Page:Through China with a camera.pdf/355

 their yamens and shrines, must in itself have stirred up a bitter feeling against foreigners. This feeling was without doubt greatly intensified by horrible stories, most ingeniously spread abroad by the literary members of society, describing how foreigners manufacture medicines from the eyes and hearts of Chinese children, or even of adults. In the latter case it is to procure silver that these practices are alleged to be carried on ; and this we may gather from the accompanying passage out of a native work which was in brisk circulation when the massacre took place. "The reason for extracting eyes is this. From one hundred pounds of Chinese lead can be extracted eight pounds of silver, and the remaining ninety-two pounds of lead can be sold at the original cost. But the only way to obtain this silver is by compounding the lead with the eyes of Chinamen. The eyes of foreigners are of no use, hence they do not take out the eyes of their own people." Further on it says :" The people of France without exception follow the false and corrupt Tien- chu religion. They have devilish arts by which they transform men into beasts," etc.

This pamphlet is full of matter unfit for quotation, and con- cludes with an appeal to the people to rise and exterminate the hated strangers: —

'* Therefore, these contemptible beings having aroused our righteous wrath, we, heartily adhering to the kingdom of our sovereign, would not only give vent to a little of the hate that will not allow us to stand under the same heaven with them, but would make an eternal end of the distress of being obliged to have them ever near us. ... * If the temporising policy is adopted, this nonhuman species will again increase." The author


 * Death-blow to Corrupt Doctrines.