The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-28 00:00:00

Enclosure lc

Ngau-tsai-tsun, Sept. 12.
Sir,—ln my despatch of the Bth inst. I informed your
Excellency that I considered it to be my duty, in conse-
quence of the want 'oxl good faith shown by the Imperial
Commissioner, Kweiliang, to intimate to him that I should
call on your Excellency to convey me to Tung; chow, and
that I should not conclude any treaty with the Chinese
Government until I had reached that place.
Since I left Tientsing I have been apprised of the nomi-
nation of new Imperial Commissioners of very high rank
and official standing. These Commissioners assure me
that they hold powers from the Emperor of the most cer-
tain character, and invite me to confer with them at some
point near to this place.
Before I answer this I should be glad to learn from your
Excellency whether there are any military difficulties in
the way of an immediate advance en Tung-chow that there
are none which would not be superable by your Excellency
and the force under your command, I confidently believe;
but if there be any which would, in your judgment, occa-
sion delay, it would be my duty to consider them in deal-
ing with these overtures of the Chinese Plenipotentiaries.
—I have, &c., (Signed)
ELGIN AND KINCARDINE.
His Excellency Sir Hope Grant, K.C.8., &c.

Enclosure 3n.

Head-quarters Camp, Ho-see••wao, Sept. 13.

My Lord,—ln answer to your Excellency's letter of the
12th inst., 1 have the honour to state that it will be inex-
pedient for the army under my command to move from
Ho-see .wao for seven or eight days at least. The force I
have with me at present is small, and must be reinforced.
The heavy guns now on their way up by water cannot ar-
rive for several days, and it will be necessary for me to
for a depot at this place for supplies to make me indepen-
dent of the country, from which it is very uncertain
whether I shall be able to get a sufficiency. Supplies are
expected up the rive, but it will take several days before
they arrive. —I hare, &c.,
(Signed) J. HOPE GRANT, Major-General.
To the Right Hon. the Earl of Elgin
and Kincardine, K.T., &c.
Pa-li-chiao, September, 23, 1860.
My Lord,—ln my despatch of the 16th inst., I did
myself the honour to submit for your lordship's informa-
tion a statement of the incidents which had occurred here
between the 11th inst., when the first communication from
Prince Tsai and his colleague reached me at that date. I
now proceed to narrate what has taken place subsequently.
The arrangements detailed at the close of my despatch
above mentioned, as having been determined on after the
return of Messrs. Wade and Parkes from Tung-chow,
were exactly carried out. Mr. Parkes started forjthat place at
a very early hour on Monday the 17th inst., accompanied by
Colonel Walker, Quartermaster-Gdnerai of the Cavalry
Brigade, Mr. Thomson of the Commissariat Department,
Mr. Loch, my private Secretary, Mr. De Normann, one
of Mr. Bruce's attaches, who volunteered to go with
him to assist him, and Mr. Boulby, and escorted by
five men of the King's Dragoon Guards and 20 of
Fano's Horse, under the command of Lieutenant Anderson.
The allied force and the Commanders•in-Chief com •
menced their march somewhat later. I received no com-
munication from either during the course of that day. On
the following morning, however, at about 10 a.m. the sound
of artillery was heard in the distance, and at noon a Seikh
trooper arrived from Sir Hope Grant's camp. He brought
me a letter from Mr. Parkes, but no news from the camp,
except the verbal report that a brisk cannonade had com-
menced half an hour after he left it.
Mr. Parkes, in his letter, informed me that the Com-
missioners had raised the three following objections to my
despatch to them of which he had been the bearer :-
Ist. To the indefinite date assigned for the withdrawal
of our troops, which they contended should take place im-
mediately after the signature of the Convention ;-2d,
to my proceeding to Pekin with an escort, or at least with
an escort equal to that which I had stated would accompany
me to Tung-chow ; and to the delivery of her Majesty's
letter to the Emperor at an audience. It was on this
last objection that they chiefly insisted. I do not
enclose the copy of Mr. Parkes's letter as it was
marked private, but the enclosing sentences are so charac-
teristic that I beg leave to quote them. He dates it at 4.30
a.m. from Tung-chow, which is six miles from the pro-
posed place of the encampment of the army, four miles
from Chan-kia-wan, and 21 miles from Ho-ss-wao,
where I was residing, and he writes, " I am now starting,
with Col. Walker an a Chinese officer to attempt the ar-
rangement of the first of these points (the camping ground
for the army). I then go to Chan-kia-wan to start sup-
ply work (also for the army), then come back to Tung-
chow tb get out the proclamation, on which Meck-cutters
have been at work during the night, and if time and phy-
sical strength will then admit I shall ride back in the even-
ing to Ho .see .wao that' I may know your lordship's views
on the question of audience, which the Chinese authorities
will, I am sure, again recur to the moment they see me."
At about half-an-hour after midnight, I received a letter
from Sir Hope Grant, describing the circumstances which
led to the engagement of the 18th, its successful issue, and
inquiring how I considered the negotiations in which I
was engaged for the re-establishment of peace, to be affected
by this incident. The General's letter was in pencil, and
I cannot now furnish a copy of it. But I enclose a copy
of ray reply, which I despatched at 4 a.m., of the 19th
inst., to the head-quarters of the Commander-in-Chief, by
the hands of my Military Secretary, Lieut.-Col. Crealock
I followed at 5 a.m., as I thought that the detention of
Mr. Parkes and the others who were with him, might give
rise to questions, in the determination of which I should
take my shar of responsibility.
I found that Sir Elope Grant had established his head-
quarters at Chan-kia-wan, and soon atter my arrival there,
we proceeded together to the residence of the French Com-
mander-in-Chief, in order that we might confer with his
Excellency as to the best means of recovering the subjects
of her Majesty and the Emperor of the French who were
missing. . _ .

