The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-01-08 00:00:00

MR. PARKES'S NARRATIVE 01, HIS
CAPTIVITY.

The narrative of Mr. Parkes, of the occurrences • hich I
toulc place while he was detained as a prisener hy the
Chinese, is fall of interesting inej.lents. After Irving
taken prisoner while arrying afl of truce, Mr. Parkes '
was taken to Tiing-chow, whirr a utiodwr of soldiero
dragged hint and his penione ont if . cart in which ,
they had been conveyed, and lemma timir wri.ts tightly
behind them. In Ode atste, and sutTering dreadfnlly,
they were taken Oa to l'e'ejn, where they were placed in
the h•tiibi of the Board of Punishments, loaded wit!,
el.•.i.s. an.) given over to a nuinher if ruffainly looking
ga..lers. Host the primeers ud,fine.l with Mr Pat ki
were !iitily in the extreme, some of them had Leen
convicted of eerions Ott 004. Whibit it, the Khalil he
was male fast by ii chain to a beam overheat, shit altar
eullie that. Inas caile.l before the !laird of Iniin miters,
where the mandarins, so lie %ran kneel:Pig in hi.
cliaitet Infore them, w.rned him that they would harm
the truth from him if liu liii not give it soil
in proof of their eartiestie.. they ordered four torturer,
1.. seise , tech lwfore they began to put their quer*
Cum, by the ears and the halt of the head and face'
Various questious were then put, and when (le.:viewer*
did not appeal aati.factory. Hr. Parke. had his cars mid
hair pulled, end other indiletritie. Itie, NI mem 1 . The
eaainuted I al to time 1111.111ser Of our cevelry
wed arttlloy. shim. IteallentZ, horse, Chinese C. 4•11, a,
ice., and. its particular. if the rang., of our fiel 1 en.•
aie;oe wing, which lie gave at three Milk, and ui wards,
together with other particithwa of their dlestrueeee I'm•
parties. Hearnig that the hone:e of the fore. esine
from India they questioned him as to the neoureps
that country. ant were .lldi.please I • isti us, ,7e,s„.
oient that it as within 20 .I.va' anti..f Chine, ael Its
sit arty of mover. • of 11e01.4ei0 turn, null a teteulatieiu
of imire than 100.0 41.000. They Alm equals ili• improved
hie estimates of the populetiois of (treat Britain, which
at shout 3J.U0U,0111/. hut the reti•ark
prol.ehly gave them must aleph &sure Iran his um id a
term for Her klajewy &lotting cluality of rank with !
the Emperor ! Toward.; the Chine of tile eaiui,.ua•ion
throughout whiela he wax or...welled to remain kneeling
on thin n 1011.• he obtained permissiou ti. mak.. '
statement on Ilia own account, mid lie told the. why '
he and the other gentieni•oi of his parry ha I Collie to
Tong-chew ; that they were all employed in the 111nre
of 'este, end not of war, said that therefote lie pro I
keittol againet their brine treatr.l as coolie 1111 l felons. ,
and as offenders against Chinese law. This etatentent I
was interrupted by the remark. "That ie you: amount,
but we have soother story. Beside, it. as you plate,
yin' are &eliding), and have nothing to do with soldier.. ,
or their movement., why tire you always seen *WI. the '
advance ?" To this lie anserered that the English
always kept an interpreter in the front to be readv to
receive overture• or communication. f the Chinese I
esithuritiee. and hi. look after the inter. it. of the lespele.
This ended the examandien, and he wee then Liken bask ,
purism. 111 the 14'111011 roll which was biotic op on'
the wall he found hinted( neturned as a" NIA," Uri
that lie was one of tee. out of a total of Serellty-direie,
who were ordered to wear the heaviied chain., bur-
iug hi, impriounment soine of the Chinese authorities
had hiteroiews with him, and sug,mited tint I
he eliould write letters to Bird Elgin reanumenditig it ,
cessation of loestilitiee and the withdrawal of the aided
force. With Shupe euggestions 110 refoP.ol to comply. j
on the ground that being a els ilJan. lie had 110 itstl..eiser I
whatever OVer Military operations. Two days after-
wards lie sal visited toy the Prince of Rung. elm wholly '
die...proved of the manner to which I.e bad been treated.
