158
THE CHARGES AGAINST THE BRITISH CONSUL AT FOOCHOW.
The following printed Expresses has been circulated at Foochow :
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
•
Kution massacre, I feel it my duty to state that, at 5.39 on the afternoon of Saturday, August 3rd, in company with the Rav, Mr Star, I called at the house of Mr. Cave-Thomas at Kuliang, where we had an interview with the Consul and read to him a communication from the US Consulate asking for volunteers to "The undersigned begs to notify the community proceed to Kutien that evening and aid in con- that the actual basis of the rumour which is circu-veying the wounded to Foothow. lating of danger to residents at Kuliang, was that Mrs. Cave-Thomas repeated in a note to Mrs. -Smyth a rumour that two Mission coolies had como over the hills direct from Hwasang, bring ing news that the Vegetarians intended visiting Kuliang. It does not appear that any such ooolies arrived, and Mrs. Cave-Thomas asks that the above facts should be made known.
She never felt any alarm on the subject, and the undersigned does not apprehend any danger. R. W. MANSFIELD,
"H.B.M, Consul.
"H.B.M.'s Consulate,
E
9th August, 1895."
"On coming down from Kuliang this moruing I was surprised to see an express issued by the British Consul in which Mrs. Smyth's name was mentioned in a wholly unjustifiable connection. The only inference to be drawn from it, so far as she is concerned, is that she caused the Kuliang anxiety of the night before last by making public part of a note received by her from Mrs. Cave Thomas. Since Mr. Mansfield
mentions the names of both ladies I shall state here the whole truth in the case.
Mrs.
Cave-Thomas wrote as follows to Mrs. Smyth:
-The wildest rumours are afloat that two fo
“10th August."
GEO. B. SMYTH,
The Consul repeatedly informed is that he had no intention of returning to Foochow antil Monday morning. Later in the interview, we informed him of our intention to go to Foochow that evening, so as to be at hand if it was thought necessary to send any relief to Katien; and asked to whom we could appeal for advice if he were absent from the British Consulate. It was then the Consul changed his attitude and agreed to go to Foochow with us. however, that, in his opinion, any relief party was a mistake, and his object in going down was to do what he could to prevent it.
[August 29, 1895.
sul we all look up to aud valno and in this un- happy affair he has been most energetic. His absence from the Consulate the greater part of Saturday, the 3rd inst., was an accident that might occur to anybody.
Another latter of the same date, signed" S.,” is as follow:
In the Rev. Geo, B. Smyth's letter to Mr. "Were there not Hykes occurs this question: many things which a generous man might think of and try to do ?"
"
++
sent
It may interest Mr. Smyth to know that. some of us think that there is one thing a generous man could never have thought of or tried to do, and that thing is the circula tion of his cowardly and vindictive Express of 10th August. Mr. Smyth after rather un
an He added, necessarily cavilling at Express"
out by Mr. Mansfield for the very necessary pur. pose of quieting rumours regarding danger to to the ladies at Kuliang. concluded his circular with this eminently Christian insinuation: "It is pleasant to note that Mr. Mansfield agroes with me in not apprehending any danger to the residents at Kaliang. Was it, on Saturday last, the same sense of security for the possible sur- vivors of the massacre at Whasang that led him to keep on his journey to the mountain after he was told that five of his fellow countrywomen had been butchered by the Vegetarians P
JOHN CROSS M.B., C.M.,
English Presbyterian Mission." The Foochow correspondent of the N. C. Daily News, writing on the 19th inst., says
This brings me to the point of taking notice of the letter of the Rev. G. B. Smyth on the alleged shortcomings of H.M. Consul, which ap- peared in the N. C. Daily News of the 12th inst. Scandalous. infamous, outrageous, were some of the terms I heard applied to it by many of the British community. The more staid among us declared that it could not be a letter of Mr.
the offision of Smyth's-it was wrought and over-excited brain. I
30.
an over-
never
thought it possible to make much out of little.
80
Mr. Mansfield considered it wisest under extraordinary circumstances to go after meeting the Archdeacon and do what there was to be done immediately at Kuliang. As this did not fit in with Mr. Smyth's views, our worthy Consul is denounced as heart less, as guilty of a callous indifference; that he is deserving of the severest censure and ought to be
of
41
وو.
There were many reasons for Mr. Mansfield's continuing his journey (he is quite able to defend himself), but there cannot be a single good roa- sou for this public circulation of malignity, and there are some of us who know the heartless. magnate (as Mr. Smyth theatrically calls our Consul) to have been incapable of the cruel in- justice shown by a man whose creed is charity and forbearance. Mr. Smyth's letter is full of cheap footlight effects; his scorn of the “callous” and precious subordinate's " remark about the spouter reads superbly no doubt, but the prosy and unwelcome fact is that we have the genus spouter very badly among us, making the most of their facile emotions, and a little
can do no harm. sitting on Now, what we have to say is this. 1tarcasm and “ was an unfortunate accident that led to H.M. is monstrous that because Mr. Mansfield treated Consul leaving his headquarters on the the matter quietly as a responsible official, he heartless," etc., eto, by irresponsible emotionalists. Our hysterical people apparently imagine they have the mono- poly of feeling and base a right to be imper. tinent on their assumed larger-heartedness.
recalled!!
