"February 24, 1902.)
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
1
131
It has
Utrecht, which after the lapse of two with the great cities of the American troubles. Baron voN RICHTHOFEN's re- hundred years is still felt as a living power. coasts; as it is, except as a station for half | mark that the German Government, while Long and carefully Russia has been disciplined troops, its population aud re- preserving the country's position in Shang- preparing for the realisation of her will- sources are beneath those of many a rural hai, would consider as far as possible the o'-the-wisp of Universal Dominion, a vision parish in England or the United States. financial resources of the Empire, is signi- that haunted the waking hours of that Such a nation as Russia is formidable as ficant. The maintenance of an nonecessary greatest of the Greeks, the gifted long as she is advancing, but when once garrison is not a wise step for a nation ALEXANDER. Already in 1703, the Great brought to a stand her innate weakness which has not money to throw away. The Tsar, PETER, 'had laid the foundations of becomes conspicuous. Fortunately for the best thing for Shanghai would be for all the empire with those of his imperial city at world, if Japan finds it difficult to try con- Powers to agree that such an expense is S. Petersburg, and the heritage that PETER clusions with Russia, Russia is in the inadvisable and so withdraw their con left has been religiously pursued by his ridiculous position of being unable to strike tingts.en descendants' ever since. Had Russia Japan; man for man, the Japanese with his founded her ends on the lines laid down by perhaps exaggerated patriotism is more (Daily Press, 22nd February.) her great emperor, and sought her great- than a match for the Russian without a Following on the announcement, which we ness in the extension of civilisation and pretence of feeling of any sort; and mentioned yesterday, of Germany's deter the increase of human happiness she Russia dare not utilise, except to coerce bermination to maintain a battalion of her might have stood first in the affections own subjects, the enormous number of men troops permanently at Shanghai, we now of the human race, ns well as in the she has under arms. France has long since learn, on the authority of the Tientsin superficial area of her possessions. Un-censed to be formidabe as a fighting correspondent of the Shanghai Times, that fortunately she has betrayed her great factor, so that for aggressive purposes, the opposition to the reduction of the inter- trust, and lowered her aims to the level except against a nation like China, national garrison at present stationed in of those great devastators of humanity, Russia has few terrors. The difficulty is Tientsin comes solely from the German whose ambition had no higher aim than not to beat Russia, but to get at her to military commander. The Chinese Govern the removal of the ancient landmarks of beat, and if the recent agreement affords ment, as is well known, has for some weeks nations. Never assimilating the principles any opportunity of doing so, it will been pressing the Powers to withdraw of the higher civilisation, and herself rotten have removed one of the great elements considerable portion, if not all, of their at the core, she has sought to utilise the of disorder. Germany of course will try to troops now in Tientsin and to hand back discontent of her people in affording a motive take advantage of the situation by pretend- the administration of the native city into power to her ever-rolling wheel of conquest.ing to back the party she considers Chinese hands. The Powers have shown For a century and a half the people with momentarily weakest, but to carry out such no anxiety to abolish the Provisional whom she came in contact were a policy successfully requires the skill of a Government, which has undoubtedly done. for the most part on as low, or lower, a BISMARK, and the present Imperial Chau- much for the betterment of Tientsin and scale as herself. When, however, she cellor is at best but a pinchbeck imitation promises still more in the future. thought to extend her arms into the regions of the statesman who conducted her with been generally felt that a prolongation of formerly rendered resplendent by the civil-safety through the crisis of 1870. isations of the elder world, Europe woke up from her dreams of security to the new danger. With characteristic selfishness Germany, who was the most deeply in- terested from her position in holding in check these aspirations of her neighbour, preferred an ignoble ease, and left it to the western Powers to curb the increasing in- stincts of conquest. The struggle was a fierce one, but fortunately resulted in rolling back the progress of barbarism, and for half a century leaving Europe to follow out peacefully her projects of amelioration. But Russia changed merely te venu e, not the object of her vaulting ambition, which was at bottom merely the old lust of conquest for its own sake. The old disease broke out afresh, but this time in the principalities of Khiva and Bokhara. Here Europe looked on almost approvingly, as Khiva had been the headquarters of the Asiatic trade in slaves, and it might fairly bo anticipated that even under Russia things could be no worse, and that they might fairly be expected to be better. The raiding Turkomans were indeed out- raided, and slaughter substituted for robbery, but the Khanates remain as closed to civilisation as in the days of CONNELLY and Stoddard, and it is doubtful if the populations of Khiva, Bokhara, Samarkand and Knokand are in any better condition than they were before the advent of Russian arms. But ambition feeds on itself, and ever widens its circle as it advances, till like a bubble it bursts and vanishes; and Russia without waiting to assimilate its inglorious conquests still thirsted for The story of her acquisition of
