186
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
THE CREDENTIALS OF THE SECOND | readers to supplement it by further quo
PEACE EMBASSY.
After the return of the second peace embassy to Shanghai a letter was published there, purporting to be one addressed by the Chinese Ambassadors to the Plenipoten- tiaries of the Emperor of Japan, after negotiations had been broken off. The cor- respondence which passed between the two parties had been officially published in Japan, but the letter in question was not included, and for a very good reason, as now appears, namely, that acceptance of it was refused. The letter affirmed the sufficiency of the powers of the Chinese negotiators and in diplomatic language protested against the treatment meted out to them. From the manner in which this letter was published at Shanghai it might have been in ferred that it was duly received by the Japa- nese representatives and had been purposely and improperly omitted from the officially pub- shed correspondence. The real circumstances are set out in the Japan Mail as follows:
The conference held at Hiroshima came definitely to an end on February 2nd. The Japanese Plenipotentiaries, having ex- plained that the insufficiency of the powers carried by the Chinese made it impossible to discuss terms of peace with them, then made this formal declaration:Under these circumstances it only remains for the Plenipotentiaries of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan to declare the present Degotiation at an end.' Thus the negotia- tion was formally concluded and all fur- ther interchange of communications became impossible. Nevertheless, on the 3rd of February that is to say, on the day after official termination of the negotiations-the Chinese Envoys addressed to the Japanese Plenipotentiaries the despatch reproduced | above. It was immediately returned with an explanation that the negotiation having been publicly and finally closed owing to the incapacity of the Chinese Envoys no *communication could be received from them. Obviously the Japanese Plenipotentiaries, having found that the Chinese Envoys were not properly accredited, and having, on that ground, refused to confer with them, were effectually precluded from receiving their despatches. Yet the Chinese Envoys have published the despatch thus returned to them; have pretended that it formed part of the official correspondence; have made no allusion whatever to the fact of its imme- diate return, and have inferentially accused the Japanese Government of repressing it with intent to mislead the public. We presume that the only comment neces- sary is, these are Chinese methods."
Our contemporary, however, goes on to discuss the despatch and refutes by inter- esting historical evidence the statement that the commission submitted by CHANG and | SHAO was similar in form to those with which the Emperor of China had been accustomed to invest his ambassadors. It appears that in the peace negotiations with Great Britain precisely the same question was raised, and on the 6th May, 1858, Lord ELGIN addressed the Chinese Commissioner as follows:-"The Undersigned has already apprised the Imperial Commissioner TAU that the letter addressed by him to the Undersigned on the 30th of April was en- "tirely unsatisfactory. Holding, as he does, "from Her Majesty the Queen of Great Bri- tain Plenipotentiary Powers, he cannot consent to treat with a Representative of the Emperor of China who is only au- thorized to enter on negotiations, to report to the Throne, and to request instructions as to the course he is to pursue.' The above quotation is given by our contem porary. It may be of some interest to our
**
tations from the blue books of that period. On the 28th April, 1858, TAU wrote to the Earl of ELGIN stating that he had been appointed to meet his Lordship and enter on negotiations with him; but as Her Majesty's name was placed in a lower position than that of the Emperor of China the Earl of ELGIN re- fused to receive the despatch. Thereupon, two days later, TAU wrote again and threw the blame of the affront on a copyist. The second dosaptch was in similar terms to the first, with the exception of the position given to Her Majesty's name, and it stated that the writer had been appointed, with two other Commissioners, to meet the British Pleni- potentiary for "the discussion and disposal of the questions contained in the letters of the different Governments." Warned by the defective powers of the Commissioners sent by the Emperor to treat with Sir JOHN BowRING and Mr. McLANE in 1855, the Earl of ELGIN rightly considered it necessary to be careful on this point, and accordingly he wrote to TAU, and, after stating his own powers, asked the Imperial Commissioner to inform him positively whether the Emperor had conferred upon him corresponding powers and such as rendered him competent to independent discussion and to the con- clusion of negotiations. TAU replied that he was authorised "to report to the Throne and "request, instructions as to the steps to be "taken." The Earl of ELGIN refused to treat on this basis and gave TAU six days to obtain powers similar to those granted to KIYING and ILIPOO in their negotiations with Sir HENRY POTTINGER.
