■ss Ss^^tei Cornell University Library JV 241.S64 1900 European settlements in the far east :Ch 3 1924 023 541 604 Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023541604 EUROPEAN SETTLEMENTS IN THE FAR EAST European Settlements IN THE Far East CHINA, JAPAN, COREA, INDO-CHINA, STRAITS SETTLEMENTS, MALAY STATES, SIAM, NETHERLANDS, INDIA, BORNEO, THE PHILIPPINES, ETC. "B.Y/. S. WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 153-157 FIFTH AVENUE 1900 E„V' PREFATORY NOTE The frequent occurrence in the Press, on both sides of the Atlantic, of the phrases " Spheres of Influence " and " The Open Door ; " the great prominence given to the Far East, both politically and commercially, and the important part it seems destined to play in European politics in the near future, lead the com- piler to believe that this brief account of the European Settlements in the Ear East will not be without interest to the political student, the merchant, and the public generally. It is also hoped that it will be of value to the ever- increasing army of travellers as a guide-book to many places which, although they lie out of the ordinary route, will well repay a visit. D. W. S. Hong Kong, AprU, 1900. CONTENTS FAGB EASTERN SIBERIA 1 Vladivostook 3 NiOOLAJEWSK 5 JAPAN 7 Tokyo 21 Yokohama 25 Hakodate 28 Osaka 29 Kobe-Hto8o 30 Nagasaki , . 33 Formosa 35 TAMsm ASD Eelunq 38 Taikan-pu, Takow, and Anpino 39 COREA 41 Seool 46 Ohemtjipo 48 WoNSAN (Gensan or Ydensan) 49 PrsAN 51 MoKPO 52 Chutnampo 52 PnjGTANS 53 KuNSAN . 53 Sons Obdt 54 CHINA 57 via CONTENTS PAGE PEKma 71 Tientsin 74 Takc ... 78 Pei-tai-ho 79 NEwoHWAua 82 Talienwan 83 POBT Abthde 83 Ohetoo 84 Wei-hai-wei 86 KiAocHAtr 87 Shanghai 88 SoooHOW 126 Chinkiang 128 Nanking 129 WuHU 131 Kewkiang 133 Hankow 134 YooHow 136 Shasi 139 ICHANG 140 Chtngeing 141 Hanoohow .... 143 Ningpo 145 W^NOHOW 147 Santu (PuNiNa-nj) 148 FoooHow 149 Amot 152 SWATOW 154 Canton 156 Whampoa 160 Chinese Kowloon New Customs 161 Lappa 161 CONTENTS IX PAGE Saubhui 162 Wdchow-pu 162 kwangchattwan 166 Pakhoi 167 Homow (in Hainan) 168 Ltjngcho-w .170 MfiNQTSZ 171 HoKOW 172 SZEMAO ... 173 HONGKONG . . 175 MACAO 213 INDO-CHINA 219 Tonkin 224 Hanoi 225 Haiphong 226 Annam 228 Hde 228 Pbovinces de l' Annam: TOUBANE 229 QUINHON 231 CoCHDf-CHINA . 231 Saigon 234 Cholon 235 Cambodia 236 SIAM 239 Bangkok » 243 STEAITS SETTLEMENTS 247 SiNGAPOBE 250 Malacca .... 259 Penang . 261 JofloEE 285 Federated Malay States 267 X CONTENTS PAGE Pahans 267 The Neoei Sembilan 269 Selanqor 270 Pbkak 273 NETHERLANDS INDIA 277 Batatia 290 buiteitzobo 292 soebabaia 293 Sbmabano 294 Padano 294 Maoasbeb 295 The East Coast of Stimatba 295 THE PHILIPPINES 299 Manila 307 Iloilo 311 Oebu 313 BORNEO Sir Sabawak 318 Beitish North Boeneo 319 Labuan r ■ ■ 322 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS TO FACE FAQS Shanghai Frontispieee Tokyo 16 Tokyo. Uybno Park ... 22 Yokohama . . 24 Yokohama 26 Hakodate 28 Osaka 30 Kobe. The Bttnd .... 32 Nagasaki Hakboue . . . 34 Peking 72 Tientsin . . 74 KlAOCHATJ 88 Shanghai. The Bund .... ... ... 104 Hankow 134 Hangohow ... ... 144 FoooHow ... 150 Amoy. Kulangsu 152 SWATOW 154 Canton. Flower Boats 156 Mabble Bock. West Eitee 156 Hongkong (Cbntbal) 178 Hongkong. Kowloon Peninsula 192 Hongkong Hakboce 192 Maoao 216 Xll LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Hanoi Haiphong SiNGApoKB. The Esplanade Singapore. Johnson's Pier Malacca ...... JOEORE Penans . .y Labvan . . .... Thaipbng Batavia Chief Street in Semarang Manila Iloilo Cebu ; PAGE 226 226 250 256 260 260 264 276 276 290 294 308 312 312 Map illustrating "European Settlements in the Fab East" EASTEEN SIBEKIA EASTEEN SIBEEIA VLADIVOSTOCK This port, on some charts still called Port May, lies in latitude 43 deg. 7 min. N., and longitude 131 deg. 54 min. E., at the southern end of a long peninsula reaching into Peter the Great Bay. Of the ports in East Siberia it is by far the most important, both as a military and commercial centre. It is a free port except that duties have to be paid on the following articles : — Alcoholic liquors, tobacco, matches, kerosine oil, var- nishes, sugar, leaf tea, and sweetmeats. Vladivostoek is one of the most magnificent harbours in the East. From its peculiar long and narrow shape, and the once supposed hidden treasures in the slightly auriferous soU of its surrounding hUls, it has not inappropriately been called the Golden Horn. The entrances to the harbour are hidden by Dundas Island, which divides the fairway into two narrow passages. This fine sheet of water first runs for about half a mile in a northern direction, and then suddenly bends to the east for a distance of about one mile.- On aU sides it is sur- rounded by hills, low on the southern and higher on the northern shore, and which slope sharply down to the water's edge. These hills, once verdant with foliage, have been completely denuded of trees by reckless B 2 4 EASTERN SIBERIA felling. The harbour, capable of accommodating an almost Tinlimited number of vessels of deep draught and large capacity, affords a safe anchorage. It is usually icebound in January and February, but steamers can almost always find their way in with the assistance of an ice-breaker. There is a floating dock capable of taking in vessels up to 3000 tons, and a fine graving dock was opened on the 13th October, 1897. The dimensions of this new dock are : — Length over all, 625 feet; length at bottom, 555 feet; breadth, 120 feet ; breadth at entrance, 90 feet ; depth, 30 feet. The port, the chief naval station of Eussia on the Pacific, is commanded by an Admiral appointed from home, and there is also a military Governor, residing at Vladivostock, who is in command of the forces spread over the South Ussuri district. The municipal affairs of the town are managed by a Mayor and Town Council elected by and from among the Eussian civil com- munity. The town is built on the southern slope of the hills running along the northern shore of the harbour, and handsome brick residences have been erected in recent years, replacing the older wooden structures. The entire area, with the exception of some unoccupied lots intervening here and there, is covered by buildings ; and the town is well laid out with wide but ill-kept roads. The sanitary arrange- ments are bad, though the town is fairly healthy. Most conspicuous among the buildings are the Govern- ment of&ces, the barracks, the railway station, the museum, the Eussian church, the Governor's residence and that of the Admiral commanding, which is sur- rounded by a Public Garden, while the houses of the more affluent merchants are well and substantially built. In the Public Garden the naval band plays twice a week during the summer. There is a Naval Club, to which civilians are admitted as non-voting members, two or three hotels, a gymnasium or school for boys, an institute for girls, and military and naval hospitals. The town has a population of about 30,000, NICOLAJEWSK 5 most of whom are of European extraction. The retail trade is principally in the hands of Germans and Chinese, and the port is one of importance, British, German, and Japanese steamers doing most of the carrying trade, and the port is the termimis of the Eussian Volunteer Fleet. A large garrison is main- tained, and the total number of troops in Vladivostock and the neighbourhood is believed to amount to not much less than 100,000, but exact figures are not obtainable. In June, 1891, the Czarewitch cut the first sod of the Vladivostock section of the Siberian Eailway, vrhich is now approaching completion. The railway extends to a distance of about 250 miles, the accommodation and service are very good, and the fares very reasonable. NICOLAJEWSK The port and settlement of Nicolajewsk, founded in 1851 by Admiral Nevelskoi, is situated on the river Amur, about 29 miles from its mouth. The Amur is here about nine miles in width, with a depth in mid- stream of eight to nine fathoms and a current of three to four knots, though the river is very shallow in parts, even in mid-stream. It is navigable for vessels of light draught for more than 2000 miles, and vessels of 12 feet draught can get up 600 miles. The town is built on a plateau 50 feet above the sea level, and gradually slopes down to the river to the eastward. The most conspicuous edifice is the Cathedral, round which the town is buUt. This structure is imposing in appearance, with a large west tower, having belfry and dome, but it is built of wood and is already showing signs of deterioration. At the back of the Cathedral is a large grass-grown square, two sides of which are occupied by Barracks, Governor's House, and Police Station. There are few substantial houses in the town, 6 EASTERN SIBERIA except those used as public buildings or stores, and the buildings are small and wholly buUt of wood. There is little trade except in fish, quantities of salmon being dried and cured here. Since the naval and military headquarters were transferred to Vladivostock the place has declined in importance. JAPAN JAPAN Constitution and Goveenment. The government of the Japanese Empire was formerly that of an absolute monarchy. In the year 1868 the now ruling sovereign overthrew, after a short war, the power of the Shogun, together with that of the Daimios, or feudal nobles, who, on the 25th June, 1869, resigned their lands, revenues, and retainers to the Mikado, by whom they were permitted to retain one-tenth of their original incomes, but ordered to reside in the capital in future. The sovereign bears the name of Emperor ; but the appellation by which he is generally known in foreign countries is the ancient title of Mikado. Mutsu-hito, the reigning monarch, was born at Kyoto, on November 3rd, 1852 ; succeeded his father, Komei Tenno, 1867 ; married December 28th, 1868, to Princess Haru-ko, born April I7th, 1850, daughter of Prince Itchijo. The reigning Emperor is the 121st of an unbroken dynasty, which was founded 660 B.C. By the ancient and regular law of succession the crown devolves upon the eldest son, and, failing male issue, upon the eldest daughter of the sovereign. This law has often been disregarded in consequence of the partiality of the monarch or the ambition of powerful ministers, which was one of the principal causes that culminated in the dual system of government in Japan. The throne has frequently been occupied by a female. A new law of succession was promulgated in February. 1889, which excludes females from the Imperial throne. lO JAPAN The power of the Mikado was formerly absolute, but its exercise was controlled to some extent by custom and public opinion. His Majesty, in 1875, when the Senate and Supreme Judicial Tribunal were founded, solemnly declared his earnest desire to have a constitu- tional system of government. The Mikado has long been regarded as the spiritual as well as the temporal head of the Empire, but although the Shinto faith is held to be a form of national religion, the Emperor does not interfere in religious matters, and all religions are tolerated in Japan. The Ecclesiastical Department was, in 1877, reduced to a simple bureau under the control of the Minister of the Interior. The Mikado acts through an Executive Ministry divided into nine departments, namely : — Gwaimu Sho (Foreign Affairs), Naimu Sho (Interior), Okura Sho (Finance), Kaigun Sho (Navy), Eikugun Sho (Army), Shiho Sho (Justice), Mombu Sho (Education), Noshomu Sho (Agriculture and Commerce), and Teishin Sho (Communications). In 1888 a Privy Council, modelled on that of Great Britain, was constituted. The new Constitution, promised by the Mikado in 1881, was proclaimed on the 11th February, 1889, and in July, 1890, the first Parliament was elected and met on the 29th November. The Parliamentary system is bicameral, the House of Peers and the House of Eepresentatives constituting the Imperial Diet. The Upper House is partly elective, partly hereditary, and partly nominated. The Lower House consists of 300 members, to be elected by ballot, and its duration is fixed at four years, but in case of necessity the term may be prolonged. The Emperor nominates the Ministers forming the Cabinet, and there is no recognition of the responsibility of the Cabinet to the Diet. The Empire is divided for administrative purposes into three Fii, or cities (Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka), and forty-three Ken, or prefectures, including the Loochoo Islands, which have been converted into a ken and named Okinawa. The island of Yezo is under a JAPAN 1 1 separate administration called Hokkaido-cho, and For- mosa is governed as a colony. These fu and ken are governed by prefects, who are all of equal rank, are under control of the Naimu Sho, and have limited powers, being required to submit every matter, unless there is a precedent for it, to the Minister of the Interior. Nor have they any concern in judicial pro- ceedings, which come under the cognizance of the forty-eight Local Courts and the seven Supreme Courts at Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Miyagi, and Hakodate, over which the Daishin In presides at Tokyo. Previous to the last change of Government, which restored the ancient Imperial regime, the administra- tive authority rested with the Shogun (Military Com- mander), whom foreigners were at first led to recognize as the temporal sovereign, and with whom they negotiated treaties of peace and commerce. The Shogunate was founded in 1184 by Yoritomo, a general of great valour and ability, and was continued through several dynasties until 1869,,when the Tokugawa family were dispossessed of the usurped authority. Under the Shogun three hundred or more Daimios (feudal princes) shared the administrative power, being practically supreme in their respective domains, conditionally upon their loyalty to the Shogun ; but their rank and power disappeared with the Shogunate. On the 7th July, 1884, however. His Majesty issued an Imperial Notifi- cation and Kescript rehabilitating the nobility, and admitting to its ranks the most distinguished civil and military officials who took part in the work of the Eestoration. The old titles were abolished, and have been replaced by those of Prince (Ko), Marquis (^o). Count {Haku), Viscount {STii), and Baron {Ban). Eevenue and Expenditure. In the Budget for 1899-1900 the estimate of revenue amounts to 188,930,635 yen, while the expenditures aggregate 218,807,147 yen, showing a deficit of 1 2 JAPAN 29,876,512 yen. The deficit is provided for in a special budget. Compared with the previous year the revenue has decreased by 60,904,444 yen and the expenditures by 9,740,788 yen. Of the revenue 143,501,401 yen belong to the ordinary and 45,429,234 yen to the extra- ordinary section. In the extraordinary section a decrease of 83,038,004 yen is noticeable in the amount of public loans, appropriations from the Indemnity, supplements to shipbuilding fund, sums brought forward from the previous year, expenses disbursed in connec- tion with the garrison of Weihaiwei, etc. Of the expenditure 139,718,500 yen belong to the Ordinary and 79,088,646 yen to the extraordinary section. Included in the extraordinary expenditure are votes for military and naval expansion, under the Military and Naval extension schemes. These schemes are divided into two periods, the first period programme and the second period programme, beginning with 1st April, 1896, and terminating 31st March, 1906, and the in- tended expenditure is as follows : — Army, first period, 43,329,400 yen ; second period, 38,350,000 yen; total, 81,679,400 yen. Navy, first period, 116,086,400 yen ; second period, 144,618,770 yen ; total, 260,705,170 yen ; making a grand total for Army and Navy of 342,384,570. The first period army programme is divided into five headings, namely, construction of forts, building and equipment of barracks, manufacture of arms, develop- ment of arsenals, and extraordinary constructions ; in the second period programme only the first three items appear. In the ordinary expenditure there is also a large increase in the Army and Navy votes to provide for the increase in the number of the officers and men. In 1899 a sterling loan of £10,000,000 was issued. The loan is for 55 years, from January 1st, 1899, but is redeemable at £100 per cent, after January 1st, 1909, by drawings from time to time at the option of the Government of Japan, on their giving six months' notice. The rate of interest is 4 per cent., and the loan was issued at £90 per £100. The proceeds of the loan JAPAN 1 3 are to be applied towards the completion of the various remunerative public works cited in the following Acts of Parliament : — Eailway Construction Loan of 1892, Public Undertakings Loan of 1896, Hokkaido Eailway Construction Loan of 1896, the law relating to the placing of a pubKc loan in a foreign country of 1899. The expenditure under these Acts is estimated to be as follows : — £8,900,000 for railway construction and im- provement ; £900,000 for establishment of steel works ; £1,000,000 for extension of the telephone service. On March 31st, 1899, before the issue of the last loan, the national debt stood as follows : — Funded debt, £39,125,000 ; debt to the Bank of Japan, £2,200,000 ; paper money (for the redemption of which by March 31st, 1900, provision has been made), £511,000 ; total, £41,836,000. On this it was remarked in the prospectus of the 1899 loan that " The amount of debt, therefore, is 18s. per head of the population," but against this the State owns assets (railways, telegraphs, telephones, etc.) valued at £30,000,000 sterling, and lands valued at about £82,000,000 " (exclusive of timber)." The total debt now stands at £51,836,000. Aemy and Navy. Unto, the war with China, the Army consisted of six divisions and the Imperial Guards, with a peace footing strength of 70,000 in round numbers and a war footing of 268,000, exclusive of the Gendarmerie and the Ezo Militia ; but on the conclusion of the war a large scheme of expansion was adopted, under which the number of divisions is to be raised to twelve, exclusive of the Guards, so that the peace footing will be 145,000, and the war footing 520,000, the expansion to be con- cluded in eight years from 1896. At the conclusion of the war with China, Japan found herself in possession of a fighting fleet of forty-three serviceable vessels — independent of twenty-six torpedo boats— their aggregate displacement being 78,774 tons. 14 JAPAN Of these, ten, with an aggregate displacement of 15,055 tons, had been captured from .China — namely, an armour-clad turret-ship of 7335 tons, two steel cruisers, six steel gunboats, and one wooden gunboat. (Prior to the capture of the Ohen-yuen, now called the Chin-yen, Japan did not possess a line-of-battle ship. Her fleet consisted entirely of comparatively small vessels.) There were also on the stocks two steel cruisers and a steel despatch vessel. An expansion scheme, extending from 1st April, 1896, to 31st March, 1906, was then adopted and is now being carried out, vessels being in course of construction in Great Britain, the United States, France, and Germany, as well as in the home yards. The building programme is as follows : — 4 first-class battle-ships of 15,240 tons each, 6 first- class cruisers of 9200 tons each, 3 second-class cruisers of 4850 tons each, 2 third-class cruisers of 3200 tons each, 3 torpedo-gunboats of 1200 tons each, 1 torpedo depot-ship, 11 torpedo-boat destroyers, 89 torpedo-boats. If these ships be added to the strength of the Navy at the date of the commencement of the expansion scheme, it results that the total force in 1906 wUl be 6 first-class battle-ships from 12,510 to 15,240 tons, 1 second-class battle-ship of 7335 tons, 6 first-class armoured cruisers of over 9200 tons each, 7 second-class cruisers of over 4000 tons each, 6 third- class cruisers of over 3000 tons each, 12 fourth-class cruisers of over 1500 tons each, 3 torpedo gunboats of 1200 tons each, 1 torpedo dep6t-ship of 6750 .tons, 11 torpedo-boat destroyers, 115 torpedo-boats, 25 gun- boats, sloops, etc. The battle-ships Fuji and Yashima, buUt in England, arrived in Japan in the latter part of 1897. The Fufi is somewhat after the Boyal Sovereign type ; she has a displacement of 12,450 tons, and engines of 14,000 horse-power, and carries a powerful armament. Acting on the experience gained at the engagement at Yalu, especially of the disastrous effects of shell fire from machine guns, metal has been substituted for wood wherever possible, even in the light cabin and JAPAN 1 5 seamen's quarters fittings; and there are armoured screens everywhere. There are two barbettes plated with 14-in. armour, a conning tower forward also 14 in. thick, and the director tower aft 3 in. thick. The deck is armoured all over, terminating in a formidable ram at the bows, the best Harveyed armour being used in construction. The Yashima is a sister ship to the Fuji. The Tahusago, an Elswick-built cruiser of 4300 tons, carrying a powerful armament and having a speed of twenty-four knots, arrived in 1898. The sister ships, Asama and the Tohiwa, first-class cruisers of 9855 tons, built in England, and five torpedo-boat destroyers, arrived in 1899. The Kasagi, 4978 tons, and the Chitose, 4836 tons, second-class cruisers, built in the United States, with English armament, also arrived in 1899. Population, Teade, and Industry. The total area of Japan, exclusive of Formosa, is estimated at 156,604 square miles, and the population, according to census returns taken in December, 1898, was43,228,863, namely, 21,823,651 males and21,405,212 females. The increase during the last ten years has slightly exceeded one per cent, per annum. The empire is geographically divided into the four islands : Honshiu, the central and most important territory ; Kiushiu, "nine provinces," the south-western island ; Shikoku, " the four provinces," the southern island ; and Yezo, the most northerly and least developed. The former three islands are sub-divided into eight large roads, containing sixty-six provinces, and the latter (Yezo or Hokkaido) is divided into eleven provinces. Administratively, as before mentioned, the Empire is divided into fu and ken, each ken containing more than one province. The total value of the foreign trade for the last six years was : — l6 JAPAN Exports Imports, 1893. Yen. ... 89,712,864 ... 88,257,172 1894. Yen. 213,146,086 117,481,955 1895. Yen. 136,112,178 129,260,578 Total ... 177,970,036 230,728,041 265,372,756 Exports Imports 1896. Yen. ... 117,842,761 ... 171,674,474 189Y. Yen. 163,135,077 219,300,772 1898. Yen. 165,753,753 277,502,156 Total ... 289,517,235 382,435,849 443,255,909 The export of raw silk (not including waste) in- creased from 2,110,315 catties in 1890 to 5,810,046 in 1895, fell to 3,918,994 in 1896, rose again to 6,919,861 in 1897, but fell to 4,837,329 catties in 1898. The export of tea has shown a slow but steady decline during late years ; it amounted to 38,826,661 catties in 1895, 33,241,472 in 1896, 32,632,683 in 1897, and 30,826,632 in 1898. The export of coal and coal dust in 1898 was 1,805,364 tons, and 381,426 tons for ships' use, against 1,530,147 tons and 572,865 tons for ships' use in 1897. The export of matches has steadily increased. It was 22,078,362 gross in 1898, against 19,543,646 in 1897, 17,979,849 in 1896, 16,914,027 in 1895, and 13,843,022 in 1894. Of imports, raw cotton increased from 521,417 piculs in 1890 to 1,551,527 in 1895, 1,765,550 in 1896, 2,298,643 in 1897, and 2,553,586 piculs in 1898; showing the rapid progress the country is making in supplying herself with the manufactured goods she req^uires. 14,591,083 catties of cotton yarn were im- ported in 1895, 20,014,128 in 1896, 16,090,855 in 1897, and 15,929,991 in 1898. There was a continuous in- crease in the importation of cotton piece goods, from a value of yen 4,789,240 in 1892 to yen 11,843,001 in 1896, but a faU to yen 9,920,046 in 1897, and although the imports in 1898 increased to yen 11,332,627, the amount is under that of 1896, an inevitable result of the establishment of so many mills in the country and in its near neighbour China. Woollen goods were im- ported to the value of yen 7,982,882 in 1894, yen JAPAN 17 12,780.326 in 1895, and yen 18,268,460 in 1896 ; but 1897 showed a marked reverse, the value in that year being yen 12,009,902, whUe 1898 showed only a slight improvement, namely, to yen 13,069,780. Metals have shown a steady increase from yen 6,792,024 in 1893 to yen 17,553,543 in 1896, yen 20,306,841 in 1897, and yen 23,646,159 in 1898. The importation of kerosine oil rose from 32,689,275 gallons in 1892 to 54,692,886 in 1896, 61,058,217 in 1897, and to 67,905,455 in 1898. Sugar imported showed a steady increase from 1,675,315 piculs in 1891 to 2,333,528 in 1896, 3,314,512 in 1897, and to 4,473,153 piculs in 1898. The trade of 1898 was divided between the Treaty Ports as under : — Exports Imports Total Yokohama. Kobe. Nagasaki. Osaka. Ten. Yen. Yen. Yen. .. 80,312,435 60,119,645 6,587,276 3,165,082 .. 111,014,140 138,138,797 19,698,645 3,555,987 Exports Imports Total 191,326,575 198,253,442 26,285,921 6,721,019 Hakodate. Yen. 1,248,719 820,020 2,068,739 other ports. Yen. 14,320,596 4,279,617 18,600,213 Totals. Yen. 165,753,753 277,502,156 443,255,909 The following was the total value of the trade with foreign countries in 1898 : — Exports. Yen. Imports. Total. Yen. Yen. United States of America 47,811,155 40,001,098 87,312,253 Great Britain 7,783,643 62,707,573 70,491,216 Continent of Europe and Russian Asia 29,313,751 43,756,148 78,069,899 China 29,193,175 30,523,861 59,717,036 India, Australia, and Canada 10,495,750 42,324,670 52,820,420 Hongkong 31,473,896 15,904,467 47,378 363 Corea ... 5,844,332 4,796,032 10,640.864 Philippines and Siam 157,153 7,467,792 7,624,945 Other countries 1,223,797 30,020,515 31,244,312 Coal, etc., for ships' use ... 2,957,101 2,957,101 165,753,753 277,502,156 443,255,909 i8 JAPAN The following table shows the total values of goods exported in 1898 : — Yen. Yen. Bamboo and bamboo Paper ware 440,686 ware 859,399 Porcelain and earth- Camphor and cam- enware 1,990,781 phor oil 1,257,023 Eice 5,920.185 Carpets 850,759 Screens 346,085 Coal and coke 12,450,626 Seaweed 711,291 „ for ships' use ... 2,928,177 Shellfish 641,012 Cotton yam 20,130,485 Silk, floss silk, and Cotton and cotton cocoons 44,801,020 piece goods 3,547,560 Silk manufactures ... 