152
In the next issue, there is again coverage of Chinese events and background. On 19 January 1861, two half-page illustrations show, "The Peace with China - Reading the Treaty at Pekin"27 and "Close of the War with China: Graves of Lieut. Anderson, Private Phipps, and Messrs. De Norman and Bowlby, in the Russian Cemetery, Pekin."2
A brief account of a lunch meeting between Lord Elgin and Prince Kung (the two signatories of the Convention of Peking) highlights what British readers would have perceived as the need for the geography lessons which Frederick Stewart was to introduce into the Hong Kong Government Central School by 1870,29 and which - by 1889 - his successor reported as increasingly being adopted into the Hong Kong Village Schools.30 (Prior to this, according to Stewart, there was no geography taught in Hong Kong's traditional Chinese schools.)31 Apparently, Prince Kung commented that until very recently he had not known, "that India was merely a province of the British empire; they formerly believed Great Britain to be a very small island, the population of which was so large that more than half were obliged to live in ships."32 Even as late as 1902, some students in Hong Kong's "Vernacular Schools", influenced by a different set of political circumstances, were reported as being, “at the last examination ignorant that Hong Kong was a British Colony: a number hazarded the opinion that it belonged to Russia.”33
It seems that the withholding of geographical teaching and its content when given were both decisions coloured by politics, whether on the Chinese or the British side.
In spite of Prince Kung's tenuous respect for the British land mass, the Editor of The Illustrated London News, as published on 19 January 1861, felt that there was sufficient reason for the expression of cautious optimism for the solidity of the peace that had been won: "There seems to be good grounds for believing that we have at length fairly impressed the Chinese Government with the necessity of good faith in their dealings with us, and a reasonable hope that the treaty will be rigorously observed, leading to an interesting feeling of good will and confidence between our people and the Chinese."
34
On 26 January 1861, the view that the Chinese were now respecting their promises was supported by a full double page spread showing "The Chinese Bringing to the British Headquarters the 300,000 Taels [approximately one hundred thousand pounds sterling]35 as Compen-
152
In the next issue, there is again coverage of Chinese events and background. On 19 January 1861, two half-page illustrations show, "The Peace with China - Reading the Treaty at Pekin" 27 and "Close of the War with China: Graves of Lieut. Anderson, Private Phipps, and Messrs. De Norman and Bowlby, in the Russian Cemetery, Pekin."2
A brief account of a lunch meeting between Lord Elgin and Prince Kung (the two signatories of the Convention of Peking) highlights what British readers would have perceived as the need for the geography lessons which Frederick Stewart was to introduce into the Hong Kong Government Central School by 1870, 29 and which - by 1889 - his successor reported as increasingly being adopted into the Hong Kong Village Schools. 30 (Prior to this, according to Stewart, there was no geography taught in Hong Kong's traditional Chinese schools.) 31 Apparently, Prince Kung commented that until very recently he had not known," that India was merely a province of the British empire; they formerly believed Great Britain to be a very small island, the popu- lation of which was so large that more than half were obliged to live in ships." 32 Even as late as 1902, some students in Hong Kong's "Ver- nacular Schools", influenced by a different set of political circumstances, were reported as being, “at the last examination ignorant that Hong Kong was a British Colony: a number hazarded the opinion that it be- longed to Russia.” 33
It seems that the withholding of geographical teaching and its content when given were both decisions coloured by politics, whether on the Chinese or the British side.
In spite of Prince Hung's tenuous respect for the British land mass, the Editor of The Illustrated London News, as published on 19 January 1861, felt that there was sufficient reason for the expression of cautious optimism for the solidity of the peace that had been won: "There seems to be good grounds for believing that we have at length fairly impressed the Chinese Government with the necessity of good faith in their dealings with us, and a reasonable hope that the treaty will be rigorously observed, leading to an interesting feeling of good will and confidence between our people and the Chinese."
** 34
On 26 January 1861, the view that the Chinese were now respect- ing their promises was supported by a full double page spread showing "The Chinese Bringing to the British Headquarters the 300,000 Taels [approximately one hundred thousand pounds sterling] 35 as Compen-
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