May 25, 1901.]
محمد
·CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
matters of local interest. The advantages of; are not taken into consideration at all by the municipal government of the people by the plague authorities, as is done in India. Perhaps people are many and manifest, but it will only the fault lies with the Parsees themselves, that be necessary to instance a few of the more they do not bring this fact to the notice of the important. In the first place, it ensures the authorities, that the dead body of a Parses is management of local affairs being entrusted laid by his own men in bier or coffin, and that it | to a body of men intimately acquainted with should be witnessed by at least two men of the and interested in the requirements of the community, and the touch or glimpse of an out- community; secondly, it ensures a prompt sider is desecration, disrespect to the dead one, and speedy recognition of local needs, and the and calamity to the family. The people in the equally prompt action of giving effect to them; hospital notify the death to the friends and and, thirdly, it is by means of Municipal Gov-relations after a very long time, and before ernment only that the wants and necessities of they turn up coffins are nailed, put away on the community can be made plainly apparent to one side, and are liable to be changed with the higher authorities. These are reasons in those of the Chinese. It is devoutly to be favour of municipal freedom which we do not wiched that, in future, friends or relatives will be imagine can be gainsaid. On the other hand, immediately informed of the sad occurrence, and and particularly in reference to Hongkong, the coffins not nailed till they are claimed for what is there to be urged against it? Unless due ceremony and decent burial by their co- it be a valid reason that might is justified in religionists. There have been deep grumblings dominating right, we can discover none. The amongst the older and more religious section miserable farce which has been played out ad of the Community, and it behoves the authorities nauseam on the Sanitary Board has nearly that they do not give unnecessary cause for such reached the fall of the curtain, and public grumbling, after they know these religious opinion is intensely exercised as to what sort scruples, and see that proper sanitary precau- of play will be staged next. It surely can- tions are taken by them.. not be intended to continue on with the Sanitary Board fiasco, despite the attitude of the public towards it, and because of its ab- solute failure in catering to our requirements? This would be the very perfection of folly indeed. No, it is very evident that the whole municipal system in vogue in Hongkong will have to be remodelled, even if vested interests have to suffer in the process. It is the Govern- ment of the few for the many that we need, not tat of the few for the capitalists, which is actually the system under which we exist and against which we have long protested in vain. To secure this, absolute municipal freedom is the only means, and surely among the many enlightened citizens of Hongkong there must be many ready to lead a crusade in its favour. MEDICO.
PLAGUE TREATMENT.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PREƐS,”
Hongkong, 21st May. SIE,-I shall thank you if you will be good enough to spare a space in your well-knownL paper. The plague during the current year is of a very virulent form, and it is a pity that many foreigners have also fallen victims to this scourge. The case occurred of one of the leading brokers, Mr. R. M. Mehta, and his removal to the plague hospital and death, has prompted me to make a few suggestions, which I hope will not be in any way against the ruling of the Government. I simply suggest that the patient is at first quite unaware that he is attacked with plague, and as long as he is at his own place, and treated by his own doctor, well and good, he thinks that he is simply ill and will get through; but as soon as he is removed to the plague hospital, he knows where he is, and fear and surroundings in many cases have a bad effect, and a weak-minded patient dies sooner. If the patient be allowed to be treated at his own place, of course isolated, and only one or two attending who keep no company with the rest of the family, I think, there is some hope of his recovery. In Bombay as far as my knowledge goes, plague patients who can afford it are treated in their own place by their own doctor, and if necessary by the doctor in charge of the plague hospital. Cannot this system be adopted here f In Bombay a house in which such cases occur is at the moment closed, limewashed, cleaned and disinfected by the authorities, and after a lapse of time, say ten days or even more, that house is reoccupied. Some houses in which more than five cases occurred were closed by the authorities altogether. Is it done here ? If so, well and good; otherwise the plans suggested will be a vast improvement-Yours, etc.,
ANTES.
A PARSEE.
MISSIONARIES IN CHINA.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.'
17th May.
SIE, -With your kind permission, I would return once more, for a few brief remarks, to Mr. Michie's lecture. In his account of the modern introduction of Christianity into China, he would have us believe that a spirit of political and military aggression, on the part of France. at least, and French missionaries, was veiled beneath demands for purely religious liberties and privileges. He gives up the "Romanist branch," governments and missionaries alike apparently as quite incorrigible in their "mundane aims." He must be aware, however, and it should be noted, that many Roman Catholic missionaries do not fail to recognise and regret the evils of working under armed protection, though many consider that way of working as the less of two evils, if not the only way practicable under present circumstances. In the last publication of the Catholic mission pross of Shanghai, a work of the late Rev. L. Bailard, entitled Nankin Port Ouvert, the author quotes (p. 167), from another French missionary, a remark which he qualifies as made with great justice, to the effect that the French religious protectorate is, like most things human, mixed with good and evil. Were their aims as mundane as Mr. Michie seems to sup- secular protection. pose, the missionaries would hardly see evil in
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that point is clear in the French text as in the Chinese. The clause, not foun in the French text consists of just eighteen words, and it concedes to missionaries the right to rent, buy and build in all the provinces. Abbe Delamarre, acting as interpreter to Baron Gros, secured the insertion of that clause in the Chinese text, to render more clear and precise the rights already implicitly conceded by previous treaties, in particular by that of 1858. In Art. XIII of that treaty, missionaries were granted the right of going into the interior to pursue their work, and unless that clause were to be rendered purely nugatory, they thereby acquired the right of having chapels of some kind, and houses to live in. The same is implied in the restitution of missionary pro- porty, which, as I have just noted, is clear in both texts.