16,816,136 Cuttlefish 1,268,257 Skins, hair, shells. Drugs, medicines, horn, etc. 799,319 dyes, etc 707,402 Straw-plaits 2,404,003 Fans 539,627 Sulphur 477,013 Ginseng 423,837 Tea 8,215,665 Glass ware 320,944 Textile fabrics, cloth- G-rain, beverages, and ing, etc 1,180,739 provisions 3,012,638 Timber, wood, and Kanten orooUevege- planks 462,507 tale 611,336 Tobacco and manu- Lacquered ware ... 783,198 factures of 237,057 Matches 6,273,949 Umbrellas 717,375 Mushrooms ... 631,924 Sundries 3,396,811 Mats for floor 3,938,450 Duty-free goods ... 1,814,064 Metals (mostly cop- Re-exported articles 2,850,540 per) 8,845,087 Oil and wax 1,191,926 165,753,753 Paper and books ... 958,860 The Imports in 1898 are classified by the Department of Finance as — Yen. Alcohol 2,699,982 Aniline dye ... 1,218,842 Arms and munitions of war 1,936,686 Beans, peas, and pulse 7,101,103 Beverages and pro- visions 2,824,798 Books and stationery 488,745 Clothing and apparel 1,061,444 Cotton, raw 45,744,371 Cotton yam 8,547,588 Cotton piece goods ... 9,884,340 Drugs, medicines, and chemicals 5,219,391 Dyes and paints Dynamite Flax, hemp, and manu factures of Flour Glass and glass ware Grain and seeds Hair, horns, ivory, skins, etc Indigo Kerosine oil Locomotive engines Machinery, instrU' ments, etc. Yen. 1,670,938 507,591 1,086,914 2,031,825 917,237 884,579 3,077,509 2,270,814 7,552,879 4,265,854 7,224,888 JAPAN 19 Machinery (spinning) Yen. 3,088,762 Metals and manufac- tures of 23,676,063 Oil and wax (ex. kero- sine) 1,000,691 Oil-cakes 4,614,967 Paper 3,520,731 Portland cement 827,209 Railway carriages . . . 497,179 Bice 48,219,810 Silk and silk manu- factures 1,920,492 Steam boUers and en- gines 697,173 Textile fabrics (mis- cellaneous) Tobacco, cigars, and cigarettes Vessels, steam and sailing Watches and clocks Wines and liquors ... Wool and manufac- tures of Sundries Yeo. 28,619,563 3,252,062 6,689,436 7,508,394 3,313,610 1,398,338 13,069,870 7,419,488 277,502,156 The total Shipping, including junks, from and to foreign countries, for the year 1898 was — Entered. Tonnage. Cleared. Tonnage. Steamers ... 2035 3,174,516 2152 3,322,434 Sailing vessels 1339 207,047 1383 211,026 Total. Tonnage. 4187 6,496,950 2722 418,073 3374 3,381,563 3535 3,533,460 6909 6,915,023 2400 steamers of 4,621,052 tons and 25 saUing vessels of 30,629 tons entered, and 2308 steamers of 4,489,646 tons and 21 sailing vessels of 27,179 tons cleared in the coast trade between the open ports. Of this tonnage employed coastwise 54 per cent, was under the British flag and 27 per cent. Japanese vessels employed in foreign trade. The merchant vessels entered from foreign countries in 1898 were divided among the different nationalities as under : — steamers. Tonnage. Sailing. Tonnage. Total. Tonnage. British 712 1,408,160 59 92,577 771 1,500,737 Japanese (excluding jnnka) 701 845,458 149 16,073 850 861,531 German 240 329,447 17 31,700 257 361,147 Norwegian ... 148 152,904 2 2,100 150 155,004 BuBsian 93 175,192 17 1,438 110 176,630 United States of America ... 43 101,047 26 39,203 69 140,250 French 31 64,860 1 1,229 32 66,089 Austrian 16 41,940 — — 16 41,940 Other countries ... 51 55,508 4 2,421 55 57,929 2035 3,174,516 275 186,741 2310 3,361,257 20 JAPAN The total Customs Eevenue for the same year con- sisted of — Export Duties, yen 2,080,072; Import Duties, yen 6,280,620; Miscellaneous, yen 314,207; Total, yen 8,674,899. The revenue has doubled since 1887. By treaties made with a number of foreign govern- ments the Japanese ports of Kanagawa (Yokohama), ]!^agasaki, Kobe, Hakodate, Migata, and the cities of Tokyo (formerly called Yedo) and Osaka were thrown open to foreign commerce. In 1894 a new treaty was signed with Great Britain by which extraterritoriality was abolished and the whole country opened to foreign trade and residence, the treaty to come into force in July, 1899, provided similar treaties were effected with the other Powers. This was done, and extraterritoriality ceased to exist on August 4th, 1899. Eailways are being rapidly pushed forward, the mileage having risen from 2136 miles in March, 1894, to 4200 miles in March, 1899. The State owns 1000 miles of the above 4200 miles of railway. CUEEENOY. Prom October, 1897, Japan placed her currency on a gold basis. The unit of value is a gold dollar weighing ■8333 grammes and containing '75 grammes of fine gold. The conversion from silver to gold was effected at the ratio of 1 to 32-348. Education. Education is very general in Japan, and is making great progress. There are numerous Middle Schools, Normal Schools, and Colleges for special studies, such as Law, Science, Medicine, Mining, Agriculture, and Foreign Languages, and several Female High Schools have been established, and are carefully fostered by the Government. In order to facilitate the prosecution of foreign studies the Government of the Mikado has TOKYO 2 1 engaged many European professors, and also sent, at tlie public expense, a large number of students to America and Europe. TOKYO Tlie capital of Japan [until the Eestoration called Yedo] is situated at the north of the Bay of Yedo, has a circumference of 27 mUes, and covers a surface of nearly 36 square mUes. The Sumida, or Okawa (Great Eiver), runs through the city, dividing Tokyo proper from the districts on the east side called Honjo and Fukagawa. Tokyo as viewed from the bay is a pleasant-looking city, being well situated on undulating ground, and possessing abundant foliage. The city is divided into fifteen grand divisions, and its suburbs into six divisions. It is, in fact, more like an aggregation of towns than one great city. The Castle of Tokyo occupies a com- manding position on a hiE. a little to the westward of the centre of the city. It is enclosed in double walls, and surrounded by a fine broad moat. "Within the Castle formerly stood the Imperial Palace and several public offices, but the destructive fire of the 3rd April, 1872, levelled these ancient and massive buildings, leaving only the surrounding lofty turrets and walls. A new Palace on the old site has been constructed, and the Mikado took up his residence there in January, 1889. The Imperial Garden called Fukiage is situated within the enclosure of the Castle. It is tastefully laid out in the pure native style, and contains fine forest trees, rare and beautiful plants of aU kinds, a large pond, cascades, etc., and is most carefully kept. This fine garden well repays inspec- tion, and admission can be obtained by visitors with orders granted by the Department of the Imperial Household. Between the Castle and the outer walls, a large area 2 2 JAPAN was formerly occupied by the numerous palaces of the Daimios, but nearly all these feudal erections have now given place to smart brick or stone buildings, used as Public Ofi&ces, Barracks, Government Schools, etc., so that at the present time very few of the Daimios' palaces remain to illustrate what old Yedo was like in the time of the Shogunate. Some of those that remain, near the Castle, have been converted into Government Offices. They are large, long buildings of a single high story, plain, but substantial, with no pretensions to architecture, but interesting as reminis- cences of feudal Japan. The remaining portion of the city outside the walls is very densely inhabited, and may be called the com- mercial district of Tokyo. It has a circumference of 24 miles, and covers an area of about 29 square miles. The most important part of the business quarter is on the east of the Castle, and is traversed by a main street running from the north to the south-west under different names. A considerable length of this thoroughfare, which is called Ginza, is lined with newly built brick buildings in the European style ; the road is wide and well kept, the pavement broad and planted with trees on either side. As it is in close contiguity to the principal railway station, it is always very animated and thronged with vehicles and foot passengers. The north end of the main street leads to the new public park or garden named Uyeno, which was formerly occupied by the magnificent Temple founded and main- tained by the Shoguns, and which was destroyed by fire during the war of Eestoration in July, 1868. In these grounds the Industrial Exhibition of 1877 was erected, when the gardens were converted into a public pleasure resort by the Government. Several exhibitions have since been held here and have proved very successful. In Uyeno is also situated the fine Imperial Museum (Haku-butsu-kwan). Among the places much resorted to by visitors is the ancient temple of Kwannon, at Asakusa, not far from TOKYO 23 Uyeno, one of the most popular and most frequented temples in Japan. The temple is elevated about 20 feet from the ground. A flight of steps gives access to the interior. There is a chief altar at the extreme end of the temple, with side chapels at its right and left, containing a great number of wooden images and ex votos. The interior is not very large, and is not so conspicuous for cleanliness as most of the public buildings in Japan. At the right of the temple there is a fine old Pagoda, and near it two colossal stone statues. A new park was also opened close to the temple about the same time as that of TJyeno. Thus, with Shiba, in the south-west, where are to be seen some of the splendid shrines of the Shoguns, among the chief glories of Tokyo, there are three large public gardens within the city. The build- ings which are called the Temple of Confucius were formerly the University of Tokyo, but this has been superseded since the Eestoration by the Teikoku Dai- gaku and other schools in which foreign instructors are employed. There are altogether 1275 temples in Tokyo, some of which are fine edifices. The building in which the Imperial Diet meets is a plain edifice, and is only intended for temporary use. The districts of Honjo and Fukagawa form the quiet portion of the capital. This quarter is connected with Tokyo proper by five great bridges, some of which are constructed of iron and some of wood. They are called, commencing on the north, Adsuma-Bashi, Umaya- Bashi, Ryogoku-Bashi, 0-Hashi, and Eitai-Bashi re- spectively. The quay on the banks of the Sumida forms a spacious and handsome street, and may be especially recommended to a traveller who has only a few days to spend in Tokyo. In passing along the quay he will see across the stream several fine temples and great buildings which stand on the western banks of the Great Eiver, and he may get at the same time a very good idea of the animated river-life of the Sumida, whose waters are always covered -mth junks and boats of all descriptions. 24 JAPAN A great part of the remainiiig area forming the district north of the Castle is covered by paddy-fields, in the midst of which rise picturesquely situated houses. There are also extensive pleasure-gardens, such as Asuka-yama, and neat little villages. The part west of the Castle contains fifty temples, and a number of nobles' palaces. The district on the south of the Castle, with an area of about 17^ square miles, contains about sixty temples. The most remarkable among them is Yutenji in Meguro. Several great fires have during the last two decades or so swept Tokyo, and these have led to great improve- ments and widening of the streets. Eows of good houses in brick and stone, and new bridges, in many cases of iron or stone, have been built, and the city has in many portions been thoroughly modernised. Tramways have been laid and the cars are usually crowded with passengers. The main streets and those adjacent to them are lighted by electricity, and the remainder by gas and oil-lamps. A race-course has been formed close to Uyeno. Lines of telegraph, amounting in all to 200 miles, connect the various parts of the city with one another, and with the country lines. The main streets are broad and well kept, and improvements attend the work of reconstruction after each conflagration. But as the city is in a transition state, it necessarily presents many strange anomalies. Side by side with lofty stone buildings stand rows of rude wooden houses. As with the buildings so with the people ; while the mass still wear the native dress, numbers appear in European costume. The soldiers and police are dressed in uniform on the Western model. The environs of Tokyo are very picturesque, and offer a great variety of pleasant walks or rides. Foreigners will find much to interest them in the coimtry round. The finest scenery is at the northern and western sides of the city, where the country is surrounded by beautiful hills, from which there is a distant view of the noble mountains of Hakone, while YOKOHAMA 2$ beyond rises in solitary grandeur the towering peak of Fuji-san, covered with snow the greater part of the year. The population of Tokyo, according to the of&cial census of 1895, was 1,342,153. The native Press is represented by more than a hundred newspapers, several of which are dailies. There are 1225 schools of different classes, including one university. A large and handsome hotel, designed for foreigners and called the Imperial Hotel, was opened in 1890. There is also a first-class hotel, called the Metropole, under foreign management. YOKOHAMA Yokohama is the principal Treaty port of Japan, and was opened to foreign trade in July, 1859. It is situated on the Bay of Yokohama, a small bay on the western side of the Gulf of Yedo, in lat. 35 deg. 26 min. 11 sec. N., and long. 139 deg. 39 min. 20 sec, in the island of Honshiu, and is distant about eighteen miles from the capital, with which it is connected by a line of railway. The town, having sprung up from a poor fishing-village only since the site was selected for a treaty port instead of the little town of Kanagawa, possesses few attractions for the visitor. The scenery around, however, is hilly and pleasing, and on clear days the snow-crowned summit and graceful outlines of Fuji-san, a volcanic mountain 12,370 feet high — celebrated in Japanese literature and depicted on in- numerable native works of art — is most distinctly visible, though some 75 miles distant. Yokohama is compactly built of low houses with tiled roofs. The town is divided into two nearly equal parts, the western half being occupied by what was known, before the abolition of extraterritoriality, as the foreign settle- ment. Beyond the plain on which the town is built rises a sort of semicircle of low hills called "The Bluff," which is thickly dotted with handsome foreign villas and dwelling-houses in various styles of architecture, 26 JAPAN all standing in pretty gardens. From these dwellings charming prospects are obtainable. Along the water- front runs a good road called the Bund, on which, facing the water, stand many of the principal houses and hotels and the United Club. The streets are fairly paved, kerbed, and drained. There are Anglican, French Catholic, Union Protestant, and several native Mission Churches in the settlement. A fine Cricket and Eecreation Ground exists in the settlement, and there are well-laid-out Public Gardens on the Bluff. There is a fairly good Eace-course situated about two miles from the settlement. A good Boating Club also exists, which has provided facilities for deep-sea bathing. The Public Hall, containing a theatre and assembly rooms, neatly built of brick, is situated at the top of Camp HOI, and was opened in 1885. The chief public buildings in the native town are the Kencho, opposite the British Consulate, the Town Hall, which has a clock tower, and the Custom House. The Eailway Station is also a creditable structure, being a well-designed and commodious terminus. On the 12th August, 1899, a disastrous fire occurred in the Iseza Kicho district, in which some seventeen streets were swept by the flames, the number of houses destroyed being 3237. The town is now in the enjoyment of an excellent water-supply, large Waterworks having been completed in 1887. The harbour is much exposed, but two breakwaters, of an aggregate length of 12,000 feet, have been built and are so projected as to practically enclose the whole of the anchorage, leaving an entrance 650 feet wide between their extremities. There is a pier 2000 feet long at which vessels may load or dis- charge. A graving dock was opened on the 26th April, 1897. It is built of large blocks of granite and is 351 feet on the blocks, its length from the outside of the entrance to the head is 419 feet 10 inches and from the outside caisson to the head 400 feet 3 inches. The width of the entrance is 60 feet 8 inches at the top and 45 feet 11 inches at the bottom. The depth is 35 feet YOKOHAMA 27 1 inch on the inside, and 31 feet 2 inches on the sill. The depth of water on the blocks is ,27 feet 2 inches at spring tides, 26 feet 2 inches at ordinary springs, and 19 feet 8 inches at low water of spring tides. This is the smaller or No. 2 Dock of the Company. The No. 1 Dock, completed at the end of 1898, is 478 feet 10 inches on the blocks and has a depth inside of 36 feet 3 inches and on the sill of 34 feet 1 inch, the depth of water on the blocks being 28 feet 10 inches at springs, 27 feet 11 inches at ordinary springs, and 21 feet 4 inches at low water of springs. Yokohama is well supplied with hotels. There are four English daily papers published in the port, namely, the Japan Gazette, Japan JSerald, Japan Daily Mail, and Japan Daily Advertiser, and several weeklies. The Japanese population of Yokohama numbered, on the 31st December, 1897, 188,455. The number of foreign residents exclusive of Chinese was 2,096, of whom 869 were British. The Chiuese population was returned at 2015. In 1898 the values of the different classes of Imports were : — Beverages and provi- Metals and manufac- sions 2,818,705 tures of 10,683,235 Cotton, raw 5,322,372 Kice 14,748,780 Cotton yam 5,679,092 Steam vessels 5,023,194 Cotton piece goods. . . 6,341,161 Sugar 14,449,715 Drugs, medicines, Wool and ■woollen and chemicals . . . 4,492,650 manufactures 7,890,372 Dyes and paints ... 3,223,701 Sundries 19,020,966 Kerosine oil 3,016,063 Machinery, arms. Total imports foreign etc. 8,179,458 goods 110,889,464 The values of the princi )al articles of Export in the same year were as follows :- - Yen. Yen. Grain, beverages, and Tea 5,389,381 provisions 1,894,376 Sundries 8,581,698 Metals (mostly cop- per) 3,543,541 Total exports native ' Silk and coooons . . . 44,174,537 goods 79,774,983 Silk piece goods . . . 16,191,450 28 JAPAN The value of the Imports in 1897 was yen 86,790,195, and of the Exports in same year yen 90,368,531. The total export of raw silk during the season from 1st July, 1898, to same date 1899 was 50,661 bales. The total export for the previous year was 56,783 bales. The export of tea during the season 1st May, 1898, to same date 1899 was 26,545,888 lbs., nearly all for America. The export during the previous season was 27,206,290 lbs. HAKODATE This, the most northerly of the treaty ports of Japan, is situated in the south of Yezo in the Straits of Tsugaru, which divide that island from Honshiu. The port lies in latitude 41 deg. 47 min. 8 sec. !N"., and longitude 140 deg. 45 min. 34 sec. E., and the harbom- is nearly land-locked. The town clusters at the foot and on the slope of a bold rock known to foreigners as Hakodate Head, 1106 feet in height. The surrotinding country is hilly, volcanic, and striking, but the town itself possesses few attractions. A row of fine temples, with lofty picturesque roofs, occupying higher ground than the rest of the town, are the most conspicuous buildings. There are some Public Gardens at the eastern end of the town, which contain a small but interesting Museum. Waterworks for supplying the town with pure water were completed in 1889. The climate of Hakodate is healthy and bracing. The hottest month is August, but the thermometer then rarely rises above 90 degrees Eahr. ; in the winter it sometimes sinks to 18 degrees. The mean temperature through- out the year is about 48 degrees. The population of Hakodate at the close of 1897 was 74,000. The number of foreign residents was 118, of whom 43 were Eritish. The foreign trade of the port is small. The value of the imports declined from $676,534 in 1890 to $12,101 OSAKA 29 in 1892, but increased by an average of slightly over a hundred per cent, each year to Yen 820,820 in 1898. The exports in 1898 amounted to Yen 1,248,719, against Yen 1,264,267 in 1897. The agricultural resources of Yezo have been to some extent developed under the auspices of the Kaitakushi or Colonization Department. The rich pasture lands are weU adapted for breeding cattle. In the valuable and extensive fisheries on the coast, however, the chief exports of the future from Hakodate are to be looked for. Increasing quantities of dried fish and seaweed are exported annually, mostly to China. The mineral resources of Yezo are large, and may also some day yield a valuable addition to the exports of this port. There are now three large coal-mines in operation, one in Poronai, one at Ikushunbetsu, and a third at Sorachi. Hakodate is connected with the capital by telegraph. A railway from Otaru to Sapporo, 22 mHes long, was opened to pubKc traffic on the 28th November, 1880, and has since been carried on to Poronai, where are some large coal-mines, the total length of the line being 56 miles. A branch to Ikushunbetsu, seven nules, has since been made, and another line from the coal mines to Mororan, a port on the south-east of the island, a distance of 143 miles, has been completed and was opened to traffic in July, 1892. OSAKA Osaka is the second city in Japan in point of size and commercial importance, and has not inaptly been termed the Venice of the Far East, owing to the manner in which it is intersected by canals. The city is compact and well laid out, the streets being regular, clean, and animated. Osaka is essentially Japanese, though a go-ahead and progressive city, and possesses much of interest to the foreign visitor. It is situated in the province of Settsu, and is built on the banks of 30 JAPAN the river Ajikawa, about five miles from the sea. The river is only navigable for small vessels, and on the opening of the railway to Kobe, the foreign trade of Osaka commenced to decline. Almost all the foreign firms in the latter city have removed to Kobe. The most imposing, and at the same time the most interest- ing object to be seen in Osaka is the Castle, erected in 1583 by one of the Shoguns, the famous Toyotomi Hideyoshi Though less extensive than that of Tokyo, it is a much grander and more striking edifice, and is, indeed, next to that of Nagoya, the finest example of the ancient feudal castles of Japan. It is now occupied by the Osaka garrison, and forms the headquarters of one of the six great military districts, and it has also within its inclosure an extensive military arsenal. The city is the seat of the provincial government, which is called Fucho, in contradistinction to the other pro- vincial governments, which are termed Kencho. Osaka is the seat of numerous industries, including cotton- spinning mills, shipbuilding yards, and ironworks, and the Imperial Mint is located there. This establishment is in active operation, and turns out a coinage not surpassed by any in the world. The imports in 1898 amounted to yen 3,555,937, and the exports to yen 3,165,082 against yen 4,424,742 imjiorts and yen 2,342,437 exports in the previous year. The popula- tion of Osaka was 490,009 in December, 1895. The number of foreign residents on 31st December, 1897, was 121, not including Chinese. The British and American residents, numbering 104 are, with few exceptions, missionaries. KOBE-HYOGO Kobe was until 1892 the foreign port of the adjoining town of Hyogo, and was opened to foreign trade in 1868 ; in October, 1892, Hyogo was also declared by the Japanese Government to form part of the open KOBE-HYOGO 3 1 port. The port is finely situated on the Idzumi-nada, at the gate of the fax-famed Inland Sea. The harbour is good, and affords safe anchorage for vessels of almost any size. The two towns face the land-locked water covered with white sails, while behind, at a distance of about a mUe, rises a range of picturesque and lofty hiUs, some of which attain an altitude of about 2500 feet, and the steep sides of which are partly covered with pines. Kobe and Hyogo stretch for some three miles along this strip of land between the hills and the water. The Foreign quarter at Kobe is well laid out ; the streets are broad and clean, and lighted with gas. The Bund has a fine stone embankment, and extends the whole length of Kobe. The foreign houses are neatly built, and the Sannomiya railway station, within three minutes' walk of the Concession, has a very English look. The railway terminus is at the other end of Kobe, where it meets Hyogo, and there are extensive carriage works adjoining the station. There is a good Club and a spacious Eecreation Ground. The Union Protestant Church and a French Eoman Catholic Church are in what was formerly termed the Con- cession. A new English Episcopal Church, All Saints, was opened in 1898 on the hill behind, and there is also a native Protestant Church in Kobe town. The two principal hotels are the Oriental and the Occi- dental. Two foreign daily papers, the Kobe Chronicle and the Kobe Herald, are published in Kobe. There are one or two native papers. The population of Kobe-Hyogo in December, 1895, was 161,406. There were over 2,000 foreign residents in Kobe in 1899, of whom more than half were Chinese. The British numbered 534, the Grermans 136, and the Americans 155. The old town of Hyogo is only divided from Kobe by the river Minato, which is spanned by a substantial stone bridge. Hyogo contains few features of interest, and the streets and shops are inferior to those of Kobe, its population being much smaller and nearly stationary. 