The Sun.
London, England, 1848-02-21 00:00:00

P.EBR i ARY 13 1848.

is proved that they were bound and scourged repeatedly.
The woman saw the commencement of the affray; the
party was then six. The people shouted " Fankwei"
(foreign devil), and threw mud at them, which they did
int
ietxe used;ad a shot
congregated w•a s fired,
ttt t h
not resent. From mud they proceeded to throw stones,
t
their numbers increasing; hoes and farming implements
we
the
douend o
one Chinese
a gong,hinesefaentld;
a multitude
u
two of the foreigners fell, the p opie continuing to strike
them; the other four, after endeavouring to appease the
people, flel, severely wounded by pikes, poles, knives,
and stones. The women saw nothing further.
The male witness first observed the four who fled in
or near the villac,e, of Lotsum ; they w-!re pursued by
a number of people, two men carrying grass en leavoured
to intercept them, and were shot. Ile afterwards pro
ceeded to Hwang cbu kee, where about one thousand
people %v ac assembled, and he was told that they had
been beating the foreigners He also stated that the six
foreigners were still alive until Tuesday morning. This-
is oppesed to the first report of the Chinese, that two
men had been killed in the melee, though it is probably
correct, the two who fell having been wounded, and not
killed.
The bodies of the deceased were examined by Dr.
Marjoribanks, who was decidedly of opinion that they
were all alive at a later period than Sunday evening.
Marks of the cane were visible upon four of them, a:
well as of the cords by which they had been tied up ; and
from inflammation having supervened, they could not
have been put to death for twelve hours at least after.
being flogged. From the marks of cords on the arms
one had been tied up on three several occasions, and the
rattan had been applied to the sides of the face tut well
as the back. •
This proof is not so clear as could be wished, though
it establishes the damning fact that six Englishmen were
murdered in cold blood, after being tortured to gratify
the cruelty of a hard hearted race, the proceedings were
at least tolerated by the magistrates, and it is almost
certain- that they, approved of and sanctioned them.
With theta the responsibility rests, and no redress can
be satisfactory which- does not include the forfeiture of

their lives. -
As may be believed, when it was ascertained that the
unfortunate gentlemen were missing there was an intense
degree of excitement at the factories. Early on Monday
Mr. Consul Macgregor applied to the district magistrates
for the release of the psrty supposed to be held captive
in the villages. He also addressed Keying, enclosing a
copy of his application to the magistrates. An answer
was received from Keying in the course of the afternoon,
stating that before receiving the Consul's letter he had
heard of the circumstance, and had sent orders to the
magistrates to search for the foreigners, and set them at
liberty. This correspondence should not be lost sight
of—twenty four hours prior to the murders the Go-
vernor-General of the province knew that six foreigners
were captive at a village within three or four miles of
his house, and he either had not the power or the will
to save them from death. _ _ .

At noon two boats, with about thirty Englishmen, left
the factories in search of their friends. They explored
several creeks in the neighbourhood of Hwang•chu•kee,
but without gaining any information. In the afternoon
Dr. Majoribanks found the Nanhae magistrate on board
a boat at anchor about a quarter of a mile below Hwang-
chu-kee, evidently afraid to go further. Dr. Majori-
banks remonstrated with him on his apathy, and offered
to accompany him to the village lest any of the prisoners
should require surgical aid. This offer was declined.
In the evening it was arranged that a party well
armed should proceed to the villages in search of their
friends, but the Consul interposed his official authority
in a circular addressed to her Majesty's subjects :
" PUBLIC NOTICE.