It was agreed that a reconnaisance of British cavalry
should proceed forthwith to Tung-chow, and that Mr.
Wade should accompany it with a notification to the chief
mandarin of that city to the effect that the Commanders-
in-Chief of the Allied Armies required all English and
French subjects to return to head 'quarters of their re-
spective armies, and that if any impediment was put in
the way of their return, the city of Pekin would forth-
with be attacked and taken. It was added that
Tung-chow would not be molested if the inhabitants kept
aloof from all resistance to the Allies. Mr. Wade, in the
execution of this mission, endeavoured, in the first place,
to cemmunicate with a Tartar camy situated on the Pekin
side of the city of Tung 'chow. But he could get no
one to acknowledge his flag of truce, and was fired at
more than once. He succeeded, however, at length in
obtaining access to the chief Mandarin of Tung-show, who
spoke of our countrymen who had been in the city, with
great calmness, saying that he believed a party of upwards
of 20 had left it some time before the firing on the 18th had
commenced. This conversation left on my mind the pain-
ful impression that on their way back to the camp, they
had been cut down by the Tartar army in its retreat, an
impression which the fact that we had received no commu-
nication from the Chinese authorities after the defeat of their
army on that day tended to confirm. In a further recon-
naissance, which was made by Major Probyn on the day
following, an intelligent native was captured, who afforded
us some relief by assuring us he had seen some of our coun-
trymen proceeding in a cart to Pekin. No communication
was, however, received from any Chinese authority
respecting the fate of these persons, and the Com-
manders-in-Chief, with great propriety, as it appears
to me, resolved to prosecute their movement
advance. On the 21st instant, accordingly, a large
body of Tartar troops on the road frolic
.Tucang csnwowhietho
Pekin was attacked and dispersed, and tp
covered a space of several miles were taken and destroyed.
On the morning of the day following ir mI
received a com-
munication from the brother of the Emperor,tinforming
me that, in consequence of the mismanagemen
.of affairs
by the Prince Tsai, and Muh, he had turn appointed, Int. -
me, and proposing an armistice
missioner to treat with
with a view to the re-establishment of peace. I answered
by referring them to the Notification already delivered to
the chief mandarin of Tung-chow, in the name of the
Commanders-in-Chief, and informing them that, until the
British subjects detained in Pekin were restored, I could
not take any steps to stay military operations. I enclose
herewith the copy of this correspondence.
I may be expected to say something respecting the ori-
gin and cause of the renewal of hostilities which took place
on the 18th inst. To hazard conjectures as to the motives
by which Chinese functionaries are actuated is not a
very safe undertaking; and it is very possible that fur-
ther information may modify the views which I now
entertain on this point. I am, however, disposed at
present to doubt there having been a deliberate intention of
treachery on the part of Prince Tsai and his colleague, but
I apprehend that the General-in-Chief, Sadg-ko-lin-sin,
thought that they had compromised his military position by
allowing our army to establish itself so near his lines at
Chan-kia-wan. He sought to counteract the evil effect of
this by making a great swagger of parade and preparation
to resist when the alied armies approached the camping-
ground allotted to them. Several of our people, Colonel
Walker, with his escort, my private secretary Mr. Loch,
Baros Gros' Secretary of Embassy, Comte de Bastard, and
others, passed through the Tartar army during the coulee
of the morning, on their way from Tung-chow without
encountering any rudeness or ill-treatment whatsoever.
At about a quarter to 10, however, a French Commissariat
officer was assaulted by some Tartar soldiers under
circumstances which are not xery c'early ascer-
tained, and this incident gave rise to an engag-
rnent, which soon became general. On the whole,
I come to the conclusion that in the proceedings of the
Chinese Plenipotentiaries and Commands-in-Chief in this
instance, there was that mixture of stupidity, want of
straightforwardness, suspicion, and bluster which charac-
terises so generally the conduct of affairs in this country,
but I cannot believe that after the experience which Sang-ko-
lin-sin heel already had of our superiority in the field, either
he or his civil colleagues could have intended to bring on a

