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THE SITUATION IN CHINA.
(Daily Press, 9th Febuary.) Thes atement, reported in another column of Dr. R. COLEMAN, professor of surgery at the Imperial University of Peking, that ano her and a worse uprising of the Chinese against the foreigners is impending and that the Powers are to be blamed for their excessive leniency, is not new. Similar pre- di-tions have been made by various pe ple conversant with the state of affairs at
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[February 11, 1903.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
actually carried out; while the weight of more than that, she liad, with unrivalled the indemnity, increased by the fall in the "diplomatic dexterity, secure the right to value of silver, is felt all over China, "jin this fortress in the south with a particularly by those who did not in any "Russian city that was being erected in the way countenance the 1900 rising. It was "heart of Manchurin, which city was itsolf a most disastrous error for the foreign "to be united by three different lines of nations to grasp at the substance of a railway with the Russian territory of money payment, while suffering to remain Siberia. Thus Manchuria has been oc- as shadows the engagements to open up cupied and has become another great China to trade. It may be said that a big provine of the Russian Empir». Only indemnity always forms part of the victor's "armed force can now drive Russia out of programine in modern war, But China is Manchuria, the armed force of some other not a nation which can be treated exactly Power than China.” The letter goes on like other nations. The past history of the to describe how Russia is trying to make international relations of China suffices to ber position in Manchuria inexpugnable, show this. Repeatedly have other nations and the description is remarkable, but un- defeated the Chinese and exacted a heavy fortunately to long for quotation here. indemnity. Yet China is little changed, The railway itself alone is a wonderful and the foreiguer is as unacceptable as ever. achievement, with its 1,555 miles of rails, so For the most part, the West has not forced laid that it pisses by the gates of almost China to admiration, but to hate. Nor is this every important city in Maucburia until it unnatural, for the methods of the Western reaches Port Arthur. The direction of the countries have been altogether wrong., line has been changed several times, “each China as a country has never been con- change of direction bringing the railway querel by Western arms, and the probability | further to the south and looping on to is that she never will be. Her mercantile Russian territory an ever-increasing area conquest has begun, but it will not be of Michuria." "But it is not the railway furthered by the policy of extorting huge alone that compels admiration. The energy money payments from the people for the which has transformed the whole province offences of a few, while leaving the corrupt is manifested in many ways. officials to evade the promises to remove obstacles to trade. A great opportunity was offered after the recent troubles of; bringing about some genuine reforms for the advancement of commerce and inter- curse between China and the rest of the world. Thanks to the mutual jealousies of the Powers and the grasping policy of the majority of them, the opportunity was lost
irretrievably, it would seem. profitable now to talk of undue leniency having been shown toward China. serious mistake was that of blindness toward our own interests, which were really the interests of China also.
It is un-
RUSSIA IN MANCHURIA.
(Daily Press, 10th February.)
Our
This marvellous energy, as Dr, MORRISON enlls it, is nowhere more manifested than in the establishment of towns, sometimes where but a few buts or nothing at all originally stood. Hailar, Tsitsihar, Harbin or Khur- biu, Yinicuho, Pogranitehnnia-all are monuments to Russia's industry and suc- ce+8. Here, for instance, is part of Dr. MORRISON's description of Hailar:- Five years ago I travelled down the Siberian "frontier and came to this town. The "town was Chines, peopled by emigrants "from Shansi, driven from home at the
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time of the groat famine. It is now a "Russian town. Russian shops line the "main street. Isvoshtchiks ply for hire at the street corners. In the main street a
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Greek church is being built; there is a
Peking. What is the official view on the matter in the Lagations we are not in a position today, and perhaps, considering how ill-informed the Legations showed themselves to be at the beginning of 1900, we should not look to them for the most accurat forecast of events. From mis sionary sources in North China and the missionaries have means of information denied directly to the diplomatic represen- tatives the news is not re..ssuring. cannot be doubted that the lesson of 1900- 01, or rather the lesson which the Powers desired to teach, was lost for the most part on those who'should have learnt it. There is little improvement to be seen in the governing classes of China. The pld Court clique has lost, it is true, some of its most pernicious members, but it cannot be con- tended that the dominating influences now are very different from what they were at the beginning of 1900. The changes at Peking which it was intended to produce have not been brought about, and ladies' tea-parties at the Imperial Palace and talk about adopting Western costume at court are poor substitutes for the reforms which it was hoped would follow the Emperor's return to Peking. The triumphant capture of the Chinese capital on the memorable 15th of August has resulted in little that is taugible. The thought at once suggests itself that the policy of the Allies must have been wrong. The readiest idea is that which was expressed by Dr. COLTMAN, that the Powers were too lenient. Whether he means by this statement that they should
