March 11, 1899.]
valuable harbour. What has influenced Italy in making this demand it is difficult to say precisely, seeing that she has little money to squander in a policy of adventure, but it is natural enough that England should welcome and support the co-opera- tion of any friendly Power in the opening up of China. The more free ports like Hongkong that are to be found along the
over
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
!
value to the world, but under the active exercise of foreign influence it will become a great producing centre with a corresponding capacity for consumption, It is not for England, as the greatest trad- ing nation in the world, to oppose such a desirable consummation.
When we come further south, to China proper, it is to be preferred that the deve
China const, whatever flag may floatlopment of the country should take place them, the better, for each under British influence, or the influence will help in the work of evelop of Powers whose policy is in conformity ing and enlightening the country and with Great Britain's. Such a Power is preparing it for the new regime that Germany, and she, by claiming Shantung as will be established on the breaking-up of her sphere of influence, has interposed her the Empire as it exists to-day. It is not self as a wedge between our sphere of in- unlikely that Austria will follow the ex- fluence in Central China and the Russian ample of Italy and will also ask for the sphere in Manchuria, thus preventing the concession of some bay or harbour. Spheres further southward march of the Northern of influence are indeed becoming a fact and Power. No arrangement could well be more it is worthy of notice that the leading satisfactory to England and we hope it may London paper is now advocating a course prove equally satisfactory to Germany. It of policy distinctly antagonistio to the is possible that Russia may come as far general conception of the " open door," of south even which so much has been heard of late and metropolitan province outright, but having as Peking and annex the of which the Times was formerly so vigorous done that she will find herself in touch with an advocate.
The planting of foreign the German sphere in Shantung and the establishments at various points along the British sphere in Shansi, and there she must coast will, however, give us a much more perforce stop. The Times, which until the open door for trade than would the policy other day was all in favour of bolstering up of preserving China in her natural ex- China, now recognises that the country is clusivisn.
breaking up, and a similar conversion, we note, has taken place in the N. C. Daily News. The preservation of the integrity of China by Great Britain was from the outset an unworkable and absurd policy, and we dropped by its chief exponents in the home are glad to see that it has at last been and China press. But judging from the telegram in another column the Times is still of opinion that we ought to "do some itself been soffar wrong before in its judgment hing" and do it speedily. The Times having of what that something ought to be, it might have occurred to it that it might be prudent to wait a little longer and let events
THE POLICY OF "DRIFT,”
(Daily Press 6th March.)
In these days, when we find the Open Doorites and advocates of the Spheres of In- fluence violently opposing each other in the advocacy of their respective policies but uniting in the opinion that England must "do something," and do it at once, that she must lay down a decided policy and re- solutely adhere to it, it may be worth while considering whether after all there may not be something to be said in favour of 'sitting tight" and preserving freedom of
急着
"
THE NEWCHWANG TRADE RETURNS.
195
(Ddly Prese 10th March)
1898 was the largest on record. The Cus- The foreign trade of China, for the year toms report and annual returns have not yet been issued, but the quarterly returns give us figures for the various ports, from which the progress made by each may be Newchwang returns, in view of Russian ac- gauged. Special interest attaches to the tivity in that quarter and of Lord CHARLES BERESFORD's declaration, in connection North the door had already been “shut, with the open door question, that in the "absolutely shut." That singular declara- tion was made at Shanghai, and his Lordship took the opportunity in one of his speeches at Hongkong of rectifying it and explaining that it was only made with reference to the railway question; but even so, it turns out to have been quite wrong, for the railway from Shanhaikwan to Newchwang is, niter raised through the Hongkong and Shanghai all, to be constructed with British capital Bank. Lord CHARLES BERESFORD's un- fortunate expression affords an example of the danger of using imperfectly understood catch phrases.