32 JAPAN The Temple of Shinkoji, which possesses a large bronze Buddha, is worth a visit ; and there is a monument to the Japanese hero, Kiyomori, erected in 1286, in a grove of trees in the vicinity of the temple, which claims some attention from its historic associations. On the Kobe side of the Minato-gawa also stands a temple dedicated to Kusunski, so famous in Japanese history for loyalty and valour, who died on the spot in 1336 during the unsuccessful wars for the restoration of the Miiado's power. In connection with the Imperial Shipbuilding Yard at Hyogo is a Patent Slip, which will accommodate vessels up to 2000 tons. Its total length is 900 feet ; length above water, 300 feet ; breadth, 38 feet ; declivity, 1 in 20. The slip is worked by hydraulic power. Kobe's excellent railway communications both north and south have naturally tended to centralise trade at this fast-rising port. In 1898 the values of the different classes of imports were : — Ten. Ten. Cotton, raw 37,979,497 Bice 28,814,804 Cotton yam 2,868,496 Sugar 8,739,320 Cotton piece goods... 4,922,114 Wool and woollen Drugs, chemicals, etc. 3,195,833 manufactures ... 5,147,458 Grains and seeds ... 5,128,495 Sundries 18,324,109 Kerosineoil 3,537,934 Machinery, watches, Total imports foreign arms, eto. 8,639,274 goods 188,072,813 Metals and manufac- tures of 10,775,479 The values of the principal articles of export in the same year were as follows : — Ten. Camphor 1,163,851 Cotton yarn 17,625,130 Matches 6,089,882 Mats for floor 3,887,991 Metals (chiefly cop- per) 4,745,698 Bice 4,601,773 Straw-plaits 1,849,625 Ten. Tea 2,789,331 Textile fabrics and clothing 4,523,769 Sundries 11,764,605 Total exports native $59,041,655 NAGASAKI 33 The quantity of tea shipped from Kobe-Hyogo during the season 1898-1899 was 13,948,634 lbs. Practically the whole of this went to the United States of America and Canada. The following table of values in yen shows the rapid increase of the foreign trade of the port : — Imports. Exports. Total. 1891. 25,700,501 21,733,718 47,434,219 1892. 30,698,176 21,295,740 51,993,916 1893. 41,294,276 24,968,974 66,263,250 1894. 56,910,503 29,438,113 86,348,616 1895. 63,098,427 38,307,955 101,406,382 1896. 82,546,593 40,317,817 122,864,413 1897. 110,741,830 51,408,080 162,149,910 1898. 138,133,798 60,119,645 198,253,440 NAGASAKI Nagasaki is a city of great antiquity, and in the early days of European intercourse with the Far East was the most important seat of the foreign trade with Japan. It is admirably situated on the south-western coast of the Island of Kiushiu. A melancholy interest attaches to the neighbourhood as the scene of the extinction of Christianity in the empire and the extermination of the professors of that religion in 1637. At the entrance to the harbour lies the celebrated island of Pappenberg, where thousands of Christian martyrs were thrown over the high cliff rather than go through the form of trampling on the cross. ISTot far from Nagasaki is also the village of Mogi, where 37,000 Christians suffered death in defending themselves against the forces sent to subdue them. When the Christian religion was crushed and the foreigners expelled, to the Dutch alone was extended the privilege of trading with Japan, and they were confined to a small plot of ground at Nagasaki called Deshima. By the treaty of 1858, Nagasaki was one of .the ports opened to British trade on the 1st July in the following year. On entering the harbour of Nagasaki no stranger can U yAPAN fail to be struck with the admirable situation of the town and the beautiful panorama of hilly scenery opened to his view. The harbour is a landlocked inlet deeply indented with small bays, about three miles long, with a width varying from half-a-mile to a mile. A reclamation scheme is now in progress ; the portion of the sea in front of what were formerly the foreign concessions at Deshima and Megasaki is to be reclaimed and the harbour deepened. It is estimated that the cost of the work will be four million yen, and that it will take five years to finish. The town is on the eastern side of the harbour, and is about two miles long by about three-quarters of a mile in extreme width. The foreign quarter adjoins the town on the south side. The chief mercantile houses are situated on the bund facing the harbour, behind which are a few streets running parallel with it, and there are a number of private residences on the hillside. There are English Protestant and Eoman Catholic churches, two clubs, and a Masonic Lodge. The principal hotel is the Nagasaki H<^tel, opened in 1898, a three-storeyed brick building situated on the Bund. There are several smaller hotels, of which the two largest are the Belle Vue Hotel and Cliff House. The Nagasaki dock was lengthened during 1894 to admit vessels of 500 feet in length on a draught of 26 feet. Attached to the dock are extensive Engine Works, most completely equipped and fitted. These works were originally built by the Japanese Government, but they now belong, as does the dock, to the Mitsu Bishi Company. Waterworks have recently been completed. The reservoir holds 90,000,000 gallons, and there are three filter-beds and a service reservoir. The Kiushiu Eail- way is now completed between Moji and Kumamoto, with a branch line to Nagasaki. The climate of Nagasaki is mild and salubrious, and there are several very popular health resorts in the neighbourhood, the most famous being Mount Unzen, After the opening of the port the trade for several FORMOSA 35 years steadily developed, but it subsequently declined, owing to various causes, but chiefly perhaps on account of its gradual attraction to Yokohama. During the last ten years, however, there has been a steady improvement in the foreign trade, which has more than doubled itself in that period. The imports, indeed, have increased tenfold in as many years ; and with the opening up of railway communication with the interior of Kiushiu, completed in 1898, a large increase in the prosperity of the port is anticipated. The chief articles of import are cotton and woollen manufactures. The principal exports are coal, tea, camphor, rice, vegetable wax, tobacco, and dried fish. There are several very productive coal mines near Nagasaki, of which the Takashima mine is the most important. The value of the import trade of Nagasaki during the year 1898 was yen 19,698,646, against yen 13,601,234 in 1897, and that of the export trade yen 6,587,276, against yen 5,542,013 in 1897. Coal is the staple article of export. The population of Nagasaki in 1898 was 808,439. The number of foreign residents, as given in the Consular Eeport for 1898, was 606, exclusive of Chinese, of whom 40 were British, and 466 other Europeans and Americans. A small foreign daily paper is published, entitled the Nagasaki Press. FORMOSA This island, one of the largest in Asia, is situated between latitude 22 and 26 deg. N., and longitude 120 and 122 deg. E., and is separated from the coast of Fukien, China, by a channel about one hundred miles in width. It is a prolongation of the Japanese and Loochoo Archipelagoes, and in 1895 was incorporated in the Japanese empire. Its name Formosa, signifying "beautiful island," was conferred by the Portuguese, 36 JAPAN the first Europeans to visit it, but it was called Taiwan (Great Bay) by the Chinese, to whom it belonged from 1661 to 1894. It is said that the Japanese endeavoured to form a colony in the island in 1620, but large numbers of Chinese were settled there prior to that date. The Dutch arrived in 1634, and founded several settlements, and traces of their occupation are still to be found in the island, but they were compelled in 1661 to retire by the Chinese pirate chief Koxinga, who then assumed the sovereignty of western Formosa. His grandson and successor, however, was induced, twenty-two years later, to resign the crown to the Emperor of China. By the treaty of Shimonoseki the island was ceded to Japan as one of the terms of peace, and on the 1st June, 1895, the formal surrender was made, the ceremony taking place on board ship out- side Kelung. The resident Chinese of&cials, however, declared a republic, and offered resistance, and it was not until the end of October that the opposing forces were completely overcome, the last stand being made in the south by Liu Yung-fu, the Black Flag General, of Tonkin notoriety. Takow was bombarded and captured on 15th October, and Anping was peacefully occupied on the 21st of the same month, Liu Yung-fu having taken refuge in ilight. Formosa is about 260 miles in length, and from 60 to 70 miles broad in the widest part. It is intersected from north to south by a range of mountains, which forms a kind of backbone to the island, the loftiest peak of which, Mount Sylvia, is 11,300 feet higL On the western side of this range the slope is more gradual than on the eastern side, and broken by fertile valleys which lose themselves in the large undulating plain on which the Chinese are settled. The whole of the territory east of the dividing chain is peopled by an aboriginal race who acknowledged no allegiance to the Chinese Government and made frequent raids on the outlying Chinese settlements, but they have proved themselves friendly to the Japanese. They are a FORMOSA 2)7 savage and warlike people, allied to the Malays and Polynesians, and live principally by the chase. The Chinese population of Formosa is estimated at about 2,500,000; the number of the aborigines it is, of course, quite impossible to estimate. The productions of Formosa are numerous, vegetation being everywhere most luxuriant, testifying to the richness of the soil. Sugar, tea, and camphor are largely cultivated and exported. The fauna includes bears, monkeys, deer, wild boar, badgers, martens, the scaly anteater, and other smaller animals. Birds are not very numerous, and snakes are not so common as might be expected where vegetation is so abundant. It is believed that the mineral wealth of the island is very considerable. Gold has been found and is now worked in the beds of the streams ; there are coal mines near Kelung and sulphur springs also exist in the north of the island. The interior of the island is, however, still practically unexplored. One great drawback to the island is its want of good harbours, which is more especially felt on account of the strength of the monsoons in the Formosa Channel. Those on the eastern side are few and neither commodious nor accessible, while on the west coast most of the harbours are little better than open roadsteads. Taipeh is the capital of Formosa, but Tainan-fu is the chief city in point of population. The open ports are four in number — Takow and Tainan-fu in the south, and Tamsui and Kelung in the north. The latter was held for some months in 1884-5 by the French, under Admiral Courbet, but was evacuated on the 21st June, 1885. The rivers of Formosa are few, shallow, and winding, only navigable to small flat-bottomed boats. The scenery is delightful, and the climate is very pleasant in the winter, but hot and malarious in the wet season. There is a railway from Kelung to Tekcham, and an extension southwards is projected. 38 JAPAN TAMSUI AND KELUNG The port of Tamsui lies in lat. 25 deg. 10 min. N. and long. 101 deg. 26 min. E. on the north-western side of the fertile island of Formosa. It is an un- interesting place. The harbour, like all others in Formosa, has a troublesome bar, which greatly retards the growth of the port. Dredging would do much to render it more accessible. The town, called Hiibei, is situated on the north side of the river, about two miles from the bar. In October, 1884, the French ships under Admiral Courbet bombarded Tamsui, but were unable to take the place. The Japanese took possession on the 7th June, 1895. Tea grows on the hills in the locality, the export in 1898 amounting to 20,126,816 lbs. and in 1897 to 20,302,590 lbs. The total value of the foreign trade of Tamsui and Kelung and the attached special ports in 1898 was £2,181,589, in 1897 £1,972,380 and in 1896 £1,592,413. The port of Kelung lies to the north-east of Tamsui, in latitude 25 deg. 6 min. N. and longitude 121 deg. 47 min. E. It is situated on the shores of a bay between the capes of Foki and Peton, some twenty miles apart, amidst bold and striking scenery, backed by a range of mountains. It was once a Spanish settlement, but was subsequently captured and held by the Dutch until they in turn gave place to the Chinese under Koxinga, a pirate chief who caused himself to be proclaimed King of Formosa. Though a mere village, it has long carried on a considerable native trade with Amoy, Chin-chew, and Fooehow. Its staple product used to be coal, but the quantity at present produced is all absorbed by local require- ments. Sulphur also abounds in a valley in the neighbourhood. Kelung was opened to foreign trade at the same time as the other Formosan ports. The limits of the port are defined to be within a straight line drawn from Image Point to Bush Island. On TAINAN-FU, TAKOW, AND ANPING 39 the 5th August, 1884, the port was bombarded by the French under Admiral L^spes, when the forts above the town were reduced to ruins and the place captured. It was then garrisoned by the French, who held it until after the treaty of peace had been signed at Tientsiu in June, 1885. The place was occupied by the Japanese on the 3rd June, 1895. Harbour improve- ments on a large scale are now in progress. A railway connects Kelung with Taipeh, the capital, aud will be extended thence to Tainan-fu. Late in 1895 Luikong (or Eokko), 117 miles south of Tamsui on the west coast, was opened as a special port of import and ex- port; and in March, 1896, Kiukong (or Kinko), 36 miles south of Tamsui, was opened in a similar manner to trade for Japanese-owned vessels. TAINAN-FU, TAKOW, AND ANPING The city of Tainan-fu [until 1889 known as Taiwan], situated in lat. 23 deg. 6 min. N. and long. 129 deg. 5 min. E., is the commercial capital of Formosa. It is for an Eastern city moderately clean and well paved. The walls are some five miles in circumference. The shipping port of Tainan-fu is Anping, situated on the coast about three miles to the eastward of the city and connected with the suburbs by a creek. The port is an open roadstead, vessels having to anchor a mile or so from the beach. From the 1st November to the end of May the anchorage is a perfectly safe one, but during the S.W. monsoon a heavy swell sets in, rendering it difficult, and at times impossible, for vessels to load or discharge. Anping has of late risen greatly in importance, the foreign firms making it their headq^uarters instead of Takow, which port in former years was considered of more significance. Tempered by sea breezes, Anping during the summer months can boast of a cool climate. From 1st October to the end of April there is little or no rain, and the temperature 40 JAPAN leaves nothing to be desired. Sugar is the principal export of South Formosa ; the export in 1898 amounted to 792,983 cwt., as against 770,510 cwt. in 1897. The value of the total foreign trade of the port in 1898 was £784,627 as compared with £612,284 in 1897. Takow is a port twenty-four mUes to the southward of Anping. It takes little or no share in the import trade, but is a principal centre for the sugar export trade. The last stand against the Japanese was made at Tainan-fu, Takow, and Anping, by Liu Yung-fu, the Black Plag General. Takow was bombarded on the 15th October and the resistance collapsed without any serious fighting, and Tainan-fu and Anping were occupied on the 21st October. COREA COEEA CoEEA, or Chosen (the native name), is a peninsula situated to the north of China, which hangs down between that empire and Japan, separating the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea, between the 34th and 43rd parallels north. It is bounded on the north by Man- churia, on the north-east by Siberia, on the east by the Sea of Japan, on the west by the Yellow Sea, and on the south by the Channel of Corea. It has a coast line measuring 1740 miles, and with its outlying islands is nearly as large as Great Britain. The name Corea is derived from the Japanese Korai (Chinese Kaoli) ; and the Portuguese, who were the first navigators in the Yellow Sea, called it Koria. Chosen is translated into "Morning Calm." The eastern half of the peninsula is a sinuous range of mountains, of which Western Corea is the slope. The chief rivers of importance are naturally to be found on the western side, and most of the harbours are situate on that coast. Corea is divided into eight do or provinces, named Ping-an, Whang-hai, Kiung-kei (which contains the capital), Chung-chong, ChuUa, Kiung-sang, Kang-wen, and Ham-kiung. The climate is healthy and temperate, bracing in the north and milder in the south, where it is more exposed to summer breezes. The Han river at Seoul is often frozen for two months in the year. The fauna includes tigers^ leopards, wild deer, wild hogs, and in the south monkeys are to be found. A stunted breed of horses exists, and immense numbers of oxen 44 COREA are raised as food ; goats are rare, and sheep are only imported from CMna for sacrificial purposes. The pheasant, eagle, falcon, crane, and stork are common. A great portion of the soil is fertile, and the mineral wealth of the kingdom is believed to be considerable. The history of Corea, like that of its neighbours, is lost in the mists of obscurity, but according to native and Chinese tradition a Chinese noble named Kishi, or Ki-tsze, who migrated with his followers to Corea in 1122 B.C., was the founder of the Corean social order and the first monarch. His descendants are said to have ruled until the fourth century before the Christian era. The present dynasty is descended from Ni Taijo, a young soldier who was the architect of his own fortunes, and who succeeded in deposing the Wang dynasty. It was at this time, in the fourteenth century, that Han-yang, known as Seoul, was selected as the national capital. His Majesty King Li Fin is the twenty-eighth sovereign of the present line. The king- dom is governed, under the King and three Prime Ministers, by six boards or departments — namely. Office and Public Employ, Finance, Ceremonies, War, Justice, and Public Works. The general method of procedure is modeEed on that of Peking. The State revenue is derived from the land tax, and it is estimated to amount to about £200,000. For many centuries the Coreans successfully resisted all efforts to induce them to hold intercourse with foreigners. The King was formerly a vassal of the Emperor of China, and the Emperor of Japan also claimed his allegiance, but by the Treaty of Kokwa, concluded with Japan in 1876, the independence of the country was acknowledged, though China, which assented to Corea's conclusion of this and other treaties with foreign Powers as an independent kingdom, in- consistently continued to claim suzerainty. Upon the establishment of Japanese in the ports of Fusan and Yuensan, the prejudice against foreign intercourse gradually abated, and on the 22ud May, 1882, a treaty CORE A 45 of friendship and commerce was signed by the Corean Government at Jenchuan with Commodore Shufeldt on behalf of the United States. A Treaty with England was signed by Sir Harry Parkes on the 26th November, 1883 ; in 1884 Treaties were also concluded with Germany and Eussia, and later with Prance, Italy, and Austria. The population of Corea, according to the last Government census, was 10,518,937. The foreign trade of Corea shows a steady growth, and in 1898 that portion of it coining under the cognizance of the Foreign Customs reached a value of $24,702,237 in 1898, as against $23,511,350 in 1897, $12,842,509 in 1896, and $7,986,840 six years ago, i.e. in 1893. The principal articles of import are cotton manufactures, and of export, rice, hides and bones, beans, and gold. The export of gold is yearly increasing, in 1897 amounting to £240,047, and no less a sum than £100,000 is said to have been invested in one gold-mining undertaking alone. In 1894, owing to a rebellion in the Southern pro- vinces, application was made to China for assistance, and Chinese troops were sent to restore order. Japan also sent troops and invited China to co-operate in reforming the government of the country, but China declined, and war resulted, Japan driving the Chinese out of Corea and carrying the war into China itself. Eegarding the financial position of Corea the British Consul in his report for 1896 said: — "With careful management and retrenchment of expenditure a financial equilibrium has been established and maintained during the past year, and there is a surplus in the Treasury sufficient to cover the greater portion of the national indebtedness. The principal items of revenue are the land tax, the house tax, ginseng tax, and gold dues, which altogether make up a budget of about $4,000,000. The provincial income and expenditure is, however, left to a certain extent to local management, and there can be little doubt that with stricter supervision, and the estabKshment of a regular system of accounts, the 46 COREA revenue of the Central GoverntQent is capable of con- siderable expansion." In his report for 1897 the Consul said : " The financial position of the country continues to be satisfactory, 2,000,000 yen of the 3,000,000 yen borrowed from Japan have been repaid, and the year closed with a sufficient balance in the Treasury to cover the remainder of the national indebtedness." The report for 1898 was, however, not so satisfactory, the Consul remarking : " The finances of Corea are no longer in the satisfactory condition they were a year or two ago. The treasury is virtually empty, and the end of each month brings with it the recurring difficulty about the payment of the troops and the discharge of other obligations. So far the Government have not actually fallen into arrears, but they have been living not on their income but on the surplus of past years, and there is an unmistakable downward tendency in their financial arrangements which augurs badly for the future." In 1896 work was commenced on a railway to con- nect Chemulpo with Seoul, but financial difficulties have been experienced by the Japanese syndicate who agreed to take over the line from the original American concessionnaire, and the work has made slow progress. A contract has been let for another line, from Seoul to Fusan, a distance of about 300 miles, but work has not yet proceeded beyond the preliminary surveys. SEOUL The capital city of Han-yang, better known to foreigners as Seoul (which is merely the native term for capital), is situated almost in the centre of the province of Kiung-kei, on the north side of and about three miles from the riyer Han, about thirty-five miles from its mouth. It lies in 37 deg. 30 min. N. lat. and 127 deg. 4 min. E. long. Han-yang means " the fortress on the Han." The city is enclosed by crenellated walls SEOUL 47 of varying height, averaging about twenty feet, with arched stone bridges, spanning the watercourses. It is in the form of an irregular oblong, and stretches length- wise in a valley that runs from north-east to south-west. The houses are about eight or nine feet high, built of stone or mud, and mostly roofed with tiles. Internally they are clean, for the Coreans, like the Japanese, take off their shoes before entering their houses. A long main street, about 100 feet wide, running east and west, divides the city into two nearly equal portions. In the northern half are the walled inclosures containing the King's Palace and the more important public buildings. A street about 50 feet wide intersects the main street at right angles, dividing the northern half of the city into eastern and western quarters. At the point of inter- section stands a pavUion called Chong-kak (the " Bell Kiosk "), from a large bell about seven feet high which is placed there. This spot is regarded as the centre of the city ; and from it another street, as wide as the main street, branches off to the south-west. The four wide streets which thus radiate from the " Bell Kiosk " are known as the four Chong-ro or " Bell roads." Another conspicuous feature of this central part of the city is the row of large warehouses two storeys high, the lower portions of which are divided off into little shops, opening into a small courtyard instead of facing the street. The width of the main streets was formerly much reduced by the construction in front of nearly every house of a rude wooden shanty used for a work- shop or for business purposes, which gave the streets a poor and squalid appearance, but some of the principal streets have now been cleared of these unsightly obstruc- tions, and the British Consul in his report for 1896 says the people are gradually being taught the benefits of good roads and clean surroundings. A spacious market- place has been erected in one of the busiest parts of the city, and arrangements are being made for establishing two or three others at suitable centres. An annual appropriation of |50,000 has been made by the Finance 48 COREA Department for the maintenance and improvement of the roads, and a similar sum was appropriated for ex- penditure on drainage in 1897. The shops are small and unattractive, and contain no a/riicles de luxe or curios. The population of the city is variously esti- mated at from 150,000 to 240,000 persons; official returns give the number of houses as 30,000. An electric railway running for three miles along the main streets of Seoul and thence three or four miles into the country was opened in 1899. A railway to connect Chemulpo with Seoul is in course of construction. CHEMULPO, POET OF JENCHUAN, CALLED ALSO JINSEN AND INCHIUN This port, known to the Japanese as Jinsen, is situated in lat. 37 deg. 28 min. 30 sec. N. and long. 126 deg. 37 min. E., at the entrance to the Salee Eiver, an embouchure of the Han-kang close to and immedi- ately east of Eose Island, on the west coast of Corea, in the metropolitan province of Kiung-kei. The British Consul in his report for 1896 says : " Chemulpo, which thirteen years ago was a collection of fifteen miserable huts, is now a large and flourishing centre of trade, with broad metalled roads, good substantial buildings, and a foreign population of some 6000 or 7000, mostly Japanese and Chinese. The Chinese and Japanese settlements are fully occupied, and the price of land in the general foreign settlement has risen to almost fabulous rates." There is a Municipal Council, com- posed of the Foreign Consuls, one Corean of&cial, and three representatives of the landholders. The outer anchorage is accessible to ships of all sizes, and the inner one to coasting vessels and steamers ordinarily employed in the local trade. The river is navigable for vessels