Tye San Francisco Chrimicle publishes a private letter from Lieut-Commander Maroon, of the Paulos, to his wife in San Francisco. The letter is dated Kiukiang, June Sth, and in it Commander Marthon writes as follows T left Shanghai on June Srd early, bound for this place, to be present in case of an outbreak, which was expected. We proceeded t" Nanking, but did not find any foreigners at that place, and continued up to Wuhu, the scene of the late burning of church property, I communicated. with her Britannic Majesty's ship Linnet and was informed all was quiet, but that two days before the Chinese authorities brought some men down to the shore; opposite the ship, and, in sight of all hands, beheaded them, They were said to be ringleaders in the late riot.
I continued up the river and reached Kiukiang at noon of June 6th. Here I learned of a riot taking place the night before at a place called Wusueh, twenty-six miles up the rit Tt was reported that two men were killed, and there were some women and children in the place. I at once proceeded up the river and reached there at 5.30 p.m, A Customs Chinese clerk came off and informed we of the riot, and that the bodies of the two men were lying where they were killed. I armed myself and told the Chinese clerk I wanted to go and see the place and bodies. We went ashore, procured some guides from a Chinese gunboat, and proceeded into the city a mile, where I was shown the body of a missionary named Argent, lying on his back, just as he fell in the gateway at the door of the church. The church and school had been entirely gutted of everything movable. I took a good look at everything and started for the other body, which was several squares distant. I found it lying in the middle of the street, covered with old mats, It was that of Mr. Green, Custom-House officer of this place, Just beyond him were the walls of a dwelling house, entirely destroyed. The other one in the rear was empty of everything but the floor and walls, It was set on fire but did not burn. I took a good look and thought I had better return, as it was near sunset and I alone in a large and strange city.
1 was soon aboard the Before leaving the shore I asked to be allowed to have the bodies and take them to Kiukiang, but was informed that the bodies had to be held for inquest before they could be removed, and that could not be held yet. Next morning at 6 o'clock the Chinese clerk came off with an invitation from the magistrate to be present at the inquest on o'clock, with the officers, I went on shore and met the mandarins, and with an escort of Chinese soldiers, three with tridents, two with halberds and eight with old muzzle-loading rifles, started out, going as Thad the evening before.
The table and chairs in the court room were decorated in official colours and emblems, and the furniture of the desks in like manner. The magistrate took his seat, I alongside of him, and made a short address. Then a yell went up, repeated three times; then a crier said something, and yells, beating of drums, ete., were repeated.' One of the court messengers threw a headless cock into the corner of the room, and the court was formally opened. The magistrate then gave orders to one of the court to examine the body of the late Mr. Argent. Having done so he appeared before the table, fell upon both knees, and read from his notes the number of wounds, their breadth and length. The magistrate then asked me to view the body. I found the body had been moved, stripped and washed. Though lying on its back we examined it, and then it was turned over and the same form gone through. The body was then dressed in European clothes and placed in a Chinese coffin, with about one inch of lime in the bottom, and the lid put Then a messenger brought two long strips of paper with Chinese characters on them. The magistrate dipped his brush in vermilion ink, drow it through line of characters, and'at the same time repeated something. He kicked over the table, throwing the brush away, and the court raised a yell; fire-crackers were burned, drums beaten, and the proceedings of the case closed. In the case of the late Mr. Green everything was the te of the first. So ended the inquest.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.