xii PREFACE brought up to detest war and violence,and was then sub- jected to the more virile influence of European thought and action. In Books II and III he has presented the obstacles which first Ward,and then Gordon,had to encounter in their allotted task,and has shown how each overcame his peculiar difficulties-the one by his buoyancy and steadfast faith in his star,the other by his sense of duty and by loyalty to his high ideals-both ultimately attaining their aim;while across the scene passes Li Hungchang,Chen Siaoki,the Taiping Prince the NaWang,Admiral Sir James Hope,and others who played leading parts in the drama. The Menu at the end of Book I,chap.XV,is actually that of a dinner given in 1879 by the Viceroy at Canton in honour of General U.S.Grant. The tael of silver was,at the period of the story,worth 6s.8d.(f1 3 taels).The dollar was intrinsically worth 4s.2d.(f100 480 dollars),but from 1853 to 1857 BOOK I its exchange value at Shanghai was artificially inflated,ris- ing as high as 7s.9d.(100 =258 dollars). THE TRIADS AT SHANGHAI 1853-1855