January 28, 1899.] .
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
AB
67
from all these years
of our residence in Hongkong what the benefits of an unrestricted and unhampered trade means, It means profit with safety to those engaged in it; it means occupation and the means of liveli hood to the people, and its inevitable result happiness to the masses. We must confess that the masses in China are not above need and that their means of happiness is not rendered so general as it might be with a more extended commerce. Lord Charles Beresford's recent investigations disclosed to us that what China stands most in need of with reference to trade is the adoption of the "open door." and with re- ference to preservation of the Chinese Empire.in its integrity a reformed army. We must admit, however reluctantly, the weakness and inability of China by herself to reorganise her fragmentary army. That she must have an army of sufficient importance to enforce the laws of a reformed fiscal administration is an axiom we must accept from the mouths of ex- perts on the subject. Since, therefore, she is unable by her own efforts to reorganise her army let her have by all means the willing as sistance of a friendly nation, and let that nation be the English. By tradition England is the most eligible to be called in in China's aid. The magna charta of her established friendship to the Chinese is inscribed in the letter the Earl of Macartney bore with him to the Emperor Kienlung. The insoription is contained in the words "The national disposition of a great and benevolent sovereign such as your Imperial Majesty whom Providence has seated upon a throne for the good of mankind is to watch over the peace and security of his dominions, and to take pains for disseminating happiness, virtue, and knowledge among his subjects extending also the same beneficence with all the peaceful arts as far as he is able to the whole human race. No time can be so pro- pitious for extending the bounds of friendship and benevolence and for proposing to com. municate and receive those benefits which must result from an unreserved and amicable intercourse between such great and civilized nations as China and Great Britain." In
to him wherever he went, Moveover, I think the Farther East, to be better understood as re- | impending evil. We h the representatives of our Government in all gards each other in the matter of trade, for the ports he visited gave Lord Charles Beresford which purpose we are here in this colony. It every facility to study the condition of trade as was a happy thought on the part of the Associ. well as the state of our army. By our army I ated Chambers of Commerce of Great Britain think you will understand it to mean the that promoted a commercial mission to China. means of our defence against aggression and And it was a happier thought still that the the preservation of our Empire and the stability choice of a commissioner fell on Lord Charles of our Government. The merchants, too, in Beresford; for as is expressed in the last of the various ports His Lordship called at shewed our resolutions the noble Lord is possessed him by public speeches and by resolutions what of ability and the power of observation was wanted for the retention and expansion of which so eminently suit him for such an the trade between Great Britain and China. important mission. Gentlemen, if I might Now, you must have heard or read of the ad- refer to a matter of history, I think that vantage the various assistance and information by the present commercial "embassy" we are meant to the English Lord. If I might be reminded of the great commercial political allowed to express the opinion, you will think embassy-the first of its kind-undertaken by with me that Lord Beresford has most assidu. Great Britain-just over a hundred years ago. ously studied the situation, and on his last visit You will, of course, know that I allude to Lord to Hongkong he addressed the Hongkong Macartney's embassy to China in 1792. The Chamber of Commerce and told the gentlemen idea of this latter embassy was conceived by forming that great mercantile association and several of the East India Co's agents em- also the Navy League what China's needs were. ployed in the China trade, in those days the He also suggested the means by which those monopolists of that trade, who "suggested the needs could best be attained. Gentlemen, we propriety of an embassy to his Imperial cannot doubt that Lord Charles was very earnest Majesty the Emperor of China (Kieulung) the in his suggestions and recommendations as well grandson of that most worthy of Chinese Em- as sincere in his remarks and friendly criti-perors Kanghe, to represent their situation, cisms. The least we can do, therefore, is to in the hope that he might issue orders for the put our shoulders to the wheel in order that removal of grievances under which they what Lord Beresford has in his mind to laboured." The trade between the subjects of do for the good of our country and ourselves the two countries amounted even then to some may be well and speedily done. I think my age millions sterling annually. It was represented must give way to younger and more progressive that then, as now, notwithstanding the practical minds, so that instead of addressing you my- commercial tendeney of the nation the Govern- self on a series of resolutions which you will be ment adopted a different theory.
"There was asked to pass to-day, I will call upon my friend, little scruple," Sir George Stanton writes, Mr. Ho Tang, to address you now, gentlemen. "in laying restrictions on foreign trade, the Mr. Ho Tang should be able to do justice to Government of China not being impressed with the business we are here to transact to-day. any idea of its importance to a country includ- He took part in all the public meetings held in ing so many climates, and supplying within Hongkong for the purpose of discussing the itself all the necessaries, if not all the luxuries, China Question with Lord Charles Beresford, of life." While a more modern writer expresses and I think has studied the question himself so the opinion that in China "there are laws and closely that we shall have much pleasure in bye-laws without end, hindrances, prohibitions, listening to what he will now have to say. regulations, filling pondrous volumes, to abridge (Applause.)
