eminently successful in Siam, gave him no advantage in contact with a nation that despised trade. As to literary affinities, there was nothing but contempt on the Chinese side. The doctor's gown of Groningen, which captivated the Siamese King, appeared ridiculous in the eyes of Chinese Mandarins whenever he displayed it before them. The most ingenious and persistent efforts which he put forth to open up personal relations with high Chinese officials invariably met with a stolid rebuff. Sir John saw this very soon but, ignorant yet of the utter futility of peaceful measures, he attempted to gain by direct intercourse with the Court at Peking what he had failed to obtain at the hands of provincial dignitaries. Accordingly he started (September 16, 1854) in H.M.S. Rattler for Shanghai, in company with the French Minister M. Bourbillon, leaving Mr. D. B. Robertson in charge of the Superintendency of Trade at Hongkong, while Colonel W. Caine acted, as before, as Lieutenant-Governor. After some consultations held at Shanghai, Sir John, the U.S. Minister McLane and M. Bourbillon's Secretary proceeded, with H.M.S. Rattler and U.S.S. Powhattan, to the mouth of the Peiho where a conference, vainly expected to result in the opening up of direct negotiations with Peking, had been arranged with deputies of the Viceroy of Chihli. Beyond the opportunity which the foreign Ministers here had of stating their wishes, ventilating their grievances and hinting at intervention in aid of the suppression of the Taiping rebellion, this move was absolutely futile. On their return to Shanghai, the Ministers observed the strictest silence as to the results of their conference at the Peiho. Undeterred by this failure. Sir John was, two years later (October, 1856), on the point of starting on a second visit to the Gulf of Pehchihli, when troubles arose at Canton. But of these later on.
Sir John and the other Ministers had thought they might possibly succeed in securing direct diplomatic intercourse with Peking, without the pressure of an armed demonstration, because the Imperial Government was at this time hardly pressed by the progress of the Taiping rebellion and supposed to be secretly