Red Cross hospital. Where five years have been moto violent in their methods It might be supposed that the lapse of ago there were some Mongol tents there and that they should have exneted the utmost time between the posting of a letter from *is now a Russian railway towa with hotels penalty from the guilty parties in the Peking to London and the return of that and brick station-houses, with hospitals. Boxer" uprising, we do not know; but letter in published form to China mustand a public gard n. Russian la lies with this is certainly the view of a great many. deprive it of most, if not of all, of its inter. st“silk parasol were strolling in the sun, Public opinion has pas ed through many for those who live out here. But this cannot "
men wro riding bicycles. In the engine changes recently towards China. With the be said of any of the communications of ; "sheds there are twenty-two locomotives." news of the murder of many foreigners and Dr. MORRISON to the Times, for so much of Again there is Pogranitchnaia, the frontier the attack of the Legaticus, aud still more the information which he is able to get town of Manchuria. Here on the slopes with the filse story of the fall of the seems never to become known through other "of a bill overlooking deeper valleys along Legations ringing in their cars, people were sources, while even if the facts are public which the railway winds, amag hills inflamed violently against the Chinese the well-known correspondent's comments green and beautiful, with wools of oak Then the reports of the devastation wrought on them possess a value preuliarly their and pine, has been constructed bodily a by the allied troops created a strong own. One of the uost recent issues of the Russian town of red-b ick villas with revulsion of feeling, particularly in the Times con ained a letter dated Peking, the wide streets, with water and electric light United States, and the terms exacted by the 12th November last, in which Dr. MonRISON laid on, with a station whose reticulation Powers were considere excessive. Now, wrote at considorable length on the topic of i
of track+ would suggest a railway juneți su weary of the protracted negotiations and Manchuria and the Russian railway. If i in Europe, with engine-stalls for twenty, alarmed by the menacing state of affairs in anything were needed to emphasise the
"two locomotives with church and school several provinces, a section at least of impressin that Russia has no int ntion aul public libfary and public garden. general opinion has again becom · hostile t› whatever of withdrawing from Manchuria ; At the station, lit with electric ligʻit, is the China, and the failure of the lesson which this letter should do so Beginning with frontier Custom-house whero goo-la enter- the Allies tried to teach her has led to
ing Siberia_pay their heavy dutios, but exasperation. Not much consideration, we that the whole Far Easteru question might where goods entering Manchuria from suspect, has been given to the question why have been changed, if at the time of the Siberia are allowed a full rebite of all the Allies failed. Yet the failure is not joint repres utation by Russia, France, and
duties that wero collected on their entry really surprising. The Powers drove the Germany that the o-cupation by Japan of
"into Siberia at Vladivostock." The Times Imperial family in hasty flight from Peking, the ceded Peninsula of Liaotung would be correspondent goes on to say that it is demanding instunt summary punishment of detrimental to the lasting peace of the understood that when Russia evacuates those implicated in the " Boxer movement. Orient, Japan had obtained, as she easily, Manchuria she will set up Customs stations A few of these were beheaded, a few more could have obtained, a self-denying under- at the Chinese frontier, both on her leased degraded, and the rest are again in power. taking that no one of the three Powers territory near Port Arthur and at Pugran. The Allies then proceeded to lay upon would ver occupy the territory from which itebaai, and there collect duties according China's chaotic and ruinous finances the she was being ousted. But the under- ' to the Chinese tariff and pay them over to burden of an enormous indemnity, while
China. This is what Russia leads us ot obtaining the promise of removal of
un lerstand is hor intention and her policy, obstacles to trade. The latter provision was
"The Chinese, I am informed," says Dr. excellent, but there are no signs of it being
MORRISON, “would be willing to disconut
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in affirmation of his belief in the statement -
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jaking was not asked for, and within less "than three years Russia was in military occupation of the territory and fortress from which she had ejected Japan. And,
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