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deliberations. After be had sent in over a score of Memorials, he got the whole eighteen-Article Treaty of Ch'ung-hou abrogated.
[Editorial Note-At the time there was not one of the Court who understood the conduct of foreign relations; the study of foreign business by the Peking officers started from this incident.
When Chung-hou was going to Russia to negotiate the Treaty, [Chang] had, on behalf of another, presented a request that Ch'ung-hou be ordered to pay a visit first to Teo Tsung-tang in the New Dominion and, investigating the conditions there, devise a suitable scheme so as to avoid blundering from ignorance. The Court's refusal of the suggestion led to the danger of Ch'ung-hou's unauthorized eighteen Articles.]
15. When in Shansi he obtained the removal of the embargo on the export of Tsê chou, Lu-chiêng, Ping-yang, and Yu-hsien iron-ware because at the time foreign iron swamped the provinces, while native iron under the old law could not leave the country.
22. In Canton he started the idea of relieving the pressure of the French blockade of Formosa by au attack on Tonkin, and of enlisting Black Flag Liu Yung-fu under Government, The scheme being approved, he arranged for an invasion in three columns, and supplied funds and arms to Yüunan, Kuaugsi and Generals Liu and Tang, as well as to Formosa, viz., 2,000,000 taels each to the two provinces, and 400,000 taels each to Formosa and the two Generals.
23. The French attacked Tonkin briskly, and on the collapse of its armies Kuangsi was invaded, cansing panic in the Two Kuang and the abandonment of Lungchow by the Kuangsi military and civil authorities. He specially requested despatch of General Féng Tzu-ts'ai and Brigadier Wang-Hsiao-ch'i's armies to succour Kuangsi. These occupied the Kuan-chien defile inside the Chên-nau Pass, and after two days and nights' stubborn fighting succeeded in routing the foe and recovering Langson-a victory greater than ever was known during the several centuries of China's intercourse with the West. The Powers presented congratulations to the Tsung-li Yamên; the French were much afraid, and daily sent urgent telegrams asking for peace, while the French President Jules Ferry was promptly driven from office. [Chang] sent seven telegraphic memorials strongly urging some delay, but in vain. The Yamen and the Northern Superintendency defined boundaries and came to terms with the French.
36. At Canton he started licences for prepared opium shops; at Wachang be started the system of simultaneously collecting raw and prepared drug taxes for the four provinces, Hupci, Aunan, Kiangsi and Anbai, which provided Hupei's indemnity fund, and saved a heavy yearly charge on the people. The Board of Revenue, on pretext that Hupei's share was too great, took over the control, causing a loss to Hupei of over 1,000,000 a-year, while the Board got a sudden big accession of funds.
37. At Canton he started coining dollars with an annual profit of over 300,000 dollars. This was the beginning of China's silver coinage.
[Note. Earlier Lin Tse-hsu's similar proposal was stopped by evil tongues.] 38. Macao is a thorn in Kuangtung's flesh. After the increase in opium taxation, the Yamen, in hope of getting Macao's support, went out of its way to tempt Macao and changed part of old Treaty, Macao's increasing prosperity led to several requests for extension, which were refused, and the Macao Sub-Prefect stationed at the chief pass from Macao into interior; the boundary was kept strictly, and military guards maintained to stop any encroachment.
39. While he was at Canton the new system of collecting duty and li-kin together on foreign opium started, and Hart wanted to place a lot of revenue cruisers on the coast, all to be under his control, and to be for coast defence also. His object in thus getting the whole control of the coast defence was hard to fathom, but by a vigorous report against the plan it was stopped.
40. While he was at Canton he promptly suppressed cassia stores opened unauthorizedly by foreigners at Lo Ting-chou and rejected the compromise proposed by the Yamên. While he was at Wuchang he succeeded in stopping the forcible appro- priation of Chu-shan copper mine by foreigners, in which his predecessor had acquiesced. There have been abundance of other similar instances of his vigorous maintenance of rights in all sorts of industrial and trade matters,
43. When he was at Canton, as men-of-war were urgently needed, and the Board funds very short, he devised great yearly payments out of his 40 per cent, of the military camp gambling fees and the salt fecs, and built there six ships. In Fokien he also
ordered ten ships, but when three had been delivered his successor stopped the order without recovering the money from Fokien.
