The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-10-23
an antagonist that It is wholesome exercise to ex-

| NC hutnOIb Oh Inc Work Ian6lAte0 Dy MI. OXeu-
ford could not have better defender than that gen.
| tleman. Still cannot avoid saying that there il
ampe proof that they had want of Information on
the subject, which should have caused them to hest
tate before giving their account OF the Chinese n-
suTection to the world. As said in my former
letter, l am confident in my case, and kno that
Others possessed lorg since amount Of intelligence
on this matter which evidently had not reached NM.
Gallery and IVAN when they penned the pages in
question.
ton of the secret societies Of the Chinese. which
correspond in substance with the facts given in my
contribution Of the week before last, were commu-
picated to the British government in the early part
of May last, by gentleman now in the country, who
hao watched the "Theen Te' movement very a.ten-
lively for twenty years. As the question will by
this time have become the subject OF official semi
official investigation in Chlna the next Overland
Mail may dispel all mystery. But there ought not
as the clue has long been accessible to those who
took the trouble TO consult the time -honored works
OF Britisb philoog,sts.
But, setting aisle authority one strong argument
against The probability of an Individual namel Ten
te having recently existed in China is this The
name, from having been SO long known as the dis
tiDctve appelaton OF society for the promotion Of
| systematic rebellion has become synony nous with
''bil h teason"-or If applied to an individual is
would be understood rs 'arch traitor" No parent
would be likely to bestow such name on his child
which might the infant to be strangled by the
fist publlc officer who heard 1t pronounced nor Is
it to be supposed that pretender to the throue
would assume a title which would imply that ne was
usurper.
VIII scon be cleared up-aud he may console himself
as mol being the first European official rho has been
imposed On by the quick .witted Chinese; but the
rcums tances which have led NM Gallery and WAN
indoIse and publish the error OF Mr.. Meadows,
not to my mind quite so clear.
l will aod feH notes on Mr.. Oxenford's commu-
nication OF last eek-takng the paragrap h iat m,
and promising that have not seen NM. Gallery
| mr. ia frnm IN
| the remarks thereon which appeared 10 the Athe
maum of the 10th ultmo. In SO doing, shall ins ert
few extracts from letter, or letters in the China
7oa OF the I'D oil July, SEM t. me from Hong Kong
since ] wrote to you on the subject whi;h
tracts clearly show to my mind that Mr. Meadows
and others in the neighborhood are beginning to
the errors into which they have been drawn.
TAPPING and Haungsieoutsiuem may or may not
be tie same individual. The question has nothing
to do with the main point at Issue, namely whether
Iien Te is man or myth" believe that Tai
ping, like Tien Te is not name, but title given to
the new dynasty. The writer in the China Nut
says
The present style Of this regime is: 'T'ien Wang or
Tien ciu Of the Tai ping rien kwoho l. G., Heavens
King of the Heavenly Dynasty Of the Great Peace Heavenly
Country.