" Her Britannic Majesty's Consul having heard that
it is the intention of certain subjects of her Majesty to
proceed to-morrow morning up the river to the village
of Hwang-chu-kee, or other places, in which it is sup-
posed that six of their countrymen are confined, this is
to give notice that her Majesty's Consul entirely disap-
aprovt s of such a proceeding ; and that any British sub-
ject acting in contravention of this injunction will do so
on his own responsibility.
" Her Majesty's Consul deems it expedient to make it
known to all concerned that he is in communication with
the local authorities as to the restoration of' his country.
men now unlawfully confined, and at the same time most
distinctly states, that any such movement at is contem•
plated by the British community will afford ground for
the Chinese to withhold the delivery of the persons now
under restraint. _ _ _

" The Consul further intimates to her Majesty's sub-

iects that the question now in hand has been communi-
cated to her Majesty's Minister Plenipotentiary, whose
instructions may be looked fur to-morrow evening. lie
therefore deems it his imperative duty to call upon
her Majesty's subjects, by their allegiance to their Sove-
reign, to obey his most solemn and strict injunctions.
" Given under my hand tit Canton, this Gth day of
December, 1847, at nine of the clock in tho evening.
"FRANCIS C. rtiNcG RE ,fir.,
II r Britannic. Majesty's Consul.
" To her Majesty's Subjects."
However cotnmendable the intention, it is better that
it was nut carried into effect. The brave men who
volunteered their services would have been too late to

save their countrymen, and a collision with the villagers
would hare beet, too probable„ and more valusb!o lives
lost ; possibly the entire party woul.d have been sur
rounded and cut off. Had there been an ad( quite force
at the hictorks (even a company of the 93th Regiment,
with the aid of volunteer;) the victims could have been
saved on Monday.
In the meantime her Majesty's steam-ship Vulture
arrived at Whampoa from Hong-Kong. and Captain
M‘Doug,all, with about 100 seamen and marines, landed
at the factories on Wednesday morning. Keying was
informed that unless the bylies were given up by one
o'clock P.M., the Vulture's boats would destroy the vil-
lages ; but this threat was not carried out, the Vulture
returning that night to (long Kong for orders, and
soldiers to protect the residents. Captain M`Dougall
took the precaution of leaving his marines as a temporary
guard. In the afternoon of Wednesday it was intimated
that one body had been recovered by dragging, and that
it would be sent down in the evening. The Chinese
authorities, by a chop dated the 7th (Tuesday) offered
2,400 dollars for the party, if alive, and 200 dollars for
each body if dead. On Wednesday they were aware of the
murders ; an edict of the Chief Criminal Judge called
upon the well-disposed to give up the guilty and point
out where the bodies were hid.

The body of Mr. M'Carte was sent in on Thursday
morning. Decomposition had not commenced. The
wounds were in all forty-four, thirty-six incised and
eight contusions. Many of them would have caused
death, the skull being broken in several places. lii the
forenoon the bodies of Messrs. Balkwill, Small, and
Brown, were also brought in. There were numerous
wounds on each of them, the two first having marks of
the rattan on the back. Mr. Brown appeared to have a
gunshot wound, and, from there being only one wound
in his back, and a spear thrust into the abdomen, it is
thought he was one of the two who fell at the beginning
of the affray.
On Friday the bodies of Messrs. Bellamy and Rutter
were brought down. Like the others, there were deep
wounds on the head and chest. and the marks of ropes
on the arms. Decomposition had commenced, though
blood continued to flow from one corpse.
Sir John Davis landed at Canton about noon on the
12th, having previously put himself in communication
with Keying. The following circular announcing his
arrival was sent round :

" CIRCULAR.

" The undersigned Consul has been charged by his
Excellency her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, &c , to inform
her Majesty's subjects resident at this city of his arrival
at the British Consulate, and that his Excellency will be
happy to receive from them any communication they
may have to make to him in any way they ',lease.
" FRANCIS C. MACCREGOR.
Her Britannic Majesty's Consul.
" Canton, Dec. 12."

