TONQUIN. 



767 



Hao, in Yunnan, to foreign commerce. The 

 answer of the Chinese Government, October 

 15th, was to the effect that, if France was de- 

 termined to disregard the suzerainty of China 

 and the integrity of Anam, it would accept a 

 neutral zone between the southern frontier of 

 Tonquin and the 20th degree of latitude, and 

 make Kuang Ho Khuang, opposite Sontay, a 

 treaty port. By this arrangement China would 

 acquire possession of the delta of the Songcoi 

 and the control of the route to Yunnan, aban- 

 doning the other less valuable portions of the 

 kingdom to be annexed to French Cochin- 

 China. The Chinese Government offered to 

 suppress piracy, subdue the Black Flags, and 

 keep the Songcoi river open for commerce. 



M. Jules Ferry, on Nov. 22, 1883, declared 

 that France was inclined to respect the tradi- 

 tional bond between Anam and China, so far 

 as it was not incompatible with the French pro- 

 tectorate. He announced that it was neces- 

 sary to occupy certain new positions in Ton- 

 quin. In a communication, dated November 

 24th, the Marquis expressed regret that the 

 French contemplated the occupation of Hanoi, 

 Sontay, and Bacninh, which did not accord 

 with the declarations of former ministers, who 

 spoke only of a protectorate. M. Ferry re- 

 plied, November 30th, that the object was to 

 secure the protectorate, and added : " The 

 plan of our military campaign in Tonquin has 

 not been changed, and can not be changed. 

 The responsibility for a conflict would rest 

 upon China." 



The Black Flags. More formidable than the 

 Anamese army were the irregular soldiers 

 known as the Black and the Yellow Flags. 

 These troops were not Anamese, but Chinese, 

 and it is not known to what extent they were 

 augmented by volunteers from the neighboring 

 Chinese provinces. They are survivors of the 

 valorous Taeping rebels who held the military 

 power of the Chinese Empire at bay for many 

 years. In 1865 the rebels, who had retired 

 before the Chinese troops into the province of 

 Kwangsi, were finally driven across the border 

 into Tonquin, and found a secure retreat in 

 the mountains on both sides of the Red river 

 valley. This band of exiles, numbering about 

 5,000, were accompanied by their wives and 

 families. Their chief was Watsong, one of 

 Taeping Wang's principal lieutenants, and many 

 of them continued the freebooting practices 

 into which the rebellion degenerated in its lat- 

 ter period. They offered no further hostility 

 to the Chinese Government, but rather became 

 the supporters and instruments of Chinese 

 policy and influence in Anam. The Anam- 

 ese troops were sent against them several times, 

 but were invariably defeated. In 1868 they 

 held undisputed possession of the whole right 

 bank of the Red river above the capital. With 

 the assistance of the Chinese Viceroy of Can- 

 ton, or Governor-General of the two Kwang, 

 they were finally expelled from the low country 

 and confined to the upper course of the river. 



Soon after Watsong died, and his followers 

 divided into two bands. The main body of 

 the original Taeping rebels were disposed to 

 settle down to peaceful pursuits, and t> make 

 their submission to the Chinese and Anamese 

 authorities. They adopted the yellow flag for 

 their ensign, and chose for their chief Hwang 

 Tsong In, who had been a soldier in the Chi- 

 nese territorial army of Kwangsi. The smaller 

 band, which retained the black flag, was com- 

 posed of criminals and desperate characters 

 who had joined the band of Watsong in tlie 

 hope of plunder or to escape from justice, and 

 their new leader was formerly the most famous 

 brigand in the province of Kwangsi. The 

 principal settlement of the Black Flags is at 

 Laokai, on Red river; that of the Yellow 

 Flags at Hagiang, farther in the interior and 

 east of that place. The Anamese subsidized 

 the Yellow Flags, partly to act as a check upon 

 the troublesome Black Flags, and were glad to 

 avail themselves of both in their conflicts with 

 the French. It was through a want of pre- 

 caution against the skill and courage of the 

 Black Flags that Gamier lost his life in 1873, 

 and through a repetition of the same blunder 

 Riviere suffered defeat and death in 1883. 

 Both the Black and Yellow Flags have greatly 

 increased in number since they were expelled 

 from Chinese territory, the former numbering 

 in 1883 probably not fewer than 5,000 war- 

 riors, and the latter perhaps twice as many. 



French Military Expedition. Capt. Riviere, a 

 naval officer, obtained command of the expedi- 

 tion sent out for the purpose of enforcing the 

 treaty of 1874, and embarked in October, 1881. 

 The changes in the Foreign " Office, which was 

 directed successively by St. Ilillaire, Gambetta, 

 Freycinet, Duclere,and Challemel-Lacour, were 

 the cause of Capt. Riviere being left with his 

 small force in Tonquin without support or in- 

 structions, to act at his own discretion. The 

 worthless Anamite militia offered no formida- 

 ble resistance to his insignificant band of ma- 

 rines. He ascended to Hanoi, and took the 

 citadel by assault, the Anamite garrison being 

 driven out at the first onset, in May, 1882. 

 Nothing further was done until the following 

 spring, when the Government at home began 

 to consider a forward movement, and the hos- 

 tile natives showed signs of activity. There 

 was no declaration of war against Anam, nor 

 any expressed intention of effecting political 

 changes. The declared object of the expedi- 

 tion was to clear the Red river of the Black- 

 Flag pirates, and keep it open for European 

 commerce. A desultory warfare was carried 

 on with the natives. The Black Flags were 

 re-enforced by Anamites and by volunteers 

 from China, who united to harass and compel 

 the retreat of the hated foreigners. Yet, dur- 

 ing this time, the official assumption was that 

 the French had to do simply with pirates, and 

 were acting on behalf of the ^ Emperor of 

 Anam. After many vacillations, in May, 1883, 

 the French Government decided to send a mill- 



