January 3, 1895.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT,
private meetings of the Legislative Council the Chinese, cherishes no such delusions. familiar with Chinese ways and are well awards
held, which caused some adverse com- dment, and the course is which it is it
to be hoped will not be
for
|
is calculated to give rise com-first his want of personal knowledge of the ment of the terms of the treaty of peacs 15
1
to.
the
He is incomparably better qualified to speak that treachery and deceit are not accounted on the subject than Mr. BOULGER, and yet crimes in diplomacy. They will therefore he does so with far more diffidence, alleging demand such ample guarantees for the fulfil- ment and to weaken the confidence enter Japanese, and, secondly, the length of his may stagger the craftiest of Chinese states- tained by the public in their unofficial repre- absence (some twelve years) from the Far men and lead to such a prolongation of sentatives. Had the Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD East. But Sir THOMAS WADE possesses a hostilities for there will be no armistice- not been absent from the colony probably remarkably clear insight and has followed as will allow for the occupation of Peking the Government would have found the un- the course of events in China and Japan and various other places before it is finally official element less complacent. Mr. WHITE with unflagging zest and interest, and though signed. The war may practically be brought HEAD left for a holiday at the end of May removed from the diplomatic arena and to a conclusion by the fall of the capital, and the Chamber of Commerce elected Mr. separated from the scene of his past labours but we do not believe that peace will be A. MCCONACHIE to fill his place during by nearly twelve thousand miles he is still declared before that event. The Japanese his absence. The only other change thoroughly well posted and perfectly com- Government will not be satisfied until to be specially noted in the Legislative petent to deliver a most valable opinion on they have humbled as well as defeated Council is the departure in April of the the present position and the future prospects China, not 80 wuch because they Hoo, G. T. M. O'BRIEN, Colonial Secretary, of the war. The question of China's un- - wish inflict humiliation upon whose place has since been filled pro tem. by limited supply of material for soldiers and country, but because they have to deal with the Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART. A consequent strength is very effectively dis- a Power whose pretensions must be lowered maiter of some military and political import-posed of by the British ex-Minister to China. before they can come to terms, or, if they, ance which should not be passed over with His military experience enables him to set come to terms, whose good faith must be out notice in a review of the year is the lay that argument speedily aside. After refer secured by the very severity of the lesson ing of a telegraph cable between Singapore ring to the ease with which the Chinese taught ber. Disastrous as the campaign and Hongkong via Labuan, thus establishing forces were routed and dispersed by the has been to Chinese arms, so far, it has a line of communication not touching at any Anglo-French expedition in 1860, he says: had little effect on the arrogance of her foreign territory, as does the older cable. "An army of 100,000 Chinese, imperfectly rulers, who instead of being covered with During the year just closed the Centurion disciplined, with inexperienced officers, confusion and disgrace only seek to shuffle has replaced the Imperieuse as flag ship on "badly organised commissariat, and weapons the blame and responsibility for failure the China station, and in view of the situa "in part obsolete, will be only the more upon ignorant tools. The men primarily tion created by the China-Japan war the fleet surely conquered because of their numbers." responsible for the miserable collapse are has been largely augmented. At one time it As Sir THOMAS remarks, it is not a question | still in power, and will apparently be trusted seemed as though there might be some work of numbers but of science; and the Japanese to make terms with the enemy. for it to do. A gross outrage had been coni-recognised that fact most fully, we believe, In the meantime what may happen? mitted at Tientsin on the British steamer before they embarked upon what is, and must Will a break up of the Chinese Empire, Chungking, a number of her passengers being | then have seemed, a very serious and arduous such as Sir Wade thinks probable,
taken from on board and subjected to ill treatment. Reparation was demanded and finally, after considerable delay, the British flag was formally saluted by the Chinese forts, Had this satisfaction not been given the intention was that reprisals should be taken against China. Another change to be noted is the arrival of the Rifle Brigade to relieve the Shropshires, who left less than a fort- night ago, carrying with them the best wishes of the community,
The commercial situation has not shown much improvement during the year, though a somewhat more hopeful feeling has of late
|
undertaking. There has been in spite of the gradual accumulation of arms and the strengthening of fortresses, no genuine pro- gress in military matters in China. The army "has consisted of skeleton battalions, imperfectly equipped, almost wholly undis- ciplined, and, worst of all, destitute of com- petent officers. All this, however, has been so amply provel during the course of the hostilities, that it is needless to recapitulate facts so generally acknowledged even for the enlightenment - of Mr. BOULGEE, Captain LANG, Lord WOLSELY, and other misguided and self-doluded persons.
