848
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
PIRAOY ON THE KWANGTUNG
WATERWAYS.
BRITISH SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE NEW KOWLOON TERRITORY.
(Daily Press, 26th October.) Reports that find their way into the Jap- anese papers from China are frequently mere "bunders," but occasionally correct news of important movements reaches us first through that channel. In the latter category we are inclined to place the an- nouncement that the various Powers that have recently acquired territorial conces sions from China on lease desire now to
[October 29, 1898.
AFFAIRS IN THIBET
(Daily Press, 22nd October.)
(Daily Press, 24th October.) From time to time the local press has occa-
In a recently published Foreign Office Re- sion to record daring acts of piracy commit port Mr. G. J. LITTON, Consular Assistant, ted on Chinese craft plying on the Canton gives an interesting account of a Journey and West Rivers, and in view of the extra-
from Yachou to Tachienlu. The places ordinary state of lawlessness prevailing it named are in Western Szechuan and the would not be surprising if some foreign latter part of the report is devoted to the vessel were again to become the scene of disturbances in Eastern Thibet, which were a tragedy like that of the Spark. Pre settled in the autumn of last year. Mr. cautions which are no doubt deemed auf LITTON's account is digested from informa- ficient are taken non the steamers, but tion given him partly by the French fathers succeed in finding a weak point in the sys-between native chiefs, who recognised the the ingenuity or daring of the pirates may and partly by a Chinese officer who was in the expedition. A quarrel having arisen tem. The greatest and only really satisfac- tory security for the safe conduct of trade and travel is the rooting out of the pirates, a task for which the native authori- ties seem either disinclined or incompetent. The subject is one which might possibly
It is said that Great Britain, amongst other secure sovereign rights over the territories.
concessions, desires to secure sovereignty over Kowloon, that Germany desires to obtain entire sovereignty over Kiao- chau, and that Russia desires to estab- lish full sovereignty o over Talienwan and Port Arthur. No specific mention is made of Kwangchauwan, but as we are told that with advantage be represented in the proper in considerable quantities. The Commis
juriad of
a
uzerainty of China though in former days they were tributary to Lhassa, Liu, the late Viceroy of Szechuen, sent Commissioners to settle the disturbance and to prospect for gold, which in the form of dust is produced quarters by the Chamber of Commerce, to sioners, however, were ignominiously which body we would commend a considera-pelled by the Thibetans, upon which the tion of the remarks made by Mr. BRENAN Viceroy sent an expedition to subdue the in the last Canton Consular Report. Mr. country
to subject it to the ordinary BRENAN says that never since Canton was
on of Chinese officials. Some of open to foreign trade has piracy been so rife the soldiers sent this expedition mutinied as in the year under review, ie, 1897, and on the way and refused to proceed, "on the that the boldness of the pirate is surpassed
“ground that they might get hurt in the by the apathy of the provincial Government.
wars." General CHANG, the commander, The style of piracy is peculiar, the pirates succeeded, however, in reaching Chantiu having no armed craft of their own with with a considerable body of men and ́estab- which to give chase and run down their lished himself there. If CHANG had gone victims, but going on board disguised as
no further, Mr. LITTON says, all might honest men and taking charge at a con- have been well, but in the spring venient time and place. Mr. BRENAN tells of 1897 he obtained leave from the us also that the pirates "are not devoid of a Viceroy to proceed further west into the "certain chivalrous feeling; cases have been state of Derge, which had hitherto paid tri- "known where, after having robbed some bute to Lhassa, The Lamas, now thoroughly passengers and made a good haul they have alarmed, attempted to enlist Thibetans in "restored to the poorer passengers what hed Batang, Litang, and Chantiu to attack the "already been taken from them." That is Chinese, but since the Sikkim war the power very nice and romantic of the pirates, but of the Lamas to raise an army from outlying all the same they are gentlemen to be got parts of Thibet has gone. The Lhassa Go- rid of if possible, and of the possibility vernment therefore appealed to Péking, there can be no doubt. What is required threatening that if the troops were not with- is to have the waterways constantly patrolled drawn they would open negotiations with by swift police launches commanded by the Indian Government, would not receive. Europeans, so that an honest trading boat the Imperial Resident, and would make will never feel itself fur from protection, their own arrangements with referencer to while the pirates on their part will find Sikkim. The result was that the Viceroy LIU that the risk of interruption and arrest was recalled, the troops withdrawn, and the is too great to leave a profit in their country handed over to Lhassa. The Im- business. The pirates are, moreover, for perial Resident, who is described as a very the most part well known and could weak old man, held an official enquiry into be laid by the heels if the authorities had CHANG's conduct, but it is said the enquiry the energy or will to do so; but there is a was confined to ascertaining the amount of suspicion that some at least of the officials CHANG's booty and relieving him of a share have good reason for standing by quietly, of it. While officials of this sort are sent being themselves sharers in the gains of "to Thibet," says Mr. LITTON in conclusion, the pirates. So well known are the pirates. Any arrangement made between them and "the Indian Government will be treated that the owners of passenger boats are now accustomed to retain the services of one
