January 7, 1899.]
you have added two regiments to your Army. (Laughter.) If you had conscription at home, which I hope we never shall have, you would not be able to police your vast dominions as they should be policed in the event of war. Imagine now a disturbance at the Cape-our friends the Boers might get disagreeable. (Laughter.) Imagine a disturbance in India it took 64,00 men to quell the late disturbance. Imagine our friends at pre- sent, but possible antagonists. Frauce and Russia, combining against us, where would you be without an efficient army? You take this country China. I saw it mentioned in the Press, and I had to get up in the House of
4
THE CHINAMAN AS A SOLDIER.
VIEWS,
LORD CHARLES BERESFORD " the re-or-
Commons on two occasions; one was in auswer who said to me, 'Well, Mr. Ho Tung, there is he believed they would make splendid W
some
•
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
man, your Excellency and gentlemen, I rise with reflections of the great honour you have done me to thank our noble guest Lord Charles Beresford, for the interest which he has taken in the China trade (applause)—
-on behalf of the Chinese gentlemen here in this room, and those who are not in this room-in fact, on behalf of the people of the great Empire of China, for the great question which he has undertaken, namely, the open door. (Applause.) As his Lordship has suggested and honestly said to. day and this evening, the open door question will benefit entirely and specially China herself, although Great Britain from her position will benefit indirectly. To-day I met a Chinese
no European nation which would like to see China strong." I said to him. "You are quite mistaken. Some of you people are ignorant of the ideas and the true objects of the nations of Europe in general and Great Britain in par- ticular; their object is to strengthen China and put her into a proper state of efficiency. It will be iudicectly an advantage to all other nations, because when China is in a better state of ́ civilization, and the people come more into contact with Europeans, I make hold to say trade and commerce will a hundred fold in- crease." (Applause.) I have listened to-day very attentively to the remarks made by His Lord ship to the Chamber of Commerce and also the remarks made this evening, and Ionly regret that there is not one Minister in China who is of the same type as His Lordship. (Applause.) I must congratulate His Lordship most heartily on the thorough grasp of the situation be has secured during his very short stay in China. I dare say you will agree with me that there is no one in this world who could have cone better than His Lordship. (Applause.) Gentlemen, I did not know that I was to be called upon to make a speech, but I have done what I could under the circumstances. I have been called upon suddenly, and I say that to-night's dinner is one of the best given by Europeans and Chinese collectively in the colony. I hope this will be the forerunner of many future dinners of this sort. Personally, I am a great believer in the open door. (Applause.) have studied the Chinese question, and speaking as I am from a commercial point of view. I fully concur in His Lordship's remarks upon his great under- taking. I am sure his Lordship will be able to convince his fellow countrymen to follow him in gining the object he has in view. (Applause.) Sir, with these few remarks, I ask all the Chi nese gentlemen in this room to thank his Lord- ship most heartily and warmly for the deep interest he has taken in Chinese affairs. (Lond applanse.)
to Mr. Balfour and one in answer to Lord Curzon; they both made the remark, China will be all right as long as you keep a pre- dominant fleet out there." For the first time in the history of our empire we have arrived at circumstances which are novel to us-the question with regard to China and the disturbance of our trade by Russia. This is essentially a military question. You may double your fleet out here; you may send fifteen ships like the Victorious out here and forty destroyers. What has that to do with the advancement of Russia to the south ? It is, I say, a military and not a naval question. Our policy for years has beeu to avoid this task, to stick to the command of the sea, so that other countries could not land troops in our dominions. We have never had a “march," as they call it in Scotland, with any of the other great Powers.. I think our people should be aware of this at home, and we should take sort of steps rather in the line I mentioned to-day to the great Chamber of Commerce I addressed. I wanted to point out to you, and I think I have pointed out to yen, what an inestimable benefit the Navy League has been to the Empire with regard to keeping the command of the sea, and we should have something of the same character to wake up the people at home as to the necessities for our further increasing our military line of de- fence. (Applause.) This question of money for defence I have already remarked is merely a rate of insurance. Our rate of insurance is ludicrously low. If you take the mercantile márine as a oriterion, you will find that Russia pays fifteen guineas a ton; France pays eight guineas; Germany pays seven guineas; Italy pays four guineas; and we who are depending on the mercantile marine not only for our raw material, which gives the wage to the wage earning class, but for our staff of life, we pay two guineas per ton. Therefore our sinking fund, our rate of insurance, is not very extravagant. You must remember that we are an empire, and you may put it as you like, but the penalty of an empire is to have it adequately defended, and we cannot go on in- creasing the empire as we have been doing. I feel that we do not want to see any more of the chart marked red. (Applause.) We want to have trade and commerce secure, particularly in this country. We do not want any more territory, not one more acre in the world, but we do want our military force put in a proper state. (Applause.) While speaking about this, with regard to the country we are at present in, Ishould like to point out that both on the ques- tion of defence and on the question of the re- marks I ventured to make to-day, these remarks if carried out are certain to benefit China more than any nation in the world. It is China that will benefit directly—(applause)--but England will benefit indirectly, and all nations will benefit by the development of the trade, the protection of trade, and the absolute security which only good military and police can give a country. (Applause.) Gentlemen, I cannot sit down without thanking you once more most warmly and gratefully for the great compliment paid me in asking me here to dinner to-night, and the enthusiasm with which you received my name when presented to you by your Chairman. (Lond applause.)
