June 15, 1903.1
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
COREAN AFFAIRS,
pay, and arm them after foreign methods. inevitable tendency to get worse so long as perfectly regular, peaceful, and beneficent things are left to drift. The officials and lead government rules the region comprised withining commercial men in whose han is it res's to the ares of the two districts and t era is not make some arrangement, are steadily working a single official of the Manchu dynasty in to get hold of some ready money. They believe them, while the inhabitants appear quite they have satisfactorily settled the question of contented at their lot Strict discipline is instalmout repayments now, and the present enforced amongst the rebels by the officers. scheme is to obtain from two of the foreign who give all their opmomands in English, banks an advance of 14 millions on the security while the arms and ammunition used are of the of the local gentry, who will themselves raise most modern. These are constantly arriving. another 1 million, an I then to get the 1 million being brought by friend and partisans promised by the Government, making 4 millions | from the neighbouring provinces, so that there is in all. This would doubtless cause temporary now a very large accumulation of the best of arms relief, but it is questionable whether it would and ammunition for a numerous and formidable | do more. army. In fact the region spoken of above has scheme which does not bear more directly on We have no great confilence in any been apparently chosen as the headquarters of the restablishment of sound credit in business the rebellion and the men there are to form circles. the nucleus of a great army for the conquest of the Empire from the Manchu. There is immense enthusiasm amongst the rank and file of the so-called rebel army in Yining and Hsingan, which counts a great deal in a move- ment like this. As soon as everything has been prep red and ready for holi hostilities, the mandarins will find the present one ten times more formidable than the former Taiping re bellion With the risings which have so far taken place throughout the province of Kwangai, desultory and scattered as they have been, every one already knows that the man- darins have invariably been unable to deal, and that they have been again and again defeated and put to flight by these wandering bands of rebels and disbanded soldiery. What then must happen when in place of these scattered and badly led and still worse organised bands the mandarins find themselves opposed by an army which is just the contrary of what has gone before ?**
NORTHERN NOTES.
The following notes are from the P. & T Jimes down to the 29th tit:--
The Russian authorities propose to start an English newspaper at Port Arthur to support
Russian interests in the Ear East.
General Wogack has been appointed to the Tsar's personal suite.
M. Waeber Russian special Envoy to Corea, is said to have been presented with a purse of yen 10,000 by the Corean Government on going home,
The Russian and Austrian Ministers arrived at Tientsin on the 28th, en route to Peking. Their Excellencies travelled by the Siberian route and were only two Weeks from Aloscow to Tientsin.
The Corean Government is said to have wired to the Governor at Wiju to instruct all Russians in that district to leave immediately. We can quite fanoy the order being carried out.
Prince Ching's mental anxiety continues to unfit him for his duties and he has been granted further leave. Most of the members of the Government may be expected to have family bereavements or alarming health symptoms at this juncture.
From Taokao to Tai Wen chen the Peking Syndicate is said to have expended Tis. 163,000 in land purchase for the railway line. Surveys are now being made beyond Tai Wen-chen, and further purchases will be made in the autuma.
The grave-yard of a certain Prince in a dis- trict south of Peking is reportel to have been robbed and the coffus opened recently, the matter being urgently reported to the Peking Prefect. The robbers obtained a large quantity of gold and jewelry from the coffins.
Some trouble has occurred in the Honan Col- lege, the students all leaving on account of some undue harshness on the part of the prin- cipals. The Governor investigated the matter, censured the teachers and persuaded the students to return.
Taotai Yao Sung-yn, the son-in-law of Sheng Tajen, who died some three weeks ago, rashly offered to refit the Summer Palace with electric light &t his own expense. Sinos his death, which occurred quite suddenly, Eunuch Li and Prince Ching have suggested that Sheng carry ont his late son-in-law's intentions: Sheng is now somewhat seriously considering whether sons-in-law are not rather a mistake."
An editorial article says :-“ The mon tary situation remains much the same, save for the
According to a Seoul despatch to the Tokyo Asahi dated the 28th ult., M. Pavloff, Russian Minister to Corea, presented to the Seoul Go vernmeal on the previous day a notification
88 y.
ing that the Timber Company had, after form- ally intimating to the Corean authorities the appointment of Baron Gansburg as its business representive, started some construction works in compliance with the stipulations in the convention, by virtue of which the Company had been granted the right of carrying on its in question is said to have also intimated business in the Peninsula. The notification
that as the Russian Minister will in future be too busy to trouble himself with the conduct of the negotiations between the Corean Government and the Company, the Seoul authorities might declare what Depart ment of their Government has jurisdiction over the timber-felling business, so as to enable Baron Guasburg to open direct negotiations with that Department.
In connection with the Russian enterprise on the banks of the Yala river, the Kokumin's Seoul correspondent reports under date of the 28th ult., that there is an indication, that, in consequence of the recent negotiations between Russia and Corea as to the real meaning of some of the provisions of the timber-felling conven. tion, a new arrangement will be made between the two countries, whereby the Northern Power will agree to remove the centre of her enterprise now located at Yong-Ampho to some other place.
