August 26, 1901.]
TIENTSIN.
[FROM OUE CORRESPONDENT.]
Tientsin, 7th Angust.
EVACUATION PROCEEDING.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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| Kokonor with bullion to buy produce, which | year, but which month it is that is to be begins to appear at the seaboard some twelve to | doubled is not stated yet. Some say the second. twenty months aftorwards. The questions to | It is unusual for a double month to occur two be solved are: Whose money is it?" On whom years running, and the fact is regarded as a dees the responsibility lie if it miscarries? One certain indication of trouble, the intercalary thing is pretty certain, if the ground is taken always betokening an uprising, that the money is that of the Chinese and these latter find no redress at the hands of their own folk, the trade of our port will receive a blow from which it will with difficulty recover.
THE PEIHO RIVER.
Gen Mei bas return'd to Tientsin, and it is stated that he has succeeded in dispersing the brigands in several districts, and has killed altogether several hundred rowdies.
In an. other place it will be observed we mention his defeat. Wo give both versions with impartiality, but one of them must be untrue, unless they refer to different periods of the gallant general's
Things political are moving in North China, but the motion is so slow that one has to take long intervals of time to detect it at all. The troops are steadily going away and the China Expeditionary Force is rapidly approximating to the size which will enable it to hold Tien- The Peiho river conservancy is now a going tsin, Shanhaikwan, and the lines of communi- concern, and the cessation of the rainy season cation with the Capital and Paotingfu, some in another two or three weeks will see the work 20,000 in all. Neither the Ministers nor the begun. At first the straightening of the chan-career. soldiers have given any heed to the rumours of nel will be taken in hand; this is to be done by the raids of Tung Fuhsiang along the Mongo-cuttings, a couple of miles of which in various lian frontier, and these rumours are now uni- localities will reduce the distance to Taku by versally regarded as canards,
or eight miles, by giving some of the acute bends a greater radius of curvaturo. | The bar will not be attacked at present, though there is no doubt that it is after all the supreme crux in the question of the navigation of the metropolitan stream: it will ultimately have to be undertaken by permanent dredging opera tions. In former years good bar meant bad river, and vice versa ; it is only in the past decade that both have gone wrong simultaneously.
THE COURT's return.
There is infinite talk of the return of the Court, and indeed the actual itinerary has been published and detailed orders issued to the local authorities with regard to the provision of boats and carts. The present scheme is that a start be made from Hsian about the 1st of September; the arrival in Honan will be sometime about the middle of the eighth moon; here the Autumn Festival will be observed. Boats will be taken at Weihwaefu, and the journey will thence be by water as far as Pechow in Shan- tung. From this place an overland journey is proposed as far Paotingfu, the Provincial capital of Chihli, when the final stage will be made by train. This is a deviation from the original plan, and has been made to secure the greater comfort of boat travel. Li Hung-chang already talks of going to Paotingfu in a few days; from which spot he will notify the Court that he has come to meet it, but it is anticipated that he will at once be commanded either to stay there or to return to Peking, as at his advanced age he must not undergo unnecessary fatigue.
'LI HUNG-CHANG.
I may add that Li is far from well, and is in au extremely irritable state of mind, as well as of bodily frailty. He is surrounded by myriads of spies who report and misreport his every action to the Palace canaille, and who are moving heaven and earth to displace him. The old satrap is in a peculiarly odious position, he may be acting with the most consummate wisdom or folly, but in any case he is bound to be made the scapegoat for every ill that has befallen or will befall his country. What with exacting opponents facing him and treacherous rivals behind him, it is no wonder that his temper as well as his health gives way. He sometimes rages and storms the whole day long and is a terror to everybody round him. His chief English interpreter for the moment is young Tseng, the son of the late Marquis and the grandson of the famous Tseng Kwo-fan. There is a good deal of the English school-boy imp about this clever youth, and Li not inaptly calls him the Shiau Kwei Tse (the Little Devil). I have some reason for supposing that the re- occupation of the Summer Palace by the British last week, a very unexpected and indeed sen- sational step, was the direct "reproof valiant" for a most discourteous, if not insulting, letter sant by the old man to Sir Earnest Satow. The Rajputs and the 11th Bittery had definitely left the Palica, and the Chinese had again in some fashion taken possession. True it was that the Chen Wang-fu in the City, to which the Gunners returned, had a good deal of water in its front compound or court, but this was no adequate reason for the prompt return of the Battery to the Wan Shou Shan, eleven miles away from the city.
Li takes no care to hide from his en- vironment his pro-Russian and anti-British sympathies, nor does he hesitate to give his reason, that we failed him in former emergencies.
LEGAL QUESTIONS,
❘
It is understood that the Crown Advocate, Mr. H. P. Wilkinson, is making rapid progress with the private claims in Peking, and that we are to have him in a week or two in Tientsin, The claimants who have been interviewed by the learned gentleman are said to be much impressed with his fairness and by the proce- dure In Tientsin he will have very dificult problems to solve. The trade system is peculiar; large sums are advanced to the compradores by the merchants: the former send men up into
seven
We have had the heaviest rains of five years, and indeed if we have any more we are pretty sure to be flooded. Happily or unhappily, it will not affect the trade for the sole reason that there is little trade to be affected.
