268 REMINISCENCES OF 



"In consequence of negotiations that had been 

 opened between the Chinese Government and Lord 

 Elgin to bring about a settlement of the difficulties 

 that existed between the two countries, Messrs. 

 Parkes and Wades were dispatched on the i4th 

 September, 1860, to Mootoo, a place about twelve 

 miles in advance of where the army was halted, for 

 the purpose of meeting the commissioners appointed 

 by the Emperor of China and discussing the pre- 

 liminaries of peace. On the i5th they returned 

 thoroughly successful, the Chinese having agreed to 

 all the demands made by Lord Elgin, and a letter 

 was written by the Chinese commissioners to that 

 effect. Messrs. Parkes and Wade had, however, 

 been obliged to go to Yung-chow to meet them, 

 as Mootoo being but a very small village there was 

 no accommodation for their retinue. The details 

 of the treaty had yet to be arranged, and various 

 arrangements connected with Lord Elgin's going 

 to Peking had to be discussed and settled, and for 

 this purpose it was agreed that Mr. Parkes and 

 myself should go to Yung-chow on the i7th. It 

 had also been agreed that the allied armies should 

 advance to within seven miles of Yung-chow, from 

 which point only an escort was to accompany Lord 

 Elgin. The exact halting-place for our army was 

 also to be decided upon in our conference on the 

 1 7th, and it was arranged that the army should 

 march from its present halting-place, Hooshi-a-who, 

 on the morning of the i8th and be met by Colonel 

 Walker of the Quartermaster-General's department, 



