126
THE HONGKONG WERKLY PRESS AND
THE ANTI-MISSIONARY TROUBLE | foreign), and with ex-Taotai Lai out of the way
IN SZECHUAN.
Chungking, 13th July.
A wire was sent to the N. C. Daily News four days ago intimating that serions trouble had again occurred in Central Szechuan and that one French priest had been captured by a band of brigands who were holding him as a hostage. The French priest, M. Fleury, is unfortunately still a prisoner, and I much regret to have to add that there is a strong feeling abroad that he will only be saved with difficulty.
The re- vered gentleman's comrade, M. Louis, managed to affect his escape in a wounded condition and is now, it is said, on his way to Chungking by & round-about route. Just how many natives were killed on this occasion or how much pro- perty was destroyed or stolen the writer cannot at present say, but the whole occurrence is un- questionably of a sad and startling nature.
THE REAL RINGLEADER,
As was intimated in my last, the man re- sponsible for the whole affair is namel Yü Man-tze. Yü has for many years been under a bạn, and he now knows well that the man- darins, constantly and vigorously pressed by M. Haas, are bent upon capturing him. His career of crime is a long one, and the Roman Catholic Christians hare suffered severely from his daring lawlessness. : The scoundrel ought to have been arrested years ago, and the pre- sent crisis is eutirely due to the pestilent im- becility of the mandarins who allowed him to remain at large.
CHINESE OFFICIAL COWARDICE.
Present-day officials find themselves face to face with a difficulty which may have tremend- ous consequences, just at a time, too, when they see the integrity of their country crumbling away piecemeal, and its comparative independ- ence reduced to a condition of almost helpless dependence upon its powerful neighbours. No one will be greatly surprised if M. Fleury's captivity emboldens France to make heavy reprisals, and it is easy to believe that the in- cident is capable of giving rise to complications in which other powers than China and France would be potentially concerned. The wish of Jên Taotai as expressed to the local Fatlrers was to buy the captive liberty, but this has been definitely put aside, not less at the instance of M. Fleury himself who, we learn, is bearing himself beroically, than at that of M. Haas and
others.
FOREIGN OFFICIAL ACTIVITY.
Meanwhile the position of affairs remains unaltered although it would appear that, owing to the strong measures adopted by the French and English Consuls, our phlegmatic Governor- General has been aroused to take some kind of action. What its nature is remains to be seen
-it may take the form of a strong proclama tion, but there is now a feeling in existence that the troubles will not spread. I am glad also to be able to say that the rumour of a disturbance at Paolinfu has not been confirmed. Chéngtu is also perfectly quiet, and Chungking was never in a more pacific mood. Threats of riots have been heard in one or two district cities, but it is not believed that these are of import- ance or likely to amount to anything serious.
THE FRIENDLY TAOTA I,
It is impossible not to sympathise more or less with the present local Tuotai. He is said to be feeling his position very keenly, and certainly with the Kiangpeh, Yunchang and Hochou affairs on his hands, not to speak of other matters only a degree or two less great, his mind must be in a state of perpetual unrest. The yamen secretaries are said to be constantly employed writing despatches dealing with the situation, and tho Taotai himself gets little sleep. Owing to his supposed friendliness towards foreigners, Jèn Taotai's reputation is not very high among a certain class of natives, although his exertion to do the right thing alike by native and foreigner is not wholly unappreciated. H.E.'s safety lies in pursuing the proper course at this juncture re- gardless of consequences and it is to be hoped That nothing will persuade him to follow other and less honourable paths
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4
Jên Taotai's efforts to carry out the provisions of the treaties would probably meet with greater success within the limits of lis extensive juris. diction. Your correspondent has it on excellent authority that Lai deserves to be removed from the province bag and baggage.-N. C. Daily News correspondent.
ANTI-FOREIGN-OUTRAGE IN,
HUNAM
MISSIONARIES BARELY
ESCAPE WITH
THEIR LIVES.
Wuhu, 28th July,
I have only time to send you a few lines about the most recent anti-foreign outrage of which we have just received the briefest facts,
Messrs. Chapin and Alexander, of the In- ternational Alliance Mission while on their way up the Yuen river, with their own house- boat, were stoned at Hongkiang, Huuao. The mob, with all things on boat was smashed up, and then burned by the bourd. The two travellers barely escapted with their lives on a Chinese gunbost. The officials did nothing to protect them. They, however, supplied them with a small boat in which Messrs. Chapin and Alexander travelled night and day until they reached Chang-teh. They will be in Hankow In a day or so. The case goes to the U.S. Consul.-China Gazette correspondent.
JAPANESE EMIGRANTS AT THURSDAY ISLAND.
Tokyo, 26th July. The following telegram from the Japanese Consul at Townsville, Australia, was received by the Government to-day :-A party of Japan- ese emigrants, 59 in number, holding passports for the northern district of South Australia, landed at Thursday Insland, whereupon the Government of Queensland has decided that in future the landing of Japanese emigrants shall not be permitted unless with the expressed san- action of the Queensland Government.
INAUGURATION OF RAW SILK
BUSINESS AT KOBE.
