body who h ided for-any ti in the celestial empire knows full well, man's head placed in a bamboo basket and suspended over the gate of a city for the crowd to gaze at and take warning by. Tt-in not often, however, that the demoralized instincts of Chinamen have been gratified by the sight of a Europe: head in such a position, and we may fancy what a crowd has stopped to gaze intently on such an unusual object over the chief gate of Momein, ed towns of the remote province of Yunnan. Day after day during the past month the £¥es of a Chinese multitude, as it passed in and out of the' city gate, were turned towards the Yang quei tze tow, or "foreign devil "head, Some grinned, no doubt, satisfaction, some wondered in mute astonishment; and acme, perhaps not a fer—for all Chinamen are not auch idiotic, ivolons creatures they are generally taken to be—made shrewd remarks, and Auestioned to themselves the wisdom of a proceeding, -however sophistically counted for in the proclamation posted the side wall of the city gate, Poor Margary! Full of life, and the Pride of having accomplished the feat of being the first Englishman who succeeded in traversing fiom the north-east to the south-western limit of the vast empire of China, and safely got beyond its borders to Bhamo where we have a resident political agent—such, it seems to be too true, is his unhappy fate.
The story is soon told. Having accomplished his mission, to which he was duly accredited by our representative at the Court of the Emperor of China, and by the Chinese Government, and' arrived safely at Bhamo on the confines of Bur-mose territory, he put himself in comnication with Colonel, Browne, who ived at Bhamo from the south about time, in command of the expedition to the Governor General of the province of Yunnan, to open up a trade route with western China, It was con idered that the experience he acquired in his recent journey would be most valuable to the expedition, and he at once prepared to return with it over the same ground to Talifoo, and through China to Shanghai The expedition consisted of five Europea Colonel Browne, Dr. Anderson, Allen, in charge of the Topographical De:
tment, and Mr. Ford in charge of the escort of 15 armed Seiks, this was added, by the Burmese King's orders, a guard of 100 Burmese soldiers under tio Of their officers: so that, what with the baggage animals, several of the Chinese servants and other followers, the expedition assumed considerable Its history is, however, a very brief one. Starting from Bhamo through a line of country which had already been determined upon, and the necessary preliminary communications with the Tsawbas or heads of the clans of semi-independent tribes who inhabit the space intervening Vetween Chinese and Burmese territory—who, in fact constitute the "buffer" between those nations—having been duly accomplished, the expedition set out; but after afew days march some difficulties were encountered, and opposition began to be shown to its farther progress, length it became palpable that proceeding any further would be likely tu cause hostile collision with the people; this of was to be avoided, as the expedition, whatever may have been ils merits, was strictly a pacific one. This route was iven up, and the parly returned to thamo, Where a uew one was determined on; and as soon as the necessary communications with the chiefs residing in that direction were completed, the expedition started on its way again, A few marches had hardly been accomplished when rumours of opposition to its progress w fe, and as it proceeded these rumours assumed a more definite form, From the accounts we have had the opportunity of hearing feom the members of the expedition when they touched at Thayetmyo, where they arrived on the 15th ultimo on their way to Rangoon—and these accounts were necessarily very vague and limited until the ollicial report of the mission is published—it seems the usual duplicity and feeble curin people was apparent in the terview with, and messages sent by, th chiefs of the Yochins, (Kakhyens?)—th I designation of these people, whoa guished as Burmese or Chinese Cochins in acoordance with their proximity to either the Burmese. or Chinese territory, and are generally known in China as the Shan ye, or hill men, who prefer their own barbarous independence rather than submit to Chinese laws and customs.
At length the opposition compelled the party to halt,.and in order to ascertain the reason of it, and if possible to adjust matters, Margary, with five or six Eh ts who accompanied him, proceeded stall, perhaps, never fathom what took place in that interval. Suftice it to sey that Margary did not turn up in the manner he had pre-arranged with Colonel Browne, and that the last communication with him was a message he sent buck saying that the expedition was tocome on, as it was all right. The Chinaman who brought back this message returned to Margary, and was one of the unhappy victims Of that kind of treachery which has so frequently branded the Chinese character in history. This was near being exhibited on larger scale. Colonel Browne, receiving the message that it was all right in front, started off ahead of his party with one or two others, and was to all appearance politely received by an official at his residence, which he was induced to enter; presently it became no longer doubtful that some serious duplicity was intended, which was fortunately, frustrated by' the timely arrival of the armed escort. There was an immediate retreat, when their worst apprehensions were confirmed by the appearance of armed men on some neighbouring ills, and some shots fired from the jungle close by. Oneof the Seiks was struck by aspout bail, and a mule belonging the baggage tauatel: were the only tra shot through the neck.
but they'might have been more serian: fact, the safety of all the party would have been in much jeopardy had it not for the resolute behaviour of the Seiks, who were armed with breech louding Snider rifles, but who had few chances of using them with effect, as the jungle was both close and dense, 1t was not' until the Burmese guard and friendly Cochins, who behaved well, had set fire to the jungle, and thus obliged the enemy, to expose themselves in the open, that their ring told, Probably twenty altogether were shot, After such an unfortunate occurrence, it was of course impossible to think of proceeding further, and the next thought was how to get back to Bhamo. This being resolved fon, the expedition retreated as fast as possible over the high range of hill which separates Chinese from Burmese, It was well it did 40 in time, it was only iderable force, which was being sent on from Momein with the object of cutting off retreat in all direction:
It was since ascertained, however, that there was no doubt as to poor Margary's fate, At the frontier town of Manwein, through which he had passed on his way to Bhamo, and where he had been hospitably received, he had been decoyed into a place under most friendly pretexts, speared while he sat on h pony, by some dastardly Chinese; and his head' was sent on to Momein, together with the heads of five or six Chinese who accompanied him, One of these Chines had picked up in Shavghai, Another joined him at Hankow. He was "Christian, and a most intelligent and well-iuforme man, Another was a native of the province Yunnan, who, being a Panthay, had escaped into Burma from the recent general massacre of his party and settled at Prome, where he married a Bu wife. He joined the expedition with the view of returning to Yunnan to see his aged mother and surviving relations, De had made himself most useful, and was much regretted by all in the expedition. It not be supposed that any of the servants were agents in the treachery; on the contrary, the expedition owes its escape altogether tu the fidelity and quick apprehension of the Chinese servant who accompanied Colonel Browne when he went on in advance, Now, who were the aggressors? There can be no doubt they were a band of Chinese braves, with, of course, some local bins, One of the leaders, who was micro courageous than the rest, got in advance of his men, and was shot by the Seike, There was an opportunity of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.