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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
distinguished, and fashionable American andi- | ence in New York. before which we had in- tended that this lecture should be read,
MR. SHARP'S CONNECTION WITH THE
UNITED STATES.
The author would desire to claim some slight connexion with the United States through his relative Granville Sharp, the slave liberator, who was well known on this (Americau) side at the time of the War of Independence. At the commencement of the misunderstanding he was engaged in the Ordnance Department of the English Government. As he felt himself un- able to participate in any way in the hostilities which appeared imminent, he obtained leave of absence. This was twice renewed, and, at last, when no hope remained of averting the collision, Granville resigned the post which he had held for eighteen years, and upon which he was de- pendent for his living, rather than take any share in that which he so heartily disapproved. The opinions which he held were sympathized in by many. Their number has progressively in creased, until now there is hardly a Briton who does not feel that the course adopted by our Government towards America was a sad mistake which has now come to be sincerely and universally regretted.
THE ANGLO-AMERICAN UNION,
Should the Anglo-American Union be perfected in the spirit which now animates the English speaking race throughout the world, it will probably have a more powerful and farreaching influence than any event which has happened in the nineteenth century. Its social and political advantages can hardly be estimated; they cannot be described. And what has caused the reappearance of this feel ing of attachment? Was it the somewhat unexpected discovery that the
English people loved America? The smallest kindness to one who is in a position to appreciate it truly goes a long way. When others wished to deprive the United States of the rightful fruits of her recent struggle and completed victory, England simply frowned. It just meant that your cause is hers, that we are mem. .bers one of the other, and the gesture was regarded as significant, and was not altogether without its infinence. Similarity and uniformity are not essential attributes of union. The circumstances on the one side and the other may be wholly divergent, and the means em- ployed by either to accomplish its ends may be altogether different. But here are fundamental beliefs, which we have in common. We wor- ship the same ideals. We cherish the same aspirations. We are animated by the same hopes. Our Faith is one, though our fiscal sys- tems may not be. We mostly prefer free trade and direct taxation. You, with your enormous areas and scattered populations, feel unable, at present, altogether to adopt this plan. Perhaps. by and bye, you may see fit to modify your tariff. In the meantime we must not allow these things to sever us. Moreover, we are assured that, in undertaking this recent war, you were engaged in the overthrow of oppres- sion and of wrong, and that you are entitled to Cuba and the Philippines, as the fruit of your just, fuir, and civilized contention.
THE SPANISH PLEA.
If you
And does not the plea which the Spanish Government has put forward strengthen you in your appropriation ? In effect what do they say P
"We cannot resist you. We are help- less. No one will come to our aid. determine to rob us, you can take these Islands. We will not give them up to you, although we may be unable to keep them." Are they not self-convicted by this plea? What right has Spain to the possession of territories which she acknowledges her inability to effectively occupy, and the inhabitants of which she is unable to protect? The Govern- ment of these Islands, and the unjust exactions and oppressions inflicted upon the trade of Manila have, for decades past, been a scandal and disgrace; and the port authorities have been a terror to ship captains and their owners. The bad seed has. at last, brought forth bitter fruit, and the foreign traders and native mer- chants in China and Hongkong will rejoice to see the Stars and Stripes, as emblems of liberty and justice, floating from these battlements. | At the same time we cannot forget the courtly
Spanish military officers whom we have ocoa sionally met with in our travels.
AMERICA AND CHINA,
[February 25, 1899.
Hongkong. We went in the smaller, with the captain, steward, and a boy, the officers and crew in the larger, the French troops Marching As we expect very shortly to see you firmly es overland. We were presently overtaken by a tablished in this lovely Southern group, we are terrible typhoon, which lasted over two days. prepared to cordially welcome you to the China Masts and bulwarks were all gone, and the Seas, and to invite you to Hongkon. only rudder broken. The Chinese captain and his two days distant, which with its inter- crew, thinking that death was near, went below, land forms part of the enormous area got some opium, and became insensible. For- so long ruled over by the "Son of feaven." tunately for ns we had taken three Chinese and the importance of which has only firemen from the Thebes. These had been recently come to be at all regarded in the West. fishermen, and knew the coast. They therefore China, and its disposition, is now not on y of in- took charge of the junk, and handled it, as best terest to the foreign community dwelling a the they could, through the storm. The rudder was Far East, but is the one salient matter of broken three times, and three times repaired. It supreme importance forcing itself upon the at- was also found that only one of the three firemen tention of the world. So keenly is this appre-could steer so as to save the rudder, by keeping a ciated that a reticence, and seriousness almost constant watch upon the waves, and ensing off the amounting to solemnity, is manifested by those wind, as they approached. The rain fell in torren- occupying responsible positions when called upon tial streams, without cessation, but this Chinese to refer to it. This is in every way appropriate. fireman stood firmly at the helm for six-and- The tone of the press is also guarded. It goes thirty hours, without letting go his hold, the little beyond Ministerial utterances, whilst the boy putting food between his lips. He saved expression of its opinions is kept well in hand. our lives. He saved the junk, and was very It may, however, be permissible for some who handsomely rewarded. There could not bare have knowledge and experience to speak less been a better proof of the skill, courage, and guardedly, provided they are truthful and sin- endurance of which these men are capable. cere, and their motives are above suspicion. The Chinese are economical to a fault-(if a fault is possible in this direction)-and one who possesses $100,000 maj lunch upon a penny or less, but they can also be liberal and even gener- in Transformation," refers to a case which hap- ous. Dr. Colquhoun, in his recent work, "China
