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One of Tang-kwo-fan's lieutenants is now here' with an escort of 80 to 100 troops; with no ostensible object. It is somewhat curious that when Tseng-kwo-fay himself was down here last year one of the reasons given for his visit was his intention to seize the French Consulate, it being Impe- rial property; and it is also noteworthy that when some of us in 1861 endeavoured to purchase this same property we were told it could not be sold as it belonged to the Emperor.
24th. The two Russian bodies were buried in the British cemetery yesterday afternoon, and shortly after, the body of the third Russian was found in the river, and was buried this morning. Yesterday the Chinese authorities sent down to the British Consulate five coffins containing bodies which were recognised as those of Mr. and Mrs. Thomasin of the French lega- tion, M. Simon of the Consulate; Father Cheverier and a Chinese priest. M. Simon was so hacked as to hardly recognisable. Mrs. Thomasin was cut in the back of the neck. She had her clothes on. These bodies with the French Consul's, six in number, have all been placed to-day in the British cemetery pending instructions from the French authorities, as it was impossi- ble to keep them above ground any longer
whose wedding had been celebrated less than a week ago amid great rejoicings, The bodies were stripped, and the young wife, only about 16, bad her arm broken and cuts on face and body, and three fin- gers cut off apparently for the sake of the rings. The freshness of these bodies is supposed to be due to their contact with the salt-stacks where they were killed. They had only been a short time in the water. Another body found at the same time could not be recognised and is beliey- ed to be Chinese. Since then a fourth body found in the water horribly cut about the head and face, and with part of one hand cut off, was recognised by two French subjects, Messrs Borel (2) and Coutris, who have made their escape from the city, as being the body of the French Con- aul, M. Fontanier; his socks also bore the initials H. F. This body was also stripped; at the time he met his death he wore the Consular uniform. Yesterday H. E. Chung-How said the Consul's body was one of seven taken out of the water and put in coffins. These bodies are to be kept until the arrival of the French author- ities from Peking, expected here to-day or to-morrow. Mr and Mrs Stamman, and Mr Meyer, came down to the settlement this morning under ao escort from Chung- Reports this evening are to the effect that How; they are believed to be the sole sur- Tseng-kwo-fan is now on his way down vivors of the foreigners who were in the hare with 5,000 troops to investigate into city; twenty or twenty-one are dead or this sad affair. Despatches from the North missing, and of these, twelve are women, German Consul for Peking had been stop- nine sisters, Mrs Thomasin, Mrs Chalmai-ped and returned to the Consul, his courier sin, French, and Mrs Protopopoff, Russian, had been taken to the Magistrates in the It appears the French Consul on the city and bambooed; but a despatch from attack being made had gone to Chung- the British Consul to the Minister had How's Yamen, and had induced Chung, reached Peking, and an answer from Mr. How to accompany him to the Consulate. Atkins received here last night. At the On their way thithe rthey met the Cheh same time came letters from the French rien, and Chung-How's story is that the Minister asking for further particulars, Consul fired at the Che-hsien, whereupon having heard of the death of the Consul the mob rose and cut him down, killing and others. All was quiet in Peking. The him on the spot. Mr and Mrs Thomasin attempt of the authorities to interrupt com- were killed inside the Consulate. Mrs munication between officials at Peking and Chalmaissin gut on her horse and escaped, Tientsin is a suspicious circumstance, her husband being killed in his door-way as he was coming out. Mrs Chalmaissin returned to the house in the evening in Chinese dress, but it seems the omission to change har foreign boots led to her deteo- tion, and she was slaughtered in the street. Full particulars of these transactions may never be known, but already a good deal of light is thrown on the affair from vari- ous quarters. We hear from a distance in the country of ten days' journey that pro- clamations were up against Catholics on account of their malpractices; but as the people could not discriminate between Catholic and Protestant they were advised to take them all to the Yamen for exami
nation.
On the 24th the boly of a Chinese woman was found in the river; by the ornaments about her neck she was a Catholic, and be lieved to have been a teacher in the sisters school. She was much cut and disfigured, the body was buried with the other six.
26th.→→This morning six coffins were sent down from the city, the contents of which on examination proved to be the bodies of Mr and Mrs Chalmaison ; of the remaining four, two contained bodies half burnt, one of which had evidently been in the water and had apparently been partially esten second was in much the same horrible state; the remaining two wore burut to a cinder; in one, only the soull and a few bones remained. I forced myself to look upon these six and hope I may never see
UG.
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