Colonel ELSDALE proposed the toast of the Navy League. which was responded to by the Hon. H. E. POLLOCK,
An incident of the evening, and one which we believe particularly impressed Lord Charles Beresford, was speech
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made by Mr. Ho Tung thanking his Lordship for his visit. Mr. Ho TUNG said:-Mr. Chair-
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Mr. T. JACKSON proposed the health of the Chairman, which was received with musical honours, and Captain HASTINGS having briefly replied, the proceedings closed with the National
Authem.
SHOULD KEFORM OF THE CHIN SE
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ARMY PRECEDE REFORM OF
THE FINANCES?
LORD CHARLES BERESFORD'S OPINION.
Lord Charles Beresford was entertained to tiffin by the local branch of the China Associa- tion at the Hongkong Club on 4th January, Re- porters were not invited, the proceedings being semi-private, but mention may be made of one important point touched upon.
In dealing with the question ganisation of the Chinese army, at the meeting held in the City Hall on Tuesday afternoon, Lord Charles Beresford spoke of the Chinaman as a soldier. He said he did not know any nation which had more of the characteristics required in soldiers. They were sober, obed- ient, easily managed, and quick to learn. If they were well led, if their contract was kept as to their wages being paid on the first of the month, and they were properly fed and clothed,
His Lordship mentioned two incidents connection with the war with Japan. - In case the body of a General who was killed. was found surrounded by those of hundreds of his soldiers, and in another case 50 devoted to their General were some twenty Chinamen who lay wounded in the hospital that when the latter went out to meet the Japanese every one of them went out of the hospital and followed bim, five of them having to be carried by their comrades, so badly wounded were they. They did not want anything better than that to show that these men would fight. (Hear hear.) Let them go back to our own history. In our own troubles with China, who were the people who fought so well and were mentioned so frequently in the despatches? Why, the coolies, men picked up in the streets of Hongkong, who were shot down in hundreds while putting scaling ladders against the enemy's ramparts. His Lordship repeat that if treated fairly and led properly the Chinese made just as good soldiers as any other nation.
Mr. J. J. FRANCIS, Q.C., the Chairman, in proposing the health of the distinguished guest, expressed the opinion that China's chief need was reform of her finances and that this ques- tion should take precedence of the reform of
the army.
Lord CHARLES BERESFORD in the course of his reply said he admitted all that Mr. Francis had said as to the importance of financial reform, but he pointed to the case of Egypt, in which country all attempts to reform the finances failed until there was an organised army to enforce the policy of the Government. His Lordship predicted that any attempt to reform the finances of China under existing conditionS would lead to disturbances all over the country and argued that a trained army was therefore necessary to preserve order during the transi tion period.
I CAME, I SAW, I ?
OR
MY KASTERN TOUR.
My
Manchester's getting anxious. Merchants are getting afraid. What's become of our profita! Where is our Eastern trade?
I started off in a hurry. Manchester said, "Goodbye; "Keep your eyes wide open. "Heark to the merchant's cry!
"Travel all up the country. "Wander along the coast. "See what the Chinaman's doing. "He's getting us all on toast."
I rushed all over the country. I hastened through every port,
Like a sort of human whirlwind, Setting time and space at naught.
I knocked at the door of the Palace. at the Minister's bell. rang I looked in on the Tsungli Yamen And heard what they had to tell.
I was crammed with "Spheres of influence.
I was stuffed with "the open door.”
I was scared by the Russian Bruin, And charged by the German Boar.
I was "cornered" by every merchant. I was "put up" by every Bank.
was told that "Spheres of influence In Far Eastern ǹostrils stauk,
I was dinnered by every Chamber And fêted on every side,
And if I'd stopped much longer I think that I must have died.
I've samples of every opinion Which in China's to be found, And with these, and my own impressions, For the Dear Homeland I'm bound.
I'm off back now in a hurry, Once more o'er the ocean's foam; But I haven't the key to the puzzle, For I left the key at home.
Manchester's getting anxious. Merchants are getting afraid, What's become of our profitsh Where is our Eastern trade?
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