property and the British Consul with the Customs officers on duty, who were the only foreigners remaining on shore. This at once caused a stampede among the natives, who fled as rapidly as possible, threatening to return during the night and set fire to all foreign houses.
The marines remained on shore for two days, but no further trouble took place. The big man- darins hearing that the Esk intended bombard ing the city called on the British Consul and pleaded that such an action should not take place, to which the Consul replied that nothing would be done if peace were at once restored. The Chinese demanded the delivery to them of the Chinaman who fired the bullet, but as he is a servant of the British Government and a British subject the captain of the Esk refused to hand him over and is awaiting further in- structions from his superiors.
The unfortunate accident has undoubtedly created a very bad impression and the Consul has forbidden missionaries to enter the city ex- cept at their own risk.--N, C. Daily News.
THE OPENING OF HUNAN.
The two following papers, which have been sent to us (N. C. Daily News) by a valued correspondent at Hankow, explain themselves. They show that there is a pro-foreign party even in Hanan; and they give advice as to the opening of the province which is the more valuable because it is very practical. Mr. Carles, the British Consul at Hankow, is facilitating the presentation in the proper place of Yi Wei's petition for the opening of Hunan to foreign intercourse:
AN APPEAL TO THE MINISTERS OF THE FOR-
EIGN POWERS TO COMBINE FOR THE OPEN-
ING OF A TREATY PORT IN KUNAN.
(By a Hunanese,)
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
ort of call for cidedly more advantag
such a purpose.
In April, 1892, therefore, the writer went to to obstruct nav Wuchang and repeatedly petitioned H.E. Changa Chih-tung, Viceroy of the Hukuang provinces, on the subject; but so far has received. no rescript, favourable of otherwise, to his peti- tions. At the present moment the desire and anxiety of the people of Yingtien to make their town a treaty port of call for steamers may be likened to the desire and anxiety of the people of a drought-cursed land for a refreshing rain- fall. Unfortunately, however, petitioning the local officials on such a subject has been so much labour lost.
4. The writer would theref the various Ministers of powers approach the Trungli subject and recommend the memorialise the Throne for the Yingtion as a treaty port in H protection, at the commencement, invidious assaults of mobs from writer suggests the appointment of a On the 15th of the last moon (1st November) native of Yingtien, to whom shall the writer drew up a paper addressed to Sir the power to make arrangements with Robert Hart, begging the latter to support andables and gentry of the town
the organ recommend him and his friends as the proper tion of a sufficient body of the y
young people to be charged with the duty of opening the place, as a militia regiment, whos Yingtien to foreign commerce. The paper in shall be for the special protection of fo question was sent via Tientsin by the Sench'ang against hostile countrymen. The next step postal Agency on the above date. The purpose would be to employ only natives of the town of the writer now in addressing this appeal to for the construction of the port so as to make the various Ministers of the foreign treaty it accessible for steamers. Plenty of employ- powers is to request their co-operation in this ment being thus given to the people of Ying- good work; bring about the consummation of tien and vicinity, it stands to reason that the the wishes of the people of Yingtien, Hunan; advent of foreigners and the opening of a treaty and finally to urge upon Sir Robert Hart, on port will be most popular amongst the inhabi- behalf of the writer and his friends, the tants of the town. They will do their utmost importance of speedy action in the matter. to assist the people who have been the cause of
providing them with work and prosperity..
YI WEI,
an officer decorated with the Plain Blue Feather, 5th brevet button, and unattached expectant Assistant Magistrate of the 1st glass.
THE BEST WAY TO ACCOMPLISH THE OPENING OF HUNAN TO FOREIGN INTERCOURSE. (By a Hunanese.}|
The writer begs to be permitted to present to your Excellency certain suggestions as to the best methods for the opening of the province of Hunan to foreign intercourse, and the neces- The writer ventures to suggest to the Minis.sity and importance of doing so first by ters of the various treaty powers the desirability international commerce and, finally, by means of opening a port for international commerce in of missionary chapels. the province of Hunan, a favourable place for which is Yingtien, a dependency of the district of Siangyin in the said province.
1.-In opening Hunan to foreign intercourse care should be taken from the outset not to do so by first establishing missionary chapels, etc. The reason why the people of Hunan are The reason for this is because the libel- adverse to the project of international inter-lous placards of Chou Tieh-chen ("True- course within the boundaries of their native as-Steel Chou," the nom-de-plume of the province lies in the fact that no one has taken notorious Chou Han) have been disseminated the step to explain to the former the advantages and posted throughout the whole province, and accruing therefrom. Hence we find that one they have raised the fire of prejudice amongst and all declare that harm will befall Hunan if the people to such a pitch that the latter will such an event were to be permitted in that pro- not tolerate for a single moment the sight of vince. Another reason for this sort of obstruc- a missionory chapel planted in their midst. tiveness in the people of China is because the Hence the right way of proceeding in the dividing line between the common people and matter should be first to establish a treaty port the officials is too strictly defined, whereby the of call for steamers and international trade. former have no means of making known their Then when foreigners shall have congregated needs to the latter and facilitating concerted in this treaty port in large numbers and the action amongst the two great classes which con- placé have become prosperous by means of this stitute the Chinese nation; and Hunan is no trade, the people round about will be made to exception to the rule.
acknowledge and believe in the advantages of foreign intercourse. Then should be the time for the establishment of missionary chapels to exhort the people to good deeds, when there will be little doubt but that large numbers of the people could easily be converted.
