Emperor has entered
towards Great Britain.

'These are all solid advantages; and, coupled with the provisions of the
Treaty of Tientsin, they will, it may be hoped, place the relations between
the two countries on a sound footing, and insure the continuance of peace
for a long period to come.'

[1] Captain Roderick Dew had been engaged at the capture of Canton in
December, 1857, and also in May, 1858, at the taking of the Taku
forts.

[2] The new Plenipotentiaries were Tsai, Prince of I., a cousin of the
Emperor, and Muh-yin, President of the Board of War: with whom was
joined Hang-ki, a member of the previous commission.

[3] 'A prisoner taken on the 21st of September, in the course of
conversation, volunteered the remark that the fighting was all the
doing of Sang-ko-lin-sin, who was as anxious for it as Prince Tsai was
opposed to it. This accords with other reports.'--Mr. Wade's
Memorandum.

[4] In view of the tragic events which followed, the reflection will
naturally arise that, if this party had not been thus sent forward in
advance of the army, those events would not have occurred. On the
other hand it must be borne in mind, (1) that it was a matter of
necessity that some one should go forward to arrange with the Chinese
authorities as to the place where the Allied armies were to encamp;
(2) that the practice of sending one or other of the Chinese scholars
within the enemy's lines had long been habitual, having been followed,
with the best results, on many occasions, not only in this but in
former expeditions; and that the Chinese, whatever might be their
faults, had never shown any disposition to disregard a flag of truce;
(3) that, accordingly, no one concerned appears to have had any idea
that there was danger to be braved; and that, putting aside Lord
Elgin, Baron Gros, and Sir Hope Grant, the readiness of Mr. Parkes,
not only to go himself--that in one who 'knew not what fear was'
proves nothing--but to take with him several friends who were not
called by duty, shows that, in the judgment of a man of great
shrewdness and unrivalled knowledge of the Chinese character, who was
moreover fully cognisant of all the circumstances, there existed no
ground for apprehension; (4) lastly, that all the evils that followed
were due, so far as it is possible now to judge, to a circumstance
which