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the valleys near the river. The staple crops were paddy and tobacco. Taoyin arrived from Swatow in the afternoon.
April 15. Returned to Swatow by launch, accompanied by the Taoyin. To return by road was impossible, owing to the swollen state of the rivers and streams.
Enclosure 11 in No. 1.
Consul Toller to Mr. Alston.
(No. 16.) Sir,
Ningpo, June 4, 1917. IN continuation of my despatch No. 15 of the 19th April last, I have the honour to report that on the 23rd April I met, at Nanking. Mr. Yü Shou-chang, the deputy appointed by the Governor of Kiangau for the inspection of the province, and on the following day Messrs. Chao Hang-nien and Mou Chia-yo, the delegates of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of the Interior respectively. The Governor of Chekiang had also appointed a deputy, Mr. Chang Chin, the headmaster of the Middle School here, who accompanied me from Ningpo. This appointment was probably made because the Governors of Kiangsu and of Chekiang are brothers, and with the idea that Mr. Chang, whom I already knew well, might serve as a mediator between the Kiangsu delegate and myself in case of any difficulty or dispute, but I am glad to say no occasion for his services in this connection ever arose.
From Mr. Giles I learned that the former opium-producing regions were in the country north of the Yang-taze, generally known as Kiangpei, and that the only territory in which there was any likelihood of poppy being found was the Hau-Hai Circuit. Mr. Ottewill had kindly furnished me with a copy of his despatch No. 20 of the 25th March last, and this together with the information which he gave me in Chinkiang from reports made in 1915, also indicated the northern part of the province as the area to be investigated. I accordingly arranged with the Chinese deputies to start our tour from Hsüchowfu, for which place we left by train on the 26th April, arriving at midnight the same day.
The following day was spent in making preparations for the lengthy chair-journey, and on the 28th April we proceeded to Hsiao Hsien. In this district we also made a circuit through the hilly country to the south of the town towards the Anhui border, striking across the ranges of hills that radiate from the town so as to examine the sheltered valleys, which were the most likely haunts of the poppy. I also climbed the highest point in the group, in order to get a wide view over the surrounding country.
From Hsiao Hsien we went to Tang-shan Hsien, covering the distance of 150 li in a day, keeping near the Honan border-indeed, for a short distance our road took us through Honan territory. Tang-shan was, in the past, one of the most noted opium- producing areas in Kiangsu; it lies on the borders of three provinces, so appeared to be a district where, perhaps, the repressive measures might be less effective than elsewhere. We accordingly made an excursion into the surrounding country, visiting the fortified village of Hsieh Chi, on the border of Kiangsu, Shantung, and Honan, and returning by a different route.
Our journey was then continued to Feng Hsien and P'ei Haien. Between Feng Heien and P'ei Hsien we did not take the direct road, but made a detour to the south in order to get from Hun Shan, one of the very rare hills in this locality, an oppor- tunity of surveying a wide area. From P'ei Hsien back to Heüchowfu we also made a detour to the east with the object of examining the country bordering on the Wei- shan Lake.
The second stage of our journey took us from Hsüchowfu to Haichow, through Pi Hsien. From Pi Hsien to Haichow we travelled by a small road close to the Shantung border for the greater part of the way. This led us through the districts of Sutsien and Shuyang, including the country north-east of Yao-wan, where it was reported, in 1915, that a good deal of poppy had been planted. We did not visit the towns of Sutsien and Shuyang, as 1 was anxious to keep away from the main roads as far as possible.
The information received from the members of the American Presbyterian Mission at Haichow, who travel a great deal through the country ou motor-bicycles, indicated that Kan-yü, to the north of Haichow, was not formerly an opium-producing district, and that there was little object in visiting that magistracy. As Kan-yi is, so to speak, a cul-de-sac, and a journey through the territory would have taken three or four days,
29
after which we should have had to return to Haichow, I thought it better not to waste time on a visit there while there were important areas further south still to be inspected, so from Haichow we proceeded to Kuan-yün, which has been a haien only since the revolution, and was formerly known as Pan-p'u. Here it was reported, in 1915, that " very large quantity" of poppy had been planted; we therefore, in addition to traversing the district from north to south, made excursions both to the east and west of the town, returning in each case by a fresh route.
