either as Chinese subjects or as subjects of the Prince, not as both. The Djentai's attempts to persuade them to disperse proved vain, his prososal that in future only three days' labour should be demanded per month also produced no effect. The crowd sat ensconced with its pälaw dishes round the bridge and discussed its troubles. When this comedy had lasted for several days, the Prince caught one of the recalcitrant men, had him strung up on a pole and flogged in sight of the people outside the wall. This led to a movement towards the palace, though it confined itself to an attempt to barricade the gates from the outside. The Chinese troops were then ordered to interfere. According to the statement of the Hsietai, 20 men fired into the air, the other 40 only being armed with sticks, but the result was 6 dead and 5 wounded. The crowd dispersed in a panic and many Sarts fled from Hami. Then came the most curious part of the whole affair. 15 Sarts were captured and beaten with sticks on their bare ankles in the presence of the Djentai, Hsietai, the Shenguan pro tern. and the Prince, to force them to admit that they had paid the Shenguan (the regular one who had been removed to Urumchi owing to the disturbance) 1,500 lan on condition that he succeeded in getting them recognised as Chinese subjects and released from their liabilities to the Prince. The torture succeeded in inducing only one of the men to confess to the acts ascribed to them. He was released from torture at once. — The population declared that the story of the 1,50o lan was an invention of the Prince's in complicity with the military authorities whose interest in the outcome of the affair had been secured by generous presents.
During my stay here I had to settle a question of a diplomatic nature. Arriving in October 28th. advance to find quarters, my new cook had encountered some kind of patrol of 8 men. Hami. When he asked them to make room for him to ride past, he was answered with threats and
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