The paper of the late Dr. Milne Principal Of the
Anglo Chinese College, !" On the Secret Associations
of the Chinese" which communicated to the
Roy al Asiatic Society by the late Rev. Dr. Morrison,
in February, 1926 and which was published in the
first volume Of the Society Transactions sho VS. that
at that time Thee Te'' was the name by which
the Secret Association Triad Society of the Chinese
was known to students of Chinese literature. The
paper Of the late Dr. Gutzatf on the same subjs,t,
which is published in the Journal of the a static So
ciety fer 1885, establishes the connection between
the Theen Tie or Triad Asso ation of DR.. Milne, and
the secret associations then existing in China whose
chief object " the overthrow OF the MantchOo
and the restoration of the Ming;" and their hostility
to the reigDDg dynasty is shown by the offers they
made to assist the British forces in their operations
agaiDstthe Chinese government. DR.. Milne correctly
of in hic In hat fkn fTf
associaon) is not express ed on the seal and hence
it is difficult to ertain with certainty" To this
/ may add that "T'heen Te" is prohibited term
among the members of the association, and cannot
be pronounced in their presence without causing
shudder, although it is the name by which the
citation is generally known to strangers. The name
is also frequently applied by Chinese who are not
members, and by other members, to mysterious indi
vduals who are known to be connected with the
association. Residents at Singapore during 1850
and 1861 Will remember deranged Ohinese who
was in the habit OF stalking about the Streets occa
sionaly stopping short to apostrophise some imagi-
nary object in The sky. This man was said to have
lost his through his connection with the secret
associations, and the name by which he was COM
T. OILY known among the Indian and Maayan inha-
bitsnis was "p'hecn Tc"
The writer in the China Null quoted above, in
nsrraiiDg his interview with one of the rebels,
lie at frst the Northern King did to Mr. T. Meadow
at Marking, denied there ever such pers title
as en th but when confronted with the evidence of its
having used in the poclamatons from Marking and
Annoy, he admitted there had been such lie ,der; and
hat while he die not know whether it true not
he had heard that TO escape being captured, he had
Jumped into we'll in Kwangsi ard drowned He did
not know who composed their books but supposed that
they approved conformity by all the five leaders
st, led Kings. He stated that Shangti hwu used in
common with Ticn ii hwui San hoh hwui, Hung ka,
that they the San hoh hwui, and because Shang
explained be 'rhree in One" Hung Stu tsiuen has
been The acknowledged head of the Hung kia for
years. He formerly styled 10, First Brother.
Yang siutsing styled Ri ko Second Brother and
Lau aukwo styled San ko, Third Brother This
agrees with the .tatement made by Dr. Milne in his arti
Gle II Third Society," in relation to the government of
the fraternity that it committed to three brethren,
ST. led respectively First Second and Third Brother See
Chinese Repository vol xiv p. 81. These desgna-
tons continued till 1850, when Hung Stu
: Tai ping Wang, Chin chu, True Lord, which
title is given to him in The Book of Celestial De-
cees in line of poetry thus translated by the Rev Dr.
Medburst Heaven has sent down your King to be true
Sovereign Lord. The others respectively styled
Eastern King and Western King: They were driven to
commence the nsurrecon by the interference of the
Mandans before they had secured many adherens to
the shang fraternity they had desired The point
fret he rather eyad the question about the identity of
the Shapg ii hwui with the San hob hwui But when
pressed him with the Triad sign he had given in his
letter proof Of his true character and the word Hung
in the Annoy sea- he broke through his reserve and
then free in answering the questions in relation to it
If NM. Gallery and IVAN had perused with atten-
ton the works of the British authorities Chinese
matters-Milne, Stanton, Morrison, Davis and Med
hurst and the well dlgested contributions OF Gutz
lafr- their History Of the Chinese Insurrection
would probably have been Of greater value than it is
as book of reference. 1t Is possible that the per-
son shown to them as "Tien te !" may have been
descendant Of the Ming, as such descendants are
said to be numerous in all the southern provinces Of
the empire and nearly every rebel army is supposed
TO have one or more members Of the Ming faulty in
its ranks. Indeed, it is anticipated that the rival
pretensions Of these aspirants will occasion more
trouble in settling the new dynasty than the mere
expulsion Of the Tartars will be likely to create.
will take the liberty to refer Mr.. Oxenford again
10 the highest authorities on the subject-namely
| Doctors Milne and Morriscn-in support of my rem
| deing Of the term TienTe.
| My remarks have extended over greater space
| than intended; but | trust that they will not be
unacceptable as helping to throw some light upon
oDe Of the most remarkable struggles recorded in
| the history CT coLtending dynasties.
CELESTIAL VIRTUE, OR HEAVEN AND HARTH.
!, Since the date of the letter which you we're kind
enough TO insert in the AGeedtn, of the Oath inst
| Glanced to meet gentleman who has bestowed
| AI,nN Law