The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-28 00:00:00

passed t! he Board of Punishments, where Parkes
and Li )ct had been so long imprisoned, and close
by the. 11:11ssie.n Embassy.
A b: road s(seeet runs from the centre of the Impe-
rial city on, the south to the central gate of the
Chine se cif A large square or enclosure is in
front of ti" .e gate entering the Imperial Palace, on
the east side of which are the great Boards of
Office 04i the empire. The first visited was the
Board 4.4' Ceremonies, which has been in its day a
magsi'LLficent building ; it has still fine court-yards
and 1 calls. But the Board of Revenue was a heap
of rui ins, and the Boards of Civil Office, War, &c.,
in Ye ay little better condition. The Board of Cere-
mon;isas was therefore decided on as the place best
adapted for the ceremony of signing the Convention,
bot It on account of its position, which was good,
an d from its better state of repair.
No house, however, had been pointed out that in
any way could be made suitable for the Embassy.
Prixtce Kung was therefore requested to have some
priv ate palace at once prepared for Lord Elgin's
rec option, and the Prince of I's was named, as being
in a convenient situation. It is a building of vast
ex:tent ; the outhouses alone could accommodate
3,000 soldiers with ease; but the palace and gar-
( Jens were not in much better condition than the
ether buildings visited. 300 Chinese workmen
were, however, set to work, and it is surprising
how much they can do in a few hours towards
making a place look habitable and comfortable.
But the state of decay of the public buildings as
well as private, even when owned by one of the
greatest and richest princes of the empire, like the
Prince of I, gives a melancholy impression for the
future of China.
The 24th was the day named for signing the
Convention ; for some days previous Messrs. Wade
:and Parkes were busily engaged in discussing the
clauses of the Convention, and making arrange-
ments for their coming into immediate operation,
together with those of the treaty of Tien-tsin, as
soon as the ratified treaties were exchanged. Among
the Chinese Deputies were Hang-ice and Wang.
The latter was, I believe, associated with Tan, Gr .
vernor-General of Chil-li, when they ineffectually
attempted to stay Lord Elgin's advance in 1858.
On the morning of the 24th Lord Elgin and Sir
Hope Grant entered the An-ting gate, accompanied
by an escort of 600 men and 100 officers from the
regiments at Pekin. The Commander-in-Chief,
with the Head-quarters and his personal Staff, rode a
little in front of Lord Elgin, who was carried in his
State chair by 16 Chinese, dressed in scarlet ; his
horse, saddled, was led behind him, and the mem-
bers of the Embassy rode on either side.
The 2d Division, under Sir Robert Napier, lined
the streets, and as Lord Elgin passed followed at
intervals, taking up strategical positions along the
line of route in case treachery was intended by the
Chinese. Considerable crowds lined both sides of
the road ; they were extremely orderly, merely
evincing great curiosity to get a glimpse at the
"Great Barbarian" by attempting to peep into his
chair as he passed by.
The Board of Ceremonies is about three miles and
a half from the An-ting gate, and it was past three
o'clock before the procession arrived there. Dense
crowds surrounded the entrance and filled the
streets and square in front and on every side of it.
The guard formed up on either side of the court-
yard, where the dais on which the ceremony was to
take place opened. The officers ranged themselves
on the left of the dais, the place of honour, and on
the right were assembled a number of Manda-
rins. At the back of the dais were two small
tables and chairs, that on the left for Lord Elgin,
the one on the right for Prince King. Close to
Lord Elgin's chair was another for the Commander-
in-Chief ;on either side, at right angles, were ten
small tables and chairs for the high officers of each
nation ; behind them, again was another row, for
the accommodation of other officers.
As Lord Elgin's chair entered the gate the troops
presented arms, and the bands played " God save
the Queen." His chair was carried to the front of
the dais, when Prince Rung advanced to receive
him, accompanied by all the Mandarins. A cold
bow from Lord Elgin and an anxious hesitating
salutation from Prince Rung, and Lord Elgin passed
at once to his seat and sat down, motioning Rung
to take the one on his right, which is considered
the lowest. A table stood in the middle of the
space, in front of which the boxes containing the
convention and treaty were placed.
