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THE OPENING OF HUNAN.
What ground there may be for the report, published by a Shanghai contemporary (the Gazette) to the effect that Great Britain has demanded the opening of the ports of Changsha, Siangtau, and Chengteh to foreign trade we are unable to say. We understood, however, that Siangtan was among the river ports which Sir CLAUDE MACDONALD had already stipulated should be opened to foreign trade and navigation, The statement now is that the above named ports are to be opened in reparation for the riots at Shasi. The Viceroy CHANG CHIH- TUNG is reported to have communicated the demand to the Governor of Hunan, who is now (along with his officials and the notables of this notable province) consider- ing the matter. We can only hope that, if the demand has been made, the British Minister will stick to it at all costs, even if the province has to be opened vi et armis. The demand was made once before, in 1890-91, and weakly abandoned because the Hunan people objected to the incursion of foreigners on their sacred soil! It is more than time that such fatal and imbecile com-
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[July 30, 1898.
MENT AT CANTON,
been largely recruited from this province, | THE U. 8. VICE-CONSULAR APPOINT- and great numbers of retired officials live there enjoying the otium cum dignitate earned by a lengthened service in various parts of the empire. Needless to say many of them have been adepts in the art of shaking the pagoda tree, but on the other hand some bright examples of ability and that rectitude that is so rare in China have been furnished by Hunauese. With Hunan opened up to intercourse with foreigners, a good deal of progress might be anticipated in the province, which would be, probably, as quick to embrace improvements when once brought into contact with them as it is now eager to resist their introduction. One great agent for accomplishing this result would be a trunk railway from Canton to Wuchang, which would further help to bring this interesting and little known province into touch with the outside world.
plaisance should be dropped by the British Foreign Office. It was well known at that time that the flood of obscene and slanderous literature poured into all the towns and cities of the Yangtsze Valley to poison the minds of the people and stir them up to incendiarism, outrage, riot, and murder was printed by the presses of Changsha and composed by the very officials and gentry who so clamourously protested against the admission of the foreigner. Had the then British Foreign Minister been well advised he would have insisted upon this nest of anti-foreign feeling being thrown open to foreign intercourse as the fittest punishment" for the massacres and outrages for which it had been mainly responsible. Even as a matter of policy the Chinese Government should be only too glad to concede this point, however distasteful it might at first seem to the Hunanese, since greater familiarity with foreigners would soon cure these pro- vincials of their grotesque antipathy and ignorant ideas with regard to Europeans. Moreover, it is, even to the dull witted ministers of the Tsung-li Yamen, palpably to the interest of China for her to secure as many points of contact with foreigners as possible, and to have foreign interests grow up in all her ports. This, quite apart from the increase in revenue to be expected to the Imperial Treasury from the extension of the Imperial Maritime Customs to ports now yielding nothing to that great service. On every ground, really, the Peking Gov- ernment have reason to most willingly concede a demand which would jump with their own interests so plainly.
It is possible that a good deal of opposi- tion may be offered in Hunan; but this can be readily overcome by the Imperial Gov- ernment removing the Governr, appointing a stranger, and sending the vessels of the Nanyang Squadron to enforce his decrees. Should the Hunanese be so ill advised as to resist, then a little salutary chastisement would not come amiss, and these proud stomached people could be taught once for all that they would not be allowed to dictate to Peking, and must do as they were told. If once the crust of ignorance and prejudice could be stripped from them, the Hunanese would probably be found not only reasonable, but far more reliable than most of the Chinese races. They are and they have certainly more courageous, shown more patriotism than the average Celestial. The ranks of officialdom have
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The appointment of a merchant as Vice- Consul for the United States at Canton has caused considerable discontent amongst foreign firms doing business with the United States. A protest has been signed, not only by German firms, but also by six British firms, and we hear it was with the latter that the protest originated. There seems good reason for objecting to the appointment, for the invoices of all the firms exporting to the United States are necessarily open to the Vice-Consul, and if the latter is himself a merchant engaged in the same business it gives him an advantage over his competitors. There is, we understand, no personal feeling in the matter, the gentleman appointed being held in general respect, nor does international rivalry enter into the question at all. The protesters simply object to having the details of their business exposed to the inspection of one of their competitors. Consul BEDLOE and the Washington Gov- ernment will doubtless recognise the objection as reasonable.
