6
treaty ports, and so long as this procedure was followed foreign merchants made no protest.
On the 4th December, 1909, however, the Hankow commissioner was ordered by the Governor-General of the Hukuang to insist on the landing of the rice and surrender of the certificates at Hankow, where there is a total prohibition of export in consequence of the distress in Hupei, and the result is that the export of rice from Hunan is now practically prohibited, though the course prohibited by treaty has not been followed at Changsha.
It is well known that the floods of last year have caused wide-spread distress in Hupei, which depends greatly on Hunan rice for the subsistence of its people, and it is stated that the Hunan authorities are so apprehensive of a scarcity in the Changsha and Yochow districts that they desire to restrict the exportation from Changsha to rice for Hupei relief. If there is really an expectation of scarcity in Hunan which would justify a prohibition according to treaty, I am prepared to consider a reasonable measure of temporary expediency to meet the situation in Hupei, even though it might entail a relaxation of the treaty rule, but it is essential that any such measure in as far as it might affect the rights of British subjects should be a matter of agreement between His Majesty's Legation and your Highness's Government; that its duration should be determined beforehand; that it should not be regarded as establishing a precedent, and that no departure from the treaty procedure should be permitted without the concurrence of His Majesty's Government.
I desire to emphasise the point that it is the Chinese Government alone which is at liberty to impose a prohibition. The Anglo-Chinese Treaty of 1902 specifically states this, and it is therefore not open to provincial authorities to impose prohibitions of their own motion. Your Highness is doubtless aware that article 14 of the treaty was negotiated to put a stop to the arbitrary interference of provincial governments with the inter-port carriage of rice, and the Chinese Government, before acceding to a provincial request for a prohibition, must insist on the production of satisfactory proof that there is a real scarcity which justifies the step.
I have the honour to request that instructions may be issued by the Chinese Government to the provincial authorities of Hunan and Hupei to conform strictly to the treaty stipulations in regard to the transport of rice. If, however, it is considered necessary to prohibit the export of rice from Hunan (in view of the scarcity existing in certain districts of that province), I should be prepared, in order to relieve the distress in Hupei to agree to a temporary modification of the treaty rules so as to permit of the export of rice up to a stated amount liberally estimated for the distressed province of Hupei, provided that the purchase and conveyance of rice up to the stipulated amount be open and free to all, such modification to hold good until the new crop is harvested in the middle of 1910.
As the matter is urgent I venture to beg your Highness to favour me with a speedy reply.
I avail, &c.
Enclosure 3 in No. 1.
W. G. MAX MÜLLER.
Extract from the "Peking Daily News."
THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF THE CHANGSHA RIOT.
AS a result of the recent riot in Hunan an Imperial edict was issued on Thursday commanding Tsen Chun-ming to vacate his office and appointing Yang Wen-ting as acting governor of Hunan. The Government is apparently exerting itself to find out who is to blame for the riot. Report has it also that a certain foreign representa- tive has, on account of the great amount of foreign property that was destroyed by the rioters, made representations to the Wai-wu Pu demanding that all the local officers who are responsible for the riot should be dealt with severely. Such a representation would be a fair one no doubt if the local authorities are really to blame and if the riot should be the actual or approximate consequence of the acts of such officials, or, in other words, if they should be guilty of gross negligence in their official capacity.
The direct cause of a social or political upheaval is necessarily complicated, and
7
is usually obscured by many accidental circumstances. Such is true of the Hunan riot. Foreign journalists, judging by the great number of foreign buildings destroyed incidentally by the rioters, have jumped to the conclusion that the cause of the riot was anti-foreignism. To a man who is at all familiar with the condition at present prevailing in Hunan, anti-foreignism does not adequately account for this popular (though sectional) uprising in Changsha, but such an ebullition of social feeling, like many instances of similar nature occuring in Europe and America, has for its cause some economical consideration. The economical consideration in the Changsha incident is undeniably the scarcity and dearness of rice. This view, which we maintained in one of our last articles, is supported by documents, official and semi- official, and the editorial utterances of the Chinese press generally. Our conviction, formed at the time when we wrote our last article, is being confirmed now and again by fuller reports of the unfortunate happening in Hunan.
Since the 8th moon of last year (September last) many districts in Hunan, such as Lichow, Nanchow, Anhsian, Waling, Lungyang, Wanchiang, Huayung, and many others, have suffered from scarcity of rice, although these places were hitherto famous for their productiveness. Bice was cheap in Hunan generally, and rice produced in the province, besides supplying plentifully the inhabitants there, was previously sufficient to support those in the neighbouring provinces as well. Drought was the cause of this scarcity. Many regions along the Upper Yang-tsze were in the meantime suffering from famine, and must get their supply of rice from some other provinces. In Hankow and Wuchang, where the people do not plant any rice, a great supply of this cereal is continuously drawn from Hunan.
As Hunan had not enough rice for its own use, it could not very well supply others with what it was in dire need of. Price of rice there rose by leaps and bounds. A picul of rice was worth from 7,000 to 8,000 cash, a price which was not heard of before. Under such circumstances the gentry, the populace of the Hunan province, petitioned the governor at Changsha, praying that export of rice be prohibited in order to reserve rice sufficient to meet any expected famine in the province. Accordingly a proclamation was issued by Governor Tsen forbidding the export of rice from Hunan. The troubles of the Ilunan governor began then and there.
With the prohibition of rice to be exported from Hunan, Hankow, and Wuchang were deprived of their chief supply of this food-stuff. The Hupeh Viceroy, therefore, memorialised the Throne praying that the Hunan governor be ordered to give the populace in Hankow and Wuchang succour even temporarily and to allow a limited quantity of rice to be exported to these two places or the same basis as army and tribute rice. On the 28th day of the 8th moon last year (September last), an Imperial edict was issued ordering the Governor at Changsha to proclaim to the gentry and subjects in Hunan not to obstruct the export of rice from that province.
If
In the meantime, foreign merchants, particularly Jardine, Matheson, and Co., and Butterfield and Swire, protested against this measure of the Hunan officials on the authority of article 14 of the Anglo-Chinese Commercial Treaty, 1902, which provides that "should any vessel specially chartered to load rice or grain previously contracted for have arrived at her loading-port prior to or on the day when a notice of prohibition comes into force she shall be allowed an extra week in which to ship her cargo. during the existence of this prohibition any shipment of rice or grain is allowed by the authorities, the prohibition shall, ipso facto, be considered cancelled and shall not be reimposed until six weeks' notice has been given." The British consul on behalf of these merchants communicated with the governor and the British Legation with the Wai-wu Pu. The Government was powerless to resist such an unreasonable demand which, though supported by treaty stipulations, if granted, would mean a scarcity verging to famine in the Hunan province. Finally it was agreed about two months ago that a limited amount of rice would be allowed to be exported to Hankow on somewhat the same basis as army and tribute rice which would in no case be allowed to be re-exported to other ports. Thus the Hunan governor was seriously hampered in discharging a duty vitally important to the safety and good order of the subjects in his domain. His trouble did not end there however.
By a blunder of the Commissioner of Customs at Hankow, made purposely or otherwise, the export-permit of this rice was worded "for Hankow and other Yang-tsze ports," thus enabling this cereal to be re-exported to other places. It proved to be a great drain on the already limited supply of rice in Hunan which the governor was unable to prevent. Things dragged on for more then a month, and with the diminution of the supply of rice there was a rapid increase of its price. Finally the patience of the Hunanese was thoroughly exhausted, and public feeling
184