Gamier remarks that they had all along found it essential to keep open the trade with Sz-chuen, and Mr. Cooper found Mahommedan merchants unmolested in Chinese Yunnan. The king of Burma, not only as an ally, but as a tributary of China, could not recognise the rebel sultan, nor enter into political or commercial relations with him. The sultan, who had visited Rangoon and Calcutta as a pilgrim to Mecca, may well have been disposed to court the favour of those Feringhees whose power and wealth he had witnessed in the City of Palaces. It is possible that the hospitable governor of Momien was only amusing his guests with complimentary mockeries, and that there was no intention of suffering us to proceed to Tali, and see the real state of things in the interior, the desolation of the province, and the scanty forces at the disposal of the new power. Subsequent events have shown the instability of the Panthay kingdom as soon as a regular and determined attack was made on it by the imperial government; but as regards their then condition, with the utmost respect for the memory of that distinguished explorer, Lieutenant Gamier, it is impossible to overlook the fact that he was strongly prejudiced against the Panthays, by their treatment of him, as well as by the French missionaries, one of whom speaks of the “detested yoke of the Mahommedans.” Garnier even attributes the closing of the western traffic to the robberies of the Kakhyens and the arbitrary oppression of the Panthays; who were, as our observation showed, doing all they could to encourage the Burmese and Shans to carry on the former traffic. It is possible that we were prejudiced by kindness, and misled by outward appearances of strength; but whatever the cause of the origin and progress of this rebellion, it is certain that from the outset the rebels met with little direct resistance from the imperial authorities, and the officials, with their few adherents, were gradually driven from the fertile valleys of Western Yunnan to more inaccessible fastnesses; thence they still maintained a guerilla warfare, neither side ever bringing anything like a large or well-appointed army into the field. The imperialist commanders, such as Li-sieh-tai and Low-quang-fang, who were designated robber chiefs by the Panthays, although really officials of the Pekin government, could only harass their enemies by desultory attacks. Their followers, if captured, were speedily tried and executed as robbers. We witnessed more than sixteen executions of these poor wretches. The criminal was led to the outskirts of the bazaar by a small escort, with music and banners flying, and, with his hands tied behind his back, was made to kneel by the side of the road. The executioner chopped off the head usually at one blow; the body was buried on the spot, and the ghastly head hung up by the gate of the town.
The superior prowess of the Panthays and the unanimity of their councils, directed by the sultan of Tali-fu, were apparently carrying all before them. During our stay at Momien, news was brought, apparently authentic, of the capture by his army of the great city of Yunnan-fu. The condition of Central Yunnan may be imagined from the statements made in the proclamation announcing the fall of the capital. In it are enumerated forty towns and one hundred villages as having been taken and destroyed, and upwards of three hundred persons being burned to death; while the losses of the Chinese, in various fights, amounted to over twenty thousand men. The communications were, however, interrupted by constant fighting on the road between Momien and Yung-chang, two out of three messengers, with despatches from Tali, being killed, while the Mahommedan convoys of specie, and presents sent from the sultan to us, were stopped at Sheedin, near Yung-chang. During our stay, a force of some hundreds of so-called soldiers, commanded by our friend, the chief military officer, or tah-zung-gyee, marched to repel an attack on the town and mines of Khyto; and as proofs of a victory gained by them within a few days, two hundred ears were sent into Momien, while they owned to a loss of forty men.
Although the Panthays were merciless in warfare—only those inhabitants of the towns and villages who at once tendered their submission being spared—they were desirous of establishing a firm and orderly government: in all cases their officers protected the passage of merchants, and dealt much more justly by them than the mandarins had been accustomed to do; this was admitted by the Chinese and Shans, who, though outwardly submissive, were at heart thoroughly opposed to the new régime. Similar testimony is borne by the two travellers already quoted, as regards the caravans trading with Sz-chuen and Thibet. It seemed at this period almost certain that Yunnan would become an independent kingdom, if indeed Sz-chuen and the northern provinces were not also formed into a great Mahommedan empire, and the same idea is recorded by Mr. Cooper, as having been the result of his observations of the state of the country to the north.
For us, however, to attempt to advance was impossible; even if progress had been safe, it would have been impolitic. Whether our presence at Momien was an infraction of the Chinese treaty or no, it was made necessary if any information as to the real state of the country was to be obtained, and this had been the principal object of the expedition set forth in the instructions.
The reader is earnestly requested to bear in mind that politically, socially, and almost geographically, this border land of China had been almost a terra incognita before our arrival at Momien. We realised the fact that we were in China indeed, but in a province which the rebellion had almost converted into an independent kingdom; and from which it seemed almost certain that the lingering remains of obedience to the emperor at Pekin would be soon thoroughly erased. Our leader was, therefore, very soon desirous of effecting a return, but the governor, on various pretexts of securing our safety and communicating with Tali, postponed our departure; and this although he insisted on supplying the whole party with all necessaries during the whole time of our stay. The kindly Tah-sakon was really busy preparing as good a display of presents to his English friends as he could. As de facto ruler of the country, we arranged with him the duties which should be levied on future caravans, and received letters expressive of the desire of the Panthay sultan’s government to enter into friendly relations with our government, and to foster mutual trade. The governor asked for and obtained two seals, wherewith to authenticate his future letters, and gave in exchange an official seal and a vase of red ink, the use of which would, he said, ensure the safe delivery of any letters forwarded to him.
Our farewell visits were exchanged on the 11th of July, and the good-natured governor, who was most sincerely sorry to part with his guests, brought his presents. These consisted of seventy white jackets and bamboo hats for our men, a mandarin’s full dress suit, figured silk jackets, three fine straw hats covered with oilcloth for our wear in the rain, silver-mounted daggers and spears, a gold and jade chatelaine, and amber rosaries. The mandarin’s suit was his own, and he had previously insisted on taking off the rings from his fingers, and placing them in the same order on the fingers of his “English friend,” whom he begged always to wear them for his sake.
Our departure was fixed for the 12th of July, the last advice of the governor being that we should not loiter en route, and only pass one night at each stage. A body of troops were to precede and another to follow in our rear; as a further precaution it had been decided not to employ mules but coolies to carry the baggage, as the engagement of mules would have given some days’ warning to the hostile Chinese; for the same reason the porters had not been engaged till the last—so that our anticipated start was delayed by the insufficiency of porters, and the need of cutting up old rafters to make poles for the few who did appear. The governor was very wroth with his officers, and one of them, an old Chinese, not a Panthay, pleaded in excuse that we were carrying away a number of boxes filled with mud, and worthless weeds and skins—the pursuit of natural history was by no means appreciated by the people, except by the Kakhyens, who were ready enough to bring any sort of animal or reptile they could catch. The same Chinese official tried to represent that we were carrying back a number of boxes of powder. As his object was evidently to make delays and mischief, other officials were appointed to superintend our departure, and Sladen thought it right to remove any possible ill-feeling from the kindly governor’s mind by showing him that the stock of ammunition was only as much as was needful for the escort; and we parted on the best terms.
[29] Vide Appendix II.
[30] ‘As. Soc. Proceedings,’ 1867, p. 176.
[31] Du Halde, i. p. 199.