9th June, As the Tekhsing was on her way up the river on Saturday morning early, having just passed Wusueh, the compradore came to the captain, Mr. Cain, and handed him a piece of brown paper which had been given to the compradore at Wusueh, where there is a passenger station. There was written on the paper a despairing appeal to any steamer captain into whose hands it might fall to rescue some women and chil who were in peril of their lives. Captain Cain turned back at once, and took on board three ladies and four children who had escaped, in little more than their night-dresses, from a riot the pres night. in which their houses had been burut down and the only two foreign men who were at Wusuel had been barbarously killed. Captain Cain made a futile attempt to recover the bodies, and Captain Davis of the Fuhwo, to whom Captain Cain commudicated the news, tried to land at Wu-such for the same purpose, but was not allowed.
Surely this pathetic story will rouse jour governments at last. "As long as only property was burat and destroyed, and the men and women were merely frightened and driven away from their homes, the Ministers might be. content with sending in a collective note to the mob, excited by the common unti- Tsungli Yamén—if they have even got jas far as that—with vague threats of something terrible if China did not properly protect foreigners. But when it your Lordship of 20th February having this Chamber copy, of their despatch to methodical manner, its intention being: comes to the atrocious murder of per-to destroy the foreign property, but not fectly innocent people, and putting reference to the reading of clause 48 of the Treaty of Tientain between Her Britannic Majesty the Queen and the Emperor of Chine as applied in the case of the steamer Brneralda, and also commenting on the treatment attempts at redress by the agents of the steamer received at the hands of Her Britannic Majesty's Mivister at ~Poking.
In support of the opinions expressed by the-Amoy Chamber the Comuittee of this Chamber beg most respectfully to bring to the notice of your Lordship that they entirely agree with the views act forth in the: Amoy correspondence, and, as.buth matters referred to directly affect comusercial interests in China, crust your Lordship will be pleased to give our joint opinions favourable consideration, If the interpretation which the Imperial Chinese Customs eek to place upon clause 48 of the Treaty.is admitted, it throws, in f this Chamber, much heavier Fespousibilities ripon the captains and owners of vessels on board which cases of smuggling have occurred (often by persons entirely unconnected with the vessel) than was contemplated when. the was vessel in liable to heavy fining and to the framed: "According to their reading the still myra serious penalty of being interdicted from trading for 'a breach Customs laws with which neither the captain not the crew may have in any way been connected, and which the utmost vigilance on their part might have failed to to injure the foreigner." "The opposition was to the military mandarin who came to the priest's assistance, not to the priest himself. Indeed, the tables were turned in the most curious manner, for the priest actually went to protect the mandarin from the violent denunciations of the mob, and was told, "I have nothing to do with you, I want to settle with him." This was letting the cat out of the bag with a vengeance, and the fact that, when the rioters were retired to the Chibsien's yamen, through the crowd, he was not even insulted, is striking confirmation of the opinion that the movement is not against missionaries or foreigners. But it may take this turn, and therefore it is that the amples measures should be taken for protecting foreign lives and property. The mob may some day get out of hand of their leaders.
We had written thus far when our apprehensions were too promptly justified by the receipt of the news that-two Englishmen, a missionary and a custom house officer, have been killed at Wu-hsieh, @ station on the Yangtze not harmless ladies and children into a state of terror which will probably leave its {more than a collective note is wanted. effect on them all their lives, something
When the barbarism that underlies the civilisation of the' Chinese breaks out, it must be met with force, and it should be met with immediate and irresistible (force. It is not possible that in the face of such an affair as that at Wusueh, the officers and men of our men-of-war should be obliged to stand with their masters of the situation and the priest arms: folded, and merely allow their ships to be used as places of refuge. There are now on the river a number of Fankow, and the U.SS, Adtance is unboats, and there is the Porpoise at
on her way up. But there should be half the British squadron in the river; there should be such a display of force as would cow the rioters it would be the kindest thing to, the Chinese as well as to the foreigners. The Taotai at Wuhu is eyading,, the settlement of. the claims on. him iby insisting on the previous rendition of the two Chinese Catholic nuns, who, he finds it convenient to assert, caused the riot, and he is being backed up in his
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.