Mr. Holm was then in Hankow, having gone there for various reasons, among them ill-health, after the work had been fairly started in Sian. On hearing of the completion of the undertaking, he hastened back to the Shensi capital, invited the Chinese officials to inspect the replica, which they did, and finally, after much negotiation, succeeded in obtaining permission to take it away. Mr. Holm, it may be mentioned, is the only foreigner so far, who has been officially received by the mandarins of the Shensi Foreign Office in their yamen, where he was most courteously and considerately treated by the President and members of the Provincial Board of Foreign Affairs.
The conveyance of the great stone from Sian to Hankow was an immense undertaking. First of all it took 24 coolies to lift it from the ground and place it on the heavy cart which had been specially constructed to carry it to Chengchow, Honan, where it was put on a railway truck and by that means taken to Hankow.
Here, according to statements made by Mr. Holm himself, his troubles really began, and strange to relate, it was not from Chinese officials they proceeded, but from the foreign Commissioner of Customs, a Mr. Aglen. For some unexplained reason this gentleman seized the stone and impounded it, instructing Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co. not to let it leave their premises on any account until they heard further from him.
Sir Robert Hart, who knew of Mr. Holm's enterprise from his own narrative, issued instructions that the stone was to be restored to the owner, for him to do what he liked with it.
Mr. Holm then returned to Hankow, obtained possession of the great piece of work once more, shipped it on board the "Loong-wo" to Shanghai, where it was put on board the s. s. "Kennebec" for final conveyance to New York via the Suez Canal, a voyage of about 15,000 miles.
