November 12, 1898: ]
TIENTSIN.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT,]
Tientsin, 27th October.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Macao. The fact was not published at the time for fear of unnecessarily alarming her family and friends in the South. Her many friends- will be glad to know that she behaved with the sence of mind in insisting that Mr. Mortimore rarest courage and judgment, and by her pre- should share the protection of her cart, she the mob violence. probably averted a much more serious issue to
Coast Defence and Generalissimo of Northern Jung La, who is still the Commissioner of Forces, although he has ceased to be Viceroy of Chih-li, is said to be about to raise a Pretorian Gaard; it is to number 1,000 and is to be drilled and equipped either by Russian or French of ficers. Those conversant with Roman or Tur- kish history will say absit omen.
The instability of the situation in and about Peking was illustrated on Saturday last by an incident at Luikochiao, or Polo's Bridge, on the Lu-Han Railway. Serious as the con- sequences already are, affairs were within an ace of ending in the massacre of six Europeans, The circumstances were substantially as fol- lows Mr. Cox, the able district engineer on whose section the great iron bridge is being erected over the Hun-Ho, has had to complain of the constant interference of the military loafers and hangers-on who get in the way of his workmen. There are in the neighbourhood of the bridge two camps; for some time they capital; it is suspected, and with good reason, The political re-action is subsiding in the have been in the successive possession of typical that bints have been given by various legations Chinese troops, wild fellows who have been that the Conservatives would find it expedient up in Kansuh suppressing the Mahommedan to cease their persecutions. A fortnight ago rebels after the manner so well known and three officious censors submitted a list of those approved in oriental warfare. Mr. Cox made whom they thought should be proscribed ou ac- representations through the proper authorities count of their Reform tendencies and sympa- to the Ying-Kwans, or colonels; by one, histhies; the Dowager snubbed them and, telling protests were received in a proper manner, and the men were duly cautioned to avoid the bridge the other officer was obtrusive in his refusal to interfere, said it was no business of his to see to his men off duty, and made it pretty clear that he was not at all solicitous to protect foreigners. On Saturday, when Mr. Cox was on the bridge accompanied by Mr. Norregard, the resident engineer, and by Mr. Campbell of the Legation and Captain Radcliffe of the Burmah army, a soldier was ordered off the bridge; on refusing logo he was ran off; instantly he called to a squad of 30 or 35 loafers, who, seizing the bal- last stones, made a determined assault on the little party. Messrs. Campbell and Norregard were cut very severely on the face by stones thrown, but Mr. Cox was mobbed, hustled, knocked down, and freely bashed over the head with heavy stones held in the hands. Seeing that things were now very serious and his leader in actual danger of his life, Mr. Norregard pulled out a small revolver and fired two shots over their heads.
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This caused an instant stampede towards the camps about 450 yards distant. Guessing what would follow, the foreigners ran to Mr. Norregard's house, which was happily 200 yards on the near side of the camp, got his wife and ghild ont instantly, and in less than four minutes regained the bridge, jumped on to a trolley, and made for Feng Tai at a speed of 10 miles an hour. They were just in time. The infuriated soldiers had been for their rifles and ball cartridges; they were back in seven minutes and seeing a man in foreign clothes they at once riddled him with ballets and shot him dead. He was then discovered to be a native painter who had tied up his quene under a billycock hat and had foreign- made trousers on.
Mr. Campbell's presence at the fracas enabled Sir Clande to get a prompt and clear account of the whole affair. He at once took measures to secure an urgent protest from the whole diplomatic body. It is reported that the anti- foreign Ying-kwan is to be made responsible
and that extreme measures are to be taken against him. Knowing the temper of the troops and the looseness of the discipline, Mr. Kinder, the Engineer-in-chief, called in the whole European staff, and by Tuesday night eighteen engineers and foreign officials were safe in Tientsin.
The whole incident forms a curious com- mentary on the absurd position assumed a month ago by the Imperial Chinese Govern- ment about the indignity and loss of face caused by the presence of Legation guards in Peking, In
Imay state that it is within my knowledge that at the very time the Yamen was violently pro- testing, one or two still more prominent mem- bers of the Government were privately express- ing their satisfaction that the foreigners had taken the matter into their own hands. These officials feel no confidence either in the ability or honesty of the City Police, and cherish a chronic fear of their old soldiery, and actually BAY 80.
them to attend to other business, said that their list contained names of men as loyal as themselves and far more serviceable to the state. has not been molested so far. It was given out Chang Yin-huan, contrary to expectation, with great precision that he was to get his coup de grace at Polo's Bridge, then at Tuachia; all we know is that before he left Puking he almost denuded Kierulff's store of canned food and cooking gear, and that he is travelling en grand seigneur. Our last story of his exile is his presents assigned by the officials of a hsien son's contemptuous rejection of the food and through which the great man was passing. He sent them back, demanded better, and got them.
Lord Charles Beresford is here on his return journey. He was Sir Clande's guest for a week in Peking. While here on the up-journey he had chances of meeting our leading merchants; he took every opportunity that offered of furthering his mission. His lordship was and is the guest of Mr. Mackintosh at the Bank-house. He has been up the line to see Mr. Kinder at Tong- shan, and is now consulting with the officials of the local Chamber of Commerce. Up to date he has delivered no public utterance, but has as usual won all hearts by his bonhommie and his breezy freshness of expression and common sense.
En passant I may mention that the lady who was assaulted under the escort of Mr. Mortimore in Peking a month ago was Mrs. Beston, of'
I cannot close this letter without a reference to the political refugee Kang Yau-wei. Like every Britisher in the East my sympathies are with intelligent and feasible reform, but just because this is the case, I am suspicious of visionaries. This man may have had the purest intentions in the world, but he is not of the kidney of which king's advisers should be made. By the untimely exercise of his influence he has shelved reform for an indefinite time in the capital, and has alienated the sympathy of all moderate natives. I have good reason for as- real teaching of his benevolent foreign friends. serting that this man has not assimilated the
He is not the paragon of political science a kindly disposed press would like to make out. Kang is not sufficiently adept as a ruler of men to know what is Utopian and what practicable. The penultimate straw in bis case was an ineffably silly decree to which he persuaded Kwang Su-that his people should cut off their quenes; this was actually signed, but not issued, when the Conservatives interfered. One could safely postulate that not even the will of a Peter the Great could have enforced so violent leaving out the deep symbolic and political a change in sumptuary law and social custom; influence of such a decree,such a gross piece of folly showed that China was surely about to be governed by the March hares and hatters. Reform by men of Kang's type would make confusion worse confounded. It is interesting to know that Kang's co-provincials up here, him an odd combination of political visionary while as a rule sympathetic with reform, think and self-seeker.
t---
CANTON NOTES,
403
[FROM THE CHUNG NGOI SÀN PO)
opium duties at Canton, which have bee tenders for the farming of the prepared
The Government has issued a notice in
Finviting
hitherto collected by the Government at the rate of three candareens for every tael of opium.
order to overcome the difficulties of paying General Sou, of Kwangsi, is going to estab. lish a mint in Kwangsi for coining dollars wages to the railway workers, who have hitherto been paid in sycee instead of dollars. He has ordered four machines for striking dollars from Canton Government for a loan of two machines a foreign country. He has also applied to the temporarily.
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Governor of Canton, was robbed by a gang of It is said that H. E. Hu Tsau-wai, late robbers while passing Nam-Hung Mountain with his attendants. The booty amounted to twenty thousand dollars and two of the servants were killed. The late Governor dare not report become known to the Peking Government, who the case to the mandarins for fear that it might would blame him, for he being a governor him- self it would be said that his bad administration was the cause of so many robberies taking place.
found a company to supply electric lights in all petitioned the Viceroy asking to be allowed to An expectant Toatai surnamed Tsat has
the districts of the prefectures of Kwangchan and Chinchau. The Viceroy has instructed the directors of Sin-bau-kuk to report if the applic- ant is rich enough to undertake such an enterprise.
siderable indignation at the official murder of These same Cantonese express very con- Kang's brother, a fact which shows that the traditional view of family responsibility is becoming modified.
We are under our first cold snap, and socially are full of racing excitement.
HONGKONG.
gave 2,183 oz. of smelted guld from 2,173 tons The Raub crushing for the last two months
of stone crushed.
Chinaman $15, or 42 days, for attempting to On Saturday Commander Hastings fined a convey a letter out of Victoria Gaol.
A fine of $100 was imposed upon a tally-man on the Sai Kong, at the Magistracy on 9th Nov. for being in unlawful possession of 3,500 rounds of ammunition.
At the Magistracy on Saturday a boatman kerosine on board his cargo boat properly covered was fined $150 for not having 5,000 cases of with a tarpaulin.
A seizure of 95 teals of opium was made on board the British steamer Amara at. Saigon. Security for $4,000 had to be given to the Customs before the vessel was allowed to leave.
last week shows that there were two cases of The return of communicable diseases notified
enteric fever, one of which was on H.M.S. Immortalité, and one case of scarlet fever on H.M.S. Barfleur.
It is notified that the Queen has been pleased to give directions for the appointment of the Hon. R. D. Ormsby, Director of Public Works, to be an official member of the Executive Couns
oil.
embezzlement at the instance of Messrs. A. o. The Chinaman who had been arrested for
Watson and Co. was brought up at the Magistracy on 4th Nov., when, owing to lack of evidence, the charge was withdrawn.
Messrs. Kelly & Walsh, Limited, are issuing a special series of Christmas cards reproduced in mezzotint from photographs of Chinese street scenes, eto. The cards are artistic and pleasing and will be highly appreciated by home friends.
It is notified in the Gazette that the connect- ing road from Wanchai Gap to Wongneichung Gap has been named and will hereafter be road from Plantation Road to Magazine Gap known as "General Black's Link" and that the will be called "Barker's Road."
Chinaman was found on the seashore at Kennedy. At noon on Thursday the dead body of town with a cut over the forehead. A post- mortem examination has been made, and it has been certified that the injury might have been caused either by a blow or a fall.
On Wednesday Inspector Moffat arrested Fernando José, a sergeant in the Portuguese him with larceny and desertion from his corps. forces at Macao, by virtue of a warrant charging He was entrusted with some money with which to pay his men, but lost it in gambling. The upatthe Magistracy no Thursday, was remanded, accused, who admitted the offence when brought awailing the Macao warrant,