The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-26 00:00:00

01;TRAGESagBRITISH SUBJECTS
AT CANTON.
(Continued from The Sun of April 22.)
" commesseoNze. nETING TO sea JOHN DAVIS.
e Keying, High Imperial Commissioner, &c. &c., sends
the following communication:—
" I, the Great Minister, heard on the 29th of the 10th
month (6th December) that six Englishmen, on the 28th
(sth instant), about noon, went to some villages in a
boat, for a walk, and that it was not known what had
become of them. At this I was greatly surprised, and
ordered the local district soldiers to proceed with the
utmost expedition in search of them.
" I also received a communication from Consul Mac-
gregor, stating that on the 28th (sth instant), about
noon, six Englishmen proceeded in a boat on the river,
in a northerly direction, for recreation, but nothing had
been heard of them up to the present moment. He had
only heard a rumour that some foreigners had had a
fight with villagers either at Hwang-chu-ke or atiPeite-
shwuy. He therefore had addressed the Nanhae and
Pwanyu magistrates on the subject, and also begged
that both might be ordered soon to adopt measures of
protection.
" When this reached me, the Great Minister, I ascer-
tained that those men had proceeded up the northern
branch of the river for recreation, and on the second day
not yet returned, for which there must evidently be a
cause. It is, therefore, necessary to institute search.
I therefore reiterated my orders to the Pwanyu and
Nanhae magistrates to adopt immediately with all pos-
sible energy measures for the protection [of those Eng-
lishmen], and to make inquiries about them.
" These magistrates have now gone in every direction
to find them out, and heard a very vague rumour that
some Engishmen engaged on the 28th (sth instant) in
a fight with villagers, without ascertianieg the real facts
as to the place and village where the quarrel with the
English took place, nor could they arrive at satisfactory
results.
" I therefore dispatched the Prefect of Canton with
the district military, to order the gentry all round to
assemble to investigate what had really become of these
six English, and with all haste to find out [the culprits],
seize them with the utmost severity, and when appre-
hended punish them according to the extreme
penalty of the law. These villians act with total
disregard to the regulations, and create disturbance.
Should they not submit, soldiers will in-
stantly be appointed to surround and apprehend them
and not one individual shall escape. Thus the national
laws will be vindicated, and the hearts of men will re-
joice. The honourable Envoy need not entertain any
anxiety on this point.
"Whilst wishing you every happiness I address this
communication.
To his Excellency her Britannic Majesty's Plenipo-
tentiary, Sir John F. Davis, Bart., &c.
•"faoukwang, 27th year, 10th month, 30th day (7th
December)."
The latter communication was followed by two from
Ke, the Imperial Commissioner, in which he states:
" Whereas with reference to the case of six Englishmen
having been put to death, when on an excursion oss the
river in a northerly direction, fearing that the prefect
and district magistrates might take their measures laxly,
I further appointed the provincial criminal judge, in con-
junction with a colonel, to proceed at the head of an
additional number of soldiers and militia to the place
in question, to urge on the proceedings. Since then,
in the afternoon of this day, the body of an English-
man has been obtained by dragging ; and I am
now superintending the giving of orders to work-people
to continue the dragging night and day for the
other bodies, which I have insisted must be obtained.
In this case the villains concerned have acted in a most
lawless manner, in carrying their violence to the
excess of beating to death a number of individuals ;
and I shall not fail to give strict orders to the
officers who have the conduct of the proceedings
to get the whole number of the bodies, and at the
same time to seize every one of the murderers
and to punish them with the utmost severity of the law,
as a satisfaction for the injuries and barbarity they have
committed. Should I in this matter commit myself to
the slightest degree of partiality or connivance, and
fail to proceed with rigour, or to use every exertion
to search for and apprehend the criminals, it
would not only be impossible for me to meet your Ex-
cellency, but I should also be unable to face the mer-
chants and people of the different countries." Two
days afterwards he writes to state that the five other
bodies had been obtained by dragging, and that the
most active steps had been taken for the apprehension of
the murderers.
On the 11th, Sir John Davis writes to Commissioner
Keying:—" This is perhaps the most grievous outrage
that England has experienced from the Chinese ;
and if it is not immediately and fully redressed,
war will be inevitable. It depends on your
Excellency, by doing speedy justice, to prevent fu-
ture calamities. If you do not immediately seize and exe-
cute the murderers, I shall not be able to restrain
my people. Should your Excellency be unable to
coerce the populace, I have plenty of force to assist you.
I come in person, in order to secure that punishment
be at once inflicted, and that I may report the
same to my Government by the next mail. Having
so deeply resented the mere ill-treatment of
two sailors on a former occasion, what detes-
tation and resentment will be excited by the
inhuman murder of six Englishmen at once. I cannot
leave Canton until the guilty have been publicly exe-
cuted." On the following day he again observes to
the Commissioner, " I cannot leave Canton until de-
puted British officers have witnessed the execution of
all the criminals at Hwang-chu-ke
therefore propose that your Excellency fix an early
day on which all the numerous murderers shall be
executed at Hwang-chu-ke, when I will depute officers
to proceed and witness it. The three villages should
then be razed to the ground as an example of the punish-
ment of extreme w ickedness. I have abundance of force to
act as a guard, and prevent disturbance at the execution
if you so please."