not drawing over ten feet up to Mapu ; but WONSAN {GENS AN OR YUENSAN) 49 seeing that at certain seasons there are a few places where the fall in the river is very considerable, owing to the existence of sand-banks, it is desirable that river steamers, intended to run regularly, should not draw over six feet. An overland telegraph line from China to this port and the city of Seoul was opened to traffic in November, 1885. A railway to connect Chemulpo with Seoul is in course of construction. The climate is healthy and may be compared to that of Chefoo. The foreign population was 5718 (including 4301 Japanese and 1344 Chinese) in 1898 ; the natives were estimated at 7669. The port was opened to Japanese trade on the 1st January, 1883, and to foreign trade on the 16th June of the same year. The value of the imports from foreign countries in 1898 was |7,785,651, and that of the exports to foreign countries $2,319,478, as com- pared with $5,868,605 imports and $3,643,066 exports in 1897. The total value of the trade of the port in 1898 was $10,853,851, as compared with $9,710,870 in 1897. The sub-prefectural town of Jenchuan is situated ten li distant from the port. WONSAN (GENSAN OE YUENSAN) This port, situated in Broughton Bay, on the north- eastern coast of Corea, is in the southern corner of the province of South Ham-kiung, about halfway between Fuaan and Vladivostock. It was opened to Japanese trade on the 1st May, 1880, and to other nations in November, 1883. It is called Gensan by the Japanese and Yuensan by the Chinese. The native town has grown considerably since the port was opened to trade and contains now a population of fully 20,000 in- habitants. The town is built along the southern shore of the bay, and through it runs the main road which leads from Seoul to the Tumen river. Markets are held K 50 COREA five times a month for the sale of agricultural produce and foreign imports. The Custom House is situated in the heart of the foreign settlements about a mile distant from the native town. The Japanese have a weU-kept settlement containing about 200 houses, with nearly 1500 iuhabitants. The Chinese number 100, and the European and American residents about 20. The harbour is a good one, being spacious, easy of access, weU sheltered, with excellent holding ground, and convenient depth of water. January is the coldest month, and one corner of the harbour — that before the native town — is sometimes frozen over, but the part used by shipping is never covered with ice of such a thickness as to interfere with navigation. The country around Wonsan is under cultivation, and the soil is very rich. Within a short distance of the port are mines producing copper and other minerals, and gold is found amongst the neighbouring mountains. The cattle at the port, as nearly all over the country, are very fine and plentiful, and can be bought at very low rates ; they are used as beasts of burden and for agri- cultural purposes. A telegraph line from hence to Seoul was opened in July, 1891. Trade is carried on by regular lines of steamers running to Japan, Shanghai, and Vladivostock. The imports from foreign countries in 1898 amounted to $1,512,963 and the exports to |245,138. The value of imports from native ports in same year was |450,093 and the exports to native ports $763,106. The net total value of the trade in 1898 was $2,971,297, as compared with $3,071,726 in 1897, $1,411,898 in 1896, and $2,816,306 in 1895. The exports consist chiefly of hides, beans, gold-dust, dried fish, and skins. The value of native gold exported to foreign countries in 1898 was $972,702, not included in the exports of merchandise. The imports consist chiefly of cotton and silk manufactured goods, metals,- and dyes. FUSAN 51 FUSAN Fusan, or Pusan, as it is also called by the Coreans, is the chief port of Kiung-sang-do, the south-eastern, province of Corea, and lies in lat. 35 deg. 6 min. 6 sec. N. and long. 129 deg. 3 min. 2 sec. E. It was opened to Japanese trade in 1876 and to Western nations in 1883. The native town consists of some 550 houses, with a population of about 5000 inhabitants. The Japanese settlement is situated a little distance from the native town, opposite the island of Cholyongdo (Deer Island). It is under the control of the Consul, who is, however, assisted by an elective Municipal Council Order is maintained by a police force in a uniform of European pattern. Water, conducted from the neighbouring hiUs, is distributed through the settlement by pipes and hydrants. The foreign resi- dents numbered 6356 in 1898, of whom 6249 were Japanese, 85 Chinese, and 22 Europeans. The Corean town of Fusan is a walled city, situated at the head of the harbour ; it contains the Eoyal granaries for storing rice, a few wretched houses, and the residence of the small military official in charge. The harbour is good and capacious, with a sufficient depth of water to accommodate the largest vessels. The climate is very salubrious and the place is considered extremely healthy. Sea bathing may be had in perfection, and there is a nice hot spring near Tongnai. The district city, Tong-nai Fu, which is distant about eight miles, is the local centre of trade. It contains a population of 33,160. A branch of the Foreign Customs Service was established in July, 1883. Eegular lines of steamers connect the port with Japan, Shanghai, northern ports of China, and Vladivostock. Fusan was connected with Japan by a submarine telegraph cable in November, 1883. The imports from foreign countries in 1898 amounted to $2,447,000 against $2,706,000 in 1897 52 CORE A and $1,937,040 in 1896, and the exports to foreign countries to $2,812,000 against $4,700,000 in 1897 and $2,604,000 in 1896. MOKPO Mokpo, which, like Chennampo, was opened to foreign trade on the 1st October, 1897, in pursuance of a resolution of the Council of State, is a seaport in the province of ChuUa, and has an excellent harbour capable of providing anchorage accommodation for thirty or forty vessels of large tonnage. ChuUa is a great rice-growing district, and has the reputation of being the wealthiest province in the country, and Mokpo lies at the mouth of a river which drains nearly the whole province. The Consular report for 1898 says : " Mokpo has undergone a great transformation since it was opened, eighteen months ago. It then consisted of a few Corean huts, surrounded by paddy fields and mud flats. The foreign settlement, which comprises about 225 areas of ground, has now nearly all been bought up, and the mud flats are rapidly being converted into a town, with well-laid-out streets, occupied by about 1200 Japanese and a number of substantial Chinese residents." CHINNAMPO This port was opened to foreign trade on the 1st October, 1897, in pursuance of a resolution passed by the Council of State. The port is situated on the north bank of the Tatung inlet, about twenty miles from its mouth, in the extreme south-west of the province of Ping-yang. It is some forty miles distant by water from Ping-yang, the third city in the kingdom, with a population of 40,000, and it is expected that it will PINGYANG — KUNSAN 53 become a place of considerable commercial activity. The province is rich in agricultural and mineral wealth, the latter of which is now being developed by foreign enterprise. PINGYANa Pingyang, the capital city of the province of the same name, ranks in importance as the third city of the empire. It has been opened as a trading mart, where foreigners may reside, trade, and rent land and houses, according to native rules, anywhere within the limit to be marked off for that purpose. This limit has not yet (1899) been decided upon. No custom- house will be opened there, all goods to and from Ping- yang paying duty for and from abroad at Chinnampo. The foreigners residing at Pingyang comprise 17 American missionaries, one French missionary, about 150 Japanese, and 60 Chinese. KUNSAN Kunsan, one of the new ports opened to foreign trade on the 1st May, 1899, is situated at the mouth of the Yong Dang Eiver, which runs for many miles, forming the boundary line between the two provinces of Chulla-do and Chung-Chong-do, on the west coast of Korea, and lies about halfway between Jenchuan and Mokpo. The two provinces referred to are so noted for their abundant supply of agricultural produce that they are called the magazines of the kingdom. The principal articles of export are: rice, wheat, beans, different kinds of medicines, ox-hides, grasscloth, paper, bamboo articles, fans both open and folding, screens and mats, bicho de mar, dried awabi, with various kinds of fish and seaweed. 54 CORMA The port itself was well known as the eXpott station for the revenue rice, when the Government revenue was paid in rice, and collected in this port for trans- mission to the capital. Among import goods, shirtings, lawns, cotton yarn, matches, kerosene oil, etc., had already found their way to the port prior to its opening, for distribution to different markets, and the importation of these goods has since steadily increased in such a way as to guarantee the future of Kunsan as a port of trade. Population: 1200 Ooreans, 150 Japanese, and a few Chinese. SONG CHIN This port is situated on the north-eastern coast of Corea, in the province of North Ham-kiung, about 120 miles from Wonsan. It was opened to foreign trade on the 1st May, 1899. The native town is built close to the beach, and to judge by the ruins of walls and watch-towers was once a fortified place. The settle- ment will occupy the native town and extend beyond to the north. The native inhabitants number about 500. The next market-place is about 40 li distant and up country, whilst the main road leading from Seoul to the Tumen Eiver is at a distance of about 10 li. The Custom House is situated near the settlement, on the neck of the small peninsula forming one side of the Song Chin bay. Of foreigners there are some 40 Japanese living as yet in Corean houses; they are mostly small shopkeepers and coolies. The harbour is a bad one, indeed it is little more than an open road- stead anchorage ; from N.E. to S.E. it is quite exposed, and even with a moderate breeze from those quarters communication between ship and shore may have to be suspended. The anchorage is not spacious though very easy of access, and vessels drawing 10 feet or so can lie within a quarter of a mile from the shore. Fogs SONG CHIN 55 prevail for the greater part of the year, and the tem- perature is moderate at all seasons. The country around Song Chin is well under cultivation, principally for beans. Within reasonable distances, it is said, gold, copper, and coal may be found, also a very fine white granite. Hot springs, said to be very efficacious for a number of ailments, are at a distance of some 30 li from the settlement. Cattle are very fine and plentiful, and can be bought at low rates. A number of Japanese fishing boats are employed along the coast reaping a seemingly good harvest in bicho de mar. Trade is carried on by small coasting steamers, principally with the port of Wonsan. The exports chiefly consist of beans, cowhides, and bicho de mar, whilst cotton goods, kerosene oil, and matches form the principal items of imports. CHINA CHINA Eeigning Sovereign and Family. KuANG Su, Emperor of China, is the son of Prince Ch'un, the seventh son of the Emperor Tao Kuang. He succeeded his cousin, the late Emperor Tung Chi, who died without issue on the 12th January, 1875, from small-pox. The proclamation announcing the accession of the present sovereign was as follows : — " Whereas His Majesty the Emperor has ascended upon the Dragon to be a guest on high, without offspring born to his inheritance, no course has been open but that of causing Tsai Tien, son of the Prince of Ch'un, to become adopted as the son of the Emperor Weng Tsung Hien (Hien Eung), and to enter upon the inheritance of the great dynastic line as Emperor by succession. Therefore, let Tsai Tien, son of Yih Huan, the Prince of Ch'un, become adopted as the son of the Emperor Wen Tsung Hien, and enter upon the inheri- tance of the great dynastic line as Emperor by succes- sion." The present sovereign is the ninth Emperor of China of the Manchu dynasty of Ta-tsing (Sublime Purity), which succeeded the native dynasty of Ming in the year 1644 There exists no law of hereditary succession to the throne, but it is left to each sovereign to appoint his successor from among the members of his family. The late Emperor, dying suddenly, in the eighteenth year of his age, did not designate a successor, and it was in consequence of palace intrigue, directed 60 CHINA by the Empress Dowager, in concert with Prinpe Ch'un, that the infant son of the latter was declared Emperor. The Emperor Kuang Sii was born in 1871, assumed the reins of government in February, 1887, was married on the 26th February, 1889, to Yeh-ho-na-la, niece of the Empress Dowager, and his enthronement took place on the 4th March following. On the 21st September, 1898, a Palace revolution took place, and the Empress Dowager again assumed the regency, nominally on the ground of the Emperor's ill-health, and she has since ruled in the Emperor's name. GOVEKNMENT AND EeVENUE. The fundamental laws of the empire are laid down in the Ta-tsing Huei-tien, or Collected Eegulations of the Great Pure Dynasty, which prescribe the govern- ment of the State as based upon the government of the family. The Emperor is spiritual as well as temporal sovereign, and, as high priest of the Empire, can alone, with his immediate representatives and nainisters, perform the great religious ceremonies. No ecclesias- tical hierarchy is maintained at the public expense, nor any priesthood attached to the Confucian or State religion. The administration of the empire is under the supreme direction of the Interior Council Chamber, comprising four members, two of Manchu and two of Chinese origin, besides two assistants from the Han-lin, or Great College, who have to see that nothing is done contrary to the civil and religious laws of the empire, contained in the Ta-tsing Huei-tien and in the sacred books of Confucius. These members are denominated Ta Hsio-sz, or Ministers of State. Under their orders are the Li Pu or seven boards of government, each of which is presided over by a Manchu and Chinese. They • are :—(l) The Li Pu ^ ^ Board of Civil Appointment, which takes cognizance of the conduct and administration of all civil officers ; (2) The Hu Pu CHINA 6 1 ^ % Board of Eevenue, regulating all financial affairs \ (3) The Li Pu ji| % Board of Eites and Ceremonies, which enforces the laws and customs to be observed by the people ; (4) The Ping Pu ^ ^ or Military Board, superintending the administration of the army ; (5) The Kung Pu X p|5 or Board of Public Works ; (6) The Board of Punishments ^J ^ and (7) The Board of Admiralty. To these must be added the Tsung-li Yamen, J^ S ^ P^ or Board of Foreign Affairs. Independent of the Government, and theoretically above the central administration, is the Tu-cha Yuan, or Board of Public Censors. It consists of from 40 to 50 members, under two presidents, the one of Manchu and the other of Chinese birth. By the ancient custom of the empire, all the members of this board. are privileged to present any remonstrance to the sovereign. One censor must be present at the meeting of each of the six Government boards. The amount of the public revenue of China is not known, and estimates concerning it vary greatly. The Imperial Maritime Customs receipts form the only item upon which exact iigures are obtainable, and these for the year 1898 amounted to Tls. 22,503,397. Mr. E. H. Parker, formerly of the British Consular Service, in 1896 published the following estimate of the receipts from the other principal sources: — Land tax Tls. 20,000,000, Salt Tls. 10,000,000, Lekin Tls. 15,000,000, Kative Customs Tls. 3,000,000, Miscellaneous Tls. 3,000,000. In addition the grain tribute may also be estimated at Tls. 3,000,000, making a total estimated revenue of Tls. 77,000,000. The amounts given above are those supposed to be accounted for to the Govern- ment, but very much larger amounts are raised from the people and absorbed by the officials in the way of peculation. With the significant exception of the Maritime Customs, which is under foreign control, no item of revenue shows any elasticity. The land tax, salt revenue, Lekin Native Customs, are all about the same figures as they were ten years ago, although it is 62 CHINA a matter of common notoriety that these sources of revenue have increased indefinitely. China had no foreign debt till the end of 1874, when a loan of £627,675, bearing 8 per cent, interest, was contracted through the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, under Imperial authority, and secured by the Customs' revenue. Afterwards a number of other loans, of com- paratively moderate amount, were contracted, mostly through the agency of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, and several of them have been paid ofp. Up to 1894 the total foreign debt of China was inconsiderable, but since then extensive borrowings have had to be made to meet the expenses of the war with Japan and the indemnity, which was Tls. 200,000,000 (at exchange of 3s. %\d\ with a further Tls. 20,000,000 for the retro- cession of the Liaotung Peninsula. The last instalment was paid in 1898, and the total indebtedness of the country is now £55,755,000, the principal loans being the Eussian of 1895, the Anglo-German of 1896, and the Anglo-German of 1898, each of £16,000,000. Eecently several minor loans, amounting in all to less than £4,000,000, have been contracted through the agency of the foreign banks for the purposes of rail- way construction. It is but fair to say that these loans have been devoted to their purpose, and will automatically redeem themselves if efacient manage- ment of the lines be assured. In some cases the lines have been hypothecated to the banks as security, and these institutions have nominated a foreign accountant. "■D'- Aeea and Population. China proper, extending over 1,336,841 English square miles, is divided into eighteen provinces, the area and population of which are given below, the figures with an * being from Chinese of&cial data for 1882, those with a t from the data of 1879, and Fohkien being estimated on the basis of the census of 1844 : — CHINA (^l Province. Proyinclal capital. Chihli t Shantung * Shanai * Honan* Kiangsu • Anhwei * Kiangsi f Chekiaug * Fohkien Hupeh * Hunan * Shensi f Kansnh Szeohuen * Kwangtung Kwangsi f Kweiohau t Yunnan f Peking Tsinan . Taiyuen Kaifang Nanking Ngankin . Nanchang . Hangohow . Fooohow Wuchang . Changchuu . Sigan Lanchow . ChLngtu Canton Kwelin Kweiyang , Yunnan Area English ^square miles. . 58,949 . 53,762 . 56,268 . 66,913 •} 92,961 . 72,176 . 39,150 . 38,500 ;} 114,770 ■} 192,850 '. 166,800 . 79,456 . 78,250 . 64,554 . 107,969 Estimated population. 17,937,000 36,247,835 12,211,453 22,115,827 /20,905,171 \20,596,288 24,534,118 11,588,692 22,190,556 / 22,190,556 \21,002,604 / 8,432,193 \ 9,285,377 67,712,897 29,706,249 5,151,327 7,669,181 11,721,576 Fopnlation per Bquaie mile. 304 557 221 340 470 425 340 296 574 473 282 126 74 406 377 65 118 108 1,312,828 383,253,029 292 It is to be noted that the Chinese census, following all Oriental methods of calculation, is not to be trusted. There is no subject on which foreign and native statis- ticians are more contentious than that of the Chinese population. Experts vary in their estimates between 250,000,000 and 440,000,000. The total number of foreigners in China in 1898 was 13,421, of whom 5148 were subjects of Great Britain, 2056 of the United States, 920 of France, 1043 of Germany, 200 of Sweden and Norway, 141 of Italy, 395 of Spain, 162 of Denmark, 1694 of Japan, and 1082 Portuguese, almost entirely natives of Macao, all other nationalities being represented by very few members. Of 773 mercantile firms doing business at^ the treaty ports, 398 were British, 107 German, 43 American, and 37 French. The principal dependencies of China are Mongolia, with an area of 1,288,035 square miles, and some 2,000,000 people ; and Manchuria, with an area of 362,313 square miles, and an estimated population of 15,000,000. The latter is being steadily and rapidly colonised by Chinese, who greatly outnumber the 64 CHINA Manchiis in their own land. Thibet, which is also practically a dependency of China, has an area of 643,734 square miles and a population of 6,000,000 souls. It is ruled by the Dalai Lama, but subject to the Government of Peking, who maintain a Eesident at Lhassa. Aemy and Navy. The standing military force of China consists of two great divisions, the first formed by the more immediate subjects of the ruling dynasty, the Manchus, and the second by the Chinese and other subject races. The first, the main force upon which the Imperial Govern- ment can rely, form the so-caUed troops of the Eight Banners, and garrison all the great cities, but so as to be separated by walls and forts from the population. According to the latest reports, the Imperial army comprises a total of 850,000 men, including 678 companies of Tartar troops, 211 companies of Mongols, and native Chinese infantry, a kind of militia, number- ing 120,000 men; but these figures, derived from Native sources, are altogether untrustworthy. In organisation, equipment, personnel, and commissariat the Army is utterly inefficient, and with the exception of a few brigades of foreign-driUed troops, is little better than rabble, as far as concerns opposition to European, Indian, or Japanese troops. The native soldiers do not as a rule live in barracks, but in their own houses, mostly pursuing some civil occupation. The Chinese navy consisted, prior to the Franco- Chinese war of 1884, mainly of small gunboats bmlt at the Mamoi Arsenal, Foochow, and at Shanghai, on the foreign model, but was afterwards greatly strengthened. Five ships were lost, however, in the battle of the Yalu, when the Japanese inflicted a severe defeat upon the Chinese, and the remainder of the fleet was captured or destroyed at the taking of Weihaiwei in February, 1895. Three cruisers of 2950 tons displacement were secured in 1895 from the Vulcan Works at Stetten, CHINA 65 and two very fine Elswick sloops of the same size were added in 1899. These, with two corvettes and two training vessels, supplemented by four Elbau "destroyers," comprise the Pei Yang Squadron or Northern Fleet. These vessels might be of real value for conveying troopships, shelling rebellious towns, etc., but as the Chinese have no naval base and no docking facilities in ISTorthern waters, and as the ships are ill- found and with indifferent personnel, they would be of little use against a resolute foreign enemy. Teade and Industey. The ports open to trade are : — Newchwang, Tientsin, Chefoo, Shanghai, Soochow, Chinkiang, Nanking, Wuhu, Kewkiang, Hankow, Yochow, Shasi, Ichang, Chungking, Hangchow, Ningpo, Wenchow, Santu, Foochow, Amoy, Swatow, Canton, Samshui, Wuchow, Nanning, Kiungchow, and Pakhoi. Lungchow, Ment- szu, Szemao, and Hokeow, on the fi-ontiers of Tonkin and Burmah, are stations under the cognizance of the Foreign Customs. The import trade, exclusive of the Colony of Hongkong, centres chiefly at Shanghai, Canton, and Tientsin, while the bulk of the exports pass through the ports of Shanghai, Hankow, Foochow, and Canton. The annual value of the trade of China coming under the supervision of the Imperial Maritime Customs was as follows : — Net imports Net exports to Total of ^^* imports from foreign foreign foreign trade. of native countries. countries. iuio-b" "ouo. goods. Hk. Tls. Hk. Tls. Hk. Tls. Hk. Tls. 1885 ... 88,200,018 65,005,711 153,205,729 57,117,407 1890 ■" " 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1898® Bx.l-51,Mex.$316,464,794 |240,146,095 $556,610,889 $153,588,254 Ex. 2s. 10§d £30,236,185 £22,944,422 £53,180,607 £14,669,597 F 127,093,481 87,144,480 214,237,961 74,017,519 134,003,863 100,947,849 234,951,712 80,085,179 135,101,198 102,583,525 237,684,723 76,717,666 151,362,819 116,632,311 267,995,130 80,079,118 162,102,911 128,104,522 290,207,433 80,377,259 171,696,715 143,293,211 314,989,926 83,405,382 202,589,994 131,081,421 333,671,415 86,488,288 202,828,625 163,501,358 366,329,983 91,443,935 209,579,334 159,037,149 368,616,483 101,680,968 66 CHINA The following was the net value of commodities imported direct from and exported direct to foreign countries in 1898. These figures do not include the trade carried on with neighbouring countries in Chinese junks, which does not come within the control of the Foreign Customs : — Imports. Exports. Total. Hk. Tls. Hk. Tla. Hk. TlB. Hongkong 97,214,017 62,083,512 159,297,529 Great Britain 34,962,474 10,715,952 45,678,426 Japan (including Formosa) 27,376,063 16,092,778 43,468,841 Continent of Europe, except Bussia 9,397,792 25,929,114 35,326,906 India 19,135,546 1,324,125 20,459,671 TJnited States of America... 17,163,312 11,986,771 29,150,083 Bussia (sea and overland) 1,754,088 17,798,207 19,552,295 Straits and other British Colonies 4,805,634 3,719,470 8,525,104 Macao 3,847,717 5,381,959 8,729,676 Other foreign countries ... 3,588,704 4,005,261 7,593,965 218,745,347 159,037,149 377,782,496 Imports to the amount of Hk. Tls. 9,166,013 were re-exported to foreign countries; namely, to America Tls. 3,015,388, to Corea Tls. 1,605,458, to Eussian Manchuria Tls. 1,382,506, to Japan (including For- mosa), Tls. 1,213,359, to Hongkong Tls. 1,287,298, to other countries Tls. 662,004 The following were the values of imports from foreign countries in 1898, exclusive of re-exports to foreign countries : — Hk. Tls. 2,839,730 2,597,072 2,545,210 2,071,609 1,774,712 1,758,615 3,631,538 209,579,334 Hk. Tls. Cotton goods 77,618,824 Opium 29,255,903 Kerosene oil 11,914,699 Eice 10,448,838 Metals 9,787,077 Sugar 9,018,967 Coal 5,280,620 Woollen goods 8.190,169 Fish and fishery pro- ducts 3,161,900 Cotton, raw Matohes Ginseng B6ohe de mer and seaweed Flour Machinery Sundries Total ... The foreign goods re-exported to foreign countries, exclusive of those to Corea, consisted of Formosan Tea Tls. 3,757,362, Cotton Goods Tls. 2,762,525, Coal CHINA 67 Tls. 406,430, Metals Tls. Sundries Tls. 1,619,640. 