.
to sever the head from the dead body, and Ma Julung, the Marshal Ma of European
to send it preserved in honey as the proof of travellers, gained a still higher station ; and
victory to Pekin. notwithstanding the jealousy of his col-
leagues, acquired practical supremacy in the

A Frightful Slaughter,
province. The high priest. Ma Tesing, who
Four days after Tu Wensiu 's death, the may be considered as the prime instigator of
Imperialists were in complete possession of the movement, was executed or poisoned in
the town, and a week later they had taken 1 874 at the instigation of some of the Chinese
all their measures for the execution of the officials. Yang Yuko, the most successful
fell plan upon which they had decided. A of all the generals, only enjoyed a brief
great feast was given for the celebration of tenure of power. Itwas said that he was
the convention, and the most important of the dissatisfied with his position as commander-
Mahbmedan commanders, including those in-chief,and aspired to a higher rank. He
who had negotiated the truce, were present. also was summoned to Pekin, but never got
At a given signal they were attacked and further than Shanghai, where he died, or was
murdered by soldiers concealed in the gal- removed. But, although quiet gradually
lery for the purpose, while six cannon shots descended upon this part of China, it was
announced to the soldiery that the hour had long before prosperity followed in its train.
arrived for them to break loose on the de-

fenceless townspeople. The scenes that fol- Wide-Spread Discontent.
lowed are stated to have surpassed descrip- About six years after the first mutterings
tion. It was computed that 30,000 men of discontent among the Mahomedans in the
alone perished after the fall of the old south-west, disturbances occurred in the
Pathay capital, and the Futai sent to Yun- north-west provinces of Shensi and Kansuh,
nanfoo twenty-four large baskets full of where there had been many thousand fol-
human ears, as well as the heads of the lowers of Islam since an early period of
seventeen chiefs. Chinese history. They were generally
With the capture of Talifoo the great obedient subjects and sedulous cultivators
j
Mahomedan rebellion in the south-west, to of the soil ; but they were always liable to
which the Burmese gave the name of sudden ebullitions of fanaticism or turbul-
Panthay, closed, after a desultory struggle ence, and it was said that during the later
of nearly eighteen years. The war was con- years of his reign Keen Lung had meditated
ducted with exceptional ferocity on both a wholesale execution of the male popula-
sides, and witnessed more than the usual tion above the age of fifteen. The threat, it
amount of falseness and breach of faith ever made, was never carried out, but the
report suffices to
show the extent to which frontier provinces appealed to the secret fears
danger was apprehended from the Tungan as well as to the longings of the Tungan
population. settlers and soldiers in all the towns and
The true origin of the great outbreak in military stations between Souchow and Kash-
1862 in Shensi seems to have been a quarrel gar. The sense of a common peril, more
between the Chinese and the Mahomedan perhaps than the desire to attain the same
militia as to their share of the spoil derived object, led to revolts at Hami, Barkul,
from th« defeat and overthrow of a brigand Urumtsi, and Turfan, towns which formed a
leader. After some bloodshed, two Impe- group of industrious communities half-way
rial Commissioners were sent from Pekin to between the prosperous districts of Kansuh
restore order. The principal Mahomedan on the one side, and Kashgar on the other.
leader formed a plot to murder the commis-
sioners, and on their arrival he rushed into
Another Insurrection.
their presence and slew one of them with his The Tungani at these towns revolted
own hand. His co-religionist deplored the under the leading of their priests, and imi-
rash act, and voluntarily seized and sur- tated the example of their co-religionists
rendered him for the purpose of undergoing within the settled borders of China by mur-
a cruel death. But, although he was torn to dering all who did not accept their creed.
pieces, that fact did not satisiy the out- After a brifef interval, which we may attribute
raged dignity of the Emperor. to the greatness of the distance, to the vigi-
lance of the Chinese garrison, or to the
The Hated Mahomedan. apathy of the population, the movement
A command was issued in Tungche's spread to the three towns immediately west
name to the effect that all those who per- of Turfan, Karashar, Kucha, and Aksu,
sisted in following the creed of Islam should where it came into contact with, and was
perish by the sword. From Shensi the out- stopped by, another insurrection under
break spread into the adjoining province of Mahomedan, but totally distinct, auspices.
Kansuh ; and the local garrisons were van- West of Aksu the Tungan rebellion never
quished in a pitched battle at Tara Ussu, extended south of the Tian Shan range.
beyond the regular frontier. The insurgents The defection of the Tungani, who had
did not succeed, however, in taking any of formed a large proportion, if not the majority,
the larger towns of Shensi, and after threat- of the Chinese garrisons, paralyzed the
ening with capture the once famous city of strength of the Celestials in Central Asia.
Singan, they were gradually expelled from Both in the districts dependent on Hi, and in
that province. The Mahomedan rebellion those ruled from Kashgar and Yarkand, the
within the limits of China proper would not, Chinese were beset by many great and per-
therefore,have possessed more than local manent difficulties. They were with united
importance, but for the fact that it encour- strength a minority, and now that they were
aged a similar outbreak in the country divided among themselves almost a hopeless
further west, and that it resulted in the sever- minority.
ance of the Central Asian provinces from The peoples they governed were fanatical,
China for a period of many years. false, and fickle. The ruler of Khokand and
The uprising of the Mahomedans in the the refugees living on his bounty were always
on the alert to take most advantage of the were disturbances as early as January, 1863,
least slip or act of weakness on the part of these were suppressed, and the vigilance
the governing classes. Their machinations the authorities sufficed to keep things quit,
had been hitherto baffled, but never before for another year. Their subsequent inca-
had so favorable an opportunity presented pacity, or hesitation to strike a prompt blow,
itself for attaining their wishes as when it enabled the Mahomedans to husband their
became known that the whole Mahomedan resources and to complete their plans. A
population was up in arms against the temporary alliance was concluded between
Emperor, and that communications were the Tungani and the Tarantchis and they
severed between Kashgar and Pekin. The hastened to attack the Chinese troops and
attempts made at earUer periods on the part officials.
of the members of the old ruling family in The year 1865 was marked by the pro-
Kashgar to regain their own by expelling gress of a sanguinary struggle, during which
the Chinese are a part of history. the Chinese lost their principal towns, and
some of their garrisons were ruthlessly
Fled from the Country. slaughtered after surrender. The usual
In 1857 Wali Khan, one of the sons of scenes of civil war followed. When the
Jehangir, had succeeded in gaining temporary Chinese were completely vanquished and
possession of the city of Kashgar, and seemed their garrisons exterminated, the victors quar-
for a moment to be likely to capture Yark- relled among themselves. The Tungani and
and also. He fell by his vices. The people the Tarantchis met in mortal encounter, and
soon detested the presence of the man to the former were vanquished and their chief
whom they had accorded a too hasty wel- slain. When they renewed the contest,
come. After a rule of four months he fled some months later, they were, after another
the country, vanquished in the field by the sanguinary struggle, again overthrown.
Chinese garrison, and followed by the exe-
crations of the population he had come to Horrors of Civil War.
deliver. The Tarantchis then ruled the state by
The invasion of Wali Khan further embit- themselves, but the example they set of
tered the relations between the Chinese and native rule was, to say the least, not en-
their subjects; and a succession of governors couraging. One chief after another was
bore heavily on the Mahomedans. Popular deposed and murdered. The same year wit-
dissatisfaction and the apprehension in the nessed no fewer than five leaders in the
minds of the governing officials that their supreme place of power; and when Abul
lives might be forfeited at any moment to a Oghlan assumed the title of Sultan the cup
popular outbreak added to the dangers of of their iniquities was already full. In the
the situation in Kashgar itself, when the year 1871 an end was at last put to these
news arrived of the Tungan revolt, and of enormities by the occupation of the province
the many other complications which ham- by a Russian force, and the installation of a
pered the action of the Pekin ruler. Russian governor. Although it is probable
The news of the Mahomedan outbreak in that they were only induced to take this step
China warned the Tungani in Hi that their by the fear that if they did not do so Yakoob
opportunity had come. But although there Beg would, the fact remains that the Russian
government did a good thing in the cause of cordial. The commercial and missionary
order by interfering for the restoration of bodies, into which the foreign community
tranquillity in the valley of the Hi. was naturally divided, had objects of trade
The Mahomedan outbreaks in southwest- or religion to advance, which rendered them
ern and northwestern China resulted, there- apt to take an unfavorable view of the pro-
fore, in the gradual suppression of the gress made by the Chinese government in
Panthay rebellion, which was completed in the paths of civilization, and to be ever skep-
the twelfth year of Tungche's reign, while tical even of its good faith.
the Tungan rising, so far as the Central

Trying to Obtain Justice.
Asian territories were concerned, remained
unquelled for a longer period. The latter The main object with the foreign diplo-
an independent
led to the establishment of matic representatives became not more to
Tungan confederacy beyond Kansuh, and obtain justice for their countrymen than to
also of the kingdom of Kashgaria ruled by and to confine their

restrain their eagerness,
Yakoob Beg. The revolt in Hi, after several pretensions to the rights conceded by the
alternations of fortune resulted in the brief treaties. A clear distinction had to be

independence of the Tarantchis, who were drawn between undue coercion of the Chi-
in turn displaced by the Russians under nese government on the one hand, and the
a pledge of restoring the province to the effectual compulsion of the people to evince
Chinese whenever they should return. respect towards foreigners and to comply
with the obligations of the treaty on the
Only a Question of Time. other. Instances repeatedly occurred in
Judged by the extent of the territory reference to the latter matter,when it would
involved, the Mahomedan rebellion might have been foolish to have shown weakness,
be said to be not less important than the especially as there was not the least room to
Taeping ; but the comparison on that ground suppose that the government possessed at
alone would be really delusive, as the numeri- that time the power and the capacity to
cal inferiority of the Mahomedans rendered secure reparation for, or to prevent the
it always a question only of time for the cen- repetition of attacks on foreigners.
power to be restored.
tral Under this category came the riot at
The young Emperor Tungche, therefore, Yangchow in the year 1868, when some
grew up amidst continual difficulties, although missionaries had their houses burnt down,
the successes of his principal lieutenants affor- and were otherwise maltreated. similar A
ded good reason to believe that, so far as outrage was perpetrated in Formosa; but
they arose from rebels, it was only a question the fullest redress was always tendered as
of time before they would be finally removed. soon as the Executive realized that the
The foreign intercourse still gave cause for European representatives attached import-
much anxiety, although there was no appre- ance to the occurrence. The recurrence of
hension of war. It would have been un- these local dangers and disputes served to
reasonable to suppose that the relations bring more clearly than ever before the
between the foreign merchants and residents minds of the Chinese Ministers the advisa-
and the Chinese could become, after the sus- bility of taking some step on their own part
picion and dangers of generations, absolutely towards an understanding with European

governments and peoples. The proposal to she refused the remedy forced upon her by
depute a Chinese ambassador to the West foreigners, who had at least as much their
could hardly be said to be new, seeing that own interests as hers in view, declared that
it had been projected after the Treaty of Mr. Burlingame's statements were " enthu-
Nankin, and that the minister Keying had siastic fictions."
manifested some desire to be the first man- The Chinese themselves did not attach as
darin to serve in that novel capacity. much importance as they might have done
to his efforts,and Mr. Burlingame's Mission
The American Minister.
remembered more as an educational
willbe
The favorable opportunity of doing so pre- process for foreigners than as signifying any
sented itself when Mr. Burlingame retired decided change in Chinese policy. His
from his post as Minister of the United death at St. Petersburg, in March, 1870, put
States at Pekin.In the winter of 1867-68 a sudden and unexpected close to his tour,
Mr. Burlingame accepted an appointment as but it cannot be said that he could have
accredited representative of the Chinese gov- done more towards the elucidation of Chinese
ernment to eleven of the principal countries questions than he had already accomplished,
of the world, and two Chinese mandarins while his bold and optimistic statements,
and a certain number of Chinese students awakening public attention, had already
after
were appointed to accompany him on his begun to produce the inevitable reaction.
tour. The importance of the Burlingame
Mission was certainly exaggerated at the Great Popular Outbreak.
time, and the speculations to which it gave In 1869 Sir Rutherford Alcock retired,
rise as to the part China was about to take and was succeeded in the difficult post of
in the movement of the world were no doubt English representative in China by Mr.
bjised on erroneous data but still it would
; Thomas Wade. In the very first year of
be a mistake to say that it failed to produce his holding the post an event occurred
any of the beneficial effect which had been which cast the minor aggressive acts that
all
expected. It was something for the outer had preceded it into the shade. It may
world to learn in those days that the Chinese perhaps be surmised that this was the Tient-
represented a great power. sin massacre —
an event which threatened to
Mr. Burlingame was sanguine as to the reopen the whole of the China question, and
future development of China and the inten- which brought France and China to the
tion of her Executive, and the expectations verge of war. It was in June, 1870, on the
of his audiences both in America and in eve of the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian
Europe over leapt all difficulties and spanned war, that the foreign settlements were startled
at a step the growth of years but only ; by the report of a great popular outbreak
shallow minded observers will deny that Mr. against foreigners in the important town of
Burlingame's widest stretches of fancy were Tientsin.
supported by an amount of truth which At that city there was a large and ener-
events are making clearer every year. Of getic colony of Roman Catholic priests, and
course those who only looked on the surface, their success in the task of conversion, small
who saw the difficulties under which China as. it might be held, was still sufficient to
staggered, and the dogged pride with which excite the ire and fears of the literary cUid
official classes. The origin of mob violence were spread about as to the cruelties and evil
is ever difficult to discover, for a trifle suf- practices of those devoted to the service of
THE FAMOUS PORCELAIN TOWER.
fices to set it in motion. But at Tientsin religion.These rumors were diligently cir-
specific charges of the most horrible and, it culated,and it need not cause wonder if,
need not be said, the most baseless character —
when the mere cry of " Fanquai " Foreign
Devil — ^sufficied to raise a disturbance, these side the Mission House. They very soon
allegations resulted in a vigorous agitation assumed an and it was
attitude of hostility,
against the missionaries, who were already clear that at any moment the attack might
the mark of popular execration. begin. M. Fontanier hastened off in person
was well known beforehand that an
It to Chung How, but his threats seem to hav{
attack on the missionaries would take place been as unavailing as his arguments. On
unless the authorities adopted very efficient his return he found the attack on the point
measures of protection. The foreign resi- of commencing. He made use of menaces,
dents and the consulates were warned of the and he fired a shot from his revolver, whether
coming outburst, and a very heavy responsi- in self-defence or in the heat of indignation
always rest on those who might,
bility will at some official treachery will never be
by the display of greater vigor, have pre- known. The mob turned upon him, and he
vented the unfortunate occurrences that was murdered. The Chinese then hastened
ensued. At the same time, allowing for the to complete the work they had begun.
prejudices of the Chinese, it must be allowed Chung How, like Surajah Dowlah, was not
that not only must the efforts of all foreign to be disturbed, and the attack on the Mis-
missionaries be attended with the gravest sion House and Consulate proceeded, while
peril, but that the acts of the French priests the officials responsible for order remained
and nuns at Tientsin were, if not indiscreet, inactive. Twenty-one foreigners in all were
at least peculiarly calculated to arouse the brutally murdered under circumstances of
anger and offend the superstitious predilec- the greatest barbarity, while the number of
tions of the Chinese. native converts who fell at the same time can
never be ascertained.
Might Have Been Prevented.
Had the officials in the town acted with Feeling of Great Alarm.
promptitude and instituted an official inquiry, This event naturally produced the greatest
it is probable that the outbreak might have feeling of alarm, and for the moment it was
been averted. Such a course had proved feared that the rioters would proceed to
availing on equally critical occasions in some attack the rest of the foreign settlement.
of the towns along the Yangtse; and the The mandarins still refrained from interven-
responsibility of not taking it rested in equal tion, and as there happened to be no gun-
proportions between the Chinese officials and boat at Tientsin, the foreign residents were
the French Consul. At that time Chung for the moment placed in an extremely dan-
How, the Superintendent of Trade for the gerous predicament. They, of course, took
three Northern Ports, was the principal offi- all the measures they could to defend them-
cial in Tientsin; but although some represen- selves, but it was said at the time that if the
tations, not as forcible however as the mob had only attacked at once they would
occasion demanded, were made to him by probably have overcome such resistance as
M. Fontanier, the French Consul, on the the Europeans could then have offered.
1 8th of June, three days before the massacre, They did not do so, however, chiefly because
no reply was given, and no precautions were they distrusted or failed to realize their
taken. strength;and the massacre of Tientsin did
On the 2 1st a large crowd assembled out- not assume the larger proportions tha<: were
at one moment feared. The turbulent ele- the celebration of his marriage the formal
ments were partially quieted. act of conferring upon Tungsche the per-
The was followed by a
Tientsin massacre sonal control of his dominionswas performed.
wave of anti-foreign feeling over the whole In a special decree issued from the Board of
country; but although an official brought Rites the Emperor said that he received "the
out a work — entitled "Death-blow to Cor- commands of their Majesties the two
rupt Doctrine " — ^which obtained more than Empresses to assume the superintendence of
a passing notoriety, and notwithstanding that business."
some members of the Imperial Family, and This edict was directed to the Foreign
notably, as it was stated. Prince Chun, Ministers, who in return presented a col-
regarded the movement with favor, the argu- lective request to be received in audience.
ments of Prince Kung and the more moderate Prince Kung was requested "to take his
ministers carried the day, and it was resolved Imperial Majesty's orders with reference to
to make every concession in the power of their reception." The question being thus
the government for the pacific settlement of brought to a crucial point, it was not
the dispute that had arisen with France. unnatural that the Chinese Ministers should
Compensation was offered and accepted, and make the most vigorous resistance they could
the unfortunate affair was settled. to those details which seemed to and did
enroach upon the prerogative of the Emperor
Marriage of the Emperor. as he had been accustomed to exercise it.
had been known for sometime that the
It For, in the first place, they were no longer
young ruler had fixed his affections on free agents, and Tungche had himself to be
Ahluta, a Manchu lady of good family, considered in any arrangement for the recep-
daughter of Duke Chung, and that the tion of foreign envoys.
Empresses had decided that she was worthy
of the high rank to which she was to be A Spirited Controversy.
raised. The marriage ceremony was deferred The assumed a

discussion of the question
on more than one plea until after the controversial character, inwhich stress was
Emperor had reached his sixteenth birthday, laid on the one side upon the necessity of
but in October, 1872, there was thought to the kotow (touching the head to the ground),
be no longer any excuse for postponement, even in a modified form, while on the other
and it was celebrated with great splendor on itwas pointed out that the least concession
the 1 6th of that month. was objectionable as the greatest, and that
The arrangements were made in strict China would benefit by the complete settle-
accordance with the precedent of the ment of the question. It says a great deal
Emperor Kanghi's marriage in 1674, that for the fairness and moderation of Prince
'ruler having also married when in occupa- Kung and the ministers with him that,
tion of the throne, and before he had attained although they knew that the Foreign govern-
his majority. It was stated the ceremonial ments were not prepared to make the Audi-
was imposing, that the incidental expenses ence Question one of war, or even of the
were enormous, and that the people were suspension of diplomatic relations, they
very favorably impressed by the demeanor of determined to settle the matter in the way
their young sovereign. Four months after most distasteful ta themselves and most
CHINESE CHILDREN
TRAVELLING MERCHANT AND WIFE OF PROVINCE OF THIBET, CHINA
agreeable to foreigners, thus showing a con- lieutenant, Li Hung Chang, who succeeded
ciliatory disposition. to some of his dignities and much of his
On the 29th of June, 1873, Tungche re- power.
ceived inaudience the ministers of the principal Another of Tseng's proteges, Tso Tsung
Powers and thus gave completeness
at Pekin, Tang, had been raised from the Vice-royalty
to the many rights and concessions obtained of Chekiang and Fuhkien to that of Shensi
from his father and grandfather by the treaties and Kansuh. The promotion was of the
of Tientsin and Nankin. The privilege thus more doubtful value, seeing that both those
secured caused lively gratification in the provinces were in the actual possession of
minds of all foreign residents, to whom it the rebels ; but Tso threw himself into the
signified the great surrender of the inherent task of reconquering them with remarkable
right to superiority claimed by the Chinese energy, and within two years of his arrival
Emperors, and we have recently seen that it he was able to report that he had cleared the
has been accepted as a precedent. province of Shensi of all insurgents. He
then devoted his attention to the pacification
The Illustrious Dead. of Kansuh ; and after many desultory engage-
The sudden death of Tseng Kwofan in ments proceeded to lay siege to the town
the summer of 1872 removed unquestionably of Souchow, where the Mahomedans had
the foremost public man in China. After massed their strength.
the fall of Nankin he had occupied the
highest posts in the Empire, both at that A Signal Victory.
city and in the metropolis. He was not At the end of the year 1872 the Imperial
merely powerful from his own position, but army was drawn up in front of this place, but
from his having placed his friends and depen- Tso does not seem to have considered him-
dents in many of the principal offices self strong enough to deliver an attack, and
throughout the Empire. At first prejudiced confined his operations to preventing the in-
against foreigners, he had gradually brought troduction of supplies and fresh troops into
himself to recognize that some advantage the town. Even in this he was only partially
might be derived from their knowledge. successful, as a considerable body of men
But the change came at too late a period made their way in in January, 1873. In the
to admit of his conferring any distinct benefit following month he succeeded in capturing,
on his country from the more liberal policy by a night attack, a temple outside the walls,
he felt disposed to pursue with regard to the upon which the Mahomedans placed con-
training of Chinese youths in the science and siderable value. The siege continued during
learning of the West. It was said that had the whole summer, and it was not until the
he been personally ambitious he might have month of October that the garrison was
succeeded in displacing the Tartar regime. reduced to such extremities as to surrender. ,
But such a thought never assumed any prac- The were hacked to pieces, and about
chiefs
tical shape in his mind, and to the end of his four thousand men perished by the sword.
days Tseng Kwofan was satisfied to remain The women, children, and old men were
the steadfast supporter and adherent of the spared, and the spoil of the place was handed
Manchus. In this respect he has been over to the soldiery.
closely imitated by his most distinguished It was Tso's distinctive merit that, far
from being carried away by these successes, Chinese predominance, at same time
the
he neglected no military precaution, and their insular position has left them safe from
devoted his main efforts to the reorganiza- the attack of the Pekin government. The
tion of the province. In that operation he attempt made by the Mongol, Kublai Khan,
may be employed for the brief remainder
left to subdue these islanders had been too disas-
of Tungche's reign but it may be said that

; trous to invite repetition. In Corea the pre-
in 1874 the campaign against Kashgariahad tensions of the ruler of Yeddo had been
been fully decided upon. A
thousand Man- repelled, if not crushed; but wherever the
chu cavalry were sent to Souchow. Sheep- sea intervened the advantage rested more or
CHINESE COBBLERS.
skins, horses, and ammunition in large less decisively with him. The island of For-
quantitieswere also despatched to the far mosa is dependent upon China, and the
west, and General Kinshun, the Manchu western districts are governed by officials
general, was entrusted with the command of duly appointed by the Viceroy of Fuhkien.
thearmy in the field. But the eastern half of the island, separated
The year 1874 witnessed an event that from the cultivated districts by a range of
claims notice. There never has been much mountains covered with dense if not impene-
good-will between China and her neighbors trable forests, is held by tribes who own no
in Japan. The latter are too independent in one's authority, and who act as they deem fit.
their bearing to please the advocates of In the year 1868 or 1869 a junk from
Loochoo was wrecked on this coast, and the over much to his fancy. On the loth of
crew were murdered by the islanders. The September the young ruler took the world
civil war in Japan prevented any prompt into his confidence by announcing in a Ver-
claim for reparation, but in 1873 the affair milion Edict that he had degraded Prince
was revived, and a demand made at Pekin Kung and his son in their hereditary rank as
for compensation. The demand was refused, princes of the Empire for using " language
whereupon the Japanese, taking the law into in very many respects unbecoming."
their own hands, sent an expedition to For- Whether Tungche took this very decided
mosa. China replied with a counter-demon- step in a moment of pique or because he
stration, and war seemed inevitable. In this perceived that there was a plan among his
crisis Mr. Wade offered his good services in chief relatives to keep him in leading-strings,
the interests of peace, and after considerable must remain a matter of opinion. At the
controversy he succeeded in bringing the two least he must have refused to personally
governments to reason, and in inducing them retract what he had done, for on the very fol-
to agree to as equitable terms as could be lowing day (September nth) a Decree
obtained without having recourse to arms. appeared from the Two Empresses rein-
The Chinese paid an indemnity and the stating Prince Kung and his son in their
Japanese evacuated the island. hereditary rank and dignity, and thus re-
asserting the power of the ex-Regents over
Fortunes of Prince Kung.
the sovereign.
In all countries governed by an absolute
sovereign it is as interesting as it is difficult Startling Rumors.
to obtain some accurate knowledge of the Not long after this disturbance in the
character of the autocrat. A most important interior of the palace, of which only the
change had been effected in thegovernment ripple reached the surface of publicity, there
of China, yet it is impossible to discover what were rumors that the Emperor's health was
its precise significance was, or to say how far in a precarious state, and in the month of
it influenced the fortunes of the country. December it became known that Tungche
The Empresses had retired into private life, was seriously ill with ah attack of small-pox.
and for a time their Regency came to an end. The disease seemed to be making satisfactory
Prince Kung was only the minister of a young progress, for the doctors were rewarded
prince who had it in his power to guide affairs but on the i8th of December an edict
exactly as he might feel personally disposed. appeared ordering or requesting the Em-
Prince Kung might be either the real gov- presses Dowager to assume the personal
ernor of the state or only the courtier of his charge of the administration. Six days later
nephew. depended solely on that prince's
It another edict appeared which strengthened
character. There were not wanting signs Emperor was making
the impression that the
that Tungche had the consciousness, if not good progress towards recovery. But ap-
the capacity of supreme power and that he pearances were deceptive, for, after several
wished his will to be paramount. Such weeks' uncertainty, became known that the
it
evidence as was obtainable agreed in stating Emperor's death was inevitable. On the
that he was impatient of restraint, and that 1 2th of January, 1875, Tungche "ascended
the prudent reflections of his uncle were not upon the Dragon, to be a guest on high,"
without leaving any offspring to succeed him. never born. The charitable gave her credit
There were rumors that his illness was for having refused food through grief for
only a plausible excuse and that he was her husband, Tungche. The skeptical list-
really the victim of foul play ; but it is not ened to the details of her illness with scorn
likely that the truth on that point will ever for the vain efforts to obscure the dark deeds
be revealed. Whether he was the victim of of ambition. In their extreme anxiety to
an intrigue similar to that which had marked realize their own designs and at the same
his accession to power, or whether he only time not to injure the constitution, the two ,
died from the neglect or incompetence of his Empresses had been obliged to resort to a
medical attendants, the consequences were plan that could only have been suggested by
equally favorable to the personal views of desperation. For the first time since the
the two Empresses and Prince Kung. They Manchu dynasty occupied the throne, it was
resumed the exercise of that supreme author- necessary to depart from the due line of suc-
ity which they had resigned little more than cession, and to make the election of the
twelve months before. The most suspicious sovereign a matter of individual fancy or
circumstance in connection with this event favor instead of one of inheritance.
was the treatment of the young Empress
Ahluta, who, it was well known, was preg-
Choice of a New Emperor.
nant at the time of her husband's death. The range of choice was limited ; for the
son of Prince Kung himself, who seemed to
The Queen's Mysterious Death. enjoy the prior right to the throne, was a
Instead of waiting to decide as to the suc- young man of sufficient age to govern for
cession until was known whether Tungche's
it himself; and, moreover, his promotion
posthumous child would prove to be a son would mean the compulsory retirement from
or a daughter, the Empress Dowager hast- public life of Prince Kung, for it was not
ened to make another selection and to place possible in China for a father to serve under
the young widow of the deceased sovereign his son, until Prince Chun, the father of the
in a state of honorable confinement. Their present reigning Emperor, established quite
motive was plain. Had Ahluta's child hap- recently a precedent to the contrary. The
pened to be a son, he would have been the name of Prince Kung's son, if mentioned at
legal Emperor, as well as the heir by direct all,was only mentioned to be dismissed. The
descent, and she herself could not have been choice of the Empresses fell upon Tsai Tien,
excluded from a prominent share in the gov- the son of Prince Chun or the Seventh
ernment. To the Empress
Dowagers one Prince, who on the 13th of January was
child on the throne mattered no more than proclaimed Emperor. As he was of too
another but it was a question of the first
; tender an age to rule for himself, his nom-
importance that Ahluta should be set on one ination served the purposes of the two Em-
side. In such an atmosphere there is often presses and their ally Prince Kung, who
grievous peril to the lives of inconvenient thus entered upon a second lease of undis-
personages. puted power. They ruled in reality, the boy
Ahluta sickened and died. Her child was Emperor only in name.
CHAPTER VII.
THE REIQN OF THE EMPEROR KWANQSU.
THUS after a very brief interval the
governing power again passed into
Browne, an officer
Burmah to that province.

of distinction, through
the hands of the Regents who had The difficulties in the way of the under-
ruled the state so well for the taking seemed comparatively few, as the
twelve years following the death of Hien- King of Burmah was friendly and appeared
fung. The nominal Emperor was a child of disposed at that time to accept his natural
little more than three years of age, to Whom position as the dependent of Calcutta. The
was given the style of " Kwangsu," or " il- Pekin authorities also were outwardly not
lustrious succession," and the Empresses opposed to the journey ; and the only oppo-
could look forward to many years of author- sition tobe apprehended was from the Yun-
ity in the name of so young a sovereign. nan officials and people.
The only opposition to their return to power
seems to have come from the Palace
Long Journey Across China.
eunuchs, who had asserted themselves dur- It was thought desirable, with the view of
ing the brief reign of Tungche and hoped to preparing the way for the appearance of this
gain predominance in the Imperial councils. foreign mission, that a representative of the
But they found a determined mistress in the English embassy at Pekin, having a knowl-
person of Tse An, the Eastern Empress, as edge of the languageand of the ceremonial
she was also called, who took vigorous etiquette of the country, should be deputed
action against them, punishing their leaders to proceed across China and meet Colonel
with death and effectually nipping in the bud Browne on the Burmese frontier. The officer
all their projects for making themselves su- and difficult mission
selected for this delicate
preme. was Mr. Raymond Augustus Margary, who
The return of the Empresses to power to the singular aptitude he had displayed in
was followed by a great catastrophe in the the study of Chinese added a buoyant spirit
relations between England and China. For and a vigorous frame that peculiarly fitted
the moment it threw every other matter into him for the long and lonely journey he had
the shade,and seemed to render the out- undertaken across China. His reception
break of war between the two countries throughout was encouraging. Mr. Margary
almost inevitable. In the year 1874 the performed his journey in safety; and, on the
government of India, repenting of its brief 26th of January, 1875, only one fortnight
infatuation for the Panthay cause, yet still after Kwangsu's accession, he joined Colonel
reluctant to lose the advantages it had prom- Browne at Bhanio. A delay of more than
ised itself from the opening of Yunnan to three weeks ensued at Bhamo, which was
upon sending a formal mis-
trade, resolved certainly unfortunate. Time was given for
sion of exploration under Colonel Horace the circulation of rumors as to the approach
10 145
of a foreign invader along a disturbed fron- that all was quiet at that place, and that
tier held by tribes almost independent, a;nd there were no signs of any resistance. That
whose predatory instincts were excited by letter was the last news ever received from
the prospect of rich plunder at the same Mr. Margary. On the 19th of February he
time that their leaders urged them to oppose started from Momein, and the information
a change which threatened to destroy their subsequently obtained left no doubt that he
hold on the caravan route between Bhamo was treacherously murdered on that or the
and Talifoo. following day at Manwein. An ominous
When on the 17th of February Colonel silence followed, and Colonel Browne's party
Browne and his companions approached the delayed its advance until some definite news
limits of Burmese territory, they found them- should arrive as to what had occurred in
selves in face of a totally different state of front, although the silence was sufficient to
affairs from what had existed when Mr. Mar- justify the worst apprehensions.
gary passed safely through three weeks
before. The preparation for opposing the
A Brave Little Band.
English had been made under the direct en- Three days later the rumor spread that
couragement, and probably the personal Mr. Margary and his attendants had been
direction, of Lisitai, a man who had been a murdered. It was also stated that an army
brigand and then a rebel, but who at this was advancing to attack the English expedi-
time held a military command on the fron- tion; and on the 22nd of February a large
tier. Chinese force did make its appearance on the

neighboring heights. There was no longer
Last News Received. any room to doubt that the worst had hap-
As Colonel Browne advanced he was met pened, and it only remained to secure the
with rumors of the opposition that awaited safety of the expedition.
him. At first these were discredited, but on These Chinese numbered several thousand
the renewed statements that a large Chinese men under Lisitai in person, while to oppose
force had been collected to bar his way, Mr. them there were only four Europeans and
Margary rode forward to ascertain what truth fifteen Sikhs. Yet superior weapons and
there was in these rumors. The first town steadfastness carried the day against greater
on this route within the Chinese border is numbers. The Sikhs fought as they retired,
Momein, which, under the name of Tengyue, and the Chinese, unable to make any im-
was once a military station of importance, pression on them, abandoned an attack
and some dibtance east of it again is another which was both perilous and useless.
town, called Manwein. Mr. Margary set The news of this outrage did not reach
out on the 19th of February, and it was Pekin until a month later, when Mr. Wade
arranged that only in the event of his find- at once took the most energetic measures to
ing everything satisfactory at Momein was obtain the amplest reparation in the power of
he to proceed to Manwein and on the first
; the Pekin government to concede. The first
suspicious occurrence he was to retreat at and most necessary point in order to ensure
once to the main body. not merely the punishment of the guilty, but
Mr. Margary reached Momein in safety, also that the people of China should not
and rôrted in a letter to Colonel Browne have cause to suppose that their rulers
THE REIGN OF THE EMPEROR KWANGSU. 147
secretly sympathized with the authors of the slowly. It was not till the end of the year
attack, was that no punitive measures should Commission to ascertain the fate of
that the
be undertaken, or, if undertaken, recognized, Mr. Margary began its active work on the
until a special Commission of Inquiry had spot.
been appointed to investigate the circum- The result was unexpectedly disappoint-
stances on the spot. Mr. Margary was an ing. The mandarins supported one another.
officer of the English government traveling The responsibility was thrown on several
under special permission and protection. minor and on the border-tribes or
officials,
savages. Several of the latter were seized,

Mysterious Delay.
and their lives were offered as atonement for
The Chinese government could not expect an offence they had not committed. The
to receive consideration if it failed to enforce furthest act of concession which the Chinese
respect for its own
commands, and the Commissioner gave was to temporarily sus-
English government had an obligation which pend Tsen Yuhing the Futai for remissness
it could not shirk in exacting reparation for but even this measure was never enforced
the murder of its representative. The with rigor. The English officers soon found
treacherous killing of Mr. Margary was evi- that it was impossible to obtain any proper
dently not an occurrence for which it could reparation on the spot.
be considered a sufficient atonement that
some miserable criminals under sentence of Strong Demand for Reparation.
death, or some desperate individuals anxious Sir Thomas Wade, who was knighted
to secure the worldly prosperity of their during the negotiations, refused to accept
families, should undergo painful torture and the lives of the men offered, whose compli-
public execution in order to shield official city in the offence was known to be none at
falseness and infamy. Although no one all, while its real instigators escaped without
ever, suspected the Pekin government of any punishment. When the new year, 1876,
having directly instigated the outrage, the opened, the question was still unsettled, and
delay in instituting an impartial and search- it was clear that no solution could be dis-
ing inquiry into the affair strengthened an covered on the spot. Sir Thomas Wade
impression that it felt reluctant to inflict pun- again called upon the Chinese in the most
ishment on those who had committed the emphatic language allowed by diplomacy to
act of violence. conform with the spirit and letter of their en-
Nearly three months elapsed before any gagements, and he informed the government
step was taken towards appointing a Chinese that unless they proffered full redress for
official to proceed to the scene of the out- Mr. Margary's murder it would be impossi-
rage in company with the officers named by ble to continue diplomatic relations. To
the English minister; but on the 19th of show was no meaningless expres-
that this
June an edict appeared in the Pekin Gazette sion, Sir Thomas Wade left Pekin, while a
ordering Li Han Chang, Governor-General strong reinforcement to the English fleet
of Houkwang, to temporarily vacate his demonstrated that the government was re-
post, and " repair with all speed to Yunnan solved to support its representative.
and deal with certain matters."
to investigate In consequence of these steps, Li Hung
Even then the matter dragged along but Chang was, in August, 1876, or more than
eighteen months after the outrage, entrusted Ambassador, whose dispatch had been de-
with full powers for the arrangement of the cided upon in the previous year. When the
secret history of this transaction is revealed

and the small seaport of Chefoo
difificulty;
was fixed upon as the scene for the forth- it will be seen how sincere were Li Hung
coming negotiations. Even then the Chinese Chang's wishes for a pacific result, and how
sought to secure a sentimental advantage by much his advice contributed to this end.
requesting that Sir Thomas Wade would The most important passage in the Chefoc
change the scene of discussion to Tientsin, Convention was unquestionably that com-
or at least that he would consent to pay Li manding the different viceroys and gov-
Hung Chang a visit there. This final effort ernors to respect, and afford every protec-
CHINESE RESTAURANT.
to conceal the fact that the English demanded tion to, all foreigners provided with the
redress as an equal and not as a suppliant necessary passport, and warning them that
having been baffled, there was no further they would be held responsible in the event
attempt at delay. of any such travellers meeting with injury
The Chefoo Convention was signed in that or maltreatment. The next most important
town, to which the Viceroy proceeded from passage was that arranging for the despatch
Tientsin. Li Hung Chang entertained the of an Embassy to London bearing a letter of
Foreign Ministers at a great banquet; and murder of the English official.

regret for the
the final arrangements were hurried forward The duty was Kwo
official selected for this
for the departure to Europe of the Chinese Sungtao, a mandarin of high rank and unex>
THE REIGN OF THE EMPEROR KWATSfGSU. 149
ceptionable character. It was a delicate cessful number or name in the lottery as to
mission with which he was entrusted. take the degree. The practice could not
The letter was submitted to Sir Thomas have been allowed to go on without intro-
Wade in order that its terms should be ducing serious abuses into the system of
exactly in accordance with Chinese etiquette, public examination.
and that no phrase should be used showing The profits of the owners of the lottery
that the Chinese government attached less were so enormous that they were able to pay
importance to the mission than the occasion not less than eight hundred thousand dollars
demanded. The Embassy proceeded to as hush-money to the Viceroy and the other
Europe, and, whatever may be thought of high officials of Canton. In order to shield
its immediate effect, it must be allowed that his own participation in the profits, the Vice-
it established a precedent of friendly inter- roy declared that he devoted this new source
course with that country, which proved an of revenue to the completion of the river de-
additional guarantee of peace. fences of Canton.
A curious incident arising from the pas-
sion of gambling which is so prevalent in
Severe Penalties Threatened.
China, and bearing incidentally upon the In 1874 the whole system was declared
national character, may be briefly referred illegal, and severe penalties were passed
to. The attention of the Pekin government against those aiding, or participating in any
was attracted to this subject by a novel form way in, the Weising Company. The local
of gambling, which not merely attained enor- officers did not, however, enforce with any
mous dimensions, but which threatened to stringency these new laws, and the Weising
bring the system of public examination into fraternity enjoyed a further but brief period
disrepute. This latter fact created a proof increased activity under a different name.
found impression at Pekin, and roused the The fraud was soon detected, and in an Edict
mandarins to take unusually prompt meas- of August II, 1875, it was very rightly laid
ures. down that " the maintenance of the purity of
government demands that it be not allowed
Lottery on a Large Scale. under any pretext to be re-established," and
Canton was the headquarters of the gam- for their apathy in the matter the Viceroy
bling confederacy v/hich established the lot- Yinghan and several of the highest officials
teries known as the Weising, but its ramifica- in Canton were disgraced and stripped of
tions extended throughout the whole of the their official rank.
province of Kwantung. The Weising, or In China natural calamities on a colossal
examination sweepstakes, were based on the scale have often aggravated political troubles.
principle of drawing the names of the suc- The year 1876 witnessed the commencement
cessful candidates at the official examinations. of a drouth in the two great provinces of
They appealed, therefore, to every poor vil- Honan and Shansi which has probably never
lager, and every father of a family, as well as been surpassed as the cause of a vast amount
to the aspirants themselves. The subscribers of human suffering. Although the provinces
to the Weising lists were numbered by hun- named most from the prevalent
suffered the
dreds of thousands. It became a matter of drought, the suffering was general over the
almost as much importance to draw a suc- whole of Northern China, from Shantung
and Pechihli to Honan and the course of the of the introduction of railways and other
Yellow River. mechanical appliances. The Viceroy of the
At first the government, if not apathetic, Two Kiang gave his assent to the construc-
was disposed to say that the evil would be tion of a short line between Shanghai and
met by the grant of the usual allowance the port of Woosung.
made by the Provincial Governors in the The great difficulty had always been to
event of distress; but when one province make a start; and now that a satisfactory (
after another was absorbed within the famine commencement had been made the foreigners
era, it became no longer possible to treat the were disposed in their eagerness to overlook
matter as one of such limited importance, and all obstacles, and to imagine the Flowery
the high ministers felt obliged to bestir them- Land traversed in all directions by railways.
selves in face of so grave a danger. Li Hung But these expectations were soon shown to
Chang in particular was most energetic, not be premature. Half of the railway was open
merely in collecting and forwarding supplies for use in the summer of 1876, and during
of rice and grain, but also in inviting con- some weeks the excitement among the Chi-
tributions of money from all those parts of nese themselves was as marked as among
the Empire which had not been affected by the Europeans. The hopes based upon this
famine. satisfactory event were destined to be soon
dispelled by the animosity of the officials.
Efforts to Relieve the Famine. They announced their intention to resort to
Allowing for the general sluggishness of every means in their power to prevent the
popular opinion in China, and for the absence completion of the undertaking. The situa-
of any largeamount of currency, it must be tion revealed such dangers of mob violence
allowed that these appeals met with a large that Sir Thomas Wade felt compelled to
and hberal response. The foreign residents request the Company to discontinue its
also contributed their share, and even the operations, and after some discussion it was
charity of London found a vent in sending arranged that the Chinese should buy the
some thousands of pounds to the scene of the line.
famine in Northern China. This evidence of
foreign sympathy in the cause of a common Opposition to the Railway.
humanity made more than a passing impres- After line was
a stipulated period the
sion on the minds of the Chinese people. placed under Chinese management, when,
While the origin of the famine may be instead of devoting themselves to the interests
attributed to either drought or civil war, of the railway, and to the extension of its
there is no doubt that its extension and the power of utility, they wifully and persistently
apparent inability of the authorities to grapple neglected it, with the express design of de-
with it may be traced to the want of means stroying it. At this conjuncture the Viceroy
of communication, which rendered it almost allowed the Governor of Fuhkien to remove
impossible to convey the needful succor into the rails and plant to Formosa. The fate of
the famine districts. The evil being so ob- the Woosung railway destroyed the hopes
vious, was hoped that the Chinese would
it created by its construction, and postponed
be disposed to take a step forward on their to a later day the great event of the introduc-
own initiative in the great and needed work tion of railways into China. Notwithstand-
ing such disappointments as this, and the April, from heart disease when she was only
ever present difficulty of conducting relations and her subsequent obsequies were
forty-five,
with an unsympathetic people controlled by as splendid as her services demanded. For

suspicious officials, there was yet observable herself she had always been a woman of
£\ marked improvement in the relations of the frugal habits, and the successful course of
different nations with the Chinese. recent Chinese history was largely due to
her firmness and resolution. Her associate
Opening New Ports.
in the Regency, Tsi Thsi, who was always
Increased facilities of trade, such as the more or less of an invalid, survived her.
i
opening of new ports, far from extending the The difficulty with Russia had not long
area of danger, served to promote a mutual been composed, when, on two opposite sides
/ good-will. 1876 Kiungchow, in the
In of her extensive dominion, China was called
island of Hainan, was made a treaty port, or upon to face a serious condition of affairs.
rather the fact of its having been included in In Corea, "the forbidden land" of the Far
the treaty of Tientsin was practically East, events were forced by the eagerness
accepted and recognized. In the following and competition of European states to con-
year four new ports were added to the list. clude treaties of commeace with that primi-
One, Pakhoi, was intended to increase trade tive kingdom, and perhaps also by their fear
intercourse with Southern China. Two of that if they delayed Russia would appropriate
the three others, Ichang and Wuhu, were some port on the Corean coast.
selected as being favorably situated for com-
merce on the Yangtse and its affluents, while Corea a Source of Trouble.
Wenchow was chosen for the benefit of the To all who had official knowledge of
trade on the coast. Russia's desire and plan for seizing Port
The work successfully
close of the great Lazareff, this apprehension was far from
accomplished during the two periods of the chimerical, and there was reason to believe
Regency was followed within a few weeks that Russia's enroachment might compel
by the disappearance of the most important other countries to make annexations in or
of the personages who had carried on the round Corea by way of precaution. Practi-
government throughout these twenty years cal evidence of this was furnished by the
of constant war and diplomatic excitement. English occupation of Port Hamilton, and
Before the Pekin world knew of her illness, by its subsequent evacuation when the neces-
it heard of the death of the Empress sity passed away, but should the occasion
Dowager Tsi An, who as Hienfung's princi- again arise the key of the situation will
pal widow had enjoyed the premier place in probably be found in the possession not of
the government, although she had never Port Hamilton or Quelpart, but of the Island
possessed a son to occupy the throne in of Tsiusima. Recourse was had to dip-
person.In a proclamation issued in her lomacy to avert what threatened to be a
name and possibly at her request, Tsi An grave international danger; and although the
described the course of her malady, the soli- result was long doubtful, and the situatio'
citude of the Emperor, and urged upon him sometimes full of peril, a gratifying success
the duty of his high place to put restraint was achieved in the end.
upon his grief. Her death occurred on 1 8th In 1 88 1 a draft commercial treaty was
drawn up, approved by the Chinese author- aroused the jealousy of Japan, which has
itesand the representatives of the principal long asserted the right to have an equal
powers at Pekin, and carried to the Court of voice with China in the control of Corean
Seoul for acceptance and signature by the affairs ; and the government of Tokio, on
American naval officer, Commodore Schu- hearing of the Schufeldt treaty, at once took
feldt. The Corean king made no objection steps not merely to obtain all the rights to
to the arrangement, and it was signed with be conferred by that document, to which no
the express stipulation that the ratifications one would have objected, but also to assert
of the treaty were to be exchanged in the its claim to control equally with China the
following year. Thus was it harmoniously policy of the Corean Court. With that ob-
CHINESE OUT FOR AN AIRING.

arranged at Pekin that Corea was to issue ject, a Japanese fleet and army were sent to
from her hermit's cell, and open her ports the Seoul river, and when the diplomatists
to trading countries under the guidance and returned for the ratification of the treaty,
encouragement of China. There can be no they found the Japanese in a. strong position
doubt that if this arrangement had been close to the Corean capital.
carried out, the influence and the position of The Chinese were not to be set on one
China in Corea would have been very side in so open a manner, and a powerful
greatly increased and strengthened. fleet of gunboats, with 5,000 troops, sent to
But, unfortunately, the policy of Li Hung the Seoul river to uphold their rights. Under
Chung —for, if he did not originate, he took other circumstances,more especially as the
the most important part in directing it Chinese expedition was beheved to be the
must have en-

superior, a hostile collision due allowance must be made for these facts,
sued, and the war which has so often seemed and also for the anomalous character of that
near between the Chinese and Japanese contest when active hostilities were carried
would have become an accomplished fact; on without any formal declaration of war —
but fortunately the presence of the foreign state of things which gave the French many
diplomatists moderated the ardor of both advantages. Towards the end of the year
sides, and a rupture was averted. By a 1882, the French Government came to the
decision to establish a " definite protectorate
''
stroke of judgment the Chinese seized Tai
Wang Kun, the father of the young king, over Tonquin. Events had for some time
and the leader of the anti-foreign party, and been shaping themselves in this direction, and
carried him off to Pekin, where he was kept the colonial ambition of France had long
in imprisonment for some time, until matters fixed on Indo-China as a field in which it
had settled down in his own country. might aggrandize itself with comparatively
little and a wide margin of advantage.
risk
Rivalry Between China and Japan. The weakness of the kingdom of Annam
The opening of Corea to the Treaty was a strong enough temptation in itself to
Powers did not put an end to the old rivalry assert the protectorate over it which France
of China and Japan in that country, of which had, more or less, claimed for forty years;
history contains so many examples ; and the but when the reports of several French ex-
attack on the Japanese Legion in 1884 was plorers came to promote the conviction that
a striking revelation of popular antipathy or France might acquire the control of a con-
of an elaborate anti-Japanese plot headed by venient and, perhaps, the best route into
the released Chinese prisoner, Tai Wang some of the richest provinces of interior
Kun. China without much difficulty, the tempta-
At the opposite point of the frontier China tion became irresistible.
was brought face to face with a danger
which threatened to develop into a peril of France is Quick to Act.
the first magnitude, and in meeting which French activity in Indo-China was height-
she was undoubtedly hampered by her ened by the declaration of Garnier, Rocher
treaties with the general body of foreign and others that the Songcoi, or Red River,
Powers and her own peculiar place in the furnished the best means of communicating
family of nations. It is the special misfor- with Yunnan, and tapping the wealth of the
tune of China that she cannot engage in richest mineral province in China. The
any, even a defensive, war with a maritime apathy of England in her relations with
power without incurring the grave risk, or, Burmah, which presented, under its arrogant
indeed, the practical certainty that, if such a and obstructive rulers, what may have
war be continued for any length of time, she seemed an insuperable obstacle to trade in-
must find herself involved with every other tercourse between India and China, afforded
foreign country through the impossibility of additional inducement to the French to act
confining the hostility of her own subjects to quickly ; and, as they felt confident of their
one race of foreigners in particular. ability and power to coerce the Court of
In considering the last war with a Euro- Hue, the initial difficulties of their undertak-
pean country in which China was engaged, ing did not seem very formidable.
154 CHrNA: PAST AND PRESENT.
That undertaking was, in the first place, The French were in the full belief that the
defined to be a protectorate of China, and, conquest of Tonquin would be easily effected,
as the first town of
step in the enterprise, the when a serious reverse obliged them to realize
Hanoi, in the delta of the Red River, and the gravity of their task. A considerable
the nominal capital of Tonquin, was cap- detachment, under the command of Captain
tured before the end of the year 1882. Henri Riviere, who was one of the pioneers
Tonquin stood in very much the same re- of French enterprise on the Songcoi, was
lationship to China as Corea and, although
; surprised and defeated near Hanoi. Riviere
the enforcement of the suzerain tie was lax, was and it became necessary to make
killed,
there was no doubt that at Pekin the opin- a great effort to recover the ground that had
ion was held very strongly that the action of been lost. Fresh troops were sent from
France was an encroachment on the rights Europe, but before they arrived the French
of China. But, if such was the secret opin- received another check at Phukai, which the
ion of the Chinese authorities, they took no Black Flags claimed as a victory because the
immediate steps to arrest the development of French were obliged to retreat.
French poHcy Tonquin by proclaiming it

in
a Chinese dependency, and also their inten- Extreme Measures by the French.
tion to defend it. While Li Hung Chang Before this happened the French had taken
and the other members of the Chinese Gov- exteme measures against the King of Annam,
ernment were deliberating cis to the course of which state Tonquin is the northern pro-
they should pursue, the French were acting vince. The King of that country, by name
with great vigor in Tonquin, and committing Tuduc, who had become submissive to the
their military reputation to a task from French, died in July, 1883, and after his
which they could not in honor draw back. death the Annamese, perhaps encouraged by
the difficulties of the French in Tonquin,
Movements of the "Black Flags." became so hostile that it was determined
During the whole of the year 1883 they to read them a severe lesson. Hue was at-
were engaged in military operations with the tacked and occupied a month after the death
Black Flag irregulars, a force half piratical of Tuduc, and a treaty was extracted from
and half patriotic, who represented the the new king which made him the depend-
national army of the country. It was be- ent of France. When the cold season began
lieved at the time, but quite erreoneously, in Tonquin, the French forces largely in-
that the Black Flags were paid and incited creased, and, commanded by Admiral Cour-
by the Chinese. Subsequent evidence showed bet, renewed operations, and on the i ith of
that the Chinese authorities did not take December attacked the main body of the
even an indirect part in the contest until a Black Flags at Sontay, which they had
much later period. After the capture
of reoccupied and strengthened.
Hanoi, the French were constantly engaged They offered a desperate and well sustained
with the Black Flags, from whom they cap- resistance, and it was only with heavy loss
tured the important town of Sontay, which that the French succeeded in carrying the
was reported to be held by Imperial Chinese town. The victors were somewhat recom-
troops, but on its capture this statement was pensed for their teirdships and loss by the
found to be untrue. magnitude of the spoil, which included a
large sum of money. Desultory fighting the ridiculous figure of ;^SO,ooo,ooo. An

continued without intermission ; Admiral apology was offered, but such an indemnity
Courbet was superseded by General Millot, was refused, and eventually France obtained
who determined to signalize his assumption one of only ;^8oo,ooo.
of the command by attacking Bacninh, which After the Bade affair hostilities were at
the Black Flags made their headquarters once resumed, and for the first time the
after the loss of Sontay. On the 8th of French carried them on not only against
March, he attacked this place at the head the Black Flags, but against the Chinese.
of 12,000 men, but so formidable were its M. Jules Ferry did not, however, make any
defences that he would not risk an attack formal declaration of war against China, and
in front,and by a circuitous march of four he thus gained an advantage of position for
days he gained the flank of the position, and his attack on the Chinese which it was not
thus taken at a disadvantage, the Black French chivalry to have asserted.
creditable to
Flags abandoned their formidable lines, and The most striking instance of this occured at
retreated without much loss, leaving their Foochow, where the French fleet, as repre-
artillery, including some Krupp guns, in the senting a friendly power, was at anchor above
hands of the victors. the formidable defences of the Min river. In
accordance with instructions telegraphed to
A Treaty of Peace.
him, the French admiral attacked those
At this stage of the question diplomacy places in reverse and destroyed the forts on
intervened,and on the i ith of May a treaty the Min without much difficulty or loss,
of peace was signed by Commander Fournier, thanks exclusively to his having been allowed
during the ministry of M. Jules Ferry, with past them as a friend.
the Chinese government. One of thd prin-
cipal stipulations of this treaty was that the Upholding the Laws of Neutrality.
French should be allowed to occupy Lang- The French also endeavored to derive all
son and other places in Tonquin. When the possible advantage from there beingno for-
French commander Tonquin sent a force
in mal declaration of war, and to make use of
under Colonel Dugenne to occupy Langson Hongkong as a base for their fleet against
it was opposed in the Bade defile and China. But this unfairness could not be
repulsed with some loss. The Chinese ex- tolerated, and the British minister at Pekin,
onerated themselves from all responsibility where Sir Harry Parkes had in the autumn
by declaring that the French advance was of 1883 succeeded Sir Thomas Wade, issued
premature, because no date was fixed by the a proclamation that the hostilities between
Fournier convention, and because there had France and China were tantamount to a state
not been time to transmit the necessary of war, and that the laws of neutrality must
orders. be strictly observed. The French resented
On the other hand, M. Fournier declared this step, and showed some inclination to
on his honor that the dates in his draft were retaliate by instituting a right to search fol
named in the original convention. The rice, but fortunately this pretension was not
French government demanded an
at once pushed to extremities, and the war was
apology, and an indemnity fixed by M. Jules closed before it could produce any serious
Ferry, in a moment of mental excitement, at consequences.
The French devoted much of their atten- may be gathered from the fact that the com-
tion to an attack on the Chinese possessions pulsory retreat, in March, 1885, of the French
in Formosa, and the occupation of Kelung from before Langson, where some of the
a fort in the northern part of that island was Chinese regular troops were drawn up with
captured, but the subsequent success of the a large force of Black and Yellow Flags —
French was small. The Chinese displayed the latter of whom were in Chinese pay — did
great energy and resource in forming de- not imperil the negotiations which were then
fences any advance inland from
against far advanced towards completion. On the
Kelung or Tamsui, and the French govern- 9th of June of the same year a treaty of
VIEW OF TIENTSIN, CHINA.
ment was brought to face the fact that there peace was signed by M. Patenotre and Li
was nothing to be gained by carrying on Hung Chang which gave France nothing
these desultory operations, and that unless more than the Fournier convention.
they were prepared to send a large expedi- The military lessons of this war must be
tion, it was computed of not less than 50,000 pronounced inconclusive, for the new forces
men, to attack Pekin, there was no alternative which China had organized since the Pekin
tocoming to terms with China. campaign were never fully engaged, and the
How strong this conviction had become struggle ended before the regular regiment
sent toLangson had any opportunity of been the most powerful man in China since
showing their quality. But the impression the Treaty of Pekin. A decree of the
conveyed by the fighting in Formosa and Empress Regent appeared dismissing him
the northern districts of Tonquin was that from all his posts and consigning him to an
China had made considerable progress in the obscurity from which after many years he
military art, and that she possessed the had not succeeded in emerging. The causes
nucleus of an army that might become for- of his fall are not clear, but they were pro-
midable. But while the soldiers had made bably of several distinct kinds. While he
no inconsiderable improvement, as much was the leader of the peace party and the
could not be said of the officers, and among advocate of a prompt arrangement with
the commanders there seemed no grasp of France, he was also an opponent of Prince
the situation, and a complete inability to con- Chun's desire to have a share in the practical
duct a campaign. administration of the state, or, at least, an
obstacle in the way of its realization.
Incapable Commanders.
Prince Chun, who was a man of an
Probably these deficiencies will long remain imperious and who, on the death of the
will,
the really weak spot in the Chinese war Eastern Empress, became the most important
organization, and although they have men personage in the palace and supreme Council
who will fight well, the only capacity their of the Empire, was undoubtedly the leader
commanders showed in Tonquin and For- of the attack on Prince Kung, and the
mosa was in selecting strong positions and immediate cause of his downfall. Prince
in fortifying them with consummate art. Kung, who was an amiable and well inten-
But as the strongest position can be turned tioned man rather than an able statesman,
and avoided, and as the Chinese, like all yielded without resistance, and indeed he
Asiatics, become demoralized when their had no alternative, for he had no following
rear is threatened, it cannot be denied that, at Pekin, and his influence was very slight
considerable progress as the Chinese have except among Europeans.
made in the military art, they have not yet
mastered some of its rudiments. All that can Sudden Death of Prince Chun.
be said is that the war between France and Prince Chun then came to the front,' tak-
China was calculated to teach the advisability ing an and prominent part in the
active
of caution in fixing a quarrel upon China. government, making himself President of a
Under some special difficulties from the char- new Board of National Defence and taking
acter of the war and with divided councils at up the command of the Pekin Field Force, a
Pekin, the Chinese still gave a very good speciallytrained body of troops for the
account of themselves against one of the defence of the capital. He retained posses-
greatest Powers of Europe. sion of these posts after his son assumed the
During the progress of this struggle a government in person, notwithstanding the
coup de'tat was effected at Pekin of which at law forbidding a father serving under his
the time it was impossible to measure the son, which has already been cited, and he
whole significance. In July, 1884, the remained the real controller of Chinese
Chinese world was startled by the sudden policy until his sudden and unexpected death
fall and disgrace of Prince Kung, who had in the first days of 189 1.
Some months earlier in April, 1 890, China issued an edict in 1890 formally legalizing
had suffered a great loss in the Marquis the cultivation of opium, which, although
Tseng, whose diplomatic experience and practically carried on, was nominally illegal.
knowledge of Europe might have rendered An immediate consequence of this step was
his country infinite service in the future. a great increase in the area under cultivation,
He was the chosen colleague of Prince particularly in Manchuria, and so great is the
Chun, and he is said to have gained the ear production of native opium now becoming
of his young sovereign. While wiUing to that that of India may yet be driven from the
admit the superiority of European inventions, field as a practical revenge for the loss
he was also an implicit believer in China's on China by the competition of
inflicted
destiny and in her firmly holding her place Indian tea.But at all events these measures
among the greatest Powers of the world. debar China from ever again posing as an
In December, 1890, also died Tseng Kwo injured party in the matter of the opium
Tsiuen, uncle of the Marquis, and a man traffic.
who had taken a prominent and honorable During these years the young Emperor
part in the suppression of the Taeping Kwangsu was growing up. In February,
rebellion. 1887, in which month falls the Chinese New
Year, it was announced his marriage was
Tax on Opium. postponed in consequence of his delicate
In 1885 an important and delicate negotia- health, and it was not until the new year of
tion between England and China was 1889, when Kwangsu was well advanced in
brought to a successful issue by the joint his eighteenth year, that he was married to
efforts of Lord Salisbury and the Marquis Manchu general
Yeh-ho-na-la, daughter of a
Tseng. The levy of the lekin or barrier tax named Knei Hsiang, who had been specially
on opium had led to many exactions in the selected for this great honor out of many
interior which was injurious to the foreign hundred candidates.
trade and also to the Chinese government,
which obtained only the customs duty raised Magnificent Marriage Ceremonies.
in the port. After the subject had been The marriage was celebrated with the
thoroughly discussed in all its bearings a usual state, and more than ;^ 5,000 ,000 is
convention was signed in London, on 19th said to have been expended on the attendant
July, 1885, by which the lekin was fixed at ceremonies. At the same time the Empress
eighty taels a chest, in addition to the cus- Regent issued her farewell edict and passe::!
toms due of and also that the

thirty taels, into retirement, but there is reason to believe
whole of this sum should be paid in the that she continued to exercise no inconsider-
treaty port before the opium was taken out able influence over the young Emperor.
of bond. The marriage and assumption of govern-
This arrangement was greatly to the Emperor Kwangsu brought
ing power by the
advantage of the Chinese government, which to the front the very important question of
came into possession of a large revenue that the right of audience by the foreign ministers
had previously been frittered away in the resident at Pekin. This privilege had been
provinces, and much of which had gone into conceded by China at the time of the Tient-
the pockets of the Mandarins. The Emperor sin massacre, and it had been put into force
as a result of that concession. The Em- or to secure facilities for trade, performed
perors of China do not appear at any time the kowtow without apparent compunction.
to have taken up the position that their own One Russian official, however, who arrived
person was so supremely sacred as to render at Pekin in the reign of the first Manchu
audience with a foreigner an indignity. On Emperor Shun Chih (i 644-1661) was re-
the contrary, in olden days, when the Im- fused an audience because he declined to
perial state and prestige were immeasurably kowtow.
greater than they now are, audience was In those days the audience commonly
freely granted, and the person of the Sover- took place in one or other of the great
eign was less hermetically concealed than is Ceremonial Halls of the Imperial Palace in
now the fashion. the heart of the Forbidden City, where no

European is now permitted to enter. Here
The Two Great Questions. stands the Tai Ho Tien, or Hall of Supreme
Two questions, however, have successively Harmony, a magnificent structure, 1 10 feet
been made uppermost in the settlement of in height, erected upon a terrace of marble
the matter, namely, the character of obeis- 20 feet high, with projecting wings, ascended
ance made by the foreigner admitted to the from the outer court by flights of steps.
interview, and the nature and locality of the
building in which it took place. As regards Seated on a Raised Throne.
the former the favored individual was ex- The Great Audience Hall on the summit
pected to comply with the Chinese usage by of the platform is a vast pavilion, in design
performing the kowtow, that is, kneeling not unlike the Memorial Temple of Yung
thrice and knocking his forehead nine times Lo at the Ming Tombs, 200 feet in length
upon the ground. by 90 feet in depth, sustained by 72 immense

The theory of Chinese sovereignty being columns of painted teak. In this Hall the
that the Emperor is the dejure monarch of Emperor held and still holds the splendid
the whole earth, of which China is the Mid- annual Levees at the Winter Solstice, at
dle Kingdom, all other nations, therefore, the New Year, and on his own birthday.
must be either his tributaries or his subjects; Here in the Tai Ho Tien the Emperor
whence the exaction of this mark of defer- takes his seat upon a raised throne in the
ence from their envoys. As regards the site centre.
of audience, the practice of emphasizing the A few Manchus of exalted rank alone are
lowliness of the stranger in presence of the admitted to the building. Outside and below
Son of Heaven by fixing the audience in a the marble balustrades are ranged the no-
building that carries with it some implication bility and officials in eighteen double rows,
of inferiority, appears to have been the the civil officers on the east side, and the
growth only of the last fifty years, if not military officers on the west, their respective
more recently. ranks and positions being marked by low
In the seventeenth and eighteenth cen- columns. The utmost care is observed in
turies both the Jesuit Fathers who were in appointing places for the officials according
the service of the Emperor and the envoys to their respective ranks and titles.
of European Courts or Companies, who The privilege of audience, as we see, had

came to Pekin for complimentary purposes been conceded, and it had been put into force
on one occasion during the brief reign of ians' made on him the idea which they
Tungche. The time had again arrived for carried away of the Emperor Kwangsu was
giving it effect, and, after long discussions as pleasing and almost pathetic. His air is one
to the place of audience and the forms to be of exceeding intelligence and gentleness,
observed, Kwangsu issued in December, somewhat frightened and melancholy look-
1890, an edict appointing a. day soon after ing. His face and though it is dis-
is pale,
the commencement of the Chinese New Year, tinguished by refinement and quiet dignity it
for the audience, and also arranging that it has none of the force of his martial ancestors,
should be repeated annually on the same nothing commanding or imperial, but is alto-
date. gether mild, delicate, sad and kind.
In March, 189 1, Kwangsu gave his first " He is essentially Manchu in features, his
OPIUM SMOKERS.
reception to the foreign ministers, but after skin is strangely pallid in hue, which is, no
itwas over some criticism and dissatisfaction doubt, accounted for by the confinement of
were aroused by the fact that the ceremony his life and the
inside these forbidding walls
had been held in the Tse Kung Ko, or Hall absence of the ordinary pleasures and pur-
of Tributary Nations. As this was the first suits of youth, with the constant discharge
occasion on which Europeans saw the young of onerous, complicated and difficult duties
Emperor, the fact that he made a favorable of state which, it must be remembered, are,
impression on them is not without interest, according to Imperial Chinese etiquette,
and the following personal description of the mostly transacted between the hours of two
master of so many millions may well be and six in the morning. His face is oval
quoted shaped with a very long narrow chin and a
"Whatever the impression 'the Barbar- sensitive mouth with thin nervous lips ; his
THE REIGN OF THE EMPEHOR KWANGSU. 161
nose is well shaped and straight, his eye- of December, 1892, and was received in a
brows regular and very arched, while the specially honorable way at the principal or
eyes are unusally large and sorrowful in ex- Imperial entrance by the officials of the
pression. The forehead is well shaped and Court. Such a mark of distinction was con-
broad, and the head is large beyond the sidered quite unique in the annals of foreign
average." diplomacy in China, and has since been a
Owing to the dissatisfaction felt at the standing grievance with the other ministers
place of audience, which seemed to put the at Pekin.
Treaty Powers on the same footing as tribu- It was noticed by those present that the
tary states, the foreign ministers have en- Emperor took a much greater interest in the
deavored to force from the government the ceremony than on previous occasions. This
formal admission that a more appropriate audience, which lasted a considerable time,
part of the Imperial city should be assigned was certainly the most satisfactory and en-
for the ceremony, but as the Powers them- couraging yet held with the Emperor
selves were not disposed to lay too much Kwangsu by any foreign envoy, and it also
stress on this point, no definite concession afforded opportunity of confirming the favor-
was yet made, and the Chinese ministers able impression which the intelligence and
held out against the pressure of some of the dignified demeanor of the Emperor Kwangsu
foreign representatives. But, although no made on all who have had the honor of
concise alteration was made in the place of coming into his presence. One incident in
audience, the question was practically settled the progress of the audience question de-
by a courteous concession to the new English serves notice, and that was the Emperor's
minister, Mr. O'Conor, who succeeded Sir refusal, in 1891, to receive Mr. Blair, the
John Walsham, and it is gratifying to feel United States Minister, in consequence of
that this advantage was gained more by tact the hostile legislation of our country against
than by coercion. China. The anti-foreign outbreak along the
When Mr. O'Conor wished to present his Yangtsekiang, in the summer of 1891, was
credentials to the Emperor, it was arranged an unpleasant incident, from which at one
that the Emperor should receive him in the time it looked as if serious consequences
Cheng Kuan Tien Palace, which is part of might follow ; but the ebullition fortunately
the Imperial residence of Peace and Plenty passed away without an international crisis,
within the Forbidden City. The British and it may be hoped

that the improved
representative, accompanied by his secre- means of exercising diplomatic pressure at
taries and suite in accordance with arrange- Pekin will render these attacks less frequent,
ment, proceeded to this palace on the 1 3th and their settlement and redress more rapid.
11
CHAF»TrBR VIII.
THE EMPEROR OF CHINA AND HIS COURT.

and absorbing
THE foregoing concise and graphic
history from the able pen of the
features and institutions,
than being absorbed by the foreign elements

rathei
well-known historian, Mr. D. C. which have occasionally thrust themselves

Boulger, may appropriately be fol- into the body politic.
lowed by Mr. Robert K. Douglas's interest- The poUtical constitution, the social rela
ing and entertaining account of the manners tions and customary ceremonies were crys-
and customs of the Chinese. This enables tallized in their present forms by those
the reader to see China as it has been in the ancients on whom, according to the opinion
past and as it is at the present time. He is of the people, rested the mantle of perfect
now conducted from one point of observation wisdom. If the death of the emperor is an-
to another, while before him are pictured the nounced, it is proclaimed in words used by
customs, the domestic life, the manners, dress, Yao, who lived before the time of Abraham.
idol-worship and singular ideas and habits of
this remarkable people.
Fondness for Antiquity.
With the exception of fashions in trivial If a mandarin writes a controversial de-

matters, nothing has changed in China for spatch, his arguments on the sayings
he bases
many centuries. Every institution, every of Confucius ; if a youth presents himself at
custom, and every idea has its foundation in the public examinations, he is expected to
the distant ages and draws its inspiration from compose essays exclusively on themes from
the sages of antiquity. Immutability in all the four books and five classics of antiquity
that is essential is written on the face of the and if a man writes to congratulate a friend
empire. No fear of organic change perplexes on the birth of a daughter, he does so in
monarchs, or anyone else, in that changeless phraseology drawn from the national primi-
land, and the people love to have it so. tive odes, which were sung and chanted be-
Sovereigns reign and pass away, dynasties fore the days of Homer.
come and go, and even foreign powers take This immutability gives certain advantages
possession of the throne, as at the present in writing on Chinese society, since the author
time, when a line of Manchu emperors reigns is not called upon

at Pekin ; but the national life in all its char- "To shoot folly as it flies
acteristics goes on unmoved by political And catch the manners living as they rise."
change and revolutionary violence. It is enough for him to keep in view the
One of the most remarkable spectacles in rock from which the people have hewn their
the world's history is that of this strange and to draw from the current literature,
lives,
empire which, having been time after time which reflects that foundation, the picture
thrown into the crucible of political unrest, which he may propose to sketch.
has always reappeared identical in its main What, then, are the constituent elements
162
THE EMPEROR AND HIS COURT. 163
of Chinese society ? They are very simple, ritual, a description of which cannot fail to
and are free from the complications and be of interest to the reader.
enlacements of European life. At the head The Temple of Heaven, where this august
is the emperor and his court, next comes the ceremony is performed, stands in the southern
bureaucracy, and after them the people. With portion of the city of Pekin, and consists of a
the exception of some few families, such as triple circular terrace, two hundred and ten
those of Confucius, of Tseng, and five or six feet wide at the base, and ninety feet at the
others, there is no hereditary aristocracy of top. The marble stones forming the pave-
high rank and importance. All are equal ment of the highest terrace are laid in nine
until the examiners have elected into an aris- concentric circles. On the centre stone,
tocracy of talent those whose essays and which is a perfect circle, the Emperor kneels,
poems are the best. The remaining divisions facing the north, and "acknowledges in
of "farmers, mechanics, and traders," repre- prayer and by his position that he is inferior
sent one level. to Heaven, and to Heaven alone. Round
him on the pavement are the nine circles of as
High-Sounding Titles.
many heavens, consisting of nine stones, then
Above Emperor reigns
these classes the eighteen, then twenty-seven, and so on, in
supreme. The possessor of a power which successive multiples of nine until the square
is limited only by the endurance of the people, of nine, the favorite number of Chinese phil-
the object of profound reverence and worship osophy, is reached in the outermost circle of
by his subjects, the holder of the lives of "all eighty-one stones."
under heaven," the fountain of honor as well
as the dispenser of mercy, he occupies a The Burnt Sacrifice.
position which is unique of its kind, and On the evening before the winter solstice
unmatched in the extent of its influence. the Emperor is borne in a carriage drawn
There is much magic in a name, and the by elephants to the mystic precincts of the
titles by which the potentate is known help temple, whence, after offering incense to
us to realize what he is in the eyes of the Shangti, "the Supreme Ruler," and to his
people. ancestors, he proceeds to the hall of pene-
He is the "Son of Heaven," he is the tential fasting. There he remains until 5.45
"Supreme Ruler," the "August Lofty One," A.M., when, dressed in his sacrificial robes,
the "Celestial Ruler," the "Solitary Man," he ascends to the second terrace. This is
the "Buddha of the present day," the fire to the whole burnt
the signal for setting
;
" Lord " and, in adulatory addresses, he is which consists of a bullock two
sacrifice,
often entitled the " Lord of Ten Thousand years old and without blemish. The Su-
Years." As the Son of Heaven, he rules preme Ruler having been thus invoked, the
by the express command of the celestial Emperor goes up to the highest terrace, and
powers, and is sustained on the throne by offers incense before the sacred shrine, and
the same supreme authorities, so long as he that of his ancestors.
rules in accordance with their dictates. He At the same time, after having knelt
alone is entitled to worship the azure heaven, thrice and prostrated himself nine times, he
and at the winter solstice he performs this offers bundles of silk, jade cups, and other
rite after careful preparation, and with solemn gifts in lowly sacrifice. A prayer is then
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TH)£ EMPEROR AND HIS COURT. 165
read by an attendant minister, while the able as having for its advocate the redoubt-
Emperor kneels in adoration, to an accom- able Tseng Kwofan, the father of the Mar-
paniment of music and dancing. One solemn quis Tseng, and the foremost man of the
rite has still to be performed before the sacri- day in the empire. To him, more than tc-
ficial service is complete. While the Em- any other mandarin, is due the suppressior<
peror remains on his knees, officers appointed of the Taeping rebellion. He was the inti
for the purpose present to him " the flesh of mate adviser of the throne, and was held ir
happiness," and the "cup of happiness." the highest esteem as a learned and enlight
Thrice he prostrates himself before the sacred ened man.
emblems, and then receives them with solemn This viceroy, in conjunction with the
reverence. It is curious to find these marked Viceroy of Fuhkien, "petitioned the throne
resemblances to Jewish and Christian wor- to deify two female genii who had worked a
ship in the Chinese ritual. great number of miracles for the good of
the people." In the district of Chiangtu,

Claims Divine Authority. write the viceroys, " there is a place called
By this solemn sacrifice the Emperor Hsien-nii-chen, which has long had a temple
assumes the office of Vice-regent of Heaven, to the two genii, Tu and Kang. This temple
and by common consent is acknowledged to was once upon a time the scene of a benefi-
be the co-ordinate of Heaven and earth, and cent miracle, which is duly recorded in the
the representative of man in the trinity of history of the district. Moreover, in the
which those two powers form the other per- eighth year of Hiengfung (1858), when the
sons. As possessor of the Divine authority, Taeping rebels were attempting to cross on
he holds himself superior to all who are rafts at Fuchiao, on the east side of Yang-
called gods, and takes upon himself to grant chow, a frightful storm of thunder and rain
titles of honor to deities, and to promote burst over the place and drowned countless
them in the sacred hierarchy. numbers of them.
On one occasion a memorial was pre-
sented to the throne by the Lieutenant- Lamps and Fairy Godesses.
Governor of Kiangtsu, asking the Emperor "The refugees from the city all stated
to confer higher honors on the Queen of that, on the night in question, when the
Heaven, the God of the Wind , the God of rebels were attempting to cross, they saw the
the Sea, and the God of the city of Shanghai, opposite bank lined, as far as the eye could
in consideration of their having brought the reach, with bright azure-colored lamps, and
tribute rice safely on its way to Tientsin, and in the midst of the lamps were seen the
for having favored the vessels bearing it with fairy goddesses. Scared by this apparition
gentle zephyrs and a placid sea. To this re- the rebels abandoned the attempt, and the
quest the Emperor was pleased to accede, town and neighborhood were saved from fall-
and the gods and goddesses reaped the re- ing into their hands." " Some time ago," the
ward of his benignity by the issue of patents memorialists add, "Tseng Kwofan petitioned
which were held to vouch for their promo- the throne to deify the two female genii, Tu
tion on the heights of Olympus. and Kang ; but the Board of Rites replied
One other instance of this form of super- that the local histories only mention Kang,
stition may be mentioned, which is remark- and asked what authority there was for
ranking Tu among the genii. There appeared the English rendering of the term, and to
to be no doubt in respect to Kang. look at the native characters which repre-
"The memoralists have, therefore, re-in- sent it. They form the word Hwangti, and
vestigated the whole case, and find that are of considerable interest both as indicating
Kang was a priestess in Tu's temple, and the very lofty idea entertained by the inven-
that she ascended from the town in question tors of the first character of what an emperor
on a white dragon up to fairyland, and that should be; and, in the case of the second, as
in consequence of this the inhabitants placed confirming a theory which is now commonly
her on a par with Tu and worshipped them accepted, that the Chinese borrowed a num-
together. The names of the fairies, Tu and ber of their written symbols from the cunei-
Kang, are to be found in the official registers, form writing of Babylonia. The character
and they have long been objects of worship. Hwang was formerly made up of two parts,
Such are the representations of the local meaning "ruler" and "one's self," and thus
gentry and elders, and the memoralists conveys the very laudable notion, in har-
would earnestly repeat their request that mony with the doctrines taught by Confu-
his majesty would be graciously pleased to cius, that an emperor, before attempting to
deify the two genii, Tu and Kang, in ac- rule the empire, should have learnt to be the
knowledgment of the many deliverances master of his own actions.
they have wrought, and in compliance with
the earnest wish of the people."
Supreme White Ruler.
In the pages of the Pekin Gazette, such In the same spirit Mencius, about two
hundred years later, said," The greatest
memorials, presented by the highest officials
in the empire, are constantly to be met with, charge is the charge of one's self." An
and are treated with all seriousness both by idea which appears in the mouth of Polonius,
the suppliants and the Son of Heaven. where he says
"This above all to thine own self be true,
:
His Subjects Adore Him. And it must follow, as the night the day,
harmony with these lofty attributes his
Thou canst not then be false to any man."
In
subjects, when admitted into his presence, By a clerical error the character is now
prostrate themselves in adoration on the written with the omission of a stroke in the
ground before him, and on a certain day in symbol for one's self, and, so altered, the
the year he is worshipped in every city in compound reads, " the white ruler." The
the empire. At daylight on the day in second character means "the supreme."
question the local mandarins assemble in The Emperor is also the Buddha of the
the city temple, where, in the central hall, present day. This is a title which has little
a throne is raised on which is placed the meaning among the skeptical Chinese, who
imperial tablet. At a given signal the as- agree with Confucius in preferring to leave
sembled officials kneel thrice before the the question of a future existence unex-
throne, and nine times strike their heads plored. But in the weary wastes of Mon-
on the ground as though in the presence .
golia and Tibet, the ignorant natives give an
of the Supreme Ruler. interest to their dreary existences by blindly
In speaking of this title, Supreme
the following the superstitious teaching of their
Ruler, it is interesting to go a step beyond priests. In Tibet, more especially, Budd-
hism has gained complete possession of the The sympathy produced by his condition
people,and the priestly profession is crowded prompted the despatch of petitions to Pekin
with men who seek for power, and who find to plead for his soul, and such success
it easier to make a living out of the supersti- attended them that an edict was shortly
tious fears of the people than from the barren afterwards issued in the following terms:
soil at their feet. " We decree that as is besought of us, search
Not content with managing the spiritual may be made to discover the child in whose
concerns of their followers, these men have body the soul of the decased Hut'ukht'u has
made themselves masters of the political been re-born, and that he be allowed to
and in the hand of their chief, the
situation, resume the government of his proper lama-
Grand Lama, rests the government of the sery, or dominion."
country. To these people the title of the
" Buddha of the present day " is full of mean-
Compelled to Fall on Their Faces.
ing, and a command from the potentate at The title of "the solitary man" is emi-
Pekin is readily obeyed as coming from the nently applicable to a potentate who thus not
suzerain of the land, and the spiritual head only claims temporal dominion, but who
of their religion. The Grand Lama is sur- assumes the position of high priest over the
rounded by several dignitaries, and on the household of the gods. It is a common

death of any one of these ecclesiastics the complaint with emperors and kings that they
re-embodiment of his spiritual essence is re- have no fellows; but here is one of their
ferred to Pekin, and is not considered valid number whose cherished attributes place him
until the sanction of the Emperor has been beyond the reach of mortals. With the
received. On occasions the Emperor actu- exception of those immediately about his
ally forbids the transmigration of the soul of person, his subjects are not allowed to gaze
any dignitary who may be under his ban, upon his face. When he goes abroad the
which thus remains in a state of suspended people are compelled to fall on their faces to
animation during his good pleasure. the ground until his cavalcade has passed on,
and on all occasions he is to them a mystery.
A Strange Decree. A sovereign so exalted and so worshipped
The Pekin Gazette tells us, that one such, would naturally expect to receive from
a Hut'ukht'u, was once impeached for desert- foreigners entering his presence, homage
ing his post, and carrying off his seal of equal to that to which he is accustomed
office, in consequence of a disturbance which from the pliant knees of his subjects, and at
arose through a distribution of alms. For first, no doubt, the refusul of British repre-
this dereliction of duty his title and seal were sentatives to kotow, or prostrate themselves
cancelled, and it was at the same time before him, came as a surprise. From the
decreed by the Emperor that his soul should time of Lord Macartney's mission, in 1792,
not be allowed to transmigrate at his down to a few years back, the question of
decease. On receiving this extinguishing the kotow was a burning one, and was as
sentence the offender came to Pekin for the consistently resisted by foreign ministers as
purpose of appealing, and soon afterwards it was urgently pressed by the Chinese. At
his death produced the crisis in his spiritual the present time, on two or three occasions
state which the sentence contemplated. on which the European ministers have been
granted audiences, they have paid the Gazette, and to the plays and novels of the
Emperor the same reverence, and no more, people, for sketches of his monotonous and
pay to their own sovereigns.

that they dreary existence. The palace, as befitting
TYPES OF CHINESE WOMEN.
Being so entirely withdrawn from the pub- the abode of so exalted a personage, is so
lic gaze, very little can possibly be known of placed as effectually to cut off its occupants
the Emperor's private life, and we are driven from the rest of the empire. Situated in the
that veiy candid periodical, the PeHn " Forbidden City," it is surrounded with a
to
triple barrier of walls. Beyond the inner and wards His Majesty will pass through the
secret enclosure is the Imperial city, which is Yung-suy-tsiang gate, and, entering the
enclosed by a high wall topped with tiles of King-shansi gate, will proceed to the Show-
the Imperial yellow color ; and outside that hwang temple to worship. His Majesty will
again is the Tartar city, which forms the then pass through the Pehshang gate from
northern part of the capital. the Sishan road, and, entering the Shinwu
Strict guard is kept day and night at the gate, will return to the palace to breakfast.
gates of the Forbidden City, and severe pen- His Majesty will then hold an audience, and
alties are inflicted on all unauthorized persons at 7 o'clock will ascend to the Kientsing
who may dare to enter its portals. One of Palace to receive congratulations on his
the highest distinctions which can be con- birthday. At 8 o'clock he will take his seat
ferred on officials whom the Emperor delights to witness the theatrical performance."
to honor, is the right to ride on horseback
within these sacred precincts. Only on rare
Putting On the Purple.
occasions, and those almost exclusively occa- And if and conjurers are sum-
wrestlers
sions of ceremony, does the Emperor pass moned must
into the Imperial presence, they
out of the palace grounds. These no doubt be ready at an equally uncongenial hour to
present a miniature of the empire. There show their skill. But such relaxations are
are lakes, mountains, parks,, and gardens in the glints of sunlight which brighten the
which the Imperial prisoner can amuse him- sombre life of the solitary man. The sov-
self, with the boats which ply on the artificial ereign announced his assumption of the Im-
lakes, or by joining mimic hunts in miniature perial purple in 1875, when he was quite an
forests ; but it is probable that there is not infant, in the following edict
one of the millions of China who has not a " Whereas, on the day of the moon "
fifth
more practical knowledge of the empire than (January 12, 1875), "at the yeo hour" (5-7
he who rules it. P.M.), "His Majesty the Emperor departed
this life, ascending upon the Dragon to be a
Stirring Before Daylight. guest on high, the benign mandate of the
Theoretically he is supposed to spend his Empress Dowager and Empress Mother was
days and nights in the affairs of state. The by us reverently received, commanding us to
gates of the Forbidden City are opened at enter upon the inheritance of the great suc-
midnight, and the halls of audience at 2 a.m. cession. Prostrate upon the earth we be-
Before daylight his cabinet ministers arrive wailed our grief to Heaven, vainly stretching
and are received at veritable levees, and all out our hands in lamentation. For thirteen
the state sacrifices and functions are over by years, as we humbly reflected, His Majesty
10 o'clock. Even the court amusements are now departed reigned under the canopy of
held before the dew is off the grass. The Heaven. In reverent observance of the an-
following programme, taken from the Pekin cestral he made the counsels
precepts,
Gazette, describes a morning's work at Court prompted by maternal love his guide, apply-
"To-morrow, after business, about 6 ing himself with awestruck zeal to the toil-
Emperor will pass through

o'clock A.M., the some performance of his duty. The welfare
the Hwa-Yuen and Shinwu gates to the of the people and the policy of the State
Takaotien temple to offer sacrifice. After- were ever present in his utmost thoughts.
Not in words can we give expression to the the royal household, in which secondary
sadness which pierces our heart and shows wives are counted by tens and fifties.
itself in tears and blood." As is natural in the case of any matter

The Pekin Gazette bears testimony to the affecting so exalted a personage as the Son
desire which was felt by the Emperor's of Heaven, the ceremonies connected with
tutors to rear the tender thought aright. And his marriage are marked by all the dignity
in that journal the following memorial on this and splendor which are peculiar to Oriental
subject was published with approval. " His states. Unlike his subjects, even of the
Majesty, being still of tender age, it is highest rank, who are bound as a preliminary
beyond question expedient that effectual to pay court to the parents of their future
training in the right path be studied. All brides, the Emperor finds it sufficient to issue
those who surround His Majesty, and are in an edict announcing his intention to marry
near employment about his person, should the lady on whom his choice may have
be without exception of tried capacity and fallen, and she, trembling with the weight
solid character. No youthful and thought- of the honor, blushingly obeys the command.
less person should be suffered to be in at- Unlike his subjects, also, the Emperor is by
tendance." law entitled to wives of three ranks.

