The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-29 00:00:00

itadia which we ware now eating. We the:efore The streets were crowded with people, and our
01. captors made the best use, they could of us,, to
dismounted, in order to cross to him, and direo
/ 'gNe their return the eharacterlof a triumph, We
we did so the soldiers fell Upon us, tore off sever
continn4tO be driven thrOugh street after street,
of the things' we had on, dragged us across the
eseing through the' eastern and southern,
the Prince. and into
canal, and hurled us prostrate on. the ground before V
~..
- Ta *stern quarter of the city, until we entered; at
The moment the Prince gave me 'An opportunity about eight p.m:, a large court, an ! I saw with a
of speaking to him, which he did by asking memy shudder that we were in the,handa, of the Board of
name, lat once clearly informed him Who I ;was P""isiinients'' :-
''
' - ''-'"'
- 1
Ta7g.. After Ved.
and of the whole character of my mission to' had bean kent waiting in a dense creivd
longer, "i
• as taken from the cart,
Atnbas.., for ,half an nour w
chow, adding that I was returning to my . .
A before a tribunal composed of examiners
, and.carnea. sador when I was stopped by his troops.
of email ranks valid made 'me kneel, and after treat-
I was proCeeding with a remonstrance against e
~
t rannical manner, and question-
the treatment I was receiving, when the Prince. ing MO in a very y.
few unimpoffiint points, they loaded
ing meon a .
interrupted 'me by saying, "Why did you not agree. gave"
me over to a number of
P" ‘ • Me .with chains, and
yesterday to'settle the audience question .
"Because I was not empowered to do so,"I replied. ruManly-looking gaolers. 'These men conducted
The Prince then continued in a very forbidding me, throngbseveral long courts, and happening !to
6.'Twice purpose, I knew by the clank of
halt-for- some tone—" Listen t You can talk reason; ' you have
chains that another prisoaer was approaching. It
to our on
gained two victories you have
b 1
dared to take the Peiho forts; why does' not that !proved to e 1 1, r. Lech I but they would not allOw
content you? And now yOu presume to give out" us to converse, and hastily sent us away in different
'directions.
(the Prince here alluded to the proclamation of the At last we stood before a building,
could see was a common I cou .mon prison, and as the
ra
Commander-in-Chief) " that you will attack any •whi
force that stops your march on ning-chow. lam massive door opened
and closed on me, I found my-
now doing that. You' say that you do not direct' sena a throng. of 70 or 80 wild-looking prisoners,
most of them offensive in the extreme, asis usual
these military movements, butt know your name,
and that you instigate all the evil that your people in Chinese gaols, from 'disease and dirt, and who
the new-comer.
commit. You have idea used bold language in the 'werenaturally anxious to gaze on
presence of the Prince of I, and it is time 'that I was again careand searched
frilly examined by
: aw that my chains were pro-
foreigners should be taught respect for Chinese the gaolers,
,who also .
arms with fresh cords,
:party secured, and gonad my, , .
nobles and Ministers."
as to -prevent circulation, ,or
I endeavoured to explain the mistakes of the not so tight, however;
• inconvenience, At the same
Prince ; told him distinctly what my functions were; to occasion serious
rto my intense relief,
that I had come to Tung-chow by express agree- time howeVer they `removed,ists, which being •
Very tightly
meat with the Imperial Commissioners, and solely the cords -from toy 71'
.. . .
tied, had caused ray hands tuswell .to twice their
in the interest of peace ; and I again begged him to
show the same respect to an English flag of truce' Proper size, and were now giving me great pain.
that we had always paid to those so repeatedly sent They then laid me on the raised-boarding on which
in by the Chinese. the prisoners sleep,' and made me fast by another
The Prince, however, simply laughed at all this, large chain to a beam overhead. • The chains con-
and,,slated‘of one long and'heavy one stretching, from
going towards a house that was close by;
the neck to the feet, to which, the hands were fast-
directed the soldiers to bring me after him.
by two erters.cheies and handcuffs and the
On arriving at the house I was again thrown on cued
~ , . ....
-
my knees before him, and the Prince asked rae if 1 feet in a eiailler mariner.'
would write for him. - Being exhausted with fatigue and want of food,
Having asked what it was he wished'ind to write, which I had not tasted for Upwards of 24 hours,: I
he said " Write to your people and tell them to stop fell asleep, but was soon made sensible duly position
the attack." . by being called up, and again carried before the
"It would be useless for me to do so," I replied; sauna Board 'of InquiSitors. It was then about
" as I cannot control 'or • influence military move- -midnight, but the hour did not prevent the collec-
tnents in any way. I will not deceive, your. High tion of a large crowd, composed however, in this
ness by leading you to suppose that, anything L • instance; of police-rtinners, gaolers, lietors, and the
might write would have such an effect." . " ()thee initnerots myiniielens of Chinese law. The
o I sees you continue obstinate," he said, " acrd-' mandarins, as I was placed kneeling in my chains
that -you will be of no Use to me." " ' ' ' ' . -before them, warned met 'that they would force the
I then heard him give directions to take Mr. Loch, truth fiom'me if I did not . give it willingly, and in
the sower, and myself 'to the Prince of I, but' 'proof' of 'their earnestness, they ordered four tor-
to conduct the escort into Chang-kea-Wan. 'While tureta•!teseize me; even before they began to put
the necessary preparation's were being Made, two. their questions, by the ears, and the hair of the
high officers irr his suite wearing red buttons took' ;head And Ace. They trit asked me if I were a
me aside into a tent; and told me to sit down 'and' 'Chinese'. I told them they had only to look at, y
talk with him. 0 Follow cur advice," they Said, face and hair to see *that I was not. Their next
"and don't think of denying that you can do this 'qtieetions related to my age,leagth of residence in
or that, or you will get into trouble."
I again explained to them who I was, and' hew- They then Proceededea.fellows :
far my powers extended, but.they replied thattheya •-;' Ifeinisitors—Sts,te the name of your headman.
did not believe me. '' 4-' 'Answer ‘—Whiehl dkacen mean—the Ambassador,
. Admiral
Having expressed my surprise at " the engage'' Genui-a1 ! or, .• , .
ment then going on, and inquiring how it had corn- ..: "Inquisitors (angrily-YOu have no such func-
menced, they 'observed, "It does not matter how it ' 'tionaries. Don't presume, to use such titles.
commenced ; perhaps you began it, perhaps we Cilia ; .Here the tortureri•einfed their action to the tone
but you.have at last gone too far, and will now, g'pt of the mandarins, by pulling simultaneously at my
your deserts." - hair, Cam B:.c.
"Bat we have not gene too far," I replied. .„"It Inquisitors—Now ,1
give the name of your head
' has been agreed between our Ambisiadora'and iqtiifi "8 •4 ‘-' . •• „
your Commissioners that we are to occupy ground''
Y'A.4l44ii" ' i ' ' P '
—Wh ch one .
up to-five le south of Chang-kea-ivaa." ' ' " Inijuisitors—The heaa of your soldiers.
