FIRST MEETING WITH THE OPPOSITION
On March loth the first meeting took place in one of the rooms of the university, where a dozen representatives of the various hostile institutions were seated at a long table. Professor ANDERSSON, who after 13 years' service in The Geological Survey of China was familiar with the etiquette in the academic world and the tactics that should be adopted in such a delicate situation, had suggested that on our arrival at the meeting I should remain only a short time, invite those present to a banquet at my hotel, and then rise and go. This was to remind my opponents that it was far beneath my dignity to accept the conditions they might be pleased to set up for the future activity of the expedition in the position, so to speak, of prisoner at the bar. That it was their intention to allow the expedition to set out, even if in a very modified form and under their control, was obvious — they would otherwise never have invited me to the meeting. The Government had already sanctioned the preliminary expedition, and only the Government had thus the power to veto it, in which case all discussion would of course have been superfluous.
Our entrance was the signal for all to rise and make polite greeting, whereupon each in turn was introduced to me. Professor ANDERSSON had known them previously. I conversed especially with Sm PING-CH'ANG, professor of history, and Liu Fu, professor of musical acoustics, both of the National University of Peking. These two gentlemen spoke French, after many years' study at Sorbonne. Before the negotiations began I expressed the hope that I might see them as my guests at a banquet at my hotel, an invitation that was accepted with great affability. I then rose, made my bow, and left. Professor ANDERSSON was kind enough to remain behind to take upon himself the thankless and trying task of carrying on the battle on my behalf.
In the course of the subsequent discussion ANDERSSON reminded those present that a contract already existed between Dr WONG and myself. They were, however, unwilling to approve of this contract, and desired to draw up a new one themselves. The main points were indicated then and there, namely, that no collections should be taken out of China and that a central committee should be appointed, with the function of controlling everything touching not only my own but also all future European and American expeditions. ANDERSSON suggested that two Chinese archaeologists should accompany us and carry out excavations, a proposal that could not fail to fall in good soil.
The newspapers had evidently found out that something was in the air, for I was battened upon by several pressmen. »The Peking Leader » had an editorial in which it was complained that I had received a permit to travel, while ANDREWS had been stopped. I had nothing to conceal and nothing to reveal, and I advised the newspaper-men to apply to the professors at the university.
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