65
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
PELLIC.O. 882
because of its accuracy, and because of the manner in which Weihaiwei and Kiau Chan, with their respective hinterlands, are coloured and described.
So
42. I have already said that there are no forests to be preserved in this newly- acquired territory; indeed, there is no foliage to be seen anywhere, except where a few trees cluster round a village. A dwarf oak is grown as food for silkworms, and when they have eaten the leaves the shrub is pulled up and used as firewood. great is the scarcity of all kinds of fuel, that the roots of grass and weeds are raked up and dried for that purpose. There is no timber of any kind, and whatever is wanted must be imported. No doubt it would be an excellent thing to reafforest the land with any kind of useful tree that would grow in that sandy soil, and thrive under a rainfall of a few inches per annum, but the Government has no land, and the people exist on the annual produce of their fields and hillsides. If the officer in charge of Liu Kung Tau has any money to spare, he could not spend it better than by an attempt to reafforest the island.
43. Some steps ought to be taken to fix a set of standard weights and measures in the British territory, and to determine what shall be the recognised currency. As to the weights and measures, they should be decided upon after consultation with the Chinese village Elders, and great care should be taken to give notice of any change, and to carefully explain it. The currency question is rather more difficult. The Chinese peasants are accustomed to deal with "cash," twelve or fifteen hundred of which are said to have once gone to a Mexican dollar, though only 800 are given at present in most parts of China. The explanation of this is probably the fact that several of the Chinese provincial governments have taken to the coining of dollars, half-dollars, twenty, ten, and five cent pieces, which are very far from being pure silver. These coins from Tientsin, Canton, Kiangsu, Hupeh, and Anhui are current in the Weihaiwei territory, and as soon as the British Government has decided what to do, and got a sufficient supply of coin ready, I think it would be well to, at any rate, prohibit the further importation of foreign silver. The people would probably prefer their "cash" and Mexican dollars, but Europeans will want small silver (say, from Hong Kong or the Straits) and bank notes. I mention the matter because it is one that should be dealt with before the Colony is flooded with inferior or depreci- ated silver coins. I believe it has been the custom of the Chinese officials who col- lected the land tax in the Weihaiwei territory to insist upon being paid in "cash at the rate of 2,400 to the tael, say, 1,680 cash to the dollar, which, of course, amounted to a "squeeze" of about cent. per cent. on the land revenue.
-1
44. I think I have now dealt with everything, but if further explanation is required on any point I shall be glad to supply it. I attach some photographs of the Weihaiwei Harbour, Liu Kung Tau, and the mainland, which trust will be of interest, for I only obtained them after considerable search, all inquiries in Shanghai and Tientsin having proved fruitless.
s.s." City of Rio Janeiro," Pacific,
23rd June.
August
Enclosure B.
METEOROLOGICAL Memorandum.
Available Thermometer Readings, 1899–1900.
Mean for Month.
Max.
FRANK SWETTENHAM.
Mean inches of Rain (per diem).
Min.
222392
1890.
May
66
62
0:02
12
0:00
September
tit
181
October...
63
51
064
November
52
40
0.07
December
31
1900.
January March
April
822
25
0:00
39
0:00
79
52
0-05
Enclosure C.
GOVERNOR OF SHANTUNG to COMMISSIONER.
Shantung, May 31, 1900. I am very sorry to hear that you
YOUR Excellency's telegram of 30th instant. cannot discuss further the case of the deaths of the Chinese.
As to the demarcation of the frontier, I had already reappointed the Chinese Commissioners to demarcate anew, and they have just reported to me by telegram that the boundary stones erected by the British officials are in agreement with the map and Convention, and since they are really in agreement this does not differ from a joint demarcation.
I have already instructed the Commissioners to accept the demarcation and to inform Your Excellency accordingly.
GOVERNOR YUAN.
Enclosure D.
Required MODIFICATIONS of Order IN COUNCIL for the Government of Her Majesty's subjects in China, 1865.
Under this Order the Commissioner and District Magistrate could be appointed to hold "Provincial Courts" like the Consuls in all the treaty ports in China.
The civil jurisdiction of a l'rovincial Court in suits between Europeans under this Order extends to matters relating to property of a value not exceeding 1,500 dollars.
The criminal jurisdiction of a Provincial Court extends to imposing a fine not exceeding 1,000 dollars, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months.
As questions, both civil and criminal, however, will arise between Europeans and Chinese, and it will not be advisable to be constantly transferring cases to Shanghai, the criminal and civil jurisdiction of the Provincial Court at Weihaiwei should be raised as follows:-
Civil Matters. Suits involving property to the value of 2,000 dollars. Criminal Matters.-Power to impose fine to an amount not exceeding 4,000 dollars, or to sentence to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twenty-four months. Report by Provincial Court to Supreme Court every six months of all civil and criminal cases.
is
This would make much clerical work and be unnecessary to begin with, as there power of appeal to Supreme Court from Provincial Court.
Assessors and Jury.-It should be left to the discretion of the Commissioner to decide whether civil or criminal cases be tried with or without assessors or jury.
Registration of British Subjects.-This provision should be deleted. Deportation. It should be left to the discretion of the Commissioner to banish from the territory any person of other than British nationality for sufficient cause without any reference to any Judicial Court, reporting the deportation to the Secre- tary of State. If such a provision is impossible as regards Europeans, it ought cer- tainly to apply to Chinese.
Application of Fees, Fines, &c.-This should be paid to the local treasury to the credit of the Colonial Government, and special payment be made to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for hearing appeal cases.
The provisions of the China and Japan Order in Council, 1881, relating to mort- gages and bills of sale and suits by or against partners should be introduced.
The table of consular fees authorised by the "Consular Fees" Order in Council,^\\\ 1887, to be applied as far as applicable.
NOTE. In no case should counsel be allowed to plead in Judicial Courts in cases between parties of Chinese birth during the first five or ten years of the Administra-
tion.
5856
I
y
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO