We were taken first to the prison for the detention of untried prisoners, and important witnesses. It is on the right side of the yanéu in going in, and consists of a long low building, end on to the courtyard. The front of it, m place of a wall, is formed of a row of strong posts set several inches apart, while similar rows of posts divide it up into compartments about fifteen feet square. In one of these compartments we found our friends the Bos, in company with the accused persons in a recent murder case, The prison was cleaner than we expected to find it, and our men in age of their unshaven condition, also looked clean, and were clad in long blue gowns. We were quite astonished to see them so comfortable, 'The first one we interrogated was the ex-refugee, but although we knew him quite well he did not show the least. sign of ever having seen us before in his life. He answered our questions mechanically, told us where he had been caught, and' when, how often he had been examined; and that he had never been beaten, nor tortured, nor starved 5 nor was he in want. of clothes or of anything we could do for him. Ho Fourth Dog' had nothing to complain of either 5 he had never been ill-treaed, had plenty of clothes and food and bedding, but the poor fellow could not help putting in a word for his wife and seven children, the eldest only sixteen, all entirely dependent on him and now left to their own poor resources in Sungpu. Nine Eggs we could not have recognised again, although we: had a good look at him when he brought down the news of the massacre. His feet were manacled, but he was not chained hand and neck as had been reported to us. He has never been beaten either, nor tortured, nor was there anything we could do for him. Please show us your buttocks." "No, no," shouted the guolors, and Mr. Liu did not at all approve when seeing the the poor fellow dared not stir we proceeded to undo his long gown ourselves. Underneath there were only a few thin rags, and on the backs of his legs were raw red sores about the size of one's hand just as we had been told. On this Mr. Liu made a virtue ofanecessity. "Oh yes," he said, he was beaten ten days agoforstealingfivetaels from a poor wonan. Yes, her name was YuTa niang, and yes, it is true these are not their clothes, but we have bought them fine waded ones, and pu hias (bed quilts), only the weather has been so warm we have not given them to them yet." In short it was only tou evident that all this fair seeming was a get-upon the part of the prison officials which did great credit to their cleverness, but the real truth must have been pretty much what was previously reported to us by our natives. The poor creatures, in the presence of Mr. Liu and his gaolers, dared not say a word but what had been told them. Before leaving the city we were able to procure clothing and a supply of bedding for them, in addition to the fine things Mr. Liu spoke of which we feared might not be forthcoming once we were gone. We were also exceedingly thankful that five other innocent people had been saved, in spite of Mr. Bock, from perhaps even more t experiences of torture, hunger and nakedness, as they have the misfortune to be much deeper in their black books.
A REPAST, On leaving this prison tiffin was announced, and a grand tiffin it was. Course after course of native dishes succeeded ench other in bewildering profusion, and of a quality we had very seldom seen equal-Ted. It was probably part of the provision they had got in hand for the Viceroy's visit. Mr. Liu did the honours, our two writers were seated with us, and our attendant assisted in waiting.' It happened they were all in their silks so we formed a highly respectable looking party. When a mandarin lays himself out to do the agreeable, no one can do it better, and Mr. Liu came short in no respect. The talk was of everything under the sun save the Sungpu case. Foreign countries and ways furnished an inexhaustible store of subjects, and as our host was anxious to improve the time by learning the English tongue in the intervals of eating, the conversation never flagged. "This is a dish of yn ts: (duck). What do you call ya ts: in English?"
Pig," answered one of our learned writers promptly. "No," said the other, it is "Egg." "No no," chimed in our still better informed—on these matters—domestic, in the free way Chinese servants use in native houses, "This is tuck." Yes, boy, thought we, yo up top, this is tuck, and good tuck too, but of course we only said with becoming gravity the name of the fowl in our mean country is Duck." Upwards of an hour and a half of precious time was consumed in this pleasant but somewhat tedious function, and then it was announced that the prisoners in the condemned cell were ready to he seen.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.