•
November 24, 1900.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
There for peace.
upon
OF POWER.
407
Daily Press, 23rd November. At a banquet given last month in Manches. ter, in connection with the local Statistical
The
be any mystery thrown over their present
If the secret. Decree reported to have been | POPULATION AND THE WEIGHT proceedings. Did this absence of informa- circulated among the provincial authorities tion apply only to the political aspects of really commands them to make preparations the movements in the north, we might con- for war, then the Empress Dowager has ceive that under certain circumstances it cast away all pretence of making overtures was both justifiable and desirable.
The powers conferred are good reasons for not publishing the Prince CHING and LI HUNG-CHANG to open Society, Sir ROBERT GRIFFEN made some names of the criminals required till we have negotiations for peace were, therefore, either them in our hands, and there is no need to a mere blind, intended merely to delay very interesting remarks on the subject of publish plans beforehand of what we intend foreign operations, or else the demands the growth of the world's population and to do, except in the most abstract way. But made by the Treaty Powers are considered the consequent effect on the relative positions these reasons do not extend to what has by the Empress Dowager and her minions of nations and races in the world. been actually done, and of which the enemy to be far in excess
most striking point to which he drew atten- of what they is more cognizant than ourselves. Recent are disposed to concede. l'ossibly Hertion was the prodigious rate of increase of telegrams indicate that an advance has been Majesty has been prevailed upon by Prince the community of European nations and made from Peking towards the highlands TUAN and General TUNG FUHSIANG to cast
nations of European origin. Most startling of Shansi, and that apparently the passes of down the gage of defiance to the Allies of all was the growth of the Anglo-American the Wutai Shan have been occupied; this because their own heads are in danger. population.
One hundred years ago the surely is an item of news of more than General TUNG is said to completely domin-population of the United Kingdom and the passing interest to both Englishmen and ate the councils of the Court, and as he has United States of America together was not Germans. It is known to the enemy who nothing to hope from either the party of more than twenty millions; now it is not has been driven from his posts, and its reform in China or from negotiations with less than one hundred and thirty millions. publication can give him no possible informa- the Foreign Powers, he will naturally con- show vast increases, the figures were nothing Though Russia and Germany could also tion, yet not one word of these movements tinue irreconcilable. The Empress-Dowager like so large. The change in the relative more than of the campaign in the Nether-meantime holds the Emperor KWANG HSU lands two centuries ago has come to the in safe custody and regards the southern weight of European races in international front. The war in North China is essenti- Viceroys with distrust. She is quite aware
politics is of course tremendous. Taking ally a national one, in which the people of that both CHANG CHIH-TUNG and LIU European nations and nations of European the two Empires are interested even more KUNG-YI have remained on good terms origin together, the increase for the century than their Governments; and public opinion with the Powers and bave kept the is deeply interested in the result, which if their provinces while the mandate carried out successfully will have far-reach- exteruminate the detested foreigner had ing effects not only in China but in Europe. gone forth and was being obediently enforced In fact, though the soil be China, the in the northern provinces by subservient questions involved are European, or rather tools and Manchu officials impregnated with world-wide, and mystery can only aid the hatred of all change. She is reported to powers of darkness.
THE COMING WINTER AND CHINESE AFFAIRS.
peace in
to
consider the Yangtze Viceroys as little better than traitors and to be plotting with the Allied Commanders for her cap
no
is estimated at 330,000,000-from about 170,000,000 to 500,000,000. Sir ROBERT
The
GRIFFEN went on to say that during this time the non-European peoples of the world, the black and yellow races, had practically been stationary, and that the forces of civilisation had thus become nearly irresistible. In another century the change would be still should take place in the ideas and conduct greater, unless some great internal change of European races themselves-Sir ROBERT ture and the restoration of the EMPEROR to full power free from her influence.