259,938, Sugar Tls. 360,118, The exports to foreign countries, exclusive of re- export of foreign goods, were : — Hk. Tls. Hk. Tls, Silk 45,412,818 Clothing, boots, and Tea 28,879,482 shoes 1,982,672 Silk piece goods .. 10,691,101 Paper 1,741,707 Beans and beanoake 7,828,885 Provisions and vege- Tobacco 3,839,240 tables 1,590,204 Hides and horns .. . 3,836,413 China and earthen- Mats and mattings 3,683,094 ware 1,504,307 Cotton, raw 3,151,161 Cattle 1,432,382 Strawbraid 3,131,791 Sundries 32,350,870 Far skins and rugs 3,073,332 Vegetable oil 2,461,799 Total 159,037,149 Sugar 2,445,891 Goods to the value of Tls. 36,404,858 were conveyed to, and to the value of Tls. 5,751,434 were brought from, the interior under transit passes. The total carrying trade foreign and coastwise was divided amongst the different flags as under (the Eussian including tea carried overland via Kiakhta) : — Bntriea and Tonnage. Values. PercentaKes. clearances. Tla. Tonnage. Duties. British 22,609 21,265,966 508,241,936 6212 56-54 German 1,831 1,685,098 52,185,211 4-92 9-15 Japanese 2,262 1,569,134 30,073,053 458 3-35 Swedish and Norwegian 498 440,554 11,619,821 1-29 1-16 French 677 420,078 19,307,270 1-23 2-49 American 743 239,152 4,327,530 0-70 0-87 Russian 118 178,768 6,142,666 0-52 1-63 Danish 268 144,481 2,735,275 0-42 0-50 Austrian 16 44,936 1,070,232 013 0-22 Dutch 18 16,492 635,212 0-05 0-08 Other countries 174 41,349 1,138,631 012 0-38 Chinese 23,547 8,187,572 334,422,970 23-92 23-63 52,661 34,233,580 971,899,807 10000 100-00 The vessels entered and cleared in 1898 were made up of 43,164 Steamers of 32,896,014 tons, and 9497 Sailing Vessels of 1,337,566 tons. The gross coast trade in vessels of foreign build amounted to the sum of Tls, 273,192,029 outward, and 68 CHINA Tls. 311,759,269 inward, the net native imports (that is, goods not re-exported) at the Treaty Ports being Tls. 101,680,963, and the exports to Treaty Ports Tls. 71,296,364. The Imperial Maritime Customs revenue for the same year amounted to Haikwan Taels 22,503,396, and was derived from — Imports Exports Coast Trade Opinm Oplnm Tonnage Transit duty. duty. duty. dnty. lekin. dues. dues. Foreign 4,943,268 6,064,002 67?,369 1,226,859 3,266,990 651,393 Kative t86,640 2,249,809 607,432 744,236 716,192 61,463 Total 6,729,908 8,303,811 1,184,301 1,971,095 3,983,182 612,861 717,738 Although China is traversed in all directions by roads, they are. usually mere tracks, or at best foot- paths, along which the transport of goods is a tedious and difiUcult undertaking. It was owing to the im- perfect means of communication that such a fearful mortality attended the last famines in Shansi, Honan, and Shantung. The enormous mineral wealth of Shan- si is practically non-existent for the same reason, and there is every reason to fear that the present year (1900) will see in this province a repetition of the famine horrors of the Eighties. A vast internal trade is, however, carried on over the roads, and by means of numerous canals and navigable rivers. The most populous part of China is singularly well adapted for the construction of a network of railways, and a iirst attempt to introduce them into the country was made in 1876, when a line from Shanghai to Woosung, ten miles in length, was constructed by an English company. The little railway was subsequently purchased by the Chinese Government and closed by them on the 21st October, 1877. Since that time the principle of rail- ways has been fully accepted, and several important lines are projected while some are already in operation. A tramway a few miles in length, begun in 1881 to carry coal from the Kaiping coal mines, near Tongshan, to the canal bank, has been extended to Tientsin and Taku on the one hand, and to Ktnchow, in the N.W. CHINA 69 corner of the Gulf of Liao-tung, on the other. This road is now being, rapidly continued from Kinchow to Newchwang ; the year 1900 will probably see the two Northern Treaty Ports connected by rail. A line from Peking to Tientsin was opened in 1897, the Peking terminus being at Machiapu, a point two miles from the Tartar city, whence a short electric line connects it with one of the principal gates ; the traffic developed so rapidly that in 1898-9 the line had to be doubled. From Lukouchiao (or Marco Polo's Bridge) a line of about eighty miles in length has been constructed southward to Paotingfu, the capital of the province of Chihli; this line is now in running order, and in October, 1899, was handed over by the British con- structors to the Belgian Syndicate as an integral factor in the great trans-continental road from Peking to Han- kow. A line from Shanghai to Woosung, some fourteen miles in length, was opened in 1898, twenty-one years after the first line between the same termini was torn up. The total length of the railways already in opera- tion is about 450 miles. A contract has been let to a Belgian Syndicate for the construction of a trunk-line of about 650 mUes in length from Hankow to Paotingfu, where it joins the existing Paotingfu and Lukoachiao line, thus giving through communication with Peking. Work on this line has been commenced at both ends, and large numbers of Belgian engineers arrived in 1899. The bridging of the Yellow Eiver and the cross- ing of the Fuh Niw Mountains in Honan, may offer some engineering difficulties. The American-China Development Company has obtained a concession for the construction of a line from Wuchang, on the southern bank of the Yangtsze immediately opposite to Hankow, to Canton. The British-Chinese Corpora- tion has become associated with the American-China Development Company in this project, and the same corporation has obtained a concession for a line con- necting Canton with Kowloon (Hongkong). German concessionnaires have secured the right to construct 70 CHINA two lines from the German Settlement at Kiaochau to Chinanfu and Ichou in the interior of the Shantung province, and an Anglo-German Syndicate has been authorised to make a line from Tientsin to Chinkiang, the Germans having charge of the northern portion of the undertaking and the British of the southern. A British syndicate has also secured the right to construct a line from Shanghai ma Soochow to Nanking and north-westward to join the Lu-Han line (as the Han- kow-Peking line is called), and also a line from Soochow tna Hangchow to Mngpo. A line from Canton to Chengtu, the provincial capital of Szechuen, has also been mentioned. Surveys have been conducted with a view of finding a practicable route for a railway to connect Burmah with the Yangtsze region in Szechuen, and it is anticipated that a definite project for such a line will shortly be launched. The French have secured a concession for a line from Laokay, near the Tonkin frontier, to Yunnan, and tenders for the execu- tion of the work have been called for. The French have also secured concessions for lines from Lungchow to Manning and from Nanning to Pakhoi, but it is doubtful whether ^these will be carried out, as their tendency would be to divert trade from the French colony to the West Eiver route. The Anglo-Italian Syndicate has been authorised to work coal and iron mines in the province of Honan and ttf build railways connecting the mines with navigable rivers; under this contract a line from Taiyuen to Singanfu and a branch to Siangyang are projected. In Manchuria Eussia is making a railway to connect Port Arthur and Tailienwan with the Trans-Siberian line, and branches in various directions are projected ; and un- successful attempts were made in 1899 to induce the Chinese Authorities to introduce the Eussian gauge on their northern lines from the Manchurian border to Peking. The paper inception of a new line from Peking to Kiatcha and thence to Irkutaku ma, Kalgan has also been made. For the conveyance of the PEKING 71 material required in the carrying out of this under- taking a line is under construction from Newchwang, the port at which the material conveyed by sea will be landed. A telegraph line between Tientsin and Shanghai was opened in December, 1882, and lines now connect all the important cities of the empire. PEKING The present capital of China was formerly the northern capital only, as its name denotes, but it has long been really the metropolis of the Central Kingdom. Peking is situated on a sandy plain 13 miles S.W. of the Pei-ho river, and about 110 miles from its mouth, in latitude 39 deg. 54 min. K and longitude 116 deg. 27 min. E., or nearly on the parallel of Naples. A canal connects the city with the Pei-ho. Peking is ill-adapted by situation to be the capital of a vast Empire, nor is it in a position to become a great manufacturing or industrial centre. The products of all parts of China naturally find their way to the seat of Government, but it gives little save bullion in return. Erom Dr. Dennys's description of Peking we quote the following brief historical sketch : — " The city formerly existing on the site of the southern portion of Peking was the capital of the Kingdom of Yan. About 222 B.C., this kingdom was overthrown by the GMn dynasty and the seat of Government was removed elsewhere. Taken from the Ghins by the Khaitams about A.D. 936, it was some two years afterwards made the southern capital of that people. The Kin dynasty subduing the Khaitans, in their turn took possession of the capital, calling it the ' Western Eesidence.' About A.D. 1151, the fourth sovereign of the Kins transferred the court thither, and named it the Central Eesidence. In 1215 it was captured by Genghis Khan. In 1264 Kublai Khan fixed his residence there, giving it the title of Chung-tu or Central Eesidence, the people at 72 CHINA large generally calling it Shwn (im-fu. In a.d. 1267, the city was transferred 3 li (one mile) to the north of its then site, and it was then called Ta-tu — ' the Great Eesidence.' The old portion became what is now known as .the ' Ohiiiese city,' and the terms ' Northern ' and ' Southern ' city, or more commonly nei-eheng (within the wall), and wai-chmg (without the wall), came into use. The native Emperors who succeeded the Mongol dynasty did not, however, continue to make Peking the seat of Government. The court was shortly afterwards removed to Nanking, which was considered the chief city of the Empire until, in 1421, Yung Lo, the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, again held his court at Peking, since which date it has remained the capital of China." The present city of Peking is divided into two portions, the Northern or Tartar city, and the Southern or Chinese. The former is being gradually encroached upon by the Chinese, and the purely Manchu section of the capital wUl soon be very limited. The southern city is almost exclusively occupied by Chinese. The general shape of Peking may be roughly represented by a square placed upon an oblong, the former standing for the Tartar and the latter for the Chinese city. The whole of the capital is, of course, walled. The walls of the Tartar city are the strongest. They average 50 feet in height and 40 feet in width, and are buttressed at intervals of about 60 yards. The parapets are loop- holed and crenelated. They are faced on both sides with brick, the space between being filled with earth and concrete. Each of the gateways is surmounted by a three-storied pagoda. The walls of the Chinese city are about 30 feet in height, 25 feet thick at the base, and 15 feet wide on the terre plein. The total circum- ference of the walls round the two cities slightly exceeds 20 miles. The Tartar city consists (Dr. Williams tells us) of three enclosures, one within the other, each surrounded by its own wall. The innermost, called Kin-ching or PEKING TZ Prohibited City, contaias the Imperial Palace and its surrounding buildings ; the second is occupied by the several of&ces appertaining to the Government and by private residences of officials ; while the outer consists of dwelling-houses, with shops in the chief avenues. The Chinese city is the business portion of Peking, but it presents few features of interest to sightseers, while the enclosure known as the Prohibited City is, as its title denotes, forbidden to all foreign visitors. The numerous temples, the walls, the Imperial Observatory, the Foreign Legations, and the curio shops are the chief attractions to the tourist. The streets of the Chinese metropolis are kept in a most disgraceful condition. In the dry season the pedestrian sinks deep iu noxious dust, and in wet weather he is liable to be drowned in the torrents that rush along the thorough- fares, where the constant traf&c has worn away the soU. 1899 saw the innovation of Legation Street being cleansed, levelled, and macadamised — the greatest urban improvement in three centuries. Experts say that the money lost in time, wear and tear of men, mules and carts every year is greater than the prime cost of macadamising all the main thoroughfares. The con- gestion of the traffic and the personal discomfort of cart-transit are inconceivable to people who have not experienced them. There is an air of decay about Peking which extends even to the finest of the temples, and which powerfully impresses every visitor as sym- bolic of the decadence of Empire. The population of Peking is not accurately known, but according to a Chinese estimate, which is probably much in excess, it is 1,300,000, of whom 900,000 reside in the Tartar and 400,000 in the Chinese city. There is no direct foreign trade with Peking, and the small foreign popu- lation is made up of the members of the various Legations, the Maritime Customs establishments, the professors of the College of Peking, and the missionary body. In August, 1884, the city was brought into direct telegraphic communication with the rest of the 74 CHINA world by an overland line to Tientsin ma Tungchow. The year 1899 witnessed two other innovations, which would have been regarded as impossible ten years ago, viz. the erection of large two-storied buildings on prominent sites for the Austrian Legation and the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank. These are breaks with immemorial tradition that the f&ng-shm must resent elevation in houses other than those of the immortal gods and the son of heaven.* A railway line to Tientsin was opened in 1897, but prejudice still keeps the terminus outside of the walls, and the gates are ruthlessly shut every night at sunset without reference to the convenience of travellers by rail or otherwise. TIENTSIN Tientsin is situated at the junction of the Yun Ho or Hwae Eiver, better known as the Grand Canal, with the Pei-ho in lat. 39 deg. 4 min. !N"., long. 117 deg. 3 mins. 56 sees. E. It is distant from Peking by road about 80^ miles, but the bulk of the enormous traffic between the two cities is by the river Pei-ho as far as Tungchow (13 miles from Peking), and thence by carts and wheelbarrows over the once magnificent but now dilapidated stone causeway. The traffic is now, how- ever, being rapidly diverted to the railway, which was opened in 1897, and the line doubled in November, 1898. Tientsin was formerly a place of no importance, and till recently had few historic associations; till the end of the Ming dynasty (a.d. 1644) it was only a second-rate military station, but at the northern terminus of the Grand Canal it gradually assumed commercial importance, and by the end of the seven- teenth century had become a great distributing centre. The navigability of the Pei-ho for sea-going junks ceases at Tientsin, and this made it the emporium * On the 15th March, 1900, the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank building tcos totally destroyed hy fire ; the cause was purely accidental, and not in any way connected with feng-ihwi. TIENTSIN 75 for the very large quantities of tribute rice yearly- sent up to the capital, after the Grand Canal shoaled up so as to be unfit for carriage in bulk. The trade of the city is now imperilled by the sUting up of the Pei-ho. A river improvement scheme of some magni- tude was inaugurated in 1898 under Mr. A. de Linde, and is now rapidly approaching completion. It is, however, generally believed that no lasting success wiU attend the remedial measures until steps are taken to deal with Taku Bar by permanent dredging; mean- while it is hoped that by closing the canals and creeks which take off most of the flood tide, the navigation of the river will be restored to its normal state before the year 1900. The expeditions of the allies in 1858-61 greatly enhanced the importance of the city, as it then proved to be the military key of the capital and an excellent base. It was here on June 26th, 1858, that Lord Elgin signed the treaty which was to conclude the war, but which unhappily led to its prolongation. The temple in which the treaty was signed is about a mile distant from the west gate, and is now enclosed in a small arsenal (Hai Kwan Tze) and surrounded by factories for the manufacture of small-arm ammunition. It is worth a visit if only to see the large bell which, as usual, has an interesting tradition associated with it. During the long satrapy of Li Hung-chang the trade and importance of the city developed exceedingly. Li, by the vigour of his rule, soon quelled the rowdyism for which the Tientsinese were notorious throughout the empire, and as he made the city his chief residence and the centre of his many experiments in military and naval education, it came to be regarded as the focus of ' the new learning and national reform. The foreign affairs of China were practically directed from Tientsin during the two decades 1874-94. The city will ever be infamous to Europeans from the massacre of the French Sisters of Mercy and other foreigners on June 21st, 1870, in which the most 76 CHINA appalling brutality was exhibited ; as usual the political agitators who instigated the riot got off. The Eoman Catholic Cathedral Church, which was destroyed on that occasion, has since been rebuilt, and the new building was consecrated in 1897. The building occupies a commanding site on the river bank. All the missions and many of the foreign hongs have agencies in the city. The population is reputed to be 1,000,000, but there is no statistical evidence to justify such large figures. The area of the city is far less than that of the Ports- mouth boroughs with their 180,000, and the houses without exception are one-storied. The suburbs, however, are very extensive, and there is the usual vagueness as to where the town begins and ends. The city walls axe quadrate, and extend about 4000 feet in the direction of each cardinal point. The advent of foreigners has caused a great increase in the value of real estate all over Tientsin, and as new industries are introduced every year, the tendency is still upward. Li Hung-chang authorised Mr. Tong Kin-seng to sink a coal shaft at Tong Shan (60 miles N.E. of Tientsin) in the seventies ; this was done and proved the pre- cursor of a railway,'^ which has since been extended to Shanhaikwan for military purposes, and from thence round the Gulf of Liau Tung to Kinchow ; 1900 will see this line pushed in to Newchwang. In 1897 the line to Peking was opened, and proved such a success that the line had to be doubled in 1898-9. From Feng-tai, about 7 miles from the capital, the" trans- continental line to Hankow branches off. This line has been already made as far as Pao-ting-fu, the provincial capital of Chih-li, and is now open to traffic. Its continuation is in the hands of the Belgians. About 435 miles in all are open to goods and passenger traf&c. As usual, the railway has brought aU sorts of foreseen and unforeseen contingencies wifli it. Farmers near Shanhaikwan are supplying fruit and vegetables TIENTSIN 77 to Tientsin. An enormous trade in pea-nuts (with Canton) has been created. Coal has come extensively into Chinese household use; the foreign residents are developing a first-rate watering-place at Pei-tai-ho on the Giilf of Pe-chi-li, and all the various industries of the city have been stimulated. Brick buildings are springing up in aU directions, and the depressing- looking adobe (mud) huts are diminishing. The foreigners live in the three concessions, British, French, and German, which fringe the river below the city, and cover an area of less than 500 acres. The Japanese are now (1900) taking up a concession in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Shimono- seki.. Very extensive building operations are going on throughout the concessions, which have excellent roads, with police, oil, gas-lamps, etc., etc. The British Muni- cipality has a handsome Town HaU, completed in 1889 ; adjoining there is a well-kept public garden, opened in the year of Jubilee and styled Victoria Park. An excellent recreation ground of ten acres is also being developed, and three miles distant there is a capital race-course. There are two hotels (the Astor House and Globe), two clubs (Tientsin Club and Concordia, the latter chiefly German), a theatre, an excellent library, three churches (Eoman Catholic, Anglican, and Union), and no public-houses. Distilling is one of the largest local industries ; it is chiefly from kowUang (sorghum) or mUlet. Although a spirit, it is called "wine," and is exported to the south in large quantities. The manufacture of coarse, unrefined salt by the evaporation of sea water is also carried on near Taku j the produce is stacked along the river bank just below the native city, and sometimes gives off very offensive smells, rendering life a burden. The trade in salt is a Government monopoly. Carpets, shoes, glass, coarse earthenware, and fireworks are also made in large quantities in the city, but Tientsia is at present essentially a centre for distribution and collec- tion rather than for manufacture. The exports include 78 CHINA coal, wool (from Kokonor, Kansuh, etc.)i bristles, straw braid, goat akiiis, furs, wine, etc. The export trade is a recent creation, and is largely due to foreign initiative. Wool-cleaning and braid and bristle-sorting are the chief industries in the foreign hongs except those of the Eussians, who are exclusively engaged in the transit of tea. The imports are of the usual miscellaneous nature : tea for the Desert and Siberia, mineral oU, matches, and needles figure next to piece goods. The fine arts are unknown to the Tientsinese except in the shape of cleverly made mud-figures ; these are painted and make really admirable statuettes, but are difficult to carry away, being remarkably brittle. The export coal trade is rapidly expanding, 218,618 tons having been cleared in 1898. The general trade is increasing by leaps and bounds, and no wonder, as Tientsin is practically the only sea outlet for the entire trade of the provinces of ChihU, Shansi, Shensi, Kansuh, and part of Honan, with a population not far short of 100,000,000. The total net value of the trade in the years 1896-7-8, less re-exports, was Tls. 51,316,367; Tls. 55,059,017; and Tls. 63,064,148; the net foreign imports in 1898 being valued at Tls. 32,579,514, and the native imports at Tls. 28,198,595 gross and Tls. 18,390,950 net after deduction of re-exports. The export trade, which twenty years ago was practically nQ, was last year, not including re-exports, Tls. 12,093,684. The duty collected was Tls. 1,016,412, an increment of Tls. 43,375 on that of the previous year. Opium tends to a vanishing point from native competition. The figm^es for 1896-7-8 are piculs 1,170,928, and 912. TAKU This village is situated at the mouth of the Pei-ho, on the southern side of the river, about sixty-seven miles from Tientsin. The land is so flat at Taku that PEI-TAI-HO 79 it is difficult for a stranger to detect the entrance to the river. There are two anchorages, an outer and inner. The former extends from the Customs Junks to three miles outside the Bar, seaward ; the latter from Liang-kia-yuan on the south to the Customs Jetty, Tz'chu-lin, on the north. The village is a poor one, possessing few shops, no buildings of interest except the forts, and the only foreign residents are the Customs employes and some pilots. A railway from the adjoin- ing town of Tungku (two miles up the river) to Tientsin was completed in 1888. Taku is memorable on account of the engagements that have taken place between its forts and the British and French naval forces. The first attack was made on the 20th May, 1858, by the British squadron under Sir Michael Seymour, when the forts were passed and Lord Elgin proceeded to Tientsin, where on the 26th June he signed the famous Treaty of Tientsin. The second attack, which was fatally unsuccessful, was made by the British forces in June, 1859. The third took place on the 21st August, 1860, when the forts were captured, the booms placed across the river destroyed, and the British ships sailed triumphantly up to Tientsin. The water on the bar ranges from about two to fourteen feet at the spring tides. At certain states of the tide steamers are obliged to anchor outside until there is sufficient water to cross. PEI-TAI-HO Pei-Tai-Ho is a watering-place on the Gulf of Pe- chi-li, which the energy and enterprise of the foreign communities of Tientsin has called into existence within the last few years. It lies some 22 miles S.W. by W. from Shanhaikwan, where the Great Wall meets the sea, in latitude 39 deg. 49 min. K, longitude 119 deg. 30 min. E., and is distant from Tientsin by railway 157 miles. Nine miles distant is the harbour 8o CHINA of Cheng Wang Kow, which, the Chinese Imperial Government has declared its intention of making a Treaty Port. It is hoped by the aid of foreign money that Cheng Wang may be made into an ice-free, deep- water, safe harbour, giving access in all weathers to great ocean-goiag steamers all the year round, but works of very considerable magnitude and expense will be necessary before this issue is reached. The hinter- land is rich in coal and iron, and has good railway communication with Tientsin and Peking ; there is little doubt that if harbour facilities were given Cheng Wang would soon become a very important emporium. The land round about has all been taken up by a close Chinese syndicate, and as the success of the place might militate against the interests of Tientsin and Tongku, it is not likely to meet with much encouragement there. The boundaries of the Treaty Port have been extended along the foreshore of Shallow Bay for nine miles, and are then spread out as to include the three