The first consists of the Empress, who is
A Wife for the Emperor. alone in her dignity except when, as has
From time to time the outer world was happened, on some rare occassions, two
informed of the progress which this tenderly Princesses have shared the imperial throne.
guarded youth was making in his studies. The second rank is unlimited as to number
At last the time came — in 1889 — for him to and it is from these ladies that, in case of the
assume the reins of power hitherto held by death of the Empress, the Emperor com-
the dowager empresses, and to take to him- monly chooses her successor. The third
self a consort. The question of choosing a rank is filled up as the taste of the Emperor
wife for the Imperial recluse was a more may direct, and it is rarely that the ladies of
serious matter to arrange than the transfer of this grade ever succeed to the lofty dignity
power. It was necessary that the lady of the throne.
should be of the same nationality as himself
—a Manchu—and that she should satisfy the Imposing Ceremonies.
requirements of the Dowager Empresses as To the wedding of the Empress alone are
to looks and appearance. reserved the courtly ceremonials which grace
Levees of aspirants to the honor were held the imperial marriage. These ceremonies
by the Dowagers, and a lady having been are ten in number. First comes an edict
chosen, the personage most interested in the announcing the intended marriage. The
event was made aware of the selection. Board of Ceremonies next proclaims the fact
According to custom, and possibly to pro- throughout the empire, and having consulted
vide against any disappointment which the the Imperial astronomers as to the choice of
appearance of the bride might produce in the a fortunate day for sending the customary
two young ladies were also
imperial breast, presents to the bride-elect, prepares for the
chosen to accompany the Empress as second- occasion ten horses with accoutrements, ten
ary wives. This trio forms the nucleus of cuirasses, a hundred pieces of silk and two
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hundred pieces of nanking. To the Board on the threshold, and kneels while he carries
of Rites belongs the duty of preparing a the Imperial gifts to the tables in the great
golden tablet and a golden seal on which the hall. On the centre table the envoy places
scholars of the Hanlin College inscribe the the Imperial seal, and on the others the vari-
necessary decrees relating to the marriage. ous portable presents, while the horses are
Armed with these imperial pledges a arranged on the right and left of the court-
President of the Board invites the imperial yard.
order for the presentation of the gifts. When When all are disposed in order, the father
this has been received, the officials, at early of the lady receives the gifts kneeling, and
dawn on the day appointed, place a table in prostrates himself nine times as a token of
the hall of "Great Harmony" for the recep- his gratitude for the Imperial favor. The
tion of the imperial seal, while others set departure of the messenger, who carries the
out a pavilion ornamented with dragons, in Imperial seal away with him, is surrounded
which the cuirasses, the silks and the cloths with the same ceremonies as those which
are reverently deposited. greeted his arrival.
Two banquets form the second part of the
The Imperial Mandate.
ceremony. The mother of the bride is, by
When the assembly is complete, the master order of the Emperor, entertained by the
of ceremonies orders every one to his al- Imperial princesses in the apartments of the
lotted place, and exhorts all to assume a Dowager Empress, while the Imperial cham-
grave and decorous attitude. In the hear- berlains and high officials offer the same
ing of this attentive gathering a commis- hospitality to her father.
sioner, bowing the knee, reads aloud
after
the Imperial mandate, which runs as follows The Nuptial Presents.

"The august ruler has, in accordance with On the wedding-day officers appointed for
the wishes of the revered Dowager Em- the purpose present to the bride two hun-
press, promised to take Miss of the dred ounces of gold, ten thousand ounces of
as his consort, and orders the min- silver, one gold and two silver tiaras, a thou-
isters to take the seal of the empire with the sand pieces of silk, twenty caparisoned
nuptial presents, in accordance with the horses, and twenty others with equipments.
sacred rites." To her father and mother are, in like man-
So soon as the herald has ceased speaking ner, offered gold, silver and precious orna-
a Secretary of State takes the seal from the ments ;
pieces of silk, bows and arrows, and
table and hands it to an Imperial messenger countless robes.
who, in company with officials carrying the The declaration of the marriage follows.
pavilion and other gifts, and preceded and An ambassador is sent with an Imperial
followed by the Imperial guards, goes to the letter to the father of the future empress.
house of the future Empress. Everything On his knees, this much genuflecting man
there has been prepared for his reception. listens to the words of his future son-in-law,
A table has been placed in the centre of the and makes nine prostrations in the direction
hall between two others, draped with ap- of the Imperial seal, which again stands on
propriate hangings. On the arrival of the his table. On this occasion his wife and two
messenger the father of the lady salutes him ladies of his household take part in the cere-
mony. Six times they bow low, thrice they officers carrying the tablet and seal of gold,
bend the knee, and twice as often they pros- and bearers with the sedan-chair destined for
trate themselves before the seal. This done, the bride. In strange contrast to the ordi-
they receive from the envoy the tablet of nary state of the streets, the thoroughfares
gold, on which is inscribed the declaration on this occasion are swept, garnished, and
of marriage, and retire with this evidence of made straight.
the fulfilment of their hopes to the apartments On arriving, over these unwontedly smooth
of the bride. ways, at the dwelling of the bride, the envoy
On the eve of the eventful day ministers is received with everymark of honor and
are sent to announce the auspicious event to reverence, not only by the father of the
Heaven, and Earth, and to the deities of the bride, but by the elder ladies of the house-
Imperial temple. On the following morning, hold, dressed in their most brilliant costumes.
so soon as the august procession is formed, In the grand hall the father kneels before the
the Emperor enters his sedan-chair, and is envoy, who hands the seal to a lady in wait-
borne to the Tzuning palace, where the ing, while his lieutenant delivers the tablet
dowager Empress awaits him seated on a and the Imperial letter to the ladies appointed
throne of state. With dutiful regard he to receive them. As these things are borne
kneels, and thrice, and again nine times bows to the private apartments of the bride, her
low at the feet of his mother. mother and ladies kneel in token of rever-
ence, and then, following in their wake,
The Great Seal.
listen with devout respect to the terms of the
Having thus manifested his respect, he letter addressed to the bride.
proceeds to the " Hall of Great Harmony,"
accompanied by bands discoursing music The Bride Escorted to the Palace.
from an infinite variety of instruments. When thisceremony is concluded, the
There, at a signal given, the members of the bride, with her mother and ladies in attend-
Board of Rites kneel and prostrate them- ance, advances to the " Phoenix Chair," in
selves before their august sovereign. This which, preceded by ministers bearing the
done, a herald advances and reads aloud the Imperial seal, and followed by musicians and
Imperial decree, which runs as follows: guards of honor, she proceeds to the palace.
" The Emperor, in obedience to the desire of On arriving at the gate, the officers and
the Empress his mother, agrees that the attendants dismount from their horses, while
princess shall be his consort. In this porters bearing aloft nine umbrellas orna-
propitious month, and under this favorable mented with phoenixes lead the procession
constellation, he has prepared the customary to the Kientsing gate. Beyond this the
gifts and the usual contract, and now com- attendants and officials are forbidden to go,
mands his ministers to escort the chosen and the bride proceeds alone to meet her
bride to his palace." affianced husband.
In harmony with this last clause, the One more ceremony has to be performed
Imperial envoy, followed by chamberlains to complete the marriage. A banquet is
and officers of the guard, and accompanied spread for the august pair, at which they
with music, takes the great seal and starts pledge each other's troth in cups of wine,
on his mission. Following in his train come and thus tie the knot which death alone un-
ravels. This, however, does not quite con- following valedictory manifesto was put in
clude the laborious ceremonial which falls to his mouth
the lot of the bride. On the morning after " Itwas owing to the exalted love of Our
the wedding becomes her duty to testify
it late Imperial father. Our canopy and support,
her respect to the dowager Empress by that the Divine Vessel (that is, the throne)
bringing her water in which to wash her was bestowed upon Our keeping. Having
-
hands, and by spreading viands before her, set foot in Our childhood on the throne, We
in return for which courtesies the dowager from that moment had, gazing upwards, to
entertains her daughter-in-law at a feast of thank their two majesties the Empresses for
welcome. that, in ordering as Regents the affairs of
Meanwhile the Emperor receives the government, they devoted night and day to
the laborious task. When, later, in obe-
dience to their commands, We
divine
personally assumed the supreme power.
We looked on high for guidance to the
Ancestral precepts of the Sacred Ones
before Us, and in devotion to Our govern-
ment and love towards Our people, made
the fear of Heaven and the example of
Our Forefathers the mainspring of every
act.
"To be unwearied day by day has

been Our single purpose. Our bodily
constitution has through Our life been
strong, and when, in the nth moon of
this year. We were attacked by small-
pox. We gave the utmost care to the
preservation of Our health but ; for some
days past Our strength has gradually
CHINESE MANDARIN.
^ failed, until the hope of recovery has
passed away. We recognize in this the
homage of the princes, dukes, and officers of will of Heaven." And then the dying man
and for some days the palace is
state, given named his successor in the person of his first
up to feasting and rejoicing an echo of — cousin.

which reaches the remotest parts of the So soon as the august patient has ceased
empire when the proclamation announcing to breathe, his heir strips from his cap the
the joyful event is made known in the pro- ornaments which adorn it, and " wails and
vinces. The long and formal ceremonies are stamps " in evidence of his excessive grief
now concluded and the Emperor is married. The widow and ladies of the harem in the
But the Imperial mentors not only teach same way discard the hair-pins and jewelry
the Emperor how to live, but they teach the which it is ordinarily their delight to wear,
"still harder lesson how to die." On the and show their practical appreciation of the
approaching death of the late Emperor, the position by setting to work to make the
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175
mourning clothes and habiliments. The " Heavenly Rest." From the balcony above
coffin prepared for the remains having been this portal the contents of the document are
carried into the principal hall of the palace, is announced to the assembled crowd. The
inspected by the heir, and receives its august terms of the testament having been commu-
burden. By an ordinance, which is probably nicated to the people of the capital, it isf
more honored in the breach than in the per- printed in yellow, and distributed not only
formance, the new Emperor and his courtiers throughout the empire, but throughout every
sacrifice their queues as a token of their sor- Son of
region which owes allegiance to the
row, and the ladies of the harem, not to be —
Heaven Corea, Mongolia, and Manchuria,
outdone, submit their flowing locks to the and Liuchiu, and Annam.
scissors of their attendants. When the time named by the astrologers
arrives for the removal of the coffin to the
Periods of Mourning.
temporary palace on the hill within the Impe-
For three years, which by a fiction is rial enclosure, a procession, formed of all
reduced to twenty-seven months, the young that is great and noble in the empire, accom-
Emperor mourns the decease of his prede- panies the Imperial remains to their appointed
cessor. The exigencies of administration, resting-place, where, with every token of re-
however, make it necessary that he should spect, they are received by the Empress and
confine the period of unrestrained grief to a the ladies of the harem.
hundred days ; while twenty-seven days are
considered sufficient for the expression of the The Three Names.
regrets of the concubines of the third rank. In a mat shed adjoining the temporary
During the twenty-seven months members of palace the Emperor takes up his abode for
the Imperial family are not supposed to twenty- seven days. With unremitting atten-
marry or indulge in any of the pleasures of tion he presents fruits and viands to the de-
married life. ceased, accompanying them with sacrificial
A curious punishment was inflicted on a libations and prayers. The choice of a post-
late Emperor for an infraction of this last humous title next occupies the attention of
rule. Most inopportunely a son was born to the ministers, and from that moment the
him at a time which proved that, in accord- names which the late sovereign has borne in
ance with Chinese notions, its existence must life disappear from Imperial cognizance. To
have begun during the mourning for the every Emperor are given, during life, and at
deceased Emperor. The question then arose his death, three names. The first may be
how the august offender was to be dealt with. called his personal name; the second is
Banishment would have been the sentence assigned him on coming to the throne, and
naturally passed on any less exalted person- resembles the titles given to the occupants of
age, but as it was plainly impossible to send the papal chair; the third is the style chosen
the Son of Heaven into exile, it was deter- to commemorate his particular virtues or
mined to banish his portrait across the those which he is supposed to have pos-
deserts of Mongolia into a far country. sessed.
On a day of good omen the will of the So soon as the posthumous title has been
deceased Emperor is carried, with much decided upon it is engraved upon a tablet and
pomp and circumstance, to the gate of seal; and in order that the spiritual powers
should be made acquainted with the style procession moved along the officers fell on
adopted, especially appointed ministers an- their knees and, looking upwards, raised a
nounce the newly chosen epithet to Heaven, cry of lamentation. On reaching the pre-
and Earth, and to the gods of the land and cincts of the hall the mandarins, from the
of grain. On the completion of these long- highest to the lowest, thrice bowed low, and
drawn-out ceremonies a day is chosen for nine times struck their foreheads on the
the removal of the coffin to its tomb. In a ground. So soon as the notification had
wooded valley, forty or fifty miles west of been placed on the table prepared for it, the
Pekin, lie all that is mortal of the emperors herald cried aloud, " Let all raise the cry of
of the present dynasty. Thither, by easy lamentation."
stages, the coffin, borne by countless bearers, Anon, the same officer proclaimed, " Pre-
is carried, over a road levelled and carefully sent the notification," upon which the officer
prepared for the cortege. appointed for the purpose presented the
paper to the governor-general and governor
Funereal Pomp. who on their
of the province, received it
As in duty bound, the Emperor accom- knees and handed it to the provincial treas-
panies the coffin, but does not find it neces- urer, who, in like manner, passed it to the
sary to join in the actual procession. By secretary charged with the duty of seeing
pursuing devious ways he reaches the travel- that was reverently copied and published
it
ling palaces, at which the halts are made, in abroad. At another word of command the
time to receive the coffin, and without having mandarins retired to a public hall, where
experienced the fatigue of the slow and dreary they passed the nig^ht abstaining from meapt
march. Finally, with many and minute cere- and from all carnal indulgence.
monies, among which occurs the presentation
to the deceased of food, money, and clothes, Mourning in White Apparel.
the remains are laid to rest in the august For three days similar ceremonies and
company of Imperial shades. lamentations were performed, and for nine
With much the same pomp and ceremonial times that period white apparel was donned
a deceased Empress is buried in the sacred by the mandarins, who had already dis-
precincts, and the proclamation of her death carded the tassels and buttons of their caps
is received in the provinces with much the on the first arrival of the Imperial messenger.
same demonstrations of grief and sorrow as From the same date all official signatures
that which greets the announcement of the were written with blue ink, and seals were
decease of a Son of Heaven. impressed with the same color. No drums
Some years ago, on the death of the Em- were beaten, no courts were held, and a blue
press Dowager, a curious proclamation, valance was hung from the chair and table
prescribing the rites to be performed on the of all officers in lieu of the ordinary red one.
occasion, was issued to the people of Canton. On each of thethree days a state
first
From this paper we learn that the notification banquet was offered to the deceased, when,
of the death was received from the hands of in the presence of the assembled mandarins,
the Imperial messenger by the assembled the herald cried aloud, " Serve tea to Her
local officials, and was borne on the " dragon Majesty." Upon which attendants, preceded
bier" to the Examination Hall. As the by the governor-general and governor,
12
ascended the dais, and, kneeling, poured out flame, and with prostrations and bows the
a cup of tea,which they handed to the ceremony came to an end.
governor-general. With every token of res- Such is the side of the shield presented to
pect this officer placed the cup before the us in the pages of the Pekin Gazette. It
represents a cloistered vir-

tue which, even if genuine,
we should admire more if
it sallied out to seek its ad-

versaries. Probably, how-
ever, a truer presentment
of the inner hfe of the
palace is to be found in the
native novels and plays,
where the natural effects
of confining the Son of
Heaven within the narrow
hmits of the Forbidden
City, and of depriving him
of all those healthy exer-
cises which foster a sound
mind in a sound body, are
described as resulting from
the system. It can only be
men of the strongest will
and keenest intellects, who
would not rust under such
conditions, and these quali-
ties are possessed as rarely
by Emperors as by ordi-
nary persons.
For the most part we see
the Emperor portrayed as
surrounded by sycophants
and worse than sycophants,
who fawn upon him and
add flattery to adulation in
their attempts to gain and

STREET SCENE CANTON.
to hold his favor. Ener-
tablet representing the late Empress. With vated by luxury, he, in a vast majority of
the same ceremonies rice, water, and wine cases, falls a ready victim to these blandish-
were offered to the spirit of the deceased ments, and rapidly degenerates into a weak
Empress. Finally, at a word from the and flabby being. It is true that occa-
herald, the viands were committed to the sionally some hardy Son of Heaven enjoys
a long reign, but the more common course exchequers, when by Imperial favor the
of events is that a short and inglorious rule number of those holding patents of nobility
is brought to a premature close by the effects is multiplied. On one occasion the governor
of debauchery and inanition. of Kiangsi complained that he had to pro-
In so complicated an administrative ma- vide 50,000 taels a year for the incomes of
chine as that of China it is difficult to say the four hundred and eighty-three hereditary
what part the Emperor really takes in the nobles residing within his jurisdiction. This
government of the country. We know that number he considered to be quite large
some have been powerful for good and many enough, and he begged his Imperial master
more for evil. Over the Imperial princes and to abstain from throwing any more nobles
nobles the Emperor holds complete sway. on the provincial funds. In Hunan the
He regulates their marriages, and in cases number, he alleged, was confined to four
of failure of issue he chooses sons for their hundred, in Nanking to three hundred and
adoption. He appoints their retinues, and forty-eight, in Soochow to a hundred and
orders all their goings with curious minute- fifty, and in Anhui to a hundred and seventy-
ness. Over them as over all his other sub- six. Beyond these areas his investigations
jects, his will is, theoretically, law. had not travelled.
No Indian Rajah, no Shah of Persia, ever
possessed more autocratic power. We have
The Chinese Nobility.
some knowledge of the debasing effect of The hereditary nobility of China may be
eastern palace life from the histories of the divided into the Imperial and National. Of
better known countries of Asia, and we may the former there are twelve denominations
safely draw the deduction that, since the which, with certain subdivisions, extend over
same conditions produce the same effects, eighteen classes of persons ennobled because
the records of the Forbidden City would, if of their descent. These are, of course, under
written at length, reflect the normal condi- the present dynasty, exclusively Manchus.
tion of society in the old palace of Delhi or The members of the National nobility may
that at Teheran. be Manchus or Chinese elevated for their
merits to one of nine degrees. The five su-
Rewarded for Bravery. perior of these, viz. : Kung, Hou, Pih, Tzu,
As has already been said, the hereditary Nan, the English in general describe by duke,
aristocrats of rank and importance form but marquis, earl, viscount, and baron ; the re-
a small and unimportant body, while the maining four, for convenience sake, they call
lower grades are well supplied with men who orders of knighthood.
have earned distinction in the battle-field and The highest of these and the five above
in other arenas of honor. For example, the sepecified are each divided into first, second,
man who was first to mount the wall of and third classes, making in all twenty-six
Nanking when it was recaptured from the degrees. Unless the given be conferred
title
rebels was rewarded by a title of the fourth in perpetuity it loses one degree of nobility
rank. To all such distinguished persons with each step of descent. Thus the Kung,
annual allowances are made, and though in- duke, of the first class will reach the lowest
dividually small in amount, the total sum round in twenty-six generations ; the first
becomes a serious burden on the provincial class Tzu, viscount, in fourteen.

CHAPTKR IX.
THE PUNISHMENT OF CRIMINALS.
has often been said that the laws of a three feet long, two feet nine inches broad,
IT nation furnish the best and truest and weighing in ordinary cases twenty-five
description of the manners and cus- pounds," which on the shoulders;

is carried
toms of the people. In all respects (3) the capital punishment, which is inflicted
the Chinese Code is an exceptionally good either by strangulation or by the execu-
instance of the truth of this maxim. Unlike tioner's sword.
many of the legal systems of the east and Most punishments for the less serious
west, it avoids all useless redundancies, and crimes are redeemable by fines, and even
represents in a concise form, the laws which capital sentences, in such cases as are not
are intended to govern the courts of justice. legally excluded from the benefits of general
Further, following the bent of the national acts of grace and pardon, are commutable
mind, it does not concern itself only with the for sums of money varying in amount with
duties of men as citizens, but follows them the heinousness of the crime and with the
into their homes and provides legislation for wealth of the criminal. A man sentenced to
their social conduct, their relations in the a hundred blows with the bamboo can save
family, and even for the clothes which they his skin by the payment of five ounces of
should wear. silver, and an officer above the fourth rank
Regarded as a whole it is obvious that its who is sentenced to be strangled may avoid
provisions are mainly directed to keeping the the cord by paying twelve thousand ounces
people quiet and loyal. The Emperor is into the coffers of the state.
surrounded with enactments which are in-

Pardon Often Granted.
tended to ensure that such divinity shall
hedge him in " that treason can but peep to But besides these pecuniary modifications,
what it would," and every disturbing motive there are certain conditions which are held
and exciting cause is studiously suppressed to justify the mitigation of sentences. In
among his subjects. the case of an offender surrendering himself
The code begins by enumerating the pun- to justice, he shall, in some circumstances,
ishments to be inflicted for offences, and be entitled to a reduction of two degrees
defines them as (i) flogging with a straight of punishment, and in others he absolves
polished piece of bamboo, the branches cut himself from all consequences by giving
away and reduced to five Chinese feet five himself up. If, again, "an offender under
inches in length, varying in breadth from one sentence of death for an offence not excluded
to two inches, weight from one and a
and in from the contingent benefit of an act of
half to two Chinese pounds, and when used grace, shall have parents or grandparents
to be held by the smaller end (2) the canque, ;
who are sick, infirm or aged above seventy
consisting of "a square frame of dry wood, years, and who have no other son or grand-
180
THE PUNISHMENT OF CRIMINALS. 181
son above the age of sixteen to support to all sorts and conditions of men, from the
them, this circumstance shall be submitted Emperor in his palace down to actors who
to the consideration of His Imperial Ma- are regarded as the meanest of his subjects.
jesty." In every kingdom and Empire the and
life
In any case offenders under fifteen years repose of the sovereign is jealously guarded
of age, or over seventy, are allowed to re- by all the precautions which the law can
deem themselves from any punishment less provide, and in eastern countries, where the
than capital. Even when the crime is capital, dagger and poison are the constant terror
if the offender is less than ten or more than of potentates, the preventive measures are
eighty, his case, unless he be charged with always carefully devised.
treason, is to be recommended to the con- No doubt many of the observances prac-
sideration of the Emperor; and no punish- ticed at the Chinese Court, such, for instance,
ment, except for treason and rebellion, shall as standing with the hands joined as in sup-
be visited on those who are less than seven plication, and kneeling when addressing the
or more than ninety. sovereign, were instituted as safeguards from
harbored weapons or from violence. In the
Flogging and Imprisonment.
code, pains and penalties of every intensity
Especial regulations lighten punishments are laid down as the portion of those who
to be inflicted on four classes of the popula- directly or indirectly raise any suspicion of
tion. Astronomers sentenced to banish- evil design against the throne.
ment may submit to one hundred blows
with the bamboo instead, and redeem them- Barbarous Punishments.
selves from further punishment, unless they Any one passing without proper authoriz-
have been guilty of "poisoning, murdering, ation through any of the gates of the For-
wounding, robbing, stealing, killing by magic, bidden City incurs a hundred blows of the
or of any such offences as may subject the bamboo. This law is invariably enforced,
party to the punishment of being branded." and quite lately the Pekin Gazette announced
Artificers and musicians who have incurred the infliction of the penalty on a trespasser,
sentences of banishment may be flogged, and the degradation of the officer of the
and, instead of being sent to Central Asia, guard at the gate through which he had en-
may be kept in the magistrate's yamun and tered. Death by strangulation is the punish-
employed in the service of government; ment due to any stranger found in any of
while women who are sentenced to banish- the Emperor's apartments; and with that
ment can always redeem themselves by pay- curious introspection which Chinese laws
ing a fine. profess, any one passing the palace gate
; In cases where women are convicted of with the intention of going in, although he
jbffences punishable by flogging, it is pro- does not do so, is to have a definite number
/vided that they shall be allowed to wear of blows with the bamboo.
/ their upper garment unless the crime should Every workman engaged within the
be adultery, when that privilege is withdrawn. palace has a pass given to him, on which
Such are some of the main provisions is a detailed description of his figure and
which condition the laws laid down in the appearance, and which he is bound to give
code. These apply with strange minuteness up to the oiificer of the identical gate
is pass-
through which he was admitted. To carry- thereon while the Emperor's retinue
ing is to be strangled. If the Emperor ar-
drugs or weapons into the Forbidden City is
to court a flogging in addition to perpetual rives unexpectedly at a place, "it shall be
sufficient for those who are unable to
retire
banishment, and any one " who shall shoot
in time, to prostrate themselves humbly on
arrows or bullets, or fling bricks or stones
towards the Imperial temple, or towards any the roadside."
Imperial palace, shall suffer death by being But there are other and more insidious
strangled at the usual period." dangers than these to be guarded against.
Doctors and cooks have it readily within
No convicted person or relative of a con-
CHINESE MODES OF TORTURE.
their power to do all the evil that the dagger

victed person is employed about the
to be
Imperial city, and any one found disputing or club can accomplish, and it is, therefore,
enacted that if a physician inadvertenly
or quarrelling within the precincts of the
palace is to be punished with fifty blows. If mixes medicines for the Emperor in any
the quarrelling leads to a personal encounter

manner that is not sanctioned by established
Even the roads practice, or if a cook unwittingly introduces
the penalty is doubled.
any prohibited ingredients into the dishes
along which the Emperor travels and the
bridges which he crosses are not to be pro-
prepared for his Imperial master, they shall
each receive a hundred blows. The same
faned by vulgar use, and any one intruding
punishment is due to the cook, if he puts ters. The same authority which makes it
any unusual drug into an article of food, incumbent on a son on the death of his
and, in addition, he is compelled to swallow father or mother to go unshaved for a hun-
the compound. dred days, and if he is in office to retire into
Marriage is regarded as an incentive to private life for twenty-seven months, forbids
political peace and quiet. It is considered, him to marry while in mourning for a parent,
and rightly considered, that a householder is under a penalty of a hundred blows for dis-
less likely to disturb the peace of the realm obedience.
than a waif and stray, and the Government The same punishment is to be inflicted on
therefore considers marriage a subject worthy any misguided widow who embraces a second
of careful legislation. In Chinese parlance husband before her weeds should be legally
the State is the father and mother of the dispensed with while the frisky widow, who,
;
people, and it is part of its office to see that having been ennobled by the Emperor during
parents do not neglect their duty in this the lifetime of her first husband, should dare
respect towards their offspring. to marry again, is ordered to be bambooed,
to lose her rank, and to be separated from
Shall Receive Fifty Blows.
her second venture.
When a marriage contract is in contem-
plation it shall be made plain to both of the Strict Matrimonial Laws.
families interested that rc:*^her the bride nor Marriage is strictly forbidden within cer-
bridegroom are " disease r', infirm, aged, or tain recognized degrees of relationship, and
under age." If, no objection having been even persons of the same surname who in-
raised on any of these scores, the preliminary termarry are and to for-
liable to separation,
contract be made and the lady afterwards feit the wedding presents to Government.
wish to decline to execute it, the person who Indeed, the matrimonial prohibitions are both
had authority to give her away shall receive numerous and far-reaching. man may not A
fifty blows, and the marriage shall be at once marry an absconded female criminal a law, —
completed. If a son, when at a distance one would imagine, which it cannot often be
from his family, enters into a marriage con- necessary to enforce. A
mandarin may not
tract in ignorance of an engagement which marry the daughter of any one living under
his father may have made on his behalf at his rule, nor may he make either a female
home, he shall give up his own choice and musician or comedian his wife. A priest of
shall fulfil the contract made for him by his Buddha or of Tao may not marry at all. A
parent. slave may not marry a free woman, and so on.
Bigamy is punished with ninety blows, But though the State in its wisdom is a
and the same fate awaits any man who, dur- great promoter of marriage, it affords many
ing the lifetime of his wife, raises a concubine loopholes for escape to people who find that
to the rank which she enjoys. The times and they have made mistakes. Of course the
seasons proper for marriages are, in western law of divorce only applies to the wife, and
lands, left to individual taste and judgment; apart from the supreme crime of wives, the
but in China, where etiquette is a matter of following seven causes are held to justify the
State policy, it is necessary to lay down rules annulling of the marriage ; namely, barren-
for the guidance of the people in such mat- ness, lasciviousness, disregard of her hus-
band's parents, talkativeness, thievish pro- acquired infirmities of particular individuals,
pensities, envious and suspicious temper, and be indiscriminately beheaded."
inveterate infirmity. But this is not all. Every male relative,
It must be admitted that this list offers of whatever degree, who may be dwelling
many chances of escape to a restless husband, under the roof of the offender, is doomed to
and the further enactment that when " a death. An exception is made in the case of
husband and wife do not agree, and both young boys, who are allowed their lives, but
parties are desirous of separation, the law on the condition that they are made eunuchs
limiting the right of divorce shall not be for service in the Imperial palace. In the
enforced to prevent it," leaves nothing to be appendix to Stanton's translation of the code
desired. an imperial edict is quoted from the Pefdn
Of all offences treason is, in the opinion of Gazette in which a case is detailed of a sup-
Chinese legislators, the gravest and most posed treasonable attempt on the life of the
worthy of severe and condign punishment. Emperor Kiaking (1796- 1820).
So atrocious is it that capital punishment
Horrible Cruelty.
as laid down in the general provisions is
considered an insufficient requital, and the As the Imperial cortege was entering one
equivalent of the old English sentence, "To of the gates of the palace a man pushed
be hung, drawn, and quartered," is met with through the crowd, with, as was con- it
in China in the shape of an even more cruel sidered, the intention of murdering the
sentence, namely lingchi, or death by a slow Emperor. He was promptly seized by the
and lingering process. guards and put on his trial, when he made,
or is said to have made, a confession of his
Gashes on the Body. guilt. In grandiloquent terms the Emperor
A culprit, condemned to this form of death, proclaimed the event to the Empire, and
is tied to a cross, and, while he is yet alive, ended by confirming the sentence of lingchi
gashes are made by the executioner on the on the offender, and by condemning his sdns,
fleshy parts of his body, varying in number " being of tender age, to be strangled."
according to the disposition of the judge. Lingchi is the invariable fate pronounced
When this part of the sentence has been on any one who kills three people in a house-
carried out, a merciful blow severs the head hold, or on a son who murders his father or
from the body. mother. Some of the most horrible passages

It is a principle of Chinese jurisprudence in the Pekin Gazette are those which announce
that in great crimes all the male relatives of the infliction of this awful punishment on
the principal are held to be participators in madmen and idiots who, in sudden outbreaks
his offence. Thus, for one man's sin, whole of mania, have committed parricide. For
families are cut off, and in cases of treason this offence no infirmity is accepted, even as
" all the male relatives of the first degree, at a palliation. The addition of this form of
or above the age of sixteen, of persons con- execution to those generally prescribed is an
—namely, the
victed father, grandfather, sons, instance of the latitude which is taken by the
grandsons, paternal uncles and their sons powers that be in the interpretation of the
— without any regard
respectively shall, to the code.
place of residence, or to the natural or To read the list of authorized punishments
one would imagine that the Chinese were posal are insufficient for their purposes.
the mildest mannered men who ever had Unhappily, it is always easy to inflict pain;
culprits before them. Admitting that tor- and in almost every yamun throughout the
ture is necessary in China to extract con- Empire an infinite variety of instruments of
fessions from obdurate witnesses, the kinds torture are in constant use.
authorized are probably as unobjectionable To induce unwilling witnesses to say what
as could well be devised. But they are but is expected of them, they are not unfrequently
a shadow of the pain and penalties actually made to kneel on iron chains on which their
inflicted every day in all parts of the Empire. knees are forced by the weight of men stand-
Even in the appendix to this code it was ing on the calves of their legs. Others are
found advisable to add the Imperial sanction tied up to beams by their thumbs and big
to more stringent measures in cases of rob- toes. Others are hamstrung, while some
bery or homicide. have the sight of their eyes destroyed by
lime or the drums of their ears deadened by
Instruments of Torture.
piercing.
Instruments for crushing the ankles, and This list might be extended indefinitely,
for compressing the fingers, are there ad- but enough has been said to show that, like
mitted on the canonical list. The first of so many Chinese institutions, the penal code
these, it is laid down, shall consist of "a only faintly represents the practice which is
middle piece of wood, three (Chinese) feet actually in force.

four inches long, and two side pieces three
feet each in length. The upper end of each Penalty for Murder.
piece shall be circular and rather more than Beheading is the ordinary fate of a mur-
one inch in diameter, the lower end shall be derer, while accessories to the deed, when
cut square and two inches in thickness. At not actual perpetrators, enjoy the privilege
a distance of six inches from the lower ends, of being strangled. In the case of the mur-
four hollows or sockets shall be excavated-^ der of a mandarin the accessories as well as
one on each side of the middle piece and the principal are beheaded, and if a man
one in each of the other pieces to correspond. strikes a mandarin so as to produce a severe
The lower ends being fixed and immovable, cutting wound his fate is to be strangled.
and the ankles of the criminal under exami- The charge has of late years been con-
nation being lodged within the sockets, a stantly made against missionaries, that they
painful compression is effected by forcibly kill children and others to procure from
drawing together the upper ends." parts of the body drugs for medicinal pur-
The finger squeezers are necessarily poses. This sounds so barbarous that it
smaller, but are arranged on much the will readily be believed that the charge had
same principle. its origin in the wild imaginations of the
But even these tortures are considered most ignorant of the people. But this is not
insufficient to meet the requirements of the quite so. Some sanction is certainly given
courts of justice. Mandarins, whose minds to the idea by the code, which provides, for
have grown callous to the sufferings of their instance, that "the principal in the crime of
fellow-creatures, are always ready to believe murdering, or of attempting to murder any

that the instruments of torture at their dis- person, with a design afterwards to mangle
the body, and divide the Hmbs of the de- the throne that "alarming rumors were cir-
ceased for magical purposes, shall suffer culated among the people concerning the
death by a slow and painful process." cutting off of queues, the imprinting of
Even, if the crime is only in contempla- marks on the body by 'paper men,' and the
tion the principal offender on conviction appearance of black monsters which played
shall be beheaded, and the chief inhabitant the part of incubi on sleeping persons."
of the village or district who, on becoming would be natural to expect that the
It
aware of the design, shall fail to report it, all the wisdom of
governor being learned in
shall suffer to the extent of a hundred blows. China would have reproved these foolish
BEHEADING A CHINESE CRIMINAL.
Like most uncivilized nations the Chinese imaginings, and would have used his influ-
are firm believers in magic, and place full ence to check the spread of such ridiculous
belief in those arts of the sorcerer which rumors. But the course he took, with the
have a congenial home among the inhabit- subsequent approval of the Emperor, was a
ants of Central Africa, and of which dim very different one. He professed to have
traces are still to be found in the highlands discovered at Soochow a " wizard," named
of Scotland, and among the most ignorant Feng, and others who, afler trial, were all
of English rustics. Not long since the gov- condemned to be beheaded. Several others
ernor of the province of Kiangsu reported to in different parts of the province suffered
the same penalty, and a man named Hu and on inquiry," adds the sapient governor,
his wife were arrested on a confession made " that the entire province is free from practi-
by Feng that they had imparted to him the tioners of unholy arts of this description,
words of the incantation necessary to invoke and that the population is in the enjoyment
the "paper men." of its accustomed tranquillity, whereby
As the statements made by the Hus were grounds are afforded for allaying the anxie-
" stubbornly evasive, the prefect with the ties of the Imperial mind."
district magistrate and other officers sub- This case affords an excellent example of
jected the prisoners to repeated interroga- the gross superstition which exists even
tions, continued without intermission even among the most highly educated Chinamen,
by night, instituting rigorous and searching and it also draws a picture which, to those
inquiry in an unprejudiced spirit; as a result who can read between the lines, stands out
of which the woman Hu at length made the very clearly, of the gross cruelty and shame-
following She acknowledged
confession. ful abuse of the use of torture.
having met a man whose name she did not
Compelled to Lie.
know, and whose manner of speech was
that of a person from distant parts, who There cannot be a doubt that Feng, having
gave her some foreign money and taught her under the influence of torture falsely con-
the words of an incantation, and how to fessed his own guilt; was upon
further called
send off the "paper men " to go and crush by the same pressure to give up the names
people. of his associates, and that, in his agony, he
wrongfully implicated Hu and his wife.
Head Stuck on a Pole. The " repeated interrogations " to which this
"She told this to her husband, and he, couple were subjected mean the infliction of
animated by the desire of gain, communi- sufferings so acute that even the prospect of
cated the secret to their acquaintance Feng. death became a welcome vision, and by a
On the woman being confronted with Hu, he self-condemning lie they escaped by means
made full confession to the same effect and ; of the executioner's sword from the hands of
after it had been established by thrice re- the more inhuman torturer.
peated interrogatories that the confessions Itmust not be supposed that this particular
were truthful, the governor arrived at the governor was more ignorant than the rest of
conclusion that, in having been so bold as to his kind. The code, which was based on the
follow the advice of an adept in unholy arts laws existing during the Ming dynasty, was
in practising incantation ; and communi-
in thoroughly revised by a committee of the
cating the secret, the guilt of the two pris- highest functionaries of the realm, and
oners was such that death could barely ex- received the Imperial approval in 1647, after
piate it. careful consideration. In it we find, there-
" He gave orders forthwith to the pro- fore,the mind which was in these grandees,
vincial judge, directing him to cause Hu and and that they deliberately adopted a section
thewoman to be subjected together to the providing that " all persons convicted of writ-
extreme penalty of the law, and to cause ing and editing books on sorcery and magic,
the head of Hu to be exhibited on a pole as or of employing spells and incantations, in
a salutary warning. It is now ascertained order to influence the minds of the people,
188 CHINA: PAST AND PKESENT.
shall be beheaded." This was a fair warn- reported. The report was in the form of &
ing to all parties concerned. memorial addressed to the throne by the
Lesser punishments, on what principle governor of Shansi, in which that officer
awarded it is impossible to say, are incurred had been in his district a lad
stated that there
by magicians who by means
raise evil spirits named Lui, who was endowed by nature with
of magical books and dire imprecations, by an " unamiable and refractory disposition."
leaders of corrupt and impious sects, and by On one occasion he stole his mother's
members of superstitious associations in head ornaments, and another time he pilfered
general. Even fortune-tellers, unless they 2,000 cash belonging to her. This last mis-
divine by the recognized rules of astrology, demeanor aroused her direst anger^ and she
are liable to be bambooed. attempted to chastise him. Unwilling to en-
dure the indignity, Lui seized her by the
As Bad as Others.
throat, and only released her on the expostu-
By analogy, persons who rear venomous lation of his sister. This behavior so angered
animals, and prepare poisons for the purpose the old lady, that she determined on the
of murder, are treated on a par with those death of her son.
who commit murder.
In all Chinese legislation the principal that A Helpless Victim.
the family is the basis of government is con- Being physically incapable of accomplish-
spicuously apparent. The authority of the ing the deed herself, she begged a sergeant
father is everywhere recognized, and it is of police on duty in the neighborhood to act
only in supreme cases that the State inter- as executioner. This he declined to do, but
feres between the head of a household and softened his refusal by offering to flog Lui.
his family belongings. If a man discovers To do this conveniently he bound the lad,
his wife in criminal relations with another and, with the help of three men, carried him
man, and kills her on the spot, he is held off to a deserted guard-house on the out-
blameless; and if a husband punishes' his skirts of the village. Thither Mrs. Lui
wife for striking and abusing his father, followed, and implored the men to bury her
mother, grandfather, or grandmother, in such son alive.
a way as to cause her death, he shall only be Again the sergeant declined, and empha-
liable to receive a hundred blows. sized his refusal by leaving the hut. The
With equal consideration a man who kills other men were more yielding, and having
a son, a grandson, or a slav , is punished thrown Lui on the ground they proceeded,
with seventy blows and a year and a half's with the help of his mother and sister, to
banishment, and this only when he falsely pull down the walls and to bury their victim
attributes the crime to another person. in the ruins.When the case came on for
Though the code affords no direct justifica- trial was decided " that the death in this
it
tion for punishing disobedient sons with case was properly deserved, and that his
death, or for infanticide, it is an incontro- mother was accordingly absolved from all
vertible fact that in cases which constantly blame." The sergeant, however, was sen-
occur, both crimes are practically ignored by tenced, for his comparatively innocent part in
the authorities. A particularly brutal case, the affair, to receive a hundred blows, and
of the murder of an unfilial son, was recently the three men and the daughter each re-
ceived ninety blows, which was considered masters as sons and daughters are in those
only a just punishment. of their parents, they suffer, from a Western
This case is significant of the supreme point of view, many and great legal inequali-
power which practically rests in the hands of ties. A wife who strikes her husband is
parents, and is exemplified by the countless liable to be punished with a hundred blows,
acts of infanticide which go unpunished while the husband is declared to be entitled
eveiy year. In the volume of the Pekin to strike his wife so long as he does not pro-
Gazette from which the above account is duce a cutting wound.
taken, a wretched case is reported, in which
a husband drowned an infant born to his
Punishment of Insolent Slaves.
wife, of which he had reason to believe he Death by beheading is the punishment for
was not the father. On another and subse- a slave who strikes his master; but if a
quent issue the case came before the man- master, in order to correct a disobedient
darins, but the infanticide was not so much slave or hired servant, chastises him in the
as mentioned in the finding. canonical way, and the offender "happens to

die," the master is " not liable to any punish-
Children Placed at Disadvantage. ment in consequence thereof"
Throughout the whole code sons and One of the strangest sections in the code
daughters, as well as daughters-in-law, is that which deals with quarrelling and
stand at a marked disadvantage with regard fighting, and in which every shade of offence
to their parents. Not only is parricide pun- is differentiated with strange minuteness. On
ished by lingchi, but even for striking or what part of the body a blow is struck, with
abusing a father, mother, paternal grandfather what it is struck, and the result of the blow,
or grandmother, the punishment is death are all set out with their appropriate penal-
and the same penalty follows on a like ties. Tearing out "an inch of hair," break-
offence committed by a wife or her husband's ing a tooth, a toe, or a finger, with countless
father, mother, or paternal grandparents. other subdivisions, are all tabulated in due
A still more one-sided provision ordains form. It is commonly observed that people,
that "a son accusing his father or mother a ; and therefore nations, admire most those
grandson, his paternal grandparents ; a prin- qualities in which they are deficient, and on
cipal or inferior wife, her husband or her hus- somewhat the same principle Chinese legis-
band's parents, or paternal grandparents, lators delight to hold up to opprobrium
shall in each case be punished with a hun- those social misdemeanors to which they
dred blows and three years' banishment, are most prone.
even if the accusation prove true, and that If an impartial observer of Chinese man-
the individuals so accused by their relatives, ners and customs were to name the two
if they voluntarily surrender and plead guilty, most prominent civil vices of the Chinese, he
shall be entitled to pardon." If such accu- would probably give his decision in favor of
sation should, however, turn out to be either bribery and gambling. Against both these
in part or wholly false, " the accuser shall vices the code speaks with no uncertain
suffer death by being strangled." sound. The mandarin who accepts a bribe
Though neither wives nor slaves are so of one hundred and twenty taels of silver
entirely in the hands of their husbands and and upwards, when the object is in itself
lawful, or eighty taels and upwards when CooUes, in moments of leisure, while away
the object is unlawful, is pronounced guilty the time with cards and dice as they sit at
of death by strangulation. It is no exaggera- the sides of the streets, and the gaming-
tion to say that if this law were enforced it houses are always full of eager excited
would make a clean sweep of ninety-nine out crowds, who are willing to lose everything
of every hundred officials in the Empire. they possess, and more also, in satisfaction
Gambling also is denounced with equal of the national craving. Like opium, games
fervor, and eighty blows is the punishment of chance have a peculiar fascination for
for any person found playing at any game of Chinamen. One of the commonest games
chance for money or for goods. The same is known as fantan, and is so simple that
it can be played by
any one. The croupier
throws down a heap of
cash, and each gambler
stakes on what the re-
mainder will be when
the pile has been
counted out in fours.
This and other games
are publicly played at
the gambling -houses,
the owners of which
purchase security for
their trade by bribing
the mandarins and their
police. Quail-fighting,
cricket - fighting, and
pubhc events are also
made subjects of
wagering, and the ex-
pected appearance of
FIGHTING QUAILS. the names of the suc-
penalty awaits, in theory, the owner of a cessful candidates at the local examinations
gaming-house, with the additional fine of is a fruitful source of desperate gambling.
the loss of the house to Government. The With the object possibly of discouraging
existence of such a law, side by side with the speculation and games of chance, the code
open and palpable violation of it in streets fixes the legal rate of interest at thirty-six
and alleys, as well as on country roads and per cent., but the enactment, if that is its
in village lanes, reduces it to an absurdity. object, fails signally to effect its purpose.
At breakfast-time workmen stream out of The love of games is so deeply imbedded
their places of employment, and throw dice in the Chinese nature that all sorts of expe-
or lots for their meal at the nearest itinerant dients are resorted to in order to escape
cookshop. detection.
CHAPTER X.
CHINESE MECHANICS AND MERCHANTS.
NEXT to farmers in popular estima-

tion stand mechanics, and even a
would be ruin to all those who made their
living by the earlier methods of travelling,
deeper state of poverty than that and it need not therefore surprise us to find
which afflicts agriculturists is the Chinamen ranging themselves in opposition
common lot of these men. They live per- to any contrivances which may appear to
petually on the verge of destitution, and this compete with human labor.
from no fault of their own and in spite of The mason who wishes to move a block
their untiring devotion to their callings. No of stone knows no better means for the pur-
one can have seen these m.en at work in the pose than the shoulders of his fellow-men
streets, or in their workshops, without being supplemented by bamboos and ropes. The
struck with the indefatigable industry which carpenter who wants to saw up a fallen tree
they display. does so with his own hand, without a

From an hour in the morning at which thought of the easier device of a saw-mill.
European workmen are still in bed until a So it is with every branch of industry.
time at night long after which the same men Many of the contrivances employed are
have ceased to toil and spin, the patient extremely ingenious, but since their inven-
Chinaman plods on to secure for himself tion no further advance has been made
and family a livelihood which would be con- towards relieving the workman from any
temned by all but the patient Asiatic. part of his toil.
As in every branch of science and art,

mechanics in China have remained for cen- Great Mechanical Skill.
turies in a perfectly stagnant condition. In many cities. Canton, for example,

The and appliances which were good
tools bricklayers and carpenters stand in the
enough for those who worked and labored street for hire, and often, unhappily, remain
before our era, still satisfy the requirements all the day idle. Even when employed their
of Chinese craftsmen. The rudest tools are wages are ridiculously small compared with
all that a workman has at his disposal, and the pay of their colleagues in our own
the idea never seems to occur to him that an country, or even in Europe, whose hours of
improvement in their structure is either called labor are short compared with theirs, and
for or necessary. whose relaxations furnish a relief from toil
The abundant population and over-crowded to which Chinamen are complete strangers.
labor market may have something to do with In the higher branches of mechanical skill,
the disinclination of the people to the use of such, for instance, as gold, silver and ivory
labor-saving machinery. It is not so long work. Chinamen excel, and they are excep-
ago that, in civilized countries, there arose tionally proficient in the manufacture of
an outcry that the adoption of railways bronzes, bells, lacquer ware and cloisonne.
191
With the appliances at their command subordinate in the social scale to laborers
their skill in casting bells of great size and and mechanics it is difficult to understand.
sonorousness is little short of marvellous. The merchants and traders of China have
The famous bell at Pekin weighs 120,000 gained the respect and won the admiration
pounds, and one of five of the same
is of all those who have been brought into con-
weight and which were cast by order of
size tact with them. For honesty and integrity
the Emperor Yunglo (1403-1425). Like they have earned universal praise, and on this
all Chinese bells, it is struck from outside point a Shanghai bank manager, in acknowl-
with a mallet, and its tones resound through edging a valedictory address, presented to
the city to announce the changes of the him on his leaving the country, bore the
watch. following testimony: "I have," he said,
" referred to the high commercial standing of
Jacks of All Trades. the foreign community. The Chinese are in
A feature in the workaday life of China no way behind us in that respect ; in fact, I
is the number of itinerant craftsmen who know of no people in the world I would
earn their livelihood on the streets. Every sooner trust than the Chinese merchant and
domestic want, from the riveting of a bro- banker. I may mention that for the last
ken saucer to shaving a man's head, is twenty-five years the bank has been doing a
supplied by these useful peripatetics. If a very large business with Chinese at Shanghai,
man's jacket wants mending, or his shoes re- amounting, I should say, to hundreds of
pairing, he summons a passing tailor and millions of taels, and we have never yet
cobbler, and possibly, while waiting for his met with a defaulting Chinaman."
mended clothes, employs the services of a
travelling barber to plait his queue, or it Chinese Merchant Princes.
may be to clean his ears from accumulated It was such men as these that built-up the
wax. commerce which excited the wonder and ad-
Even blacksmiths carry about with them miration of Marco Polo and other early
the very simple instruments of their trade, European travellers ; and it is to their labors
and the bellows which blow the flame are and to those of their descendants that the
commonly so constructed as to serve when existence of the crowded markets, the teem-
required as a box for the tools and for a seat ing wharfs and the richly laden vessels of the
to rest the owner when weary. present day are due. However much in
It is characteristic of Chinese topsy-turvy- theory the Chinese may despise their mer-
dom that that class of societywhich has done chant princes, their intelligence gains them a
most to promote the material prosperity of position of respect, and their riches assure
the nation, should, in theory at least, be them consideration at the hands of the man-
placed on the lowest round of the social darins, who are never backward in drawing
ladder. The principle, " that those who think on their overflowing coffers.
must govern those who toil," is justly upheld It is noticeable that while noveUsts are
in China, but why the men who have made never tired of satirizing the cupidity of the
her the rich country which she is, and who mandarins, the assumption of the literati,
have carried the fame of her wealth and and the viciousness of the priesthood, they
power into every market in Asia, should be refrain from reflections on a class which at
CHINESE MECHANICS AND MERCHANTS, 19S
least honestly toils and only asks to be classes to the chariot-wheels of the sage.
allowed to reap the rewards of its own un- The same problems which were at an early
tiring industry. As for everything else
in China, a vast antiquity is claimed
for the beginning of commerce. In
the earliest native works extant men-
tion occurs of the efforts made to barter
the products of one district for those
of another, and to dispose of the super-
fluous goods of China by exchange with
the merchandise of the neighboring
countries. The subject was not consid-
ered beneath the notice of the earliest
philosophers, and Confucius on several
occasions gave utterance to his views on
the matter. Wise as many of his sayings
were, it is a fact that his dicta on practical
affairs were for the most part either plati-
tudes or fallicies.
It is not difficult to determine in which

class his best quoted pronouncement on
trade should be placed. " Let the pro-
ducers," said the sage, "be many and

the consumers few. Let there be activity
in the production and economy in the
expenditure. Then the wealth will al-

ways be ample."
It might have occurred even to Con-
fucius that, if the producers of a certain
commodity were in the majority, and
the consumers in the minority, the only
people who could possibly benefit would
be the few, more especially if they further
reduced the demand for the product by
following the philosopher's advice and
practising economy in the use of it.
Fortunately, the merchants of China

have not found it necessary to accept
Confucius as an guide in mer-
infallible
cantile concerns and they, in common

;
PAGODA AND VASES.
with the rest of their countrymen, have date worded out in the commercial centres
benefited by the disenthralment from the of Europe have been presented for solution
bondage which still binds the literary to the frequenters of the marts in the Flowery
13
Land, and occasion as much controversy as Natives of Canton visiting Chehkiang or
they did long ago. Hunan are now no longer subjected to the
Long before the establishment by Lom- insults to which they were accustomed at
bard Jews of banks in Italy (A. D. 808), the the native inns. In their provincial guilds
money-changers of China were affording they may count on security and comfort,
and convenience
their customers all the help and, if merchants, they are sure to find
whidh belong to the banking system and ; among the frequenters of the clubs, either
three hundred years before the establish- customers for their goods or vendors of the
menjt at Stockholm of the first bank which products which they may wish to buy. The
issued notes in Europe, paper currency was more strictly mercantile guilds serve invalu-
passing freely through all the provinces able purposes in the promotion of trade.
of the Empire. A later development of Each is presided over by a president, who is
trade has been the adoption of guilds, whose helped in the administration by a specially
halls are often among the handsomest build- elected committee and a permanent secretary.
ings to be met with in the busy centres of trade. This last is generally a graduate, and thus
in virtue both of his literary rank and of his .
For Mutual Protection.

connection with the guild has ready access
The idea first took shape in a curious way. to the mandarins of the district. Through
Provincial mandarins on visiting the capital his instrumentality disputes are arranged, -
found that they were quite unable to cope litigation is often prevented, and the Lekin
singly with the exactions of the officials and taxes due from the members of the guild for
the insults which their local pronunciations the passage of their goods into the interior of
'
and provincial attires drew upon them from the country are compounded for by lump
the people. They determined, therefore, to sums.
combine for mutual protection, and to estab-
lish guilds as common centres for protection Where Revenue Comes From.
in case of need, and for the more congenial The revenue of the guilds is derived from
purpose of social intercourse. a payment of one-tenth of one per cent, on
Strange as it may seem to those who only all sales effected by members. At first sight
hear of the opposition shown by Chinamen this percentage appears insignificant, but so
to foreigners, it ie yet a fact that a like host- great is the volume of internal trade, that
though in a mitigated form, is com-
ility, the amount realized not only covers eveiy
monly displayed towards natives of other requirement, but furnishes a surplus for lux-
provinces and districts. Like the provincial urious feasts. In one guild at Ningpo the
mandarins at Pekin, travelling merchants reserve fund was lately stated to be 700,000
found the advantage of being of being able dollars, to which must be added the amount
to show a united front to the annoyances by the deposit exacted from each
realized
which they suffered from the natives of new member of 3,000 dollars.
" outside provinces," and, following the ex- Against the income account must be set
ample set in the capital, they founded pro- down large outgoings in several directions.
vincial guilds in all parts of the country In the case of a member going to law with
where trade or pleasure made their presence the sanction of the guild he receives half his
either necessary or convenient. law expenses, and a not inconsiderable sum
CHINESE MECHANICS AND MERCHANTS. 195
is yearly disbursed in payment of the funeral The men struck, and the mandarin, fearing a
expenses of those members who die away popular tumult, was wise enough to give
from their homes. Besides these outgoings way. Perhaps, also, the recollections of a
money is advanced on cargoes expected, and terrible retribution which was, in 1852, meted
is lent for the purchase of return ventures. out to a magistrate near Shanghai, for Ijjindly
The rules regulating the guilds are numerous ignoring the just demands of the people
and are strictly enforced. under him, may have encouraged a yielding
The favorite penalty for any infraction is disposition.
that the offender shall provide either a
theatrical entertainment for the delectation
Acted Like Savages.
of his brother members or a feast for their In this instance the people, in an access
benefit. If any member should be recalcit- of rage such as that to which Chinamen are
rant and refuse to submit to the authority of occasionally subject, and which in an instant
the committee, he is boycotted with a sever- converts them from peaceful citizens into
ity which might well excite the emulation of brutal savages, invaded the magistrate's
promoters of the system in the Emerald Isle. yamun, and, having made the wretched man
their prisoner, bit off his ears, each man
Fines for Dishonesty. taking his part in the outrage to prevent
Allied to these mercantile associations are the possibility of a separate charge being
the guilds which are strictly analogous to the brought against any particular rioter.
trades-unions among ourselves. Each trade An even more brutal display of violence
has its guild, which is constituted on precisely once took place at Soochow. It happened
the same lines as those above described. So that more gold leaf was required for the use
far as it is possible to judge, the action of the of the Emperor's palace than the trade as
Chinese trades-unions appears to tend to the constituted at Soochow could supply. In
promotion of fair play and a ready kind of this difficulty the master manufacturer took
justice. Unjust weights, or unfairly loaded the unwise step of asking the leave of the
goods, are unhesitatingly condemned, and magistrate to engage extra apprentices.
substantial fines are inflicted on members Possibly with the knowledge that no one
found guilty of taking advantage of such had been punished for the atrocity described
iniquities. above, which, having occurred in the neigh-

By the influence of the unions wages are borhood, must have been well known, they
settled, the hours of work are determined, determined to inflict an even more brutal
and the number of apprentices to be taken punishment on the erring manufacturer.
into each trade is definitely fixed. Silk- " Biting to death is not a capital offence,"
weavers are not allowed to work after nine was proclaimed amongst them, and, acting
o'clock in the evening, nor are any workmen upon this dictum, they captured the offender
permitted to labor during the holidays pro- and literally bit him to death.
claimed by the guild. On one occasion, On being admitted as an apprentice a lad
at Wenchow, the carpenters were called has, as a rule, to stand treat to the workmen,
upon by the mandarin to contribute more and in the more skilled trades he has to
than the recognized work of one day in the serve five years before he is admitted to the
year for the repairing of public buildings. rank of journeyman. Though the conduct
of these societies is generally beneficial, they By a long-established custom, barbers and
are occasionally apt, like all similarly consti- the sons of barbers used to be reckoned
tuted bodies, to act tyranically. among the pariah classes who were disquali-
Barbers, for example, are in many parts fied for competing in the competitive exami-
of the country forbidden to add the art of nations. Though complaints of this depri-
shampooing to their ordinary craft, it having vation had been long and loud, no formal
been determined by the union that to sham- action was taken in the matter until the union
poo was beneath the dignity of the knights took up the question.
In their collective capacity the
members appealed to the governor
of Chehkiang, who, approving of
the spirit of the memorial, pre-
sented the matter to the Emperor,
and obtained for the barbers the
removal of the disability. It is
too much to expect that the unions

should always refrain from bring-
ing to bear the influence which
they collectively possess for their
direct financial advancement.
Strikes are of frequent occur-
Jjjl^;^
'J*'y |( rence, and victory is commonly
fi,
]!.' with the workmen, except when
their claims are manifestly unjust.
The mandarins recognize that
they cannot flog a whole trade,
and the poverty of the men se-
cures them against those exac-
tions which would probably be
demanded from their employers
were they to appear in court.
These facts are fully recognized
by the masters, who prefer rather

to yield to the demands of their
ITINERANT CHINESE BARBER. men than to fall into the clutches
of the razor. During the last six days of of their rulers. As in all primitive and un-
the year, when the heads of the whole male educated states of society, the Chinese have
portion of the Empire are shaved, barbers a rooted objection to machinery of all kinds.
are forbidden to clean the ears of their cus- Just as they now oppose steam navigation in
tomers, as it is their wont to do during the the inland waters of the Empire, so, until,
rest of the months. Any one found breaking quite lately, they rebelled against the im-
this rule is liable to be mobbed, and to have portation of all labor-saving contrivances.
his tools and furniture thrown into the street. Some years ago a Chinaman, imbued with
CHINESE MECHANICS AND MERCHANTS. 197
Western ideas, landed at Canton a machine and to moderate and guide the aspirations of
for sewing boots, and especially the leather the people. In China no such healthy influ-
soles worn by the natives. At this innova- ence is to be found, and the result is that
tion the cobblers at once took alarm. They there is a constant straining and creaking in
rose in their thousands and destroyed the the social machine, which has many a time
new-fangled machine. ended in fierce outbreaks, and not infre-
In the same way the promoters of the quently in the overthrow of dynasties.
first steam cotton-mills were compelled to It was remarked by a Chinese statesman,
submit to the destruction of machinery at the time of the Taeping rebellion, that
which, had been allowed to work would
if it two hundred years was the normal length of
have given employment to many thousands a Chinese dynasty, and this bears substantial
of people. evidence to the want of some such mediat-
The absence of a hereditary aristocracy ing influences as hereditary and representa-
deprives the Chinese of a most useful and tive institutions are alone able to afford. The
potent link between the crown and its sub- voice of the people finds no expression in
jects. England has learned from her own any recognized form of representation. Po-
history how great is the protection afforded litically, they are atoms whose ultimate
to the nation by the presence of a body of power of asserting their claims to justice lies
powerful nobles who are strong enough to only in the sacred right of rebellion, which
resist the encroachments of the sovereign they are not slow to exercise on occasion.
CHAPTER XI.
CHINESE MARRIAGE CUSTOMS.
highest and most revered obvious that considerable trust and
BY the
authorities marriage is
and rightly described, as the great-

described,
It is
confidence have to be placed in these people,

and it is also a fact that they not uncom-
est of the five human relationships. monly betray this trust and confidence in the
It is the foundation of the State, and it holds interests of rich people who are able to make
oiit that prospect, which is so dear to the it worth their while to represent a plain and
heart of every Chinaman, of obtaining sons ungainly girl as a Hebe, or a dissolute youth
who shall perform at the tombs of their as a paragon of virtue.
parents the sacrifices which are necessary for Archdeacon Gray, in his " China," de-
the repose of their spirits. In one respect, scribes a tragic scene which occurred at a
matrimonial alliances in China have an advan- wedding at which he was present. dying A
tage over those in Western lands. They can mother, anxious to see her son married before
never be undertaken in a hurry. There can she closed her eyes for ever, insisted on the
be no running off of the young lady to the marriage ceremony being performed at her
registry office some morning before her par- bedside. On the completion of the rite the
ents come down to breakfast, nor can a bridegroom raised the bride's and gazed
veil
special license be obtained in a moment to on the features of a leper. The scene which
gratify a sudden caprice. followed was of a most painful description,
In the houses of all well-to-do people the and ended by the bride being incontinently
ceremony is surrounded by rites which make repudiated and sent back to her parents.
haste impossible, and the widest publicity is
secured for the event. In dealing with social Professional Match-makers.
matters in so huge an Empire as China, it is "To he like a match-maker" is a common

necessary to remember that practices vary in expression, and a published correspondence
detail in different parts of the country. But exists between a Chinese bridegroom and his
throughout the length and breadth of the friend, in which the former bitterly complains
land the arrangement of marriages of both that his bride, far from being the beauty
sons and daughters is a matter which is left described by the go-between, is fat and
entirely in the hands of the parents, who in marked deeply with small-pox. His friend,
every case employ a go-between or match- being of a practical turn of mind, and not
maker, whose business it is to make himself being himself the victim, recommends the
or herself —both men and women follow this bridegroom to make the best of the bargain,
strange calling —acquainted accurately with and with cheap philosophy reminds him that
the circumstances of both families and the if the young lady is stout she is probably
personal qualifications of the proposed bride healthy, and though disfigured, she
that,
and bridegroom. may very possibly be even as " an angel from

198
CHINESE MARRIAGE CUSTOMS. 199
heaven," to use his own words. This was the knowledge of the other party to the con-
certainly very comforting. tract, advantage is taken of some such acci-
From the time that the match-maker is dents to put an end to the negotiations.
employed, until the bond is tied, there are In accordance with usage, the letters
six ceremonies to be performed. which pass between the parents during the
The parents of the young man send the preliminaries are couched in good set terms,
go-between to the parents of the girl to in- the sender of presents describes them as
quire her name and the moment of her birth " mean " and "contemptible," while the re-
that the horoscopes of the two may be ex- cipient regards them as "honorable" and
amined, in order to ascertain whether the "priceless." The parent of the bride speaks
proposed alliance will be a happy one. If of his daughter as "despicable," and his
the eight characters of the horoscopes seem house as " a cold dwelling," while the bride-
to augur aright, the man's friends send the groom's people designate her as " your hon-
match-maker back to make an oifer of mar- ored beloved one," and her home as " a ven-
riage. erable palace."
If that be accepted, the lady's father is
again requested to return an assent in writ-

"The Best Man."
ing. Presents are then sent to the girl's The Chinese love of indirectness comes
parents according means of the
to the out conspicuously in the betrothal cere-
parties. The go-between requests them to monies. The bridegroom does nothing, and
choose a lucky day for the wedding. The his father, who is the real negotiator, is rep-
preliminaries are concluded by the bride- resented by a friend of the bridegroom, who
groom going or sending a party of friends alone passes backwards and forwards be-
with music to bring his wife to his house. tween the two houses. The first duty of
this "best man" is to carry to the lady's
Betrothal of Children. father a statement of the hour, day, month
So soon as the first of these ceremonies is and year of the bridegroom's birth, together
performed, the betrothal is considered bind- with the maiden name of his mother and ;
ing ; and in the cases of the engagement of to receive in return a document containing
children, nothing but disablement, or the af- the same particulars concerning the bride.
fliction of leprosy, is considered potent On receipt of these facts the fathers of the
enough to dissolve it. Certain supersti- pair spread the documents on the family
tions, however, render the contract more altars, and beseech the blessings of their
easily dissoluble when the pair are of marri- ancestors on the match. Astrologers are
ageable age. next consulted, and, should the horoscopes
If, for instance, a china bowl should be of the young people be propitious, the best
broken, or any valuable article lost within man is again sent with a letter making a
three days of the engagement, the circum- formal proposal of marriage.
stance is considered suflficiently unlucky to The following authentic letters, appropriate
justify the instant termination of the under- to this occasion, are good specimens of the
taking, and in cases where facts unfavorable bland self-depreciatory tone which is in-
to the one side, whether socially, physically dulged in by fond fathers when exchanging
or morally, have, in the meantime, come to presents.
The first is from the parents of the would- ancient times, who was told by a fairy that if
be bridegroom, and runs thus " Prostrate, I

: he would plant some jewels in a certain
beseech you not to disdain this cold and grassy field, he should obtain a charming
mean application, but to listen to the match- wife. He obeyed, and shortly afterwards
maker, and to bestow your honorable made overtures of marriage to a lady who
daughter on my slavish son, that the pair was renowned for her beauty and accompHsh-
may be bound together with silken threads, ments. Her father, not particularly desiring
and be united in jadelike joy. In bright the match, gave his consent on condition that
spring-time I will offer wedding gifts, and the bridegroom presented the lady with a
present a pair of geese. And let us hope jade sceptre. Remembering the buried
that we may anticipate long-enduring happi- jewels, the bridegroom dug in the field and
ness, and look forward through endless gen- found to his delight a sceptre exactly answer-
erations to the completion of the measure of ing to the description demanded. Of course,
their sincere attachment. May they sing of the marriage took place, and the pair lived
the Unicorn, and enjoy every felicity. Pros- happily ever afterwards.
trate, Ibeg you to look favorably upon my
proposal, and to bend the mirrorlike bright- The S5rmbol of Marriage.
ness of your glance upon these lines." Historical allusions of this kind abound in
such communications, and a curious sym-
A Lucky Day in Spring. bolism is employed in the various rites. The
In reply the lady's father, who was proba- plum-tree is held to symbolize marriage,
bly a wealthy man, and whose references probably because it is conspicuous for its
therefore to his impecunious condition are beauty in spring-time, when, in China, as

intended only to exaggerate the wealth and elsewhere, "young men's fancy lightly turns
position of the would-be bridegroom, writes to thoughts of love," and no youth sighs in
"A respectful communication. I have reverses for a bride, nor does any maiden in
ceived your notice of a lucky day in spring the harem lament in numbers her lonely con-
for theceremony of exchanging bridal pres- dition, without references to the beauty of
ents. Your younger brother, being a plain the blossom, and the excellence of the fruit.
and unpretentious man, cannot escort his The letter of the bridegroom's father is
daughter with a hundred chariots." [This sent on a lucky day chosen by the astrolo-
is a reference to a king in the eighth century gers, and is handed to the best man, with
before Christ, who brought home his bride much ceremony, at the family altar, before
attended by an escort of this extent.] which the writer performs the kotow in
" She shall not, however, be without cotton honor of his departed ancestors. On arriv-
skirts, hair-pins, and wooden brooches, as I ing at the bride's dwelling the groomsman is
will surely arrange for the trousseau of my received with much state and is conducted by
impoverished green-windowed " (that is, poor) his host to the ancestral hall, where a master
" daughter. If you say that you seek, the of ceremonies stands ready to direct the
palace of the moon " (wedlock), "I shall ask rites. At a word from this potentate they
for a sceptre from the grassy field, and so both prostrate themselves before the ances-
frustrate your design.'' tral tablets which stand on the altar, and
This phrase has reference to a man in having risen from their knees resume their
positions, the one on the east and the other Presents consisting of silks and satins, ear-
on the west side of the hall. rings, bracelets,and hair-pins, are next sent
The groomsman then, with a few appro- to the bride,and return gifts are offered by
priate phrases, presents his host with the her parents. A
sumptuous dinner, given by
letter, and at the same time offers for his ac- the bridegroom to his friends, announces the
ceptance boxes of confectionary and a live completion of this ceremony, which is known
pig, or, in some parts of the country, a pair as Napi, or "The Presentation of Silks."
of wild geese. The choice of these birds as
a nuptial present is so odd that one is apt to
The Dragon and Phoenix.
consider it as one of the peculiar outcomes When sending the presents it is customary
of the topsy-turvy Chinese mind. But it is for the bridegroom to prepare two large cards
not quite so ; for we find from George Sand containing the particulars of the engagement.
that at the marriage of French peasants in On the one which he keeps is pasted a paper
Berry, a goose, though a dead one, was com- dragon, and on that which he sends to his
monly borne in the bridegroom's procession. bride, a phoenix, emblems which are held to
symbolize the Imperial qualities of the one
Gifts and Music. and the brilliant beauty of the other.
"Near," writes the authoress, "this bearer To each card are attached two pieces of
of a flowering and ribboned thyrsus is an ex- red silk, which are tokens of the invisible
pert spit-bearer, for under the foliage is a bonds with which Fate has from their infancy
trussed goose which forms the object of the connected the ankles of the pair, for, in China,
ceremony around it are the carriers of the
; as with us, marriages are said _be made in
presents and the good singers, that is to say heaven. To that power is left the choice of
those who are clever and knowing and who a lucky day for the final rite. The astrolo-
are going to engage in an [amicable] quarrel gers who interpret the signs of the sky com-
with the followers of the bride." It is odd monly pronounce a full moon to be the for-
to find the East and West allied in so curious tunate time, and so soon as this fixture is
a detail, but such marriage customs seem to be arranged, the bridegroom's father sends gifts
scarcely less widely spread than the rite itself. of wine and mutton to the lady.
So soon as the cakes and the box contain- Etiquitte requires it that the groomsman
ing the letter have been placed on the altar, should ask the bride's father to name the
the host again prostrates himself and reads day, and that he should in his turn beg that
the letter, while the groomsman is led off to the bride's future father-in-law should decide
be regaled with tea and viands in the guest- the point. This is the cue for the grooms-
chamber. The reply is handed to the man to produce from his sleeve the letter of
groomsman with the same ceremonies as which he is the bearer, announcing the lucky
was received, and
that with which the letter date, which is already well known to all con-
he is then invited to a feast which etiquette cerned. To this the host replies in stilted
bids him refuse twice and accept on the third terms, expressing his concurrence, but adding
occcision. On an adjournment to the ances- his regret at having to part with his "insig-
tral hall he is presented with return presents nificant daughter" so soon.
of cakes, and wends his way back to report For some days before the date fixed the
proceedings to his principal. bride assumes all the panoply of woe, and
weeps and wails without ceasing. On the attended. In many parts of the country this
day immediately preceding the wedding her ceremony takes place in the evening, and is
trousseau and household furniture are sent a mere formality, whereas in others, as wHI
to her future home, and though the trunks be presently shown, it retains more of its
are always locked, cases have been known in original significance.
which the bridegroom's female relatives, On entering the bride's house the bride-
being unable to restrain their curiosity, have groom is received by his father-in-law, who
conducts him to the central
hall, and there offers him
a goblet of wine, from which
the visitor pours out a liba-
tion to the emblematic geese
in token of his nuptial fi-
delity, accompanying the

action with a deep rever-
ence to the family altar in
confirmation of his vow.
The bride, covered from
head to foot with a red
veil, is now introduced on
the scene, and makes obei-
sance in the direction of
the spot where the bride-
groom is standing, for he
is as invisible to her as she
is to him.
The procession then re-
forms, and the bride having
been lifted into her sedan-
chair by two women of
good fortune, that is to say,
who have both husbands
and children living, is borne
to her future home to the
airs of well-known wedding
EMBROIDERED CHINESE SCREEN,
melodies.
picked the locks to examine the dresses of On arriving at the portal of the house the
the bride. bridegroom taps the door of the sedan-chair
On the eventful day the bridegroom either with his fan, and in response, the instructress
goes himself, attended by a procession of of matrimony, who prompts every act of the
friends and musicians, with flying banners bride, opens the door and hands out the still
bearing feUcitous mottoes, to carry away his enshrouded young lady, who is carried bodily
bride, or sends his faithful friend similarly over a pan of lighted charcoal, or a red-hot
coulter laid on the threshold, while at the tomary for the groom to join the guests at
same moment a servant offers for her accept- their feast in the outer hall, where he forms
ance some rice and preserved prunes. the subject of countless jokes, and is expected
It is curious to observe that the ceremony to submit to a like severe ordeal in the matter
of lifting the bride over the threshold is found of riddles as that which enlivened Samson's
existing in all the four continents, and we also wedding.
know that in ancient Rome the bridegroom It is impossible not to recognize that many .
received his bride with fire and water. It has of the ceremonies which have been described
been conjectured that the act of lifting the are relics of the primitive right of marriage
bride over firemay have some reference to by capture. In the procession which, gen-
purification, but we have no duly authorita- erally at night, goes to carry the bride to
tive statement on the meaning of the act. her new home is plciinly observable a sur-
vival of the old-world usage, in compliance
The First Sight.
with which young men sallied out to snatch
In the reception hall the bridegroom awaits their consorts from their foes.
the bride, who prostrates herself before him,
"I/O, how the woman once was wooed
and he then for the first time lifts her veil and Forth leapt the savage from his lair,
gazes on her features. The moment must He felled her, and to nuptials rude,
be a trying one, especially on occasions when He dragged her, bleeding, by the hair.
Prom that to Chloe's dainty wiles,
the go-between has concealed defects or
And Portia's dignified consent,
exaggerated charms. Perhaps it is as well What distance " !
that etiquette forbids the utterance of a word,

and in a silence which must often be golden, Perched in a Tree.
the bridegroom conducts his bride to the But even within the Chinese Empire we
divan, when they seat themselves side by find almost every gradation between these
side; it being traditional that the one who sits wide extremes. In Western China, among
on a part of the dress of the other is likely to some of the native tribes it is customary for
hold rule in the household. the bride to perch herself on the high branch
But the marriage has yet to be consecrated. of a large tree, while her elderly female rela-
For this purpose the young people repair to tives station themselves on the lower limbs
the hall, where, falling on their knees before armed with switches. Through this protect-
the ancestral altar, the bridegroom announces ing force the bridegroom has to make his
to his ancestors that, in obedience to his way, and is duly assailed by the dowagers
parents' commands, he has taken so-and-so before he reaches the object of his search.
to wife, beseeching them at the same time to At Chinese weddings also it is not unusual
bestow their choicest gifts on himself and for the bridegroom to be compelled to run
his partner. Prostrations in honor of heaven, the gauntlet on the way to the bride's cham-
earth, and the bridegroom's parents complete ber between rows of waiting women, who go
the ceremony, and the newly wedded couple through the farce of pretending to bar his
retire to the semi-privacy of their apartments progress. But the most perfect survival of
to enjoy a repast in which they pledge one the old rite is found among the Lolo tribes
another in the wedding goblet. of China, who indulge in a long prelude of
In some parts of the country it is cus- alternate feasting and lamentation before the
wedding, as if the occasion were one for marriage ceremonies having been completed,
mourning rather than rejoicing. the young couple take up their abode in the
At last, as the late Mr. Baber writes : "A house of the bridegroom's father, and, speak-
crisis of tearfulness ensues, when suddenly ing generally, the contract remains binding
the brothers, cousins, and friends of the hus- until death does them part.
band burst upon the scene with tumult and But the obligation is more social and re-
loud shouting, seize the almost distraught ligious than legal, and cases constantly occur
maid, place her pick-a-back on the shoulders in which the tie is broken by mutual con-
of the best man, carry her hurriedly and sent, and freedom for the future secured
violently away,and mount her on a horse, without the interference of any court or
which gallops off to her new home. Vio- proctor. On one occasion, in a case of an
lence is rather more than simulated, for appeal to Pekin, it came out incidentally in
though the male friends of the bride only the proceedings that one of the parties in the
repel the attacking party with showers of case had previously married a bride who,
flourand wood-ashes, the attendant virgins being discontented with the house to which
are armed with sticks, which they have the she had been brought, incontinently left her
fullest liberty to wield." spouse, and married another man.
In popular history, also, there is a well-
Carrying off the Bride.
known case of a woodcutter who, having
This practice of carrying off the bride has some knowledge of books, and being a de-
its counterpart among the more civilized voted student, disgusted his flippant and
Chinese in the act of bearing the lady over foolish wife by attending more to the works
the threshold of her house; and it exists in of Confucius than to felling trees. Finding
full force in Orissa, where General Campbell expostulation vain, his short-sighted partner
tells us in his " Personal Narrative of Service deserted him and married a more business-
in Khondistan," he once "saw a man bear- like man. Left to himself, the woodcutter
ing away upon his back something enveloped acquired such scholastic proficiency that he
inan ample covering of scarlet cloth; he was passed all the examinations with ease, and,
surrounded by twenty or thirty young fel- by a coincidence, was appointed prefect over
lows, andby them protected from the des- the district where he had formerly lived.
made upon him by a party of
perate attacks
young women. On seeking an explanation Nothing Said.
of this novel scene," adds the writer, " I was Among the men employed to make smooth
told that the man had just been married, and the roadway for his arrival was his wife's
his precious burden was his blooming bride, second husband, to whom it chanced that
whom he was conveying to his own village." she was in the act of bringing his dinner
Again, in certain districts in China, where when her first venture's cortege passed by.
the aborigines predominate, each girl, in her A recognition was mutual, but as the prefect
choice of her husband, is solely led "by nice had equally consoled himself, nothing was
direction of a maiden's eyes," and pairs off said about the restitution of conjugal rights.
without any troublesome formalities with the Difficulties often arise, however, in cases
youth she admires and who admires her. where the husband is not a consenting party
But to return to the orthodox Chinese ; the to the arrangement, but in such instances
205
the husband commonly takes the law into to yield obedience. He would no more ven-
his own hands, and recovers his errant wife ture to refuse to submit even those concerns
by force, or engages friends and neighbors which we should consider most private to
to intervene and persuade the lady to return. the arbitration of his neighbors than an
The use of force not unfrequently brings the Englishman would dream of flouting the de-
matter before the magistrate, but otherwise cision of a judge and jury.
;the law does not interfere — unless, indeed, In a well-known farce this peculiarity of
formal complaint of a bigamous marriage is Chinese society is amusingly illustrated. The
made, when the law orders that the offend- hero of the play is a man, who, having
ing woman shall be strangled. As a rule, married a Miss Plumblossom, has taken to
however, public opinion is sufKcient to bring himself a Miss Willow as a secondary wife,
the difference to a satisfactory conclusion. in accordance with the custom which will be
presently described. To each lady a court-
Seven Grounds for Divorce.
yard of the house is assigned, Plumblossom
But apart from these irregular matri- occupying the front part and Willow the
monial causes, the law puts itpower
in the rear premises. The first scene opens with
of the man to annul his marriageon any one the husband approaching his dwelling after a
of seven distinct grounds, among which dis- long absence.
obedience to father-in-law or mother-in-law,
and over-talkativeness are named. But even A 'Wordy Wârfare,
on occasions when these legal plaints are in The evening is drawing in, and he tells his
question, a decree withoutany nisi is gener- servant to drive to the back door without ,
ally granted by a court composed of the disturbing the elder lady. He is cordially
elders of the neighborhood, and not by the greeted by Willow, inwhose company he is
mandarins. In this and similar matters local enjoying a repast, when Plumblossom, hav-
social pressure takes the place of a wider ing become aware of his arrival, presents
public opinion. herself upon the idyllic scene. Peace in-
There are no newspapers in China beyond stantly vanishes. In piercing accents the
those published at the treaty ports, and peo- intruder reproaches Willow for having
ple's attention, instead of being distracted by robbed her of her privilege as mistress of
subjects of general or foreign importance, is the household of receiving her husband after
centered in the affairs passing around them. his absence. Nothing daunted, this young
The very stationary nature of the population lady defends herself, and replies with coun-
adds force to this peculiarity. In most vil- ter-reproaches in the shrillest of trebles,
lages and small towns the majority of people while the husband attempts to throw oil upon
are related to each other through the con- the troubled waters by occasional words of
stantly widening circles of relatives which expostulation.
each marriage in the family tends to multiply. So great is the tumult that the neighbors
A minute acquaintance with every one are disturbed, and on the essentially Chinese
else's affairs is the natural consequence of principle that everyone else's business is
this kinship. No Chinaman ever stands alone. your business, they determine to interfere,
He forms one only of a general body, and quoting as their justification a saying of a
to the opinion of this body he is compelled certain philosopher that, in cases of disturb-
ance If the neighbors do not interfere, they of all, still better fortune befriends Willow,
become participators in the guilt of the dis- who throws sixes and breaks out into a
putants. Two graybeards are therefore de- paean of triumph, amid the strains of which
puted to inquire on the spot into the circum- her rival retires discomfited.
stances of the quarrel. Their arrival on the It seems almost anomalous after this ap-
scene, instead of prompting a desire on the parent instance to the contrary to say that
part of the husband to eject them inconti- polygamy is not practised in China. But in
nently, and to them to mind their own

tell the strictest sense that is true. A man goes
business, is regarded by all concerned as the through the full ceremonies of marriage with
most natural thing in the world. one woman only, except on very rare occa-
sions. A certain godlike Emperor of anti-
I
Peace Finally Secured. quity gave, we are told in the canonical his-
The ladies submit their cases to their de- tories, histwo daughters in marriage to his
cision, and, though it is some time before successor. With such an example as this
the storm has sufficiently subsided to enable before them, the Chinese have always con-
them to arrive at the rights of the quarrel, sidered such double marriages admissible,
th^y eventually consider themselves in a and in many of the best-known romances
position to deliver judgment. They pro- the heroes marry two young ladies of the
nounce that, in the interests of peace in the same household, and, if the authors are to
neighborhood, it is necessary that the hus- be believed, always with the happiest re-
band should apportion his residence equally sults.
between the two courtyards, residing in one
fr<^m the first of each month to the full Naughty Fickleness.
moon, and in the other from the full moon In a popular novel which has been tran-
to the end of the month. European languages, the
slated into several
To this the ladies as well as the husband hero makes love to a young lady through
aêe, but a further question is raised, which the medium of her waiting-maid, and with
lady is to have which half of the month ? a despicable fickleness becomes enamored of
Plumblossom claims the time of the waxing another paragon of learning and virtue, re-
moon, and considers the waning period quite siding in another part of the country, who
good enough for Willow. That young lady, ultimately proves to be the cousin of his
on the contrary, claims that as it was then first love. Towards to the end of the work,
the first part of the month, and that as she when the mists and doubts which surround
was in possession, that period of the month the plot begin to clear, the two ladies find
should belong to her. This knotty point that their happiness is centred in the same
the graybeards find a difficulty in deciding, object, and, as they have become inseparable,
and they, therefore, determine to leave it to they determine to endow the hero, who is
the throw of the dice. eminently unworthy of them, except for the
The ladies readily produce a trio of those beauty of his verses, with the double prize.
endless sources of amusement, and Plum- But such marriages, though they exist,
blossom throws first. To her infinite delight are very exceptional, and the secondary
she throws two sixes and a cinque, and wives which men take are received into the
thinks herself secure. But, to the surprise household with a much abridged form of
ceremony. No nuptial sedan-chair bears and though the advent of a secondary wife is
them in triumph to their new homes, and occasionally resented, this is not by any means
they enter the portals unattended by the always the case.
musicians and processionists who accompany Not unfrequently ladies are pleased to have
the first bride on her wedding-day. And, in it so, considering that an addition to the
fact, the relation of such a one to the mis- household adds to their dignity. In com-
tress of the establishment is very much what plimentary language the chH is compared to
Hagar's was to Sarah in Abraham's house- the moon, and the secondary wife to a star,
hold. By conventional laws she owes obedi- and in a well-known collection of published
ence to the first wife, and only rises to a letters several are met with in which friends
THE BRIDAL FEAST.

