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38. In the evening we attended a banquet given by the Governor in his yamen, at which were present seventy-five guests, who included, in addition to our host and his officials, representatives of Great Britain, Germany, France, Holland, America, Italy, and Japan. The Governor's band played during dinner and when he called for a Scotch tune in my honour, he was disappointed to find that his bandomster had no Scotch music, without which I told him no capital could be regarded as really civilised. The Governor made or, to be more correct, read-a speech in Chinese in my honour to which I replied We both by making a few remarks in English and reading a speech in Chinese. expressed our pleasure at meeting again and the hope that the harmony and friendship at present existing between our two countries would long continue.

39. On Sunday, the 20th May, we made an expedition to Lung Tung, the Dragon's Cave, distant about ten miles and famous not only as the haunt of the rain- bringing monster, but for the beauty of its scenery. Our Consul and his wife, together with the Judge and three or four other officials were of the party. The scenery of the place justifies its reputation and was well worth the somewhat hot ride require! to reach We did not get back to our quarters until late in the evening when curiously enough the dragon returned our visit in the form of a heavy thunder shower without our having made any special appeal as did the Governor when he desired rain.

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40. On Monday, the 21st May, we paid a visit to the International Settlement (Shang Pu). which has been set apart for the purposes of international trade, in the same manner as at Chou t'un and Weihsien, two other important trade centres in the province. The Settlement is well laid out with an excellent wide road, which is a great contrast to the very narrow streets of the adjoining city. A Consulate for the German Consul is being erected in the Settlement and our Consul also desires to live there, but there is some hitch about the conditions to which I understand our Minister objects. The Settlement was opened only last year by the Governor so there has not yet been much time to see whether the scheme is likely to be a success. At any rate there was no sign of a rush for sites. The police force of the Settlement is under Mr. Quincey, who was for many years in the Hong Kong Police Force and who was a protégé of the great Gordon. When he was appointed to his present post, the Germans objected to his appointment on the grounds that he is an Englishman and that no application had been made in the first instance for the services of a German in accordance with the following clause of the Kiaochou Convention of March 6, 1898 :—

"In the event of any undertaking in the Province of Shantung requiring foreign capital or foreign co-operation whether in connection with the employment of foreigners or of foreign capital or of foreign material, China undertakes to apply in the first instance to the German merchants concerned and to ascertain whether they are willing to undertake the contract or supply the material. In the event of Germany not taking up such contract or sale of material, China may then make what other arrangements she pleases in order that strict fairness may be shown."

The published text omits the words in italic, but there is no doubt about their existence. In the case of Mr. Quincey the Germans were mistaken, for though he was actually naturalised as a British subject in Hong Kong, he reverted to his original status Under as a Chinese as soon as he went beyond the boundaries of the British Colony. this clause it is understood that the German Government claims the right to all the appointments of foreigners in the province, even those employed by the provincial university at Chinan, in which the Germans were anxious that only German should be taught. It has not been altogether successful in this direction for, though the only Englishman who taught in the university has been removed to another appointment of a somewhat vague nature, English, French, German, and Japanese are now taught by an American, a Chinaman with French blood, a Chinaman educated in Germany, and a Japanese, the Chinese Governinent having held that appointments in the university do not come within the scope of the unpublished clause.

41. After the International Settlement we visited the Kung I Chu, an institution in which Chinese are taught arts and manufactures, the object of the institution being to improve the arts and manufactures of the province and not to compete with the products of the ordinary manufacturer. As an example of the good the institution may do, I may mention that when I was last at Chinan there were only a few jinrickshas in use in the

• Se photographs, Vol. II., page 9.

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city, which were made at the Kung I Chu; now they are quite numerous, and are made by private individuals. The Kung 1 Chu, having fulfilled its object in teaching people how to make them, manufactures them no longer.

42. From the Kung I Chu we went to the Chiao Yang Chu, a reformatory which is under the superintendence of Taotai Chuang, an able and energetic officer. In it are housed beggars and undesirable characters, who are taken from the streets and made to work, being taught some useful trade. We saw them engaged in cloth-making and other employments. This reformatory shows a great advance, for in China one has been accustomed to see beggars and undesirable characters left to their own devices without any attempt being made to reform them.

43. In the afternoon we inspected the various grades of schools which are being carried on under the new system of education. Education in Chins up to quite recent times was confined exclusively to a study of the Chinese classics. Under the new curriculum of the various schools, whilst the classics are still studied, subjects usual in modern education are included for which special text books have been prepared. In many of the schools the boys wear uniform and are taught drill and how to handle a rifle.

The new system of education is already having an effect, which will be greatly increased as time advances, in the development and progress of China. I was particularly struck by the school for girls* which I visited, female education in China having hitherto been exceedingly rare. In this school are being educated, among others, the daughters of several of the leading officials, and we were allowed to inspect the school and see the girls at work, a privilege which shows that old prejudices are being gradually overcome. short time ago the idea of males visiting a girls' school would have been regarded as an outrage on propriety. We were accompanied on our visit by Mr. K'ung Hsiang-lin, the uncle of the present head of the Confucian family. He has just been appointed Educational Commissioner of the Province of Honan, and declared himself greatly in favour of female education, The fact that a distinguished lineal descendant of the family

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of Confucius made such a declaration is a clear sign that the spirit of progress is truly. abroad so far as education is concerned.

44. In the evening we attended a banquet given in our honour by the high officials, gentry, and merchants.

The Provincial Treasurer (Wu T'ing-pin) was the chief host. The Governor was also present. The dinner was in Chinese style, chopsticks and Chinese food being the order of the evening. There were ninety people present at the dinner, among them being the Europeans resident at Chinan, six persons being seated at each table. At the Treasurer's table were the Governor, General Ma, Taotais Pan and Chuang (representing the Board of Foreign Affairs) and myself. During the dinner, which lasted from 6 to 11 p.m., a troupe of Chinese actors amused us by performing several pieces.

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45. The Treasurer proposed my health in a speech which he read, to which I responded in English and Chinese, thanking our hosts for their kind and hospitality, congratulating all those in authority on the progress made in the various industrial and educational institutions since I was at Chinan three years ago, and stating that the advance in female education had especially struck me, as had also the encourage. ment it was receiving from Mr. K'ung Hsiang-lin, the descendant of the Great Sage, Confucius.

46. On Tuesday, the 22nd of May, we attended a review of foreign-drilled troops under General Ma Lung-piao, consisting of one battalion of infantry, one field battery of quick-firing guns, one battery of mountain artillery and one squadron of cavalry. I attach a report of the review by Captain Clarke of the Chinese Regiment (Appendix III.). The troops reviewed belong to the army of the Viceroy of Chihli (Yuan Shih-k' ai), and General Ma informed us that it was intended to retain 10,000 regulars of that army in Shantung-8,000 at Chinan and 2,000 at C'ing chou fu. We also witnessed the soldiers going through physical exercises, which were well done. The first review I ever witnessed was in 1880 at Canton, which was more like a circus than a military parade. The review at Chinan on the contrary was much the same as may be seen in our own or any other country where military training is regarded as a matter of primary importance.

• See photograph, Vol. II, pages 2, 3, 4.

↑ See photographs, Vol. II, pages 10, 11, 18. + Ses photographs, Vol. II., pages 10, 11, 12.

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