On page 43 we have still another from the same court of enquiry, in which we are told that they have now: discovered the reason why the foreigners continued to loiter about Hokiapu till they brought a great catastrophe on themselves. It was entirely due to the action of the traitorous natives Liu Tze-han, Yang Ching-chen, and others, who enticed them to remain, and filled their minds with noxious delusions, On account of their immoral relations with a number of women these natives did not wish t> leave the place, so when the Macheng hsien sent to invite the missionaries to retire to the city, these traitors would not permit them to go. They also assisted the foreigners in binding the four men, and in creating the disturbance. They afterwards ran away and took refuge in the foreign Concession at kow, taking with them the: issionai clothes, goods, and cash. 'There being no doubt at all that these men, six in number, are the primary cause of the calamity, and that they took their masters' things, besides being natives who know all about the affair, they must be at once arrested. But as it would not be convenient to send runners on to the foreign street to seize them, they beg that the Swedish Consul be directed to hand them over to Taotai who will forward them to Huang. chow where the court will attend to them. The Taotai directs the Swedish Consul accordingly, but as nothing seems to have come of it, we find a week or so after another despatch, this time from the Viceroy. He tells us in the lucid, calm, convincing way in which he handles all subjects, that many criminals have been, seized—(only three, and these doubtful), but being without eye-witnesses {it is said there were ten thousand eye-witnesses) and having only indirect evidence, it is ditticult for the authorities to pronounce sentence As from the beginning to the end of the matter these six men were with the foreign missionaries, what they saw and heard can be depended on, therefore they must be brought forward to give evidence; otherwise not only will it be difficult to settle the case, bat other troubles will surely arise, hence, as before, the Swedish Consul is directed to produce them. Of tive divs' later date is another despatch to the same effect from the Governor. In reply Consul Thyen states that he has referred the matter to the Consul-General in Shanghai, but what he had to say about it does not appear. Tne incident is closed by a note from Const Thyen stating that he lias gone to Shanghai himself on public business. Thus the si refugees, fortunately for them, w produced, and the matter isnot tioned,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.