"
level with her ih case progeny should be are congratulated on having taken " a star
denied to the ch'i, as the Chinese term the to add lustre to the " moon."
wife, and be granted to her. It is impossible to suppose that, things
A case of this kind occurred in the instance being as has been described, the status of a
of the late Emperor, who was the son of one wife can be anything but, to say the least,
of the young ladies who accompanied the unfortunate. As has been remarked, how-
Empress to the palace, and whose birth ever, " though the lot of Chinese women is
mother to the rank of Empress.
raised his lesshappy than that of their sisters in Europe,
It is difficult for us who live under so entirely their ignorance of a better state renders their
different a condition of things to realize such present or prospective one more supportable
a state of domestic society as is here described, happiness does not consist in absolute enjoy-
ment, but in the idea which we have formed In the estimate of the other sex. Chinamen
of it. A Chinese woman does not feel that agree with a certain well-known Kentucky
any injustice is done her by depriving her of editor, who described women as "a side
the right to assent to whom her partner shall issue," and this view of the sex we find
be ; her wishes and her knowledge go no stereotyped in some of the ideographic char-
further than her domestic circle, and when acters of the language.
she has been trained in her mother's apart- If a husband is driven to make mention of
ments to the various duties and accomplish- his wife he speaks of her as his " dull thorn,"
ments of her sex, her removal to a husband's or by some equally uncomplimentary term.
house brings to her no great change." In ordinarylife he regards her less as a com-
panion than as a chattel, which in times of

Blissful Ignorance. adversity may be disposed of by sale. In
This is no doubt to a great extent true in seasons of famine an open market is held of
common life. Ignorance is unquestionably the wives and daughters of the poorer suf-
a protecting shield against many of the ferers ; and not long since, during a period
wounds inflicted by the repinings and re- of dearth in Northern China, so great a traf-
grets which arise from a perfect knowledge. fic sprung up in women and girls, that in
And Chinese women are, as a rule, provided some places nearly every available cart and
with an ample shield of this description. conveyance were engaged to transport the
There are, however, exceptions. History newly-purchased slaves to the central pro-
tells us of women who have ruled the vinces.
Empire, directed armies, and made them-
selves illustrious in every walk of life com- Cruel Husbands.
monly trodden by men and novelists assure ; When such is the position which women
us by their creations that not a few women occupy in China, it cannot but be that they
have an abundant taste and skill in literature. occasionally suffer ill-usage at the hands of
The heroines of most novels have a pretty such husbands as are capable of cruelty. It
art in composing verses and writing essays, is not at all uncommon for husbands to pun-
and so make congenial companions for the ish their wives severely, sometimes, no doubt,
heroes,whose chief claims to distinction are under great provocation, for Chinese women,
gained not in the battlefield, or by personal untutored, unloved, and uncared for, have
prowess, but in their studies before the all the faults and failings of unreclaimed
examiners. natures ; but at others for little or no reason!
A monotonous and quiet existence is the The Abbe Hue tells a story of " a Chinese
most favorable role which a Chinese woman husband, who had a wife with whom he had
can expect to play. Confucius laid it down, lived happily for two years. But having con-
and it is rank blasphemy to dissent from him, ceived the idea that people were laughing at
that a woman should not be heard of outside him, because he had never beaten her, he
her own home. Unhappily neither ignor- determined to make a beginning in such a
ance, nor the placid nature which belongs to way as to impress every spectator, and ac-
most of them, is able to save them in all cordingly, though he had no fault to find
cases from the miseries inherent in the state with her," he beat her mercilessly.
of abject dependence which belongs to them. Although this story carries with it the im-
14
primatur of the worthy Abbe, it may properly for refuge. By the accident of sex she is
be received with a certain amount of caution. viewed as a burden by her parents from her
But even if this particular instance may be an birth onwards, and, if they succeed in marry-
exaggeration, the facts that the question, ing her off, they are only too glad to wash
"Does your husband beat you?" is very their hands of her altogether. Among our-
commonly put to English ladies by Chinese selves a man is taught that he should leave
women, and that the indignant negative with his father and mother and cling to his wife,
which the inquiry is happily always answered, but the theory in China is that a man should
invariably excites astonishment and incred- cling to his father and mother and compel
ulity, are sufficient to prove that Chinese his wife to do the same.
women are not unusually subject to ill-treat- When admitted into her new home it be-
ment at the hands of their natural protectors. comes her duty to wait on her parents-in-
Occasionally, however, the wife has her law in the same way as she has been accus-
revenge, and in the collections of ancedotes tomed to serve her own father and mother,
which abound there are plenty of stories of and it is often from these elders that the un-
happy bride suffers the great-
est hardships and cruelty.
So many are the disabilities
attaching to married life in
China that many girls prefer
going into Buddhist nun-

neries, or even committing
suicide, to trusting their fu-
tures to the guardianship of
men of whom they know
practically nothing.
Archdeacon Gray, in his
DEFORMED FEET OF CHINESE LADIES.
"China," states that in 1873
hen-pecked husbands and masterful wives, eight young girls, residing near Canton,
in one case a certain man who at times suf- 'who had been affianced, drowned them-
fered much at the hands of his wife was selves in order to avoid marriage. They
driven to seek refuge from her violence be- clothed themselves in their best attire, and
neath his bed. Unwilling to allow her victim at eleven o'clock, in the darkness of the
to escape her, the harridan called upon him night, having bound themselves together,
to come out. " I won't," replied the man threw themselves into a tributary stream of
"and when a man and husband says he won't, the Canton river." In some parts of the
he won't." same province anti-matrimonial associations
But experience shows that, after all, the are formed, themembers of which resist to
rule tends in the opposite direction, and that the death the imposition of the marriage yoke.
which makes the position of a wife more "The existence of this Amazonian
than ordinarily pitiable, especially among the League," writes a missionary long resident
poorer classes, is that she has no one to in the neighborhood, "has long been
appeal to, and no one to whom she can fly known, but as to its rules and the num-
ber of its members, no definite information tearful notes the absence of their lords. But
hascome to hand. It is composed of young there is other and more direct evidence of the
widows and njarriageable girls. Dark hints existence of happiness in the married state.
are given as to the methods used to escape Cases constantly appear in the Pekin Gazette
matrimony. The sudden demise of be- in which wives, unwilling to survive their
trothed husbands, or the abrupt ending of husbands, commit suicide rather than live
the newly-married husband's career, suggest without them. One such instance was that
unlawful means for dissolving the bonds." of the wife of Kwo Sunglin, brother of a late
This is the sordid view of the position. minister to the English court. Through a
Happily, in this and in all other matters long illness this lady nursed him with devoted
there is a reverse side to the shield, and in tenderness until death came, when she ended
theirown peculiar way the Chinese certainly her own existence by taking poison.
enjoy a modicum of wedded bliss. In a
modern Pekinese Died in Grief.
play, one of the characters,
a widower, describes the even current of his Another case was once reported to the
late married that he and his
life by saying Emperor, in which a young widow, aged
and guest, and in

wife lived together as host twenty-seven, declared her intention not to
most novels we read of husband and wife survive her lord, and remained for three days
living harmoniously, if not rapturously to- without nourishment. "At length," writes
gether. In poetry also the love of home is the memorialist; " having made an effort to
constantly insisted on,and the misery of rise and perform the mourning rites of pros-
being separated from wife and children is tration, she threw herself weeping on the
the common plaint of the traveller and the ground, and breathed her last." The most
exile. curious phase of this devotion is the form
which it takes in some of the southern prov-
Dreary Solitude. inces, where after the manner of Sutteeism,
In a poem entitled " Midnight Thoughts," the widow commits suicide in public in the
which was translated by Sir John Davis, the presence of an applauding crowd.
poet, after describing his inability to rest in In an instance described by an eye-witnes^
the remote district in which he finds himself, a vast procession escorted the young widow,
goes on to say :
who was dressed in scarlet and gold, and
was borne in a richly decorated chair to the
" This solitary desertion —
^how bitter do I find it
!
Ivet me then push my roving to a distance

scene of the tragedy. On arriving at the
Let me visit the passes and mountains a hundred on which stood a gallows, the lady
scaffold,
leagues hence, mounted the platform, and having welcomed
Like some devotee of Buddha, wandering amid
the crowd, partook, with some female rela-
clouds and torrents,
Ignorant of what is passing elsewhere. tives, of a prepared repast, which, adds the
How shall I forget the melancholy of my own home ? narrator, she appeared to appreciate ex-
Thus dull and mournful through life's whole course, tremely. She then scattered rice, herbs, and
My sorrows and pains can never have an end."
flowers among the crowd, at the same time
In the lines put in the mouths of the stay- thanking them for their attendance and
at-home wives the melancholy of the traveller upholding the motives which urged her to
becomes a keen longing, and they lament in the step she was about to take.
She then mounted on a chair, and having tant when the slow-moving Chineman will
waved a final adieu to the crowd, adjusted be induced to follow in the footsteps of their
the noose round her neck, and drawing a red more advanced neighbor. Until quite re-
handkerchief over her face, gave the signal cently the position of women in the Land of
for the removal of the support. With extra- the Rising Sun was every whit as unworthy
ordinary self-possession, while hanging in as that now occupied by their Chinese sisters.
mid-air, she placed her hands before her, Happily the experience gained in western
and continued to make the usual form of lands has taught the Japanese that the un-
salutation until complete unconsciousness trammelled society of educated and pure-
ensued. Such devotion to the fond memory minded women exercises a wholesome and
of husbands invariably receives the approval on a nation.
elevating effect
of the people, and when reported to the With the intuitive perception which they
Emperor gains his entire approbation. possess for what is best and wisest in foreign
From the above account of this particular systems, they have, by a course of sound
phase of Chinese society it will be seen that education, begun to prepare the women of
it represents a condition of things which the country for thenew position which it is
leaves much to be desired. Nor is the cause intended that they should occupy, and
of the mischief far to seek. In the very sub- already an example is being set by the em-
ordinate position occupied by the women of press and other leaders of fashion, of the
China we see the origin of the evil. In a better part they are expected to play.
State where women are degraded, the whole This change cannot be without its influence
community suffers loss, and the first symtoms on China^ and though we know that the sur-
of the approach of a healthy and beneficial face of small pools is more easily agitated
civilization is the elevation of women to their than the face of larger waters, yet it cannot
legitimate and useful position in society. but be that the spirit of reform which is now
At present no trace of the dawn of a bet- abroad will influence even the sluggish tem-
ter day appears on the horizon of China, but perament of the Chinese nation, and will
the example which has been set by Japan eventually stir to the depths the minds of
leads one to hope that the day is not far dis- this hitherto changeless people.
CHAPTER XII.
VARIETIES OF CHINESE LIFE.
may be asked in surprise why no has yet risen to teach the Chinese laws of the
IT mention has been made of the profes- circulation of the blood, nor has the study of
sional classes —the doctors, the law- anatomy disclosed to them the secrets of the
yers and others ; and the answer may human frame.
be returned words of the celebrated
in the Amputation is never resorted to, it being
chapter on the snakes in Iceland, " There a part the creed of the people that any
are none." That is to say, there are none mutilation of the body is an act of disrepect
in the sense to which we are accustomed. to the parents from whom it was received
There are plenty of doctors, but they can and cases have constantly occurred where
only be described as belonging to a profes- mandarins, who have met with violent acci-
sional class in the sense in which itinerant dents, and who have been assured by foreign
quacks, who profess to cure all the ills doctors that amputation alone could save
which flesh is heir to by bread pills, can lay their lives, have deliberately chosen to go to
claim to that distinction. They are the their graves rather than lose a limb. On the
merest empirics, and, having no fear of same principle, a criminal condemned to die
medical colleges or examination tests before considers himself fortunate if he is allowed to
their eyes, prey on the folly and ignorance make his exit by strangulation or the hang-
of the people without let or hindrance. man's cord rather than by decapitation.
The physicians who are privileged to pre-
scribe for the Emperor are the only mem- Doctors Poorly Paid.
bers of the profession to whom

means failure Between the ignorance of the doctors and
disgrace. When the late Emperor was at- the fees they receive, there is a just ratio.
tacked by small-pox, an improvement in his No physician, in his wildest moments of
symptoms with which the doctor's skill was ambition, expects to receive more than a
credited, brought a shower of distinctions dollar for a visit, and many are not paid
on the fortunate physicians. Unhappily for more than a fifth of that sum. But, what-
them, however, the disease took a fatal turn, ever the amount may be, due care is taken to
and when his Imperial Majesty " ascended on wrap the silver in ornamental paper bearing
a dragon to be a guest on high," the lately- the inscription " golden thanks."
promoted doctors were degraded from their On entering the presence of his patient the
• high estate, and were stripped of every title doctor's first act is to feel the pulses on both
to honor. wrists. Not only are they entirely ignorant
Such of the drugs in common use as have of the difference between arteries and veins,
any curative properties are derived from but they believe that the pulses of the wrists
herbs, while the rest are probably useless communicate with, and indicate the condition
when not absolutely harmful. No Harvey of, the different organs of the body. By the
213
beating of the pulse of the left arm they pro- sand years B. C. the Emperor Hwangti wrote,
fess to read the state of the heart, while that it is a work on the healing art. In the
said,
on the right represents the health of the centuries which have elapsed since that time
lungs and liver. If these guides are deemed little advance has been made in the science,
insufficient to make patent the disorder the principal exceptions being a knowledge
under which the patient is suffering, recourse of acupuncture and of vaccination.
is had to the tongue, which is supposed to It is uncertain when acupuncture was first
yield a sure augury of the nature of the practiced in China, but the faith of the people
malady. in its efficacy for all cases of rheumatic affec-
tions and for dyspepsia is unbounded. So
Singular Notions. has made up mind
soon as the physician his
Their great object is, as they say, "to that a particular bone or muscle is in a state
strengthen the breath, put down the phlegm, of inflammation, he thrusts a substantial
equalize and warm the blood, repress the steel needle into the part affected, and stirs it
humors, purge the liver, remove noxious ruthlessly about. Happily for the patients,
matters, improve the appetite, stimulate the their race is heir to a lymphatic temperament
gate of and restore harmony."
life, dual A which preserves it from many of the evils
system of -heat and cold pervades, they be- which would certainly arise from such treat-
lieve, the human frame, and it is when one ment among a more inflammatory people.
of these constituents is in excess that illness
supervenes. The Chinese delight in numeri- Thrusting in a Needle.
cal categories, and they profess to find in the The treatment for dyspepsia is even more
five elements of which they believe a man's calculated to produce danger and disorders
body to be composed, an intimate relation to than that applied to the joints and bones. A
the five planets, the five tastes, the five colors, Chinese doctor does not hesitate to thrust
and the five metals. the needle into the patient's stomach or liver,
" The heart," they say, " is the husband, and the system of blistering wounds thus
and the lungs are the wife." and if these two caused adds considerably to the danger sur-
main organs cannot be brought to act in har- rounding the operation.
mony, evil at once arises. In the native For many years the Chinese have em-
pharmacopoeia there are enumerated four ployed inoculation as a preventive against
hundred and forty-two principal medicines as small-pox, but it was not till the arrival at
being in common use. Of these three hun- Canton of Dr. Pearson, in 1820, that the
dred and fourteen are derived from vegeta- knowledge of vaccination was introduced
ble products, fifty from minerals, and seventy- into the Empire. A
pamphlet on the sub-
eight from animal substances. ject, translated into Chinese by Sir George
Among the monstrous tonics prescribed Staunton, spread the knowledge of the art
by the Galens of China, are asbestos, stalac- far and wide, and though by no means uni-
tite, fresh tops of stag-horns, dried red versally used, it still allays to some degree
spotted lizard-skins, dog-flesh, human milk, the terrible scourge of small-pox which is
tortoise-shell, bones and teeth of dragons, ever present in China. It is seldom that a
shavings of rhinoceros-horns, and other pos- child escapesfrom an attack of the disease,
sible and impossible nostrums. Two thou- and the percentage of deaths is always con-
VARIETIES OF CHINESE LIFE. 215
siderable, enough to create a panic among have succeeded in reaching that stage in
people better informed. which disease is recognized as a departure
In the north of the country, it has been from the usual and harmonious working of
observed that the disease becomes epidemic the organism, they have yet never learnt, in
every winter. The reason for this regular the words of Harvey, " to search and study
recurrence of the malady is probably to be out the secrets of nature by way of experi-
found in the fact that the infection clings to ment."
the fur clothes worn by the people, which
are, as a rule, sent to the pawnshops on the Charms for Cholera.
return of every spring, and are only brought In the presence of cholera, instead of tak-
out again on the approach of winter. ing any medical precautions, they have re-
Throughout all the central and southern course to charms, to the worship of their
provinces leprosy is endemic. In the pro- gods, and, as a religious exercise, to the
vince of Canton it is reckoned that there are practice of vegetarianism. Being deprived,
ten thousand people afflicted with this terri- therefore, of every rational weapon with
ble malady. Though it is not regarded as which to combat the malady, one would be
infectious, contagion is avoided ; and outside inclined to expect that the disease would be
most of the large cities there are leper vil- endemic, instead of only epidemic. If the
lages, where the victims to the disease are theory of infection is without qualification
supposed to segregate. true, and, if no precautions whatever are
taken to prevent the spread of the disease,
The Horrible Leprosy. it would be only natural to suppose that the
The law on this subject is not, however, areas of infection would increase and mul-
strictly enforced, and in the streets of such tiply.
cities as Canton, for example, beggars suf- No care is taken to isolate the patients ;
fering from the disease appeal for alms to no such safeguard is invoked as the destruc-
the passers-by by exposing their swollen and tion of the clothes of the victims, whose
decaying limbs to their gaze. Many are the dead bodies are frequently allowed to remain
strange remedies resorted to for cures in the encoffined in the dwellings of the survivors.
first stages of the malady, but so soon as And yet the outbreak disappears almost as
the disease is fully developed, the wretched suddenly as it came, leaving no trace behind
sufferers resign themselves to their fate. It it except in the sad memories of those who
is recognized among the natives, as has been mourn the loss of relatives and friends. The
found to be the case elsewhere, that it is natives believe that the outbreaks are the re-
only by constant association with a leper sults of atmospheric and they
conditions,
that there is danger of infection, and that assert that they have seen the
evil approach
cleanliness is as potent a protection against in the shape of clouds, which have swept
the disease as damp climates and unhealthy over provinces, leaving disease and death in
food are promoters of it. their train. Some color is given to this
Epidemics of cholera and diphtheria theory by the fact, as already stated, that
sweep periodically over the land, and the the disease comes and goes without any ap-
people are powerless to allay their progress parent cause, and certainly not as a result of
or to diminish their intensity. Though they any unusual sanitary or unsanitary conditions.
Much the same may be said of the out- and encourage outbreaks of hydrophobia.
breaks of diphtheria, which constantly prove It is a remarkable fact, however, that,
so fatal in the north of the country. In a though the disease exists, it is not more pre-
recent epidemic in Pekin, it was stated by a valent than it is. Chinese doctors recognize
resident English doctor that in a household it, and their medical works treat of it, de-
of twenty-six persons, twenty-four were car- scribing both the symptoms and the remedies
ried off by this fatal disease. Indeed, the for its cure. One well-known authority gives
whole history of epidemics in China seems to the following prescription as a sure and un-
suggest that we have not yet arrived at the failing treatment for the victims of the malady
true solution either of the origin of the out- "Take the curd of the black pea dried and
breaks or of the cause of their cessation. pulverized, mix it with hemp oil, and form it
As in most Eastern countries, the cities into a large ball ; roll this over the wound
for some time, then break it open
and the inside will present a hair-
like appearance.
" Continue the rolling until, on
breaking it open, it is found to have
lost the hair-like aspect. The pa-
^ tientmust avoid eating dog-flesh
<ti or silkworms, and he must not
^ drink wine or inhale the fragrance
from hemp for a hundred days.
Neither may he eat with safety
diseased meat or anything in a state
of decomposition. He must daily
partake of plum kernels.
When the poison of the dog has
entered the heart of the victim, and
has produced feehngs of misery and
^^~ wretchedness, the stomach swells,
THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA.
and there is an abundant secretion
and China swarm with mangy
villages of of saliva ; it is then proper to try the effect
and half-starved curs of all degrees. Ill fed, of the skull, teeth, and toes of a tiger ground
uncared for, these scavengers range through up, and given in wine in doses of one fifth of
the streets and lanes, picking up a precarious an ounce. If a speedy cure does not follow,
livelihood from the refuse which is thrown the person becomes mad, and barks like a
out as unfit for the food of either man or dog. The eyes become white and glaring,
beast. If we add to these conditions that and death quickly ensues."
the climate over the greater part of the These remedies are of a kind that are used
Empire is almost tropical in its heat, and that in many of the other diseases which afflict
the water available to slake the thirst of the Chinese humanity,and are equally efficacious.
dogs is none of the purest, it will be admitted Tumors are very common amongst the
that no surrounding is wanting to promote Chir-<5e, and as the use of the knife is prac-
tically forbidden, the sufferers fail to get that But, like all popular superstitions, this one
relief which a knowledge of practical surgery dies hard among the ignorant population,
would, in a great majority of cases, readily and there are at the present day many
procure for them. thousands in China who confidently believe
With a knowledge so imperfect, and a in the possibility of manufacturing gold, and
profound ignorance of physical science, it is of prolonging life indefinitely. A less base-
not surprising that the Chinese should be less superstition is the faith of the people in
firm believers in the magical arts. Second the plant known as ginseng. The properties
sight, miraculous interpositions, and super- of this plant are said to be invigorating and
natural appearances are common-places in life-giving. To the debauchee it gives
their systems of belief Not only in the strength, and to the old man it gives vitality
novels and story-books which delight the and power. So precious are these qualities
people, but in the more serious works of that the best plants are in theory reserved
philosophers and students, we find constant entirely for the Emperor's use.
references to these occult phenomena.
Messages from the land of spirits are de-
How^ Revenue is Raised.
livered by means of the planchette, which is A large proportion of the revenue of
skilfully manipulated and interpeted by the Corea is derived from the export duty levied
cunning professors of the art ; and the fig- on this plant, and one of the principal
ures and features of individuals whom the streets of Pekin is devoted to the sale of it.
gazers desire to see are produced in mirrors The plant grows from twelve to eighteen
by the exercise of that ready imagination inches in height, with five long leaves on
which belongs to the credulous. Fortune- each stalk like a horse-chestnut. In spring
telling by means of astrology is regarded as it bears a cluster of purple flowers on the
a genuine science, and the law protects those top of the stem, replaced in summer-time by
who practice it from the punishment which is bright red berries, which the searchers for
prescribed for those charlatans who follow the root look out for. Only Emperors and
less established methods. millionaires can afford the genuine article,
for a root four or five inches long realizes

That Famous Stone. perhaps fifty dollars. Extravagant as this
From all time the philosopher's stone has figure may seem, it is a moderate computa-
been regarded as a verity, and it is confi- tion, and not infrequently a thousand taels of
dently asserted that the Taoist philosophers silver are paid for a pound's weight of the
of antiquity were able by its means to achieve root.
the conversion of dross into the precious The plant is grown in Manchuria as well
metals. History tells us of Emperors and as in Corea, and the returns for 1890 state
statesmen who have exhausted their lives that the export duty from Manchuria into
and treasures in attempting to discover this China realized in that year four hundred and
priceless stone, and the elixir of longevity. fifty thousand taels. This sum does not,
The inevitable failures in which the efforts of however, by any means represent the
these men have ended, has doubtless con- amount of the plant exported. Its rare
vinced the more educated classes of the value, the small compass in which it can
futility of the search. be carried, the greed of the peasjuits, and

the corruption rife amongst the customs of- life, it is worthy of our careful attention, and
ficials, all tend to encourage smuggling. withal of our imitation.
That an illicit trade in the root is com- Being held in this supreme estimation, it
monly carried on is fully recognized by the is needless to say that Confucius laid great
Government, who have enacted that any one stress upon it. He deplored that he was not
found attempting to smuggle more than ten able to serve his father, being dead, as he ex-
taels weight of the medicine is to be for- pected his son to serve him, and he defined
warded to the Board of Punishments at the virtue as consisting in not being disobedi-
Pekin, and that, in case of a less amount ent, in serving the parent when alive accord-
being in question, the case may be dealt ing to propriety, when dead in burying himi
with by local authorities. according to propriety, and in sacrificing to
him according to propriety. The manner of
Quack Lawyers. performing this duty, like other Confucian
In legal affairs the people are even worse instructions, is laid down with curious minute-
off than in the matter of medical advice. ness.
They have no one to give them, for love or
money, even as much help as is to be got Duties to Parents.
for the body at the apothecaries' stalls. The At cock-crow it is the duty of the son or
only legal advisers are those clerks and daughter, who should first be dressed with
secretaries who guide the mandarins by the scrupulous care, to go to their parents' apart-
light of the penal code to a right judgment ments to inquire after their welfare, and to
in all matters entailing a knowledge of law. attend to their wants, and he or she, more
Like magistrates' clerks among ourselves, commonly she, must so continue at their
they are carefully trained in legal practice, beck and call until the night again closes
and were they but free from the itching palm upon them. Those duties must not be per-
which distinguishes the official classes, they formed in a perfunctory way, but everything
would be a most useful section of the com- must be done with the expression of cheer-
munity. Having a tabulated code to which fulness, and filial respect and love.
they are bound by law to conform, less "When his parents are in error," sayS the
knowledge and ingenuity are required to Book of Rites, "the son, with a humble
equip them for their profession than is the spirit, pleasing countenance, and gentle tone,
case with our lawyers. The absence of must point it out to them. If they do not
them from
public opinion, also, shelters criti- receive his reproofhe must strive more and
cism, and leaves them practically a free more to be dutiful and respectful towards
hand, mitigated only by the fear of a pos- them until they are pleased, and then he
sibly inquisitive censor, to work their will must again point out their error. And if the "
either for good or ill among the people. parents, irritated and displeased, chastise
The strange continuity of the Chinese their son until the blood flows from him,
Empire is, in the opinion of some, to be at- even then he must not dare to harbor the
tributed to the respect with which the fifth least resentment; but, on the contrary,
commandment of the Decalogue is observed, should treat them with increased respect and
and as this observance of filial piety is re- dutifulness."
garded as the fundamental virtue of social This kind of devotion to parents seems so
strained and artificial that one would be sacrificed in the interests of parents, and it is
tempted at first sight to imagine that it rep- interesting to find that this man, who is said
resents merely an ideal, were it not that the to have been saved by a miracle from com-
records of the past and the experiences of mitting murder, has been handed down
the present reveal the existence of a precisely- through more than twenty centuries as a
similar practice. For many centuries the model of virtue. It is unnecessary to quote
youth of both sexes —
for though daughters any more of the twenty-four instances, but it
do not partake of the privileges of sons, is instructive to glance at the state of things
they share in all their duties —have had held existing at the present day, as depicted in the
up to them twenty-four instances of filial piety Pekin Gazette, where cases may be met with
for their guidance and imitation. which are scarcely less singular than those
already referred to.
Stories of Filial Piety.
It is not long since that the great Viceroy
They are told, for instance, of a man Li Hung Chang besought the Emperor that
named Lai, who, in order to make his parents a memorial arch might be erected in honor
forget their great age, being himself an of aman within his jurisdiction. This person
elderly person, used to dress himself in parti- had been, we are told, from his youth up a
colored embroidered garments like a child, devoted student of the ancient odes from a
and disport himself before them for their knowledge of which he early imbibed the
amusement. They are told of a lad whose principles of filial piety. With devotion he
parents were too poor to provide themselves waited upon his widowed mother during her
with mosquito curtains, and who used to lie life-time, and when she died he was pros-
naked near their bed that the insects might trated with grief and misery.
attack him unrestrainedly, and thus cease to
annoy his parents. They are told of a poor Guarding a Tomb Eight Years.
man who, finding it impossible to support In his loving devotion he was quite unable
both his mother and his child, proposed to to tear himself away from her tomb, by the
his wife that they should bury the child side of which he took up his abode day and
alive, for, said he, " another child may be night for eight years, being protected from
born to us, but a mother, once gone, will the sunby day and the dews by night by a
never return." shed which his neighbors erected over him
His wife having consented, the man dug a as he lay on the ground. Since that time he
hole of the depth of three cubits, when lo! has devoted himself to distributing medicine
he came upon a pot of gold, bearing the fol- among the sick, and to reading the book of
lowing inscription " Heaven bestows this
: "Filial Piety " to his neighbors. Such filial
treasure on a dutiful son ; the magistrate may piety should not, the viceroy thought, be left
not sieze it, nor shall the neighbors take it unnoticed, and he therefore suggested the
from him." In this story we have an instance erection of a memorial arch, which was
of Chinese filial piety, and an illustration of graciously accorded.
the effect of the Confucian warning against a But the strangest development of this
selfish attachment to wife and children. virtue is the practice favored by dutiful sons
a commonplace of Chinese morality

It is and daughters of cutting off pieces of their
that one or all of these should readily be own flesh to make soup for their aged or in-
disposed parents. A notable example of might devote herself to the care of her par-
this was reported to the throne some time ents. At the age of eighteen she again
ago by the same viceroy, who seems fortu- refused a proposed matrimonial alliance;
nate in the number of filial sons and daughters and when the remains of her father and her
within his jurisdiction. second brother, who had perished at the
This particular instance refers to a young capture of Wuchang by the rebels, were
lady, a Miss Wang, who from her earliest brought back to Kaoyeo, she exclaimed,
years "exhibited a decorous propriety of with tears, that since she could not leave her
conduct coupled with a love of study. She mother to follow her father to the grave, she
would at least varnish his
coffin with her blood.
Thereupon she gashed
her arm with a knife, allow-
ing a stream of blood to
mingle with the lacquer of
the coffin. She had reached
the age of twenty-six when
her father's obsequies were
completed, and again her
mother and elder brother
urged her to marry, but she
steadfastly declined, and
devoted herself to waiting
upon her mother, with
whom she shortly after-
wards removed to Choh
Chow, on her brother re-
ceiving an appointment at
Pekin as a reward for his
father's services.
She allowed no hands
but her own to wait upon
her mother, and when, in
LI-HUNG CHANG, VICEROY OF CHINA
1862, her mother was at-
was a diligent reader of Liu Hiang's " Lives tacked with a dangerous illness, she cut a
of Virtuous Women," and the poems of Muh piece of flesh from her left thigh to be admin-
Lan. istered as a remedy. In less than a year, a
At the age of thirteen, when her parents' fresh attack of illness supervened, when she
desire to betroth her reached her ears, she cut a piece of flesh from her right thigh,
retired to her room, and, with a pointed recovery ensuing as before.
weapon, drew blood from her arm, with On subsequent occasions, when her parent
which she wrote a sentence announcing her was suffering from slight ailments, she ap-
intention to remain single in order that she plied burning incense sticks to her arms and
used the calcined flesh to mingle with the The character used to represent a woman
remedies prescribed, and always with suc- is a corruption of an Accadian heiroglyphic
cessful results. meaning the same thing. When we have
After her mother's death, in 1872, she re- two women together the compound is in-
fused all sustenance during a period of three tended to convey the meaning of "to
days, and was afterwards with difficulty per- wrangle." The addition of a third woman
suaded to taste food. Her brother shortly makes a symbol for " intrigue," and in con-
afterwards died, whereupon she escorted his firmation of the idea conveyed by these
remains to the ancestral home at Kaoyeo, characters,we find the compound composed
and afterwards returning thence performed of "women" and "together" means "to
the same journey once more in attendance suspect," "to dislike," "to loathe."
on her mother's coffin.
"The devotion and energy she had dis- An Old Saying.
played," adds the viceroy, "exceed what It was a saying reverenced among the
might be expected from one of the opposite Chinese that a woman should never be heard
sex, and it is solicited, in view of the wide of outside of her home, an idea which is still
repute which has been gained by her virtues preserved in the symbol for "rest," "quiet,"
at Choh Chow, that a monument may be which is a woman under her domestic roof.
erected in her honor under imperial sanc- This ideograph is singularly appropriate in a
tion." country where women are in much the same
untutored state as that enjoyed by Turkish
Position of Women. ladies when Byron wrote
The surprise expressed by the viceroy
that a woman should be capable of ardent "No chemistry for them unfolds its gases
No metaphysics are let loose in lectures
filial piety affords some indication of the
No circulating library amasses
esteem in which women are held in China. Religious novels, moral tales, and strictures
From their cradles to their graves they Upon the living manners as they pass us ;
stand at a distinct disadvantage as compare'd
No exhibition glares with annual pictures
They stare not on the stars from out their attics.
with men. In the ancient book of odes Nor deal (thank God for that !) in mathematics."
mention is made of the custom of giving
tiles to female infants for playthings, and No husband or male relative ever appears
sceptres to boys ; and in the same way outside his own portal in company with his
throughout their careers women are regarded wife or female belongings, and social inter-
as "moulded out of faults," and as being al- course is thus entirely robbed of the soften-
together unworthy of equal fellowship with ing influences and elevating tendencies which
men. are everywhere due to the presence of
Following in the footsteps of their ancient women. It is a mistake, however, to sup-
philosophers, Chinamen have learnt to repose that women do not in many respects
gard women with disdain and, in ignorance hold their own, even in the oppressive atmos-
of the good that is in them, to credit them phere of China ; for there, as elsewhere, as
with much that is evil. Some of the char- Rosalind says in the play, " Make the doors
acters in which the language is written afford upon a woman's wit, and it will out at the
an apt illustration of this perverted idea. casement; shut tlfat, and 'twill out at the
keyhole ; stop that, 'twill fly with the smoke feast the guests are sober, which they very
out at the chimney." frequently are not, and if they are scholars
But their sphere of influence is confined the probability is that they settle down to
to their own homes. If they have friends writing quatrains of poetry on given sub-
and acquaintances elsewhere, they are among jects, when again the punishment for failure
the ladies in other households, to whom is the consumption of a certain quantity of
they pay visits in closed sedan-chairs — of wine.
course, this has references to the wealthy
classes —and to whose dwellings they are ad-
Beautiful Scenery-
mitted by the side doors. In the same half Like the Japanese, Chinamen are ardent
furtive manner they receive the return visits lovers of beautiful scenery, and delight in
and entertain their friends in the " fragrant picnicing in favored spots to admire the
apartments," from which even the head of prodigality of Nature. Wherever mountains,
the household is rigidly excluded. What lakes, or streams contrive to form attractive
we call society is therefore confined to the landscapes, there in the spring and summer
men, who pay visits, give dinners, and enjoy seasons parties congregate and exchange
picnics and excursions like people of all ideas on everything under heaven except Im-
countries. perial politics.
The etiquette observed at these gatherings
Long Dinners. is all laid down with scrupulous exactitude,
The only dinner-parties, therefore, of which and is Even a morning

rigidly adhered to.
the outside world has any knowledge are call is surrounded with an amount of cere-
those which lose to us half their attractions mony which to an American suggests infinite
by being robbed of the presence of ladies, boredom. It is not' considered proper for
and which are rendered abnormally tedious the visitor to walk to his friend's house, and
by their great length. unless he be a military mandarin, when he
commonly rides, he sallies out in his sedan-
" 'Tis merry in hall
by one or more servants, and
chair, followed
Where beards wag all,"
armed with red visiting-cards about eight
says the old ballad, and Chinamen seem to inches long and three wide, on which is in-
be of the same opinion. Before the guests scribed his name, with sometimes the addi-
are seated a long and protracted struggle tion of the words, " Your stupid younger
ensues to induce the punctiliously modest brother bows his head in salutation."
guests to take the places assigned to them. On approaching his friend's house, a ser-
When this formality is satisfactorily ar- vant goes ahead with one of these cards and
ranged, innumerable courses are served, presents it at the door. If the host be out,
with long intervals of waiting, which would the porter tells the servant " to stay the gen-
be excessively wearying were they not en- tlemen's approach," but if he should be at
livened either by theatricals or some game home the front doors are thrown open and
such as the Italian Morra, in which he who the visitor is carried in his sedan into the
makes a mistake in the number of fingers courtyard, where the host attired in his robes
shown pays forfeit by drinking three or more of ceremony, greets him with many bows.
glasses of wine. If at the conclusion of the Thence he is conducted to the central
hall, where, after much friendly contention as on the subject: "If one's sister-in-law is
to the seats they shall occupy, the guest drowning, ought she to be drawn out with
finally and invariably is induced to take the the hand?" To which Mencius replied, "It
place of honor on his host's left hand. is draw out a drowning sister-
wolfish not to
The practice universally followed of the in-law." And probably most people will
speaker applying adulatory terms towards agree with the philosopher. Even brothers
his interlocutor and depreciatory ones towards and sisters, so soon as they have ceased to
himself, adds to the stilted formalities on be children, are entirely separated, and are
such occasions. Everything connected with allowed intercourse only on formal condi-
the person spoken to — his age, his neighbor- tions. Outside the family circle young men
hood, his name, his relations, etc. — are " hon- do occasionally, like Romeo, "with love's
orable," "respected," "lofty," and "distin- light wings o'er-perch the walls ''
of etiquette
guished/' while the speaker's are "con- which surround the objects of their admira-
temptible" and "rude." His friend's house tion,and we have abundance of evidence in
is a "palace," his is "a reed hut." native novels that communications are kept
up between young ladies and stranger
"Is the Chariot Well?"
youths, but always with a most circumspect
But perhaps the strangest of these set regard to the conventionalities.
phrases are the indirect terms by which one
man addresses another. On receiving a Punishment for Eloping.
visitor, a common expression is, "Is the Prenuptial elopements occur but rarely,
honorable chariot well?" meaning, of course, and the penalty which awaits the hasty pair
the man who drives in the chariot, or "you." in case of capture is imprisonment, which
In the same way, the term "beneath the lasts as long as the vindictiveness of the
council-chamber," and "at the feet," are parents determines. Commonly a maidser-
similarly used, implying a wish that those vant acts as the Mercury between the lovers,
addressed may become Ministers of State, and in one well-known novel the heroine
"the feet," of course, being those of the Son nurses the hero in this vicarious way through
of Heaven. But, however much acquaint- a long illness, and eventually marries him
ances may discuss subjects relating to them- out of regard for the scrupulous way in
selves, no mention is ever made of their which he had confined himself to orthodox
wives or daughters, who are as completely behavior.
tabooed, except between very intimate friends, In another romance the heroine, who, like
as though they did not exist. most heroines in Chinese novels, was a
This estrangement between the sexes is Phoenix of learning and possessed of an
carried out in deed as well as in word. It exquisite poetic talent, tests the hero's capa-
is laid down on authority that in no case bilities by setting him themes on which he
may a woman and a man touch each other is expected to write pieces of poetry, but
in giving and receiving, and so literally was she declines to write the themes, on the
this command accepted, that it was held by ground that things written in the women's,
many that it was even improper for a man apartments should not be handed about to
to save a woman from drowning. be seen of men. In such an artificial state
A hypothetical case was put to Mencius of society dangers must arise, and the appre-
hension of it prompts mothers to desire to be out of regard for the letter of the law,
marry their daughters at as early an age as which custom decides must be observed.
possible. A
few years since a young lady was held
It not unfrequently happens that, as in up to admiration in a memorial to the throne
India, mere infants are betrothed, and noth- for having starved herself to death on hearing
ing but the death of either is considered suf- of the decease of her betrothed, and cases are
ficient to annul the bond. Even this event often officially reported in which the surviving
is not always accepted by the survivor, when young lady refuses positively to listen to any
the survivor is a girl, as a cancelling of the other marriage proposals.
One maiden lately earned distinction by
clasping her betrothed's memorial tablet to
f her arms and going through the marriage

ceremony with it. It is quite possible, how-
ever, that the edge of these young ladies'
adherence to the rules of propriety may be

sharpened by an appreciation of the more
than usually precarious lottery which mar-
riage is in China. It is true that young men
pay the same honor to the
occasionally
memory of their deceased lovers, and are
content towed the shades of their mistresses
but the same constancy is not expected of
them, nor if it existed would be approved of
by the censors of Chinese morals.
Funeral Customs.
Having spoken of marriage, we now turn
to Chinese customs observed in the burial of
the dead.
"I venture to ask about death," said Chi
Lu to Confucius. " While you do not know
"
about life, how can you know about death ?
PAVILION NEAR THE MENCIUS TEMPLE.
was the unsatisfying reply.
engagement. The Pekin Gazette bears testi- And though this is the orthodox Confu-
mony to the occurrence of such cases, though cian view of the momentous question, the
it must be acknowledged that the ilourish of people at large have bettered the instruction
trumpets with which they are announced to of the sage and have developed a full faith
the throne suggests the idea that they form in an after life, in which those who have done
the exceptions rather than the rule. Per- good pass to the blissful regions of the west,
sonal feeling cannot enter into the considera- where, surrounded with peace and happiness,
tion which prompts this action, for the they live an eternal round of joy ; and those
probability is that the couple have never that have done evil are relegated to the in-
seen one another, and it can therefore only fernal regions, where executioners even more
cruel than those to which they are accus- water" to lave the features of the dead.
tomed on earth, torture with merciless bru- Having thrown some copper cash into the
tality. water, accompanied sometimes by a small
Authors of works of a religious nature fish, which is supposed to announce the
delight in describing in detail the horrors transaction to the river god, he fills a bowl
that await the spirits of evil-doers. They from the current and returns to perform his
are sawn asunder, they are devoured by wild sacred office.
beasts, they are thrown into caldrons of The coffin is a massive structure, made of
boiling oil, they are committed to the flames, four boards, from three to four inches in
and if there are any other shameful and vio- thickness, of a hard and durable wood. In
lent deaths, they form a treasured part of the this thebody is laid on a bed of quicklime
punishments of the condemned. and charcoal, and the cover is hermetically
sealed with cement. This is necessary for
Dressed for Death. the sake of the survivors, since custom pro-
These beliefs find expression in the elabo- vides that the coffin should remain above
rate ceremonial which surrounds the burial ground for seven times seven days, and it
of the dead. On the approach of death the sometimes happens that the inability of the
invalidis borne into the central hall, where, astrologers to discover a lucky day for the
on a bed of boards, he is gently laid with his interment, entails a still longer pre-sepulchral
feet towards the door. In preparation for period.
the decease his robes and hat of office, if he
be a mandarin, and, if a commoner, his best A Tragic Incident.
attire, are placed beside him, and when the Much virtue exists in the style and nature
last supreme moment arrives he is dressed in of the coffin, and most men as they advance
state, and so meets his fate in full canonicals. in years provide themselves with their future
After death a priest is summoned, who, narrow beds, if, indeed, their sons have not
after having saved the soul from perdition by been sufficiently filially minded to make them
the use of incantations, calls upon one of the presents of them. A tragic incident, in which
three spirits which are said to inhabit every an old man's coffin formed a leading feature,
man, to hasten to the enjoyment of bliss in was lately described in the Pekin Gazette.
the empyrean regions of the west. Of the A certain Mr. Chia had a son who was as
two other spirits, one is supposed eventually dissolute as he was disrepectful, and who, in
to remain with the corpse in the grave, and a moment of financial pressure, sold the
the other to be attached to the ancestral coffin which his father, with prudent fore-
tablet which ultimately finds its place in the sight, had prepared for his final resting-place.
family hall. On the theft being discovered, Chia at
When this ceremony is completed, the once charged his son with the crime, and in
chief mourner, in the company of friends his anger swore that if the coffin were not
—
and supporters for grief is supposed to returned he would, so soon as he recovered
have so broken him down as to have ren- from an illness from which he was suffering,
dered him unable to walk without the help of bring him

before the authorities and cause
a friendly arm and of a sustaining stafiF him to be put to death. This threat so
goes to the nearest river or stream "to buy enraged the young man that, in a moment
15
of drunken fury, he strangled his father. followed by two men bearing banners, on
For such a crime there could be only one which are inscribed sentences implying a
sentence, and the wretched criminal was con- hope that the deceased may be enjoying
demned to the slow and lingering process of himself in the company of the blessed.
being sliced to death. Afler these comes a man holding up a white
Before closing the coffin it is customary to cock, which is supposed to summon the soul
put in the mouth of the deceased five prec- to accompany the body, and behind him
ious substances, which vary in value with the follow two sedan-chjiirs, in the first of which
wealth of the family. The Chinese do not is carried the ancestral tablet of the dead
offer any explanation of this practice, not man, and in the second his portrait.
even the very reasonable Roman explanation, Supporting themselves by the shafts of
that the money so placed serves as the wage these sedan-chairs, two of the principal
due to Charon for the passage over the Styx. mourners drag themselves along. The
eldest son, if there be one, immediately
Valuables Buried. precedes the coffin, and affects complete
In some parts of the country, also, it is inability to walk without the help of the
usual to deposit by the side of the body any staff of wood, or of bamboo, according to
object or objects, such as books, pipes, etc., whether he is mourning for his father or his
which may have been especially valued by mother, which he carries in his hand.
the deceased. The coffin is closed in the
presence of the family, who prostrate them- Scattering Paper Money.
selves before the bier. When the day chosen Behind the coffin follow the female rela-
by the soothsayers for the interment arrives, tives and friends. Even on this solemn
offerings of cooked provisions are placed occasion the frivolous rules for the separation
beside the coffin, and the mourners, dressed of the sexes are rigorously observed, and a
in coarse white sackcloth, perform endless white cord, held at the ends by two men, is
prostrations before it. sometimes used to separate the male from

Should the deceased have been a man of the female mourners. As the procession
consideration, a vast concourse assembles to advances, paper money is scattered on all
follow him to the grave. A curious super- sides to appease the hunger of any destitute
stition attaches to the first raising of the ghosts which may be haunting the road.
coffin. At the moment that the bearers lift With the coffin a pot of rice is lowered into
the sarcophagus, the relatives all fly from the the grave, and grains and tea are scattered
room, it being believed that should any mis- over it. In some parts of the south it is
adventure occur, the spirit of the deceased customary to bury effigies of cows in the
would avenge itself on all those who were grave as correctives against evil influences.
present at the moment of the removal. The As the grave-diggers shovel in earth to
number of bearers is regulated by the posi- earth, the priest takes the white cock, and,
tion of the family, and varies from sixty-four standing at the foot of the tomb, makes the
to four. bird bow thrice towards the coffin. This
When the procession is formed, a man strange repeated by the chief mourners,
rite is
carrying a long streamer of white cloth, and the " soul-cloth " is then burned to ashes.
known as the " soul-cloth," marches in front, Afler a short exhortation from one of the
deceased, the procession re-forms, and returns For seven days a widow mourning the
to the house in the same order in which it loss of her husband is supposed to show her
set out. grief by sitting on the ground instead of on
On crossing the threshold of their home, chairs, and by sleeping upon a mat instead of
it is sometimes customary for the mourners upon her bed. On the seventh day it is custo-
to purify themselves by stepping over a fire mary for friends to send presents of cakes
made of straw, after which their first duty is and banners, the first of which are presented
to carry the deceased's tablet, with every as offerings to the dead man, while the ban-
token of respect, to the principal room, ners are hung ronnd the hall in which the
where it remains for a hundred days. The coffin reposes. By this time all hope of his
mourners then proceed to celebrate " the feast return to life has disappeared, and the letters
of the dead," and with that the funeral cere- which accompany the gifts of friends are
mony may be said to be brought to a close. burnt in the sacred fire and are so transmitted
For thirty days the nearest relatives of the to the manes of the dead in the blessed
deceased abstain from shaving their heads or regions of the West.
changingtheir clothes, and for twenty-seven On the same day priests offer up prayers
months sons are expected to wear all the for the flight of the soul to its new abode,
panoply of woe. and construct a bridge by an arrangeinent of
tables and stools over which the effigy of the
Brief Period of Mourning.
deceased is carried, thus emblematizing the
Married daughters, having passed out of removal of the soul from Hell to Heaven.
the family circle, are not always invited to
the obsequies ; but when they are, they are Fear of Ghosts.
not expected to mourn for more than seven In many of the ceremonies we see traces
days. At the end of that time they adorn of the old-world fear that the ghostly pres-
themselves once again in jewelry and ence of the dead may possibly haunt the
colors,and so return to their homes, it being survivors. The priest at the grave commonly
considered contrary to etiquette for them to adjures the spirit to remain with the body
carry the signs of lamentation into their hus- and, as a rule, a sufficiently weighty super-
bands' presence. incumbent mass of earth, stone or masonry
Many of the ceremonials surrounding fun- is placed over the tomb to prevent the pos-
erals vary in different parts of the country as sibility of a resurrection. In the hilly south
much as the shapes given to the tombs. In the graves are dug on the sides of hills, and
some parts it is the practice for the mourn- the tomb is shaped like a horseshoe.
ers to put on mourning only on the third day In the north, where the country is for the
after the death has taken place, it being con- most part flat, conically shaped mounds sur-
sidered that it is within the bounds of possi- rounded by a bank and ditch form the ordi-
bility that a trance, and not death, may hold nary graves. Wealthy families generally
the patient senseless. For a considerable have grave-yards of their own, surrounded
period those who are husbands are bound to by a belt of cypress trees, which are sup-
be as strangers to their wives, and all are for- posed to offer complete protection from a
bidden to seek recreation at the theatres or huge monster who, ghoul-like, delights in
concert-rooms. devouring the dead. The tombs of nobles
are often approached by an avenue of stone In all other circumstances, the penalty of
figures, representing ministers of state, war- a hundred blows is to be awarded to any
riors, horses, camels, sheep, tigers, and etc., one " who consumes a corpse with fire or
the same kinds of statues ornament the Im- commits it to the waters." In bygone days
perial tombs the figures are, as a rule,
; itwas the practice, on the death of an Em-
more than life-size, and in many cases are peror, to immolate the favorite wives at the
executed with considerable taste and skill. tomb of the deceased potentate, and at the
The body of a member of a family who grave of Shunchi, the first Emperor of the
dies away from home is invariably brought present dynasty, thirty persons were buried
back to the ancestral hall with one exception. beside him. His son Kanghk'si (1661-
If his home should be within the walls of a 1721), however, put an end to the practice
city, no ceremonial punctilios and no senti- by commanding that the four wives who
mental feelings avail to counterbalance the had paid him the compliment of wishing to
law which forbids the introduction of a dead accompany him into Hades should be for-
body within the walls of a city. bidden to sacrifice their lives for so useless a
purpose.
Honors to Mandarins.
Other curious Chinese customs relate to
Occasionally some mandarin who has died the Emperor and his Court. The Son of
in his country's service, after having gained Heaven admits no on the part of
equality
honors and distinctions, is allowed by the any other sovereign in the world, and this
special edict of the Emperor to be borne refusal has occasioned a vast amount of con-
through the streets of his native city, but troversy. No one can have an audience with
even the body of such a one is not allowed him as an equal.
to rest within the walls. This rule may
possibly show that the Chinese are not en- Audiences With the Emperor.
tirely blind to the laws of sanitation, and the The audience question has occupied a
regulation which forbids all intramural burial prominent place in recent negotiations with
seems also to point in the same direction. China, and probably many people are sur-
No such ceremonies as those described prised that so ordinary a matter should have
above attend the funerals of infants, un- been so constantly a subject of debate. But
married children, concubines or slaves, and Chinese ways are not our ways, and a cere-
no uncommon sight to see in the north
it is mony which among civilized nations is
of China the bodies of these unfortunates regarded as a common act of courtesy
thrown out upon the plains and on the hills between sovereigns, has in China become
to be devoured by beasts of prey. Crema- complicated by the absurd pretensions of the
tion is never practiced in China except in the Government to a superiority over all the
case of Buddhist priests, and the only con- world.
tingency in which the practice is sanctioned Like a spoilt heir who has been brought
by the penal code is when relatives " happen up in secluded surroundings, the Chinese
to die in a distant country and the children have long been surfeited with dominion and
or grandchildren are unable to bring the glory in the midst of neighboring tribes, who
corpse to be interred in the native district of stand on a lower level of civilization than that
the deceased." which they occupy. In the long history of
the Empire such an event as an ambassador in China," " Mr. Van Braams, in his journal,
being received as representing a sovereign on very coolly calls performing the salute of
terms of equality with the Emperor, has never honor."
been known ; and this pretension to supre- Lord Macartney, in 1793, had the honor
macy, which materially contributes to the of being the first who refused to submit to
maintenance of the power which the Empire this degrading ceremony. Happily at this
possesses, enters into the hfe of the nation time a sovereign was on the throne who had
and is, to a great extent, a matter of life and sufficient independence to sanction a depar-
death in its present unregenerate state. ture from the ordinary routine, and who had
sufficient good sense to do honor to the self-
Court of the "Son of Heaven." respect of the ambassador. On arriving at
The proposal, therefore, that the foreign Pekin Lord Macartney found that the Empe-
ministers resident in Pekin should be re- ror Kienlung was at his hunting-palace at
ceived in the manner common in civilized Jehol (whither, in 1 Emperor Hien-
860, the
combated by
countries, has deen persistently feng fled before the allied forces of England
the mandarins. It must be confessed that and France). By Kienlung's invitation. Lord
precedent has been in their favor. The Macartney proceeded to Jehol, and was there
Portuguese and Dutch ambassadors, who received by him in a magnificent tent in the
visited Pekin in the seventeenth and eigh- palace garden.
teenth centuries, all submitted to the degra-
dation of appearing as envoys of tributaries His Majesty Appears.
at the court of the Son of Heaven. In accordance with Eastern custom, the
From an account given of the mission of audience was granted at sunrise, and further,
Alexander Metello de Sousa Menezes, in in accordance with practice, the ambassador
1727, we learn that at the audience granted was required to be in attendance some hours
to him by the Emperor Yungcheng, " his before the arrival of the Emperor. This
excellency entered the western gates [of the delay was sufficiently discourteous, but it was
reception hall], ascended the steps of the an improvement on the treatment to which
throne, and, kneeling, presented his creden- the Dutch ambassador had been subjected in
tials ; he then went out by the same
rose, the preceding century, when the unfortunate
way, and in front of the middle door that was envoy was left sitting "all night in the open
open the ambassador and retinue performed air, and upon the blue stones till morning."
the usual act of obedience, that is, knelt and Soon after daylight the sound of music
struck their heads on the ground nine times. announced the Emperor's approach, and
About a century earlier a Dutch embassy without further delay his majesty took his
was treated with even greater contempt. seatupon a throne set up in the tent. On all
The ambassador and his staff met " with a sides he was surrounded by princes of the
vile reception and degrading treatment. blood and the highest officers of state, some
They were required to humiliate themselves of whom conducted the ambassador from the
at least thirty different times ; at each of tent in which he had awaited the Emperor's
which they were obliged, on their knees, to arrival to the Imperial presence.
knock their heads nine times against the " The ambassador, pursuant to instructions,
ground, which," adds Barrow, in his "Travels received from the president of ceremonies, held
a large magnificent square gold box, embel- Even before Lord Amherst's arrival at Pekin
lished with jewels, containing his majesty's he was met by the asseverations of the com-
letter to the Emperor, between both hands, missioners deputed to meet him that he
raised above his head, and mounting the could only be admitted into the Imperial
stepswhich lead to the throne, and bending presence by consenting to perform what Van
upon one knee, presented the box with a Braams described as " the salute of honor."
suitable laconic address, to his Imperial This he positively declined to do, and the
Majesty, who received it graciously with his commissioners, who had distinct orders to
own hands, put it by his side and represented arrange an audience, were at their wits' end
the satisfaction he felt at the testimony which how to reconcile the Imperial commands
his Britannic Majesty gave to him of his with the ambassador's attitude. The symbol
esteem and good will in sending him an em- used to express on paper the word " deceit "
bassy, with a letter, and rare presents ; that is made up, as has been said, of parts signi-
he, on his part, entertained sentiments of the fying a " woman's weapon."
same kind towards the sovereign of Great
Britain, and hoped that harmony would
Way Out of a Difficulty.
always be maintained among their respective In China " a man's weapon " would be
subjects." equally applicable, and, in this particular in-
stance, the commissioners determined to use
Ceremonies Set Aside. this well-worn arm to rid themselves of the
At a which was subsequently given
feast difficulty. In later communications with
to Lord Macartney and the chief Tartar Lord Amherst they agreed to waive the
tributaries, theEmperor marked his regard point, and assured him that all that would
for the English ambassador by sending him be demanded of him would be such a genu-
several dishes from his own table, and by flection as had been performed by Lord
presenting to him and his staff cups of wine Macartney.

with his own hand. To the Emperor, however, they reported
The reception thus accorded to Lord that the ambassador was ready to obey his
Macartney showed a marked advance towards commands, and they even drew up a docu-
the customs of civilized nations. The kotow ment in which the whole ceremony was min-
was not insisted upon, and though the am- ntely described, and in which the ambas-
bassador bent one knee in presenting his cre- sador and suite were made to perform the
dentials, the audience, taken as a whole, was kotow on several occasions. In pursuance
as satisfactory as could have been expected. of his arrangement with these double-faced
To the Emperor Kienlung succeeded Kia gentlemen. Lord Amherst went to Yuen-
King, who was as bigoted and narrow-minded Ming-Yuen, where the Emperor was then
as his father had been liberal and enlightened. residing.
To him Lord Amherst was accredited in It was, however, plainly impossible for the
l8i6, and from the first opening of negotia- commissioners to admit him into the Im-
tions became at once obvious that the new
it perial presence, since they knew that it
Emperor was determined to return from the would be beyond their power to make him
position taken up by his predecessor to the perform the kotow, and were equally aware
preposterous pretensions of former times. that the absence of the act would bring
down the wrath of the Emperor upon them. as the Emperor might determine. This was
The manoeuvre which they adopted in the best that could be done.
this difficulty is interesting. They per- The Chinese authorities, recognizing that
suaded the Emperor to order the ambas- the kotow was no longer in question, directed
sador into his presence the instant he ar- all their efforts towards persuading the min-
rived at the palace. As the journey had isters to bow the knee after the precedent set
been long and tedious, and the ambassador by Lord Macartney. But against this pro-
was way-worn and weary, he excused him- position the ministers showed a determined
self from obeying this very discourteous front,and the Chinese, being compelled to
command, as the commissioners expected he give way on this point also, turned their at-
would do, on the ground of fatigue. They tention to obtaining some advantages in re-
then prompted the Emperor to dismiss him turn for the concessions accorded.
from the court, and the luckless ambassador The Dutch and Portuguese ministers, who
was obliged to return with his mission un-
fulfilled.
An Opportunity Lost.
In accordance with civilized usage, the re-
sidence of the foreign ministers at Pekin
would naturally entail their being received in
audience by the Emperor; and, if Lord
Elgin, when in command of Pekin, had in-
sisted upon the fugitive Emperor Hienfeng
returning to the capital to receive him in
audience, no further difficulties on the sub-
ject would have arisen. But the opportun-
ity was allowed to lapse, and a true solution
of the difficulty has still to be arrived at.

A HIGH-CASTE MANDARIN.
The death of Hienfeng, in 1861, and the
long minority of his successor Tungchi, had bowed to the ground in the presence of
postponed any further consideration of the the Son of Heaven, had been received in the
matter until 1873. In that year the Em- Imperial audience-chamber within the pal-
peror, having attained his majority, and hav- ace ; and Lord Macartney, who had bent the
ing signalized the event by taking to himself knee, had been allowed to place his creden-
three wives, accepted the reins of power tials in the hands of the Emperor. As the
from the Dowager Empresses, who had gov- present generation of ministers had refused
erned the Empire during the past twelve either to kotow or genuflect, it became neces-
years. The time had thus arrived when the sary to emphasize the superiority of the Em-
audience question had again to be consid- peror over the sovereigns whom they rep-
ered ; and, after much negotiation with the resented, by refusing them admittance within
ruling powers, it was arranged that the the gates of the palace.
foreign ministers should be collectively A pavilion, known as the Tzu-Kuang Ko,
granted a reception at such time and place was, therefore, chosen for the ceremony;
According to the best authorities, this build- arrival of the Emperor. But, if this was
ing is that in which the Mongol princes and their expectation, they were disappointed,
Corean ambassadors are feasted at the New and itwas only after a further delay of at
Year. It is here, also, that Manchu military- least an hour and a half that the representa-
exercises are performed, and wrestling tive of Japan, who, being an ambassador,
matches are held for the amusement of the was introduced separately, was summoned to
Emperor. the Imperial presence.
The edifice was, therefore, not one in The five European representatives were
which ministers of sovereigns on an equality next introduced, and were led by a door on
with the Emperor would naturally have been the west side of the pavilion into the central
received. The native guide-books describe aisle of the hall. As they faced the north-
it as the place where " New Year receptions ern end, where theEmperor was seated on
are granted to the outer tribes," and the his throne, they bowed in concert. They
choice of it was doubtless intended by the then " advanced a few paces and bowed
mandarins to be a set-off against the conces- again, then advanced a few paces further,
sions they had made. But it was also part of bowing again, and halted before a long
the arrangement that the ministers should yellow table about halfway up the hall."
not give their credentials into the hands of
the Emperor, but should deposit them on a
How they were Seated.
table set in the hall for the purpose ; and The Emperor, who was surrounded by
that they should then be presented by Prince his advisers and courtiers, was, it was ob-
Kung to the Emperor. served, seated cross-legged according to the
Manchu custom. When all had taken up
Costunies for the Occasion. their appointed positions, the minister of
On the day appointed (June 29) the min- Russia, as doyen of the corps, read aloud
istera were early astir, as the Emperor had an address in French, which was made
fixad the audience at the very inconvenient intelligible to the Emperor by an interpreter,
hour of between six and seven in the morn- who delivered a version in Chinese for his
ing. The place of audience being close to benefit.
the Roman Catholic cathedral and mission Says Sir Thomas Wade :
" As soon as
house, the five representatives of Western the address was delivered we laid our letters
powers —England, France, America, Russia of credence upon the table. The Emperor
and the Netherlands —met there to attire made a slight bow of acknowledgment, and
themselves in costumes befitting the august the Prince of Kung, falling upon both knees
occasion. Thence they were escorted to the at the foot of the throne, his majesty appeared
Shih-ying Kung, where confectionery, tea to speak to him — I say appeared, because no
and Chinese wine from the Emperor's but- sound reached my ears. We had been told,
tery were offered them. however, that the Emperor would speak in
Here they were kept waiting for more Manchu, and that the prince would interpret.
than an hour, and were then led to a tent Accordingly, as soon as his highness rose,
pitched on the west side of the pavilion of he descended the steps, and informed us that
audience. They might have reasonably his majesty declared that the letters of cre-
hoped that move meant
this the immediate dence had been received.
"Then, returning to his place, he again fell Chinese statesman informed one of the
upon his knees, and the Emperor, having foreign ministers after the audience that the
again spoken to him in a low tone, he again princes who waited on the Emperor had
descended the steps, and, coming up to us, been surprised and pleased at the demeanor
informed us that his majesty trusted that our of himself and his colleagues.
respective rulers were in good health, and Such a remark illustrates the supercilious
expressed a hope that foreign affairs might contempt with which the Chinese dignitaries
all be satisfactorily arranged between the regard foreigners generally, and emphasizes
foreign ministers and the Emperor. This an ignorance which would be remarkable
closed the audience, which may have Isisted considering that the foreign legations had
a little more than five minutes. We than all then been established in Pekin for twelve
withdrew in the usual fashion, moving back- years, if we did not know how entirely the
ward and bowing." courtiers hold themselves aloof from the for-
eign ministers.
Departure From Precedent. It had been proposed that an annual
Sir Thomas Wade, and probably the other reception should be given to the foreign
ministers, recognized that this reception con- plenipotentiaries, but the sudden death of
stituted a marked departure from precedent, the Emperor from small-pox put an end to
although they were fully alive to the short- this scheme. Another long minority suc-
comings it manifested. To begin with, the ceeded, and it was not until the assumption
Imperial decree granting the audience was of the ruling power, by the present Emperor,
worded in a dictatorial tone, which was, to in 1 89 1, that a reception was again held.
say the least, discourteous. " The Tsungli The decree published in the Pekin Gazette
Yamun " (answering nearly to our Cabinet at announcing was laconic, but at
this event
Washington), so runs this document, " hav- least had the advantage over that published
ing presented a memorial to the effect that on the previous occasion, in that the deroga-
the foreign ministers residing in Pekin have tory expressions therein used were omitted.
implored us to grant an audience that they
may deliver letters from their Governments, Request for an Audience.
we command that the foreign ministers resi- The decree was dated March 4, and ran
ding in Pekin, who have brought letters from thus: "At 11.30 to-morrow the Emperor
their Governments, be accorded audience. will receive in audience at the Tzu-Kuang
Respect this." Ko all the nations." The ceremony on this

The long periods of waiting in the Shih- occasion was almost identical with that which
ying Kung, and afterwards in the tent, were took place in 1873. The intervening eigh-
doubtless intended to mark the condescension teen years had not taught the Chinese any-
of the Emperor in granting the audience, thing as regards foreigners, and their attitude
and, together with the very perfunctory cere- then and now was and is as ante-foreign as
mony in the hall, were indications which ever it has been.
forbade the cherishing of any high hopes as On his arrival at 1893, Mr.
Pekin in
to the effects likely to be produced by the O'Conor requested an audience, which was
reception. With a self-complacency which granted him with a change of venue. Instead
almost amounted to an impertinence, a of the Tzu-Kuang Ko, the Cheng-Kuang
Tien, a temple which stands outside the China and foreign countries, the wildest en-
palace enclosure, was chosen for the cere- thusiasts could nothope for any such result.
mony. Here again the same forms were It may be said that this is but the beginning
followed, and the event was as barren of of things, and that we have no right to ex-
results as were those of 1873 and 1891. pect any great and rapid change in the atti-
So matters stand at present, and the ques- tude of the Chinese court towards us. This
tion suggests itself, " Of what use have these would be plausible if in the thirty years dur-
audiences been?" In civilized countries the ing which the legations have been established
reception of a minister by the sovereign to in Pekin there has been shown any advance
whose court he is accredited is a testimony of friendliness.
of the friendship of that monarch towards On no occasion could any such change be
his royal master. It also facilitates negotia- better manifested than at an Imperial recep-
tions between the two countries. It serves, tion, but time has made no change in the
therefore, a substantially useful purpose. manner which our ministers are received;
in
In China, however, neither of these ends for it is impossible to see any sign of a pro-
can possibly be attained by such receptions gressive movement in the exchange of the
as those accorded to the foreign ministers. Cheng-Kuang Tien for the Tzu-Kuang Ko
The Emperor, so far as it is possible to as an audience-chamber.
judge, is in the hands of his advisers, who, The fact is that other nations are too much
as Sir Thomas Wade told us some years ago, inclined to pursue here, as in other dealings
are as bitterly anti-foreign as ever, and in with China, the cap-in-hand attitude. They
whose word, the foreign ministers solemnly have humbly implored, to use the Emperor's
declared, in 1 891, that "no faith could be own words, to be admitted into the Imperial
put." presence, and have reaped reward. They have
As to facilitating negotiations between been suppliants and have been treated as such.
CHAPTBR XIII.
FOOD, DRESS AND AMUSEMENTS OF THE CHINESE.
T is probable that in the congested dis- Ducks are reared in enormous quantities, the
tricts of Southern China the population eggs as well as those of fowls being for the
more dense than in any other coun- most part hatched by artificial heat.
I is
try, and the struggle for existence is There being no ownership in rivers, the
proportionately severe. If it were not for fishing industry is carried on without let or
the small wants and meagre diet of China- hindrance. By net, by line, by the clever
men, such swarms of human beings as are to use of light to attract, and of noise to
be seen in Canton, for example, where, the frighten, the fish are captured from the
land being unable to contain the inhabitants, streams and supply a cheap and most useful
the streetsmay be said to have been carried article Every kind of living creature
of food.
on to the surface of the river, could not exist. which moves and even
in the waters is eaten,
Two bowls of rice with scraps of vegetables water snakes form a common article of food.
or pieces of fish added, suffice for the daily These, with eels, carp, and tench, are, when
food of countless thousands of the people. caught, commonly kept in tanks, where they
With all classes rice and vegetables form the are carefully fed, and are sold as required.
staple food, as we find illustrated by the fact Most of the fishing-boats have tanks in which
that the native equivalents of these words are the captured fish are kept alive, and though
used to express food generally. In his invi- the flesh suffers from the artificial food and
tation to partake of the most sumptuous surroundings, the prudent economy of the
viands the host will ask his guest " to eat system recommends it to the frugal minds
rice," and a servant announcing a feast will of the natives.
proclaim that " the vegetables are served."
Disgusting Articles of Food
To the production of grain and vegetables
every available scrap of land and all the These, then, with rice at their head, are
energies of the people are devoted. There the staples of life. But the same poverty
is probably not an acre of meadow land in which induces Chinese parents to murder
China. Flocks of sheep and herds of cattle their female infants prompts them occasion-
are, therefore, unknown; and the beasts ally to take advantage of less savory viands
which are reared on the sides of the hills, to satisfy their hunger. It is an undoubted
land with artificial number
food, are so few in fact that rats, dogs,and horseflesh are sold
that the flesh is obtainable only by the in Canton and elsewhere. The passing trav-
wealthiest of those who are freed from the eller may see dried rats hung up in poulterers'
Buddhistic belief in the transmigration of shops, and a little investigation will prove
souls. Pigs, fowls, ducks, and fish are more indisputably to him that horseflesh, even
cheaply obtained, and it is probable that pork when the animal has met its death in another
forms quite half the meat which is eaten. way than at the butcher's shambles, is greed™
235
ily devoured. Necessity sometimes supplies own thoroughfares. The locusts so dealt
strange articles of diet. with are regarded as a luxury, and are con-
It is an unquestionable fact that China- sidered to be more nutritive and better fla-
men and apparently without any ill

will eat, vored if they are thrown into the boiling oil
effects, meat which would poison English- alive. But whatever the food may be, other
men and Americans. The flesh of horses than grain, it is cut up into small pieces to
which have died of glanders, and of other suit the requirements of the chopsticks,
animals which have succumbed to diseases which are invariably used to transfer the food
of all sorts, are eaten by the beggars and from the plate to the mouth.
other poverty-stricken people, who infest the
Onions and Garlic.
streets of all large cities. A superstition
also attaches to the flesh of dogs and cats, Knives and forks are unknown for this
especially black ones. It is considered emi- purpose, and the two sticks, which to for-
nently nutritious, and recommended by
is eigners are such stumbling-blocks at native
the doctors as a wholesome and invigorating dinners, furnish all that a Chinaman wants
diet in the summer season, as well as a gen- with which to supply himself with even the
eral preventative against disease. most oleaginous food. The presence of ex-
and fat in Chinese
cessive quantities of oil
Strange Remedy for Baldness. cooking is to Europeans its great offence,
The same high authorities prescribe a and the large admixture of onions and garlic
course of rat's flesh for people inclined to adds another obnoxious feature to ordinary
baldness. The late Archdeacon Gray, who viands; but, apart from these peculiarities,
probably knew Canton better than any living the food is always well cooked, and authori-
foreigner, in speaking, in his work on China, ties affirm that it is eminently digestible.
of a cat and dog restaurant, says: "The The following Chinese dishes, taken from
flesh is cut into small pieces and fried with the menu of the dinner which was given by
water chestnuts and garlic in oil. In the the Chinese of Hong Kong to the Duke of
window of the restaurant dogs' carcases are Connaught, give a good idea of the sort of
suspended for the purpose, I suppose, of at- farewhich a Chinese host presents to his
tracting the attention of passers by. Pla- guests on state occasions
cards are sometimes placed above the door, "Birds'-nest soup. Stewed shell-fish.
setting forth that the flesh of black dogs and Cassia mushrooms. Crab and sharks' fins.
;
cats can be served up at a moment's notice '
Promotion '
(boiled quail, etc.). Fried ma-
and then he proceeds to give a translation rine delicacies. Fish gills. Sliced teal.
of a bill of fare such as hangs on the walls Pekin mushrooms. Beches-de-mer. Sliced
of the dining-rooms. pigeon. Macaroni."
The supposed medicinal properties of these The mention
of some of these dishes is
horrible articles of food no doubt prompt enough to explain why it is that foreigners
many people to partake of them. In the come away hungry from a Chinese dinner-
northern cities of the Empire it is usual in party; nor are their appetites encouraged by
the autumn to see men selling locusts fried the fact that the feasters, in the enjoyment of
in oil at the corners of streets, much as peo- the good things provided, generally find it
ple offer roasted chestnuts for sale in our necessary to discard some of their clothing
FOOD, DRESS AND AMUSEMENTS. 237
to adjust their heightened temperatures. from 1636 to 1644. At his command every
Their system of dress is admirably adapted official was obliged to wear a gold button on
for this kind of emergency. Like their food his cap to distinguish him from the common
it possesses some admirable qualities, some herd. By degrees further distinctions were
doubtful ones, and others which are repul- introduced. To a high official was assigned
sive. Its general character is looseness a gold button set in pearls, while to a gen-
nothing fits tightly to the person, and com- eral was given one surronnded with precious
plete freedom is thereby secured to the limbs. stones. From this beginning the present
system arose.
Hurried by Them.
Another and a far greater innovation than
It is a canon of Chinese art that the out- this was introduced by the Manchu invaders.
line of the human frame should never be As a badge of conquest, they compelled the
more than dimly indicated. For this reason whole male population to shave the front
a sculpture gallery is abhorrent to them, as part of the head and to wear the queue,
was amusingly shown on the occasion of a which now distinguishes the Chinese from
visit paid to the British Museum by the first the rest of mankind. The manner in which
Chinese Minister at the Court of St. James. this badge was adopted, and the tenacity
At the first sight of the beautiful objects in with which it is now adhered to, are worthy
the Greek and Roman he looked
galleries of note as illustrating the character of the
around him in bewilderment, and then, real- people.
izing the situation, hurried by them with
significant haste, looking neither to his right Fond of His Cue.
hand nor to his left. At first it was fiercely resisted, even unto
On this principle the dress of all China- death. The vanquished everywhere took up
men partakes of the nature of robes, which arms against it, and it was only by violence
reach from the neck to the ankles — conceal- varied with cajolery that the Manchus were
ing loose vests, and trousers which among eventually able to compel its adoption.
the better classes are encased in gaiters of When once it was accepted, however, it
materials suited to their conditions. Above came to be regarded with the greatest affec-
the upper part of the robe there is com- tion,and no greater indignity can be inflicted
monly worn a jacket made of stuffs accord- on a loyal Chinaman of the present day than
ing to the season, silks in summer, and to cut off the queue, against the adoption ol
wadded cotton or fur in the winter months. which his ancestors fought so strenuously.
The dresses of the mandarins and their But with the Taepings and other rebels
wives are, as has been already stated, strictly the disappearance of the quene, and the
regulated by sumptuary laws. growth of the hair on the head, have been
Since the rise of the Manchus to power, accepted as badges of antagonism to the
the buttons on the caps have been added to present dynasty, and the discovery in a dis-
distinguish the various grades in the official affected district of a man with these distin-
hierarchy. The first to institute this system guishing marks secures him but a short
was Tsungte, the immediate predecessor of shrift beforehe is called upon to expiate his
Shunchi, the first Emperor of the present disloyalty on the execution ground. But to
Manchu line, who reigned in Manchuria return to the dress of the officials. The cap
varies in shape and material according to the irrespective of the condition of the theremo-
season. In summer it consists of a round meter.
cone made of fine straw or bamboo, and is The wives of mandarins render their oflS-
covered with a tassel of red silken cords cial attire as splendid as rich silks, gay colors,
which radiate from the apex. In winter it and bright embroideries can make them. In
is turned up at the brim, and is covered with shape they are identical with those worn by
dark satin, over which falls in the same way women of every degree in the Empire, and
a similar tassel. consist of a loose tunic reaching to the
The button is fixed in a gold setting above knees, which buttons at the neck and under
MERCHANTS CLUB AT SHANGHAI.
the tassel at the centre of the crown. The the right arm. A pair of trousers drawn in
changes of uniform at the summer and win- at the ankle completes the attireon ordinary
ter seasons are carefully regulated by law, occasions, but on high days and holidays an
and, in obedience to Imperial edicts, pub- embroidered petticoat, which hangs square
lished as the periods approach, every man- both before and behind, is worn by ladies.
darin,from the great wall on the north to The hair always carefully dressed and
is
the boundaries on Tonquin on the south, gayly adorned, but in ways and fashions
makes his official change of attire on the which differ in every part of the Empire.
days exactly specified by the Emperor, quite Flowers, both natural and artificial, are
largely used as ornaments to the head, and bent under the foot, the big toe is some-
richly chased and jewelled hairpins are added times brought backwards on the top of the
to give taste to the coiffure. These last are foot, and the instep is forced upwards and
often of considerable value, and are com- backwards. In this way the foot is clubbed
monly presents either from parents or hus- and is forced into a shoe from about three
bands. They not unfrequently form the to four inches long.
principal part of the property belonging to
the owners, and in cases of emergency they A Fashion that Inflicts Pain.
are the first things resorted to for the pur- The little victims of this cruel fashion
pose of raising money. They are sometimes unquestionably suffer great pain in the early
given also by their fair owners to friends as stages, but as a rule the skin, which at first
tokens of regard, and in many plays and is dreadfully abrased, becomes gradually
novels their disappearance from the heads of hardened, and as those whose feet are
wives is made to arouse the same suspicions squeezed into shoes of the size mentioned
in the minds of the ladies' husbands as the are ladies who are not required to move
loss of Desdemona's handkerchief did in the about much, their feet probably answer all
poisoned brain of Othello. the purposes expected of them.

