One of the most interesting books which has come to hand in recent years is "Sca Saga" a compilation of the diaries of four generations of the King-Hall family, but by far the most engrossing feature of the bool consists of the passages extracted from the diary of Admiral Sir William King-Hall, K.C.B,, who served on the China station in 1856, fas flag-captain to Sir Michael Seymour, taking part in the blockade and subsequent capture of Canton and in the capture of the Peiho Forts in 1858. He must have been somewhat of a curiosity in those days, for despite his personal, achievements in battle, a great pride in his profession, he was unorthodox enough {o be mildly pacifist in sentiment, and instead of the good old die-hard type which the average historian of the British in China would have everyone believe was the only sort of Briton who existed in China, King-Hall was definitely liberal in his views, and undoubted-very discontented with the manner in which British policy was being carried out in this part of the world, Disapproval of Lord _Elgin's course of action is apparent in much that King-Hall wrote, not only because of an academic dislike of his policy but also because of a personal antipathy largely caused by the strained relationship between the Minister and Sir Michael Seymour. King-Hall threw himself into the fray with ardent partisanship, and lis diaries during the period of his China service bristle with indigna: tion against the Plenipotentiary. On tone occasion he wishes that "Lord Elgin would come off his stilts and walla in his boots." He wonders on another occasion whether "One will yet become radical enough to ask what is the use of a House of Lords. A dozen peers of Lord Eigin's stamp, would cause thousands of Chattists in the middle classes, and cause more to capsize his order than he or his peers can conceive, Lord Elgin was sent out for Canton, He pooh-poohs it with a peculiar aristocratic curl of his lip and pug nose. He has said once oF twice "Canton? Canton? I did of come out fur Canton,' Most noble Earl you will find out before you leave China that you did, and the sooner you realize it the hotier for all parties." He noted that his lordship was "a needy man anda hungry dog ready for India it he could displace a better man, i.e. Lord Canning" Again he notes that Lord Elgin "has treated the merchants with cool disrespect, but he will find that they carry shot with sufefent range to reach him the House of Lords." King-Hall is naturally prejudiced against the man, largely because of his loyality to his own chief, but when atiowances are made for all this it docs seem that Lord Elgin was a "sticky piece of work" who made no real contribution to the harmony which was necessary in such a clreumseribed area as the factories at Canton, But King-Hall did not content himself with venting his dislike of, the Minister in the privacy of his diaries, He had the courage of his convictions and dared openly to. show it, He avoided shaking hands with the noble Lord, and succeeded fon one occasion in making him colour up with mortification, Of course he was fairly safe under the wing of Sir Michael Seymour, whose own relations with Elgin were none. too good, and it is quite likely that with the great measure of authority which such men had in those days, he was able {0 protect a subordinate from the Minister's wrath, though no mention of this appears in the laries as published.
King-Hall displays an enormous amount of sympathy with the Chinese over their treatment by the British as the following extract from the book will show:—"william, after with Mr.' Bruce. Lord. Elgin's brother, on September 21, 1857, wrote in his Diaries: that bloodshed would have been avoided by a firm ut pacify attitude on the part of the British, if at the commencement of operations the city of Canton had been blockaded by water, and an Immediate note sent to the Court of Pekin, enlisting their help against the rebel leader Yeh, "In 1857, on October 21, William noted that Sir Michael Seymour had Just returned on board from an interview with Lord Elgin. The latter had remarked that we had no hope of gelling a new Treaty, except at the point of the bayonet, and in reply to a remark of the Admiral's 4 to the possibility of Yeh's yleld-Ing, he had said: That is the very thing I do not want. William added that there was still time for diplomacy to avert. further hostilities, and, I sincerely trust that not a shot or shell may be fired which will disappoint many fire-caters, who cannot be satisfied unless" great destruction of Chinese life takes place, "After Canton was taken andi Yeh captured by the British, he was degraded by Imperial edict, for not Soothing the barbarians, "and another Commissioner was appointed. William wrote in March 1688, that: 'This will, I hope, dispel at once all Prospects' of further war. He was convinced that, while sterner measures should be employed in Individual cases (he complained of the atrocities perpetrated on Europeans after the capture of Canton while the fags of the two powerful nations fly over the City), "After the capture of Yeh, the British and French Ambassadors, supported by the Russian and American Ministers, sent a request the Emperor thai he should dispatch 9 plenipotentiary to Shanghai conclude peace and to meet Lord "No Chinese ambassador being forthcoming,—the Emperor was quite indifferent -as to what befell. the cities of the coast ling—Lord Elgin decided to renew hostilities in the north on the Peiho, a river on which Pekin stands.
"William wrote that a tittle more patience would have averted this move. that though the Forts would be certainly successfully taken—as they were,—they would be as certainly re-armed again by the Chinese, and thus further wars would be Inevitable.
"In April 1858, Sir Michael Seymour sailed from Hongkong. He arrived at the Gulf of Pechili, into which the Peiho river falls, on the 2th of the month, 'The Emperor finally sent_a Commissioner named Tan to Taku, a town at the mouth of the river, to meat Lord, Elgin, who sept in his demands, 'They were avoided, and on May' Gth, Tan was given an ultimatum, Six days elapsed, oringing no reply from Tan, and May 19th, the. Ambassadors handed. over mations to the Navy.
On April 24, in describing this situation, William wrote: The Russian told the Admiral that his orders were distinctly not to engage in hostilities. The American has the same views, 50 it comes to this—four powers made a demand—the answer unsatisfactory. Two of the
other two virtually commence a Powers are against war, but the serious war with China, with all the miseries attendant on it, Because Wo are strong ought we to have 'a war to force them to give us a nes Treaty? No.
"The trouble is that England Is In too settled a slate of safety. 'Six days will show us whether we have a Chinese war thro' blundering or not.
"It will be unjust, and every sacrifice of life the English Ambassador must place to his own account, for he leads the French.
"Captain Osborn—of the Furious, came on board, and we had a talk about the capture of the Forts. When I mentioned the advantage of giving the Chinese a way of escape, he did not agree. and said also that he had no wish to make prisoners.
"Britain was to reap an unpleasant hhaivest of this early sowing. June 1859, British forces were again to attack the Petho Forts, only this time they suffered a severe defeat al the hands of the Chinese.
"The British losses were heavy: many of the wounded were drowned as they Jay in the mud round the Forts, and three gunboats had to be abandoned.
And just one last note. King-Hall attends a party at the Hongkong Club, which he remarks was pleasantly sustained.
"But T certainly, without being strait-laced, should not desire to see my wife or daughter or in fact any for whom I entertained respect oF regard, hugged in the embraces of Polka or Waltz." I cannot imagine anything to be more likely flame the passions of the Partners, whilst T do not say that this generally the ease. But it gives
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.