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the honour to report that negotiations
late at
have been carried on of Shanghai with the view of arriving at a peaccable settlement, between the Chinese Plenipotentiary Iseng huo. Chuan, assisted by Sir Robert Wart, the English Head of the Chinese Imperial Customs; and M. ___ Letenôtre, the Frengh Minister. The
main difficulty appears to have lain in the
the amount of the indemnity
demanded
as cxcessive
by
France, and resisted.
by
China, for the
resent affair of Langson (or Lang-
Shan) in Tonquin.
During the progress of
the negotiations, the Chinese have continued their warlike preparations, and especially the creation of heavy batteries to protect the approaches to their principal cities. In the opinion of the English, and of the other — foreign Naval Officers, the French ships will have very difficult. work before them, if hostilities begin, and the Chinese stand to their guns,
they did, for
as
example, in 1857, when the Allied
Shan
Squadrons