DEPARTURE OF MR. PETHICK.
Mr. W. Pethick, the distinguished American sinologue who has for so many years been Li Hung-chang's foreign adviser and fidus Achates, is in a state of health far from reassuring to his many friends; he has had to leave the capital for Chefoo.
NORTHERN NOTES.
The following items are from the P. & T. Times of the 10th inst.:-
The Russians are reported to have built strong fortifications at Newchwang.
Capt. Denti though still carrying his arm in a sling, is going about apparently little the worse for his misadventure.
FOOCHOW
The following intems are from the Foochow Echo of the 17th inst:
Referring to the uneasiness shown by the Hongkong Telegraph's correspondent, who is so anzious to know if, whilst the French troops, &c., we are happy to afford him what we think a satisfactory answer. Under the supervision of Frenchmen, the Foochow Arsenal has never turned out ammunition, and even the small artillery-shop, which existed for a certain time past in that arsenal, was removed from there by the Chinese, more than two years ago, a very short time after Lord Beresford had paid his risit to the Vicoroy of Fakhien and advised him (as he had done the high Mandarins in the North) to establish an army for the protection of foreigners: an advice that was well listened to, as we all know. It may be that ammunition, guns, or something of the kind, have been made in China by foreigners, during these last two or three years: foreigners were freely permitted to do so, before the troubles in the North. But, as a mattor of fact, the thing did not take place in the Foochow Arsenal. Did it happen in the Shanghai Arsenal? It may be, but then the Hongkong Telegraph has been misin- formed the Shanghai "Arsenal is supervised by Britishers, not by Frenchmen.
Another typhoon was telegraphed from Hongkong as passing up east of Formoss on the 12th inst. The barometer fell 2/10ths during the night, and high squally winds with Prince Ching has sent for his family to re-heavy showers of rain supervoned. A rise in tarn to Peking from Hsian, and they are ex- the mercury early on the morning of the 13th pected to arrive in about a month's time.
gave us the assurance that possible trouble had Assurances come from Hsian to the effect passed by, nevertheless the gosty wind and that the tribute rice and military drill reforms heavy rain continued throughout the day and will be inaugurated immediately.
night. On the morning of the 14th the weather A petition signed by thirty-six conservatives has just been sent in to the Censor against Libegan to clear and has since been settled. Hung-chang for his pro-foreign proclivities.
News from Honan is to the effect that orop prospects are very encouraging there, though sickness from poor and scarce food is very general.
The general condition of the country in Houan is quiet, though a certain amount of highway robbery is experienced.
We are glad to learn that the local officials have paid up the London Mission claims in full at Chibhow aud Tsang-chow. The English Methodists at Laoling have also received an instalment.
According to the native papers the reason the British re-occupied the Summer Palace is because the British Minister made some extra demands of Li Hung-chang who declined them. Nothing like giving both sides of a picture,
Gen. Mei and Gen. Liu's men are reportel to have had several conflicts with the villagers in which they have not come off well. In one conflict, as they were getting the advantage, a mine exploded as the Imperial troops were advancing, and killed 150 of them.
On investigation we find the report of the Jo Je in reference to the intention of the P. G. to build a new bank is correct, and arrangements are now in progress_for a three-storied building near the Iron Bridge, and the Public Works Department may possibly have their offices adjacent.
The Je Je states that Russia endeavoured to get some other Power to assist her in the paci- fication of Manchuria, but this was refused on the ground that Manchuria not having been restored to Chins no other nation could interfere. The Russians are reported to have withdrawn from Fang-tien to Fung-cheng.
We learn from several quarters that another intercalary moon is expected to occur next
¦
We regret to learn that the wrecked Sobrion was unable to withstand the fury of the late storm. It is reported that she broke in half and sank in the deep water outside the ledge of rock on which she rested. Great as the dis- appointment must be to the syndicate interested, it is satisfactory to know that the value of the sundries salved is larger than the expenditure for cost and expenses incurred.
CORRESPONDENCE.
We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.]
MR. GILLIES AND HONGKONG AND WHAMPOA DOCK CO.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS,'
Hongkong, 16th August. SIR-I very meldom criticise, neither do I- ront my feelings in public papers, but circum. . stances compel me to come forward to agitate on a question which I am sure will be supported by many shareholders in the Hongkong and Whampoa Dook Co. I am led to understand that the services of Mr. D. Gillies are to be recognised on his retirement from the man- agersbip of the Dock Company in a very substantial manner by a monetary gift of a large sum of money.
On my part, neither of the shareholders has anything against the popular manager, who, I must saỹ, has done a great deal to bring the concern to its present state of phenomenal success, but the interest of the shareholders must be looked to, and I do not consider the directors will take moh steps as to part thɔ shareholders' money before actually calling a special meeting to discuss the subject.
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