At the time of the first general sivike towards the end of August, the Government, in spite of the vvegularities attendant on the. shipment of unns which would have justified its entire—confiscation, agreed to return the entire shipment of about 8,000 rifles and small arms and ammunition (exclusive 1,000 small arms ordered and paid for by one of the Yunnanese Generals), while the M.V.C. agreed to contribute a sum of $500,000 for the Northern Expedition, " The diss eu sion of the details for the carrying out of the understanding wax delayed and prolonged representatives of the Merchant Volunteer Corps until last week, when a full understanding was reached between other representatives of the M.V.C. and General Took-lam. "Tt" was to the effect that it, instead of accepting the con tribution, should receive rifles from the Volunteers, which were badly needed by the Northern Expe fat the rate $160 per rifle, a price about three times their cost aecortling to the invoice. The Volunteers were to get possession of the 5,000 arms as soon ay a written agreement had been signed between them and General Li, but the ammunition for the arms Was to be returned a little 4 precaution which the ment felt it necessary to take owing to the seditious intentions of the M.V.C. In execution of this agreement, on the evening of the 9th instant the Government handed over to General Li, who was accompanied by representatives of the M.V.C, the specified quantity of arms, "although at the last moment the representatives of the MLV.C. suggested, and the Govern. ment agreed, that a portion of the ammunition should be transferred to them at once and that 1,000 of the arms should be temporarily held Dock instead.—While the Government had performed its part, the M.V.C,, in gross violation of their undertaking, did not sign the written agreement with General Li nor perform the other stipulations, Dut at once took possession of the transferred arms and ammunition on the evening of the 9th and on the 10th. This breach of faith aroused the indignation of General Li who in a public telegram exposed the perfidy of the M.V.C.
Tragedy of October 10
Bund the arms and ammunition, a popular procession, advertised several days before in celebration Jot the National Birthday, was wending its way through the streets fof Canton. Numbering a couple fof thousand, composed of young. students, both boys and girls (accompanied by their teachers), labourers and military cadets, carrying Mags and banners and, of course, unarmed, the procession approached the spot where the Volunteers were transporting their arms. Without any "provocation "the Volunteers fired into the unarmed crowd.—When the crowd dispersed they chased individual labourers ind students, and even women and girls Some of the latter were, bound and tied for some time before they were released. The Merchant Volunteers, supposed to be organized for self-defence, without any authority or justification, killed eight of their fellow-citizens whose only crime was that they were patriotically marching through the streets to celebrate the anniverse fof the foundation of the Repul One of the killed, a workingman, yas afterwards found disembowel-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.