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June 20. 1895.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
local official to demand the Writing to a States, Mr. YOUNG. says, was amity.
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These relations were strengthened" "when the American Legation departed from the old policy of co-operative action. This policy, when studied, simply meant
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will be found to be the work of the same class, the, yamen and entourage of Lr HUNG-CHANG duct was perhaps less surprising than is of men, perhaps the very same gang, as himself. What Mr. YoUNG has to say about Mr. RUSSELL YOUNG'S condonation of it. instigated the riots of 1891. The notorious the personal character of Li is, however, less Continuing the narrative of the relations CHOU HAN, the chief source and dissemina-interesting and of less moment than his re-between Li and GORDON, Mr. RussILL tor of the vile literature which stirred up marks on sume incidental subjects. The YOUNG goes on to say that when the latter the passions of the people at that time, policy of the Viceroy toward the United visited LI in 1880, his advice, "so the openly gloried in his work.
"He" rumour ran, was that I should take release of a "believed, as he would say in his cynical"his command to Peking and over relative who had as a matter of form been "way, that the United States was the one
"turn the dynasty, offering to go arrested he said :—” If you and the Viceroy
"Power which hai nothing to gain by along and help. The pale Viceroy listened oppress other righteous men and leave me assailing China; that it was our "in silence. I question if history tells of a out, I will go to Peking and report to the "selfish interest to be friendly, and there- more alluring temptation. Before such Emperor. I have vowed to devote any life
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he could have no anxiety. troops as he could have commanded, with "to honouring Yao, Sheu, Yu, Tang, Wen,
the aid of a brilliant soldier like GORDON, Wu, Duke Chou, Confucious, Mencius,
Peking would have fallen. China under "with the Imperial laws of my country, my
"the new dynasty would have had a different forefathers and my ancestors, the Em-
place in the world. The revolution would press and the Emperor. I will not leave." in practical experience that when matters" have been among the landmarks of the cen- my relative TUNG and his associates the "went to please Great Britain there was Jury. But Li in 1880 was no longer a "sole glory of leaving behind them a noble joint action. Otherwise there would be young man. He lacked the adventurous name. This represents the spirit of the no action until Great Britain was pleased."spirit. The dynasty had loaded himself literati. Whether the scene be laid in As there were few British questions in" and his family with honour. His brother Hunan or Szechuen, whether CHOU HAN "which the United States were concerned, had been created a Viceroy. Even if am- or some other individual of the same class "it was deemed best for the American in- bition had had its will, the sentiment of be the instigator, the means by which anti. terests that the Legation should act along," gratitude was not dead. There was per- foreign disturbances are brought about and, like its British associate, uuite in haps another thought. A dynasty created are the same. Argument is useless "'joiut action when such a course served “ by the sword of GORDON might have rested in the case.
A strong point in favour the United States." We agree with Mr."under that sword, and LI would have of the gunboat policy is made by our RUSSELL YOUNG in condemning the co- reigned as the pupil of an English resident Shanghai morning contemporary, by aoperative policy, but would be inclined to like the Rajas of Hindostau." Mr. quotation from the report of the verbal disregard Great Britain as the party that has RUSSELL YOUNG affects to believe the cussions at the recent peace negotiations. been wronged in the matter. Other nations rumour that GORDON endeavoured to corrupt "China bas," the Viceroy allowed, "those have always been willing to co-operate when Li's loyalty and urge him into rebellion, but "both in higher and lower stations who co-operation meant picking up the chestnuts there is not a tittle of evidence in support of "understand the requirements of the present as Great Britain pulled them out of the fire; it, and admirers of the brave GORDON will "time. But our empire is divided into too like the United States they believed in joint be loth to believe that he could ever have many Provinces, each of which has its own action only when it served their own in-given any counsel that might not be followed "jurisdiction; much as it was in Japan, terests. Great Britain is the only power with honesty and honour. The part of a "when divided into vassal states. This con- that has attached value to the co-operative stirrer-up of sedition is one that would have dition of things is a great obstruction to system and has honestly endeavoured to act ill-suited the hero of Khartoum, but the repe- * uniform and centralised government." up to its principles.The other Powers have tition of an idle ramour has enabled Mr. Here we have from Lr's own mouth the taken advantage of this attitude when it RUSSELL YOUNG to add a feature of interest justification of the gunboat policy. Cheng- could be turned to their own profit and to his paper in Mr. STEAD's Review. tu is unfortunately rather beyond the at other times have stood by and laughed direct reach of the gunboat, but indirectly in their sleeve. pressure can be brought to bear. The mistake was made on the last occasion of accepting mere monetary indemnities. Something more than that ought to be ex- acted on the present occasion, some sub- says, "tells the story of the suppression of
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Another subject on which Mr. RUSSELL YOUNG has something interesting to say is that of the relations between the Viceroy and General GORDON. British history, he
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MR. WHITEHEAD'S CAMPAIGN.
