Sacramento daily record-union., 1883-10-27
WHO THE BLACK rLAes. ARE.

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 Marking fell after its
long siege, and Hung Seu 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 rebell-
ion had taken its rise in Kwang-si, OF
which province Hung was native (; and
the Pekin mandsrins were naturally most
anxious to punish the shock headed lit will
be remembered that cutting off the que and
growing the hair was the sign of rebel)
natives of that province. But the men OF
the West river were far more lucky than
Others of their brethren, who were slaugh-
tered by the Hwang-ti's troops and massa-
cred by the Eo-los in Ssu-chu' an and Kan.
sun.
When they found that resistance was
useless, they simply crossed the frontier
into the hills in the north of Tonquin, and
the imperialists did not follow trem. At
the head of these rebels who did not num-
ber 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 salts
fed 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 free with their
new dwelling place. They poured down
into the valleys, sacked and burned towns
on their way, and carried off women and
children into slavery. In no very great
time the whole OF Northeast Tonquin was
in their hands and the provinces Of Gao
Bang, Tuyen. Kwang, LongsoD, 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.strioken officials
agreed to pay tribute to the Flags and mat
ters 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 regular duties, Gre
ated 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 trade by imposing too heavy exac-
very soon found out that trade was really
much brisker than under the feeble Gov
ernment of Ansmese.
Matters were thus going on very well
when NJ. Dupuis appeared upon the scene
and stirred up the hornets nest which will
cost France so dear. He sailed up and
down the Seng.coi and through all the
creeks of the delta, lecturing Anamese
msndarins as if he were Minister of the In.
terror and they were sub.prefects. His
steam launches, the Laokai and the Mang-
hao, steamed up to the Black Flag head
quarters, and the explorer threatened TO
shoot down the whole of Liu's band If
they were not civil.
On his descent of the river he came upon
the Yellow and Black Flags firing at one
another across the river. NJ. Dupuis or
dered cessation of the engagement till he
had passed, and was very indignant be-
cause some of the Flags took no notice OF
his commands. 1t was he who led the en-.
thusiastic GARNER into the rash exploits for
which the gallant explorer 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 Lsokai
they had sixty double barreled fowling
pieces, with aifew ancient fiint-and-match'
locks. At Koun.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
Government to determine on the annexa'
tion of the Flags country for it is there
that the chief mineral wealth of Tonquin
is to be found-tbe gold and silver and
copper and iron mines. But now it has
come to fighting the Black Flags, it is
found that they have multiplied, and that
they are all armed with Remington rifles
and, finally, that fighting the Black Flag
is very like fighting the Chinese. Even if
the Chinese Government and the French
republic arrive at peaceful solution of
their difficulties. the Hak-kis have still TO
be reckoned with before the Song col river
is opened to commerce.-[St. Joseph Ga
zette,