The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-30 00:00:00

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to Lord Elgin--Afr. parr
discourteous—and so on.
Meanwhile Lord Elgin had
Peh-kwei his been told
that
Power has means to stop these thingswhere -a Christian 4'
they cannot
be permitted. The Chinamen
as
exclaims that he is oppressed, and
yui:leal blusters,
pital is marked out, and the prisons are to A hos-
be vi-
sited. The prayers which our countrymen: mgt
heavenwards from those dungeons, that their
trymen might some day avenge them, will probably
be unanswered ; but so long as we are in posses-
sion of Canton the Chinese themselves will benefit -
by what we have seen. When we retire things
will, of c purse, resume their ordinary routine, for '
it is only by the present System that these prisons
can be supported. A Chinese magistrate obtains
only a nominal salary, and he has-to employ 1,300
sub-officials and to make a large fortune in three
years. This can
_only be done by extortion and ,
starvation.
Nothing can be more orderly than the books Of
these prisons, nothing can be more just and benefi-`
cent than the rules laid down for their goyernance.
In some countries words represent facts, but this
is never the case in China. The practice is as I
have faintly sketched it.
In dealing with this nation of fair words and foul
deeds we are under great disadvantage. Hown.us,
andSingqua, andlmqua, andall the other merchant
" quas" were in the Committee of War, and cogni-
sant of all that was doing in these prisons. " Com-
mitted by the Committee of War" was the usual
entry in the prison books. If we had seized
Howqua and held him for 24 hours-'and he was
well within our reach—poor old Cooper would be ite
the bosom of his family. But this would have been,
according to our notions, unjust to Howqua, for
the Chinese would not afford us legal eviden.ce of
his complicity. So poor Cooper languished in, that
loathsome prison, and we are a righteous nation,
who respect the dicta of learned Dutch jurists.
When I have said that Mr. Hullatt's soup kitchen
goes on well, and that he has already funds -to
supply a daily meal for three months to 1,500
Chiwse, I have said all that I dare=ventlus balmy
about this city. A score of letters , would Ana
exhaust the subject. but the patience of the British
public has its limits.
The 70th Sepoy Regiment has arrived. They
are doubtless very flue high caste gentlemen. It is
said that they have existed for 16 days upon bran
and water, because they had scruples of conscience
about cooking, at sea. Two hundred coolies were
assigned to sweep out their quarters; because,. as
General Straubenzee remarks, these men do nothing
of that sort, but only do soldiers' work. I believe
I am not more cruel than my neighbours, but I
should certainly like to see all this nonsense flogged
out of these scoundrels. In these latter days,
when it has been possible to substitute other pun-
ishments, there has been too much flogging in this
army for slight offences, and I would willingly
spare some of our drummers and boatswains -
mates for service in the Sepoy quarters. They
landed, I must admit, in very soldierlike order,
and, by the aid of our Coolies and their own camp
followers, they were lodged or tented in a mar-
vellously short time. The next day they addicted
themselves to looting, and three of them were shot
by the French police. The evidence upon the court
of inquiry which followed was very contradictory ;
but that they were looting and that they resisted
the police were two uncontested facts. Perhaps
the French were hasty ; but a Sepoy in his undress
is undressed in the literal sense of the term, and it
is not quite to be wondered at that the Frenchmen
had recourse to their arms to rid themselves of the
blows and bricklats of a crowd of half-naked black
ruffians. No two human creatures can be more
different than a Sepoy dressed in his red coat and
faultlessly clean belt, and the same animal stalk-
ing about on his long, lank shanks with a
white girdle round his loins. It is ominous of sub-
sequent events that on the third day af. er the ar-
rival of this 70th Regiment they were erecting two
funeral pyres Letfore the eyes of the wondering
Chinamen just outside the north-east gate, and
burning two of their comrades. Cremation is a
cleanly mode of s pulture ; but it would be well to
preserve entire the classical custom, and to per-
form the rite with sweetly scented weeds.
I am afraid that General Straubenzee, whose
popularity has been waning since the capture of the
city—such is the fate of sudden favourites—will
not recover his ground by bringing his old Indian
prejudices into Canton. He has most unfortunately
commenced his treatment of the sepoys by an act
which both English and French regard as an insult.
When an Englishman or a Frenchman is caught
plundering he is tried by the three Commissioners.
The first four sepoys who were caught looting were
withdrawn from the jurisdiction of the Commis-
sioners, and handed b ick to their own colonel.
Passing from the men of war to the men of peace,
we approach the question of the re-opening of the
trade of this city. In my last letter I mentioned