In a dispatch to Viscount Palmerston, the Governor
of Hong-Kong says:—
",CANTON, DEC. 14, 1847.-1 consider the enclosed
proclamation from the provincial judge of Canton as
important, corroborating as it does the declarations of
Keying to myself, regarding the steps taken against the
three villages concerned in the late murders. It was
issued on the Bth instant, previous to the discovery of all
the bodies.
" The annexed note from Keying reached mo last
night. It states that a Chinese was killed and another
wounded by pistol-shots in the affray previous to the
death of the six young men. Reasons are offered for
the apparent delay in the infliction of capital punish-
ment, and my proffered assistance is declined on the
ground of no opposition being made to the Imperial
Commissioner on the part of the three villages.
" In my reply enclosed, I observe that the apparent
delay argues a want of power in his Excellency to do
what is necessary, and that, if this is the case, I am ready
to afford him efficient assistance."
The following are the enclosures adverted to:—
PROCLAMATION OF THE PROVINCIAL JUDGE OF CANTON.
" Le, by Imperial appointment, Chief Justice for the
province of Kwangtung, makes proclamation.
" Whereas the penalty of the statute is always life
for life, the inhabitants not concerned in the present
case need not hurry about moving their property in tre-
pidation and anxiety. Do you, the gentry and people of
the several villages in the neighbourhood of Keaou-
peaou, Kang-keaou, and Hwang-chu-ke, whe are men
of reason and capacity, hasten to inform the civil and
military officers of the place in which the corpses are
caooonhceaalsede,
possible
they may take possession of them as
; and do you also deliver up the authors
of the disturbance.Vsi Be likewise speedy in bringing in-
telligence of the two persons who were killed, of the
surname of Chin and Le
dwell that anel inquest may be held
upon them. You can then in tranquillity, and
joyfully pursue your avocations
foreigners will have repose. My and
motive
Do both natives and
is;to
not preservedeeeive
all your villages unharmed [or entire].
yourselves. These are my commands.
" Issued on the Ist of the 11th moon (Dec. 8, 1847.")
CO3IMISSIONER KEYING TO SIR JOHN DAT
(Translation.—A communication.) Is.
cc Ke, Imperial Commissioner, Governor-General of
the Two Twang, &c., hereby makes a communication in
reply :
" On the 12th inst., at about four o'clock, and to-day,
I have successively received your Excellency's dispatches,
with the contents of which I have made myself fully
acquainted. On receiving your Excellency's dispatch
yesterday
referring to this case, I communicated to you
in reply the circumstance of Leang-a-i ae and others
having, on being interrogated, admitted that the villagers
had beaten the Englishmen to death, they themselves
being on the spot, and witnessing the affair with their
own eves; and that the Englishmen had wounded several
een
of the natives; also of orders having b given to sub•
nd bto force the
ject them to another interrogatory,
"
delivery up of the principals in the murders.a
" Since then the Commissioners thei entease ,sand the
local authorities concerned, have predreport,
stating—
"On the 12th instant, a widow Chin, of the maiden
name of Ho, of the Hang-keaou village, and a widow
e.
Le
of the maiden name Mo, of the Keaou-Pesou villag
severally reported for inspection their respective sons
Chin-a-Chin and Le-a• Keen, who they stated had been
shot by foreigners in the outskirts of the Ilwangechu-ke
village. It was found on inspection that the body of
Chin-a-Chin had a shot wound on the left side of the
breast, which had really caused his death, and that Le-a-
Keen had a shot wound in the fore part of the right side,
which had a ver
• e
y grave appearance, and had rendered
him speechless.
.n
resultst of the inspection were then
separately entered into
the shrouding of the dead body,forms, and orders given for
went of the wounded person 8:4 and the medical treat-
'
" In reply, I gave orders to urge on the proceedings vi.
ence in forcing the
eve
garously, and to use the utmost d
gentry and elders to deliver up
one of the prin-
cipal murderers who beat the Englishrya en to death, in
order that they may be prosecuted and punished.
"On examination I find that the Chinese la
giving life for life in cases of murder are very
and as this case is, morever, one affecting the severe.
relations
s e
o
en;
r
between the two countries, it will, still less than others,
permit of the slightest degree of perversion or remiss-
ness.
",
The whole of the inhabitants of the villages are,
however, not alike, there being among them both good and
bad; and in this affair justice will not be rendered fer the
dead, nor a warning given to the ignorant and foolish,
'unless we succeed in inflicting condign punishment on
the true and real murderers. And the real murderers,
wain, can be only ascertained with truth, apprehended
and delivered to the authorities by the gentry and elders
of the public halls. Hence, I ordered the civil and mi
litary commissioners in the case to lead troops to the
place in question, and establish themselves there, as also
to close up the ancestral halls of the gentry and people,
and thus force them to deliver up the murderers with
all speed. The commissioners have now reported to me
that the gentry and elders, having yielded obedience to
their commands, are using the utmost diligence in