_1860. HONG-KONG. TIENTSIN_
Expeditionary force--An incident--The island--Different bodies
of troops--Certain difficulties--Red tape--Canton--“Sing-song”
boats---Honan--Beggars--The city shops--Temple of Five Hundred
Worthies--Buddhist temple--News from the north--Pekin occupied--
Hong-Kong to Shanghai--Taiping rebels--Treaty--The city--
Vicinity--H.M.S. _Roebuck_--Taku--Tientsin.
The expeditionary force had already sailed northward, its equipment
and appliances on a scale of completeness unknown prior to the recent
Royal Commission. Before that expedition started, all non-effectives,
whether by sickness or other causes, were eliminated; what was called a
Provisional Battalion was organized for their reception, as well as for
that of newly arrived reinforcements from home to fill expected “waste”
among those actively engaged. The ordinary barrack accommodation at
Hong-Kong being insufficient, huts were erected at various points,
among others on the peak called Victoria; a large vessel in harbour
fitted up for hospital purposes, and vessels engaged, as necessity
arose, for the transport of invalids to the Cape of Good Hope and
England.
Among the non-effectives left by the --st Regiment was an officer
now indicated by the initial M----. At his request I visited him, in
company with his medical attendant. It was evident at a glance that he
was extremely ill, his life rapidly ebbing away. He addressed me after
this manner: “I have asked you to see me that you might tell me what
you think of my state.” To my inquiry, “Are you prepared to receive my
answer?” he replied, in impatient tones: “If I were not, I would not
have asked the question.” “I am sorry, then, to believe that you have
but a very short time to live,” was my remark. “I thought as much. Do
you see that packet on my chest of drawers? I want you to take it away
with you; as soon as I am dead, to burn it unopened in your own room.”
Such was his request, and so far I acceded to it. The following morning
M---- was dead; his packet burnt as he had desired. A sequel to this
incident will be mentioned hereafter.
In the words of a newspaper correspondent,[218] the island of Hong-Kong
may be compared to a beautiful woman with a notoriously bad temper,--to
be admired from a distance, but not become intimately acquainted
with. At the date of our arrival the midday heat, as gauged by our
sensations, was great; the sky cloudless, exercise or duty out of doors
very trying, a sensation of sickness experienced in a way altogether
different from what was felt in India. Early in July the rainy season
began. Quickly a series of waterfalls poured over rocky promontories;
Victoria Peak was enveloped in mist; temperature moderated, the general
conditions became bearable. So they continued till September; intervals
of rain and sunshine alternated with each other. Unhappily endemic
forms of disease went on steadily increasing in prevalence and rates
of mortality. A favourable change took place in all these conditions
as the last-named month advanced, and progressed till the cold season
fairly set in.
The portion of the force with which I was immediately concerned
included British and native Indian troops, the latter belonging to the
three several presidencies of that Dependency. Each of these bodies
had its own code of Regulations, in accordance with which routine
duties were conducted, while all of them seemed unwilling to accept
those of the Imperial service, under which alone administration of the
expeditionary force had of necessity to be conducted.
Another difficulty in which I was personally affected seemed to arise
from the circumstance that some of the instructions under which my
duties in relation to shipping had to be conducted were special,
while those under which the naval authority on the spot conducted
his department were general. Unhappily a good deal of friction was
the outcome of this state of things, all of which might have been
possibly avoided had mutual explanation been given in respect to the
particular orders under which we were severally acting. It seems to
me, also, while I refer to what was very unpleasant at the time of its
occurrence, that in many circumstances connected with public duties
where misunderstandings arise, they would be most readily prevented by
means of elucidation of the points of view from which divergent action
is taken, or the interpretation of orders from which it is adopted.
As an example of the system of “red tape” under which duties of very
ordinary description had to be carried on, the following may be
mentioned:--A water-pipe connected with the military hospital went
wrong; the supply through it had to be cut off, to the very great
inconvenience of the sick. I at once reported the circumstance to the
Officer in command of the garrison, such being the routine directed by
Regulations, requesting at the same time that immediate steps should
be taken to make the required repairs. My letter was by the Commanding
Officer transmitted to the Engineer Officer, who forwarded it to the
Clerk of the Works, who came and inspected the defect in the pipe, then
wrote a report about it to the Engineer Officer, who sent the report
to the Commanding Officer, who sent to the Town Major, who sent it to
me. Meanwhile, the hot season being at its height, and nothing actually
done to remedy the defect complained of, I was constrained to again
start the correspondence by observing that what was urgently required
was, not reports, but that the damaged pipe should be repaired.
