CO129-371 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 556

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This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]

AFFAIRS OF CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[March 29.]

SECTION 4.

[10691]

No. L.

Enclosure in Admiralty Letter of March 23.--(Received March 29, 1910.)

Report by Lieutenant Woodward on the State of Affairs at Chungsho, December 15-26, 1909.

(Confidential.)

A REVOLUTIONARY spirit pervades the province of Hunan probably more than any other province of China proper. In Changsha considerable disaffection with the present dynasty exists. In addition the Hunanese are very conservative, and consequently anti-foreign. Of late, rumours have been circulated to the effect that Russia and Japan are come to an agreement for the division of Manchuria--Russia to have north and Japan south-and that this division has already taken place; that the partition of China by the Powers is intended; and that Great Britain is to occupy the Yang-tsze Valley, including Changsha. (On top of this rumour the "Nightingale' arrived, and this was promptly seized on by the revolutionaries to emphasise the rumour, with the result that the consul and missionaries were beseiged with anxious enquiries as to the reason of my visit.)

These rumours quickly spread, and were the excuse for frequent patriotic [?] meetings of students to discuss the steps that should be taken to prevent this aggression. How these rumours originate is not known, though it is said their source is in Hankow. At any rate, they are carefully fostered by the local gentry and made the most of by the students. The lower classes are indifferent and not unfriendly to foreigners, but no doubt would easily be persuaded to riot if incited thereto. Since such surprising rumours gain credence, it is not difficult to see that any mistake or overt act that might be construed into an attempt at aggrandisement would set a light Without such act and time showing to the very inflammatory material ready to hand. the absurdity of the rumours matters would continue thus indefinitely, and there is no reason to anticipate trouble in the near future.

Unfortunately, at this particular moment, a case with which the officials had been dilly-dallying for the past six months had been forced to the front by the consul, who insisted that the deeds of sale of a piece of land on the river frontage to an English firm should be sealed, threatening that otherwise he would fence in the land and advise the firm--the International Land Exploration Company--to commence building, without waiting any longer for the deeds to be sealed. The purchase of the land was legally correct; the sellers had received 10,000 taels, and now refused to accept the balance of 500 taels, and until this was done the officials refused to sign the deeds.

There is no doubt whatever that the sole reason why the sellers will not conclude the sale by accepting the balance is that the land is sold to a foreigner, and that they are not only encouraged to take this course by the provincial Diet-composed of the local gentry--but the latter actually compel to be inserted on all deeds of sale that the land is not to be sold to foreigners. They thus deliberately break the treaty rights. At every turn the consul meets with this same opposition on the part of the Parliament, whose object is the exclusion of foreigners from Changsha and Hunan. Taking advantage of my arrival at Changsha, the consul called with me on the governor of Hunan, and, discussing the general situation, received his assurance that an outbreak on the part of the revolutionaries was improbable, but that if it occurred he was perfectly competent to deal with and suppress it, and be guaranteed the safety of all foreigners; but when he, the consul, broached the subject of the land sale, and requested the same assurance if he fenced in the land, the governor stated that he The consul had previously been told would not be responsible for what would occur. by the customs taotai-whose habit it is to fall asleep at these discussions-that there would almost certainly be a riot if he took any steps towards the occupation of the land.

do not believe the governor is in sympathy with the gentry in this or similar [2675 -4]

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