The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-24 00:00:00

EXECUTIONS IN CHINA.

The following interesting letter has been received
by Major Young of Inverness from a nephew resi-
dent in Canton. It is dated Canton, June 7. The
executioner's sword referred to has been received,
and is a powerful instrument, about two feet iu
length, with a long handle capable of being wielded
by 'uoth hands. The blade is strong and wedge-
shaped, not unlike a large butcher's knife :—" My
curiosity took me with a party the other day to see
a sight which I never wish to see again. Yon have
heard of the rebellion in this neighbourhood ; the
rebels are worsted, and the mandarins are re-
taliating upon them for all the trouble they have
given them. Every one who cannot give an ac-
count of himself is seized and thrown into prison ;
if, within three days, no person well known in
Canton comes forward and answers for him, he is
taken out, with a gang of others, to the execution
ground, and beheaded. Since the late disturb-
ances, about three or four months ago, not less thaw
10,000 have lost their lives in this narrow strip of
ground, less than half an acre in size. Is not this,
almost too horrible for conception ? I will describe
it to you as I saw it. The ground is situated about
two miles down the river, so we had to go there by
boat. Our party consisted of four Europeans and
my Chinese teacher, whom I took with me as a guide.
We were told the execution tvould take place at
nine ; but, on arriving in the neighbourhood, we
found that it would ho 10 o'clock, so the teacher after ,
showing us the ground which was to be the scone
of the tragedy, took us to a shed near the spot
where we could wait, for the sun was very hot.
Here we lighted some scented joss sticks to purify'
the air. In a few minutes we had a bevy of China-
men and boys round our resting place ; they were
very curious, and asked many questions. At last 1
they swelled into such a crowd that we were
obliged to charge them over the threshold, and
posted the teacher at the door to keep them out-
side. They reinaiaed outside scrutinising us with
apparently as much wonder as if we had been the
criminals about to be executed. At length, when
we got tired of waiting, the teacher informed us
that they would he ready in a few minutes, so we
bargained to give the man of the house a dollar to
let us ascend to the roof, which overlooked the
ground. I should think houses in that neighbour-
hood must he cheap and disease prevalent, for this
horrid slaughterhouse is situated in a densely-
populated quarter. Besides ourselves there were
tivo other European spectators. About 10 o'clock
one mandarin made his appearance; he dismounted
at the gate, and took up his quarters about the
centre of the ground, with two coolies to hold an
,r-rernuvAtin bretta ever hi*.heral:' --k netioefl-thet.

he had a sort of black cap tied over his nose to
prevent him from inhaling the foul atmosphere.
He was followed by a guard of 30 or 40 soldiers,
and then came the prisoners. The way they were
brought in was most curious, and if it had not been
for the tragedy to follow, ludicrous. They were
put in sraalCbaskets, iose used for clothes, and
slung on a pole carried by two coolies, but their hands
were tied behind them and their feet also meowed,
and they were fastened to the basket. On arriving
at the ground they were shot out of the basket as
unceremoniously as if they had been cattle, and
placed in rows kneeling on the ground four alTeast.
The number on this occasion was 127. When
they were all placed, one roan behind gave them a
push forward to bring their heads into a leaning
position, and the executioners, beginning at one
end of the line, strike off the head at a blow. Be-
fore you have time to look aboutyou, two or three
more, one after the other, are despatched. The rapi-
dity and dexterity with which it is done are won-
derful. There were four executioners, and between
them they beheaded the whole 127 in three mi-
nutes ! We heard that most of them at the time
of their death were not conscious, as their friends
had stupified them with opium. No sooner was
the last head cut off than the mandarins, about
eight in number altogether, left the ground, and
the coolies, who bad carried the victims, rushed
in with shouts, and began to pack the bodies into
rough wooden boxes, in which they are carried
into the country and buried, that is to say, shot
into a hole in numbers, and the boxes returned
for the next lot. This is now a daily occurrence,
and sometimes repeated even twice or thrice in a
day. Is not this a system for the parental govern-
ment of China ! and what can missionaries do with
people among whom wholesale judicial murders
are daily tolerated ? It is infinitely worse than the
Reign of Terror was, and the sword of the execu-
tioner has made more havoc than the guillotine.
I bought one of these swords after the execution,
and I now send it to you, all bloody as it was."—
Inverness Courier.