Business was immediately commenced by Lord
Elgin telling Mr. Wade to hand the translation of
his full powers to Rung, with the request to see his
in return. Prince Kung said his were not so full,
but equally ample as to powers, and gave Lord!
Elgin the Emperor's decree conferring on him fall'
powers to negotiate and conclude a peace, and also
to affix the great seal of the Empire as a ratifica-
tion to the treaty. The convention was signed, each
Plenipotentiary affixing his seal.
The treaties were then exchanged, Rung sealing
it with the great seal of the Empire, certifying
under his seal and signature that the ratification of
the treaty had been duly effected, and that affixing
the great seal of the Empire meant the acceptance by
the Emperor of all the conditions and responsibilities
contained in the treaty.
A few interchanges of good wishes for the results
of the treaty, and hopes that it would be the means
of establishing a good understanding between the
two Governments, passed between Lord Elgin and
Prince Rung, the latter remarking that a great
many mistakes had been'made heretofore in their
intercourse with foreigners, and that matters had
been very badly managed, but he had now taken it
into his own hands, and he hoped a new state of
things would commence.
Lord Elgin then rose; Rung walked a short dis-
tance across the platform, and then stopped ; Lord'
Elgin did so likewise, and it was only after vigor-
ous beckoning of the Mandarins attending on Kung
and Lord Elgin stopping that Kung was induced,
after a few hesitating pauses, to accompany him to
tho edge of the dais.
Prince Kung is about 28, but looks older ; his
countenance is not devoid of intelligence, but there
was an expression of anxious, nervous care, partly
fear struggling with anger, no doubt at finding
himself in a position so different from the one he
had been accustomed to hold in the presence of the
high officials of the Government; yet there was a
curious mixture of familiarity and respect in the
manner of the officers towards him.
The manner of Lord Elgin was quiet and digni-
‘l, and the Chinese could not fail to be struck by
t.he stem and calm manner in which he performed
Part of the ceremony.
The Policy he has pursued has been such as to
impress on the Chinese the feeling that in agreeing to
exchange thsratifications and sign the convention he
considered he was , .
oestowmg on them an immense
benefit ; but that he had not forgotten, and could
not easily forget, the treachery that had character-
ized their proceedings
throughout and that before
such feelings could be erased the Chinese Govern-
ment would have to show by their conduct that they
were sincere in their professioestofuifil the engage
ments they have accepted. The serious attention
with which the great Princes and Ministers of the
eti
Empire watched Lord Elgin's manner, as if im-
pressed with the dangerous crisis they aserding
ere.
over, but. alive to the dangers that still threatened
and surrounded them, was one of the most intes
ing scenes in the day's proceedings.
It is sincerely to be hoped that the recollection
of the dangers they have escaped may live long in
the memory of those in power, and may
induce
them for the future to follow a less tortuous policy
than they have done heretofore, and the only Way
to insure this is to visit the least departure from
the treaty with immediate and severe punishment,
and the position we shall now hold will always
enable us, even with a small force, to effect this.
The Ambassador's and Commander-in-Chief's
return was in the same order as that in which they
went, hut the streets were occupied at different
points by the troops of Sir Robert Napier, who
had placed them with great skill, so that the
capital of the Chinese Empire was in the actual
possession of the British troops.
The appearance of Pekin is disappointing. The
great width of the streets makes the houses look
small and mean, but the wood carving in front of
most of them is most wonderful in the quantity and

minuteness of its detail. Many of these carvings
are gilt, and in a long street of these shops the
effect is good. In dry weather the streets are four
inches deep in dust; in wet, a foot deep in mud.
There is a raised road in the middle of the street,
on which two carts can easily drive abreast; on
either side of this road there is a lower ene of about
the same breadth. The wall of the Imperial City,
which occupies the centre of Pekin, is high and
handsome, but not intended for defence ; the top
has the yellow tile ; inside this wall are the
palaces of the Imperial family. The Emperor's
Palace, or the Interdicted City, as it is called, is in
the centre of this city, and surrounded by the same
kind of wall.
Lord Elgin and Baron Gros have taken up their
residence in Pekin.