Silk transactions have already commenced iu Kobe it appears. A short time ago the pro- posed inauguration of the raw silk business in Kobe was discussed at one of the periodical con- ferences of the local Foreign and Japanese Chambers of Commerce. Hitherto the silk business at this port has been inconsiderable, and on behalf of the Foreign Chamber it was pointed out that in order to make the scheme a success it would be necessary either to interest the existing foreign firms in adding a silk de. partment to their present establishments, or to offer some inducemeut to the Yokohama houses to open here. Much useful advice was tendered, and this apparently is being acted upon.-Hiogo News.
THE GERMAN CONSUL ÎN SEOUL AND THE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
One of the most insulting forms of procedure is to return a letter, nuanswered, to its sender. A Minister of Foreign Affairs may reasonably be expected to appreciate the intolerabie char- acter of such action. At the same time, the person whose letter has been returned is scarcely justified in retaliating by “bashing the Min- ister's face. We were not disposed to attach much credence to the telegraphic reports origin. ally received about a passage at arms between H.E. Mr. Yu of the Korean Foreign Office, and the German Consul in Seonl, Mr. Krien. but a correspondent of the Mainichi Shimbun writing from the Korean capital under date of the 2nd instant, tells the story so circumstan- tially that it can scarcely be dismissed as a pure canard. The former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Li, is said to have promised to Mr. Krien that a lease should be given of a certain gold mine, but when application was made to the present Minister to implement the promise, he replied that the mine had already been ap- With a more sympathetic Governor-General,propriated for imperial purposes, and, further, a more liberal-minded Provincial Treasurer that the law did not sanction any grant of min- (H.E. Wèn is reputed to be decidedly anti-ing or railway privileges to foreigners. That
THE PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS.
summons.
[Angust 6, 1898.
conversation is reported to have occurred on the 29th of June. The next day, Mr. Krien sent a despatch reiterating his request, but the Minis- ter returned the letter, His excuse for such a singularly discourteous step is that he supposed the matter to have been settled on the previous day, but, of course, that is no excuse at all. The Consul thereupon sent a messenger requesting Yu's attendance at the Consulates charmingly sans facons the whole of the proceedings-and the minister, probably urged by some qualm of conscience, obeyed the No sooner had he made his appear. ance in the Consulate that he received three or four blows on the month and chin foom Mr. Krien's fist. He fled precipitately, and, pro ceeding at once to the Palace, reported "the matter to the Emperor, asking to be re
an office in which he, and lieved from through him his country, had suffered such humiliation. The Emperor endeavoured to pacify him, but Ya, on leaving the Palace, brought the matter to the notice of the Privy Council, who took it up vehemently, and sum moned a conclave to discuss the proper measures. The Independence Club now appeared on the scene, and organized a big demonstration, when resolutions were passed declaring that the German Congal and that the Korean Govern ment must be urged to adopt measures for that purpose. We can not tell how much the story has gained in transmission, but the main in- cidents appear trustworthy.-Japan Mail.
honour of Korea demanded the removal of the
FRANCE AND SIAM.
IMPORTANT POINTS AT ISSUE,
NEGOTIATIONS REOPENED,
A correspondent at Bangkok reports that the French Minister Plenipotentiary there and the Siamese Minister for Foreign Affairs, have now opened afresh three important political ques- tions in dispute. One of them is that re- garding Luang Phrabang, a province on both sides of the Mekong, with the capital on the French side. The Governor or chief is thus under French influence. Disputes hare al- ready arisen over the collection of taxes by French agents in territory claimed by the Siamese. Then, there is the questionable standing of many alleged Siamese subjects, who claim to be under French protection. The
*
French consular authorities, it is asserted, claim as French subjects any Laotian or Cam- bodian whose forefathers had ever lived on what is now French territory. Aother complication is that Siamese criminals often claim French protection to escape from panishment. The 25 kilometro zone is also a bone of contention. For that distance along the whole length of the Mekong, and in Siamese Cambodia, the Siamese Government may not maintain police or military. Yet it is held responsible for any- thing that is done by its subjects dwelling in
that zone.
The result of the present step is that the whole of the Franco-Siamese difficulties will be discussed afresh from the ontset. This is said to have been arranged at the special request of the French Minister, who has been given pleni. potentiary powers for this particular purpose. The Siamese, it is further reported, have given the French Minister an advantageous stand- point by seizing a Cambodian French subject, named Aronu. This man was pressed into the Siamese naval service on the very day on which the negotiations started, and a partial truce arranged for.--Straits Times,
[* At one time the French sought to establish a general protectorate of Asiatics, and sought hard to impose it upon the Japanese in parti. cular. A deputation to Tokyo obtained the appointment of a Japanese Minister to Siam as a reply to these pretensions.]
A native boat, apparently one of those usually plying between Shanghai and the city of Changshu, near Soochow, was observed to be drifting aimlessly past Wangdu on 29th July and when pulled to the Wangdu jetty was found to be tenanted only by three headless
bodies.
It is thought that the boat must have been boarded by river pirates-especially unmer. ous just now-and, that these men were part of the crew who resisted.-N. C. Daily News, ‹