Famous But Unknown History, by a Great and Loyal General Fresh light was shed on the history of the Taiping Rebellion by Teesdale in the course of a lecture at the Royal Asiatic Society on Thursday night. The theme of the lecture was a forgotten work, the autobiography of the famous Chung Wang, the bribe Hiant general who-was responsible for the major victories of the terrible upheaval which scourged China for 18 years and led to the death of 20,000,000 of her inhabitants, Afler prefacing his remarks by stating that he did not propose to make any examination of the rights and wrongs of the movement which Jeg to such unparalleled slaughter, Mr. Teesdale suid that the book in Question was translated by Mr, T. Lay. "To obtain this book," said the speaker, "I ransacked local winicated my needs to seconil-han booksellers in London and even wrote to Mr. Lay, then alive in England, but only when at the suggestion of Mrs Ayscough I had tried the library' at Siccavei that success attended my efforts". The Fathers rightly refused to allow the book to eave the premises so a Chinese, was engaged to copy the work in longhand.
Written While Awaiting Execution The circumstances under which the book happened were exceptional, continued. Nanking been the capt ming Kingdom since March 18, 1853, fell to the imperialists on July 19, 1864, and the Chung Wang was captured, He begged to write his autobiography befor being led to execution. This ce cession was able work Tt was written in_priso Lay averred, in the Prince's writing me days at the rate of 7,000 a truly wonder ful performance.
'The writer, whose name was Li Sin-cheng,' afterwards elevated to noble rank and called the Chung Wang, or the "Faithful Prince" was the solitary ornament of the whole movement during the 14 yours of independent existence and his enemies would have done well to spare him. Born in a small village Kuangsi not very far from where the rebellion originated, the cause of hi ig in it was the distress of his family. At the age of 26 he enlisted inthe Taiping army on its lightning move to the north and served in the Yanks. Ay they all
century had "a reputation of moving knew Chinese arms of thet slowly. The Taipings on" their march from Kuangs! to Nanking formed an exception, and the Portance of speed to success tary strategy was well exemplified in this extraordinary incursion.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.