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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
strategically must be met by the much talked of but never accomplished extension of the Punjab lines through Afghanistan to Hernt. From every point of view then the triangle between Merv. Meshed and Herat likely to become a centre of importance in the future development of Asia.
[February 3, 1900.
of him. When Mat Salleh is finished, which really shouldn't take long, there are a few in- stitutions in the colony which require shaking will rule an enormous extent of country, some up somewhat. He is the man to do it, too. He 31,000 square miles, quite a kingdom in itself. The new Governor is a son of the late General Sir Heary Clifford, V.C., and a cousin of Lord Clifford of Chudleigh, and he married three Beckett. Mr. Clifford entered the Malay years ago a daughter of the late Mr. Gilbert à Straits Civil Service when only seventeen, and step by step rose until he reached the important post of British Resident in Pahang. He soon distinguished himself as a Malayan scholar, and is the author of many interesting and valuable works on Malaya and its people.
the next station, though that is doubtful. | less than three days of the Volga, and ¦ quite capable of performing the work required From this, however to Suifu, fewer obstacles would be found ; and from that any practical line would keep will to the south of the Yangtsze, and follow roughly the Cliinese land route by the valleys of the Wu and Yuen rivers to the Tungting Lake, avoiding the gorges of the Yangtaze below Chung- king. The rest of the line will be made independently, at no very distant date and we have only sketched out those essential portions, where the connecting links would have to be made. Looked at in this light it is remarkable how small a portion of the line from Alexandrin to the borders of China would have to be built outside either British territory or territory where British influence is predominant. And this brings us to the schemes what at the moment oc- cupy the minds of the other Powers.
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Nor from an altogether Chinese point of view are these projects unimportant. The Siberian Railway already outflanks China's It is pretty certain that northern frontier. the Tsans-Baikal line will before many years be directly connected with Peking by way of Urga, already occupied by a detach- ment of Russian troops. Already Andijan | and Marghilau command the passes in the Alai range, and give Russin entrance at nny moment to the basin of Eastern Turkes- tan. Yarkand and Kashgar and the other cities of the Altyshahr, are in effect at the call of Russia at a day's notice, and with the Altyshahr of course follow Khoten and the northern flauk of the (so-called) Kwenlun The advantage then of the mountains. proposed" All-British" line cannot be over estimated. One of the illusions, which we hope will be removed by the present South African war, is that the Empire can afford to rest still while the rest of the world progresses; and another result will be the conviction that the British Empire is a real entity. England is the senior partner indeed, but her lusty children have joined, and not England; interests alone have to be con- sidered, but those of Australia, of Canada, A British Railway from and the Cape. Capetown to Shanghai may seem what our American friends would call a 'Tall Order.' It is to be attained however at a much less sacrifice than the cost of the present cam- paign, and we hope one of the first fruits of the war will be to convince all the constitu- outs of the Empire how much that empire uceds tightening up.
OCCASIONAL NOTES.
Although Russia and England possess between them it may be remarked, the keys of all possible trans-Asiatic lines, France and Germany have at both ends their own projects. In the concession of a line from the Bosphorus to the Persian Gulf, Germany will have a magnificent opening to Mid Asia, which cannot fail to be taken advantage of by her in pushing her interests in the whole of Asia Minor, and, as we have shown, Per- sia for a line from the Caspinu to Bassa would be the inevitable sequence of the Euphrates Valley Railway. Such a line could not end there, but would pave the way to a railway through Khorassan to to the Meshed and Herat, and so boundaries of Indin, and it is certain that already Germany is seeking for influence in that quarter. Hitherto Hernt has been looked upon as the one spot where Russia and England were at last to come in contact, either in friendly rivalry or in hostile strife The new shuffle of the cards seems to point to Germany, having some to say with regard to this lonely spot, a few years ago looked upon us altogether out of the sphere of We have spoken European discussion. of the re-elevation of Bassa and lower Mesopotamia
lost into an importance since the destruction of the empire of the Selencido, but a rival seems not likely to arise further enst, where Germany, Russia and England may meet on mutually advantageons terms. And this leads further to Russia's latest projects. The Central Asian line from Krasnovodsk to Merv along the Teppe Steppe, in connection with the Batum-Baku Railway has never formed an efficient outlet for the Turcoman Kha- nates, nor indeed did it touch the most important, Khiva. Practically from south Russia two embarkations and two landings were needed, and neither from a military nor a commercial point of view. was the line ever considered as more than a temporary makeshift; which served a useful purpose indeed in reducing the Turkomans after
