The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-30 00:00:00

THE ENGLISH IN CHINA.

(From ad Times Correspondent.)
SHANGHAI, April 8.
In the early part of the last century the existence
even of Shanghai was known to few, except Jesuit
missionaries, and the few who happened to be in
correspondence with them. Du Halde speaks of it
casually as one of the cities under the jurisdiction of
the Foo of Soochow, and awards it a certain amount
of importance, as possessing a considerable junk
trade with Foochow and Japan. But it is lost amid
other cities, to which he awards equal praise, and
for some time even after it was opened to foreign
trade by the treaty of Nanking little was heard of
it out of commercial circles. The expedition to
Pekin first brought it intoprominent notice through
the columns of the limes. It was reserved for the
rebels to attract to it an attention second only to
that commanded by the capitals of our three prin-
cipal Indian provinces, and since their repulse from
its neighbourhood its commercial importance has
guaranteed a continuance of the interest first awak-
ened. In no part of the world probably have so rapid
fortunes been made, and in few places probably
have greater fluctuations in prosperity been observ-
able. The gigantic fortunes which have been amassed
by some of our leading merchants, though nominally
derived from Hongkong, are attributable in a great
degree to Shanghai tea, silk and land, and not a few
heavy losses during the past year have been refer-
able to the same source. It seems to have been be-
lieved that the foreign capacity for the consumption
of tea was inexhaustible, and that the margin for
profit was so wide that •no competition could re-
duce it. So implicit was this confidence that teas
were shipped for Shanghai last year when the
prices paid for them necessitated a loss of 2d. per
lb. according to home advices ; and although hard
experience has lately tended to destroy the hallu-
cination, a certain belief still appears to exist
that any person in business at Shanghai must
necessarily make a fortune. Similarly, three
years ago the price of land had reached a fabulous
height, and not making allowance for the exceptional
causes which had led to its rise, speculators invested
recklessly, and held on madly, apparently under the
impression that the demand for Chinese houses was
inexhaustible. The population of a province had
been swept into Shanghai before the advancing tide
of the rebellion. Hundreds of unfortunate wretches
lay dying, starving, and houseless along the roads
leading to it, and in the very streets ; and hundreds
more had brought with them means which would
have enabled them to rent houses if there had been
roofs sufficient to cover them. The value of land na-
turally rose to a fabulous sum, the demand for houses
appeared unlimited, and street after street, block
after block was erected, and let at rentals which re-
turned exorbitant interest on the outlay. The sup-
ply reached a climax, and exceeded the demand ;
the repulse of the rebels commenced, and gradually
continued, and the demand correspondingly decreased
as the refugees were able to return to the sites of
their former homes, and resume cultivation of their
paddy fields. Prices of land fell, and profits on ren-
tals followed the example, as, gradually, family by,
family, individual by individual, the fortuitous po-
pulation dwindled away. Blocks of houses became
empty almost as rapidly as they had been built, and
incomes fell from hundreds to fifties. At the height
of the flood it was computed, I believe with reason,
that the city, suburbs, and foreign settlements of
Shanghai contained a million and three-quarters of
inhabitants. At present, I suspect this number
might be halved, without danger of under-estima-
tion. The census, to which I alluded in my last
letter, as having recently been taken, shows a.popu-
lation.of 146,227 Chinese, and of 3,248 foreigners,
to exist in- the English, French, and American
quarters. Probably half-a-million would not be an
excessive estimate of the population of the city,
suburbs, and junks. The classification of the fo-
reign residents is not devoid of interest. Out of the
total, the French claims only 460, the English settle-
ruent 1,164, and the American 871. Occupants of
villa residences in the environs, tide-waiters living
afloat, &c., contribute to swell these figures, and the
British army and navy raise the grand total to 5,129
foreigners who reside on the banks of the Wangpoo.
To look after our legal wants, there are no less than
seven solicitors ; to administer spiritual food, there
are five clergymen, besides missionaries ; and to pre-
serve our bodily health we possess 18 physicians and
five apothecaries. To the diversity of races I
alluded last week ; no less than 19 different nation-
alities, exclusive of Chinese, can boast representa-
tives at Shanghai. Among these England has sent
forth 2,160, exclusive of her troops, France 299, and
America 471. There are no less than 14 Turks,
while Peru and Mexico can claim one subject each.
The census of Shanghai is not like a common census,
for it is a very uncommon place. In few ports are
there congregated so many divers nationalities, and
in few does so small a number of persons represent
such vast commercial interests. Shanghai is the
depot of the Yang-tze ports and of Ningpo, and
Hongkong is the depot of Shanghai and Foochow.
The other ports scarcely deserve mention in compa-
rison. I have dilated on the subject at the risk of
becoming tedious, because interest must always
attach to a place so singularly circumstanced in re-
gard to inhabitants and Government as Shanghai.
But in China a place could hardly fail to be peculiar.
Shanghai merely accords in its characteristics with
the country in which it is situated.

The Consular Court has inflicted another of those
light sentences which show how difficult we find it
to look on a breach of Chinese regulations in the
same light as we should an offence against the laws
of our own country. The British steamer Mer-
cury, Bayton, commander, was discovered by the
Ninpo revenue cruiser in a suspicious position
amid the Chusan Archipelago. She was warned
at the time, and on her return to Ningpo
a formal complaint was laid before her Britannic
Majesty's consul. Baynton, however, was let off
with an admonition; on his explanation that he had
been hired by some Chinese to protect fisheries in
which they were interested from pirates, and on his
distinct promise not to venture again into forbidden
waters. Immediately afterwardsthe Mercury cleared
for Foochow ; but when the revenue cruiser again
visited the same neighbourhood she found the steamer
in its old position, and learned that it had in the
meantime fought an action, in which it had captured
several junks and killed several of the crew. Bayn-
ton, of course, asserted that the junks were pirates,
but the trial has not shown distinctly whether or not
such was the case. However this may be, the Com-
missioner of customs ordered the Mercury to be ar-
rested and brought to Ningpo. Baynton, however,
without actual violence, contrived to avoid surren-
dering his vessel when called on to do so, and went
to Foo-chow. On his subsequent return to Shanghai
he was arrested, and has now been tried on the dis-
tinct charge of resistance to the Customs' officers in
the execution of their duty, and of having contra-
vened the ninth articled the treaty by visiting ports
not open to foreign vessels without a passport. At
first his trial for piracy and murder, in consequence
of the action I have spoken of with the junks, was
spoken of as likely ; but this was subsequently al-
lowed to fall through, and the lesser faults alone
brought forward. Baynton's only excuse was a de-
nial of violence in avoiding the Customs' officer,
and a plea that he returned a second time to the
spot, when he was arrested, to get a sum of money
due to him by the Chinaman who had engaged his
services ; that he was fired on by the junks, and re-
turned their fire. The sentence of the court was six
months' imprisonment on the first charge, dating
from the time of arrest, several months ago ; and on
the second no penalty.
Eccentricities of "braves" appear at present to
absorb the attention of foreign residents on the
banks of the Yang-tze. A body of these gentlemen
who are now encamped at Kinkiang, on their way
to the scene of the Mahomedan rebellion, are making
themselves objectionable in every possible way. They
have broken windows, injured fencings, and pulled
down the Grand Stand for firewood. Their own
countrymen came off still worse ; in fact, as is
usually the case with Chinese soldiers, they behave
more like a conquering than a protecting force. At
Hankow another large force is encamped; but, for-
tunately for the foreign residents, the opposite side
of the river, Wuchang, is the principal scene of their
depredations. An outbreak, which resulted in the
extinction of one small Mandarin, occurred there