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

the Prince. In a word, the Prince had either played
false, or he had no power over his own people.
How could business be transacted with such Corn,
missioners ?
Hang-ki evades explanations, and suggests that
I should write a letter, but to whom or to what pur-
pose, he does not seem to know. They want a let-
ter, he says, that wibrin; about a settlement of
affairs. I tell him that such a letter should come
from them. He still presses me to write, but
I decline 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 nee 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
usual red card in my own handwriting. I com-
plied on being furnished with writing materials,
and I find that the card 1 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-
ki came to the prison, and I quote from a note made
at the time the following summary of our conver-
sation :
At about 2 p.m., 26th September, received a visit
from Hang-ki, attended by two prison inspectors,
Gan and Choo gays. I first spoke about
being put in the same prison with Loch—a email
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 hosti-
lities of the allies are very different on this to all
previous occasions, as by advancing on Pekin they
are attacking the Emperor himself, and note 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 Sehol, 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
taken—and the Imperial forces retreat, fighting, be-
yond the frontier, the dismemberment of the empire
will follow, and all trade will be at an end. Is this the
course that must be adopted or not ? The majority of
Princes and Ministers are for it. The Prince of
Ching,Prince of I, Sang-ko-lin-sin,and others say that
peace cannot be made with the Allies, because they
always 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
6,000,000 taels in 1858, and now 10,000,000 taels
more—almost eq ".al the amount that has reached
the Imperial Treasury from the same source during
the above period. The personages just named, to-
gether with a large majority 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 out, no alternative presents
itself. If I will not do this, and affairs continue to
go wrong, I shall 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 very
simple matter, and may be managed at any moment.
Ail that 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 have 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 wars and the present one,
or why the Emperor should still persist in fight-
ing. But if Pekin be taken, and his Majesty
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
the next. They certainly cannot say that the Eng-
lish hadany share in causing the war to break out
again on the 18th of September, or I should not
have been in their hands. Is this double dealing
the result of bad faith or of divisions in their coun-
t oils 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 pereon to
apply to for suggestions. Hang_ki is careful not
to supply information, but admits that a corres-
pondence is going on between the Prince of Kung
and Lord Elgin. He seems to say that nothing
conclusive is yet arrived at or immediately expected.
T again observe that differences 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.
But 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 iu year
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. Haug-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
out your deputies to open negotiations, and con-
vince the Ambassadors by your proceedings that
you regret all pass acts of bad faith.
It is of no use, said Hang-ki, for me to return to
the Prince of lung 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 Insuector, Gan-Laou-yay, interposed the
remark that I ought to write a letter. Yes, said
Hang-ki, write to your Ambassador or to Mr. Wade,
engaging that the mandarin who takes the letter
shall 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-
tions or overtures that you might desire. I cannot
undertake to do more. As to your menace, I know
that I am ix 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 of the different treatment he received

when detained as a prisoner by the 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 September,
Hang-iii again appeared, accompanied on this
occasion by a mandarin named Sung, 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-ho-fin-sin and the
Prince of I, declared Ilis intention of HI wing a
very different policy to that of the latter. Having
no; the direction of foreign affairs, said the Prince,
I shah take my own course, however open it may
and however people may say that I
am encouraging
be to attact', the extravagant pretensions of
1.,
•qt
foreigners, by treath. them well' • " .
I shall adhere
ice in my treatment of
strictly to courtesy and
•-n•
foreigners, and if they djo not ti• ^ wrong, while
way they place themselves in tut,
-neet Me in the same