" Oh, we are not particular' to a few le," said the Answer (in Englishl=Lieutenant-General Sir
• .Gr
officers: "It would have been quite the same if ilkifie ant.
you had come within five, ten, or tWenty•le. of our Thquisitorsa-What ?
army. You have gone too far, we tell you, Answer (in English)—Lieutenant-General Sir
The cannonading now became heavier, , and the .11oPe Grant.
two officers:had to follow Prince Sang, who rdde" •Inquig .
itors—Say something we can understand.
away to the front. Mr. Loch,' the sower, and nay-' - Answer—l am obliged to use the English terms
self were ordered to get into an 4pen cart of the as you.avill not let me give you these in Chinese.
roughest description, and two French soldiers, whem They attempted to write down,in Chinese sounds,
we had not, before seenaavere put in with us. ;A " Lieutenant-General •Sir Hope Grant," but not
few.moments before I had observed a French oiii-' succeeding, they asked the name of another head-
cer, whom I knew to be the Commiseariat Intel's: man. .
dant, beiag-led' up to the house; he had evidently. Answer (in English)—Ambassador Extraordi
been ill-used, but I could not see to what extent nary the Earl of Elgin.
nor had I any opportunity of speaking with him, Finding it equally impossible to write this down
We were conveyed to Tung-chow, seeing nothing in Chinese, or to get on with the examination, they
of our escort on the way, and were taken through' told me I might revert to Chinese names and
the city to the temple in the western suburb, wh re titles,.and I then gave them those of the Ambassa-
I had seen the Commissioners in the moral g. dor and the Commanders-in-Chief.
They. had left, and our guard (consistingof fi ty
i
Inquisitors—How many soldiers have you ?
'horsemen) followed the Peking-road, inquiring or Answer—Not less than 20,000 fighting men.
• the Commissioners as they went along, and enjoy- Inquisitors—That is false. [Torturers clutched
ing the -sufferings which' the severe shocks °eta- mesas before.] Repeat how many.
shined us when the cart was driven along the, Ansiver—Nct less than 20,000 fighting men, in
dilapidated stone causeway at a rapid pace. After which Ido not include followers, &c. I have stated
retracing their steps in more than one directicion, that once to you, and have no other answer to give.
they at last. took us ; into an encampment, and Here, I 'was again threatened, both by mandarins
threw us on our knees before a mandarin, who thy and torturers, but deeming it dangerous to swerve
told us was the General and Minister of State, from any statement I had once made, I adhered to
Juy-lin. Je . avoid another painful and useless that which I had already given them, and it was
' examination I feigned faintness, and in reply to his taken down.
inquiries called out for water. He then directed Inquisitors—How many eoldiers have the French?
that we should be taken into the air, but we Answer—l am less acquainted with their force,
were so pressed upon by a disorderly iiebb but they cannot have less than 10,000 fighting men.
of soldiers that we had to be removed In gnisitors—You are lying again.
into a house, where we were searched by The same question was repeated and enforced by
a military officer of the rank of Tajia, and every- torturers; I returned the same aesewer, and it was
thing that we had in our possession was taken from noted down. I then explained that being myself
us. Again we Were removed to a temple, and a a civilian I could not' be expected to be familiar
mandarin on the suite of the Prince of I, named with military matters, or to know all the particulars
Ti* Tajin, who had behaved with marked - rude- of so large an army as the present combined force.
:-..
n.. to Inc at the morning's interview, came in and Inquisitors—So large an army, do you call it?
daacted that Nye should be brought before him for `That are 30,000 men? They are a mere nothing.
examination. • Ile asked us our names and Who we • They then proceeded t ' in
%examine me the same
were, and then insisted epon my telling him where strain as to the number of cavalry and artillery
I had obtained a paper that had been found in diy ellips, steamers, horses, Chinese coolies, &c., and, in
pocket in whiciaprorninant mention happened to be particular, of the range of our field and siege guns,
made of several Princes and other, important per- which•l gave them at three miles and upwards, to-
sonages who are believed to be among the leading gether with. other particulars of their destructive
advocates of the war policy. Fearing to criminate properties. • Hearing that the horses of the force
the-native writer of the, memorandum (which was came from:lndia, they-questioned me as to the re-
nothing but a list of names), I replied that I had sources of that country, and were much displeased
obtained it in a Canton yamun. He declared this with my statement that it was within 20 days' sail
to bo false, demanded why I presumed to make:in- of China, and had-an army of upwards of 300,000
quiries. About Chinese Princes, and said that force, men, and a population of •more than 101,000,000.
should be. used to make pie divulge from whom: I They also equally 'disapproved of .my estimate of
received the information. the population .of Great Britain, which I stated at
At this• moment he was suddenly called away : about 30,000,000. But the remark which probably
we heard a, stir outside the house, and a number gave them most displeasure, and caused rae some
of soldiers withrdrawn.ulvords rushed in, dragged
Us all out, and bound our wrists ti pain, at the hands of the torturers, was the use, on
tightly behind us. my part, of a term for her Majesty denoting aqua-
,hey
were much excited, and called out that death lity of rank with the Emperor. Theyainquired after
was eineonly.desert, as our soldiers had been killing our "Prince," to which;
Freplied by stating that '
their People, after
a snort delay, during whiCh we had many princes, both in England and India,
Mr. Leah and myself took, as we thought, a final but that they were a'-1-under one Sovereign, as in
reeve of each other,
we
,were seized by the soldiers the case a theempire of China.
and run out of the house et a swift pace, exactly , " What do • you mean by using such language,"
in the way in whic" h I have
observedthe Chi- they said ; " you have yourself shown that you have I
nese conduct Oleir.pr* . 4 ISOpCyS, toe 7.7.CCU bon . Again been long in China, that: epeak our language
ther
we came toge , .
under some trees, and all five Of and read our books, and you must know, thereforea
us were put once more into
a cart. All was coufh- that there is ' but
one Emperor, who rules over all
sloe awe 'as; the C4lr,
i We had
~. previously ob- lands. It is you r duty to communicate your superior
servedasvp
,beiek.struck, and I could see that some knowledge on this subject to your countrymen, in-,
of the
a:Nance
.on or part allied force was evi- .st'ead of encouraging them • th • t r, t
. in their ex raveaen
dentli-,causing a retreat on that of the (i •
ihinese. ideas." Soon we found ourselves again on the Peking-road, , They then insisted.that I had often been in Pekin;
and suffering. much more, thap before froni the jolt- that I had ;confederates here, and that they would.
ing of the cart, as we could not now use our hands or force me to:reveal their names. I 'firmly denied all
arms to ayaad„off the shacks. The cart being too this, and told them that 1-knew but three persons
heavily ladeaao proceed at the desired pace, another in Pekin. • one, was called, and the Sikh- and one of the French-
men were transferre N.
Inquisitor
s—s ame them.
transferred to it.. We passed numerous Answer —The
e two-Imperial Commissioners—
bodies of infantry' in Position along the road, and Prince of ' •
I and Muh-yin, and the Assistant Corn-
ware met by a. considerable force of cavalry going missioner Hang-ki. - -
in the direct*, of Tung•ehow. The road was SO , I mad
much blocked e ,s reply in. the hope of disarming their
ap ,by men and .his
retreating suspicions, 'which I could see were 'very strong
. while others ,were advaneing, that we were often on this point and the idea that through our.
obliged to halt." The Prince of I, 3luh-yin, his Chinese or
coolies,
in some. other way, we had set
fellow Commissioner, and Hang•ki, passed us in treason at work within
, the walls of the capital,
large sedan chaire„ but would not deign to. notice was one which evidentl -
a them considerable
us. We could,, see that we were in the charge of apprehension. They were also particular in
de-
Tsing• Taiin, the officer Already described as being manding information as to the number and names
on the suite of the .Pritice of I, and our first solici- :of our interpreters. I complied by • •
giving them the
tuitions for relief from pain and thirst afforded him 'Christian names and surnamesof .
several of these
so much cruel. gratification that we made no second gentlemen in full, knowing, as t 6 h e avant p
appeal to his humanity. Fortunately one of the that they would be unable:to take down. int•
Four soldiers. in.' the cart .with us was less relent- bly the king English words,.and they mow, ;a,'
. leas, and gave-us a little water. It 'was about :quished the inquiry. They made pointec/ intf•i
s" `-,
'1"11-11481 two ' o'clock when into
- } we were put . • however; after Mr. Lay-, and when I told :thaan that.
the cart; And the: sun was: setting as we reached he was now engaged by-
g, the invitation of th e Cliitiese-
the Chttalan- or eastern gate of the city, authorities' in managing. their foreign revrnue,
_ •.: ,-;:,,14/1 cl nzi :: ~ ::: ,

~..
whieb. had nearly doubled since the collection of it
.