conflict in which, as the event has proved, he was so sure to
be worsted. At the same time, the facts that he covered,
by his guns and with a portion of his troops the ground
assigned to us, and that a French officer, returning from
Tung-chow with the knowledge and consent of the Chinese
Plenipotentiaries, was assaulted and killed on his lines,
entirely justify both the charge of bad faith which has been
brought against the Chinese authorities for their conduct
in this instance, and the proceedings of the Allied Com-
manders-in-Chief which have ensued therefrom.
I have, &c.,
ELGIN and KINCARDINE.
The Lord John Russell, &c.

Enclosure 1.
Ho-se-wu, Sept. 19, 1860, 3.30 A.M.
_ _

My dear General,—l received your letter at midnight.

The bad faith of the Chinese releases us, in my opinion,
from any obligation to restrict our advance, and leaves us
free to move forward if we deem it expedient to do so.
I think, moreover, that the safety of Mr. Parkes, and of
those who aro with him, will be best consulted by a for-
ward movement on your part, but you may probably have
received information ere this reaches you, which will enable
you to arrive at a sounder judgment than I can on that
point.

As far as I am concerned, therefore, you are perfectly
free to go. Indeed, I shall be glad to hear that you have
done so.

If there be no troops at Tung-thaw, it would be a pity-
to drive the respectable inhabitants out of the place; you
might probably send a message to say, that in consequence
of the bad faith of the Chinese authorities you had resolved
to advance, but that if not resisted you will treat it as you
treated Tientsing.
Dew is pretty confident that he can carry on his boats
to Tung-thaw. At any rate up to this point there is no
difficulty whatsoever.
I have, &c.,

. ,
(Signed) ELGIN and KINCARDINE.
Lieutenant-General Sir H. Grant, K C.B ,

Enclosure 2.
(Translation) Received September 22, 1880.
The Prince Kung, Imperial Commissioner, with lull
powers, &c., makes a communication.
Tsai, Prince of I, and Muh, President of the Board of
War, not having managed matters satisfactorily, his Ma-
jesty's decree has been received depriving them of their
Imperial commission. The Prince Kung, having had the
honour to be named Commissioner with plenipotentiary
powers, will at once despatch Hangki and San-wei-wan to
have an interview for the discussion of the question of
peace. Let his Excellency the British Minister tempo-
rarily suspend hostilities, in order to the establishment of
friendly relations.
A communication, addressed to his Excellency the Earl
of Elgin, &c.
Hienfung, 10th:year, Bth moon, 7th day (219 t Septembers
1860.

Translated by
THOMAS WADE, Chinese Secretary.

Enclosure S.

Pa-li-chiaw, September 22, 1860.

The undersigned, the Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, her
Britannic Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Pleni-
potentiary in China, has the honour to acknowledge the
despatch of his Imperial Highness the Prince of Kung,
Minister Plenipotentiary, &c., under date the 21st Sep-
tember.

The Prince must be aware that, on the 19th instant,
the chief authority at Tung-chow was called on by the
Allied Commanders-in-Chief to intimate to the various
officers and gentlemen, subjects of England and
France, who had not yet returned, to repair without
delay to the head-quarters of the forces of their respec-
tive Governments. It was further intimated, through the
same channel, that if any hindrance were offered to the safe
and speedy return of any of the persons missing, the con-
quences would be the most serious to the Imperial Govern-
ment.

The undersigned has th. honour to enclose a written
order, to all subjects of bt rajesty now in Pekin at once
to comply with the aboVe , tion.
He has only to add, thai J they re-appear?,l,e shall
not feel at liberty to call on the Commanders-in-Chief to
•suspend hostilities, or to recommence negotiations upon tha
subject of peace.
(Signed) ELGIN AND KINCARDINE.
His Excellency Prince Kung, Imperial Com-
missioner, &c.