§ COLONEL SYKESsaid, he wished to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, as it appears from Despatches published in the "North China Daily News," that the French Charge d'Affairs. M. Rochechouart, in a personal interview with "Ma," the Viceroy of Nankin has obtained ample redress for the late outrage by the Literati at Ngan-king upon French Missionaries, and a grant of a plot of land within the walls of Ngan-king for a Church and Mission House; whether Sir Rutherford Alcock in his personal interview with "Ma," the Viceroy, has obtained equivalent redress for the outrage by the Literati upon English Missionaries in Ngan-king; whether the following circumstances, as detailed in a private letter published in the "China Overland Trade Report" of the 25th January, and dated Tamani, 10th January 1870, have been reported by the 1871 Consul at Tamani, or have come to the knowledge of the Foreign Office— namely, that, by order of the Tavatar of Tarwanfoo, the Mandarin of Oulan has proclaimed a reward of 200 dollars for the head of Mr. Pickering, a British merchant, travelling with a Chinese pass in Formosa, after confiscating his property to a large amount; and, whether Mr. Field, a British merchant, has been put into irons, after being robbed of 1,000 peculs of camphor, he also traveling under the protection of a Chinese pass?
MR OTWAYsaid, in reply, that in regard to the first part of the Question of the hon. and gallant Member, he had to state that the Government had received no information whatever inspecting the redress alleged to have been obtained by M. Rochechouart for an outrage upon French missionaries at Ngan-king. The circumstances attending Sir Rutherford Alcock's interview with "Ma," the Viceroy, were as follows:—Some English missionaries established themselves in Ngan-king, a province where they had no treaty right. They were told that they incurred considerable risk, but they took no heed of the warning. They remained unmolested till April, when the governor of the province informed them it would be advisable for them to leave the city, as an examination of students was about to be held. They did not think proper to do so, and these students in a large body took occasion to pull down the mission house, and so threatened the missionaries that they, with their wives and children, had to take refuge in the palace of the governor. The governor afterwards sent them away under an escort, and gave them 100 dollars besides. Sir Rutherford Alcock had an interview with the governor, and he promised that, on obtaining a list of the expenses which the missionaries had incurred in consequence of the outrage, he would refund the amount, and also punish the ringleaders of the students. Therefore, there was no occasion for Sir Rutherford Alcock to make any application to the Viceroy. Nevertheless, he had represented the matter to the Viceroy, who pointed out that by residing in a place where no treaty right applied to the missionaries they had acted imprudently, and had rendered themselves liable to outbursts on the part of the people which it was 1872 difficult for him to repress. A demand for compensation to the amount of 1,700 dollars had, he was informed, been made.