44. When he was at Canton he mooted the building of the Lu-ban Railway and in 1885 of the Canton-Hankow line, the present traces of which are in accordance with his original memorials. He also mooted the Nanking-Shanghae Railway, and when he was at Nanking in 1893, perceiving that the completion of the Russian-Siberian Railway His was a grave menace to Manchuria, he advised a line from Mukden to the frontier. proposal was in detail and all ready for carrying out, but the Government, in its blindness, put it aside, and so came the calamity of Russiau designs on the East.
47. At present foreign cotton and yarn yearly cost China forty odd millions; so in Hupei he set up spinning and weaving, silk and hemp mills--four in all, taking most interest in the hemp, as this Chinese product, abundant and cheap, a native of provinces both north and south, provided the best means of enriching the people and stopping the drain. Silk and satin so woven were equal to silk products, its cloth the same as cotton cloth. This was the first hemp mill in China.
49. As the purchase of Chinese hides to return from abroad in the shape of leather caused an incalculable drain, he set up a tannery which is now finished and producing. Qy.-E. H. F.]
50. This article claims for him the arming with breech-loading cannon and remodelling of Kiangyin and Chinkiang forts, and says his project to fortify Woosung and Tsungming strongly was stopped by a certain President of the Board of Revenue. {Qy. Weng Trung-họ.)
55. Claims that he supported a proposal to continue the roads to south of Shanghae, and established police so as, by cutting off foreign intrusion into Chinese bounds, to safeguard rights of administration and gain. The cost was to be repaid in a term of years out of the expenses of missions abroad. The Yamen agreed. Besides, in view of the constant extension by the Powers of Settlement roads, which implied policing and virtual absorption of the ground so covered, he asked leave to start a road at the terminus of each Settlement road to block their advance. The Yamên, in its blindness, shelved the suggestion, and so the Shanghae Settlements have gone on growing.
57. In 1898 the English member of Parliament, ex-Admiral Beresford, came from Peking, the Yamên having got leave to bid him train for Hupei 2,000 Chinese and 1,000 Manchu troops. He pressed and fussed for many days on the strength of having a Rescript, but Chang steadily and firmly refused, and ignored a Yamên telegram which came to support Beresford.
59. When Kang-yi was in power in 1898-9 he called on the Empire to carry out militia training, but Chang vigorously denounced its evil to the Throne, prophesying that if this proposal were carried out every mission in China would be wrecked and there would be great disorder. He persistently refused to comply, and the following year saw the Boxer trouble in Chihli and Shantung.
60. At the start in 1900, when the Boxer trouble had passed only from Lai-shuí to Ting-hsiang district (in Chibli), on the 1st June he telegraphed the Yamen to put them down firmly, and thereafter in that month he kept telegraphing to the Throne against the heretics and rebels, urging protection of the Legations, the suppression of all He also telegraphed alone to the robbers, and the retention of the missions abroad. various Foreign Offices and the foreign Admirals in China to join in a covenant to protect the south and east, not to attack the capital, not to frighten away the Court. Besides, he leagued together a dozen Viceroys and Governors to telegraph to the various Foreign Offices, and, in conjunction with Viceroy Liu concerted with the Shanghae Consuls an Agreement not to attack the Yang-tsze. When their Majesties took their westward tour, he insisted on the Powers holding back and not attacking Siangyang and Fanchiêng, thus keeping open a route for supplies from the south-east.
61. In the middle of August 1900, when Peking was in extreme peril, he heard of their Majestics' purpose to go west. Li Hung-chang combined the high provincial authorities to do their best to prevent the move, and, without consulting, had telegraphed Shantung [ Chang] to send in the Memorial. Then only he telegraphed what he had done. Thereupon Chang sent an urgent telegram to Yuan Shih-k'ai pointing out how wrong the proposal was and how utterly impracticable. Hupei absolutely declined to join, and if the Memorial had gone, must present its views separately. Thereon Hupci was removed from the list. Luckily the proposal reached Peking when the district was in confusion, and did not get through till their Majesties bad started; otherwise there is no saying what might have happened. Li also sent a combined request to their Majesties to stay in Shansi and not to go to Shensi; this request also Chang opposed.
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[2769 ce- -2]
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