ets are wider and shops larger than one generally finds them
in China. When 'foreign' parties landed yesterday, they were a good
deal pestered by officious mandarin followers, who, by way of keeping
order, kept bambooing all the unhappy natives who evinced a desire to
see the foreigners. In order to defeat this plan, which was manifestly
adopted with the view of preventing us from coming in contact with the
people, I landed near Han-yang, on the side of the river Han opposite
to Hankow, and walked in the first instance to the top of a hill where
there is a kind of fortress, from which we had a good view of Ouchang,
Han-yang, and Hankow. The day was rather misty, but we saw enough to
satisfy us that there must have been great exaggeration in previous
reports of the magnitude of these places. Some of the mandarin
satellites tried to accompany us on our walk, but we soon sent them
about their business. After seeing all we wished of the view, we
descended and crossed the river Han in a sampan to Hankow, where we
walked about for some hours, followed by a crowd of perfectly
respectable people. As some hint was conveyed to me implying, that it
was hoped we would not go to Ouchang, I have sent a letter to the
Governor-General of the Two Hoo, who resides there, informing him that
I intend to call upon him to-morrow. I shall go with as large an
escort as I can muster. These Chinamen are such fools that, with all
my desire to befriend them, I find it sometimes difficult to keep
patience with them. They are doing all they can to prevent us from
having any dealings with the people; refusing our dollars, sending us
supplies as presents, &c. I have sent back the presents, stating that
I must have supplies, and that I will pay for them.

_December 8th.--Eleven A.M._--An officer has been off from the
Governor-General, proposing that my visit should take place to-morrow,
in order that there may be sufficient time for the preparations. He
was very profuse in his protestations of good-will, but as usual there
were a number of little points on which it was necessary to take a
half-bullying tone. 'I could not have a chair with eight bearers; such
a thing had never been seen at Ouchang. There were not thirty chairs
(the number for which we had applied) in the whole place.' 'Lord Elgin
won't land with less, do