182
THE CHUCHOU MASSACRE.
yamen.
Superfluous lags the veteran on the stage.
to avert the crimes and disasters that
followed the outbreak. Even now, in his capacity of Peace Plenipotentiorry he does nothing to conciliate the foreigners, but still endeavours to work on the old principles of delay and obstruction. It might have been thought that with his long experience of Western ways, he would have sought to bring about a better understanding and to better relations between the Chinese do what was possible to smooth the way
Government and foreigners. On the contrary, he seems to take a pleasure in raising obstructions to British demands. Happily the conduct of affairs is not wholly in his hands, as it was virtually when he was sented so securely in the Viceregal yamen at Tientsin. Sir ERNEST SATOW can and
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[August 31, 1901.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
́t; he is also losing his influence with his | themselves not to seek exclusive advantages vn Government, who have ceased to in Yunnan. Up to this time, therefore, (Daily Tress, 26th August.)
gard him as an unfailing staff to lean Great Britain certainly stood no inferior Better, perhaps, late than never! It pon in negotiating with foreign states. comparatively to any Power. Recent events, satisfactory to learn, through the medium It is high time that some new exponent of however, have distracted all attention at of the Times correspondent, that the British Chinese policy came to the .ront. Lihome from Yunnan, while in France on the Minister at Peking has notified the Chinese HUNG-CHANG is utterly discredited in British other hand M. DOUMER bas skilfully worked Peace Commissioners, Prince CHING and eyes-und those of many other Treaty up an enthusiasm for his favourite scheme LI HUNG-CHANG, that unless the authors Powers-for his perfidy, his corruption, and which in his own Indo-China he has of the Chuchou Massacre are puuished his prejudices, while he has loug ceased to failed to arouse. We have spoken before forthwith, Great Britain will have to recon.represent the mass of bis countrymen, who now of a certain dream of French poli- sider the arrangement for the withdrawal of are distinctly opposed to the Muscovite ticians of the most advancedly expan- the British troops from the capital. It will alliance. In the case of Lt more than of sionist type to erect a Franco-Russian be remembered that during the Boxer out-
most Ministers, it may be said
barrier stretching from Siberia, via Tibet, break the only serious trage perpetrated in
to Indo-China, whereby Great Britain might mid-China was at Chuchou, in the province He has outlived his usefulness because he be for ever cut off from the Yangtsze of Chekiang, the Taotai of Chuchou, PAO has lost his influence. He failed miserably Valley on the land side. The Times corres HO-NIEN, who was directly responsible for to conduct the quarrel with Japan to a suc-pondent, writing on this subject says: the atrocity, having had Mr. D. B. cessful end, and after a succession of igno
"That the Yunnan railway scheme should minious defeats, for which his own corrupt TEOMPSON roughly thrust from his
"be hotly pressed immediately upon the when he applied to him for assistance. The methods were mainly responsible, he had to
* return of M. DELCASSE from St. Peters- result, as our readers will remember, was the conclude a peace most humiliating to China.
"burg may be merely fortuitous, though it savage murder of Mr. and Mrs. THOMPSON
When the Boxer troubles arose, and the "has not been so regarded abroad. Thus and their two children, Mr. and Mrs. G. T. officials, following the lead of Prince TUAN a South-German paper quoted in The and TUNG FURSLANG, encouraged them until WARD and one child, Miss SHERWOOD,
Times has suggested that when France Miss M. MANCHESTER, Miss J. C. DESMOND, the smouldering embers burst into a flame
'has secured a firm footing in Yunnan and and M... THIRGOOD, all of the China Inland that brought all the Western Powers in Russin in Tibet, the Franco-Russian Mission, under circumstances of such shock. combination against a treacherous oriental
chain will extend from the Baltic Sea to ing brutality as would have roused the Government, Li HUNG-CHANG was either
the Gulf of Tonkin, and it will be whole British nation but for the fact that powerless to stem the tide or preferred to possible for the two allies to prevent trade the other frightful massacres in North float with it. In any case he did nothing "between China and the British possessions China had so fully monopolised attention
"in Asia. It will also enable them to com- and scarcely left room for further horror
"bine in any eventual operations either to and indignation. It was on this account,
the north against China or to the south probably, and from the comparative distance
‘against India.' Now whoever refers to of this scene from the centre of outrage in the
large maps, and especially to geological North, that great delay ensued in the efforts
maps, of the region between Russian to secure the execution of justice on the
"Central Asia and Tonkin, will perceive authors of this infainous crime. The Thotai
"that the junction of Russia and France PAO, though at length arrested, was allowed
across a table-land, varying in altitude to travel to Hangchow in state, with a guard
for nearly 1,000 miles, is hardly within the from 6,000ft. to 16,000ft. and stretching of soldiers, every comfort being supplied to him en route. He no doubt considered that
range of practical politics, even if we he was only carrying out the decrees of the
assume that the English in India would Government in ordering the "painful exter-
“remain inactive while this great movement mination" of the foreigners, and great efforts
proceeded. M. DOUMER himself, of were made by the Government to shield
course, has declared that he only aims at him, which have so far been successful.
