Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-10-17
The Black Flags. of TOnquin.
From the st. James Gazette

To find out who the Black Flags are and how
they came to settle in Tonquin we have to 90
back to the days of the TAPPING rebellion. When
Nankin fell after it's long siege and Hung Sen
Tseuen resigned his kingdom of Eternal Peace.
which had fought so desperately during all the
dozen or more years that it lasted, the imperial
troops proceeded to make very short work of
the Taipings that remained. The rebellion had
taken its rise in KwanS-si, Of which province
Hung was native; and the Pekin mandarins
were naturally most anxious to punish the
shock-headed Git will DO remembered that cut
ting off the queue and growing the hair was
the sign of rebeD natives of that province.
But the men of the West river were far more
lucky than Others of their brethren who were
slaughtered by the Hwang-ti's troops and mas
sacred by the LO-lOs in Ssu-chuan and Kan-suh.
When they found that resistance vas useless
they simply crossed the frontier into the hills in
the north OF Tonquin, and the Imperiasts did
not follow them. At the head of these rebels.
VINO Old not number more than 5000 altogether.
was Wa-tsOng. one OF the minor Wangs under
the rule OF the king Of Eternal Peace When
they found that their pursuers were satisfied
with driving them out Of the middle Kingdom
and did not venture to continue the attack into
the hill country. the Black Flags proceeded to
make very free with their new dwelling place.
They poured down into the valleys, sacked and
burned towns on their way, and carried off wo.
men and children into slavery. In no very great
time the whole of northeast TOnquin was in their
hands, and the provinces of CaO-Bang. Tuyen-
kwang, Long-sOn, Thai-Nguyen, Bacninh and
SOntay were in as pitiable a condition as the
greater part Of south China during the TAPPING
struggle.
Eventually the terrOr-stricken officials agreed
to pay tribute to the flags and matters quieted
down There was no love lost between the
rival Cinnamon; but they, too, managed to rub
along together; and in a short time there was
comparative peace. The flags established regu-
lar duties. created mOnOpOlies, got agencies
at Hong Kong, and, in fact had everything
their own way. AS Cinnamon, and therefore
good men of business, they took care not to kill
the Hong Kong and Canton guilds very soon
found out that trade was really much brisker
imam under the feeble government of Anamese
MATTERS were thus going on very well when NJ
lupus appeared upon the scene and stirred up
the hornets nest which will cost France so dear
lie sailed up and down the Song col and thrOnrh
all the creeks OF the delta, lecturing Anamese
mandarins as if he was minister of the interior
and they were sub-prefects. His steam launches
the Laoka and Nang-haO steamed IN to the
black flag headquarters and the explorer threat
ened to shoot down the whole of Luis band if
they were not civil.
On his descent Of the river he came upon the
yellow and black flags firing at one another
oSioso TIC ii'ti' VI. lupus Oruefcu cessation
OF the engagement till he had passed, and was
very indignant because some of the black f]aps
took no notice Of his cOmmands. It was he who
led the enthusiastic GARNER into the rash ey
plots tor which the gallant explorers had to
pay the penalty with his life. Finally. it was he
who persuaded the French government that the
flags were almost as contemplate foe as the
Anamese.
When he was exploring the country in 1873
NJ Dupuis found that the black flags were most
feebly armed. At LaOkai they had GO double
6arrell"d fOwling pieces, with few ancient
Observation-Disclosures. At KOuen-ce he did not
see single gun among them; most of them
had spears and pixies. but good many seemed
to have nothing more formidable than flags. No
doubt this information led the French govern
ment to determine on the annexation of the
nags country, for it is there that the chief min
erai wealth Of Tonquin is to be fOund-the gold
ana silver and copper and iron mines. But now
that II has come to fighting the black flags it ia
loond that they have multiplied, and that thew
are all armed with Remington rifles: and finally
that lighting the black flags is very like aehtiny
Chinese. Even If the Chinese government and
the French republic arrive at q peaceful soln-
ton OF their difficulties, the Hak-kis have stiIl
to be4eckOned with before the Song-coi river ia
opened to commerce. -