Directory_and_Chronicle_1909 — Page 1086

YOCHOW--SHASI

Do.

Rev. Fr. J. Pons, Procurador

(Hankow)

S. Palomino (Lungyang)

Do.

Do.

S. P Longyang (Lungyang) B. Fernandez (Kaiki Kiao)

Do.

P. Pelaz (Sesueit'ien)

Do. H. Martinez (Semensien)

CONSULATE-

JAPAN

Consul-T. Takasu (residing at Chang-

sha)

關生岳

Act. Commissioner-C. E. S. Wakefield

CUSTOMS-IMPERIAL MARITIME

893

Assistant-H. St. J. Wilding Acting Tidesurveyor-T. H. Gwynne Asst. Examiner J. J. Gorinan Tidewaiters-W. Keeler, W.J. Schmidt

POLICE

Superintendent-T. H. Gwynne

POST OFFICE-IMPERIAL CHINESE

District Postmaster-C.E.S.Wakefield District Postal Officer-W. A. Sturs-

berg

Inspecting Clerk (Changteh)-Woo

Kwang Siu

District Inspector (Kweiyang)-E.F.S.

Newman

SHASI

市沙 Sha-si

Shasi (the "market on the sands") is one of the ports opened to foreign trade under the Japanese Treaty of 1895, the official declaration of the opening being dated the 1st October, 1896. The port is about 85 miles below Ichang and is situated at the crossing point of two most important routes of commerce in Central China, namely, from east to west and from north to south and vice versa. It is reclaimed from the river and the sea by a magnificent system of dykes and canals, and is “a monument of ancient commerce, and witness to native perseverance and engineering skill." In 1905, the Yangtze overflowed and flooded an area of about 150· square miles of the district, destroying many dykes. The loss of life and property was very great. The country north-west of Shasi was again under water. The population, according to a census taken in 1896, amounted to 73,400, and the floating population, of which no account is kept, may be estimated at 10,000 more.

A con- siderable amount of washing for gold is done between Shasi and Hosueh, chiefly on the Tukkechow. Formerly Shasi was an important distributing centre, but the opening of Ichang to foreign trade diverted much of the traffic to the last-named port. It was hoped that when Shasi itself was opened it would regain its importance as a point of distribution, but the experience now gained shows that the development is likely. to be slow. On the 9th and 10th May, 1898, a serious anti-foreign riot occurred at Shasi. The Customs Office and the residence of the Commissioner, the Customs boats, the premises of the China Merchants' Company and their hulk, the office of the Foreign Board, the Japanese Consulate, the premises occupied by the Native agents of Messrs. Butterfield & Swire and Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., and a number of newly-erected Chinese houses were burnt by the mobs, kerosene oil being used to feed the conflagration, and the Foreign residents. were driven out of the port, narrowly escaping with their lives. The Custom-house was- re-opened on the 1st July of the same year. In August, 1898, an area of 3,800 Chinese · feet in length, by 800 to 1,200 in breadth, lying along the river side below the town, was assigned to Japan as a Japanese concession. The foreign commerce is mostly in