412
the protection of the officers. Al military officer named Wong has been ordered to go with two hundred soldiers to the place.
A few days ago more than one hundred robbers made an attack on a house in Ta-kong- hu, in the district of Namhoi. When they were in the act of breaking the door of the house, the people in a neighbouring house fired at the robbers and two of the scoundrels were shot dead. The robbers got angry and at once broke into the neighbouring house. When they got in they seized the son of the master of the house and put him to death.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
The salt-fish guilds are now carrying on business as usual. On the 17th inst. they all opened their shops for business. They have promised to pay a fixed sum to the Government every year.
The people of Fatshan have hired three hundred and sixty native policemen at the expense of the landlords and householders for the defence of the town.
ILLEGAL TAXATION OF FOREIGN GOODS AT FOOCHOW.
The following communicated article appears in the Foochow Echo-
A rumour is current among the Chinese to the effect that the Chinaman Chen, who has obtained the monopoly, as published in our issue of the 12th ulto., of levying the illegal tax of 10 cents on a case of kerosine oil is going to revolutionize the trade in foreign articles, and that, as is reported, after setting the oil squeeze in its proper trim, he is going in the same manner for the trade in lead and iron. After so doing he will carry his project south- ward.
He has even said that he does not care a bit for the Consuls, for the goods were sold to the Chinese, and it may be well, even so, to ask the exact interpretation of the tariff rules in cases of imports, which inter alia say no further duty will be leviable upon imports so certificated, no matter how distant the place of their destina- tion." Yet, in spite of the transit certificate. the kerosine oil was subject to this illegal tax. It is not stopped in time it will encourage the Chinese to find something more to their ad- vantage, and it is well for foreigners to look out in handling foreign imports.
A
It is reported that on Saturday last one of the brokers and a boatman were seized by the Hai- fong at the instigation of the instigation of Chen, for which the boatman was bambooed with 1,000 strokes while the broker was released through the strong remonstrance of one of the Consuls, whose country produced the oil. It is again reported that Chen will not give up the monopoly until he has fought the battle to the bitter end.
RAILWAYS AND POLITICS IN SIAM.
shall have rapid and intimate intercourse with Burmah, and the rest will rapidly follow in the wake of the iron horse. Every friend of civilization and progress must wish the project well, for after all it is for the diplomatists to fight for the honour of leading the van and hurrying forward such excellent projects. But the main point is to secure the progress.
To many persons who have lived in Bang- kok any length of time and followed political events with any interest, the new drift of affairs ought to prove interesting. They may look back upon the time when Germany made so determined and fruitless a struggle to gain a railway. footing in Siam, and the defeat of all such efforts by the Siamese, What at one time promised a fruitful field of railway exploitation for Germany and for German engineers and railway material has become of late, somewhat of a commercial Sabara to Gernian hopes and projects. And the future wears even a more sombre hue than the late past for German enterprise in this country. The Siamese will have none of it. And they allow no occasion to pass to show their contempt for the feebleness of the people who were once on the eve of securing so much in this country. The former kindliness of expression has been re- placed by a cold and contemptuous neglect, a galling snubbing of their former railway friends and a rude neglect of all their ap- proaches. Even the friendly cup of tea has not yet been offered to the once powerful German interests in this country. It is more than see how completely the passing strange to German element in Siamese politics has been relegated to the cold ante-rooms of Siamese neglect, how utterly impotent this element has become to move by a hair's breadth the trend of the smallest event in this country. Germany has practically ceased to exist in Siam, from a political point of view, for the last three or four years, and when her existence has been forced on public attention it has been in the character of humble mendicant with
chapeau bas suing for the smallest of favours in the humblest of tones. What a fall was there, my countrymen," if we only turn back for the last five years. And as things shape themselves there is no sign of any attempt of recovering the lost position. Nay, there is no
shade of a shadow of a sign that the
our eyes
good people who have thus been relegated to
oblivion and inactivity have the least idea of their true position or of the humiliation of which they are the unconscious victims and com- miserated objects.
grasp.
seen
mer.
We have, however little now to do with this aspect of the question. To-day the game is in the hands of England and she is evidently determined that no bungling or no vacillation shall wrest the golden opportunity from her
She bas
and watched the sleepy lethargy of her neighbours, she has keenly observed the lay of the land, and maturing her plans has silently pushed for- ward her projects and formulated a policy based on something more substantial than
Our the dancing to native piping. The King of Siam's newly aroused interest in railway affairs may probably lead to results curial neighbour in the East has been caught which will go far towards deciding the fate of napping, and with many good trumps in her this country. Let it be well remembered that hand is likely to lose the game as things go. Not three months ago audi affairs were playing whichever power is able to control the railways of Siam that power will also control the politics into the hands of France, but since that time and later the internal affairs of this country. It events have moved rapidly and the Lion will in the end be found to have been remarkably wide is now asserted on somewhat good authority that the Glenkoi-Chiengmai extension is on the eve
awake despite the sneers and jeers at his ap- of being handed over to a London firm. If this parent apathy in the past. The import- comes to pass we shall have to congratulate
ance of carrying on the present line to British diplomacy on a remarkably smart move Chiengmai cannot be too strongly insisted It will and our local representative for great tact and upon nor too strongly supported. energy of character. We may take it for change the face of this country both com- granted that the Siamese are alive to the im-mercially and politically; and though there portance of the step they contemplate, and that by handing their intended line to the north to an English company they have quite made up their minds as to the sauce with which they shall be served up.
