Peking, October, 12, 1870.
My Lonp,—I have received, second hand, from a Chinese who must be regarded as a very good authority, an account of the Tientsin massacre, which is in one or two points worth attention.
The rising, he states, was purely a question of brigandage. The Hun-sing-tst, an Alsatian fraternity of Tientsin, had not for along time had an opportunity of filling their pockets, and had been meditating the possibility of an attack on the foreign Settlements.. The Prefect just condemned to exile, arrived in spring. He was anti-foreign, and, without speaking, let these bullies See that he would not.'stand in their way. Their plans were laid by about the 13th of June, all the authorities being aware of what' was coming. Ch'ung Hou was as well informed as the rest, and op-Posed to the rising; but he dared not speak or move, lest, if no worse, his own yamen should be destroyed.
Chen Kwo-jui was passing through Tientsin, and was much pressed by the Hun-sing-tzd to lead them, but would not. the 2ist, however, hearing that M. Fon-tanier had shot Ch'ung Hou, he mounted his horse and rode for Ch'ung Hou's yamen. There it was that he found himself in the midst of the mob, whom, believing Ch'ung Hou killed, he undoubtedly cheered on, Thislast detail is somewhat confirmed by remark made by Pao-ta-jén_in one of his many attempts to clear Chen Kwo-jui, He admitted that "some idle words," he feared, had fallen from that person.
If the object was such as this informant states, I doubt much that the first attack would have been made upon the reli establishments and French Cousulat It would be singular, too, that these being thoroughly destroyed before 2 veloc, the attack should not have been followed What is important is that Ch'ung what was going to happen ten hand. From the position of my informant Tam certain that this isa fact; and if Ch'ung How was so well informed, it is vain to suppose that the Central Government was left in ignorance.
confess to feeling more strongly than ever, that the story of M. Fontanier's firing on Ch'ung Hou and the magistrate is not deserving of credit.
Ihave, &e.
(Signed) Tuomas Fraxcts Wave.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.