By this mail Lord Elgin sends his Private Secre-
tary, Mr. H. B. Loch, to England, as bearer of the
convention and ratified treaty ; Sir Hope Grant
sends Major the Hon. A. Anson by the same oppor-
tunity with despatches for the War-office.
The French army retires from Pekin on the Ist
of November, one battalion only remaining as an
escort for Baron Gros. The convention and treaty
are to be published in Pekin, and circulated
throughout the Empire. The English army and
the Ambassadors do not leave Pekin before the 9th
of November.
(FROM ANOTHER CORRESPONDENT.)
CAMP BEFORE PEKIN, OCT. 27.
Being in some doubt as to the date of your latest
advices from the expedition; I may just recall to
your recollection that on the 18th of September two
parties, one English and the other French, in all
37 persons, who had left Flo-si-woo for Tungchow
to make arrangements for the pacific reception of
the allied Ambassadors in the latter city, were
seized by Sang-ko-lin-sin, who had come down to
give
us battle on the very ground on which it had
been agreed the allied army should encamp. Mr.
Parkes, who had left Tungchow early in the morn-
ing for the purpose of starting a market, an under-
taking in which his repute is well established, as
he passed through Chiang-kia-wan, an old market
town between four and five miles south of Tung-
chow, found the roads thronged with cavalry, and
preparations for a general action well under way.
He despatched Mr. Henry Loch, Lord Elgin's pri-
vate secretary, who was with him, to inform Sir
Hope Grant ofthis rock ahead, and himself gallopped
back to Tungchow to obtain some explanation of
this movement from the Prince Tsai and Mnhyin,
the Imperial Commissioners with whom the original
agreement about the camping ground had been
made. These gentlemen's replies to his queries were
so far from satisfactory that he resolved to re-as-
semble all those who had accompanied him and to
beat a retreat. Mr. Loch had obtained the General's
permission, as soon as he had delivered his message,
to rejoin Mr. Parkes, and with him came Major
Brabazon, R.A. Zhe party further included Mr. De
Norman, first attache to the legation, and Mr. Bowl-
by, your correspondent. They were escorted by 19
sowers and 1 dragoon,under the command of Lieut.
Anderson, adjutant of lane's Horse, a gallant man
and much esteemed. Mr. Parkes's interesting nar-
rative will, I trust, ere long be public property, and
I shall therefore avoid the details of his capture.
The party were surrounded shortly after they got
clear of Chang-kia-wan, still without menace. Mr.
Parkes and Mr. Loch, quitting the rest in order to
obtain Prince Sang-ko-lin-sin's leave to continue
their journey, were led by a Mandarin to the point
at which the said Prince had pitched his tent, and
were there seized and thrown down before him.
They saw their companions no more. From the
statements of some of the sowers since released, it
appears that Lieutenant Anderson refused to allow
them to cut their way out, relying on the protection
of the two flags of truce with which they were
provided. He and they were carried, with Major
Brabazon and some French officers and men simi-
larly entrapped, to Tungchow ; thence, as it would
seem, to Yuen-ming-Yuen ; where the Emperor
was still residing; and thence, some of them, if not
all, into Pekin, to be subsequently distributed
throughout the country in sections of four or five,
at different cities within from 30 to 40 miles of the
capital. Two of their number, Brabazon and the
Abbe de Luc, a missionary attached to General de
Montauban, had turned off on the morning of the
19th, half-way between Tungchow and Pekin, as the
sowers understood, for the purpose of communicat-
ing with the allied Commanders-in-Chief, who, hav-
ing driven Sang-ko-lin-sin from his position north
of Chang-kia-wan, with considerable loss, were
encamped about that town. Mr. Parkes and Mr.
Loch, with a few others, were carried into Pekin on
the 19th, and remained in durance till the Bth of
October, when to the great delight of all their ac-
quaintances, they reappeared, little, if any the
worse for their confinement.
