POL NOTES
289
Hanyang and the rolling stock from America and are not even order ad through a French firm,
Dr. Legendre tells me that when he returned from Europe a few weeks ago he came over from Hong Kong on a boat which was carrying coolies to France, and there was very nearly a mutiny on board owing to the French officers kicking and cuffing the Chinese; he interposed, and as he speaks a little Chinese succeeded in calming them. The Governor General was much alarmed when he learnt of this and issued strict instructions that the coolies were not to be struck I am ignorant as to whether Mr. Chang I Chu is aware of this incident but when I spoke to him recently about relieving the economic situation in this province by sending coolies to Europe he said he was quite willing to consider the question, but on one condition, namely, that they were engaged by the British Government and had British officers and not French.
In many small things too, the French Consul and his nat- ionals openly show their contempt for and dislike of the Chinese here, and it is not surprising that the relations between Tonkin and Yunnan are far from being such as could be desired.
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As I have reported in despatches, the French, in pursuance of their policy of "Yunnan for the French" offer a strenuous oppo- sition to the spread of British influence here, and if our trade in Yunnan and Tonkin is to develop as it could and should it is essential in my opinion, that we should be represented by a Consul-General at Hanoi; a few years ago we had a Consul there but his post was subsequently changed to Saigon; times and conditions have, however, changed, and the question, I think, merita serious consideration.