That the clause was not inserted without the knowledge of the Chinese, or at least that its stipulations were not considered to exceed known treaty rights, is sufficiently proved by the fact that the form of the passport, drawn up by convention soon after the signing of the treaty, clearly states the privileges in question; nor was there any demur made to such insertion. Again, when the French Minister, M. Berthemy, brought up the question five years later, in 1865, Li Hung-chang and the members of the Tsung-li Yamen had not a word to say against the validity of the clause. Mr. Michie's explanation of such silence is hardly satisfactory. It is far more natural to suppose that they said nothing, because the clause had been taken on the Chinese side an a valid part of the treaty from the very beginning. It is regretable that it should have been left out of the French text, but better than that it should have been found in the French text only; in which case the charge of frand might have been more plausible. Taking the matter at its worst, it does not appear a fraud, either “audacious and flagitions" or otherwise, to have inserted into the text which the Chinese were supposed to read, and most probably did read. before signing, a clause which, far from violating the spirit of the treaty, is closely in keeping with, and a natural consequence of other treaty stipulations. Taking it at its worst, I say, for it is by no means certain that the clause was not duly submitted to the com- missioners, and agreed to on the one side and
the other.
Just as many of Mr. Michie's views and observations are, it is thought by some a mat- tor of regret that the lecturer, in a discourse to be delivered lefore so distinguished an audience, and destined in pamphlet form to reach such wide public, was not more careful about certain points of fact, and more guarded against assortions open to exception....
SAM-PA-TSAI.
THE ARMAMENT OF HONGKONG.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE “DAILY: PEESS."
20th May. BIE, I have noted of late,
great in- terest, several articles in Kallume - papers relating to the inefficient armament of Hong- kong. Especially do they seem to dwell upon the deficiency in that respect of the Southern shores of our Island; but it appears to me that we are not so devoid of protection as the writer of the articles referred to seems to suppose.
In the sketch of the successive privileges granted to missionaries under pressure from Western powers, the author's running com- mentary is hardly justified by the facts as simply stated. Confining ourselves to France, if under the government of Louis-Philippe, in 1842 and 1844, the missionaries could not get the hearing they desired, and could not obtain treaty sanction for privileges which they considered just and necessary, it is not surprising that they tried to get more, or at least to have things stated more clearly, when the question came up again under the Empire. Nor does it appear where the hypo- crisy comes in, as long as the privileges were asked for, really as well as ostensibly, for the I have observed that there are two kinds of furtherance of missionary work. And to this armament for const defence, vis., fixed and end, as a matter of fact, have the treaty clauses movable. Now, granting that there is a paucity in question served, and it is thanks to them of arms as to the former, I am given to under- that Catholic missionaries have been able to stand that the latter is exceptionally' strong, establish missions all over the empire, and to both modern and effective, and composed prosecute their work in some places with pal-material that would give a very satisfactos y pable and satisfactory results. Even if certain account of any attempt at invasion of our litt French statesmen gremed to foresee advantages isle. The one great drawback would, I take it, to their country in the privileges obtained for be the dificulty of getting the guns their missionaries, it could not therefore be position in suficient time to repel an argued that the treaty stipulations covered from a maritime force, and also to render deceit and hypocrisy. Such a charge would mobile enough for such from any poin suppose that missionary interests were only a very glad to see what great pretext; which was not the case, as contempor-made with the new roads around ary history of the missions shows.
Hongkong, as they will be of gros both for the guns and also for the troops; but still. I of opinion present state of affairs
be improved What, I wonder, is to prevent the Gara from adopting the plan of dele
PARSEES AND PLAGUE..
TO THE EDITOR OF THE “DAILY PRESS,' As to the so-called interpolated clause in the
Canton, 22nd May:
convention of 188), there is nothing particular- SIR-There have already been two deaths ly "andacions or flagitious" in the affair from plague in the small Parsee community in plsinly stated. Mr. Michie is mistaken in Hongkong since the outbreak in 1894; but it in I saying that the clause stipulated the re-
two to be regretted that their religious scruples stitution of former missionary property; depicted to us by Sir George White: i