4a4 been placed in his hands, they reproved me for
using such language, and called Otit that Lay was
nothing else thaua native (Chinese) traitor.
Towards the close of the examination, throughout
which I was compelled to remain kneeling upon the
stone floor, I obtained their permission to make; a
statement:on ,my own account., I then told them
,why I and, the other gentlemen of my party had
come to Tang-chow; that we were all emnloyediin
the cause of peace, and not of war; but, although
acting under a flag of truce, and admitted to inter.
.
views with the Imperial Commissioners, we had
been seized and were now being treated, not even
as prisoners of war,,but as common fellons,. mid has
whenae account,
thnety,
butinterrupted
we have
Offenders against Chinese law, I.was urging that
this great and to me unaccountable mistake should
naoytibng ep„erir,:,4,isa.t i
tlets
in,your anotherthe.by
s
story. BeSides, if, as you state, you are a civilian,
and have nothing to do with soldiers or their move-
ments, why are you always seen with the advance?"
To this I answered that we always kept an inter-
preter in the front to be ready to receive overtures
or communications from the Chinese -authorities,
and to look after the interest of 'the
people. The
examination ended, I was ordered back to prison.
I have thus given a full recital, my lord, of, the,
occurrences of the 18th of September, the day on
! which we were seized; but I shall endeavour to
avoid-similar detail in the account I have now to
add of our eubsequent 20 days of imprisonment.
On the 19th and 20th a great number of Manda-
rins visited the prison, and those whose Official
i
position entitled - them .is make the demand,
'ordered me to .be brought out, that they might
have the satisfaction of seeing me kneeling before
-them. Among these were the highest authoiities of
the Board of Punishthents, including, as I now
know, the President'hiniself, who abused me in a
,very bitter tone, laughed at my statement, and
appeared as ignorant of foreigners, and as much
prejudiced erinst them, as his subordinates who
had conducted the examination above describsol.
Several Censors and Vice-Presidents of the other
five Boards of Government were also pointed out
tome by the gaolers as being among the visitors.
Whenever brought out before Mandarins of rank,
I lost. no opportunity of 'protesting against my'
treatment, and of pointing out that in wronging
me they were injuring themselves, as it was im-
possible thate:peace could be made if they seized
and imprisoned theinstruments of negotiation.
But it was. only from the prisoners that I ob-
tained sympathy.or a hearing. . Many of these un-
fortunate men were . glad, when . so permitted, to
come round me to lieten to my story, or any de---
scription that I would give them of foreign coun-
tries and usages.' Instead of,following the example
set them by their authorities, and treating me with
- '
'abuse or ridicule, they were seldom disrespectful,
addressed me by my title, and often avoided
putting me to inconvenience ' when it was in
their- power to do :en Most of them were' men
of the • loWest chess and the gravest 'order of 01--
fenders,. as •in u sderers, burglars, &c. There who had
no Aims of their owe were reduced by prisun filth
and prison diet to a shocking state 'of emaciation
and disease, but those whO couldafford to fee the
•
gaolers,' and purchase such things as they wanted,
lived in'comparative fulness andoomfort.
They explained to me that their prison system
cost Alle,Government nothing more than the pay of
the gaolers, and the supply of • two bowls of boiled
millet per day to each prisoner. All other ex-
penses, such. as water, lighting, fuel, tea, salt, vege-
tables for the prisoners, and good meals for the
gaolers, &e., are defrayed by some one among the
prisoners who veluntarily undertakes the charge in
redemption of a certain portion of his term of im-
prisonment.
The mandarins of the Board having ordered that
I should be supplied with food that I could eat, my
maintenance, which cost, as I was' told, is. a-day,
was carried to the charge of the man who held this
position, but instead of taking a- dislike to me on
account of the increased expense which I occasioned
him, he wagon° of the foremost in showing me
kindness or consideration. My meals consisted of
two meals ai.dsijr boiled rice, or a kind of maccaroni,
seasoned witlna veryeparing allowance of meat or
vegetables T- als'o cakes, or the bread or the cella ivy,
and a little tea and tobacco.
" In the prison roll, which was hung up on the
wall, I found myself returned as " a rebel," and that
I was one of five, out of a total of seventy-three, •
who were ordered to wear the heaviest chains,
As I grew more intimate with the inmates of the
prison, I cautiously endeavoured to obtain informa-
tion from or through teem of the movements of the
allies, or the intentions of the Chidese authorities ;
but the gaolers were always on the watch to pre-
vent communication between me and the prisoner's
on these subjects, nor would they allow themselves
to be drawn into conversation respeeting them.
Two of these men remained always beside me, both
by day and night, and although they occasionally
answered' by inquiries respecting Mr. Loch and my
fellow-prisoners, they defeated every endeavour I
made to get a message or note conveyed to them.
On the 22d of September I was removed from the
common prison to a separate ward about eight feet
square, on the opposite side of the court, the four
gaolers appointed to watch me crossing at the same
time, and putting up in the.same little room. This
was scarcely done when I received a visit from the
inspector of the prison, who, instead of making me
kneel before him, as he had done on previous visits,
desired me to be seated, and. introduced another
mandarin•of small rank as his relief. The latter
said he.had come merely to pay me a friendly and
a private visit, and to suggest in an equally private
way whether I could not do. something by writing
a note of some kind, or in any way that I might
suggest, to bring about a settlement of the present
differences between our respective nations. I said
that, when two nations at war wanted to come to
friendly understanding, the first thing to be done
was. for one or the other to make overtures for
peace; negotiations, either by writing or by con-
ference, would follow, and if these were carried out
to the satisfaction of both parties peace would
ensue. The difficulty in"the present case.was that '
the Chinese had made prisoners of the very persons
—although essentially. non-combatants—who were
required to-conduct these conferences. Here I gave
them a recital of my own story, but after hearing
this they simply came babk,to their first proposal,
that I should suggest some mode of arrangement;
and said they would shortly repeat their visit to
hear what had occurred to me. They would' give
me no information as to the occurrences of the last.
five days.