When the late Governor of Kwangtung. Kuo Sung-tao, returned from Great Britain (after a term as Chinese Minister) to his native province of Hunan, one of his first projects (for its regeneration) was to bring about the opening of the place to international commerce; but he was prevented from doing so by the strong opposition and libellous denunciations of his fellow officials. The writer was a constant inmate of His Ex- cellency's household, having been tutor for many years to his Excellency's sons. From his long intercourse with his Excellency the writer was enabled to form his ideas of the advantage of international commerce and amenities. And so, in after years, whenever the writer happened to return to his own native town to Yingtien, he frequently seized the opportunity of explaining to his fellow townsmen the essays on the advantages, etc., of international intercourse and commerce for China which had been written by the late Governor, so that the people of Yingtien and vicinity have all, more or less, a kuowledge of what foreign intercourse means, and that an interchange of trade with foreign nations brings a lot of good to the country without causing any, harm to it. This has been further ac- centuated by the eagerness recently of the people of Yingtien to bring about a practical demonstration, to which end they have urged and empowered the petition to the officials and make known to the world their desire to make their town a treaty port.
|
2.In selecting a treaty port in Hunan it would be highly inadvisable to make the pro- vincial capital such a port, owing to its floating population; the very large number of the unemployed; and the rowdies and the loafers who congregate there at the bid and call of every interested person anxious to create a disturbance or mob riot. Hence to choose Changsha as a treaty port would bring much harm and do no good. The plan would be to select a spot of strategic importance accessible for steamers as the place to inaugurate the opening of Hunan. From this as a starting point, and a gradual advance interiorwards, the leavening of the whole province will be easily and speedily accomplished.
3-The town of Yingtien in the jurisdiction of Siangyin is distant from the provincial capital, Changsha, about 200 li (sixty-two miles). The above-named town is on the highway con- necting with the provinces of Yunnan and Kubichou the west; Kwangtung and Kwangsi on the south; and on the north is the Tungting lake. In a word, Yingtion can be truly said to be one of the keys of Hunan. Although its water communication is not very peop, still it is free from sandbanks and shoals
on
YI WEI,
an officer decorated with the Plain Blue Feather, 5th brevet button, and unattached expectant Assistant Magistrate of the 1st class.
THE ASSASSINATION OF THE KUREAN QUEEN.
SENTENCE OF THE GUILTY PARTIES,
The following telegrams from Seoul appear in the Japanese papers :-
Seonl, 28th December.
A man named Boku-son has been convicted of being the murderer of the Queen on October 8th last; he is alleged to have been assisted by two other Koreans named Li-shiu-kai and In. shakuzaku. Boku-sen wBS employ of a Japanese resident. All three men a servant in the have been sentenced to strangulation.
Seoul, 29th December,
of the Queen were strangled last night. It was The three men found guilty of the murder proved that Boku-sen killed the Queen with a sword and carried the corpse to the rear of the palace, where he poured oil upon it and set are to it.
Seoul, 29th December.
The leader of the October riot at Seoul, one Li-do-tetsu, has been sentenced to death, while other Koreans who had been arrested have been found not guilty. The sentence declares that the evidence showed that for eigners were largely concerned in the riot.
THE "ISIS""W. H. MACY
COLLISION.
The Naval Court of Inquiry, opened on the 27th December in H.B.M. Court at Yokohama, into the circumstances attending the collision between the British steamer Isis and the American ship William H. Macy, was concluded on the 28th, the Court being composed of Mr John Carey Hall, H.B.M. Consul and Assistant Judge, President, Captain Thomas Leigh, master of the steamer Japan, Captain Richard Morgan, master of the steamer Port Adelaide, Naval Assessors, and Mr. Arthur Hyde Lay, Clerk of Court.
The following was the finding: 1.--That the sailing ship's light was not seen by those on board the Isis till within itwo minutes before the collision.
*
2.-That a proper look-out was kept on board the Isis, and that the failure to observe the sailing ship's light was not due to any neglect or default on the part of the steamer.
hted by
3.-That when the light was first those on board the Isis the two ship already in a position which rendered a of some sort inevitable, so far as depende the movements of the steamer alone.
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