Page:Further India; (IA furtherindia00clif).pdf/386

Tongking. On his arrival at Hanoi, however, the local mandarins declined absolutely to permit him to purchase and carry salt to China, salt being their own precious monopoly. Dupuis appealed to the French Government. at Saigon, and our old friend Francis Garnier was sent with a small force to arbitrate between the French mer- chant and the mandarins of Hanoi.

Garnier arrived at the capital of Tongking on Novem- ber 5th, 1873, and ten days later issued a proclamation declaring the Song-Koi open to general commerce. This determined, but perhaps over-hasty, action led to im- mediate hostilities, and on November 20th Garnier seized the citadel of Hanoi by assault. For one backed by so tiny a force, Garnier's policy was audacious to the point of recklessness, but for the moment it succeeded so well that in the course of a few weeks he had made himself master of five native strongholds, and seemingly had the whole of lower Tongking in his grip. The Annamese, who saw their possession slipping from their grasp, now called in the Black Flags, the lawless bands of marauders who had effected a lodging in northern Tongking dur- ing the prolonged disturbances in Yun-nan. These new enemies forthwith attacked Hanoi, and on December 21st Francis Garnier was killed while leading a sortie against them. Impetuous, eager, strenuous, and fearless to the last, he fell far in advance of his men, and by his death France was robbed at a critical moment of one of the few of her sons who have won for themselves great reputations while engaged in building up her empire beyond the seas.

The man who was next sent to Hanoi was of another