15th July.
The Echo de Chine" of the 8th instant finds a further mensong—let us bluntly say, a further lie—in your remark or rather mine, that application had been made by the local magistrate to the Catholic mission to be allowed to see the deeds, but he had Been told that they were not available as they were at the French Consulate at Shanghai." To prove that we lo, he quotes from a report of the same mayistrate embodied in a dispatch sent by the Trotai to H. M. Consul, which the Consul he admits refused to receive on the ground that it was "defective", meaning thereby as the-@ffitur explains ''too clear and disagreeable," riy know. ledge more than once d-clared that he has Rever even seen the deeds, much lo-s "'studied them in company with the Taotai and Prefect."
The Taotai tells a tale that is longer, but most instructive. One day.some three months ago, he was informed that the native Catholic priest Sun would call on him with the dreds, He accordingly invited the Prefect to be present; but the Prefect, who was once stationed at T'aichou, excused himself on the plesof illness. Sun arrived and pnt dowa a bundle of papers, which he informed the Twtai were the deeds. "But," remarkd the latter glancing casually at them, "they bear no seals." "Oh," answered Sun, these ate copies; but they are correct, enough." Leave them here then, for afew days," said the Taotai, "and I will look them through." "That would not do," objected Sun; "you would be sending them to the British Consul." "No," replied the Taotai, "I would ask him to come here." He must not see the deeds at all," retorted Sun, "In any case leave them here," the Taotai went on, they will be quite safe; Tam the Kum-tan, and you keep tally." "No," itsist-d Sun, ignoring the gentle irony of the other, "1 must take them back with me." And take them back he did—but he left behind him a Tt was this memorandum which was foisted, or was attempted to be foisted, on a sceptical Consul as, and for, the Magistrate's report; and it is on this memorandum that the editor of the "Reho" founds his charge against you and mo, of te'liny fils, The Magistrate's real report remarks: "At the time of the sale to the Head Virtue Hall by Lu Ching-ting, no application was made to me; and as the deeds have been s-nt_by Mgr. Reynaud to the French Consulate at Shanghai ant are now being kept there, T cannot go and examine them."
But there are other " reseignements bons A noter," information worth noting, this regard. Though the Consul rejected the supposititious report, he retained A copy as a curiosity, and this copy I havi had the privilege of examining. Now it is remarkable that the passage which in the Echo's" translation commences "lo terrain an nord clu Ma-lou" and ends Consul Anglais" differs, both ly addition muni clu sceau et de la signature clu
and omission, from the version sent in by the Taotai.
"The original version stated simply that the area sold by Messrs Sassoon to Chen-Kai-ming was 25 mow, 2 fun, 5 li. This has now been expanded into it comprises 33 mow, 3 fun, 5 li; less 8 mow, 1 fun, surrendered for the Kong Ma-lou (the publi Maloo); there remain 25 mow, 2 fun, 5 li. The omission is of the words that immediately follow, to the effect that "eleven items made up the area, one item consist ting of 5 mow being elevated dyke land" bounded, according to the old deeds, in such and such a fashion.
What do these additions and omissions moan Either the Echo" is quoting from Sun's original draft, or, what I suspect, the memorandum palmed off last Aprial as Magistrate's report, is now, for certain good reasons, edited' and amended. The Echo " will correct me if I am wrong (he will equally correct me if I am right), but my theory is as follows Last April priest Sun and his employers had not been forced to the conclusion that
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.