so far as to say that, if we liked, we could join the Viceroy's' party. To meet our objections as to the needless delay this would involve, entirely caused by the route they were going, they urged the greater safety of that route, and that great officials could command great speed. We therefore left with them on the Tuesday evening in the Taio, with the most definite understanding that, on our arrival at Huang-chow, LiTa-jen, a Taotai and chief deputy of the Viceroy, would procure for themselves and for us a strong escort from that city, with the presence of the responsible authorities there, and that we should go forward on arrival without a moment's delay. Moreover, to show that they really meant it, they sent on board from Hankow a military officer and ten soldiers, as a special escort for usto Sungpu and back. Of all these things we were most distinctly assured in the presence of the Consuls, by Tung Lao-yeh, the Hankow Taotai's deputy. Unfortunately the arrangement was not committed to writing and given to us, so when afterwards the whole was repudiated by the Viceroy's party we had nothing to show.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.