Shortly after thoy had gone the head gaoler
asked me if I knew a mandarin named Hang-kin
He would like to see you, he said, but cannot come
into the prison. on account of the stench, and I do
not see hoW you can be allowed to go out to him.' I
told the. gaoler to act as he pleased, and ei few
minutes afterwards Hang-ki entered. I have by.
me the following note of our conversation, which I
succeeded in making shortly after he had left inc :
Note.--eHang7ki assumes a look 'of -pity for my
condition, though apparently without thinking
that it is undeserved. Ho asks how matters are to
be arranged, and I inquire for news. Skirmishes,-
he says, occasionally occur between San-ko-lin-sin •
and our troopsewho have' not yet passed Chang-kea-
wan. The Prince of I and Mull-yin have been
recalled to Pekin, and the Prince of Kung, a
younger. brother of the EmPeror—a very able and
amiable man—appointed in their place. Perhaps
KWeilang will- be his colleague. How can nego-
tiations be set on foot ?
I say that they have increased their difficulties by
their wrongful treatment- of me and my party by
their violation of a flag of truce and the rights of an
envoy; and I also complain of the deceit practised in
my case.
Hang-ki at first professes surprise at hostilities of
the 18th., Had he known that these were:going to
occur, he would have gone to see Lord Elgin. Came
back because he thought Lord Elgin would not see
him, and because he found Lord-Elgin a long way
off—(Correcting himself))--LCame back because
the Baron de Meritens had told him that it was
useless trying to see Lord Elgin before I had re-
turned. The Prince of I had told him that I had
,been taken prisoner because it was war, and not
peace, and because I bad admitted to him—Hang-hi
- -on the evening of the 17th of Seletember, that we
keiew of the arrest several days previously, by our
military, of the Prefect of Tien-tsin.
' I reminded Hang-hi of all the business we had
trans acteal.together the same evening, as showing
that thd Prince of I had quite given we to believe
that he considered hostilities at an end, Certain
officers had been appointed to settle with me the
position _to be taken up by our force; other officers
had been appointed to furnish supplies; a procdarna
ion making known the cessation of hostilities had
!nagreed to, and wits being printed under his
-Rang-ki's) superintendence;- and yet the Chinese
l-ilt,
'nttack our troops the next morning when proceed. '
iing to take up the ground agreed on, and seize me
when engagcd in the transaction of the above busi-
ness. Either the Prince of I had grossly deceived
me or Sang-ko-lin-sin had acted independently of

the Prince. In a word, the Prince had either played
false, or he had 'ne' power over hie own people.
IloW could business be transacted' With 'such Com-
missioners ?
Hang-ki evades explanations,- and suggests that
I should write a letter, but to whom or to what par-
peso, he does not seem to knoW. They want a let-
ter, he says;
that will bring about a settlement of
affairs. I tell him that such a letter should come
from them. He still presses me to write, but
I declipe to do so, as apart from the vagueness
of the requisition, I can see that he has some con-
cealed object in view: He leaves me and says he.
will shortly pay me another visit.
The 23d and 24th passed without my seeing
Hang-ki, and as an interview with any officer was
a relief to the monotony of my imprisonment, and
afforded me a chance of gaining some information,
I requested the gaoler, on the 25th, to inform
Hang-ki that I should be glad of another visit from
him. The gaoler returned and told me that the
message could not be forwarded unless I wrote the
medal red card in my own handwriting. I com-
Flied on being furnished. With writing materials,
and I find that the card I then sent is the one for-
warded to your lordship in Prince, Kung's despatch
of the 27th September in proof of my being well in
health and comfortably put up. On the 26th Hang-
lei came to the prison, and I quote from a note enade
at the time the, following summary of our conver-
sation :ea-
At about 2 p.m., 26th September, received a visit
fratn.Hang-ki, attended by two prison inspectors,
Gan and Choo Laou•yays. I first spoke about
being put in the same prison with Loch—a small
request, and easily granted if they wished to show
us any humanity.
Hang-ki followed with a long speech. Grand
councils had been held, he said, on the subject of
foreign relations. It was considered that the hostie
lities of the allies are very different on this to all
previous occasions, as by advancing on Pekin alaey
are attacking the Emperor himself, and not, as
heretofore, the Emperor's viceroys. The Emperor
is therefore on his defence, and must fight for his
throne and dynasty. He has therefore determined
to retire to the Hunting Palace at Jehol,. in Tar-
tary, and
.to call in the aid of the 48 Mongol
'Princes; each of whom can furnish probably 20,000
men. But supposing that all is lost—that is,'Pekin
teleen--and he Imneriel force refreat, fighting, be.
yond :he fUtill r; hedirmembeement of the empire
follow,and e.l.teadewillbe at suend. Isthietbe
con ese t hat mast be adopted or not ? The mejeeity of
Priucee end Ministers ere ler it. The Prince of
Ching,Princeofl,Sang-ko•lin-sin,andotherssay that
peace cannot be made with the Allies, because they
alsiays make negotiations an opportunity for put-
ting in fresh demands • also that commercial rela-
tions are far more costly than profitable to China,
for, although some 4,000,000 of taels are received
from foreigners annually as duties, the claims for in-
demnities—first, 21,000,000 dollars in- 1842, then
6,000,0 t taels in 1858, and now 10,000,000 tads
moree--almost equal the amount that has reached
the Imperial Treasury from the same source during
the above period. The personages just named, to-
gether with a largeraajority of their advisers, urge
war. The Prince of Kung,. the brother of the
Emperor, who. has now the direction of the foreign
question, would be glad to see some other course;
but unless I point one otit, no alternative presents
itself. If I will not do this, and affairs continue to
go wrong, I eshall make myself a mark for the
public fury, which cannot be restrained at a moment
of extremity.
I reply that the conclusion of peace is a vary
simple matter, and mey be managed at any moment.
A;1- is necessary is, that both parties' should
sincerely wish for it. There. can be no doubt as to
.the desire of Great Britain to be at peace with
'China. What has Lord Elgin come all this great
distance for but to make peace ? But any peace
that we conclude must secure to us our rights and
our national honour. The refusal of China to admit
the principle of, equality in herrelations with foreign
countries is the source of all the foreign troubles
that hive come upon her. Had it .not been for
those unreasonable pretensions to which foreign
Powers will no longer submit, she would not have
'seen foreign armies within her borders, and would
have saved the large sums-paid as indemnities. I
cannot understand the singular distinction which
he draws between former wargand the present one,
or why the Emperor Should still' persist in fight-
ing. But if Pekin be taken, and his Mejesty
should fly, I do not see how he is to take the
population of the 18 provinces of China with
him, and it is population that makes trade. But'
to the question of peace, why do they not make
-peace—or why do they break it as fast as they
• make it ? Can it be that they really have no sin-
cere wish for peace ?At Tung-chow the other day
they made peace on one day, and then fought us
odan 11r
.the next. They certainly cannot say that the Eng-
-1 causing
September,the o
r should
war tos breakoul out
againish ha
unot
t leerne
have been in their hands. Is this double dealing
the result of bad faith or of divisions i.O their coun-
cils and Government ? I again go into the story of
.the 18th, but Hang-ki, whose manner on this occa-
:Sion is abrupt and unfriendly, stops me by saying
that it is useless to refer again to that affair. The
question is what can now be done ? Have I, -or
have I not, anything to suggest?
I point out that, being in ignorance of all that
has occurred since the 18th, I am not the person to
'apply to.for suggestions: Hang-hi is careful not
to supply information, but admits that a corres-
pondence is going on between the Prince of Rung
and Lord Elgin., lie seems to. say that nothing
conclusiaceieyet arrived at or immediately expected.
T again observe thandiffarences can only be settled
by negotiations, and negotiation, to be effectual,
should not be . confined. to correspondence, but
should be conducted by conferences, either between
the Plenipotentiaries themselves or their deputies.
