60
ture Government
of China. Their aspirations are mainly
as indicated by Mr. Francis in the second paragraph of
his letter, and such reform, if it be possible from with- in,would afford greater hope or stability than any re-
form forced upon China from without,
But the leaders of the party, I am informed hope for for- eign assistance and guidance in bringing it about, and so long as this hope exists pending the solution of the present difficulties, the probability or any extensive revolutionary: movement is lessened. Nor ought such a
movement necessarily be anti-foreign. It is a movement
against the intolerable state of affairs brought about by
official corruption and absence of Justice, with a new- born desire among the literate class to share in the bene
fita to be derived from the knowledge of Western science
and Western methods. But numerous as the reform party
may be, their numbers are not sufficient to justify any
hope of a successful revolution, and the temptation to
ally themselves with the powerful Triad Society would
probably be irresistible. In this event I have little
doubt that any great movement would be anti-foreign at
least during the clash of conflict, and would produce a
state of anarchy destructive of trade,
8. In such an event it is evident
that such a moveable column as that suggested by Mr.
Francis, presumably a column or about five thousand men,
would be insufficient, and if any action were taken a
much larger force would be necessary, while under ord-
inary conditions, a moveable column not necessary for gar- rison purposes would be looked upon as a standing menace
to Canton.
To deal with the Normal troubles
of
ct!
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