THE WESTERN CHINA EXPEDITION.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 328, 1 July 1875, Page 4

THE WESTERN CHINA EXPEDITION.

An occasional correspondent of the Times, writing from Rangoon on March 30th, gives the following account of the efeat of the Western China expedition under Colonel Horace Brown:— The mission which j eft us last December with such apparently fair prospects of traversing China from east to west, and then of returning via Shanghai, has come back in consequence of the attack made on it by a large body of Chinese troops under Chinese officers, and aided by certain Kakhyen chiefs, on the frontier of China. They have farther to regret the loss by murder of Mr Margary, a distinguished member of her Majesty’s Consulate, as well as seven Chinese subordinate members and followers of the mission. The mission in its progress through the territory belonging to the King of Burmah was received with the greatest politeness. But that is no indication of the real feelings of the king or his advisers, and the general impression is that there is nothing short of an actual invasion he dreads more than the extension of British influence or trade beyond his capital in the direction of China. This feeling of his was suspected, but it was believed that his respect for British power would act as an efficient counterpoise and prevent any plotting against the success of the expedition. On the 16th of February the party left Tse-kaw, the last village in Burmah territory which borders on the Kakhyen Hills. It consisted of Colonel Browne, Dr J. Anderson, who had accompanied the former expedition as scientific officer; Mr F. Forde, who accompanied the Sikhs, who mnrdered fifteen and not fifty, as I stated in a former letter; Mr Margary, who had traversed China from east to west (a feat never before accomplished by any Englishman), and Mr 0. Allen, interpreter, in the Chinese Consular service. By the King’s order a Barman civil officer, with 100 armed peasants, accompanied the party from Bhamo—a mountain range about forty-five miles broad, and which running nearly north and south divides the Bhamo district from the higher valleys on the eastern frontier of China. This tract is sparsely inhabited by Chingpaws, more generally known by their Burmese appellation of Kakhyens—a collection of tribes who may be said to exist upon the black mail they extort or the plunder they derive from the caravans which pass between Bhamo and Upper Burmah and the Chinese provinces of Yunan, The sentiments of these savages with regard to the only foreign nation who are known to them may be judged from the saying which is current among them, “ That a Barman when caught is enough to live on for a week; a Chinaman will support them for a month; but a 1 kails,’ or Englishman, is enough to keep them for a whole year.” This favorable .impression with regard to the English has been ipduced by the success they met with in squeezing, the expedition which visited these hills in 1868. They are formidable neither by their numbers nor their courage, and owe their existence simply to the accident. of their hills being situated between two such powers as Upper Burmah and China. To assist the passage of the English Mission through these hills a large amount of black mail was paid to the several chiefs, and presents of considerable value were promised to them on the safe arrival of the mission in Chinese territory. Had the Kakhyens been left to themselves these inducements and the awe inspired by the guard of fifteen stalwart Sikhs armed with Sniders would probably have procured the mission a safe passage through the hills. But some as yet unexplained cause has raised against us not only the Chinese of Teng-j e-chew (Momien) and Manwyne, but also certain members of these tribes located in Chinese territory, and so effectively that the mission has to bewail the death of Mr Margary and seven faithful Chinese, together with the total frustration of the objects for which it started. These hills were entered on the 17th of February, and on the 18th some vague rumours were heard to the effect that the party would be opposed near Manwyne, on the Chinese, frontier, by a large band of Chinese, supposed to be Dacoits. Mr Margary, who had only a month before been cordially welcomed by the Chinese officials on this very route, and who had been informed by them that they would make all the preparations necessary to receive and welcome the mission, went forward to Manwyne to ascertain the truth of these rumours. It is a singular coincidence that while the mission had been so long delayed by the officials of the King of Burmah an Embassy, bearing tribute from bis Majesty of Burmah to the Emperor of China, had started from Bhamo, and passed through Teng-ye-chew (called by the Burmese Momien). Margary left Teug-ye-chew on his way to meet the expedition, having been cordially received by the officials there. This Burmese Embassy arrives at Momien afterwards, and when Margary returns with the mission he finds the officials subordinate to the Teng-ye-chew Governor suddenly changed from friendship to enmity, and he is killed in Manwyne by the very men by whom but a month before he had been treated with so much kindness. Before reaching Manwyne he sent back word that the road was quite clear, and that the party might safely advance. On the 21st they accordingly proceeded to Maroo, about fifteen miles from Manwyne, which place they expected to reach on the following day. On the morning of the 22nd they awoke to find themselves almost surrounded by a hostile force of Chinese and Kakhyens, the strength of which was variously estimated at from 600 to 800 men. This proved to be the advance guard of between 3000 and 4000 men, whom the Governor of Teng ye-chew is reported to have sent down with orders to annihilate the whole party. Intelligence was received at the same time that Margary had been murdered, with his Chinese, by this force the evening before. Manwyne is a small Shan Chinese town, and the Shan inhabitants were favorably disposed towards the British, The direct responsibility for the attack rests upon the Chinese Imperial officials at Teng-ye-chew. During the whole of the day the little party were hotly engaged with an immensely superior force of the enemy, who had got to their rear and entirely cut off their retreat by throwing earthworks across the only road leading to the camp. The camp, which was at a height of about 4700 ft above the sea, was surrounded by hills covered with long grass and trees. Not expecting an attack, no great attention had been paid to the defensibility of the position. Luckily, our < Government had insisted on the Mission being accompanied by a small party of Sikhs, notwithstanding Jtha objections which had been raised by the Burmese Government, the presence of this guard saved the

entire party from certain destruction. For some time the Chinese fired from the cover of the long grass on the sides of the hills; but the distance —200 to 800 yards—was too great for their inferior weapons to do much damage, and consequently there were only three men wounded on pur side. At length some of the boldest of the enemy determined to risk a charge. Issuing from their cover, they advanced into the open with shouts of defiance, calling out the names of their commander, and exhorting the Burmans who were present to desert the English. The effect of fifteen Snider rifles, however, playing upon them in the open, astonished them, and after a few discharges they took shelter in the hills, whence they kept up a constant fire. Some friendly Kakhyens managed to set fire to the grass jungle in which they were concealed. This created a diversion, and after some hours’ fighting they retired towards Manwyne. Our party then retreated into Burmese territory. The exact loss to the enemy is not known, but seven dead bodies were seen by our men, and the total killed on their side is said to be about twenty and a large number wounded. At this present moment suspicion points to the machinations of the Court of Burraah as the cause of the sudden change in the behaviour of the tribes and Chinese—a change not otherwise to be accounted for. Still, it would be premature to throw the whole burden of responsibility on the shoulders of the King of Burmah at present, and some satisfactory solution may bo hoped for from the Government at Pekin.