the Foreign Office, Bruce's attach^, Bowlby of the 7tmes, Captain Brabazon, R.A.,and Lieutenant Anderson of Fane's Horse, together with about 20 Sikhs. The fate of all these is uncertain, but we must hope for the best. Some of them have undoubtedly been killed, but who we do not yet know; those that remain are to be given up to us as soon as they can be sent for. With regard to our own proceedings, the army arrived before the walls of Pekin on the 6th of October without meeting any more enemy; they now fly before us in every direction whenever they get sight of even a single red coat, throwing away their arms and never allowing us to get near them. The formidable Tartar army has vanished, utterly panic-struck. To-day one of the gates of Pekin is to be given over to us which we shall hold until the new Treaty is made, which now will very soon be the case. The Emperor and all the chief Mandarins have fled from Pekin, but one of the latter is expected shortly to return and conduct negotiations. On Saturday the 6th we marched as far as the Emperor's Summer Palace, about three miles from Pekin, and such a collection of valuables as it contained I cannot describe. The rooms and halls of audience, which are floored with marble, and specially the Emperor's bedroom, were literally crammed with the most lovely knick-knacks you can conceive. Fancy having the run of Buckingham Palace and being allowed to take away anything and everything you liked, and armed moreover with a thick stick and a deep-rooted feeling of animosity to the owner, being able to indulge in the pleasure of smashing looking-glasses and porcelain, and knocking holes through pictures. Such a scene I witnessed yesterday, and if I had not been Adjutant-General of the Army might have walked off with such an amount of valuable plunder as would have satisfied the most greedy. Large magazines full of richly ornamented robes lined with costly furs, such as ermine and sable, were ruthlessly pulled from their shelves, and those that did not please the eye, thrown aside and trampled under foot. There
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were other large storerooms full of fans, Mandarins' hats, and clothes of every description, others again piled up to the ceiling with rolls of silk, all embroidered, and to an incredible amount, more than you would find in the shops of five or six of the richest inhabitants of London put together. All these were plundered and pulled to pieces, floors were literally covered with fur robes, jade ornaments, porcelain, sweetmeats, and beautiful wood carvings too large to be carried away. If you and Julia could have been present, and had two large Exeter wagons at hand, you might have passed a most delightful morning, and enriched yourselves with all those beautiful things. Unfortunately for myself, it did not do to show too much greediness, and I had no means moreover of carrying things away. A grand sale is to take place to-morrow, and I will then try and get a few things to take home. We shall leave Pekin about the 25th of the month, and a portion or perhaps the whole of the force will winter at Tien-tsin. God bless you, my dear William. — Ever your affectionate brother,
Fredk. Stephenson.
To Lady Stephenson
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My dear Mother, — I have positively only a few minutes to write to you in, and I shall employ them by telling you simply that peace is at last signed... and that we leave Pekin in ten days' time for Tien-tsin, where the force will be broken up, excepting about 3000 men who will remain there till the spring; and as soon as the men can be embarked, which will be towards the end of November, I shall then go down to Hong Kong and await orders to return to England, which I expect to receive about the beginning of January, and then I shall start for home. We all attended the funeral the other day, which was conducted with great ceremony, of poor Mr. de Norman, Mr. Bowlby, Lieutenant Anderson, Indian Cavalry, and a private of
the King's Dragoon Guards. Out of 26 prisoners, 13 have returned, many mutilated more or less. The dead bodies of 12 have been sent back, and one, Captain Brabazon, R.A., remains unaccounted for, though there is no doubt that he was beheaded in Pekin on the 22nd of September. I am afraid you will think me a shabby fellow and a very undutiful son for sending home such a letter as this, but I know it will bring you intelligence that will make up for a little lack of news. God bless you, my dear mother. I long to be with you and tell you all about our doings of late, — the last two or three months have been the most interesting I have passed in my whole life; I would not have missed them for anything. Best love to all. — Ever your affectionate son, Fredk. Stephenson.
To his Brother