Doubtless my letter to that effect had, like its predecessor, to be
transmitted through the series of “channels” so enumerated. I quite
forget at this distance of time whether the pipe was ever repaired or
not.
The circumstance that a portion of our force occupied quarters at
Canton led me to visit that important city. The steamer by which the
trip thither along the Pearl River was performed bore the romantic name
_The White Cloud_. We passed the Bocca Tigris or Bogue forts,[219]
continued our journey through a district thickly interspersed with
villages and hamlets, but destitute of pasture land, though otherwise
richly cultivated, the rice fields profusely irrigated. Whampoa was
mean-looking, the greater number of its houses erected on piles so as
to overhang the river; the stream crowded with ships and vessels of
sorts belonging to various nations. The foreign population lived in
“chops” or hulks of Chinese junks; others were utilised as offices and
merchants’ stores. Docks were being established, and other improvements
effected which, in later years, have made that place the actual port of
the southern capital.
Arrived at Canton, landing was effected by means of one of the
thousands of sampans or passenger boats that lay along either bank
and crowded the river,--these boats “manned” by women, who kept up
a chorus of laughing and talking, their cheery and, for the most
part, well-looking faces indicating that cares, as understood in
the West, pressed upon them but lightly, if at all. “Sing-song,” or
Flower-boats,[220] gorgeously painted and otherwise ornamented, lay in
tiers, and towered high above the humble sampan. The particular race
of natives by whom, through many generations, they have been occupied,
are looked upon as descendants of the _kin_ who held Northern China,
A.D. 1100, supplemented by those of traitors who aided the Japanese
in their descent upon Cheh-kiang, A.D. 1555-1563. Having landed, the
“carriage” by which our further trip was taken consisted of “chairs”
made of bamboo work, carried on the shoulders of three brawny Chinamen,
namely, two in front and one behind, their strong muscles thrown in
bold relief on their uncovered chests and limbs as they carried us at
rapid pace along. Such were the conditions in 1860.
The island of Honan was occupied by various important _hongs_, or
places of business belonging to native Chinese merchants. One of
them, the property of Houqua, whose name at that time was familiar in
England, was devoted to the cleaning and preparation of teas for the
market. The large and well-aired hall within was occupied by a series
of tables placed at convenient distances from each other. At each sat
a man or woman--for the sexes worked together--who from a basket at
hand picked the coarser fragments, and so left the finer description
of the tea to be dealt with again. In another hall stood a couple of
fanners;[221] through them the tea was passed, the finer portions
being separated in the process from the coarser. This apartment was
ornamented with flowers and shrubs in pots; a delicious flavour of “the
fragrant leaf” pervaded the air. All around was scrupulously clean and
tidy, the _employés_ neat in person, well-clothed, apparently well fed,
and, to judge by their smiles and good humour, very happy.
Everywhere in the streets blind beggars abounded, each armed with two
flat discs of bamboo; the sound produced by constantly beating them
against each other became decidedly unpleasant by their very numbers,
rendering conversation impossible. Whether a great part of their
blindness was due to disease or to artificial means, we had no means of
ascertaining.
The Tartar suburb or quarter of Canton comprised narrow streets
paved with flag stones, intersected by narrow canals, spanned at
intervals by bridges after the style of the “willow pattern plate”;
the houses of no more than one storey high, for the reason that in
China it is considered pretentious for a man to raise himself above
his fellows. The odours that everywhere prevailed exceeded, in variety
and intensity, all that had heretofore been experienced. The people,
old and young, male and female, poor in circumstances as many of
them appeared to be, looked physically hale, strong, and healthy.
Traversing the breadth of the city, we arrived at “The Heights,” on
the slope of which stood the Yamen of the notorious Yeh; near thereto,
“The Five-Storied Pagoda,” now occupied by French troops, and above
it waved the Tricolour; while in a series of bell tents were the men
of the 87th Royal Irish Fusiliers--the conjunction not altogether a
happy one, seeing that the 87th wear on their shakos a French eagle, in
commemoration of that captured by them at Barossa. Various temples and
other public buildings were visited in the course of our interesting
excursion; one of the latter a native prison, ricketty, tottering, and
foul, its unhappy inmates lying upon the damp floor, chained, or with
_cangs_ on their necks, their existence dependent upon food supplied
from without, their naked bodies besmeared with filth and presenting
many ulcers. Many of them were not accused of crimes committed by
themselves, but were undergoing punishment for the reason that their
relatives had joined the ranks of the Taiping rebels. We intentionally
refrained from a visit to “the Potter’s field,” or execution ground,
immediately adjacent to the prison.
