TALI-FOU 



marble vases supporting pleached trees, pomegranates, and nas- 

 turtium. In rear of the living-part was a garden full of palms, 

 orange and apricot trees, and many lesser plants dear to the 

 French palate. In this retreat we rested for the ne.xt three 

 weeks ; going out but seldom, and occupying our time in the 

 settlement of our past and arrangement for our future journeys, 

 and in the agreeable society of our fellow-countryman. 



The town of Tali is of considerable though uncertain 

 antiquity. It formed once the capital of a native dynasty, of 

 which the last king was called Pe. Some Minchias, said to 

 have come from the neighbourhood of Nanking, established 

 themselves in the district, and were subjugated by the Chinese, 

 who suppressed their kingdom, but left the native chiefs under 

 the name of toussous. Within more recent time the history 

 of Tali developed incidents of directer interest for Europeans. 



In 1875 Margary was assassinated, on the road from Tali 

 to Bhamo, by the subalterns, Lisen-tajen, of the tchentai of Teng- 

 Yiieh, acting under the orders of the notorious viceroy of 

 Yunnan, Tsen. This latter expiated his cruelties eleven years 

 later, and it is related of him that he was haunted to the day 

 of his death by the spectres of his numerous victims, often 

 causing him to stop while on the march to offer supplications 

 for his riddance from their persecution. Before that, in 1863, a 

 Frenchman, Gamier, had visited Tali ; and Father Leguilcher 

 told us at what extreme risk he had himself accompanied the 

 traveller on this stage of his journey. 



Coming to a later date, it was the capture of Tali that put 



an end to the Mussulman war, when the town was delivered 



into the hands of the Imperial troops by treachery. Tsen 



arrived just after the surrender, under the terms of which the 

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