45
2
Japanese in China.
The Japanese Consul at Canton is of the opinion that the boycott of Japanese goods will die away before long. He is probably correct, but there is no doubt that his countrymen will have suffered no inconsiderable loss. The Proclamations issued by the Viceroy have caused the campaign to be carried on with greater caution and secrecy, but Japanese cigarettes, marine products, shipping, and other interests have been none the less seriously affected. Many Japanese products, however, such as matches and commodities, the trade in which is mostly in Japanese hands, cannot be dispensed with, owing to lack of substitutes, and are therefore showing signs of recovery.
A Canton newspaper gives details of the indemnity to be paid for the detention of the "Tatsu Maru." It includes 50,000 dollars for demurrage, 45,000 dollars for repairs, 91,000 dollars for loss on cargo, and amounts altogether to 218,000 dollars (say, 21,800l). Japanese missionaries in the interior not infrequently give trouble to the Chinese authorities, against whom they delight in intriguing. The Viceroy at Canton has now, in consequence of a Japanese missionary harbouring rebels during a recent rising in the Swatow district, laid down that, as the right to send missionaries into China has never been granted to Japan by Treaty, no Japanese are in future to be allowed to acquire property in the interior, either in their own name or in that of a pretended Mission. It is impossible not to sympathize with the Chinese officials in their difficulties with the Japanese immigrants, who, besides being in many cases engaged in the propaganda of anti-dynastic ideas, distinguish themselves from other foreigners by their high-handed treatment of the native inhabitants. To this latter characteristic of theirs abundant witness is borne by the native press and the reports from His Majesty's Consuls. Their activity in this respect is displayed not only in Manchuria, where it might be expected as a consequence of the war, but also in other parts of China. To quote but an isolated instance: A Japanese walks into a book-shop in Foochow at the beginning of last month, endeavours to take away 10 dollars' worth of books without payment, and, on the shopkeeper protesting, draws a sword and proceeds to destroy the stock.
At Chinkiang assaults by Japanese on Chinese have been so frequently committed that His Majesty's Consul has had to ask the Japanese Consul to take some steps in the matter, in view of the anti-foreign spirit which such actions are bound to excite in the minds of the Chinese. On the other hand, Japanese influence in China is largely revolutionary. As stated by His Majesty's Consul at Tengyueh, where a school has been opened for the study of Japanese, the point with regard to students returned from Japan which hardly needs to be emphasized is that their influence is both revolutionary and anti-foreign.
Yunnan Frontier Incident.
As stated in Sir J. Jordan's separate despatches on this subject, the French claims for reparation have produced the worst effect on Chinese public opinion, and the native journals unite in stigmatizing the demands as preposterous. Had the Chinese, they say, deliberately attacked and slain half the Tonkinese army, France would be scarcely justified in demanding more. The incident cannot be classed as an intentional anti-foreign outrage, such as the murder of the German Minister in 1900, and the French are evidently reverting to the "gun-boat policy" with a vengeance.
35
An article appeared lately in a Peking newspaper to the effect that the Chinese have better ground for boycotting the French than they had for boycotting the Japanese. Unfortunately for any success the writer may have hoped for, Japanese influence is to be read too clearly between the lines: the "Chinese Public Opinion" scoffs at the suggestion conveyed that "China should take her kind little neighbour by the hand and, with sorrow and shame, apologize for her unfairness in boycotting a race whose only fault has been a too loving friendship," and there would not seem to be any fear of this advocacy of a boycott of French goods being taken seriously.
Foreign Gun-boats.
His Majesty's Consul at Wuchow reports a cruise made by His Majesty's ship "Moorhen" up the West River. The officers were everywhere received with the greatest courtesy by the officials, though the latter are stated to have been much disturbed at the gun-boat's visit.
It is reported from Canton that the Viceroy is agitating for the withdrawal of foreign gun-boats from Canton waters.
3
Piracy.
According to accounts received from Canton and Wuchow, the increased patrol has been successful in greatly decreasing actual piracy, though robbery in various forms still persists. The new patrol boats are nearing completion in Hong Kong.
Slave Trade.
A considerable traffic in slave girls from Szechuan is carried on through the port of Ichang. The Taotai recently asked His Majesty's Consul to authorize the searching of British ships, but seems to have dropped the subject conveniently on Mr. Little inquiring whether Chinese junks were to be subjected to similar treatment.
Floods.
