CAPT
28, Rathcoole Avenue
646
Hornsey. N. Jan. 16 1896
Sanging
in han done this. The 70.
know all about the old Complaint
thest an
Corsals do not trust for bring
be their compatristi
20
譬
87
1.98
Rru 23/1
رگری در جابر
The Right Honorable
Joseph Chamberlain M.P.
Dear Sir,
C.0.
1334
Rect Rec 18 A 961
On my return a few days ago from a visit to
Shanghai, Amoy and Hongkong, I had an opportunity of
perusing your important despatch of November 28th 1895 to
the Governors of Colonies on the question of Trade with the
United Kingdom. I am so strongly impressed with the
opportuneness of your inquiries and their applicability to
the Extreme East that I venture to address a few remarks
to you on the subject.
The idea of a sudden "reawakening" of China as the
result of the late war is utopian but a two months and a
half stay in that country, chiefly in Shanghai, supplies
me with convincing evidence of a great though gradual
development of trade with the interior. Half the trade of
China in foreign vessels belongs to Shanghai, the Queen City
of the East, which from its position near the mouth of the
Yangtse and as the practical headquarters of the Imperial
Customs will become more and more the receiving and distributing centre to and from the interior. The total revenue
of all the twenty four Chinese Treaty ports from Customs
duties, opium likin, tonnage and transit dues in 1894, was
Haikwan Taels 32,523,605 of which Shanghai alone collected
6,470,008. It is true that Shanghai is not a British
Colony but it has been built up by British Capital and
British enterprise and without the English Settlement
Shanghai would sink into insignificance.
Spirit and enterprise of the English residents and the
admirable organization of the English Municipal Council Shanghai is one of the busiest, safest and best governed
towns in the world.
Thanks to the
7
W