August 7, 1895, þ
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
subscriptions amounting to the handsome total The coolies most seriously injured aro of 86 yen. The men were lauded on the 26th. Fujioka Ichisuke, 19, and Takashima Kame- Those on the Aureita saw another steamer resou-kichi. 29. The former is badly wounded in the ing men from a wreck at 9 a.m. the same day, left ribs, and the latter in the face, head, and but could not make out the vessel's name. She lower portion of the spinal marrow. Both are was flying the British flag.-Kobe Chronicle. expected to recover, but it will be two or three weeks at least before they will be able to take their discharged from the hospital-Kobe Herald.
SERIOUS FRACAS ON A FRENCH MAIL STEAMER AT KOBE.
14
C
THE NEWLY OPENED CITY OF SOOCHOW.
Where will be live "
*
46
107
There is another place which has always borne the name of the future foreign settlement. For á quarter of a century its fortune has been confidently looked forward to by the country poople, and that is outside the Po men or South Gate. The ground that was built upon previous to the rebellion and has received successive layers of rubbish during past generations is about one-fourth of a mile square, entirely too small for future growth. The difficulty bayou this place is the lowness THE CALEDONIEN'S" DECKS CLEARED.
of the land, which would have to be raised by Kobe, 29th July.
the use of the silver lever. The advantages of the The spar deck of the Messageries Maritimes This city previous to the arrival of the Tai-
location are:
First. That as the south wall steamer Caledonien, which arrived here from pings sat. iu that great central plain the "garden
of the city is perfectly straight and over two Yokohama yesterday, en route to Nagasaki and spot" of China as a Queen; throughout the pro-
miles long there could be a fiue bund of a similar Shanghai, presented an unusual scene last night. vinces the simple-minded nativos, both gentry and
length running from the camp to the gate. If The impudent and aggressive behaviour of the peasantry, looked upon her as the crown jewel in
the concession should be a mile or more in depth coolies, here and elsewhere, to which re. His Majesty's world-wide dominion. The rebels
the Bund could turn to the south and ran down ference has been made repeatedly in these drove the plough-share through her streets and
the Grand Canal even as far as the fifty-three columns, has at last borne fruit, and the couse left piles of rubbish to mark the places which
arch bridge. Secondly,--The water way is here quence is several men are to-day suffering from bad been the habitations of her children.
the fidest around the city. The moat, which is grievous wounds. Strangely enough the trouble She rose, during the next decade, phoenix. the Grand Canal, is one buudred yards in width arose through a woman-a helpless, inoffensive, like from her ashes and regained a measure
and is the regular road for the small steamers. Japanese woman. One of the coolies (we have of her commercial prosperity. Alas! the great The Grand Canal, which turus at the south-west not been able to ascertain whether he was one of Yangtsze steamers bore the silk merchants to
corner of the city and connects with the Foo the Pier Company's or one of Jack Young's Shanghai and she lost a part of her trade.
Wu, could also be utilized for three miles to the men) accosted a Japanese woman on the ship's Hope now beams in the eyes of her citizens
south. For boating purposes the three lakes deck and attempted to take liberties with her, and they think whatever may be the reverses to just to the south-west of the city offer excep- One of the French mail boat's crew interfered the Empire, the Japanese will certainly be their tionally fine opportunities; also the * Stone on her behalf, whereupon the aggressive coolié benefactors "Where is the horse-road to
Lake, which lies beside the hills. Thirdly. gave the foreigner a sharp shove. The for- be built ?" Mr.
we have always been-If there is a united effort among the com- eigner retaliated and a fight commenced, the friends; you foreiguers find out things first;
missioners the right of way' could be offender, for as such we must be permitted to please let me know where the copcession is going obtained on the Imperial road which was built designate the coolie, at one summoning the to be ?" "We hear a foreigner bought a lot out-
for Kierlung, and runs from the South Gate assistance of his fellow-workmen. On
among the hills the side the Tsong men. Is that where they are going for fifteen miles
to the coolies massing their force those of the ship's to fix upon the site for the settlement P
Great Lake. It is now in fine condition company in the immediate vicinity went to the "When is the Japanese cousul coming 2" and with a litle repair and the privilege of help of their comrade and a free fight ensued,
coustracting a few bridges it would be thes which the officers struggled in vain to quell.