This is not saying much. A lady scarcely
Diminutive Feet. walks at all. If she goes out she is either
The striking feature, however, in the carried in a sedan-chair, or, in the north of
women's appearance and gait is their mis- the country, in a carriage. Within doors
shapen feet. In most lands the desire is to she either hobbles about, leaning on a stick
give freedom of movement, but an absurd or on the shoulder of a waiting-maid, or is
fashion, backed by the weight of centuries, carried on the back of a servant. It is

has crippled and disabled countless genera- obvious that this extreme conipression would
tions of the women in China. No sufficient render women of the poorer classes quite
explanation has ever been given of the origin unfitted to fulfil their necessary avocations,
of this very unnatural custom, which is all and with them therefore the feet are allowed
the more objectionable as Chinawomen, greater scope.
speaking generally, are gifted with finely The custom is entirely confined to the
shaped hands and feet. Chinese; Manchu conquerors having
the
The saying of a French lady that one never submitted their own women to the tor-
must suffer to be beautiful is certainly true ture and discomfort of the practice, neither,
accepting the Chinese estimate of the fashion also, have the boat populations thought it
— in the case of the poor ladies of China. necessary to deform themselves for the sake
The and shape of the foot which fashion
size of fashion. It is even said that in the neigh-
requires are only to be attained by a disloca- borhood of Ningpo a movement is on foot
tion which causes great pain in the first among the Christian population to abolish
instance, and often permanent suffering. At this fetish of fashion, but it is doubtful
an early age, generally when the child is whether its promotion by converts from the
about four or five, the process begins by the national religion will do much to advance
feet being bound tightly round in the re- even so rational an object.
quired shape. The four smaller toes are In their desire to make beautiful what is
naturally so ugly, the women delight to there are winding footpaths, trees here and
adorn the shoes and bright
with rich there as if by chance, woody or sterile hill-
embroidery and fortunately for them the

; ocks, and deep gullies with narrow passages,
swaying gait which the fashion compels them whose sides are steep or rough with rocks,
to assume in walking has come to be re- and presenting only a few nJserable shrubs.
garded as a winsome beauty. Poets are They like to bring together in gardening, in
never tired of describing in verse the leaf- the same view, cultivated grounds and arid
shaped eyebrows, the willow and the waists, plains ; to make the field uneven and cover
swaying movements of Chinese ladies, which it, with artificial rock-work ; to dig caverns
they liken to boughs gently waving in the in mountains, on whose tops are arbors half
wind. overthrown and around which tortuous foot-
It is well that it is possible to find some- paths run and return into themselves, pro-
thing to say in favor of the cruel custom of longing, asit were, the extent of the grounds
crippling the feet of the women, and cynic- and increasing the pleasure of the walk."
ally minded Chinamen add to their approval
Profusion of Blossoms.
of the grace which it imparts to the step,
their appreciation of the fact that it prevents In the more purely floral parterres, the
ladies from gadding about. This it certainly plants are arranged so as to secure brilliancy
does, and even the exercise which they are of bloom with harmony of color. Over the
tempted to take in their gardens is confined greater part of China the land is favored
j.i very limited excursions. with so fertile and so congenial a
a soil
climate that flowers grow and blossom with

Beautiful Flowers and Gardens. prodigal profusion. Roses, hydrangeas, peo-
The love of flowers seems to be inherent nies, azaleas and a host of other plants
in the people of the extreme East, and their beautify the ground, while creepers of every
gardens are to both the men and women of hue and clinging growth hang from the
China a never-failing delight.With much boughs of the trees and from the eaves of
taste they lay out the ground and dispose the summer-houses and pavilions which are
the flowers to the best possible advantage. scattered over the grounds.
As landscape gardeners they are unsurpassed, With the instinctive love of flowers which
and succeed by skilful arrangement in giving belongs to Chinamen, the appearance of the
an impression of extent and beauty to even blooms on the more conspicuous flowering
paltry and naturally uninteresting pieces of shrubs is eagerly watched for. Floral calen-
ground. By clever groupings of rock-work, dars are found in every house above the
by raising and by throwing
artificial hills, poorest, and expeditions are constantly made
high bridges over ponds and streams, they into the country districts to enjoy the sight
produce a panorama which is full of fresh of the first bursting into blossom of fa-
points of view and of constant surprises. vorite flowers. The presence of ponds gives
As De Guignes wrote, in describing a sense of coolness to the pleasure-grounds,
Chinese gardens, the object of the owner is and the white and pink water-lilies which
to imitate " the beauties and to produce the adorn their surface furnish excuses to revel-
inequalities of nature. Instead of alleys lers for holding endless wine-feasts on their
planted symmetrically or uniform grounds, margins.
In the literature frequent references are it takes a fast steamer to make its way from
made to such entertainments, and numerous Ichang to London. It has been shown
volumes have been carefully compiled of the to the Chinese how it would be possible to
more highly esteemed poems made on such remove the greater part of the obstacles
occasions in praise of the camellia, apricot, which make the voyage so difficult, and
peach, chrysanthemum, hibiscus and an how, when this is done, steamers might
endless array of other flowers by the minor readily continue their way up the river.
poets of the country. But nothing will induce the Government,
The manner and convenience of travel the local officials, or the merchants inter-
supply a faithful index of the stage of civil- ested, to support thescheme, and all delib-
ization which the people of a country
to erately prefer to putup with the delay, dan-
have arrived, and in the conveyances in gers and frequent losses incurred under the
vogue in China we see repeated the strange present system to encouraging an enterprise
contradictions which have met us as we have which would save four-fifths of the time em-
glanced at each feature of Chinese society. ployed, and would reduce the peril and loss
In every case there is much to be admired to a minimum.
but in every case what is good and excellent The particular kinds of conveyance used
is marred by some defacing or neutralizing in China vary with the nature of the coun-
quality. try. In the north, where the huge delta
plain and immense table-lands from the sur-
Discomforts of Travelling.
face, carts are commonly used, and these
Just as the outward appearance of their again furnish an instance of the mixed
furniture is spoiled by the exquisite discom- nature of Chinese civilization. They are
fort of their chairs and divans ; and their made on two wheels, without springs and
stately ceremonies, by dirt and squalor so ;
without seats.
their means of travelling, which in some
ways are luxurious, are discredited by the Chinese Carts.
discomfort of the carts, the mud and ruts of As has been said, the Chinese ha\e no
the roads, and the miserable condition of the idea of comfort as we understand the word,
inns. With us the question of pace enters and these vehicles are a complete justifica-
largely into our ideas of travelling, but in tion of the statement. To an American
the leisurely East, where hurry is unknown, they are the acme of misery. The occupant
the speed with which a journey can be made seats himselfon the floor of the cart, and is
is not of the slightest consequence. thrown hither and thither as the ruts may
We have an excellent illustration of this determine and the skill of the driver may
on the waters of the Yang-tsze Kiang. permit. The novice, when going to sea, is
Steamers go up the river to Ichang, a dis- commonly advised to attempt to avoid the
tance of fifteen hundred miles from the inevitable fate which awaits him by allowing
mouth. For four hundred miles above his body to sway with the movements of the
that point there are a succession of rapids, vessel, and in the same way those who drive
to ascend which, in a native boat at certain in Chinese carts are recommended to yield
seasons of the year, occupies six or seven their persons to the strange bumps and
weeks, or just about the length of time rockings of the springless vehicles, but, so
16
far as the experience of the present writer chwang, and carrying back the cotton cloths
goes, no better result follows in this than in and hardware which are brought from the
the other case. despised lands of the " barbarians."
It is remarkable that, though carts have Sedan-chairs and horseback are also usual
been in use for thirty or more centuries, the means of travelling, and in the southern half
Chinese havemade no attempt to improve of the Empire these modes of locomotion
rough construction.
their very Springs are are alone employed on terra firma, the roads
unknown and the only method occasionally being too narrow to allow of the passage of
adopted to mitigate the horrors of driving is anything on wheels.
that of placing the axles and wheels behind But in this part, as all over the Empire,
the body of the cart, and at the rear ex- the many rivers and canals which fertilize
tremity of the beams of wood which consti- the land and add beauty to its features, are
tute the support of the vehicle, and when the favorite highways of travel and com-
produced in front form the shafts. merce. The better class of passenger vessels
are largeand commodious, and contain all
No Provision for the Driver.
the conveniences to which Chinamen are
In this way the cart is swung between the accustomed in their own homes. They are
animal drawing it and the axle. No seat is commonly from sixty to eighty feet long,
provided for the driver, who commonly takes and are divided into three rooms.
possession of the off shaft, and seriously in-
terferes with the ventilation available for the Sails and Oars.
passenger by almost entirely blocking up the The principal apartment, which occupies
only opening which serves both as door and about half the boat, is approached in front
window. Carts of the ordinary kind stand through a vestibule, and is connected with
for hire in the streets of Pekin and of other the bedroom which separates it from the
northern cities, and are constantly employed stern. The fore part of the boat is decked
as far south as the banks of the Yang-tsze- over with movable planks, and affords dark
Kiang. and airless cabin accommodation for the crew.
For carrying purposes large wagons are The vessels are supplied with masts on which,
used which are commonly drawn by seven when the wind is favorable, sails are hoisted.
animals, a pony being in the shafts and the Under less fortunate conditions oars and tack-
rest being arranged three abreast in front. ing are used to propel them. From this kind
Such conveyances when loaded travel from of vessel to the merest sampan, the waters of
fifty to eighty Chinese miles a day, or from China furnish every variety of boats.
about sixteen to twenty-six English miles. There is one other means of locomotion
In the neighborhood of Newchwang an im- which remains to be mentioned, and that is
mense traffic is carried on by means of these one which has attracted more attention than
vehicles, and during the busiest two months perhaps it deserves. We refer to the wheel-
of the year it is reckoned that upwards of barrow, of which Milton wrote :
thirty thousand carts, drawn by more than " Sericana, -where Chinese drive,
two hundred thousand animals, pass between With sail and wind their cany wagons light"
the inland districts and the port, bringing the The Chinese are intensely poor, and as
native products to the wharves of New- the possession of a horse and cart is far be-
yond the means of the vast majority, wheel- If doubtful of the truth of this,
Get up, and strike a light."
barrows are very commonly used to carry
goods and passengers. To lighten the task So much has been said of the dark side of
of the porter the wheels are placed in the Chinese life, that it is a pleasure to turn to
centre of the barrow, and thus directly bear those amusements which break the dreary
the weight of the burden. monotony of existence. The great body of
But this arrangement naturally reduces the people are hard workers, and, being so,
the space available for use, since the load, find, like all other laboriously employed
whether living or dead, has to be placed people, that amusements are necessary to life
on the two sides of the wheel, from which and health. From another motive the idle
it is protected by a casing. On the northern classes — that theis, they literati, as are
plains, if the wind should be aft, a sail is called, or the unemployed and graduates, the
very commonly hoisted, in which case consid- ladies — time they must seek
find that to kill
eiable distances can be traversed in the day. excitement in some form of diversion.
For these reasons the theatres are gener-
Wretched Chinese Inns.
by all sorts and conditions of
ally well filled
In Western lands the prospect of his inn men, and no opportunity is missed of engag-
at the end of a journey cheers the traveller. ing a company for the entertainment of the
No such consolation is afforded to wayfarers, neighborhood. As such opportunities are
or at least to foreign wayfarers, in China. prompted by many and different motives,
The exchange from horseback, or from the actors are in constant request. Not un-
racking of a native cart, to an inn is not frequently the excuse is a desire to do honor
much to the advantage of the last. No com- to the local deities.
fort is provided, no privacy is secured, and
no quiet is obtained. The rooms are mean Offerings to the Snake God.
and infinitely dirty, and, in the north, sur- Either a fall of rain after a prolonged
round the courtyard, which serves as the drought makes a Thespian display an appro-
stables for the mules, ponies, and donkeys of priate token of gratitude to the snake god,
the travellers. It is not uncommon to see or the elfin fox deity is held to regard a like
as many as fifty donkeys in one inn yard, festivity as a due acknowledgment for his
and the pandemonium which they occasion clemency in dispersing an epidemic; but,
at night can be but faintly imagined. whatever the religious objects may be,
The poetical description of a room at an arrangements are commonly made to hold
inn in Szechuan, which a traveller found the performance in the courtyard of one of
scratched on the wall of this apartment, the temples. For the expenses the whole
aptly supplements the above. The original, village or town is responsible, and so soon
which was in Chinese verse, is rendered as as the required sum, from twenty to a hun-
follows dred dollars a day, is raised —a matter which
" Within room generally gives rise to countless bickerings
this you'll find the rats,
At least a goodly store. — a troupe of actors is engaged, and the ves-
Three catties each they are bound to weigh, tibule of a local temple is made to un dergo
Or e'en a little more
the metamorphosis necessary to th< occa-
At night you'll find a myriad bugs.
That sting and crawl and bite sion.
The very simple requirements of the which it is considered necessary for the audi-
Chinese stage make this a matter of easy- ence to understand. Commonly, however,
arrangement. There is practically no scen- he prefaces these confidences by repeating a
ery in a Chinese theatre. A few coarsely few lines of poetry, which are supposed to
painted views hung at the back of the stage indicate the general tenor of the very com-
are all that is necessary to furnish it. The plete explanation which is to follow. As
actors make their exits and entrances by each player treads the boards this formula is
a door at the side of these paintings, and the gone through.

whole series of plays — for the performances Fortunatety the characters are not numer-
go on for days together —are acted without ous, and, as a rule, consist of the heavy
INTERIOR OF A CHINESE THEATRE.
any change of scenery. This has at first father and mother, a young lady of the nature
sight the advantage of simplicity, but it of a heroine, a young man or two, a sprink-
imposes on the characters the inconvenient ling of statesmen and courtiers in case the
necessity of explaining their individualities, play with servants and attend-
is historical,
and of describing their whereabouts. ants. For the most part the plots are quite
To us an awkward spectacle is presented straightforward, and no mystery is ever pre-
when an actor comes forward and begins, sented to tax the intelligence of the audience.
" I am So-and-so, the son of Such-an-one," With typical Chinese minuteness the mo-
and then goes on to describe his trade, the tives, desires, and actions of the characters
members of his household, and everything are fully explained, and the only people who
are supposed to be mystified are either the This Pharisaical sanctimoniousness to some
personages in the play who are wronged, or extent runs through the farces and lighter
the mandarins who are called upon to ad- pieces in which the people delight. Some of
judicate on the crimes committed by the vil- them are very comical, and might well be
lains of the dramas. In all cases the action adapted for first pieces at our own theatres.
is and is unhampered with any of
direct, In some we find incidents with which we are
those issues which add so much to the inter- all familiar.
est of Western performances. For example, Desdemona's handkerchief

reappears in a Pekin farce, in which a jealous
Contemptible Characters.
waterman finds fault with his wife for asso-
In a vast majority of cases the object of ciating too constantly with a Buddhist priest
the play is to elevate virtue, and to hold up — the disturbers of households are generally
tyranny and wrong to just execration. The represented as priests. The lady suspects a
means adopted to these ends are not always friend of her husband of having instilled
such as to commend them in our eyes. The jealously into her good man's mind, and in-
dialogue is often coarse, and the virtuous duces him to quarrel with his associate. The
characters are commonly contemptible crea- friend being determined to prove the justice
tures. It is a peculiarity which runs through of his suspicions, watches for the priest, and
the whole of Chinese society that the utter- catches him in the act of paying a clandes-
ances of high-sounding moral sayings and tine visit to the lady.
extremely virtuous platitudes are held to be
quite sufficient to atone for heinous moral A Mixed Play.
delinquencies and personal pusillanimity. In the struggle which ensues the priest
Just as in real life Imperial edicts and offi- drops a handkerchief which had been given
cial proclamations abound with lofty senti- him by his inamorata. His opponent seizes
ments and righteous phrases, while every the token and presents it to the husband,
word is falsified by the degraded and iniqui- who recognizes it as one which hehad given
tous actions of the writers, so an Emperor to his faithless consort. With a more dis-
on the stage yields to a barbarous foe with- cerning poetic justice than that which befell
out striking a blow for his country, but ac- Desdemona, the priest and the lady in this
companies the action with so many fine case suffer an equally dire fate with that
words and he covers
lofty sentiments that which overtook that unfortunate heroine. As
himself with all the glory of a Black Prince seen, however, on the Chinese stage, the
at Crecy or a Henry V. on the field of Agin- native dramas have drawbacks other than
t court. those mentioned above. All the female parts
In the same way a man breaks every com- are played by young men or boys, and the
mandment in the decalogue, but if he takes dialogue is constantly interrupted by lines of
care at the same time to sprinkle his dis- poetry which are sung, as are all Chinese
course with well-seasoned exhortations to songs, in a shrill falsetto.
the practice of filial piety, and the exercise The musicians, also, are seated on the
of profound reverence for Confucius, he re- stage,and keep up so continuous an accom-
tires from the boards purged of all his of- paniment as to make much of what the
fences, if not in the full odor of sanctity. actors say inaudible. Not only do they ac-
company the songs, but on the expression lated as to express action with great clever-
of any lofty sentiment they come down with ness. Figures of a smaller kind are simil-
a crash of their instruments to add emphasis arly exhibited in peep-shows, which are fre-
to the utterance. It has been said that quently to be met with at street corners, and
these performances are given from a desire on the open spaces in front of the temples.
to do honor to the gods : but other excuses As conjurers and acrobats the Chinese are
are very commonly found for indulgence in very proficient, and often manage to intro-
the pastime. On high days and festivals duce an amount of acting into their tricks
at New Year's time, often on the first and which adds greatly to the effect produced.
fifteenth of the month, and on other holi- On one occasion the present writer wit-
days — subscriptions are rdsed for the pur- nessed the performance of a conjurer, who,
pose of engaging troupes of actors who are with the help of a little boy, was showing
always ready at hand. off his skill in the Consular compound at
Tientsin. The man made a cabbage to
Popular Dramas.
grow from a seed which he planted in the
As a rule, the theatres are of the Thes- presence of his audience, he swallowed a
pian kind, and, if enclosed at all, are pro- sword, and, after doing a number of similar
vided only with temporary coverings of mat, tricks, he inquired whether he should cut off
which are erected in a night, and can be de- his assistant's head. The answer being in
molished in a night. In surveying the gen- the affirmative, the man turned to seize his
eral tendency of Chinese plays it cannot be victim, who, however, had fled on hearing
said that it is elevating in character, and this the inhuman assent to his decapitation.
is so far recognized that, though the drama
is universally popular, and is patronized by "The Blood Spurted."
the Court and by the leaders of the people, After a keen and long pursuit he was,
the actors are frowned upon and are officially however, caught, and was led, struggling and
regarded as pariahs of society. weeping, to the block, to which he was pin-
Neither they nor their sons are allowed to ioned. The conjurer then handed round his
present themselves at the competitive exam- weapon that the keenness of the edge might
inations, and the doors of official life are be tested, and having taken up his position
thus closed to them. Not long since a dealt what seemed to be a fierce blow on the
memorial was presented to the throne bare neck of the boy, at which, what ap-
protesting against a certain man —the son peared to be blood spurted out in all direc-
of an actor —who had passed his examinations, and at the same instant that he drew
tion being allowed a degree. No personal a cloth over the quivering form he held aloft
charge was brought against the man himself a dummy head, which bore just sufficient re-
beyond that of having concealed his origin semblance to the features of the lad to favor
before the examiners, but was his descent the illusion that he had, indeed, been but-
him his certificates were cancelled,
fatal to ; chered to make a holiday.
and he was relegated to the outcast class In the more occult arts of necromancy
from which he had sprung. and enchantment Taoist priests are the ac-
As a substitute for regular plays marion- knowledged masters. From time immemo-
ettes are very common, and are so manipu- rial these followers of Laotzu have, in popu-
lar belief, possessed the power of controlling side, and in this guise Tieh Kwai passed the
the elements, of annihilating space and of remainder of his existence.
making themselves invisible. In one well- Clairvoyance is largely practiced, and on
known historical battle a Taoist priest in- the principle that accumulated evidence
voked such a storm of rain and hail in the proves the truth of a theory, it is difficult
face of the opposing forces that they fell not to accept many of" the facts " stated by
easy victims to the swords of their adver- native eye-witnesses. Like our own pro-
saries. fessors of the art Chinese clairvoyants read
the secret thoughts of their audiences, de-
Story of Empty Oranges. scribe absent persons withminute accuracy,
On another accepted occasion it is said and by "crystal-gazing," and other means,
that as a troop of coolies were carrying are often said to be instrumental in detecting
oranges to the capital, they were overtaken criminals, and in discovering the whereabouts
by a lame Taoist priest, who offered to ease of lost persons and things. The use of the
them of their burdens, and who carried the planchette is very common, and though the
whole quantity with the greatest ease for the Chinese, from their phlegmatic nature, are
rest of the journey. On arrival at the palace, not easily subjected to magnetic influences,
however, the fruit were found to be hollow, the effects produced are certainly remarkable.
and the coolies were only saved from con-
dign punishment by the appearance of the Expert Gymnasts.
priest, at whose word the oranges were again As gymnasts they are in no way inferior
converted into rich and luscious fruit. to the best performers among ourselves, and
Another well-known instance of super- it is not necessary to believe the wonderful
natural power is that attributed to Tieh stories told by early European travellers in
Kwai, who possessed the power of projecting China of the proficiency of native acrobats to
himself wheresoever he would. On one credit them with noteworthy skill and agility.
occasion the magician sent forth his inner Even women possess unwonted power of
self to the mountain of the gods. Before strength and balance.
starting on his spiritual journey he left a But, above and beyond all the other
disciple to watch over his body, promising to amusements of the Chinese, gambling holds
return in seven days. Unfortunately, when a conspicuous place. Although it is strictly
six days had expired the watcher was called forbidden by law, it is winked at, and even
away to the death-bed of his mother, and encouraged by the authorities. It not un-
being thus placed in a dilemma between his frequently happens that magistrates even
duties as a son, and his obligation to his convert the outer rooms of their yamuns into
friend, determined to carry the body of his gambling-houses, and share in the profits
master to his mother's home. derived from the business. In every city
Being there detained, he was unable to these dens of corruption abound, and, as a
keep his tryst at the appointed time, and the rule, consist of two apartments. In the
disembodied spirit, finding that its earthly outer one the stakes arc laid in copper cash,
habitation had disappeared, was compelled, and in the inner room silver only is risked.
rather than suffer extinction, to enter the Not content with the ordinary games of
carcase of a beggar which lay by the road- chance, such as those afforded by cards,
roulette and other tables, the ingenuity of the is unlocked. If a gambler has marked only
people is exercised in inventing new means four of the characters selected by the over-
of losing their money. When there are no seer, he receives nothing. If he has marked
examinations to be decided and wagered on, five of them, he receives seven cash ; if six,
the proprietor of a gambling-house will some- seventy cash ; if eight, seven dollars ; and if
times take a sheet of paper on which are ten, fifteen dollars.

inscribed eighty characters, and having In the streets the same spirit of specu-
marked twenty, will deposit it in a box. lation flourishes, and every itinerant vendor
of eatables, whether of fried locusts,
sweets, or the more satisfying rice
with fish or vegetables, keeps a set
of dice for the use of those customers

who prefer to run the risk of winning
their meals for nothing, or of losing
both their money and their food, to
paying the ordinary price for their
viands. In dwelling-houses cards are
everywhere played, and to the ladies
they supply an inexhaustible source of
amusement. The cards are smaller and
more numerous than in our packs, and
lend themselves to an endless variety
of games.
Only One Coin.

The coinage of China, like every other
institution of the Flowery Land, has
two aspects — ^the one that which it pro-
fesses to be, and the other that which
it really is. Strange as it may seem,
the Chinese have only one coin, which
is known to them as chien, and to us
as cash. In value a cash professes to
be about one-tenth of a half-penny, but as
ACTOR OF COCHIN-CHINA.
a matter of fact it varies in almost every
Copies of the sheet bearing the same eighty district, and it is even not at all uncommon
characters are distributed among gamblers to find two kinds of cash current in one
whose supreme object is to mark the same neighborhood. In some parts of the countiy
twenty characters as those on the sheet in people go to market with two entirely distinct
the box. sets of cash, one of which is the ordinary
When all the papers have been received, mixture of good and bad, and the other is
the box which contains the overseer's paper, composed exclusively of counterfeit pieces.
and which stands conspicuously on the table, Certain articles are pEiid for with the spun •
ouscash only. But in regard to other com- accuracy even the cash is undeserving the
modities this is a matter of special bargain, name of coin, since instead of being moulded
and accordingly there is for these articles a it is roughly cast, and both in design and
double market price. Independently, again, manufacture does little credit to a nation
of the confusion arising from the use of which is unquestionably possessed of a large
genuine and counterfeit coins side by side, is share of artistic taste. Of late the Governor-
added the uncertainty due to the system of general of Canton has established a mint at
counting. A hundred cash means varying that city, at which he coins both gold and
/lumbers, other than a hundred, which are silver tokens.
determined by the usage of each locality.
A stranger, therefore, is liable to suffer
The Oldest Bank Note.
loss at the hands of tradespeople, who still These, however, pass current only in the
further complicate matters by almost invaria- locality,and so far the Imperial Government
bly naming a higher price for each article has shown no inclination to follow the excel-
than that which they are prepared to accept. lent example set by this satrap. For many
The weight of any considerable sum in cash centuries bank bills and notes have been
is an additional objection to these most in- issued at the well-established banks in the
convenient coins. A
dollar's worth of cash principal centres of commerce, and during
weighs about eight pounds, and the transpor- the Mongol dynasty the central Government
tation of any large sum in specie is, there- introduced the practice of issuing Imperial
fore, a serious matter. For the purpose of notes to the people. A note which was
carriage the cash are made with square holes passed into currency during the reign of an
in the centre, by means of which they are emperor of the succeeding Ming dynasty,
strung in nominal hundreds and thousands. who reigned from 1 368 to 1 399, is exhibited
in a show-case in the King's Library in the

Lumps of Silver. British Museum, and is a specimen of the
It is obvious, of course, that for the pur- oldest note which is known to exist.
chase of anything commanding more than a Its date carries us back long before the
very low value some other currency must be general adoption of bank-notes in Europe,
employed, and this is supplied by lumps of and three hundred years before the establish-
silver, the values of which are in every case ment of the Stockholm bank, which was the
tested by the scales. In common parlance first bank in Europe to issue notes. At the
the price of goods is reckoned at so many present time notes are largely used at Pekin,
taels weight, a tael being, roughly speaking, but the very uncertain state of the currency
the equivalent of an ounce, and for the sake renders a large depreciation inevitable, and
of general convenience silver is cast into makes tradespeople sometimes unwilling to
"shoes," as they are called from their shape, accept them.
weighing a specified number of taels or Imperfect and undeveloped though it is,
ounces. the coinage of China has a very long ances-

For smaller amounts than are contained in try, and can trace its descent from about
a "shoe," broken pieces of silver are used, 2000 B. C. One of the earliest shapes which
but in every case the value is reckoned, not the coins took was that of a knife, no doubt
by the piece, but by the weight. In strict in imitation of the real weapon, which was
early used as a medium of exchange. These fishes, and flowers is remarkable, and an
knife coins originally consisted of the blade exquisite skill in harmonizing colors, and of
and handle, the last of which was terminated giving life and vigor to forms, distinguishes
in a round end which was pierced in imita- the works of artists on both shores of the
tion of the article which they were intended Yellow Sea.
to represent. By degrees the blade became In like manner the same faults are observ-
shortened, until it entirely disappeared. The able in both schools. is com-

Perspective
handle next suffered diminution, and eventu- monly defective, the anatomy of the human
ally the round end with a hole in the centre form is entirely misunderstood, and the
was all that was left, and it is that which is larger animals, such as horses and cattle,
perpetuated at the present day in the modern suffer distortion at the hands of the artists.
cash. One noticeable feature in the technicalities

The prominence which the artists of Japan of the art is the absence of shadow, the
have of and the very inferior
late acquired, effect of which is produced by such skilful
specimens of Chinese work which now com- drawing that the omission is scarcely ob-
monly reach our shores, have blinded people served.
to the real merits of the pictorial art of China.
Ideal Landscapes.
We are not now speaking of the common
brightly colored paintings on rice-paper which As in the case of every fine art in China,
are brought from Canton by travellers, but of the most precise rules are laid down to
the works of men who paint, and have guide the painter, and the effect is observable
painted, for the love of the art, and not only in a certain uniformity in pictures of land-
for the taels they can earn by their brushes. scapes and in the groupings of figures. The
ideal landscape of the guide-books consists
Superb Paintings. of a cloud-capped mountain, in the bosom
A few years
ago a magnificent collection of which a temple nestles surrounded by
of Japanese paintings was exhicited at the trees, one of which must be a weeping wil-
British Museum, and was arranged in such low. On a rocky eminence should stand a
a manner as to show that the art of China gaunt and bowed pine-tree. Near this must
and Japan is one. For this purpose the be a waterfall crossed by a rustic bridge,
paintings were arranged chronologically, be- forming a link in a winding path which leads
ginning with some early specimens of Chi- up to the temple, while in the far distance
nese art, and leading up to the time when should be seen sailing-boats wending their
the Japanese learned the use of the brush ways on the much-winding river which flows
from their more cultivated neighbors. ronnd the foot of the mountain. The addi-
A comparison of the pictures thus dis- tion of a couple of aged chess-players seated
played was enough to prove to demonstra- under a willow tree on a prominent plateau
tion that the artistic flame which has burned on the side of the hill is recommended as
so brightly in Japan was by the genius
lit being likely to give life to the scene.
of Chinese masters. The same marked Intwo branches of their art Chinese
and peculiar features characterize the draughtsmen may be said especially to excel.
arts of the two countries. In both the In the certainty with which they draw their
power of representing with fidelity birds, outlines they are probably unmatched, ex-
PORCELAIN VASES OF NORTHERM CHINA.
cept by the Japanese, and in the beauty of religious mysteries, its sacred biographies
their miniature painting they have few equals. and its miraculous legends, supplied a fresh
The skilful use of his brush which every motive to the artists of China, who at once
schoolboy has to gain in copying the heir- caught the inspiration, although they treated
oglyphic characters of the language accus- the subjects after the marked national man-
toms him to sketch forms with accuracy, and ner. In the troublous period which suc-
gives him an assured confidence in the draw- ceeded the fall of the Han dynasty (A. D.
ing of his outlines. 220), art, like all the other accomplishments
which flourish best in time of peace, fell into
Skillful Draughtsmen. decay, and it was not until the establishment
As, in addition, he is habituated to the of the Tang dynasty (A. D. 618) — ^the
use of Indian ink instead of lead pencils, he golden age of literature and culture — that
is false line must always remain
aware that a art occupied again its true prominence in the
againsthim as evidence of his want of skill. estimation of the people.
The mastery thus acquired gives him that
wonderful power of unfalteringly expressing Scenes in Nature.
on paper the scenes he wishes to deUneate It is at this period that we find the objects
which so often excites the astonishment of of nature represented with the fidelity and
foreign draughtsmen. skill with which we are familiar in Chinese
This practice with the brush stands the work. Throwing aside the martial notions
miniature painter in equally good stead, and of the earliest masters, and the religfous
enableshim to lay on his colors with such ideas imported from India, the native artists
certainty,and with so unfailing a steadiness sought their subjects in the fields and woods,
of hand and eye, that he is able to represent on the mountain side and by the river's bank.
with clearness, and often with exquisite They transferred to their canvasses the land-
beauty, patterns of microscopic minuteness. scapes which met their eyes, the flowers
No better specimen of this last phase of the which grew around them, the birds as they
art can be instanced than the best examples flew or perched, and the fishes as they darted
of painting on porcelain. For delicacy of and swam in the clear water of the streams.
touch and richness of coloring these are These they depicted with the minuteness
often masterpieces, and possess a beauty common to their craft, and rivalled in life-
which must charm every tutored eye. like rendering the work of the celebrated
According to tradition the first beginnings Tsao (A. D. 240), of whom it is said that,
of art in China are to be traced back many " having painted a screen for his sovereign,
centuries before Christ,and were devoted, as he carelessly added the representation of 'a
adornment of
in all primitive societies, to the fly to the picture, and that so perfect was the
the palaces of kings and the houses of the illusion that on receiving the screen Sun
great nobles. If historians are to be trusted, Kuan raised his hand to brush the insect
the rude efforts of these early artists bore away."
traces of the characteristics which have As time advanced the lamp of art again
marked so distinctly the later developments grew dim, and it required the fresh impetus
of the art. of a new dynasty to revive its brilliancy.
The introduction of Buddhism, with its The Sung dynasty (A. D. 960-1278) was
rich in philosophers, poets, and painters, and of this branch of the art which undoubtedly
while Chu Hi wrote metaphysical treatises, display great power of composition and infi-
and the brothers Su sung of wine and the nite skill in the art of coloring.
beauties of nature. Ma Yuen, Muh Ki, Li As a rule, however, the coloring of Chi-
Lungyen, and a host of others painted birds nese pictures, though always harmonious, is
and flowers, landscapes and figures, dragons somewhat arbitrary and leaves on the eye an
and monkeys, together with all kinds of other unpleasant feeling of flatness. In sense of
beasts which walk on the face of the earth, humor the Chinese are certainly inferior to
or are supposed to do so. the Japanese. There is not in their work the
With the rise to power of the Mongol same fertility of invention or happy choice of
dynasty in the 1 3th' century the taste for the ideas as are to be found on the other side of
religious art of India revived, but did not the Yellow Sea. But Chinamen are not by
eclipse the expression on canvas of that love any means devoid of this quality, and in
of nature for which both the Chinese and many of their albums we find comic sketches
Japanese are so conspicuous. But still paint- reminding one irresistibly, though at a dis-
ing did not reach the high level to which it tance, of the masterpieces of our most suc-
had attained in the earlier periods, and as of cessful comic artists. The absence of the
every other institution of China, we are use of profile lines deprives the Chinese por-
obliged to say of the pictorial art, "the old trait-painter of the full power of presenting
is better." life-like representations of his models, as he
During the last dynasty, however, there almost invariably draws full-face portraits.
were artists whose power of coloring was as When by chance, however, he strikes off a
great or even greater than that of any side face the effect good and the like-
is ofl:en
of their predecessors, so far as we are ness accurate. But any circumstances the
in
able to judge. With infinite skill and minute artistic feeling is there, and it needs but the
realism they painted figures in a way which touch of a torch from a higher civilization
commands just admiration. In the British to make thisand other branches of the art
Museum there are exhibited some specimens glow into more perfect life.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE RELIGIONS OF CHINA.
RELIGIOUS sentiment is not a char- whole system is devoted to inculcating the
acteristic of the Chinese. Their duty which each man owes to his fellow-
views on the subject of faith are men, and stops short with the obligations
wanting in definitiveness, and are under which every one rests in his relation
so indistinct and blurred that it might surpass to society.

the v/it of man to determine what is the pre- Of these three systems Confucianism is
vailing religion of the country. The multi- the only one which took its rise on the soil
tude of Buddhist temples which cover the of China. The other two faiths came, as
face of the land might naturally suggest that have most of those influences which have
the majority of the people profess the religion modified the institutions of China, from be-
of Buddha ; while conversations with native yond the western frontiers of the Empire.
scholars would unquestionably lead one to Confucianism, however, was formulated by
believe that the educated classes were to a one man, who was essentially a t3îcal
man Confucianists. Chinaman both in the strength and weak-
Taoism, the third religion which holds ness of his character.
sway in China, does not make the same pre-
do the other two Story of Confucius.
tension to popularity as
faiths. As a matter of fact, however, it In the year 55 1 B. C, Confucius was bom
would probably be difficult to find many in what is now the department of Yenchow,
Chinamen who are Confucianists pure and in the province of Shantung. Legend sur-
simple, or many who rest contented with the rounds his birth with many of the signs and
worship provided in Buddhist temples. wonders which are commonly said to herald
A combination of the two —an amalgam the appearance of Eastern sages. We are
in which the materialism of Confucius and told that the future uncrowned king first
the religious faith of Sakyamuni mutually saw the light in a cavern on Mount Ni, and
supplement one another — enters into the life that while two goddesses breathed fragrant
of the people at large ; while Taoism supplies odors on the infant, a couple of dragons kept
a certain amount of superstitious lore which watch during the auspicious night at the foot
these lack. necessary to remark by
It is of the mountain.
way of caution that the term " religion " ap- His appearance was not prepossessing.
plied to Confucianism is rather a popular He had the lips of an ox, the back of a
than an exact form of expression. Religion dragon, while on his head grew a formation
implies the dependence of man on a Deity, which earned for him the name of Chiu, "a
and we apply this definition to the doctrines
if mound." As the lad grew up he developed
of Confucius, we find that it in no way repre- that taste for ritual which was the marked
sents the teachings of that philosopher. His characteristic of his whole career. Like
254
THE RELIGIONS OF CHINA. 255
Saint Athanasius on the shores of the Medi- of every one was against his neighbor, and
terranean Sea, he amused himself in early- when the strength of the right arm comman-
boyhood by rehearsing the sacrificial rites, ded more respect than wisdom in council.
and by practising the postures of ceremony Sovereign after sovereign, attracted by the
prescribed by the older rituals. novelty of his teachings and the repute which
At the age of fifteen he us that he
tells was already beginning to attach itself to him,
" bent his mind and four years
to learning," invited him to their courts, and for a time
later he married a lady who, like the wives gave heed to the words of wisdom which fell
of many other celebrated men, was a thorn from his lips. But their hearts were not
in the flesh to her husband. Confucius with him, and more material attractions were
endured the burden without complaint until apt to prevail over the sayings of the sage.
his had borne him a son, when he
wife On one occasion the present of a number
sought release from his bondage at the hands of beautiful singing girls so captivated the
of the very complaisant marital laws of the attention of the Duke of Lu that the advice
country. of Confucius was neither sought nor regar-
ded. Disgusted by this affi-ont, the sage
History and Ballads. shook the dust of the state from his feet and
The literature of China at this time was transferred his services to a rival ruler. On
limited in extent, and consisted mdnly of the another occasion he was driven from the
historical records and popular ballads which Court of Wei, where he had established him-
were to be found in the royal archives. To by the undue preference shown by the
self,
a study of these Confucius devoted such duke for the society of the duchess to that of
time as he could spare from his official himself.
duties as keeper of the royal stores, and from
the hours which he devoted to the instruction A Fabulous Animal.
of a faithful band of students who, even at As he advanced in years his political influ-
this time,had gathered round him. ence declined, and his stay at the regal
When he was twenty-nine " he stood firm," courts became shorter and less satisfactory
and certainly neither at this time nor at any than formerly. At the age of sixty-nine his
subsequent period did his faith in his own health and the capture of a Lin
failed, —
convictions show the least sign of faltering. fabulous animal which is said to appear as a
His circumstances were not affluent. An forerunner of the death of illustrious person-
official life was, therefore, necessary to his ages — ^was effected at the same time. In the
existence,and he had no sooner equipped dearth of notable personages which had over-
himself with a full panoply of ritualistic taken the land the appearance of these ani-
knowledge than he cast about to find a ruling mals was of such rare occurrence that the
sovereign who would be willing to guide the huntsmen were ignorant of its identity.
policy of the kingdom by his counsel. The sage, however, at once recognized the
He was essentially a man of peace, and creature, and, with that full appreciation of
his opinions were such as required a period himself which never failed him, he at once
of undisturbed calm for their full develop- came to the conclusion that his own end was
ment. The times, however, were against near. " The course of my doctrine is run,"
him. It was an age of war, when the hand he said, as tears coursed down his cheeks.
An interval, however, elapsed between the many of the great leaders of mankind, the
omen and its fulfilment, and the two years fame and repute which were denied to Con-
which yet remained to him he devoted to the fucius during his lifetime have been fully and
compilation of the "Spring and Autumn generously recognized by posterity, who
—
Annals" the only work which is attribu- have attached to every word he uttered, and
table to his pen. His end now approached, to every act of his an importance and
life,
and one morning he was heard to mutter, as meaning to which, it must be allowed, they
he paced up and down in front of his door, are not always entitled.
"The great mountain must crumble, the Confucius was not an original thinker.
THE TEMPLE OF FIVE HUNDRED CHINESE GODS.
strong beam must break, and the wise man He uttered no new thoughts and enunciated
wither away like a plant." no new doctrines. He himself said that he
In these words his disciples recognized the was " a transmitter," and the one object of
foreshadowing of his death, and the sage, his life was, as he professed, to induce the
disappointed in every one but himself, and rulers of the land to revei't to the ideal sys-
filled with unavailing regrets that there tem which guided the councils of the semi-
should have been no intelligent monarch mythical sovereigns Yao and Shun (B. C.
who would have made him his guide, phil- 2356-2205). In the adulatory State Rec-
osopher, and friend, shortly took to his bed ords, towhich Confucius had access, the
and died (479 B. C). As in the case of good that these monarchs did was embalmed
*:•.-(>
for the admiration of posterity, but the evil, he walked with a bent head and humble mien,
if there were such, was interred with their and towards parents he inculcated through-
bones. out his career the duty of paying minute
The stilted sayings and highly moral re- obedience and the most affectionate atten-
flectionswhich are attributed to them in the tion to their every wish and command.
Book of History and other Records, appeared In the manner in which he took his food,
to Confucius to be the acme of wisdom, and in the way in which he dressed, even in the
he sought a remedy for all the political ills attitude in which he lay in bed, he set him-
which surrounded him in the reproduction self up as an example for all men to follow.
of the condition of things which prevailed People, he believed, were as grass before the
at the earlier period. His leading dogma wind, and that, if they were bent by the in-
was the comfortable doctrine that man is fluence of a superior in a certain direction,
born good, and that it is only by contamina- they would naturally follow that inclination. '
tion with the world and the things of the That the example of the sovereign was as
world that he is led to depart from the strict the wind, and that he had but to allow his
paths of rectitude and virtue. It was only virtue to shine forth to ensure the reforma-
necessary, therefore, for a sovereign to give tion of the whole state. Such a man
would "
full vent to his natural strivings after good plant the people, and forthwith they would
to enable him to emulate the glowing exam- be established he would lead them on, and
;
ples of Yao and Shun. forthwith they would follow him he would ;
make them happy, and forthwith multitudes

How to Gain 'Wisdom.
would resort to his dominions he would ;
He made no allowance for the evil pas- stimulate them, and forthwith they would be
sions and moral turpitudes which disgrace harmonious. While he lived, he would be
mankind, and he entirely failed to recognize glorious. When he died, he would be bit-
that "there power that shapes our ends,
is a terly lamented."
rough-hew them as we may." On the con-
trary, he held that man was alone arbiter Incapable Rulers.
of his own fate, and that by a strict regard Such a sovereign need but and an
to exist
to conventionalities, and by the careful ob- age of peace and prosperity would on settle
servance of the rites proper between man the land. When, therefore, a state was dis-
and man, it was possible to attain such a turbed and rebellious, the main fault was not
height of wisdom and righteousness as to to be attributed to the people, but to the
constitute an equality with Heaven itself. sovereign who ruled them and hence it fol-
;
His system, began with the cul-

therefore, lowed that the duties of ruler and people
tivation of the individual, and this was to be were reciprocal, and that while the people
perfected by a strict observance of the min- owed respect and obedience to virtuous sov-
utest details of conduct. In his own person ereigns, they were exempt from the duty of
he set an illustrious example of how a great loyalty to rulers who had departed from the
and good man should demean himself. He paths of virtue.
cultivated dignity of manner and scrupulous According to his theory, it was an easy
respect to those to whom respect was due. matter for a sovereign to rule his people
When he entered the palace of his sovereign righteously. "Self-adjustment and purifica-
17
258 CHINA: MST AND PRESENT.
tion, with careful regulation of his dress and earthy, and as such was exactly suited to the
the not making a movement contrary to the commonplace, matter-of-fact tone of the Chi-
rules of propriety —
this is the way for the nese mind. And thus it has come about
ruler to cultivate his person." Having cul- that, though, during his lifetime, his influence
tivated his own person, he is able to rule the was confined to a small knot of faithful disci-
Empire, and' Confucius -could find no excuse, ples, hissystem has since been accepted as
therefore, for a sovereign who failed to fulfil the guiding star of the national pohcy and
these very easy conditions. conduct.
Confucius was not the only teacher of
Skeptical Views.
note who appeared about this time to warn
In such a system there is no room for a the people of the probable consequences of
personal Deity, and Confucius withheld all the violence and misrule which was spread-
sanction to the idea of the existence of such ing over the Empire like a flood. For many
a Being. He refused to lift his eyes above centuries men calling themselves Taoists,
the earth or to trouble himself about the who were plainly imbued with the philoso-
future beyond the grave. " When we know phical mysticism of Brahminical India, had
so little about life, was his reply to an inqui- preached the vanity of attempting to stem
sitive disciple, "how can we know anything the tide of disorder, and had, like the Mani-
about death?" and the best advice he could chaeans, withdrawn as far as possible from
give his followers with regard to spiritual be- the crowd of men into selfish retirement.
ings was to keep them at a distance.
But while ignoring all direct supernatural Disagreed With Confucius."
interference in the concerns of man, he ad- The views of these men were vague and
vocated the highest morality among his fol- shadowy, and it was not until the appearance
lowers. Truth and Sincerity, Righteousness of Laotzu, who was a contemporary of but
and Virtue were the main themes of his dis- senior to Confucius, that their aspirations
courses, and though he himself failed on many found expression in a formulated system. In
occasions to observe the truth, he yet pro- almost every respect Laotzu, or the old
fessed and felt the greatest respect and re- philosopher, was poles asunder from Con-
gard for that virtue. He was a plain, un- fucius. Of his childhood and youth we
imaginative man, but used the mundane know nothing, and, unlike Confucius, whose
weapons at his command with mighty and every act of daily life is faithfully recorded,
far-reaching effect. we are left in complete ignorance of his per-

Once only he reached to the high level of sanal history until we meet him
as an old
perfect Christianity, and in the enunciation man, holding the office of keeper of the
of the command " to do unto others as you records at the Court of Chow.
would they should do unto you," he sur- We are told that his surname was Li, and
passed himself. From his limited stand- that his personal name was Urh, which is,
point he had no future bliss to offer to his being interpreted, —

"an ear" a sobriquet
any pun-
followers as a reward for virtue, nor which is said to have been given him on ac-
ishments after death with which to awe those count of the unusually large size of those
who were inclined to depart from the paths organs.
of rectitude. His teaching was of the earth, His birth, we are told, took place in the
year 604 B. C, at the village of Chiijen, or to the state of simplicity before the absence
"Oppressed Benevolence," in the parish of of the virtues which Confucius lauded had
Li, or "Cruelty," in the district of Ku, or forced on the minds of men the conscious-
" Bitterness," and in the state of Tsu, or ness of their existence. He would have
"Suffering." If these places were as them revert to a halcyon period when filial
mythical as John Bunyan's " City of De- piety, virtueand righteousness belonged to
struction " and "Vanity Fair," their names the nature of the people, and before the re-
could not have been more appropriately cognition of their opposites made it neces-
chosen to designate the birthplace of a sage sary to designate them.
who was driven from office and from friends Instead of asserting themselves, he urged
by the disorders of the time. It is remark- his disciples to strive after self-emptiness.
able that the description of his large ears His was that of water,
favorite illustration
and general appearance tallies accurately which seeks the lowliest which at
spots, but
with those of the non-Chinese tribes on the the same time permeates everything, and by
western frontiers of the Empire. its constant dropping pierces even the hard-
est substances. By practising modesty,
Indian Philosophy. humility and gentleness, men may, he
His surname, Li, also reminds one of the taught, hope to walk safely on the path
large and important tribe of that name which which leads to Tao, and protected by those
was dispossessed by the invading Chinese, virtues they need fear no evil.
and was driven to seek refuge in what is
now Southwestern China. But, however, The Mother of All Things.
that may be, it is impossible to overlook the To such men it requires no more effort to
fact that he imported into his teachings a keep themselves pure and uncontaminated
decided flavor of Indian philosophy. than it does to the pigeon to preserve un-
His main object was to explain to his fol- tarnished the whiteness of its feathers, or to
lowers the relations between the universe and the crow to maintain the sable hue of its
that which he called Tao, The first mean- pinions.

ing of this word is, "The way," but in the Tao was the negation of effort. It was
teachings of Laotzu itwas much more than inactive, and yet left nothing undone. It
that. " It was the way and the waygoer. It was formless, and yet the cause of form. It
was an eternal road ; along it all beings and was still and void. It changed not, and yet
all things walked, but no being made it, for it circulated everywhere. It was impalpable
it is being was everything and noth-
itself; it and invisible. It was the origin of heaven
ing, and the cause and effect of all. All and earth, and it was the mother of all
things originated from Tao, conformed to things. To
such a prophet as Laotzu war
Tao, and to Tao they at last returned." was hateful, and he inculcated the duty of
Like Confucius, Laotzu held that the turning the other cheek to the smiter, and
nature of man was originally good, but from of retreating before all forms of violence.
that point their systems diverged. In place Unlike Confucius, he advocated the duty of
of the formalities and ceremonies which were recompensing evil with good, and injury with
the corner-stones of the Confucian cult, kindness; but he joined hands with that
laotzu desired to bring his followers back sage in ignoring the existence of a personal
Deity. Thus, in some particulars, they held every evil. It did not strive with man, but let
common views. each one who strayed from its paths find out
Tao was all and in all. It was uncon- for himself the evil consequences of his acts.
ditioned being, which, as an abstraction too As a political system Taoism was plainly
TEMPLE AT NANKIN.
subtle for words, is the origin of heaven and impracticable. If the Chinese state and the
earth, including God Himself; and, when surrounding nations could have been con-
capable of being expressed by name, is the verted bodily to it, an ideal such as Laotzu
mother of all things. It was a mighty pro- sketched out may have found a place in
tector who guarded its faithful sons against existence. But in camps and amid the clash
of arms its adoption was plainly incompatible themselves Taoists ; and even Chi Hwangti,
with the existence of a nation, and Laotzu, the builder of the Great Wall, fell a victim
finding that his preaching fell on deaf ears, to the prevailing superstition. More than
resigned his missionary effort, and, leaving once he sent expeditions to the Eastern Isles
China behind him, started in a westerly direc- to procure the plant of immortality, which
tion —whither we know not. was said to flourish in those favored spots.
No come down to us of his
record has Death and poverty have always been states
last days, nor have we any more knowledge abhorrent to common humanity, and to the
of where death overtook him than we have of elixir of immortality, Taoist priests, in the
his origin. As a meteor he flashed across interests of the cause, added a further con-
the meridian of China, and then disappeared quest over nature, and professed to have
into darkness. fathomed the secret of being able to trans-
A comparison of the doctrines advocated mute common metals into gold.
by Laotzu with the Brahminic philosophy,
proves to demonstration that he drew his Believers in Magic.
from India. The Tao of Laotzu

inspiration These are superstitions which die hard,
as expounded in the Taoteching, a work and even at the present day alchemists are
which is popularly attributed to him, was to be found poring over crucibles in the vain
the Brahma of the Brahmins, from which hope of being able to secure to themselves
everything emanates and to which every- boundless wealth and seekers after magic
;
thing returns
;
" which is both the fountain herbs, though hesitating to promise by their
from which the stream of life breaks forth use an endless life, yet attribute to them the
and the ocean into which it hastens to lose virtue of prolonging youth and of delaying
itself." the approach of the time when " the strong
men shall bow themselves, and the grinders
A Crop of Heresies. cease because they are few, and those that
The whole conception of the system was look out of the windows be darkened."
foreign to the Chinese mind,and his personal Coupled with these corruptions came a
influence was no sooner withdrawn from his desire for visible objects of worship, and, fol-
disciples than heresies cropped up and de- lowing the example of the Buddhists, the
based views took the place of the singularly Taoists deified Laotzu, and associated two
pure and subtle metaphysical thoughts of other gods with him to form a trinity. The
the teacher. The doctrine that life and establishment of these deities gave rise to a
death were mere phases in the existence of demand for new gods to personify the various
man encouraged the growth of an epicurean personal wants and wishes of the people.
longing to enjoy the good things of life in At the present day a Taoist temple is a
oblivion of the hereafter. This tendency led veritable Pantheon, and it is scarcely pos-
to an inordinate desire to prolong life, and sible to imagine a craving on the part of
there were not wanting among the followers either man or woman for which there is not
of Laotzu those who professed to have a particular god or goddess whose province
gained the secret of immortality. it is to listen to their cries. Thus the whole
Several of the reigning sovereigns, at- tendency of modern Taoism has been towards
tracted by these heterodox views, professed the practice of magic and the most debased
superstitions and it has found multitudes of as great a fall as has ever been recorded in
willing adherents. the history of religions. Laotzu attempted
If a man desires that his horoscope should to lead his disciples beyond the attractions of
be cast, or that the demon of disease should self and the seductions of the world. His
be expelled from the body of his wife or so-called followers devote their energies to
child, or that a spirit should be called from encouraging the debased superstitions of
the other world, or that the perpetrator of a their fellow-men, and so fatten on their
theft or murder should be discovered, a follies.
Taoist priest is invariably sent for, who, by

the exercise of his arts, succeeds in so far
Cravings of Human Nature.
mystifying the inquirer as to satisfy his But there are instinctive longings in the
demands. These preyers on the follies of minds of men, even in those of Chinamen,
their fellow-men reap so rich a harvest from which neither Confucianism, nor Taoism in
the practice of their rites and incantation, its earlier phase, could supply. Deep down
that the calling is one that is eagerly sought in the hearts of civilized and uncivilized
after. peoples is a desire to peer into the future,

and seek for verities beyond the limited circle
A Pompous High Priest. of pains and miseries which bounds the pres-
Being thus largely supported, the Taoist ent life. To Chinamen this want was supplied
hierarchy has grown into a large and power- by Buddhism, which was introduced into the
ful body, and is presided over by a high Flowery Land by native missionaries from
priest, who is chosen for the office by divine India. So early as 219 B. C. the first fore-
selection from a certain family bearing the runners of the faith of Sakyamuni reached
name of Chang, among whom the spiritual the Chinese capital of Loyang. But the
afflatus is supposed to rest. This ecclesiastic time was not ripe for their venture. The
lives surrounded by wealth and dignity, and stoical followers of Confucius and Laotzu
at stated intervals presents himself at Pekin presented a determined and successful oppo-
to offer his allegiance to the Emperor. sition to them, and, after a chequered experi-
As agreeable supplements to their monas- ence of Chinese prisons and courts, they
teries, the Taoist priests encourage the estab- disappeared from the scene, leaving no traces
lishment of nunneries, into which young girls of their faith behind them.
retreat, either at the bidding of their parents In A. D. 61 a second mission arrived in
or of their own free choice as a means of China, whose members met with a far more
escape from the uncertainties of marriage or favorable reception. A settled government
from the miseries of their homes. Such had followed the time of disorder which had
retreats are not always the abodes of purity previously preveiiled, and, though the Con-
and peace, and, as occasionally has hap- fucianists raged and persecuted, the mission-
pened, the occurence of disorders and impro- aries held their own, and succeeded in lay-
prieties has compelled the law to interfere for ing the solid foundation of a faith which was
their suppression. destined in later ages, to overspread the whole
The descent from the lofty aspirations of Empire.
Laotzu to the magic, jugglery, and supersti- Even at this early period a schism had
tion of the modem-day Taoists is probably rent the Churgh in India, where the Hina-
yana and Mahayana schools had already fessed to be adepts in the arts of magic, and
divided the allegiance of the followers of claimed to themselves the power of being
Buddha. The Hinayana school, which held able to remove pestilence,
banish famine,
more closely to the moral asceticism and and drive away by their incanta-
evil spirits,
self-denying, self-sacrificing charity which tions. They posed as astrologers and exor-
were preached by the founder of the faith, cists, and made dupes of the people from the
established iiself more especially among the highest to the lowest.

natives of Southern India and of Ceylon.
The Mahayana school, on the other hand,
Governed by the Senses.
which may be described as a philosophical With the choice before them of a holy
system, which found expression in an elab- life,from which desire and self are wholly
orate ritual, an idolatrous symbolism, and in eradicated, and a which
religious profession
ecstatic meditation, gained its main support- ministers to the senses and to the ordinary
ers among the more hardy races of North- intelligence, the modern Chinese have had no
ern India, Nepal, and Tibet. hesitation in throwing in their lot with the
more mundane school. With the five com-
Gained Many Converts. mandments of Buddha, "thou shalt not kill;
It was this last form of the faith which thou shalt not steal thou shalt not commit
;
found acceptance in China. It supplied ex- any unchaste act thou shalt not lie thou
; ;
actly that which Confucianism and Taoism shalt not drink any intoxicating liquor," the
lacked, and, notwithstanding the opposition ordinary Chinese Buddhist does not much
of the stalwarts of the Confucian doctrine, concern himself. He clings, however, to the
it spread rapidly and gained the ready adhe- doctrine of the transmigration of souls, and
sion of the people. And though the mis- though he not uncommonly lapses into the
sionaries sanctioned the deification of Buddha sin of eating meat and fish, yet his diet for
and the worship of gods, they still main- the most part is, to his credit it must be said,
tained the main features of the faith. confined to the Lenten fare of vegetables and
The doctrine of Metempsychosis, the grain.
necessity of gaining perfect emancipation In all religious works this dogma is
from all passions, all mental phenomena, and, strenuously insisted on, and even in popular
greatest of all, from self, were preached in literature authors not infrequently picture
season and out of season, and gained a firm men who, by the mercy of
the position of
hold among their proselytes. It is the fate Buddha, have narrowly escaped from the sin
of all religions to degenerate in course of of devouring their best friends in the guise
ages from the purity of their origins, and of a carp or a ragout. The plain and un-
Buddhism in China affords an illustrious ex- disguised adoption of idolatry by the Chinese
ample of this phenomenon. Not content made the existence of temples a first neces-
with the liberal share of superstition which sity, and at the present time these sacred
was santioned by the Mahayana system, the be found wherever men meet
edifices are to
people turned aside to the later Tantra and congregate whether in the streets of
school in search of a sanction for still more cities or in village lanes.
fanatical practices. Among the countless idols which adorn
Like the Taoists, the Buddhist monks pro- their halls the first places are invariably
given to the trinity of Buddhas —the past one of the features of the Mahayana school,
Buddha, the present Buddha and the Buddha has multiplied these social drones by directly
which is to come. These three figures encouraging the establishment of monasteries
dominate the principal hall of every temple. and their allied nunneries.
In rear of this commonly a dagoba
is in Each monastery is governed by an abbot,
which is concealed a relic of Buddha — it who has the power of inflicting punishment
may be the paring of a nail, a tear-drop or a on offending brothers, and the discipline
lock of hair —and at the back of that again commonly preserved is in direct ratio to the
are the deities which are supposed to preside vigilance and conscientiousness of that func-
over all the ills that flesh is heir to. tionary. If the popular belief is to be
As is the case everywhere, women are the accepted, neither the discipline nor the
most constant devotees, and on the pedestals morality of the monasteries is above sus-
of the favorite deities are commonly to be picion, and in popular farces and tales the
seen scores of votive offerings expressing character who appears in the most compro-
the gratitude of these worshippers for mising positions, and is discovered in the
mercies vouchsafed to them. But there is perpetration of the most disgraceful acts, is
a reverse side to the shield from the gods' commonly a Buddhist priest.
point of view. It not unfrequently happens

that deities who, either from forgetfulness or
How Vacanies are Filled.
malevolence, have turned a deaf ear to the Outwardly, however, an air of peace and
prayers of suppliants, are violently assaulted decorum is preserved, and there is seldom a
and defaced. lack of aspirants for the sacred office when
vacancies occur. Commonly the neophytes
Rebellion Against an Idol. join as mere boys, having been devoted to
At Foochow, where a long drought had the service of Buddha by their parents. At
wrought havoc among the neighboring other times a less innocent cause supplies
farms, the people rose against the god of candidates for the cowl. Like sanctuary of
sickness, who was supposed to be the cause of old, Buddhist monasteries are held to be
the plague, and having made a paper junk places of refuge for malefactors, and of this
bearing a paper effigy of the offending deity, very raw and unpromising material a large
they launched him on the river at the same proportion of the monks are made.
moment that they set fire to the vessel. This But from whatever motive he may join,
emblematized banishment was supposed to the neophyte, on entering, having discarded
do away with the evil influences which had his secular garments, and donned the gown
prevailed, and the showers which subse- and cowl of the monkhood, marks his sepa-
quently fell were held fully to justify the ex- ration from the world by submitting to the
emplary rite. loss of his queue and to the shaving of his
Strictly speaking, the term " priest " does head. The duties of the monks are not
not apply to Buddhists. They offer no sacri- labrious,and they enjoy in the refectory
fice to the gods, but are merely monks who good though plain food. In the nunneries,
perform services and pronounce incantations which are almost as numerous as monas-
for the benefit of their followers. The prac- teries, much the same routine is followed as
tice of contemplative meditation, which is is practiced by the monks. The evil of the
system is, however, more apparent in the honor of a star-goddess, famous for her skill
sisterhoods than in the monasteries, and a in embroidery, is held, at which young girls
bad reputation for all kinds of improprieties display specimens of needlework, and offer
clings to them. up supplications before the altar of the god-
must not, however, be supposed that
It dess, praying that a share of her skill may
there is no such thing as religious zeal be bestowed upon them.
\ among Buddhist monks. Mendicant friars At the same time, to show that they are
often endure hardships, practice austerities, worthy disciples of the deity, they attempt
and undergo self-inflicted tortures in the on their knees to thread their needles, held
cause of their religion. Others banish them- above their heads, to the accompaniment of
selves to mountain caves, or condemn them- music discoursed by blind musicians. The
selves to perpetual silence to acquire that moon is worshipped in the eighth month,
virtue which ensures to them an eternal life and moon-cakes, especially prepared for the
in the blissful regions of the west. But such occasion, are offered by the light of her
cases are the exceptions, and to the majority beams in adoration of the goddess. The
of both monks and nuns the old saying sun also comes in for his share of adoration.
applies, " The nearer the church the further To these and similar celebrations Buddhism
from God." lends its countenance, and on the eighth of
the fourth month the saint himself submits
Superstitious Observances.
to be bathed in effigy for the edification of
Such is, stated briefly, the position of the the faithful, who testify their zeal by pouring
three principal religions in China. Both handfuls of cash on his brazen forehead.
Mahommedanism and Christianity have their
followings ; but the numbers of their adher- Religious Edifices.
ents are so comparatively small that, at Incidentally, we have brought to our atten-
present, they cannot be said to influence tion in this connection the construction of
in any way the life of the nation. Mean- religious edifices or temples, and Chinese
while, the people, disregarding the distinc- dwelling-houses. We are all familiar with
tive features of the three creeds —Confu- drawings of the quaint roofs with their up-
cianism, Taoism,and Buddhism take from — turned corners, which characterize the archi-
each such tenets and rites as suit their tecture of the country. The form at once
immediate views and necessities, and super- suggests that, as is probably the case, this
adding numerous superstitious observances dominant style of building is a survival of
which have existed from before the time the tent-dwellings of the Tartar peoples. It
when Confucius and Laotzu were, have is said thatwhen Jenghiz Khan, the founder
established a religious medley which, hap- of the Mongol dynasty, invaded China, in
pily, satisfies all the needs of which they the thirteenth century, his followers, on pos-
are conscious. sessing themselves of a city, reduced the
Many of the forms employed to coia- houses to a more exact counterpart of
still
memorate the annual them

festivals have in their originsby pulling down the walls, and
that touch of nature-worship which makes leaving the roofs supported by the wooden
the whole primitive world kin. In the pillars which commonly bear the entire
seventh month, for example, a festival in weight of those burdens.

What at once strikes the eye in the Architecture," the late Mr. Fergusson sug-
appearance of a Chinese city, even of the gested, as a reason for this absence of variety
capital itself, is the invariable sameness in the fact that " the Chinese never had either a
the style of building. Palaces and temples, dominant priesthood or an hereditary no-
public offices and dwelling-houses, are built bility. The absence of the former class is
on one constant model. No spire, no dome, important, because it is to sacred art that
no tower, rises to relieve the monotony of architecture has owed its highest inspiration,
and sacred art is never so
strongly developed as under
the influence of a powerful
and splendid hierarchy. In
the same manner the want of
an hereditary nobility is
equally unfavorable to do-
mestic architecture of a dura-
ble description. Private feuds
and private wars were till
lately unknown, and hence
there are no fortalices, or
fortified mansions, which by
their mass and solidity give

such a marked character to
a certain class of domestic
edifices in the West."
There are, however, other
factors which have operated
even more powerfully than
thesetwo in producing this
monotonous conformity to
one model, and that is the
sterility of the imaginative
powers of the Chinese
people, and the steadfast
conservatism of the race.
INTERIOR OF A CHINESE TEMPLE, SHOWING THEIR IDOLS.
Just as the arts and sci-
the scene, which is varied only, so far as ences, which in thedim past they acquired
the buildings are concerned, by the different from more cultured races in Western Asia,
colored tiles — green, yellow, and brown have remained crystallized in the stage in
which indicate roughly the various uses which they received them, and just as their
which the buildings they cover are designed written language has not, like that of Ancient
to serve, and by occasional pagodas, remind- Egypt and Assyria, advanced beyond a primi-
ing us of the faith of the people. tive phonetic stage, so their knowledge of
In his "History of Indian and Eastern architecture has been perpetuated without
the smallest symptom of development or the traces even of royal cities. The Mongol
least spark of genius. Even when they conqueror, Kublai Khan, whose wealth,
have an example of better things before magnificence and splendor are recorded with
them, they deliberately avert their eyes, and admiration by travellers, built for himself a
go on repeating the same type of mean and capital near the city of Pekin. If any his-
paltry buildings. torian should wish to trace out for himself
the features of that Imperial city, he would
Filthy Streets.
be compelled to seek amid the earth-covered
At all the treaty ports, and notably at mounds which alone mark the spot where
Shanghai, there have been reared on the the conqueror held his court, for any relics
foreign settlement houses in every kind of which may perchance survive.
western architecture, bordering wide and Above ground the city, with all its bar-
well-made roads, and provided with every baric splendors, has vanished as a dream.
sanitary improvement, and yet, in the ad- For this ephemeralness the style and nature
joining native cities, houses are daily built of the buildings are responsible. A Chinese
on exactly the original model, the streets are architect invitesdamp, and all the destruc-
left as narrow and filthy as ever, and no ef- tive consequences which follow from it, by
fort is made to improve the healthiness of building his house on the surface of the soil;
the areas. might be supposed that in a
It he ensures instability by basing it on the shal-
nation where there exists such a profound lowest of foundations, and he makes certain
veneration for everything that is old, the of its overthrow by using materials which
people would have striven to perpetuate the most readily decay.
glories of past ages in great and noble
monuments that Emperors would have raised The Roof Built First.
palaces to themselves at records of their The structure consists of a roof supported

and that the magnates of the land
greatness, by wooden pillars, with the intervals filled in
would have built houses which should en- with badly baked bricks. It is strictly in ac-
dure as homes for generations of descend- cordance with the topsy-turvy Chinese
ants. methods that the framework of the roof
But it would seem as though their no- should be constructed first, before even the
madic origin haunted them in this also, and pillars which are to support it are placed in
that, as in shape so in durability, " the re- position. But, like most of the other con-
collection of their old tent-houses, which tradictory practices of the people, this one is
were pitched to-day and struck to-morrow, capable of rational explanation.

stilldominates their ideas of what palaces Strange as it may seem, the pillars are
and houses should be." Throughout the not sunk into the ground, but merely stand
length and breadth of China there is not a upon stone foundations. The weight of the
single building, except it may be some few roof is, therefore, necessary for their sup-
pagodas, which by any stretch of the imagin- port, and to its massive proportions is alone
ation can be called old. attributable the temporary substantialness of
A few generations suffice to see the state- the building. To prevent an overthrow the
liest of their palaces crumble into decay, and summits of the pillars are bound together by
a few centuries are enough to obliterate all be?ims,and much ingenuity and taste is
shown in the adornment of the ends of better kind are designed. It is one which is
these supports and cross-pieces, which ap- compounded of parts meaning a square
pear beneath the eaves of the upturned within a doorway.
roof. For the most part the pillars are On entering the front door the visitor
plain, and either square or round, and at the passes into a courtyard, on either side of
base are slightly cut in, after the manner of which are dwelling-rooms, and at the end of
the pillars in the temples of ancient Egypt. which is a hall, with probably rooms at both
extremities.Doors at the back of this hall

Dragons and Serpents. communicate with another courtyard, and in
Occasionally, when especial honor, either cases of wealthy families, a third courtyard
due to reUgious respect or official grandeur, succeeds, which is devoted to the ladies of
attaches to a building, the pillars are carved the household. Beyond this is the garden,
into representations of dragons, serpents, or and, in the case of country houses, a park.
winding fohage, as the taste of the designer The whole enclosure is surrounded with a
may determine. But in a vast majority of blank wall, which is pierced only by the
buildings the roof is the only ornamented necessary doors. All the windows face
part, and a great amount of pains and skill inwards.
is devoted to add beauty to this part of the
structure. Monotony of Architecture.
A favorite method of giving an appear- To the wayfarer, therefore, the appearance
ance of lightness to the covering of a house of houses of the better sort is monotonous
or temple which would otherwise look too and drear, and suggests a want of life which
heavy to be symmetrical, is to make a double is far from the actual fact, and a desire for
roof, so as to break the long line necessitated privacy which, so far as the apartments
by a single structure. The effect produced devoted to the male inmates are concerned,
by looking down on a city studded with is equally wide of the mark. In accordance
temples and the palaces of nobles is, so far with Chinese custom, the front courtyard
as color is concerned, brilliant and pictur- may be considered to be open to any who
esque, and reminds the traveller of the view may choose to wander in, and a desire to ex-
from the Kremlin over the glittering gilt- clude all would be held to argue
strangers
domed churches of Moscow. that therewas something wrong going on
The damp from the soil which is so detri- which the owner wished to conceal.
mental to the stability of the building is The courtyards are decorated with flowers
made equally injurious to the inhabitants by and vases according to the taste of the in-
the fact that all dwellings consist of the habitants, and occasionally a forest tree
ground floor only. With very rare excep- arises in their midst, which gives a grateful
tions such a thing as an upper story is shade from the heat of the day. The rooms,
unknown in China, one reason, no doubt, when well-furnished, are rather artistically
being that neither the foundations nor the pretty than comfortable. To begin with, the
materials are sufficiently trustworthy to sup- floors are either of pounded clay or of badly
port anything higher than the ground floor. made bricks. No carpet, except in the north
The common symbol for a house indicates of the country, protects the feet from the
the ground plan on which dwellings of the damp foundation, and if it were not for the
thick wadded soles of the shoes worn, and ing the usual Eastern practice of spreading
the prevailing habit of reclining on divans, food on a mat or rug on the floor. But,
and of sitting cross-legged, the result to the though they have advanced so far, they have
health of the people would be very serious. by no means arrived at the knowledge of an
In the south, these divans are of wood, easy chair. Angular in shape, stiff and un-
and in the north they take the shape of Kang, yielding in its materials, a Chinese chair is
or stove bed-places. These last are com- only welcome when rest is not an object.
monly built of brick, and occupy one side of Its very uncomfortable structure and ma-
the room. They are made hollow, for the terial suggests a foreign origin for it, and
insertion brushwood or coal,
of burning even at the present time, the use of chairs is
which affords warmth to the room generally! not universal throughout the Empire. When
and especially to the occupants of the Kang. the Emperor lately received the foreign min-
isters, he did so seated cross-legged on a
A Pillow of Wood. cushion ; and on all native state occasions in
Mats placed on the brickwork form the the north of the country this mode of sitting
resting-place of the wadded bedclothes, is commonly in vogue.
which supply all the furniture for the night
which a Chinaman requires, except the Choice Furniture,
pillow. To us the idea of a pillow is some- In wealthy households the woods used for
thing soft and yielding, which gives rest, and furniture are those brought from the Straits
an elastic support to the whole head. To a Settlements and Borneo, such as camagon,
Chinaman it conveys quite a different notion. ebony, puru, redwood and rosewood; while
A hard, rounded cylinder of wood or less opulent people are content to use chairs,
lacquer-ware has, to him, a charm which bedsteads, and tables made of bamboo and
lulls to sleep in an attitude which would be stained woods. But, whatever the material,
intolerable to us. It supports only the neck, considerable labor and artistic skill are used
and leaves the head without anything on to give grace and beauty to the various arti-
which to recline. cles. As in the case of the roofs already

In some parts of the country, where spoken of, the ornaments in tables are chiefly
women, by the use of bandoline, dress their centered in the space beneath the overlap-
hair in protrusive shapes, this kind of pillow ping tops.
has, at least, one advantage. After the Ornamental work, bearing a strong i-esem-
longest night's rest they are able to rise blance to Greek patterns, is commonly em-
without the slightest derangement of their ployed with admirable effect, and though the
coiffures, which thus remain for days, and general appearance of a well-furnished Chi-
sometimes for weeks, without renewal. nese room is somewhat disfigured by the
Unlike their Asiatic neighbors, the Chi- angular shape of the furniture, the skill with
nese have been accustomed to the use of which the different articles are arranged
chairs for centuries. A record of the time makes up to a great extent for the want of
when they were habituated to the common rounded forms and soft materials.
Oriental custom of sitting on the ground, is Just as the Chinese show a genius for
preserved in the word for " a feast," the pri- artistic landscape gardening, so in their
mary meaning of which is " a mat," suggest- rooms they display a taste in decoration and
harmonizing colors which imparts an air of rich men is the wood-carving which adorns
comfort and elegance to their dwellings. the cornices of the rooms and the borders of
Carved stands, on which are placed diverse the doorways.
shaped vases containing flowering plants or With that richness of ornament which be-
shrubs, dwarfed into quaint and attractive longs to the East, fruits, flowers, creeping
forms, are varied and mingled with rockwork plants, and birds are represented by the
groups in miniature, while on the tables are artists in an endless variety of beauty, and
disposed strangely bound books, and orna- through this fretted embroidery a cool stream
ments of every shape and kind. of air circulates in the apartments. In any
Hi''""^
KELIGIOUS CEREMONY IN A JOSS-HOUSE.

The walls commonly hung with scrolls,
are but a hot climate the absence of carpets.
bearing drawings of landscapes by celebrated tablecloths, and cushions would give an ap-
masters, in which mountain scenery, falling pearance of discomfort, but with the ther-
water, and pavilions shaded by queerly mometer standing at the height which the
shaped trees, form conspicuous elements. neighborhood of the tropics gives to it, the
On others are inscribed the choice words aspect of a Chinese room suggests a grate-
of wisdom which fell from the lips of the ful and refreshing coolness.
sages of ancient China, written in black, The studies of scholars have furniture
cursive characters on red or white grounds. peculiar to them. The table is supphed
But one of the chief glories of the houses of with the four requisites for writing, viz.:
lME religions oe china. 271
paper, pencil-brushes, ink, and ink-stone, effectuallyguarded from intrusion of strangers

while against the walls stand shelves on by a high wall, and at the doors by a numer-
which, by a curious survival of the practice ous staff of messengers. The stables are
common in the libraries of Babylonia, the usually on the east side, and contain stout
books are arranged on their sides, their Mongol ponies, large Hi horses, and a good
lower edges, on which are inscribed the supply of sleek, well-kept mules, such as
titles of the works they contain, being alone North China furnishes in abundance. A
apparent. prince or princess has a retinue of about
The following is a description of one of twenty, mounted on ponies or mules."
the Foos, or ducal residences, in Pekin.
"A Foo has in front of it two large stone Facing Southward.
lions, with a house for musicians and for By something more than a sumptuary
gatekeepers. Through a lofty gateway, on law, all houses of any pretension face south-
which are hung tablets inscribed with the ward, and their sites, far from being left to
owner's titles, the visitor enters a large the mere choice of the proprietors, are deter-
square court with a paved terrace in the mined for them by the rules and regulations
centre, which fronts the principal hall. Here, of Feng Shui. This Feng Shui is that
on days of ceremony, the slaves and depend- which places a preliminary stumbling-block
ants may be ranged in reverential posture in the way of every Western improvement.
before the owner, who sits as the master of If a railway is proposed, the objection is at
the household, in the hall. Behind the once raised thatit would destroy the Feng
principal hall are two other halls, both Shui of the neighborhood by disturbing the
facing, like it, the south. sepulchres of the dead. If a line of tele-
graph is suggested, the promoters are
Internal Arrangements. promptly told that the shadows thrown by
" These buildings all have five or seven the wires on the houses they pass would out-
compartments, divided by pillars which sup- rage the Feng Shui of the neighborhood
port the roof, and the three or five in the and bring disaster and death in their train.
centre are left open to form one large hall, In the minds of the people Feng Shui
while the sides are partitioned off to make has a very positive existence, but with the
rooms. Beyond the gable there is usually mandarians, who are not all so grossly
an extension called the Urfang, literally, the ignorant, it has been found that when state
ear-house, from its resemblance in position necessities require it, or when a sufficient
to that organ. On each side of the large sum money is likely to be their reward,
of
courts fronting the halls are side houses of Feng Shui disappear like the
the terrors of
one or two stories. The garden of a Foo is morning mists before the sun. The two
on the west side, and is usually arranged as words Feng Shui mean " Wind " and
an ornamental park, with a lake, wooded " Water," and are admittedly not very de-
mounds, fantastic arbors, small Buddhist scriptive of the superstitution which they
temples, covered passages, and a large open represent.
hall for drinking tea and entertaining guests, So far as it is possible to unravel the in-
which is called Hwating. tricacies of subtle Oriental idea, Feng Shui
" Garden and house are kept private, and appears to be a faint inkling of natural
science overlaid and infinitely disfigured by sites chosen by these professors- are such as
superstitution. As it is now interpreted, its avoid many of the ill effects of the climate.
professors explain that what astrology is to Many years ago, when we first settled at
the star-gazer, Feng Shui is to the observer Hong Kong, the mortality among the soldiers
of the surface of our planet. The features who occupied the Murray Barracks was ter-
of the globe are, we are told, but the reflex rible. By the advice of the colonial surgeon,
of the starry heaven, and just as the con- a grove of bamboos was planted at the back •
junction of certain planets presage misfor- of the buildings. The effect of this arrange-
tune to mankind, so the juxtaposition of cer- ment was largely to diminish the sickness
tain physical features of the earth are fraught among the troops, and it was so strictly
with like evil consequences to those under in accordance with the rules of Feng Shui
their influence. that the natives at once assumed that the
surgeon was a past-master in the science.
The Dragon and Tiger.
Again, when we formed the new foreign
But, in addition to this, it is believed that settlement on the Shamien site at Canton, the
through the surface of the earth there run Chinese prophesied that evil would befall the
two currents representing the male and dwellings,and " when it was discovered that
female principles of Nature, the one known every house built on Shamien was overrun as
as the "Azure Dragon," and the other as soon as built with white ants, boldly defying
the "White Tiger." The undulations of and all other foreign
coal-tar, carbolic acid,
the earth's surface are held to supply to the appliances ; when
was noticed that the
it
professors of Feng Shui, aided as they English consul, though having a special
always are by magnetic compasses, the residence built for him there, would rather
whereabout of these occult forces. live two miles off under the protecting
To obtain a fortunate site these two cur- shadow of a pagoda, it was a clear triumph
rents should be in conjunction, forming as it
Feng Shui and of Chinese statesmanship."
were a bent arm with their juncture at the
elbow. Within the angle formed by this Barring Out Evil.

combination is the site which is calculated to In front of every house which is protected
bring wealth and happiness to those who are at the rearby the approved genial influences,
fortunate enough to secure it either for build- there should be a pond, and the approach to
ing purposes or for a graveyard. As it is the door should be winding, for the double
obvious that it is often impossible to secure purpose of denying a direct mode of egress to I
such a conjunction, the necessary formation the fortunate breath of nature secured
by the
has to be supplied by artificial means. conditions of the and of preventing the
site,
A semicircle of trees planted to cover the easy ingress of malign influences. For the
back of a house answers all the purposes of the same reason a movable screen is commonly
"Azure Dragon " and " White Tiger," while placed in the open doorway of a house,
in a level country, a bank of earth of the which, while standing in the way of the
same shape, surrounding a tomb, is equally admission of supernatural evil, eflectually
effective. Through the mist and folly of this wards off the very actual discomfort of a
superstition there appears a small particle of di-aught.
reason, and it is beyond question that the With equal advantage a pair of stone
lions placed at the doorway of a house which Sometimes, however, the self-denial is not
is unfortunate enough to be faced by a confined to the donors. Devout priests
straight lane or street are said to overcome arouse the zeal of their congregations by
the noxious currents which might be tempted placing themselves in penitential positions
by the direct access to attack the dwelling. until the building money is collected, and
Temple architecture differs little from that thus add to their claims on the people by
of the houses, and varies in the same way appealing to their pity. Not long ago, a
from splendor to squalor, from gorgeous begging priest, zealous for the faith, erected
shrines built with the costly woods of Borneo for himself a wooden case like a sentry-box
and roofed in with resplendent glazed tiles to in one of the public thoroughfares of Pekin.
lath-cUid-plaster sheds covered in with mud Long and sharp nails were driven into the
roofing. In country districts, and more case on all sides from without, leaving their
show a
especially in hilly regions, Buddhists points projecting inwards.
marked predilection for the most sheltered
and beautiful spots provided by nature, and A Shrewd Beggar.
there rear monasteries which might well In this case the priest took his stand, and
tempt men of less ascetic mould than that declared his intention of remaining there
they profess to be made of to assume the until the sum required for building the
cowl. temple for which he pleaded had been col-
lected. The construction of the case made
Sumptuous Temples of Buddha. it impossible that he could either sit down
The contemplative life which they are in or lean in any position which would secure
theory supposed to lead is held to tempt them him against the points of the nails.
to retire from the busy haunts of men and For two years he stood, or professed to
to seek in the deep ravines and sheltered have stood, in this impossible position, which
valleys the repose and quiet which in more was mitigated as time went on by the with-
public positions would be denied them. It drawal of the nails, one by one, as the sum
says much for the charity of the people that of money which each was held to represent
out of their poverty such sumptuous edifices was collected from the passers-by.
can be raised to the glory of Buddha. For the most part the bridges of China
Many owe their existence to the benefi- are high wooden structures, such as those
cence of Emperors, and others to the super- with which the willow-pattern plates have
stition of notables who, in the performance made us familiar, but occasionally, and espe-
of vows, have reared stately temples to the cially on the highways to the capital, sub-
beneficent avatars of Buddha who have stantial stone bridges stretching in a series of
listened to their prayers. The majority, arches across the streams are met with, care-
however, are built from the doles secured by fully wrought and adorned with all kinds of
the priests from the wretched resources of fantastic devices.
the people. With indefatigable labor these A noticeable instance of a bridge of this
religious beggars draw into their nets fish kind one which crosses the river Hwen
is
great and small, and prey on the superstition on the west of Pekin. Though upwards of
of the people for the glorification of their six hundred years old, its neighborhood to
faith. the capital has secured its preservation. .^
18
CHAFTTKR XV.
COUNTRY LIFE IN CHINA.
OF the four classes into which the

people of China are traditionally
divided, the first is that of lit-
right to the official class
the illegal
naturally find their
and absorb some of
gains which, but for them, would
way into the exchequers
erati or scholars. These are of the yamuns. Being, however, no wiser
those, who, having graduated at the Exami- than the rest of their race, they, though pos-
nation Halls, are waiting in the often forlorn sessed of all the learning and knowledge
hope of obtaining official appointments. within their reach, show the same remarka-
They have certain privileges attaching to ble tendency towards superstitious follies as
their order, and are generally recognized by is observable in the most ignorant of their
the mandarins as brevet members of their countrymen. It is difficult to read without
own rank. They have, under certain condi- a smile such memorials as one which was
tions, the right of entree into the presence of presented to the throne, at the instigation of
the local officials, and the law forbids that some local scholars, with regard to the mi-
they should be punished or tortured until raculous interpositions of the god of war in
they have been stripped of their degrees by favor of the town of Kiehyang in Kwang-
an Imperial edict. tung.
As would be beneath the dignity of a
it
graduate to take to trade, and as there are

The Bandits Frightened.
many thousands more of them than there "In 1844," runs this strange statement,
are places for them to fill, the country is "when the city was threatened with capture
burdened with an idle population who are by the leader of a secret association, the
too proud to work, but who are not ashamed banditti were affrighted and dispersed by
to live the life of hangers-on to the skirts of means of a visible manifestation of the spirit
those who are better off than themselves. of this deity ; and the efforts of the govern-
As a rule they are poor men, and the ment troops in coping with the insurgents
temptation to enrich themselves by means of again in 1853, were similarly aided by the
illegal exactions is often too strong for the appearance of supernatural phenomena."
resistance of their feeble virtue. The As depositories of the wisdom of the
glamour which surrounds their names as sages of antiquity, the literati pose as the
graduates, and the influence which they pos- protectors of the national life. In his sacred
sess with the mandarins, incline the people, edict, Kanghsi (1662-1723) warned the
who by long usage are accustomed to yield, people against giving heed to stremge doc-
to bow their necks unresistingly to their ex- trines,and thus gave new expression to a
actions. To the mandarins they are a con- celebrated dictum of Confucius, which has
stant source of annoyance. They arrogate guided the conduct of his followers in all
to themselves the powers which belong by matters relating to foreign religions and cus-
274
COUNTRY LIFE IN CHINA. 275
toms. "The study of strange doctrines is Instead of striking out for themselves new
injurious, indeed," said the sage ; and in the grounds of investigation, they have deliber-
spirit of this saying the literati have at dif- ately chosen the futile task of perpetually
ferent periods persecuted the religions of fixing their eyes on a particular object in a
Buddha and Laotsze with the same acri- particular way, with the natural result that
mony which is now characterizing their ac- their vision has become contracted and their
tion towards Christianity. minds moulded on narrow and pedantic
To foreigners ways they are
and all their lines. The mental activity of these men,
implacable foes. The outrages on the Yang- not having, therefore, any power to operate
tse-Kiang in 1891 were entirely their handi- in a beneficent way, exerts itself with unpre-
work. Once only in the history of the Em- cedented vigor and hardihood in local affairs.
pire have they in their turn suffered persecu-

Infamous Placards.
tion. The same Emperor who built the
great wall, and established for himself an No dispute arises, but one or more of
Empire, sought to confirm his power by de- these social pests thrusts himself forward be-
stroying the national literature, and by between the contending parties, and no fraud
heading all those scholars who still clung to in the revenue or wholesale extortion is free
the traditions of their fathers. It is said from their sinister influence. The case of
that persecution strengthens the character Chow Han, who instigated the anti-Christian
and improves the moral fibre of its victims. crusade in Hunan, furnishes an instance of
the overwhelming power which these men
A Race of Bigots. are occasionally able to exert. To him are
This persecution in the third century B. C. due the infamous placards which were used
may for a time have had such salutary ef- to stimulate the outbreaks against foreigners
fects; but, if so, all traces of these virtues at Wusueh and other places ; and when the
have long been swept away, and China has crime was brought home to him, and the
become possessed of a race of scholars who Chinese Cabinet, at the instance of the
for ignorance, bigotry, violence and corrup- foreign ministers, ordered his arrest, not
tion are probably unsurpassed by educated only did the viceroy of the province fail to
men in any country calling itself civilized. comply with the command, but he actually
Under happier circumstances, the existence released, at the bidding of the offender, a
of this large body of scholars might be of man charged with active participation in the
infiniteadvantage to the literature of the riots.
country. With time to work and oppor- It is true that a futile commission was sent
tunities for research they might add lustre to into Hunan to investigate the charges against
the writings of their countrymen and en- him, but instead of bringing him to justice,
large the borders of their national knowl- the commissioners pronounced him mad,
edge. But the system of looking backwards and recommended that he should be left un-
for models of excellence, rather than for- trammelled, except by a mild system of
wards, has so contracted the field of their supervision.
labors, that those who add com-

write only In common estimation the workers of the
mentary to commentary on works already soil stand next to the literati. From the
annotated beyond recognition. earliest dawn of legendary history, agricul-
ture has been regarded as a high and en- 2727 years B. C, is ascribed the invention of
nobling calling. To Shennung, the divine the plough and the first introduction of the
A CHINESE PAGODA.
husbandman, one of the legenaary emperors art of husbandry. The connection thus
of ancient China, who is said to have lived established between the throne and the
plough has been kept up through all suc- ble of producing. Unhappily to them, as to
ceeding ages, and at the present time the other classes of the community, the law as
Emperor, in the early spring of each year, it is administered is oppressively unjust. It
turns a furrow to inaugurate the beginning makes them poor and keeps them poor.
of the farming season ; an example which is The principal imperial tax is derived from
followed in every province by the viceroy or the land, and by the law of succession it is
governor, who follows suit in strict imitation generally necessary, on the decease of the
of his Imperial master. head of the family, to subdivide his posses-
With the same desire to set an example to sions, which thus become a diminishing
her sex, the Empress, so soon as the mul- quantity to each generation of successors to
berry-trees break into foliage, follows the his wealth. Low grinding poverty is the re-
gentler craft of pick-
ing the leaves to sup-
—
ply food for the palace
silkworms. "Give
chief place," wrote the
Emperor Kanghsi,
" to husbandry and
the cultivation of the
mulberry tree, in order
to procure adequate
supplies of food and
;
raiment " to which
excellent advice his
son added, " Suffer

not a barren spot to
remain in the wilds,
or a lazy person to
abide in the cities
then a farmer will not

lay aside his plough
A CHINESE CURIOSITY SHOP.
and hoe; nor the
house-wife put away her silkworms or her suit, and it is remarkable, though not sur-
weaving." prising, to observe the large number of
These commands have sunk deep into the crimes which are attributable to disputes
national character, and the greatest devotion arising out of feuds in connection with the
to their calling, sharpened, it is true, by a inheritance of the land and its products.
keen sense of self-interest, is everywhere Probably there isno potentate on the earth
shown by Chinese farmers. From these men who can say as truly as the Emperor of
it is impossible to withhold the highest praise China can "The Empire is mine." Not only
for their untiring industry. With endless the lives and property of his subjects are at
labor and inexhaustible resource they wrest his disposal, but the land which they till is
ftom the soil the very utmost that it is capa- part of the heritage which belongs to him.
Just as he alone sacrifices to Heaven, and as which cultivate it. Ten families constitute,
he alone is the one Emperor over all the as a rule, a village holding, each family farm-
earth — in accordance with the dictum of an ing about ten acres. To such a community
ancient sage, " There
is one sun in the sky is allotted a common village plot, which is
and one Emperor over the earth " so he is — cultivated by each family in turn, and from
the universal landlord of the soil of China. which the tribute grain is collected and paid.
Although the Empire as a whole is thickly- The surplus, if any, is divided between the
populated, there are always some districts families.
which remain uncultivated. Towards the end of the year a meeting is

held, at which a division of the profits
is made on one condition. Any farmer
who is unable to produce the receipt for
the income tax on his farm ceases to be
entitled to any benefit arising from the
village plot. The land is classified ac-
cording to its position and productive-
ness, and pays taxes in proportion to

the advantages which it enjoys. Two
dollars and a half per acre is an average
rental for the best land. It was once
complained, in a memorial to the throne,
that by faulty administration the tax
frequently amounted to six times its
nominal assessment.
Five Harvests Free.
By way of a set-off against that exac-

tion, a merciful provision in the law lays
it down that a farmer who reclaims lands
from a state of nature shall be allowed
to reap five harvests before being visited
by the tax-collector.
happens that an unjust gov-
It often
CHINESE BABY IN ITS WINTER CRADLE.
ernment, by timely concessions, gains for
To find a parallel to the agricultural con- itself credit for wisdom and lenity when it is
dition of the country, we must look to entitled to approval only for having had the
colonial empires, where settlers apply for un- wit to see exactly how far the people will en-
inhabited lands, and receive the rights over dure the weight of its exactions. Such
them in exchange for small annual payments. popularity is gained as easily as a spend-
This is the principle on which lands have thrift acquires a reputation for generosity,
been appropriated in times past, and still are and enjoyed by the Chinese government
is
leased out to farmers. As a rule, the land by virtue of certain exemptions from the
so let is taken up by a clan, the members of land-tax, which are granted when the country.
labors under aggravated circumstances of For this last purpose the farmers exercise
distress. that particular ingenuity with which they are
When the Emperor passes through a dis- especially endowed. Wherever it is possible,
trict, it may be on a visit to the Imperial streams from the hills are carried by aque-
tombs, the people are required to contribute ducts to the different farms, and the water is
and the magnates their money,

their labor, distributed by minute channels in such a way
towards making smooth the way before him. as to carry the fertilizing current to the
The presence of the potentate disarranges various fields and crops. When such sup-
the course of existence and the prosecution plies are wanting, water is raised from canals,
of industries in the neighborhood. Fields rivers, and wells in several ways. By a sys-
are left unploughed and crops unsown until tem of buckets fastened to an endless chain,
the tyranny is overpassed, and for the bene- and passing over an axle, which is turned
fit of the sufferers the land-tax for the year either by the feet of men or by a connecting-
is forgiven them. wheel worked by oxen, the water is raised
from the river or canal to the level of the
The Grain Tax, fields, where it is discharged into troughs at
The same indulgence is granted to farmers the rate sometimes of three hundred tons a
in provinces which are visited with long day. This is the saJdyeh of the Egyptians
droughts, excessive floods, or plagues of and should any traveller from the banks of
locusts. The probability is that the govern- the Nile visit the plains of China, he might
ment, recognizing that the attempt to enforce recognize in the method adopted for raising
the tax in such districts would be futile, has water from wells the shaduf of the land of
the wisdom to make a virtue of necessity. the Pharaohs.
The grain-tax is also levied from the lands
classified as "good," and this, with the land- Irrigating Rice Fields.
tax, the salt-tax, and customs dues, form the A long horizontal pole, at one end of
main bulk of the revenue of the Empire. which is a bucket, and on the other end a
According to a recent calculation, these certain weight, is fixed on an upright in such
sources of revenue produce ;^99,375,ooo. a position that on raising the loaded end the
In a country such as China, which is sub- bucket descends into the well, and with the
ject to every variety of temperature, from help of the counterbalancing weight can be
tropical heat to almost arctic cold, the pro- raised full of water with ease and rapidity.
ducts are necessarily as various as the sys- If the level of the river or canal be only
tems of agriculture are different. In the triflingly lower than the field to be irrigated,
southern provinces, where rice is the staple two men standing on the bank and holding a
crop of the farmer, irrigation is an absolute bucket between them by ropes draw water
necessity. The rice plants are put out in with great rapidity by dipping the bucket
fields inundated with water, and the crops into the stream and by swinging it up to the
are gathered in when the ground is in the bank, where its contents are emptied into the
same condition. This need makes it impera- trough prepared to receive them.
tive that the fields should be banked in, and In the north of the country wheat, millet
that a constant supply of water should be and other grains are largely grown, the rain
obtainable. supply furnishing all the moisture needed.

