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ARRANGEMENTS FOR PLACING THE EVER-VICTORIOUS ARMY UNDER THE JOINT COMMAND OF CHINESE AND FOREIGN OFFICERS, APPOINTED BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE FUTAI AND GENERAL STAVELEY, C.B.

1. The Force shall be placed temporarily under the joint command of Captain Holland, and Captain Gordon shall be recommended to Pekin as joint commander, and to regularly enter the Chinese service. Futai appoints Futsiang Le Heng Sing to the joint command.

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2. No expedition shall be undertaken beyond the thirty miles without previous reference to the Allies (England and France), but in reference to sudden expeditions within those limits their consent shall not be required.

3. A Chinese officer, of the 4th or 5th grade, shall be placed under the orders of the joint commanders as provost-marshal, to carry out such punishments as they shall order, who shall always be on the spot; another officer, of equal rank, shall be appointed under their order to superintend the commissariat and pay of the Force, who shall always be on the spot. A third officer shall be appointed to take charge of military stores, who shall report from time to time to the Futai.

4. Three good linguists shall be appointed permanently to the Force. 5. The discipline and internal economy of the Force shall be in the hands of the joint commanders, and they shall be both present in person, or by deputy, at all issues of pay or of rations to the Force.

6. Orders on the Harguan Bank for six months' pay shall be issued every year, payable as due monthly, the amount to be settled when the standing of the Force is arranged.

7. The strength of the Force shall be 3000, but if the custom-house receipts should fail, this number may be eventually reduced.

8. No foreign officer of the Force shall be dismissed without a mixed court of inquiry, the sentence of which must be confirmed by the Futai, and which sentence cannot be reversed without the concurrence of the British General. No officer shall be appointed to the Force by the Chinese Commander without the concurrence of his British colleague.

9. The commanders shall not interfere with civil jurisdiction of SungKiang and its suburbs.

10. The civil authorities shall carry out the wishes of the joint commanders in all matters connected with the defence of the city, but no public works shall be undertaken without their consent.

11. No purchases of arms, ammunition, or military stores of any kind, shall be made without the written consent of the Futai.

12. The British commander shall rank as equal with a Chêntai or Taoutai, and shall be given a proper Chinese designation corresponding thereto, but shall be under the orders of the Futai.

13. The British commander is only to leave the Force (if at his own request) with the consent of the British Commander-in-Chief, obtained and signified through the Consul. If the Chinese are dissatisfied with

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the commander they shall not dismiss him without a judicial inquiry (in which the Consul shall take part), and due notice must be given.

All subordinate officers are to be appointed at the discretion of the joint commanders, due regard being paid to the 8th Article.

14. That the number of coolies employed by the Force shall be reduced, 100 per 1000 soldiers only being allowed, and their pay put on the footing of those employed in the Futai's camp-viz., 3 dols. per mensem.

15. That the hospital expenses be reduced. The Force to be put, as regards sickness, wounds, &c., on the same footing as other Chinese troops. 16. That the Foreign officers of the force shall receive certain pay, but no extra allowance.

"TI-PING TIEN-KWOH."

In a note to page 189, giving an account of the capture of the steamer Firefly, it is mentioned that the leader of the men who perpetrated that act escaped to England, and under the name of "Lin Lee" published a book, entitled 'Ti-ping Tien-Kwoh.' My reasons for taking no notice of that book in the body of my history are various and sufficient. It is not necessary to go beyond the author's own admissions in order to find ground for receiving his statements with caution. Though he does not mention the name of the Firefly, he admits (Chap. XXIII.) having been engaged in heading the capture of a steamer at Shanghai, in circumstances which leave no doubt that the Firefly is referred to; he actually complains (Chap. XXIV.) that for being engaged in that act one of his accomplices, a man called White, was condemned to three years' imprisonment by the British Consular Court of Shanghai; and he ingenuously adds, "Besides the fact that my medical adviser ordered a change of climate, directly I became aware of my lieutenant's fate I determined to take a trip to England."