The Provinces of Kwantung and Kwangsi have suffered severely from floods caused by the heavy rains in the middle of June. Wuchow, where the water rose over 60 feet in forty-eight hours, was completely under water for several days; great damage has been done to houses and property along the rivers and creeks, while the crops are stated to have been completely destroyed. The officials and merchants of Canton have raised large sums of money for the relief of the peasantry, who will be mostly in a state bordering on starvation until the autumn rice crop is raised.
Holland and China.
The Viceroy at Nanking was presented early in July, by the Dutch Consul-General at Shanghai, on behalf of his Government, with an album containing views of Holland as a souvenir of his Excellency's visit to that country, when a member of the Commission sent abroad to study European methods of constitutional government. The Viceroy, who professed himself deeply touched, is none the less an active patron of a school, established by himself, for the education of boys of Chinese extraction sent to this country from Java. The Dutch Government do not by any means relish the idea of their natural-born subjects being educated by Chinese authorities in China, the more so as the only foreign language included in the curriculum is not Dutch but English. From the account supplied by His Majesty's Consul at Nanking, the school, which contains ninety pupils under an exclusively Chinese teaching staff, is remarkably well-equipped, and is conducted with an orderliness and cleanliness such as is not usually met with in purely Chinese institutions.
Native Press.
The "Chinese Public Opinion," quoted earlier in this report, is a late and interesting addition to the Peking press. Under Chinese management but published in English, it purports to supply foreigners with a truer idea of native opinion than can be obtained from the local foreign newspapers. It is perhaps too early as yet to conclude whether the sheet fulfils its aim. The greater part of its scanty contents consists of mere official announcements, and extracts from the foreign papers of Shanghai, Hankow and Tien-tsin, while its occasional articles commenting on foreign activities in China would seem to emanate from foreigners of no very reputable standing. In this connection the paper's campaign against the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company is worth noting; the numerous articles which have appeared on this subject are obviously not the work of a native, and it must be confessed that their general tone represents not only the opinion of the Chinese interested in the case, but also that of the British community, as, for instance, in the following: "The present administration of the Company (five-sixths of whose shares are held in Belgium) is not to the interests either of the Chinese or of the British. Under the former Chinese administration the orders for material required from abroad were all sent to England, whereas they now go to Belgium, and in the mines themselves under Chinese administration all the foreigners were English, whereas at present, excepting in the Accountancy and Shipping Departments, not a single Englishman is employed."
45
2
Japanese in China.
The Japanese Consul at Canton is of the opinion that the boycott of Japanese goods will die away before long. He is probably correct, but there is no doubt that his countrymen will have suffered no inconsiderable loss. The Proclamations issued by the Viceroy have caused the campaign to be carried on with greater caution and secrecy, but Japanese cigarettes, marine products, shipping, and other interests have been none the less seriously affected. Many Japanese products, however, such as matches and commodities, the trade in which is mostly in Japanese hands, cannot be dispensed with, owing to lack of substitutes, and are therefore showing signs of recovery.
A Canton newspaper gives details of the indemnity to be paid for the detention of the "Tatsu Maru.' It includes 50,000 dollars for demurrage, 45,000 dollars for repairs, 91,000 dollars for loss on cargo, and amounts altogether to 218,000 dollars (say, 21,8007.). Japanese missionaries in the interior not infrequently give trouble to the Chinese authorities, against whom they delight in intriguing. The Viceroy at Canton has now, in consequence of a Japanese missionary harbouring rebels during a recent rising in the Swatow district, laid down that, as the right to send missionaries into China has never been granted to Japan by Treaty, no Japanese are in future to be allowed to acquire property in the interior, either in their own name or in that of a pretended Mission. It is impossible not to sympathize with the Chinese officials in their difficulties with the Japanese immigrants, who, besides being in many cases engaged in the propaganda of anti-dynastic ideas, distinguish themselves from other foreigners by their high-handed treatment of the native inhabitants. To this latter characteristic of theirs abundant witness is borne by the native press and the reports from His Majesty's Consuls. Their activity in this respect is displayed not only in Manchuria, where it might be expected as a consequence of the war, but also in other parts of China. To quote but an isolated instance: A Japanese walks into a book-shop in Foochow at the beginning of last month, endeavours to take away 10 dollars' worth of books without payment, and, on the shopkeeper protesting, draws a sword and proceeds to destroy the stock.
At Chinkiang assaults by Japanese on Chinese have been so frequently committed that His Majesty's Consul has had to ask the Japanese Consul to take some steps in the matter, in view of the anti-foreign spirit which such actions are bound to excite in the minds of the Chinese. On the other hand, Japanese influence in China is largely revolutionary. As stated by His Majesty's Consul at Tengyuch, where a school has been opened for the study of Japanese, the point with regard to students returned from Japan which hardly needs to be emphasized is that their influence is both revolutionary and anti-foreign."
