August 11, 1906. Į
with Tibet, China and Russia. Now Mr. CROSBY attacks his subject after a most enterprising journey through the regions in question, in the course of which he has studied in detail the geographical and geological conditions of the lands of which he speaks; he is an observant student of the peoples, and his little work "Tibet and Turkestan", written after an adventurous tour from Ush in Ferghana through Kashgar and Khotan, and thence through Western Tibet to Srinigar and Rawal Pindi, is an interesting and useful addition to our knowledge of these little explored districts. Unfortunately Mr. CROSBY possesses a good deal of that restlessness of imagination, which both in England and America may be described as one of the worst features of the political life of the day. In Mr. CROSBY'S eyes the whole of our conduct in Asia from the time of DUPLEIX to the occupation of Lhasa has not only been iniquitous, but actually in our own interest mistaken. Shutting his eyes wilfully to the fact that the seizure of the opium at Canton was only one of a series of attempted high-handed acts which rendered impossible any further negotiation, Mr. CROSBY insists in calling the war that ensued the "Opium War As a fact the misunderstanding had far deeper roots. In the eighteenth century the provincial officials had welcomed the foreign ships, not from any personal friendly feeling, but that they reaped therefrom a large harvest. For the same reason they encouraged the trade in opium, which was carried on in what were known
28
19
Home
|
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT
83
This it was, and
seizure of the opium led him into still indicative of the declining influence of further trouble, for it gnited both native China over her dependency. The Tibetans officials and foreign merchants; and the bad been trying by all means short of weak action of Captain ELLIOT in trying to actual war to render themselves independeat accommodate all parties brought affairs of China, and had in teed succeeded in induc into such a general mess that Commissionering the intermediate provinces to practically LIN, sorely against his own will, was com- revolt. When, then, the British Gover.. pelled to buru the opium, and so destroy ment, through Peking, endeavoured to his own deeply-laid plot of acquiring the make friendly terms with Lhasa; the whole command of the opium market. Mr. DALAI LAMA, now come to full age, saw CROSBY, baving thus got hold of the wrong in the endeavour but a proof of au intention end of the stick, bas, like Commissioner to refix the suzerainty which he hoped he LIN, found himself compelled, out of a had got rid of for ever. mistaken idea of consistency, to persevere not any abstract fear of British absorption, in holding it to the end. The late little that led him to listen to the overtures of trouble with Tibet is thus logically the Russia. Mr. CROSBY professes to see no direct result of the iniquitous conduct of ulterior motives in Russia being anxious England in 1842. This is what Mr. CROSBY under any conditions to obtain a footing in says. When Father Huc was in 1846 | Tibet; but he is pleased to ignore altogether expelled from Lhasa, the Chinese Resident Russia's unscrupulous conduct with regard there was KISHEN; of him Mr. CROSBY to the evacuation of Manchuria, which informs his readers : "Will it not be was merely a part of the same wild game of sufficient to say that the Chinese official universal sovereignty in Asia. Doubtless who chanced to be then at Lhasa was such a game carried in itself the seeds of KISHEN, a man who had as siguer ander dissolution; but none the less the powers duress of a treaty at Canton in 1841 ter immediately interested were bound to take minated (sic) the opium vor, and had thus notice in self-defence or deserve the fate participated in his country's humiliation justly marked out by providence for the as well as in the disgrace of his country's effeminate amongst States as amongst in- enemy-England-more shameful in success dividuals. Russia's gim › in Manchuria thau China in defeat? For fifty years was boldly met by Japin, whose en rry was the Peking Government had endeavoured rewarded by her success, and no only by to arrest the fatal traffic. Insignificant her own imun diate sucess, but by her when the Mogul emperors ruled Iadia, it exposure of the utter rottenness of her big had grown with the growth of British power foe. Declared illicit it bad flourished in British hands; from British ships as depots it de fiel Chinese authority in Chinese ports. When for a season righteousness hal prevailed; when Christian English officer had yielded up twenty thousand smuggle poison cases to be destroyed; when they had been burned by heathen Chinese officers, zealous to protect their country from a curse, then a Christian Government declared war and forced cannon's might a helpless people to admit the baueful drug. And even if not baneful, even if it were ambrosia, what shime to override-but why argue this unlucky cause? Let it not be rehearsed, for all have heard it, and let it not be forgotten in judging all Chinese-European history which followed. For in the sequestered valleys of Tibet the echo of British cannon was heard, a tocsin arousing every dormant suspicion against the white man."
