While the Chinamen who are now in this country are able to laugh at the
Emperor's decree, and have no intention of going where he can make things
unpleasant for them, they are horror-struck at the way their poor
relatives have been stampeded. A number of these have been thrown into
jail, and only the nimblest have managed to escape the imperial vengeance.

The Chinese merchants feel that this is very hard, because they have never
been tried and convicted of any crime, and this punishment has fallen upon
them because of a report of the Consul in San Francisco, which they say is
absolutely false.

It seems that the Consul sent word to the Minister in Washington that
these ten men were "rebels and full of treason," that they were plotting
the overthrow of the Emperor of China, and were collecting arms for that
purpose.

The Minister sent the report on to the Emperor, and his Celestial Majesty,
fearful lest these ten men might overthrow his kingdom, instantly ordered
them to come right home and have their heads chopped off.

The accused Chinese merchants say that they are innocent, and that the
charge was made against them by their enemies; and of enemies they seem to
have an unlimited number.

It appears that Chinese society is a very complicated affair.

The Chinese, in their own country, live in families and clans, after the
manner of the Scotch, and like the ancient Scotch people there are
frequently terrible feuds or quarrels between the various clans. If one
man of a clan offends a man of another clan, the two entire clans take up