By This Decisive Success The Road To Tientsin Was Opened Both By Land And
By The River.
The fleet of gunboats, which had participated as far as they
could without incurring any undue danger in the
Attack on the forts, were
ordered up the Peiho; and the English embassador, escorted by a strong
naval and military force, proceeded to Tientsin, where it would be
possible, without any loss of dignity, to resume negotiations with the
Pekin government. The advanced gunboats arrived at Tientsin on August 23,
and three days later the greater portion of the expedition had entered
that city. No resistance was attempted, although several batteries and
intrenched camps were passed on the way. Precautions were at once taken to
make the position of the troops as secure as possible in the midst of a
very large and presumably hostile population. The people showed, according
to the ideas of Europe, an extraordinary want of patriotic fervor, and
were soon engaged, on the most amicable terms, in conducting a brisk trade
with the invaders of their country; but there was never any doubt that on
the first sign of a reverse they would have turned upon the foreign
troops, and completed by all the means in their power their discomfiture.
Several communications passed between the opposite camps during these
days; and when Hang announced the withdrawal of all Chinese troops from
Tientsin he expressed a wish that the English embassador would not bring
many vessels of war with him. But such requests were made more with the
desire to save appearances than from any hope that they would be granted.
The reality of their fears, and of their consequent desire to negotiate,
was shown by the appointment of Kweiliang, who had arranged the Treaty of
Tientsin, as high commissioner to provide for the necessary ceremonies in
connection with its ratification. Kweiliang apparently possessed powers of
the most extensive character; and he hastened to inform Lord Elgin, who
had taken up his residence in a beautiful yamen in Tientsin, that he had
received the emperor's authority to discuss and decide everything. In
response to this notification the reply was sent that the three conditions
of peace were an apology for the attack on the English flag at Peiho, the
payment of an indemnity, including the costs of the war, and, thirdly, the
ratification and execution of the Treaty of Tientsin, including, of
course, the reception at Pekin of the representative of the Queen of
England on honorable terms adequate to the dignity of that great
sovereign. To none of these was Kweiliang himself disposed to raise any
objection. Only in connection with the details of the last named point was
there likely that any difference of opinion would arise; and that
difference of opinion speedily revealed itself when it became known that
the English insisted on the advance of their army to the town of Tungchow,
only twelve miles distant from the walls of Pekin. To the Chinese
ministers this simple precaution seemed like exacting the extreme rights
of the conqueror, before, too, the act of conquest had been consummated;
for already fresh troops were arriving from Mongolia and Manchuria, and
the valor of Sankolinsin was beginning to revive. That the Chinese
government had under the hard taskmaster, necessity, made great progress
in its views on foreign matters was not to be denied, but somehow or other
its movements always lagged behind the requirements of the hour, and the
demands of the English were again ahead of what it was disposed to yield.
If the Chinese government had promptly accepted the inevitable, and if
Kweiliang had negotiated with as much celerity as he pretended to be his
desire, peace might have been concluded and the Chinese saved some further
ignominy. But it soon became clear that all the Chinese were thinking
about was to gain time, and as the months available for active campaigning
were rapidly disappearing, it was imperative that not the least delay
should be sanctioned. On September 8, Lord Elgin and Sir Hope Grant left
Tientsin with an advance force of about 1,500 men; and, marching by the
highroad, reached the pretty village of Hosiwu, half-way between that town
and the capital. A few days later this force was increased by the
remainder of one division, while to Sir Robert Napier was left the task of
guarding with the other Tientsin and the communications with the sea. At
Hosiwu negotiations were resumed by Tsai, Prince of I, a nephew of the
emperor, who declared that he had received authority to conclude all
arrangements; but he was curtly informed that no treaty could be concluded
save at Tung-chow, and the army resumed its advance beyond Hosiwu. The
march was continued without molestation to a point beyond the village of
Matow, but when Sir Hope Grant approached a place called Chan-chia-wan he
found himself in presence of a large army. This was the first sign of any
resolve to offer military opposition to the invaders since the capture of
the Taku forts, and it came to a great extent in the manner of a surprise,
for by a special agreement with Mr. Parkes the settlement of the
difficulty was to be concluded at Chan-chia-wan in an amicable manner.
Instead, however, of the emperor's delegates, the English commander found
Sankolinsin and the latest troops drawn from Pekin and beyond the wall in
battle array, and occupying the very ground which had been assigned for
the English encampment.
The day before the English commander perceived that he was in face of a
strong force Mr. Parkes and some other officers and civilians had been
sent ahead with an escort of Sikh cavalry to arrange the final
preliminaries with the imperial commissioners at Tungchow, both as to
where the camp was to be pitched and also as to the interview between the
respective plenipotentiaries of the opposing powers. This party proceeded
to Tungchow without encountering any opposition or perceiving any
exceptional military precautions.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 129 of 188
Words from 130551 to 131557
of 191255