Lien-shui (better known under its old name of Autung) and Fowning were the next places visited. These were indicated in Mr. Ottewill's despatch of the 26th March as districts to be regarded with suspicion. I made careful enquiries of the repre- sentative of the China Inland Mission at Lienshui, who travels a great deal in the country by bicycle, but he stated that he had neither seen or heard of any opium cultivation. In Fowning we made a circuit of the country to the north-east of the town, in the direction of the old bed of the Yellow River.
The remainder of the journey was made by boat through Yen-ch'eng, Tung-t'ai T'ai Hsien, and Yangchow to Chinkiang, I deferred any decision as to the necessity of inspecting the country south of the Yang-taze until I had had an opportunity of consulting Mr. Ottewill; he confirmed the information I had received in Nanking that this area was not an opium-producing region, and that no good purpose would be served by a journey through it, so I informed the Chinese delegates that I regarded our investigation:
as finished.
in
The total distance covered on the tour of inspection was about 800 miles, of which we travelled upwards of 500 miles by chair and over 250 miles by boat. During the chair journey I walked the greater part of the way, and seized every opportunity of ascending any elevation that might serve as a vantage ground for observation. The country which we traversed by boat was of less importance from an opium-producing point of view, though the Chinking archives showed that some poppy was grown the Huai-an prefecture in 1914 and 1915. Here, too. I walked wherever practicable, but throughout the whole journey, as I had the honour to report in my telegram No. 3 of the 30th ultimo, I could not discover the slightest indication of poppy cultivation. It is, of course, impossible for one man in a limited time to make an exhaustive investiga- tion to do this it would probably be necessary to devote a week to each haien--but in view of the facts that we made frequent and wide detours from the road; that for a considerable portion of the way we travelled by unfrequented tracks; and that in several magistracies we spent one or more extra days making circular excursions into the surrounding country, I feel justified in saying that poppy were being grown we should have been bound to come across it at some point, and that, as none was seen ör heard of, it is safe to deduce that none has been grown this year, unless, perhaps, on a very small sole in the most secluded spots, though I have no evidence to support even this exception.
The repressive measures adopted by the provincial authorities appear to have been very strict and to have been energetically enforced; the prohibition extended even to the cultivation of poppies for decorative purposes in flower gardens. Governor Chri informed me that he had sent out deputies to each haien three times: first, at the time when the poppy seed would be sown; again, at the time when the plant would first be visible; and, finally, when it would be in flower. General Chang Hsun also told me through Heücbow and Haichow his troops had assisted in the search for, and prohibition of, poppy growing. Mr. Yu Shou-chang, the Kiangsu delegate, said that he had himself earlier in the year made a preliminary examination of the districts which he regarded as most open to suspicion. Anti-opium proclamations were posted everywhere, and in some places (notably Pei Hsien) I noticed painted on the walls of houses the character ch'a (“examined"), purporting to show that a house-to-house search had been effected.
One matter worthy of mention is the widespread scattering of black seeds, said to be those of "foreign poppy." The practice prevailed over a wide area; reports of it first came to my notice in Sutsien and Shuyang, after which they were heard in every district we passed through, including Shanghai. An astonishing variety of rumours was in circulation; the work was ascribe to the Shanghai opium combine, to the missionaries, to Germans, and to secret societies. It was also said that the seed was Bown from an aeroplane, evidence of which was found in the fact that the seeds had been discovered on the roofs of houses. Miraculous properties were claimed for this "foreign poppy," which was said to produce its crop within ten days of sowing the seed. missionary at Lienshui was able to show me a specimen of the seed, which bears not the slightest resemblance to that of poppy; it is approximately the size and shape of a
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