very
morning
the news
of the
J
massacre
any-
should bb denounced as
44
It
the Mission coolies have come over the hills from Hwasang direct, saying the Vegetarians intend visiting Kuliang. Many ladies of the lay community are quite nervous listening to such tales.' Mrs. Smyth never repeated this to anybody at Kuliang. She mentioned it in a letter to me, and I mentioned it to one here who had a right to know. One of Mr. Mansfield's fellow countrymen heard of it, went to the Club, and his repetition of it there caused the greatest excitement. I went to Kuliang to enquire, and immediately on arriving there wrote back that all was quiet. Later wrote that there was absolutely no ground for alarm No
reached Foochow, and it was equally un- one was more surprised than Mrs. Smyth her fortunato that he should have gone so far on his self at the excitement caused, and I trust that journey up the mountain before he heard the before Mr. Mansfield presumes agaid to
nows, because having dismissed his chair and mention her name in a public Express he
having neither sun hat nor umbrella with him,
Last night I was endeavouing to quietly leave will take pains to carefully inform himself to turn back and walk seven or eight miles in a
the Club for dinner and was barred in the door- as to the facts, It is pleasant to note that Mr.
broiling sun would have led to certain illness, way by a gentleman whose deep feeling led him Mansfield agrees with me in not apprehending if not death. But Mr. Mansfield is quite capable to inform me that he was aware of my opinion any danger to the residents at Kuliang.
Was
of managing his own affairs-has a cool head at concerning Mr. Smyth's letter and trusted (with it, on Saturday last, the same sense of security all times and was not likely to do
vibrating voice) that if ever I was in a burning for the possible survivors of the masacre at Hwa thing foolhardy. Under all the circumstances house I should not be found wanting which be sang that led him to keep on on his journey to he thought it wisest to push on. Immediately on sides being impertinent was illogical. Seriously, the mountain after he was told that five of his his arrival he sent off a despatch to the Viceroy this kind of thing lessens the gravity and fellow country women had been butchered by direct which must have reached this city sooner cheapens the solemnity of the recent awful event, the Vegetarians?
than would one written by him from Naufai and the trouble is that on these occasions had he returned. He drafted telegrams to the froth and bubble always rise to the Peking and the Foreign Oßce and posted them surface; to the eloquent man with large emo- off to the Consulate with a letter of instructions tious the temptation is too great. Fortunately to Mr. Pitzipios. Everything that could be done Mr. Smyth does not represent Foochow feeling was done and done promptly. It is incorrect entirely, and some of us here still think that Mr. to say that Mr. Mansfield refused to return. It Mansfield is more to be trusted to deal with a is not right to say that Mr. Manshield is grave matter than his hysterical critics, and we heartless. He has throughout shown the greatest know him to be fully as large-hearted and to have been quite as deeply moved by the terrible sympathy and been kindness itself. the wounded on their arrival at the jetty and murders as his more demonstrative judges. was foremost in his kind attentions to them. Mr. Smyth's latter is sure to go home, and accu- giving a hand himself with the stretchers and sations such as his will do Mr. Mansfield infinite helping in every way.
I see Mr. Mansfield is harm with the large section of the public who feel and don't think; some of the mud is sure accused of pooh-poohing a talked of rescue party. Of course he pooh-poohed it. What to stick, some of the vitriol to splash, and it is man in his sober senses would have done other-an iniquitous shame that Mr. Smyth by his It was maduess to think of a small picturesque writing has it in his power to Wiso? armed party of excited folunteers going up proseut to people in England, who know nothing country to do heaven knows what. The Stewarts of the real man, an absurd picture of Mansfield were either killed or Tere in safe hiding. as a kind of modern Nero fiddling at Kucheng's The Viceroy had sent ap troops to protect burning. Already Hongkong papers are writing any that might be living, aanch was asked for leaders in this strain and if Hongkong can be by Mr. Pitzipios ander orders from Mr. Mans- misled what can happen in London ? field to bring down the men, and r. Pitzipios, Archdeacon Wolfe, and the Rev. Mr. Banister were to go up to meet them. At the last mo- ment it was found that the authorities were only able to send ou laugh and so it hap-lowing postscript: pened that the U.S. Marshal went with them. The sentence in Mr. Smyth's letter, They As the Hueshin is closing at noon I am unable told him, but he would not turn back" etc., is a to write more, but perhaps I have said enough to gross misrepresentation of the real facts of the The case, as I have presented them above. Referring to the statements made in Ex-show that H.M. Consul is not such a bad man or presses now before the Foochow community worthless Cousul as Mr. Smyth would have your request to the Viceroy for a launch to meet regarding the action of II,B.M. Consul and the readers to think. if is on the contrary a Con- the wounded was made early on Saturday
"Foochow, August 13th, 12.30 p.m. "Referring to Mr. Smyth's Express of 10th inst, and his insinuation that H.M. Consul, when he heard the news of the massacre on his way to Kuliang, treated the matter lightly by con- tinuing his way up the mountain instead of re- turning at once to Foochow, as I was the parson who first met the Cousul and communicated to him the sad news, I beg most emphatically to deny that he treated the matter either lightly or in differently. We discussed the matter for some time, and his first impulse was to return at once to Foochow, but he was half way up the mountain when I met him and had dismissed his coolies an i sent his clothes on before him, and as he had neither sun hat nor umbrella, it was as much as his life was worth to return to Foochow, à distance of seven
or eight miles, in the broiling sun. It was, thero fore, agreed that it was bost, under the circum- stances, for him to go on and send off is dis- patches from Kuliang by a post messenger to the Viceroy and his telegrams to Peking and the Foreign Office with a note of instructions to Mr. Pitzipios, and that he himself would return to Fooohow at the earliest moment, which he did early in the same evening.
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JOHN R. WOLFE."
"Foochow, 22nd August, 11.20 a.m.
He met
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Arehdeacon Wolfe writes a letter in similar terms to the "Express" issued by him and which has already been published. He appends the fol.
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