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ADMIRAL ALEXIEFF'S POSITION.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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THE SUPAO CASE.
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[September 7, 1963.
we
wrote, with an admiration which we can but share, of the outspoken courage mani- fested by the Canton native Press over the judicial murder of the reloriner and journalist SHEN. What fate Cau
imagine would await such writers if the Palace party's campaign against the Press and Reform generally were to receive the sanction of the Powers who are represented at Peking? With all its faults and in- temperances, the native Press help to form, as our correspondent says, a kind of public opinion as far as that is possible in China. No friend of China can hope for any regeneration for her except through the growth of public opinion, and it therefore most strongly behoves all Fowers which are sincerely interested in this regeneration of China to refuse to aid in the repression of freedom of thought and the perpetuation of the barbarous system now represented by the Empress Dowager and her friends.
H.E. THE GOVERNOR'S APPOINTMENT TO CEYLON.
(Daily Press, 2nd September.)
The announcement, which was first made in a concrete form yesterday, of the appoint ment of Sir HENRY A. BLAKE, our present
would be the most pleasant part of his task to pick a quarrel with Japan, we may (Daily Press) 29th August.)
accept as extremely probable. There are The appointment of Admiral ALEXIEFF many things in Russian eyes to be ga nod as Viceroy, with full powers, under the from such a quarrel at the present condition Supreme Council of the Russian Empire, is of affairs. Russia is sadly in want of some a fact which for good or ill cannot fail to cheap prestige. She is aware that the have important consequences, not only for i world at large is boking askance at her the cutside world but for Russia herself. as a ng'or-do-well amongst the nations; if We know of no equivalent to the appoint- I she could just mauage to get into sade ment in modern times; and its nearest little war, not too expensive, where she representative seems to be the satraps of might have Soule reasonable hope for the ancient Persian Empire, as founded by success, and could not
to badly DARIUS. We have before, on the 17th beaten, it would take men's minds off instant, alluded to the external aspects of their little troubles at home, and would the appointment; the internal, as indicative, afford a reasonable means of drafting a of the profound changes through which the goodly number of troublesome subjects to Russian Empire is passing, seem no less Siberia, whace of course they need never important and interesting. In remarking come. Now doubtless Admiral ALEXIEFF more than once recently on the curious is just the man to pick the quarrel, but he contrast between orders given at St. scarcely seems to be the man to pick it Petersburg and the acts of the Russian wisely; and in this lies the difficulty of agents in the Far East, we have more than the case. In any way the appointment of once pointed out the absence of any her Far Eastern satrap is not a subject on adequate power of control midway. Russia, which, whethe; as friends or possible we all know, feels noue too assured of her enemies, wear congratulie Russia, position in Central Asia, and doubtless' fears that at any moment her communica tions
may be cut in two; she has too often condoned the most glaring breaches of
(Daily Press, 1st September.) discipline to feel quite easy as to the
The difficulty over the Supno sedition case loyalty of her commanders; and now the at Shanghai has not yet been disposed of. As Governor, to the Governorship of Ceylon, same difficulty is staring her in the face at
our Stringhai contemporary the North-China which will be vacant on the departure for the extremity of the line. It has been. Daily News pointed out the other day, the home next month of Sir JOSEPH WEST evident during the whole of the recent accused cannot be kept in gol in Shanghai RIDGEWAY, does not come as a surprise, operations in Manchuria that not St. indefinitely. The Washington Government, since it is many months now since it was Petersburg, but the officer in command in the REUTER'S telegram of the 29th August freely suggested that Sir HENRY BLAKE eastern Province, has assumed full control of informs us, has now instructed its repre- would succed Ceylon's departing Gover Russia's foreign policy. This, as we have sentative at Peking to decline to surrender nor, provide that Sir J. WEST RIDGEWAY'S pointed out, while a menace to the world at them to China. Three weeks ago Sirterin were not prolonged. Enquiry at large, can by no means be looked upon as
ERNEST SATOW received instructions from ! Governmeat House yesterday with regard satisfactory to her statesmen at home, and the British Government to the same effect. to the report of the appointment only it may well be that the new step is taken There was no doubt, after Mr. BALFOUR's elicited the reply that "the Government has in the hope of getting rid of the anomaly. statemrut in the House of Commons, that no communication to make on the subject." If so, the step, judged from the experience the Shanghai pris mers wore safe from This was only to be expected. There are of history, is a particularly fatuous one. The being hand d over to the Chinese authori
formalities in connection with official news appointment of satraps, supposed to be ties to receive the same treatment as the which make it travel slow. Nevertheless responsible to the supreme power alone, has unfortunate SHEN at Peking. Nevertheless we may take it for granted that REUTER'S been the general forerunner of disaster in the action of the United States Government statement of Sir HENRY BLAKE's appoint- all Asiatic empires. For that reason it has is a welcome sending of Great Britain's ment is perfectly true. Ceylon is already never recommended itself to European decision.