On the 19th, the day after their seizure, the
Generals made an effort to ascertain something
about them, and to warn the Chinese of the risk
they ran should evil befal the prisoners. Mr. Wade
was sent on with a strong escort, and eventually
succeeded in obtaining access to the Mandarin of
Tung-chow, to whom he delivered a note, but from
whom he could obtain no information. A large force
was discovered still lying west of Tung-chow, at
and about the Pa-li-Chias, or Eight li-Bridge, north
and south of which it was encamped. This position
was attacked and carried by the allied force on the
morning of the 21st, and it is not impossible that
Brabazon and the Abbe de Luc were either killed
in the melee or put to death by their captors when
they found they must fly. This is mere conjecture,
but they are the only two we are unable to trace
after their separation from the rest on the 19th at
a point somewhere in the neighbourhood of Pa-li-
Chias. The Abbe spoke Chinese, and might have
been taken by Juilin, the high officer commanding
the Pa-li-Chias force, to serve as his interpreter I
should he need one.
The sad story of the rest is soon told, but before
proceeding further I should state that as' a move-
ment towards Pekin was now inevitable and an
assault of the capital itself not an impossibility, it
was deemed best to halt for our siege train and a
supply of ammunition. These reached us not before
the 2d of October, and on the 3d we began to march
forward once more. In the meantime the Emperor
had fled from his country palace at Yuen ming-
Yuen, leaving his brother, the Prince of Rung,
some said Regent, but at all events Imperial Com-
missioner for the settlement of Barbarian affairs,
and his Highness lost no time in commencing a
correspondence with the foreign Ministers. Day
after day couriers came in with flags of truce,
and at last a letter from Parkes and Loch,
dated September 29, written in the presence of their
gaolers, who were now, however, treating them so
far well that we became sanguine on behalf of the
others, of whose fate we were still ignorant.
As there was little doubt that anything that was
written to Parkes in reply would be read, his
friends' ingenuity was taxed to shape their messages
so that they should be cheering to him, and yet un•
compromising to his keepers, who, having failed to
bully him into the proposition of terms less hard
than those already known to the Chinese Govern-
ment, now tried to make him their mediator by
improvements in his diet and lodging. He showed
himself a perfect Regulus. " You must do what
you have been called upon to do, 0 rulers," said he,
"or the Allies will advance, whether you keep me
or let me go." Still, till we did advance, there was
110 hope of liberty for him or his comrades. Other
letters followed, but still no prisoner returned to
us- It was evident that the Chinese were afraid
to think what they had done, and yet hesitated to
restore to
us what they considered might be made
a pledge that no
new demands should be pressed
upon them, and no punishtuent inflicted.
The morning of the 6th saw us under the north
wall of Pekin. WW's had commenced our march
left
that is to sav,between
;
uwsi
at Ent
(fp : French on our
whole force was north-westerly, from a
he angle of the city. The general direc
tine of the
three miles east of Pekin at which we
he evening before. The country in front
point some
had lain t
of us was, as the French said, pas malboise, and be-
came more close as we advanced. Some cavalry
pickets seen outside the large earthwork which
encloses evenly a tract of ground a mile wide on
the north of Pekin lured us to bring up our right.
Pursuing them, we came to a halt within the said

treated in a proper manner. But what as to the
convention ?

The opening of Tien-tsin as a port of trade, the
removal of the interdict on emigration to British
colonies, the cession of Kowloon to Hong Kong
are unobjectionable stipulations, which the Chinese
well know are for their interest, as well as for ours.
They are the only points in the convention which
are of real value to England and to China. It is
to be regretted that other points of no importance
should have been thrust in, so as to endanger the
stipulations which all wish to be carried out. The
first article, in which the Emperor expresses his
regret for the unfortunate affair at Taku in 1859,
is put in a felicitous way, and all honour is due to
those who have drawn it up. Every one regrets
that unfortunate occurrence, for which Mr. Bruce
is responsible. The ninth article, which provides
for the immediate evacuation of Chusan, shows that
the Chinese are quite aware how far they commit
themselves. The Chinese have always entertained
the idea that Chusan is the key to China; and if any
intelligent reader examines the history of the
first war, he will see that the occupation of
Chusan has been the point to which the court of
Pekin has ever attached the greatest importance
in matters of foreign policy. It is singularly
curious that the Chinese Government—regarding
which there are not wanting people who suppose
it to be tottering to its fall—should fall back upon
its old traditions. Chusau has always been the key
to China. It has been occupied by the Japanese,
and it is difficult to regard the stipulation that
Chusan should be ceded in any other light than as
a preparation on the part of the Chinese to future
action.