the contradictory opinions existing upon this sub-
ject, and the interests wherein these opinions bad
their origin. Soon after it was despatched, I had an
opportunity of seeing Howqua at his own house.
,The principal Chinese merchants were present, and
I was surprised at the fluency with which they all
speak English. Howqua stands upon his dignity—
or upon the advantage it gives him—and replies
only through his linguist; but it is evident that he
quite understands all that passes.
It was a point with the English merchants to
know—first, whether the Canton merchants were
prepared to trade, and if so, secondly, what stock
they had on hand. After a long time spent in ques-
tioning and answering, in discussing sponge-cakes
and sweetmeats, and parfait amour, a list was pro-
duced of the tees in stock, and, making allowance
for the somewhat elastic quantity of a Chinese
"chop," we estimated the amount at 21 millions of
pounds, all, as we were assured, good sound teas,
ready for immediate delivery. There is a still
larger quantity ready to come down. The Chinese,
as sellers, are not likely to overes-imate the extent
of their stock in hand ; but, upon talking this
matter over with the English merchants, they
appear inclined to disbelieve both the amount and
the quantity of the stock in hand ; they say that
what teas the Chinese have are chiefly those of pre-
vious seasons. lam at all times unwilling to state
facts which may influence present markets, for
these are subjects on which lam peculiarly liable
to be misinformed, and am without that knowledge
of the details of Chinese commerce which would
enable me to feel confidence in deciding between
conflicting statements. I confine myself, there-
fore, to reporting the assertions on either side.
Upon the general question of trading the Chinese
merchants assembled at Howqua's seemed to think
that, upon the authority of Peh-kwei's proclama-
tion, they might recommence their business. "More
better make that trade pigeon all one fashion—that
Mandarin pigeon all one fashion." The only diffi-
culty they bad was upon the subject of duties.
They thought that if the allies collected duties Peh-
kwei s only incentive to open the trade would be
taken away, and that trade could not go on.
Lord Elgin decided this matter as they wished.
It was found upon consideration that the difficulties
in the way of collecting the duties ourselves were
insuperable. Multitudes of international questions
would arise, and as the correspondence between Mr.
Reed and Yeh had never been a great secret to any-
body, it was known that a very small infraction
would be eagerly laid hold of. Whenever this cor-
respondence shall be made public you will find that
it is precisely what I described it to be at the
time—
possibly when Lord Elgin might have been quite
ignorant of its existence or purport—that the Ame-
rican approached the Mandarin almost with ser-
vility, offering him the protection of his ship and
of that flag which eltc., and that the Mandarin met
his off- rs with a curt snubbing and most mortify.
ing contempt. However, the attitude of the Anae-
iicans and the necessities of the Chinese Govern-
ment are the evident considerations which induced
the allied Powers to restore the trade upon its old
footing, leaving all money matt era to be considered
Imperiala
sinmy question.
On heorenaftthere
aslOatlni,
letter I informed you
would happen, the blockade was raised. Astonish-
ing numbers of groat junks
had
two or three days
previously emerged from
unnoticed creeks and were
fitted for sea with laudable activity. On the morn-
ing of the 10th the river seemed suddenly crowded
with huge matted sails, the deserted packLousea on
Ronan had been rented and refitted by European
merchants, and in an hour, as though by enchant-
ment, Canton seemed to be in full swing of com-
merce. 'Verily this commercial promptitude is a
wonderful thing. Probably some portion of those
21,000,000 lbs. of tea is by this time
a long way on
cowards England.
To protect this trade a t
wa er police has been
established. Captain Ed 11 1
ge has this difficult task.
Fifteen snake boats and three
gun boats form shat
we here call the " piratical squadron." "
can be more ridiculous than to
see" ron.Nothing
half-a-dozen of
these bolts, crowded 'tl
dirty rascals and laden
with useless guns, towed away by Lieutenant Gra-
ham or Lieutenant Rosen in the Lee or the Kestrel.
If I. lared describe
employ the space necessary to
which
some of the ridiculous embarrassments
withhischineso
Captain Edgell has to deal in managing
to tell
laughable things. .
squadron I should have
and untiring industry
however, if tact, end temper,
a honest and effective
can succeed in
makingi Edgell will do it.
- Chinese water-polies
The 14th of Febru aeay
r
is arrived, and it is the day
-e Lanterns are hung out
of the Chines© new
byusiness is closed, and the dark-
before every door,
haired race are employing
all their energies in ex-
ploding crackers and
eating pork. .Thee is nothing
picturesque or pleasant in this feast of lanterns.
Your Chinaman is a monotonous animal evenin his
saturnalia. The women crowd the temples, or light

