Scene I—British Concession on the Yangtze. "Time, noon, 2nd September 1891. In the foreground a merchant steamer at anchor; at the river's edge seven European Sisters of Merey huddling together under the bank—over which they have just been thrown—to escape the flying' missiles, their white dresses all dabbled with blood. On shore all the foreign buildings in flames, and a band of rioters rushing about engaged in the work of destruction. Two groups of foreigners are there; one standing grimly to anns in an old temple used as a Custom house, and the other in the British Consulate. "This latter consists of Consul, quietly seated at his desk; missionary, just escaped from the rioters, stretched on couch, his head enveloped in a large towel in consequence of " flow from 2 stone, he seems greatly excited; native servant crouch corner, has been in the hands of the rioters, and appears to be breathing out his soul to the accompaniment of dreadful groans. Standing round the Consul's desk are three residents in state of great bewilderment. A great stir is heard at the door which opens to admit a gigantic celestial warrior, clad in full regimentals, and surrounded by numerous retinue.' A tough old fighting man this, and commander of 300 picked braves with whom he could march if he wished to, from Burma to the Yellow Sea in spite of all "the secret societies" could do tohinder him. At present he is wringing his hands and throwing his limbs about, a picture of utter despair. Alas! Alas! There are a thousand times: ten thousand men, I cannot protect. you,"" he says, throws himself into a chair, sighs deeply and faints. One attendant mops his face for him, another fans him, a third blows up the match for the everlasting tobacco pipe, while the Consul gets up, opens a bottle of champagne and pours him out a tumbler. Latter treatment perfectly successful; at the taste of the liquor the jor revives. Alas! my men won'tobey, they have no arms, the rioters are innumerable, T cannot protect you." Chorus of indignant residents, ' What nonsense, you could protect us if you wanted to." "Why do you not protect us." Chorus of native retinue. What! do you speak to His Excellency like that? "He would protect you if he could. He cannot protect Consul, always for peace, intéreres; mollifies indiimant residents; consoles despairing r, and starts him off to see about his business again. His going away was with much less action than his coming, but his back being towards observer it could not be seen if his tongue his cheek or not.
"Now gentlemen," said the Consul, "the coast is clear, make fur the river and get on board the steamer as fast as you can." "But you must come with us." "No, my place is here; you must nut stay with tne, it is not safe, goat once." While the Consul sat alone int his office, as he has put it on record (Blue Book, page 56) "although the howling mob passed and repassed it frequently, and I expected to see them burst in every moment, especially as until evening after all the excitement was over I had only a Chinese lieutenant and one soldier on guano," they never disturb him. That is, one soldier was quite sufficient where three hundred were perfectly useless As the Consul was protected, while the men in the temple protected themselves, and all the others ran away, there was no bloodshed, although according to the Consul's report (Blue
tended killing all the Europeans they could Book, page 90) "the leaders fully get hold of."" An immense amount of pro-betty was destroyed, however, and the ives of many people ruined, The present writer is fully persuaded that if there had been a thorough investigation into this affair, before a jury, facts would have been brought to light showing the complicity of the Mandarins, which would have done much to bring about the greatly to be desired better method of dealing with. these riot cases, on the part of the foreign Powers, But as usual there was no enquiry, no punishment, and nothing done to prevent the recurrence of like deplorable outbreaks.
Scene T1.—Time, one year later. Two of the Sisters of Merey are dead. Certain residents are gone never to return to China. Lo, the warrior, is also dead; died of a stroke of apoplexy brought on by drinking, too freely of strong liquors one thirsty August day while discussing riots with one of the Viceroy's Commissioners. Tt is after office hours; the Consul takes his hat and stick, and goes to pay a few friendly calls on residents. In the course of conversation he states how so ad so has accepted the reduction, and how much better it would all would do so, and let the matter get settled. 'The Chinese were very anxious to settle it, and if people would: only take the money' they could have it at once. Of cause he could not compel them to take it, but in China it was necessary to do things in Chinese fashion, and that was always to have reduction. It would be perfectly useless to send the matter back to Peking, for years might elapse before anything more Would be heard about it, and one thing was certain—Great Britain would never go to war about " thirty or forty per cent. reduction on a riot claim. This was his advice in a friendly way, but of course folks could please themselves. The folks did s0; some were convinced and gave in, and some stood out. These obstinate persons insisted that the claims they hud sworn to were honest claims, and to accept a reduction was tantamount to acknow-leding them to be fraudulent. At all events they ought to be gone into, and some just reason shown for reducing them. Further they hinted that they would be nich better satisfied with their Consul if he could only sumetines use is lic to help.—Time, 10° a.m. on 18th October, 1892, Enter' claimant to the Consul's office. Finds Consul punctually there ready for the transaction of business. Claimant states that, in consequence of an cial order to appear before a Mixed Commission that morning in the Consulate 40 have his claim enquired into, he had just arrived from Hankow, and brought his papers with him. Consul expresses great regret that he had been put to so much trouble, ws there had been misunderstanding somehow amd the commission would not sit. The native Commissioner had arrived, and was in the drawing-room, but he was only empowered to pay the old offers. see, your claim is subject to a red 40 per cent, if you will agree to that you can have the money now, but if not I fear we cannot help you." Claimant, protests vigorously; declares it to be the height of nonsense to bring him such a distance only to tell him that; he insists on seeing the Commissioner for himself to have it out with hin, but the Commissioner will see no one but the Consul. Consul: sorry for claimant volunteers to. speak to Commissioner in his behalf, and after a short absence returns with the infern tion that: "His Excellency would give him another hundred Taels, but not a cent more." Claimant says he did not come to haggle about a hundred, or any other number of Taels, but to prove his claim was just; if, however, they would neither examine it, nor pay it, there was no more tw be said. So began and ended the great Commission appointed by the Tsangli Yamen and the British Minister to investigate and settle the claims arising from the Ichang riot. The other claimants had got notice the claisas would not
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.