I.
The colony is indebted to the Hon. T. H. stantial guarantee, which will bring the Sze-"the Taiping rebellion as if Lr sat at the WHITEHEAD for the admirable address in chuen Viceroy, his officials, and the literati" feet of GORDON and was pushed into which he urged upon the members of the of the province sharply to their senses, victory. Chinese history, however, and Colonial party in the House of Commous "the traditions, other than those of English the claims of Hongkong to some share in origiu, prevalent in China, gave Li the management of its own local affairs.
MR. JOHN RUSSELL YOUNG ON
·LI HUNG-CHANG.
CL
"the credit of having broken the back of
"this rebellion." What might have hap- Unfortunately our chief foes at the present mo- pened had the Chinese been left to fight the ment are those of our own household. While matter out without Gonnor's assistance is Mr. WHITEHEAD has been gallantly fight- a mere matter of speculation, but it is cering the battle at home in favour of greater tain the back of the rebellion was not broken freedom is colleagues in the Legislative at the time GORDON joined the Imperial forces. Council have allowed themselves to be The latter might perhaps have won in the drawn into the Government net and have long run without his assistance, or on the given their approval to a scheme ĝo. other hand the rebels might have reached Pe-deprive the colony of what little voice king; it was GORDON and his "Ever Victori- it possessed in the management of its ous Army that turned the scale, when affairs in one important department, that the issue seemed doubtful, and brought the of sanitation, and hand it over, bound war to a definite conclusion. Mr. RUSSELL hand and foot, to the tender mercies
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The "Character Sketch in the May num- ber of the Review of Reviews is La HUNG. CHANG, by JOHN RUSSELL. YOUNG. The Viceroy seems to have tickled Mr. YoUNG's vanity considerably, and consequently Mr. YOUNG has a very high opinion of His Excellency. Li no doubt possesses a strong personality, but whether his name will live in history as that of the truest of "Chinese patriots, loving his native land "with single-minded devotion," may well be doubted. He has been the most prominent YouNG goes on to condone the murder of the of a young Army doctor. Social in- figure amongst the high mandarins of the
Wangs. "There was a quarrel," he says, fluences and personal antipathies have Empire during the last quarter of a century botween Li and GORDON at the time of the been allowed to obscure considerations of and is supposed to have exercised the great-surrender of the rebel leaders, because the public interest, and the community est influence in the councils of the nation,
LI awarded them instaut execution. has been left, in Mr. WHITEHEAD'S but neither the foreign nor the domestic
“GORDON, it is said, went to the extent of pur- policy of China during that period is of such
"suing Lr with a pistol, meaning to shoot him a character as to reflect lustre on the states-
for a breach of faith. The temper over, and men responsible for it. The great Viceroy,
GORDON realised that if I had failed to as it is the fashion to call him, has done take the heads of the rebels he would exceedingly well for himself and his family; have lost his own." La's head would no what he has done for his country is another doubt have been all right; but Chinamen question. The chief disease of China, which do not look at these matters in the same caused her armies to fly before the Japanese like chaff before the wind and which stops all commercial and political progress, is the corruption which permeates the official life of the country from top to bottom, and this has been nowhere more in evidence than in
absence, without a recognised or capable leader. The inaction of the public in regard to the destruction of the Sanitary Board finds its explanation on this ground. The course adopted by the Government and ap- proved by the unofficial members is generally condemned, but, it is said, it is no use doing anything till Mr. WHITEHEAD comes back, light as Europeans, and having got the rebel because if anything is to be done you must leaders into his possession he apparently have a man who can carry it through. It is thought it best to make short work of them, humiliating to have to confess that the colony potwithstanding that they had surrendered is thus dependent on, one man, but such is on a promise that their lives should be the real position. And now comes a dis- spared. Under the circumstances Lr's con- quieting rumour that Mr. WHITEHEAD may
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