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The Situation in Szechuan.
The recent outbreak in the K'ai Hsien and Wan Hsien districts, where popular discontent with the new opium taxes was fanned into open rebellion by the agents of secret societies, should be a warning to the Provincial Government of what may happen this summer in other parts of the province.
The gradual increase of direct and indirect taxation during the last few years, firstly for educational and latterly for railway purposes, culminating in the imposition in many places of prohibitive taxes on native opium and the threatened closing of opium divans. and shops throughout the province, has roused feelings of resentment and suspicion among the people. Being in this frame of mind, the ubiquitous agents of the Red Lautern ("Hung Teng Chiao") and other secret societies find it an easy task to persuade the lower classes, especially the country people, that the foreigner and his religion are responsible for these schemes for education, railways, and the suppression of the opium habit, schemes which manifestly tend to transfer the hard-won earnings of the poor into the pockets of the officials. It is not, therefore, surprising that at K'ai Hsien the rioters made their rallying ery "Down with foreign schools and gospel halls!" and it is certain that wherever popular risings against the enforcement of the new Opium Regulations take place schools and mission stations will be the first to suffer. The agitators who lead these insurrectionary movements know by experience that the destruction of foreign property or the houses of native Christians is the surest means of embarrassing the officials and securing compliance with their demands. The Szechuanese, at ordinary times well disposed towards foreigners and foreign missions, blindly follow their lead and attack missionaries and converts, with whom they may have been living for years on friendly terms. The political outlook at the close of the quarter is not promising. Much will depend on the amount of pressure the Acting Viceroy is able to bring to bear on the local officials.
5. Ningpo.
His Majesty's Consul reports that on the 21st June a secret telegram was received by the Taotal from the Governor stating, on information supplied by the Viceroy at Nanking, that the revolutionaries in that district had dispatched agents to Shantung and to the neighourhood of Ningpo to enlist followers with a view to the capture of certain cities, and that they had succeeded in getting together some 8,000 men among the fishermen and tinfoil workers. Strict orders were given for the capture of two leaders. In spite of the importance of keeping these orders from the men whose arrest was wanted, the telegram appeared in one of the Chinese papers a few days after its receipt.
Rice Troubles.During the quarter ended the 30th June there were slight risings at two places, in which some rice shops were looted, but the accounts of these which appeared in the foreigu press were much exaggerated,
6. Peking.
Roman Catholic Church-On the 14th June an Imperial clansman is stated by a native newspaper to have presented to Na Tung a Petition written in blood, asking that China should herself establish a Roman Catholic Association, should send a repre- sentative to the Pope, ask the Pope to appoint a representative to Peking, and also appoint a Chinese as Head of the Church; the object being to avoid foreign interference in cases where converts are concerned. Na sympathized, and sent the Petition to the Wai-wu Pu for their consideration.
On the 26th June another newspaper published a statement to the effect that, France having abandoned the Protectorate over Roman Catholics in the Far East, the Pope had sent to the Missions in China to make a careful choice of a Chinese to be Archbishop in China.
Japanese Buddhists in Fukien.-The Viceroy is said to have telegraphed to the Wai-wu Pu in June to the effect that over ten Japanese Buddhists had arrived in Foochow, where they were desirous of building a temple and propagating Buddhism, and that they claimed to be treated on the same footing as Christian missionaries.
Dalai Lama.-A native paper stated on the 14th June that a man from Hsining said that the Dalai Lama was still there, and would probably not start for Thibet before the end of the autumn.
Constitutional Reform. It is evident that the discussion of this question is taking up a great deal of the Court's time, judging from the following extracts from the native newspapers, a few of the many which appear on the subject :-
June 27.-"The question of constitutional government was discussed the other day in the Palace. Most of the high officials present were of opinion that Yuan Shih-kai and Chang Chih-tung should come to Peking to give their advice. Only Prince Ching was against this, holding that all the Viceroys and Governors should be consulted by telegraph, and in the end his opposition was successful."
June 29. After repeated discussion at the Grand Secretariat on the subject of actual preparation for a constitutional form of government, it has been decided to make a beginning with Chibli. A Memorial may be sent up within a month."
July 9. The Reform Edict of the 7th is said to be due to Viceroys Yuan Shih-kai and Tuan Fang, who wished to begin reforms in Chihli and Kiangsu, having got Prince Ching to see the Empress Dowager on the matter. The term of fifteen years was fixed on account of the large number of provincial officials and the difficulty of weeding them ont."
July 18," On the 16th, at an audience of the Grand Council, their Majesties directed the Council to call upon the Princes, Dukes, and high military and civil officials to make an immediate study of the means of preparing for constitutional government and to memorialize the Throne."
August 2-"A Memorial has been received from Yuan Shib-kai, in which he holds up Corea as an awful example, and which has had a great effect on highly-placed persons at Court. These persons met a few days ago to discuss the formation of a Council of Constitutional Reform and the early establishment of a Constitution. Duke Tse was especially outspoken."
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July 11. Prince Ch'ing has taken the opportunity afforded by the alarm which the assassination of En Ming created to press again upon the attention of their Majesties the advisability of the early adoption of constitutional government, represented that such a course would deprive the anti-dynastic societies of their only device for gaining adherents, which is to make out that the Chinese Government is despotic and tyrannous.”
Assassination of Governor of Anhui and Yang-tsze unrest.
July 18.-"The Grand Council was in such a panic over the assassination of En Ming that they held a meeting and decided that so should be severely tortured and his entire kindred exterminated, as a warning to future rebels. Prince Su, when he heard of this, stood alone in disapproving, saying that the extermination of a family was not a civilized punishment, and that revolutionaries and anti-Manchus could not be restrained in that way; and he advocated the execution of Hsu without involving his family. But it was not until he had obtained the support of Prince Chun and ÏIsün Peitzu that Prince Ching and Lu Chung-tang† could be persuaded to agree to a more temperate action."
On the 1st of the 6th month (30th June) an anonymous telegram was sent to Chang Chih-tung from Shanghae, enumerating the revolutionaries whom he has killed in the last few years, and saying that in the course of the 6th or 7th month he will be killed with a bomb. The Viceroy was much alarmed, and gave orders for the utmost vigilance to be used in watching for smuggled arms. Quite recently a police raid in Wuchang resulted in the seizure of 2,000 guns and a large quantity of cartridges and powder and the arrest of four men, one of whom said he was the nephew of Sun Wen. He said that the arms had been brought in the day before, but declined to say by what means they were got past the Customs, even when examined with the bamboo. He was then executed within the gate of the Viceroy's yamên.”
On the 3rd August a native paper stated that "Lien K'uei, Governor of Kansu (so the paper; he is, in fact, Governor of Hsin Chiang, the New Territory), has been stabbed by a certain District Magistrate, and fears are entertained for his life. No official news has been received, but the family of Tuan Fang have had a telegram." This proved to be an entirely unfounded rumour.
The same paper stated, also on the 3rd August, that "for the last week the Grand Council have been having repeated secret meetings, once in the Imperial presence. One
* Governor of Anhui.
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† Lu Chuan-lin.
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