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fields ready to be carted to the farm-houses; beans were also harvested, the small millet (Setaria italica) was being cut, while hemp (Cannabis sativa), tobacco, and turnips were still in the ground.
We
Between Feng-huang Ting and Ts'ao-ho-kow, which are distant 38.5 and 92.4 miles from Antung respectively by rail, two mountain ranges, the Chi-kuan-shan (Cockscomb) and Ta-fang-shen, have to be crossed and the track zig-zags up and down the steep slopes in a somewhat alarming manner. The curves are marvellously sharp, and it was no surprise to be told that the cars frequently leave the rails. We were fortunate, however, and reached Ts'ao-ho-kow on time (7:15 P.M.), where we had to spend the night in the usual Japanese hotel. There had been cases of cholera at Antung, and there was a medical examination of all passengers on arrival at Tsao-ho-kow. Both pulses were felt by a Japanese doctor, and I was very much afraid that my servant, who had been unable to raise his head all day, would be rejected; but he passed the test without a word, although he was so ill overnight that I had serious intentions of leaving him behind. Next morning he pulled himself together, and, though still very ill, refused to be left behind in Japanese hands.
Punctually at 7:40 A.M. the train, much diminished in size, steamed out of Ts'ao-ho-kow, and, after ascending a valley in which a stream meanders from side to side and has to be repeatedly crossed over trestle bridges, arrived at Ch'iao-t'ou, 38.4 miles from Ts'ao-ho-kow, at 8 minutes past noon. The train was here divided into two portions, and the fore part, consisting of an open baggage wagon, a passenger car, and a small mail van, was dispatched. Crossing the stream it began the ascent of the Mo-tien-ling at the station of Fu-chin, 21 miles from Ch'iao-t'ou, and reached the highest point of the crossing at Ta-tung, 23 miles from Fu-chin. The descent on the north side was very steep (1 in 35 being quite common), and at one point the train had to be backed down. All passed off well: at the station of Meng-chia we had to wait for the other half of the train; and at 3:22 P.M. a fresh start was made for Mukden. About 5 miles from Meng-chia we crossed a long trestle bridge over the T'ai-tzu, which passes the city of Liao-yang, and enters the Hun River, a tributary of the Liao, to the town of Pen-hsi-hu, well known for its coal mines, ironworks, and the manufacture of large brown earthenware jars. The railway traverses the town from end to end along one of its main streets. The city of Feng-huang Ting was too far off to be able to judge of its size, but Pen-hsi-hu is undoubtedly a town of considerable size and importance, and is the largest place touched by the Antung-Mukden line. It is an easy run of 45.8 miles from Pen-hsi-hu to the railway station about 2 miles to the west of Mukden, and this was accomplished, mostly in the dark, in 6 hours 11 minutes, the stoppages at the three intervening stations aggregating 16 minutes, but the well-wooded valleys were replaced by the dull uninteresting plain on which Mukden stands.
By Article 6 of the Additional Agreement between China and Japan of 1905, "The Imperial Chinese Government agree that Japan has the right to maintain and work the military line constructed between Antung and Mukden, and to improve the said line so as to make it fit for the conveyance of commercial and industrial goods of all nations. The term for which such right is conceded is 15 years from the date of completion of the improvements above provided for. The work of such improvements is to be completed within two years, exclusive of a period of twelve months during which it will have to be delayed owing to the necessity of using the existing line for the withdrawal of troops. The term of the Concession above mentioned is therefore to expire in the 48th year of Kuang Hsü. At the expiration of that term, the said railway shall be sold to China at a price to be determined by appraisement of all its properties by a foreign expert, who will be selected by both parties. The conveyance by railway of the troops and munitions of war of the Chinese Government prior to such sale shall be dealt with in accordance with the Regulations of the Eastern Chinese Railway. Regarding the manner in which the improvements of the railway are to be effected, it is agreed that the person undertaking the work on behalf of Japan shall consult with the Commissioner dispatched for the purpose by China. The Chinese Government will also appoint a Commissioner to look after the business relating to the railway as is provided in the Agreement relating to the Eastern Chinese Railway. It is further agreed that detailed regulations shall be concluded regarding the tariffs for the carriage by the railway of the public and private goods of China."
