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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[June 3, 1901. discussion followed among the members | Tientsin on the 17th instant. Some of the of the Bourd. The Captain Superintendent Republic's forces have already passed south; of Police stated that he saw no reason for 2,000 had left North China on the 15th in Peking still earlier. The Chinese ad- ministration of part at least of Peking has been recommenced, and will be continued provisionally and experimentally for fortnight. In the meantime, from native sources we hear of a commission despatched from Hsianfu to prepare the Imperial Palaces for the reception of the Emperorand those who will accompany him to Peking.___Among these it is not anticipated that the Empress Dowager will be one, for the changed atmosphere of the capital will not be likely to agree with her. From the advanced state of affairs in connection with the departure of the foreign troops from Peking, and from Chihli generally, it may be gathered that the Allies are satisfied that further resistance from China to their demands is not forthcoming, and that all that remains to be done in the way of negotiations can be conducted perfectly well by purely diplomatic methods. The various Governments concerned, being kept pre- sumably in full touch with affairs by their civil and military advisers, should be in a position to judge exactly on this point. That they will not be disappointed in their expectations must be the hope of those who are not in the same position.
of similar wealth States, and sees visions extending limewashing to these villages, or, instant. The Japanese quitted their quarter-
heart of hearts is hankering; she sees the effects of the discovery of gold in the pre- sent position of Australia, and the Pacific coast of the
pouring in on herself, if to these, why not to every other village could she only get a grasp over this wealthy in Hongkong and Kowloon. He was not district. Russia for the last three years has aware of any plague in these villages; they been exploring quietly but carefully the had indeed been singularly free from it. mineral resources of the whole of this Finally he pointed to the expense involved. district, and has made up her mind as The two Chinese members of the Board to its wealth in the precious metals. This made appeals ad misericordiam; the poor she has been characterist'cally keeping in the villagers could not afford to limewash. background, while the British government Dr. BELL ridiculed limewashing, and said on its side has been as carefully discourag- that "the time for these operations would ing exploration. There is no doubt, how never come. The President supported ever, that the entire district is not only Dr. CLARK, and Mr. OSBORNE and Major" rich in metals, but is likely to prove one of BROWN spoke strongly on his side. The the great, if not the greatest, gold-producing last-named justly remarked that the Board districts on the face of the earth. There is had been told that the houses in question really no geographical limit between these were filthy, and now they were asked that districts and China proper. Though nomin- they should not be cleansed. On a vote ally subject to China, China during the last being taken, the motion of the Medical two thousand years, has been more frequently Officer of Health was carried by five to four. the inferior than the dominant power. On the 11th March the new Bye-law came Some two and a half centuries during the up for approval before the Legislative HAN, less than two hundred years during Council, the Director of Public Works The two Chinese the TANG, and a couple of hundred during bringing it forward. the earlier SUNG, with, of course, the Members of the Council, however, were not commencement of the MING, have been the present at the time, and it was therefore only periods during which China as a agreed to postpone the discussion until the power really exercised control over the next meeting, three days later. On this regions. For the rest of the time she has casion Dr. Ho KAI vigorously assailed been mainly dominated by them. The the proposal. He did not believe lime- Power in fact that held Mongolia or Man-washing absolutely necessary to enable churia has gene: ally dominated the rich people to keep their houses clean. In fact plains of China proper; and in succession he thought it would make the houses look Turks, Kitans, Nuchens and Manchus more uncleanly, more dirty, and would have been the rulers of North China rather cause "a good deal of trouble and expense Messrs. J. THURBURN than its own original settlers. Still at times to the inmates.” the fact that the Chinese power when it and WEI A YUK supported him, and the had the opportunity of regenerating itself, Council unanimously decided not to approve has been able to reassert itself is the lesson of the Bye-law. we have to learn from history. There is no reason why a race that has the sense to preserve itself from the enervating influence of women and eunuchs should not continue to flourish as at the beginning. If his friends, instead of fastening on him the ycke of the eunuchs and their associates, were to assist the young Emperor in his efforts to get rid of the degraded crew by whom he is surrounded, and permit him to throw himself on the good offices of his people at large, the cause of progress and civilisation, and the integrity of the Empire would be far more effectually helped than by the present purposeless conduct of the allies in North China.