“and will be intended to be treated las
.co
France desires to obtain concessions in Kwangsi we may infer that full sovereignty over Kwangchauwan is included... The pre- ferring of these demands sooner or later was to be anticipated, but we were hardly prepared to hear of their being preferred at quite such an early date, However, we should be inclined to say the sooner the better, so far as the Kowloon con- cession is concerned. A short lease is not a satisfactory tenure for such an import- ant holding. This is not a mere matter of sentiment, but of solid business. Capi- talists would not be inclined to sink their money in permanent undertakings when they can only obtain the ground they require on short leases with a possibility at the end of the term of having to deal not only with the Hongkong Government but with undetermined claims on the part of the Chinese Government. The arrangement of taking the territory on lease instea 1 of an- nexing it out and out was made merely to save China's "face;" it is little more than a sham, and as such, seeing it is likely to dis- courage the investment of capital and to be attended with other inconveniences, it would be well to sweep it away at the earliest pos- sible moment. With the establishment of full British sovereignty over the territory we take it that Chinese jurisdiction over Kowloon city, so imprudently allowed in the agreement as it at present exists, would disappear, and that that little sink of evil would be brought under civilised rule. If China raised objections on the score of the difficulty in which she would be placed with respect to the protection of her revenue we have no doubt that some friendly ar- rangement might be come to that would work satisfactorily to both parties. The Chamber of Commerce has already made very liberal proposals with respect to the to travel with them and point out suspicious utterly nugatory, both by the Chinese and collection of the duty on opium. If the right of China to derive her proper revenue from that article be admitted it would be but a small step further to arrive at some arrangement with respect to other dutiable articles, and that without setting up any imperium in imperio or in any way infring ing British prestige. For instance, an officer of the Hongkong Government might be detailed for the purpose of keeping a record of the trade carried on by junks and supply
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characters and keep his own friends in check. With an efficient water police, therefore, it would be easy to run down these scourges of the river. If the pro- vincial government cannot carry the matter through itself it will be necessary for the British Government to render its assistance, whether such assitance be accepted willingly or unwillingly. Trade can never attain its proper development while the present state of insecurity prevails: Great Britain once of piracy must do the same on
cbe deemed necessary or desirable, always providing that the Commissioner of Customs was â British subject and the staff working under him unobjectionable to the Hongkong Government;
ng such information to the Customs as might before swept he must Coast ö
The N. C. Daily News states that Comman der Slade of H.M.8. Algerine has been invalided to Japan,
and if necessary the inland waters.
The return of communicable diseases notified nrring in the colony during the week 22nd October shows that there were two cases of plague and one death, one case of enterio fever, one case of puerperal fever, and two cases of scarlet fever on board the Barfleur,
"the Lhassa Government. The authority of China over Thibet is to all appearance, of a purely visionary character and the only interest she has in maintaining the connec- tion turns on the question of prestige. What General CHANG might have done had he been allowed to continue his opera- tions in Dergé it is impossible to say, but the Peking Government is evidently."" de- termined to risk nothing, so long as it is allowed to maintain its nominal suzerainty and thus keep its face in the eyes of the Chinese people. "But the Lhassa Govern- ment has also sunk to a condition of com- parative impotency, since the Sikkim war in the outlying parts of the country. The and is no longer able to raise fighting men
French Bishop at Tachienlu told Mr. LITTON that to go anywhere in inhabited Thibet would be a promenade militaire for a handful of European troops. With the
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