One of the Viceroy's small steamers went down the river yesterday, towing a ferry boat in which to receive and bring back the coffins. She had a guard of ten soldiers on board, no doubt lest some wicked rioter should try and further kill the poor remains or perhaps lest certain reckless foreigners should make an attempt to steal them. General Chang with 200 soldiers has been patiently waiting in the sun all day down below the city gate to receive the coffins in state, but still they come not. What a sad and sickening farce it all is! Only a very few soldiers would have sufficed to save the lives of our friends at Sungpu, and they were denied. A native who was friendly with the missionaries, and was therefore beaten till he was one mass of bruises from the crown of his head to his knees, was telling me to-day how he went to the military mandarin who, however, would not see him, and pleaded with his satellites to come and save their lives, As they refused, he then begged for a few of his soldiers' coats which he and his friends might wear, and thus give a semblance of the foreigners being under official protection, but they would not grant this either. But now they are dead they are furnished with guards, and soldiers by the hundred.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.