A deputation of the British residents waited upon his
Excellency to offer their co-operation in any measures
to be taken; also their willingness to give their opinion
or advice on any matters that might be laid before them.
They were informed generally, that his Excellency had
made demands, which, if complied with, would satisfy
every one for the present, though they would not inter-
fere with any ulterior steps taken by her Majesty's Go-
vernment. A public meeting was afterwards held; the
conduct of the deputation was approved of, and a letter
drawn up the following day and addressed to Sir John
Davis. We subjoin the letter and the reply—they will
show the caution which is now deemed necessary in any
communication with the Plenipotentiary:—
"TO lIIS EXCELLENCY SIR JOHN F. DAVIS, BART.
" Canton, Dec. 13, 1847.
" Sir,—We beg to thank your Excellency for the
communication made through Her Majesty's Consul
under yesterday's date, and, as your Excellency has in-
vited us to offer suggestions on the course to be pursued
in the present crisis, we avail ourselves of the opportu-
nity to make the following remarks :--
"It would appear from what your Excellency stated
to the deputation who hail the honour of waiting on you,
that certain demands have already been made of the
Imperial Commissioner. In the event of these demands
not being acceded to, we presume other measures must
be adopted.
" We are of opinion that whatever aggressive mea-
sures may now be taken, they should not be of a nature
to debar the British Government from exacting that
grave reparation hereafter which the circumstances de-
mand,and prevented profiting by the opportunity afforded
by the late catastrophe of bringing to an issue other
points of importance which have been long pending be-
tween the two Governments.
" To be left in our present position after the perpe-
tration of the horrible outrage ,just committed, even
pending reference to her Majestys Government, seems
impossible, and, with the feeling that it is so, we must
leave it to your Excellency to determine whether it be
practicable to station such a force here as will permit
British subjects to reside ht_re, and carry on their trade
without their lives being placed in imminent jeopardy, or
whether it be necessary, even at the sacrifice of their
temporary commercial interests, to remove them from
the port by the most stringent measures, the Chinese
Government in the latter ease being of course held re-
sponsible for all losses arising from such removal.
" p. JARDINB (and various others)."

