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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
after that, while they were about 5 p.m. The prosecution, in wishing him to deal summarily with the matter. showed no desire to inflict the greatest possible punishdment. But there were one or two things to be taken into consideration. It would be very unwise to allow the defendants to go back to their homes for some time. The new territory would have to be allowed to settle down first. If let off lightly a misinterpretation might be put upon the leniency of the sentence and he, therefore, did not think it advisable to inflict less than the full punishment. If the defen- dants returned in a shorter time others might be encouraged to do as they had done. therefore sentenced the defendants each to six months, hard labour and, in order that the public might see how people who bohaved in such a manner were held up to ridicule, the defendants would be publicly exposed in the stocks for six hours.
REBELLION IN WAICHOW AND CHIUCHOW.
and in the third chapter we are brought up to the rise of the Manchus and the establishment of the present dynasty. Now that the attention of the world is so largely attracted by China, Professor Douglas's work should be cordially welcomed by all who desire to make themselves ncquainted with the affairs of that empire or who, having already derated some study to the subject, may desire to refresh their knowledge.
It is usual to consider China as being at present in a worse plight than ever before, but a perusal of her history suggests that this view may be due to defective per- Hospective, as the country has ofteu before been ront by internal dissension and been overrun by her northern neighbours, and in spite of all she has preserved her national characteristics and homogenity. It is also too hastily assumed that the Chiuaman, because he has not kept up with modern methods of warfare and ja wedded to an antiquated system, cannot make a good soldier. But if the first quality of soldier be combativeness, the Chinaman is certainly not lacking in it. Hardly a single reign is free from the record of rebellion, and these internecina disturbances have generally been attended by appalling loss of life. From this it would appear that the people are ready enough to kill or be killed in any the acquisition of skill in the use of modern cause they may esponse. Organisation and
weapons are matters of intelligence, a quality in which the Chinese as a race are not lacking. Greed of pelf and the spirit of corruption ure a bar to military efficiency under the present system, but when the government has been revolutionised, as sooner or later it must be, China may no longer be considered a weakling amongst uutious,
10th May, Afrebellion has broken out in the Waichow and Chiuchow prefectures of the Kwangiang province. Waichow adjoins the north-eastern portion of the Suuon district, recently reded to Hongkong, and Chiuchow is the next prefec- ture to the north and includes the port of Swa tow. It is said that the rebels have formed a plan of marching across the province, joining the Kwangsi rebels, and then taking the route for Peking. In native circles, however, the movement is not regarded as of any particular moment, local risings being frequent in the pre- fectures named, the rebels retiring to the hills when the troops become too much for them and emerging again from their obscurity when the opportunity seems favourable. The civil and military maudarins of the districts have, how- ever, made urgent requests to the Viceroy of Canton for reinforcements of troops and gun- boats, and five gunboats and two bodies of troops, one consisting of three hundred men and the other of two hundred, have been des- patched.
If the idea of making the East River the frontier of Hongkong's new territory were car- ried into effect Waichow would become British.
11th May.
men
Concerning the rebellion reported in yester- day's issue to have broken out in the Wuichow district, we learn that the head quarters of the morement are at Lukfang, which will be fouud marked on the maps near His Chi Ching Bay. The rebels are mostly Chiuchow belonging to secret societies, the chief being a man of the name of Cheang. On the 1st and 2nd inst. they mustered to the number of four or fire thousand and attacked and occupied the villages of Kamseong, Siukin, and others, and were preparing to attack the city of Poknin, bat the inhabitants of some seventy villages in the locality and the Volunteer forces turned out and drove them back. Communication by land and sea has been cut off.
REVIEW.
China. By Professor ROBERT K. DOUGLAS
London: T. Fisher Unwin. 1899.
"
Professor Douglas falls into a common error in stating the cause of the war between China and Japan.