CHAPTKR XVI.
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AND EXPORTS.
WHETHER in the north
the south, the greatest care
or in made to take its place. Rakes and
hooks complete the farmer's stock-in-trade.
bill-
and ingenuity are used in The bamboo, which is made to serve

providing manure for the almost every purpose, forms the material
land. Nothing is wasted. The usual ani- of each part of the rake; while the bill-
mal and vegetable manures are carefully hook has a treble debt to pay, serving as
collected and spread over the fields, while a pruning-knife in the spring, a scythe in
scraps of all kinds which contain any ferti- the summer, and a sickle when the grain
lizing matter, and which in most countries is ripe to harvest.
are disregarded, are turned to account by
these most frugal tillers of the soil. Accus- An Ancient Calendar.
tomed as we are to large farms and ex- One of the earliest works existing in the
tended systems of agriculture, Chinese farms language is an agricultural calendar, which
appear to partake more of the nature of mar- describes the various processes of nature and
ket gardens than of agricultural holdings. the industries of the agriculturist throughout
The implements used are primitive in the the year. It warns the farmer when to look
extreme, and are such as, we learn from the for the first movements of spring, and de-
sculptures, were used in ancient Assyria. scribes for his benefit the signs of the differ-
Two only may be said to be generally used, ent seasons. It tells him when to sow his
the plow and the hoe. The first of these is seed, and when he may expect to reap his
more than a spade fastened to a single
little harvest; and it follows with the love of a
handle by bamboo bands. As a rule, it is naturalist the movements and habits of the
drawn by a buifalo or buffaloes, and some beasts of the field and the fowls of the air.
travellers even claim to have seen women This work was penned in about the eigh-
harnessed in the same yoke with these beasts teenth century B. C, and since that time the
of burden. dignity which attaches by tradition to agri-
From the shape of the share the Chinese culture has led to the publication, from time
plow does more than disturb the sur-
little to time, of large and numerous works on
face of the and rarely penetrates more
soil, the subject. Probably two of the best
than four or five inches. In the compound known of these books illustrate the two
character which is used to express it on leading branches of the farmer's art, the
paper, the use of oxen as beasts of draught, cultivation of rice and the growth of the
and the results which it is instrumental in mulberry for the food of silkworms. Every
bringing about, find expression in the three process in both industries is minutely de-
—
component parts oxen, sickle and grain. scribed and illustrated.
The spade is seldom used, and the hoe is The glimpses which these pictures give us
280
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AND EXPORTS. 281
of country life in China suggest a domes- preferred to the silken products of the looms
ticity and brightness which form a strong of China.
contrast to the fate of the poorer classes For four hundred years the industry was
whose lots are cast in the crowded lanes neglected, and continued to exist only in the
and streets of the cities.
Madame de Stael said in
one of her books that
she had travelled all
over Europe and had

met with nothing but
men and women. We
may extend the range
to China, and may see
in the pictures drawn
in the above-mentioned
work, of the farmyards,
the dwellings, the kitch-
ens, and the store-rooms
of the silk producers of
China, pleasing parallels
to the brighter aspects of
English agricultural life.
The employment of
women in arranging and
managing the silkworm
industry, gives an inter-
est to their lives, and is
a sure preventive against

that languor which so
often overtakes the un-
employed women of the
cities. The cultivation
of silk can be traced
back almost as far as
the beginning of agri-
culture, and up to the
advent of the Mongol
dynasty, in the thir-
teenth century, it flour-
A NATIVE CHINESE MISSIONARY.
ished exceedingly. With the how-
arrival, provinces of Szechuan, Honan, Kwangtung
ever, of the hordes of Jenghis Khan came and Chehkiang, where just enough stuff was
the introduction of Indian cotton, which, manufactured to supply the wants of the
from its cheapness and utility, was speedily government and the local consumers. With
the establishment of the present Manchu the industry. At Ning-po alone a hundred
dynasty and the arrival of foreigners, tke thousand bales of silken goods are turned
demand for the material which had given out every year, and in most of the districts
name
its to China all over the ancient world of Central China the people are as dependent
— —
serica led to a revival of the industry, for their livelihood on the trade as the peo-
and at the present time silk is produced in ple of England are on the production of coal
and iron. The prefect of Soo-
chow, desiring to take advan-
tage of this widespread caUing,
proposed to levy a small tax<
on every loom. The result,
however, proved that his
power was not commensurate
with his will. The people re-
fused as one man to pay the
assessment, and threatened to
stop their looms if the tax
were insisted upon. The
matter was referred to Pekin,
and with the cautious wisdom
which characterizes the action
of the government towards
the people, the proposal was
left unenforced. A crop as
general, or even more general
than silk, is opium. In every
province the poppy is grown
in ever-increasing quantities,
and in Yun-nan, one of the
principal producing regions,
the late Mr. Baber estimated,
as a result of his personal
experience, the poppy-fields
constituted a third of the
whole cultivation of the prov-
ince. It is difficult to deter-
A MANDARIN RECEIVING A VISITOR.
mine when the poppy was
every province in the Empire. In those first grown in China, but the references to
northern districts where the cold forbids it which are met with in the literature of the
the growth of the mulberry tree the worms eleventh and twelfth centuries confirm the
are fed on a kind of oak, while all over the fact that it was then and that the
cultivated,
central and southern provinces the mulberry same kind of cakes were made from the
orchards bear evidence of the universality of seeds of the plant as are now commonly
eaten in the province of Szechuan. The Since the legalization of the opium trade
habit of smoking opium is of a far later (i860) even the nominal restrictions placed
date, and gave rise to a marked opposition upon native growers have been withdrawn,
to the drug by the government of the coun- and the government has the advantage of
try. But, like most Chinese enactments, the deriving a large revenue from the crops.
one forbidding the habit was only partially From the province of Kansuh, which is one
enforced, and it is certain that the practice of the poorest in the Empire, the tax on
of smoking opium had become confirmed opium amounts to at least twenty thousand
among the people before the Indian drug dollars a year, and this in face of the con-
was first imported. From that time until stant complaints published in the PeJdn Ga-
within the last few years the government zette of the smuggling which prevails in that
showed a pronounced hostility to the trade, and other districts.
but stultified its professions by never effec- The small compass into which opium can
tually carrying out its own prohibitions be packed encourages illicit traffic in it.
against the growth of the poppy. Candidates for examination going to their
provincial cities, merchants travelling from
Lovers of Opium. province to province, and sailors trading
Several motives conduced to these results. between the coast ports, find it easy to
The growth of the poppy not only brought smuggle enough to supply their wants;
large profits to the farmers, but filled the while envoys from tributary states whose
pockets of the mandarins, who, while pro- baggage by international courtesy is left
testing against the cultivation, accepted unexamined, make full use of their oppor-
bribes to ignore the evidence of their eyes. tunities by importing as much of the drug
Repeated Imperial edicts became dead let- as they can carry free of duty.
ters in face of these opposing interests, and
year by year the white patches widened and Wholesale Smuggling.
multiplied throughout the Empire. In a Some years ago, when an Imperial Com-
country like China, where the value of sta- missioner was entering the port of Canton,
unknown, it is difficult to arrive at
tistics is the custom-house authorities had notice
any accurate idea as to the number of opium given them that the commissioner's fol-
smokers in the country. lowers were bringing a large venture dis-

In Szechuan it is reckoned that seven- guised as personal effects in their luggage.
tenths of the adult male population smoke The question arose what was to be done,
opium. On the shores of the rivers and and, with the timidity common to subordi-
canals the practice is universal, and affords nate officials, the provincial authorities de-
the people the same relief from malarial termined to ignore the information they had
fevers that the peasants in the fens of Lin- received rather than offend so potent a mag-
colnshire derive from eating morphia. By nate as the commissioner. By this derelic-
all such people the native opium is the only tion of duty the customs were the poorer by
form obtainable, and at Tiensin it is esti- some twenty thousand taels.
mated that nine chests of native opium are So portable is the drug in its prepared
consumed to one chest of the foreign prepa- state that in the provinces, where silver is
*
ration. not always obtainable, it is used as currency.
and travellers are commonly in the habit of lieve their sufferings. By deprivation they
paying their hotel bills with pieces of opium are cured for the time being of the habit,
of the value demanded by the landlord. and in no instance have fatal consequences
This is not the place to discuss at length resulted from this Spartan method.
the effect of opium smoking on the people. Unmindful of the lesson thus taught, mis-
The whole subject, however, is so sur- sionaries are not unfrequently in the habit of
rounded with sentimental enthusiasm that attempting to cure opium smokers by ad-
a fact, however small, bearing on the ques- ministering morphia pills. That they effect
tion is worth recording. It is commonly cures by this means is very certain, but the
said by the opponents of the trade that so doubt arises whether the remedy is not worse
A MOUNTED MILITARY BOWMAN OF ANCIENT TIMES.

pernicious a hold does the habit of smoking than the disease. The processes through
acquire over those who indulge in it that which the opium has to go before it reaches
only by the use of palliatives can a con- the lungs of the smoker unquestionably de-
firmed smoker be weaned from the habit prive it of some of its deleterious ingredients.
without endangering his life. One fact dis- When, however, opium is eaten in the shape
poses of this assertion. In Hong Kong of morphia, the safeguards provided by the
jail, where opium smokers of every degree pipe are absent, and the man who gives up
of habituation are constantly imprisoned, no his pipe for the pill finds that his last state
notice is taken of their craving for the drug, is worse than his first.
^nd no remedies are found necessary to re- Next to silk, however, the product which
we most nearly associate with China is tea, to London and Paris; pruning was neg-
which proclaims its nationality by the two lected, to grow apace.
and weeds were left
names tea and cKa, by which it is known The inevitable nemesis followed, and now,
all over the world. The English who took when too late, the farmers are becoming
their first cargoes from the neighborhood of conscious of the folly of their neglect.
Amoy, know by the name, or rather our
it In ordinary times great care is taken in
grandmothers knew it by the name, by which selecting the seed, and when after careful
it is known in that part of China. Te is the tending the seedlings have reached a height
Amoy pronunciation of the word which is of four or five inches, they are planted outt
called cKa in the central, western and north- in the plantations in rows, two or three feet)
ern provinces of the Empire. The
Russians, therefore, who have al-
ways drawn their supplies through

Siberia, call the leaf cKa, while the
French and ourselves know it by
its southern name. There is rea-
son to believe that the plant has
been known and valued in China
for some thousands of and years,
in one of the Confucian classics
mention is made of the habit of
smoking a leaf which is popularly
believed to have been that of the tea
plant. But however may be,
this
it is certain that for many cen-

turies the plant has been cultivated
over a large part of Central and
Southern China. At the present
time the provinces of Hunan, Fuh-
kien, Kwangtung and Ganhwuy
produce the best varieties. From
them we get our Souchong, Flow-
ery Pekoe, Oolong, Orange Pekoe A CHINESE MERCHANT OF CANTON.
and green teas and it is in those provinces
; apart. For two years the plant is allowed
that the competition of the teas of India and to grow untouched, and it is only at the end
Ceylon is most severely felt. of the third year that it is called upon to
No doubt the farmers have themselves yield its first crop of leaves. After this the
principally to blame in this matter. The plant is subjected to three harvests : namely,
long monopoly which they enjoyed tempted in the third, fifth and eighth months.
them to palm off on their customers teas of The leaves when plucked are first dried in
an inferior kind. Trees which had long the sun, and the remaining moisture is then
passed the normal period of bearing were extracted from them by the action of nude-
robbed of their leaves to fill the chests sent footed men and women, who trample on
them, as Spanish peasants tread out the juice the places of meeting between merchants for
of the vine. They are then allowed to heat the transaction of business and between friends,
for some hours, and after having been rolled who congregate to discuss local afifairs and the
in the hand, are spread out in the sun, or, if latest official scandals. Women only are, by
the weather be cloudy, are slowly baked over social regulations, excluded from these hospi-
charcoal fires. tableplaces of entertainment, which commonly
Among the wealthier natives the infusion occupy prominent positions in the principal
is not generally made as with us, in tea-pots, streets of towns. But where such sites are not
but each drinker puts a pinch of tea into his easily attainable, Buddhist priests, with a fine
cup, and, having added boiling water, drinks disregard of the holiness of their temples, very
the mixture as soon as the full flavor of the commonly let off a portion of the precincts to
enterprising tea-men.
The form in which
tea is exported for
general European
and American use is
not that which is
suited for land trans-

port. In carrying
goods by road cubic
space is a matter of
vital importance.
For centuries the
Chinese have sup-
plied the Tibetans
with tea in so com-
pressed a form as to
be readily portable
by carts, on beasts of
burden, or on men's
shoulders. In these
COURTYARD OF A CHINESE HOSTELRY.
ways it has long been
tea has been extracted, and before the tannin customary to carry bricks of tea across the
has been boiled out of the leaves. By high mountain ranges which mark the western
and low, rich and poor, the beverage is frontier of China; and when a demand for
drunk, and the absence of nervous affections tea sprang up in Russia, like circumstances
among the people is strong evidence of the suggested a like method.

innoxious effect of the infusion in this respect. The principal place for preparing the brick
Not only is it drunk in every household in tea is Hankow, where six or more factories
the Empire, but tea-houses abound in the cit- are constantly engaged in the manufacture
ies, in the market-places and by the highways. of it. Something has to be sacrificed to
Like the London coffee-shops in the time of expediency, and it is incontestable that the
the Stuarts, the tea-houses in the cities form Russians and other consumers of brick tea
lose in flavor what they gain by the smaller considerable items in the list of exports,
compass. The dust of tea, and therefore together amounting in value to 2,620,164
a poor kind of tea, is best suited for forming taels. Arsenic also is produced in consid-
bricks, and even the inferiority thus entailed erable quantities in the country, and al-
is increased by the process employed to weld though the home consumption is larger
the masses together. than might be expected, there is yet a
done by a method of steaming,
This is surplus left for the benefit of foreigners.
which encourages an evaporation of both The native farmers use it with a freedom
flavor and freshness, and when it has effected which suggests the possibility of danger, in
its purpose by moistening the dust, the mix- protecting growing plants, and especially
ture is put into wooden molds and pressed rice plants, from the insects which infest
into the shape of bricks. It is left to stand them.

in the molds for a week, and the bricks are As an ingredient in the pastille which is
then wrapped up separately in paper and used to smoke out mosquitoes, and in the
packed in bamboo baskets, sixty-
four filling a basket. As a rule,
tea-growers are rich and well-to-
do men, whereas the ordinary
agriculturist is raised above the
rank of a peasant, and has little .:^.4t
.'. V.
to congratulate himself upon be-
yond the fact that his calling is
held up to general approbation,
and that it inherits a record
which is as old as that of the
race itself.
One of the largest products

is straw braid from Northern CHINESE STUDENTS.
China. This most useful class
of goods found a place in the market after manufacture of the tobacco which is smoked
the opening of the port of Tientsin (1 860), in hubble-bubble pipes, it is largely employed.
and rapidly commended itself to the foreign To the tobacco it is said to impart a pungent
merchant. But just as in tea, so in this flavor and an invigorating tonic. Its prop-
braid, the Chinese producers have grown erty as a strengthening medicine is highly
careless of the quality which they present valued by doctors, who prescribe it largely
to their customers. The inevitable result for their patients. The absence of all legis-.
of this course has followed, and at the pres- lation regulating the sale of drugs makes it
ent time the elasticity which characterized easy for evil-minded persons to possess
the earlier movements of the trade has themselves of this and other poisons; and
ceased to be observable. the gross ignorance of the Chinese, even
Wool from the plains of Mongolia and the most highly educated, in all matters
the table-lands of Thibet, and tobacco from related to diagnoses secures a practical im-
the southern provinces of the Empire, form munity to poisoners.

It is true that occasionally cases of poi- which their light, elastic, tubular structure,
soning by arsenic are reported in the Pekin guarded by a coating of siliceous skin, and
Gazette, but almost invariably it is found strengthened by a thick septum at each joint,
that the murder is discovered, not by the most admirably fits them. The pillars and
recognition of the symptoms produced by props of houses, the framework of awnings,
the poison, but by the confession of the the ribs of mat sails, and the handles of rakes
murder or his accomplices. When the un- are each furnished by these culms.
ravelling of a crime depends on these coin- So, also, are fences and all kinds of frames,
cidences, it is fair to assume that, in a great coops, and cages, the wattles of abatis, and
majority of cases, the offence is never dis- the ribs of umbrellas and fans. The leaves
covered at all. are sewn into rain-cloaks for farmers and
sailors, and into thatches for covering their
The Luxuriant Bamboo. huts and boats they are pinned into linings
;
Like silk, the bamboo is a universal prod- for tea-boxes, plaited into immense umbrellas
uct in China, and the multitude of uses to to screen the huckster and his stall from the
which the shrub is turned justifies its eleva- sun and rain, or into coverings for theatres
tion to an equal rank of usefulness, so far as and sheds. The wood, cut into splints of
the natives are concerned, with that article proper sizes and forms, woven into baskets
is
of merchandise. Its use is incomparably of every shape and fancy, sewn into win-
more general than that of silk, and enters dow-curtains and door-screens, plaited into
into the life of every being in the Empire, awnings and coverings for tea-chests or
from the Son of Heaven to the scavenger in sugar-cones, and twisted into cables.
the streets. It grows over the greater part
of the country in great profusion and in a Universally Used.
number of varieties, and from the moment The shavings and curled shreds aid softer
itfirst shows itself above the ground it is things in stuffing pillows ; while other parts
The shoots
forced into the service of man. supply the bed for sleeping, the chopsticks
come out of the ground nearly full-sized, for eating, the pipe for smoking, and the
four to six inches in diameter, and are cut broom for sweeping. The mattress to lie
like asparagus for the table. Sedentary upon, the chair to sit upon, the table to eat
Buddhist priests raise this Lenten fare for on, the food to eat, and the fuel to cook it
themselves or for sale, and extract the taba- with, are also derivable from bamboo. The
sheer from the joints of the old culms, to master makes his ferule from it, the carpen-
sell as a precious medicine for almost any- ter his foot measure, the farmer his water-
thing that ails one. The roots are carved pipes and straw-rakes, the grocer his gill
into fantastic and ingenious images and and pint cups, and the mandarin his dreaded
stands, or divided into egg-shape divining- instrument of punishment.
blocks to ascertain the will of the gods, or When such are the uses to which the
trimmed into lantern handles, canes and bamboo is put in the land of its growth, it is
umbrella sticks. surprising that there should be any surplus

The tapering culms are used for all pur- for exportation. But the demand for it for
poses that poles can be applied to in carrying, ornamental and useful purposes in Europe
propelling, supporting, and measuring, for is constant.
Lorea apd \i)e W ar Beb^sreci) Lr)ir)a
ar)a Japar).
CHAPTTBR XVII.
LIFE AND TRAVEL IN COREA.
account of Corea China, Corea nevertheless, profoundly un-
AN interesting
furnishedby the Hon. George N.
Curzon, whose travels and obser-
is
like either.
is,
It has lacked the

of the Feudal System in Japan, and the in-
virile training
vations in this country have given centives to industry supplied by the crowded
him high distinction. His graphic descrip- existence of China. Its indifference to re-
tions are eagerly read, and afford an accurate ligion has left it without the splendid temples
idea of a nation which has, through recent that adorn the former country, without the
events, been brought into the thought and stubborn self-sufficiency of character devel-
notice of America and Europe. oped by Confucianism in the latter.
The name of Corea has been for ages

wrapped in mystery. It is an old country Corea Suddenly Aroused.
contemporaneous, as alleged, with Thebes Japan swept it clear of all that was beau-
and Babylon, but owning no ruins. It tiful or ancient in the famous invasion of
boasts a separate, if not an independent, Hideyoshi three centuries ago —an affliction
national existence for centuries, yet is de- from which it has never recovered. China's
void of all external signs of strength. It policy has been to keep it in a state of tutel-
contains beautiful natural scenery, still virgin age ever since. Placed in an unfortunate
to the traveller's foot. geographical positionmidway between the
Corea claims to have given to Japan her two Corea has been, like Issachar,
nations,
letters, her science, her religion, and her art, couching between two burdens. Suddenly,
yet is bereft of almost all vestiges of these at the end of the nineteenth century, it wakes
herself. Her people are endowed with physi- up from its long sleep to find the alarum of
cal vigor, but are sluggish in mind and the nations sounding at its gates ; the pleni-
morals. Such a spectacle is one which has potentiaries of great Powers appear in its
no counterpart even in Asia, the continent ports to solicit or to demand reciprocal
o^ contrasts. A bridge between Japan and treaties; it enters the comity of civilized
19 289
m eOREA AMD THe WAR.
peoples; and, still half stupefied by its long waist just below the armpits, and all but
repose, relaxes but slowly beneath the doubt- conceal coarse white or brown pantaloons
ful rays of Western civilization. below. Their hair is black, and is wound in
The first glimpse of the Corean coast, a big coil round the temples, supplying a
which is mountainous, but little wooded, and welcome contrast to the greasy though
no idea of the timbered
relatively bare, gives fascinating coiffure of the females of Japan.
heights and smiling valleys which may be Indeed, if the men of the two nations are
encountered in the interior; but the first unlike — ^the tall, robust, good-looking, idle
sight of its white-robed people, whose figures, Corean, and the diminutive, ugly, nimble,
if stationary, might be mistaken at a distance —
indomitable Japanese still more so are the
for white mileposts or tombstones, if moving, women —the hard-visaged, strong-limbed,
for a colony of swans, acquaints us with a masterful housewife of Corea, and the
national type and dress that are quite unique. shuffling, knock-kneed, laughing, bewitching
Japanese damsel. The Corean boy, indeed,
Peculiarities of Dress.
might more easily be taken to represent the
A dirty people who insist upon dressing in gentler sex, since, until he is engaged to be
white is a first peculiarity ; a people inhabit- married, he wears his hair parted in the
ing a northern, and in winter a very rigorous middle and hanging in a long plait down his
latitude who yet insist upon wearing cotton back.
(even though it be wadded in winter) all the
year round, is a second ; a people who always Fatal Epidemics.
wear hats, and have a headpiece accommo- Of this people, the males among whom
dated to every situation and almost every exceed the females, there are believed to be
incident in life, is a third. But all these about 11,000,000 in Corea, an area very
combine to make the wearers picturesque similar in extent to Great Britain. Marrying
while as to Corean standards of comfort we at an early age, prone to large families, and
have nothing to do but to wonder. undiminished for many years by war or
As to their physique, the men are stalwart, famine, the Corean population ought to be
well-built, and bear themselves with a manly on the increase were it not that the infant
air, though of docile and sometimes timid mortality is enormous, and that the death-
expression. The hair is worn long, but is rate from epidemics, againstwhich no
twisted into a topknot, protected by the precautions are taken, and which sweep
crown of the afore-mentioned hat. The over the country every third or fourth year,
women, of whom, those belonging to the is certainly high. On the other hand,
upper classes are not visible, but the poorer the large tracts of uncultivated and almost
among whom may be seen by hundreds uninhabited country that still await the
engaged in manual labor in the houses, ploughshare and the peasant will accomo-
streets, and fields, cannot be described as date a much larger population.
beautiful. They have a peculiar arrange- The Coreans belong unmistakably to the
ment of dress by which a short white bodice Mongolian stock, occupying a sort of inter-
covers the shoulders, but leaves the breasts mediate stage between the Mongolian Tar-
entirely exposed; while voluminous petti- tar and the Japanese. It is impossible to
goats, very full at the hips, depend from a confound them either with the latter or with
LIFE AND TRAVEL IN COREA. 291
the Chinese and a Corean would, to any-

; Beyond a certain point, however, both
one who has travelled in the country, be a classes relapse into a similar indifference,
known man in any city in the world. It which takes the form of an indolent protest
has been supposed by some writers, who against action of any kind. The politician
have observed a different variety with blue in Soul remains civil, but is wholly deaf to
eyes and fair hair in Corea itself, that there is persuasion. The coolie works one day and
also a Caucasian element in the stock ; but dawdles away his wages upon the two next.
I am not aware that this hypothesis has The mapu, or ostler, takes his own time
found any scientific confirmation. about his own and his pack-pony's meal,
Their language is of the Turanian family, and no reasoning or compulsion in the world
with the addition of many Chinese words. would disturb him from his complacent lan-
If one does not either speak or under- guor.
stand Corean oneself, it is always possible to
communicate with a Corean by using the Corea's Vast Resources.
Chinese symbols, which he equally employs. These idiosyncrasies may only be interest-
On the other hand, among the upper and let- ing to the unconcerned student of national
tered classes, Chinese itself is the invariable character, but they are of capital importance
vehicle both of speech and correspondence, in their bearing upon national life. When,
just as it is also the official language em- further, they are crystallized into hardness
ployed in government publications, proclam- and are inflamed by the habits of an upper
ations, examinations and decrees. —
and official class which subsists by extor-
tion and prohibits, outside its own limits,
Poverty Everywhere. either the exercise of surplus activity or the
Of the people so constituted there appears accumulation of wealth —they explain how it
to be but one opinion as to the national char- is that the Corean people remain poor amid
acter and physique.While an invigorating stores of unprobed wealth, lethargic where
climate has made them naturally long-lived there should otherwise be a hundred incen-
and strong, their habits of life and morals tives to diligence, nerveless in the face either
have rendered them subject to many forms of competition or of peril.
of ailment and disease while their want of

; I have seen a Corean coolie carrying a
contact with the world and their servitude weight that would make the stoutest ox
to a form of government which has never stagger, and yet I have seen three Coreans
either encouraged or admitted of individual lazilyemployed in turning up the soil with a
enterprise, but which has reduced all except single shovel, by an arrangement of ropes
the privileged class to a dead level of un- that wasted the labor of three men without
complaining poverty, have left them inert, augmenting the strength of one.
listless and apathetic. So it is in every department of the national
As individuals they possess many attrac- existence. An immense reserve of masculine
tive characteristics —the upper classes being force is diverted from the field of labor and
polite, cultivated, friendly to foreigners and is lost to the nation by being absorbed into
priding themselves on correct deportment; ^&yamens, or offices of the local magistrates
while the lower orders are good-tempered, and prefects, where their function, instead of
though very excitable, cheerful and talkative. invigorating the blood of the country, is to
292 COREA AND THE WAR.
suck that of their fellow-countrymen. The A divergence, however, of a few days from
population of Corea may, indeed, be roughly the track brought me into a region which
divided into two classes —the upper or official, less than half a dozen foreigners have yet
entitled yangban, whose position or gen- and which contains some of the most
visited,
tility is a bar to work, and who, therefore, renowned scenery in Corea, as well as the
must subsist on others; and the great re- picturesque and venerable relics of the dis-
; siduum, whose business it is to be subsisted established Buddhist religion, which for
upon, and to filch from the produce of their 1000 years before the foundation of the
labor the slender necessities of existence for present dynasty, in about 1400 A. D., was
themselves. Poverty in the sense of desti- the official and popular cult of the country.
tution their is not ; but poverty in the sense
Gilded Images and Idols.
of having no surplus beyond the bare means
of livelihood and of the paralysis of all en- This region is known as the Keum Kang
terprise is almost universal. San, or Diamond Mountains; and there

amid mountain valleys and recesses whose
An Official Burned Alive. superb forest mantle rivals in amplitude,
Any less indolent people might be ex- while it excels in autumnal tints of maple
pected to rebel ; and occasional magisterial and chestnut the garniture of California can-
encroachments beyond the limits of practice yons, where rushing, crystal-clear torrents
or endurance result in short-lived spasms of dance through every glen, and far skywards
mutiny, in the course of which an offending bare sphhtered crags lift their horns above
official is seized and, perhaps (as happened the foliage —
are scattered a number of mon-
once in 1891), is burned alive. But ordi- whose buildings are in some cases
asteries,
narily this implies too great an exertion the ; many centuries old, and whose dwindling
people are unarmed and very helpless, and congregation of inmates perform in these
the system is mutely acquiesced in, unless secluded retreats, secure from any intrusion
pushed to intolerable extremes. save that of the itinerant pilgrim, the stereo-
Travel in the heart of a country brings the typed devotions before gilded images of
stranger into contact with a type of Buddha and his disciples, in which they
humanity more primitive, but also more themselves, in common with the mass of
representative of the national character, than their countrymen, have long ceased to be-
that encountered in the capital or in large lieve.
cities, whilst it also discloses features of By lovers of the picturesque nothing more
natural scenery of which the residents in enchanting than these monastic retreats can
towns or the frequenters of high routes alone anywhere be found; nor will the discovery
may remain permanently ignorant. Both that, while every prospect pleases, man alone
these advantages were derivable from the is vile —even though his depravity assume,
circuitous journey which I took from Gensan as is credibly alleged of the Corean bonzes,
to the capital. The familiar route between the most profligate expression, or, as it did
these places, with the exception of one in my own experience, the more modest form
splendid mountain-crossing, traverses a land- of larceny of one's personal effects — deter the
scape never without interest, though lacking in traveller from keen appreciation of surround-
the higher elements of grandeur or romance. ings so romantic.
Surprise may be felt that in a country in passing which our native camp-followers
where the cloister is so generally and not would invariably bow and expectorate.
unjustly despised, it should yet succeed, in Female sorceresses and soothsayers, to
spite of popular scepticism and official neglect, cast horoscopes, and to determine the propi-
in attracting to itself a sufficient number of tious moment for any important action, are
recruits. The answer lies in the incurable also in great request. In Soul I heard a
laziness of the people. story of a sick man who was supposed to be
The Corean form of Buddhism is closely possessed by a devil, but was successfully
akin to the Chinese, and is widely divorced cured by an English mission doctor, who
from that which found favor in the more affected to drive out the evil spirit, which was
artistic atmosphere of Japan. Its hideously forthwith pursued down the street by a large
bedaubed temples, which only become toler- crowd and "run to ground" in the mission
able with age, and its multiform, grotesque, compound.

and barbarous images have little in common
with the beauty of Ikegami or the glories of
Worship of Ancestors.
Nikko, or even with the less aesthetic attrac- Among the upper classes the only vital
tions of Asakusa. Essentially Chinese, too, form of religion is ancestor worship, devel-
is the manner in which the original faith has oped by familiarity with Confucianism and
been overlaid with superstitions, and has had by long connection with the Chinese. A
grafted on to it an entire pantheon of semi- man has no higher ambition than to leave
deified heroes. male descendants who may worship his
ghost and offer sacrifice at his grave. An
Singular Superstitions. outcome of the same ethical system is the
Nevertheless, it is a welcome relief to sense of filial piety, which would have ren-
upon the shrines even of a dishonored

alight dered JEneas a typical Chinaman, of unques-
and moribund faith in a country where no tioning obedience to the sovereign, and of
popular cult appears to exist save that of duty to the aged and to friends.
spirits, dictated in most cases by nervous No Buddhist monks are allowed inside the
apprehension of the forces of nature, and cities —a prohibition which is said to have
where, as the old Dutch navigator put it, "as originated in the Japanese invasion 300 years
for Religion, the Coresians have scarcely any." ago, when the invaders crept into some of the
To these superstitions is the Corean peas- towns in monastic disguise —although the
ant peculiarly prone. Outside his villages King, in the neighborhood of the capital,
are seen wooden distance-posts carved into has one or more secure mountain retreats,
, the hideous and grinning likeness of a human whither, in time of danger, he flees to the
head, in order to propitiate the evil spirits. protection of a monkish garrison.
Of similar application are the bronze figures Travelling in Corea is best undertaken in
of monsters that appear upon the roofs of the autumn months of the year. The
palaces and city gates, the rags and ropes climate is then perfect —a warm sun by day
that are tied to the boughs of trees (supposed, and refreshing coolness at night. In the
inCorean demonology, to be the particular winter deep snow falls and the cold is exces-
abode of spirits), and the stones that are sive. The summer heats are equally un-
heaped together on the summits of hill-roads, pleasant. There are no made roads in the
country, and the tracks are mere bridle-paths, from their slumbers or hiding with cuffs and
of greater or less width, according to the violent imprecations. In a few moments
extent to which they are trodden. half a dozen torches are ignited, and, amid
In a country that is as plentifully sprinkled waving banners of flame, the cavalcade dis-
with mountains as a ploughed field is with appears into the night.

ridges, these are frequently steep and stony Sport is a further and agreeable conco-
in the extreme, and in the out-of-the-way mitant of journeying, although, as in every
parts which I visited the track was not country in the world, not much game can be
unfrequently the precipitous and boulder- seen except by divergence from the hurried
strewn bed of a mountain torrent, amid and track of travel. Pheasants abound in the
over the jagged rocks of which none but a undergrowth on the mountains. In the
Corean pony could pick his way. winter months every variety of wild-fowl,
from wild geese and swans to wild duck,
Tough and Wiry, teal, water hen, plover, and snipe, swarm
A wonderful little animal indeed is the along the coast and rivers or in the soaking
latter. With the exception of the ox, which rice-plots.
is the beast of heavy burden, and the
donkey, which is much afifected by the im- Shouts of Delight.
pecunious gentry, no other pack or riding The natives either snare them or shoot
animal is known. Rarely more than eleven them sitting and the spectacle of a rocket-
;
hands higli, combative and vicious, always ing mallard brought down from a great
kicking or fighting when he can, he will yet, height in the air is greetedby them with
with a burden of 150 lbs. or 200 lbs. upon frantic shouts of admiration and delight.
his back, cover a distance of some thirty Turkey bustards, cranes, herons, pink and
miles a day and provided he has his slush
; white ibis are also encountered, and there is a
of beans and chopped straw, boiled in water, large eagle, whose tail-feathers are much
three times a day, before starting, at noon, prized by the Chinese for fans.
and in the evening, he emerges very little the But the richness of the Corean covert lies
worse at the end of a lengthy journey. rather in fur and skin than in feather. Hares,
Each pony is attended by its own mapu, foxes, badgers, wild cat, wild boar, sables,
or driver, and the humors of these indi- ermin, and otter in the far north, and different
viduals, who sing and smoke and crack jokes kinds of deer (which are hunted for the
and quarrel all day long, are among the medicinal properties supposed in China to
alleviations of travel. If the destination be belong to the horns of the young buck) are
not reached before nightfall the bearers of to be found in the scrub on the mountains.
official passports have the right to torch- Leopards are quite common, and in the
bearers from each village. Long before winter months sometimes venture even inside
reaching the latter, tremendous shouts of the walls of Soul.
' Usa, usa ! '
(torch), are raised by the mapus But the tiger is the king of Corean quar-
and if upon arrival the
or yamen-r\xc\.'!Xtrs ; ries. He is of great size; and I saw, while
Government linkmen are not forthcoming in Corea, some splendid skins. His haunt is
with their torches —made of a lopped pine- the wooded mountain-slopes near the east
,Ug or a truss of straw— ^they are roused coast, and the entire belt of country north-
o
o
o
o
H
o
295
wards as far as the forests on the Yalu, sportsman with a much worse appetite than
where man-eaters are not uncommon. In when he started.
winter-time tigers have more than once come Thus wayfaring through the country one
down into the settlement at Gensan and sees much of peasant hfe and agriculture.
carried off a victim ; I even heard there of a The villages are collections of mud-huts,
European who, going out to met a tiger dine, thatched with straw (over which, as a rule,
walking down the middle of the road and ; runs a climbing gourd), warmed by flues
when I was at Chang An Sa (the Hall of running beneath the floors,and surrounded
Eternal Peace), the principal of the Keum for protection or seclusion by a wattled fence
Kang San monasteries, one was said to of branches or reeds.
patrol the quadrangle every night, and we On the clay floor outside are usually seen
came across their spoor and droppings. drying a matful of red chillies, or of millet
and rice grains fresh threshed by the flail;
Royal Tiger-Hunters.
long strings of tobacco leaves, suspended in
The King maintains a body of royal tiger- festoons,have been picked from the garden
hunters, who capture them by means of pits plot hard by, from which also a few castor-
and traps, the commonest of these being a oil plants are rarely absent. A small sty of
sort of big wooden cage constructed of black and abominable little pigs usually
timbers and stones, rather like a gigantic fronts the road, on which the children are
mouse-trap. A pig is tied up inside, and the disporting themselves in a state of compara-
entrance of the tiger releases the door ^md tive nudity.
confines the beast, who is then despatched
with spears. The natives, however, regard Wide Wastes of Country.
the animal with an overpowering apprehen- Inside, the sour-visaged females are per-
sion, and there is an old Chinese saying that forming the work of the household, or are
"the Coreans hunt the tiger during one-half winnowing the grain
grinding, threshing, or
of the year, while the tiger hunts the Coreans on the open threshold. The men are away
during the other half." They will not travel in the rice-fields or among the crops of
singly at night, butgo abroad in company, millet, beans,and buckwheat, which are the
brandishing torches and striking gongs. staple cereal produce of the country. Cul-
They are also most reluctant to act as tivation is assiduous, but not close. Hun-
beaters; whence, perhaps, it arises that, dreds of acres of cultivable, but uncleared
common as the tiger is in Corea, I have soil, alternate with the tilled patches, and
rarely heard of a European who has bagged coarse grasses wave where the yellow grain
one to his own rifle. I am sometimes asked should be ripening for the garner.
by sportsmen as to the charms or chances of I saw no carts or wagons on my journeys,
a Corean expedition. As regards wild-fowl although they are used in the north, near
shooting, the great nuisance is that there is Ham-heung, and in a few other places. The
no means of disposing of the slain, and after ox, which is the familiar beast of burden,
a time mere slaughter palls; while, as sometimes drags after him a rude wooden
regards big game, the difficulties and the sled. More commonly a sort of rack is
hardships of travel, accommodation, food, fitted on to his back, and is packed with
and following, will probably send back the firewood for fuel. Men do not, as in Japan
and China, carry burdens on bamboo poles, small column in case it should have been
but in wooded racks, called chi-kai, upon metamorphosed and should re-
into a bird
their backs. quire a perch. The commonest form of
They rest themselves by sitting down, in grave, however, is a large, circular, grassy
which position the rack, having a wooden mound, usually placed upon the side of a
peg or leg, stands upright upon the ground. hill or summit of a little knoll, and sur-
\ The long, thin pipe of the country, between rounded with Scotch firs. The site is
two and three feet in length, when not be- selected after consultation with a soothsayer,
tween the lips of its owner, is stuck in his is visited every year on fixed days, and is
collar at the back of and protrudes

his neck, ever afterwards kept inviolate from the spade
sideways into the air. When a pony is shod or plough. The environs of Soul are
it is thrown down upon its back, and its legs sprinkled with thousands of such graves.
tied together at the fetlock by a rope. Officialism, which is the curse of the coun-
try, is not without itseffect even upon the
Tablets of Stone.
fortunes of travel. Such an incubus is the
Outside towns of any size may commonly travelling mandarin, who quarters himself
be seen a number of stones, or tablets (some- where he pleases and exacts rations for which
times of iron or copper), bearing inscriptions he never pays, that the villagers flee from an
in Chinese characters. These are erected official passport as from the pest. Though
either in connection with some historical I paid for everything, chickens and eggs
event, or more frequently in honor of a local were constantly refused me, on the plea that
governor, who has earned the gratitude of none were forthcoming, but really, I sup-
the people, not for justice or clemency, pose, from fear that, on the strength of the
which are not expected, but for wielding kuan-chow, I should appropriate without
with no more than ordinary severity his pre- payment whatever was produced.
rogative of spoil; or of a successful local
candidate at the literary examinations, or of A Motley Crowd.
some public benefactor, or of a virtuous wife Under these circumstances, it is necessary to
who has found in suicide the sole consola- carry almost everything with one, in the form
tion for the loss of her spouse. of tinned provisions. In the out-of-the-way
Chinese influence is visible everywhere, ports few wayfarers are encountered; but
notably in the disposition of the dead. The near the capital the road will be crowded
Royal Tombs are at a distance of ten miles with officials, tucked up in small and com-
from the east gate of Soul but they are on; fortless sedans, with candidates going up to
a modest scale compared with the mauso- or returning from the examinations, with pil-
leums of Peking and Hue. Mandarins' grims, traders, professional players or
graves are frequently marked by a stone mountebanks, beggars, picnicers, and impe-
table or altar for offerings, and a stele or cunious vagabonds of every quality and
pillar, bearing the epitaph of the deceased. style.
Sometimes, after the Chinese fashion, stone These are the picturesque sides and spec-
effigies of warriors or animals are added, or tacles of Corean travel. There are some
a saddled stone horse, in case the spirit of who would find in the Corean inn, which is
the defunct should care to take a ride, or a the unavoidable resting-place at night, a
more than compensating pain. There are no Chinese colonists brought to Corea Chinese
good inns in the country, because there is no arts and politics. Down to modern times
class to patronize them. The and
officials Corea has remained pecfectly secluded. Al-
yangbans, as I have shown, quarter them- most the first knowledge of Corea obtained
selves on the magistracies. The peasant by Europe was through the shipwreck of
accepts the rude hospitality of his kind, and some Dutchmen on the coast in 1653. The
the village inn is only the compulsory resort missionary De Cespedes had, however, en>
of the residuum. tered Corea at the end of the sixteenth cen-
Surrounding a small and filthy courtyard, tury, and from 1777 other missionaries fol-
to which access is gained by a gateway from lowed. In 1 8 3 S M. Maubant gained a footing
the street, is on one side a long shed with in Corea, but in 1866, after thousands of
a wooden trough, from which the ponies converts had been put to death, the only
suck their sodden food; on another side is three Catholic missionaries left had to flee
the earthenware vat, and the furnace by for their lives. To avenge the death of the
which it is cooked; opening off in a single, Catholics the French sent an expedition,
small, low-roofed room, usually eight feet which was, however, repulsed, while a
square, unadorned by any furniture save one stranded American schooner was burned
or two dilapidated straw mats and some with her crew in sight of Phyong-ycmg.
wooden blocks to serve as pillows. In 87 1 the United States was baffled in
1
There the traveller must eat, undress, the attempt to obtain redress. Japan was
dress, wash, and sleep as well as he can. the first to effect a footing in Corea in 1876,
He is fortunate if the surrounding filth is when a was concluded between the
treaty
not the parent of even more vexatious ene- two countries.Corea followed this up with
mies to slumber. Nevertheless, I have wooed treaties with China and the United States in
and won a royal sleep in the Corean inn; 1882; with Germany and Great Britian,
wherefore let me not unduly abuse it. 1883; with Italy and Russia, 1884; and
The government of Corea is a hereditary with France in 1886. The three ports
and absolute monarchy, and carried on opened to foreign trade are Chemulpo,
through three ministers, besides whom are Fusan, and Gensan. The new policy led to
ministers of six departments. Caste is very discontent ; and there was an insurrection in
powerful, and no office of even only local 1884. A rumor that Russia was about to
importance is held by other than a noble. establish a protectorate over Corea in 1888
The earliest records of Corea carry us was officially denied, although it is known
back to 1 122 B.C., when Ki-tze with 5000 she has long had her eye on that country.
CHAPTBR XVIII.
OUTBREAK OF THE WAR BETWEEN CHINA AND JAPAN.
ON the twenty-second of July, 1894,

the startling news came from
Shanghai that war between China
covet the land.
ese and Chinese,
Corea
and
which race the inhabitants hate most.
it
is claimed by Japan-
is difficult to say
They
and Japan was considered inevit- are, however, more afraid of the Chinese,
able. It was known that there was a feud who always assume superior airs as belong-
of long standing between the two countries ing to the dominant power.
concerning Corea. A telegraph has penetrated Corea and a
Corea is a peninsula extending down from wire runs from Wan-San, a seaport town on
the mainland and is in close proximity to the east side, to the capital and Chemulpo
Japan. In area it is nearly twice as large as on the west coast.
the State of Pennsylvania. The average It is the fate of weak Eastern kingdoms to
width of Corea is 135 miles and the whole be the prey of their powerful neighbors.
length is about 600 miles. There are eight Corea has not only to endure the rivalries of
provinces, each with a Governor. The China and Japan, but is threatened with the
King's revenues, which are considerable, dangerous assistance of Russia.
are obtained chiefly by the letting of lands
and from a tithe of all the produce. The Civil War in Corea.
King owns nearly all the land property. The Russians have long wanted an open
The people are great sufferers through Asiatic port to replace Vladivostock, which
this system of land grabbing and tax farm- is icebound in winter time. Port Lazareff,
ing. Grinding poverty holds them in a or Gen-San, as the natives call it, about the
relentless grasp. middle of the east coast of Corea, would
The capital proper is Seoul, a walled town exactly suit them, but a Russian harbor
of 250,000 inhabitants, about twenty-five there could hardly be accepted by Great
miles inland and joined to its seaport by a she gave up Port
Britain, considering that
badly made road. Seoul is in the heart of Hamilton on the condition of no Russian
Corea and it is the one aim and object of port being established in the Japanese Sea.
every Corean to live there, for in the city In 1 89 1 civil war broke out in Corea.
every pleasure and vice is more easy of Ground down by tyranny and extor-
official
attainment and the chances of getting favor- tion, the people rose in despair. A " national
ite posts by judicious flattering and canvass- party,"—the " Tong Hak "—took the lead
ing of superiors are multiplied. and succeeded in securing a whole province.

The King is a puppet in the hands of his Then Japan appeared upon the scene, send-
Court, and the country only preserves its ing troops to suppress the insurrection on
independence through the jealousy of the the plea of protecting her subjects. The
Chinese, Japanese and Russians, all of whom Mikado's Government next proposed to
299
China jointly to recognize the weak Corean such as introducing the electric light into his
administration after a more modern fashion, palace. His time is largely occupied in re-
but China as suzerain of Corea, would brook ligious ceremonies.
no interference. Then, therefore, the ques- The Coreans are tall, well-formed men,
tion resolved itself into a trial of military- very like the Chinese of the better class.
force between the rival empires. Indeed, Corea in many ways is a kind of
Li Houi, King of Corea, is the twenty- duplicate of China.
eighth sovereign of the dynasty of Han. A Corean's great weakness is hats. His
He ascended the throne in 1864, when he imagination runs wild on hats, and he wears
was thirteen years old. a vast variety of them. The ordinary rain
He has a variety of titles such as " Son of hat, made of oiled paper, looks like a folded
Heaven " and "
King of Ten Thousand fan. The common hatis so made of bam-
Isles," yet this hereditary claim and all his boo and hair cloth as to let in the rain in
grandeur did not save him the humiliation of winter and the sun in summer. The upper
being obliged to ask China's permission to classes always wear overcoats the poor ;
assume rulership or pay heavy annual dues. only wear them by way of evening dress.
The Chinese Emperor regards him as a vas-
sal, but the King of Corea is so holy a
Love for Children.
personage in his own country that it is a The principal moral virtue of the Corean
sacrilege to even mention his name. He is that he loves his children so dearly that
literally has no name to speak of until he he neither slays nor exposes them. In re-
dies. Then his successor allows him one. turn, if a son meets his father in the street,
he makes obeisance, and, if his father is im-

An Act of High Treason. prisoned, it is a sacred duty to hang the
To touch him with an iron weapon is high whole time about the prison door.
treason. One of his predecessors, Tieng- There is no division of labor to speak of;
tseng-tsi-oung, died from an abscess in the each peasant makes everything he wants.
neck in 1800 rather than have it lanced. Paper is the one manufacture. The national
His present Majesty, presumably, shaves shoe is made of straw, with an aperture for
himself. On the other hand, any subject the great toe to peep out of
touched by the King's hand has to always The Corean money, called " cash," is
wear a brass plate to commemorate the fact. made of the basest and cheapest composi-
The King is now the Mikado's prisoner in tion. It takes three thousand "cash" to
his own capital, Seoul, July 23, 1894, though equal seventy-five cents of our money. It
his subjects may known it, for this

not have is all a Corean pony can do to carry ;^ 1 5 in
ruler of the Hermit Kingdom is a veritable "cash." In the country districts coins of
hermit to the outside world, as invisible to greater value than " cash " are of no use ;
his people as the Chinese Emperor. one cannot get change for them.
His Queen, who belongs to the noble The causes of the trouble respecting Corea
Min family, is nearly a year older than he. may be summed up as follows :
Their son, Li Tchok, the hereditary or comes a permanent ill-feeling

First of all
crown prince, was born February 4, 1873. between Chinese and Japanese, who have a
Li Houi has a few ideas of modern ways, rooted dislike for one another.
OUTBREAK OF THE WAR BETWEEN CHINA AND JAPAN. 301
Second, their mutual jealousy as the two China can put into the field is known to none
great Far Eastern Powers. outside of the " Flowery Kingdom," and to
Third, there were Japan's vastly prepon- few within the realm. Their equipment, too,
derant interests — population, shipping, trade is a good deal of a mystery. The Japanese
— in Corea, against China's ancient suzerainty are not only well drilled and well armed,
and her modern pohtical control of Corean but they are brave and competent.
affairs. Regarding the suzerainty of China over
Fourth, the rebellion in Corea, threatening Japan it amounts to very little. The " Son
all foreigners, including Japanese, stands for of Heaven," as the Emperor of China is
something, but not so much as has been styled at home, considers himself the suze-
made out, for Corean rebeUions are not very rain of the world.He was suzerain of
serious affairs. Lower and Upper Burmah, and lost them
Fifth, Japan was exasperated by the de- both. Thibet is the only country the " Son
coying of the pro-Japanese Corean rebel, of Heaven " would fight desperately for.
Kim-Ok-Kiun, from his refuge in Tokio, and
murder in Shanghai, winked at by
his brutal
The Crown Prince.
the Chinese Government. Of the King and Crown Prince of Corea

few entertain a flattering opinion. The
Russia Seeking a Port. Crown Prince is described as little better
was afraid, not without rea-
Sixth, Japan than a " self-opinionated idiot." The King
son, that China was about to settle her dif- is a slight improvement upon this. Corea
ficulties with Russia by allowing the latter alone is never in a position to make a fight.
to occupy a port on the east coast of Corea. The country is impoverished, and under its
Finally, both countries believed themselves present ruler is of no use to the Coreans or
to possess powerful forces of the European to anybody else. There are only a few hun-
kind, and were not sorry to have an oppor- dred Corean soldiers at the capital, and they
tunity of showing what they could do with are of the opera bouffe order.
them. This was much truer of Japan than The assassination of Kim-Ok-Kiun, if not
of China. the prime cause of the trouble between Japan
A high opinion was entertained of the and China, has had much to do with precipi-
Japanese army. Up to the time of the tating long-standing national enmities into
Franco-German war the instructors of this active preparations for war. On March 27,
army were Frenchmen. The result of the 1894, three men arrived at Shanghai from
war was sufficient, in Japanese opinion, to Japan. They took up quarters in a Japanese
make a change desirable, and the French in- hotel in the foreign settlement.
structors were changed for English, Ger- One of the three was Kim-Ok-Kiun, an
man and Italian. Few of these remain, as instigator if not the instigator, of the Corean '
the Japanese now think they know enough massacre of December, 1894. For nine
about the art of war to prosecute it without years Kim had been a refugee in Japan.
foreign assistance. Unsuccessful demands for his surrender had
The Japanese army is equipped according several times been made by the King of
to the most modern ideas, and is of consider- Corea to the Japanese authorities. As the
able size, while the number of troops that Emperor of China is the acknowledged
suzerain of Corea, much surprise was felt counter-proposals, and was not willing to
that Kim should have dared to set foot on yield her prerogatives.
Chinese soil. Advices from Shanghai, July 23, stated
An English journalist set out to probe the that while war had not yet been actually de-
mystery, but before he found his way to the clared, the outlook was not all encouraging.
Japanese hotel the Corean was lying dead It was reported that Japanese gunboats,
with three revolver bullets in his body. On with a large force of troops are now bom-
the body of the murdered man was found a barding Corean ports. There was consider-
card, bearing the name, " Kim-Ok-Kiun," and it was an-
able excitement in the city,
printed in Roman characters. nounced that the Government was already
The murderer proved to be one Hong organizing regiments to reinforce the regular
Sjyong-Ou, a Corean of good position, re- army of the Empire. The greatest loyalty
cently a somewhat prominent figure in Par- to the Government was felt at the emergency.
isian society. He had, he said, assassinated Twelve thousand troops immediately left
Kim by order of the King of Corea. He Taku with a fleet of gunboats, it was sup-
was acquitted and set free. On Hong's reposed for Seoul, with orders to fight the
turn to Corea after the murder he was re- Japanese if they opposed China's occupation
ceived with honors, while his victim's body of any point in Corea. If war should be
was subjected to mutilation and public ex- declared the government at Pekin would
posure. make a levy of 20,000 men from each Chi-
nese province and send a fleet to attack
Accused of Intrigue.
Japanese ports.
It is alleged in justification of his assassi-
nation by order of the King of Corea, that Distrust of Japan.
he had been intriguing not only with Japan, It was generally believed that Japan did
but with Russia, for the overthrow of the not desire a pacific settlement of the Corean
Chinese suzerainty. dispute. As evidence of this, attention was
At Yokohama, was reported
July 22, it called to the fact that as soon as one diffi-
that the war feeling was running high and culty was overcome, Japan immediately
the whole nation was much impressed with raised another. The latest attitude of the
the refusal of the Government to keep out of King of Corea in the crisis was supposed to
the Corean treaty ports at the request of be due to China's decided measures to up-
China. Corea was also reported to have hold her claim to sovereignity over the
executed the proposed reforms, but it was Corean peninsula.
said that the acceptance by Corea of the re- The Chinese Government officially an-
forms proposed by Japan was conditional nounced that it was preparing to block
upon the withdrawal of the Japanese troops the Yang-Tse-Kiang River and the bar near
from Corea. Woosung at any moment in case of need.
The Japanese Government was surprised In this connection it will be of interest to
at this firm stand, which was supposed to the reader to have a detailed statement con-
prove that Chinese influence was paramount cerning the strength of the Japanese army.
in Corea. In the direct negotiations between Immediately after the civil war the Em-
Tokio and Pekin, China ignored the Japanese peror of Japan, who had decided to " Eu-
<
w
H
h
O
o
o
K
K
•<
ft.
303
ropeanize" his country and his court, saw sers being replaced by a gold one, and a
first the immediate necessity of organizing similar uniform is worn by the male mem-
the army. Young men were sent to study bers of the Imperial family. As for the
in the military schools of France and Eng- soldiers, they still wear the German cap, the
land, while French and English instructors rest of the uniform, however, being made
were engaged to come to Japan. It was in like that of the French.
1 868 when the French Empire seemed to be Since 1874 conscription is law in Japan,
leading Europe, and had covered itself with and every male inhabitant in the country is
glory in Algeria, Italy and the Crimea. subject to military service from seventeen to
forty years of age. The Japanese land
Grotesque Helmets.
forces are divided into :
The Japanese did not hesitate in copying —Standing army—

First ^three years' ser-
the French army as much and as well as vice.
they could. French instructors were called Second—Standing army — four reserve
to Japan,and the old huge, grotesque iron years' service.
—
mask helmets which were supposed to Third—Reserves— five years' service.
frighten the enemy —
chain and lacquer Fourth— army—eleven
Territorial years'
armor, were replaced by modern uniforms liability to serve.
copied from the French.
The Japanese of all times have always Size of the Army.
been great warriors, fearless, full of courage The standing army reserves are required
and energy, nearly the whole of the male to serve sixty days each year, but the terri-
population being accustomed to the use of torial army is called out only in case of
arms. They are able to stand any amount war or grave emergency. A sweeping sys-
of fatigue. After the war of 1870, the in- tem of exemptions exists, but, as it is, the
fluence of France in the Japanese army standing army comprises about 50jOOO
yielded before that of Germany. soldiers. In a few days the number can
Prussian officers were called to Japan, and be raised to 210,000, comprising only
easily
the French "kepi" was replaced by the Ger- men who have served for the most part,
man flat and round military cap. But of three years.
late the French have come to the front The proportions of the different arms are
again, and many of the best Japanese officers Infantry 102,382
are graduated from St. Cyr, the Polytech- Cavalry 1,459
nique and Saumur. Artillery 7,881
Engineers 3,522
The army uniforms and equipments of the Transports 55iOo6
modern Japanese officer are exactly like Gendarmes 1.436
those of the French. I have seen in Tokio Military schools 2,910
who, had he been Central staff 21O14
many a young officer
Imperial Guard 5.591
walking or riding in the Champs Elysees,
would have been undoubtedly taken for an There are 450 staff officers, 3,360 com-
officer of the French artillery. The Em- missioned officers and 10,391 non-commis-
peror's uniform is that of a commander of sioned officers.
artillery in France, the red band on the trou- The infantry is armed with an eight-mil-
limetre-repeatingrifle, designed from Eu- manned and officered entirely by Japanese

ropean models by a Japanese colonel, and is who make competent commanders.
considered superior to those of Germany Some years ago Japan gave up building
and France. It much resembles the Lebel or buying large ironclads, of which she has
system. The magazine, when fully loaded, only five. On the other hand, they have
contains eight cartridges; it has a ninth thirty-two cruisers and forty-two torpedo
one in the breech and a tenth in the cham- boats. The Itsukusima and Matsusima, of
ber,and it can be used as a non-repeater. French build, are of 4277 tons. The Chi-
The powder used is smokeless and produces yoda steams over nineteen knots, the Naniwa
very little noise. The bullet is of hardened (English built, of 3650 tons) has about the
lead, covered with copper. same speed, while the Yoshino has made
over twenty-three knots, and is considered
Quick-Firing Guns.
the fastest vessel of her class in the world,
The artillery is magnificently equipped the United States cruisers excepted. Most
with field quick firing guns, and they are of these Japanese cruisers are not sufficiently
drilled with a coolness, smartness and rapid- protected, many and could not
not at all,
ity that would hardly be excelled. It is, possibly engage the heavy armored Chinese
however, to be feared that the Japanese ironclads at close range.
artillery will not see much active service in
Corea, the country being exceedingly moun- Modern Inventions.
tainous and having no roads over which the All branches of the two services are ad-
guns might be transported. mirably organized, as well as in any Euro-
The Japanese cavalry, on the other hand, pean country. The coasts are defended by
whose number is altogether out of propor- modern forts, well armed with quick firing
tion with the remainder of the army, is ex- guns, and are provided with electric search
tremely defective. There are but few horses lights, strategical railroad lines, telephones,
in Japan, and they are not worth much. In telegraphs, etc.

spite of the greatest efforts, the Government A well informed correspondent wrote to
has been unable to find a race of horses that the London Times in the highest terms of the
could be acclimated. Nearly all the cavalry equipment and admirable military temper of
ofificers are graduated from Saumur, and the Japanese army. " The Chinese," he says,
can be relied upon as knowing their business have sent an army to the Corea. But it
thoroughly. would be as reasonable to match brave men
The Japanese navy has been copied from armed with pitchforks against brave men
that of England, though of late nearly all armed with rifles as to pit, man for man, the
the cruisers and torpedo boats not built in Chinese in their present condition against the
Japan have been ordered in France. The Japanese.
dockyard at Yokosuka and the arsenal at " The Japanese are armed with the Murat
Koishikawa are thoroughly equipped, and magazine rifle, and there is no better rifle in
first-rate torpedo boats and the most elabo- Europe. It is manufactured at the arsenal
rate ordnance are turned out there. The at Tokio; 1200 men are employed, and 120
cruisers and gunboats are among the finest rifles turned out a day in times of peace. It
vessels of their class afloat, and they are carries ten rounds in the magazine on the
20
Remington principle; the bullet is lead, was the wearing of European boots. Men
coated with copper, that metal being plenti- who had all their lives been accustomed to
ful in Japan; the Geneva Convention has straw sandals having to thrust their feet into
no jurisdiction here, so the copper bullet is hard leather boxes, so to speak, very soon
not tabooed. went lame. But this is the only thing I
" The Japanese cavalry are well equipped, noticed that required alterations after a very
though, to our ideas, badly mounted, but careful inspection of the three arms, both
they are thoroughly aware of their short- guards and line.
comings, and are taking steps to remedy

them by degrees. The horse they are Fine Soldiers.
mounted on is, after all, the horse of the " The troops they remind me most of are
country, and no animal could be better Indian Goorkhas, and of all native and
adapted for service in Japan or in Corea. colonial troops that I have seen —and I have
The same applies to the artillery horses, seen most of them — I would, next to
which are simply 14-hand ponies, but strong Goorkhas, prefer a regiment of Japanese.
and hardy to a marvellous degree. Their They are brave, temperate, patient and ener-
field guns are 7-pounders, made at Osaca on getic, and though the Chinese might be made,
a patent of their own, I forget its name, but under European officers, as fine soldiers as
its action is simple and rapid and resembles they are, at this moment they are about two
Krupp's; they have also 12-pounder Krupps, hundred years behind them ; and although
and heavy Armstrong guns for the defence the victory is not always to the strong, as
of forts. was found out in the Boer campaign, from
every data that a soldier can judge by, the
The German Drill. Japanese should beat the Chinese in Corea
"Their drill is that of the German army with the greatest ease."
twenty years ago. They are precise and To proceed with the narrative of events,
steady, and the officers know their work and itwas reported from Yokohama, Japan, on
how to teach
it. In the cavalry swords were August 1st, that although war had not been
carried on the saddle until the Emperor one declared, several naval engagements had
day remarked it, and said that only gentle- been fought. The most important of these
men wore swords and the cavalryman was was on July 25th, in the neighborhood of
not a gentleman, so swords are not now worn Japan, and was claimed by the Japanese as
on the body. a "signal victory." This is not the view of
" One great feature in all the barracks is the English press of Japan, from which the
the gymnasium. The men are thoroughly following account is taken :
trained in this department, and some of the Three Japanese men-of-war, the Akitsu-
feats Isaw performed by cavalry recruits of shima, Takachiho and Naniwa, met at sea
the guard at their general inspection would the Chinese cruiser Tsi Yuen, with a small
have done credit to any circus. despatch boat, the Kootsu, and the transport
"Their wonderful neatness, completeness Kow Shing, and after an engagement lasting
and regularity is what struck me most. an hour and twenty minutes captured the
Everything was tidy, everything was ready, despatch boat and sank the transport, while
everything was there. Their only trouble the cruisers escaped.
To fully appreciate the action the relative Akitusushima engaged the Tsi Yuen and
strength of the combatants must be consid- Kootsu. The former, after fighting stub-
ered. On the Japanese side were the Akitu- bornly for over an hour, displayed flags of
sushima, of 3150 tons, and with a speed of surrender, and the Japanese men-of-war were
nineteen knots ; the Takaschiho, of 3700 approaching her, when she suddenly dis-
tons, and with a speed of eighteen and a half charged torpedoes, which, however, the
knots, and the Naniwa, fully as large, power- Japanese were able to dispose of. The
ful and swift as either of her companions. engagement was then renewed more hotly
The armament of these three included one than ever, until, finally, the Tsi Yuen turned
42-ton gun, four 28-ton guns, twenty rapid and made off" at full speed toward Jinsen,
firingand thirty-two machine guns. On the being pursued for one hundred miles by the
other side was the Tsi Yuen, of 2355 tons, Japanese, but was not overtaken.
2800 horse-power, a speed of but fifteen
knots, and carrying two 8}^ -inch guns, one An Easy Capture.
5-inch and nine machine guns. The despatch The Kootsu got aground in shallow water
boat was entirely unarmed, and being a while seeking sheltered anchorage, and thus
wooden ship not steaming more than eight fell an easy captive to the Japanese. The
knots, her power of resisting capture was as Chinese fought their guns much more
small as her capacity to evade it. rapidly than their opponents, and had they
not been so greatly outnumbered would
Immediately Opened Fire. undoubtedly have achieved victory. As it
The Japanese war ships were proceeding was, it is a strong testimony to the skill of
toward Jinsen (Chemulpo), when the Chinese the Tsi Yuen's commander that he fought
trio were met. The Chinese war ships, on two of Japan's best ships for a full hour and
seeing the Japanese flagship, immediately then escaped.
opened their ports, instead of observing the From another account we learn that
usual courtesies, and began fighting, appar- although the fighting, though of short dura-
ently to cover the retreat of the transport ation, was very severe. One of the Japa-
steamer, which left,promptly pursued by the nese warships got within a comparatively
Naniwa. At this juncture the transport was short distance of the transport Kow Shing
flying a white flag, as well as the English and discharged a torpedo at her. The mis-
colors. sile was well directed and struck the trans-
What happened to her was not seen by the port fairly. A terrific explosion followed
combatants, but was reported by the Naniwa. and the Kow Shing began at once to fill.
Her officers* account is that the flag of sur- Prior to the discharge of the torpedo the
render was no sooner displayed than the crew of the transport, which was armed, and
Chinese on board prepared to attack the the military force on board of her, made a
boarding parties from the Naniwa, and, in hard fight against the attacking force. Many
fact, did on them as they came alongside.
fire of those on board of her were shot dead on
The boats then returned to the cruiser and her deck.
the transport was sunk with one well directed When the vessel began to sink there was
shot. great excitement on board. In the dire con-
In the meantime, the Takachiho and fusion that prevailed no attempt was made to
lower the small boats. But even had such was supposed to be on his way to take com-
an attempt been made the boats could only- mand of the Chinese army in Corea.
have carried a small percentage of those on Another spirited battle between the Chinese
board. and Japanese fleets was fought July 30th.
Every foreigner on board the transport, After a fierce fight the Chinese ironclad
which had been chartered by the Chinese man-of-war Chen Yuen, the largest and
Government from an English company, was most recently built ship in the Chinese navy,
either killed in the fighting or went down was sunk, and two Chinese cruisers were
with the vessel when she foundered. captured by the Japanese.
The loss of life was very great. Of The two Chinese cruisers were the Chih
nearly 2000 Chinese troops on board of her Yuen and Ching Yuen. It was reported
only forty were saved.They were picked that another cruiser, the Foo Tshing, was
up by the French gunboat Lion that was also destroyed. The Chinese fleet carried
cruising in the vicinity. about one thousand men, most of whom
Only a short time elapsed between the ex- were drowned. Among the killed were two
plosion of the torpedo and the foundering of German officers attached to the Chen Yuen.
the transport. The vessel went down sud- The Chen Yuen was a battle ship of 7400
denly near Shopoint Island, at which place tons displacement, carrying 14^ inches
her commander made an attempt to beach compound armor at the water line. Her
her. battery included four 1 2-inch guns protected
The Tsao Kian, which was captured by by an armored breastwork, and two smaller
the Japanese, was an old man-of-war that Krupps, eleven Hotchkiss cannon, two 8^-
had been impressed into use as a transport. inch and 6-inch Krupps in her main battery
Many men were killed on board of her and a secondary battery of Hotchkiss re-
before she fell into the hands of the Japanese. volving cannon. She also had tubes for
The Kow Shing was the fastest vessel in Whitehead torpedoes.
Eastern waters, and the Japanese were glad The Chen Yuen was a sister ship of the
of the chance of depriving China of her Ting Yuen and was the most powerful war-
services. The presence on board of General ship in the Chinese navy with the exception
Von Hanneken would also give an incentive of the Ting Yuen. Its loss was a serious
to an attack upon the ship, as that officer blow to the Chinese navy.
CHAPTBR XDC.
THE BATTLE OF PING=YANQ.
DURING weremonth ports
the of August re-
frequently received
tember, the result of which was a victory for
the Japanese army.
of the advance of the Japanese Some account of this town will be of
army into the Kingdom of interest to the reader.
Corea. War had been formerly declared Ping- Yang, or, as it is more correctly
by Japan, had been made
vast preparations spelt, Ping-An, is the capital of the Corean
for carrying it had been landed
on, troops province called Ping-An Do, is situate upon
upon the Corean coast, and it was evident the Da-Tong (Ta-Tong), or Ping-An River,
that the Japanese had resolved to assume about fifty miles from its mouth. Its loca-
the aggressive and strike a powerful blow tion makes it a natural stronghold. The
before China could prepare herself for the river is, next to the Yalu River, on the
onset. north, which separates Corea from China,
It is doubtless true that Japan had been the most important waterway of the country,
anticipating the contest for at least ten years. and a number of considerable towns and
She believed the time would come when she villages are situated within its basin. It has
would have to maintain her claims in Corea been described as the Rubicon of Corean
by the force of arms. There is nothing to history, and at several periods anciently was
show that China expected an immediate war the boundary river between China and Corea,
with her eastern neighbor. Her army, such or of the rival kingdoms into which, in olden
as it was, could not compare with that of times, the Corea of to-day was divided.
Japan in discipline, in modern equipments
and especially in patriotic feeling and en- A Historic Town.
thusiasm, the loyal spirit that can turn one For a period of ten centuries, dating from
man, as it were, into a thousand. about the commencement of the Christian
It may therefore be said that in all coun- era. Ping- Yang was a royal seat. In the
tries this side of the Orient there was a quite remote past it has many times been besieged
universal expectation that in the early stages by both Japanese and Chinese armies, and
of the conflict Japan would be victorious. many decisive battles have been fought in
Nearly all the reports of skirmishes and its vicinity.
minor battles showed such to be the case. The murder of the crew of the General
From point to point the various divisions Sherman, an American schooner, in 1866,
of the Japanese army advanced, meeting but took place on the Da-Tong River, not far
little opposition. At Ping-Yang, however, from Ping-Yang. This occasioned the de-
a place strongly fortified, the Chinese troops spatch, in 187 1, of the United States naval
were massed and here an important battle expedition, under Admiral Rodgers, which
was fought on the 15 th and i6th of Sep- ended ignominiously. The Gamsa, or Gov-
309
ernor, of Ping-An Do resides at Ping-Yang. miles beyond the Corean frontier is Pien-
The province was shown by the last census Mun, "the Border Gate," where a great in-
to contain 293,400 houses, and to have ternational fair was wont to be held three or
174)538 men capable of bearing arms. four times a year.

The people of this province are more The first despatch announcing the battle of
aggressive and turbulent in character than Ping- Yang was dated at Shanghai, Septem-
those of the southern provinces. They are ber 17th, and was as follows :
said to be not very loyal to the reigning The Japanese attacked and carried Ping-
dynasty, and the government is constantly Yang (Ping-An) on Saturday and Sunday
apprehensive of revolutionary outbreaks after a stubborn resistance. The Japanese
among them. While this is especially true lost eight hundred killed and wounded.
of the Ping- Yang province it equally applies Twenty thousand Chinese surrendered.
to the people of the adjoining province on
the south, Whang-Hai Do. The Battle Begins.
Ping- Yang is reported to be very rich in On Thursday, September 1 3th, a Japanese

the precious metals and in minerals, but the column from Pong-San made a reconnois-
mining of gold and silver is prohibited by the sance in force, drawing the fire of the Chinese
general government. and thus ascertained their position. The
forts
column then fell back in good order with

The Yalu River. little loss. By Friday night all the Japanese
Another very important city of this prov- were in position for a combined attack upon
ince is Ai-Chin, or Ai-Chow (also written the enemy. The Gensan column threatened
Yi-Chow, Wi-Chow, and A-San). It is the the left flank of the Chinese, the Pong-San
nearest Corean town to the Chinese frontier, column menaced the Chinese centre, while
and the gateway of the kingdom. It is the Hwang Hai column operated against the
situated on a hill overlooking the noble right, which had been reinforced the day be-
Yalu, or Ap Nok which is easily

River, fore by a detachment of marines from the
navigable for junks as far up as Chan-Son, a fleet at the mouth of the Ta-tong River.
noted trading place, sixty miles from the The Chinese had utilized the old defences at
mouth of the river. Yalu means "dragon's Ping- Yang and thrown up new works, mak-
windings," and refers to the sinuous course ing the position an exceptionally strong one.
of the river; Ap Nok describes its deep The battle was opened on Saturday at
green color. daybreak by a Japanese cannonade of the
What was until a few years ago a " No Chinese works, which was continued with-
Man's Land " stretched along the further out cessation until afternoon, the Chinese
bank of the Yalu, in Chinese territory. It responding. The work with the heavy guns
was known as the Neutral Territory, and, showed good practice.
though highly fertile, was laid waste by the At about two o'clock a body of infantry
Corean Government two or three centuries was thrown forward by the Japanese, and
ago, and its cities razed to the ground to maintained a rifle fire upon the enemy until
prevent its further occupation by Chinese dusk. Throughout the day only the Pong-
outlaws and bandits, with which it was long San column was engaged. The Chinese
infested. It is now Chinese territory. Fifty defence had suffered greatly, but the losses
THE BATTLE OF PING- YANG. 311
on either side were small, both the Chinese of the casualties among the Japanese oc-
and Japanese having taken advantage of all curred during the first day's fighting, and
the shelter available. very few were the result of the night attack.
The Japanese troops, however, had gained Within ten hours after the conclusion of
some advanced positions. The firing con- the battle the military engineers had com-
tinued at intervals during the night, and in pleted a field telegraph line from Seoul, the
the meantime two Japanese flanking columns capital of Corea, to Ping- Yang (Ping-An).
had formed a cordon around the Chinese. A large number of prisoners were brought
At three o'clock on Sunday morning an into the Japanese camp from houses in
attack was made by the Japanese columns which they had hidden themselves during
simultaneously and with admirable precision. the final assault. Several thousand Chinese
The Chinese lines, which were so strong in fled toward a valley to the northward and,
front, were found to be weak in the rear, and upon finding their retreat in this direction
here the attack was a perfect success. The cut off) surrendered in a body. Ping- Yang
Chinese were completely taken by surprise, (Ping-An) was searched in the belief that a
and were thrown into a panic. Hundreds number of important Chinese officers were
were cut down, and those who escaped hiding in the city under the protection of
death, finding themselves surrounded at friendly Coreans.
every point, broke and fled. Some of
Viceroy Li Hung Chang's European drilled
Congratulations from the Emperor.
troops stood their ground to the eastward, The walls of Ping- Yang (Ping-An) were
and were cut down to a man. badly shattered by the cannonade which was
poured upon them by the guns of the Japan-
Captiire of Immense Stores. ese, but the city itself was only slightly
The Pong-San column, swarming over the damaged. The Japanese Emperor tele-
defences in front, completed the rout. Half graphed from Hiroshima, where the head-
an hour after the attack was opened the posi- quarters of the army are located, congratu-
tions at Ping- Yang (Ping-An) were in pos- lating Marshal Count Yamagata upon the
session of the Japanese. success of the arms.
It was estimated that 20,000 Chinese Marshal Yamagata issued a general order
soldiers were engaged in the battle. The commending the valor of his troops, which
Japanese captured immense storea/of provi- they demonstrated on the battlefield. The
sions and munitions of war and hundreds of order concluded with an expression of pride
colors. The Chinese loss was estimated at on the part of Marshal Yamagata at being
16,000 killed, wounded and taken prisoners. in command of so brave an army.