"TO MESSRS. DAVID JARDINE 'AND THE BRITISH
MERCHANTS AT CANTON.
your letter, —I atish Cmondsuirleaetete,aCahnytehnezecx.ellenlBe3,4.7her
ldepeannrtii:pdottehnetile3rythtionsatc.knowledge the receipt of
Ma?' elGs'toeyun'ts:eri'me right in surmising that demands for im-
mediate reparation (as far, at least, as the puniskment
of tip guilty can avail) have been peremiterily made,
and a-limited time fixed, beyond which his Excellency
cannot remain here, or continue three negotiations. • -
".Your implied apprehension lest any measures of
redress by coercion on his Exec lency's part might
ntutdi
hhuneueeabl
etlacpsi rontsr:oo.t,
r:htaueiGetncli
oßtfiiofveirr:edni
odir
mi
rim: Government from further measures of
its own is groundless,
anettbtisoetsihro
vn,a,ehaff:os,ormoner:ndiugd afforded
mightndbh.il
ot
implicitly
seteltayi
time-to
hpheyoe.spot;
universalo...the a
e trule
f
its representatives, and that no such acts are croronuroetn:letltisufihu,viileesi
have
n
'_canton,
Whenever it might become necessary to withdraw
t
previous notice would be given to the mercantile com-
monalty,
I have the honour to be, gentlemen,
a,gise.npit
passed
se.sm.ejdeol;:ll
their commercial operation:. and in the' meanwhile ell
ExcellencyLleopes that extreme measures may ba
uri-
necessary.
". Your most obedient, humble servant,
negotiation.
NS TON."'
From the 12th to the 20th
On the evening of the 20th it was intimated to the com-
munity that four of the murderers would be executed,
the following morning tit the village of Hwang-chu-kee.
On the morning the 21st, the Honourable Company's
steamer Pluto earried up the.Honoureble Mr. Johnston,
Mr. Vice-Consul Elmslie, and Mr. Dleadovis, interpreter
to the Consulate, to witness the execution. They were
accompanied with a guard of three officers and thirty
men of her Majesty's 95th Regiment. Four men were
decapitated ; but -from the filet of their being gagged,
and the bodies buricd in the strangers' burying-
ground, it is surmised that they-Were not villagers at
all. Upon this particular these are various beliefs.
It is very confidently asserted that on the demand
being made by Keying for four lives, the men who
were executed offered to suffer, provided certain honours
were conferred on their families. In Europe this may
appear incredible, but in China, where life is held cheap
and the laws are loose, substitutes are found. It was but
lately that on sentence of death being passed on a mur-
derer in Hong-kong, he inquired whether he would be
allowed to provide a substitute.
It cannot be supposed that these executions are in full
of the demands which " would be satisfactory for the
present," and we therefore conclude that Keying has not
complied with them. Sir John Davis left the factories
on the 223, without communicating to any one Isis future
intentions. Ile informed a gentleman who waited on
him that Keying had got to the 20th of next month to
satisfy him (Davis) that he (Keying) could control the
villagers. The fact of Keying being unable—possibly
unwilling—to relieve the six victims of Chinese cruelty
is conclusive upon this head ; however, Sir John Davis
may have an object in view ; by the end of next month
our naval force will be increased.
On reading these details the inquiry will naturally be,
what protection has Sir John Davis afforded his coun-
trymen in the dangerous position they hold at Canton?
We answer none. It has been his Excellency's policy
to convince his Government that the people of Canton
were quite under control of' the authorities, and that
no danger was to be apprehended unless it was in-
curred by the misconduct of foreigners. A more fatal
delusion never was entertained by any man, in opposi-
tion to the repeated warnings and remonstrances of
those who were in the best position to judge. The pre-
sence of a small vessel of war has been again and again
begged for, and had one been at Canton OR the sth of
December the horrid murders would not have been per-
petrated. The village braves are cowardly as well as
cruel, and had the Pluto been at her anchorage off the
Macao passage, Englishmen might have walked through
Hwang-chu-kee or any of the neighbouring villages in
perfect safety. As far back as July, 1846, the British
inhabitants of Canton addressed Viscount Palmerston,
earnestly entreating that orders be sent out to have a
steamer permanently stationed near the factories. His
Lordship took a correct view of the matter, and in his
memorable diapatch to Sir John Davis of December 10,
he sass, " Whenever British subjects are placed in
danger, in a situation witich is accessible to a British
ship of war, a British ship of war ought to and
will be ordered, not only to go, but to remain
as lcng as its presence may be required for the
protection of British interests. Would that Sir
John Davis had acted upon these instructions; but, alas!
an obstinate adherence to his own opinion, or a credulous
belief in the representations of Keying, led to the with-
drawal of the Pluto on the 17th of October. No sooner
was this done than the villagers commenced their pre-
concerted operations for the destruction of foreigners.
In extenuation of this neglect it may be said that Sir
John Davis was deceived by Keying, and this is partly
true, though it says little for the Plenipotentiary's dis-
cernment. Keying writes on the 24th of August—
" The trained bands and village braves were raised with
the v:ew of protecting their villages and farms against
robbers and vagabonds, who have recently become very
numero;:s."
A more palpible untruth was never uttered even by a
Chinese diplomatist. At that time the proclamations