GRIFFEN was here alluding to the theories And in (Daily Press, 22nd November.) truth, while there is no such plot in exist of MALTHUS and an overwhelining popu- The policy of withdrawing a considerable ence, the idea that the Foreign Powers will lation of European descent would have portion of the Allied Forces from Peking not in future permit her to sway the des- nothing to fear from other races. during the winter is open to question. tinies of the Chinese Empire is sound enough."yellow peril," the speaker continued, According to latest advices received from It would be the very crassest folly on the would have vanished in a hundred years, that capital, it is thought extremely probable part of Treaty Powers ever again to recog- because the vellow races would be far out- that the forthcoming winter may witness nise this woman in any position of power.
numbered. What, he asked, would the new complications, that when the ports are Indeed, she ought to be exiled out of reach four hundred millions of China "be com- closed by ice and the roads obliterated by of mischief, and even then she would fail to pared with 1,500,000,000, or 2,000,000,000 snow, the Boxers may think that their meet the punishment she richly deserves, of European race?
It is, however, ques- opportunity has again arrived, that the fan which she would inflict without mercy tionable whether the yellow races are in kwei are securely shut off from communi- on her opponents. As the Empress is a fact stationary as Sir ROBERT GRIFFEN cation with the coast, and that they can woman of great sagacity, she bas states. We quoted a few days ago some easily be wiped out. The Boxer agitation doubt arrived at the conclusion that she statistics of Chinese immigration into all has not died out yet, and it would be a mis- may as well prolong the quarrel and defer parts of the world, showing the large pro- take to imagine that the smouldering embers the settlement, in the hope that time may portions which this movement has now cannot break forth again into a lurid blaze breed dissension among the Foreign Powers attained, in spite of the fact that in many Even very lately attempts have been made She is not so ignorant of European politics countries it is very sternly restricted. by Boxers in the capital to create large con- as not to know that the germs of disagree-Yet China itself is as overflowing as ever, and flagrations with a view of burning out or ment always exist, and that a spark may at the population, except in such parts as have embarrassing the foreigners, and some of any moment light a train and lead to an not yet recovered from the effects of the these fires might have covered a large area outbreak, even while they are face to face devastation following the great Taiping but for the prompt efforts of the British with a common foe. But while this know-rebellion, shows no tendency to stand still. garrison. The announcement made there- ledge may lead her to build upon chances, Japan also is already too small for ber fore by telegraph from our Shanghai cor- and to engage in a winter struggle with the population, and emigration has to be checked respondent that a secret Decree has been Allied Forces, she may find that, after all, to avoid foreign complications. No such issued by the Empress Dowager, warning the disagreements were trivial and the mis-growth, it is true, can be shown as in the all the Viceroys and Governors to pre- understandings readily smoothed, and that case of the leading white peoples, but it is pare for immediate war, would seem to when the spring comes round again she not correct to say that the latter alone are indicate that the misgivings felt by will still have to meet a stubborn and still increasing rapidly. It must be admitted, foreigners in Peking as to the out- united foe, exasperated by prolonged re- however, that the main contention of the look for the winter are not without sistance and attempts to outwit them and good foundation. The foreign contingents to play them off against each other. The garrisoning Peking have, we believe, all blood of the innocents, moreover, would been reduced. Our only white troops left still cry aloud for vengeance, and the long there at the present moment are the New catalogue of injuries suffered and sustained South Wales contingent, and although they would be still further extended. may be relied upon to give an excellent
account of themselves if an emergency arises,
it cannot be pretended that they constitute Viscount Fugiami, Master of the Horse to a large force. Nor is the Indian contingent the Emperor of Japan, is travelling through by any means excessive. It consists of Europe to purchase horses and cattle of special admirable material, and has given good proof of its intrepidity, but whether the semen can stand the rigours of a Manchurian
winter remains to be seen.
breeds. He has already visited France, and has gone through Scotland and various parts of England, making extensive purchases. On October 13th the Viscount left for Rassia whence he returns to Japan:
speaker at Manchester is beyond all doubt, that the change of the relative positions of nations in the world has been astonishing in the last century. It is plain from the figures that the four great world-powers are now the United States, Great Britain, Russia, and Germany, while France is a doubtful fifth. The pre-eminence of the United States, if we judge by statistics, is unques. tionable. What effect this will have on the future of the world's history we would not like to undertake to guess, but that it will be very great no one can deny. Dismissing purely economic and social questions, we must look for the course of politics to be more and more