Still no improvement appeared to bane been made in lie
quarters. At daybreak, on the 7th 01 thdolper. writes
Mr. Polite', 110 heard the some' of a a/11110/11141e, which
hinted for a few minutes mid then ceased. We dal not
again hear the sound of attack, hut detected, now tool
then. mine stir, an of the 1111 l vement of troop. in one
vicinity, and cnold observe looks iif concern on the faces j
of our guards sod gaolere. We sent to hang-ti's lieu.,
to inimiee amet hie isiovetneets. but all we e.t.d.' le.ro
Irvin Ii a litrellllll. WAS, that after leaving tu, lie bed been
loweiet over the city wall, and hail gone as they sup- I
lewd, in gent of Prince Kiang. It was jilt- j
poeolde to tell when he would return. Ws
atiziosisly looked for the mat 1111 l runsg, and felt some re. '
I ef when no ca 11111 l wide wao heard ais daylight broke.
aeuilites to Ilang•ki's leeise we learund that lie hail ,
return d revue at three ado., and would he with u. •
shortly. Ile came at time, and the glimpee obtained ,
couutenance, before he had put on the look lie ,
ovi.lied hi, awame, depweil C itisiderahle dejection and I
anxiety. hit explained to it. wily Ise hal not returned I
yesterday. " I left you full of concern," lie said, .• mm i I I
knew Unit the city and your lives were bidla iu denger.
Haul the city le.en assaulted, the tine cry raised liy the
soldiers would have becti Away with the fareigo
priamitire.' When I inquired fur Prince Kung. I fume,
that he Wan telo far off for Poe to hope to reach boo. I
therefore ilispstelial a Mlle pretenung that yO3llllOlllll
be given at 1411*,011C0111111.4111 that the foreign trims,
should rat ire front Tenn- ! lute,, which they had
hertz. to 'dewier. At the wow time I reevived Ph
inettation Irma Mr. Weil.. to meet him outside the
Ttioijong gate at four o'cleek in the afternoon. I went
mot we hail a long discus ion, lie iienian hail “ivt "HIV
the i 11111 l eurrewlet of the priaiineea. hut 4.1.8 one
of the city gate-, and be handed me this letter.
which you we he states the rime iu writhig. It is
quite impossible to C ply u itli such s demand. mid
'elm d therefore tall lie ihele, Miller Mich tieciiiiia.asie,n?"
1 reel the nide which 11111 ill the 110111141 id the
amatuanderaniebie;, demanding the liberal if all
the prisoners situ load leen seised, an I the deliver)
into their I andu of one of the pies of the city, a. a
pre. &idiom agaitist further acts of perfidy on the part of
the Chimer. I could wily t,ll H thet this step
was rend. re I neceseary by their previous sets .4 hail
faith, suit that the allies and . no !miter pot any I toed
sti them. It was useless to bine that the allied generals
would alter their deter...oration when they bad mire
taken it, our did I We any course lied in the elitionie
'inept compliance.
At thia 1111 l mesa the immpect I.4orellit seam. ii darker
than ever. but Ilampki. aft, r mime hesitation. rile-owl
WI from our by rettiarking that lie leul agived
with Mr. Wetly that Si, .11°0.1 he jirell 111., 114 &my ly
on 111 l and that we ehmild he rent mat at lone
o'clock in the efteromm. Boated, 14 rely 1111011 the
aweralice of ally ....ielariti. iitroi.m.ly *waded thu.
hour tialliC I, slid 1.1011.1 nen" that combieralde trileasitnee
was evimoll by Ilang-ki, who visited us sevend times
Id the course of tie 111 trlllll4. At i.e tittle he Whin.
pried ti I.me, " I 4111 1141 t malady Almon* to get ucm
stay for resolute. that I mm ill tall vou of at 4 future time,
.n 1 I will not watt for the hour named ins WWI you off."
He was sow wilitig tet give its some itiforinatimi re.
ejecting the other primmer.. l'pw.t.t. of Is. uty Ptumml
been tak. mu. he said, hut with a iew te their safe
custody, they had lean dist led into 'mall parties amt
with away 10 different ilintria I lithe. in the interior. It
stool I take mine days to get them .11 hark, and be had
heard that four or live of these bad eirketied eitii died.
At bat, at two &sleek, lie tohl as that all the prisoner.
had been auembleil. aid that we could take oar depar-
ture. We were placed in altered carts, will t hitting
allowed to tee etch other, mid were e.corted lay up largr
party of soldiers and mandarins through street. that
wore a deserted appearance to the Sewlie, or the
western gate of the city. We wean saw, with thankful
hearta, as theme great pun-tale anew id and then in 1111 l
dietely closed heltilid us, that we were already free nom,
fur our guard, Out daring to follow us out if tile city.
had left to eittrolvea the plemottit task of twin% our
own way to the allied camp.