So far as I could see or ascertain, there is no through traffic except passengers on the line. There was a little charcoal carried between stations evidently for the use of the railway employés, and poles and planks for building purposes along
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the line. Railway guards were in evidence at every station, and at Antung they numbered 200 men. No commencement has yet been made in improving the line, and I was informed that, in view of the enormous expenditure that would have to be incurred for the tunnelling and bridging necessary to convert the present light railway into a line suitable for commercial purposes, it has been decided that an easier alignment must be found.
Mukden.
The actual brick-walled city of Mukden covers an area of 1 square mile, and may be described as a miniature Peking, but the suburbs which surround it on all sides have a circumference of 13 miles, and the whole is enclosed by an earth or mud wall. Changes have taken place since I visited it in 1896, and they have assumed the same shape as in Peking—new roads and a police force—both badly needed. A fine, wide metalled road, some 2 miles in length, leads from the railway station to the main West Gate of the inner city, wherein four similar roads connecting the eight gates have recently been built by a Japanese contractor at a cost to the provincial Government of about £15,000 a mile. It seems a large sum (£60,000 for 4 miles of metalled roads), but the Japanese by their command of the railway were the only people in a position to bring the necessary stone and carry out the work. A tramway is to connect the station with the city, and about 20 yards had just been laid at the station end. Uniformed police, armed with batons during the day and rifles with bayonets at night, are stationed 200 yards apart on every street, and are said to maintain excellent order, an example which might well be followed by other cities of Manchuria to be referred to later. In addition to the police, there is a body of 10,000 foreign-drilled troops in and around the city. While the old Palace is being repaired and new offices in foreign style built for the Viceroy and Government, the towers over the gates of the city are being demolished as unsafe. They will doubtless have to be rebuilt, and although the late Viceroy is said to have handed over a balance of 7,000,000 taels to his successor, it has already dwindled to 500,000 taels, and funds are urgently needed to complete the work already in hand and carry out other reforms. The Viceroy was absent in Peking, but I had two interviews with the Governor (His Excellency Tang Shao-yi), and he strongly urged that the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation should open a branch in Mukden. Mr. Gardner, an agent of that Bank, was in Mukden during my visit inquiring into prospects of business, and discussing the whole question with the Governor, but I gathered from him that, as the principal business of the Bank is exchange transactions, the absence of foreign merchants and direct trade with foreign countries offered little inducement to establish a branch anywhere in Manchuria. There are already two foreign banks in the city, the Russo-Chinese and the Yokohama Specie Banks, and the Chinese Government Hu Pu Bank, but their raison d'être would appear to be to lend money to Chinese merchants on profitable terms. A large provincial loan is the object in view, and large sums and securities have been talked over, but nothing definite has been arranged, and Mr. Gardner, who came back to Peking to report, has returned to Mukden to consult with the Viceroy and Governor.
In addition to the British Consul-General, there are now Consular representatives of Germany, Japan, Russia, and the United States at Mukden. With the exception of the Russian Consul, who shares with the Japanese a Russian church inside the inner city, they live in the western suburb. Only four or five lots in the area set apart for a foreign Settlement between the railway and the city have been taken up, and the Governor informed me that he did not believe in Settlements, leaving me to infer that, so far as he was concerned, foreigners could live where they pleased. The British-American Tobacco Company is the only British firm with a British representative; Messrs. Butterfield and Swire employ a Chinese as agent for their Hong Kong sugars. There is one American merchant doing business on a small scale, and the representatives of German and other firms at Newchwang visit Mukden from time to time. Excluding the Yokohama Specie Bank, there are three large Japanese firms. According to the Japanese Consul-General, there are over 3,000 Japanese residents scattered through the city and suburbs, and their number is increasing every month. Japanese houses line a great part of the road leading from the station to the West Gate. Of course, there is the usual proportion of women, the singing girls, and waiting maids, while gambling-houses claim a considerable number. In one small room, I watched three men running a table something on the principle of roulette. The room was open to the street, and Chinese were betting on the colours on which three red balls about the size of cricket balls would rest after