pened in Canton, when one of the Howquas in- quired of an elderly American merchant, who had been transacting a very large tea business in earlier days, but upon whom misfortune had come, why he did not go home. He replied that no- thing would delight him more, but that he could not feel happy in leaving China whilst Howqua retained so heavy an unpaid claim upon him. Howqua thereupon opened his safe. took out the note, and tearing it in pieces, threw them into the waste paper basket exclaiming "There! I have now no further claim upon you." This action was not alone a proof of Howqua's gen- erosity, but also of his high estimation of the character of the American merchant, whom he had long known, and who was also known to us, and whose heavy obligation he cancelled so hand- somely. Spending six months in the Australian colonies some years ago, we had a good oppor tunity of enquiring into and investigating the character of the Chinese there, and gratified to find that of the seven classes into
THE APPROACHING CRISIS IN CHINA. There cannot be the shadow of a doubt that we are approaching a crisis in Chinese affairs, of which the Governments of Europe and Americo are well aware. Those who lead public opinion have, in their recent pregnant though veiled utterances, given expression to this thought. The responsibilities of Britain and the United States have evidently not yet reached their limit. We may well contemplate the future with serious gravity. To-morrow's sun may dawn upon an altered world. One thing is clear and indisputable, viz., that we have not yet done with China; indeed it is probable that, in the future, we shall, as nations, have much
more to do with China and the Chinese than we have ever had before.
PRAISE FOR THE CHINESE,
There may, therefore, be some who would be willing to know a little more of these people, amongst whom we have lived for forty years, engaged in banking and commercial pursuits.
We have served them and be-n served by them, We have bought and sold and bargained with them, day by day, through this long period, and have necessarily some acquain- tance with them. It gives the writer much pleasure to testify to their high mental qualit- ies, and also, in very many cases, their goodness of heart. Most of our servants have been with us for many years. Some for a quarter of a by death. Half-a-dozen grandchildren orenpy century, indeed vacancies seldom occur except
the places of their parents formerly in our employ. The experience of many old established firms in China is the same. It must be ackuow- ledged that this love of continuous and per- mauent employment compares very favourably with the discontent and constant seeking after change which characterizes service and labour in the Home Lands. There hang in our office two framed and glazed testimonials to the high character and faithful work of Wong Yick and Pun Woi, than whom, in their measure and de- gree, we have never known better or more useful men.
wore
tical office of the Government, the Chinese which the population was divided, in the statis-
stood the first and highest for morality and law- abiding character. We spent most of our time in efforts to alleviate the down trodden position Hongkong they presented us with a bag of of these people, and ou leaving to return to
their gratitude for what we had done, or tried sovereigns to pay our expenses, and in proof of
to do, in their behalf.
OUR DIFFICULTIES WITH THE CHINESH
GOVERNMENT.
.
ment, and people generally are very imperfectly It appears that Ministers, Members of Parlia-
prepared to realise the true cause of all our difficulties with the Chinese Government. These have attended our negotiations from the earliest days of our intercourse, and have been gradually increasing with our trade, and especially during Many heartrending stories are told of piracy, the last fifty years, since Lord Napier was murder, and pillage upon the China coast and worried to death at Macao, and Hongkong was its rivers. Until its recrudescence upon the ceded to the British Government, Throughout West River this has been, in great measure, this period a variety of causes, but principally checked by the vigilance of those in commad the advent and perfecting of the telegraph, and of British gunboats and by the severity. in the marvellous growth of the interest taken by earlier days, of the French naval authorities, European nations in the Far East, have caused. who have taken an important part in its sup our communications with China to be much pression, and it is now happily almost unknown. more frequent and very greatly more important. In this connexion we cannot forbear referring The difficulty has mainly arisen from the anta- to three fishermen (alternatively Chinese pir-gonisms between the British and Chinese char- ates) by whom the captain of the British steamer acter. The instinet and impulse of a Briton Thebes was saved, together with the speaker or an American is to speak the truth, and and Mrs. Sharp. The steamer was chartered by the French Government to take troops and Ad- miralty stores from Hongkong to Touron, their first settlement in China. The captain had bou ordered to make enquiries of the fishing boa the bays respecting some Frenchmen who had been, just then, cast away. In carrying this order a rock was touched. The Captu beached the steamer to prevent her sinking. Two Chinese junks were engaged to take us to
n
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in these days, in commercial and social intercourse, untruth is happily exceptional. On the other hand, the first impulse of a Chinese is to tell a lie, and if it comes at all, the truth comes afterwards, upon his assurance that he is not in danger. "An unknown for- eigner enquiring hurriedly for a Chinese would be met, in ninety-nine cases ont of a hundred, by the statement that he was away, whilst the speaker well knew that he was up-
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