2
Miscellaneous.
November 22. Students.----“In consequence of the activity of students in connection with the opposition to railway loans, an Edict has been issued to the effect that students should give their whole attention to their studies and leave politics alone, and commanding the Board of Education to issue the necessary instructions."
November 27. Footbinding."The Empress Dowager is said to intend issuing a prohibitory Edict against footbinding, making it not only an offence punishable as disregard of an Imperial Edict, but also excluding girls, whose feet begin to be bound after the publication of the Edict, from the respectable classes who are eligible for honours."
West River: Suppression of Piracy.
November 19.-"Much indignation is felt in Kuangtung against the Wai-wu Pu for allowing the British to arrest pirates on the West River. Meetings are to be held to consider the matter."
November 24.-"An Association for the recovery of national rights which has been formed among the students of Canton has telegraphed to the Wai-wu Pu strongly urging the necessity of recalling the permission to capture pirates on the West River."
November 26.—“The Cantonese residents in Shanghae have telegraphed to the Wai-wu Pu asking them to oppose permission being granted to foreigners to arrest pirates on the West River. The merchants at Canton are much irritated over the West River question, and are getting up a violent agitation against it."
November 27.-"The people of Canton, regarding the policing of the West River by foreigners as detrimental to sovereign rights, telegraphed to the Army Board asking for ships of war to be sent. The Board, being of opinion that there were not sufficient vessels at disposal, took no notice. The provincials are very indignant, and have sent a further telegram offering to pay the expenses of the ships. Ten representatives of the gentry have also telegraphed in very strong terms to the Grand Council."
November 28.-The Wai-wu Pu have telegraphed to the Viceroy at Canton, on the subject of West River piracy, that the intention of the Government was that the Commissioner of Customs should provide additional steamers to co-operate with the police in arresting pirates, and that there was no other intention. The Board adds that inquiry should be made into the agitation which has been caused by the misrepresentation of their former telegram. The gentry of Canton, however, are resolved to continue their opposition, since they regard it as bad policy to grant the Commissioner of Customs a share of military power.'
Soochow-Ningpo Railway.
December 4.-"The Chekiang Railway Delegate has had an audience lasting three hours. The Empress Dowager explained the railway situation to him in detail. She said that the irresponsible talkers did not know the difficulties encountered by the officials, deprecated the excitement got up among the people of the south-east, and pointed out the terrible consequences of a breach in amicable foreign relations. Lu replied that, while the people of the south-east were loyal and patriotic, yet it was due to the influence of the high authorities there, and to the growing enlightenment of the people, that there had been no serious outbreak during the long course of the present controversy. If the British brought too much pressure to bear in this difficult situation, a serious outbreak might result. "He did not know what solution the Wai-wu Pu might have to offer, but he thought the best plan would be to command them to make every effort to negotiate a satisfactory settlement with the British Minister. The Empress Dowager said that the British Minister was immovable, and that, while popular feeling must not be offended, international relations were not to be lightly regarded; and she directed him to go into the question fully with Wang Ta-hsieh, bearing in mind both the popular and international aspects of the question.
Nanking.
His Majesty's Consul reported on the 31st October that the closing of the opium dens throughout the city and suburbs was effected without disturbance on the 8th August. It is generally believed that the order was on the whole enforced strictly,
Order seems to have been restored at Anking, the scene of the assassination of the
3
Governor in July, and the 700 troops sent there to assist in preserving order returned to Nanking on the 25th September. Two battalions (about 1,000 men) were dispatched on the 1st October to Kanchow-fu, in the south of Kiangsi, in consequence of the Boxer disturbances there.
Educational. The latest proposed addition to the Government educational institutions in Nanking is a "school of languages," in which German and French are to be taught. The services of Dr. Kratsch, Interpreter of the German Consulate, have been engaged for a few hours a day to supervise the school and teach German. It is proposed to look for a teacher of French, but English is omitted from the curriculum on the ground that there are already many opportunities here for studying English.
Railways. At the beginning of October 20 miles of permanent way out of the 44 miles between Chinkiang and Nanking had been completed, and the opening of railway communication between Shanghae and Nanking is confidently expected in February next.
The route for the light railway to connect the main line with the city has now been selected, and is being staked out. The railway will enter the city at an old gate which has long been closed, but will be reopened for this purpose in defiance of superstition. The gauge is the same as that of the main railway, and the motive power will be steam. One of the British engineers on the Shanghae-Nanking Railway has been engaged by the Viceroy for the construction, and the plant will come from England.
Hankow.
Some of the articles in the Hankow press are of interest :-----
October 15. River Gun-boats for the Yang-tsze from Japan.--A newspaper states that "the late Viceroy Chang placed orders through the Mitsui Bushen Kaisha with the Kawasaki Dockyard Company for ten shallow-draught river gun-boats, the contract price being fixed at 5,000,000 taels. The limit of time for completion of the contract and for payment was fixed at six years, and the transaction got Imperial sanction. Of these ten ships, four have already been handed over last winter and this spring, and the Viceroy has managed to pay the instalments, 3,000,000 taels through the Yokohama Specie Bank to the Nagisaki Bank. The dockyard have twice written for a deputy to be sent to accept ships Nos. 5 and 6, which are now ready, but the Acting Viceroy Li, thinking the matter very serious, and acceptance involving payment, intends to await his Excellency Chao's arrival to make permanent provision.
44
The Hupei fleet now consists of a dozen ships, which are very burdensome to keep up, even though the Japanese sailors and engineers employed on the four already received have been sent home. The present position is an earnest of what will happen in future, and we think his Excellency Chao on arriving will surely devise steps to meet it."
Bridge over Yellow River at Lanchou, in Kansu." At Ho Chou, in Lanchou-fu, Kansu, a floating bridge of boats bound together with chain cables is at present used for crossing the Yellow River, but the officials have condemned this bridge as not permanent and when the river is full liable to collapse. They have therefore ordered materials for a proper iron bridge from the Hupei ironworks, and have also summoned several skilled workmen to Lanchou to supervise the construction of the new bridge. The materials have already got to Changchan, Honan, and all the officials on the route have been asked to assist in forwarding them."
Japanese Employés." At the Wuchang hemp factory Japanese experts were employed to assist and instruct. The term of their agreement having now expired, and the Chinese women working in the factory having taken so readily and intelligently to the work, twenty-seven men and forty-five women of the Japanese originally employed have been dismissed and have returned to Japan.
"The factory have only retained the services of six Japanese men."
Szechuan-Hankow Railway.
Text of representation by Tu, a Secretary of the Board of Finance, regarding the Szechuan-Hankow Railway, which has been laid by the Censorate before the Throne:-
"This line was the first to attain native control, but after three years not an inch of the track is fixed and nothing definitely arranged. Of nearly 8,000,000 taels collected the pay and work office expenses have run away with 1,600,000 taels and the Copper-piece Bureau has embezzled over 2,000,000 taels. Such horrifying extravagance and peculations have happily been shown up by the Board of Commerce, and the Court's acumen has
54