CHINA. 



183 



the Footae was not removed, and that after 

 considerable correspondence a letter was written 

 by Earl de Grey and Eipon, dated War-office, 

 April 26, 1864, in which Maj.-Gen. Brown, the 

 commander of the British troops at Shanghai, 

 was desired to inform Gordon that the English 

 Government directed him to quit the Chinese 

 service. Lord de Grey and Ripon, however, 

 added : " But if you should deem it advisable 

 to employ him in defending Shanghai and the 

 30-mile circle around it you are at liberty to do 

 so, pending a reference to me, provided an 

 arrangement can be made by which he would 

 receive his orders direct from yourself, and 

 would not be in the employment of the Chinese 

 Government." 



Although withdrawing from active service, 

 Gordon continued, however, to aid the Chinese 

 with his advice, and commenced at Shanghai, 

 under Gen. Brown's direction, the formation of 

 a camp of instruction, as well for the protec- 

 tion of the 30-mile boundary as for the opera- 

 tions beyond it. This camp of instruction was 

 near Junkiang, and was to comprise Chinese 

 already drilled in artillery practice, as well as 

 fresh relays of men io whom such training 

 was new. The plan was that fresh regiments 

 should always replace those that had received 

 a certain amount of instruction. Col. Gordon 

 also went to Nanking and inspected its defences 

 personally. The following decree was issued 

 by the Emperor, bestowing high praises upon 

 Gordon, and conferring upon him the rank of 

 Ti-t'u (General), and the yellow jacket (a dis- 

 tinction about equal to the English grand cross 

 of the Bath) : 



Formerly, on account of Gordon's baring acted as 

 leader of our Imperial forces against the enemy, and 

 having assisted to take Chang-chow, we issued an 

 edict, expressing our will that he thould be elevated 

 to the honorary rank of Ti-t'u, and should be pre- 

 sented from ourself with a banner and a medal to 

 mark our appreciation of his services. Li-Hung- 

 Chang now reports that the " ever-victorious army"' 

 which Gordon used to lead has been disbanded in 

 the most satisfactory manner, and he begs us to heap 

 further distinction on Gordon's head. Such is the 

 substance of his despatch. Since the spring of last 

 year Gordon has headed the " ever-victorious army," 

 and aided the ordinary Imperial forces in the subju- 

 gation of Fushan, the relief of Chang-shu-hsien, the 

 capture of Tait-sang-chou, Quin-san-hsien, Wu-kong- 

 hsien, and, at last (toward the close of the year), 

 the provincial city of Soochow. Then, again, tie this 

 year captured Yih-shing-hsien, and Li-yang-hsien, 

 while he compelled the retreat of the rebels at Yang- 

 shai. He finally captured Chang-chow-fu, thus con- 

 tinually heaping meritorious acts one upon another. 

 Moreover, he has, in the most satisfactory and peace- 

 ful manner, completed the disbandment of the dis- 

 ciplined army. There was no uncertainty about 

 Gordon's services; he was ever inspired with that 

 bravery and strategic talent which enabled him 

 to prove so formidable. He was also intimately ac- 

 quainted with the relations existing between China 

 and other Powers. It is, therefore, most necessary 

 for us to mark our approval. Gordon is, therefore, 

 presented with the yellow jacket and a short pea- 

 cock's feather. He is also presented with the official 

 robes and paraphernalia belonging to the rank of 

 Ti-t'u. Thus will our favor be manifested to him. 



Respect this. 



On July 19, the city of Nanking, so long the 

 centre of disaffection in China, and the point 

 from which so many gangs of insurgents started 

 on their raids upon the peaceful and wealthy 

 cities of Central China, was captured by the 

 Imperialist army under the command of Tseng- 

 kwo-shuen, the Governor of Chekiang, and 

 brother of the viceroy of the provinces of 

 Kiang-Nan and Kiang-Su. The city was storm- 

 ed through a breach, caused by a mine sprung 

 under the wall, near the east gate. When 

 the Imperialists made good their entrance 

 into the city, they found that the palace of the 

 Tien-Wang, the leader of the rebellion, and the 

 claimant for many years past of divine honors 

 and attributes, had been burnt to the ground. 

 It was said that the renowned Tien-Wang and 

 his immediate attendants lay buried in its ruins. 

 The Chung-Wang, the most restless and deter- 

 mined of the Taeping generals, was captured. 

 After the assault he managed to leave the city 

 with a few followers, but he was captured three 

 days subsequently by a party of cavalry. The 

 Emperor directed the Chung-Wang to be con- 

 veyed to Pekin; but this order was subse- 

 quently rescinded, and he was ordered to be 

 " cut into a thousand pieces " at Nanking, which 

 sentence was duly carried into execution. From 

 depositions made by the Chung- Wang, at his 

 trial, it appears that missionaries and others 

 were deceived when they believed in a moral 

 inspiration as acting on the Taepings. The 

 Wangs were only ambitious rebels, anxious to 

 overthrow one Government to replace it by 

 another for the sake of their own aggran- 

 dizement. 



Although the Taepings suffered a severe loss 

 by the capture of their capital, they were not 

 entirely destroyed. They endeavored to collect 

 their forces in the provinces of Nyang-wei and 

 of Kiang-Ti. One of their armies defeated a 

 numerous division of the Imperial army in a 

 pitched battle on the 3d of August. The 

 Pekin Government saw consequently that it 

 could not yet disband the army, and requested 

 that the Franco-Chinese corps should continue 

 to serve. At the end of August the Franco- 

 Chinese army occupied the city of Hoochow, 

 the last of the large cities in the hands of the 

 rebels. The latter, much to the surprise of the 

 besiegers, evacuated the place without any con- 

 ceivable reason, as in the engagements preced- 

 ing the evacuation of the city, the advantages 

 had been decidedly on their side. Thousands 

 of Taepings still continued to roam about in 

 the country, pursuing their career of robbery 

 and despotism, but they ceased to be a danger 

 to the empire. In November a battle was again 

 fought at Kuang-sing-fu in the province of 

 Kiang-si, between the Imperialist forces and a 

 rebel ar myled by Hung-Yuancheng, a near rel- 

 ative of the deceased Tien-Wang, and Li-Shui- 

 seng, a relative of the Chung- Wang, whose 

 title was Yu-Wang, or the admired King. The 

 former was killed in action, and the latter was 

 captured. The loss was serious on both sides 