A. and B. wore in circulation, and two European boats
had been fired into at the identical village of Hwang-
chu-kee.
Sir .John Davis is at length aware of the deceit which
has been practised in his official dealings with Keying.
The following note ie plain, but is true :
" British Consulate, Canton, Dec. 18, 1847.
" I have received your Excellency's note. dated yes-
terday. It is therein erroneously stated that the six
murdered Englishmen 'fired pistols and killed Chinese,
in return merely to the shouts of the villagers, and were
put to death on the spur of the moment.' The truth on
the contrary is, that being attacked, according to the
previous repeated declaration of the villagers, they de-
fended themselves with pistols, and some of them being
captured were subsequently put to death in cold blood.
"1 his has been declared by several Chinese witnesses, and
their statements will be forwarded to my Government,
who will maturely consider it. It is useless therefore to
slur over the real facts.
"Your Excellency, in addressing your Emperor, ap-
pearse to haveto
have an
stated '
objectas f
in viw,
follows:—' 1 o wse :—:
such a
Should s
thethe foreigners
haof
lands, the erection of buildings, or the like trifles, the
Canton people collect a mob and interfere with them by
making a disturbance. The local authorities, holding
the people to be foremost in consideration, think it in ex-
pedient to thwart their inclinations seriously, or to show
a devious compliance with the requests of foreigners.'
This, indeed, is the real truth, and being contrary to the
treaty it is the whole cause of the constant troubles at
Canton, while at the other ports there is a perpetual
quiet.
"Since the Canton people have been thus encouraged
agogisfaeindntthrsiaeetwfonreuigpners, they are ready to murder them when
they merely take recreation in the country under the
treaty. Unless an example is made by executing the
criminals at Hwang-chu-kee, foreigners will continue to
be murdered by the villagers.
"Since your Excellency distinctly stipulated that these
four executions are not the whole of the punishment to
be inflicted, but that the remainder of the criminals
will either be sentenced to decapitation, strangulation,
military slavery, or trans portation for life, in every case
awaiting the confirmation of the criminal board,' it may
be sufficient for the present, and in part of my demands,
inf.
atsh eesoemfmoui
committed, in
criminals
sheen
eeof
rodecapitatedy officers. where
Tthheec
onlyrim e
object of punishment is example for the future, and I
have already informed my Government that if the ex-
ample is not made at Hwang-chu-kee, it will be a mere
mockery and wholly and entirely unavailing.
"It is in vain to write more words on this subject,
and if your Excellency will not make the example at the
place where the crime is committed our present negotia.
ations ought to stop.
" Accept the assurances, &c.,
"To his Excellency Keying, &a."
The following account of the execution of the " Sub-
stitutes" is also taken from the Friend of China:—
" We have been favoured with the following account
an w executionhowaats pen of a
cwhEhui'vekeh:e,yit(irciowrulciullnithbseetaonbeseerved
geplirrelweeasttaetennprgtr.:ecision, and may be relied
fhe punishment of some of the
murders is of deep interest, and this gra-
phicu r) con-
nectedo n
da
description
siettrhriupteht
ewto onithtolfi
murderers deserves attention, were it only as exhibiting a
picture of Chinese customs drawn by an able hand:
" During the evening of the 20th inst. it was rumoured
amongst the foreigners here, that the Chinese authori-
ties would early next day behead, at the village of
Hwang-chu-'zee, four Chinamen concerned in the re-
cent murder of the six Englishmen at that place; also
that the Pluto steamer had received orders to be in
readiness next morning to convey thither some officers
of the civil department, deputed by Sir John Davis to
witness the execution, together with a party of the 95th
Regiment, to be landed for the protection of the British
officers against any attack that the villagers might at-
tempt. I therefore made arrangements to start in a
boat about five o'clock next morning for the place of
execution, which I reached about six A.M.
" It is a grass plot of about two acres in size, nearly
square,thaving the river in the front, paddy ground on
both sides, and an ancestral hall at the back. This
ancestral hall faces the river; the village of Ilwang-chu-
kee lies inland beyond the hall, almost concealed, as is
usual with the villages of this neighbourhood, by fine
old trees, but apparently about three hundred yards
from the river;; a large number of mandarin boats were
moored in two lines, reaching from the two rows of trees
at the sides of the plot of ground, to a considerable dis-
tance into the river. On these and on the plot of
ground were collected a numerous body of mandarins,
and their retinues, soldiers, police, executioners,
their official dresses. On my approach the soldiers threw
.de
themselves hastily into three lines, two under the
of the rows of trees, and one across the plot of ground
before the hall, thus forming, with the river front, an
open square, inclosing groups of the other official people.
ing to the plot, doubtless for the purpose of preventing
oAftca
hdi
ni setsaen cseoloifielrOsOwyearerds pietkreemtedth,iosnsqaulairteh,esmpaatlhl
sbolednieds.
the near approach of the country people, as during the
whole course of the: proceedings I neither observed any
of them, nor any other.non-offietpl Chinese present. On

" J. F. DAVIS."