“
"
"
K
November 11, 1896.]]
«
|
the EMPEROR has been induced to punish L at the present juncture argues ill for the cause of progress in China as it indicates all too plainly. that His Majesty is still in tutelage, and, unfortunately, to a faction whose influence may be mischievous.
"
Ch
A
含蓄
:
CHİNA. OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.. follow the word with the blow; and it long Please the mandarins, whose self-love is ago made up its mind never to be provoked always wounded by being told of the into coercing China by force. Knowing excellences of an outside nation. His Ex- that the Foreign Office will not back him cellency was therefore relegated to private up, our Minister at Peking is too straight life, from which he never again emerged. forward to use threats that he knows to be The Marquis TSENG followed, however, in empty; and he is thus reduced to a condi- the footsteps of his predecessor, and, unde-
CROWN COLONY GOVERNMENT:› "tion of practical impotence as aggravating terred by Peking frowns, did not hesitate to 'to himself as it is unsatisfactory to his say that there was much to admire and
We are glad to see that our influential "nationals. It would not be quite so bad imitate in Great Britain. The Marquis had "if the Tsungli Yamen were not perfectly achieved a reputation and he was the re- contemporary, the British Trade Journal, has taken up the question of the govern- aware of his impotence; but Sir HALLIDAY presentative of a great family, the son of a “MACARTNEY in London sees his cards be distinguished Viceroy and Minister. But ment of the Crown Colonies, and we hope it “hind his back, and telegraphs their value his official career was practically closed will continue to work on the theme until it to Peking, and he has no chance of bluffing when he returned to Peking. The Govern- succeeds in raising a general discussion in "if he were disposed to try it." We must ment had no use for a man impregnated with the press, which would in all probability congratulate our contemporary on the aptness Western ideas, who was auxious, too, to get lead to action. In urging that a Royal of his simile as to Sir HALLIDAY MACARTNEY those ideas propagated in China, and his Commission should be appointed to investi. seeing the British Minister's cards behind talents-which were of no ordinary type-gate the whole subject with a view to devise his back, which exactly explains the situa- were allowed to rust until his premature means of according a wider measure of self- tion. We are then told that "Unfor-deceasc, a few years later. LI HUNG-CHANG, government to the British people of the "tunately, Lord SALISBURY takes no interest the astute Grand Secretary of Council, the Crown Colonies our contemporary says :— Steps are taken every day in the self- "whatever in the Far East, and while he is able and unscrupulous Viceroy of Chihi, has "too old and too preoccupied to take up a been the latest victim to this hatred in Pe- governing colonies for the development "of trade and the improvement of the new subject, he is too imperious to allow king of all things foreign. One might have
"colonists' condition which they would any of his subordinates to do it. Lord thought that his eminent services in the
never have been allowed to take under "ROSEBERY had a very much clearer idea past, his extended connection with official
Crown Colony rule. If such freedom can "of the importance to Great Britain of the life, his intimate knowledge of foreign af-
be given to the millions of Australia, is "Far Eastern question; he has studied it, fairs, and the long experience reaped by
"there any danger in bestowing it upon "takes an interest in it, and would long ago him of Western ways would have ensured
the few hundreds or thousands of the "have taken, a firm and intelligent position him at least a hearing from the EMPEROR
"smaller colonies ?" This is written with "but for the opposition with which he was and his advisers. But the veteran's enemies
met from his political friends, which and detractors-who nuniber among them reference chiefly to the planting colonies, culminated recently in his resignation of the whole party of reactionists-were able to but the same remarks apply almost equally "the leadership of the Liberal party." It reach the Imperial ear, and to insinuate, it to commercial and distributing centres may be true that Lord SALISBURY takes is said, that the Envoy during his tour like Hongkong. no interest in the Far East, but the state- made too much of his own importance and ments made concerning Lord ROSEBERY are too little of the EMPEROR'S. The result has truly amazing. It was Lord ROSEBERY been that for a mere breach of etiquette-the who was responsible, with Sir NICHOLAS pretext put forward-Li Hung-cuang was O'CONOR, for the Convention by which handed over to the Board of Civil appoint- Great Britain agreed to the sending of ments for determination of a penalty, which tribute missions from Burmah to China, they seem to have advised should be the and, moreover, the concession was not made deprivation of all office, but the EMPEROR by a mere slip or as the result of a want of has reduced the sentence to the loss of a consideration, but for reasons that, however year's salary. His Excellency has not, as sound and weighty they may have seemed