March 14, 1895.
him, and as this was, in Lord ELGIN's words, evidently a device to gain time, he thought it his duty to inform them that negotiations were closed for the time being and that they could not be resumed until he should have reached Tungchow. It is unnecessary to fol- low further the history of the treachery and bad faith of the Chinese, which led to the ad- vance on Peking. Apparently they wished in a similar manner to play fast and loose with Japan. After the experience China has had it is absurd to say that the powers granted to CHANG and SHAO were in what was supposed to be the usual form. China cannot in this matter plead ignor ance; and Japan, on her part, knowing the devious ways of the Chinese, was right in declining to treat with representatives not fully authorised and in refusing to allow them to remain in Japan while they carried on a tedious correspondence with their own Government on the subject, for the sending of the mission with insufficient powers might reasonably be considered merely a device to gain time.
<
LORD WOLSELEY ON CHINA'S MILITARY POTENTIALITY.
The events of the war between China and Japan have to some extent disillusionised some of the English writers who were, a few months ago, so fond of prophesying the ulti mate defeat of the latter. Even General Lord WOLSELEY, who has predicated all sorts of possibilities for the millions of the great Chinese race, has been constrained to admit, in his latest contribution to literature, which appears in the February number of the It would appear that precisely the Cosmopolitan magazine, that if the war goes same point must have been raised by Siron, and China fails to organise "a thoroughly HENRY POTTINGER, for the Imperial decree" efficient army of abont one hundred thou- by which at length what were deemed full|“sand men under English or other foreign powers were conferred on KIYING and officers, she ought by June next to be under | ILIPOO ran as follows:- As, however," the heel of her present invaders." But the
to judge from the reply they have written pro-Chinese convictions of Lord WOLSELEY. "the barbarians seen in doubt as to the and some other enthusiasts about China's competency of KIYING and ILIPOO to act millions and their hardihood, thrift, and for themselves, let KIYING and ILIPOO patience, die very hard. The gallant General, affectionately exhort them (to put their though compelled to admit that the Japanese doubts away). If they be sincere in their bave greatly astonished him, and those who "desire for a cessation of hostilities, and thought with him, still maintains the "are indeed auxious for (our) assent (to physical superiority and mental equality "what they propose) there is no need for of the Chinese as compared with the Japa
extraordinary suspicion or apprehension nese. He says:- "The Japanese soldier is on their part. The Ministers above named," a very small man, the standard of height who have been specially selected, will not"in their army being only 4 feet 11 inches. fail, on the one hand, to be carefully re- "The Chinese are a taller, broader-shouldered, "gardful of the diguity of the state; on the "and stronger race. It is, however, very other, to show a condescending considera- "commonly assumed that the Japanese are tion for the feelings of the barbarians." their superiors mentally, but I believe this "In any case, requiring that the course to be a popular error. According to many "pursued be in accommodation to circum- "admirable judges, ancient Chinese art has stances. Let them modify their course "been superior to that of Japan in all ages. accordingly. Nor shall we, at this dis- "tance, restrict them." Although the language in which this is couched is highly objectionable, the closing words conferred" full powers on the Commissioners, though this was disputed by Tau, who alleged that the things done by them were from time to time submitted to the Throne and that they had no independent authority whatsoever.
"
*
66
#6
*<
Evidence of Tau's possessing sufficient powers being refused, the Taku forts were taken. Thereupon KWEILIANG and HWA- SHANA, who possessed higber office, were appointed to meet the Earl of ELGIN, and although they attempted to shuffle with re- gard to their powers, the British Plenipoten- tiary was firm, and eventually full powers and a scal were produced, and the treaty was concluded. In 1860 the same point was again raised, and on that occasion the Earl of ELGIN was so far imposed upon that negotiations had proceeded for some time when the Commissioners intimated that they had not the requisite authority to treat with
|
46
Philosophy and the sciences were formerly "more cultivated and better understood in "China than in Japan; but about two and a half centuries ago a great thick curtain of impenetrable obstruction was let down, as it were, in front of the stage on which the "drama of Chinese national progress was be "ing played." But Lord WOLSELEY clearly does not understand how dense is that veil, and how thoroughly it has blinded the educated classes of the Chinese people. Neither has he any conception of the grip which official corruption has over the entire race, nor of how deep-seated is the disease in the people. From the viceroy in his yamen to the lowest coolie in a hovel or a sampan, all are imbued with the same passion for gain, which renders the squeeze universal and honesty an unknown quantity.
Unfortunately Lord WOLSELEY, although he has seen service in China, and knows something-though very little—of the Chi- nese es fighters, has only the most superficial acquaintance with the country or with the