de Norman, Mr.
Bowlby, the special correspondent of the _Times_, and the nineteen
troopers (consisting of eighteen Sikhs and one Dragoon) who formed the
escort, and were under the command of Lieutenant Anderson, of Fane's
Irregular Horse. This portion of the party became separated from
Messrs. Parkes and Loch, when the latter, at the commencement of the
conflict of the 18th ultimo, were taken up to Sang-ko-lin-sin, for the
ostensible object of obtaining a safe-conduct from him. Since that
time we have heard nothing authentic about them, but we are assured
that, though they are not now in Pekin, they will soon be restored to
us.

[Sidenote: Fate of the rest.]

Unhappily the hopes thus raised were not destined to be realised. On the
12th of October nine more prisoners were returned to the camp--eight
troopers of Fane's Irregular Horse and one French soldier; but the evidence
given by them left no doubt that two at least of the remainder, Lieutenant
Anderson and Mr. De Norman had perished, having sunk under circumstances of
much suffering from the consequences of the maltreatment to which they were
subjected. 'I was not personally acquainted' wrote Lord Elgin, 'with
Lieutenant Anderson, but he is spoken of by all who knew him as an
excellent officer. Mr. De Norman was a young man of remarkable promise.
With considerable abilities, great assiduity, singular steadiness of
character, and courage of no mean order, he had every promise of achieving
eminence in his profession. We all mourn most bitterly his untimely
end.'[9]

There were others whose fate remained at that time unknown; among them Mr.
Bowlby, the correspondent of the _Times_, whose corpse was afterwards
recovered and recognised. The warmth of regard which Lord Elgin had learnt
to feel for him, is shown in many passages of his journal. Officially he
wrote, 'I deplore his loss, not only because he was a highly-accomplished
and well-informed gentleman, but also because, from the conscientious and
liberal spirit in which he addressed himself to the investigation of the
singularly complicated problems presented by the moral, social, political,
and commercial condition of China, I had conceived the hope that he would
be the means of diffusing sound information on many points on which it is
most important for the national interests that the British public should be
correctly informed.'[10]

The journal, during these anxious an