or four square miles on which the foreigners have settled at Pei-Tai-Ho. The fact that the watering-place lies within the port limits ■ gives legal title to all land purchase, and will ensure some sort of foreign municipal control in the near future. An attempt is now being made to obtain this from the Imperial Government; meanwhile, the foreign community has made temporary arrangements, and has submitted to voluntary taxation for combined sanitation. Pei-Tai-Ho at present is accessible only by rail from Peking, Tientsin, and Taku, but the current year will also see it in railway communication with Newchwang. The railway station lies from four to six miles from the various settlements, and the journey is made by chair, donkey, or walking. Carriages cannot be used, as the roads are like those which General Wade superseded in the Scottish Highlands. There are six miles of beach of every possible variety, and the bathing is excellent from the middle of May to the first of October. The country rises at once from the shore to undulating PEI-TAI-HO 8l uplands ; most of the houses are at an elevation of fifty or a hundred feet above sea-level. At the west end the country is diversified by the Lotus Hills, a series of granite rocks which come close to the sea, and are an ofishoot from the Pettah Hill twelve miles inland. The Lotus peaks rise to about 400 feet. The soil is chiefly a sand formed by disintegrated granite ; it is very dry, fertile, and non-malarial. The water is excellent, but it is feared that the large access of foreigners, and their careless Chinese servants, may issue in well-contamina- tion if precautions are not promptly taken. In 1896 there were about twenty tenements, in 1899 about one hundred ; last summer the population was slightly over four hundred, chiefly from Tientsin, Peking, and the mission stations of Chih-li. There are three major and two minor settlements ; West Shore, Eocky Point, and East Cliff being the designatories of the former. Most of the Tientsin and Peking laymen are at West Shore ; it has the advantage of proximity to the Lotus Hills and the station, and has more pleasing scenery near at hand. Its demerits are a somewhat tame beach — nothing but sand — and inferior bathing. The latter is due to stinging medusee or jellyfish, and to the nearness of the Eiver Tai, which often discolours the water. Both demerits have, however, been exaggerated. The missionaries are chiefly at Eocky Point; there they have an Association which regulates their land tenure, sanitation, Sunday observance, etc. A strong body of laymen has now settled to the west of this "Asso- ciation" settlement, attracted by the central position, better beach, and bathing. The East Cliff was originally a mission investment, but is now a general settle ment; it is furthest away from the station, and has inferior bathing (one place excepted), but on the other hand it has magnificent land and sea-scapes and faces due East, unlike the other settlements which have a Southern aspect. The rains are heavy in July and early August, but the sandy soil enables one to be out-of- doors at once after heavy rain. The temperature Q 82 CHINA varies from 4 degrees to 10 degrees below that of Peking and Tientsin in the height of summer; there are no hot winds, as the prevailing breeze is nearly south, and is sea-borne. NEWCHWANG Newchwang is the most northerly port in China open to foreign trade. It is situated in the province of Shing-king, in Manchuria. It is called by the natives Ying-tz, and lies about thirteen miles from the mouth of the Eiver Liao, which falls into the Gulf of Liao- tung, a continuation of the Gulf of PechiU. Before the port was opened, comparatively little was known of this part of the Central Kingdom. Man- churia has since, however, been largely colonised by the Chinese, who now outnumber the natives. The word Ying-tz means military station, and that was the only use formerly made of the port. Between the years 1858 and 1860 the British fleet assembled in Ta- lien-wan Bay, and early in 1861 the foreign settlement was established. The town of Fewchwang itself is distant from Ying-tz about thirty miles, and is a sparsely populated and uninteresting place, but the advent of the railway is rapidly increasing its im- portance. An extension of the Shanhaikwan railway to Newchwang has been sanctioned, and the Eussians are also at work on a line intended primarily for the conveyance of material for the construction of the line connecting TaUenwan and Port Arthur with the Trans- Siberian Eailway. The coimtry about the port of Newchwang is bare and desolate, and in sailing up the river a most cheer- less prospect greets the traveller's eye. Ying-tz is surrounded by dreary marshes, and the land under cultivation produces principally beans. The river is closed by ice for more than three months every year, during which period the residents are entirely cut off TALIENWAN — PORT ARTHUR 83 from the outer world. The climate, however, is healthy and bracing. The population of the place is estimated at 60,000. The chief articles of trade at the port are beans and bean-cake ; 4,220,963 piculs of the former, and 3,695,821 piculs of the latter, being exported in 1898. The net quantity of opium imported in 1898 was 92 piculs, compared with 2453 piculs in 1879. The import of opium has of late years shown an almost continuous decline, the poppy being largely and successfully culti- vated in Manchuria. The total value of the trade of the port for 1898 amounted to Tls. 32,441,315, as against Tls. 26,358,671 in 1897. TALIENWAN TaUenwan is a bay to the north-east of Port Arthur, on the Liaotung Peninsula. It was acquired on lease from China by Eussia in 1898, and a free port is to be established, which wUl be connected by the Manchurian Eailway with the Trans-Siberian Eailway, of which latter it will in reality be the principal terminus. Talienwan is an open bay, some six miles wide and six deep, and open to the easterly winds. It was in Victory Bay, an inlet of Talienwan, that the British fleet and transports anchored during the hostilities with China in 1860. PORT AETHUE Port Arthur, at the point of the " Eegent's sword," or Liaotung Peninsula, was formerly China's chief naval arsenal, but was captured in the Japanese War and its defences and military works destroyed. In 1898 Eussia obtained a lease of Port Arthur and Talienwan, and is now rapidly fortifying the former and making it into a great naval stronghold. It will be connected by the Manchurian Eailway with the Trans-Siberian Line. 84 CHINA CHEFOO Chefoo, in the Province of Shantung, is the name used by foreigners to denote this Treaty Port; the Chinese name of the place is Yentai, and Chefoo proper is on the opposite side of the harbour. Chefoo is situated in lat. 37 deg. 33 min. 20 sec. K and long. 121 deg. 25 min. 02 sec. E. The port was opened to foreign trade in 1863. The number of foreigners on the books of the various Consulates is about 400, but more than half of them — missionaries — ^live inland. Chefoo has no Settlement or Concession, but a recognised Foreign Quarter, which is weU kept, and has good clean roads, and is well lighted. A General Purposes Committee looks after the interests of the Foreign Quarter, and derives the revenue at its disposal from voluntary contributions by residents. The natives are most orderly and civU to foreigners. There are three good hotels, and at least three excellent boarding houses, all of which are full of visitors from July to the end of September. The climate is bracing. The winter, which is severe, lasts from the beginning of December to end of March ; April, May, and June are lovely months, and not hot ; July and August are hot and rainy months ; and September, October, and November form a most perfect autumn, with warm days, cool winds, and cold nights. Strong northerly gales are experienced in the late autumn and through the winter, and the roadstead gives but an uncomfortable, though safe, anchorage for steamers. During the summer and autumn amuse- ments are varied — sea bathing, lawn tennis, picnics, etc.' — and there is a good club. The races take place towards the end of September. Chefoo is two days' journey from Shanghai, and in the summer toiu'ist tickets from Shanghai and return are issued by the Indo-China S.K Co., the China Merchants S.N". Co., and the China Navigation Go. Since the declaration of war (August, 1894) between China and Japan the CHEFOO 85 port has been much frequented by vessels of the different foreign navies, and its close proximity to Corea will cause these visits to be continued; the result is that Chefoo has become a coaling station, and large stocks of Cardiff coal are kept to supply the foreign men-of-war. During the winter of 1894^95 the port was in a state of excitement owing to the close proximity of, and possible occupation by, the Japanese. In 1876 the Chefoo Convention was concluded at Chefoo by the late Sir Thomas Wade and the former Viceroy of Chihli, Li Hung-chang. The bunding of the western shore, recently carried out by the Chinese authorities, has removed many of the difficulties formerly attending upon the shipping business of the port. An enterprise has been recently established by a "Wine Company of substantial standing ; the soil of the locality lends itself to such an industry, and the future success of the proprietors of the first Far Eastern wine-growing concern is a matter of consider- able interest. The trade of Chefoo, which is increasing, is principally in bean-cake and beans, of which large quantities are annually exported to the southern ports of China. In 1898 the net export of bean-cake amounted to 975,521 piculs, and of beans to 77,759 piculs, as against 1,298,334 piculs of the former, and 93,102 piculs of the latter in 1897. Silk, straw-braid, and vermicelli are the other chief exports. The import of opium was 498 piculs compared with 3536 piculs in 1879, the trade having gradually dwindled. The net value of the trade of the port for 1898, after deducting re-exports, was Tls. 26,238,774, for 1897 Tls. 22,051,976, and for 1896 Tls. 19,533,953. 86 CHINA WEI-HAI-WEI Wei-hai-wei is situated on the south side of the Gulf of Pechihli near the extremity of the Shantung Pro- montory, and about 115 miles distant from Port Arthur on the north-west, and the same from the German port of Kiaochau on the south-west. Formerly a strongly fortified Chinese naval station, it was captured by the Japanese on 30th January, 1895, and was held by them pending the payment of the indemnity, which was finally liquidated in 1898. Before the evacuation by the Japanese, an agreement was arrived at between Great Britain and China that the former should take over the territory on lease from the latter, and accordingly, on the 24th May, 1898, the British flag was formally hoisted, the Commissioners representing their respective countries at the ceremony being Consul Hopkins, of Chefoo, and Captain King-Hall, of H.M.S. Narcissus, for Great Britain, and Taotai Yen and Captain Lin, of the Chinese war-vessel Foochi, for China. The harbour forms a deep bight or bay, about eighteen miles in circumference, sheltered to the northward by the island of Liukungtao, which is about two miles long from east to west, and one mile from north to south in its widest part, being approximately pear-shaped. The northern or sea coast of Liukungtao is composed of steep cliffs, while the opposite side is sandy beach, the inter- vening hills rising to a height of about 500 feet. The general appearance of the harbour is picturesque, the bay being surrounded with hills, the highest of which is about 1600 feet. The town of Wei-hai-wei, which has a population of about 4000, is situated at the north- west corner of the bay. The harbour is good, having two entrances, one to the north and the other to the east, the easterly one, how- ever, being closed to all ships drawing more than 19 feet of water. Good anchorage is obtainable for the largest ships within a few hundred yards from the island. All KIAOCHAU 87 the G-overnment buildings on the island have or are being put in repair, the largest of these, namely Queen's House, formerly the Chinese Yamen, being used as a Council Chamber, Commissioner's Eesidence, etc., and here the Commissioner dispenses justice every forenoon. The next largest building is now used as an Officers' Club, one corner of which is supposed to be the place where Admiral Ting committed suicide, the house having been formerly his private residence. Amongst the other houses of importance are the Canteen, Warrant Officers' Club, and Barracks. There is also a signal station from which passing ships are signalled. Small quantities of minerals, such as gold, mica, silver, lead, etc., have been discovered, and are about to be worked. There is some shooting to be obtained on the mainland, and good bathing from both the island and maialand in the summer. Sulphur springs are also found on the mainland. There are also cricket, football, hockey, polo, and tennis-clubs. The climate is said to be 'Setter than that of any of the Treaty Ports. KIAOCHAU Kiaochau, in Shantung, was occupied by a German squadron on the 14th November, 1897, in satisfaction for the murder of two German missionaries, and on the 2nd September, 1898, it was declared a free port. It is held on lease from China for the term of ninety-nine years. Although the port is free, in the sense that no import or export duties are levied, a branch of the Chinese Customs has been admitted, which takes cognisance of the trade between Kiaochau and Chinese ports. The Bay is an extensive inlet, about two miles north-west of Cape Evelyn. The entrance is not more than If miles across, the east side being a low promon- tory with rocky shores, with the village of Ohingtao (" green island," from a small grassy island close to the land) about two miles from the point of the peninsula. 88 CHINA On the west side of the entrance is another promontory •with hills rising to about 600 feet. The shore here is rocky and dangerous on the west side, but on the east side is a good stretch of sandy beach. The bay is so large that the land at the head can only just be seen from the entrance (about 15 to 20 miles away), and the water gradually gets shallower as the north side of the bay is approached. Kiaochau city stands at the north- west corner of the bay. There are two anchorages for big ships : one, the larger and better, round the point of the east promontory, on the north side, and the other, smaller one, at Chingtao, on the south side. The hills are nearly bare rock, and gravel, and limestone, but an extensive scheme of afforestation has been decided upon. The soil of the valleys between the ranges and the plain country on the north-east is alluvial and very fertile, and is carefully cultivated. Wheat, barley, millet, maize, Indian corn, and many other grains in smaller quantities are grown. Concessions have been granted for two lines of railway running from Kiaochau into the interior, and there appears to be every prospect of the place rapidly becoming a great commercial emporium. The foreign residential quarter at Tsintau has been well laid out, and there is a good foreign hotel. The first sod of the Shantung Eailway was cut by Prince Henry of Prussia in October, 1899. There is a German newspaper published, daily and weekly, called the Beutsch Asiatischen JVarte. The climate is temperate, and it is expected that the Bay will, in course of time, become a summer resort for the residents of Shanghai, there being an excellent bathing beach. SHANGHAI The most northerly of the five ports opened to foreign trade by the British Treaty of Nanking is situate at the extreme south-east corner of the province of Kiang-su, in lat. 31 deg. 15 min. N. and long. 121 SHANGHAI 89 deg. 29 min. E. of Greenwich, at the junction of the rivers Hwang-po and Woosung (the latter called by Europeans the Soochow Creek), about twelve miles above the newly-opened treaty port of Woo-sung, now being marked out for foreign residence by a foreign land company, where their united waters debouch into the estuary of the Yangtsze. Shanghai lies in a vast plain, the nearest hills, of only some 300 feet in height, being thirty miles to the westward. The soil is alluvial and extremely rich ; it supports a great variety of food and other stuffs. This Kiangsu plain has been called "the Garden of China," and the population here is, perhaps, denser than in any other part of the land — eight hundred inhabitants to the square mile is not an exaggerated estimate. Eice, cotton, and grain are the main products in the immediate neighbourhood ; rice to the west and north, cotton to the west and south : but with the greater demand for cotton by the mUls started within the last few years, the cultivation of rice is being pushed farther away from Shanghai, and cotton is taking its place. The convenience of inland transit is here very great ; rivers, canals, and creeks are in every direction, but they form a great obstacle to free riding and walking. Mulberry trees are not grown to any extent in the neighbourhood. Wheat, barley, rice, green foods of all kinds, cabbage, turnips, carrots, melons, cucumbers, potatoes, yams, chihlies, the egg-plant, cress, etc., abound. Of fruits, Shanghai is famous for its peaches ; plums, strawberries, cherries (small in size), peepaws (or medlars), and persimons are common. The apple and pear, grape, chestnut, and walnut are brought from the north, oranges and bananas in great quantity from the south. The bamboo is common in the district, as is the pine, cypress, willow, and a species of elm. The chrysanthemum and peony are the favourite flowers. Eoses, tulips, pansies, hyacinths, fuchsias, geraniums, and other European flowering annuals, are highly developed in the public and private gardens of the foreign settlements. Of go CHINA birds, the crow, magpie, swallow, and sparrow abound ; many species of lark, finch, and thrush are common, and the feathered tribe, as a whole, is plentiful in Kiangsu ; but it is otherwise with four-footed animals. For a more detailed account of the flora and fauna of the neighbourhood we must refer the general reader to Williams' " Middle Kingdom," and the student to the scientific works and periodicals in the Asiatic Society's library. The river opposite the city and foreign settlements, once a narrow canal, was, some twenty-five years ago, 1800 feet broad at low water, but has been rapidly narrowing till it is now only 1200 feet. The Soochow Creek, which was, judging by old records, at one time at least three miles across, has now a breadth of less than a hundred yards. The average water on the bar at Woosung at high water springs is nineteen feet, the greatest depth of late years being twenty-three feet. The bar is the cause of heavy loss to shipowners and merchants through the detention of ocean steamers. After repeated efforts to induce the Chinese authorities to deepen it, an effort was made to cope with the evil by dredging, but after a few months' work it was found that the experiment must prove ineffective, and in September, 1892, it was abandoned as useless. A sum of Tls. 17,350 was subscribed in 1894 to obtain the opinion of a Euopean expert, the Chinese authorities contributing Tls. 10,000, and in the spring of 1897 the services of the Dutch engineer, Mr. de Eijke, were engaged through the Chamber of Commerce to examine into and draw up a report on this question. Mr. de Eijke, with the assistance of the Coast Inspector's department of the Maritime Customs, made a close study of the river and bar, and his report was last year (1899) printed and circulated. As a result it was proposed that a Conservancy Board should be estab- lished, but nothing definite has yet been done. The cost of putting Mr. de Rijke's schemes into operation would be considerable. SHANGHAI 9 1 The approach by sea to Shanghai is now well lighted and buoyed, and the dangers of the ever-shifting banks and shoals as well guarded as can be expected. Under the superintendence of the engineering department of the Maritime Customs, lighthouses have been erected on "West Volcano, Shaweishan, North Saddle, Gutzlaff, Bonham, and Steep Islands, Peiyiishan, and at Woo- sung. There are also two lightships in the Yangtsze below Woosung. HiSTOEY. Shanghai — the name means "upper sea" or "near the sea " — is mentioned as existing in B.C. 249. It was a place of some importance in the eleventh century, when it was made a customs station ; it became a hsien or third-rate city in the fourteenth century. The walls, which are three and a half miles in circuit, with seven gates, were erected at the time of the Japanese invasion, in the latter part of the sixteenth century. It had been an important seat of trade for many centuries before the incursion of foreigners, and even two thousand years ago was celebrated as the seat of an extensive cotton manufacturing industry. Shanghai was visited in 1832 by Mr. H. H. Lindsay, head of the late firm of Lindsay & Co., and the Eev. Ohas. Gutzlaff, in the Lord Amherst, with a view of opening up trade. Mr. Lindsay says he counted upwards of four hundred junks passing inwards every day for seven days, and found the place possessed commodious wharves and large warehouses. Three years later it was visited by the Eev. Dr. Medhurst, who confirmed the accoimt given by Mr. Lindsay. On the 13th June, 1842, a British fleet under Vice- Admiral Sir William Parker, and a military force of 4000 men under Sir Hugh Gough, captured the Woosung forts, which mounted 175 guns, and took the hsien (district) city of Paoshan. On the 19th, after a slight resistance, the force gained 92 CHINA possession of Shanghai, the officials and a large pro- portion of the inhabitants having fled the previous evening, although great preparations had been made for the defence, 406 pieces of cannon being taken possession of by the British. The people, however, rapidly returned, and business was resumed. The same force afterwards captured Chinkiang and Hankow, after which the treaty of Nanking was signed, and the ports of Swatow, Amoy, Foochow, Ningpo, and Shanghai were opened to trade. The city was evacuated on the 23rd June. The ground selected by Captain Balfour, the first British Consul, for a settlement for his nationals, lies about half a mile north of the city waUs, between the Yang-king-pang and Soochow Creeks, and extends backward from the river to a ditch connecting the two, called the Defence Creek, thus forming what may be called an island, a mile square. The port was formally declared open to trade on the 17th November, 1843. Some years were occupied in draining and laying out the ground, which was mostly a marsh with numerous ponds and creeks. The foreigners in the mean time lived at Namtao, a suburb between the city and the river, the British Consulate being in the city. In two years a few houses were built in the Settlement, and by 1849 most foreigners had taken up their residence in it. By that time twenty-five firms were established, and the foreign residents numbered a hundred, includ- ing seven ladies. In that year an English Church was built, and on 21st November the foundation of the Eoman Catholic Cathedral at Tungkadoo was laid. The French were, in 1849, granted the ground between the city walls and the British Settlement on the same terms, and, in exchange for help rendered in driving out the rebels who had seized the city in 1853, got a grant of the land extending for about a mile to the south between the city walls and the river. They have since, by purchase, extended the bounds of the Conces- sion westward to the " Ningpo Joss-house," a mile from SHANGHAI 93 the river. Negotiations were instituted for an exten- sion of the Concession to Sicawei, a village chiefly occupied by the Jesuits and their converts, situated at the end of the French Municipal road and five miles from the French Bund, but in this the French were only partially successful, a small extension as far as the Old Cemetery being granted them in 1899. The exact dimensions have not yet been deliminated. Later on the Americans rented land immediately north of Soochow Creek, in the district called Hongkew, so that the ground now occupied by foreigners extends for about five miles on the left bank of the river. The land in the British Settlement was assessed in 1896 at Tls. 18,532,573, and that in Hongkew at Tls. 10,379,735; in 1890 at Tls. 12,397,810, and Tls. 4,806,448 ; and in 1880 at Tls, 6,118,265 and Tls. 1,945,325 respectively, the total of Tls. 28,912,308 in 1896 showing an advance since 1880 of over two himdred and fifty-eight per cent. While the value of the land in the British Settlement had trebled, that in Hongkew had increased to over five times what it was worth sixteen years previously. A great rise in values took place during the later months of 1895, and this has continued during the last four years, chiefly caused by the influx of native capital seeking safe investment under foreign protection, and by the great increase in population resulting from the establishment of numerous cotton mills, silk filatures, and other industries. The rental assessment in 1898 of 482 foreign houses in the British Settlement was Tls. 605,778, and in Hongkew of 700 houses Tls. 383,854; that of 13,821 native houses in the former Tls. 2,192,459, and of 20,126 in the latter, Tls, 1,188,847, a total annual rental assessment of house property of Tls. 4,370,938. During the last four years more than ■ 10,000 new houses have been built. In the French Concession the assessed value of land was Tls. 4,664,942 in 1899 ; the rental assessment of foreign houses, Tls. 83,500, and of native houses, Tls, 506,250. The British and French Settlements, exclusive of the extension 94 CHINA acquired in 1899, are now all built over, and the vacant spaces in Hongkew are being rapidly covered. Many of the best foreign houses, both in the Settlements and outside roads, are now occupied by Chinese, retired officials and merchants. A petition was sent to Peking in 1899 praying for a greatly enlarged boundary for the Settlement, and this had the support of the Consular Body and also of the native officials and gentry, and after much delay the matter was finally referred to the Viceroy at Nanking for settlement. The extension which was asked for has been