COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 271 



printed and circulated, and gave orders for the issue 

 of supplies to the allied armies ; and we went to 

 dinner at past seven o'clock more satisfied with the 

 appearance of things. It was arranged that in the 

 morning Parkes, Walker, Thompson and myself, with 

 a small escort, should go to the ground where our 

 army was to halt and point it out to Sir Hope Grant. 

 The remainder of the escort and party were to 

 remain in Yung-chow until Parkes and I returned to 

 them, as we then intended getting a house for Lord 

 Elgin, as the embassy were to take up their resi- 

 dence in Yung-chow for a few days before going 

 to Peking. A Chinese officer of high rank was 

 ordered to attend us, and at a little after sunrise 

 of the morning of the i8th we started to Chang- 

 kia-wang. We took all the K. D. Guards and 

 three Sikhs. We did not go through the city, but 

 passed through the open country, and after a gallop 

 of six miles arrived at Chang-kia-wang. All the 

 way along we had observed groups of soldiers 

 hurrying in the same direction as ourselves, and 

 when we arrived at this town we found it full of 

 troops. We passed through without being inter- 

 fered with, but when we got into the open plain 

 beyond we found it covered with cavalry and in- 

 fantry. Large bodies of the former were dismounted 

 in dry water-courses extending for two miles to the 

 right ; the road was for miles lined with infantry, 

 and to the left we saw troops as far as we could 

 see. We moved quietly along the road. I rode 

 to the right to examine the position of their cavalry, 