M
CE
VILLAGE SANITATION.
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As far as we know, the villages of Stanley and Aplichau have so far escaped from plague this year. At Shaukiwan there have been nine cases, at Quarry Bay We shall be fire, and at Aberdeen two. told, of course, that it is a case of post hoc, non ergo propter hoc. The poor villagers, it is true, have died, but this is much cheaper than if they or the house-owners had been compelled to limewash the houses once in six months. Limewashing, we know, does not prevent plague, but dirt encourages it. Still, if the poor villagers like to be dirty and help to spread plague, it would be tyrannical to make them clean out their dwellings-hovels, some one called them at the Sanitary Board-as often as twice a year. And this is the wisdom of the Legislative Council, official and unofficial
members alike!
THE EVACUATION OF CHIBLI.
(Daily Press, 30th May.) The withdrawal of the troops of the Powers from North China has commenced and is proceeding with considerable despatch, it would appear. We have seen the departure
THE MISSIONARY TROUBLES AND A PROPOSED CURE.
(Daily Press, 31st May.) The Viceroy of Chibli has requested that the Rev. TIMOTHY RICHARDS shall remain at Peking to formulate a set of regulations to obviate any future missionary troubles in China, and it is a great testimony to this able missionary that he has inspired the Chinese with such confidence as to draw this proposal from LI HUNG-CHANG. Nor is it possible, if the problem can be solved in such a manner, that a better choice could have been made. Mr. RICHARDS is known to the European residents all over China and to a very great number of natives as an upright, wise, and level-headed man. Were the mass of missionaries like him there would be little cause for missionary troubles. But the difficulties at the outset of the task proposed for him are enormous. Granted that he is able to formulate a set of rules acceptable to the Chinese, is it at all probable that they will be received favourably by all the missionary bodies themselves? Will the Roman Catholic priests consent to forego the official privileges which have been extorted from China on their behalf? And yet we can imagine no cure for missionary troubles which does not abolish this anomaly. Again, Mr. RICHARDS must nssume that the missionaries are to be prudent and well-conducted. But it is of course ridiculous to imagine that a total change will come over all the
from Hongkong of a certain part of the the bodies loosely classed members of
(Daily Press, 29th May.) On the 9th November last the Medical Officer of Health proposed at a meeting of the Sanitary Board that the following draft Limewashing Bye-law be made under sub- section 4 of section 13 of Ordinance No. 24 of 1887:-" Any house, or part of a house, in the villages of Quarry Bay, Shaukiwan, Stanley, Aberdeen and Aplichau, which is occupied by members of more than one family, shall (unless specially exempted Indian expeditionary force. Other detach-- by the Sanitary Board) be cleansed and
ments are now preparing to start for this port "limewashed throughout by the owner, to on teir way outh. The British garrison "the satisfaction of the said Poard, not less of Shanghai is to be reduced by one regimen
than twice overy year, namely, during the The troops of other nationalities are getting months of May and Junc and of November ready to leave, if they are not already on and December." Dr. CLARK pointed out their way home. Some Powers have reached that some time ago a Bye-law was made on a more advanced stage in the process of this subject, covering the whole Colony; evacuation. The Germans are proceeding subsequently another Bye-law was made, at once to Tsintau, while the departure of specifying certain months when limewashing their ironclad squadron is only temporarily was to be carried out, and at that time delayed. The United States forces, with y some oversight the villages were left the exception of 150 men left as guards for out altogether. The proposed new Bye-law the American Legation at Peking, have was to get rid of the existing obstacles sailed from Taku for Manila. The French to having limewashing carried out. A military headquarters were removed to
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and of the Roman Catholic “ Protestant societies. Unless a restriction be put upon the influx of missionaries, we shall again get the unfit and half-educated, even the mercenary, intruding as before in a field where they have no right, and by their example bringing reproach on their worthy and honourable fellow-workers. As to the question of women-missionaries, we have not the advantage of knowing what are the views of Mr. RICHARDS. We should imagino, however, that to a man of such experience as he possesses there can be little doubt that the unlimited travelling of white women, accompanied by their children in no cases, to remote districts of the interior of
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