214 Throttgh the Yang-tse Gorges 



their literal ghastliness, and slew the idolaters without mercy. 

 Sixteen years of desperate fightbg (1848-64) passed away 

 before his bandit hordes were broken up, and his capital, 

 Nanking, given to the flames, in which he and all his house- 

 hold perished. Nearly twenty years have now elapsed, and 

 the still desolate appearance of this, the southern capital, 

 remains a witness and a warning. It is practically impossible 

 to convert a Chinaman to Christianity, and leave him still 

 a faithful member of his family, and a loyal subject to the 

 powers that be. Confucianism is so interwoven with family 

 observances and political doctrines, that if the one is over- 

 thrown the rest follow. " I come not to bring peace, but 

 a sword," has been but too truly exemplified in this country, 

 and nothing but the weakness of the Chinese enables them 

 to tolerate missionaries as they do. "Take away your 

 opium and your missionaries," Prince Kung is reported to 

 have said in taking leave of Sir Rutherford Alcock. An 

 instructive comment upon this is the fact that few foreigners 

 in China ever employ a Christian or an opium-smoker if they 

 can help it. It is not too generally known that a practical 

 people like the Dutch, who hold the larger portion of the 

 Malay race under their rule, forbid propagandism entirely, 

 throughout the whole extent of their vast territories. We 

 cannot, then, wonder at the Chinese desiring to do the like, 

 and in common justice should allow the Government free 

 action in a question of internal economy like this — especially 

 where, under extra-territoriality, each individual mission is 

 allowed free rein to its idiosyncracies, and the Chinese 

 officials responsible for order, find it impossible to control 

 the resulting imperia in imperio. 



After endless delays, and constant urging on my part, it 

 had been at length arranged that we should make our start 

 down river on the morrow. Room had been engaged in 