granted, and the new territory is being actively surveyed by the Municipal Council for the formation of roads, etc. It is already policed. The exact boundaries of the Settlement now are : — Upon the North : the Soo- chow Creek from the Hsiao Sha Ferry to a point about seventy yards west of entrance thereinto of the Defence Creek, thence in a northerly direction to the Shanghai- Paoshan boundary, thence following this boundary to the point where it meets the mouth of the Kukapang. Upon the east : the Whangpoo Eiver from the mouth of the Kukapang to the mouth of the Yangking-pang. Upon the South : the Yangking-pang from its mouth to the entrance thereinto of the Defence Creek, thence in a westerly direction following the line of the northern branch of the Great Western Eoad, to the Temple of Agriculture in the rear of the Bubbling Well village. Upon the West : from the Temple of Agriculture in a northerly direction to the Haiso Sha Ferry on the Soochow Creek. The Japanese treaty of 1896 gave that Power the right to a separate Settlement at Shanghai, but no definite claim has yet been made for such an area. Most of the land along the outside roads, and at Pootung on the opposite bank of the river, is now also rented by foreigners, but natives have recently been considerable purchasers of landed property within the Settlements. All ground belongs nominally to the Emperor of China, but is rented in perpetuity, a tax of fifteen hundred copper cash, equal SHANGHAI 95 to about a dollar and a half per mow, being paid to the Government annually. The Settlement land was bought from the original proprietors at about |50 per mow, ■which was at least twice its then value. Some lots have since been sold at $10,000 to $16,000 a mow. About six mow equal one acre. As a port for foreign trade Shanghai grew but gradually until it gained a great impetus by the opening, in 1861, of the Yangtsze and northern ports secured by the Treaty of Tientsin, and a further increase by thq opening up of Japan. In March, 1848, owing to an assault on some missionaries near Shanghai, Mr. Alcock, the British Consul, blockaded the port and stopped the passage outwards of eleven hundred grain ' junks. This drastic measure, by which grain for the North was cut off, brought the authorities to their senses, and after sending a man-of-war to !N"anking the matter was arranged. The first event of importance since the advent of foreigners was the taking of the city by the Triad rebels on 7th September, 1853, who held it for seventeen months, although repeatedly besieged and attacked by the Imperialists. This caused a large number of refugees to seek shelter within the foreign Settlements, and the price of land rose very considerably. At that time a Volunteer force was formed among the foreign residents, under the com- mand of Captain, afterwards Sir Thomas, Wade, which did really good service. The battle of " Muddy Flat " was fought on 4th April, 1854, when the Volunteers, in conjunction with the Naval forces, consisting in all of 300 men with one field-piece, drove the Imperialists,' numbering 10,000 men, from the neighbourhood of the Settlements and burned their camps. Two of the Volunteers and one American were killed, and ten men wounded. Owing to the occupation of the city the authorities were powerless to collect the duties, which for a short time were not paid, and it was in conse- quence agreed in July, 1854, between the Taotai and the three Consuls (British, French, and United States), g6 CHINA that they should be collected under foreign control. This was found to work so much to the advantage of the Chinese Government that the system was extended, subsequently to the Treaty of Tientsin, to all the open ports. The Foreign Inspectorate of Customs was estab- lished in 1861, the headquarters of which were for some years, and according to the original regulations ought still to be, at Shanghai. In 1861 the Taipiags approached Shanghai, occupied the bmldings of the Jesuits at Sicawei, and threatened the city and settle- ments. The capture of Soochow on 25th May, 1860, had driven a large number of the inhabitants of that city and the surrounding districts to Shanghai for pro- tection, so that the native population increased rapidly. It was variously estimated at from four himdred thou- sand to a million, but the smaller number is probably nearer the truth. By 1861 provisions had increased in price to four times what they had been some years previously. Efforts were made to keep the rebels at a distance from Shanghai ; a detachment of British Eoyal Marines and an Indian Eegiment garrisoned the walls, while the gates on the side towards the French Settlement were guarded by French Marines. In August, 1861, the city was attacked, and the suburbs between the city walls and river were in consequence destroyed by the French, the rebels being ultimately driven back. In December the rebels to the number of one hundred thousand again threatened the Settle- ments. The approaches were barricaded and the Defence Creek constructed and fortified at an expense of forty- five thousand taels. Before the close of 1862 the rebels had been driven by the British forces beyond a radius of thirty miles around Shanghai. So immensely did the price of land rise that it is stated ground which had originally cost foreigners fifty pounds per acre was sold for ten thousand pounds. At this time the old Eace Course and Cricket Ground, situated within the British Settlement, was sold at such an enormous profit that after the shareholders had been repaid the original SHANGHAI 97 cost there was a balance of some forty-five thousand taels, which the owners generously devoted to the foundation of a fund for the use of the public, to be applied to the purposes of recreation only. Unfor- tunately thirty thousand taels of this amount were lent by the treasurer on his own responsibility to the Club, in which institution he was a shareholder. As the shareholders were never able to repay this loan out of the profits on the Club, the building and furniture were taken over in 1869 by the trustees on behalf of the Eecreation Fund, to which the building still belongs. This fund has proved very useful in rendering assistance to some other public institutions, besides having pur- chased all the ground in the interior of the Eace Course, which is now leased by the Municipality and, with the exception of the steeplechase course at training seasons only, set aside as a Public Eecreation Ground, by which name it is known. At the time the local native Authorities were severely pressed they availed themselves of the services of an American adventurer named Ward, who raised a band of deserters from foreign ships and rowdies of all nations who had congregated at Shanghai, with whose help he drilled a regiment of natives. After Ward was killed the force passed under the command of another low-caste American of the name of Burgevine, who subsequently transferred his services to the rebels. The Imperial Authorities found it impossible to control these raw and undisciplined levies, and at their earnest request Admiral Sir James Hope consented to the appointment of Major, afterwards General, Gordon, E.E., to the command. Having by him been made amenable to discipline, this force now rendered the greatest service in the suppression of the rebellion ; indeed, it is generally believed that the Taipings would never have been overcome but for the assistance of "The Ever Victorious Army," as this hastily raised band was named. Amongst other services they regained possession of the important city of Soochow on 27th 98 CHINA November, 1863, whicli virtually ended the rebellion. There is, however, much room for doubt as to the wisdom of foreigners aiding in its suppression, many of those best capable of judging being of opinion that the civilisation of the empire would liave had a much better chance of progressing had the decaying dynasty been overthrown. Certainly European nations, merely in exchange for the promise of neutrality, might have made almost any terms. A monument in memory of the officers of this regiment who fell stands at the north end of the Bund. From 1860 to 1866 one British and two Indian Eegiments and a battery of Artillery were stationed at Shanghai. Since that time there have been few historical events worthy of record in a brief summary. On Christmas Eve, 1870, the British Consulate was burned down and most of the records completely lost. In May, 1874, a riot occurred in the French Settlement, owing to the intention of the Municipal Council to make a road through an old graveyard belonging to the Ningpo Guild. One or two Europeans were severely injured, and eight natives lost their lives. A considerable amount of foreign-owned property was destroyed. Another riot took place on 16th and 17th July, 1898, owing to the authorities of the French Settlement having decided to remove the "Ningpo Joss-house." The French Volunteers were called out and a force landed from men-of-war, which measures speedily sup- pressed the riot, fifteen natives being reported killed and wounded. An extensive fire in the French Con- cession in August, 1879, destroyed 221 houses ; the loss was estimated at Tls. 1,500,000. In 1894 a fire outside the native city along the river bank having cleared away a great and noisome collection of huts and hovels, advantage was taken of this clearing by the Native Authorities to make a broad Bund on the model of the Foreign Settlement roads. This Bund extends from the south corner of the French Bund, along the river some three and a half miles, to the SHANGHAI 99 Arsenal at Kao Chang Miao. It was formally declared open by the Taotai in October, 1897. A Council has been formed to supervise this Bund and attend to other native municipal matters. The present head of this/ Council is the celebrated General Tcheng Ki Tong ; its of&ces are situated in the Bureau for Foreign Affairs on the Bubbling Well Eoad. It is policed by a special force composed of Sikhs and Chinese. A riot occurred on 5th and 6th April, 1897, in consequence of an increase in the wheelbarrow tax. It was suppressed by the Volunteers and sailors from the men-of-war in port, without loss of life. The Consuls and Muni- cipal Council having submitted to the dictation of the Wheelbarrow Guild, an indignation public meeting was held on the 7th April, the largest meeting ever held in the Settlements. At this meeting the action of the Authorities was so strongly condemned that the Council resigned, A new Council was elected and the tax enforced, the French Municipal Council in- creasing their tax in like proportion. The foreign Settlements celebrated their Jubilee on 17th and 18th November, 1893, when, it is estimated, 500,000 strangers visited Shanghai. A medal was struck as a memorial of the occasion. Government. As at all the open ports, foreigners are in judicial matters subject to the immediate control of their Con- suls, British subjects coming under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, which was opened in September, 1865. Subjects of Her Britannic Majesty have to pay an annual poll-tax of two dollars, for which they have the privilege of being registered at the Consulate and heard as plaintiffs before the Court. There is enforced registration at several of the other Consulates, but it is free of charge. Chinese residents in the Foreign Settle- ments are amenable to their own laws, administered by a so-called Mixed Court, which was established at the lOO CHINA instigation of Sir Harry Parkes in 1864, and originally sat at the British Consulate. It is presided over by an official of the rank of Tung-chi, or sub-prefect. The cases are watched by foreign assessors from the principal Consulates. The workiag of the Court, especially in regard to civil suits, is far from satisfactory, as the judge has not sufficient power to enforce his decisions. The matter has for some years been supposed to be engaging the attention of the authorities at Peking. For the French Concession there is a separate Mixed Court, which sits at the French Consulate. There is a Court of Consuls which was established in 1870, the judges of which are elected by the Consuls annually, its purpose being to enable the Municipal Council to be sued. In local affairs the residents govern themselves by means of the Municipal Council, under the authority of the " Land Eegulations." These were originally drawn up by H.B.M. Consul in 1845, but have since undergone various amendments. In 1854 the first general Land Eegulations — the city charter, as they may be called — were arranged between the British Consul, Captain Balfour, and the local authorities, by which persons of all foreign nationalities were allowed to rent land within the defined limits, and in 1863 the so-called " American Settlement " was amalgamated with the British into one Municipality. The "Com- mittee of Eoads and Jetties," originally consisting of " three upright British Merchants," appointed by the British Consul, became in 1855 the " Municipal Council," elected by the renters of land, and when the revised Land Eegulations came into force in 1870, the "Council for the Foreign Community of Shanghai North of the Yang-king-pang," elected in January of each year by all householders who pay rates on an assessed rental of five hundred taels, or owners of land valued at five hundred taels and over. The Council now consists of nine members of various nationalities, who elect their own chairman and vice-chairman, and SHANGHAI lOI who give their services free. The great increase of municipal business, however, is proving so much a tax on the time of the councillors, the chairman especially, that some new arrangement is necessary. The Secre- tariat was in 1897 strengthened, and its efficiency in- creased, but no move in the direction of a change in the Council's constitution has yet been made. A com- mittee of residents was appointed in November, 1879, to revise the Land Eegulations, and their work was considered and passed by the ratepayers in May, 1881, but the " co-operative policy," under which a voice is given to small Powers having practically no interests in China, equal to that given to Great Britain, caused a delay of seventeen years. The Eegulations were again revised and passed by the ratepayers in March, 1898, and in November the Council received a formal notification that the additions and alterations and bye- laws had received the approval of the Diplomatic Body at Peking, and they have the force of law in the Anglo- American Settlement. They give the Council the power which it had been for nearly twenty years trying to get to compulsorily acquire land for new roads, the exten- sion and widening of existing roads, the extension of lands already occupied by public works and for purposes of sanitation, and to introduce building bye-laws. The rights of the foreign renters and native owners concerned are most carefully guarded, for which purpose a board of three Land Commissioners is to be constituted, one to be appointed by the Council, one by the registered owners of land in the Settlement, and one by resolution of a meeting of ratepayers. At the time of the Taiping rebellion it was proposed by the Defence Committee, with the almost unanimous consent of the landrenters and residents, to make the Settlements and City with the district around a free city, under the protection of < the Treaty Powers. Had this proposal, which was thoroughly justifiable owing to the Imperial Govern- ment having lost all power in the provinces, been carried out, Shanghai would have become the chief city I02 CHINA in China, and it is safe to say would have acted as a leaven, to the ultimate immense benefit of the whole Empire. A separate Council for the French Concession was appointed in 1862, and now works under the "Eeglement d' Organisation Municipale de la Conces- sion Franpaise," passed in 1868. It consists of four French and four foreign members, elected for two years, half of whom retire annually. Their resolutions are inoperative until sanctioned by the Consul-General. The members are elected by all owners of land on the Concession, or occupants paying a rental of a thousand francs per annum, or residents with an annual income of four thousand francs. This, it wUl be noticed, approaches much more nearly to " universal suffrage " than the franchise of the other Settlements, which, however, it is the intention to considerably reduce under the new Eegulations. The qualification for councillors north of the Yang-king-pang is the payment of rates to the amount of fifty taels annually, or being a house- holder paying rates on an assessed rental of twelve hundred taels. For the French Concession the require- ment is a monetary one of about the same amount. Several efforts have been made to amalgamate the French with the other Settlements, but hitherto without success. A revision of the Eeglements for the French Concession has for some time been under consideration. Meetings of ratepayers are held in February or March of each year, at which the budgets are voted and the new Councils instructed as to the policy they are to pursue. No important measure is undertaken without being referred to a special meeting of ratepayers. The Council divides itself into Defence, Finance, Watch, and Works Committee. This cosmopolitan system of government has for many years worked so well and so cheaply that Shanghai has fairly earned for itself the name of " The Model Settlement." SHANGHAI 103 Finances. The Ordinary Eevenue of the " Anglo- American " Settlement for 1898 amounted to Tls. 753,270.05 and was derived as follows : — TIs. Land Tax, five-tenths of 1 per cent 140,291.37 General Municipal Bates, Foreign Houses, 10 percent 94,071.57 General Municipal Eates, Native Houses, 10 per cent 239,735.33 Wharfage Dues, including $14,000 Contribution from Taotai 69,900.75 Licences, principally vehicles and opium shops 209,271.03 753,270.05 The Ordinary Expenditure for the same year was Tls. 753,098.86, and was divided among the different departments as under : — Tls. Police Department 182,556.10 Sanitary Department, iucluding Hospitals and Markets 89,326.19 Lighting Tls. 46,798.53, Water supply Tls. 13,086.17 59,884.70 Public Works and Survey, including Garden, Cemeteries, and outside roads 212,119.44 Land and Buildings 10,943.44, Stock and Stores 10,894.59 21,838.03 Secretariat, Legal, and General 63,382.75 Interest on Loans of 1888, '90, '91, '92, '93, '94, '95, '96, '97, and '98, dto 39,490.36 Volunteers Tls. 16,486.58, Fire Department Tls. 10,378.10, Band Tls. 7,636.61 34,501.29 Education Tls. 11,500.00, Museum Tls. 500, Library Tls. 1000 13,000.00 Loansof 1888 and 1890 debentures paid ... 37,000.00 753,098.86 Debentures were issued during 1898, amounting to Tls, 240,000, to which was added Tls. 4,735.90 surplus on Ordinary Income and Expenditure in 1897 and 1898. Against this was expended for Public "Works, Tls. 40,047.85 ; for Koads and Bridges, Tls. 95,681.82, for Police Stations and minor balance of cost of Market and Drill Hall, Tls. 66,961.05, leaving a deficit of Tls. 2,404.58 to Extraordinary Budget for 1899. I04 CHINA The Debt of the Municipality at the close of 1898 was Tls. 1,324,245.35 and the Assets were valued at Tls. 1,439,365.75. The margin, Tls. 115,120.40, may seem somewhat small, but the Municipality has generally been able to procure at five per cent, as much money as it has required. The loan of 1898 was, however, issued at six per cent. The Ordinary Municipal Eevenue for 1899 was estimated at Tls. 767,300 and the Ordinary Expendi- ture at Tls. 763,610; the Extraordinary Eevenue, to be procured by the issue of Debentures, at Tls. 145,000 and the Extraordinary Expenditure at Tls. 144,605. In 1898 the Land Tax and the rates on Foreign Houses were each raised by 25 per cent. The Eevenue of the French Concession for 1898 was Tls. 196,638.55. The sources from which it was derived were : — Tl8. Land Tax, four-tenths of 1 per cent 18,522.45 Foreign House Tax, 4 per cent 3,115.96 Native House Tax, 8 per cent 40,564.72 Licences, principally yehicles, brothels, and opium shops 64,736.21 Cleaning and Lighting Bates and other Taxes 31,211.45 Paid by the Taotai and Kent of Quays and Jetties 16,532.56 Miscellaneous including Tls. 10,954, Subscrip- tions to Electric Light 21,955.20 The Expenditure of the French 1897 amounted to Tls. 229,369.42 as under : — Secretariat (Staff and General charges) Public Works Police Department Water Supply Tls. 7,479.90, Lighting 15,520.53 Sanitary Tls. 3,799.58, Education Tls. 2,517.03 Volunteers, 3,100.74, Fire Brigade Tls. 2,820.00. Band Tls. 1,500.00 Hospitals and Orphanage Telegraphs, Telephones, Observatory, etc. Miscellaneous Tls. 1,503.69, "Imprevn' 1,541.27 196,638.55 Municipality in and was divided Tls. ,, 20,492.66 .. 116,946.60 .. 43,917.86 Tls ,, 23,000.43 03.. 6,316.61 20.00 ,. 7,420.74 ,, 2,477.00 ,. 5,752.56 Tls •• 3,044.96 229,369.42 SHANGHAI 105 The Eevenue and Expenditure for 1898 were each estimated at Tls. 187,975.12. Population. The foreign population increased rapidly up to 1865, but declined considerably during the next ten years. The census of 1865 gave the number of foreign residents in the three Settlements as 2757, army and navy (British) 1851, shipping 981, a total of 5589. In 1870 the total in the Anglo-American Settlement was 1666; in 1876, 1673; in 1880, 2197; in 1885, 3673; in 1890, 3821. By the census of 24th June, 1895, there were in the Settlements north of the Yang-king- pang a total of 4684 foreigners ; 1295 in the English division, 2903 in Hongkew, 486 in outside roads and Pootung. Of these 2068 were males, 1227 females, and 1389 children, against 1086 males, 296 females, and 291 children in 1876; and 1775 males, 1011 females, and 887 children, in 1885. The fluctuations in the foreign population have been very remarkable. Between 1870 and 1880 the number of adult males decreased, while in the next five years it increased by over fifty per cent. In the nine years, 1876 to 1885, the whole foreign population more than doubled, but in the next five years it showed an increase of only 148, of whom 144 were children. The increase has been greatest in Hongkew, where the population is five times what it was in 1876, whereas that of the British Settlement is less than in 1885. The foreign population of the French Concession on the same day of 1895 was 190 males, 78 females, and 162 children, a total of 430 against 444 in 1890. A curious fact is that of children under fifteen only 26 were males while 136 were females. The proportion of different nationalities in all the Settlements was in 1895, 2002 British, 741 Portuguese, 399 German and Austrian, 357 American, 281 French, 154 Spanish, 89 Danish, 88 Italian, 82 Swedish and Norwegian, 31 Eussian, I06 CHINA 111 of various other European nationalities, 322 Eurasians, 268 Japanese, 127 Indians, and 62 Manila- men and other Asiatics. While the adult foreign male population had increased only 61J per cent, since the census of 1870, the numher of women had been multiplied six and of children nine times. The calcu- lated foreign population in 1898 was 5240. These figures do not include the population afloat, which at the date of the last census was 1306, against 1009 in 1890 and 893 in 1885. Although the Chinese have no right of residence within the Foreign Settlement, and indeed were expressly prohibited by the original Land Eegulations, some 20,000 sought refuge within the boundaries from the rebels in 1854, and when the city was besieged by the Taipiugs in 1860 there were, it is said, at least 500,000 natives withiu the Settle- ments. As they found some amenities from " squeez- ing" when under the protection of foreigners, and foreigners themselves being able to obtain a much higher rental for their land, and finding native house property a very profitable investment, no opposition was made to their residence. In 1870 there were in the three Settlements 75,047 ; in 1880, 107,812 ; in 1890, 168,129. The numbers by the last census (June, 1895) were, in the British Settlement 116,204, in Hongkew 103,102, in Foreign Hongs in both Settle- ments 6991, vUlages and huts within the limits 8429, in shipping and boats 6269, total 240,995 ; an increase of 43 J per cent, in five years. The calculated native population in 1898 was 317,000. The native population of the French Concession on the same date in 1895 was 45,758, against 34,722 in 1890, and the boat population about 6000 ; say a total for the three Settlements and afloat of about 293,000, more than half of whom are adult males. The population is estimated to have increased at the rate of twenty per cent, annually since the date of last census, notwithstanding that rents have risen from thirty to sixty and, in some cases, even one hundred per cent., and that provisions and cost of living SHANGHAI 107 generally, both of natives and foreigners, has greatly- increased. The majority are immigrants from other provinces who followed in the wake of foreigners attracted by the high wages paid to skilled and un- skilled labour rec[mred for the many industries. The population of the native city is supposed to be about 125,000. The large congregation of natives in the Settlements and the outlying roads is kept in admirable order by a Police force of 90 Europeans, 153 Indians, and 550 natives for the north of the Yang-king-pang, and 42 Europeans and 71 natives for the French Concession, or about one constable for every 600 inhabitants. As the natives have to be tried by their own authorities, and bribery doubtless Y^orks its effects in Shanghai as elsewhere in China, the diflSculties of organising and efficiently working such a small force axe considerable. In few places are life and property more secure. In August, 1899, the Captain Superintendent stated that twenty-four hours had passed without one defaulter being reported, a -unique police experience for any city of its population in the world. Climate. The climate of Shanghai is generally allowed to be fairly healthy. The death-rate amongst foreigners ashore and afloat during the past two decades has ranged from 16.4 per thousand (in 1897) to 30.8 per thousand (in 1881). The rate in 1898 was 16.7 per thousand. Partial outbreaks of cholera have occurred at intervals, but the larger proportion of the cases were among the