Yunnan Frontier Incident.
As stated in Sir J. Jordan's separate despatches on this subject, the French claims for reparation have produced the worst effect on Chinese public opinion, and the native journals unite in stigmatizing the demands as preposterous. Had the Chinese, they say, deliberately attacked and slain half the Tonkinese army, France would be scarcely justified in demanding more. The incident cannot be classed as an intentional anti- foreign outrage, such as the murder of the German Minister in 1900, and the French are evidently reverting to the "gun-boat policy" with a vengeance.
35
An article appeared lately in a Peking newspaper to the effect that the Chinese have better ground for boycotting the French than they had for boycotting the Japanese. Unfortunately for any success the writer may have hoped for, Japanese influence is to be read loo clearly between the lines: the " Chinese Public Opinion scoffs at the suggestion conveyed that "China should take her kind little neighbour by the hand and, with sorrow and shame, apologize for her unfairness in boycotting a race whose only fault has been a too loving friendship," and there would not seem to be any fear of this advocacy of a boycott of French goods being taken seriously.
Foreign Gun-boats.
His Majesty's Consul at Wuchow reports a cruise made by His Majesty's ship Moorhen" up the West River. The officers were everywhere received with the greatest courtesy by the officials, though the latter are stated to have been much disturbed at the gun-boat's visit.
It is reported from Canton that the Viceroy is agitating for the withdrawal of foreign gun-boats from Canton waters.
3
Piracy.
According to accounts received from Canton and Wuchow, the increased patrol has been successful in greatly decreasing actual piracy, though robbery in various forms still persists. The new patrol boats are nearing completion in Hong Kong.
Slave Trade,
A considerable traffic in slave girls from Szechuan is carried on through the port of Ichang. The Taotai recently asked His Majesty's Consul to authorize the searching of British ships, but seems to have dropped the subject conveniently on Mr. Little inquiring whether Chinese junks were to be subjected to similar treatment.
Floods.
The Provinces of Kwantung and Kwangsi have suffered severely from floods caused by the heavy rains in the middle of June. Wuchow, where the water rose over 60 feet in forty-eight hours, was completely under water for several days; great damage has been done to houses and property along the rivers and creeks, while the crops are stated to have been completely destroyed. The officials and merchants of Canton have raised large sums of money for the relief of the peasantry, who will be mostly in a state bordering on starvation until the autumn rice crop is raised.
Holland and China.
The Viceroy at Nanking was presented early in July, by the Dutch Consul- General at Shanghac, on behalf of his Government, with an album containing views of Holland as a souvenir of his Excellency's visit to that country, when a member of the Commission sent abroad to study European methods of constitutional government. The Viceroy, who professed himself deeply touched, is none the less an active patron of a school, established by himself, for the education of boys of Chinese extraction sent to this country from Java. The Dutch Government do not by any means relish the idea of their natural-born subjects being educated by Chinese authorities in China, the more so as the only foreign language included in the curriculum is not Dutch but English. From the account supplied by His Majesty's Consul at Nanking, the school, which contains ninety pupils under an exclusively Chinese teaching staff, is remarkably well- equipped, and is conducted with an orderliness and cleanliness such as is not usually met with in purely Chinese institutions.
Native Press.
The "Chinese Public Opinion," quoted earlier in this report, is a late and interesting addition to the Peking press. Under Chinese management but published in English, it purports to supply foreigners with a truer idea of native opinion than can be obtained from the local foreign newspapers. It is perhaps too early as yet to conclude whether the sheet fulfils its aim. The greater part of its scanty contents consists of merc official announcements, and extracts from the foreign papers of Shanghae, Hankow and Tien-tsin, while its occasional articles commenting on foreign activities in China would seem to emanate from foreigners of no very reputable standing. In this connection the paper's campaign against the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company is worth noting; the numerous articles which have appeared on this subject are obviously not the work of a native, and it must be confessed that their general tone represents not only the opinion of the Chinese interested in the case, but also that of the British community, as, for instance, in the following: "The present administration of the Company (five-sixths of whose shares are held in Belgium) is not to the interests Under the former Chinese administration the either of the Chinese or of the British.
orders for material required from abroad were all sent to England, whereas they now go to Belgium, and in the mines themselves under Chinese administration all the foreigners were English, whereas at present, excepting in the Accountancy and Shipping Depart- ments, not a single Englishman is employed."
མཤྩ ¢ 1*y#}LA¥!!!%%om!! +4!!
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