TSÊNG KUO-FAN.
a.d. 1811-1872
[The famous statesman and general who was chiefly responsible for the suppression of the T‘ai P‘ing rebellion, fighting strenously in the cause of the Manchus from 1853 to the fall of Nanking in 1864. Ennobled as Marquis and raised to the rank of Viceroy, he lived incorruptible, and in spite of all the temptations to which a high Chinese official is exposed, died poor. “When his wardrobe was examined,” says the memorial submitted to the Throne, “to find some suitable garments for the last rites, nothing new could be discovered. Every article of dress had been worn many times; and this may be taken as an example of his rigid economy for himself and in all the expenditure of his family.” The Chinese government made provision for his family, and for the education of his brilliant son, afterwards popular Minister at the Court of St. James’s and known as the Marquis Tsêng.]
A FAMILY LETTER.
BROTHER Ch‘êng and others,
On former occasions when I sent family letters, they took thirty-five days to reach you. On the last occasion, a special messenger has not reached you, even after forty days. The rebels being just now round about Lo-p‘ing and Jao-chou,[1] I fancy that a circuitous route has been taken.
After the recapture of Hsiu-ning[2] on the 12th inst., Tso’s[3] army was divided into eight columns, and a small defeat was suffered at Chia-lu, forcing a retreat upon Ching-chên. Luckily, however, the rebels did not follow up their attack, and Tso obtained a few days’ grace for reorganization, the result being that the moral of the men was not greatly weakened.
Just now, Tso’s troops are advancing upon Lo-p‘ing and P‘o-yang. Pao’s[4] troops, because of the critical state of Fu-chou and Chien-ch‘ang, were to have been sent to Kiangsi, first of all to secure the general situation, and then to relieve the two cities in question; but recently both P‘o-yang and Ying-chên have been con-