Rut after what has occurred to you, Hang-ki said,
your deputy, Mr. Wade, will not come to see us.
You certainly cannot expect, I said, that any one
of our officers should again place himself in your
power, and it is -for you, who have violated a flag
of truce,, to come forward now and send deputies
to our side.' But will you guarantee their safety ?
he asked. Yes, I replied, if you send Mr. Loch
and myself with them. Hang-ki answered this
remark with a smile of • derision. That will not
do, he said; we want you to gurantee that your
people 'will make peace without any more fighting.
You have a better guarantee for peace, I said, in
your own sincerity than any that I could give. If
you really wish'for peace, you haVe only to send.
oot your deputies to open negotiations, and con-
vince the Ambassadors lay your proceedings that
you regret all paec acts of bad faith.
It is of no use, said Hang-hi, for 'me to return
the Prince of Kung with a set speech of this kind.
Business presses, and I doubt whether I shall be able
to see you again. Have you nothing else to say ?
Do you still refuse to suggest a plan ? Here the
Prison- Inspector, Gari-Ltiou-yay, interposed the
vs:nioric that I ought to. write a letter. Yes, said
Hanp,eki, Write to your Ambassador or to Mr. Wade,
engaging 'that the mandarin who takes the letter
shell.be well treated, and that there shall be a ces-
sation of hostilities.
I replied that it was quite out of my power to say
anything about the discontinuance of hostilities, and
that were I to make • such a proposal it would be
wholly useless, as it would have no effect upon the
.proceedings of the English Ambassador. I have
suggested a plan. I added, that you should send out
your Deputies, and.return Mr. Loch and myself with
them, in which case' we would be answerable for
their safety, and they could 'make any representa-
lionsor overtures that. you might desire. I cannot
:undertake to do more. As to your menace, I know
that I am in danger as. long as I am in your hands,
because it is no uncommon thing for the Chinese to
deal cruelly with their prisoners, or even to take
their lives. But while I should prepare for the
worst, I know also that my fate will be determined
not by your will, but by that of God. On the other
hand, it is for .you to bear in mind that, although
you would do the allied force but little injury by
killing the few prisoners who have fallen into your
hands, you would by such an act bring down upon
yourselves a terrible vengeance. I also reminded
Hang-ki a the different treatment lie received
When detained as a prisoner by tho allies at Canton
in 1858 ; and I again begged that, in View of what-
ever might happen to us, Mr. Loch and myself
might at least have the satisfaction of being put
into the same prison.
Hang ki replied that his imprisonment and mine
were' not parallel cases, that he could not, say
whether Mr. Loch and myself could be allowed to
be together, and that he felt he was returning to
the Prince Of Kung without having anything to
tell him, You will be in no danger, however, during
the next two or three days.
Two days afterwards, the 28th of Sepf ember,
Hang-ki again appeared, being accompanied on this
occasion by a mandarin named Sun.., whom he
introduced as an officer attached to the Prince of
Kung. The Prince, Hang ki said, had heard of
the private visits which he had paid me on the 22d
and 26th, and had sent for him in order that he
might hear Ilang-ki's own account of all that had
passed between us. The Prince wholly disapproved
of the manner in which I was treated, and attri-
buting this injustice to Sang-lco•lin-sin and the
Prince of I, declared his intention of following a
very different policy to that of the latter. Having
now the direction of foreign affairs, said the Prince,
I shall take my own course, however open it may
be to attack, and however people may say. that I
inn encouraging the extravagant pretensions of
foreigners, by treating them well. I shall adhere
etrietly to courteSyand justice in my treatment of:
foreigners, and if they do not meet me in the same
way they place themselves in tho wrong, while

whatever may happen I shall, at least, have the
conseiousnoss of having acted rightly. Therefore
go to Mr. Pa:rkes and tell him that -he shall he
removed to good quarters, and that he shall not
have to complain of his .treatment now that he is
in my hands. Let there be no delay, no, not even
to write orders, but take the officer Sung with you
in proof that you are acting by my direction.
Hang-ki followed up this, speech with a longer
one of his own, the tenour of which was that I
should mark my appreciation of the Prince's good-
ness by persuading, the Allies to observe the same
high principles as those which actuated the Prince.
I replied that 1 had no difficulty in assuring the
Prince that justice and courtesy would continue to
mark, as hitherto, the action of my own nation. It
was the absence of those principles on the part of
Chinese officials, as shown in their discourteous and
unjust treatment of foreign Governments, by refus-
ing to hold intercourse with them on terms of
equality, that had been the cause of the present
trosbles. With justice and courtesy on the side of
the Chinese, I. had no doubt acconimodatiou could
be arrived at.
" Listen," said Hang-ki to the three mandarins
who were with him, "he declares that his nation
will net according to justice. Take off his chains."
'f his having been done, Hang-ki again resumed
the conversation. He told me that affitirs remained
in a doubtful state; that correspondence between
the Prince of Kunz and Lord Elgin continued; but
that it veae still impossible to say whether the re-
sult would be war or peace. He thought, however,
that in the course of the negotiations an opportu-
nity would be afforded me of rendering the Prince
some assistance in return for his kindness to me.
I thanked the Prince for his good intentions, but
pointed out that, so long as I remained a prisoner,
I could be of very little use in promoting the set-
tlement of differences ; and I begged, therefore-, that
he would form no high expectations of my assist-
ance, as, in the event of matters going contrary to
their wishes, they might visit their dissatisfaction
upon me.
Hang-ki assured me that I need not apprehend
danger in my own case, except in the event of a
great emergency, say the assault of the city, when
the foreigners would be killing Chinese,. and it was
only natural that the latter should take revenge.
This led me to remark upon the more humane
practices of Western nations in regard to their
treatment of non-combatants, and those protected.
by a Ilse: of truce, &c.; but Hang-ki met my obser-
vations by stating that the customs of ell nations
could not be expected to be the same on these
points.
Hang-hi having told me that I should probably
be taken out of prison to-morrow, I stated that I
hoped Mr. Loch would have the benefit of this ar-
rangement, as, if not, I could not avail myself of it.
We had been sent away together under the same
flag of truce; had been seized and imprisoned
together; and h would not now do to take one of
us out of prison and leave the other in.
Hang-ki,replied, that I was raising a difficulty
which he could not meet without further instruc.
tions from the Prince of Kung. •
. He then took leave of me, but returned in a quar-
ter of an hour to say that he did not see how he
could bring up the subject of the removal of Mr.
Loch to the:Prince, unless I gave him a note stat-
ing that the latter had been exceedingly kind to
me, and was also very able and intelligent. I said
that it was quite impossible for me to express any
opinion as to the Prince'scharacter and attainments,
as I had never seen the Prince, nor had I ever
heard anything of his highness besides what Hang-
hi himself hod told me. Neither could I conscien-
tiously declare that he had treated me with extra-
ordinary kindness, seeing that I was still detained
in the common prison into which I had been at first
thrown, and that I had only that moment been re-
leased from my chains, although this privilege was
enjoyed by nine-tenths of the felons who were my
companions. It was not favour, but justice, that I
sought at the hands of the Prince. To be detained
as a prisoner at all was in itself an injustice; but if
so detained I ought not to be treated as a criminal
and an offender. against Chinese law, but as an
officer and a prisoner of war. I was certain, I
added, that the justice and courtesy of the Prince,
of which Hang,-ki had said so much, would induce
him to relieve Mr. Loch and myself from our pre-
sent ignominious position, if the matter were pro-
perly represented to him.