But the eighth article of the treaty is one more
easily signed than enforced. That article provides
for the promulgation of both the treaties throughout
the empire. It is undoubtedly bad and serious
that the virgin capital of China should have been
violated by the allies, but that the fact should be
advertised to the utmost corner of the empire is
something altogether beyond human endurance.
The signature—in undisturbed sulkiness—of such
a provision is one thing, the carrying of it out is
quite another. But these things must be allowed
to go on to their own conclusion ; one thing being
certain, that time, the great mediciner, will work
his own cure, although what member of the diseased
complication will suffer most from his purgative
doses is a question upon which we decline to
hazard any conjecture.

The. following letter contains some interesting
particulars :

" Camp before Pekin, 24th Oct., 1860.
" In my last dispatch on the 13th or 14th inst., I told you
r of the occupation and sacking of the Emperor's palace of
Yuen-min-yuen, and the surrender by the authorities of the
An-tin gate (Gate of Peace) a quarter of an hour before the
wall was to have been breeched if not opened peaceably.
The force that then entered still occupy the position; the
French on the east, the British on the western ramparts,
with field-pieces commanding the city and walls. Several
brass guns were taken, one of very large size, 11 feet long,
ornamented with devices and Mantchou characters, the
others of various dimensions. There is also one made of
wood and cleverly sheathed with copper, an excellent imita-
tion of a brass gun. No one is allowed to pass through the
gate without a pass, and then only permitted to advance
about 100 yards, where a rope is stretched across also to
keep the Chinese back, who congregate there in hundreds
to look at the barbarians and listen to the bands. There are
six shops within this space, in which there is only grain,
dried fruits, joss paper, &c., for sale. There is also a mar-
ket for fruit, vegetables, &c. From the rampart there is an
extensive view over the city and surrounding country, but
there are so many trees in the city, that one can see but
little of it, the houses being principally of only one storey.
The public buildings are higher, the roofs of which, being
of glazed tiles, green or yellow, have a good effect. The
streets are wide and more regular than in the southern
cities, but the houses and shops have an appearance of
poverty and dilapidation that was unexpected in the capi-
tal of the Celestial Empire.
"Of the unfor,unnte party that were captured by San-
ko-linsin's army on the 18th ult., at Chan-kia-wan, Capt.
Brabazon, Quartermaster-General, R.A., the Abbe Luc,
and some French belonging to the Scientific Society are still
unaccounted for. The two former are believed to have
been decapitated by order of a Tartar general who had them
prisoners with him. He was wounded in the battle of the
21st, and in exasperation ordered their execution. The
account is given by Chinese Catholics, and the Russians
say two Europeans were decapitated at Stone Bridge, Pah-
li-chao, near Tung-chow, where Le Tartar camp was. The
authorities pretend ignorance on the subject, but the cir-
cumstance of the bodies not being produced gives colour to
the truth of the report. The number of French who were
of the party is not correctly ascertained, but there appear to
be four or five still unaccounted for. Those who providen-
tially escaped, after much torture, are Messrs. H. S. Parkes,
C.B. ; H. Loch; Captain Escayriac, a French officer; 5
French privates, and 11 Sowers, together 19. Those who
unhappily sunk under the inhuman treatment of the bar-
barous, cruel foe, and whose remains were sent into the
camp are—W. De Norman, attache to the British Lega-
tion at Shanghae ; Mr. T. W. Bowlby, special correspon-
dent of the Titnos ; Lieutenant and Adjutant Anderson,
Fane's Horse ; Private Phipps, King's Dragoon Guards ;
four Sowars and three French—together 11. The bodies
could only be recognised by the dresses, in which in some
instances they appeared to have been wrapped after
having been stripped. A description of the state of these
poor victims is too horrifying to be related. The tight-
ness of the cord with which they were bound ate into the
flesh, and caused a lingering and painful death
by mortification. The bodies of the Sowars were given
to the Sikh cavalry, who, as is the custom, burnt them.
