June 17, 1901.] GENERAL VOYRON'S REPORT.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
during the working of the cables, and to use its best endeavours to secure from the Chinese Administration the due fulfilment of its engage- ments with the Company so far as they relate to the Taku-Chefoo-Shanghai cable, or to matters arising out of this agreement.”
m
THE ALLIES AND THE INDIAN TROOPS.
The report sent home to Paris by General Voyron, head of the French forces in China, is now published. Writing from Peking on the 24th February, General Voyron speaks of the accomplishment by his forces of the duty con- ! fided to them, and the excellent state in which they have been maintained during the operations in North China. Going on to the question of fighting, he claims that the French officers have The Singapore Free Press quotes various shown their skill in husbanding French lives passages from a letter received from Peking. and achieving success without unnecessary Among them occur some relating to the violence, though with the right amount of demoralisation of our Indian troops from vigour against so fanatical an enemy. Gen. contact with the other foreign forces. The Voyron continues :- -"We have waged honour letter quoted by our contemporary states that able warfare, and in this country when all the the rowdiness of the foreign contingent, the expeditionary bodies have kept themselves extremely free-and-easy ways of another, are under control it would be defficult to attack the rapidly acting as solvents upon the sense of reputation of the troops by actual facts adduced. discipline amongst the Indian regiments. But Our attitude was that of a civilising Power, that is not so bad as the attitude of a third con- and we extended a ready welcome to peaceable tingent towards our troops. They are outwardly people, protecting them from violence from all friendly but actally most hostile of any, and quarters. Our efforts, from this particular their particular object appears to be to get point of view, were fully crowned by success, our troops to quarrel with either the A- and if the French flag was not loved in a or the Bs, the A --s perhaps first, country full of inextinguishable hatred for but preferably with both. But in Peking here foreign intrusion, it was still ever the one they have adopted a more invidious attitude, under which the Chinese people sought protec. and that is to insult our sepoys. They abuse tion for life and property. Later, General them freely in their own foreign language, Voyron says:-" Obeying our Government's and occasionally call them "coolies" in the orders, we lent our aid to the common work of universal phrase. The native officers have the Powers in every instance, absolutely and noticed this and are furious. It will be aston- loyally. Yet the French expeditionary force ishing if there is not a serious row some day. under its General's orders preserved its inde- Meanwhile our graceful concession staff have peudence and was ablo thereby to command the prot sted in mild fashion, and the sepoy's idea respect and often the sympathy of those who is that this is because we funk the Germans, lived side by side with it.'
French, Russians, everybody. That won't do us any good when the men get back to India.
The French public will no doubt be pleased.
THE CHEFOO-WEIHAIWEI CABLE.
$
t
-8
THE MOHAMEDAN MISSION TO
CHINA.
said
A Parliamentary paper was issued last We were looked at with suspicion by several month giving the terms of the agreement made missionaries who were our fellow-passengers on with the Eastern Extension Telegraph Com- board the ship which brought us over, pany for the construction and working, on his Excellency Enver Pacha, head of the behalf of His Majesty's Government, of a sub- Mohamedan mission to China, affable, courteous, marine cable between Chefoo and Weihaiwei. of striking appearance and marked personality, A Treasury minute at the close of the paper and now staying with his wife, Madame Enver summarises the agreement and the steps which Pacha, and the other members of the mission, led up to its conclusion. The need for tele- Captain Nazini Bey, two priests, Mustafa graphic communication with Weihaiwei Effendi and Taher Effeudi and two soldiers at became apparent soon after its occupation, the Hotel des Colonies, and as it became still more urgent in view of They evidently believed in the dark rumours the events of last year, the Government circulated in the newspapers as to the object of approached the Eastern Extension Company the mission," queried the North-China Daily in order to ascertain the terms on which it was News representative. prepared to connect Weihaiwei with the rest Yes," said Enver Pacha, very probably of its Chinese system. In the course of the they did." And then, with a smile, Those negotiations, the Company intimated that it rumours were very funny indeed, very funny, had been asked by the local Chinese Telegraph and some people put faith in them, and sincerely Administration to extend its cables to Chefoo thought that we were going to stir up more and Taku, and that, if this extension were uurest in China,' made. communication with Weihaiwei could There is very little to state with regard to be effected by the laying of a comparatively this mission of Mohamedans from Turkey to short cable thence to Chefoo. The Company their co-religionists in China. According to offered to lay this cable for the payment of Enver Pacha, the mission, although composed £16.000, and to work it, on behalf of His of Turkish Mohamedans, was sent to this land Majesty's Government, for a subsidy of £4,000 with the consent and approval of all the per annum, and asked in return for the support of European Powers, and is therefore of an the Government in the negotiations which it was international character. The people of Turkey carrying on with the Chinese Telegraph Adminis. are not interested in it, and the Sultan was first tration. The terms offered by the Company approached by the Powers with a view to were accepted by the Government, which gaining his consent to its formation aad requested the Company to lay the new line as dispatch.