finest carriage road in China. Parties from Captain Bevilaqua, on going to restore order,
Shanghai would come up for the pleasures of was struck on the side by a c olie with a
the drive amidst the beautiful scenery, To piece of iron and on turning to see who dealt
the west of the city are the great hills the blow another Japanese hit him on the upper
denuded of their primeval forests. The only part of the body with a bank of wood. Seeing
value to the owners is their stubble. The no hope of quelling the disturbance, and as
privilege of crowning these heights of 1,000 and the coolies were being reinforced by squads
1.500 feet with villas might be obtained at the of Japanese who had been called from the
opening of the port. It only bee's meu of Altmore (lying alongside the eastern side of the
action, and Europeans would be lifted up from Pier) the captain then called the ship's crew
out the mire of the Celestial Empire to the and gave orders to clear the decks of the riotous
sides and tops of the bills, which nature has wen. The order was quiskly obeyed, and in a
placed in the Middle Kingdom for the benefit of very little time the coolies were hustled and
a superior race.→ Shanghai Mercury. thrown over the steamer's side. Sticks, etc.,
Soochow stands as the natural centre of the were freely used on both sides. Que coolie on silk trade. The Grand Canal taps the mulberry | being thrown over the side struck one of the groves of the south. A go d sail-boat across bollards on the pier with such force that his the Great Lake.makes the trip to Huchow from face was badly smashed, and the man suurise to sunset. From the north-west the curled up in a heap on the pier. Another fell Wusieh district sends its tribute to the great between the pier and the ship's side, but be silk metropolis. There are now thousands of was dragged up shortly afterwards. Meanwhile silk weavers in the city Should they, instead of one of the crew who was bravely relying on his having the little boy perched up among the rafters bare fists was driven aft in the all but hopeless pulling at the perpendicular threads in weaving endeavour to keep ten or a dozen of his foes the brocaded satin, follow the Japanese in Kyoto at bay. Tis unequal contest was waged and use in its stead simple machinery, then for some miuutes, but eventually others the looms will turn out foreign patterns for the of the crow rushe l to the man's aid Europan market, While cotton takes the day cleared the deck. At about at Shanghai, and shirtings and piece goods be- this time a force of police arrived, in response come the staple manufactures, the ladies will to a message taken by one of the steamer's officers, and the coolies were sent off the pier as soon as possible. At this time sovou men were lying in various positions on the pier hors de combat. Two of the number were found to be very badly injured, and were taken away to the Kobe Hospital. One wounded man was not removed until about 11 p.m. In the meantime he was left in an unconscious state in one of the goods trucks under guard of a policeman. For a time the fracas appeared likely to involve the Altmore in trouble, as the coolies who had rushed from that ship to assist their countrymen endeavoured to return on board. The Atmore's officers, how evor, held the gangway and stoutly refused to allow any one on board lest the coolies should be pursued across the pier.
and
.
=
The first probable effect of the opening Soochow will be an influx of population. That trade and wealth follow in the wake of the steamer is the general belief, and so many will come to seek their fortunes in the new port, The well-established reputation of the provincial metropolis will prove an attraction and the tide from Shanghai may flow inland, the hired port standing to the capital as Miletus to Ephesus. The hoarded, anutilized wealth of the city may also flow into foreign factories and thus add greatly to increasing the population. We may expect that in a few years its 700,000 will become a round million
visit Soochow for a supply of silk. We suppose the silk filatures along the Sopchow Creek will all be moved up this winter ready for use the next cocoon season. And with the cheap and skilled labour, how long will it be before the silk mills of Patterson, New Jersey, and Lyons move their plant to Soccbow? With great store-houses for coal, the Japanese Lojokis will soon land coal here at very low rates and the seven pagodas will have to regulate the fung: shuy for scores of tall chimneys
We do not know how ports are opened, or what is the modus operandi. Those who were in the East in 1812 cau perhaps supply informa tion. The great gate of the city is the Tsong men (as it is called), and before the Taipings, outside this gate there was a population of half Needless to say there was great excitement on a million and the principal wholesale trado was board the Caledonien for a cousiderable time and carried on there. Direct to the west there is a the passengers were prohibited from leaving the straight long street rauning along the caual ship. The French Consul, M. P. de Lucy for three miles and the ground is rather high. Fossarieu, was on board at an early hour this It is now a mass of rubbish, but with the coming morning, when all the crew were mustered on of the ma-loo and its renowa of the past two deck, and their depositions taken one after the millenniums, a great Chinese trade would coutre other in one of the rooms on the spar deck.
In there. The difficulty is in the want of water. consequence of the disturbance, which is the It is hard to pass the 'song men in boats most serious affair of the kind that has occurred and the canal is narrow. The Grand Canal here for some years, the Caledonien, was detained strikes west from the southern corner of the a few hours, and she did not get away until about city and then north to avoid the business obstruo 11 o'clock.
tions to navigation at this point.
THE PROPOSED WOOSUNG CANAL.
Wo (China Gazette) published last week a short paragraph with reference to a scheme which wo stated as under consideration for the cutting of a canal from the Whangpoo river into the Yangtze, and we are now in à position to add that not only has such, a proposal been laid before the proper quarters, but that so far it bas been very favourably received, aud it is quite on the cards that in a few years Shanghai's pet bugbear, the Woo- sung Bar, will be satisfactorily disposed of by the proposed new waterway cut through Pootung to the sea. The scheme is the idea of a wealthy French syndicate, who have deputed one of their number, au experienced civil engineer, to come out and pash the matter in China, The gentle- mau in question is M. de Marteau. Ho is staying at the Hotel des Colonies, where, in the course of half an hour's couversation yesterday, he cour- teously gave a reprosentative of this journal as many particulars regarding the nature of the scheme as it was possible to make public at this garly stage of the negotiations. M. de Marteau has certainly allowed no grass to grow under his feet since his arrival here, but has pushed on the matter with an ouergy which bodes well for the ultimate success of the scheme. Ife, has only beeu here for a couple of weeks, but already his proposal has been laid before the Tsungli Yamen, au influential and energetic agent has been secured to carry on the negotiations at Peking, and the countenance of the Viceroy Chih-tung has been secured by a visit which M. de Marteau hitself paid last week to that wideawake official at Nan- king. No definite answer has yet been re- ceived from the Tsungli Yamen, but M. de Marteau is sanguine as to the out- come of the endless pow-wow' which, being inevitable in China before any big enterprise is undertaken, is sure to take place before any decision is arrived at in the present instance. The scheme, briefly stated, is one for the con.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.