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brutality was exhibited ; as usual the political agitators who instigated the riot got off. The ruins of the Roman Catholic Cathedral Church still tower up on a commanding site on the river bank, but the entire mission has been transferred to the French Concession, a mile lower down the river. This was the last outbreak of Chinese fanaticism and mob law in the North foreigners may now traverse the entire native city in perfect safety at all hours with no inconvenience beyond that of verbal insult from the lowest classes. All the missions and many of the foreign hongs have agencies in the city.
The population is reputed to be 950,000, but there is no statistical evidence to justify such large figures. The area of the city is far less than that of the Portsmouth boroughs with their 160,000, and the houses without exception are one storied. The suburbs, however, are very extensive and there is the usual vagueness as to where the town begins and ends. The city walls are quadrate and extend about 4,000 feet in the direction of each cardinal point. The advent of foreigners has caused a great increase in the value of real estate all over Tientsin, and as new industries are introduced every year, the tendency is still upward.
Li Hung-chang authorised Mr. Tong Kin-seng to sink a coal shaft at Tong Shan (60 miles N.E. of Tientsin) in the seventies; this was done and proved the precursor of a railway, which has since been extended to Shan Hai Kwan for military purposes and is now being pushed on towards Peking. About 200 miles are open to goods and passenger traffic. As usual the railway has brought all sorts of foreseen and un- foreseen contingencies with it. Farmers up near Shan Hai Kwan are supplying fruit and vegetablesto Tientsin, coal has come extensively in to Chinese household use, whole ship loads of ground-nuts were sent here last year, the foreign residents are developing a first-rate watering place at Pee Ta Ho on the Gulf of Pe-chi-li, and all the various industries of the city have been stimulated. Brick buildings are springing up in all directions and the depressing looking adobe (mud) huts are diminishing.
The Foreigners live in the two Concessions, British and French, which fringe the river below the City and cover an area of less than 200 acres. The Germans in 1895 acquired an extensive concession adjoining and below the British, but have not yet begun to develop it. The Japanese are desirous of acquiring one and measures are in hand to largely extend the existing British Settlement in a direction back from the river. Very extensive building operations are going on throughout the two existing concessions, which have excellent roads, with police, oil-gas lamps, etc., etc. The British Municipality has a handsome Town Hall, completed in 1889; adjoining there is a well kept public garden opened in the year of Jubilee and styled Victoria Park. An excellent recreation ground of ten acres is also being developed, and three miles distant there is a well-formed race course. There are two hotels (the Astor House and Globe), two clubs (Tientsin Club and Concordia, the latter chiefly German), a theatre, an excellent library, three churches (Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Union), and no public-houses.
Distilling is one of the largest local industries; it is chiefly from kowliang (sorghum) or millet. Although a spirit it is called "wine" and is exported to the south in large quantities. The manufacture of coarse unrefined salt by the evaporation of sea water is also carried on near Taku; the produce is stacked along the river bank just below the native city and sometinies gives off very offensive smells, rendering life a burden. The trade in salt is a Government monopoly. Carpets, shoes, glass, coarse earthen ware, and fire-works are also made in large quantities in the city, but Tientsin is essentially a centre for distribution and collection rather than for manufacture. The exports include coal, wool (from Kokonor, Kansuh, etc.), bristles, straw braid, goat skins, and a few furs, wine, etc. The export trade is a recent creation and is largely due to foreign initiative. Wool cleaning and braid and bristle sorting are the chief industries in the foreign hongs except those of the Russians, who are exclusively engaged in the transit of tea. The imports are of the usual miscellaneous nature; tea for the Desert and Siberia, mineral oil, matches, and needles figure next to piece goods. The fine arts are unknown to the Tientsinese except in the shape of cleverly made mud-figures: these are painted and make really admirable statuettes, but are difficult to carry away, being remarkably brittle.
The export coal trade is rapidly expanding, 96,775 tons having been cleared in 1895, while but for the war these figures would have been much larger. The general trade is increasing by leaps and bounds, and no wonder, as Tientsin is practically the only sea outlet for the entire trade of the provinces of Chibli, Shansi, Shensi, Kansuh, and part of Honan, with a population not far short of 100,000,000. The total value of the trade in the years 1893-4-5 was Tls. 38,570,147, Tls. 44,277,050, Tls. 58,668,928 ; the gross