}
19
rapidly as possible. It was opened for working The object of the mission, so it is asserted, is on 5th September last year.
to pacify Mohamedans in the northwest The present agreement recites the arrange-provinces of China in the event of their causing ments explained above, and provides for the the authorities trouble. If no trouble arises, payment to the Company of the sum of £16,000 the mission will remain at Shanghai, which the for the construction and laying of the cable visitors regard as the finest city in the Far within three months of the approval of this East, and a most desirable place of residence. contract by the House of Commons. It also There is no intention of proceeding to Peking, provides for an annual payment of £4,000 to or elsewhere, if necessity, in the shape of the Company for working the cables on behalf turbulent Mohamedans on the warpath, does of His Majesty's Government so long as they not call upon the staying hand of the mission may so work it, and maintain the connction to intervene.-N.-C. Daily News. between it and the Taku-Chefoo-Shanghai
495
TRADE OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA.
A valuable report on the trade and shipping of South-East Asia has been recently issu d by The Commercial, Labour and Statistical Depart- ment of the Board of Tra le. It has been complied by Mr. T. Worthington from various official documents, and deals with the trade of French Indo-China, Siam, the Straits Settle- ments and the British and Dutch possessions in the East Indies. With regard to the trade of the United Kingdom with the countries of South-East Asia it is shown that the total value of the merchandise imported from them into this country in the years 1895-1899 varied between four-and-a-half millions and six-and-a-half millions sterling annually, whilst the exports to the same countries from the United Kingdom showed a steady increase in valne from £4,373,000 in 1895 to £5,386,000 in 1899. The growth in the import trade is chiefly due to increased exports from the Straits Set- tlements; these were valued at £5.868,000 in 1899, as against an average of £4,135,000 for the four previous years. The increased value of the export trade of the United Kingdom with these countries is due likewise partly t increased shipments to the Straits Settlements (£2.660,000 in 1899, as compared with an average of £2,365,000 for the previous four years) and also to a growing trade with the Dutch East Indies, the exports to which islands were valued at only £1,989,0.0 in 1895 but rose to £2,423,000 in 1899. The decreased value of imports from the Dutch East Indies may be said to be entirely due to smaller shipments of sugar, the value of these shipments having been only £87,000 in 1899, as compared with £676,000 in 1895.
HONGKONG.
H.M S. Hermione left on the 10th inst. for Shanghai, being followed on the 11th inst. by H.M.S. Algerine. H.M.S. Talbot departed on the 11th inst. for Yokohama.
Apart from plague the cases of communicable disease reported in the Colony last week were:- Enteric fever, 3 cases (Europeans, in Victoria); puerperal fever, 1 case (Chinese, in Victoria); small-pox, 1 case (Chinese). The last case alone ended fatally.
con-
A committee has been appointed in nection with the proposed Dhas meala for Hindus and Sikhs at Happy Valley, the foundation stone of which was laid on Sunday. the 9th inst, by Raizada Lachman Singh (Indian Commissariat Base Department), who has given to the fund altogether $650. He is a son of Rai Bahadar Sardar Anoop Singh, Resident of Lahore. Other subscriptions are:-Maharaja of Gwalior, $250; Hongkong Police, $2,00); Royal Artil- lery. $1,500; shopkeepers, $1,20; watchmen, $900; Shanghai, $600; and “A Company, Royal Artillery, Singapore, 89 ́0.
We very much regret to learn of the death at Kobe on the 10th inst. of Mr. A. F. Williamson, of the Chart red Bank of India, Australia and China, and we feel sure that the announcement will come as a great shock to all who knew Mr. Williamson here, inclu·ling his personal friends and his numerous associatas of the St. Andrew's Society and the Football Club. Mr. Williamson was only 23 years of age, and had been in the Colony two years when he was invalided to Japan, suffering from malarial fever. Bad now of his state reached the Colony a few weeks back, but no one was prepared for the sad fate which has so suddenly overtaken him.
On the 8th inst., a meeting of the principal Chinese merchants was held at the office of the Chinese Commercial Union, 30 and 32, Des Voeux Road Central, to discuss the advisability of adopting H.E. the Governor's suggestion regarding the construction of Chinese tenement houses according to the new plan, laid before the Sanitary Board at its last meeting. A good many of the native merchants were present, including Mr. Fang Wa Chuen, cable. His Majesty's Government will pay for1 The Champion Stakes on the third day of who was in the chair, and a lively discussion any repairs required to the cable. The agree the Tientsin Spring Race Meeting, 30th May, was indulged in. The Commercial Union, wa ment furtner stipulates for the employment of was won by Mr. J. M. D.'s well-known Touch-are told, has been formed merely with a view tɔ a British staff at Chefoo and Weihaiwei, and me-not, Mr. Evelyn's Quo Vadis being second helping to enlighten the Government on future for the transmission of all traffic between these and Mr. J. M. D.'s Merlin third. Touch-me-legislation by gathering the opinions of the places, Shanghai and Hongkong as far as not also carried off the Provisional Governor's Chinese residents of every class, and laying possible by British staffs. His Majesty's Go- Cup, Mr. Dickinson receiving a massive silver them before the Government through their vernment undertakes to protect the Company goblet.
1epresentatives.
}
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.