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[PR WE 4D. STAMPED 5D .]

than the lash - They were too far gone to
shriek, although the agony must have been
great, the heavy irons pressing upon their raw, lank
shins as the gaolers lugged them not too tenderly
along. They had been beaten into this state, per-.
haps long ago, by the heavy.bamboo, and had been
thrown into this den to rot. Their crime was that
they had attempted to escape. Hideous and loath-
some, however, as was the sight of their foul
wounds, their filthy tags, and their emaciated
bodies, it was not so distressing as the indescribable
expression of their eyes. The horror of that look of
fierce agony fixed us like a fascination. As the
dislocated wretches writhed upon the ground tears
rolled down the cheeks of the soldiers of the escort,
who stood in rank near them. A. gigantic French
sergeant, who had the little Mandarin in custody,
gesticulated with his bayonet so fiercely that
we were afraid he would kill him. We did not
then know that the single word which the poor
creatures were trying to utter was ' hunger,' or that
that dreadful starting of the eyeball was the look of
famine. Some of them had been without food for
four days. Water they had, for there is a well in
the yard, and their fellow-prisoners had supplied
them, but ories for food were answered only by the
bamboo. Alas ! it was not till the next morning
that we found this out ; for although we took some
away, we left others there that night. Since
the commencement of this year 15 men have died
in that cell. Some of those who were stand-
ing by me asked, " How will you ever be able
to tell this to the English people ?" I believe that
no description could lead the imagination to a full
conception of what we saw in that Canton prison.
I have not attempted to do mere than dot a faint
outline of the truth, and when I have read what I
have written I feel how feeble and forceless is the
image upon paper when compared with the scene
upon my memory.
This was the worst of the dens we opened, but
there were many others which-fell but few degrees
below it in their horrors. There was not one of
the 6,000 prisoners we saw whose appearance before
any assemblage of Englishmen would not have
aroused cries of indignation. "Quelle societe," ex-
chimed Captain Martineau, as iu the first yard we
visited he saw a little bey confined here because he
was the son of a rebel, " Quelle societo pour un en-
fant de quatorze ass !" Alas ! we saw many, many
such cases in our after experience. Iu one of the
dens of the Poon-yu, the door of which was open,
some one pointed attention to a very child—rather
an intelligent-looking child—who was squat upon
a board and laughing at the novel scene taking.
place before him. We beckoned to him, but ho did
not come. We went up to him, and found he could
not move. His little legs were ironed together ;
they had been so for several months, and were now
paralysed and useless. This child of 10 years of
age had been placed here, charged with stealing
from other children. We took him away.
It was not until our second day's search that we
were able to discover the prison in which Europeans
had been confined. Threats and a night in the
guard-house at last forced the discovery from the
Mandarin, or gaol inspector, in our custody. It is
called the Koon Khan, ig in the eastern part of the
city, and ia distinguishable from the others only
that it is surrounded by a high brick wall.
Nearly the whole of our second day was passed
in this place. It has only one yard, and in this
the prisoners are not allowed to come. There is
a joss house atone end of the court ; for, of course,
the Chinese mix up their religion with their
tyranny. The finest sentitnent,, such as " The
misery of to-day may be the happiness of to-mor-
row ; " " anifess your crimes, and thank the
magistrate who purges you of them ; " " May we
share in the mercy of the Emperor," are carrel
in faded golden characters over every den of
every prison. Opening from this yard are four
rooms, each containing four dens. The hardest and
ink s,, malignant face I ever saw is that of the chief
gaoler of this prison. The prisoners could not be
brought to look upon him, and when he was present
could not be induced to say that he was a gaoler at
all, or that they had ever s. en him before. But when
he was removed they always reiterated their first
story, "The other gaolers only starve and ill-treat
uP, but that man eats our flesh."

