In northern Shansi the Catholics had missions in the five prefectures of Ts yuan fu, Fengehoufu, Tatunefu, Supingfu and Ningwnfu. They were attached to the Italian Catholic Mission. Their losses during the massacre had been two Bishops, three priests and seven nuns, among Europeans. For these lives and for the property both of the missions and the converts the indemnity asked was so large that Shen could not arrange on the spat and the question was referred to Peking. There a consultation between Li Hung-chang and the Ita'ian Minister fixed the amount at Tls. 1,000.000. In the four southern prefectures of Luanfu, Tséchou-fu, Pingyungfu and Puchoufu, the stations belong to the Dutch Catholic on Here fortunciely =o Uver bad teen lost though one Dutchman had been wounded. The indemnity agreed upon to raised by the province was 000 and in admit on to this Tls. 500,000 as subsequently granted from the Grand Indemnity fund of Peking. Yet another body of Catholic Missionares whose claims demanded satisfaction were those of the two Belgian dioceses in that part of the province which lies on the northern side of the Great Wall and practically belong to Mongolia. One of these bishoprics consisted simply of the prefecture of Saratsi; the other comprised those of Kweihuachéng, Toto, Hujlingkor, Fengchen, Ningsuan and Ching-for this part of j the province was discussed in Peking and Beau, the French Minister (since apj pointed Governor of Indo-China) ar-h Cheng Ching-fo the Chi-te to accept Ts. 200,000 in full arge of all claims for the territory About a week aiter the was signed M. Beau wrote to g-fo to say that he had been under a misapprehension when accepting the indemnity. Ho thought that the claim by Bishop van Asterler had covered the whole of Shansi beyond the Wall, whereas the prefecture of Saratsi had not been included. He required therefore an additional sum ay compensation for the losses sustained in the second Bishopric. In face, however, of the very clear word-of the agreement which had been igned the Chinese did not feel inclined 1 to reopen the negotiation and a difficult situation re-nited. M. clu Halgonet, the third secretary of the French Legation, went up to Kweihnaching to investigate matters "in sity." The native converts, whose property had been stolen or des-trogd were inclined to take the law into their own hands and to endeavour to recoup themselves by raiding the other inhabitants and there were all the symptoms of active disturbance. Tu these circumstances Governor T-en asked Shen to go to Peking and endeavour to affect a settlement. For six months the dispute continued, partly owing to the approach: ing departure of M. Beau, and it was not until the arrival of hix'successor that new terms were come to, the amount of the indemnity being increased to Tls. 600,000
The Thus it is seen the sat Catholics had been a heavy expense for Shansi. There now remained the Protestant Missions to be conciliated. Whereas the number of Catholics massacred had Bot exceeded 20 in the entire province, of Protestant: English, American and Swedish 156 had been s The terrible
to be faced. The simple facts have burnt ore of the slaughter st Tairuany bad themselves into history; hor Governor Yiihsion lured more than 50 foreign missionaries with their wives and children to Vics capital at the beginning of the trouble under promise that he had there set Japar: for them quarters where he could give them adequate protection; how they had been treacherously struck down in a bods, young and old, men and women indiscriminately; and how smaller parties had been similarly trapped in other prefectural cities. To have paid indemnity for all the Protestants at the same rate as lid been arranged for the Catholics would have been a burden which, however well deserved, would have pressed with exceedingly heary weight on the pro-Shen adopted accordingly a different. method of pr cedure. On arriving at Taiyuanfu he had already made preparation for paying such poor respect has was possible to the dead. The bodies had been flung by the murderers into a common grave. As far as could be the were now identified and reverently coffined. A plot of ground was converted into 2 cemetery lai
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.