country ships", that is to say, ships owned by natives of India, flying indeed the British flag as being British subjects, bnt looked upon with jealousy, and even dislike, by the regular "Company ships, who had the monopoly of the trade. The local officials claimed jurisdic- tion over all vessels trading in the port, but Chinese jurisdiction then, as now, being . mere matter of personal caprice, led continually to misunderstandings, usually compounded for by increased exactions on the trade. As the trade was profitable, these demands though vexatious came to be looked upon as one of the necessary charges, and were coincided in, with, however, protests more or less strong. This state of affairs might have continued for another century, but that with the lowering of the stamina of the Imperial House, and the increasing debauchery of the Court at Peking, the Such is the over-coloured chromo that Mr. sponge came to be applied more persistently. CROSBY would palm off on his readers as a Peking was represented at Canton by an genuine portraiture of the first war with imperial delegate known to the foreign China. Its inconsistencies would at once residents as the HOPPO. According to condemn it; but one of these may be immemorial Chinese custom the HOPPO, referred to. Se far was KISHES from before proceeding, had to pay in hard cash acting under duress, that his first attempt the assessed value of the office; and with at treaty-making, accepted by Captain the increasing wants of the Court the ELLIOT against the opinion of his advis rs, solatium had to be continually increased. was really only a ruse to procure the As this solatium had to be met by increased abandonment of the occupation of the fees from the local officials, these latter Ch'wenpi forts, which once procured, the tried to raise their demands on the foreign convention was the next day repudiated. merchants till was reached the utinost And it was this instance of bad faith that limit possible for the existence of trade of more than anything else forced on the any sort. This brought the local officials subsequent war. It is doubtless quite true into unpleasant friction with the Court, that KISHEN did advise the Tibetans to whose extravagance continually demanded expel Père Huc, but this was only in a larger share out of the profit that rumour accordance with the traditional policy of alleged was derived from the foreign trade, the Chinese Government, and was no new The opium trade finally became the battle departure, nor had it anything to say to ground. Disappointed with his share of affairs at Canton. The difficulties with the fabulous profits supposed to be derived, Tibet which led up to the subsequent the EMPEROR determined literally to kill occupation for a few weeks of Lhasa were the goose that laid the golden eggs, and brought about by a very different conjunt sent down Commissioner LIN to be the tion of affairs. The prescut DALAI LAMA executioner. Las on his arrival found the was the only one who, under the jealous task more difficult than he had anticipated, administration of China, had been permitted and that the entire body of the provincial to live till he had arrived at maturity, and officials were united against him. His the fact of his having so survived was
}
!.
Hid not England taken up the challeng throw to her in the sam spirit, and hal Russia succeeded in bluffing Japan in Eistera Asia, there can be no doubt that we should have had to act the part of Japan, and engage in a war a Foutrance. From that we have been saved by the pro-uptit ide with which Lord Curzon took up the gig Comparisons are often ru le, and a tu quoque retort is not a uliv edifying; we mv, how- Ta mirely ever, suggest it in this case. superfic al observer, but in closing his eves to all but the narrow st issue, nothing could have been more opp sed to all right, private or international, than the war of America against Spin.
We. as English, anl knowing how deep and long-seated had been the causes of dissatisfaction at work, 1e- frained from unfriendly or irritating com. ment. We have certainly not lost the confidence of either side, with both of whom we are proud to be on friendly terms. would be as wall dul Mr. CROSBY, and others of his kidney, who are everlastingly seeking occasion to judge their neighbours, take to heart the eximple.
AN ESTABLISHED ANOMALY,
It
(Daily Press, 9th August) Nearly twelve columns of space in the Times of July 3rd are given up to cm- sideration of orthodox religious differences of opinion, ten and a half containing an elaborate digest of the report of the Royal Commission on Ecclesiastical Discipline, and the rest is editorial comment.” The old-fashioned idea that such matters are best ignorel by newspaper lom seems to have died out.
Their intimate relation with
everyday life seems, curiously enough, to be more recognised in these days of scepticism than when orthodoxy was the fashion. The same issue of the great Londou jurual elsewbers shows the im- possibility of discussing politics without introducing
matters spiritual; public education, like vaccination and other things, cannot get away from the couscience clàuse, This tenderness for the individual conscience is directly hostile to the principle of estab- lishment, although few seem to notice it,
BALAN