These are not recommendations, for they involve a direct admission that he committed what the laws of his country condemned as an act of piracy; but many a worthy man has fought in a bad cause, and I should not have refused to notice Mr "Lin-Lee's" statements on those grounds alone. More remains behind. He admits having made prisoner on board this captured steamer four Europeans (the same whose names I have mentioned in the note to page 189), and that he promised to endeavour to

pass them into Gordon's lines as prisoners of war, though he does not say that this was the condition on which they surrendered to him. How this promise was fulfilled can now only be judged from "Lin-Lee's" own statements, and from the fact that when Colonel Gordon occupied Wusieh he found there the bodies of the four men-Dolly, Martin, Perry, and Easton-in a burned and mutilated state, which proved, in the judgment of his medical officers, that they had been deliberately tortured before death. In one sentence, "Lin-Lee" suggests that this was done by the Imperialists, and in another that it was committed by the Tai-pings in revenge for the execution of the Soochow Wangs; but before determining the value of his evidence I should like to have some more light on this dark subject than either his statements or his suggestions.

But even this is not all. According to his own account (Chap. XXIV.), Lin-Lee shot dead Hart, an Englishman, one of his four foreign associates in the capture of the Firefly, as they were all returning from Soochow to Shanghai with the price which they had received for that steamer. At the same time he drove away, and "nearly frightened out of life,” Thompson, an American, the second of his associates; and on reaching Shanghai, White, the third, was "betrayed" to the British authorities and cast into prison, while only the virtuous "LinLee" [? Lindley] escaped unscathed with his prey to England. Of course all this was forced on "Lin-Lee." Hart and Thompson tried to murder him and White for the sake of the prize-money; and it was the dastardly Thompson who betrayed White at Shanghai. The Chinese have another version of the story, but then they are Asiatics, and of course liars.

Further, what actually was this man's connection with the Rebels? There is no doubt about his taking the Firefly to Soochow, and then coming down with the price and escaping to England; but he also gives a long account of previous adventures which he had among the Rebels. These may be perfectly true; but unfortunately he has entirely mistranslated a Tai-ping pass in Chinese, of which he gives a fac-simile in the commencement of his work, and has so mistranslated it as to make it an evidence of his previous connection with these Rebels, and to make it cover operations of war. I here give in parallel

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columns "Lin-Lee's" version of this document, as he divides it into pargraphs, and a true translation prepared by one competent Chinese scholar and revised by another :

LIN-LEE'S VERSION.

The General of the Chin-chung (truly faithful) Army, Chungwang Le (The "Faithful Prince" Le).

Hereby certifies that the undermentioned Foreign Brother, Lin-le, aforetime traversed the country between Shanghai, Ningpo, &c., conducting and managing military affairs (or ships of war).

He has traversed the whole country, and from time to time has been actively engaged, and has collected commissariat (or military) stores, neither sparing pains nor valuing difficulties, but directly managing the affairs.

After this he proceeds to Kiahing (or Cha-shing) Prefecture to conduct operations (with regard to organising an auxiliary force, &c.), and to receive and use, from Ting Wang, certain moneys for affairs in which he succeeded (or may succeed).

We therefore hereby command those in charge of the military posts on the frontier to examine this closely, and to allow him to pass to and fro without let or hindrance.

This is an Express Commission! Dated, The Celestial Kingdom of Ti-ping, 13th year, 10th month, 26th day.

TRUE TRANSLATION.

Lí, the Faithful King of the True and Faithful Army, issues a certificate [or passport].

The Foreign Brother Ling-li, being now about to proceed to Shanghai and Ningpo to obtain vessels [or a vessel] of war,

The places through which he shall pass are directed to furnish him sufficiently with rice, oil, salt, and firewood, so that he shall not want anything necessary.

When he shall have obtained [what he proceeds to obtain], he shall take the same to the Prefecture of Kia-hing, and deliver [the same] to the Ting Wang, who will pay the price.

And farther, the military in charge of the Customs Stations on the route are directed to "release upon examination," and to permit him to come and go without hindrance.

This pass is given 13th year of the Celestial Kingdom of our Heavenly Father, Elder Brother and King, and the 26th day of the 10th month.

From the above it will be seen that this document is merely a pass authorising the bearer to go thorough the Tai-ping lines, and to receive payment from the Ting Wang, in the event of his bringing a vessel of war, whereas "Lin-Lee" makes it out to be a certificate of his having previously engaged in military

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