Among those captured by the Japanese were A flying column of the Japanese army
several of the Chinese commanding officers, pushed northward with the object of taking
including General Tso-Fung, commander-in- possession of the mountain passes. The
chief of the Manchurian army, who was sev- Japanese force pursued the fugitives, who
erely wounded. The number of the Chinese threw away their arms and readily yielded
who were killed was estimated at 2,300. themselves prisoners.
The Japanese loss was only 30 killed and A proclamation was issued promising full
270 wounded, including 11 officers. Most protection to the Coreans if they would re-
frain from acts of toward the Japan-
hostility military equipment and administration. The
ese. On the other hand, they were informed Powers will probably be content to accept
that if they gave shelter to or engaged in the faits accomplis if the Japanese are wise
traffic with the Chinese, they would be sum- enough to show moderation and a just sense
marily dealt with by process of martial law. of their position. The moment is favorable
It was reported that four Chinese generals, for the neutral powers to renew their over-
Tso Paokwoi, Wei Jinkwoi, Ma Yukowong tures for peace. China might easily grant
and Sei Kinlin, together with 14,500 other the virtual independence of Corea, which
officers and men, were taken prisoners by Japan is probably willing to accept."
the Japanese at Ping- Yang. The Japanese Another journal commented as follows :
outnumbered the Chinese three to one. " The Japanese have every reason to pride
themselves upon the excellence of their mili-
Excited by the News.
tary arrangements, but it is not safe to
The Chinese were fearfully exicted over assume that the victory of the Japanese will
the news of the defeat and great slaughter of incline the Chinese to sue for peace. Defeat
army at Ping-Yang (Ping- An).
the Chinese in the past has only nerved the Chinese to
The Shanghai Mercury printed a special more strenuous efforts. It is much more
edition containing despatches from the front, probable that the Ping- Yang fight will have
and in its editorial comments on the result the effect to embitter and prolong the struggle
of the battle expressed full appreciation of than that it will result in China's involuntary
the crushing defeat and great slaughter of self-effacement in Corea."
the picked troops composing the Chinese
army engaged. The paper dilated upon the Brave and Brilliant ^Vork.
consequences of the disaster to the Chinese Says another journal :

" The Japanese army
arms and expressed well-grounded fear of a has done its work bravely and brilliantly,
speedy Japanese invasion. but their navy will now have a tough task.
Advices received at the Japanese Legation If they can defeat the Chinese Pei-Yang
in London officially confirmed the report of squadron, the Japanese forces will certainly
the absolute and crushing defeat of the land in China and reduce Port Arthur and
Chinese in the engagement at Ping-Yang. Wei- Wei from the land side, and possibly
Artillery salutes were fired at Tokio in attempt to advance upon Pekin. When this
celebration of the victory of the Japanese happens the end will not be far off. The
army. Mongolian colossus has feet of clay, which
Public opinion concerning the Japanese are crumbling. If the Powers, especially
victory was freely expressed through our England, were to intervene promptly with
leading journals. One called the battle friendly counsels, the conflict might be
" The Chinese Sedan," and affirmed that the ended."
Japanese managed their campaign with a The Chinese army of the north, consist-
grasp of military science and soldierly abil- ing of Manchus and Chi Li-men, at Ping-
ity deserving of the utmost eredit. Yang (Ping-An), numbered, according to
Another journal said :
" It is difficult to report, 50,000 men. The Chinese troops at
see how China can recover from the blow Heijo and its vicinity numbered nearly
which reveals the essential weakness of her 15,000, while there were with them 200 or
THE BATTLE OF PING-YANG. 313
300 Coreans. There were also 2,000 more Ping-Yang (Ping-An) would be the complete
marching from Kasesan upon Heijo, and occupation of Corea by Japan. Whatever
over 1,000 defeated troops from Seikwan might be the reorganization of the govern-
and Gazan were also making for Heijo. ment and the reforms elaborated by the
These figures were from Chinese oiificial Corean Council, they would be in reality
sources, and there is no doubt that she dictated by Japan and to her ultimate ad-
had, at least, 20,000 troops concentrated at vantage.
Ping -Yang, including some of the best Says a well-informed writer upon the
trainedand bravest soldiers. problem of Corea :
" Just outside the walls
On August 18 there were 10,000 Japanese of Seoul is an archway of wood and stone
troops at Chemulpo, and about the same about thirty feet high. This is called by the
time 6,000 more were reported as having Coreans the Arch of Subjugation, but offi-
landed at the Taitung River. cially it is known as the Arch of Amity. It
was under this arch, erected to commemo-

An Advance Northward. rate her acceptance of the suzerainty of
It might be assumed that the armies of China, that Corea annually paid her tribute
Japan and China now in Corea numbered to China. It is now more than probable
each 35,000 to 40,000 men. The Japanese that she will not pay this tribute, and that
landed their troops at Gens2m, on the the Arch of Subjugation will shortly be de-
east coast, at Chemulpo, and at the mouth molished or left as a memento.
of the Ta-tong.
The main body of the army went from May Throw Off the Yoke.
Chemulpo to the Corean capital, Seoul, and " It appears to be now established that
then advanced northward to meet the Chinese the King has definitely resolved, under the
forces, which crossed the northeastern boun- influence of his Japanese advisers, to assert
dary of Corea in the latter part of July. the independence of his kingdom and throw
Japan prevented the Chinese from sending off" it by China.
the suzerainty claimed over
reinforcements by sea direct to Corea by the This suzerainty has been for centuries more
admirable use she made of her fleet, one por- nominal than real. For unnumbered years
tion of which kept the Chinese warships oc- Corea has derived from that country all that
cupied in the Gulf of Pechili, while another makes up her civilization. Her mental at-
protected the transports carrying troops to titude has been and is Chinese. Her cus-
Chemulpo, the Yalu River and other points. toms, the written characters in which her
In arms, drill and morale the Japanese language is expressed, her culture, her art,
troops in Corea were undoubtedly superior her religion, have all come from her great
to the Chinese, the latter being for the most neighbor. Her literature and education are
part the levies from Manchuria, though there formed on Chinese models.
was a goodly proportion of soldiers from Li " China's influence has, in fact, moulded
Hung Chang's province who had been drilled her national life, and the control has been
in the European fashion by European exercised in a peculiarly Celestial way — dis-
officers. claiming all responsibility for Corea's acts

It was believed that the first result of the when she has embroiled herself with West-
crushing defeat inflicted on the Chinese at ern Powers, and then rushing wildly to her
capital with troops and ships whenever Japan Chinese troops, but shortly before Japan's
has made any forward move in the political attack upon the place these had been re-en-
game. forced by the refugee soldiers from Seikwan,
" Corea has been the buffer between China where Japan's first victory in Corea had
and Japan for a thousand years, and has been achieved. Roughly estimated the
paid tribute at intervals to either country or Chinese forces in and around Ping- Yang
to both at the same time as far back as the must have numbered not less than 25,000
third century, though for two centuries past men.
the claims of Japan have been somewhat re- Japan's attack upon this formidable
laxed, thus giving China freer sway. stronghold had been carefully planned, andi
"Thus, when in 1876, the former suc- armies had been sent out by four different
ceeded, after some trouble, in negotiating roads with orders to be in readiness for a
with Corea an independent treaty, whereby combined attack on the city by dawn of
she secured substantial trade advantages, September isth.
rights of residence and property and the
opening of three ports to her commerce, it
The Troops Advance.
took China several years to wake up to the The western army started from Matsu-
fact that a new danger threatened her hold Bashi on September 1 3th, a town some fifty
on the Hermit Kingdom, and putting forth miles from Ping-Yang, and continued a
freshly her claim of vassalage, she advised forced march, till on the evening of Septem-
Corea to listen to the overtures of the ber 14th it camped before the Chinese earth-
United States, then knocking at her doors. works of the stronghold.
The northern army had left Tai-Cheng on
Treaties with Foreign Powers. the 1 3th and after camping for the night at
" On this advice a treaty was made with a small town advanced on Ping- Yang from
us in 1882, followed in the same year by the north and occupied a position not far
conventions with Great Britain, France and distant from that of the western army. The
Germany. The ancient tribute was more central army, in two divisions, had adopted
tenaciously exacted and a brilliant young similar tactics from the south, and both di-
Chinese army officer —then twenty-two years visions advanced on a line with each other.
of age and a captain of —was
infantry sent Finally the eastern, or so-called " mixed "
to Seoul as resident. This was Yuen, and army — being composed of several
ît divi-
he was commissioned to protect Chinese sions —boldly marched on the Chinese en-
interests." trenchments from the east, as though chal-
A second account of the decisive battle lenging them from this quarter. It Wcis
already described is as follows ; Full details these columns that were expected to draw
are now hand respecting the great Japan-
to the attention of the enemy from the advance
ese victory at Ping- Yang. The city of Ping- of the Japanese troops from the north, west
Yang, situated on the banks of the Tai and south, or, in fact, from five different
Dong River, has been long regarded by points for the central army had been divided
China as the most invulnerable of all her into right and left wings.
strongholds. Ordinarily the city and sur- Concerning the strength of Chinese posi-
rounding forts are garrisoned with 20,000 tionsit need only be said that Ping-Yang,
besides being a natural stronghold, was man- huge flags, upon which were inscribed the
ned by China's finest troops. In the main names of the various commanding generals,
fort or castle, close to the city gates, there were flaunted proudly in every direction.
were three Krupp field pieces and several The "mixed" or Eastern army, under
Gatling guns, while all the soldiers carried command of Major-General Oshima, had
Spencer or Mosler rifles, and there was no been re-enforced by another detachment
lack of ammunition. There were one or from the south, and was the first to begin
more and several Gatling guns
field pieces the battle. All attention was at once cen-
in each of the Chinese earthworks and tred upon had been expected,
this point, as
masked forts. and the northern, western and central

Altogether the Chinese troops were en- forces at once advanced on the Chinese forts
trenched at twenty-five different points, and from the rear. Major Okugama separated
apart from the main castle there were five from the mixed column and advanced on
other large and well-armed forts — ^two to the the forts to the south.
south and one to the north of the city and
main stronghold and two on the opposite Hand-to-Hand Conflict.
side of the river. The masked fort built in The Chinese troops, in the meanwhile,
front of the castle was undoubtedly the best were entirely ignorant of any advance of
piece of military engineering ever accom- the Japanese forces from either the rear or
plished by the Chinese. flanks until the engagement had
actual
begun, and the Japanese armies were within
Formidable Defences. one hundred yards of their various strong-
The Northern and Eastern Japanese holds.
armies found themselves confronted by seven Now the Japanese charged upon the hill-
fortsand earthworks, all well armed and Krupps

side forts, but the Chinese used their
manned, while behind each fort large num- and Gatling guns with great efiectiveness,
bers of Chinese troops could been seen to and Major Tatemi quickly divided his de-
be encamped. To the south of these were tachment which had undertaken the charges
other camps, toward which Major Okuzama into two swings. As they neared the fort,
marched his troops. All these camps were the Chinese fire ceased, but when the Japan-
fired during the day of the battle, and the ese troops had reached the walls the Chinese
flames added to the horrors of the conflict. stormed out upon them with a desperation
There were two earthworks on the banks born of despair, and a terrible hand-to-hand
of the Tai Dong, opposite to the city, and encounter ensued, the Japanese killing over
two forts on the hillside among the pine fifty Chinese with their bayonets at one spot
trees. It was at these points that the Chin- alone, while the rest of the garrison fled.
ese forces, confidently expecting an attack The Japanese then took possession of the
from the had gathered in greatest
east, fort.
strength, and it was Major-General Oshima This was their first step toward victory,
who had been detailed to attack the enemy and occurred at seven o'clock in the morn-
here. ing. In the meantime a cold, drizzling rain,
The Chinese evidently had every confi- which later in the day changed to a steady
dence in the security of their position, and downpour, increased the discomforts of the
attacking army but did not damp the ardor tion of eight that were taken prisoners and
of its enthusiasm. sent to the rear.
By this time the second wing of the The Japanese officers of this division for
northern army had placed their field pieces the first time learned approximately what
on the crest of the newly-gained hill and the other divisions had been doing, and how
opened fire upon the Chinese in the earth- so many of the Chinese position were in
works and forts below, throwing them into a jeopardy. Later in the day the central di-
panic and causing them to retreat toward vision captured several small bands of fleeing
the castleand city in confusion. At eight Chinese, and from them learned of their
A. M. the Japanese found themselves in pos- armies' victory. This division then fired the
session of a second fort. dismantled forts and deserted houses outside
The western column, in the meantime, had of the city, and continued the advance, meet-
been engaged in several skirmishes with ing soldiers fleeing in all directions.
the enemy and had captured several Chinese

officers. They began to advance on the Desperate Fighting.
Chinese earthworks and forts to the east at The mixed division in the meanwhile had
five A. M. The troops of this division were formed into three wings —a right, left and
divided into two wings, and by nine A. M. central. They had hastily thrown up earth-
the Japanese were in possession of all the works, but abandoned these to advance on
forts outside of Ping- Yang, with the excep- the Chinese positions. The fighting was des-
tion of the castle and the masked forts on perate ; those killed and wounded among the
the hill beyond the city and castle. The enemy seemed innumerable, while every of-
opposition of the Chinese at these points, ficer of the second and fourth detachments of
however, was most desperate. the Japanese forces of this division were
killed.
The Chinese Cavalry. The earthworks of the Chinese were
Several attempts were made to storm the stronglymanned and armed with rapid
gate of the castle, but it was now two P. M., firing guns, which they used with terrible
and the attacking forces of the eastern and affectiveness. The fighting continued uninter-
northern divisions were well nigh exhausted ruptedly for some time, when the ammuni-
by the continued fighting, and so the ad- tion of the Japanese gave out, and the divi-
vance was stopped for a time. sion was on the verge of a retreat.
Shortly after midnight on the morning of A more extended account of the battle of
the 15 th the central division advanced on Ping- Yang was furnished by the correspon-
the Chinese earthworks from the south, and dent of one of our leading journals, who
were charged upon by a detachment of was with the army in Corea :
Chinese cavalry, who came out of the city " The first battle of magnitude or import-
gates, and hid themselves in a wheat field, ance in the Corean. campaign was fought
the rain and darkness aiding their almost September isth and i6th, and ended with
noiseless advance. But the Japanese, with a sweeping victory for the Japanese side.
fixed bayonets, were also in the wheat field, "I have just returned to headquarters, at
and after a sharp encounter the entire com- the south of Phyongyang (the Japanese
pany of cavalry were killed, with the excep- name for Ping-Yang), after a hasty circuit of
THE BATTLE OF PING-YANG. 317"
those parts of the captured city to which bodies of the enemy, is a service in which
civilians are admitted, and a short excursiou my countrymen delight, as they proved six
along the line of retreat by which the great weeks ago at Songhwan. But the slow and
body of the Chinese fugitives escaped. wearing labor of dragging supplies and en-
Therefore, I am prepared to present an out- gines of destruction through almost impassa-
line sketch of the operations which have left ble regions strains them in their weakest
us masters of the chief stronghold on the point.
peninsula. " There have been many days when with
" My opportunities of observation have their utmost strength they were unable to
been greater than those most of my com- advance more than four or five miles. I
rades enjoyed, as from the beginning of the doubt if the average progress of the main
month I have been allowed the same free- division has exceeded an average of six miles
dom of action as an officer on staff duty. since the march from Seoul began in the
During the past two weeks I have travelled early part of August.
over most of the territory occupied by Lieu- "As was to be expected, plans of our gen-
tenant-General Nodsu's forces. erals were held in dark secrecy at the begin-
ning of the campaign. It was not until our
Rapid Progress Impossible.
near approach to Phyongyang (Ping- Yang)
" It has been plainer to me than to others that the scheme of operations in which we
that the impatience with which the army were engaged became clear to the troops in
movements were regarded Japan was not
in general. The privilege of moving in various
at all justified. The circumstances in which directions enabled me to grasp the situation
we were placed made it impossible to pro- at a comparatively early date, and to form
ceed with rapidity unless we were prepared conjectures which it was my fortune to see
at the same time to sacrifice all considerations realized in due course.
of prudence.
" The condition of the country is inde- Strong Positions Chosen.
scribable. What Coreans call roads are un- " It isnow apparent that the sharp and ef-
worthy of the name. There is little to fective engagements at Songhwan and Asan
choose between the open fields in the valleys were not included in the original project of
and the wretched courses of slime and di- our leaders, but were mere incidents of the
luted clay which connect the towns in the contest caused by the selection of the Naipo
northern provinces. Often the routes re- districts by the Chinese as a landing place
sembled rather a series of half-choked canals for their troops.
than proper lines of communication. " From was recognized that
the outset it
"To transport artillery and ammunition the scene of the principal conflict would be
over districts flooded at intervals to a depth the Valley of the Taitong (or Daido) River,
of from one to two feet is a task that tries in which many good defensive positions
the endurance of officers and men alike. It could be chosen by our foe and from which,
is a constant surprise that their cheerfulness in case of a success to their arms, they could
and energy continue unabated day after day. descend by more than one avenue and
" To overcome difficulties by hard fighting, menace our ports around Seoul from several
to push their way through the opposing points.
S18 COREA AND THE WAR.
"The Japanese design was to seize the atwas the ancient fortified city of Phyong.
large towns along the Taitong and make the Yang (Ping-Yang), once a capital of Corea,
northern part of the peninsula untenable, and a place of much greater natural strength
while preparing for more extensive feats than Seoul, the modern seat of government.
which are still to be essayed. Probably our destination was made public in
"As a preliminary measure, the intrenched Japan long before the army heard of it, but
Chinese at and near Asan had to be dis- by the end of August there was little doubt
lodged, and this enterprise was brilliantly on the subject, even among the lowest ranks.
carried through by Major-General Oshima, "When the soldiers had satisfied them
with a small force, which, after performing selves as to the precise object of attack the
its allotted task, hastened to rejoin the body feeling of exhaustion and weariness which
led northward by Major-General Tatsumi. few had been able to resist vanished as sud-
denly as if the painful toil of the past three
Active Night and Day. weeks were nothing but a dream. The spirit
"I
was with a regiment which fought at Damouhi was
of Tamato rekindled in all its
Songhwan and did not get back to the main vigor,and the order of assault was awaited
column until it had arrived at Kaisong, with feverish eagerness on all sides.
some distance north of Seoul. There I
changed my limited range of duties for a Eager for Battle.
more exacting duty I was called upon to per- " Perfect discipline is the controlling rule
form, and for nearly a month lived in con- in the Japanese service, but it was evident to
stant activity day and night, accustoming every beholder that from the moment the
myself to look upon the details of food and Taitong came in view of the foremost skir-
sleep as mere trifles, scarcely to be con- mishers each hour of restraint was a vexa-
sidered beside the imperative requirements of tion and a grief to the whole mass of troops.
my new service. Yet it was at just this time that they were
"The united army, which directed its called upon to curb their impetuosity and to
course northward, consisted of from fifteen lie idly on their arms, awaiting the develop-
to eighteen thousand men. General Oshima ment of events in other quarters.

conducted the left. General Tatsumi the right, " The machinery set at work to crush the
and the chief command was assumed by Chinese in their chosen stronghold was not
Lieutenant-General Nodsu, whose quarters confined to the force commanded by General
were in the centre and for a considerable Nodsu. Experience had shown at Asan and
time at the rear. elsewhere that the faculty of flight is one in
"The left moved upon the town of which our enemies exhibit greater capacity
Hwangju under orders to cross the Taitong than in any other, and it was assumed that
River, near that place. The right proceeded if by a determined onset in their
threatened
towards Songhwan, where another crossing front, they would sooner or later seek to es-
would be made, and the centre bore directly cape, and would scatter themselves over the
along the main road (or mud ditch so desig- country in small and disconnected groups,
nated) to Changhwa. pursuit of which would be futile.
" To any one knowing these three lines " Precisely as before, they would probably
of march it was plain that the object aimed be a terror to the peasantry, and would, per-
haps, indulge in the same excesses as those five thousand, and were commanded by
of General Yeh's disbanded soldiery, who Major-General Oseko. They did not begin
not only pillaged far and wide, but put to to penetrate southwestward until about Sep-
death all who presumed to resist their de- tember 1st, when the bulk of General Nodsu's
mands. Among other atrocities they were Southern army was almost on the edge of
accused of having murdered a much-re- the broad valley on the other side of which
spected French priest in the neighborhood lies Ping- Yang.
of Asan. "The reason why the attack from the
" To prevent a repetition of these dis- south was delayed is now But to
obvious.
orders, and also to provide against the re- the troops enforced inactivity was most gall-
gathering of the dispersed remnants at the ing. The men who had come fresh from
Yalu River or any other place of retreat, the victory at Soughwan were burning to renew
War Department organized a co-operative their triumphs, and those who had not yet
force, to be transported from Japan to Gen- shared in conflict were longing to rival the
san, a port on the east coast of Corea, and exploits of their more favored comrades.
to move thence across the peninsula upon All were under peculiar influences, which
the rear of Ping- Yang, thus enclosing the greatly inflamed their desire to meet the ad-
Chinese between two columns. Every effort versary.
was made to hide the details of this strategic
combination. Beyond the bare fact that it
Daring Exploits.
was in progress, nothing was known about it " The whole region was full of brave asso-
to the mass of the combatants. But we ciations, dear to the heart of every Japanese
were aware that Gensan is considerably to who cherished the memory of his country's
the north of Ping-Yang, and about one hun- glories in the past. It was in the valley of
dred and ten miles away. the Taitong that the warriors of Hidrioshi,
the great Taiko, performed their most daring
Difficult Passes. exploits during the invasion of the sixteenth
"A few years ago I was detailed to make century.
an examination of the territory around that "Within the walls of Ping- Yang they
port, and for some distance into the interior, made their heroic stand against the Tartar
I then learned that the roadways were, if hordes, maintaining a desperate defence in
possible, worse than those in the neighbor- the face of overwhelming numbers, subsist-
hood of Seoul, though the hilly character of ing towards the end upon the horses and
the country renders them less liable to inun- other animals of their camp, and defying
dation. The passes over broken ranges be- starvation itself, until the order from Kioto
tween the eastern coast and the Taitong came them to give over the strug-
directing
Valley are narrow, in many places blocked gle, the fiery spirit that had sent them forth
by heaps of fallen stones, and can hardly being conquered at last by death.
be less difficult to surmount than the bogs "However reckless the ambition of
and morasses of the western provinces are Hidrioshi may have been, the valor of his
to wallow through. soldiers was incontestable, and the plains
" From what I was permitted to learn, the that encircled the ancient capital of Corea
troops landed at Gensan numbered four or still bear testimony to many a deed of
chivalry which the decendants of the me- and at each word addressed to them they
diaeval heroes would rejoice to emulate. would fall prostrate, trembling and moaning
" How anxiously and ardently the signal as if expecting instant death. By gentle
to resume the march was looked for, no one treatment they were generally reassured,
could bear witness to more surely than I, though some seemed never to recover from
for in the first two weeks of this month I their paralyzing fright.
several times traversed the camp that lay " None could give much information as to
crouching, I rnight say, along ^:he southern the number or organization of their army.
border of the Taitong and through the It appeared that General Tsopaokwei, an
valley below, and heard on all sides impa- officer of higher grade than any in our corps
tient murmurs of restlessness and agitation, and ordinarilyat the head of the Moukden
which would have risen to complaining cries was in chief command and under
garrison,
but for the loyal faith of the soldiers in the him we were told were 'many tens of
resolution and sagacity of their leaders. mighty generals,' each leading countless
"During the first ten days of September myriads of invincible braves.
several changes were made in the disposition
of the troops, and various small commands Living on Promises.
were transferred to increase the effectiveness

" Their stories with regard to their per-
of the onset to come. But the general plan sonal associations were more easily credited.
underwent no alteration. They and their companions had suffered from

want of sufficient food ever since they entered
Supplies Cut Off. the peninsula and had been in the habit of
"General Nodsu advanced to the front foraging for themselves at every opportunity.
and assumed the direct management of af- Raw vegetables, dug from the fields, were
fairs. Reconnoitring parties made frequent welcome additions to their regular diet. For
examinations of the belt of land between our weeks previous to starting on this campaign
van and Ping-Yang, which was found com- they had received no pay, though brilliant
pletely devastated by the ravages of the Chi- promises of rich spoils had been held out to
nese. The which should have been
supplies them.
provided the Chinese from Chefoo had been " Their intelligence, except in
one or two
cut off for some time by the Japanese ships was not of a high order.
instances, certainly
and the Coreans were compelled to give up Some could not tell the names of the officers
everything that could contribute to the sus- under whom they immediately served. But
tenance of the hungry multitude. they might have been mere camp followers
" Prisoners were occasionally brought in and not fighting men. Stolid as they mostly
by scouts, and strange tales were recited for were, they could not conceal their satisfac-
our amusement concerning the blood-thirsty tion at the indulgence they received, and,
characteristics attributed to our soldiers by from their own account, their daily fare with
both the Chinese and the Coreans. Most of us must have been absolute luxury compared
the captives were at first speechless with with their habitual lot.
terrorand could make no reply when ques- " Their gratitude, however, took no higher
tioned by our commanders. They could form than the expression of a moody regret
hardly be prevailed upon to eat or drink, for the awful fate in store for us. That we
THE BATTLE OF PiNG-YANG. S2i
were all destined to annihilation as soon as soldiers not on duty ran about from tent to
we should come in contact with their irre- tent in search of information which no one
sistable warriors was a conviction which could give, and of the existence of which no
nothing could shake. one outside of the highest circle had any
" The second week of September brought positive knowledge.
some relief to the stagnation which oppressed " I have since heard that the same phe-
us. After all, the idle term was not so long nomenon, if it may be called so, was every-
as it seemed to our over-wrought senses, where perceptible. All along the banks of
and all discontent vanished as soon as the the Taitong, from Kangdon to Hwangju,
troops were called upon to march again. an inexplicable excitement prevailed, which
"The central body passed Chung Hwa on lasted until the time came for striking the
the loth of the month. The left reached great, decisive blow.
Taitong on the nth and was ready for " On the 14th the report was circulated
crossing at Tetsudo on the 12th.
Island that a squadron of warships had been sighted
On the same day the right passed Choldo at the mouth of the river, directing its course
and also prepared to pass over to the north towards our outposts. No anxiety was felt
bank. on this score, for enough was now known to

make it understood that the Japanese Navy
Cheering News. would not be behindhand in lending support
" On the 1 3th a singular thing happened. to our movement, while the death-like silence
In the morning the news came that the head of the Chinese fleet since the engagement
of a detachment from General Oseko's Gen- near Asan warranted the belief that inter-
san column had made its way to Songchon, ference from that arm of the enemy's service
only thirty miles from Chyong-Yang, and was the last thing to be feared.
that the entire eastern force naturally would
presently be in a position to participate in the Investing the City.
joint attack. " The clouds of smoke arising below

" This intelligence, of course, was delivered Hwangju were hailed as a token that busy
privately at headquarters,and was communi- work was at hand, and, sure enough before
cated to only the subordinate generals and a nightfall the welcome order was sent forth.
few of their staffs. There was no possible " Early on the following day the troops
way in which it could become public prop- were in motion from every side, converging
erty. Yet on that very afternoon it was towards the city, which the Chinese had
noticed that an extraordinary stimulus spread selected as their main station of defence in
over the whole of the army, approaching Corea. From Sangchon the Gensan party
from the south, and that even the most dis- rapidly descended, uniting with the advance
tant regiments appeared animated by some force of our left near Kangdon, and then
exhilarating impulse. stretching across the river north of Ping-
" I was a witness to several exhibitions of Yang, to close the avenues of escape in that
this feeling in front of General Tatsumi's direction.
wing. Sub-officers gathered in knots to " The

central body, coming from the
inquire of one another if any event of un- south, marched for the Taitong bridge and
usual promise had occurred, and private the gate through which the high road from
21
S^2 COREA AND THE WAR.
Seoul to the old capital passes. The left "
The first troops sent forward by General
wing skirted the northern bank opposite Oshima were, according to present accounts,
Hwangju, until it reached Kangso, when more vigorously met than any others, but
it was divided, one part proceeding straight this may have been due to the circumstance
to the object of attackand the other ascend- that there was a scarcity of ammunition in
ing towards Shunnen, and blocking the line one brigade, necessitating a brief suspension
of retreat to Wiju, on the frontier. of the advance on the afternoon of the 15th.
There is nothing to show that General
The Chinese in the Toils.
Oshima's wing was obliged to use extraor-
" Before evening the Chinese were believed goal after
dinary exertions in reaching its
to be almost completely enveloped. Of what his The regiments which pushed
order.
occurred while the investment was going on northward from Kangso are said to have
at the north I have heard no coherent details, been the most strongly confronted.
but was a surprise to those who conducted
it
the onset from the south that the defence was Confused Accounts.
not more obstinate and effective. " It is difficult, however, to collect reports
" Of the advantages possessed by the Chi- that can be thoroughly trusted, so soon after
nese there could be no question. The city the battle. Rumors are altogether too abun-
stands on a steep slope, and is surrounded by dant to be safely relied upon when matters
a wall which, though out of repair in many of minute detail come into question. I heard
places, could easily have been made formida- an officer of high position say, on the day
ble in the long time since the army estab- after the was concluded, when the
affair
lished itself there. Except at one gate, there greater part of the army was resting and
was no bridge fit to aid the passage of troops trying to remember what had happened, that
over the Taitong, and it certainly seems that it would be at least a fortnight before the
a resolute resistance on the north bank might Government at Tokio could receive a really
have made the crossing a much more serious full and accurate account of the event, and
undertaking than it proved. Between the you may imagine the obstacles that stand in
wall and the river the ground was most un- the way of a single observer who tries to
comfortable to the assailants, being largely present even a glimpse of the mighty scene
cut up into swampy rice lots. in which, perhaps, thirty thousand comba-
" Better fighting on the Chinese side was tants struggled for and death through
life
expected, even by those who had tested their a good part of two fierce and furious days.
incapacity at Songhwan, for here the chances " Little more than forty-eight hours has
were much more in their favor, and their passed since the last shot was fired, and the
behavior in some of the skirmishes along the last flag lowered. It seems as if the echoes
route had indicated a determination to do at of the vast tumult and confusion were still
least a little towards retrieving their shattered ringing through the air, forbidding the mind
reputation. But from the time when they to dwell upon anything but the colossal
were driven within their rough fortifications features of the conflict, or to gather together
they appeared to lose all spirit, and allowed the multitude of incidents which must be
themselves to be chased from post to post brought into orderly array before the true
with scarcely an effort to maintain order. character and import of this great achieve-
ment of history can be rightly estimated. said, to entitle them to respect in their down-
What we now know beyond all doubt is that fall.
the strategic combination for the overthrow "All the material results of the victory
of the first Chinese army in the field has that could be expected have been secured.
wholly and brilliantly succeeded. The entire store of weapons and ammuni-
" The campaign was carefully laid out in tion is in our hands. A quantity of treasure,
Tokio, and was executed with admirable roughly calculated to be worth from ;g70,000
dexterity by four of the best generals in the to ^100,000, was siezed in the houses occu-
Japanese service, not one of whom, it may pied by the commanding generals, together
be mentioned, is of the highest rank. The with dozens of bags filled with copper and
single full .general in Corea did not arrive in iron "cash" of the country.
time to take any part in the proceedings, "Not a single condition of success appears
and even the lieutenant-general in command to be lacking. And I can say with pride
was not despatched from Japan until opera- that the discipline, which it is so often diffi-
tions were in active progress. cult to preserve after great conquests has
not been relaxed in the slightest degree. The
Organizing Victory.
districts I have visited in the last two days
" But when he came he threw himself have been as free from violent disturbance as
heart and soul into the work and set an ex- any part of my own capital in a time of pro-
ample of energy and fervor which roused to foundest peace. Soldiers roam about sing-
emulation all who were brought into con- ing lively songs and occasionally shouting
tact with him. To him and to the three 'Teikoku banzai,' but perfect good humor is
major-generals belong the credit of having the rule, and not an angry voice is heard.
carried the enterprise through triumphantly.
To the organizer of victory, who may be an Spared the Horrors of 'War.
approved tactician, or an unknown adviser " The earliest order sent out on the i6th
of the War Department, the honor of the was for the firm enforcement of order and
conception is due, and will, let us hope, be the protection of the inhabitants of Ping-
righteously awarded. Yang. The few citizens who are willing to
"A great blow has been struck, and with communicate freely, which they can do in
such force as to forever destroy the prestige symbolic writing, though utterly ignorant of
of China in Corea. An army computed at our language, are earnest in assurances of
not less than 1 2,000, and it may be 20,000 thankfulness at having been spared the hor-
'
—and which may prove to be still larger, rors they had been led to anticipate in case
for the looseness and negligence of the of falling under Japanese control. But they
Chinese system is such that the exact num- are far from confident as towhat the future
ber actually under arms is not known to may bring forth. That the security which
themselves—
|
^has been defeated, and is now now prevails can last is more than they dare
held captive, with the exception of the fugi- hope for.
tivesand the slain. "Unless the Chinese who endeavored to
" Four generals of renown from the mili- escape by the Gate of the Seven Stars, at
tary standpoint of their country have sur- the northeastern corner of the city, fought
rendered —not with sufficient dignity, it is harder than those who made a show of
324 coreA and the war.
standing to their posts it is not probable the poor was also waiting to be picked up by
that the number of deaths will prove very the first comers.
great. But there is still a good deal to "Until the cavalry detachments sent to
be learned about what took place in that overtake the runaways return to give an ac-
locality and along the line of pursuit which count of their adventures the lists of losses
followed. cannot be made up. At present it looks as
"As walked out yesterday on the west-
I if great results had been obtained without
ern avenues leading from the city I saw anything like the amount of bloodshed that
heaps of weapons hedging the wayside as usually accompanies a decisive battle. If,
far as my sight could reach. Rifles, mostly however, I attempted to verify this opinion,
of an old pattern, spears of the middle ages I should either be compelled to rely upon
and swords of every conceivable manufacture insufficient data or run the risk of overstq)-
were lying just as they had been thrown ping the time allowed me.
away, undisturbed as yet by the populace, " I close in the hope that when all the
who probably have not awakened to the fact particulars are known be found that
it will
that the late owners of the property have the rejoicings over our victory need not be
gone with no intent to return. Clothing too darkly shaded by lamentations over the
enough to satisfy the winter necessities of sacrifice of human life."
CHAPTER XX.
JAPAN'S GREAT NAVAL VICTORY.
Yalu River the boundary be-
THE is
tween China and Corea. Off the

Chinese
anchor and form
fleet signaled to his ships to weigh
in line of battle. In obedi-
mouth of the Yalu a decisive naval ence to this order the fleet was formed in a
engagement occurred, September single line, with the exception of the cruisers
17th, between the Chinese and Japanese Kwang-Kai and Kwang-Ting and four tor-
navies. At noon on September 17th nine pedo boats, which were formed in a second
Japanese war ships, convoying two armed mouth of the river.
line at the
transports, sighted twelve Chinese war ships The Japanese fleet advanced at full speed
and six gun-boats. The fighting began by while the Chinese columns were forming in
an attack upon three of the Chinese war line, untilthey came within range, when the
ships, which were sunk. As the fighting war ships formed in line of battle, nine of
progressed another Chinese war ship was set them in the first column and three gunboats
on and destroyed, but the remaining
fire and five torpedo boats in the second column.
eight, only one of which was uninjured to- The firing at the outset of the engagement
gether with the six gun boats, succeeded in was of an indifferent order, but the Japanese
getting away. The Japanese war ships were creeping gradually closer to the Chinese
Matsushima and Hi-Yei were slightly dam- ships and their gunners were improving their
aged and one of the armed transports was aim by practice.
seriously crippled, but none of the Japanese

ships were lost. The Japanese loss was A Bursting Shell.
twenty men known to have been killed and The Chinese barbette ship Ting-Yuen was
forty-six wounded. the first to suffer any severe injury, a Japa-
When the Japanese sighted the Chinese nese shell bursting in her battery. A cease-
fleet the latter ships were steaming towards less cannonade was kept up on both sides
the Yalu River, in which direction they pro- for an hour and a half, when the Japanese
ceeded, appearing indisposed to fight. The ship Saikio was rendered helpless, and, ac-
Japanese chased them for an hour, when the cording to the assertion of a Chinese officer,
Chiyoda, getting within range, drew the fire sank soon afterward. Two of the big guns
of the Chinese flagship. A
running fight of of the battle ship Chen-Yuen were disabled,
two hours' duration preceded the main en- but she continued to use her smaller guns.
gagement in the bay, during which the trans- The vessels of both fleets worked very easily
ports entered the Yalu River in safety. under steam, and the Japanese were con-
The work of transferring the troops and stantly manceuvering, but the Chinese held
stores from the Chinese transports to the their original position.
shore was proceeding rapidly when the Japa- Suddenly two Japanese cruisers, believed
nese fleet was sighted. Admiral Ting of the to have been the Akitsushima and the Yo-
325
shino, endeavored to break the Chinese line. ammunition, and some of the Japanese ships
They were followed by three torpedo boats. threatened to founder. At dusk the Japa-
As the Japanese ships advanced at full speed, nese ships moved slowly southward in
the Chinese ships Chin-Yuen and Choa- double line. Another account of the battle
Yung backed full speed astern to avoid dis- is as follows
aster. The Japanese torpedo boats fired, Long before the rejoicings over the capture
but their projectiles were stopped by nets. of Ping-Yang had begun to subside, Japan
The guns of the other Chinese ships were was excited by fresh enthusiasm by the news
quickly trained on the two Japanese cruisers, of another victory of even greater significance
and they retired after a short time, almost in the Northeastern inlet of the Yalu River.
helpless. The Chinese declared they were The 6th of September Admiral Ito, com-
1
sunk. manding the squadron, stationed at the

mouth of the Taing, or Daido River was
A Ship on Fire. notified that a large Chinese fleet had arrived
The Ching-Yuen was several times pierced at the Yalu River, which divides Corea and
by shells. The Chao-Yung ran ashore while China, in charge of transports, conveying
retreating,and became a target for the Japa- reinforcements to the army on the frontier.
nese guns until she was set on fire. The He set sail the following morning with all the
King-Yuen was in a terrible plight. shell A men-of-war that could be immediately sum-
burst through her decks and she slowly moned, viz : The Matsushima, flagship
foundered, while flames burst from all parts Hashidate, Itsukushima, Yoshino, Taka-
of her. The Tsi-Yuen withdrew from the chiho, Akitsushima, Naniwa, Chyoda, Fuso,
first into the second column. Akagi and Hi-Yei. Accompanying these
The Chinese torpedo boats vainly at- eleven was the Saiko, a merchant steamer,
tempted to put the Japanese on the defen- taken into the national service since the war
sive, but the Japanese remained the aggres- began, of no strength and not intended for
sors throughout, although two or three at- heavy work in action.
tempts to break the Chinese line were re-
pulsed. The cruiser Yang-Wei went ashore Commenced Firing.
stern foremost and met a fate similar to that She would not have joined the expedition,
of the Chao-Yung. but for the desire of Admiral Viscount Kaba-
After the first three hours of the engage- yama, the naval chief of the staff, who being
ment the was intermittent. The cap-
firing on a visit of inspection at the North, could
tain of the cruiser Chin-Yuen fought bravely not resist the temptation to witness the ex-
when his ship was little better than a wal- pected engagement. Between 12 and i
lowing wreck, until the cruiser was sunk by o'clock, fourteen Chinese ships and six tor-
a torpedo and her crew engulfed. The scene pedo boats were discovered a little south of
at this point is described as appalling. Many a harbor, called Taikosan, in Japanese pro-
guns on both sides were disabled, the bat- nunciation, the East of Kaiyoto Island.
tered ships rolled heavily, and their steam Contrary to expectation they advanced
pumps were kept constantly at work to keep unhesitatinglyand commenced firing when
them afloat. During the last hour of the 4000 yards distant from the Japanese, who
battle some of the Chinese ships ran out of reserved their first discharge until another
JAPAN'S GREAT NAVAL VICTORY. 327
1000 yards had been covered. The serious with great difficulty, put out. In conse-
fighting began between the vessels at the quence of the mishap, the Matsushima with-
Chinese right and the Japanese left, the flag- drew from the scene and moved toward
ships of both sides leading the onslaught. Tai-Tong, Admiral Ito transferring his flag
£y I o'clock the contest was general. Both to the Hashidate.
lines maintjuned their positions steadily for Meanwhile three other Japanese vessels
an hour when the Chinese showed signs of had undergone extremely rough treatment.
wavering. The Saiko, which Viscount Kabayama per-
sisted in keeping in the thickest part of the
Ships and Crews go Dov^n.
fight, notwithstanding her obvious unsuita-
Three of their ships, either by accident or bility for such duty, lost control of her
design,had for sometime been made special rudder and found herself in much closer
objects,and although they contended vigor- proximity than was desirable to the Ting-
ously to the last, they were sunk, one after Yuen and Chen-Yuen. As she could not
another, the crew climbing into the rigging made directly for them, it is
avoid them, she
and signalled wildly for help to their com- supposed, in the belief that she was about to
panions and assailants. These were the ram them.
Lai-Yuen, Chih-Yuen and Chao-Puen. As
soon as they were disposed of, the foremost A Shower of Missiles.
Japanese ships directed their cissault against The Japanese are of the opinion that it
the immense German-built vessels at the was under this illusion that the two huge
head of the Chinese column, for a long time ships separated, allowing the Saiko a passage
without effect on the heavy steel plates which about forty fathoms wide through which to
protected them. escape. Torpedoes were discharged at her
At last, however, a lucky shell struck the as she went by, but without avail. The
Ting- Yuen a little above the water —and Hiyei having been unable by reason of her
seemed to the Japanese observers to pierce slowness to keep pace with the rest of the
the armor through and through. Their fleet, became a conspicuous object to the
belief that this feat had been accomplished Chinese, and was so deluged with missiles
was increased when a thick body of smoke that she was set on fire before the afternoon
was seen rising from the flagship, and was half over.
although no diminution of activity aboard Her small crew was greatly reduced, and
was perceptible, they were convinced that as the surgeon was among the wounded, the
she had been set on fireand remained burn- sufferers could not be properly cared for.
ing up to the hour of her hasty departure. When she had lost twenty killed and three
Whatever the condition was, she succeeded wounded, she fell out of line and returned
in inflicting heavy punishment upon her to Tai-Tong, but meeting a transport on the
chief adversary. The Matsushima was way, she obtciined assistance in quenching
struck by two twelve-inch shells. The first the flames, and handed over the wounded,
upset and battered out of shape one of her and returned with all the speed she could
guns, while the second exploded an ammu- make, not waiting for a doctor, to take up
nition box, dealing havoc among the crew her work where she had left off. In this
and starting a fire, which was subsequently, hope she was disapp^ted, for the enemy
had flown and the battle was over. Still she mouth of the Gulf of Pechili, with no ship
was exposed to the enemy's fire. of the enemy in sight. They steamed back
It is reported that when she steamed to Kayioto Island, keeping a keen overlook
away in flames she was thrice in great danger on the way, but the Chinese had evidently
from torpedoes, but skillfully escaped by reached a place of refuge.
employing a device described in a recent The greater part of the Japanese squad-
magazine account of an imaginary fight in ron and reconvened near Takaisan Harbor,
South America. To most readers of that on the chance of getting another fight,
sketch, the expediency of stopping a projec- bringing this time torpedo boats to co-
tile by turning upon it a converging fire of operate. The need of them was so greatly
shot and shell seemed purely fiction, yet felton the previous day that it is safe to say
what the Hi-Yei is said to
this is precisely no large number of Japanese ships will ever
have done in, at least, one instance. again sail without these essential adjuncts.
The Akagi, a small gunboat, was badly
overmatched from the outset, accident hav- Loss of Life.
ing brought her under the fire of not less One of them was now put to a practical,
than six of the enemy's boats. Her com- if somewhat inglorious use, in breaking up
mander was struck down and killed while the Yang- Wei, deserted and unfit for further
she was thus hotly engaged, yet she would service. Examinations show that none of
still have kept up a determined resistance, the Japanese vessels received damages that
but for the loss of a mast, which rendered could not be repaired with slight cost and
her unmanagable. She also found it neces- labor. All but the four referred to were so
sary to return to the Tai-Tong. free from injury that they could have gone
into action the following day. The loss of
The Flagship Retreats. lifewas the largest on the Matsushima. Her
About the time that Admiral Ito left the complement was 335. Four officers and
Matsushima the disorder in the Chinese fleet thirty-nine men were killed and seventy
plainly indicated that the contest could not officers and men wounded. The total loss
be prolonged on either side. Three ships was ten officers and sixty-nine men killed
had been sunk, and a fourth, the Yang-Wei, and one hundred and sixty officers and men
had been half destroyed and abandoned. wounded.
Beside the Ting-Yuen was on fire, and the Further particulars of the great battle
entire force was thoroughly demoralized. A were learned from the following despatch
little later, after five o'clock, the flagship from Tien-Tsin, dated September 21st:
took the lead in retreat toward the home Wounded officers of the Chinese fleet con-
stations. firm the original report of the engagement
Four fast steaming Japanese cruisers were on the 17th inst. They say that the
detailed to follow, and, if possible, to cut off" Chinese fleet arrived at Yalu River on the
their escape. But the torpedoes had to be afternoon of the i6th and remained ten
reckoned with, and the possibility of being miles outside of the mouth of the river while
struck with one of them in the night made the transports were unloading. At eleven
it imperative that the Japanese should exer- o'clock on the morning of the 17th they
cise caution. Morning found them at the sighted the smoke of the Japanese fleet,
which was approaching two columns. in modern conditions for fighting at sea has
The Chinese vessels steamed out to meet still to be made. Of the twenty-seven ves-
them in two columns, converging on the sels engaged in the fight at the mouth of the
flagship. The Japanese fleet consisted of Yalu River only two had any pretensions to
twelve ships, while the Chinese had ten be called battleships. These were the
ships. Chinese vessels Ting-Yuen and Chen- Yuen.
The Chinese Admiral opened fire at a dis- All the rest were of the protected or un-
tance of six thousand yards, but the firing protected cruiser class.
on both sides fell short until the opposing All through the war the Japanese have
vessels came within five thousand yards. shown that their intelligence department is
The Chinese endeavored to come to close excellently worked. There can be no doubt
quarters, but were prevented from accom- that they received accurate information
plishing their purpose by the superior speed about the destination of four thousand
of the Japanese ships, which, keeping for the troops and large quantities of rice and mili-
most part two miles off, manoeuvred ad- tary stores which left Taku about September
mirably and made splendid practice with the 14th in the Chinese steamers Hsinyu-Tsonan,
long range quick firing guns. Chintung, Lee-Yuen and Haeting. These
vessels picked up their convoy and made for
Went Down with all Hands. Tatung Kou under the escort of six cruisers
The Chinese cruiser Chih-Yuen, Captain and four torpedo boats.
Tang Chi Chang, early in the day closed
with one of the enemy's ships at full speed, Approach of the Fleet.
intending toram her. When off Talienwan Bay they were joined
Four Japanese vessels then closed round by and
larger vessels of the Chinese fleet,
the Chih-Yuen, and she was ripped up by made on Sunday, Septem-
their destination
shots under the water line, and went down ber 1 6th. The debarkation began under
with all hands, including the engineer. cover of torpedo vessels and two of the
Meanwhile the battle raged furiously round lesser draught ships, and was successfully
the flagship Ting- Yuen and her consort, the accomplished, while the other nine vessels of
Chen-Yuen. A gunnery officer on the the fleet remained in twenty-five fathoms,
Ting-Yuen, was killed. The Japanese ships from ten to twelve miles south by east, from
were difficult to identify, is known that
but it Tatung Kou.
the cruiser Yoshino received some damaging The Japanese, with that provision which
shots at close quarters, which enveloped her precludes the element of luck, had carefully
in smoke and made her invisible. surveyed the coast two or three years ago.
Some of the Chinese gunners devoted The harbor master of Port Arthur had re-
their attention especially to the Japanese peatedly urged the Chinese to follow their
cruiser Naniwa, and succeeded in setting her example, but without success. Steam was
on fire, but none of the Chinese officers saw kept up, when at noon on Monday, Septem-
her sink. ber 17, a cloud of that obtrusive black
An account received three days later says : smoke which the Japanese coal gives off
If naval supremacy of the future is to be showed the approach of their fleet from the
decided by battleships, the crucial test of south.
The Admiral at once weighed anchor, after this,but her captain, while subduing the
drew up his squadron, in formation like an flames, still fought his ship. Seeing a dis-
obtuse angle, with two armored ships at the abled Japanese near him, most probably the
apex, and advanced to give battle. The same vessel that the Chih-Yuen had tried to
Japanese came on in line and carried out a ram, he came up, intending to capture or
series of evolutions with beautiful precision. sink her, but was incautious enough to cross
The tactics of both sides are too highly the line of her torpedo tube at a short dis-
technical for the layman, but in common tance.
speech they may be resolved thus: The Japanese thereupon shot her caily
bolt,and sure enough blew the King-Yuen
Movmg in a Circle.
up. Out of a complement of two hundred
The Japanese, having speed, kept circling and seventy odd, some seven only are known
around the Chinese, enlarging their radius to have escaped. One occount says that
as they came within range of the big guns this fine vessel perished from fire, but subse-
of the armored Ting- Yuen and the Chen- quent information from Port Arthur gives
Yuen, and coming closer as they came in the foregoing as the more accurate version of
opposite the unarmored ships and guns of her end. With regard to the disabled Japa-
less calibre. nese vessel not one informant will deliberately
The Chinese kept their wedge formation, say "I myself saw her founder," but without
but as all the halyards were shot away on exception they all maintain that she sank
the admiral's ship early in the action, they soon after the destruction of the King-Yuen.
had simply to watch leaders and exact dis-
cretion. A Cowardly Captain.

The first evolution of the Japanese de- The notorious Fong, the reinstated cap-
tached three Chinese ships. One was the tain of the Tsi-Yuen, again distinguished
fine Elswick cruiser Chih-Yuen (2300 tons, himself by his devotion to the white feather.
1 8 knots, three 8-inch 1 2-ton guns, two 6- All the foreign survivors are very silent on
inch 4-ton and 17 rapid firers). Captain this subject, but there is no doubt whatever
Tang handled his ship with great coolness. that this poor creature signalled early in the
His vessel was badly hulled very early in day that his ship was badly struck and that
the fight, and took a strong list to starboard. he then promptly took her out of action. In
Seeing she was sinking he went full speed doing so he ran precipitately into the shal-
ahead at a Japanese ship which was sticking lows where the Elswick built cruiser, the
to him like a limpet, and making free prac- Yang-Wei (1350 tons, sixteen knots, two
tice with the intention of ramming her, but ten-inch five ton guns, four four tons and ten
he foundered with all hands, 250, just before machine guns) was in difficulties, struggling
the ship got home. One account of it is hard to get off.
that he did sink the Jap, but the weight of Pong's navigation and pilotage were about
evidence is that he only disabled her by his equal to his courage. Finding his surround-
return fire. ings suddenly changed, he altered hishelm
The King-Yuen, 2850 tons, 16-12 knots, and fairly rammed unhappy colleague,
his
two 8-inch ten ton guns, two 6-inch four escaping himself, however, with a damaged
tons and seven machine guns, took fire soon bow. The Yang-Wei's crew of 250 were
nearly and that vessel herself went

all lost, than one hundred men were taken off" by a
down about four and a half fathoms on a

in torpedo vessel, but some of Tier crew were
straight keel, with her tops and lighter guns killed. The vessel remained visible, a useless
out of the water and her turret or barbette shell, just above the wash of sea at low
just awash. She was seen in that position water. This completes the list of Chinese
by the
four days after returning transports. casualties and losses.
The Tsi-Yuen ran at full speed for Port The torpedo boats found some difficulties
Arthur. There the foreign engineer came in joining the fray. The loss of halyards
ashore and flatly refused to serve further and in some cases of colors made it difficult
with such a captain. News has since ar- to distinguish friend from foe, but the young
rived in Tien-Tsin that he will be under no officers in charge did well and acted fully up
necessity of doing so, as Fong's head was to their instructions to keep well under the
promptly sheared off by an imperative order lee of the big ships during fire and then to
from Tien-Tsin. This poltroon had been dart out under the bank of smoke. Unfortu-
recently court martialed for his conduct on nately for them, these little vessels had been
the day of the Kow-Shing disaster and then, scouting for three weeks and had been over-
to the great indignation of the fleet, rein- worked. The result was lamentable. When
stated to his command. they opened out their possible twenty knots
sank to something between fourteen and fif-
An Eye to the Main Chance. teen. The smoke
rose rapidly, and long
His villanous example was followed by the before the Schwarzkopf range was reached
commander of the wooden corvette, the they were seen and fired at. Oddly enough
Kuang-Chia, iioo tons, three twelve-inch they were not hit once by anything worthy
rapid firing guns, eight machine guns. It is of notice.
a moot point whether his ship was injured in
action or not. He shows the woodwork of Torpedoes of Little Account.
the latrines as a proof. At any rate, he But, on the other hand, they effected noth-
bolted, and kept so keen an eye to the main ing. The dreaded torpedo only scored once
chance after that, that at 1 1 P. M. he ran in the action, and that was in the case of the
his vessel on a reef, some twenty miles east King-Yuen, an issue entirely due to over-
of Talienwan Bay, and for all that is known confidence and rashness. In the meantime,
she is there still, although there is a rumor the two armored vessels, the Ting-Yuen and
that the Japanese afterward put a torpedo the Chen-Yuen, were the recipients of the
into her. continued and persistent firing of the Japanese.
The two ships would
desertion of these The Chen- Yuen, under the command of
have reduced the Chinese to seven had they Commodore Lin, assisted by two foreigners,
not been reinforced by vessels from in shore, made grand practice and kept admirable dis-
and later on by torpedo vessels, four in cipline. Her frequent fires were extinguished
number. One of the two ships, the Yang- promptly, and the ship was admirably han-
Wei, was, as stated, rammed by the Tsi- dled throughout the action. The foreign
Yuen, the other, the Choayung, a sister ship, officers on board are both severely wounded,
soon took fire, and also got into shoal water, one in the arm, while the other, through an
where sne burned completely out. More inadvertence, in the too prompt fire of one of
the heavy guns, got his scalp and face badly- it and knocking the entire gear into the sea.
burned and was subsequently wounded in Another shot in its vagaries bent but did not
the arm. break the steam pipe. A
third killed poor
So was the fire of this vessel
persistent Nicholls, an ex-petty officer of the British
that the magazine was all but depleted, and navy, who, seeing another foreigner bleeding
she arrived at Port Arthur with only twenty from a wound in the groin, volunteered to
rounds of heavy shell left. She fired one take his place for a few minutes while he
hundred and forty-eight six-inch shells, and went below.
quite exhausted her smaller ammunition. The Admiral and the third engineer, who
Her fire was as effective as it was sustained, had volunteered from the customs service,
owing to the skill and coolness of the foreign were violently thrown off the bridge by con-
experts. This ship's superstructure was cussion and rendered senseless for some time.
almost completely destroyed, and a shell It is supposed that heavy guns were simul-
struck the spindle of the hydraulic gear of taneously fired from the barbette. On
the port gun, putting it out of action. recovering the Admiral was found to have
sustained injury to his foot, while an attend-
Little Damage. ant, in bearing help to his master, was
With this exception amazing to find
it is literally blown into the air aftd sea in infini-
how little damage the heavy fire did to the tesimal pieces by a shell —an accident which
guns and machinery. Only three guns were profoundly affected the brave old fighter.
dismounted in the whole Chinese fleet, and
in no case were the engines, boilers or The Engagement Renewed.
hydraulic machinery (the Chen-Yuen's ex- About three o'clock the Japanese hauled
cepted) injured. No casualties were reported off for consultation, but came on again and
from the engine rooms, where the behavior renewed the battle. About five they took
was excellent. their final leave, the Ting-Yuen and Chen-
The Lai-Yuen, a sister ship to the King- Yuen following them up. This was probably
Yuen in build and armament, had her super- a bit of strategy on the part of the Japs, for
structure damaged by fire and shell more after running ten or twelve miles five of them
than any other ship in the fleet, and was an turned round and fired. This was apparently
appalling sight in Port Arthur. Foreigners the last kick, for to the unmitigated dehght
who saw her deemed it a marvel that she of the Chinese officers they finally hauled off
could ever have been brought into port, so and departed to the southward.
completely wrecked was all her deck gear. The Admiral then sent on a verbal mess-
She was essentially sound in hull, armament age for the transports to come along. But
and engines, however. they had gone far up stream when they knew
The Ting-Yuen (flag ship, 7,430 tons, what was going on, and did not dare to move
fourteen and one-half knots, four thirty-seven without more special orders. It was sup-
ton Krupp guns, two four ton Krupps, eight posed that they had fallen victims to the
machine guns) was the scene of some striking Japs, who returned the next day. But on
episoded. A heavy shell, supposed but not Saturday they all arrived safely at Taku.
known to be on the ricochet, struck the They had left Tatung Kou on Friday, four
fighting top, killing instantly seven men in days after the battle. They saw the shell of
theChao-Yung and the tops of the Yong- second of five inferior ships, which stood off
Wei in the water on the scene of action. some distance. The battle thus arranged itself
They called in at Port Arthur, where they into two groups, four Chinese cruisers becom-
saw six Chinese vessels, and crossed the ing engaged with the second division, while
Gulf of Pechili in perfect safety. two ironclads, the Chen-Yuen and Ting- Yuen,
The following account ts valuable as com- attacked the first division. The fighting of
ing from an experienced naval officer, who the second division was irregular and difH-
was present. The account is mainly a re- cult to follow.
petition of previous reports, but adds that It ended in the Japanese disappearing in
the concussion of the first discharge of the the direction of Hai-Yung-Tao.
guns of the Ting-Yuen threw everybody off The first Japanese division carried on the
the bridge of the ship. The Japanese ships fight with the ironclads by circling round at
approached in column of divisions, the line a distance of forty-five hundred yards. The
ahead of the divisions being disposed abeam. Chen-Yuen and Ting-Yuen, keeping to-
gether, followed the enemy's movements in
At Close Quarters. a smaller circle, the whole evolution taking
Coming closer, they tried to form a line a spiral form. Occasionally the distance be-
abreast. The Chinese ships started in a sec- tween the opposing ships was reduced to
tional line abreast, at a rate of speed of seven two thousand yards, and once to twelve
knots an hour. As they came nearer the hundred yards.
Japanese appeared to form in quarter line,
to which the Chinese replied by turning two Keeping at a Distance.

points to the starboard, thus keeping their The Japanese aimed at keeping a long
bows toward the enemy. distance away, so as to avail themselves of
Approaching within forty-four hundred their superior speed, and make the most of
yards the whole Japanese fleet seemed to their quick-firing guns, which vastly excelled
turn eight points to port, thereby forming a those of the Chinese. The object of the
single line ahead, and steaming across the Chinese was to come to close quarters, so as
Chinese line turned its starboard wing. to use their slow-firing guns of large calibre
The Chinese were unable to keep pace with full effect.
with the enemy, and endeavored to follow The firing continued between the Chinese
their movements by keeping bow on them as ironclads and the Japanese first division until
the Japanese ships circled around, maintain- nearly five o'clock in the afternoon. The
ing the while a heavy bombardment. The guns gave the latter an immense
quick-firing
Japanese fleet that kept in the thick of the advantage, scattering showers of splinters,
"
fight consisted of six ships of the " Yuen occasionally setting the Chinese ships on fire
class. and riddling everything that was not pro-

The Japanese ships, having completed one tected by armor. During the action one
circle, hauled off to a distance of eight thou- of the smaller Japanese ships was seen with
sand yards, and went through an evolution her propellers out of the water and her bow
with the object of separating into two divi- nearly under. Another was seen to be on
sions, the first consisting of seven of their fire, enveloped in flames and apparently
best-known and the swiftest cruisers, and the sinking.
The Yoshino and Matsusima were burn- that the 6-inch guns at both ends of the
ing fiercely. The former, after receiving two ships, which are only slightly protected,
shots each fi-om the Ting-Yuen and Chen- were also undamaged, seems to indicate that
Yuen, was enveloped in a cloud of white the destructive effect was due to the enor-
smoke, which lay heavily on the water and mous number of projectiles from the quick-
completely covered the ships. The Chinese firing guns, rather than to the skilled direc-
vessels waited for the cloud to clear, and got tion of the shots. The manceuvering of the
their port guns ready, but before the Yoshino Japanese first division excited great admira-
became visible their fire was diverted by a tion. Taking advantage of their speed and
Japanese vessel of the Matsusima type, the long range of their guns, they always
which came on at a distance of two thousand kept at the distance that suited them, main,
two hundred yards on the port quarter. taining perfect order throughout the fight,
The guns that were laid for the Yoshino attempting nothing sensational and never
were fired at the newcomer, with the result coming within destructive range of the
that she began to burn. Whether these heaviest guns.
three Japanese ships received mortal injuries
is uncertain.
The Mast Cut Away.
In the latter part of the battle the Chinese Captain Sakamoto, of the Akagi, was
iionclads ran short of common shells and aloft watching for torpedoes and signalling
continued the action with steel shot. This to the other vessels of the fleet their loca-
was ineffective, as the Japanese vessels have tion, when the mast was cut away by a shot
no armor. The two ironclads fired 197 from the enemy and he was killed. The
rounds with 1 2-inch guns, and 268 rounds Yoshino's forward barbette was slightly
with 6-inch guns. About four o'clock the damaged. All the ships of the Japanese
Ting- Yuen was badly on fire forward, the squadron carried new guns, and these did ex-
smoke impeding the working of the fore- cellent service. They used no torpedoes, all
turret. Before five o'clock the Japanese had the damage sustained by the Chinese vessels
ceased firing, and the distance between the being inflicted by shot. In view of this fact,
fleets was rapidly increasing. the sinking of double bottomed vessels like
the Lai-Yuen is considered remarkable, and
Effective Armor. it is the generally expressed opinion among
In regard to the conclusions to be drawn nautical authorities that the work of the
from the battle it may be said that the Japanese was the most successful thing since
Chinese battleships proved formidable. The the time of Nelson.
Chinese ironclads stood the battering of the Toward the close of the fight great confu-
heavy quick-firing guns admirably. Their sionwas observed on board the Ting-Yuen,
upper structures were severely damaged, but King-Yuen and Ping-Yuen. These ships
not a shot penetrated a vital part. The bar- appeared to be on fire.
bette protection of the 12-mch guns was At sundown the Chinese fleet were in full
most effective, very few men being wounded retreat. They were pursued by the Japanese
within the barbettes. Two barbette turrets ships, which laid their course parallel to that
were as intact after the action as before. taken by the enemy. The night being very
This fact, however, coupled with the fact dark, the pursuers kept at some distance
from the Chinese, fearing that should they ing applied for at the rate above par. The
follow theenemy too closely they might be call was for only ;^2 5, 000,000.
damaged by the latter's torpedo boats. Owing Warnings of punishment in store for Li
and the extreme darkness the
to this fact Hung Chang in consequence of the repeated
Chinese succeeded in getting away and defeats suffered by the Chinese Army and
reaching a safe shelter. Navy were sent from Pekin, but the text of
At daylight the Japanese vessels endeav- the decree proclaimed on the 17th of Sep-
ored to find the enemy, but were unable to tember, after the battle of Ping-Yang, was
do so. They then returned to the scene of as follows
the previous day's action, where they found
the Yang-Wei ashore and deserted, and
Li Hung Chang Degraded.
destroyed her with a fish torpedo. None of "The Emojen (Japanese pigmies), having
the Japanese vessels were lost in the engage- broken faith with Corea and forcibly occu-
ment and only three of them were seriously pied that country, the throne sympathized
injured. All of them, with the exception of with its tributary kingdom in her distress
the MatsuBima, remained on the station. and so raised an army to attack the common
All the official reports of the battle were enemy. Upon Li Hung Chang, Imperial
very laconic and greatly wanting in scientific High Commander of Peyang, having chief
and useful details, but from the foregoing control of the forces there, rested the entire
statements the reader will be able to obtain a burden of being prepared for emergencies,
true account of the battle. but, instead, he has been unable to act with
speed and promptness in his military prepara-
Literal Gifts. tions, so that much time has elapsed without
The ex-Daimio of Mito, one of the great any important results. He has indeed failed
Tokugawa family of the Shogunatow, com- in the trust reposed in him by us. We,
memorated the victory of Ping- Yang by a therefore, command that his decoration of
donation of ^8000 to the war fund. His the Three-Eyed Peacock Feather be plucked
younger brother gave at the same time off from his hat and that he be stripped of
^2300. Large contributions to the same the yellow riding jacket as a slight punish-
object continued to be received from various ment. It is necessary then that the said Im-
sources, the theatre managers being especi- perialHigh Commander exert himself to the
ally conspicuous for their liberality, but the utmost and decide upon what should be
native journals complained that the promi- done ; that he direct and hasten the various
nent merchants and bankers, and especially armies from the various provinces to the
the contractors, who were receiving enor- front in order that all may put forth their
mous sums from the public treasury, offered best strength to chase and root out the
no similar donations. enemy. In this way Li Hung Chang may
By command of the Empress, the pecuni- hope to redeem former errors."
ary circumstances of the families of soldiers The position of foreigners in the interior
and sailors who died in the war, were ascer- of China, especially at the north, was regarded
tained for her Majesty's immediate consider- as extremely critical. Even residents of
ation. Subscriptions to the war aggregated Shanghai felt it necessary to remind com-
on September 25, $55,000,000, $10,000 be- manders of European fleets of dangers that
would threaten them in case the government The engagement was severe throughout, and
suffered further reverses, and the few aliens the casualties were unavoidable.
who remained in Pekin had far more serious An extraordinary Imperial edict was issued
cause for apprehension. calling for a true report of the battle of Ping-
The authority of Li Hung Chang, which Yang. The Emperor announced that the
would ordinarily be exercised on behalf of defeat was owing to dissensions amongst the
strangers was now so weakened that his defenders and rivalry of generals in charge of
promises of protection could no longer be the several brigades and stated that the
trusted. No immediate movement from the guilty parties would be severely punished.
capital could be safely attempted, as the A proclamation was issued warning British
roads were thronged with disorderly bodies troops against accepting any engagements
of troops and a peasant population, famished that might be offered. The Merchants'
and desperate. The presence of marines to Steam Navigation Company continued the
guard legations and restrain the lawlessness transfer of its ships from Chinese to German
of mobs, which seemed waiting only for a control.
pretext to rise upon Europeans and Ameri- One of the Imperial decrees announced
cans, was imperatively demanded. that the sovereign had consented to the
Empress Dowager's request to omit or post-
A New Commander. pone the celebration of that lady's sixtieth
The call of Prince Kung to power was birthday and devote the immense sums of
interpreted as another sign of Li Hung money collected for the ceremonies to the
Chang's decline. This halfrforgotten states- prosecution of the war. Reports of mutinies
man, seventy years of age, controlled the among Chinese troops in Manchuria gained
diplomacy of the Empire some thirty years strength and caused great agitation in Pekin
before, until he was set aside by one of the and Tien Tsin.
palace which in those days
conspiracies
frequently threw the government into confu- Prompt Contributions.
sion. His appointment was quickly followed "Ever since the war began," wrote a
by the nomination of General Sung to the Japanese correspondent, " the enthusiasm of
chief command of the Northern armies. the Japanese has known no bounds. Con-
This was understood as equivalent to a tributions for the comfort of the soldiers in
definite denial to Li's position to be entrusted Corea flow in from all sides. Every imagin-
with the direct management of the military able article was piled up in the Army Depart-
and naval forces. The statement previously ment as gifts to those fighting for the country.
published that the Chinese fleet purposely Contributions from ten cents up to tens of
carried no boats was corroborated. The thousands of dollars were daily reported.
crews of all the lost vessels perished, with Mr. Fukuzawa, the famous educationalist and
scarcely an exception. The number of journalist, contributed $10,000 to the relief
drowned was roughly estimated at nearly fund.

seven hundred. Every deck officer engaged "Ladies, and low, were sending
high
was injured. On the ships which returned to money, as well as lint bandages for the
Port Arthur about one hundred were killed wounded. Towns and villages were busying
and two hundred and fifty were wounded. themselves in organizing militia companies to
offer their services to the Mikado. The German general is brought out in bold relief.
Mikado, however, addressed the people, ex- His influence and popularity are immense,
horting them that it was their duty to stay especially in the army. He comes of very
at home, to follow their own vocations, as humble origin, his father being one of the
there is a regular army sufficient for the Ashigaru caste, the lowest of all the Samurai
occasion, although he rejoiced in their patri- classes, who, in feudal times, could not under
otism. This must have been a great disap- ordinary circumstances be promoted to a
pointment to the brave and warlike Samurai higher rank.
class. " When still in his teens he was the head
" To prepare for a prolonged war Japan of the Chosin cavalry forces, and led them
issued this large five per cent, government against the army of 20,000 men sent in 1864
loan of ;^2S, 000,000. The Minister of the by the Shogun, then the reigning power, for
Treasury consulted with financiers and bank- the chastisement of the feudal lord of the
ers as to the advisability of the measure. Chosin province. With the insignificant
The Minister was of the opinion that the force of scarcely 2000 men he checked the
bonds ought to bear six per cent, interest, advance of the enemy and completely de-
but the bankers' enthusiasm was such that feated them before they could invade the
they assured him that the greater part of the Chosin territory. His strategy and tactics
loan would be taken by themselves at five per on that occasion were masterpieces in skill
cent, and they felt sure that there would be and precision. There has scarcely been any
no difficulty in raising the entire amount. fighting since the war of restoration in which
The feeling of the whole country is at such a he was not actively engaged.
pitch that they cannot rest until they realize
long cherished hope of humiliating Japan's Greatest Marshal.

the
" It is the general opinion of Japanese that
China."
Marshal Yamagata is the ablest general that
Japan's Field Marshal. Japan now has.There are four field mar-
The Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese shals in the Japanese army, and Count Yama-
army in Corea, Field Marshal Count A. gata is the only one who is not of princely
Yamagata, who brought the Ping -Yang birth. The other three are Prince Arisugawa
campaign to a brilliant close, may well be and other high personages of royal blood.
said tobe a born soldier. He was called " Marshal Yamagata has in his staff in
the Von Moltke of Japan, and his brilliant Corea, Lieutenant General Nodsu, as vice
strategy at Ping- Yang would indicate that commander, who has had as brilliant a mili-
he deserved the title. In stature, he is tall tary career as the Marshal himself They
and slender. have been together in previous battles, and
The reader will be interested in the follow- know each other well. It is not likely that
ing sketch :
" Socially he is very quiet and there will be any disagreement between then!
silent, and here his resemblance to the great as to military operations."
22
CHAPTBR XXI.
STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CAMPAIGN.
AFTER the great naval battle which

resulted so disastrously to the Chi-
play in the sanguinary conflict.
flew from continent to continent with light-
Reports
nese navy, the Japanese army made ning rapidity, rumors and contradictions of
preparations for a bold advance, rumors filled and public interest with
the air,
having in view especially the towns and for- the dawn of each day inquired what new
tified places occupied by the enemy. A move had been made upon the chess-board
number of minor battles were fought, which of the Orient where nations were playing the
although not decisive, or fraught with great great drama of Empire.
results, yet served to show the superiority of Meanwhile let us turn our attention to the
the Japanese arms. military movements and incidents of the
A strong patriotic feeling in support of the campaign following the battle of the Yalu.
war manifested itself in Japan, and the popu-
lace were elated over recent victories and Death of China's Commander.
were enthusiastic in their support of the After the battle of Ping- Yang, while the
government. On all sides there was rejoic- Japanese soldiers were engaged in burying
ing and congratulations. By this time the those who had fallen in the fight, they found,
conviction not only pervaded Japan, but surrounded by a heap of dead bodies, the
other nations likewise, that the military remains of an officer very richly clad. On
power of China was only a mere shell and the body was found a letter from the Chinese
would easily be crushed in the conflict. As government addressed to General Yeh, Com-
a resultit began to be rumored that China mander-in-Chief of the Chinese forces in
was ready to propose terms of peace, and Corea. This letter, together with others,
although this was denied by officials of high from the wife of General Yeh, and various
position the statement was again and again documents, which were also found on the
renewed and found a ready relief. body, fixed beyond doubt the identity of the
The fact also became known that England remains as those of General Yeh, who was
was extremely nervous on account of the supposed to have succeeded in making his
events in the Orient which threatened her escape after the complete rout of his forces
commercial relations with China. There by the Japanese. The body was interred
was talk of interference by the European with the honor due the rank of the deceased
powers and it was only after mature delibera- officer.
tion that the decision was reached to allow At it was reported

this juncture of affairs
the war to proceed and take its own course. that Japan was endeavoring to negotiate a
The powers most frequently named were treaty with the United States. The treaty
England and Russia, and it became an inter- was one which the Mikado's government
esting question as to what part each would regarded as more important than any ever
338
STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CAMPAIGN. 339
made by it before with any country. It pro- government for an expansion of their trade
vided for the abolition of that feature of the with the United States. The treaty also
present treaty which is known as " extra-ter- contained other provisions of an economic
ritorial" jurisdiction, which is equivalent to nature, which, it was believed, would tend
placing the affairs of foreigners in Japan further to increase our trade relations with
under the control of courts composed of that country.
consuls representing the commercial powers. Public interest was further awakened in
Japan has made such progress in civiliza- the affairs of the Orient by reliable news of
tion during the past two decades that her a proposition to partition China among the
national pride revolts at a continuation of European Powers. The following despatch
such authority, which is only demanded in from St. Petersburg indicated what was
our treaty negotiations with semi-barbarous going on in diplomatic circles
nations. This was the real bone of conten-

tion in the proposed new treaty, and it was Partition of China Proposed.
" In a long and remarkable article on the
one from which Japan emphatically declined
to recede. China-Japanese war the Novosti, a leading
journal, strongly advocates European inter-
Concerning Immigration. vention, and advises Great
Britian, France
Another important clause was that which and Russia to come to an understanding,
relates to immigration. This, however, it with a view to the partition of China by a
was believed, could be satisfactorily adjusted, joint occupation. The conquest of China
inasmuch as the policy of the Tokio govern- by these three Powers, it is contended,
ment is to discourage emigration, and, more- would be an easy undertaking and would
over, it is claimed, the Japanese are not a render vast service to civilization at large.
migratory people, and there is no probability It would be of benefit to the Chinese people
that this country would ever be threatened themselves, in saving them from certain de-
with a "Japanese invasion," as has been the cay and in freeing them from an arbitrary
case with the subjects of China. round of routine in order to bring them into
The proposed new treaty was drawn on the common sphere of civilization.
practically the lines of the treaty agreed to " The Novosti draws a glowing picture of
by Great Britain. It specifically enumerated the enormous economic advantages which
the respective rates of duty which would be would result from the transformation of
levied on importations from the United China into a vast market, which would be
States,and it provided for the abolition of the the receptacle of the superabundant pro-
export duty on silks and teas, both of which and industrial, of Europe.
ducts, natural
articles are principally exported to the United " Commenting on the situation in Corea,
States, and which yield to the Japanese gov- the Novoe Vremya says :
—
Russia is entitled '
ernment a revenue amounting to more than to more preponderating influence than Great
;^ 1, 000,000 annually. As the consumer in Britian in the settlement of the Corean ques-
this case " pays the tax " the pecuniary sacri- tion, in view of the fact that the geographical
fice made by Japan will be a benefit to the position of Corea places that country within
American people, and will furnish an addi- Russia's sphere of influence.'
tional proof on the part of the Japanese The obstacles in the way of carving China
up for an all round distribution, such as the cohesion. The Thibetans and Mongolians,
Russian Novosti suggested, would be very the Turki and Mussulmans are not united in
great. But these obstacles would not for a real band. The inhabitants of the north-
the most part be furnished by China herself. ern portions of the Empire cannot so much
It is true that she has a population of many as understand the speech of their southern
millions,and she possesses arsenals where fellow subjects. The provinces are all inde-
cannons, rifles and ammunition of the most pendent, with their own armies and their
modern type are turned out in considerable own government, strung loosely together by
quantities. But there is no country in the the same submission to the reigning house.
world where scientific warfare is less intelli- This nexus removed, internal disruption
gently studied or understood. "The Chi- would inevitably result.
nese army," says a highly qualified English
Anarchy would Result.
observer, " under Chinese officers, even with
muskets in its hands and cartridges in its Were the capital occupied by an enemy
pouches, is an undisciplined rabble of tramps, the Emperor expelled and the dynasty over-
about as well qualified to withstand a turned, it is doubtful whether China would
European force as a body of Hyde Park pro- persevere in any protracted resistance, or
cessionistswould be to repel a charge of the initiate a policy of revenge. The various
Life Guard." elements of disorder scattered through the

Empire would each find its local focus, and
Great, but Weak. a reign of lawless anarchy and universal dis-
All history goes to show the facility with location might be expected to ensue. It is
which China, notwithstanding her over- clear that this crumbling of the Empire
whelming numbers, may be worsted by a de- upon the removal of its Emperor would
termined invader. Two and a half centuries enormously assist the division of its terri-
ago she yielded to a few hundred thousand tories among a number of greedy and pow-
Tartars, who founded the present dynasty. erful foreign states.
Four centuries before that she had bowed The effect of the war news upon the Japa-
before the Mongols. In recent times many nese was electric and was the occasion of
territorial losses have borne testimony to her some striking scenes in the large cities. At
weakness. Tonquin, Annam and Cochin Yokohama a large number of flags taken
China have been taken by France; Siam no from the Chinese were exhibited in front of
longer owes her allegiance Burmah has be-
; the Shokonsha shrine, which is dedicated to
come a British possession; the Loo-Chow the spirits of the soldiers that have fallen in
Islands have passed under the dominion of battle since the days of the restoration.
Japan; and now finally Corea has been Thousands of people daily gathered round
wrested from her uncertain grasp. the place, their countenances beaming with
There is yet another reason why China delight at this tangible proof of the superi-
could not hope to resist a partition should ority of the Japanese arms. The pride of
the Powers decide upon making it. The those in the crowd who had soldier relatives
Chinese are not one people —not a single was freely expressed, and such phrases as
community, but a congeries of communities. "my brother" or "my cousin" did this or
There is among them no national unity or that were frequently to be heard. The ex-
341
hibition of flags was of itself well worth necessary, to cover the withdrawal of the
seeing, but the exhibition of family pride and missionaries.
loyalty was more touching. The instructions also directed that all
It is estimated that more than fifty thou- missionaries, without regard to nationality,
sand soldiers were in Tokio, the majority should be protected. The few and meagre
composed of the first-class reserves. The telegrams received by the Minister "and Con-
barracks were full to overflowing, and the suls from the nearest mission stations, indi-
houses of wealthy private citizens were ap- cated that the missionaries there were
propriated, as many as fifty men being bil- determined not to desert their posts, but
leted on one house. to continue their work in the face of all
The calling out of the first-class reserves risks. The largest Protestant inland mission
resulted in sorrow to many households. in China is engaged in the provinces of
The metropolitan journals reported one case Se-Chuen and Hu-Pei, in which provinces
of peculiar interest, which revealed the crime anti-foreign riots have most often occurred.
of infanticide. The young wife of a time-
expired soldier died, leaving the widower
Remained at their Posts.
with an infant daughter. On being called The managers of this station, instead of
to go to Corea he made strenuous efforts to withdrawing the workers under their super-
get some one to take his baby, but, being vision, sent fresh drafts of missionaries to the
very poor, was unable to procure a home various sub-stations in their district, they
for the little one. As there was apparently having received advices that there was no
nothing else to do he killed the child and more cause for fear of ill-treatment than
then joined his regiment. The crime was usually existed. The society which operates
not discovered until after his departure for this station, also, has four stations in the
Corea. He left word with a friend that he province of Pe-Chi-Li, in which province
was resolved to die on the field of battle. Pekin is and these four stations
situated,
employ 614 missionaries, no one of whom,
Fears for Missionaries. so far as is known, was preparing to retreat.
As a result of the outbreak of the war the The same may be said of the Catholic mis-
gravest solicitude was felt for the missionaries sionaries, whose numbers are largely in
located in China. After a Cabinet Council excess of the Protestants.
instructions were cabled to the British Min- In Nieu-Chang and Moukden, which are
ister at Pekin, and to the British Consuls at near the centre of the district where the war
all the treaty ports to send to the mission was being carried on, there were stationed
stations in the interior, imperative directions twenty-three Catholic and seventeen Protes-
for the withdrawal of all the missionaries to tant missionaries. The mail advices received
the protected coast districts. The Consuls from those points stated that the churches
were empowered by their instructions to call and houses of native converts had been pil-
for upon Vice Admiral Free-
assistance laged and burned, but that the foreign resi-
mantle, commanding the British fleet in dents had meanwhile remained unharmed.
Chinese waters, who was authorized to send The position of affairs debarred the Admir-
gunboats to any possible distance up the alty from sending explicit orders as to how
Chinese rivers, if such action was deemed to dispose of the vessels covering the ports,
but Vice Admiral Freemantle was advised missions in China, called, respectively, the
to station gunboats at the Che-Foo, Ichang South China, the Foo-chow, the North
and Hankow, and also at the furthest inland China and the Shansi. The China Inland
port, Chun-King. At Shanghai the Indo- Mission has appropriated to itself the interior
European police force was increased on parts of China as its special field. These
representations made by British shippers examples are sufficient to show how ubiqui-
there. tous the missionaries in China are. In fact,
onemay come across these self-sacrificing

Taking Shelter in Pekin.
men and women in any out-of-the-way
The London Missionary Society received corner of the Empire. Their isolation in
a cablegram from the missionaries under its this fashion in remote districts renders it
charge located in Tientsin and vicinity, practically impossible to afford them ade-
stating that they were well, but that their quate protection.
families were leaving for Pekin, fearing the
result of the anti-foreign feeling which had Execution of Japanese Students.
made itself manifest on the part of the On October i ith it was reported that two
natives. Japanese students who were surrendered to
China, with her teeming millions, has the Chinese authorities by the American
always been regarded as an important field Consul at Shanghai had been barbarously
-for missionary labor since the Nestorians in executed at Nankin by order of the Vice-
the seventh century first carried the standard roy. They died bravely. The arrest of
of the Cross into that country. The Jesuit these Japanese was the cause of a spirited
missionaries that went to China about the controversy, the question involved being
time when the Manchu dynasty
present that of territorial jurisdiction. The two
came into power were well received by the Japanese were students in Shanghai, who, it
Chinese government. Many of them suc- was alleged, at the outbreak of hostilities be-
ceeded even in obtaining high official posts tween China and Japan, gathered information
through their scientific attainments. concerning China's weakness for the use of
Protestant missionaries made no attempt their government. It was not known
to enter China till the beginning of the whether they succeeded in sending any of
present century. The opening of the five this information to Japan. The Chinese au-
ports in 1842 gave an impetus to missionary thorities claimed that they detected them in
labor as well as to trade. The field was their alleged unlawful work and attempted to
gradually widened by the subsequent open- place them under arrest.
ing of other ports. At first the missionaries The Japanese fled to the French Consu-
naturally confined their operations to these late in Shanghai, but remained there only a
places. Not content with this limited sphere short time, the French Consul General turn-
of action they soon established themselves in ing them over to the United States Consu-
other parts of the country. Now the differ- late. Some days after their arrival at the
ent missionary societies in this country and United States Consulate the Chinese authori-
in Europe have mission stations in every tiesdemanded that they be turned over to
province of the Empire. them, and not having jurisdiction over them,
The American Board has four principal our Consul General Jernegan had to accede
to their request. This action was considered provided for raising a further internal loan
in the United States Senate December sth. of ;^ 1 00,000,000, payable in instalments,
The next advices from the seat of war with interest not to exceed six per cent.
stated thaton October loth a detachment A resolution was submitted by the radicals
made an
of Japanese cavalry and infantry under the terms of which the increase of
attack upon and routed a force of 2,000 the navy proposed at the fourth session
Chinese at Wi-Ju, and that the place re- should now be accepted and executed cis
mained hands of the Japanese. The

in the rapidly as possible. Under the resolution
Japanese force had been greatly delayed in work upon the ships in course of construc-
its advance by the badness of the roads. tionwould be pushed to completion, the ad-
The heavy guns could be brought forward ditional defences proposed be
heretofore
but slowly, and the troops were compelled and the necessary sup-
rapidly constructed,
often to wait for supplies. Pioneer troops ply of arms and munitions of war be se-
had to be used repeatedly to make the roads cured with the least possible delay.
passable. The main Japanese column
reached Yung-Chen, a short distance to the The Emperor's Speech.
south of Wi-Ju, on October 4. There was The following was the speech of the Em-
no sign of the enemy. Four days later the peror to the extraordinary session of the
scouts who had been sent out towards Imperial Diet at Hiroshima
Wi-Ju reported that a small Chinese force
" Nobles and Gentlemen :
still occupied the city.
"We have convened an extraordinary
The Town Captured. session of the Imperial Diet at this time,
The enemy was estimated
strength of the and have specially commanded our Ministers
at about 2,000. A strong body of infantry whose departments are concerned to lay
and cavalry, supported by light artillery, before you a number of measures of great
was thrown forward at once. The Chinese urgency. These are the bills relating to the
offered little resistance. They retired before naval and military expenditure.
the first attacking party, and eventually " We have again to repeat that China, in
broke and fled across the Yalu. The Chi- disregard to her duty, declined to co-operate
nese loss was hardly more than a hundred with Japan for the preservation of peace in
killed and wounded. The Japanese line of the East. The present conflict is the re-
communications was now complete through- sult. But the sword once drawn, hostilities
out Corea. must not be permitted to cease until the ob-
The Japanese Parliament, convoked to ject of the war is attained.
consider war measures, was opened at " It is our earnest desire that our loyal
Hiroshima, October i8th, by the Emperor in subjects shall in perfect union and harmony
person. A bill was submitted providing for devote themselves to the promotion of the
increased expenditures for the army and interests of the Empire, and to the securing
navy. The war expenses were estimated of the complete and final triumph of our
at ;^ 1 50,000,000, of which amount ;^26,- arms, and thereby bring about a speedy re-
000,000 was to be taken from the Govern- storation of peace to the Orient. It is for
ment reserve fund. Another bill introduced you, nobles and gentlemen, to exert your'
selves to obtain the complete realization of Pope of Rome, the Emperor of Austria,
this object." Queen Victoria, the King of Denmark, and
An address in reply to the speech from the Queen Regent of the Netherlands.
the throne was presented by the Presidents Pending the negotiation of such submission
of the two Chambers of the Diet, thanking and the
to arbitration all hostilities to cease
the Mikado for advancing the standard of usual international forms of truce to be
Japan by personally assuming direction of strictly observed by both the contending
the war, the natural results of which direc- parties, The appeal, in conclusion, pledged
tion by His Majesty have been the Japanese that the International Peace Bureau would
victories on land and sea. The address of do all in its power to have this armistice
the Presidents concluded as follows : strictly observed.
"Your Majesty rightly considers China

an enemy to civilization, and we comply Across the Yalu River.
with the Imperial desire to destroy the bar- Meanwhile, military operations went for-
barous obstinacy of that race." The patri- ward. Count Yamagata, commander-in-
otic tone of the speeches in the Japanese chief of the Japanese forces in Corea, re-
Lower House strengthened the Govern- ported to the government at Tokio that a
ment. detachment of 1600 Japanese infantry
crossed the Yalu River on the morning of
In Favor of Peace. October 24th, at Sukochin, above Wi-Ju.
The deep-seated repugnance of war on the Shortly after crossing the river the troops
part of many of the American people found met a body of Chinese, composed of 600
expression at Washington on October 19th. cavalry and 100 infantry, with two cannon.
The members of the American branch of the The Japanese at once made an attack upon
International Peace Bureau issued an appeal the enemy and the latter fled, leaving behind
to the Emperors of Japan and China to arbi- them the two guns and a large number of
trate their difficulties. Some of the success- muskets. The Chinese lost twenty killed or
ful arbitrations that have been achieved by wounded, but there was not a single fatality
these International Peace Associations were among the Japanese. The latter also seized
mentioned in the appeal, the more prominent a fort near the scene of the engagement. A
of which were the treaty of London, which detachment of the Japanese forces advanced
gave to Belgium her neutrality; the treaty upon Lishiyen and the main body crossed
of Washington, which resulted in the settle- the Yalu River.
ment of the Alabama clciims, and the Behring The force of Japanese that crossed the
Sea Arbitration, known as the treaty of Paris. river and defeated the Chinese was composed
The appeal stated that further loss of life entirely of riflemen. Earthworks had been
and property could be avoided, without any thrown up at Sukochin by the Chinese, but
reflection upon either country, by submitting a slight deviation enabled the attacking forces
their pending disputes to arbitration with the to cross the river without hindrance. The
same results and without loss of prestige, Chinese position was garrisoned with a small
as were secured by the contending nations force of artillery and infantry, and these fled
which were parties to the foregoing arbitra- after two or three rounds of shots had been
tions. It recommended as arbitrators the fired.
Count Yamagata added: "We captured dreadful tragedy of Chinese treacher^;, was
the works with a rush. A regiment of enacted in the very capital of China itself,
Manchurian cavalry came up as the enemy in Pekin. At the outbreak of the war Li-
were driven from the earthworks and cov- Hung-Chang was accused of having brought
ered their retreat. The retiring force took on the premature rupture of peace between
refuge within Chinese batteries further down China and Japjm.
the river, throwing away their muskets in "Matters were getting too hot for the
their flight. Viceroy, and he sought means to extricate
"Our advanced detachment now holds himself from the charges made against him,
the fortifications erected at Sukochin ferry and to protect his own safety by transferring
oy the Chinese, and is prepared to guard the the whole blame upon Minister Yuen. He
passage across the river of the main body, answered the impeachment of the Pekin
which will probably be made at dawn of the court with the arraignment of poor Yuen,
25 th inst. Pontoons have already been whotn he charged with acting in the Corean
placed in position at Nodzu, and all the question without his order and without his
men and materials are ready for a rapid knowledge, thus bringing about the present
advance. There are still many Chinese conflict.
troops in the batteries opposite Wi-Ju, but
their number has not been increasing during A Piece of Treachery.
the past week. The opposing forces have "At this juncture Yuen returned to China
both been making reconnoissances since the from Corea. No sooner had he touched the
Chinese were driven out of Wi-Ju, but no soil of Tien-Tsin than Li took possession of
fighting had taken place until the morning him, and, apprehensive of Yuen's exposure
of the 24th. of his share in the Corean complications, in-
duced him to conceal his whereabouts. Li
The Chinese Force. kept him literally in a state of confinement,
" Scouts have made their way to a con- while he was using his every effort in Pekin
siderable distance down the river, and have to bring him into disgrace. Yuen's indigna-
also pushed into the interior, but none has tion was great when he finally learned of
met any armed Chinese. A report is cur- of treachery on the part of the old
this piece
rent that the entire effective Chinese force is Viceroy. Determined to protect himself
intrenched close to the Yalu River on the from danger by giving facts and evidence be-
Moukden road. The main attack on the fore the high officials of the Pekin court,
Chinese will be made before Sunday." Yuen escaped to the capital.
A startling incident of the war was the " The dread of Li-Hung-Chang in conse-
murder of a high Corean official. "Cor- quence of the disappearance of Yuen can
rupt and treacherous though China's official well be imagined. He was quite at a loss
circles may be, says the Jiji Shimpo, of at first what to do, but he determined to take
Tokio, of September 22, we never have some extreme measure for his own safety.
given credence to the report that the late Yuen arrived at the capital, where he was
Chinese Minister to Corea, Yuen-Si-Kwei, happy at the prospect of being able to appeal
was killed by poison. But a recent despatch to the court, and of establishing his inno-
from a trustworthy source says that this cence by exposing the whole affair before
the high officials. On the night of his ar- Chen. The Japanese then destroyed the for-
rival he was invited to dine with a friend tressand rejoined the main army.
from whom he had been separated since he Count Yamagata 's report to the Emperor
went to Corea as Minister. He returned added that the Chinese engaged in the fight
home and retired, feeling unusually comforta- greatly exceeded the Japanese in number.
ble for the first time after his arrival in his He coming
further said that his plans for the
native land. But next morning Yuen was fight These contemplated
were completed.
no more. He was dead." the movement of several columns in a con-
Field Marshal Count Yamagata reported certed and concurrent attack upon the
to the Emperor that at daybreak on October Chinese from all sides. Already, he said,
25 the Japanese army under his command a network was being drawn around the
completed its crossing of the Yalu River, Chinamen, and it was expected that the
and in the forenoon attacked and defeated attack would take place at daybreak on
the Chinese near Fu-Shang, also capturing a October 27, though it possibly might be
fortress on the right bank of the River Ai. made earlier.
According to the statement of a Chinese