The probable next step is, as the preparing for the departure of its present Powers, and there is no reason to believe Daily News stated last week, that the Governor, and we may assume therefore that with Russia it is anything other than prisoners will be tried again before the that Sir HENRY BLAKE will be called upon a confession of weakness. Menaced by Mixed Court at Shanghai in accordance with be take up his duties there very shortly. revolution at home, openly set at nought by the original agreement with the Tantai. As the Secretary of State for the Colonies her representatives abroad, the bureaucracy The previous trial should never have been pointed out in Parliament recently, Sir of Russia is in evil case, so perhaps it is not interrupted, as it was owing to the willing- HENRY's term does not expire until Noven- to be wondered at that it should eagerlyness of the majority of the Ministers at ber in next year. As a matter of fact His seize every nostrum that seemed to offer a
Excellency set foot on this island on the 25th temporary alleviation to the vexation under
November, 1898, and has therefore governed, which it suffers.
with the exception of such intervals as he has been absent on leave, for four years and nine months, and, should he leave us at the same time as Sir J. WEST RIDGEWAY leaves Ceylon, will almost have completed five- sixths of his full period. It would be premature yet to review the chief features of Sir HENRY BLAKE's eventful governorship here, which his seins muy changes and vicissitudes, and yet sich estant growth, in the Colony of Hongkong. This cin he more fitly done when it bec sines necesary to take final leave of His Excellency. In the meantime we bag to offer our cougra- tulations to him ou his new appointment. Though there is not very much pecuniary difference between the em lumant; of the two posts, it cannot be denied that from Hongkong to Ceylon is look doa in Colonial Office circles as a very high prom tion. More arduous, however, the positio at Colomb can hardly be considered. Ludes, we suid doubt whether a more difficult govern archip in many respets than that of Hagkong cau be found. It is calculated to try the abilities and tact of the strongest of offi cials. Much speculation will be rife as to
But if such be the view we must take of the appointment when contemplating it from a Russian standpoint, when we look at it from outside there are other langers even more imminent. Here we must look at the past career of Admiral ALEXIEFr, and the outlook is by no means reassuring. In fact, the new Viceroy has been distinguished principally by his capucity to do always the thing at any moment calculated to breed ill-feeling. His was the childish war about the railway-siding at Tientsin; his seens to have been the silly painting of the rolling, stock on the Chinese railway with Siberian colours; his too were the perpetual squabbles about trifles of every kind. Such conduct does not indicate a great administrator: yet if not as an administrator, of what possible utility to Russia can be his appointment 10 an important viceroyalty Even to pick a quarrel, the new Viceroy, whila quite capable of doing a wrong, has not the supreme art of doing it so as to seem in the right. That the Russian Gove.n- ment in selecting Admiral ALEXIEFF for the new post, did it in the hope that i
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Peking to oblige the Chinese Government. We gave yester lay the account of Dr. MORRISON, Peking correspondent of the Timex, of the at itude of the various Ministers
prisoners. over the question of surrendering the Supao The only correct position was taken up by the Italian Minster, the British attaché au Japanese Minister both being "obliged t> await further instructions. The Italian representative very correctly pointed out that the prisoners offence was political and that similar freedom of the Press had long been permitted in Shanghai, while it was impossible to over- look the spoutaneous un lert iking given by the Tautai and bin lover the men for the certain punishment without trial which would await then at th hints of the Chines: authorities. There is no need to palliate the offence of the Sapno prisoners, who were undoubtedly guilty of the use of what may be called criminally reckless language. But they were in an European settlement, and in plealing guilty did so "in the belief that they were to be tried and punished by the humane Mixed Court not with the barbarous cruelty of Chinese tribinals," as Dr. MORRISON puts it. Our Canton correspondent on the 28th ultimo
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