L
November 2, 1903||
THE NINGHAI TROUBLES.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
315
by terminating the history of China | enemy of all Roman Catholics owing to the properly. Is the Colonial Office kept as a nation. Needless to insist, this fact that some three years ago he quarrelled | constantly aware of this? would be the greatest
It is well catastrophe with some converts in his own village, who known in the Colony that the detective possible for the peace of the East. got an order for his arrest. As this was The scramble for the fragments would be not carried out, the local priest brought at home? There should be no excuse for staff is lamentably inefficient. Is this known terrible, and if Buyone thinks that the influence to bear on the Chinese magistrate, ignorance in Downing Street, since the partition of Chiua could be final let him who then arrested WANG. He was rescued, authorities in Hongkong can certainly give read M. PIERRE EROY BEAULIEU's book however, by a mob, and the magistrate information, if they cannot stir the inert La Renovation de l'Asie. The French promptly resigned. His successor, taking ness of those at headquarters. It may writer there puts the case as admirably as a lesson from what hal happened, favoured often happen, as we believe it does inf it can be put. Dill his fellow countrymen the Romanists greatly, with the result that certain matters of police out here, that the only listen to him, one factor in the restless- converts increased very rapidly, and, as local Government is in accord with the Bess of Far Entern politics would be the Daily News correspondent puts it, general wishes, but, owing to the attitude removed. For the sake of the Powers, as the chapel became like a yamen. It is of the Colonial Office, is unable to act as well as of China Herself, it must earnestly alleged that the priest was not very it would desire. But surely in so grave a be hoped that China will contrive to hold discriminating, and his protection over his matter of the under-policing of the Colony together until such time as better and more converts was abused by the unscrupulous, a strong appeal from the Hongkong Govern enlightened rulers hay govern from Peking who used his influence for all that it was or whatever city may then be the head of worth.
ment could not be disregarded. It is useless In consequence, those who were the vast empire.
to argue that we may be involved in heavier not converts becanie very bitter, and the expenses if we are to be better guarded field for the ruffian WANG was fully pre- by the law. Hongkong is not excessively pared. Then the magistrate who had allowed taxed, and could not object to paying a the Roman Catholics and alleged Ro little more, if the reasonable safety of manists to have matters so much their person and property could be guaranteed. own way had to go to Hangchow to assist A sufficiently large detective and police unfortunate SIAO arrived to see a culmina proportion of petty crimes as well as at the provincial examinations, and the force would prevent the commission of a tion of the troubles, with the termination stated.
some of the more serious ones, and so would tend to check the now apparently The whole story illustrates A difficult problem in connection with misis plain that something must be done to nost unavoidable overcrowding of the Gaol. It sionary enterprise in China. Nothing but stop this overcrowding. To build a larger abstain altogether from any interference remedy, but it is better still to give less to missionaries to prison might suggest itself as an obvious in the secular affairs of their converts can opportunities for the semi-criminal classes do aught to check such incidents as that at to yield to temptation and develop into full- Ningbai. There is already, we are glad to blown criminis, to live in comparative Roman Catholics appear to lag behind. of Hongkong. see, a move in this direction, but the comfort, for the time being, at the expense Surely
We are compelled at pre doubtful of the unwisdom, the absolute very little apparent effect, to try to cure have left them sent, very much against our will, and with criminality, of encouraging converts to look the anti-social tendencies of some of the laws of China. to the priest as a helper in over-riding the most worthless characters from the mainland of South China. Yet there is still extant the rather antiquated saying about preven tion being better than cure. It looks also distinctly less expensive in the long run,
a
(Daily Press, 29th October.) A certain amount of discussion and cor-
respondence has appeared in the Shanghai papers lately, particularly in the North- China Daily News and L'Echo de Chine, with regard to troubles at Ninghai, Chekiang province Prominence was given to the affair by the killing of a Roman Catholic priest (We do not know what nationality) and the burning of a chapel by a mob under a certain WANG SIN-TONG, man who made himself notorious at Ninghai during the Buxer rebellion by his animosity towards converts. It seems that the Roman Catholics have in consequence demandel the execution of the Nicghai magistrate as being responsible for the crime; so, at least a correspondent of the Daily News says. But, as Mr. SIAO, the acting magistrate, has only recently take charge of the post, and has in other respects an excellant reputation, that correspondent makes
his a protest on behalf, and a writer on the Ronan Catholic side appears to bear witness to bis innocence, in letter addressed to the Daily News. The facts of the case, as far 23 we can gather them from the various accounts, are worth noting as an example of the difficulties attending missionary work in China.