Everywhere along the streets were signs of activity and industry;
shops containing all sorts of clothing materials, strangely ornamented
umbrellas and lanterns; others devoted to old curiosities, jewelry,
or watch-making, a good many to lacquer ware; nor could we withhold
admiration of the elegant patterns and workmanship of such articles as
cabinets, tables, screens, fans, etc., exposed for sale. But here, as
in countries more advanced in certain phases of civilization, signs
of superstition are apparent. Above the door of such establishments a
horse’s hoof is nailed, and so Satanic influences guarded against. In
the enlightened West, a horse’s shoe fulfils the same purpose.
The Temple of the Five Hundred Gods or worthies, then deemed one of
the most characteristic sights of Canton, well repaid our visit to
it. Among objects within that edifice is a miniature pagoda of eight
stages, the whole consisting of beautifully cut marble, its total
height twenty-five feet. The figures of the gods or heroes are all
life-size. They represent various nationalities, one of their number in
feature and dress like an Englishman. According to legend, the person
so commemorated was a sailor, cast ashore wrecked on the coast of
China. His life being spared, he ultimately rose to high position, and
finally was, in effigy, honoured with a place in this Walhalla.
Another portion of the building was devoted to the purposes of a
Buddhist temple, in which, at the time of our visit, “service” was
being performed, or “celebrated.” The scene within comprised an altar,
plain, without idols or other decoration; situated in an open space,
bare-headed and shaven priests, some wearing robes of blue, others of
grey cloth, all with a yellow-coloured surplice thrown over the left
shoulder and brought loosely under the right arm. As they knelt at
various distances from the altar, in seeming accordance with their
rank, their hands in attitude of supplication, they joined in chanting
what, in its intonation, resembled the Litany of our Western Churches;
at intervals a small bell being gently struck, as in the Roman Catholic
service. A congregation of men was present, but manifestly destitute
of reverence or devotion. A few days were thus pleasantly spent; I
then returned to duty at Hong-Kong. At the time referred to, that
island was noted for the hospitality of residents, and the scale of
magnificence upon which it was carried on. It was my good fortune to
enjoy much of it, and of friendliness in other ways; among others, from
representatives of the great houses of Jardine, Dent, and others, and
from Mr. Campbell, then of the Oriental Bank.
Towards the end of August, a French Express boat brought intelligence
that the English and French combined forces had landed at Pehtang;
that, while advancing thence to Taku, our cavalry had been charged by
the Tartar horse, with results disastrous to the latter. A few days
more, news reached us that a somewhat sharp action had taken place,
with somewhat severe loss to the allies, but leaving in their hands
Taku and neighbouring forts; that the whole disposable force was in
rapid motion towards Tientsin, in view to carrying out the intention
of Lord Elgin to push on to the capital. A short interval passed, when
attempts at negotiation at Tientsin having failed, the army continued
its onward march. At Tungchow, a very sad occurrence befell it. By
treachery, a body of Chinese, headed by the Prince Tsai, captured
several officials, officers, and others; namely, Mr. Parkes, Mr. Bowlby
(of the _Times_), Mr. Loch, Mr. De Normann, Lieutenant Anderson,
Captain Brabazon, and several troopers belonging to Fane’s Horse. The
Chinese army, under San ko Lin Sin, was, however, completely beaten;
the road to Pekin left clear. Lord Elgin at once sent a communication
to the Emperor, that, in the event of a hair of the head of one of the
prisoners being touched, the combined forces would burn the Imperial
palace to the ground.
A few days more, and on October 13 the allied army was in possession
of the Chinese quarter of Pekin; the palace outside and north of the
city given up to loot; the Emperor fled; the Summer Palace in ruins;
the Chinese army vanished! Unhappily, news at the same time reached
us that, although Mr. Parkes and Mr. Loch had been given up by the
Chinese, they had been subject to various indignities before being so;
but that others of the prisoners had succumbed under the barbarities to
which they were subjected, among them Mr. Bowlby.[222]
Early in November, information reached us that a treaty of peace had
been signed in the Imperial capital by Prince Kung and Lord Elgin. In
accordance with its conditions, in addition to a war indemnity to be
paid by the Chinese, a special sum was to be given for the families of
the captives who had been killed or died in captivity. Thus, the object
of the expedition had been obtained more speedily than Lord Elgin
expected. The forces began their return march from Pekin towards Taku,
there to embark, a brigade being detailed to occupy Tientsin until the
indemnity should be paid.