was expected, been re-appointed Viceroy of to the statesmen concerned, are such as Chihli or given a seat at the Ministry of are generally summed up in the expressive War, the most powerful of the Boards, but word "funk." Lord ROSEBERY had been has merely been named a member of the much impressed by the difficulty that Tsung-li Yamen. No doubt his advice will Lru YUNG-FU and his Black Flags gave soon be found indispensable, and he may the French in Tonkin, he thought that regain much of his vanished influence when China was a great Power, that she might matters of importance in connection with make British rule in Upper Burmah, foreign affairs come to be discussed. But which territory had just then been an- for the present Lt is under a cloud. He has, nexed, difficult or even impossible, and he it is urged by his foes, magnified the subject resorted to the, expedient of buying her at the expense of the sovereign. It may be off with a periodical tribute mission. that unwittingly he did not keep in suffi- The recent collapse of China under cient prominence the puppet of whose exis- a blow from Japan may have opened tence on the Dragon Throne as an entity no Lord ROSEBERY's eyes to the ground-one in the ordinary course dreams of re- lessness of his fears, but judging him by his membering. However that may be, he public acts he cannot be accorded any credit has offended the dignity of the Throne; för a clear idea of the importance to Great and must lie low for a time instead Britain of the Far Eastern question. nor for of assuming, as was expected, a position of any firmness or intelligence in his position even greater importance which his ex- on the subject.
periences and reception in Western coun- tries would warrant. This cavalier treat- LI HUNG-CHANG IN DISFAVOUR.|ment of one who, whatever his faults, has
For a Chinese official to go abroad and then on his return to speak in praise of what he has seen is seemingly fatal to his advancement, to say the least. When Kwon SUNG-TAO, the first Ambassador accredited by China to the court of St. James in 1877, returned to his native country he was indiscreet enough to publish an account of his journey and experiences, and frankly lauded Great Britain for her energy, enter prise, and industry, both as a colonising and manufacturing country. Presumably the journal was not appreciated in Peking; there was too much admiration of the outer barbarian" and his works in it to
The cause of greater freedom will not be advanced, however, by In the same issue of the exaggeration.
British Trade Journal in which the article we refer to appears, there appears also a letter signed THOMAS D. GROVER, and dated from Suva, Fiji Islands. Mr. GROVER says that his experience, gained by some years of commercial life, is that British Crown rule over small feeble colonies is death; he indulges in a violent tirade against British officials as a body and makes the following remarkable statements :-" I have
of
"
"C
•
visited the French colonies and have no hesitation in affirming that the system in "force among them is far superior, and must in the future tend to increase "their influence and prosperity, while that of British Crown Colonies must decline. It is out of date and belongs to the four- "teenth or fifteenth century, when men "lived only to plot, supplant, and to ruin each other. In the French colonies every "interest is taken by the Government in "their welfare and progress by the Home "Government. Complaints are listened to, "and abuses restrained or removed.” Mr. GROVER's experience must have been very exceptional to lead to such statements, as these, or perhaps it may not be incorrect to suppose that smarting under some real or fancied grievance in Fiji he has allowed the his imagination to run wild on subject of alien rule. Universal ex
regards perience is against him as always been a loyal servant of the dynasty, French colonial administration, which is will probably have no particular effect on notorious for its ineptness. Mr. GROVER'S the policy of the Chinese Government one letter is so absurdly extravagant that it way or the other, but it is significant as would not be worthy of serious attention showing that cabals and intrigues may were it not for the fact that prominence is decide questions at the capital which no given to it by a reference in our contem- amount of argument and no array of facts porary's leading article, in which could accomplish with similar promptitude. are told that it brings out vividly the The great inan has fulfilled his mis- condition and prospects of Fiji. A great siou, and as a reward he has, for some deal too vividly, we should say. Nor can we concur in our contemporary's estimate trivial and presumably innocent breach of etiquette, been mulcted in a year's of the character of the average colonial we are told, pay, and, if the truth were told, probably official. "Many of them,"
“unfortunately are the disaffected failures shelved. The ex-Viceroy is well stricken in
"of political, legal, or military life. They years, and if he is to further serve his
' regard their work in a Crown Colony as country it should be at once. The fact that
"
३
we
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.