16th Sept. Mr, Drvnmoyp's letters told us as a certain fact that the outrages against foreigners in the Yangtze valley were the precursors of another rebellion, which was to break out as soon as the Chinese government was involved—through the outrages—with foreign Powers. Our correspondents at the river ports have mentioned from time to time that the imminence of a rebellion is openly talked of among the ople, and the strength of the Kolao lui, and its wide diffusion, are openly recognised up and down the river. The officials, as in duty bound, make vehement protestations of their determination to capture all the members of the Kolao Hui they can find, and give them short shrift; but the results of their activity in this direction are about as meagre as the results of the determination to permit no more outrages on foreigners. Every city in the Yangtze valley is full, we are informed, of Kolao Hui men, who are well known and many of whom could be arrested at once, if the officials dared to interfere with them. When they do try to make an arrest, the prisoners are given plenty of time to get away if they want to, in a case mentioned in our " Notes from No Papers " this morning; and if one man stays to he arrested, so little fear has he of being punished, that "he appears as easy and unconcerned as if he were free and innocent." Those who find it difficult to believe that this powerful society is really meditating a rebellion comfort themselves with the thought that its action is only designed to compel the Viceroy at Nanking to re-open his purse-strings; but. this theory fails to account for the outrages in Hupeh; for even if we allow that the outbreak at Wusueh was not the work of the Kolao Hui, there can be no question that the Ichang outrage was a planned piece of work; and in that case the Viceroy at Nanking is not touched by it.
That the outbreak of a rebellion has been planned to take place at no great distance of time is confirmed by facts that have come to light in the last two or three days. We mentioned yesterday that a large seizure of arms and ammunition had been made on board the steamer Chiywen, they having been so carelessly shipped in Hongkong, that the Customs here had advices by wire from three separate quarters that they were coming, the cases themselves being shipped as "steel." In connection with this shipment, as we learn, a Mr. Mason, an assistant in the Customs in Chinkiang on short leave, came up from Hongkong, and posted on immediately to Chinkiang, with a parcel of dynamite, which it was intended to send up in the Kwanglee but which Mr. Mason appears to have brought with him in the Chiyuer. Tt was also intended that six foreigners, who it is confidently stated were engaged by the agents of the Kolao Hui, should accompany Mr. Mason, but it appears that for {ome reason it was thought more advisable that they should come up in a German steamer; and we are informed that these six men are now in Shanghai. The story is—but this part of it is so improbable that we give it with all reserve—that these men were engaged to go to Peking and blow up the Imperial Palace, which was to be the signal for the outbreak of the rebellion an almost impossible scheme unless the Kolao Hui has a large number of adherents in the Palace itself. We publish the story because, if it has any foundation, the publication of it should enable such measures to be taken as will render any such attempt impossible. Mr. Mason having got to Chinkiang, was taken care of by HMS. Redpole, and was kept there until the Anshin Maru came down the river, when he was put on board in the man-of-war's boat, and brought down to Shanghai, These precautions were taken, it is stated, to prevent a rescue on the part of the Kolao Hui for whom Mr. Mason is supposed to have been acting.
A certain part of this may be the result of a very vivid imagination but there is very little doubt that the arms seized by the Customs were intended for some rebellions society at Chinkiang, and the visit to this port of two of SirRobert Hart's revenue cruisers, which ate proceeding up the river, is connected with the affair, How many cases of arms and ammunition have got through safely, is at present, and will remain, unknown. Whatever our opinion of the Chinese government may be, and however much we may be con vinced that it requires to be now dealt with firmly by the foreign Powers, there is none of us who wishes to see another rebellion, and it is very disquieting to gather that those who are fomenting 'a rebellion are in a position already to enlist foreigners in their service, and to make considerable purchases of first-rate arms and ammunition. We can only hope that the accounts that we have summarised this morning are very much exaggerated: we do not want to find that the Kolao Hui has been successful in its design to get the Chinese government into difficulties, and then light the torch of rebellion: but if these stories are substantially true, we are on the eve of very stirring events.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.