In obedience to orders to join “the Army of Occupation”[223] at
Tientsin, as the brigade left at that place was now officially called,
I left Hong-Kong by the steamer _Formosa_, on November 28. Next day, we
passed the mouth of the river Han, on the western bank of which stands
Shah-tew, or, as pronounced in English, Swatow; the day following,
traversed the channel that separates the island of Formosa from the
city of Amoy on the mainland. Already the temperature was pleasantly
cool, sky clear, wind and sea rather high, the effect of these
conditions bracing and exhilarating, as compared with that produced by
the trying and unpleasant climate we had left behind us. The general
aspect of the coast wherever visible, as we advanced on our voyage,
was bare and inhospitable. In our course, islands were numerous, the
majority apparently uninhabited even by birds, and otherwise uninviting
to look upon. As we approached the Yangtse, vegetation covered more
and more thickly the islands passed by us; sea-birds were increasingly
numerous, the water thick with mud. We arrived at Shanghai on December
3.
In the latter days of August, Shanghai had been seriously attacked by
the Taiping rebels. On both occasions, the Imperialists fled before
the enemy; but a foreign contingent of British, Indian, and French
troops, with a body of volunteers composed of the foreign residents,
repulsed the rebels, on whom they inflicted severe loss. During the
attacks in question, several buildings had been destroyed or seriously
damaged, the ruins being prominent objects in our view. So also were
the remains of barricades and other extemporised defences. On the
day of our arrival, the Indian Navy vessel, the _Feroze_, having on
board Lord Elgin and suite, steamed up the Woosung River and anchored
alongside us. The following day the _Grenada_ arrived, with Sir Hope
Grant, his staff, and various senior officers of the expedition, whose
allotted task was completed in that the object of the expedition had
been attained. But a new phase was about to be assumed by public
affairs; arrangements had to be made for events, the shadow, as well
as substance, of which affected the immediate vicinity of Shanghai,
and extended over a great part of China. Whereas, diplomatic and
military action had been directed heretofore against the Imperial
power, both were now to be devoted to the support of that power, and
against insurrectionary movements,[224] the real object of which was
the overthrow of the ruling dynasty. Various bands of marauders, taking
advantage of existing disturbances, were devastating the neighbourhood.
Piratical bands, in which were enrolled escaped sailors and vagabonds
of sorts, were giving so much trouble on the Yangtse, that it was
necessary at once to dispatch a small river force for their suppression.
Copies of the Treaty[225] signed at Pekin on October 24 were
immediately affixed to the walls throughout the native city of
Shanghai. Crowds of Chinese assembled at various places to read the
unwonted documents, printed as they were in their own language. An
English version was at the same time published, for the benefit of
foreigners, the nine articles comprised in it being to the effect
that--(1) The Emperor expresses his deep regret for the affair at
Taku; (2) Her Majesty’s representative shall reside permanently, or
occasionally, as she may wish, at Pekin; (3) Eight millions of taels
(£2,000,000) to be paid in instalments (as indemnity); (4) Tientsin
to be opened for trade; (5) Emigration of Chinese to British colonies
to be permitted; (6) Kowloon to be ceded; (7) The Treaty of 1858
shall come at once into operation; (8) That Treaty shall be published
in Pekin and in the provinces; (9) On the Convention being signed,
Chusan to be restored to Chinese (from occupation by the British),
the British forces to commence their march from Pekin to Tientsin;
that, if necessary, Taku, the north coast of Shantung, and Canton
shall be occupied until the indemnity is paid. The morning after that
Proclamation had been affixed to the walls, it was found in tatters and
defaced!
A visit to the native city and its immediate surroundings introduced
us to scenes characteristic of Chinese habits and of the particular
circumstances of the time. Within the city and fosse a succession of
narrow dirty streets, low-built houses, canals spanned by “willow
pattern” bridges, cook shops, vegetable stalls, fur and “curio” shops.
Adjoining one such street, a wretched shed, the damp earthen floor
partly covered with straw, partly with refuse of very filthy kind.
On the floor three human dead bodies, emaciated from starvation; a
woman almost devoid of clothing, wasted to an extreme degree, wailing
piteously over one of the three; another, still alive, but to all
appearance in the last extreme from long-continued want of food.
This we were informed is _the_ place to which the miserably poor,
and those who give up the battle of life, resort to die. Among the
establishments visited were numerous fur shops, an extensive store of
china or porcelain ware, a factory in which is woven the beautiful
gold embroidery for which Shanghai is famous,--the embroidery being
for the most part on blue cloth, its own most characteristic pattern
the Imperial dragon, distinguished by having five toes, whereas the
more plebeian emblems of the same survival of the pterodactyl has but
four. What had been until recently ornamental “Tea” gardens were now
occupied by French troops; once highly ornamented buildings within such
enclosures converted into barracks for our allies. Uprooted shrubs and
valuable plants lay about decayed and withered; rockwork, including
fanciful-shaped miniature bridges, cast like so much rubbish into what
had been artificial lakes and streams peopled by fish and water-plants.
