The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-17 00:00:00

beyond its present halting place. The convention will b
signed at Tungchow, and after it shall have been signed
the undersigned will proceed with a sufficient escort to
Pekin for the exchange of the ratifications of the treaty of
Tien-twin. When these acts shall have been accomplished
the British army will commence its movement towards
Tien-tsin, at which:: ,int it will remain until the spring, as
the bad faith, evasions, and delays of the Chinese Govern-
ment and its agents have made it inexpedient to proceed
further before the winter.

Should these conditions be accepted deputies can be named
on either side for the completion of. such preliminaries as
may be necessary. If they be not accepted the British army
will advance on Pekin, and in common with that of France
take measures to prove that the laws of nations cannot be
violated in the persons of British and French subjects with
impunity.

Pa-li-chiau, Sept. 23.

Monsieur le Baron—l have the honour to enclose for
your Excellency's perusal a draught of my proposed reply
to the letter of the Imperial Prince Kung received by me
yesterday.

I think that, as regards the subjects of our respective na-
tions detained in defiance of the law of nations at Pekin, we
should adopt the principle of entire solidarite. I have there-
fore, as your Excellency will observe, put the restoration of
the subjects of his Majesty the Emperor of the French on
the same footing as the restoration of the subjects of her
Majesty the Queen in the draught of letter herewith trans-
mitted. I lave, &c.,

ELGIN AND KINCARDINE,
His Excellency Baron Gros, French
Ambassador in China, &c.

Pa-li-chiau, Sept. 25.
Sir,--I enclose a draught of a letter which I propose to
address to the Imperial Prince Kung, in reply to his com-
munication to me, the translation of which I have the hon-
our to transmit herewith. I believe that it is your Excel-
lency's opinion that the Chinese authorities, before the
extreme measure of an assault of Pekin be resorted to,
should be distinctly apprised that they have it in their
power to make peace if they surrender her Majesty's sub-
jects, now illegally detained by them, and concede all the
other points which have been demanded.
I propose to stipulate that a portion of the army under
your Excellency's command shall remain at Tien-tsin until
the spring, because I think that it would be inconvenient
to have to move it from Tien •tsin to Taku and Tungku
during the winter, which might be the case if the article
respecting the disposition of our troops in China, which was
inserted in the Convention draughted at Tien-tsin, were to
remain unaltered.—l have, Ike.,

ELGIN AND KINCARDINE.
His Excellency Sir IL Grant, K.C.8., &c.

Head-quarters, Camp, Pa-li-chiau, Sept. 25.
My Lord,—ln reply to your Excellency's letter of this
date, forwarding draught of a letter addressed to the Impe-
rial Prince Rung, I have the honour to state that I fully
concur in the terms of your Excellency's communication.
As regards the occupation of Tien-tsin during the winter,
I shall be quite ready to do so if your lordship considers it
to be necessary.—l have, &c.,
The Earl of Elgin, K.T., Q.C.B.

HOPE GRANT.

Received Sept. 27, Midnight.
The Prince of Kung; Imperial Commissioner, makes a
communication in reply.
He has received and thoroughly acquainted himself with
the despatch of the British Minister. To the wrongdoing
of former Commissioners in the transactions conducted by
them to which it alludes the Prince was no party. He is him-
self an immediate relation of the Emperor's, and in the
weighty office he has had the honour to be especially ap-
pointed by his Majesty to fill he has full authority for every
step he takes, nor will his acts assuredly be the same as those
of the former Commissioners. In his conduct towards men
the Prince is sincere, andhe assumes that the British Mini-
ster is beyond doubt, of like mind.
Every condition of the treaty (or treaties) negotiated at
Tien-tsin being conceded, if while, on the ono hand, the
Prince departs not from this promise no change whatever
is, on the other hand, introduced by the British Govern -
ment, peace, evermore to endure, is doubtless attainable.
With reference to the presentation of the Government
letter, when his Excellency shall have arrived in the capital,
some place suited to the solemnity shill be chosen, and an
incense table (or altar) having been there set up, the Prince
will receive the letter (1) of the British Government, and
will place it on the table, that due honour may be sholn
to it.

