April 1, 1907.)
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. a memoir that confirms it most interestingly patient on the ple that the sight of it was
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particular in following the imperial in- His Japanese wife has written an account of i disagreeable to his ult a-sensitive nerves.structions in the Settlements. In the first his death, which arrived too late for insertion ¦ Mr. C'HURCHILL, is not devoid of a certain | place he is able to puse in the foreigners' in Mrs. WETMORE's Life of the author, and sort of moral courage and it certainly eyes as an advanced reformer who had is printed for the first time in the Atlantic required a courage of some sort to stand up evolved a higher civilisation himself than Monthly. This account, written apparently before the world and state that the Chinese they could boast of; and in the second it in such English as a lady with such a Government bad a determination to effect a gave him the opportunity of secretly under- history might write it, is, we hope, authentic. stupendous moral reformation in the mining the prestig: and authority of the It is so very pretty. When his culminating | condition of its people; but this is the hated Municipal Council pains were upon him he made prepara-sort of moral courage
by casting which We see
discredit on the institution they hal with tion for the benefit of his family, and said unfortunately practised almost daily by our so much trouble erected. As a fact, there to his wife: "Never weep if I die. Buy for forgers and perjurers, who in the hope of bas leen at no period since the establish- my coffin a little earthen pot of three or four gaining an immediate end are content to ment of the foreign Settlements any desiro cents worth; bury me in the yard of a run the risk of future exposure and punish. on the part of the Chine hierarchy to little temple in some lonesome quarter. rent. A lecture on the desire of the make them a su 'cess. The impossibility This sort of thing, seemingly, went en for Chinese bureaucratic body to effect the of having criminals punished in the native some days.
moral reformation of the people com. courts whose only offence had been against "It was a few days before his departare, mitte o its charge conies rather strangely the foreigner, his been from the first Osaki, a maid, found a blossom untimely bloom. at time when, hal it not been for notorious; ing in one of the branches of the cherry-tree the initiative of the foreign missionary ministers of the calibre of the late Sir and British officials and in the garden. Now the bloom was beautiful to element, no notice whatever would have THOMAS WADE permitted themselves to be look. But I felt all at once my bosom tremble for been taken of the present appalling famine cozened into the idea that at last they had some apprehension of evil, because the autimely bloom is considered in Japan as a bad omen.
in northern Kiangsu and elsewhere. | succceded in putting an end to the abuse. Anyhow, I told him of the blossom. He was Chinese official benevolence has a clever art Under the administration of men like interested, as usual, Hello! he said, and, im. of exercising itself by deputy, and of always | the late Lt KWENYI the institution worked mediately approaching to the railing, he looked contriving to end there, and to gentlemen without over much friction, but under his out at a blossom. 'Now my world has come-it of Mr. CHURCHILL's temperament, who are is warm like spring,' said he; then, after a
surcessors, who fell un ler the`iufluence of pause, but soon
it will become cold, and substitute the promise for the performance,
ever more ready to speak than to act, and the Young China party, all the old abuses that blossom will die away. This blossom was
were revived, and the institution rapidly apon the branch until the 27tb, when toward this style of benevolence afforde unmitigated became a means of screening the native the evening its petals scattered themselves lone glulness, We spoke of the Burlingame criminal from punishment. Very much somely. Vethought the cherry tree, which had, Mission because the promises then given to could not be done, it is true, as the appre- Hearn's warmest affection for these year, re.
the world are recorded in the annals of hension of the offender wis in the hands of sponded to his kindness and bade good-bye to history, but in a sanli way it is curious and the Municipal policy, who also took me isures instructive to notice that our neighbours in Shanghai are
that ones apprehended he was not permitted similar instance of depute i benevolence
suffering under the effects of a to escape from custody, This was the true teather, tells the proverb, best shows how | officials to get the control of the jails iuto A ground of the anxiety of the Chinese
the wind blows; and the instance is apropos | their own hands. Foolishly, the regulations the present posilugu.