The glory of the place was indeed gone--desecrated, as the Chinese
could not inappropriately say, by Western “barbarians.”
To a distance of several miles inland from the city the aspect of
the country is more or less that of a continuous burial ground,
interspersed with coffins left as they were placed, upon rather than
under the surface of the ground, many of them broken and so exposing
to view their ghastly contents. Here and there patches of ground were
devoted to the cultivation of vegetables, in the midst of graves and
coffins; while continuing our walk we met isolated coolies carrying
at each end of an elastic piece of bamboo, supported on the shoulder
at its middle, a jar containing the bones of their “ancestors,” being
so borne away, doubtless, to be reverently disposed of elsewhere.
Everywhere the district was intersected by canals and water-courses,
raised and narrow pathways across the intervening fields; we seemed to
be wandering in the “city of the silent.” Alongside the several canals
and pathways were avenues of trees and ornamental shrubs.[226] The
presence of the magpie, jackdaw, wagtail, and sandpiper carried our
associations away to the “insignificant island in the Western sea.”
Game birds were abundant, as we had an opportunity of witnessing in the
city market; but since that date we learn that villas, gardens, and
ornamental grounds have grown up, and so completely transformed the
landscape as seen by us. Almost at every turn we met French soldiers
off duty, or in considerable bodies marching from Woosung, at which
place reinforcements were being landed from transports; in fact, there
was little in the aspect of Shanghai to indicate that it was an English
settlement. These and some other excursions were taken in company of
Mr. Lamond, to whom I was much indebted for hospitality.
H.M.S. _Roebuck_, by which I was ordered to proceed northward, left
Shanghai on December 11. Three days afterwards we were off the
promontory of Shantung; the weather propitious, sky clear, breeze
moderate, temperature on deck 48° F. to 44° F., sea smooth. But a rapid
change took place. During the night of the 14th, darkness became so
intense that Captain Martin, deeming it unsafe to proceed in a region
little known and imperfectly surveyed, determined to cast anchor.
By midnight we were in a heavy wind storm; it having cleared off by
daylight, the ship resumed progress and was speedily among the Meatao
Islands; a few hours more and we were in Hope Sound, otherwise a
sheltered position in the concavity of the larger island of that group,
called Chang Shang, where we found the British fleet collected, that of
the French being off Chefoo, not far from our own. The _Roebuck_ was
ordered to await dispatches. While so doing, a number of rough-looking
natives, brown in hue, Tartar in feature, their clothing partly
consisting of wadded cotton, but in addition abundance of furs, came
alongside in their boats, bringing with them rolls of bread, vegetables
and fruits, similar to those we are accustomed to see at home. The
presence of numbers of the common gull, the colder weather, the rougher
sea, combined still further to recall the shores of England.
Arrived off Taku,[227] so thick was the haze and mist by which that
place and the sea to some distance from it were concealed, that for
several hours neither the forts nor coast were visible, nor was it
till the following day that we were able to land. The little gunboat
the _Clown_ having taken us on board, we were quickly in sight of the
forts, some of them very formidable in appearance; in the shallow
discoloured water stakes still stood in lines where they had opposed
the approach of Admiral Hope’s gunboats, and we were able to estimate
the further difficulties on that occasion presented by the long stretch
of mud which at low tide separated us from the forts. As evening was
closing in, we entered the mouth of the Peiho; in due time were within
the southern fort, above which floated the Union Jack, the northern
being similarly distinguished by the Tricolour. The great extent of its
mud ramparts was seen as we passed the inner gateway; huts in rows
that had been occupied by its defenders were now used as barracks by
officers and men of the detachment temporarily stationed here, or by
military stores. In all directions old gun carriages, broken wheels,
furniture, and _débris_ of sorts lay about in a state of confusion.
I was under the very unpleasant necessity of _begging_ a night’s
accommodation from an officer, a charity which he kindly accorded me.
Mounted on a borrowed horse, without guard or guide, I started next day
_en route_ to my destination, the distance to be travelled not less
than thirty miles. A midday halt to rest my steed; a solitary ride
along an ill-made road, through a flat, uninteresting tract of country,
and final arrival without misadventure at Tientsin, completed the day’s
proceedings. Already the cold had become severe; the wind, strong from
east, swept over the plain; patches of water and canals were covered
by ice; thus the journey has left on memory not a very agreeable
impression. On arrival, however, I was kindly received by a brother
officer.[228]