Haneeki urged that if I furnished him with a
paper to the effect requested, he could do more than
if he went to the Prince empty handed. Not will-
ing to lose the advantage which this demand gave
me, I again replied that I could write nothing of
the kind as long as-I remained in prison, and that
I would not leave the prison unless I was accom-
panied by Mr. Loch; but that as soon as we were
taken out of prison, and were treated properly, I
should be ready to note the fact in writing, and
also to state, if lie wished it, that I had been told
that the Prince was an able and intelligent man.
Hang-lei then left me, and returned in the after-
noon of the following day (September 29th) with
an order for the removal of Mr. Loch and my-
self from the prison of the Board of Punishments
to a temple where quarters had been prepared
for us. I need not here dwell upon the satisfac-
tion we both felt as we met each other again in
one of the outer courts.of the Board. Having been
put into separate vehicles we were conveyed, in the
charge of Bang-ki and a strong escort, to the
temple spoken of. Here we were placed in a room
about 20 feet by 10, which was e ntered by another
room of the same dimensions, in which eight of the
jailors of the Board were stationed. These rooms
looked into an open-court, about 40 feet square, in
which we were allowed to take exercise; but a
strong party of soldiers guarded the outer entrance
into this court, and we soon became aware that
military were put up, in and about all parts of the
building. Hang-ki explained the presence of the
jailors, by saying that they had been brought.here
to act as our servants. • With a degree of conside-
ration for our comfort, not usually shown by man-
darins, he had supplied us not only with such essen-
tials as good food, beds, &c., but also with the
luxuries of writing materials, soap, and towels,
&e. He left it to ourselves to order our meals
whenever we chose, and these, I may mention, were
abundant and good during the time of our stay in
the Kaow-tneaou temple. As soon as he had seen
us located in our new quarters I gave him, accord-
ing to my promise, the following note :
"The Chinese authorities are now treating Mr.
Loch and myself well, and we are informed that
this is done by the direction of the Prince of Kung.
We are also told by them that his Highness is a
man of decision and great intelligence, and I trust.
that, under these circumstances, hostilities may be
temporarily suspended to give opportunity for
negotiation."
September 30.—One of Hang-hi's head servants
delivered, in the name of the Prince of Kung, a
large present of fruit and confectionery. Hang-ki
followed himself at 2 p.m., and talked at consider-
able length without having any apparent object.
lie .maintained that the ifivasion of a country and a
march upon the capital was altogether contrary
to justice and reason, and that was what we were
now doing.
I held that the justice or injustice of in-
vasion depended upon circumstances ; if one
Power were wronged . by another Power,
and could not obtain redress by fair means,
force was the only resource left. We knew
from history that China had been invaded about
200 years ago by the Manchoo Tartars, who, when
once they had taken possession of the country,
never quitted it, but founded the present dynasty,
and yet I presumed that he, as a Manchoo, was
quite prepared to defend that course.
He then argued that, if we captured Peking, we
should have to contend against the viceroys of all
the provinces, who would, of coeirse, march upon us.
I said I thought riot, as many of these viceroys
were already unable to hold their own against rebels
and banditti. Instead, however, of wasting time
in arguing upon the degree of mischief that would
ensue upon the capture of Peking, I advised Hang-
ki to avoid that contingency altogether, by effect-
ing a timely settlement of affairs, instead of con-
tinuing to indulge in delays which, under present
circumstances, must prove particularly dangerous.
Hang-ki went over a good deal of old ground,
and c',efended hesitation on their part, on the
ground that we put difficulties in their way which
they could not get over. Among these he enume-
rated bringing up a large escort to Peking ; the
demand for immediate indemnities ; the presenta-
tion of the Q'ueen's letter, &e,
As Hang-ki insisted in keeping me in the dark
as to the movements both of the Ambassadors and
the forces, I could not give a more practical form to
ray suggestions. I had gathered from a conversa-
tion with one of Hang-ki's servants, previous to the
arrival of his master, that our army had advanced
to and continued to halt at Pa-le-cheaon, and when
I assumed this as the fact, Ilaws-ki's equivocations
convinced Inc of its truth. I advisedb him, there-
fore, not to lose what appeared to inc their last
.chance of negotiation, as one more march would
bring our army under the walls of Pekin. Hang-
hi having rr tin put forward the old plea that their
ears for the safety of their deputies prevented the
despatch of these officers to our camp, Mr. Loch
volunteered to escort them out and to return with
them again. Hang-hi said he would submit this
proposal to the Prince of hung.
October I.—Hang-ki called at 11 a.m., and was
accompanied by Lou, formerly Naoutai at Shanghai
and a high literary mandarin. Lau load been sent
by the Prince of I to Ho-se-woo with despatches
for the Ambassadors at the same time that Mr.
Wade and myself had visited the Prince at Tung-
Aow. In a half serious tone I compared the diffe-
rent' treatment in the two cases.. On the 16th

September I had carefully escorted Lau past our
lines, and on the 18th Thad been seised and brutally
treated by the Chinese in theirs. Haag-hl came
forward in .defence. The seizure of myself and
party was almost a necessity, he said, arising out
of the exigency of the moment : hostilities had
been resumed, I was in their hands at the time,
and it is contrary to all reason, he added, to put a
sword into the hand of your enemy at the very
time when you are going to give him combat. True.
I had at one time to complain of ill-treatment, but
that had been corrected, and.l was now well taken
care of. They all blamed Sang-ho-lin-sin and the
Prince of I for fighting at Chang-key.-wan instead
of concluding peace ; but, although they admitted
that my detention was an act of treachery, they
would not see in my present detention acontinuation
of the injustice. The Prince of Kung does not
approve, Hang-ki said, of Mr. Loch going out with
the deputies ; but we wish you to write a note to
Lord Elgin, proposing that your army should retire
for 10 or 20 le, and that deputies from both sides
should then meet upon some neutral ground. I
pointed out that such proposals should be made by
them to your lordship direct, and not through me,
and that I could not lower myself in the eyes of
my own people by proposing that our troops should
fall back previous. to negotiation. I consented,
however, to note the proposal they made as to a
meeting on neutral ground, and accordingly wrote
your lordship the annexed letter. Mr. Loch and
myself also prepared private notes to be used in the
event of Prince Kung allowing these to be for-
warded with the former.
The 2d of October passed without a visit, but on
the 3d Hang-ki and Lau called in the afternoots,
The Prince of Kung, they said, had kept back all
the letters we had written on the Ist. Again, they
seemed disposed to limit their conversation to gene-
ral subjects, and to deplore the existence of present
differences without making any real effort to settle
them. They stated that Lord Elgin had started a
different proposition to theirs, namely, that depu-
ties should meet "before the armies," instead of at
"a neutral spot." I pointed out that this was a
distinction without a difference. They then showed
me a paper, purporting to be an extract from one
of your lordship's despatches, on the subject of the
presentation of the Queen's letter, and wanted me
to declare to them whether this meant that your
lordship had no intention of insisting upon an
audience with the Emperor. They also produced
another extract, and desired me to inform them
whether that meant ,hat your lordship demanded
nothing more than the execution of the Treaty of
Tien-tsin. I declined to give an opinion as to the
meaning of any isolated passages in your lordship's
communication, unless they showed me the original
letters ; these they always declined to produce.