So far, however, we believe nothing definite has been decided, for it is the habit of the Siamese to prognosticate on all things good, bad, and indifferent. There are, however, indications that after the usual period of hesitation the work we have before referred to will be taken in hand, and a grand diplomatic success will be scored and an important commercial impetus given to fine undeveloped regions of the north. We
may be those who will regret the approaching ront of the party who have so strangely neglected their chances and who have been so very neatly snubbed in this country, still there is reason to rejoice at the prospect of progressive work in Siam. While as to the people on the left bank it is nobody's business but their own if their opponents steal a march on them and secure & position which may be deemed impregnable against the most determined assaults.
*
#
*
There is another aspect of the question which is equally important, and which we believe the Siamese are approaching very warily. We
[November 27, 1895.
refer to the reception of such a scheme by her Eastern neighbour Sirm does occasionally profit by the mistakes of others. She has seen the plight of Burma despite the beautiful treaty executed with M. Haas, and she is not quite 80 lost to all reason as to neglect the most elementary precautions. Hence we have some grounds for believing that the expected sanction to the proposed extension, although urgently pressed on sides, will be prudently delayed until the Siamese have carefully sounded their French friends. They are perfectly aware that the treaty-making Theebaw did much to â forestall his date of grief" by neglect to consult both sides, and the Siamese, we believe, are determined not to be caught in so egregious a blunder as that com- mitted by their foolish neighbour Burmah. So we may have to await yet some little time before this excellent project receives the royal signa- ture to its adoption. How the people in oe cupation of the east bank and who may find themselves threatened by such a project will take the new idea we would not like to hazard a guess. If, as we are so often told by local scribes, the French are sick of their possessions in the Far East and rather indifferent to the left bank and all its advantages, then we imagine that they will regard the new extension of Siamese railway building with a good-natured or indifferent eye, and the Siamese may safely go ahead with a light heart. If, on the con- trary, the French Colonial party are not are led to be- nearly so insignificant as we lieve and that their councils are all-powerful, then, of course, the whole matter assumes a different aspect. For be it remembered, what is often-times lost sight of, that this country is practically occupied by a French force and that Chantaboon is not very far from Bangkok. We may be blamed for thus pointing out the fly in the honey jar of Siamese railway joys, but it is just as well that a ques- tion of this importance should be seen from many
strongly
we sides, and although support the proposed extension as being an excellent undertaking for the country from a commercial and civilizing point of wiew, we cannot at the same time refrain from pointing out one of the grave difficulties with which the Siamese are confronted and which they must overcome before they can undertake the con- struction of the Glenkoi-Chiengmai extension or the Bangkok-Chiengmai line-Siam Free Press.
THE QUEEN OF KOREA,
Much interest attaches to everything con- nected with the unfortunate lady, lately known as Queen of Korea. The following account of a first visit to Her Majesty, made by Dr. Annis E. Bunker, appears in the Korean Repository for October
During the visit of Mrs. H. G. Underwood and myself to Her Majesty on the 14th of Sep- tember, we saw the Queen Dowager and she gave us each a handsome golden-embroidered chumoney or purse. Our visit to Her Royal Highness was in the same place where some years ago I went to see the Queen. Many changes have dome
the since then and Queen now lives in a new building, beauti- fully lighted with electricity, in another part of the gounds.
It is just nine years ago this fall since I was first, in company with Dr. H. N. Allen, the King's physician, called to visit Her Majesty the Queen. She had been ill for some time. and they had sent to Dr. Allen for medicines. As there was no improvement in her condition the doctor assured. them that, in order to treat Her Majesty properly, she must be examined, and so the writer was called.
It was
a lovely autumn day, when in the early afternoon we started for the palace in our sedan chairs, with our keysos (soldiers) running ahead and clearing the way. My heart was thumping vigorously, and I wondered how I would be received, half fearing the ordeal
On our arrival at the outer side gate of the palace wall, we had to get out of our chairs and walk quite a distance, about a quarter of a mile,â I should findge, to the reception hall. As we neared the place we were met by Prince Min
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