take place?
of opinion that, in the not improbable event of the Manchu power being upset, Chinav will be thrown into very much the same condition as before the Mongol invasion, in the thirteenth and the Manchu invasion in the seventeenth century. She will, in short, present much the same phenomena as the peninsula of India did before our conquest, the phenomena of warring princelings and usurpers, none of them strong enough to obtain the supreme power." If this forecast be correct we are on the verge of great events and times. It may be that China
heen apparent. It is generally believed that What is of inore general interest at the grate, but we do not believe the dam
exchange has about touched bottom, that fluctuations in the immediate future will be confined within narrow limits, that the capital withdrawn during the rapid fall of silver will begin to flow back, and that some relief from the monetary strin-
gency which has so long prevailed in the Far East may shortly be expected. We hope these anticipations may be fulfilled and that 1895 may be free from the disasters which have marked its predecessor. We cordially wish our readers a
HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW
YEAR.
present moment is what will be the out, come of this war. An impression is cur rent among many persons just now that the end of the struggle has practically been reached. China has sent two Ambassadors to Tokyo on a mission to negotiate the terms of peace, and Japan, it reported, has expressed a readiness to abate some of ber demands. We would ask our readers not to rely on these reports. It is true that the Chinese Government have taken a first step towards negotiating for peace, but be- tween that initial proceeding and the son- clusion of a treaty there is room for much to happen. Our belief is that peace is more likely to be concluded as the result of the Japanese occupation of Peking than from negotiations by Chinese emissaries in Japan,
Japanese will as Sir THOMAS WADE is inclined
to imagine, ever attempt to impose their rule over their gigantic neighbour. The task would be too vast and has never, we think, been contemplated by Japanese statesmen, though sanguine native journalists in Tokyo may have discussed such a con- tingency. Shuld the Manchu dynasty be over- thrown before peace is concluded, however, it is probable that Japan would endeavour to retain possession of Manchuria. It is also most likely that the Treaty Powers, seeing trade menaced, would step in and either undertake the temporary administra- tion of the Empire or set up native Govern- ments in different provinces. The specula tions of Sir THOMAS WADE as to the ability or otherwise of the Japanese to take the
Chinese Government are eager to stay the hardly worth discussing seriously. advance of the Japanese armies and are quite agree with bim that the case of willing to pay a large indemnity to avert the Manchu conquest is not on all fours with that occupation of their capital by the invaders of the Japanese. The former conquered the This would enable China to save a great Chinese by force of arms in the first instance loss of face and the mandarins would be able and subsequently retained their supremacy to make it appear to the mass of the Chi- by assimilating themselves to the conquered nese people that the Japanese were very ace While conquering they were absorbed glad to be allowed to depart without by the couquered. This could not happen. farther loss, most of their victories having to the Japanese, who have adopted Oc- been circulated among the natives as disas-cidental civilisation to such an extent trous defeats. Moreover it is not unlikely that they must perforce remain irreconcila- that, following past precedents, they would ble to China. Russia is much more likely endeavour to repudiate part of the terms sube quently, as they did the treaty nego- that by CHUNG How with Russia in re ference to the Kuldja. But the Japanese are
THE WAR AND ITS RESULTS.
While deprecating attempts like that of Mr. DEMETRIUS BOULGER to bolster up the Of course it is easy to understand that the place of the Manchus are therefore reputation and exaggerate the power of China, in common with all friends of the ancient empire we welcome any discussion that will throw the search-light of truth upon her real position, in the confident belief that no cure for the ills that afflict ber can be found until the causes of decay are ex-. posed. It is no kindness either to China or her rulers to attempt to show that because of her buik and population she is therefore impregnable to attack, or to affect a belief that her government will, unasked and with out pressure, inaugurate reforms and institute improvements that must soon place her abreast of civilised Powers.. Sir THOMAS WADE, who has ever been a consistent and, we play add," most longsuffering friend of
F
to become the inheritor of the Dragon Throne. Both by temperament and-by posi- tion Russia is better equipped for the work, and in the event of the Chinese failing tɔ
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.