How, step by step we followed up our inquiries,
and 11,-)w we cast about hither and thither for a clue
and at last found one, which was often lost and re-
found, would be too long to tell. Mr. Parkes con-
ducted this business with a vigour and intelligence
that cannot b 3 over-estimated. At first they had
never heard of a foreigner, then a heavy I) Ar on the
ears administered by one of the orderlies, in punish-
natmt for a threat to a prisoner, produced a recol-
lection of one European prisoner. Then the gaolers
were roughly bandied in sight of the prisoners, and
together with the mandarin were taken out in cus-
tody of the soldiers. Gradually the prisoners began
to give credence to what we said, that we were now
the Mandarins of Canton, and could protect them
if they spoke out. One produced a monkey-jacket
from his sleeping-place at the back of the den ;
another had an 01(1 jersey; all of them soon had
stories to tell. Many of the prisoners had been in-
mates of the place for many years, and upon refer-
ence to the ly)oks we found that they were all ori-
ginally placed here for very trifling crimes. Old
s.ories get mixed up with new ; the difficulties of
Chinese dialects come into play, and we often
fancitd we were unravelling some sanguinary ini-
quity of yesterday, when we found at last that it
was two or three, or even ten years old. It is only
by small degrees that the collated evidence of these
vermin-bitten witnesses are made to assume form
and consistency. It appears at last almost certain
that six Chinese were beheaded last night, their
fate being in all probability precipitated by
our visit to the other prisons. It also appears
quite certain that, within a period dating from the
commencement of the present troubles, six Euro-
peans, two Frenchmen, arid four Englishmen have
found their death in these dreadful dens. Many
different prisoners examined separately deposed to
this fact, and almost to the same details. The
European victims were kept here for several months,
herding with the Chinese, eating of that same black
mess of rice which looks and smells like a bucket of
grains cast forth from a brewery. When their time
came—probably the time necessary for a reply from
Pekin—the gaoler held their heads back while
poison was poured down their throats. The pri-
soners recollected two who threw up the poison,
and they were strangled. We asked how theyknew
it was poison. There was no doubt on this score.
It is a curious circumstance, illustrative of the pros-
trate state of terror that exists here, that the
gaoler's fowls scratch about untouched among all
the famishing men within the Canton prisons, and
feed upon the vermin. It was remarked that the
fowls fed upon the vomit of these two Europeans,
and died.

Only two of these prisoners had excited much
sympathy among the Chinese. One of them was a
sailor, who spoke the language, adapted himself to
their habits, and told them stories. Ho was cheer-
ful, or pretended to be cheerful, at first ; but in a
short time he grew sick and cried and spoke of his
friends far away. Even the Chinese were sorry when
his time came, and when the gaolers poisoned him.
There was another, an old white-bearded man, who
was there some months. He spoke only a few words
of Chinese, but the Chinese veneration for age came
to his aid, and they pitied him also.
Some of us thought that this must have been poor
Cooper, the owner of the docks at Whampoa, who,
probably mistakenifor Cooper, the engineer officer,
was kidnapped from his chop boat, lying within 100
yards of the Sybille. His wife and daughter were
on board with him. A san pan came alongside with
a letter. While he leant forward to take it ho was
drawn into the sanpan, and he was away up a creek
before the alaral could be given and a boat lowered
from the man-of-war.

The others, we were told, were not favourites.
They could not speak, they held themselves aloof.
If two of them happened to be in prison at the
same time they conversed together. If there was
only one, he either fought with the gaolers or sat
alone covering his face with his hands.
It is, I suppose, contrary to our principles and
policy, and the custom of civilised nations, when a
city has been taken by assault to punish these acts,
but we stretched a point. We carried away the
principal gaoler and the secretary, two terrible
uffians, the head and the hand of this iniquity ;
and we also carried away the prisoners who had
given us trustworthy information, but we only
took them as witnesses, and lodged them in our
guard-house.

On the night of the second day the three Com-
missioners sought an interview with Peh-kwei,
gave him a hint of what they had discovered, and
produced the fettered and paralysed child to show
that there were instances of unnecessary severity in
the prisons under his control. The Lieutenant-
Governor, far from being moved by this spectacle,
flew, or affected to fly, into a towering Pas
Mr, Parkes was bent upon persecuting Liar—Poor
Pelt-kwei—what right had we in his proispoie 7 Were
was ir, how he dealt with his pwn
we prepared to open all
was breach of faith to
out notice to Lim. the prisons in . ,
into those
ee Canton ? It
prism'
d. iioonor;
s with-
inime iately
Hge°would write