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imposing guild-houses and Yamêns, and row of substantially-built shops facing the water-front, Nanning presents the appearance of a rich and flourishing city. One is naturally led to compare it with Wuchow, which the Chinese place second to Nanning in point of importance, but which, after visiting all the principal towns on the West River from Kongmoon to Nanning, I am inclined to think, should now occupy the first place. Nanning is undoubtedly the larger city of the two; its population is esti- mated at 120,000, as compared with the 60,000 of Wuchow; its streets are larger, its shops more numerous, its guild-houses richer in appearance. But as regards its ship- ping, and what I may term movement of the port, Nanning falls far behind its smaller rival. The presence of river steamers, the constant coming and going of launches, the row of floating hotels and shipping agencies, the forest of junks in the Fu Ho, the foreign buildings which are now springing up along the water-front, all give to Wuchow an air of bustle and prosperity which is wanting at Nanning.
The afternoon of our arrival I called, accompanied by Captain Noble, on the Tautai and principal local officials. The former sent chairs, with an escort of twenty foreign-drilled soldiers headed by drums and bugles. As we proceeded through the city, and were received at the Yamên with salutes and guards presenting arros, I could not help contrasting our welcome with the reception accorded the first Englishman who visited Nanning-Mr. Moss-who came here in 1870 as the Repre- sentative of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce. He was not even allowed to land, the officials refused to meet him, and during the few hours he remained here his boat was bombarded with stones by the crowds which lined the bank. The Taotai, Tu Cheng-ko, a native of Anhui and a protégé of Viceroy T'sen, received us most courteously, and seemed willing to afford me all the information he could. He at once referred to the opening of Nanning as a Treaty port, and mentioned that he had instructions from the Governor to arrange for the laying out of a foreign Settlement. To the best of his belief, the Chinese Government intended to open the port at no distant date. No progress, he said, was being made with the French railway from the frontier, and no survey had yet been made of the line between Langchow and Nanning. He gave me the impression that the Chinese authorities are not at all anxious to see the railway completed to Nanning, and that they are anxious to see Nanuing a Treaty port for political reasons. From the French Father whom I afterwards visited, I learnt that work on the railway was suspended owing to the lack of funds, and the Commissioner of Customs at Lungchow has since informed me that a Representa- tive of the Colonial Government is now in Paris trying to raise a loan for the purpose: the Chinese Government, however, are placing obstacles in the way, as they wish to build the Chinese portion of the line themselves, employing, of course, French engineers.
The Taolai-who, as Intendant of the Tso Chiang (Left River Circuit), is in command of the South-West Military District-informed me that the country round Nanning was fairly free from brigandage, but that towards Taiping and Lungechow marauding bands of Marshal Sa's disbanded soldiery were still terrorizing the country- side, and rendering the river between Nanning and Lungehow unsafe for travellers except under strong military convoy. He said the crops promised well and that the export of sugar (which has practically ceased owing to successive bad harvests) is reviving.
The Taotai returned our call on the following morning and showed me a sketch- plan of the proposed foreign Settlement. On my expressing a wish to inspect the site he first offered to accompany me himself, but later in the day excused himself and sent instead three deputics, who, as permanent residents, were able to give me some interesting information on local matters. I shall refer to the question of Nanning as a Treaty port and the site of the Settlement in the next section. Our visits to the other officials call for no remark.
I subsequently called at the French Mission and saw Father Thomas, whom I bad known some years ago in Wuchow. The mission is headed by a Bishop- Mgr. Lavest--who has the Red Button of the Second Rank. He was unfortunately absent at the time. The French School-an imposing white building, with red-tiled roof, just opposite the Taotar's Yamên-is maintained by the Colonial Government, and is in charge of three Marist Friars. They had left for Canton on the morning of uy arrival and the school was closed for the summer holidays, so I had not the opportunity of visiting it. The school has at present about forty pupils--ages ranging from 14 to 19-who are being educated with a view to future employment on the railway. On my expressing surprise that the French Government should allow this school to be managed by members of a religious Association, the Father exclaimed
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somewhat bitterly that the French Government, while they persecuted the Church at home, were only too ready, when it served their purpose, to make use of her sons abroad. The Father informed me that the city was ravaged annually by plague and cholera; he estimated that no less than 9,000 persons had been carried off by these two diseases last year. He said the people were quite friendly to foreigners and that mission work was progressing well. I may here mention that the Christian and Missionary Alliance of Wuchow have a station at Nanning; the missionaries in charge were, however, away at the time of my visit.