Precipitate Flight-
officer who was made prisoner the enemy
were eighteen battalions strong. The Chi- Subsequently the Marshal reported that
nese lost two hundred killed and a large on October 26th, at daylight, he had arranged
number wounded, though it was not known to attack the enemy at Kiu-Lien-Cheng, but
how many. The number of Japanese killed found that this place had been evacuated by
or wounded was five officers and ninety men. the Chinese, who, apparently frightened, had
fled at the approach of the Japanese. The
A Forward Movement. number of men in the Chinese force he was
Advices received from Nodzu stated that not certain of, but it was reported that there
the Japanese began to transport the main were 16,000. During the last three days^
body of their army across the Yalu on the the Field Marshal reported the Japanese
evening of October 24. The work of cross- captured thirty guns, a large quantity of
ing continued throughout the night, and at ammunition, rice and fodder and 300 tents.
day-break on October 25 all the guns, horses After the capture of Kiu-Lien-Cheng on
and men had crossed without mishap and the 26th, the Japanese headquarters were
formed an intrenched camp.. In the mean- moved from Wi-ju to this point. Two
time Colonel Sato, who had taken a flying columns chased the Chinese in various
column on the morning of October 25 for directions. The Chinese fled without fight-
the purpose of reconnoitring, came upon the ing, throwing away arms and drums in their
enemy, who occupied a fortified position flight. The capture of Wi-Ju was a victory
near the village of Fu-Shang, on the right of great value to the Japanese, it seems, as
bank of the Ai River. Colonel Sato at- it is a place of considerable strategic import-
tacked the Chinese at ten o'clock in the ance. Whoever controls this city controls
morning, the fight continuing until past noon. the mountain passes and roads around it
The Chinese offered a stubborn resistance, that lead into Corea on the one hand and
but were ultimately driven out of their forti- into Manchuria on the other. The Yalu
fications and retired in disorder to Kiu-Lien- river at this point is very wide and deep. Its
banks are moderately high and slope upward centre and the chief market of this part of
with a gradual ascent till they meet the hill Corea and Northeastern China. Its ware-
on which the city stands. houses contain large amounts of rice, grain
Wi-Ju is described as being the hand- and other foods, and its wells and streams
somest and cleanest place in either Corea or supply an inexhaustible amount of good
China. This means a great deal, because water.
most of the places in those two lands, and
especially in the Celestial Empire, are monu- Complaints against Chinese Soldiers.
ments of filth and disease. It is a walled General Tatsumi started for Fens-Huang
iity of the first class, and occupies a site on the 27th and arrived there on the 31st.
whose natural advantages cannot be sur- The garrison made no show of fight, but fled
passed. The hill on which Wi-Ju stands is toward the main body as soon as the Japan-
about a mile wide and more than a mile and ese approached. The principal generals were
a half long. On its summit is the city, proceeding with their troops toward Mouk-
which is surrounded by a long, high and den. The inhabitants of Haichao and Taku-
strong wall of cut granite, which ages of shan complained bitterly of the violence of
exposure have bleached to a dead white. the Chinese soldiers, from whom they suf-
At intervals are watch towers with windows, fered constantly during the occupation.
from which the sentry can spy out in every They were very friendly toward the Japanese.
direction. It is high and pierced with open- Three hundred Chinese bodies were found
ings to allow the archers to shoot down after the capture of Kiu-Lien-Cheng, many
upon invading armies, of them having died of wounds received in
previous battles.
A Historic City. By the capture of Feng-Huang-Cheng and
Before the invention of artillery the place two more abandoned places, the Japanese
was considered almost impregnable. The came into possession of 5 5 cannon, 20,000
walls of the city are so high that but little rounds of ammunition, 1500 muskets and
can be seen of the city within. Here and 2,000,000 cartridges, besides an enormous
there are glimpses of red roofs and porcelain quantity of miscellaneous supplies. Marshal
copings, the top of Buddhist temples, and Yamagata ordered that all labor and sup-
the upper stories of official buildings. Trees plies be paid for as soon as obtained by the
and towers are half concealed by tree tops Japanese, consequently the inhabitants of the
and running vines. To the northwest, west country volunteered their services and gladly
and southwest the city looks upon a fertile provided the commissariat with any needed
rolling plain divided into farms and fields, provisions. Marshal Yamagata then estab-
water courses and woodlands. The city has lished an office of civil administration in
been besieged, sacked and conquered at least Antong, and placed in charge Colonel Ko-
twenty times. mura, secretary of the Japanese Legation in
Centuries ago it was the outpost of the Corea. He issued a proclamation promising
old kingdom of Liaotong, and long before protection to the people and ordering them
— the
that în third century of the Christian topay taxes to Colonel Komura.
era— was the
it capital of one of the so-called It was reported on November 5 th that the
Sushun kingdoms. It is the distributing English government was attempting to put

an end to the war. This was a renewal of them. Meanwhile the Powers have a com-
the attempt made a month previously, which mon interest in averting the disintegration of
was unsuccessful. The English press, acting the Celestial Empire. Humanity peremp-
for the commercial interests of the nation, torily forbids the thought of .allowing a gov-
advocated an alliance with other Powers, and ernment under which hundreds of millions
the adoption of such measures as would bring live, to be destroyed. Japan may lose the
hostilities to was rumcfred that
a close. It whole fruits of her victory by clutching for
China had already submitted to the Powers too much."

the terms upon which she was willing to On November 7th it was reported that
make peace. Ta-Lien-Wan, on the north of Port Arthur,
on the northeastern shore of the Regent's
Anti-War Sentiment. Sword, had been taken. The Emperor of
The public sentiment was expressed as China was desirous of consulting personally
follows by one of the journals: "No Euro- with all the foreign Ministers on the situa-
pean government can desire to see this tion. A provisional local government over
disastrous conflict Even the
prolonged. the conquered territory had been established
United States, despite the Monroe doctrine, by the Japanese, with its headquarters at
must be concerned by the regularity and Antong. One year's taxes were remitted by
security of their trade with Japan. Sooner the Japanese authorities to the natives.
or later —and better sooner than later — there
must be an international settlement. It will Battle Ships off Port Arthur.
be difficult to contend that interferences will The Chinese reported that the Japanese
be premature now. were rapidly advancing in the rear of Port
" There is reason to believe that China has Arthur, and that a strong Japanese fleet, in-
resolved to formally ask the Powers who cluding thirty torpedo boats, was outside the
have immediate commercial interests at stake harbor. It was expected that Port Arthur
to stop the war. The Chinese Minister is and the Chinese fleet would fall into the
said to have communicated the request to hands of the enemy.

the Foreign office in London. According Japanese reports from Nin-Chwang stated
to a telegram from Pekin, China is disposed that deserters from the Chinese army were
to conclude peace upon the basis of the ac- arriving there by fifties, and that a great
knowledgment of Corea's independence and panic existedamong the Chinese, hundreds
the payment of an indemnity to be fixed by of whom
were leaving by every steamer.
the Powers. The Powers who are willing The Japanese flying squadron was reported
to support this arrangement are requested to to be a hundred miles off Niu-Chwang, and
intervene. the Chinese there were reshipping their
"The conquerors will for the first time goods, considering it unsafe to remain there
display a lack of sagacity if they decline to during the winter.
accept reasonable overtures for peace. They An incident of the campaign was the ar-
are no longer despised by the Chinese, but, rest of several Americans by the Japanese
more than ever, are hated, and could not authorities. The two who were arrested on
hope to govern a single province of China the steamer Sydney, at Kobe, were named
proper, if it should be formally ceded to Hope and Brown. The name of a China-
man who was taken into custody at the " Mr. Moore is the Chinaman referred to
same time was Cham Fam Moore. He was as having been arrested, and his associates
believed to be the interpreter of the Chinese are Mr. John Wild, an inventor, of Provi-
Legation at Washington. The Japanese au- I., and a Mr. Cameron, a Scotch-
dence, R.
thorities informed the captain of the Sydney man, who was employed for a time as a
before attempting to make the arrests that if workman in a torpedo manufactory at Provi-
he would surrender these passengers he dence. Messrs. Wild and Cameron had, it
would be allowed to proceed for his destina- appears, satisfied the Chinese government of
tion. The offer, however, the captain re- their ability successfully to destroy the Jap-
fused to avail himself of, whereupon an anese vessels, and Mr. Moore was instructed
armed force boarded the Sydney, and, de- by the Pekin government to conduct them to
spite the protests of the French Consul and Shanghai. They travelled to San Francisco
the steamer's captain, seized the three men and thence to Yokohama under assumed
and removed them from the vessel. names, Mr. Wild being known as Howie and
A despatch from Tokio stated that the Mr. Cameron as Courtney.
two Americans and the Chinaman arrested
by the Japanese authorities appeared to be The Plot Discovered.
under contract with the Chinese government " The Japanese government, through
to attempt to destroy the Japanese fleet. sources which they decline to reveal, learned
of the plot, and when the trio sailed from
Story of the Captives. Yokohama they were arrested en route at
The arrest was explained to some extent Kobe, a Japanese seaport city. The particu-
by the following statement, made by a lars of their arrest are contained in a dispatch
Washington newspaper correspondent: "A dated at Hiroshima, the headquarters of the
story is told of the China-Japan war which Japanese army and navy. The dispatch is
is full of dramatic interest. About six weeks as follows

ago the report was circulated in diplomatic "'A Chinese official, with two foreigners,
circles here that Mr. Moore, one of the an Englishman and an American, arrived at
attaches of the Chinese Legation, had been Yokohama a few days since on the steamer
recalled to Pekin by the home government. Gaelic. All were under assumed names.
It was said that he had been ordered back in The foreigners were suspected of entering
disgrace, and his friends were profuse in their into an agreement through Chinese officials,
expressions of sympathy. It was noticeable, with the Chinese government, for the purpose
however, that Mr. Moore bore his ill fortune of engaging in the war against Japan. They
philosophically, but by many was feared
it landed at Yokohama and took passage on
that his return to his native country would board the steamship Sydney, for China. The
be followed by his speedy decapitation. It captain of the Japanese war vessel Tsukuba,
now appears was not
that the supposed recall under orders from headquarters, exercised
in any sense a recall, but that Mr. Moore was the right ofvisit and search on board the
returning to China in pursuance of a clever Sydney when she was in the harbor of Kobe,
scheme, which had for its pu: pose the de- and found in their possession an agreement
struction by dynamite and torpedoes of the with the Chinese government to destroy the
Japanese fleet now in Chinese waters. entire navy of Japan within eight weeks by
the use of torpedoes. Other official docu- annihilate any foreign fleet which he attacked.
ments on the same subject were also found. His plan was to throw from a torpedo boat
In consequence, the three were arrested and shells filled with chemicals, which, on strik-
taken ashore, and the ship released from de- ing,would explode, creating an impenetrable
tention.' It is understood that none of the and suffocating smoke, and to follow this up
be punished by the Japanese govern-
trio will by attacking with torpedoes. The Navy
ment, but will probably be held as prisoners Department was not convinced of the merits
of Wild's plan, and he left:. When the
WW, Eastern war broke out Wild came to
Washington and offered his plan to the
Japanese Legation. It was not favor-
ably considered, and he went straight
to the Chinese Legation. There his
scheme fell on fallow ground. Under
pretence of leaving for a vacation. In-
terpreter Moore went to New York,
and thence to Providence, R. I., where
he met Wild and his associate, Cameron,
and arranged the details for the destruc-
tion of the Japanese fleet. But the Jap-
anese Legation had lost sight of neither
Wild nor Moore. Their movements
Mrere shadowed, and they were allowed
to proceed across the country and across
the Pacific to Japan, where they were
arrested at the latest possible moment.
Offered No Protest.
Secretary Gresham was officially noti-

fied of the arrest by the Japanese Minis-
ter, receiving from that official a copy

of the despatch wired to the legation
by the Japanese authorities. It was
decided by the State Department offi-
THE KING OF COREA AND HIS SON.
cials that this government could offer
of war indefinitely." This would effectually no protest against the arrest of the Ameri-
prevent any damage that otherwise might be can. All it could do was to prevent any
inflicted upon Japanese war-ships, which have unnecessary cruelty being practiced on him.
acted an important part in the war. Intervention on this score, it was not believed,
Wild's scheme of destruction was offered would be requisite, in view of the lenient man-
the United States government some two ner in which the Japanese had hitherto treated
years before. He claimed that at the ex- all prisoners and were disposed to treat them
pense of a few thousand dollars he could in the future.

Immediately upon the receipt of the in- was a strange experience to return from
It
formation of the arrest of the American, the a bloody battlefield and see this gentle
State Department authorities began looking monarch standing among sinister courtiers
up precedents in this matter. An important like a frightened woman and to hear him say
one was found Formosa expedition in

in the that his one desire was to entrust his person
1874. Speaking on this point, a State De- to a guard of American soldiers. When
partment official said: —"No action can be the correspondent saw the King, the unhappy
taken in the case of the American held by monarch was surrounded by police officials.
the Japanese for conspiring against them. If On the right stood the crown prince, a half-
criminating evidence had not been found on witted, open-mouthed youth, attired after the
his person, as was stated in the despatch fashion of his father, save that purple took
transmitted to the department from the Japa- the place of crimson. Three slow bows and
nese Legation, the department might have a pause. The interpreter folded his hands
entered a protest, and some trouble might across the embroidered storks on his bosom,
have followed, as a result. One of the best bent his head reverently and advanced.
precedents found which bears upon this case
Seeking Protection.
is the Formosa trouble, in which three
Americans participated. All we can do is to
" I am glad to receive a representative of
see that the American is not maltreated. the American press," said the King. "I take
The Japanese government has a perfect right this opportunity of saying that it is the wish
to hold him as a prisoner of war in view of of my people as well as of myself that Corea
the fact that he was at the time of his arrest should be absolutely free and independent. I
in the service of China, hired to destroy appeal now and shall continue to appeal to
Japan's navy." the civilized nations of the world, to use

their influence in preserving the integrity of
The King's Appeal. this kingdom. I especially rely upon the
A correspondent who obtained an inter- friendship of the United States in this mo-
view with the King of Corea gave his im- ment of difficulty and danger. Your Gov-
pressions as follows: In the midst of the ernment made the first treaty with Corea,
perils overwhelm his kingdom and
that and has always promised to befriend us. I
threaten his life, the King of Corea received now look to America for a fulfillment of
the correspondent and made a direct appeal these promises. My faith in the United ?????
to the people of the United States for help. States is unshaken. I am waiting patiently."
He recognizes our government as the first to The correspondent asked His Majesty
treat with Corea as an independent power how the United States could help Corea,
and claims to have a special right to look for assuiing him that the American Govern-
some practical proofs of friendship from ment had already shown its disposition to
America, at a time when war and private resent any attempt to interfere with the au-
conspiracy are infringing upon the autonomy tonomy of the nation. The King looked
of the "hermit nation." The king no longer embarrassed and his voice dropped almost
speaks of Corea as a sealed kingdom. He to a whisper. It was plain that he felt con-
sees plainly that this country must surrender strained in the presence of his courtiers. He
to civilization at last. hesitated, looked about him nervously, then
23
said :
" If a few American soldiers were sent both of which places were captured by the
to the palace to protect my person, it would Japanese, numbered respectively three thou-
change the situation. sand and one thousand. They fled after
" I have already told the American Min- making a feeble defence. The Japanese
ister, Mr. Sill, what I ask the United States loss amounted to fourteen.
to do," continued the King. " I hope for a On November nth, a special steamer ar-
favorable reply. The United States Govern- rived at Hwang Chu, with despatches as to
ment has from the very beginning of our re- the course of the war in Corea. Kinchow,
lations repeated its assurances of a very on the Regent's Sword Promontory, was
special interest in this kingdom. We gave taken by the Japanese on November 4th.
your country the first treaty, because we The garrison consisted of some 1,200 infan-
were convinced that your Government had a try and artillery. The batteries were very
sincere and disinterested friendship for badly served during the defence. The first
Corea. I hope I shall receive some prac- division of the Japanese army advanced to
tical proofs of that friendship now. I ask the attack with spirit on the morning of the
the President and people to help in protect- 4th. The resistance of the Chinese was
ing the independence of the kingdom." feeble. The fire from their guns was weak
and ill-directed, and the outlying fortworks
Ready to Open Corea. were cleared quickly.
Tai Won Kun, the supposed regent of
the country, added " We are ready to
:
Fled in Confusion.
open Corea to the world. The country can A panic then took possession of the
be no longer kept sealed to foreigners. But troops in the interior works. They aban-
this change is too sudden. It has thrown doned their guns, standards and stores, and
everything into disorder. The people are in fled in disorder, the infantry even casting
a state of great excitement. Corea is a pe- aside their small arms in their haste. The
culiar country. For thousands of years our defence was so weak that only a few Japa-
people have clung to certain usages. The nese were wounded, and but twenty or
customs of ages cannot be surrendered to thirty Chinese were killed and wounded. It
the world in a day. The change must be is believed that many of the garrison had
gradua? Our first duty is to quiet the peo- deserted on the 3d, when they became con-
ple and restore order and the reign of law." vinced that the battle was at hand.
The Japanese issued proclamations to the Afl:er the victory the first division joined
various Manchurian cities through which the second division in investing Ta-Lien-Wan.
they passed. In these they declared that In the evening of the next day(November 5)
they were waging war against the Manchu firewas opened on the Chinese position. On
Government only, and promised safe protec- the 6th the works were carried with a rush.
tion to all people remaining quiet and fol- The garrison of 3,000 men hardly waited to
lowing their ordinary occupations. The resist the attack. They fired a few shots
Chinese troops were deserting in large num- and then fled toward Port Arthur, strewing
bers and passing themselves off as farmers. the road with their firearms, swords, drums
The garrisons of Ta-Lien-Wan and Kinchow, and standards. In the confusion of their
on the neck of Regent's Sword Promontory, flight the Chinese lost some fifty men, killed
and wounded. The Japanese loss was two Personally the Count is strong, muscular
killed and ten wounded. The Japanese fleet, build and tall, with an imposing figure.
cleared for action, steamed into the bay at His fellow countrymen have every confidence
Ta- Lien-Wan on the afternoon of the 6th, but in his military genius and experience."
itwas too late to assist the land force, which Another war was
startling incident of the
was then celebrating its victory. Empress of China, which
the suicide of the
From Ta-LienWan the and second
first was reported on October 31st, and further
divisions started for Port Arthur, which they disclosed the critical state of affairs at Pekin.
were confident of capturiug within a week. A brief sketch of the Empress will be of
Admiral Ito's despatch to the Mikado con- interest.
cerning the fleet's part in the operations at

Ta-Lien-Wan confirmed the account sent by A Very Young Empress.
the land commander. Yo-Ho-Na-La was a little Manchu maiden
General Oyama made the attack from the of thirteen when she was married to the boy
rear. Nineteen war ships and six torpedo Emperor against her will and against his.
boats were prepared to assist him, but the He was but eighteen at the time, but he had
Chinese, who had expected the main assault a will of his own, and he resented bitterly
from the sea, did not wait. They hardly this thrusting of a child-consort upon him
resisted the Japanese. They abandoned by the imperious Er,ipress Dowager. Hav-
everything and retreated in disorder. ing been forced into union with Yo-Ho-Na-
La, who was the daughter of General
Sketch of General Oyama. Kuei-Hsiang, the Empress Dowager's
Count Oyama, the commander of the
" younger brother, the Brother of the Moon
forces," says an authentic account of recent never became reconciled to her, and the life
date, " is a field marshal in the Japanese army, of the young couple was most unhappy.
and is a brilliant soldier. He took a promi- There were many quarrels between them,
nent part in the War of the Restoration, in and then the end came. The girl Empress,
the sixties, and in the Satsuma Rebellion in completely broken in spirit by the humiliation
1877, in which he fought side by side with to which she found herself constantly sub-
Marshal Yamagata, the victor of Ping-Yang, jected, chose to face death rather than try to
against the rebel Takamori Saigo. Some bear the burden of her unhappiness any
years ago he was sent to Europe by his longer.
government to study military science as was in February, 1889, that the wed-
It
practiced in the West, and he witnessed the ding was solemnized. On the 31st of
Franco-German war. December, of the previous year, the State
" Later on he served in the Tonquin cam- Department had been informed by the
paign, fighting with the Chinese against the United States Minister at Pekin of the edict
French. On returning from Europe he of the Empress Dowager, published in the
passed through the United States, and stayed Pekin Gazette of November 9th, reading as
for some days in New York. For several follows
years he held the post of Minister of War, "The Emperor, having reverently suc-
which he relinquished a few weeks ago in ceeded to his exalted inheritance, and in-
order to command the present expedition. creasing day by day in maturity, it ia

becoming that he should select a virtuous of allowing the young Emperor to follow his
consort to assist in the administration of the bent in this matter, and had already decided
palace, to control the members of his house- on a match for him by which the throne
hold, and to encourage the Emperor himself would be shared by one of her own family.
in upright conduct. Accordingly, the lady selected was her
"Let, therefore, Yo-Ho-Na-La, daughter niece, who was anything but a beauty, from
of Deputy Lieutenant-General Kuei-Hsiang, a Chinese or Manchu point of view, and after

whom we have selected for her dignified and a great many "scenes" and violent alterca-
virtuous character, become Empress." tions, the Empress Dowager proved her
By a further edict of the same date :
" Let authority by having the marriage with her
Ja-Ta-La, aged fifteen years, daughter of niece celebrated.
Chang Hsii, formerly Vice-President of the
Family Quarrels.
Board, become secondary consort of the
first rank, and let Ta-Ta-La, aged thirteen, The young Emperor was urged by his
also daughter of Chang Hsii, formerly Presi- tutor, the great Ung Tung-ho — ^the most
dent of the Board, become an Imperial powerful man at the present moment in
concubine of the second rank. Respect China, and the one who really governs the
this." Emperor's acts —
marry the lady whom
^to
the Empress Dowager flouted, and the old

Many Chinese Beauties. lady, afterwards learning of Ung's part in
The selection of the bride was goverened the business, gave him a warm piece of her
by the rules laid down Book of Rites,
in the royal mind. She had already enlisted on
and is a tedious and elaborate process. The her side Prince Chung. After the marriage
dynasty is Manchu and the Emperor must there prevailed the most bitter acrimony be-
marry one of his own race. For a year tween these august personages, and in the
before the marriage was celebrated hundreds struggle the youthful ruler, assisted by his
of fair competitors, all daughters of Manchu crafty tutor, for the moment gained the up-
mandarins of not less than the third rank, per hand. But it was a dangerous game to
competed for the honor of sharing the fight the Empress Dowager, who was a
Imperial throne. After several inspections, determined and subtle antagonist to tackle,
in which the beauty, family influence, and and in the end young Kwangtsu might
intellectual attainments of the young ladies have fallen a victim to the necessities of the
were taken into grave consideration, the list moment, as his predecessor Tung-Chi did,
of aspirants was reduced to thirty. had he not come to terms with the old wo-
The Emperor himself was deeply smitten man.
with the charms of the daughter of a high Nor would the Gorgon of the Dragori
Manchu military officer, and he expressed Throne allow its youthful occupant to con-
his intention to share his throne with her. sole himself by bringing the fair object of
He also selected another fair damsel whose his choice into his harem, but selected two
beauty struck his youthful heart with admira- strong-minded damsels, also of the Imperial
tion, for his second wife. But the old lady clan, to form the nucleus of the seraglio,
who had so long and so nobly wielded the which Chinese custom prescribes shall be
sceptre during his minority had no intention limited to seven, but which is unlimited.
CDETA.i'TEi?, x:x:zi.
UPRISING OF THE BOXERS.
THEhistory
war between China and
of which
Japan, the '
righteousness.'
'Chuan' means 'fists.'
'
Ho ' means '
harmony.'
written is in the pre- 'Yee-ho-chuan'
ceding pages, was followed by several years would therefore involve the righteous idea
of peace in the Flowery Kingdom. Inter- of promoting harmony by the fists, the
nal dissensions, however, broke out in 1 900, righteousness resulting from the harmony,
and finally grew into one of the most formid- with the fists as an incidental means to a
able insurrections of modern times, which good end. The term undoubtedly arose in
resulted in great destruction of life and connection with athletic sports and teachers
property. of the art of boxing or defense by the fists."
The own country and of
attention of our
European nations was immediately turned Boxers Originally Sheep Herders.
toward China, and reports of the ghastly The Chinaman before he became an agri-
massacre of the native Christians of China, culturist was a sheep raiser and herder. His
and of the foreign residents, were received word for truthfulness, uprightness, that
with a thrill of horror. The reader will which stands for righteousness, is composed
doubtless seek- information concerning the of two parts —the first and the second, form-
bloodthirsty actors in this shocking tragedy, ing the phrase "my sheep," apparently
the appalling details of which were scarcely pointing to a time when, upon the rightful
believed until evidence was forthcoming that ownership of flocks —demonstration of the
could not be questioned. same —one was in the right, therefore upright,
It would seem impossible for the most therefore had a righteous cause.
brutal savages to perpetrate such crimes as Transpose this to possession of the land
were instigated and performed by the noto- of China, for which the great powers are
rious Boxers. Lost to every sense of now uncovering armaments, and the
their
humanity, loudly applauding justice while Boxers' use of the word "righteousness"
fiendishly violating it, their evil deeds show does not seem so far-fetched. The word
what infamous crimes the savage nature of "right," in the Chinese tongue, is from
the Chinese hordes can perpetrate. "tsze," meaning "one's one," and "yang,"
Wu Ting Fang, the Chinese Minister at meaning "sheep." Make that land, or the
Washington, was asked " What is the: privacy of the home, or the right to worship
meaning of the term Boxers in Chinese,' '
Confucius, or the right to "esist foreign
"
or what is its derivative analysis ? invasion, and error is difficult to detect.
He replied :
" I have seen from the The Boxer therefore, by all justification of
Chinese papers that the local word applied his past, " rightfully " uses his fist for defense
to the people that your papers call the of his own, and when he becomes heated in
'Boxers' is '
Yee-ho-chuan.' 'Yee' means passions, it is not surprising if for the fist he
357
358 UPRISING OF THE BOXERS.
substitutes a weapon. Nor is it surprising, According to these authorities, the I-hwg
if looked at with dispassion, that in killing tuan (the Boxer society) is said to have been
the invaders he fails to draw a discriminating evolved out of that celebrated secret associa-
line between Caucasian missionaries, railroad tion which is known in the North by the
engineers, diplomats or soldiers. In his name of Peh-hen-hui (White Lily Society)
mind they all stand for the same thing and in the South by the San-hoh-hui (Triad
invasion and conquest. Of course, whether Society). Like its mother association, it is
slaughter involves killing Boers in South a politico-religious organization with very
Africa, Indians in the United States or mis- simple tenets and strict internal regulations,
sionaries in China, the killing is morally- the details of which are a sealed book to
wrong. Yet there may be partial j ustifica- those not belonging to it.
tion at times. All that is known to outsiders is that its
members practice the art of boxing and pro-

"Up with the Ching Dynasty." fess that in virtue of a certain incantation
As to what the Boxer is, competent testi- which they recite mentally, their person is
mony comes from various sources. Edwin rendered proof to bullets and fatal weapons.
Wildman, late vice-consul of the United The first historical mention of them occurs
States at Hong Kong, says :
about the middle of the eighteenth century
" They are divided into lodges, and have under the reign of the Emperor Kienlung,
common signs and pass-words known only when their organization went by the name
to themselves. They have certain methods of I-hwa-men-kiao (Patriotic, Harmonious
of interrogating each other and recognize Sect).
peculiar manners in placing cups and dishes
at the table ; of wearing their garments and Boxers Have Steadily Increased.
saluting each other. They hold their meet- But
was not until the time of the it
ings usually in secluded places in the deadEmperor Kiaking that the Boxers began to
of the night and draw blood from their attract the attention of the ruling power. At
bodies, mixing it with water and pledging the beginning of that Emperor's reign they
each other to oaths of vengeance against were discovered to have obtained a strong
their enemies. The Boxers have adopted a footing in the country districts on the bor-
flag bearing the motto :
bers of Shantung and Honan, and their
'
Up With The Ching Dynasty activity so rapidly increased that their sect
And Down With the Foreigner,^ or association was interdicted in 1809 ; but
The information we here re-produce is in spite of occasional persecutions they have
embodied in the reports to the To-A Dobun- since then steadily increased in power and
kaiofTokio from Mr. M. Inouye of Shan- numbers.
ghai, and Mr. H. Nishimura, director In the early days of its existence, the
of the Chinese paper, "Kwo Wen Pao," at political tendency of the association was
Tien Tsin —two gentlemen who, it cannot be antagonistic to the existing dynasty, and its
denied, enjoy exceptional facilities for keep- whole energies seem to have been directed
ing themselves posted concerning passing to its overthrow. Latterly, however, taking
events in China. shrewd advantage of the growing friction
CHINA: PAST AND PRESENT. 359
between native Christians and non-converts, which time they are supposed to have sec-
the Boxers have identified themselves with retly plotted and intrigued together.
the latter's cause and adopted opposition to It is highly probable, as is generally be-
the foreign creed and its professors as their heved in well-known circles, that the ambi-
principal creed. Still more recently, to tious but inexperienced Prince is a dupe in
ingratiate themselves with those in power, the hands of the artful I-hwa leader, who has
they have adopted the popular legend of an object of his own in view in the great
"Hing-Tsing mieh yang" (Up with the dyn- conspiracy, which is no other than getting
asty ! Down with foreigners !") himself in power at court. Whichever may
be the greater dupe, there seems to be no
Famous Prince Tuan. doubt that these two men have been work-
As to the alleged close connection between ing hand in hand.
the Pekin court and the Boxers, there can be
no doubt on the subject. In the first place Empress Not In the Conspiracy.
it is a significant circumstance that the open With regard to the Dowager Empress, it
manifestation of anti-foreign activity by the does not appear that she has been privy to
Boxers coincides with the appearance of the intrigue from its commencement. At
Prince Tuan on the political stage at Pekin all events, neither Mr. Nishimura nor Mr.
at the beginning of the year 1900. We may Inouye make any allegation of the kind.
here refer to an incidental description of that They assert, however, the fatal policy of the
important personage. "Prince Tuan," we Pekin government toward the Boxers has
are told, "is a comparatively young man of her entire approval and sanction. They
a little past fifty years, strongly built and state that this policy was definitely adopted
with a commanding presence." During the at a Cabinet council in the palace. On that
last few years he has been assiduously culti- occasion the proposed policy was warmly
vating the acquaintance of all classes of men, advocated by Prince Tuan, Prince Ching,
and there are said to be several other traits Kang-yi and Chao Sukiao, while Yung Lu
and Prince Li were against it, and Wang
'
in his character that distinguish him from the

other members of the imperial family. Wenchao kept silent and did not say a
Evidently he is a man of lofty ambitions, single word either for or against it.
for it is widely whispered that since the If this account of what took place at the
appointment of his son as heir apparent his alleged cabinet meeting is reliable, we are
aspirations mount no lower than the imperial sorry to find Prince Ching, who was con-
throne itself Be that as it may, there can sidered a moderate conservative, in the same
be no room for doubt that he is deeply im- camp with Prince Tuan and the rest of that
plicated in the Boxer agitation. To make group. He is, however, a trimmer of trim-
his connection with the Boxers still more mers, and was doubtless quick to discern
clear, it is stated that their leader, a notori- the growing change in the scale of political
ous adventurer who made himself conspicu- power at court.
ous in connection with an insurrection in The leader of the Boxers formerly resided
Honan about 1888, has been staying with in the South and had some connections with
the Prince at his palace in Pekin, during the Ko-bao-hui, so that it is justly feared that
360 UPRISING OF THE BOXERS.
the latter may at any moment join with the nothing touches and of all the people of
;
Boxers. Moreover, the people in general worth they most entirely lack soul, charm,
are very much excited by their strong super- magnetism, attractiveness. We may yield
stitious belief that when an intercalary them an intellectual admiration on some
month occurs — as it does in the year 1900, grounds, but no warmer impulse beats for
according to the lunar calendar —between them. Their very numbers and sameness
the eighth and ninth months of the year of appal one, the frightful likeness of any one
the Rat, or the seventh Stem, the country individual to the other three hundred odd
will be harassed by great political convul- millions of his own people. Everywhere,
sions, and, furthermore, that such convul- from end to end of the vast empire, one finds
sions will be justifiable and proper, as they them cast in the same unvarying physical
are the will of Heaven. Add to this the —
and mental mold the same yellow skin,
long smoldering fire of antagonism to the hard features and harsh, mechanical voices ;
Manchu dynasty in the Southern provinces a monotony, unanimity and repetition of life,
and nobody will be so bold as to predict character and incident, that offend one almost
that the disturbance thus far happily con- to resentment.
fined to the country around the capital will
not lead to general disorder and great con-
Dirt and Disorder.
vulsions throughout the whole empire. " Everywhere on their tenth of the globe,
from the edge end of Cochin
of Siberia to the
A Strange People. China, the same ignoble queue and the sense-
In a descriptive work on China the author less cotton shoes are worn everywhere this
;
says fifth of the human race are sunk in dirt and

" No Occidental ever saw within or under- disorder, decadent, degenerate, indifferent to
stood the working of the yellow brain, a fallen estate, consumed with conceit, sel-
which starts from and aims at a different fish, vain, cowardly and superstitious, with-
point by reason of inner processes we can out imagination, sentiment, chivalry or sense
neither follow nor comprehend. No one of humor, combating with most zeal any-
knows, or ever will know, the Chinese —the thing that would alter conditions even for
heart and soul and springs of thought of the the better, indifferent as to who rules or
most incomprehensible, the most unfathom- usurps the throne."
able, inscrutable, contradictory, logical and Surely this passage is an over-accentua-
illogical people on earth. Of all Orientals tion of Mongolian racial characteristics,
no race is so alien. Not a memory or a cus- which,when reduced to the last analysis,
tom, not a tradition or an idea, not a root- means no more than that the Chinese are
word nor a symbol of any kind associates not Anglo-Saxons and do not pretend to
our past with their past. There
sym- is little admire or adopt Anglo-Saxon ideas and
pathy, no kinship nor common and feeling, ideals. As to their physical sameness, the
never affection, possible between the Anglo- educated Chinese traveller could make the
Saxon and the Chinese. same complaint against Europeans and
"Nothing in Chinese character or traits Americans in this age, when the whole of
appeals warmly to our hearts or imagination; the Caucasian races are neai'ly, if not quite,
drilled into uniformity. The author does massacre, he might not have written so con-
not share in Lord Wolseley's apprehension temptuously of Chinese military prowess, or
of the "Yellow Peril." said with such confidence that the defeat of
Had he written at a time when it was China by Japan in 1894 brought about the
known that over two thousand well-drilled fall of the great Humpty Dumpty of the far
and well-armedEuropean troops, under East. It is admitted by better informed
command of a British admiral, were com- observers, that wonders have been accom-
pelled to retire from before Pekin after losing plished in the matter of drilling the Chinese
twenty per cent, of their number, and had and arming them with modern weapons.
he known that 25,000 men were thereafter The repulse of the allied troops at Tien
deemed insufficient by European com- Tsin opened the eyes of the world to this
manders to begin a movement on Pekin to fact in a startling way.

relieve the foreigners who were in danger of
TWO PRINCES WARRING FOR A THRONE.
TWO
nese
men are at the bottom of this Chi-
trouble. They are the conspirators.
feud of Ching and
in 1 872,
Tuan began.
when both were beginning
That wes
to realize
To-day, their names, their deeds on the hps that the throne was in reach of any prince
of the world ;
yesterday, their existence who could keep his head on his shoulders,
unknown, undreamed of by the masses. and lay plans for it.
Such men are Ching and Tuan, rival princes Tungchih, shortly after his marriage to
for the mysterious, blood-stained throne of young Ahluta, had died suddenly of
the
the Yellow Dragon. and the Dragon Throne was
smallpox,
They who hear and talk and read know vacant. To Tsze Hsi An, the dead Empe-
of the hatred of China for all things not of ror's mother, the Dowager Empress, "the
itself, for the " foreign devils," and they only man in China," came Tuan, nephew of
know that the Boxers' awful work is the Hienfung, Tungchih's father and predeces-
latest manifestation of this feeHng of censor, and diplomatically whispered in her ear
turies of conservatism to the outward world. that his elder son, Kuangsu, being only four
They know, too, that Princes Ching and years of age, would make an excellent and
Tuan, somehow, are vastly mixed up in the unobtrusive ruler. The sagacious Dowager
—
turmoil and now they know that desire to at once declared baby Kuangsu "the Son
be superior to all their fellows is largely at of Heaven." And Prince Tuan smiled and
the bottom of it all. increased power was his.
It is because his soul cries out for su-

preme power that Tuan organized the
Could Not Agree.
Boxers, ordered them to strike at the op- Ching at this time, though ten years the
portune moment, and leads them. It is senior of Tuan, was only a prince imperial
because he longs passionately for men to of the third order. Tuan, of course, ranked
hail him as Emperor, " ,Son of Heaven," high in the first order. To Tuan came
that Ching has taken up arms against his Ching with well-worded proposals that the
old enemy, and thus poses as the champion former use his influence with the Dowager,
of foreigners. now that Kuangsu had brought him into
Both are playing skilfully their cards, for close relationship with her, to have the peti-
Tuan realizes that to grasp the coveted tioner raised higher in the scale of princes'
prize his Boxers must not be checked and ; dignity. But Tuan remembered a sHght
Ching hopes that, by overcoming the fana- Ching had placed upon him when both were
tics, the grateful nations will see him seated princes of the third order, and the request
in purple on the Dragon Throne. of Ching, distant relative of the Emperor,
In the first year of the automat n-like was refused.
reign of the present Emperor Kuangsu the This was the beginning. Ching persever-
362
ing, sought other methods of reaching the Tuan thought his hour was come r-jnd struck
Dowager's ear. Tuan as assiduously tried to drive out universally the hated whites and
to frustrate his attempts, but, finally, Ching take the Dowager's place, the power behind
secured the favor of Tsze Hsi An, the dead the throne.
Emperor's mother. Prince Ching, sitting a*- the head of the
His path was now rosy, despite the ma- Tsung-li-yamen, had not wasted his time.
chinations of Tuan. Gradually he was He had felt thoroughly the pulse of the
trusted more and more. He was made world, he had come to the knowledge that
general of one of the Banner Corps, direc- though he hated the foreigners as thorougly
tor of the Imperial Clan Court, a prince of it would be disastrous
as his rival, Tuan, yet
the first order, and in 1884 —the hardest to do more than oppose them diplomat-
—
blow of all to Tuan he was placed at the ically.
head of the Tsung-li-yamen, the Chinese Also early in the organization Ching,
Foreign Office. There he remained, ex- somehow, had learned of Tuan's connection
cept for a few mouths, when his predeces- with the Boxers and the fact that his rival
sor, Kung, was recalled from exile and again was leading such a movement, also helped
entrusted with the direction of the Empire's to decide him to oppose all such attempts
public affairs. to oust the foreign devils. Consequently,
he tried to check the spread of the society
Tuan Organizes Boxers. as much as possible, but his efforts were not
In the meantime Tuan was also increasing any too successful. But he did manage to
in power, and especially by siding with the keep his troops of the Banner corps, trained
Dowager in her hatred of foreigners. So, in modern warfare by German tacticians,
partly through his suggestion, Tuan set from being infected.
about secretly organizing the Boxers. Osten-
sibly one Jue is known as their founder, but Champion of Foreigners.
Jue is only an agent of Tuan. And all who Thus, when Tuan struck and the streets
joined their numbers swore to drive out ran blood and the world stood, rooted in
and kill all foreigners when bidden by the horror, Ching, desiring to see his enemy de-
princely leader. feated, having felt the pulse of the world,
But this was not Tuan's sole step forward. certain of the loyalty of his German-trained
He was placed in command of the flower of troops and gnawing the bone of ambition,
—
the Chinese army the so-called Pekin declared himself the foreigners' champion
—
Guard 20,000 strong, to whom is entrusted and went out to do battle with Prince Tuan.
the defense of the Purple City. And by an Not that he loves the foreigner oh, no. —
edict of the Dowager Empress, his younger His eyes, hke Tuan's, are ever turned on
son, Kuangsu's only brother, was named as the Dragon Throne. If he conquers Tuan
heir apparent to the Imperial Throne. and his Boxers, Ching reckons on his native
A son on the throne, another son heir- followers and the foreign devils he cham-
apparent, the picked foot and horse and pions to place him there. Ching remem-
cannon of the Chinese army and a horde of bers that Li Hung Chang was offered the
fanatics I'eady to call him Emperor —
and throne by Chinese Gordon because he stood
364 TWO PRINCES WARRING FOR A THRONE.
by the whites —and then, too, Ching has felt The British, alarmed at Russia securing so
the pulse of the world. valuable an acquisition as Port Arthur,
And was precipitated for
so the struggle demanded compensation, and April 2, 1898,
a throne —
the oldest in the world and per- — by agreement with China, Wei-hai-wei,
sonal rivalry is largely at the back of it all. opposite Port Arthur, was leased to Great
Britain for such length of time as Russia may
Foreign Trespassers. Great Britain also obtained
hold that port.
Foreign aggression on Chinese territory a ninety-nine-years' lease of territory on the
became marked immediately after the close main land opposite the Island of Hongkong,
of the Chinese-Japanese war, which had In the meantime, France demanded compen-
resulted in China ceding the Island of For- sation for the advantages granted Russia,
mosa to Japan. By the close of 1899 Ger- Germany, and Great Britain, and April,
many, Russia, England, and France had 1898, the Chinese government granted the
acquired large areas of Chinese territory, French a ninety-nine-years' lease of the Bay
either by lease or During the war
by force. ofKwang-Chou-Wau, on the Coast of Lien-
with China the Japanese had captured and Chu Peninsula, opposite the Island of Hai-
occupied Port Arthur, the strongest harbor nan, and, November, 1899, conceded to
on the northeastern coast of China, and pro- France possession of the two islands com-
posed to keep it, but were forced to restore manding the entrance of the bay.
it China by Russia, who afterward pro-
to
ceeded to take it, and in 1 898 obtained from Lost Their Harbors.
China a lease for twenty-five years of Port Thus the Chinese were forced to see some
Arthur and Ta-lien-wan, with the adjacent of their finest harbors, and vast stretches of
seas and territory to the north, on the Pen- their territory, pass to the control of foreign-
insula of Kwang-tung, Manchuria. Port ers. Fortifications were begun and railroads
Arthur is Rus-
to constitute a naval port for and factories multiplied, but for every con-
sian and Chinese men-of-war, from which cession granted a dozen new ones have been
naval and merchant vessels of other nations presented by the various powers. Numerous
are to be excluded. conflicts occurred between the natives and
One part of the port of Ta-lien-wan is the foreign troops and men engaged in the
reserved for Russian and Chinese men-of- construction of railroads, intensifying the
war, the remainder to constitute a commer- hatred of the Chinese toward the foreigners
cial port open to merchant vessels of all and giving fresh impetus to the secret socie-
countries. In November, 1 897, the port of ties throughout the Empire.
Kiao-Chou, on the east coast of the Province China has had many secret revolutionary
of Shantung, was seized by the Germans, societies in the past, but none that arose
ostensibly in retaliation for the murder of more swiftly and spread more rapidly than
certain German missionaries in that province. that of the " Boxers," which was originally
In January, 1898, Germany demanded and a patriotic society and was organized at the
obtained from the Chinese government a time of the war with Japan to prevent the
lease of the town, harbor, and district for a Japanese gaining control of the country and
period of ninety-nine years. also to war against bandits. The statement
frequently made, that the society is com- the "Big Sword." Early in the spring of
posed almost entirely of the lawless ele- 1900 these stories increased in number and
ments of the Empire is emphatically refuted inApril and May, 1900, scarce a day passed
by Europeans long resident in the country. without rumors from China of repeated
Doubtless there are now large numbers atrocities. The " Boxer" movement spread
of coolies, river pirates and criminals of all rapidly until the powers were aroused by the
classes among its members, and the object beginning of wholesale slaughter of Chris-
of the society has become the extermination and foreign, and the destruction
tians, native
of the foreigners, but the leaders to-day are of churches and missions of all denomina-
men of ability, and its membership includes tions. What follows is a chronology of
mandarins, high officials, scholars, and rep- events attending the "Boxer" agitation.
resentatives of all the best classes in the Early in June complaints of " Boxer
Empire. outrages increased, Russia offered to put
down the " Boxer " uprising. JVTany mis-
Organized to Oppose Germany.
sion stations were reported destroyed. United
The present activity of the society origin- States MinisterConger sent a message to
ated in the Province of Shantung to oppose Washington complaining that the Pekin
German aggression. Some of the most government was inactive.
densely populated provinces in the north
Missionaries Killed.
are now under its control, and its influence
is rapidly spreading southward, where On June 6th the mission at Yan Tin was
French interests predominate. Like all burned and missionaries Robinson and Nor-
previous secret societies in the country, it man were killed and mutilated. Immedi-
wages continued warfare against foreigners ately reports from China indicated a dangerous
and all foreign enterprises, and has for its increase of "Boxer" disturbances. Great
watchword, "China for the Chinese." Britain landed troops at Cheefoo.
Numerous revolts instigated by the On June 8th American missionaries in
"Boxers" occurred between 1889 and 1895, various parts of China asked President
and, as foreign aggression on Chinese terri- McKinley for protection. The Chinese for-
tory became more marked in the succeeding eign office refused the use of the railroad to
years, the society began a relentless warfare Pekin to foreign troops. Next came the
against missions, schools and hospitals, news that the City of Tung Chow, near
which finally culminated in the general up- Pekin, was burned and twenty missionaries
rising of 1900 in which missionaries and killed. China protested against presence of
merchants alike were massacred and Euro- foreign troops.
pean and American property laid waste and Early in June, Chinese mobs compelled
destroyed. all foreigners to seek refuge in the legations,
For almost a year before these develop- which were surrounded by armed Boxers.
ments in China Christendom had been The threatening aspect of affairs in Pekin
shocked with stories of outrage upon mis- caused great anxiety among the European
sionaries perpetrated by the " Boxer."!," of Powers and in the United States. The
the "Society of the Righteous Fist," or of Chinese Emperor petitioned the Powers to
aidhim in quelling the Boxer uprising. It and the Chinese were driven out of the west
was announced that Prince Tuan had been arsenal after a fierce cannonade.
made Minister of Foreign Affairs. The A strong mixed force came close to the
Empress Dowager forbade foreign troops to walls, and preparations were made for a
enter Pekin. One June 15th the Japanese fierce and determined assault.
legation was burned and the chancellor The guns of the allies did immense dam-
killed. On the same date, 4,000 Russian age to the native city, causing many large
troops were landed at Taku. The next day conflagrations, and finally silenced the
Pekin mobs attacked foreigners and besieged majority of the enemy's guns simultane-
the legations. England immediately ordered ously. Then 1500 Russians, assisted by
from India to China, and 1,200
six regiments small of Germans and French,
parties
American troops were landed at Taku. assaulted and captured eight guns that were
in position on the iâilway embankment and
American Consulate Destroyed.
the fort, the magazine of which the French
On June 21st, the American Consulate subsequently blew up.
at Tien-Tsin was destroyed. United States
Admiral Kempff urgently asked for more The Arsenal Attacked.
troops and ships, and the Ninth United A body of American, British, Japanese
States Infantry sailed for Taku. About and Austrian troops then made a sortie, and
this time, United States Admiral Remey attacked the west arsenal,which the Chinese
was ordered to China. The Chinese minis- had reoccupied. After three hours of the
ter at Washington asked for an armistice, hardest fighting yet experienced, the Chinese
which was refused. The next day, June fled.
26th, 3,000 Japanese troops were landed at When the arsenal had been evacuated by
Taku. Admiral Seymour, with an expedi- the Chinese, the Americans, French, Japa-
tion, endeavored to reach Pekin, but was nese and Welsh Fusiliers advanced toward
compelled to return to Tien-Tsin. It was the native city, and joined with the other
stated that 60,000 Boxers were surrounding attacking forces. The Japanese infantry and
Pekin. a mounted battery advanced to the foot of
On July 14th occurred the battle at Tien- the walls, supported by the Americans and
Tsin, in which it was reported several thou- French. Despite valiant attacks, the allies
sand Chinese were slain. Admiral Kempff were only able to hold the positions gained
announced that the foreign ministers in outside the walls preparatory to renewing
Pekin had been ordered to leave, but the assault in the morning.
refused. It was also stated that the Boxer The casualties sustained by the allies were
uprising was spreading and southern prov- exceedingly heavy, especially those to the
inces were in revolt. Americans, French and Japanese.
In the first day's combined attack
upon Several explosions in the native city were
the native city over forty guns bombarded caused by the bombardment. The Chinese
the Chinese positions. The fighting was appeared to have exhausted their supply of
most determined, and the allies' losses were smokeless powder, as they were now using
heavy. Eight Chinese guns were captured, black powder.
f Russians made up the right wing of the " The American contingent, after lying in
international column in the advance on shallow, hastily dug trenches, full of water,
the native town of Tien Tsin. As facing the south wall of the city, and suffer-
they moved steadily over the open plain ing for want of water and food, beside being
toward the entrance to the city the Chinese short of ammunition, were ordered by Gen-
shelled steadily from the walls. The Rus- eral Dorward to retire under cover of dark-
sians lost 300 killed and wounded. ness.
During the night the Japanese, Ameri- " The Russians were outside the east wall,
cans and some English troops attacked the while the Japanese, British and French were
city on the left wing. The Japanese shelled close to the west wall, with the Chinese try-
the walls, and, making a breach, gallantly ing to flank them. The walls were sadly
entered first of all the international troops. battered by shells. The total losses of the
The Americans occupied the most danger- allied forces on the first day were estimated
ous position and were forced to advance at 800."
over absolutely unprotected ground. The

Ninth Infantry and a handful of marines In the British Legation,
lost many killed and wounded. Colonel A messenger arrived who left Pekin, July
Liscum was killed while leading his men. I. The foreigners at that time were all in
the British legation. Chinese troops were

Brave Defense of Chinese.
beginning to bombard the legations from the
The Welsh Fusiliers and Wei-Hai-Wei streets. The legations had been under rifle
regiment came up on the American right. fire for a week previously, and in that time
The Chinese defended the walls bravely, but four foreigners had been killed and several
fled once the breach was made. wounded. The marines had unsuccessfully
The city was occupied by the international attempted to capture a gun on a wall com-
troops, who found dead Chinese lying about manding the legations. The foreigners were
the streets in hundreds. At night the city supplied with an abundance of provisions.
was in flames. Fuller details of the fighting at Tien- Tsin
Though the taking of the city had the on July 13 showed that the allies, with forty-
effect of discouraging the Boxers, the total two guns, bombarded the native city, and
loss to the foreigners was 1200 dead and afterwards advanced on it. The attacking
wounded. 7000 strong, British, American, Jap-
force,
Another account of the battle is as fol- anese, and Russians, supported by field bat-
lows : teries and machine guns, attacked the west
"The battle which was begun with the arsenal, which the Chinese had reoccupied.
attack by 7000 of the allied forces upon the The enemy repHed with a heavy rifle fire.
walls of the native city at 2 o'clock in the For several hours there was hard fighting,
afternoon continued all day, two battalions but the allies captured a position on the east.
of the Ninth Infantry participating. Colonel The Russians, assisted by the French and
E. H. Liscum was killed. Among the Germans, assaulted the positions on the rail-
United States marines the casualties num- way embankment and captured eight guns.
bered forty. They also took a fort with five guns, with
wliicli the Chinese had harassed the settle- suls that he was the only Viceroy of high
ment, and blew up a magazine. After stub- dignity in all China who dared to transmit
born resistance by the enemy, the Chinese such messages to the Empress, and that he
force, which was estimated at 25,000, suc- sent them verbatim. She had received them,
ceeded in delaying the entrance of the allies and he had no doubt whatever that she must
into the native city until the following day, have exerted her powerfulinfluence in saving f
the when it was captured, che allies

14th, the Ministers' lives.
having camped outside the walls during the He said he had induced by persuasion and
night. advice all the other Viceroys, except two, to
An American refugee from Tien-Tsin join a lengthy memorial to the throne to
states that European officers, and particularly secure the safety of all the foreigners in
one American, declared they saw Europeans Pekin, to suppress the Boxers, end the pre-
serving guns on the walls of the Chinese sent conflict, and make full and thorough
native city. reparation for damage done and lives lost.
The Famous Viceroy. Foreigners Safe.
Li Hung Chang, the famous diplomat and To the American consul, who had inquired
viceroy, having been summoned to Pekin about accurate intelligence concerning the
from Canton, prepared to make his journey, actual safety of the foreign Ministers, the
which he declared was in the interests of Viceroy answered that he had had no news
peace. In reply to the British, French, from Pekin within a week. His previous
American, German, and Portuguese consuls, advices had assured him then of their, safety.
who officially visited him in a body. Viceroy If they were alive he was almost certain that
Li Hung Chang insisted that his departure matters could be satisfactorily arranged with
for the north had a twofold object, namely, the allied Powers. If they are dead —here
to save the lives of the foreign Ministers in he shrugged his shoulders significantly, and
Pekin and to arrange the best terms of peace added, with lowered voice :
possible with the allied Powers. "It is hard to tell what rnay happen. I
He assured the consuls that he had taken am going to Pekin practically unarmed,
all precautions against any uprising, and except for my
bodyguard of 200 men."
added that he had received important cable He added "That ought to be evidence
:
messages from Lord Salisbury and the to the whole world that I do not further
French Foreign Minister, M. Delcasse, iden- any fighting, and of my pacific intentions."
tical in tone, and demanding full protection He was evidently exceedingly anxious
from injury and insult for the foreign Minis- about the Ministers, for, returning to the
ters in Pekin, aud threatening to take life for subject, he said: "My heart is sore about
Hfe of high officials responsible if the Minis- them. I know them all personally, and am
ters had been murdered. on the best terms with them." He spoke
Earl Li Hung Chang informed the con- with much feeling.
PERILS TO FOREIGNERS IN CHINA.
u DIDever
you ever get socially acclimated, with their eyes, and running to tell their
home feel at was in China ? " parents of your presence. They ar'^ in-
asked a gentleman who had lived and structed to mislead you if you put any
traveled extensively in that country for questions to them. They take you for a
fifteen years. collector, assessor, tax gatherer, or some
" No," said he, " unless you can call get- one that wants to get money out of them.
ting thoughtlessand occasionally careless " Now, multiply that feeling toward you,
by that name. say fifty-fold, and know that they are,

" How do you mean ? " besides, liable to break out in riot and mur-
" Well, just as the lion tamer does occa- der at any moment, and you can get a
sionally. Though he know s he's always in notion of the way a European or even a
danger, at times he get used to it and for- Japanese feels in a Chinese city, especially
gets it and ispay the penalty. So
liable to when he is alone and at a distance from the
in China. Foreigners need to be constantly foreign quarter, if there is one.
on their guard. They or their governments
must make the Chinese fear them.
How Travellers Are Treated.
" You may get some faint notion of it," They are liable to crowd about you and
"
he went on, " if you've ever gone as a per- jeer andmake unpleasant remarks. I don't
fect stranger into the foreign quarters of a mean that all of them do, but in the interior
big city like New York or Chicago, or the cities, and where they seldom see
villages,
East End of London. The very fact of foreigners, they are almost certain to do so.
your being well dressed and apt, like a Then, besides, they will feel of your clothes;
stranger, to peer and peek and stare about take off your hat and put it on their own
you, excites suspicion. And especially if heads, generally with unpleasant subsequent
you take out paper and pencil and begin results to yourself. They will feel of ) our
making notes. They will spot you at hair to see if it is of the same texture as
once. theirs.
" The first thing you know the swarming " Ifyou should happen to have a sketch
denizens —the women particularly — will be book and a pencil, or any European writing
looking at you and whispering to one materials, or any trinkets, like a watch
another. Some of them will frown and chain, a foot rule, a pocket knife or any-
scowl. you ask your way or ask any-
If thing queer and odd to them, they do not
one's they will probably grow
address, hesitate to seize it, examine it, pass it
angry or sullen, and refuse to answer. The around, and if possible, keep it. I have
children, even, will notice you, and nudge even known them to snatch a bundle from
one another, following your every motion a European's hand and calmly open it and
24 369
3?0 PERILS TO FOREIGNERS IN CHINA.
inspect its contents. Once a parcel was than going about among the Indians when
snatched from a woman missionary, in they are on the warpaih against the white
Wusuch, I think. It was opened and her man. And
in some quarters of some of
nightdress spread out and ilapped about to their would about as soon be walk-
towns I
the great delight of the crowd. ing out unarmed on the prairies at night
"Lentz, the man who made a tour of the with a pack of wolves out for their supper.
world on a bicycle, had, you remember, a "Then there are such swarms of these
very tough time of it. Of course, his wheel creatures. If they should be sufficiently
attracted attention, and made them think upon a man they could fairly
irritated to set
him a new kind of 'foreign devil.' They trample the life out of him no matter how
would either hold him up and make him give well armed he might be. When they begin
them a ride on it, or they would throw gathering about you you feel as helpless as
bricks and sticks at him. Sometimes they when you have stirred up a hornet's nest.
would surround him in such numbers that There seems to be thousands of them,
he could not move, and would proceed to streaming in from every side street and pour-
unpack his pack,' rifle his tool box, play
'
ing out of their huts ortheir boats and
with his monkey wrench and steal anything nooks and corners that you never would
they could lay hands on that was nickel- have dreamed could hold so many. It
plated under the impression that it was makes one think of that hole in the ground,
silver. He had frequently to turn on them in Persia, orsomewhere, that they used to
and fire his revolver into the air to scare thrust condemned people into, to have them
them off, so as to proceed on his journey. eaten by myriads of red ants, so that next
morning only the skeletons would be left.
Chased and Stoned.
"In the cities they would crowd around Lost in the Streets.
the premises where he stopped, and even ''
I shall never forget the afternoon and
burst in the door or the side of the fragile part of a night a friend of mine once spent
inn, so as to get sight of him. He finally in searching for his son, a boy about ten or
had to put up at the inns in the small vil- twelve years old. He had gone out with
lages. In the country crowds of farmers one of the Chinese servants, and either
with hoes and forks would chase him for through his own or the servant's careless-
miles, throwing stones and cutting across ness, had got separated from him. He had
fields in order to head him off. He stopped grown so interested in the shops and the
at my house during his journey, and he ad- sightsand sounds of the streets that before
mitted his fear of never getting through he knew it he found himself alone in a
alive. If he did he said he would never set neighborhood that was altogether strange to
foot in China again. him. This frightened and bewildered
"So you can well believe it is no picnic, him, and in trying to make his way back to
no summer excursion to walk about China, the other part of the city, he only plunged
either inside or outside of the cities. You deeper into this strange quarter.
certainly don't want to take a tour there for " He soon attracted the attention of the
your health. It is but little less dangerous crowds. The Chinese children especially
were greatly excited and began press around searched for was but a few mo-
him, for it
him, Galling him names and making ugly ments before that he had learned that his
faces at him. The older people did not at boy had been carried into the shopkeeper's
first molest him, but they encouraged the dwelling. Almost at that moment the shop-
younger ones, especially by laughing and keeper had come up, having traced the
by their evident enjoyment of the poor father in his wanderings in the footsteps of
little fellow's plight. He was pretty plucky his son. He had gone away for the purpose
and stood his tormentors off as well as he of hunting up the boy's relatives and claim-
could. But they grew bolder and more ing a reward, shrewdly suspecting that there
insolent, and followed close upon his heels, would be search for him. The father's prog-
shouting, laughing, plucking at his clothes, ress had been very slow on account of the
pulling his hair and throwing mud and filth reluctance of the people along the boy's
at him. route to confess that they had seen him or
been willing witnesses to the abuse and
Rescued by a Shopkeeper. menaces that he had had to submit to. The
" Some of the older ones, however, began shopkeeper was paid better than he de-
to think that serious trouble might come of served, the father being too overjoyed not
it. Suddenly a shopkeeper more intelli- feel generous.
gent than the rest rushed out, drove away
the urchins, seized the boy, carried him into Hatred of Foreigners.
his house and barred the door. The crowd " Among the lower classes in China, they
stood about, howling for a time, but finally are strangers," said the traveller. " I sel-
dispersed. The shopkeeper brushed off his dom saw a friendly smile upon their faces
clothes and gave him some honey and in presence of a foreigner. They are almost
sweetmeats. But as the man couldn't sure to either frown or grin at you. Many
speak even '
pigeon '
English, the boy was of them believe that foreigners have the
quite in the dark as to what he intended evil eye. I have seen mothers snatch their
doing with him. In a short time the China- children away and hide them when they de-
man turned the key on him and went away, tected a European woman looking at them.
after addressing some unintelligible remark Women put their hands before their faces if
to him. you look at them, and old women will curse
"The boy was terrified at being left alone, you to counteract the bad influence.
but he was more frightened at the prospect " You can always tell whether they are
of venturing on the streets again. Hour friendly or not. If they are friendly they
afterhour passed. The dusk fell, the night will call you 'yan-se-sang' —foreign mister
came on, and he was still alone in the dark. otherwise, 'yan-kwei-zu '
— foreign devil
" At last he saw lights approaching and though this last may be a term of admiration
heard voices. To his great joy he thought as well as of enmity. Their conviction is
he heard European accents. The door was that the foreigner has come there, whether
opened. There stood his father, scarcely pretending to be a missionary or not, to
able to speak from the agitation and anxiety confiscate their property, take it away from
of the long hours during which he had them and kill them off.
372 PERILS TO FOREIGNERS IN CHINA.
" The Chinese say that white men smell hearts and brains into medicine. About the
like sheep. It certainly is true that a Chi- time of these riots placards were posted up
nese dog knows the difference. The ap- warning Chinese fathers and mothers against
proach of a white man will wake one out allowing their children to wander about the
of a sound sleep and set him to barking, streets.
thinking perhaps that he is to have a mutton "They believe, too, that cameras take
chop. pictures by means of dead Chinese babies'
" Some say that the Chinese as a race are eyes with which they are packed full. The
incapable of either speaking or believing the difference in looks of European and Chinese
truth. This is a sweeping accusation, and is eyes they believe enables the European to
itself, I am afraid, an illustration of the very see into the ground and detect hidden or
thing it condemns. Yet there is a prevail- buried silver, which he will take away from
ing notion that they do not feel under the them. In short, they look upon the for-
slightest obligation to speak the truth to a eigner as a predestined malevolent enemy to
foreigner if a lie will better serve the pur- be watched, thwarted and, if possible, gotten
pose, In other words, the foreigner is a rid of
natural enemy. Certainly they are willing
to believe any lie that is told about him.
The Two Sexes.
" They are also much prejudiced against
Strange Beliefs. the Europeans on account of what they deem
" They believe that the missionaries gouge the improper behavior of the sexes. They
out the eyes of their converts and use the are highly scandalized at a woman's coming
eyes for medical purposes. They believe into personal contact with a man who is not
that white children are made so by their her husband. The spectacle of a woman's
mothers' licking them, as cats do their kit- shaking hands with a man is very shocking.
tens. They have been told that Europeans They immediately set her down as unfit to
cook and eat Chinese children. Cans of con- associate with. And they think it the height
densed milk have been exhibited, with the of immodesty for a woman to kiss her hus>
explanation that the stuff is children's brains band in public.
cooked for the depraved appetite of the " They do not understand, therefore, how
foreigner, and that gelatine is Chinese babies a woman who is unmarried can come ouf
boiled down to a jelly for the foreign epi- there as a missionary and live on friendly
cure. and intimate social terms with mascuime mis-
" The riots at Tien-Tsin and other places sionaries and masculine converts, and be the
in 89 1 grew out of the fact that the Sisters
1 good woman that she pretends to be. They
of Charity and the Wesleyan ministers took naturally do not want their own women to
charge of Chinese female infants that had associate with her, and they resent all efforts
been either thrown or given away. Owing to to convert them to her religion.
their feeblenessand exposure, the mortality " They are offended at the conversion of
among them was very large, and these mis- their women to the new religion because it
sionaries were accused of kidnapping and does away with that exclusiveness which
slaughtering them, and making their eyes. they insist on for their women. They object
strenuously and bitterly, therefore, to female find that they have taken an enormous con-
missionaries and female converts. tract on their hands."
" Another charge which the foreign office There is a certain Greek legend that
brought against the missionaries during the might be recalled at this juncture of affairs
riots of 1 89 1 was that they drew converts inChina which relates to the founding of
from the immoral and lawless classes of the Thebes by King Cadmus, who went about
population, who allowed themselves to be looking for a suitable site for his future cap-
converted in order to get the benefits and ital guided by a vagrant heifer.
the privileges accorded to converts. They When, having selected his site, Cadmus
were rebels, criminals, pettifoggers and mis- sent some of his party to draw water from a
chief-makers, it was said. They relyupon well sacred to Mars, there uprose a great
the protection of the missionaries to oppress dragon, which slew them all, but was itself
and take advantage of non-Christians, and slain by the king, who was directed by Min-
the missionaries uphold them when they erva to sow its teeth in the soil about the
create disorder. city. He had no sooner done so than up
sprang a host of men armed to the teeth,
Fear of Missionaries.
who were about to attack Cadmus, when he
" There some foundation for these accu-
is cast a stone into their midst and diverted
sations. They are not made out of whole
their attention so successfully that they fell
cloth. But they are greatly exaggerated. upon each other and fought until only five
If the Chinese people and government did were left. These five had had enough of
not fear that the Europeans, missionaries fighting by that time and so turned to and
and all, have come there for the purpose of helped the king build his new city.
dispossessing them of their country, these
other grievances would be tolerated. Yellow Dragon Awake.
The
ruling classes would not allow the mission- There are indubitable signs that the long
aries to be molested by the lower classes if dormant Chinese dragon has at last awak-
they did not believe that they are only the ened from his sleep of centuries and, Hke
advance guard, the scouts and couriers of some giant saurian of the Nile, is bursting
the main army of civilization that purposes the cerements of clay which have incased
to deprive them of their land and displace him. This dragon of superstition now
their ancient civilization with this new one. threatens, like his prototype of old, to de-
" If China is ever thoroughly aroused and vour the intruding foreigner and to exter-
believes itself capable of driving and keeping minate the invaders of his sacred soil.
the foreigner out of the country by sheer Should he be slain by some modern Cad-
force of numbers, the government, when that mus, represented by the armies of the allied
time comes, will not, in my opinion, hesitate powers, there will doubtless be, as an after-
to challenge the world and take the conse- math, a plentiful crop of dragon's teeth,
quences. If they are forced to choose, the which already, indeed, have shown signs of
people will prefer to lose their country fight- pre-existence in the pernicious Boxers and
ing for it than to have .it stolen from them hundreds of other secret societies, with their
without resistance. And the Powers will innumerable ramifications.
It will not be the " yellow dragon " alone advancement no longer recognizes a belief
which the allied powers will have to com- or trust in inanimate objects, such as idols of
bat, but the millions of dragon's teeth, wide wood or stone, prayer machines or paper
scattered over a territory larger than that ghosts.
of the United States. Armed and perfectly As to the other part of the definition
equipped as the powers may be, with the "fear of that which unknown or myste-
is
latest appliances and the most destructive rious " —

says a writer who resided in China
death dealing weapons invented by modern for many years "Fear is at the root of all
:
science, must be remembered that their

it Chinese religion. When a man dies, his
foe is a great and terrible hydra, whose lop- ghost acquires great powers and is to be
ped off heads are immediately replaced by feared and placated. I heard of an instance
hurrying millions pressing from the rear. where a man quarrelled with his neighbor
The arm that strikes may eventually fall and killed himself in order to wreak ven-
from sheer weariness, and may it not be geance on his enemy." Belief in the malign
necessary to employ the Cadmian tactics and powers of the dead is universal.
cast some stone of contention into the midst
of the million headed throng, by which its
Cause of Trouble.
members shall turn and rend themselves ? If one is in trouble of any sort whatever it
is the work of the dead. If one succeeds in

Are They Fanatics? business or any undertaking, it is with the
To fight fire with fire, is an axiom of war ;
assistance of the spirits. But the means of
to combat superstition with superstition may placating the spirits are very simple. You
prove the legitimate corollary which shall have only to secure or cut out paper repre-
bring the " foreign devil " in China out of sentations of money, houses, clothing, or
his difficulties. But, to be perfectly fair with other desirable things, which are burned
the Chinese, let us inquire if they are open with religious rites and become real in the
to the charge of being superstitious and fan- spirit world.
atical. Two definitions of the term "super- A learned Chinese mandarin says :
" In
stition " will establish that, one of which is England they have the art of cutting out
" an excessive reverence for or fear of that paper men and horses, and by burning charms
which is unknown or mysterious," and "the and repeating incantations transforming them
worship of a false god or gods, false religion, into real men and horses. They may, how-
religious veneration for unworthy objects." ever, be dissolved by beating a gong, by
From the loins of these two spring fanati- discharging large guns or by spouting water
cism —" a state of high wrought and self- over them."
confident excitement." Hungry ghosts, famishing for the souls of
If the Chinaman were called a worshipper men,
on all roads, and funerals,
lie in wait
of false gods, he might retort that this was weddings, etc., must be protected by offer-
a mere matter of opinion but he most ings, en route, to the devils and spirits, who
;
assuredly is, if the consensus of our highest may also be temporarily frightened away by
civilization is of any value. That portion of loud noises, like the pounding of gongs and
the world which has made the greatest firing of firecrackers.
At New Year's every house is cleared of money and burn it before this god in the
ghosts by a sort of spirit house cleaning, temple, and thus for a few cents purchase
which, as is said of the Chinaman and his exemption from spiritual punishment.
bath, is done once every year, whether In one of the last letters received from
needed or not. The ghosts thus driven out the missionaries before they were cut off
from every house fill the streets — the court- from the outside world, written at Lin-ching,
yards and doorways opposite being protected is an allusion to the celebrated sacred tablet,
—
by screens for devils move only in straight which is brought out in times of drought.
lines. Every year there is an all souls' day, "This is the time of year," he writes, "when
when offerings are made to homeless and we get little or no rain, but the need is so
hungry ghosts who have none to care for great that the local officials are visiting the
them. temple of the war god twice a day and
It is this belief in the necessity of caring prostrating themselves before an iron tablet
for the ghosts of friends and ancestors that brought from a famous well some sixty miles
prevents the Chinaman, it is said, from per- to the west. The custom is to keep the
manently settling in a foreign country and tablet five days in one temple, when, failing
causes him to stipulate that if he dies his to get an answer in rainfall, it is moved to
corpse shall be sent back to the land of his another."
birth. The spirit Chinaman, like his relative
Peculiar Superstition,
in the flesh, wants a noise, and plenty of it.
Even the sick are cured or killed by the — — One of the vexatious things which the
same heroic measures, for "musicians" fill foreigner in China has to encounter is the
the house with terrific and discordant sounds " feng shui," a peculiar geomantic supersti-
until the devil is driven out or the patient tion by which the good luck of sites and
gives up the ghost. buildings is determined. The literal render-
ing of the term "wind and water," but
is
Policeman the Chief Idol.
its real meaning is the harmony of the air
There is a certain temple the chief god of and water spirits with buildings and the cir-
which is supposed to be a mighty policeman, cumjacent region. If one's house is not on
who keeps watch on people and decides the right spot, the "feng-shui" will be bad,
when, how and where they ought to die. As and all sorts of calamities will befall its
the soul is about to leave the body he sends occupants. If on the right spot, it will be
out two or three of his spiritual policemen good, etc.
who seize and bring it before him for sen- As only the geomancers or soothsayers
tence. The saying that a people's gods will can determine this point, the application is
be very much like themselves is exemplified rather arbitrary. The railroads are very
in the Chinese conception of this police antagonistic to the "feng-shui," because

judge, for the Chinese never knew of a judge they are generally straight, while good
who could not be bribed, so they argue that spirits, as is well known, always travel on
this spirit judge is open to conviction only curves. One company of wealthy Chinese
through the means of "cash." For this pur- merchants bought an English railroad at
pose they make or buy a peck or so of paper Shanghi twelve miles long, and destroyed it
s;6 PERILS TO FOREIGNERS IN CHINA.
to placate those same spirits. In several Chinese empire, most of which have from
cities, whole streets of houses are shown three to five tablets of near or remote
only two stories high which were originally ancestors, which they virtually worship.
intended to be three, but had their con- Having such a confused notion of religion
struction stopped on account of those oppo- and V, hat it implies, it might be inferred that
site being and consequently
no higher, Chinese fanaticism is confined chiefly to the
provocative of a very bad " feng-shui." lower and ignorant classes, but on the con-
trary, it is said to be the " litterati," or
Massacre at Tien-Tsin. educated ofificials and disappointed office
It is said that the real cause of the terri- seekers that the last outburst is due. They
ble massacre of Europeans at Tien-Tsin in have recently published and promulgated a
1870 was owing to the erection of a high book of denunciation against all Christians,
tower for the French cathedral, which, as it which has operated upon the vulgar mind to
overlooked all other structures in its vicin- the extent of causing the flames of fanati-
ity, was peculiarly bad " feng-shui " for cism to sweep the land.
that part of the city and religiously re-
sented.
Charges Against Christians.
As to the so-called religion of China, it Here are a few things they charge Chris-
may be said, as an old writer declared of its tians with doing :
" They make use of
history, " If
you wish to be acquainted with occult and devilish arts and bewitch the
it,you must read five cartloads of books." ignorant by magical incantations, so they
There are two recognized religions ^Taoism, — joyfully enter the sect. When a person
or Rationalism, and Buddism besides Con- — enters this (the Christian) religion, the
fucianism, which is political and moral, teacher gives him four ounces of silver and
rather than religious. One writer has called a pill. When he has taken this pill, his
the Chinaman the " religious triangle," whole mind is confused and darkened, so
because of his three-sided belief, for in thi."? that he destroys his ancestral tablets and
respect, he really suffers from an embarrass- only worships the image of a naked child,
ment of riches. The result is that he has which points one finger towards heaven and
more "gods" than any other people on the another towards the earth.
face of the earth, ranging from the dieties of " In case of funerals, the religious teachers
sun, moon, stars, clouds, thunder, moun- eject all the relatives and friends from the
and rivers down to those rf flags,
tains, seas house, and the corpse is put into the coffin
cannon, gates and streets, even of the with closed doors. Both eyes are then
kitchen and dust pan. secretly taken out and the orifice sealed up
The three sects combined have over a with plaster. The reason for extracting the
million temples, containing at least 1 0,000,- eyes is this: From one hundred pounds of
000 idols and ancestral tablets, and it may Chinese lead can be extracted eight pounds
be said of China, as it once was of Athens, of silver, and the remaining ninety-two
that there are more statues of gods than pounds of lead can be sold at the original
there are men now living. It is estimated cost. But the only way to obtain this silver
that there are 6o,ooo,ooo families in the is by compounding the lead with the eyes of
Chinamen. The eyes of foreigners are of no They feel that the earth, the air and the
use for this purpose. heavens above them are filled with mysteri-
" It is impossible to enumerate all their ous powers, tnvious if they are happy,
evil practices. we seek for the general
If unwilling to give them health or sympathy.
motive which leads them (the Christians), it They worship their ancestors as a protection
is a fixed determination utterly to befool our from their angry ghosts, who would harm
people, and under false pretences of religion, them if they failed in their offerings.
to exterminate them. Thus they wish Visitors to a certain district of China have
to take possession of the middle king- been shown a small structure like a temple
dom." tomb, known as the Baby Tower, with an
This book, say the translators, is directed opening in one wall, into which infants
against foreigners generally and all inter- unfortunate enough to have been born girls
course with them — social, commercial and are thrust, to die amid horrors unspeakable.
national. Religion only is the point of
minds of the Female Children Destroyed.
attack, because religion, in the
Chinese, is essentially political and national. So thoroughly is woman's inferiority be-
To them, the idea that Christianity is prop- lieved in that many infant daughters are
agated from benevolent motives, is incon- destroyed by their parents. Such is the
ceivable. They almost universally regard wretched condition of the Chinese girl that
it as a political agency, used by foreigners many times the mother herself assents to
for the accomplishment of selfish and polit- her murder in infancy. " What then ? " she
ical ends. asks, "Would you have her grow up as

"
wretched as I am ?
Contempt for Innovations. The wretched practice of foot binding,
This is the ostensible conception of Chris- with its terrible tortures, is in itself enough
tianity entertained by the educated China- to destroy all love for life or hope of happi-
man. Having thrown down the gauntlet so ness in the world. Yet how many millions
boldly, he seems to assume by his proud are compelled to do it? That the poor
self-sufficiency, his reverence for ancestral resort to the selling of their female children
traditions and his contempt for modern in- as slaves to relieve in some small measure
2400 years of Taoism
novations, that his their cruel poverty, is not so much a reflec-
and Confucianism and 1800 of Buddhism tion upon their individual acts as upon the
have resulted product every way supe-
in a system that not only tolerates, but compels it.
rior. But do the records bear him out ? It was to combat the glaring evils of Chi-
It would rather seem, according to an nese superstition that the many missionaries
eminent writer, that a significant result of of various sects have taken their lives in
this union of beliefs has been the debasement their hands and gone forth to spread the
of man's moral nature to the lowest level blessings of Christianity. The first to enter
found in any of the creeds. It has often China were the Nestorians, more than iioo
been remarked that there is no other civil- years ago, and 800 years later the Roman
ized nation in existence under such bondage Catholics had flourishing stations there.
to credulity and superstition as the Chinese.

