()0<S LOOT OF THE IMPERIAL SUMMER PALACE AT PEKIN. 



We urrivrd on the l;3th iit llosiou and saw before u.s everywhere 

 the still fresh traces of the camps of large bodies of cavalry, and now 

 1 understood the object of the mandarin, who wanted us to change our 

 route so that we should not see this for ourselves. 



The general was completely cured of the conlidence m lii<h iuid made 

 him object to the insistence of the demands of the Enolish on arriving 

 at Pekin in force. He felt instinctively that something wrong was 

 going on around him, and he wanted to have all his people in hand. 



]iefore the allies quittefl Hosiou and occupied Tangtcheou, Prince Tsai 

 had sent two men with new dispatches which were addressed to Baron 

 (xros, stating, among other things. "If you consent to encamp your 

 army without advancing in the villages of Yangtsoun, Tchountchou, 

 and Hosiou, your exc(dlency. according to our agreement at Tientsin, 

 can go with a very small suite and without any arms to Tangtcheou 

 and there we will come to an understanding on all the articles of the 

 convention, which we have agreed to and which we can sign and seal 

 before your excellency goes to the cai)ilal. In this way all delay will 

 be a\()ided. and the Chinese troops w ill be directed to ])rocure your 

 excellency wagons and everything neci'ssary for the journey, and we 

 l)eg that you will give us a statement of the iuiml)er of ])ers()ns who 

 will accompany you. so that we can ))rcpare cx'ci'ything in advance.'' 



(Signed, "The Imperial Anil)assa(lors. Prince Tsai Y'tsin, etc., the 

 loth of September, ISC.O.") 



Baron (Jros once moi'c b( licxed that cNciything was arranged for 

 the best, and again was the dupe of the Chinese, having learned 

 nothing by his previous ex|)erience of their tortuous diplomacy. He 

 stopped the army, then two leagues from Tangtcheou. Negotiati(?ns 

 were going on. and there seemed, tiierefore. no danger in sending 

 ofHcers with a Hag of truce to Tangtcheou, and the general sent Sub- 

 intendant Dubut, Colonel Foulon, Captain Chanoine, and administra- 

 tive officers Ader and (nigey, while the Abbe Duluc, a missionary, 

 went with them as interpreter. The}' were also to collect provisions 

 and anange for the material comfort of the troops conformably with 

 tiic instructions of the ambassadors. 



In accordance with our understanding with them the following 

 English officers went along: Colonel Walker, Lieutenant Anderson, 

 Mr. Bowlby, correspondent of the Times, and M. de Normann, first 

 secretary of the em])assy, with ^lessrs. Loch and Parkes, nineteen 

 Lulian horsemen forming their escort. M. d'Esca3'rac de Lauture, 

 Count Bastard, (^'aid Osman, and M. de Meritens accompanied and 

 formed a part of this little expedition to carry to Prince Tsai, Baron 

 Gi'os's dispatches. They left Hosiou and the army Avas to follow^ in 

 their traces, they having gone on before to arrange foi* the camping 

 places on the road to the city. 



On the 18th the army struck camp, with tlie English at the head of 