Government sanctioned by a British Minister gave the its reforming mood announced tha magistrate power to inflict punishments it was desirons to assimilate the practice esen against the protest of the foreign assen- of the Law Comets Claim to those sor, and this was taken advantage of to of Europe; and as the legal punish make the punishments ridiculously light, ments in China were of
semibor- and out of all proportion to the gravity of barous description, and the actual punish the offence It the culprit by any amount tuents muflicted were actually far worse, of juggling could be got into the city even !{\r* ont its intention of abolishing the display of consistency was dropped, and such punishments as bambooing, and a few the culprit did not fail within a few days at more of
similar subordinate character. the most to regain his personal liberty node the worm for his momentary detention. Under these eiren ustances, the announce- meat of the intention of Peking, at the moment under the first glamour of “reform,” fall on the wireputlers of the M xe Court as the gentle dew fro în heu reu They coull now p’en › the or lers of P.king, which, they did wat ful ta impress ou the minds of the foreigi objectory had met with the high Approval of all their tvo umsats, and
him.
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On the "sad, last day," HEARN was early busy with pen and paper. Entering his workroom at 6.30 a.m, his wife found him
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"He seemed to be thinking over something. but upon my salutation he said his good. morning," and told me that he had an interesting dream last night, for We were accustomed to tell each other whe we had a pleasant dream. What was it? I asked. He said I had long distant journey. Here I am smoking now, you see, Is it real that I travelled or is it real that I am smoking 'The world of dream! Thus saying, he was pleased with himself."
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How the good wife gives the genius away. No man is a hero to his valet, they siy; and perhaps no phrase-maker is a mystery to his fortunately though it was very particular
wife.
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Thus saying, he was pleased with himself." One can see the poor fellow smacking his lips, so to speak, over the last conceit of his brain; the complacence of the craftsman over "the epithet_rare.” That the inspiration happened to be of somewhat humble sort did not matter; the machine W08 sadly worn, but it
354 still working. That is how
we-how his admirers will be glad to remember him. pleased with himself;" for it was on the same day, as his wife tells us, that
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he was no more the man of this side of the world. As if feeling uo pain at all, he had a little smile about his mouth."
CHINA'S BAD FAITH
(Daily Press, 29th March.)
to aunounce its intention in the foreign newspapers and native papers circulating m the open ports, it quite forgot to se any proclamation, which would comp·lobe. dience on the part of its own courts, Such things are perfectly well understood by the members of the bureacracy from one end of China to the other, and indes i form one of the most treasured machines for adding 1.
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ww the chuckle with which th: dos canfiture of the foreigner by his owa weaphs was witnessed by the native ra
getiuist,
perquisites of the official class, and through 竭 of the central Governme if itself. The official læses has never looked ¦ with jealousy on tue foreign Settlements as on every! ang foreign, and all the more Now --veryone except those who are wil. because the foreign ides of a court, that it fully blind can we that with ragind to the ¦ is essentially an institution for the impart al | Opium tra le exactly the same game, auls administrativit of pastice, finds no echo in On M larger scale, is being played. Ít
Court
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the Chinese officiat mind In fact, as the
Dever was a merit, even at the time, to thi me foreigner
小 ces his best to do away with the } who were ab'e to take a weler view of affairs, Speaking of the professed intention of the | system ..f sals which
the that the tru objection at the beginning to Government of China to abolish the traffic i admistration of justice in every Chinese ¦ the import of Opium, even by thos» Chinese in opium, Mr. WINSTON CHURCHILL in the
m the empire, he has become the ↑ statesme i who were really con«cientious la House of Commons was even more unhappy | natural enemy of the Chinese Official; and ¦ their oppontion, was financial they thought than usual. Mr. Churchill, is, of course, this latter thinks everything fair play by that it wack pity for China that so much too young to remember the Burlingame which he can in any manner circumvent ready money (for in thɲss days opium had Mission, and the promises of *moral | him. The Imperial order to do away with, always to be paid for by money down) reformation" which preceeded and accom corporal punishment in the administration should leave the country actually without panied that clever travesty; and we are of the courts has come in particularly willing to allow that the history of our then | handy for this purpose The offinal's own negotiations with China is not interesting, respect for the Imperial or lers is shown in reading. Still, history bas its disagreeable the fact that in every yamen in the em, ire pages, as surgery has its disagreeable | corporal punishinent< aud torturing of operations, and he would be but a short- prisoners and witnesses goes 01 as usual, sighted philanthropist who would, in his and the Government at Peking does n dsire to avoid the unpleasant, forbid au make the slightest remoustrauce. H operation necessary for the recovery of a however, has a double aim iu vi w in long
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With most of the officials, who were themselves in fact th· princip | deniers in the drug, the implaints against the inı. port were merely mule with the object of creating an artificial acarcity. [[ by a cebosp profesion of high witives, un scompanied by acts, the Chinese officials could so play the feelings of the tanocent (reiguer that he would stand by appro-ingly while
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