This man WANG as we have said, made himself conspicuous in 1900 by pillaging and burning at Ninghai, though he did not actually cause the death of any missionary perhaps only because he did not come across
une.
a direct command
events cannot
THE POLICE AND CRIME.
BELLEVILLE BOILERS.
(Daily Press, 27th October.)
(Daily Press, 24th October.) The Police Court records of the past week or so have been marked by the number of sentences to the stocks, to such an extent indeed that the accommodation of this kind It is a little over a year ago since we were in the Colony was on oue day this week told that the Belleville boiler, up to then at the time. Mr. T. SERCOMBE SMITH, Our Navy, was gone for taxed beyond its capacity, as we recorded the principal boiler in use in His Majesty'
ever, the Boiler P. lice Magistrate, is taking a very strong Committee appointed by overumeut having line in this matter, and is evidently a condemned it utterly
We had been pre- thorough believer in this form of punish-pared for this by the constant reports of the ment. He stated at the Magistracy on breakdown of Belleville-engined vessels, and Thursday that offenders placed in the so when it was heard that the Belleville was stocks are now photographed while in that to be discarded no wonder could be felt humiliating position, and that in the event outside service and engineering circles at of their again appearing before a Magistrate the decision. According to the latest mail the photographs and a description of their papers, however, more surprising things misdeeds will be forwarded to their native might happen than a reconsideration of the vill liges. Now there are many who do not matter. It seems that oue of the factors believe in the efficacy of the stocks as a which have made this possible was the means of checking crime, and we cannot recent journey of two cruisers out to this ourselves feel entirely satisfied as to the station on trooping duties. Last spring we amount of the effect. But we must saw in Hougkong H.MS.S. Europa and recognise that Mr. SERCOMBE SMITH is Spartiate. It was little suspected by most making a conscientious endeavour to carry people in the Colony that there was any out his theories and to meet the excess of special sign ficance in their visit to us, apart petty criminality in the Colony, of which from their work as troopers.
It seems all here have had to complain so bitterly of that there was a good deal more. late. The subject is one to which we have now staterl that Rear-Admiral May, had to allude very frequently, not because Controller of the Navy, specially selected
For his outrageous conduct toward converts he was ebudemned to death; his sentence was commuted to imprisonment for life, but he was never arrested by the Chinese officials, and s0 continued his persecution of Christians until at last he put a climax on his misdeeds by this murder of a priest, the slaughter of at least one convert, and the pillage and destruction of native Christian houses. At the time, it appears, there were no soldiers in Ningliai and the inhabitants were inclined to aide with WANG. The magistrate SIAO has now put a price of $3,000 on his bead; and Governor NIE Has put another $2,000, beside telegraphing to Ningpo ordering the punishment of the mandarins, civil and military alike, for their want of diligence. It does not therefore seem that any we do not believe that the authorities are these two Belleville cruisers to send
lack of attention can justly be charged against the higher Chinese officials in con- nection with this affair, and we canuct believe that the head of the Acting Magis tra e SAO has been demanded. The arch- criminal WANG (who, by the way, was one of the literati class before he became a brigand leader) seems to have become an
It is
not striving hard to cope with the situation out to China and back, under war con- with the limited means at their command, ditions, an a really reliable test of the but because it seems to us that no sufficient capacities of the condemned boilers. The effort is being male to convince the result was that each of the two vessels Colonial Office people that these means steamed 25,000 miles and returned home are too limited. It has long been a | without ex aibiting any kind of defect. In most patent fact that the police force the case of the Spartiate, her boilers were is not large enough to perform its duties proved to be as good as new after her long
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