Gold mining has been carried on in the neigh. Gok-tepi, but is not suited as a main line bourhood of Weihaiwei for centuries, but the of approach. The Southern Russian lines natives only indulge in surface work. They have, however, been pushed across the decline to dig deep on account of the feng shui, Volca at Saratoff in lat. 52, into the. Gor that august spirit which in the Chinese mind, ernment of Uralsk, and a continuation of rules on high and below, and consequently has a this line through the Ust Turt to the somewhat heavy responsibility. Coal seams have fertile Khivan oasis at once recommended also been struck but they have not yet proved itself to the Russian Government, as being good enough to work, yet go to show that coal is there, which is hardly a sufficient inducement more feasible than the present round-about to commence operations. At present the Com- route. From an engineering point of view missioner can grant no mining concessions, but the line presents no difficulties whatever, it is believed that Sir Claude Macdonald will be them and no mountain ranges to be empowered to do so. He describes Weihaiwei crossed, and water is always available from | as rapidly becoming a “small_Gibraltar," with astesian wells. The line, would strike the a nice bund, and a road already along the hill. left bank of the lower, Oxus at Kunozrad, and would follow it by Khiva to Charjui, where it would join the present line to Mery, Bokhara and Andijan. Such a line would bring the frontiers of Afghanistan within
A mining engineering friend of mine; who for some time has been pottering around that un-impregnable stroughold, Weihaiwei, gives me a glowing account of that same place. As a health resort it will soon eclipse Chefoo-a not very difficult task I should imagine-but as a field for the investment of capital in mining operations it will soon appeal strongly to the British people," i.e., China hands and home- made syndicates. It is wonderful the amount of eloquence those home syndicates can put into the China question, when the taking up of schip gets them fairly ander weigh. Still, in this case, the gentleman in question, who has sounded pretty nearly every foot of Weihaiwei ought to know. He reports that gold exists and the working of it can be made to pay, and already two syndicates, one the Yangtse Valley syndicate, hare bought up about 5,000 of ground.
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This the Chinaman's festive period is prodne tive of many things-chiefly applications for wages and other settlements, I find personally→→ and it is the period when our Celestial brother subject simply shines as a disciple of Ananias. to go home, he baving polished off his nearer The "boy's grand-aunt having died, he wants relations one by one in preceding years; he never compromises himself in a matter of fiction. "to send him wife, or him He wants his wages
This year the arrival of mudder," and so on. a new emperor gives him a further exouse. “Must chio-chin him homeside or no belong So we are reluctantly compelled good joss! to yiek to bis importunate loyalty.
Mr. Hugh Clifford, who has been appointed Governor of Borneo, will from all accounts have his hands fully occupied for some time to come, but he is a man who has proved himself to be
零件
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The other day I received a most wonderful is worthy of reproduction." I am not certain appeal for settlement from my shoemaker, which whether he or his secretary graduated at Queon's- College or the Diocesan School, but he cer tainly has a charming regard for detail about his friend's virtues and his own misfortunes
that should appeal to the benighted eastomer Thus the appeal :- who is slow in paying up in this due season.
Dear Sir, I beg to inform you that since the year before last I employ a Chinese *** as a headman to see customers and bargain goods in. my shop as well as a shroff of my shop. At first I thought he is an honest man; so that I often trusted him entirely and on him always I de- pended to carry on all the business. But un- thoughtfully he is a cunning fellow, being unfaithful, he intended to cheat me secretly. He, forging the chop of my shop, makes money by taking away all the job from my shop to another shop. Now, I had inquired upon this, and I know that he had opened another shop, and had taken all the work, that had been order. ed by my customer in my shop, to his own. Though we got so many work in the shop, yet I got no profit; because he made the shoes himself and received the money as his own. He also claims wages from me. Some days ago, there was a cus- tomer came to ask about his shoes, which he had ordered in my shop. It happened that he, the above said man, was not at shop just at that time. Hunting all over the bargain list, I could not find out that customer's nume. Asking all the workmen about it, they said the head. man, had not told them to make such shows. So we can plainly understand that he had taken away all my profit. I also heard that *** had acknowledged himself to be a brother or a son of me before all the customers. But conversely see he is not a little relation to Hut Yang. So we can plainly see that he is crafty. So cunning man we can not employ nor rely on, Now I had already discharged him. If the abovessid man, eversinoe come to see you, gentleman, and says that he comes from Hut Yeng, he is mere- ly cheating. Please don't believe him, don't be tempted by him. I humbly beg you with all my heart, to drive him away. Hereafter I always send my nephew. Song Shau Ick, with my shop's showingcard to go to see my customer as well as a shroff of my shop. When you, gentle- man, like to patronize me, intending to order for some shoes please tell my nephew, Shau Iok, and whenever you get account to pay me, please offer it to him, my nephew. Or you may order for shoes personally in my shop; or you may send a person, your coolie, or any one for it as you please.
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Yon, gentleman, got so much favour to me patronizing me before time, I am always very grateful.
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