Father Thomas told me that the French Consulate at Lungehow was now in charge of an Agent Consulaire, who was also Customs Doctor. There was really nothing for a Consul to do there but issue passports to Chinese proceeding to Tonquin. From the Commissioner previously referred to, I learn that his post is also somewhat of a sinecure. Owing to the heavy duties levied on the French frontier, Lungehow derives almost all its supplies from Nanning, and the bulk of these are carried in native craft. The total value of the trade coming under the cognizance of the Maritime Customs in 1902 was only seventy-seven thousand odd taels, and of this amount 65,000 taels worth was forwarded into the interior under transit-pass were : Nanning made a Treaty port, the raison d'être for the foreign Customs at Lungchow would, I think, cease to exist, the French Consulate would probably be transferred to the former place.
The environs of Nanning are devoted to market gardening, the surrounding districts produce all the best known products of Kuangsi: rice, sugar, hides, oils, aniseed, wood, tea, and ground mut paper, camphor, and all kinds of medicines. The bulk of this produce is brought down under transit pass and shipped by steamer to Hong Kong. Through Nanning, too, pass the products of Eastern Kueichow and Yunnan, en route to the coast, opium, medicinos, oils, and hides. Nanning, as I have indicated above, derives its supply of foreign goods almost entirely from Hong Kong and Canton delta via the West River; the principal firms have agents in Wuchow, who purchase and forward the goods, in the case of imports from Hong Kong, under transit pass. The foreign imports into Nanning are practically identical with those appearing in the Wuchow Customs returns, chief among them being Indian cotton yarn, oil (Sumatra), piece-goods, and foreign sundries, such as flour, lamps, and matches.
As an instance of what ill-considered protection docs for the manufactures of Tonquin, I may mention that Japanese matches are laid down in Nanning at 5 taels the case, while Tonquinese matches, on the rare occasions when they reach Nanning, cost 8 taels a case. The former have come nearly 2,000 miles, the latter about 200. In the course of my walks through the city, I noticed the usual display of foreign goods, chiefly of Japanese and German origin. I saw one or two large shops for the sale of foreign medicines, including brandy, mineral waters, and bovril. Everything that I priced was much more expensive than in Wuchow, but it is possible the shop- keepers quoted special rates for our benefit. My Chinese writer and official messenger were both, for various reasons, unable to accompany me on this trip, so that I found some difficulty in making myself understood by the shop people, who are for the most part Cantonese. The natives of Nanning speak a dialect near akin to Mandarin. The business of the city is in the hands of men from the delta, in particular the Sunui district, and from Fukien,
I gathered that the trade of Nanning is reviving after a long period of depression, but is still hampered by the insecurity of the waterways leading to the Yunnan frontier, and lately by the sudden imposition of a new scale of native customs dues, called "Tungshui," I have already referred to this subject in my Intelligence Reports. The effect of the new duties is clearly seen in the large number of transit passes which are now being applied for to purchase produce in the Nanning and Fosé districts. The merchants of Nanning engaged in foreign trade are unanimous in desiring the opening of the port, which they take for granted would mean the presence of a British Consul. I could not learn what particular advantage they expected to derive from the latter's advent, but there exists undoubtedly a strong feeling amongst native merchants on the West River that wherever a British Consul is stationed there will be freedom of trade and protection from the exactions of the local authorities. Whether this good opinion be merited or not, I did not feel called upon to disabuse them of their idea.
No organized mining is carried on in the Nanning district, but coal for local consumption is imported from Posé. Attempts have been made to use this coal for steaming purposes, but it has been found to be quite unsuitable, being, like all native-
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