uised gratification. It was well said of him
afterwards in reference to the honours paid to him at this period, that
while he did not require the stimulus of praise, or even sympathy, to keep
him to his work, but would have worked on for life, whether appreciated or
overlooked, still 'he whose sympathies were always ready and warm enjoyed
himself being understood and valued; and that welcome in the City was very
cheering to him after his long experience of English indifference about
Canada and what he had done there.'

He was not destined, however, to enjoy for long either the tranquil
dignities of his new position or the comfortable sense of a work
accomplished and completed. Fresh troubles broke out in the East; and, on
the 26th of April, 1860, within less than a year after his arrival in
England, he was again crossing the Channel on his way back to China.

[Sidenote: Origin of Second Mission to China.]

The Chinese Government, tractable enough under the present influence of a
bold and determined spirit, had returned to its old ways when that pressure
was removed. It had been agreed that the Treaty of Tien-tsin should be
formally ratified within the year, that is, before the 26th of June, 1859;
and, when the time approached, Mr. Bruce was commissioned to proceed to
Pekin for the purpose of exchanging the ratifications. On arriving,
however, at the mouth of the Peiho, he found the Taku forts, which guard
the mouth of the river, fortified against him; and when the men-of-war
which accompanied him went forward to remove the barriers that had been
laid across the river, they were fired upon from the forts. As no such
resistance had been expected, no provision had been made for overcoming it;
and Mr. Bruce had no choice but to return to Shanghae, and report to the
Government at home what had occurred.

For some time it seems to have been hoped that the Emperor of China, when
fully informed of the misconduct of his officers in firing upon British
ships without notice, would have been ready to make the proper _amende_;
but when this hope was dispelled, it became clear that such an outrage must
be summarily dealt with. A large force, both naval and military, was
ordered from England and India to the China seas, to co-operate there with
forces sent by the French, who felt themselves scarcely less aggrieved than
the English by the repudiation of the common Treaty.

For the command of this expedition there was one man whom al