TIBET.
In its Notes on Native Affairs the N.-C. Daily Empress Dowager transmitted by telegraph to News translates the following memorial to the Peking by Yi Kong, Chinese Imperial Resident at Lh-ssa, the capital of Tibet and the head- quarters of the Dalai Lama :—
429
relations. resort to arms and the break'ng of peaceful listen to the advice given them there would If the Tibetans were willing to still be a possibility to settle the matter in friendly Councillors of State l'sten to the words of the manner. Should, however, these Dalai Lama and other heads of their religion. sad start fighting the British expedition and bring about actual hostilities, the danger to the country resulting from such a line of action will be Indeed, in such a state of affairs, even if
greater than words can p❜oture the memorialist were to attempt to restora peace between the belligerente, all his efforts finally exhorted them to be most careful this would surely be futile. The memorialist time and not endanger the country by acting foolishly again. In conclusion, the memorialist observed that during his exhortation, although the Tibetan officials put on, outwardly, every semblance of respectfully listening to his words, yet the obstinacy, ignorance, and recklessness of the Tibetans are so well known that he cannot guarantee their obedience to his exhor however, takes this opportunity to inform their tations should anything untoward happen. He Majesties how matters stand in his jurisdiction." Recript: "Noted."
CORRESPONDENCE.
MR. POLLOCK'S QUESTIONS AT THE SANITARY BOARD.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE 14 DAILY PRESS." Hongkong, 8th June. SIR,-In the answer given by the A. M. C. H. found in public streets, I noticed that 37.5 per to Mr. Pollock's question No. 1. re dead bodies
cent. of the plague cases were dumped and that the figure is the highest compared with the returns for the last five years. The main reasons, I understand, are that the Chinese in this Colony are afraid of the Sanitary Board well that, if they report a plague case to the more than the pestilence itself, as they know too Sanitary Authorities, both the living and the dend are to suffer alike to a certain extent-either their property destroyed or, in many instances, valuable articles lost or stolen during the disinfecting operations, and that people living above and under the flat in which a case of plague occurred are also to share the same suffering by being forced to remain inside the house for a considerable time waiting for the arrival of the disinfecting gang for their " torture."
of the same house might very likely get rapid a mauner, for the unfortunate occupiers It is no wonder that the plague spreads in so
infected while being forcibly confined there just to share the fate brought to them by the victimized. Such being the cise, I can hardly after having been unconcernedly imp isoned in enumerate how many of these unfortunate people,
time, have actually contracted the a plague-infected house for a very unreasonable and ́rua
disease
die peacefully elsewhere. It is exceeding
away from the Colony just to ly lamentable to picture such a scene of which many of your readers, especially the draftsmen of the Bye-law, might have absolute ly no knowledge. It is now gratifying last realised the fact that some of the sanitary to learu, however, that Mr. Pollock, having a measures are too drastic altogether to be carried the furniture and clothing of the persons on out, has now proposed to the Board that only the same floor in which a case of plagus occurs should give Mr. Pollock great credit for his are to be dis'nfected in fature,~ The Chine e timely suggestion and thank him for his pains in taking up in detail the various points raised by "Anti-Dumping."
from the Tibetan frontiers your Majesty's Owing to the receipt of most urgent news servant at once summoned before him the Tibe- tan Councillors of State [or "Kablon," of whom there are four who transact the secular affairs of Tibet,-Translator], and addressed words of exhortation to them, saying that the presence of Britishers accompanied by troops within the Tibetan frontiers was a matter threatening danger to the country and entirely due to the conduct of the Tibetans last year when they pat obstacles in the way of Chin se officials in regard to the supply of poneis making friendly arrangements with the British an cool es, thereby throwing away the chance of officials. The memorialist further informed the said Councillors of State that if it turned out in the end that British officials were preparing for a long expedition in order to penetrate right into the heart of the country he would certainly go in person to the Tibetan frontier and try his best to persuade the British The A. M. O. H. has also mentioned that the officials to abstain from it, and at the same Board are now offering compensation for time mark out the boundaries of our respective articles destroyed during disinfection, which territories. On the other hand, the Tibetans seems a very wise course; but I should like to were warned not to act in the way they had know how many of those disinfecting inspectors hitherto been obstinately accustomed to do. and their nuderlings have been informed of the Should, however, the British refuse to listen to Board's intention. I should suggest that these the words of exhortation and persist in their inspectors and the whole gang of coolies should intention to enter Tibet, the sail Council-be held responsible for damages done to all lors of State should not seek to obstruct the progress of the British by force of arms, but continue to reason peaceably with the 'invaders and so obriate the danger of a
articles, and that the necessary compensation should be paid out of their salaries and wages, and not from the Government, so that they may know that by unreasonably throwing away other