August 13, 1898.]
6.
of your Majesty alone. We relied altogether on the Chinese, but unfortunately the people could not be persuaded to entrust me with their money. They said they would be willing to subscribe as soon as the line was working and showing profits, but not one cent would they give before, when the money was really wanted." Sheng adds that he experienced the same difficulty when he was establishing the Chinese telegraphic and steamship services, and instances also the fate of the national loan called Faith Bonds," to prove the native reluctance to the parting with ready money for all enterprises of the nature of a national speculation. In spite of all the efforts of his Majesty himself, backed -by the energetic support of the officials through out the Empire, the people could not be brought to regard these "Faith Bonds with favour, or contribute anything towards them.
Having been convinced of the futility of ex- pecting the people to find the money for the La-Han railway, Sheng had next thought of procuring a sufficient loan from the Imperial Treasury, and only as a last resort had he been compelled to make use of foreign capital. The Imperial sanction was obtained for an advance of 'Ï'ls. 19,000,000 from the funds of the Board of Revenue, of which sum Tls. 4,000,000 was actually lent by the Board. Further sums, amounting in all to Tls. 3,000,000 were ob. tained from the Namyang and Peiyang Treasuries. All this money had been spent long ago. It was used up in the works on the Peking-Paoting-fu, Haukow-Nieh-kao and Shanghai-Woosung lines, and when it was all finished Sheng had no more, and scarcely knew where to turn to find any. Under these cir- cumstances he had no other course open but to borrow from foreigners, which, with much re- luctance, he had ultimately made up his mind
to do.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
submitted the draft of an amended contract, which, in the opinion of Sheng and Chang Chih- tung wanted too much from China. More negoti ations followed, and were protracted for a long time, until finally, on the 25th of last month the Belgian Syndicate's conditions were accepted and the new contract was finally sigued and ratified. "The contract was the very best I could obtain," says Sheng Taotai, “und before I finally agreed to conclude it. I consulted the Tsungli-yamen and the Viceroys of Lisng-hu and Chihli, who all agreed with me that I could not do better than accept the conditions of the foreigners. All these proceedings were duly reported to your Majesty in a joint memorial by the Tsungli-yamen, the Viceroys of the Liang-hu and Chibli, and myself."
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Sheng then proceeds to relate how the Belgian Engineer-in-Chief visited Han- know to inspect the work in progress, and determined to continue then On the same lines as those which Sheng himself had followed, as soon as the first instalment of the loan was received. It was also decided tu
continue the work from Puotingfn to the Yellow River as soon as the second instalment was re- ceived, which would be sometime next year. The laying of the permanent way along this latter section, however, could be proceeded with as soon as the rest of the money ordered to be advanced by the Board of Revenue was forth- coming. In no place did the work present any special difficulties except at the Yellow River, which would have to be bridged. It was ex- pected the entire line would be completed in three years.
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Sheng then proceeds to deal with the pro- posed Hankow-Cauten, and Shanghai-Nanking railways. With regard to the former he said deputies had been sent to survey the country through which the line would have run, and a preliminary contract had been concluded with an American syndicate for its contruc- tion, and everything seemed to be progressing favourably, when the Spanish-American war intervened to interrupt the negotiatious. Nothing was therefore being done at present in connection with the matter, but Sheng adds that he bad recently received a telegram from the Chinese Minister at Washington to the effect that the American Syndicate has deter. mined to send a commission to China at the end of the summer to survey the country and con- clude the contract for the loan.
With regard to the Shinghai-Naukin rail. way Sheng says that the survey of the country by British engineers will soon be completed and the work of construction will be commenced ere long.
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RUSSIAN BLUSTER IN PEKING.
A telegram in the Chinese paper Daily Pro- gress, dated 31st July, states that a report is circulated in the capital to the effect that the Government has determined to appeal to all the Treaty Powers for protection against Russian bluster and insult. This determination was arrived at as the result of the action of M: Parloff, the Russian Charge d'Affaires, who has been endeavouring to terrorise the Tsnug-li yamen into compliance with all manner of demands.-China Gazette.
THE CHINKIANG-TIENTSIN RAILWAY.
It is reported from Peking that the German Minister has been for some time pressing the Tsungli-yamen for a concession to Germans for the construction of the Tientsin-Chinkiang railway, and that the Yamen has at length rather gruffly replied that it cannot do as the already been entrusted to a Taotai named Minister wishes, owing to the work having
Yung Wing, who is contemplating the employ. It is expected however, that if he fails to procure ment of American capital in the enterprise.
the money from his American friends, the Germans will ultimately bring the Tsungli- yamen to do as they wish in the matter.-China Gazette.
THE SHANGHAI-WOOSUNG RAILWAY.