They then delivered the following note, which had
been sent by Mr. Wade, in reply to the paper I had
written on the day we were removed from prison,
and which I now learned had been forwarded by
them to the English camp :
"My dear Parkes,—We are glad to hear from
you at last. I have written you a note in Chinese,
and take my chance with this in English. Ever
since the Prince Kung has begun to write, Lord
Elgin has been writing to say that if they send an
officer to get the treaty ready for signature, and
send out the prisoners at the same time, peace will
be made. He adds no conditions to those he in-
sisted on before, and if the Chinese had had any
sense they would have made peace a week ago. As
it is, they have delayed so long that we have been
obliged to move on the force; and if they do not
make peace now, we shall be obliged to attack
Pekin. Our shell will easily destroy the city, and
if any harm befal you all, it will be burned from
one end to the other. Every one here wishes you
well ; if the other fellows want anything, try to get
the mandarins to inform us."
The Chinese version of the above note, which
had been forwarded open, had, of course, informed
them of its- contents. It gave us the information
we had so long been wishing for, and enabled me
to point out to Hang-ki and Lau that it was use-
less for them to ask me any longer for suggestions,
as it was quite clear they had only ono course to
pursue. Again I urged on them the great risk to
which they exposed their Government and city by
indulging in further delay; but they did not
appear much concerned, and said that they had
heard, through the French, that there was to be no
more fighting. I then wrote the following acknow-
ledgment of Mr. Wade's note, in English and
Chinese, and begged them to deliver it :
" My dear Wade,L--We have received the clothes
and your note of the 2d, acknowledging mine of
the 29th of September. I see that subsequent
notes (one public and two private) of Ist October
have not been delivered to you. I find that such
arguments as I have been able to use to the Chinese
authorities are in complete accord with your own,
and my only hope is that Prince Kung is a man of
sufficient intelligence and weight in the councils of
his Government as to induce the latter to follow,
without further hesitation, the course marked out
by Lord Elgin."
In one respect Mr. Wade's note gave us con-
siderable concern, as it seemed to infer that several
other persons were in the hands of the Chinese
besides the Sikh and the two Frenchmen who were
sent to Pekin with us ; bat though we often tried
to learn from Hang-ki and the other mandarins the
fate of the other gentlemen and men from whom we
were separated on the day of our seizure, they
always insisted that they knew nothing about ally
other prisoners, and had only accidentally heard
three or four foreigners were detained in Sang-ko-
lin-sin's camp. Having imagined from casual re
marks let fall from time to time by Chinese about
us, that Mr. Loch and myself, with the Sikh and
the two Frenchmen, were the only prisoners in
Pekin, we had hitherto hoped that the larger por-
tion of our original party, numbering no less than
twenty-three persons, had escaped capture.
October 4.—Lau called to say that all our notes
had been sent to the English camp with another
despatch from the Prince of Kung to your lord-
ship, upon the answer to which peace or war de-
pended. He would not, however, tell us the tenor
of the Prince's despatch,
October s—Hang-ki and Lau called in the after-
noon. As usual, their conversation was at first
desultory, and they pretended to want to discuss
with me certain provisions of the Treaty of. 1858
and the Convention of Tien-tsin. To our inquiries
as to whether they had any letters for us, they at
first produced only one newspaper and a packet of
medicine, but on my insisting that they must have
received something more, they delivered us Mr.
Wade's note of October 4, informing us, in very
decided language. that your lordship had determined
not to open negotiations with the Chinese authori-
ties until the prisoners seized under the flag of
truce bad been given up ; further, that as the
Chinese 'had not complied wale this demand,
although often repeated, hostilities would at once
be resumed. As reference to this letter may be
convenient in this place, I beg to annex a copy. I
read it over to Hang-ki twice, and the uneasiness
which he and Lau had, till then, been trying to
conceal, became now more and more apparent.
They again endeavoured to lead me into a long
discussion as to the rightfulness of our proceeding,
but I had only the one reply to give them—" You
have to choose between the destruction of your
capital or the unconditional surrender of your
prisoners." They could not agree, they said, to that
mode of proceeding, and things must, therefore,
take their course. Twice they went away, and
twice they returned to ask if I could not point out
some other mode of meeting the difficulty. In reply
simply quoted from Mr. Wade's letter. " But if
you are released," they said," before the Convention
is signed, and peace concluded, you will want to
retaliate upon us in some way for what you have
undergone. Mr. Loch and myself very distinctly as-
sured them that we had no wish or intention of
the kind, and they had it yet in their power to
atone for the wrong committed, by immediately
releasing all their prisoners. They then urged
that the Prince of Kung wanted to see me be-
fore we were returned: They could not Fay
when, perhaps in two or three days' time. I warned
them against incurring any delay on this account,
adding that, although it would be
gratifying to
me to see his Highness, such an interview could
not have any influence upon your lordship's actions,
I then wrote and gave them in _English and
Chinese the following reply to Mr. Wade :
" My Dear Wade,—We have received your letters
of the 4th, and I read the contents of yours to
Ilang-ki (who brought it to me), in order that he
might see that the only way of adjusting difficulties
is the one which you point out. The Chinese, if
they are sincere in their wish for peace, have the
means in their own hands of bringing about a set-
tlement at any moment, and if the destruction o
Pekin or any great calamity ensue, it is the cons&
(thence of their own conduct.

October 6.—Hang-ki called at noon. He had
been up' the whole night, he said, with the Prince
of Kung, discussing the provisions of the Treaty of
1858, and the proposed Convention. The Prince
of Kung had determined to accept both, and to
i
give up the prisoners in three days' time, on condi•
tion that both the Allied and the Chinese forces
should fall back a few miles, anti thus place some
distance between each other. The Prince now
wanted me to write to your lordship to this effect;
and he also wished explanations from me on seve-
ral points in both Treaty and Convention, particu-
larly in respect to the Resident Minister, the pay-
ment of Indemnities, and the evacuation of
the places held b the Allied troops. I
again pointed out how useless it was for me
to continue to write notes to your lordship, and
repeated my objections to being made the medium
of proposing that our troops should fall back from
any position they now had before or near Pekin. A

911111
It was equally useless for me, also said, to dl9ty
Ilia Treaty or Convetttioti ,7 bat, in. order to i,9
the Prince, I gave such explanations on
points as I felt at liberty to make; while on °Viol;
ti
I merely referred him to your lordship. I
wrote a note in Chinese to Mr. Wade, stating ti,e.
I had been in formed by the Chinese authorities
that they intended sending back the whole of
prisoners on the Bth inst. ; that their troops had
already been directed to fall back ; and that.o
trusted there would no longer be occasion for 00..
to advance. I also gave Hang-hi, at his partieuT,'.
request, a note stating, "If Mr. Loch,
all the other prisoners, are sent back in a proP!..or
manner, the English Government will take
revenge. As far as I understand the present P°sot
tion of affairs, the British Government do °if
intend to make fresh demands upon the Chineset'm
the latter agree, without any exception, to ea
provisions of the Treaty of 1858, and the propeb
Convention."
lies
October 7—At daybreak this morning we*or
the sound of a cannonade, which lasted for „In
myself, a 0_
minutes and then ceased. It seemed to conic ir''„o
no considerable distance, and, as the infer:ma%
conveyed to us, both publicly and secretly fro:ll.°m
friends in camp, had warned us that an attack 110.g.,1
take place at any time, we thought that this critie:
moment had arrived. At a quarter to eight Hargsi
came in to learn from us the meaning of the firing,
,
He could no longer conceal from us that our army
was before Pekin, and admitted Yuen-Ming-I'll,elfi
11%
—the Emperor's summer palace—had been tal
by the allied troops yesterday afternoon.
ug
Prince of Kung, who bad been staying there.
along, had managed to escape ; but he, Hangki,
ce
been nearly taken as he was going out to the Relf:ile
yesterday afternoon. Returning to the city 10 ills
evening, he found all the gates closed, and the the
manned, and his only means of getting into then,
!9"t
was by being hauled up in a basket. He feared Om
my note, stating that we should be sent out on t
Bth, and the official note of Prince Kung cover
it, could not have reached the English camp. If
I told him that, during the whole time of 0;‘,
confinement, both in the prison and in the tempi`'
we had never ceased to warn them against,
danger of delay, and all that we foretold seemed
now to be coming to pass. Their only chance
'
escape lay in the immediate surrender of Wlt
prisoners.