ships in harbour. The highest recorded number of deaths from this cause among foreigners was 32, in 1890. Of these, 11 were amongst residents. In 1892, 1893, 1894, 1897, and 1898 there were no deaths from cholera among foreign residents. There were 20 deaths in 1895, 11 of residents, and 10 in 1896, 3 of residents, from this disease. The highest number of Io8 CHINA deaths of foreigners from small-pox was 19 in 1896, of whom 8 were residents. There were two deaths of foreigners from this cause in 1897, and two in 1898. In winter cases of small-pox and typhoid are frequent among the natives. Amongst the shore population the death-rate was 162 per thousand in 1898, and has varied, so far as can be estimated in the absence of an annual census, from 25 per thousand in 1880 to 14.5 per thousand in 1884 and 1897, a rate which compares favourably with that of large towns in Europe. The Health Ofi&cer in a late report says that " out of the 75 deaths registered there were but nine which can in any sense be termed climatic." The Chinese authorities reported 3129 deaths amongst the natives in the "Anglo-American Settlement" in 1898, which would make the rate about 9.87 per thousand, but that is without doubt very greatly under the real proportion ; 928 deaths of natives were registered as from cholera in 1895, 18 in 1896, and 2 in 1897, and none in 1898, and from small-pox 138 in 1895, 316 in 1896, 92 in 1897, and 63 in 1898. The thermometer ranges from 25 deg. to 103 deg. Fahrenheit, the mean of eight years having been 59.2 deg. ; winter being 39.1, spring 50.9, summer 78.2, and autumn 62.6. Shanghai approaches nearest to Eome in mean temperature, while the winter temperature of London and Shanghai are almost identical. In October and November there is generally dry, clear, and delightful weather, equal to that found in any part of the world ; but when the winter has fairly set in the north-east winds are extremely cold and biting. On January 17th, 1878, the river was frozen over at Woosung. The heat during July and August is sometimes excessive, but generally lasts only a few days at a time. In late years very severe gales have become more frequent. The mean of the barometer in 1898 was 30.01 inches. The annual average of rainy days in Shanghai during eight years was 124, the annual rainfall 32.464 inches; 55 wet days occurred in winter, and 69 in summer; the SHANGHAI 109 heaviest shower was on the 24th October, 1875, when 7 inches fell in 3^ hours. Earthc[uakes occasionally occur, but have not been known to inflict any serious injury. Description. The streets of the English and French Settlements all run north and south and east and west, mostly for the whole length of both Settlements, crossing each other at right angles. They were when first laid out twenty- two feet wide, but have since, at very great expense, been mostly made much wider. Notwithstanding the soft nature of the soil, they are now kept in remark- ably good order, at least the main thoroughfares. The Municipal Council now leases a stone quarry at Pingchiao, in Chekiang, about 150 miles south-west of Shanghai, from which they obtain about 1700 tons per year of the best stone for road-making. Owing to the nature of the groimd, expensive piling or concrete foundations are necessary before any foreign building can be erected, and all stone has to be brought from a long distance. The Soochow Creek, between the English Settlement and Hongkew, is now crossed by seven bridges, four of which are adapted for carriage traflSc, and the French concession is connected with the other Settlement by eight bridges crossing the Yang- king-pang. It is proposed to culvert and fill in this Creek, and to make a broad thoroughfare along its line. A report on the scheme is being drawn up. There are several good driving-roads extending into the country, two leading to Sicawei, a distance of about six miles, and one to Jessfield by the banks of the Soochow Creek, for five miles. Another broad thoroughfare, Yangtsepoo Eoad, runs by the side of the river for five mUes, which is intended ultimately to extend to Woosung. The termini of Jessfield Eoad and Yangtsepoo Eoad now mark the limits in their separate directions of the Foreign Settlement. Several other roads have been proposed, but, although foreigners are prepared to pay I lO CHINA high prices for the land, the opposition of the of&cials has hitherto prevented their construction. Now, how- ever, by the granting of the extension of the Settlements, the Municipal Council has the right to build and police roads in certain adjacent districts. At the time the Taipings approached Shanghai, some roads for the passage of artillery were made by the British military authorities at the expense of the Chinese Government, one of them extending for seventeen miles into the country; but, excepting those close to the Settlement, they have now been turned into ploughed fields. The foreshore in front of the Settlement has been reclaimed, raised, turfed, and planted with shrubs, and forms a delightful and spacious promenade. The trees planted some years ago having now attained a good height, and several more imposing buildings having been completed, the English and French Bunds form as magnificent a boulevard as any in the East. Many foreign houses, nearly all of them with several mow of garden ground, have been, and more are still being, erected near the outside roads, especially on the Bubbling Well, Sicawei, and Sinza Eoads, which are the main outlets from the Settlement, and from which most of the other roads branch off. These roads are planted with trees on both sides, forming fine avenues of about five miles in length. A small but well laid-out and admirably kept Public Garden was formed about 1868, on land recovered from the river in front of the British Consulate. It has been considerably extended in area by reclaiming the foreshore. A general Public Garden, intended for Chinese, eight mow in extent, by the bank of the Soochow Creek, was opened in December, 1890. There is a public conservatory well stocked with flowers and ferns. A Park, measuring 364 by 216 feet, is laid out in Hongkew. The Public Eecreation Ground has also been thoroughly drained, turfed, and laid-out, in spaces not devoted to sport, with flower-beds. These are all under the care of a public gardener, secured from Kew Gardens, in 1899. SHANGHAI 1 1 1 Immense sums have been wasted in various attempts to drain the Settlements, principally from the want of skilled direction ; but the ^reat difficulties in this matter, arising from the lowlying and level nature of the ground, have now been fairly overcome, though much yet remains to be done. The Settlements are well provided with telegraphic fire-alarms. The desire of the Municipal Councils to keep the monopoly in their own hands retarded for many years the inauguration of water- works, but a public company is now established, which furnishes a continuous supply of filtered water at moderate rates. A separate system of waterworks for the French Concession is being inaugurated, and the Chinese waterworks, to supply the native city, were completed in September, 1899. The electric light was introduced in 1882, and 141 arc-lamps are erected on the principal thoroughfares and wharves. In 1893 the Municipality purchased the property and business of the Electric Company, but the administra- tion of the Electric Light Department has not given entire satisfaction, and in 1899 the Municipal Council advertised for tenders for the purchase of its plant and the introduction of a private service. The French Municipality has an excellent electric-light service, and the native Bund is lighted by a Chinese Electric Light Company. Shanghai can boast of several fine buildings of various and varied styles of architecture. Trinity Cathedral, erected from a design by Sir Gilbert Scott, is said to be one of the finest specimens of modern ecclesiastical architecture to be found out of Europe. The foundation stone was laid on 16th May, 1866, and the church was opened for public worship on 1st August, 1869. It is Gothic of the thirteenth century, 152 feet long, 58 J feet wide, and 54 feet from the floor to the apex of the nave. The structure was not completed, however, until 1892, when the spire was erected, the cross being placed on the top on the 4th October of that year. It attains a total height of 160 feet, and, like the body of the edifice. 1 1 2 CHINA is built of red brick, with stone dressings. The founda- tion of the spire was laid by the Bishop of Mid-China on the 19th August, 1891. There is a fine Eoman Catholic Church in the French Concession called St. Joseph's, built in 1862, and another in Hongkew known as the Church of the Sacred Heart. There are also the Union Church on the Soochow Creek, a handsome church with spire and beUs in Yunnan Eoad, belonging to the American Methodist Episcopal Mission, a chapel belonging to the London Mission, and one to the American Episcopalians, and a very pretty and prettily situated Seamen's Church at Pootung (latterly disused except for the purposes of a mortuary), besides several mission chapels for natives. The Jesuit Fathers have, an extensive mission establishment and orphanages at Sicawei, where a mission has existed for over a hundred years. The present church was built in 1851. To this mission is attached a museum of natural history, etc., and an astronomical and meteorological observatory. In connection with the latter there is a time-ball on the French Bund, and the Fathers hope to introduce Marconi's system of wireless telegraphy between Sicawei, Shanghai, and Woosung for signalling purposes. Under the direction of this institution, a complete system of meteorological observations, embracing the whole of the China Seas, is now carried out. The Shanghai Club occupies a large and elaborate building at one end of the English Bund. It cost Tls. 120,000, and at that is said to have ruined three contractors. It was opened in 1864, and has passed through a varied and peculiar history. The present buildings of the British Consulate and Supreme Court at the other end of the Bund were opened in 1873. Near to them there is a fine Masonic Hall recently rebuilt. Amongst the other conspicuous buildings may be mentioned those occupied by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China, and the Imperial Chinese EaiLway Administration. The SHANGHAI 1 1 3 Lyceum Theatre, situate in Museum Eoad, is a fair building, seating 700 persons, opened in January, 1874. The members of the German (Concordia) Club have also a handsome little theatre attached to their premises in the Canton Eoad. A new Custom House was completed in 1893 on the site of the old building on the Bund, It is in the Tudor style, of red brick with facings of green Ningpo stone, and has high-pitched roofs covered with red French tiles. The buildings have a frontage on the Bund of 135 feet, and on the Hankow Eoad of 155 feet. In the centre of the main building a clock tower, supplied with a four-faced clock striking the Westminster chimes, rises to a height of 110 feet, and divides the structure into two wings. The elevation is a very handsome one. Mr. John Chambers was the architect, and the new building adds an imposing feature to the Bund. Another fine building is the Central Police Station in Foochow Eoad, large and spacious, of red brick with stone dressings, but lacking frontage and surrounding space to set it off to its full advantage. The new Town Hall and Public Markets were completed in 1899, and form the first block of buildings erected out of public funds for the public use. They occupy a prominent site, which is bounded by four roads ; the principal front being upon the Nanking Eoad, the main thoroughfare of the English Settlement. The plan divides the block into two portions, the moiety facing Nanking Eoad being for use by the European community as a Town Hall and Market, and the portion in rear as a Chinese Market. This latter is an airy, open building 156 feet by 140 feet, two stories high, constructed entirely of iron and steel with concrete floors and a roof glazed in such a manner as to admit the north light only. A four-way staircase connects the two floors and is surmounted by an octagonal dome 40 feet diameter. The front building is of red brick with stone dressings. The lower floor consists of the European market 156 feet by 80 feet, and an arcade 156 feet by 45 feet employed for the same purpose. A special and striking feature of the I 114 CHINA building is the handsome staircase, entered from Nanking Eoad, and leading to the Town Hall on the first floor. The walls and arches of this staircase are finished in clean red brickwork with stone dressings, the steps being of concrete with stone handrails and balusters, and encaustic tile floors to halls and landings. The Town Hall is also used by the Shanghai Volunteers for drill purposes. It presents an imposing appearance, being 156 feet long, 80 wide, and 26 feet high to the tie-beams of roof, a massively timbered gallery crossing one end. The floor is of teak laid on steel joists and concrete. The open timbered roof is ceUed under the purlins almost up to the apex, with ribbed panels. The windows are of cathedral glass, and the joinery and dado in this room are of polished teak. It is heated by large American stoves, and special attention has been given to the ventilation. Adjoining this HaU are other large rooms used for public meetings, a Volunteers' Club, and other purposes. The buildings are lighted throughout by incandescent electric lights, the Town Hall having six 300 candle-power incandescent lamps, besides the numerous side lights. The whole of the buildings form an effective group, although the narrowness of the streets on the East and West sides considerably detracts from the possibility of obtaining a good view of the block. They took about eighteen months to erect, and have been built from the designs and under the superin- tendence of Mr. C. Mayne, c.e., the Municipal Engineer, and Mr. F. M. Gratton, f.e.i.b.a., of the firm of Morrison and Gratton of Shanghai, as joint architects and engineers. A New Mixed Court, an imposing structure, was completed in 1899, and took the place of the dis- reputable building formerly used. A monument to the memory of Mr. A. B. Margary, of the British Consular service, who was murdered by Chinese in Yunnan, was unveiled in June, 1880, and a statue of the late Sir Harry Parkes, British Minister to Peking, was erected in 1890. A bronze monument, in memory of the heroic death of the crew of the German gunboat JXtis, lost in a SHANGHAI 1 1 5 typhoon off the coast of Shantung, on 25th July, 1896, was erected on the Bund, at the end of the Peking Eoad, in November, 1898. The principal buildings on the French Concession are the Municipal Hall and the Consulate. A bronze statue of Admiral Protet, who was killed when directing an attack on Nan-yao on 17th May, 1862, stands in front of the Municipal Hall. The Public Markets of the French Concession are large and weU buUt, and are perfect as regards sanitary arrangements. Institutions. Among the institutions of the place may be men- tioned the Volunteer Defence Force, consisting of Field Artillery, Light Horse, and three Eifle Companies — one of which is German — and a Naval Company, the latter formed in 1898. Originally formed in 1861, it gradually went to decay, until the fear of attack after the Massacre at Tientsin iu 1870 caused its revival with considerable vigour. It again dwindled in numbers, but the last re-organisation under Major Holliday proved successful, there being now over three hundred members, almost all of whom are effective. This is exclusive of the Home Guard and Band. The infantry is armed vrith the Lee-Metford rifle. A separate Company of Volunteers under the order of the French Consul-General was formed in May, 1897. The Fire Brigade, which is entirely volunteer, with a paid departmental Engineer, consists of four Engine and one Hook and Ladder Companies. It is pronounced to be one of the most ef&cient volunteer brigades in the world. There is a Hospital for foreigners, the building for which, although only completed in 1877, is already found inadequate, and several additions have been made. A Municipal Nursing Home with trained nurses also exists. There are also several Hospitals for natives, and three Municipal Hospitals for infectious diseases, and a Municipal Laboratory where vaccine 1 1 6 CHINA and serum are prepared. The other public institutions may be enumerated as, a Subscription Library contain- ing about 20,000 volumes, a branch of the Eoyal Asiatic Society, with the nucleus of a Museum, - a Masonic Club, a Sailors' Home, a Polytechnic Institu- tion for Chinese, a Seamen's Library and Museum, a Wind Instrument Band, paid by the Municipality, which gives concerts in the Public Gardens every day during the summer months, a Pace Club, possessing a course of a mile and a quarter, a Country Club on the Bubbling Well Eoad, Parsee, Portuguese, and Customs Clubs, also Pony Paper Hunt, Cricket, Kifle, Yacht, Baseball, Eacquet, Golf, Skating, Football, Swimming, and various other Clubs, Philharmonic and Choral Societies, English and French Amateur Dramatic Societies, and other institutions for amusement and re- creation. There are ten or eleven Masonic bodies, with over 500 members. In 1876 a District Grand L 353,910 234,072 1894. ... „ 304,26' f 338,028 230,215 1895. ... „ 358,63] L 412,694 240,689 1896. ... „ 151,850 175,398 217,425 1897. ... ., 261,16( ) 507,039 204,358 1898. ... „ 320,994 466,421 185,880 Silk. Wild. Waste. Cocoons. 1893. ... Piculs 57,674 6,034 40,628 6,887 1894. ... „ 60,657 9,909 48,191 6,703 1895. ... „ 68,384 10,065 37,743 7,973 1896. ... „ 46,329 9,487 25,877 7,939 1897. ... „ 64,914 12,166 33,900 8,845 1898. ... „ 56,605 11,737 41,726 6,795 The import trade in Foreign Goods for 1898 may be summarised as > follows : — Hk. Tls. Hk. Tla. From Great Britain 32,814,335 From British America 1,940,914 From Hongkong ... 27,625,216 From Straits and Aus- From India ... 18,943,142 tralia ... 1,787,497 From United Slates 16,057,183 From other Countries 1,654,392 From Japan and For- From Chinese Ports... 525,216 mosa ... 15,808,048 From Continent of Total Hk. Tls. ... 127,156,897 Europe ... ... 10,000,954 124 CHINA The following were the values of the principal classes of Foreign Goods imported during that year : — Hk. Tls. Hk. Tls. Cotton Goods 35,375,318 Eice .. 510,223 Cotton Yarn 19,991,195 Glass and Glassware .. 483,029 Opium 17,581,710 Beohe de Mer ... .. 458,716 Kerosine Oil 8,353,160 Needles .. 448,722 Metals 7,083,568 Birds' Nests ... .. 404,893 Sugar 5,593,448 Household Stores .. 401,301 Coal 4,107,870 Sharks' Fins ... .. 375,010 Woollen Goods 2,400,431 Cement .. 369,464 Ginseng 1,561,059 Mats and Matting .. 356,120 Cotton (Baw) 1,361,000 Bags .. 285,908 Machinery 1,306,522 Paper .. 282,300 Dyes and Colours ... 1,056,150 Medicines .. 266,651 Tobacco, Cigars, etc. 783,178 Silk and Silk Goods .. 262,996 Seaweed 744,456 Clocks and Watches .. 247,421 Wine, Beer, Spirits 680,217 Stationery .. 286,610 Sandalwood 671,883 Flour .. 226,491 Leather and Leather Indigo .. 212,051 Goods 650,796 Horns .. 203,380 Timber 625,896 Sundries ..9,517,653 TVTn+ftliPH 601,843 542,863 Soap Total Hk. Tls. ... 127,156,897 Eailway Plant, etc. 535,395 Of the total an amount to the value of Haikwan Tls. 97,730,387 was re-exported ; namely, to the Yangtsze ports Hk. Tls. 43,400,556, to the Northern ports, in- cluding Port Arthur, Weihaiwei, and Kiaochow Hk. Tls. 38,530,001, to Ningpo and Southern ports Hk. Tls. 10,833,164, to Eussian Manchuria Hk. Tls. 1,378,389, to Corea Hk. Tls. 1,573,064, to Japan Hk. Tls. 1,105,493, to Hongkong Hk. Tls. 688,143, to Continent of Europe, Eussia excepted, Hk. Tls. 28,650, to Great Britain Hk. Tls. 84,564, and to other Foreign Countries Hk. Tls. 108,363, leaving a balance for local consump- tion and stock of Hk. Tls. 29,426,510. Imports to the value of Tls. 2,395,704 were sent to the interior under Transit Passes. Native Produce to the value of Hk. Tls. 76,090,915 was imported in foreign vessels ; namely, from Yang- tsze Ports, Tls. 44,981,483, from Northern Ports, Tls. 15,791,918, from Southern Ports, Tls. 15,317,514, almost SHANGHAI 125 all of which was re-exported, the net native imports amounting to Hk. Tls. 11,259,760. The total values of Exports and Ee-exports of Native Produce to Foreign Countries, Hongkong, and Chinese ports in 1898 were : — Hk. Tla. Hk. Tls. SUk 29,348,659 Opium . 1,050,921 Tea 15,376,151 NutgaUs 843,276 Silk Manufactures 8,866,562 Rice . 794,051 Cotton, Eaw 6,362,658 » (Free) 194,376 Cotton Goods and „ (Tribute) . 2,510,807 Yarn 3,615,717 Books, Printed . 759,469 Hides and Hoins . . . 3,296,043 Bristles . 759,108 Straw Braid 3,063,448 Musk . 668,818 Furs and Fur Bugs 3,060,115 Ground Nuts . 576,070 Tobacco 2,821,302 Fungus . 570,229 Cloth and Nankins 2,625,198 Rhubarb 508,054 Oils (Vegetable) ... 2,431,473 Grass Cloth . 504,914 Beans[and Beancakes 2,191,358 Varnish . 469,957 Paper" 2,160,381 Pottery . 437,887 Wool 1,401,903 Vermicelli and Maoa Chinaware 1,595,952 roni . 429,247 Seeds 1,246,018 Feathers . 391,185 Sugar 1,146,903 Sundries . 7,436,860 IVIpdifiinp^ 1,131,605 1,072,354 JJXCUXUXUCO ... ... Hemp Total Hk. Tls. .. .112,789,180 Wax 1,070,151 Of this amount there was sent to — Hk. Tls. Hk. Tls. Continent of Europe 26,964,550 British America ... 356,593 United States and Other Foreign Countries 72,012 Sandwich Islands 10,975,853 Great Britain 8,546,020 To Foreign Countries 69,084,804 Japan 8,140,826 Hongkong 8,006,972 Northern Ports 23,998,711 Bussian Manchuria ... 2,488,214 Southern Ports 12,270,439 India and Burmah ... 1,296,386 Yangtsze Ports 7,435,226 Persia, Egypt, etc. ... 1,005,133 Corea 828,724 To Chinese Ports, Straits and Australia 403,521 Hk. Tls. 43,704,376 The goods for export brought down under Transit Passes amounted to Tls. 2,843,181, almost all of which was Eefuse Silk and Cocoons. This was a decrease of Tls. 139,670 from that of 1897. The total Carrying Trade, entrances and clearances, 126 CHINA for the year 1898, was divided amongst the different flags as under : — Britlsti Japanese German French Swedish and Nor- wegian American Russian Banish, Dutch, etc. Austrian Chinese On Opium Steamers. Tonnage. Sailing. Tonnage. Total. Tonnage. ... 2,989 4,300,636 12» 19f,?'l2 3,116 4,498,2f8 698 383 lit 133 46 42 52 16 1,680 676,663 605,392 226,108 137,713 116,168 83,372 58,029 44,936 1,769,998 43 4 6 170 11,710 43,292 672 4,624 664 139,662 602 390 117 133 89 46 57 16 2,244 676,833 616,463 226,108 137,713 169,460 84,044 62,663 44,936 1,899,660 Duties. Tls. 3,744,169 371,940 1,125,834 404,692 90,931 76,278 36,348 49,065 47,808 666,328 406,911 Totals ... 6,966 7,807,905 864 397,123 6,810 8,206,028 6,907,194 Of these 120 steamers and 13 vessels entered, and 330 steamers and 76 sailing vessels cleared in ballast. The total Customs Eevenue, Hk. Tls. 6,907,194, for the same year consisted of — Hk. Tls. Hk. Tls. Import Duties 3,895,212 Tonnage Dues ... 401,021 Export Duties 1,190,899 Transit Dues 99,098 Coast Trade Duties 242,684 Opium Likin ... 1,078,280 Of the total value of the Imports of Foreign Goods at all the Treaty ports, and from Hongkong and Macao at non-Treaty ports, fifty-eight per cent., and of the Exports to foreign countries nearly forty-three and a half per cent, passed through Shanghai, besides most of the coasting trade ; more than half of the whole trade of China in foreign vessels thus belonging to " the commercial metropolis of China." SOOCHOW Soochow, the capital of the province of Kiangsu, lies about eighty miles west and a little north of Shanghai, with which it is connected by excellent inland water- ways. The city is a rectangle, its length from north to south being three and a half mUes and its width from east to west two and a half. It lies not far from the eastern shore of the great Taihu lake. Past its walls SOOCHOW 127 runs the southern section of the Grand Canal, which joins Hangchow to Chinkiang ; and in every direction spread creeks or canals, affording easy communication with the numerous towns in the surrounding country. It is an important manufacturing centre, with a popu- lation of over half a million. Its two chief manu- factures are satins and silk embroideries of various kinds. In addition, it sends out silk goods, linen and cotton fabrics, paper, lacquer ware, and articles in iron, ivory, wood, horn, and glass. Since the opening of the port manufactures on foreign principles have been introduced, and there are now two cotton mOls and several silk filatures. Before the Taiping rebellion Soochow shared with Hangchow the repu- tation of being the finest city in Chiaa, but it was almost entirely destroyed by the rebels, who captured it on 25th May, 1860. Its recovery by Major (after- wards General) Gordon on 27th November, 1863, was the first effective blow to the rebellion. Since that disastrous period it has recovered itself greatly, and is once more populous and flourishiag, though it has not yet attained to its former pitch of prosperity. It was declared open to foreign trade on the 26th September, 1896, under the provisions of the Japanese treaty. The locality chosen for the Foreign Settlement is under the southern wall of the city, just across the Canal, and is a strip of land about 1^ mile long and a quarter of a mile broad. The western portion has been reserved for a Japanese settlement. The govern- ment has made a good carriage-road along the Canal bank for the whole length of the Settlement, on which carriages and rickshas ply, and on fine days the road is crowded with people from the city, amusiug them- selves, walking and driviag. The net value of the trade of the port passing through the Foreign Customs in 1898 was Tls. 1,527,424, as against Tls. 1,473,453 in 1897, but this represents only a small portion of the total trade of the port, most of which passes through the Native Customs. 1 28 CHINA CHINKIANG The port of Chinkiang (or Chen-kiang-fu), which was declared open to foreign trade by the Treaty of Tientsin, is situated on the Yangtsze, about 150 miles from its mouth, and at the point where the Grand Canal enters the river. The history of Chinkiang possesses but few features of interest. The town, as a translation of its name implies ('