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Shanghai, 1st August. As we stated briefly on Saturday night traffic siderably more than half the length of the new has been going ou for some days over con- Shanghai-Woosung railway, and there is now no doubt that by the end of the current Chinese will be completed and in working order. Yes- moon (to-day is the 14th day) the whole line
Woosung Creek to the station at the new terday trains were actually run from the Rifle Buts, when a few foreigners availed them-
selves of an informal invitation from some of the Chinese officials connected with the euter-
accom-
As many evils had invaribly attended China's efforts to procure money from foreign sources, Sheng says he determined to be unusually cir- cumspect in the negotiations which he foresaw would be necessary. To this end he enlisted the assistance of Wang Wen-shao and Chang Chih-tung, and after much careful enquiry, a number of American capitalists were at length approached on the subject. These gentlemen, however, wanted too many rights and privileges for their money, and no business resulted from the negotiations with them. English capitalists were then tried, but they proved as bad as their American predecessors; but at length in the spring of last year, while Sheng was at Wu- chang. consulting with Chang Chih-tung. he was introduced to a Belgian merchant named Mr. Mesi ( by the Belgian Consul at Hankow, who offered to supply the neces sary funds on more favourable terms than any of the other foreigners. The Belgian Syndicate which Mr. Mesi represented signified their willingness to yield many important points for which the Americans and English had stood out obstinately. Belgium appeared to Sheng and his colleague Chang Chih-tung to be an inconsiderable country with trifling ambitious with regard to the Far East. But she was pretty well advanced in steel manufactures, aud all these considerations at length decided Sheng and Chang Chih-tung to give the Belgian Syndicate the contract for the loan. The matter was settled accordingly and a report duly made to the Throne, and everything seemed to be progressing as favourably as could be wished, until the first moon of the present year. The first instalment of the loan should then have been paid to the Chinese. but ing men, or spending money. The enterprise the trains began to run, the rustics in the
when the time arrived, instead of the money
being forthcoming, a representative of the Syndicate came to Shanghai and intimated that since the contract had been made the situation in China had been so materially altered by the German occupation of Kiao-chow that the agreement could not be carrid out. The re- presentative also maintained that the conditions of another loan which China had just arranged, the Anglo-German loan, were much more favour- able to the foreign capitalists who had secured it, than were those of the Belgian loau to the Belgian financiers, the Anglo-German loan be- ing secured by the salt tax and the lekin, which had both been placed under the control of the Imperial Maritime Customs. Therefore, he said, the Belgian capitalists could not advance the money for the Lu-Han railway unless the con- ditions were revised. The representative then
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Sheng concludes his report with a general statement of his plans regarding these three rail- ways. He had first thought to employ foreign engnieers in subordinate capacities, but some trouble took place between them and the Chinese engineers and the work was much retarded in consequence. He had therefore decided, when he mdae up his mind to obtain the necessary funds from foreign sources, to give foreigners control of the actual work also, stipulating merely that he Lu-Han line should be com- pleted in three years. A foreign engineer-in- chief would be appointed by Syndicate who would have the management of everything, just as the Inspector-General of Customs had control of that admirably administered service.
The foreign engineer-in-chief, Lowever, would have to obtain the permission of the Chinese authorities before purchasing materials, engag. needed all the support which the Viceroys and high officials of the Empire could give it; and if it obtained this support there was no doubt but that it would be completed within the three years stipulated, when his Majesty's very reason- able aniety in connection with the scheme would be forever removed.-China Gazette.
The Hongkong Cricket Club has accepted the invitation of the Shanghai Cricket Club to send a team up to the Model Settlement. The match will take place at the end of September and the Hongkong team is now being made up. but its constitution is not yet finally decided he Cricket Ground, we understand, p will be red earlier than usual this season to llow the members of the team to get a little practice before leaving.
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prise to enjoy the novelty of a ride over the iron-road. The entire foreign staff of the line was there, with the exception of Mr. P. Hildebrand, and two ΟΣ three ladies were also of the party. A passenger
for the carriage was coupled on modation of the visitors and several trips were made in the course of the day between Woosung and Kongwan, the big locomotive that was of long bogie waggons filled with rails, sleepers used serving at the same time to propel a couple
wanted. The excitement of the Chinese both at and other materials to the points where they were
Woosung and Kongwan was a sight to remem- ber. All day long there were immense crowds at each point, and we are informed that this has been the case ever since a locomotive made its first Througs of country-people have been collected appearance on the line, about a week ago. at each end morning, noon, and night, and almost all night long, to see the novel mons- ter glide by with a snort like a steam-boat,
for the American locomotive of the type employed has not the shrill familiar whistle of the railway engine in England, but rather a hoarse, deep blast like that of a fog horu. Work in the fields around Kongwan and Woosung in fact has been practically suspended since first neighbourhood abandoning all their customary avocations to gape and marvel at this strange contrivance of the "foreign devil," which goes puffing and smoking through their quiet rice plantations. Amongst the crowd at Kongwan one venerable old lady, yesterday there was who, in the intervals of waiting for the train, drew a large audience around her to listen to the garrulous tales she told of the former railway, that ran for so short a time over almost the same ground, of the dreadful havoc it played with the fungshui, and of the gallant manner in which the country-people en- countered the fery dragon, slew him, and obliterated the iron pathway he had made for himself through the fields. She predicted a
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similar termination to this second visitation of the resuscitated monster; for she was firmly con- vinced that the engine now running is a re-in-