vailing at Newchwang is reflected in the As was to be expected, the activity pre- trade returns. The shipping entered dur- ing the last three years has been as follows:
1896, 332,208 tons; 1897, 865,482 tons; and 1898, 413,885 tons. The amount of duties collected shows a similar progression, 1897, Tls. 568,547, and for 1898, Tls. the figures for 1896 being Tls. 566,702; for
in exports than in imports, the import 634,236. The increase has been greater market having been adversely affected in the earlier part of last season fears as to the outturn of the crops, but by extreme stringency of money and during the latter part there was a marked revival. The figures as published, however,
action for contingencies ns they arise. This mature still further. There is no need only tell part of the tale, the vessels con-
29
is usually spoken of as a policy of drift, and it is the correct thing to profess contempt for it, but when the current is favourable one may do worse than drift along with it. And notwithstanding all the Jeremiads of the past two or three years and the "good hearty denunciations of Lord SALISBURY that have been indulged in by excitable Jingoes, it must be confessed that the re- cent current of events in China has not been unfavourable to British interests. Man- churia has passed under Russian influence, certainly, and is possibly destined to become
it to the world, and court powerful op to lay down a definite policy, proclaim position, when the course of events is na- turally running in our favour. China is breaking up, as the Times says, but England need not join in hastening the process and thereby possibly prevent the detrable recon- struction that is already almost in sight.
Chibli lying at the mercy of Russia, it will With Manchuria lopped off China, and become necessary to remove the capital, and Nanking will probably be the site selected. With the capital situated within our own
to the Customs regulations and therefore veying railway material not being subject
of that kind inust contribute its quotató not being included in the returns, but trade the prosperity of the port. Foreign mer- chants established at Newchwang cannot have much reason as yet to regret or oppose
activity of the port; nor is it likely that Russia's appearance upon the scene, that being the principal cause of the increased they will have cause to regret it in the future, for whatever political changes may take place the British Government may be
a Russian province, but there is nothing in sphere of influence we will then be able to trusted, under the influence of public
ence than we could ever have done at Pek- exercise a more direct and effective infu- ing and will be able to play in China the the meantime England's policy is to "sit beneficent part we have done in Egypt. In
and the N. c. Daily News may agitate for tight" and keep her hend cool. The Times the "open door" one day and for "apheres of "Influence" the next, and our Shanghai con- good hearty temporary may keep up its “ "denunciations of Lord SALISBURY," but the veteran statesman seems to have a well balanced grip of the China question and will see it safely through.
that to cause surprise or distress amongst Englishman. Expansion of Russia in that direction was foreseen as a possibility a couple of centuries ago; the possibility gradually became translated into a proba- bility; and it is now in course of realisation as a certainty. Manchuria is to be linked up with the Siberian railway system and ere many years have passed we shall see cities springing up along the const which will exhibit the same vitality and rapidity of expansion as characterise the cities of the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada. The country behind, now given over to brigandage and misrule, will come under systematic cultivation, its mineral resources will be exploited, and the trade of the country will undergo a vast develop ment, to the great benefit of the world at large, including Great Britain. England has never desired Manchuria for herself, and she can have No. TERBUR to oppose its opening up and development by Russia. Under exclusively Chinese rule Man- churia Was of comparatively little sent out here.
At the Magistracy on Saturday a private in the Royal Artillery named Peter Hutchinson was charged with deserting on the 17th of last month. P.C. Garrod said that he came across defendant in Queen's Road on Friday night wearing plain clothes and a wideawake hat, and took him to the Central Police Station. The man was handed over to an escort to be
dealt with by Court Martial. His past record is not a satisfactory one. He was dismissed the service in Malts, but re-enlisted and was
hitherto enjoyed by British subjects shull opinion, to see that all commercial privileges remain intact.
HE CHINAMAN AS A SOLDIER.
(Daily Press, 8th March.) What kind of prospect there would be of Chinese troops drilled and organized by European officers proving as reliable us, sny, Indian troops, some notes in the letters of correspondents to our Shanghai morning contemporary from the interior rather strik- ingly indicate. One correspondent, writing from Kiangyin, near which city there are bande of marauders who set the authorities at defiance, says, speaking of the troops stationed there :-"The German drilled troops from Woosung came here less than "a year ago. When they arrived they were a clean, smart looking lot of men→ clearly showing their training. Their "instructors had just been sent packing. "The same lot of men make a worse, if pos- "sible, general appearance to-day than the "native" drilled "troops who are camped
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