LM 



CHINA. 



dx of thM band* unite for besieging and 

 torming city." The rule of the Panthays 

 bad not been a benefit to Yunnan ; it* com- 

 merce bad been reduced to the smallest pro- 

 portion*, notwithstanding the extensive con- 

 oawion* which the Government of Hannah, 

 yielding to British pressure, had made to it, 

 and throughout Bnrrnah there waa unbounded 

 >ver the fall of Talil'u. The few Panthays 

 who had come into contact with Europeans had 

 made amo*t favorable imprewion. The Eng- 

 lish embassy nnder Major Sladen had been, in 

 1803, tent back from the borders of Yunnan, 

 and the member* of the French expedition of 

 the Mekhong complained of the unfriendly re- 

 ception which they met with at Talifu on the 

 part of the Sultan ; even the governors were 

 very coarse in their manners. No member of 

 the embassy which the Panthays in 1872 sent 

 to Europe understood any of the Indian lan- 

 guage*, and the Arabic of the interpreter was 

 not understood even by good Arabic scholars 

 until it was written down. Mohammedanism, 

 on this occasion, had again shown that it can 

 destroy, but not build up; the province of 

 Yunnan appears to have been since the fall of 

 the Panthays in the hands of those bands of 

 robber* who conquered it in the name of the 

 Chinese Government. 



After the downfall of the Panthay empire, 

 the Government of British India was urged to 

 take np again the plan proposed by Major 

 Sladen, in consequence of his mission to Yun- 

 nan, of reestablishing the old commercial road 

 between Baino in North. TM Burnish and Yun- 

 nan, and of getting the start of Russia and 

 France in establishing commercial connection 

 with Western China. But before any move in 

 this direction was made by the Government 

 of British India, a French expedition nrrhcd 

 in Ynnnnn, and entered into n with 



the Chinese authorities concerning the opening 

 of a new commercial road between the south- 

 western provinces of China and the coast of 

 Tonkin. According to a French account the 

 n, consisting of two steamers, left 

 Hong-Kong on October 23, 1872. and waa led 



aM. I'ijni'n, a merchant of Hankow. On 

 trember 9th, it arrived in Tonkin, at the 

 month of a river, Cnacum, which thus far has 

 bem unknown to the European*. Sailing up 

 the river, the expedition found tli.it it d'nid.-d 

 into four arm*, one of which was naviiMM.-. 

 Through this arm the expedition, nn December 

 18th. reached the Red Hnr. and mi I > 

 br 22d arrived at Kesho or Hannoi. the capi- 

 Ul of Tonkin. From the capital they pur 

 their voyage in native boots, as this river did 

 not contain sufficient water for the ateanirr*. 

 < n January 18, 1873. Dnpnis left Hannoi. In 

 Tonkin two insurrection* were at this time 

 racing one near the capital, led by a Chinese 

 ttM chief, Knaag-taong; the other, in the 

 northern district*, and extending to the town 

 Lankal. near the frontier of Tonkin, also led 

 by a Chinese, by the name of Lea*e-ynon-fu. 



Dnpuis was asked, by the leaders of the rebels, 

 to intercede in their behalf with the Chinese 

 authority, and obtain for them permission to 

 return. On March 4, 1873, the expedition 

 reached Mangan, a port in Yunnan, where. 

 the navigation of the Red River ceases. ()n 

 March 16th Uupuis reached the capital of 

 Yunnan, Yunnaiitu, when he learned that the 

 rebellion of the Panthays was almost wholly 

 crushed. In October, 1872, the prominent 

 chief of Ling-ngan-fu, by the name of Lenn^'- 

 tzmay. had, in August, been assassinated by 

 one of his officers, who soon after had been 

 defeated b*y the Chinese. Another prominent 

 chief, Tschang of Mong-tze, had resolved to 

 submit to the imperial authorities, and his ex- 

 ample had soon been followed by a number of 

 inferior chiefs during the months of Septem- 

 ber, October, and November. Then Suleiman, 

 the Sultan of the Panthay empire, was bet r 

 by a number of his subordinates, and Talifti 

 fell on January 9th. At the timo when Dn- 

 puis was in Yunnanfu, only three towns 

 near the frontier of Burtnah were still held by 

 the Panthays, which he expected would soon 

 be attacked, "with the aid of French artille- 

 rist* and by means of the material which 1'u- 

 puis had brought with him." The Chinese 

 authorities of Yunnan expressed themselves 

 delighted with the success of the expedition 

 of Dnpnis, and hoped that it would lead to the 

 establishment of commercial relations with 

 foreign nations, and create a market for the 

 rich mineral and agricultural products of this 

 province. 



On February 23d the young Emperor, having 

 become of age, assumed the government of 

 the empire. The official journal of Peking 

 announced that hereafter those who'desired to 

 be admitted to an audience would present only 

 one card, although heretofore they had pre- 

 sented three, one for the Emperor, one for the 

 Emperor's mother, and one for the Empress- 

 dowager. All the Chinese men-of-war ran up 

 thoir flogs in honor of the event, and the for- 

 eign vessels in the Chinese ports foil' 

 their example ; but the mass of the Chinese 

 people seemed to take no notice of it, and 

 followed their daily pursuits. Nothing what- 

 ever was known as to the sentiments of the 

 young Emperor with regard to foreign nations, 

 and to the policy which, under his reign, is to 

 be pursued toward them. It was favorably 

 noticed that when the Emperor, at the begin- 

 ning of April, returned from the jonrney, 

 which, according to the custom of his dvnasty, 

 he had undertaken to the tombs of his Man- 

 tch"iiancc"t'irs. the streets were not cleared of 

 people when the imperial corttge passed along, 

 and for the first time they were allowed to see 

 the face of the Emperor. A still greater con- 

 cession was made by the new Government on 

 the audience question. The representative 

 of the foreign powers had expressed a wish to 

 present to the Emperor the -.ntimcnts of their 

 Governments, without, of course, undergoing 