" How is that to he done," said Hangki "in the
9::
face of firing, and how can I now get the authority
of Prince Kung for your surrender ? Your irarPe'
diato departure would also interfere with the inter.
view he intended to give you to-day."
The interview, we replied, was of little importance.'
and danger to the city, in case of delay, was innii
neut. We advised him, therefore, to arrange tilt
our being sent away at once, regardless of whether
e
we had to go out in the face of fire or not, as "
were very willing to risk that danger.
He left us, promising to return shortly, and Ica°
counted the minutes, until these became hours sn
the day began to wear away. We did not agate
hear the sound of attack, but detected now and tile'
some stir, as of the movement of troops in Wir
/18
vicinity, and could observe looks of concern on
faces of our guards and gaolers. We sent to
Hangki's house, to inquire about his movemeel
but all we could learn from his servants was, WI
after leaving us he had been lowered over the city
wall, and had gone as they supposed in quest
Prince Kung. It was impossible to tell when P".
would return.
We anxiously looked for the nest morning, all,
felt some relief when no cannonade was heard
daylight broke. By sending to Hangki's house Wed
learned that he hail returned home at 3 a.m., ap
would be with us shortly. He came at nine, 0
the glimpse obtained of his countenance, before ,
had put on the look he wished to assume, shove,
.considerable dejection and anxiety. He explained
to us why he had not returned yesterday. left
you full of concern, he said, as I knew.that the Cad
and your lives were both in danger. Had the eitl
been assaulted, the first cry raised by the soldim:
would have been " Away with the .foreign
soners." When I inquired for Prince Kong,
found that he was too far off for me to hope to reao:
him. I therefore despatched a note proposing tbtl"
you should be given up at once, on condition that the
foreign troops should retire from Yuen.Miug
Yuen, which they had begun to plunder. At the'
same time I received an invitation from gr.
Wade to meet him outside the Tihshing-gat,e'
at four o'clock in the afternoon. • I went'
and we had a long discussion. He demanded 11(1,
only the immediate surrender of the prisoners,
also one of the city gater, and he handed me this
letter, in which you see he states the same
writing. It is quite impossible to comply WiPi:
such a demand, and what. therefore can be done
under such circumstances P
I read the note, which ran in the names of the
Allied Commanders-in-Chief, demanding the fibers'
tion of all the prisoners who had been seized, all';
the delivery into their hands of one of the gates of
the city, as a precaution against further acts w,
perfidy on the part of the Chinese. I could only
tell Hangki that this step was rendered necessary
by their previous acts of bad faith, and that the
Allies could no longer put any trust in them. It
was useless to hope that the Allied Generals would
alter their determination when they had once taken
it, nor did I see any course open to the Chinese
except eompliance
At this moment the prospect before us seemed
darker than ever, but Hangki, after some hesitte
tion, relieved us from our suspense, by remarking
that he had agreed with Mr. Wade that we should
be given up to-day as already promised, and that
we should be sent out at four o'clock in the after'
noon. Unable to rely upon the assurance of ani
mandarin, we anxiously awaited the hour name I
and could see that considerable uneasiness wise
evinced by Hangki, who visited us several times
in the course of the morning. At one time he
whispered to me, " I am particularly anxious to
get you away for reasons that I will tell yall
of at a future time, and I will not wait
for the hour named to send you off." He was
now willing to give us some information respecting
the other prison'ers. Upwards of twenty had been
taken, he said, but with a view to their safe cut'
tody, they had been divided into small parties and
sent away to different district cities in the interior.
It would take some days to get them all back, and,
he had heard that four or five of them had sickened
and died. Those in Pekin numbered eight in eli,
inclusive of Mr. Loch and myself; and we were all
to be sent out together.
At last, at two o'clock, he told us that all the pri-
soners had been assembled, and that we- could take
our departure. We were placed in covered carts,
without being allowed to see each other, and were
escorted by a large party of soldiers and mandarins
through streets which wore a deserted appearance
to the Se-che, or north western gate of the city.
We soon saw, with thankful hearts, as those great
portals opened, and then immediately closed behind
us, that we were already free men, for our guard,
not daring to follow us out of the city, had left to
ourselves the pleasant task of finding our own we"'
to the Allied Camp.
I must not close this report without endeavour-
ing to express my gratitude to your lordship for
the- firm and uncompromising manner in which you
insisted, from the first, upon our surrender, and
which, under the blessing olDivine Providence, has
mainly contributed to our liberation. Nor should I
omit to acknowledge the great debt I also owe t°
my fellow prisoner, Mr. Loch, for the warm sup-
)(Fat I invariably received from him whenever ti
moment of trial or of danger presented itself.
I
I have, &c ,

HARRY S. PARKES.

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appointment, and expense may
gravate and perpetuate diseases; their annoyance, dig'
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in indifferent health sending only their address to
-F-I•
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will receive
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BIRTHS.
BOORD.—On the 28th inst., at Vernlam House, the wife
of Joseph Boord, Esq., of a daughter.
LAWRENCE.--On tho 27th inst., at 32, Gloucester-gar;
dens, Hyde-park; the wife of Alfred Lawrence, Esc'', "
a daughter.

MARRIAGES.
BRADY—HATCIIELL.—On the 15th inst., at Rathfarharn
Church, county Dublin, the Right Hon. Maziere Brady,
Lord Chancellor of Ireland, to Mary, second daughter of
the Right Hou. John Hatchell, of Forifield House, co.
Dublin.

CADEAN—JEANS.—On the 27th inst., at Beckenham,
Thomas, eldest son of Mr. Cabban, of Greenwich, to
Sophia, third daughter of Mr. Jeans, of the same parish.

DEATHS.
CONNELL—On the 28th inst., at Highbary-park north,
John Connell, Esq., aged 49.
CAMPBELT„—On the 951 h inst., at Cheltenham, Major-
Geueral A. Campbell, late H.E.1.C., apd of Auchman-
nook and Avisyard, county of Ayr, aged 77.
TIE ItNEY.—On the 28th inst., at 20, Chapel street, Bel-
grave-square, Lieut.-Col. Sir Matthew E. Tierney, Bt.,
late Coldstream Guards, aged 43.

LONDON : Printed and rublisheci by 311.1RD0 YOUNG, of.
No. 112, Strand, Printer, at THE SUN Office, No. 112, Strand,
in the Precinct of the Savoy. in the County of AlidCUeeCX.
aturday, December 28, 181.10.