410  APPENDIX  B
wrongful  actions  above  mentioned  ;  (2)  the  deprivation  of  the
said  temple  lands  and  trespass  thereon  ;  (3)  and  the  loss  01
Tls.2,000  ;  and  that  the  defendants  had  notice  and  well  knew
that  the  land  in  question  belonged  to  the  temple  and  could  not
lawfully  be  purchased  by  defendants.
Wherefore,  it  was  the  plaintiffs’  prayer  that  the  defendants  be
required  to  carry  out  the  terms  of  the  said  compromise  agreement, ­
  or  that  the  defendants  be  ordered  to  forthwith  vacate
and  give  immediate  possession  of  the  land  wrongfully  inclosed,
that  the  defendants  be  ordered  to  pull  down,  forthwith,  any
buildings  erected  on  the  said  land  and  to  restore  the  land  to  its
condition  prior  to  such  wrongful  trespass  ;  that  the  defendants
be  ordered  to  pay  the  sum  of  Tls.  1,000  as  damage  for  such
trespass,  and  in  addition  to  return  the  sum  of  Tls.2,000  paid
the  defendants  by  the  plaintiffs,  and  that  defendants  be  ordered
to  pay  the  costs  of  this  action.
In  answer  the  defendants  have  admitted  that  the  plaintiffs
are  Chinese  subjects,  but  have  specifically  denied  each  and  every
other  allegation  of  the  plaintiffs.  And  answering  further,  the
defendants  allege  that  all  of  the  land  possessed  and  inclosed  by
the  Southern  Methodist  Mission  at  Huchow  was  procured  legally»
and  according  to  treaty  rights  between  America  and  China,
that  the  plaintiffs  well  knew,  while  the  defendants  were  acquiring
the  said  land,  of  the  facts,  and  purposes  for  which  it  was  sought  »
that  the  plaintiffs  well  knew  of  the  purchase  of  said  land,  and
of  the  improvements  in  progress  on  the  same  from  time  to  time»
but  that  the  plaintiffs  did  not  make  any  protest  against  such
improvements  while  they  were  in  progress  ;  that  the  alleged
agreement  referred  to  by  the  plaintiffs  was  never  signed  by  th e
defendants  but  by  parties  who  never  had  the  right,  nor  th®
authority,  directly  or  indirectly,  either  in  fact  or  in  law,  to  bind
the  defendants,  and  that  when  said  agreement  was  presented
to  the  defendants  herein  for  their  signatures,  said  defendants
immediately  repudiated  the  same  and  refused  to  sign  it  ;  tha
the  sum  of  Tls.  1,000  or  Tls.2,000  or  any  other  sum  of  money
had  never  been  paid  to  them  by  the  plaintiffs,  or  by  any  ° ne
else,  but  that  certain  Chinese  officials  had  paid  into  the  American
Consulate  certain  moneys  which  were  still  subject  to  the  order
of  the  said  officials  ;  and  further,  that  the  plaintiffs  in  this  action
well  knew  that  defendants  had  legally  acquired  this  land,  an
stood  by,  well  knowing  that  defendants  were  improving  ^ e
said  land,  and  having  made  no  protest  during  that  time,  wer®
now  bringing  this  action  for  the  purpose  of  harassing  and  int®^
fering  with  the  work  carried  on  by  defendants  to  their  damag
in  the  sum  of  Tls.5,000.
Wherefore,  it  was  the  defendants’  prayer  that  this  actio