CO129-274 - Public Offices & Others - 1896 — Page 654

CAPT

28, Rathcoole Avenue

646

Hornsey. N. Jan. 16 1896

Sanging

in han done this. The 70.

know all about the old Complaint

thest an

Corsals do not trust for bring

be their compatristi

20

譬

87

1.98

Rru 23/1

رگری در جابر

The Right Honorable

Joseph Chamberlain M.P.

Dear Sir,

C.0.

1334

Rect Rec 18 A 961

On my return a few days ago from a visit to

Shanghai, Amoy and Hongkong, I had an opportunity of

perusing your important despatch of November 28th 1895 to

the Governors of Colonies on the question of Trade with the

United Kingdom. I am so strongly impressed with the

opportuneness of your inquiries and their applicability to

the Extreme East that I venture to address a few remarks

to you on the subject.

The idea of a sudden "reawakening" of China as the

result of the late war is utopian but a two months and a

half stay in that country, chiefly in Shanghai, supplies

me with convincing evidence of a great though gradual

development of trade with the interior. Half the trade of

China in foreign vessels belongs to Shanghai, the Queen City

of the East, which from its position near the mouth of the

Yangtse and as the practical headquarters of the Imperial

Customs will become more and more the receiving and distributing centre to and from the interior. The total revenue

of all the twenty four Chinese Treaty ports from Customs

duties, opium likin, tonnage and transit dues in 1894, was

Haikwan Taels 32,523,605 of which Shanghai alone collected

6,470,008. It is true that Shanghai is not a British

Colony but it has been built up by British Capital and

British enterprise and without the English Settlement

Shanghai would sink into insignificance.

Spirit and enterprise of the English residents and the

admirable organization of the English Municipal Council Shanghai is one of the busiest, safest and best governed

towns in the world.

Thanks to the

7

W