taken under direct administrative control as soon as the provincial authorities feel strong enough to intervene. The Sawbwa of Kangai is in serious financial difficulties owing to the rapacity of his Japanese advisers. In Changta there are two claimants to the sawbwaship, and the internal unrest has been so marked that troops have been stationed both in Changia and Kangai. I urged the late taotai to endeavour to effect a settlement of the sawbwaship dispute early in the year, and I think that he would have taken some steps in the matter had he lived. It would not be difficult to appease both the young sawbwa Hung-sheng and his people by definitely installing him in office, whilst allowing the present ruler, Pi-fa, to act as regent until the rightful Prince comes of age. The present taotai has determined to enforce his own ideas on the people, and the old financial process of "eating the sawbwas" is going on with much vigour.
In consequence of Chinese oppression and the misrule and extortions of the sawbwas, unrest becomes more marked as time goes on, and numbers of Shans are constantly moving from all of the Chinese States to British territory, much to the indignation of the authorities, who unjustly accuse our frontier officers of enticing them from their allegiance.
Trans-frontier Cultivations.-As a result of the steady migration of Shans to British territory a question of some difficulty has arisen in regard to the rights of cultivation which these emigrants retain over their old fields. Settlers in Burmah who retain such rights in the Chinese Shan States (and vice versa) have in the past paid no land taxes or other dues to the sawbwas, and, with the extensive migrations of the past two or three years, the more incompetent sawbwas find that a large proportion of their income has lapsed. The Chinese officials, in their turn, are unable to collect as much as formerly from the impoverished sawbwas, and in consequence they have started a vigorous campaign against this emigration. They base their crusade on patriotic grounds, and say that they cannot endure to see Burmah subjects holding lands in China whilst not recognising the suzerainty of Chinese sawbwas. They propose, therefore, to insist that future emigrants shall not be permitted to retain cultivation rights over Chinese lands when they have moved their homes to British territory; they desire at the same time to enforce the payment of all arrears of cultivation taxes since the date of the demarcation of the frontier, which would have the practical effect of cancelling the rights of all cultivators who have since removed to Burmah. The Government of Burmah suggests as a compromise that trans- frontier cultivators should pay taxes for the land which they cultivate in future, provided that the Chinese undertake that they shall not forfeit their lands by the mere fact of moving their homes to Burmah. I have drawn up a draft agreement for the settlement of these cases, which has been approved by the lieutenant-governor, but I do not feel that it will be wise to discuss the matter for the moment, as the taotai shows an attitude of persistent obstruction to all matters affecting our interests.
Cultivation Maps. At the request of the Chinese, the Government of Burmah sent a survey party along the frontier after the last Namkham meeting, and all trans- frontier cultivations were mapped and listed in English and in Chinese. The late taotai appointed deputies to accompany the party, and agreed that they should sign the maps, which would then serve as permanent records of cultivation rights. The Lung-ling sub-prefect, the taotai's deputy for one section, signed the maps, and was consequently dismissed from office. The assistant frontier deputy Wang, who was appointed for another section, not only refused to sign his maps, but obstructed the party in every possible way. I have now asked the taotai whether he will accept the maps. He has had them for some time, comparing them with the reports received from his frontier officers, but he has not yet given me his decision. The cost of the survey to the Government of Burmah was 4,428 rupees; the Chinese were not asked to pay any share of this sum, and they bid fair to seriously diminish the value of the work by their obstructive attitude.