o quotes the provision of the treaty that in case of any disturbance of a grave nature occurring in Korea, which may oblige the respective countries or either of them to send troops to Korea, it is hereby understood that they shall give, each to the other, previous notice in writing of their inteution so to do, and that after the matter is settled they shall with. draw their troops and not further station them in the country"-and says that "the last clause is worthy of attention, as it was the infringement of it, or alleged infringement of it, on the part of China, which led to the outbreak of the recent war with Japan." According to the rescript of the Emperor of Japan declaring war upon China the cause of the war was that China declined to co- perate with Japan in bringing about Korea's reformation, and secretly and insidiously endeavoured to circamvent and thwart Japan's purpose. It was not a mere ques. tion of the movement of troops as arranged for by previous treaty,
In one respect Professor Douglas's book is disappointing. it parports, it is true, to be a history of Chiua, and not specially a with China history of British relations but we must confess that we would have been better pleased bad more attention been Wo have heard much of given to the latter. late years of the loss of British prestige in China -now happily recovered—and the author would have rendered a public service, bad be exhibited THE fiftieth volume of Mr. Unwin's useful distinctly the causes of that loss.. Perhaps we "Story of the Nations series is devoted to should speak of cause in the singular rather than in the plural, for it consisted simply in the ides China, and the task of writing the history of
that took possession of the Liberal Government that country has been entrusted to the capable hands of Professor Douglas. The antiquity of in the eighties that there was more to be got from China is so great, and the history of the Em-China by truckling than by firmuess. This pire covers so vast a period, we are told in the unfortunate idea found expression in two main incidents, namely, the consent to send a tribute preface, that it was plainly impossible to com-
mission from Burmah to Peking and subjection press the whole subject within the limits of a
to bumiliation in connection with the audience single volume of the series; it was determined therefore, to limit the record, in the present in question. On the first-named of these incidents Professor Douglas is sound enough, so far as stance, to` the annals of the Empire trom the time of Marco Polo to the present day, leaving he goes, but his treatment of the audience ques- the earlier history of the country to appear
tion does not accord it anything like the im- later. The first chapter, however, gives a portance it deserves. The reference to the
Burmah mission is as follows:- concise epitome of the early history of the Empire, which is perhaps as much as the average reader will care for, for except to the specialist there is perhaps no history so void of all living interest to the European reader as the history of China prior to the days of foreign intercourse. The second chapter is i devoted to the
Yuan and Ming dynasties,
"The year 1886 was a busy year in foreign politics, more especially so far as relations with Great Britain were concerned. At this time King Thebaw's misdoings had led to our oc cupation of Upper Burma, a territory over which China claimed suzerain rights. With that tender regard for the feelings of the
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[May 13, 1899.
Emperor and his ministers which has always distinguished our Foreign Office, it was agreed that if China would conseut no longer to inter- fere in Burmese politics. the decennial tribute. mission should continue to be despatched to Peking. The folly of this arrangement soon became apparent. Since 1842 our main endea your in dealing with the Chinese had been to bring homo to their consciousness the fact that as a nation we were to be treated on terms of perfect equality with themselves. At this eleventh hour, therefore, to proclaim ourselves tributary to Peking was one of those acts of folly which are to be accounted for only by presupposing on the part of the Foreign Office a complete ignorance of Asiatics and their modes of thought. With a return to a more reasonable mind the arrangement was dis- continued."
China at that time had been giving France trou. ble in Tonkin, and Lord Rosebery, to use plain language, got into a funk with reference to Burmah. The consequences on our position at Peking were serious. Lord Rosebery was again. the Foreign Secretary when Mr. (now Sir) Nicholas O'Conor submitted to his humiliating audience in 15 3 in the Cheng Kwang Tien, while the Ministers of France and Russia de- clined to be received in audience unless in the precincts of the Palace itself. It is a sinister · coincidence that Sir Nicholas O'Conor was also Chargé d'Affaires when the Burinah Cou- vention was negotiated. How the blame should be apportioned between Lord Rosebery. Sir Nicholas O'Conór, and the permanent officials of the Foreign Offies we do not know, but between them they, struck a blow at England's prostige in China from which we have barely yet recovered.
In taking leave of Professor Douglas and his interesting work we would cominend to the at- teution of the friends of China the, following paragraph
www.
The policy of throwing open the whole coast line to trade is the only one which will secure the Empire against the attack of grasping Powers. By the favoured nation clause no Power can acquire any rights at the treaty ports which are not shared by all the signatories. Any attempt therefore to grasp at exclusive privileges on the part of any one nation would be met by the nuited opposition of the rest of their number, and in the present helpless con- dition of the State, and the known greed of various governments, this is the only sure and certain means of defence that the Empire possesses
11
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD,
The fortnightly meeting of the Hongkong Sanitary Board was held on the 11th May. The chair was occupied by the President (Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Principal Civil Medical Officer), the Hon. R. D. Ormsby (Director of Public Works), Mr. A. W. Brewin (Acting Registrar- General), Mr. E. Osborne, Dr. Clark (Medical. Officer of Health), and Mr. J. W. Duggan (secretary).
QUATERLY. INSPECTIONS,
The Vice-President (the Hon. F. H. May) had given notice of a motion us to quarterly inspections, but as he was absent it was post- poned.
÷
THE VENICE SANITARY CONVENTIONE Further correspondence was submitted re the colony's adhesion to the Venice Sanitary Con vention. In a despatch dated 17th March the Right Hon. J. Chamberlain, referring to a the subject by Major-General despatch on
Black, says:---
"I understand from this report that the difficulties in the way of complete adhesion were chiefly felt in connection with vessels arriving from Cauton or other ports in the near vicinity of Hongkong which might at any time be infected, but I must point out that during the discussion the definition of healthy vessels as laid down in section 8 of chapter 11. of the convention appears to have been misapprehended. In accordance with this section a vessel should be regarded as healthy, even though coming from an infected port, however near that port may be to the colony, provided that there has been no death from a case of plague on board either before departure, during the voyage, or on arrival. In the case of healthy or oven