CO129-372 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 218

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attended out of 3,000. The taotai again repeated that I might calm my fears as no trouble would ensue.

On the 13th April I sent for and warned Mr. Gregory, of the Polytechnic, who assured me that the students, if silent, appeared peaceful.

The same evening at 7:15 P.M. a telephone message came from the governor to the consulate asking me to request Commandant Yang, of the river guard-boats, to send reinforcements to the South Gate as there was a serious disturbance just outside the city.

At 7:30 this warning was repeated and, as I was dining on board the steam-ship Siangtan, I requested Commandant Yang to keep a man at our telephone. I went right through the city within fifty yards of the governor's yamên and right past the door of the taotai's yamên where there was a big crowd assembled. No notice was taken of me except one man, on seeing my chair pass, called out "The British consul," and laughed heartily.

At 8-15 I received a letter from Dr. Hume, telling me of the riot, and asking if I was aware of it. I replied that I was fully informed, but that he need have no cause for apprehension, as I had the governor's assurance that full protection would be afforded.

Dr. Hume followed this up with another note, stating that the governor's yamên was being attacked. I thereupon went to the customs office and telephoned to the governor's yamên for information. I was told that about 2,000 men were in the yamên making a disturbance and demanding that the price of rice should be officially lowered. I stated that I was returning through the city and should pass near the yamên, and asked if it were safe; to which the reply came that it was perfectly safe, as the crowd would soon disperse. I then sent for Mr. Kwok, who, knowing of the trouble, repeated the assurance that I could easily pass through the city, though he qualified this remark when I asked him if it would not be wiser to return by

water.

I then returned to the steamer, and on arrival was met by one of the men of the consulate guard-boat, who begged me to return by water and to avoid the city, as the riot was very serious.

I thereupon returned to the consulate and telephoned to the governor for more information. On being told that the rioters were still in the yamên, I telephoned to the taotai and asked him to send troops to all the missions to protect them. He replied that this had been done. I also asked whether, as a sign of friendship, and to help the officials in a difficult position, I should not telegraph to you to send one of Ilis Majesty's ships. He replied that it was unnecessary to send a ship on account of the rice riot, but that if one was leaving I might as well ask it come at once. I thereupon sent my first telegram to Mr. Fraser, informing him of what had happened.

I again asked the taotai whether troops had actually gone to the missions, and again received an affirmative reply.

At 2 A.M. the next morning, the 14th April, Mr. Warren, of the Wesleyan Mission, came to me and informed me that his mission had been burnt to the ground, and that all the members had only just managed to escape through the back door. They had fled to the West Gate, and were there kept in the guard-house until the gate could be opened, when they passed out unhurt. I at once sent my wife and child and Mrs. Cooke, who lived near to us, across to the island, and sent a message to Captain Agassiz to retain his ship. I again telephoned to the taotai, who replied that the destruction of the Wesleyan Mission must have been an accident, and that all other missions were being protected by troops.

At 3.30 A.M. a message came from Dr. Keller, of the China Inland Mission, that his mission and the Norwegian Mission had gone; that he was safe in a yamên, but that the Norwegians were fleeing for their lives. I then sent a messenger to every mission in the city to tell the members to leave as quickly as possible, and to get on board the steamers. 1 also telephoned to Mr. Gregory in the Polytechnic to leave

by the East Gate, and to find his way to the consulate or to General Yang's camp, I further sent river guard-boatmen into the city, and gave them money to get covered chairs and bring the people to the consulate or to the steamer. I cannot speak too highly of the work done by these men. They went with the consulate writer repeatedly into the city, and did all in their power to get the people out quietly, and I think that the fact that no lives were lost is not only due to an apparent and inexplicable care on the part of the rioters that no lives should be sacrificed, but also to the prompt and skilful assistance they rendered.

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At 9 A.M. I telephoned for, and got, the governor's launch, and she has rendered great assistance ever since. The launch was handed over quite unreservedly, and her "lac yeh" told to put himself entirely under my orders.

At 6 A.M. a detachment of the regular troops came to the consulate, and I was told that a large force had been sent into the city, and that order would be restored. At 10 A.M. General Yang sent an aide-de-camp well known to me, who assured me that the general could protect me if I went to his camp; but I felt that I ought to stay where I was most use to the whole community.

At noon the second-in-command of the guard-boats came to me to say that the governor's yamên was on fire, and that protection could no longer be afforded. He said that the message came from the governor direct, and he urged me to leave at once. He further stated that property would be preserved if we would leave the mainland. As I was strongly of opinion that the loss of one life would seriously prejudice the whole situation, I followed the advice, and after seeing everyone else embarked, I abandoned the consulate and went to the steam-ship "Siangtan."

I then requested the captain of the steam-ship "Changwo" to move down the river to opposite the consulate, in case any foreigners had been forgotten, and in case two, who had refused to leave until I wrote a personal note, should make for the consulate.

At that time the steam-ship "Siangtan" was lying alongside her bulk, but the Chinese began pouring on board in such numbers that I thought it advisable to move into the stream. At this time several places, including the governor's yamên, were blazing. We had only just moved from the hulk when we heard firing from the yamên, and hoped that orders had finally been given to put down the disturbance by force. I heard subsequently what happened. On the approach of the mob, with enormous torches, the general gave the order to fire, and one or two volleys were fired, by which about nine were killed. The treasurer thereupon threw himself at the feet of the general and implored him to cease fire, and at the same time the gentry coerced the governor. The result was that the governor put out a proclamation that the soldiers would not fire. This was promptly torn down. The treasurer then put out the order, and this was respected. After the issue of the treasurer's proclamation an officer of the governor's body-guard dared to give an order to fire, which one soldier obeyed; both were promptly executed. All this time the regular troops stood up against volleys of large bricks and tiles, and sustained about 120 casualties, all, I am told, more or less severe. One of the regular troops then said if they might not use rifles they could use swords, and killed a looter; but this was also forbidden, and from this moment a slow, deliberate, methodical destruction of property commenced.

At 4 P.M., as too many Chinese were still flocking to the "Siangtan," I asked the captain to drop down to the consulate, and there we transferred passengers for Hankow on to the "Changwo."

At 6:30 P.M., while we were about 50 yards from the Bund, the mob, just having completed the destruction of the London Mission, came to the consulate. They were beaded, as I was told by one or two eye-witnesses, by a gang of men dressed all in black-black short coats opening in the front, black short trousers with broad white bands round their ankles. They were provided with implements to destroy houses, and the consulate writer, who watched the destruction of the London Mission, told me they went about their work with quietness and method. He said they were certainly not Changsha men, were from 20 to 30 years of age, very emaciated and with black faces. The officer in charge of the river guard-boats, of which there were eight, in addition to about sixty of the regular troops, came and asked me for permission to fire, but as I had all archives, English and Chinese, and the cyphers safe, I requested him to tell the heads of the looters they were free to enter the consulate and burn or loot it, provided they took special precautions that no lives were lost. I also asked him to move the guard-boats from the Bund to give proof of my intentions. He returned and executed all I had said. He added, however, that all the men of the river guard-boats were personally fond of me, and it seems that the villagers echoed this statement and made an earnest appeal to leave the property alone. The mob then asked the consulate gate-keeper, who kept the flag flying the whole time till the return of His Majesty's ship "Thistle " on the 17th, to open the main gate. This being done, they then asked him to hang out lamps, and the gate- keeper hung out the large consulate lamps. The mob never even entered the gate, and throughout the whole time not a single article of any kind whatsoever was touched in the building. The mob, it is interesting to note, then went and raided

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