The words in the despatch under acknowledgment re-
garding the attack on and destruction of the capital, and
the downfall of the dynasty, are words which indeed it is
not fitting that a subject should use. Can it be right for
the British Minister, when declaring that he still entertains
a desire for peace, to employ them ? If a war to no purpose
is to be carried on so long as troops are left, a struggle which
is not to cease, then, though the British Govern-
ment have the troops it has in the field, China
has yet, besides the stout hands in her forces, here at pre-
sent, her f roops from beyond the frontier, and those which
it will behove her to move up from the different provinces.
It would seem, then, better that neither side should do

injury to friendly relations by further talk of the struggle
between them.
As regards the capture by our army in the confusion of
the fight of the British officers returning from Tungchow,
it is true that the former Commissioners (2) did seize them,
bind them, and confine them ; but the Prince, when this
came to his knowledge, which was but recently, gave orders
to the officer in charge to release them from confinement, to
lodge them comfortably, to attend to the hurts of those who
were wounded, and to treat them with every courtesy. In
evidence of the Prince's sincerity towards man be is bound,
before he does anything else, to oblige the British Govern-
ment to put away utterly its suspicions, and he now encloses
the card sent by the British Consul Parkes to his Excel-
lency Hang (Hang-ki) to engage him to come and speak
with him this day, that it may be known that this person is
safe and well, and has come to no harm.
The letter under acknowledgment proposes that, deputies
should be sent on either side to confer respecting all matters
that have been discussed and disposed of. These shall pro-
ceed as soon as an answer has been received naming a time
(for a conference).
A necessary communication, &c.
llienfung, 10th year, Bth moon, 13th day (September 27).
Translated by
THOMAS WADE, Chinese Secretary.
(1) The word " letter" is here raised in the column, not
i.s it has been usually written, but with more honour.
(2) The term " Commissioners" is, ou the other hand,
not accorded here the honour commonly paid it.

The understand has received the despatch of his Impe-
rial Highness the Prince of Kung, under date the 27th

Notwithstanding the protestations of good faith and de-
sire for peace with which it abounds, his Highness has not
returned the prisoners unlawfully detained in Pekin, nor
has he stated positively when and where he will sign the
convention negotiated at Tein-tsin.
The undersigned regrets to observe, on the other hand,
allusions to the military resources of China which argue a
strange forgetfulness of the reverses sustained by the Im-
perial arms in the last few weeks at Siuho, Taku, Chang-
kia-wang, and Pa-li-chiau.
Let no more time be wasted in words so unmeaning. The
term of three days allowed for the satisfaction of the de-
mands of the undersigned, he would remind his Highness,
will expire to-morrow night. The prisoners must be sent
in in the course of to-morrow, and the Imperial Prince must
write to say when and where the convention shall be signed.
The single modification which will be needed in it has been
intimated to his Highness in the undersigned despatch of
the 25th, and has been rendered necessary by the bad faith,
evasions, and delays of the Chinese Government and its
agents. The letter of her Majesty the Queen can be pre-
sented to the Emperor only in one way; if not so presented,
it cannot be presented at all ; but, as the undersigned has
already explained, he has throughout considered this to be
a question of courtesy, and not a caustic beni.
There is consequently no ground whatever for the
other
changes appre-
hensions
apparently entertained by his Highness that
changes than those known to him are in contemplation.
Let his Highness, then, at once appointme his deputies and
name a place at which these may et
the tie
undersigned, in order to the form of preparatdieopnuofts of thehecon-
con-
vention for signature. The meeting may take place to-
morrow if his Highness sees fit, and at the same time as the
prisoners are restored.

The undersigned will not repeat the words of warning
which ho addressed to his Highness in his last despatch.
He will only add that if the 'subjects of her Majesty the
Queen now illegally detained in captivity at Pekin be not
returned in the course of to• morrow the British force will
forthwith resume its march in advance, and that all respon-
sibility for the serious consequences that may ensue will
rest upon his Imperial Highness•
ELGIN AND KINCARDINE.

Camp, Pa-li-chiau, Sept. 28.

Camp, Pa-li-ehiau, Sept 29.

Monsieur to Baron,—I enclose herewith the translation
of a communication which I received yesterday from Prince
Kung, and a copy of my reply, which I have already had
the honour of submitting to your Excellency in draught.
I have, &c.,
ELGIN AND KINCARDINE.
A 5011 Excellence Monsieur le Baron Gros,
and to Sir H. Grant.

*--ilte con oination is, strictly, ii seized and bowl d."

•
The Prince of Kung, Imperial Commissioner, makes a
communication in reply.
The Prince is in receipt of his Excellency the British
:Minister's reply of the 15th inst (29th September), and has
acquainted himself with its contents.
The British officers captured by the army outside Tung-
chow were seized * because an engagement was going on at
the time. This was, moreover, an act of the late Commis-
sioner, to which the Prince was no party. It was but re-
cently that he ascertained the facts, and he then immediately
gave orders to the officers in charge to lodge them ec)mfort-