There is another ground upon which objection might be taken to the appoint- ment of Mr. WILLIAMS, though it is not one with which the foreign community of Canton is in any way immediately concerned. We refer to the undesirability on general grounds of appointing merchants to Consular office in China. The Chinese Government has a well-tounded objection to such appoint- ments, and in some of the later treaties has ex- pressly provided against them. In the Por- tuguese treaty it is provided that "The Con- "guls must be officials of the Portuguese "Government and not merchants," and in the Peruvian treaty there is the following provision:-" It is further agreed that the "appointment of the said Consular Officers "shall not be made in merchants residing "in the locality." The Powers generally, although not expressly bound by treaty in the matter, have for many years past res pected China's feelings in this respect, and have also consulted their own interests, by appointing only official Consuls. In the earlier days of foreign intercourse mer- chant Consuls were appointed by several Powers, but
NATIVE JURISDICTION AT KOW- LOON AND WEIHAIWEI.
Whatever may have been the reason for the retention of Chinese jurisdiction at Kowloon city it would appear to be con- nected with some general line of policy, for the same course has been adopted at Wei- haiwei. Referring to the last named con- cession the local correspondent of the AC. Daily News says the official towns, includ- ing Weihaiwei proper, are excluded from The correspondent British jurisdiction. adds: This is a new departure in taking possession of a district and it remains to be "seen how it will work. It will allow Chinese "officials as usual to continue their gov- "erument or mis-government of the natives as formerly. It will be a solution of a serious problem if it only answers satisfac torily." We do not see how such an arrange- ment can possibly answer satisfactorily, assum- ing the native jurisdiction to be anything more than nominal. If the arrangement has been arrived at with a view of allowing China to remain in possession of the revenues she has hitherto drawn from the ceded territory, better far would it have been to pay her a lump sum down for the surrender of her rights in that respect; and there can be little doubt China would have been glad to accept the money. It is possible, however, that the so-called Chinese jurisdiction may turn out to be merely nominal, being exercised The Chinese objection to merchant Consuls through British officers under British control,
may rest primarily ou pride—the disinclina- somewhat on the model of the Residential tion of the native officials to hold con- system in the Malay States. This, although munication with a foreigner engaged · in far from satisfactory, would be a redeeming trade--but beyond that there is the know- feature in the case. The secrecy that is being ledge that Chinese traders would in various observed in regard to the Kowloon Conven-
ways attempt to "work the oracle" if they tion suggests that the arrangements already ahd the opportunity of doing mercantile arrived at are not final and may be modified. business with Consuls or Consular officers. That being so it is to be hoped that the The Chinese clients of the merchant Consul establishment of British jurisdiction with would endeavour to make use of him for out qualification or reservation of any kind their own ends in ways analagous to those whatsoever may be brought about, but if in by which persons who profess the Christian religion for interested motives endeavour to the pursuit of some line of policy with the na- ture and objects of which we are unacquaint- make use of the missionaries, an endeavour ed that course should be deemed imprac-in which they sometimes succeed without 80 much as exciting the missionaries' ticable or undesirable we may at least hope
suspicion. that the native jurisdiction will be exercised under British advice and control and in conformity with the principles of British justice and the policy of the Hongkong Go- But nothing short of the com- vernment. plete elimination of native jurisdiction can even measurably be deemed entirely or satisfactory.
the
system was aban- doned, and it would be inadvisable for the United States to reintroduce it now.
Reuter seems to have been giving free play to his imagination in connection with the Kwangsi Rebellion. A telegram of the 13th June reads as follows:-" The Prefect of Wu, chow reports that fifteen hundred Imperial Chinese troops were killed in the engagement with the rebels, and he must surrender unless reinforcements reach him by Friday. The The formation of a corps of "12-Bore Irregu-rebels are now within thirty miles of Wuchow." lars" is being promoted at Shanghai by At The losses of the Imperial troops, we under- P.Stokes. Persons accustomeed to handle a shot
stand, have been insignificant throughout the whole of the brief campaign. gun are invited to join.
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