128 



PRETENCE OF NEUTRALITY. 



Chap. VII. 



gradually cutting off their supplies to starve them 

 into capitulation. Here again their plans were to 

 a certain extent frustrated by neutral foreigners. 

 The foreign settlement, as it is called, occupies a 

 large tract of ground situated on the north-east side 

 of the city just outside the walls, and is bounded on 

 the east by the Shanghae river. Notwithstanding 

 the complaints and remonstrances of the govern- 

 ment of the country, many persons were unscrupu- 

 lous enough to keep supplying the insurgents with 

 arms and ammunition of all kinds in large quan- 

 tities, for which they were liberally paid with the 

 spoils stolen from the public treasury or wrung 

 from the inhabitants. Some were in the habit of 

 making large sums of money by running cargoes 

 of gunpowder, carrying it into the city, advising 

 and counselling the rebels, and then when danger 

 approached sneaking back to the foreign settle- 

 ment for the protection which the flags of England 

 or America afforded them. Nor was this conduct 

 effectually checked by either of these governments 

 for a considerable length of time, although they 

 had full power to have done so. And this is what 

 we call being neutral ! 



The battles or skirmishes which took place 

 every few days betwixt the besiegers and besieged 

 during the time the city was in the hands of the 

 rebels were most amusing performances. 



During the time of the siege Dr. Lockhart's 

 Chinese hospital was crowded with patients. Some 

 came to have limbs amputated, others to have balls 