Unrest in the City and District.--The substantial merchants and gentry of Tengyueh inform me that the unrest in the city is the most serious which they have ever known. The present taotai has inaugurated a series of new taxes, which bear heavily upon the people, and he uses the constitutional movement as a pretext for weekly harangues, in the course of which he impresses on the people the duties of holding back foreign aggression, of providing substantial backing for the new era, of unbinding the feet of their women, and of making radical reforms in feminine dress. Personal summonses to attend these lectures are issued to men of means and influence throughout the district, and intense feeling has been caused by the fines inflicted on defaulters. As a single instance, a well-known and respectable headman had been
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mulcted of 2,000 taels within the past few days for failure to attend, and he was requested to sign a paper stating that he desired to present this sum to the taotai as a contribution towards the constitutional propaganda; he refused to sign for some time, and became a popular hero, but a sojourn in the ting's yamên with a chain holding his neck in such a position that he was unable to sleep has brought him to reason, and his name now figures in the list of generous donors towards the new régime,
Anti-Official Placards.--In these circumstances it is not surprising that feeling runs high. No night passes now without the posting of anonymous placards on the walls and gates of the city, denouncing the taotai and his underlings in the most violent terins. The main charges are extortion and undue interference in private affairs. Feeling runs high, and it is not improbable that trouble will ensue.
Attitude of People towards Foreigners.--Warnings of riots are circulated, and the merchants constantly threaten to suspend business; at the same time the people of Western Yünnan are law-abiding and peaceable by nature, and it is difficult to judge how long their patience will last. Tengyuch showed a steady resistance to the early appearance of foreigners. The first British consul was unable to appear in the streets without insult, and there was much excitement when the first missionary arrived two years ago. There can be no doubt, however, that there is no longer the least trace of anti-foreign feeling amongst the merchants or people. The late Mr. Litton interested himself on their behalf so constantly that his name will be a talisman for the protection of British lives and British property for many years to come. He fought the battles of the merchants and the people against official extortion and oppression, and, though the attitude which he adopted towards native affairs is impossible in these more advanced days, many of the fruits of his activity remain, and, now that their rights are known and have once been recognised officially, the people show their appreciation of the presence of a British consulate in many little ways. For this reason I am convinced that any trouble which may ensue will be entirely anti-official and in no way anti-foreign, though, should riots actually break out, it is difficult to predict the course of an excited mob.
Missionaries.-Members of the China Inland Mission are stationed both in Tali-fu and in Tengyuch. The members of the mission are now received on friendly terms by the people, but there are no converts in Tengyuch, and I believe that the many years of work in Tali-fu show little result. Nearer to Yunnan-fu the aboriginal tribes, especially the Miaos, have proved enthusiastic supporters of the mission, and large numbers have been received into the Church. Nearer to the frontier, however,
the work has been confined to the purely Chinese zone, where the people courteously but firmly reject the message of the preacher. It is difficult to find a reason for this lack of success. The missionaries are untiring in their labours, but the Yunnanese are intensely phlegmatic by nature, and I think that perhaps the Buddhism and animism which are real factors in the lives of their Burmese, Shau, and Siamese neighbours may have a more living influence here than in the more easterly provinces of China. They make lavish subscriptions to the gay processions and festivals which are organised by the priests, but their sluggish hearts are unmoved by the unostentatious greyness of the mission chapel.
Salt and Opium Cases.-The only cases of broad interest which have been under discussion recently have been those in connection with the smuggling of salt across the frontier from Burmah into Yünnan, and of opium from Yunnan into Burmah. The traffic in these articles has been winked at for many years by the authorities, and has become a recognised feature of the trans-frontier trade, the united annual values of the two products reaching about 20,000%. The Chinese have suddenly decided to shut out foreign salt from the Shan States and to enforce the sale of the native article. I understand that His Majesty's Government is now willing to recognise the Chinese contention that they may enforce their local laws and penalties on salt smugglers, in addition to the confiscation of the illicit salt provided for in article 11 of the Burmah-China Convention of 1894. The outstanding cases will now be able to be dealt with at the next frontier meeting.
Imprisonment of Li San-pao.-Li San-pao, a man who accompanied me as guide and interpreter during my frontier tour into the unadministered territory during last spring, has been imprisoned for rendering these services. I have made constant efforts to secure his release, but up to the present without success.
Frontier Meetings.-A frontier meeting has been arranged for the Myitkyina district, and we shall assemble at Sima on the 15th December. It is hoped that a meeting will also be held for the southern districts; the Burmah officers are prepared
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