the liberty of the subject in disposing of his goods and chattels to the best advantage." I said, gentlemen, it was to remove the suggesting therefore that China's army should obstructive and oppressive exactions at Canton be organised under the English I think in the old days and pave the way for fair that it will be seen that, apart from the na competition that the King of England resolved tion's friendliness, they have furnished examples to send the first embassy to China. What the both in India and Egypt that should satisfy result of that mission was history tells us. No even the most sceptic minds. I do not think, attempt was made to alter the then existing Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, that I need ex- system and the King of England was also informed patiate on the personal qualities and ability of by the Emperor of China that the Russians Lord Charles Beresford. Those of us who have then only traded at Kiatcha, and had not for not heard but have read his atterances on the many years come to Peking. Now let us pause great China Question must have been con. and consider what the supineness of the Gov- vinced of Lord Beresford's singular earnest- ernment availed the great mass of the Chinese ness of purpose. I therefore ask yon, gentle- people. I say "nothing." On the contrary, men, to pass the resolutions I read before whilst being the most ancient people in the I began to address you in the hope that world and possessing the oldest civilization we effect might be given to them by those in are yet the most backward in regard to all that whose power it is to effect them for China's appertains to modern theory of, and practice good, for the good of the country and its people, in, trade. The inland trade at the close of the and for the permanent good of those who come nineteenth century is but very little better after us. (Applause.) than what it was towards the end of the eighteenth in spite of the fact that the admir- able system of water communication the Chinese possess the patient labour of the nation for more than two thousand years-threw open every avenue of the inland trade and made it practicable in every direction. At the same time as the various benefits Nature has conferred upon so great a nation has not been adequately utilized, great inroads have been made into the Chinese territory. A century ago Kienlung wrote to King George III. that the Russians were then trading only at Kiatcha. What is their position to-day? We cannot be blind to the fact that they have approached within dangerous proximity to Peking, and the com- pletion of their great Trans-Siberian Railway may augur the advent of many evils political and commercial. The integrity of the Chinese Empire may be imperilled. We are sure that the Russians are not the advocates of the "open will seek to impose. Hence the danger that the Government might be tempted in relenting to differential treatment "to the prejudice of trade with the other nations, principally with Great Britain. 11 England suffers, the greatest volume of our trade being with that country, we shall be sufferers to the same extent. Now is our opportunity, gentlemen, to ward off the
Mr. Ho TUNG-Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I rise to move the following resolutions :- 1. Having closely followed with great and attentive interest and carefully considered what Lord Charles Beresford has said and done in China in connection with his recent mission on behalf of the Associated Chambers of Commerce, the Chinese Community of Hongkong here assembled are in accord with and heartily support the policy the noble lord proposes in regard to the open door! as regards commerce and also with regard to the reorganisation of the Chinese Army under the British. 2. That we recognise that the combined proposals, if carried out, will benefit Chins quite as much as England and other foreign nations, if not more, and we therefore hope that Lord Charles will be entrusted by the British Government with the carrying out of the views be has so clearly enunciated, as we observe that his efforts are directed to the benefit of both his country and the Chinese Empire and to the benefit of the trade of China and the trade of England and other countries. 3. That we recognise and make our cordial acknowledgments for the sympathetic manner with which he has come to China. 4 And that we desire to emphatically express our full confidence in Lord Charles Beresford, whose ability, integrity, and zeal, we
sure peculiarly fit him to successfully carry out the proposals he has made for the furtherance of trade and the preservation of the Chinese Empire." Gentlemen, you have heard the series of resolutions I have just read, and I beg now to make some re- marks in reference to them. I make an apol- ogy for addressing you at some length, as I propose to do, on the subject of the resolutions before you. On the present occasion I do not think that I should, as the mover of the resolu- tions, propose them in a merely perfunctory You will agree with me that the oc-
Mr. LEUNG SHIU KWONG-Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, as the chairman justly remarked when calling upon Mr. Ho Tung to address the meeting that that gentleman would do full justice to the subject matter of the resolutions before you, I think that, after hearing the exhaustive and able speech of Mr. Ho Tang, every one must agree that the views he has expounded upon the object and purpose of the recent visit of Lord Charles Beresford to China are correct. Mr. Ho Tung has, moreover, addressed us on the subject of early British intercourse with China and the knowledge we have just now acquired will in my opinion assist us in a large measure to pronounce our verdict upon the friendliness of England to China. That verdict, gentlemen, can be no other than one of perfect unanimity with the spirit of the resolutions. Some few of us have had the privilege of spending a portion of our lives in the British metropolis. Fortunately, I have been one of the may say that during my stay in England I had many opportunities to study the earnestness of purpose which characterizes every movement amongst the English for the common weal. I personally was most strongly impressed by the earnestness which, I think, accounts for much of the success and the greatness of the English nation' to-day. It is said that on their empire
on for much more. I do not think | door " policy. A protective tariff is what they | lucky ones who have enjoyed that privilege. I
that as commercial men, as men of business, resident here with extensive commercial rela tions with the nations of Europe and America, there has ever been a similar opportunity, before, for us to be heard by the English nation. Not, indeed, that we wish to place any grievances before them, but that we desire, in opnnection with Lord Charles Beresford's recent visit to