the pacific conquest of Yunnan. But, No doubt it was at the time of the occur-
as the Times correspondent points out, a rence inconvenient to press for the punish
railway may incidentally produce political ment of the Chuchou criminals, for every
consequences. The mere construction and effort was then being concentrated on the
working of the line may entail disturbances; relief of the Legations at Peking and the
friction with China in Yunnan or elsewhere dispersal of the Boxers and Imperial troops
may lead to military operations, which the in Chibli, Shantung, and Manchuria. It was
railway would facilitate; military operations also desirable to localise the area of distur-
may. if successful, end in a permanent bance and to secure the neutrality and good-
occupation of the province. These possible will of the officials and people of mid-China.
An able article contributed by a correspon results, it will readily be understood, are of Hence presumably the delay in seekingatone-dent to the Times of the 22nd ult. discusses moment, not only to China, but to England meut for this great and unpardonable erime. the subject of the forthcoming French and her Indian Empire. Now that matters have been to some extent railway into Yunnan, and we trust that it straig tened out in the North, however, the will receive the attention which it deserves British Government have turned their atten- at home. The writer notes with surprise tion to the Chuchou item in the Chinese the slight cominent occasioned in England butchers' bill. Sir ERNEST SATOW has by the swift passage of the Yunnan Railway evidently received instructions to exact full Bill through the French Chamber and reparation for this dastardly massacre, in- Senate. The resources and communications cluding the punishment of the instigators of Yunnan, as he says, were a few years ago and officials responsible for it. This is eagerly debated. British enterprise was satisfactory, and we hope that the British well to the front there when the Blackburn Minister will continue to receive the utmost Chamber of Commerce despatched a com- support from the Foreign Office in pressing mercial mission under Mr. Consul BOURNE, about the time when a still more important Meantime there is every reason to expect expedition in quest of trade was sent from that LI HUNG-CHANG will oppose this Lyons under M. BRENIER. The British demand with every artifice he can muster. Government secured the opening of Wuchow It is well known that his Auglophobe ten- and Nanning as treaty-ports on the West dencies have been confirmed, rather thau River, and British Consuls were for the weakened, by his passages at arms with Sir first time appointed to towns in that pro- ERNEST SATOW, who, like his predecessor vince. The extension of the Burma railway Sir CLAUDE MACDONALD, finds the wily Lisystem to the frontier at Kunlon Ferry on eager to thwart him in every direction. the Salween was undertaken, and British | hinterland of Burma and French Indo- Relations between the ex-viceroy and the engineers were sent to survey the region China, and that its appropriation by British Representatives have now been of a between Burma and the Yangtaze. Finally France cannot be tolerated."By the declara- very strained description for some years, the English and French, in settling their | tion of the 15th January, 1896, the English ever since, in fact, La's visit to Russia. differences about Siam, introduced clauses and French Governments agreed that all But the veteran mandarin is not only failing into the agreement by which they bound privileges and advantages" conceded in
its dcm inds.
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will, if necessary, back up his demands by a display of force, the only argument, un- fortunately, which never loses its virtue in
China.
FRENCE AND YUNNAN,
(Daily Press, 28th August.)
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We publish in another column some interesting extracts from notes by Captain FERNAND BERNARD on the prospects of the Yunnan railway. The Captain, it will be seen, is no optimist about profits from the milway in the near future, but he holds, like many of his countrymen, who, though not sharing the enthusiasm of M. DOUMER, have given their adhesion to the scheme, that the security of French Indo-China demands that France should not let another
European Power settle boldly on the high table-lands close to Tonkin. It is hardly necessary to point out that no European Power intends so to settle. The only aspira- tions to suzerainty over Yunnan have been expressed by French writers. A section of the French colonial party is more outspoken than M. DouxER. It is therefore necessary to insist, as the writer in the Times says, upon the fact that Yunnan is the common
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