The French were delivered to our allies, and the four British
were buried in the Russian cemetery outside the An-tin
gate of Pekin ()Who 17th.
" At noon the procession formed at' the Llama Temple,
and marched in the following order to the Russian cemetery,
half a mile from the city, the band of the Rifles playing a
slow march :

One Troop Dragoon Guards.
One Troop Fane's Horse.
An officer and 20 men of each European corps (armed).
The Commander-in-Chief, Chief Mourners.
The Earl of Elgin,
The corpses on gun waggons, each drawn by six horses.
Mourners.—Nearly all the officers of the English, and a
large number of the French army, including General
Montauban, Ceminander=in-Chief.
Pall Bearers. Pall Bearers.
Major Hn. A. Anson, Hon. T. Thurlow,
V.C.,A.D.C. Att. to Embassy.
Mr. C. S. Compton, Mr. Col. Biddulph,
Captain B o WLIIY. Military Secretary.
Farquharson, I Hon. Wortley,
A.D.C. Att. to Embassy.
Mr. H. Loch. Cap. Grant, A.D.O
Mr. T. F. Wade. Mr. Cap. Lane, A. D. C.
Mr. H, S. Parkes, DE NORMAN. Lt.-Col. Crealock,
C.B. Military Secretary
Two Privates j Private PirrPrs, Two Privates
King's Dragoon King's Dragoon Kings' Dragoon
Guards. Guards. Guards.
Two officers t Lieutenant Two officers
Fane's Horse. j ANDERSON. Fane's Horse.
The burial service was read by the Rev. M'Ghee,
chaplain to the British forces. The priest of the Greek
Church attended by request, in his pontifical robes, holding
on high the emblem of our faith. Father M'Ghee, the
Roman Catholic priest attached to the British army, was
present. Three volleys were fired by the infantry. It was
a mournful and affecting ceremony to witness these poor
Christian victims of heathen barbarism laid in their un-
timely grave. The cemetery is about a quarter of a mile
outside the northern wall of the city. The grave is on high
ground, just within the inner gate. The coffins were laid
side by side, from the north to south. Private Phipps,
then Lieutenant Anderson, then Mr. De Norman, and then
Mr. Bowlby. The Royal Engineers are to place a tomb
over the poor fellows, and if the British Government does
not erect a monument to their memory it is to be hoped
that it will be done by private subscription.
A proclamation, of which a free translation is given
below, was issued by the commander-in-chief of the Bri-
tish forces,
"PROCLAMATION BY SIR HOPE GRANT, K.C.B.
" " October 15, 1860.
Whereas certain officers sent to Tung-chow with the
knowledge and consent of the Imperial commissioners, Tsai,
Prince of I, and Muh-yin, for the purpose of arranging the
conditions of a pacific reception of the allied Ministers at
Tung-chow, were, on the 18th September last, in defiance of
the flag of truce,under protection of which they were travel-
ling, treacherously seized by PrinceSan-kolinsin and his col-
leagues ; the army which they commanded has been defeated
and dispersed by the allied forces. These are now en-
camped outside the north wall of Pekin, and ars in occu-
pation of a gate of the city. It has since come to light that
the officers and men treacherously seized have been sub-
jected to usage so barbarous that several of them have died.
This atrocity, for which the Chinese authorities alone are
responsible, they must be made to expiate, and as it ap-
pears that the persons before mentioned, who were cap-
tured in violation of the usage which protects those who
pass between hostile armies, were first maltreated at the
palace of Yuen-min-yuen, the commander-in-chief has
decided upon the complete destruction of the buildings
thereto belonging-, and, further, upon the exaction of a
sum of money, to be paid in compensation for what they
have endured, to the survivors of the parties seized, or to
the families of those who have lost their lives in captivity.
If this sum be at once paid the authorities and people of the
capital will be treated as those of Tien-tsin and Tung-
chow have been ; let them remain peaceably where they
are; but if the sum be not paid within the time appointed,
or if peace be not immediately made by the signature of the
required convention, the commander-in-chief will not be 1
answerable for the consequences.'
" The first condition was complied with on the 20th, and
the second carried out on the 24th."