14
GERMANY AT SHANGHAI AND TIENTSIN,
*
on
the rule of the Provisional Government over the native city is likely to be to the advantage of natives and foreigners alike. But with regard to the international troops now in Tientsin the Powers in general have recognised that the number of men at pre- sent in garrison is excessive, and while it injuries China's feelings serves no useful end for foreigners. Hence the request of China that a reduction in the garrison should be made seemed likely to meet with no objection. Now, however, we learn that the German Major-General in command at Tientsin has declined " any consideration to withdraw his men. Presuming the accuracy of the Shanghai Times correspondent's despatch, we must suppose that Major-General VON ROHR- SCHEIDT has acted under instructions from home. In that case we can only see that the action of Germany in Tientsin is in keeping with her action in Shanghai. In neither case does there appear the slightest reason for the German line of conduct, which serves merely to embarrass the other Powers without profiting Germay, at all. The effect on China is likely to be, one of needless irritation, and the other nations will have to spend money on maintaining useless forces in distant stations. "When we consider Baron VON RICHTHOVEN'S, allu- sion to the financial resources of Germany,
(Daily Press, February 21st.) The statement in the Reichstag of the German Minister of Foreign Affairs that a German battalion would still be required at Shanghai owing to the importance of this point d'appui to Germany, in the absence of a nearer base," will hardly be received with gratification either in Shanghai or in other Far Eastern ports, except by the ultra- imperialists among the Germans themselves. The foreign troops were sent to Shanghai in 1900 ostensibly to defend the Settlements ngainst the possibility of a Chinese attack, Judged now in cold blood from the actual facts, this possibility seems to have been always very slight, and Shanghai has no reason to be proud of its panic two years ago. Unfortunately for our Northern neighbour Nemesis has overtaken it in the shape of its apparently perpetual condem- nation to the lot of an international garrison town-which, as has been only too obvious of late in China, is an unenviable fate. Germany has decided, according to Baron VON RICHTHOFEN, that she must maintain a battalion of troops there. Naturally Eng: land, France, and Japan will be obliged to follow suit, unless they wish Germany to usurp a false position in Shanghai, to which nothing in the past has given her the slightest claim. may possibly also find it incumbent on them to assert their importance by main. taining a battalion in the unfortunate port. The result will no doubt be a large increase easteru Manchuria, now known
career :-, as the in the difficulties of policing Shanghai: Primorsk province, if an indication of the There has been at no time within recent " smartness of Russian diplomatists in years any reason for the presence of a large Eastern Asia, is only noteworthy as opening uropean or other foreign military force up a new field for the old ambition. Un in Shanghai, and Germany's action in keep- fortunately European opinion was not yet ing a battalion there is to be deplored. awake to the capabilities of the territory It would be interesting to know how the thus acquired, and one of the richest coun-point d'appui is to be utilised. Without tries on the face of the earth was permitted the help of a powerful German squadron to fall into the hands of the least progressive in Chinese waters it is impossible to con- of nations. Under other conditions Vladi-ceive what end an isolated battalion in vostock would by this time have ranked Shanghai can serve in event of international'
more.
Other Powers
we cannot but wonder at German aétion with regard to Shanghai and Tientsin.
The Naval and Military Record of the 16th ult. publishes a portrait of Mr. Basil J. D.. Guy, midshipman of H.M.S. Barfleur, who won the V.C. at Tientsin on the 13th July, 1900. Our contemporary in a short biography gives the following interesting detail of Mr. Gay's
-At the beginning of his final examina- tion [on the Britannia] he broke his right wrist, whilst competing in the high jump, He was which hampered him considerably. not allowed an amanuensis, and had to write his papers in hospital with his left band, being permitted unlimited time, a by no means nn- equivocal gain in such a case, as the effort of writing for the first time with the left hand was tiring in the extreme, and the length of lime required very exhausting and discouraging In spite of the decided "handicap be gulned six months' sen time.
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