They were received at first with tolerance,
but eventually were driven out with blood- " But how is this handful of Americans,
shed, and in the museum of the Pi'ado at as well as other foreigners in China, treated ?
Madrid is a painting depicting the tortures They are called '

foreign devils ;
' mission-
inflicted upon early missionaries in the six- aries and their converts are persecuted;
teenth century. merchants have their trade hampered and
The lowest estimate of converts to Chris- restricted by oppressive taxation ; foreign
tianity places them at nearly or quite a mil- residence is officially confined to a few sea
lion, of which the Protestants of different and river ports, and foreigners go into the
denominations claim about 100,000, with interior at their ownrisk, where their lives
2460 missionaries and more than 2000 sta- and property are never entirely safe ; anti-
tions. The first Protestant mission in China occur, and the govern-
foreign riots often
was established in1807 by the London Mis- ment rarely interferes until the mischief is
sionary Society, and during the 90 years done."

and more since then the field has been the
favorite for those who choose a life devoted Stormed by the Mob.
to labor and self-sacrifice. Missionaries only fight when their lives
are actually in danger. In the first place,
Sore Persecutions.
when rumors of trouble are rife, they flee to
All sects and denominations, says an the nearest important "yamen" (office of
English paper, have undergone sore trials, foreign affairs) and claim the protection of
and persecution is not by any means at an the official. Usually the mandarin dare not
end. It seldom comes from the uninstructed refuse it, but it may happen that he cannot
impulse of popular fury, but as a rule is give protection and that the " yamen " is
inspired by some mandarin or his hangers sure to be stormed by the mob. Then the
on. Such were the massacres of 1870 and missionary takes refuge in the house of some
1895, in which latter the Rev. R. W. Stew- convert and is hidden there until he can be
art, his wife, three daughters, son and seven safely spirited away, or is discovered and
others were murdered. dragged out to torture, from the contempla-
Referring to the sneers of Chinese diplo- tion of which the mind shrinks appalled.
mats at the treatment of the 100,000 low At the beginning of this last great disrup-
class cooHes in the United States, who in- tion the missionaries were already expecting
variably intend to go back home with their a disturbance. One of them wrote, just
earnings, and to the accusation that many of before they were attacked by the mobs
the so-called converts are " rice Christians," "The condition of affairs remains about the
one who is well informed says: "On the same, and rumors still wildly float around.
other hand, there are but 1,060 Americans Our guard of Chinese soldiers still comes at
in all China, half of them women, children night, but they will be of small service in
and missionaries, all respectable, self sup- case of actual outbreak. The morale of
porting people, most of them well educated, their presence here is the only justification
many with large capital, all of them bring- for keeping them," How futile, alas, was
ing something to improve the civilization of their hope.
China,
PECULIAR CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS AND CUSTOMS.
why John Chinaman is " pe-
TO ascertain
culiar" we must go further back than
erature
tion.
of former ages was in circula-
the history of our own civilization takes us In fact, there are few great inventions of
and grope among the musty traditions of a modern times, saving those pertaining to
long forgotten past. He lays claim to an steam and electricity, which were not com-
antiquity that laughs our own to scorn and mon in China at one time or another. These
to a hneage which, by comparison, puts that facts may be set down to the Chinaman's
of the " barbarian " completely in the shade. credit, but to his discredit must be urged
Everything, of course, depends upon the the other notorious fact that, while he was
point of view, and if it is admitted at the the originator of many useful inventions, he
beginning that an ancient ancestry carries never learned how to apply them to the best
with it a prestige before which the rest of advantage.
the world should bow, then the Chinaman
has an advantage at the start.
Everything Old.
The chronicle of Chinese dynasties alone He makes his paper in the same manner
extends back to nearly three thousand years as his ancestors didthree thousand years ago;
before the beginning of the Christian era, or he prefers block to movable type to-day!
some iive thousand years in all, which is His country used firearms centuries before
quite a respectable period. China, in fact, other nations had abandoned bows and
is a survival of another and more ancient arrows ;
yet up to the present time he has
world than that in which we live at present, great faith in antiquated " jingals " and other
and herein lies the explanation of one phase primitive weapons (with which some of the
of Chinese peculiarities. rebels resisted the allied powers) and be-
Nearly nineteen hundred years ago, or lieves in the efficacy of hideous noises,
about A. D. 80, the Chinaman introduced grimaces and vile odors in arresting the ad-
gunpowder from India and was using it to vance of an enemy armed with the latest
some advantage fourteen hundred years be- inventions of warfare.
fore the alleged discovery of America. These facts betray another phase of Chi-
Thirteen hundred and fifty years ago the nese character and show how a nation, great
art ofmaking paper from vegetable fiber at the beginning or in ancient times, may
was brought into Europe from China, where become the victim of arrested development,
it was probably invented at least so far
; and in a certain sense be petrified. That is
back as the sixth century, printing was the trouble with the Chinaman. He started
practiced by the Chinese; in the tenth out well, made great progress at first and
century the imperial classics were printed, then, probably overcome by his mighty
and by the thirteenth much of the lit- conceit, suddenly "stopped short never to
379
380 PECULIAR CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS AND CUSTOMS.
go again," like that famous clock which was Educated Chinese diplomats, like Mr.
either wound up too tight or slipped a cog. Wu Ting Fang, the Minister to the United
Anyway, he slipped and fell, and when he States, speak our language with accuracy and
arose, bewildered by the shock, he seemed an exquisite pronunciation. The fact that
to have forgotten everything else but the even those Chinamen supposed to be highly
'
former greatness of his ancestors and the educated do not always master all the in-
magnitude of his country. tricacies of their own written language may
It is a sorry state to get into when a nation be responsible for the amazing ignorance
assumes, either by assertion or by implica- they sometimes display of the resources of
tion, that it "knows it all," and can no their own land. This ignorance, however,
longer be taught. This seems to be the con- invariably results in exaggeration of the
dition of China, for, reflecting that it is, or greatness of China.
ought to be, next to Russia, the largest state
that ever existed, with a population aggre- Best Artists.
gating 400,000,000, or one-third the earth's A Chinaman will tell you that his country
inhabitants, it arrogates to itself some quality possesses the best artists in the world ; but
of greatness which it really does not possess. any one who has seen a Chinese drawing,
with its total lack of proportion and perspec-
Mighty Little Japan.
tive, can refute this. He will assert that his
It seems to forget that quality always native musicians are fit to twang a harp in
counts for more than quantity, and that a celestial choirs ; but whoever has listened
nation is truly great only in proportion to its to their discordant " harmonies," without
achievements and not to its area or popula- rhythm and melody, and in which the ear-
tion. For example, in 1895 little Japan splitting gong is the prime factor, can testify
destroyed China's mighty navy and brought to the contrary.
the boastful Chinese in abasement to their As to the drama, in which women are
knees. Overbearing and narrow-minded, the replaced by eunichs and beardless youths,
Chinese learn nothing from experience and and which, like the on
poet's brook, goes
fail to perceive the lessons of adversity almost "forever, oh," no wonder that
it is
The Chinese are not a homogeneous peo- the official classes are debarred from attend-
ple, yet, with the exception of some natives, ing its performances. The Chinese are imi-
such as those of Hainan and the half wild tative without being inventive or original,
peoples of the interior of Formosa, now but they are slow to adopt the customs of
under Japanese rule, they all speak a com- the " barbarians," as they term all foreign-
mon language, which, again, has so many ers. If they do not understand, it is because
dialects that the residents on different sides they do not want to, and the reasons given
of a river or a mountain range may have a for not adopting foreign innovations are
different pronunciation. Chinese is a diffi- about on a par with those they allege for not
cult language for a foreigner to acquire, and —
indulging in dancing that it is easier to hire
this may account for the ease with which some one do it for them
to
those to whom it is natural learn another Because the customs of a person or people
tongue. are different from ours, it is not a necessary
inference that they are therefore peculiar standing or until he has bowed him to a seat at
or barbarous. Some that we do things hand. Yet the Chinese have recently
his left
are doubtless and unaccountable
strange revoked the guarantee of safety due to all
in the eyes of the Chinese, but from our ministers at Pekin, and Chinese officers at
point of view, they seem to go by con- Taku gave the command to fire upon the
traries, like the Irishman's pig, who had to foreign ships before war was declared, for
be driven "in an opposite direction from the their foes were " barbarians" in their
ivay he was going." For instance, when we estimation, and not entitled to considera-
address the Supreme Being, we raise our tion.
faces and direct our thoughts to heaven, All these things mentioned may be merely
but the Chinaman prostrates himself upon matters of ethics, for which the individual is
the earth, in which he supposes his gods to not to be held responsible any more than
dwell. for the cues worn by the men and the de-
formed feet of the women. Both these
A Wonderful Stomach. fashions are due to a perverted sense of
Our location of intelligence is in the what should be rendered to antiquated and
brain, while the Chinese locate it in the ridiculous custom. To ascertain why and
stomach. Their meals, especially their din- when the first John Chinaman wore a pig-
ners, begin with sweetmeats and preserves, tail we shall have to go back a few hundred
and end with plain food, like rice, contrary years in his history, and yet not so very far
to our custom of eating the simpler articles either. There are older customs than that,
first and the dainties last. And, while and more important events have happened,
we use a fork in conveying the food to the of which chronicles have been preserved.
mouth, the Chinese use the primitive chop-
sticks.
History of the Cue.
As we shave our faces and allow the hair It was not until the year 1644, after long
of our heads to grow, so John Chinaman and bloody wars, that the present Mant-
shaves his head and coaxes out all the hair choo dynasty was established, and it was
he can on his chin ; he chalks his shoes, just about that tinic also that the Chinaman
while we have ours blackened and polished; was forced to adopt the badge of his Tartar
he shakes his own hand when he casually conquerors, which was the cue. The Tartar
meets a friend ; after a visit, he backs out gave John the cue, and he has kept it ever
ceremoniously and does his bowing in the since, even though at the time it was be-
street; at the left hand is his post of stowed as a sign of servitude. He was told
honor; he pays his doctor only while he is to shave his head, all but the part on top
well, and docks his salary so long as he is and let the rest of his hair grow long.
sick —a
custom which, it would seem, From the fact that those who conformed
could not be too highly commended. were promised a tael apiece some have in-
The Chinese gentleman prides himself ferred the name of "pigtail," by which it is
upon his ceremonious etiquette and the commonly known but this is probably far- ;
punctual observance of polite formalities; fetched. An inquisitive statistician has esti-
he never thinks of sitting while his guest is mated that if all the pigtails in China were
cut off and thrown on the market they erty to do if women were present. Both
would weigh in the aggregate not less than sexes of the higher classes wear most expen-
30,000 tons, and end to end would
if tied sive garments, and the fashions change,
reach three times around the globe but ; though almost imperceptibly, as in our
this, again, is a matter of conjecture. country. The men, as well as the women,
As to the foot binding practiced on the are very proud of their fine embroideries
women, that is a custom which has been in and exquisite silks, their beautiful needle-
vogue since a certain emperor, about a thou- work and precious stones in elaborate set-
sand years ago, found great pleasure in the tings of gold.

dancing of a girl who had made her feet
Followers of Confucius.
small by binding them up so that she could
pirouette very prettily on the tips of her While the Chinese cannot be said to have
toes. The emperor was so delighted with a settled religious belief, as we regard it,
the evolutions of her little feet that he caused still they have their convictions and are
a pavement of his palace to be inlaid with strongly swayed by the ethical teachings of
golden lotus leaves and flowers for her sat- the great Confucius. The central feature of
isfaction, and the other women of his em- their superstitions or religion is ancestor
pire, hearing of it, all began to bandage worship, and on certain days of the year all
their feet. the members of the family perform their

sacred duty of carrying to the graves of their
An Obstinate Race. progenitors gifts of incense, sandalwood,
But when the Mantchoo dynasty came candles, food and drink. The ancestor has
into power the first edict issued, after the a special niche in the household, as well as
male Chinese had been ordered to wear the the family god or gods, for when a man dies
pigtail, declared it punishable by death for it is believed that his ghost acquires great
parents to bind the feet of their children. powers and must be placated with gifts.
It is another illustration of the obstinacy of As for the family idol, he has a good time
the Chinese that they took kindly to the or the reverse according to the family for-
pigtails, which at first they despised and tune. So long
as things go along smoothly
now consider as a sign of honor instead of he has a plate of rice placed for him at every
disgrace, while they resented the edict meal, and joss sticks and incense are burned
against bandaging the feet, so that it was before him daily. But if ill luck comes to
recalled after three years and the custom his owner he is first cursed for a ne'er do
reinstated. well ; then, if it continues, he is kicked out
The Chinese and gentlemen rarely
ladies of the house, or, if made of metal, battered
eat together, but occupy different rooms, to pieces and sold for old junk.
rather from the fact that it is more conveni- While the visible embodiments of their
ent than in obedience of some law of caste. gods are of mechanical manufacture, the
The men have a custom in hot weather of Chinese also have a mechanical arrangement
divesting themselves of their coats and all by which they do their praying, which con-
superfluous garments and sitting around in turning a big cylinder filled with in-
sists in
negligee, which they would not feel at lib- numerable invocations on paper or parch-
ment. After jerking a bell rope as he enters hour the mother becomes a person of im-
the temple, to inform the god of his pres- portance in the household. The childless
ence, the Chinese worshiper then gives the wifeis despised and maltreated, but the
cylinder a whirl and reels off more prayers mother of a large family is almost idolized,
in a minute than an ordinary petitioner can for the Chinaman holds, with Napoleon, that
utter in years. the greatest woman is she who is the mother
Superstition is rampant in China, and the of the most sons.
soothsayers are consulted on every import- One of the first lessons the children learn
ant step or occasion, no class being exempt is courtesy, and rich and poor alike are
from its pernicious influence. One of the taught to address their parents, their supe-
superstitions of the Chinaman is his belief in riors and inferiors, with respect. The boys
the "fung shway," or the eternal balance of and girls are educated together until they
example, if a window is are about lo years old then the boys of
of things, as, for ;
opened on one side of a room another must the rich go to a separate school or have a
be opened on the other, etc. private tutor, and the girls are kept at home.
It is said that while the worship of ancestors
Worshiping a Lizard.
and obedience to parents is the religion of
This superstition takes more forms than the Chinese, so education is their universal
one can conceive, and a case is cited of a ambition.
high mandarin, who had represented his
country at a foreign court, prostrating him- Great Esteem for Learning.
self before and worshiping a green lizard They positively worship learning, and
found in his courtyard because he had been have the greatest respect for those who
assured that it was the incarnation of the have acquired it. Naturally enough, too,
great dragon king who was then devastating Confucius is the particular god, the patron
the country by a terrible drought. We are saint of every Chinese school, and when a
considering, of course, the native as un- boy first attends he takes his joss sticks,
touched by foreign which rolls
civilization, painted candles and a small package of
off him like water off a duck's back, and as mock money, all of which he burns before a
uninfluenced by the missionaries who have strip of cloth or paper on which is inscribed
devoted so many years trying to overcome one of the many titles boy
of Confucius, the
his superstitions. bowing while his offering burns before the
Strange to say, it is this ancestor worship god. This ceremony is called " entering
which, while it has kept China so long un- school" and "worshiping the sage."
progressive and a laggard in the race between It is a matter of wonder how the Chinese
the nations, has given rise to the most ten- children learn anything at all, since all the
der family ties in inculcating a beautiful filial exercises are conducted viva voce, the pupil
piety. .. On account of the fact that the pos- shouting out his lesson as loud as he can,
session of children will probably secure him and the more noise he makes the more pro-
perpetual worshipers when he shall be en- ficient he is supposed to become. The
tombed with his ancestors, the Chinese father height of a boy's ambition is to take the
welcomes a birth with joy, and from that course prescribed by the tsung-li-yamen,
384 PECaUAR CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS AND CUSTOMS.
or central government, at Pekin, and be- off at a time, being arranged in rows, so that
come a diplomat, though to acquire a degree each one can see the ghastly act performed
one has to undergo a most severe series of on the one that goes before him.
examinations, and many lives have been lost The prisoners are chained hand and foot
in the attempt. and are dumped on the ground like so many
It will be seen from the foregoing that the pigs, and their heads lopped off by an exe-
Chinese have fairly earned their designation cutioner with a keen bladed ax or long knife
of "peculiar," and that, though they have until the ground is drenched with blood, and
many commendable traits, they have some all present are spattered with the blood that
which they can well afford to do without. spouts from the headless trunks.
One characteristic trait of the Celestial is
his power of endurance another is his in-

Grotesque Funerals.
;
sensibility or indifference to pain. He is Lastly, the Chinese funerals, like their

essentially thick skinned, or pachydermatous, executions, partake of the awfully grotesque.
and not only can endure suffering stoically, As the Chinaman has pay the "last debt
to
but is also unaffected by the sufferings of of nature," like other individuals, and can-
others. This is exemplified by the terrible not hire a substitute, as he might if con-
cruelty exercised in his treatment of crimi- demned to be beheaded, he accepts the inevit-
nalsand of those charged only with having able with resignation. But he has taken
committed small offenses against the laws. every precaution to "fool the devil," who,
he knows, is lying in wait for his soul, by
Torture of Criminals. providing a great store of firecrackers, which
A person without influence, if suspected are let off at every corner as the funeral pro-
of any crime, is tortured in a most revolting cession passes in a nip and tuck race for the
manner in order to wring confession. Some- cemetery. Under cover of the funeral Fourth
times he is hung head downward by means of July celebration the just freed soul is sup-
of cords fastened to his toes ; again, stood posed to depart in peace uncaught by the
on his head, while the soles of his feet are evil one.
beaten with heavy bamboos. If he con- The idea of China's setting out to battle
fesses, as he generally does, under the ter- with and subdue the combined forces of the
rible punishment, he is thrown to the ground world would be ridicu-
civilized nations of the
and beaten nearly to a jelly, or else is taken lous were not so pathetic. Never before
if it
to the execution yard, where his head is has the self-confidence of a nation been so
chopped off. And the Chinese mode of conspicuously displayed ; and the spectacle
execution indicates the vast difference be- of the Empress, who was once a slave girl,
tween their civilization and ours, for, while boldly defying the world, is one that will not
we are only moved to execute capital punish- soon be forgotten.
ment by dire necessity, and then effect it as Of course it is true that up to a few years
secretly as possible, the Chinese use every ago the Chinese people looked upon their
sort of brutal accessory to make of it a sport nation as invincible. To most nations the
and shocking exhibition. Sometimes a dozen war with Japan would have been a lesson ;
or more victims have their heads chopped to most nations the affectionate regard of
such powers as Russia, Germany, and Eng- bines are divided into classes, there being
land would have been a warning to circum- first, second, and third classes.
spection ; but from appearances it would "The Empress has never received any
seem that China has neither learned the les- foreigner except Prince Henry of Prussia, in
son nor understood the warning. 1898, and the ladies of the Legation in 1899.
I
It is not so strange that ignorance in these Her own subjects never see her face. She
matters should be displayed by the common receives behind a screen. From 1861 to
people, but onewho imagines that it has been 1899 she never gave audience to any foreign
the common people who have been the cause Minister, and I believe that she has not done
of these disturbances will have an incorrect so since. In 1889 the Emperor Quangsu
view of the Eastern situation. It is the com- assumed the reins of government. The
mon people who have made the noise. Empress came prominently into public life
after the allies had taken Pekin in i860.
The Common People. This event occurred October 13, i860. Oc-
In all probability it will be the common tober 24, 1 860, the British treaty was made
people who will suffer the penalties for all and the day after the French treaty.
these acts when the day of reckoning arrives ;
but in spite of all this, the Powers realize that

Alarm of the Empress.
the common people have been no more than " In 1899 the Empress Dowager became
the innocent tools of a spiteful and vindictive alarmed lest the whole of China would be
woman who has been great enough to seize ceded to the foreign powers and seized the
the reins of a nation, but who has not yet reins of government with her old but strong
been great enough to be able to realize her hands. As the writer left China in August,
own powerlessness and the insignificance of 1898, he is unable to render an accurate
her own country account of the facts which transpired in con-
The following from the pen of Hon. nection with this event.
Charles Denby, our former Minister to China, " When the Empress attained the age of
contains valuable information, and will be sixty, in 1894, all the nations which were
read with interest represented at Pekin vied with each other in
" The reader may be assisted in forming showing her respect. Autograph letters were
an opinion touchingthe importantstepswhich written to her by all the chiefs of state,
have happened in China by some account of including her own, and many handsome
the life of the remarkable woman who is now presents were forwarded. would seemIt
the head of the Empire. The Empress- that this respect and esteem have changed
Regent, Tzi An, has had a career full to infinite hate and loathing. It is under-
of startling changes, coup d'etats and ro- stood that the foreigners in China regard
imance. her as the "anti-Christ," the opponent of
youth she was a servant girl at a
" In her progress, the prospective murderer of the
public inn. She became the secondary wife Emperor.

of the Emperor Heinfung. It is to be noted " Other people say, and I am inclined to
that secondary wives are not concubines, give some credence to thtir statement, that
who constitute a lower rank. The concu- llie Empress is making a despeiate effort to
25
save China from partition. It is claimed by this honorable regard has been forfeited.
well-informed people that this is her supreme The reign of the Empress-Regent was
end and purpose. noticeable for a marked and general progress
" If this be true the people of the United in a number of different directions, especially
States should wish her success. The main commercial. Railroads did not until recently'
purpose of American supremacy to-day win their way, but the foundation was laii
should be to prevent the partition of China. for them. The use of the electric telegraph
If theempire is divided up there will be an became general.
end to our missionary work, except, per- " The secret societies in China have been
haps, in the English possessions. As for heretofore chiefly influenced by antagonism
our commerce, which is so greatly develop- to the Manchus. They have favored the
ing, it will be constrained, cabined, and con- restoration of the Ching dynasty —which
fined. There is no reason in the world why was Chinese. In order to embarrass the
Great Britain, Russia, France or Germany Government they have attacked foreigners
should have any greater right to seize por- and native Christians, who under the treaties,
tions of China than we have. are entitled to protection. There were
occasional anti-foreign riots. Riots and dis-
Our Rights in Asia. turbances are not unusual in our own
"Will any man formulate a reason why country. China paid compensatory dam-
we have not equal rights in Asia with the ages in every case of injury to person or
European powers? Will any man put on property.
paper a decent argument why they should
have the exclusive right or any right to take Chinese Secret Societies.
possession of the provinces of China ? We " It would seem from some of the reports
have done as much, or more, to introduce from China that the secret societies have
modern civilization into Asia as they have. taken up the cause of the Emperor. This
Our trade surpasses theirs except England's. is almost a self-evident contradiction. The
Our people are next to the Enghsh in num- quarrel with the Empress on the part of the
bers. foreigner is that she is anti-foreign and that
"That the powers should protect their she is secluding the Emperor, who is in
people from death or injury goes without favor of the foreigners. There can be no
saying, but must they necessarily wipe out reason, therefore, why the secret societies
of existence a field of enterprises which is should take up his cause.
the most promising in the world for our "At the bottom of all these popular upris-
people? And must we stand idly by while ings is discontent growing out of deluges
the process goes on ? and starvation caused by short crops. There
" The Empress ruled China from 1861 to isa great deal of misery and poverty in
1889. She had built up the difficult edifice China. Left to herself, China will work out_
She left her country
of foreign intercourse. as Japan has done, her own salvation.
at peace with the whole world. She was Ruled by monarchies and despots, her land
reverenced by her own people and respected will always be the abode of abject misery
by foreigners. It is hard to believe that all and want."

Ci:E3:A.iPT:E:R xixivi.
UNDER THE FIRE OF BOXER SAVAGES.
REV. ROBERT R. GAILEY, once well a Mrs. Way to see if she could give me a
known as a Princeton football player, retreat formy wife and bairn, when that first
wrote a letter to Rev. Henry E. Jackson, of boom of cannon roared out, and the peculiar
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, dated Yokohama, whizz, shriek and explosion of the shell
August 12, in which he gave a vivid followed, not simultaneously but all in one
picture of the scenes in Tien-Tsin, at the act, so that the impression of the mind is of
time of the capture of the city. The letter one terrible thing taking place under one
said conception.
"We did not think that the crisis would " I was undone for a moment. My wife
come quite so soon, though we were fully and child were three-quarters of a mile
aware of the serious state of affairs. The away, and the shells were flying right in the
Taku forts were fired on at ii o'clock Sat- direction of our building but many of them
;
urday night, June i6, and the flags of Eng- were aimed very high and being 'time' as
land, Russia, Germany and Japan were well as concussion shells they went off up in
flying over them by 7 o'clock Sunday the air and did no damage. Some, however,
morning. were hitting the settlement and the higher
"By 2.30 that afternoon the first shell and more conspicuous buildings.
struck within a few rods of the spot where
the military officers were standing, discus- Hurried to the Rescue.
ing the situation. It not only befuddled "I hurriedly jumped into my rickshaw
their councils, but struck terror to everybody and started for home. It was hot and the
but the babies. I gone up town
had just man pulling me, because of heat and fear,
after luncheon to arrange about Clara and gave out and I ran on, leaving him come
the baby, Robert, staying up in the center after me, for Clara and the baby.
of the settlement, as our building is three- "When I got in sight of home I saw Mr-
quarters of a mile out, and quite unpro- Lowrie and Clara and the baby coming
tected. with only a few things they had grabbed up
Mr. Lowrie, of the Presbyterian mission in their fright and haste. It was the toughest
at Pao Ting Fu, was staying with us at the three-quarters of a mile I ever traveled.
time, and the plan was for us two men to We kept close to the buildings, for the little
guard the premises with two Winchesters we protection they afforded and hurried on as
had purchased for the purpose, while Clara fast as we could. About every two minutes
would look after Robert with a feeling of would come that deafening boom two miles
greater safety in the settlement if anything away, and that pushing through the air and
should happen. clashing whirr of the shells. This was kept
" Well, I was just going into the house of up for over two hours, and the people began to
387
388 UNDER THE FIRE OF BOXER SAVAGES.
come out on the streets again, gingerly at first, arranged to go to the home of Mr. Cousins,
but bolder soon and how everybody gazed
; an association president, where we were
blankly into the possibility of the next few much more comfortable, and where we got
days as we discussed the situation is best good meals, whereas in the hall we lived on
understood when you learn that we were not sandwiches and tea most of the time.
prepared at all to meet the strong fighting, " The firing had not ceased by any means,
and if the Chinese had come down on us at but we got on the protected side of the house
once we, humanely speaking, would have while it was going on, as we felt that we
been overcome, for the Chinese take no could not live longer in a cellar.
prisoners. " On July 5 we came out safely with over
" Some people stayed in their homes, but one hundred more, and were placed on
the most of the women and children and which got us over here to Japan.
transports,
many men took refuge in Gordon Hall, the We went down on a tug boat, six and a half
most conspicuous but best constructed build- hours down the river, to Tangku. The river
ing in the settlement. all along showed dead Chinese floating or
lodged on the banks. Just after the heaviest
Driven to the Cellars. fighting at the settlement and railroad sta-
" In an incredibly short time the building tions, I was told that the river was full of
was filled, and during the firing we took to bodies. There must have been many more,
the cellars. Oh, the confusion, the gabbling for thosewe saw were fresh, and the heaviest
of Chinese nurses, the babbling of children, fighting had been ten days prior to our
the excited talk of every one, all in a cellar exodus.
that was dark, with no means of lighting it
except by candles, bad odors and foul air to On the Transport.
breathe, no food and no place to sleep and " We were go aboard the Sheng
told to '
night at hand ! King,' a merchant vessel. Everybody scram-

"The Chinese kept up the firing every bled to get the best place. I went aboard
day. Our forces, 2000 only and a few big but found every berth occupied or guarded
guns, did splendid work, but it was fighting by some man. I called Captain Wise, of
with an invisible enemy. The Chinese the Monocacy,' aside and explained, and he
'
houses afforded excellent protection for the said, Will you sleep in a private railroad
'
Boxers and Chinese soldiers, so the order car?' It was just the place. There was
was given Tuesday evening to burn all the plenty of air and room, and we had a good
Chinese houses between the native city and night. The next day we went out to the
the foreign settlement. The destruction by transport, and after much tribulation were
fire was something awful. For the next taken on the Yorktown,' and had a goo
'
1
four or five days this burning went on, and night, and every kindness shown. The third
fighting with it. day we were put on the Logan." She had '
" We stayed in the cellars of Gordon Hall just arrived, with the Ninth Infantry, from
and our baby was quite ill
for eight days, Manila.
when we though he seemed to
fled there, " From the time I got on the '
Logan,'
grow no worse under bombardment, so I and saw the 150 fine looking fellows going
into China, Ihad the insuppressible desire itwas the general impression among the
to go with them and do Christian work foreign population that it was a scare, and
under the auspices of the Young Men's had no real foundation. My servants would
Christian Association. As we came on to not leave me. Everywhere I went they
Japan, the idea of army work grew upon us, followed, and insisted on my leaving the city
and when we landed here in Yokohama immediately. Must not stay,' they said,
'
our minds were pretty well made up that I 'you too long here, must go to-night, if stay
ought to return and do ail I could. you surely make die pidgin.' To make die
" I found, to my surprise, that no commu- pidgin is to be killed. I learned from them
nication of any kind had come from our that all the servants in the employ of for-
New York committee with regard to army eigners were ordered by the Boxers to quit
work. I wired the committee, proposing to their work, under penalty of death.
return, and asking if they would send sup- " In order to keep the concession free •
plies. They instructed me togo ahead and from suspicious Chinese, all Chinamen in '
take charge. I got letters from the United the concession after dark were ordered to
States and British Ministers to the officers in carry lanterns. The characteristic dress
command of their respective forces, which which the Boxer was so proud of a red —
will get me through the lines." cap, red sash and red slippers and which —
marked him everywhere as a Boxer, was
House Burned Down. being dispensed with, so that one was unable
The work that Dr. Gailey began in that at all times to pick a Boxer out from other
way is the same kind of work that enabled Chinamen.

the Young Men's Christian Association to
help the soldiers so much during the Span-
Boxers Give Warning.
ish-American war. Before leaving Yoko- " On June 4th we were again notified to
hama, Dr. Gailey had collected ^8io from leave our houses and go to the English con-
the merchants of that city, and the ladies of cession, but was sick and had no fear, so I
I
Shanghai had begun to make pajamas, mos- stayed. It was now evident that matters
quito nets and fans. were becoming serious indeed. Wednesday,

Mrs. Frank Davis, of Philadelphia, was at June 6th, the Boxers sent notice that they
Tien-Tsin during the bombardment of the intended to make an attack. Mr. Davis and
cityby the Boxers and the Imperial troops, I went to the British Consulate.
and gave a graphic account of what occurred. "This concession was considered the
Her own house was burned to the ground, strongest because it stood in the middle,
and her costly collection of curios either surrounded by the German concession oa
stolen or burned. Her husband was still in one side, the French on the other, while the
Tien-Tsin as a volunteer, and his last letter Pei Ho river flanked it on one side and a
to her told of the fearful slaughter which canal and wall on the other. In case of a
was still going on. retreat, therefore, all forces could slowly
Mrs. Davis says: "About June 3d my withdraw into this concession and there
servants came to me and pleaded with me to make a better stand.
I only laughed at them, and, indeed. " Mr. Davis, together with nine foreign-
leave.
ers, joined Captain McCalla's forces as vol- them —did everything to get rid of them,
unteers on June 7, and these men stood and was as brave as he was good-hearted.
guard from 9 to 5 every day.
in relays Men on guard at the concession on June 15,
"Captain McCalla's idea was to i-each about II P. M., reported that the Boxers
Pekin to relieve our Minister. Troops of were attacking the railroad station, and were
eight different powers, with the Americans about to swoop down on the concessions.
at the head, left Tien-Tsin on June 10 to A small bridge made of old Chinese junks
reach Pekin. Mr. Mcintosh, a young me- was the only thing that separated us from
chanic from Manayunk, ran the engine, on the station.
the tender of which was mounted a Maxim
gun. A few cars with implements for re- Fvery One a Hero.
pairing and carrying about fifty Americans Just before the attack lOOO Russian Cos-
made up the train. No provisions were sacks, every one a hero and a soldier, sat
taken, and when
was found that the road
it down in the cool twilight and sang their
had been torn up it was necessary to beg for and ended with aTe Deum. It
national airs,
food. This was done two days in succes- was the mo.st inspiring thing I ever heard.
sion when the engine tried to get back on
; They knew before long they must face a
the third day it was found impossible. They force of men five times as strong as their
had been cut off. own, who were captained by trained men,
and must either be win or be cut to pieces.
it
Guards All Killed. "They had not long to wait. About mid-
" The six guards the men had stationed night the bittle began, and it was a hand-to-
at intervalsaround while the men worked hand encounter. The Russians used their
repairing the road were all killed, and the bayonets, and inch by inch they drove
Boxers, rushing in on the men who were those rascals back. When they were far
unaware of their presence, began a hand-to- enough away the soldiers fired on them.
hand conflict, at the same time retreating The next morning Chinamen were found
toward their where the Maxim was
cars, dead all around the station, and a stretch of
poured in on them. The Boxers for the dead Boxers far back into the country
first time found out that they could not showed the direction the Boxers took in
swallow bullets and spit them up again, as retreating. The Russian soldiers cannot be
they had been led to believe they could. praised too highly for their conduct at this
Many were slain. It was found that to reach encounter.
Pekin was out of the question, so joining " It makes my blood boil when I read the
the rest of the allied foices, which had now statement that the Russian Cossacks were
come up, the entire army of looo men fell inhuman and brutal. Mrs. Drew feels this
back toward Tien-Tsin. more than any one else, and she wishes the
" Mcintosh was soon after expelled from public to know that the statements attributed
the volunteers. He would not listen to any- to her about the conduct of these Russians
thing but fight. He was after Boxers where- soldiers are all untrue, and were never made
ever he heard one existed, and would not by her.
listen to orders. He shot them, buried "June 17 the Japanese succeeded in
driving the Boxers back again, with fearful back with them, contrary to the reports pre-
loss to both sides. At this time we were all viously published. The combined forces now
gathered in Gordon Hall, and any defeat begun making things secure around Tien-
meant death to all. Tsin. Arsenals were taken, and the forts
"Shelling the concession was now the along the Pei Ho toward Taku captured and
idea. Forcing an entrance was abandoned. the river thus opened up.
Shells flew wide at first, but soon the gauge " July I, at 10 P.M., I was notified I could
was acquired, and house after house was reach Taku next day, and together with Mrs.
struck. The entire Chinese market place, Raysdale, her two children, daughter-in-law
which obstructed our fire on the enemy, was and child, and Mrs. Charles Denby, Jr., and
burned, and in this way we were able to child, in the tug Tah Wan,' started for Taku.
•
return the fire to better advantage. We had a small Maxim gun, which now
" Imperial Chinese troops now joined the became a horror to these Chinamen, so we
Boxers, and together all forts along the Pei felt quite safe. Along the route we could
Ho to Taku were taken. Attack after attack see burning a village, which
the soldiers
upon the concession followed this movement, seemed to be deserted. In many cases only
but every time they were repulsed. two or three soldiers were doing the work,
and had only a club for protection. At other
In Terrible Danger. points Chinese farmers were peacefully cul-
"Our condition was then grave indeed. tivating their ground as though nothing had
We needed help, and needed it immediately. happened.

Jim Watts, a lad of 19 years, a jockey and
fearless rider, who knew every route, volun-
Dead Bodies Everywhere.
teered to go to Taku for help. Together " All along the banks were strewed the
with three Russians he started off, and on dead bodies of Boxers, piled high in many
June 23 succeeded in guiding a force of men cases, and Chinese dogs could be seen eating
safely from Taku to Tien-Tsin. He was their remains. Skeletons, dried in the sun,
made a hero. The men carried him on told the same story of the awful slaughter
their shoulders and cheered him to the echo. which had been done.
Everywhere he went he received an ovation. " We towed a lighter behind us with the
I believe poor Jim has since been killed. He wounded soldiers, and when we reached the
saved us all. Time after time the Russians harbor of Taku the gunboats lined up on
were going back, and Jim, unable to speak either side and saluted their wounded men.
to them, merely took his pistol and pointed " We were assigned quarters on board the
it at them, then pointed to Taku. It had British ship '
Orlando,' and we were treated
the necessary effect. with the utmost courtesy. I felt that all my
"The forces which had returned from trouble was repaid, for again had clean I
Pekin were held in a fort seven miles from things and a table to eat from. We went to
Tien-Tsin by the imperial troops. They Japan, and there took passage on board the
were almost starved by this time, so the '
Logan' for home."
relief from Taku started out to relieve them. When Charles Mcintosh, the hero men-
(This they did, and the wounded were brought tioned in the foregoing statement, reached
Philadelphia, he was asked for some account troops and the attacks by them and the
of what happened at Tien-Tsin. He spoke Boxers there were but few of the foreigners
very modestly of what he had done and killed, though the Chinese were slain by
talked about himself and his experiences in hundreds. The machine guns were par-
China with evident reluctance. ticularly effective, and Mr. Mcintosh be-
"I did not do much," he said. "All we lieves but for them all the residents of
could do in Tien-Tsin when the Chinese the foreign concession in Tien-Tsin would
were shooting at us, was to .shoot back." have fallen victims to the fury of the
He did not seem to regard his experiences Chinese.

during the three awful weeks he spent in
Tien-Tsin as worthy of much consideration, Could Not Face Guns.

and he made light of the dangers through " The Boxers were not particularly dan-
which he had passed. gerous," he said, " as they had no firearms,
"There was not a minute during the and their swords and spears were not terrify-
day," he said, " when we could not hear the ing at a distance. They did not possess the
ping of Mauser bullets in the air over our nerve to stand up against the fire of machine
heads. The Chinese fired too high, and guns, and when they suffered a repulse they
this accounted for the few fatalities among retreated in complete disorder. The first
the residents of the foreign conce sion. time that the Boxers attacked troops that had
The short man had the advantage of the a machine gun they were permitted to
tall one for once." approach within 150 yards before fire was
opened on them. Many of them were rid-
Expedition Failed. ing horses, and boys of from 1 2 to 15 years
Mr. Mcintosh was formerly a loom fixer of age were placed in front to serve as
in the plush mills of a well-known firm. He breastworks, ;md within a few seconds after
went to China in 1898, to help install the the machine gun commenced business eighty
machinery in the woolen mill erected there or one hundred of them were dead and the
by Dr. Diffenderfer. When the Boxers were rest of the Boxers were tumbling over each
threatening to attack the foreign concession other in their haste to get away.
in Tien-Tsin he joined Captain McCalla's " When the imperial troops, who practi-
forces as a volunteer in company with about cally surrounded the concession in which
100 other Americans. When the first relief the foreigners lived, began their bombard-
expedition left Tien-Tsin in a vain effort to ment on June 17th, we
learned what trouble
reach Pekin Mr. Mcintosh served as engi- actually meant. We
were under fire from
neer on the engine that drew a train of cars four directions, and the fire came from mod-
canying supplies, as well as a flat car on ern Krupp guns of large size. Three and
which a machine gun had been mounted. four-inch shells poured into us every hour
The during the day, and many of them were
expedition failed and the railroad was
tornup behind the train, so that the loco- actually accurately aimed. At night the fire
motive and cars were abandoned. from the artillery ceased, but the fire of the
During the subsequent bombardment of Mauser and Manlicher small rifles was inces-
the foreign concession by the imperial sant. Across the Pai Ho river the sharp-
shooters, or 'snipers,' as we called them, Pekin to go to Tien-Tsin, was caught in the

were behind mud huts and salt heaps in such latter city at the time of the siege. His
positions as to cover every street in the con- letter describing the troubles and their be-
cession. ginnings, gives a realistic idea of the state
of affairs. He tells how the shells pierced
Poor Marksmen. houses, how buildings were burned, and of
" Whenever they could see a human target the sensations of those who were besieged.
they fired at it, and when there was no tar- Mr. Lowry refers to the participation of the
get they fired at random. Fortunately, they imperial troops in the troubles, and affirms
aimed too high to do serious damage. Down that "China is certainly seeing her last days."
on the bund, the street which was on the bank There are numerous personal references,
of the river forming the quay, it was not but the tenor of the writing shows coolness
safe to show yourself. I foolishly rode my and lack of terror that would not be expected
bicycle down there one day, and the storm to reign in a city where shot and shell con-
of bullets that rattled around me made me stantly fell.
think that a machine gun was turned loose

in my direction. Siege of Tien-Tsin.
"The effect of some of the bullets that The Rev. Dr. Lowry, president of Pekin
are fired at high velocity is something fright- University, spent thirty-five years in China,
ful. I have seen men struck in the forehead and organized a great work there. He
by one of these and the head would
bullets, came to this country to attend the General
be split entirely open and all of the bones Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
would be shattered. The head would rattle Church, and determined to return at once
like a dice-box when the body was moved. to his duties, notwithstanding the perils that
The Chinese killed all their wounded, and threaten foreigners.
paid little attention to the dead. If the corpses The letters from Dr. Lowry's son follow
were close to the river they were dumped " Tien-Tsin, June 24, 1900.
into the water, and if they were not they "Since two weeks ago last Wednesday I
were sometimes burned. The smell of burn- have been shut up here in Tien-Tsin, and
ing flesh was in the air all of the time, and if will be impossible to you what we.tell
the stench from decaying bodies was over- have passed through during that time. The
powering. The Chinese are pretty good trouble here began one week ago last Fri- ,.
fighters, and they have a tremendous advan- day night, when the Boxers set fire to and;;
tage in being numerically strong." burned all the chapels and the Catholic'
A letter depicting the siege of Tien-Tsin Cathedral in the Chinese city. Saturday
was received by the Rev. H. H. Lowry, night they burned the London Mission
D.D., president of Pekin University, from Chapel, j ust above here, and quite a num-
his son, Edward K. Lowry, of Pekin, who ber of foreign buildings in that neighbor-
was interpreter to General Chaffee, and was hood. The forts at Taku were bombarded
for some time secretary of the American and taken the same night. There was a
Legation. large fleet of forty vessels of different nation-
Mr. Lowry, who had left his family in alities. Our force here has consisted of
394 UNDER THE FIRE OE BOXER SAVAGES.
about 3,000 men, 1,600 of which were Rus- guns across the river, over at the East Arse-
sians. Saturday night, the i6th, the Rus- nal, at the forts north of the settlement, and
sians killed quite a number of Boxers across also at the West Arsenal. Ail that could
the river, in the neighborhood of the station. be done here was simply to fortify and pro-
They have been holding the station right tect the foreign settlement, because we did
along. not have enough men to spare to go and
" On Sunday, the 17th, about I o'clock, take any of these guns.
the Chinese soldiers began to bombard the "We simply had to take the defensive
foreign settlement, from the forts up in the until relief I cannot tell you whaC
came, and
Chinese city. They have two large guns a joyful time was yesterday, when the
it
there. Nearly all the foreigners living on reinforcements arrived. Two thousand came
the outskirts of the settlement left their in yesterday. They were two days and a
homes and moved in, a great many going to half from Tongku, having to fight their way
Gordan Hall. Mr. and Mrs. Pyke and all along. They came by train to within
children, Cora and her children, Mr. thirteen miles of Tien-Tsin.
Martin and I went to the Drews,
on Sunday afternoon, and returned Trying to Reach Pekin.
only yesterday afternoon. The ladies from •
Two days ago the Americans and some
across the way all went to Mr. Cousin's. Russians got up as far as the arsenal, but had
Mr. and Mrs. Hayner were at the Drews for to fall back, as the Chinese were too strong
only one night, and then decided to come for them. The Americans lost several men,
back and take their chances, because Nor- the Chinese loss, however, being about 200.
man was taken with a light case of scarlet I do not know just how many foreign sol-
fever,and they could not get comfortable diers have been killed, but I guess quite a
quarters at the Drews. number. There must be at least 100
wounded in the hospitals.
Shower of Shells. " Two weeks ago to-day, over 2000 sol-
" I think it very providential, however, diers left here for Pekin, by train. I started
that we left, for Mr. Fyke's house has been out with them, hoping to reach Pekin in a
struck three times by shells, two of which couple of days, at least, but the Boxers had
went through the wall of the guest bedroom accomplished considerable destruction to the
that I occupied, and one of the projectiles line,and by Wednesday we were only to
was found on the bed. —
Lang Fang half way. Our captain told me
" The church in our compound here has to come back, as he feared they would have
been pierced three times, and I have a good a tough time of it. I ate with our marines
collection of bursted shells and bullets. The and slept on the ground at night, with noth-
bullets have been falling all about for nearly ing under me but the bare ground, and
a week. Considering the amount of shelling nothing over me but the blue sky.
which has been going on, there has been "Those poor soldiers must have had a
very little loss of life and destruction to very hard time, because, when I left them
property. The Chinese were shelling us they had only three or four days' provisions,
from three sides for a time. They had some and we received word yesterday that they
were only eight miles from Tien-Tsin, with Boxers, who are armed with nothing but
forty killed and seventy wounded. From all swords and spears ;now we are fired upon
we can learn, they did not reach Pekin, and by the Chinese troops.
it is the opinion of everyone here that the " If I could know that the loved ones in
foreigners from Pekin are not with them. On Pekin were safe.has been such an
It
Thursday last, the 21st, Mr. Drew received anxious time. have not heard from Kath-
I
a message from Sir Robert —just a line arine for ten days, and I have no idea where
saying that the foreigners had been ordered she is now. We have no definite word about
to leave Pekin in twenty-four hours. His —
them whether they are with the troops who
message was dated June 19, at 4 P. M. It went up to Pekin or not, we do not know.
was brought by special messenger. He car- The last news from Pekin is what Sir Robert
ried the note in the sole of his shoe. wrote Mr. Drew. We have had two very
quiet days here, yesterday and to-day.
Mission Stations Burned. There some firing north of the
is city, but
"All the mission compounds, except ours we do not know what it is.
(Methodist Episcopal), have been burned by

the Boxers, and all of the cathedrals. There Awaiting the Troops.
was also a large fire in the Chinese city, " The reinforcements from Taku will be
destroying about one thousand buildings, pouring in by the thousands very soon. An
and also the city tower over the Ch'ien Men American lieutenant told me we alone had
—the tower over the gate, which is always three regiments, and about seven hundred
closed, and is only opened for the Emperor or eight hundred artillerymen. The Russians
when going to the Temple of Heaven. and Japanese are sending large numbers.
That seemed to enrage the Empress Dow- The Russians have the largest number
ager, and for some reason she turned over already, and had it not been for them, I am
the keys of the three gates on the south side very much afraid we could not have held out.
of the Tarter city to the British Legation. " Monday, June 25. — I must try and finish
"The messenger told me that the foreign my letter as soon as possible, because I was
soldiers killed about seventy Boxers, in a told that the post-office is receiving letters,
temple just north of the Austrian Legation. and that a mail will be sent out every day
While was with the soldiers who started for Shanghai. I walked over to the station
I
for Pekin there was some fighting. It was yesterday afternoon, with Mr. Hayner, to
the second afternoon, between Loh Fa and have a look around, and see what the con-
Lang Fang. There were a large number of dition of things was. The station has been
Boxers engaged in destroying the railroad, completely destroyed. It was set on fire by
and it took a short time for the marines to one of the Chinese shells fired from the forts
clear them out. They killed about fifty- in the native city. We saw a great many
eight and wounded seven. was quite ex- It dead bodies in the river — Chinese, of course.
citing for a time, I can assure you, but I The Chinese buildings in the French con-
felt much safer with them than I have felt cession have all been cleared out by fire,
during the past week, before we were rein- and, of course, a great many fine foreign
forced. Then we had nothing to fear but buildings had to suffer also.
"Nearly all the houses across the river, Dr. Terry, Mr. Veritz and Mr. Hobart among
along the bund, beginning up as far as the the Pekin people. Mr. Pyke, Martin, Hay-
station, have been burned, or are still being ner and Dr. Hopkins just got out. They
burned. All this has been done by the came down by the last train. We met Dr.
foreign soldiers, in order to keep the place Hopkins and Mr Hayner between Teng Jen
free from Chinese. The latter would con- and T'ang Shan, and they were the first to
ceal themselves in the houses and shoot break the news to us, for we had heard
through the windows, and for several days nothing of any trouble while we were gone.
the bullets kept whizzing over our heads, We had not planned to return by way of
and many fell into the yards and on the T'ang Shan, but thought we could gain a
streets. Last night a large force started day by coming that way. It is rather prov-
out to take the forts up in the city, and to idential, I think, that we did, because we
relieve the Pekin people. We have not should have passed through T'ung Chou,
heard from them yet. and no doubt we should have met with
trouble.
Arsenal in Flames. "The T'ung Chou property has all been
"The British shelled the West Arsenal destroyed, but the missionaries all arrived
this morning, and the place has been in safely in Pekin. Quite a number of their
flames for the last three hours. The gun native Christians were killed.
they used was a twelve-pounder, which was
used in the Transvaal, and had just been Fleeing from Tien-Tsin.
landed from the 'Terrible.' There has been " I can't begin to tell you all that has
considerable firing from the forts in the Chi- taken place the past month. China cer-
nese city this morning, but not in our direc- tainly is seeing her last days. I will write
tion. We judge they are either directing again as soon as there is any news. We
their fire against the force from Pekin, or have not been able to communicate with the
against the force which left here last night. outside world for ten days. The telegraph
" Oh, how thankful I shall be to see the wires have been cut for more than a week,
dear ones in from Pekin. It keeps one in and all mails have been stopped between
such a suspense not to know where they Tien-Tsin and Taku and Pekin.
are, and how they are faring. Cora manages "TiEN-TsiN, July 5, 1 900.
to be brave, and keeps quite cheerful. It "It is already after ten o'clock, and time
seems rather strange that I should be here to be in bed, but I will begin a letter to
you
with Cora, and George with Katharine. though I may not finish to-night. There
Mr. King is also in Pekin, and his family at has been quite an exodus from Tien-Tsin
Peitaiho. The Walkers, Gamewells, ladies to-day. I think
at least two hundred
Mr. King, Mr. Davis, George and Katharine women, and men took their de-
children
are the only ones of our mission in Pekin. parture. Cora and her three children, Mrs.
'Just think of Mrs. Jewell, with ail her Pyke and family and Hayners all left for
school girls ! The Paotingfu people have home and will be there probably as soon as
not been heard from for two weeks, and they this letter. Misses Wilson, Shockle\-,
are unable to get away. I forgot to mention Glover and Mr. Stevenson left also, but
expect to remain in Japan for the summer. from Pekin since I last wrote. I wrote the
Dr. Benn stayed behind to help in the hos- latest in my letter to Mr, and Mrs. Mullikin,
pital. I am very glad so many of the and you probably will have seen that letter
women and children have gotten away, for before this reaches you. It was to the effect
they were nervous and caused increased that all foreigners had gone to the British
anxiety to the gentlemen. Cora has had Legation, and that three of the Legations
rather a hard time over here, but I am had been burnt, and that Baron von Ketteler
glad for her and the children's sake that had been killed on his way to the Tsung-li-
they are away from here, for this certainly Yamen.
was not the place for them, and I hope they
willmanage to get along well on the trip. Looking for Way of Escape.
" With the exception of this morning we " The news was sad indeed, and my
had a quiet day. I was awakened at 5 this spirits were very much lowered when I heard
morning by the thunder and crash of cannon. it. What has happened since then nobody
The British have three good-sized guns knows, but somehow, I cannot imagine
planted a short distance from here, and they how, I believe God will spare those people
opened fire on a Chinese battery of seven and He' can provide a way of escape. I
guns stationed east of and on the other
us, think when I see Katharine again it will be
side the Lutai Canal. What damage was like seeing her come up out of her grave.
done I do not know, but was told that the It just seems to me that such a thing as the
Chinese have moved their guns. killing of all those people in Pekin could
Heavy Cannonading.
not be allowed to happen — itwould be too
awful. For the most part I have had a con-
" Friday, July 6 —This has been another viction that they would come out of it all
lively day. The cannonading began about right and that has given me quite a little
3 o'clock this morning and has continued all comfort. In one more week it will be three
day, but has ceased now. The Chinese were months since I left Pekin, and how little did
sending shells at a lively rate this afternoon, I dream when I bade Katharine good bye
and they were bursting all around us. One that we should have to pass through all this
went through the roof of Mr. Pyke's house trouble. We will probably go home as soon
into the garret, tearing up things in great as Katharine gets down, for I feel she will
shape. Two went clear through the
pieces be nervously upset and there will be no
floor and were found in the back hall Our business here, I'm afraid, for some time to
batteries were at work for several hours this come.
afternoon, throwing shells up into the Chi- "Sunday, July 8. —Here it is Sunday and
nese city. my letter is not finished yet. Yesterday was
" Mr. Martin and I watched the bombard- rather a noisy day, a good deal of shooting
ment for a good while and could see where and shelling. The Chinese guns bombarded
a good many of the shells struck. One of us quite lively for a while. In the afternoon
the city's gates was hit a number of times, the French used their '
melinite '
shells for
and one or two shells were sent into the a short time on a part of the native city. I
Viceroy's yamen. We have heard nothing watched them strike from the tower. Every
398 UNDER THE PIRE OF BOXER SAVAGES.
shell that struck sent up a cloud of smoke and morning by a Chinese shell and has burnt
dust about fifty feet into the air. A large down.
number of buildings were set on fire. " An American regiment is to arnve to-
"We did not have much peace last night day. They are expected at any hour. Two
owing to the amount of rifle firing just above more regiments are on their way I believe.
us. TheChinese'have a good many soldiers up The Enghsh have 1 1,000 Indian troops on
the Taku road and across the river. They their way."
conceal themselves among the salt heaps
and of course it is very difficult to get at The Gallant Ninth.
them. We can see them very plainly in the September loth, Major-General Corbin
day time going back and forth, but they are received the complete official reports of the
a long ways off. There are five or six battle of Tien-Tsin, when the American
hundred French located just beyond the troops had their baptism of fire on Asiatic
London mission, so that we and the gallant Ninth Infantry sus-
feel quite safe territoiy
here. There has been considerable shelling tained such heavy losses, including its
to-day. Several shells struck in our yard, colonel. The reports show numerous in-
doing no damage more than knocking down stances of conspicuous bravery. That of
some of the wall on the south side of the Lieutenant-Colonel Coolidge, who com-
court. The soldiers have orders to fall out manded the force until General Chaffee's
to-morrow morning and they
at 3 o'clock, arrival, several days later, is as follows
say there is to be a general attack made on "The Adjutant-General, United States
the city. We may look for a hot time to- Army, Washington, D. C.
morrow. I will not finish till I know, but " Sir : I have the honor to inclose herewith
must say good night. the reports of Major Lee and Captain C. R.
Noyes, adjutant Ninth Infantry ; Lieutenant
Shells Thicker and Faster. Weeks, commanding Company A, Ninth In-
"Monday, 9th —Well, we have had a fantry, and to render the following report as
lively time this morning— more shelling than third battalion and regimental commander,
any time yet. Our forces had an engage- Ninth Infantry, in the engagement of July
ment with the Chinese troops out near the 13, 1900, at Tien-Tsin, China :
race course, and from there they drove the " I had been left in charge of the third bat-
Chinese back, the latter retreating toward talion and regimental property on board the
the West Arsenal. Our men did a good United States Army transport 'Logan,' on the
deal of artillery firing. They marched up departure of regimental headquarters and the
and burnt all the villages near the arsenal first and second battalions, at the anchorage
and also what was left of the arsenal itself. Taku forts. I proceeded with my bat
off
There was nothing in the report about mak- talion, by lighter, up the Pie-Ho river th<
ing a general attack on the city. I hope 1 2th inst, arriving at the encampment c;l '
sincerely that they will do something very the regiment, on the German Concession,
soon to silence the Chinese guns. I am so Tien-Tsin, China, about 10 A. M., July 13.
thankful that our ladies got away when they 1900. Upon landing, I learned of the de
did. Mr. Aiken's house was set fire to this parture of the first and second battalions,
under Colonel Liscuni, at 3 A. M. on July between 8 and 10 P. M., bringing in their

13th, for an attack on the south gate of the wounded, which were attended to by Major
walled ciy of Tien-Tsin. Company A had Banister, who had established a temporary
been sent to the railroad station and Com- field hospital at the south gate of the mud
pany E left in encampment to guard wall, bringing back from near the advanced
property. Colonel Liscum had taken 420 line Captain Bookmiller and other wounded.
men with the six companies. His zealous and efficient labors are highly
" While preparing my command to join the commended, as well as his assistants, Sur-
regiment, a staff officer from Lieutenant- geon Marrow, who was with the firing line,
Colonel Bower, of the British army, com- and Surgeon Calhoun, who arrived with my
manding at the railroad station, arrived, and command.
requested me to send him reinforcements, as
they '
were hard pressed.' Consequently, All Sent to the Hospital.
I sent liim two comp;inies, K and M, under " The wounded were all sent in to the Ma-
command of Major Foote, Ninth Infantry. rine Hospital, in the British concession, be-
A messenger from Surgeon Banister shortly fore midnight, and the men under Major
arrived with a request for medical stores, Lee, who had been fighting since daylight,
dressings, water, etc. I procured some car- lying in the mud and water for over eleven
be drawn by hand, and filled them
riages, to hours, were sent back to their quarters to
with supplies, including ammunition, and change their clothing, get something to eat,
proceeded to the south gate of the outer and to return to the south gate the next
mud wall with companies I and L, Ninth morning. Company A, from the railroad
Infantry, where we arrived about 4 P. M. station, had been relieved by Major Foote,
and reported to me at the south gate about
Impossible to Advance.
dusk.
"I reported to General Dorward, of the " Oh the morning of the 14th, the south
British army, who was in command of the gate of the walled city of Tien-Tsin having
Britishand American forces that day. He been blown open by the Japanese and the
informed me that he intended to withdraw city entered by the allied forces, our servi-
the Ninth Infantry at dark under the shelter ces were no longer required, and by direc-
of a cannonade from his batteries ; that it tion of General Dorward, the Ninth Infantry
would be useless to reinforce them, and that were returned to their encampment. I am
I could not get to them without a great pleased to concur in the recommendation of
sacrifice of life, which he would not order; the company and battalion commanders of
that the reinforcements I had would be of their.4nen who distinguished themselves dur-
no utility even if we reached the position ing the battle and so richly deserve the bre-
held by the rest of the regiment ; that it vets, medals of honor, etc., or honorary
was impossible for the regiment to advance mention, for distinguished services in the
from their position. battle of Tien-Tsin. There were one officer
" He then directed me to proceed to take and nineteen men killed, four officers and
care and dispose of the wounded as they ar- seventy-two men wounded, and one man
rived. The men under Major Lee arrived missing.
"The body of Colonel E. H. Liscum was him, for bravery at Tien-Tsin, China, July
brought in from the field by Major Lee's 13, 1900.
men and sent in to the hospital that evening. " Major James Regan, Ninth Infantry, was
His body was sent down to Tong-Ku the twice seriously wounded in the arm and
evening of the 14th inst., the funeral proces- thighs. His conduct and bravery were of
sion from the hospital to the boat being the highest order of merit, and I have the
attended by General Dorwaid, of the British honor to recommend that he receive a medal
army, and his aids ; also by officers of the of honor and be brevetted for gallant ser-
Marine Corps and all of his regiment, the vices in the battle of Tien-Tsin, China, July
Ninth Infantry. At Tong Ku he was buried 13, 1900.
with military honors, under direction of " Captain C. R. Noyes, regimental adjutant
Captain Wise, of the United States cruiser Ninth Infantry, was twice wounded in the
'Monocacy,' attended by all the senior offi- arm and leg early in the engagement, yet
cers of the naval fleets of Russia, Japan, managed to make his way by swimming the
France, America, Germany, Austria and canals for nearly two miles and crawling
Italy. The enlisted dead having been back to the south gate. I have the honor to
brought off the field of battle with two excep- recommend him medal of honor and
for a
tions, were buried on the evening of July brevet one grade above any previously con-
15 near the southeast corner of the com- ferred upon him for bravery in the battle of
pound, where the regiment is encamped. The Tien-Tsin, China, July 13, 1900.
body of one man was subsequently found on
by Lieutenant Hammond
the field of battle Seriously Wounded.
and buried where it lay one man reported
; " Captain E. V. Bookmiller, Ninth Infan-
•missing,' body not found. try,was seriously wounded in the thigh early
in themorning. I have the honor to recom-
Liscum' s Successor. mend him for a medal of honor and brevet
" I deem it my duty especially to report of major for bravery in the battle of Tien-
that upon the wounding of Colonel Liscum Tsin, China, July 13, 1900.
Major J. M. Leefell in command of the Ninth " First Lieutenant L. B. Lawton, battalion
Infantry, engaged on the firing line. His adjutant Ninth Infantry, and acting regi-
coolness, good judgment and control of his mental adjutant (after Captain C. R. Noyes,
men during these long trying hours, as adjutant Ninth
was wounded), Infantry,
related by and others, preserved whose distinguished services in coming back
his adjutant
the efficiency of the line and lives of many of from the firing line with information from the
his command. His execution of the work regimental commander of the Ninth Infantry
of bringing off the field the body of Colonel to the commanding general of the British
Liscum and all the wounded without the
and American forces and returning to his
I0.SS of an additional man, is worthy of the regiment under a terrible fire of shells and
greatest praise and reward. I have the bullets, during which he was again wounded,
honor to recommend him for a medal of have been especially mentioned by General
houor and that he be brevetted one grade Dorward in letter inclosed. I indorse Major
beyand any brevets already conferred upon Lee's recommendation that Lieutenant
Lawton be granted a medal of honor and be the heaviest being the second company from
brevetted captain for bravery in the battle the left. Captain C. R. Noyes, the adjutant
of Tien-Tsin, China, where he was twice of the regiment, was sUghtly wounded at
wounded on July 13, 1900. this place, but continued on duty.
" A copy of communication from Brigadier-
General A. R. F. Dorward, British Army, to Behind a Mud Wall.

the commanding officer of the American " We then moved forward about 7 A. M. to
forces in China, regarding the services of the the protection of the mud wall at west arse-
regiment, July 13, 1900, is herewith trans- nal, the first battalion forming on right into
mitted. A map of the battlefield and posi- line, all as a support to the Japanese, the
tions of the Ninth Infantry thereon, is also second battalion being on the
. right. At
inclosed. Very respectfully, about 7.30 A. M. we moved quickly over
" Charles A. Coolidge, the wall, and the command reformed a short
Lieutenant-Colonel Ninth Infantry, Com- distance forward, under fire, with the protec-
manding." tion of some mud huts. In a few minutes
the men enthusiastically moved forward,
Major Lee's Report.
rapidly crossing a bridge, and by Colonel
The report of Major Lee, who com- Liscum's orders took a position in battle
manded the fighting force after Colonel Lis- order to the right, along the banks of a broad
cum's death, follows canal. Owing to the contracted space,
" The Adjutant, Ninth Infantry. Company B was moved from the right to
"Sir : In consequence of the death of Col- the front, on a road at an angle to the gen-
onel Emerson H. Liscum, Ninth United eral line,and followed soon after by com-
States Infantry, on the field of battle on the panies C, D, G, F and H, it being the inten-
13th inst., and my succession to the com- tion for this entire line to conform to the
mand of the companies therein engaged, general advance of the Japanese towards
namely, companies B, C, D and detach- the Taku gates. At this juncture, a heavy
ment of E, and companies F, G and H, I enfilading fire was opened on the Ninth Infan-
have the honor to submit the following try at a point about 1,200 yards distant, and
report pursuant to paragraph 267 of the many casualties resulted. By Colonel Lis-
regulations for troops in campaign The : cum's orders and we
personal directions,
formation was made
A. M. on the 13 th
at 3 fronted this and moved forward, Cap-
fire,
inst., at the Nong-Po-Quilo Mortuary, near tain Brewster, Company B, in advance.

the Tien-Tsin University, on the south side This was about 8 A. M.
of the foreign settlement. The command "The fire became hot and heavy from a
imoved out in column at 3.30 A. M., fol- fortified mud village in our which
front,
lowing the British Naval Brigade. After a practically flanked the advancing column on
circuitous march of about two hours, we the Taku gate of the walled city. We
took position as a reserve in line of battle moved rapidly forward, suffering severe
fronting the west arsenal, at a distance of losses. Captain E. V. Bookmiller falling
about 800 yards. From dropping shots at severely wounded at the first advance. Until
long range we suffered considerable loss, about 9 A. M. the two battalions occupied
2G
an advanced position within from loo to gun fire, many of the men lying in water
200 yards of the fortified village, where we from their knees to their armpits, with no
were subjected to a deadly fire of musketry hope of withdrawal until 8:10 P. M.,
when
and shrapnel. The ground passed over was under cover of darkness we withdrew under
irregular, filled with dikes and ditches, the fire, with a loss in so doing of one
man of
mud and water varying from three to eight Company C killed. Our final withdrawal
feet deep. was handsomely covered by the British
" I repeatedly met Colonel Liscum, who, naval troops and the United States Marines
with uplifted arms, coolly and calmly urged sent to our aid by General Dorward.
his men forward. When within about two
hundred and fifty yards of the enemy's forti-
Timely Help.
fied position, which was protected by an un- "These gallant men also aided us in the
fordable canal or moat fifty yards wide, I removal of our wounded, and we owe Gen^
met Major Regan, commanding the second eral Dorward and them a debt of gratitude
battalion, where he fell severely wounded. which will never be forgotten by the Ameri-
After locating his wound I directed the men can soldiers on that bloody field, and the
to put him under cover and moved forward. high tribute given by General Dorward to
Captain Noyes, the adjutant, had received the officers and men of the Ninth Infantry
his second wound, a severe one, and was will be sacredly cherished as long as the
taken to a house for partial protection battle of Tien-Tsin shall remain inscribed on
shortly before 9 A. M. our colors.
" Having removed our wounded and the
A Mortal Wound. body of our colonel, we assembled at the
" I inquired for the Colonel, and was in- south gate of the west arsenal at about 9. 1
formed by Lieutentant Frazier that he had P. M., where I reported to Lieutenant-Col-

been hit, and was in the trench mortally onel Charles A. Coolidge, Ninth Infantry, the
wounded. I then took command of the senior officer of the regiment. It is but
remnants of the first and First Lieutenant just to state that throughout the trying
Joseph Frazier the second. A
further ad- ordeal of the day the officers and the great
vance was impossible, and to retire was out of majority of the men behaved with splendid
the question. About lo A. M.I directed my gallantry. When our ammunition was
gallant adjutant, First Lieutenant Louis B. nearly exhausted and our forces on the •
Lawton, to go to the rear, he being com- firing line greatly reduced, there was a grim
pelled to cross the field swept by a most determination on the part of every officer
destructive fire, and report to General Dor- and man there under my command to hold *
ward, of Her Majesty's service, our needs on through the long hours of constant and
and condition. This he did, and in less than deadly fire until such time as withdrawal
two hours returned, and, though twice could be effected under cover of night In
wounded, reported the result of his perilous this connection, attention is invited to the
mission. He was afterward again hit by a accompanying sketch of the field of opera-
shot in the sole of his shoe. We remained tions, prepared by First Lieutenant Harold
in this position under musketry and machine Hammond, exhibit A : also to a report
exhibit B, by Captain Charles R. Noyes, officer ; wounded, four officers ; killed, six-
adjutant, made in response to my request. teen enlisted men ; wounded, sixty-seven

Company A of the regiment was not under enlisted men ; total casualties, five officers,
my orders during the day, having been eighty-three enlisted men.

ordered on the preceding day to duty at the "The following named officers are recom-
north pontoon bridge as a reserve to the mended for medals of honor : Captain
troops at the railroad station. This com- Charles R. Noyes, adjutant, for conspicuous
mand consisted of Company A, sixty-six gallantry for continuing on until twice
men, and thirty-two men of Company D, wounded (special report forwarded) Cap- ;
commanded by First Lieutenant W. W. tain Andre W. Brewster, for conspicuous

Weeks, Eleventh Infantry, with Second Lieu- gallantry in rescuing at great risk to his Ufe
tenant F. R. Brown, Ninth Infantry, attached. a wounded soldier who would have
This command suffered casualties of two drowned First Lieutenant Joseph Frazier,
;
killed and five wounded from a bursting for conspicuous gallantry in rescuing at
shell. Attention is invited to Lieutenant great peril the colonel of his regiment, who
Weeks' report which is herewith submitted had fallen mortally wounded, and conduct-
as exhibit C. ing him to the trench ; First Lieutenant
"At the 3 A. M. formation on the 13th Louis B. Lawton, adjutant first battalion,
inst, the effective force of the command to for conspicuous gallantry in carrying a
which I succeeded was and
fifteen officers message for relief over a field swept by a
418 enlisted men. In addition, there were deadly fire, returning and reporting after
two medical officers and eight men of the having been twice wounded in doing so
Hospital Corps. Casualties Killed, one : (special report forwarded)."
RESCUE OF THE FOREIGN MINISTERS AT PEKIN.
STRENUOUS efforts were made by the sounds of a heavy attack on the legations,
Allied Powers to push their forces on pushed forward independently, the British,
to Pekin and rescue the foreign ministers and Americans and French on the left of the
the attaches of their offices, who had been river and the Russians and Japanese on the
shut up ill the various legations, threatened right.
momentarily with assassination by the Boxers. Beginning at two o'clock in the morning
It was a period of great anxiety both in the Japanese diverted the brunt of the resist-
America and Europe. The insurrection in ance to the northern city, their artillery
China had sprung up suddenly and had engaging the Chinese heavily there.
assumed formidable proportions. The fury The Americans and British met with but
of the Boxers was directed against all little resistance until they entered the city,
foreigners, not even excepting the Ministers where there was street fighting. Reilly's
of the various countries represented at Pekin. battery attempted to breach the inner wall.
On August 14th the American and Rus- The troops finally entered the foreign settle-
sian flags were planted on the east wall of ment through the canal.
Pekin at eleven o'clock in the morning.
The Indian troops entered the British Le- Young American First.
gation at one and the Americans at three. Company E, Fourteenth United States
There was a joyful reception from the Infantry, planted its flag on the outer wall,
wall. The emaciated tenants could have Musician Titus scaling the wall with a rope,
lasted but little longer. They had only by means of which the others climbed to the
three days' rations. top. Calvin Pearl Titus is a native of Vinton,
The Chinese had been attacking furiously Iowa, and later was a resident of Spokane,
for two days. Four thousand shells fell in Washington.
the legation during the siege. Sixty-five The following graphic account of life in
persons were killed and one hundred and Pekin during the siege is from the pen of
sixty wounded. Rev. C. H. Fenn, an American who was
The Japanese began the battle before day- shut up with others in the beleaguered city.
light, and fought about the north wall, where After detailing the sudden growth of the
a part of the Chinese were defending the Boxer movement and the flight of many
imperial city. The plan was to make a foreigners to places of safety, Mr. Fenn
general attack the next day, and the troops gives the following interesting account of
were arriving at camp, five miles east, all the experiences of the foreigners who were
ni^ht. They were completely exhausted, for many days at the mercy of the Boxers,
and hlept in the corn fields in the rain. expecting every moment to be assaulted
The generals, however, alarmed at the' and massacred.
404
RESCUE OF THE FOREIGN MINISTERS AT PEKIN. 405
"On Tuesday, the 19th of June," he began. I will not attempt to follow it day
says, "came the news that the foreign ships by day. By
means or foul they, the
fair
having attacked Taku, the Ministers and Chinese, were bound to get in to murder us.
their families were ordered to leave Pekin Not content with rifle and cannon they have
in twenty-four hours. If we wished to live tried over and over again to set fire to our
we must go, too. But this meant, first, buildings from the outside. After several
leaving all our Chinese converts to certain exciting experiences of this kind, fighting a
massacre, and, second, probably being our- fire behind which were hundreds of soldiers
selves massacred as soon as we had left the and Boxers ready to shoot any man who
gates of Pekin and reached the open country. showed his head to throw water, we put a
Ifwe stayed, it meant less than 500 marines, stop to it by burning and tearing down all
the same number of civilians, about 800 buildings bordering on our north and west
Protestant converts and 1800 or more sides.
Roman Catholics, against imperial armies. " We had thought ourselves safe on the
north from fire, as we adjourned there the
German Minister Shot. Han Lin Yuan, where reposed the Empire's
"Next morning, as we were told that the most valuable books, including the 22,000
Ministers had demanded several hundred volume encyclopaedia, all in writing, not
.
carts for the journey, we could simply gather print, of which there are not more than three
togetherand pray that the Lord would pro- or four copies in the world, thousands of
videsome means by which we could protect blocks for printing the winning essays of
our Chinese, and also escape the danger. ages or examinations for high degrees, etc.
He answered most wonderfully. In a short
time the German interpreter was brought to Fired by Fiends.
our compound seriously wounded. With " One morning the fiends set fire to build-
the German Minister he had set out for the ings in that compound, and threatened
Tsung li Yamen (State Department), invited, thereby everything in the Legation. We
like the other Ministers, to consult over fought the fire and the fiends, and then de-
their departure from the city. stroyed a number of the buildings. Three-
"Both were shot by Chinese soldiers on fourths of the blocks and books, I suppose,
the street, the Minister killeil and his body are destroyed by fire or water, and the
carried off, while the wounded interpreter pride of China's scholars is sadly wounded.
escaped to our place. This convinced the "After the destruction by the Chinese of
Ministers and marines not only that a jour- the Austrian, Italian, Belgian and Dutch
ney to Tien-Tsin would mean almost certain Legations, the customs, post-ofifice and other
death, but that there would soon be an places, there still remained within our
attack by the Chinese soldiers on our quar- borders several grain shops and three
_,ters in Pekin. It was, therefore, decided foreign stores. These have thus far fur-
very hastily that we should all move at once nished abundant food for our almost
3000
to the British Legation and make our people. The rice supply was not as abun-
defence there. dant as the wheat, one shop having just
" Well, that night the horrors of war received thousands of bushels of new
406 CHINA : PAST AND PRESENT.
wheat from Honan. Had it been two or man. This matter of losses' is a marvelous
three weeks earlier we should have had thing. The Chinese have made terrific at-
none. tacks, sometimes of hours in duration, with
"In this shop there were eleven Chinese some firing all day and night, and have fired
mills for grinding wheat. After carrying about a million rounds, actually, as well as
away some of the wheat to the Legation, almost 3000 shells, shrapnel, and five to
lestwe lose it all, we set the mills going, and seven pound solid shot, yet but a compara-
day after day, worked by mules, they tively few men have been disabled and ;
ground out for us far more than we could though the heavy shot and shell have broken
use at the time of graham flour and cracked through walls and roofs, they have caused
wheat. Later on, as those quarters seemed but two deaths and two or three wounds. It
dangerous, we moved away seven of the has been a happy thing for us that the
mills and set them up in safe places. From Chinese do not know how to use their weap-
the beginning, as a member of the Food ons effectively.
Supply Committee, I have had chief charge
of this work. We should have been in need The Part Played by " Betsy."
of bread by now had it not been for these " We
had nothing larger than the Italian
mills. one-pounder, until one day in overhauling
Protection by Sand Bags. a Chinese junk-shop some of our natives
"Another of the most remarkable Prov- found an old rusty cannon, dated 1 864, of
idences in connection with this siege ismounted it and tried it.
the British origin. We
never ending supply of material for sand It sent a three pound shot through three
bags. These bags have saved many a life brick walls, so we turned it on the Chinese,
on the top of the barricades. There was and scared them by the unexpectedness of
very little to make them of at first, but what it, as well as by its effectiveness. It has
we had was used. We 'looted the shop of been dubbed 'Betsy.' The Russians had
'
a Chinese tailor and got two hand power shells but no gun, so Betsy has fired the ' '
sewing machines, and Miss Dorno had one shells. In lieu of anything better, she will
with a treadle. The foreign stores furnished take nails or scrap iron and carry terror
considerable cloth. among the Chinese.
" A
large number of small native shops, These men also found many pewter
"
dwellings, a temple, etc., within our borders vessels, out of which we have made cannon
provided dozens of rolls of cloth, silk, bro- balls and shot for the one-pbunder and for
cade, embroideries (worth several dollars r rifles. Of bricks and timber we have had
yard, some of them) ; the Legations offerc<i no lack, tearing up brick walks and demol-
curtains, table linen, etc., so that day after ishing Chinese buildings. The formerly
day ladies have been able to turn out hun- prosperous business section about us is a
dreds and thousands of sand bags, which, waste of ruins, the Chinese having destroyed
filled with dirt, have made the best possible millions of dollars' worth of property in
barricades. their effort to exterminate us.
" The missionaries have been leaders in al- " The one messenger who has succeeded
most every department, yet have not lost a in making his way to Tien-Tsin and
back
RESCUE OF THE FOREIGN MINISTERS AT PEKIN. 407
brings us word that 33,000 troops are cer- about as ludicrous a performance as I have
tainly on the way to our relief, and the heard of Surely it will stand unique in the
rumors of their victorious progress are com- world's history. The purpose is manifest.
ing to us from the outside Chinese, who are Taku and Tien-Tsin have been taken, and
on most peculiar terms with us. the foreign troops are well on their way to
Pekin.
Horribly Beaten. "The Department first tried to coax
State
"Ten days ago there came back to us a the Ministers to a place where they could
messenger who had tried to go to Tien-Tsin, be held as hostages. Now it is trying to

had been captured by the Chinese, beaten placatethem with presents, so as to keep
almost to death, taken to the '
State Depart- the foreign troops from entering Pekin.
ment,' given amessage and sent back to us. More recently they have been again urging
The State Department said it was glad to the Ministers to go to Tein-Tsin, and again
hear the foreign Ministers were well, and to-day (the 27th) they have sent in melons
sorry the Boxers had treated them so badly. and eggs, and flour, and rice !
'
For ways
They were anxious to protect us, and that are dark and tricks that are vain,' there
requested that we stop firing. They also is no doubt about the pre-eminence of the
suggested that all the Ministers and their Chinese.
families go in small companies, unescorted, to
Depressing News.
the State Department for protection.
"The reply was made that we were willing "And now our hearts go down again, as
to cease firing when the Chinese ceased, but a youngster who went out as a beggar boy
could not accept the invitation to the Yamen. bearing a message to Tein-Tsin comes back
The next day came another gracious mes- with a single letter about a half a dozen
sage, accompanied by a cipher telegram from sentences from the British Consul, the quin-
the State Department at Washington, '
Com- tessence of ambiguous uncertainty, dated
municate Tidings Bearer.' On questioning July 22, and leading us to think (while not
as to the source of this telegram had no (it saying so) that no troops have yet left Tein-
signature or date), a copy of a telegram from Tsin for our relief.
Wu Ting Fang, the Chinese Minister in " He writes :

'
There are plenty of troops
Wa.shington, was sent, and the transmission on the way, if you can keep yourselves in
of Minister Conger's reply was promised. food,' but the rest of the letter indicates
'
'The next day firing practically ceased, and that '
on the way ' may mean anywhere on
there has been but little of it since. There the face of the earth. "
Still the rain holds
also came, in the name of the Emperor, a off, but our

does not come, and this is
relief
large number of watermelons, squashes, egg- August 2d. For the past week we have lived
plants and cucumbers. I am very sorry that on news purchased daily from a Chinese
the Ministers accepted the present, for it and other outsiders, which, though
soldier
will make the final punishment of the Chinese accepted with some suspicion, came to be
less dignified. To have men try to kill you, somewhat beheved. These several men
and then, while still keeping you besieged, were evidently in collusion. They told us
to send in watermelons and squashes, is step by step of the victorious progress of
408 CHINA : PAST AND PRESENT.
our troops until they had brought them so had many horses and mules here, but they
near that we should begin to hear the can- are fast going. Of course, we are all losing
non, when they reported a retreat. This weight, some as much as thirty pounds.
aroused more which was con-
suspicion, <'
The other day we took possession of the
firmed last evening by a letter of July 26th buildings next us on the southwest, finding
from Tien-Tsin, stating that the troops much good furniture, clothing, food and
were to start in two or three days. four dead bodies, dead for five or six weeks,
"The extracts from the Pekin Gazette for with a tin of opium lying by three of them,
the past two months afford very interesting indicating self-poisoning at the time of the
reading, testifying to the insincerity of the fearful first attacks on us. They were a
Chinese protestations of friendship. Before fearful sight. Another foreign baby has
things came to a head and we were besieged died, two more seem unlikely to live, while
here, the edicts commanded the putting in the last two weeks at least twenty-five
down of the Boxers; but Jas soon as they Protestant Chinese (almost all of them
got us where we could not secure the children) and many more Roman Catholics
Gazette the whole tone changed. Ministers have been laid away. The sanitary condi-
and princes were appointed to command tions are awful, especially, of course, among
the Boxers, who were given hundreds of the Chinese."
thousands of taels as a reward for their
'
patriotic services.' After the capture of Rescued at Last.
Tien-Tsin, they began to be scared, and Here the narrative abruptly ends, but is
wished to placate foreign Powers, so that taken up again on August 15th with this
they actually publish a memorial of Chang joyful announcement

Shun, laying the whole trouble on the "We are saved! Yesterday morning at
Boxers. 2 o'clock we began to hear the sound of
cannon and machine guns, and our soldiers '
Hardships for the Children. got in in the afternoon. God has been good,
"The time of quiet is over and we are indeed."
fired at more or during the day and
less Our Government gave to Germany, on
heavily at night. Yet the 'State Depart- October 4th, a reply to the modified pro-
ment '
still sends peaceful messages The ! by Count von Buelow.
posals submitted
milk is gone, save a little for the babies The
exchange of notes be-
result of this
the butter and sugar are already gone the tween the two Governments was that there
;
white rice (a small remnant) is kept for in- was practical unanimity of purpose among
valids and wounded, and our usual bill of all the Powers in regard to the punishment
fare is horse meat, old musty rice, coarse- of the Chinese officials who were wuilty of
brown bread, without butter. We still have the murder of foreigners. Germany receded
tea and coffee, and for breakfast have either from the first proposition advanced and de-
cornmeal or cracked wheat. It is very hard cided not to insist upon the expiation of the
to find anything for the babies, as we cannot outrages upon the foreign Ministers as a
get eggs or any broth except the rather preliminary to negotiations.
strong horse meat broth. Fortunately we The United States, in the note delivered
409
RESCUE OF THE FOREIGN MINISTERS AT PEKIN.
accepted, practically without modification Pekin than Taku, it has all along seenied
or conditions, the line of action proposed by a necessary precaution to drive the Chinese
Germany. This embraced the following out of the forts there and hold them.
programme : The powers will at once ar-
All for Self-Preservation.
range to proceed to negotiations for peace
without reference to the punishment of Nothing occurred in the various expedi-
those who are guilty. The foreign Minis- tions that were taken to justify the suspicion
ters in Pekin are to unite in a careful state- that the allies were intrenching themselves
ment in show-
the nature of an arraignment in -North China to carry out a policy of
ing who the guilty men are and whether territorial acquisition. What was done was
they are the identical persons named by the logically connected with the necessities of
recent imperial edict as deserving degrada- the situation, and was dictated by motives of
tion and punishment. The Ministers will self-preservation only, it would be hazardous
a'so decide whether the penalties to be im- for the comparatively small army of perhaps
posed by the Chinese Government are such 100,000 men to enter the long, hard winter
as justly fit the crimes for which they are of North China without providing every
inflicted. possible means for getting in supplies and
taking out the wounded and sick. The
Finding the Guilty.
American troops did not participate in these
Assuming that this agreement among the movements for the reason that with the
Powers would be acted upon without delay, order sent to General Chaffee our military
instructions were telegraphed to Minister operations China were limited to but two
in
Conger by the Secretary of State directing lines of action. One was to place the lega-
him to make a thorough investigation and tion guard in comfortable and suitable winter
report whether the officials named by the quarters, and the other was to withdraw our
k Emperor Kwang-Su were guilty of the troops as rapidly as practicable.
them and should be se-
crimes imputed to As a matter of fact our troops began to
lected for punishment, either for their indi- leave China on October 1st.
vidual acts or for complicity of any sort in News of the first importance was sent
the attacks on the foreigners. from Consul General Goodnow, at Shang-
While our Government did not take part hai. It was a copy of a decree of the
in the various expeditions, organized and in Emperor and Empress of China, dated Sep-
part carried out, for the suppression of the tember ~5, blaming their ministers for
Boxers, and providing supplies of food and encouraging the boxers. The edict ordered
fuel and the maintenance of communication the degradation of four princes, and deprived
with the seacoast, both at Taku and Shan- Prince Tuan of his salary and official ser-
Hai-Kwan,the United States did not disap- vants. It also ordered him before the
prove of the operations, for the reason that Imperial Clan court for trial.
they were regarded as unavoidable military The decree was received by Consul Gen-
necessities. eral Goodnow from Sheng, the Chinese
Shan-Hai-Kwan has an open all winter director of railroads and telegraphs, and
harbor, and while it is much further from was, therefore, regarded as authentic.

Chinese Horrors and Persecutions of the Christians Containing a Full Account of the Great Insurrection in China; Atrocities of the &amp;Quot;Boxers&amp;Quot; ... Together With the Complete History of China Down to the Pres

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CORNELL

:^ERSECUTIONS of the CHRISTIANS

'ULL ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT INSURRECTION IN CHINA;

COMPLETE HISTORY OF CHINA

OF THE PEOPLE SUPERSTITIONS IDOL ; ;

WORSHIP; INDUSTRIES; NATURAL

By Henry Davenport Northrop

Profusely Illustrated with Superb Illustrations

WORLD BIBLE HOUSE

EHTERCO ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRE6S, IN THE YEAR 1S00. BV

The original of this book is in

the Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in

Early History of the Celestial The Punishment of Criminals. . . 180

CHAPTER IV. CHAPTER XII.

The First Manchu Ruler . . . . . 74 Varieties of Chinese Life. 21S

CHAPTER V. CHAPTER XIII.

CHAPTER XVII. CHAPTER XXIII.- - . -L

CHAPTER XIX. . - CHAPTER XXV.

Stirring Incidents OF the Campaign . 338

aroused the deepest concern in America and Europe.

io br)e rresepb JJay.

EARLY HISTORY OF THE "CELESTIAL EMPIRE."

ALL Asia is astir.

have slept the sleep of ages are

markable people are the Chinese, comprising

progress of a people whose numbers, laws, rulers. He was "diligent, enlightened,

as occupants of the Imperial office. While Hwangti

on the throne with a naked sword in his

if he had shown greater indifference and

A Standing Army. patience, for although he had the satisfaction

wives and his treasure. and evanescence.

THE STORY OF THE HAN RULERS.

AS themselves the sons of Han

the victorious general who profited by their

He The First Suspension Bridge.

destined to receive many slights and injuries

and Europe. sou was drawn into an ambuscade in which

Keen them to return. That officer

entirely marched through the

prolonging human life, or, as the Chinese science of government." As a knowledge

enraged monarch ordered him to prepare for

SALE OF PRAYERS IN A CHINESE TEMPLE.

chong as a prisoner in his capital. country enjoyed a large measure of peace

months, and then his brother Ganti became he attacked.

THE MONGOL CONQUEST OF CHINA.

the disappointment of the besieger, already

held possession of Szchuen, which was called lowing reply :

indicated the path on which the Mongols Yissugei, '

standards. Yilatu, chief of a Tartar tribe. Yissugei

was nearly leading to his destruction. A Western Asia.

Mongol success, hastened to acknowledge Utubu, low as he had sunk, declined to

arrangements for so grave a contest. command of his own tribe.

history of the world. His name still over-

self, you are so far distant from the capital

and supreme throughout Mongolia. He of theMongol rulers whose authority was

opportunities. significancehad departed, was fain to estab-

Sung ruler could not have averted war if

that he would hang their traitor general in All Were Destroyed.

THE FIRST MANCHU RULER.

THE history of China from this time

have wished to signalize my vengeance, and

have been a Christian, remained faithful to tion to administrative reforms. It is said

to written memorials. effects we have described. The

Chinese Horrors and Persecutions of the Christians Containing a Full Account of the Great Insurrection in China; Atrocities of the &Quot;Boxers&Quot; ... Together With the Complete History of China Down to the Pres

Chinese Horrors and Persecutions of the Christians Containing a Full Account of the Great Insurrection in China; Atrocities of the &Quot;Boxers&Quot; ... Together With the Complete History of China Down to the Pres