The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-08-22

day to a friend of mine, "Englishman
and Mclean man come here makee big
pigeon bimeby long come German man
eatee up Bnglishman and MeliCan man (;
Chinaman come now, he makee eat Ger
man man sometime you makee see
Chinaman eatee everything" There is
every reason to believe that his predic-
ton will be fulfilled in the main; that
the "eatee up' is going on pretty rapidly
a great many persons can testify.
In Hong-Kong the Chinese houses are
increasing very rapidly, while the Eng
lish and other foreign ones are decreas'
ing. Rows of stores formerly occupied
by English merchants have been given
up to Chinese, and the number increases
with each season. Nineteen.twentieths
of the population Of Hong.Kong are Chi
nese, and there is not branch of busi-
ness into which they have not entered.
They have shipping and commercial
houses, steamship, banking and insur-
ance companies, as l have already men
toned, and you can buy in their shops
nearly every article of foreign manufac-
ture that you can buy in English stores,
and almost invariably at lower price.
The complete free trade established at
Hong Kong has been good for the Eng
lish manufacturer, but not so for the
English merchant who established him
self in the colony.
So much for John on his own soil. Let
us see what he has done in carrying the
war into the enemy's country.
We are all pretty we'll aware of what
he has done in California, and 30 | will
not take up that branch Of the subject.
In all the open ports of Japan the Chi
nese are thiCkly established. Their COM
petition is more with Europeans than
with the Japanese, and they have sue
ceeded in making very large inroad into
the profits of the foreigner, though less
so than at Hong. Kong, Shanghai, or the
other Chinese ports. Going west from
Hong Kong, we come to CoChin.C China,
the French possession, of which Saigon
is the capital, There the Chinese have
been steadily cutting into the trade until
they have by far the best of it, and haye
driven some foreign houses out of busi-
ness. During 1876 the Chinese shipped
nine-tenths of the rice crop, amounting
to nearly 100000 piculs--l33 pounds to
| the piCul. All other articles of export
were shipped by them, with very few
exceptions, and they have at least FIVE
sixths of the import trade. Much of the
shipment is to Hong Kong, and great
portion of it is in Chinese vessels, while
many of the English ships finds it expe-
dient to employ Chinese agents. The
Hong-Kong agency of the only line of
steamers running to Bangkok, Siam, is
Chinese, and when I bought my ticket
by one of the Company's ships, l was
obliged to apply to the head of the Yuen
Fat Hong, and make my negotiations
with him. The captain told me that all
the rice carried by him or his compan-
ion vessels was on Chinese account and
l found on reaching Bang. kok Chinese
line of steamers running to Singapore.
Foreign trade at Bangkok grows smaller
every year, while Chinese trade increases.
The Celestial has much of the local trade
in Bangkok. was told that the gov
ernment licenses for the sale of spirits
were in the hands of Chinese, while
another had the monopoly of gambling
houses.
At Singapore there are more than 100-
900 Chinese, one.fourth as many Malays
and about 1000 Europeans. The Chi
nese have gained in numbers, while the
Europeans have lost, in spite of the
steadily increasing importance of Singa-
pore. While | was there quarrel arose
between the Chinese and foreign mer-
chants-or rather it was in progress
when l arrived-coucerning the deliv'
cry of pepper, gambler, and other arti-
cles of merchandise which the former
sell to the latter. The disputed point
was on a matter of delivery, the latter
demanding and the former refusing to
make delivery at the foreign godowns-
warehouses. The foreigners united, and
agreed not to buy until the point was aC-
ceded to them; the Chinese united, and
refused to sell except at their own 60
downs. See the advantage of Chinese
combination over a foreign one; when ]
left Singapore two of the foreign houses
had broken from the combination, and
were buying pepper and gambler on the
terms of the Chinese, while the latter
were as firm as the rock of Gibraltar.
don't know who won the fight, but think
it is not hard to guess, especially as there
had been similar troubles before, in
which the Chinese came out ahead. Ger.
tainly they are most indefatigable lot
of merchants, and it is really a wonder
how so many of the natives of the Flow
cry. Kingdom manage to make living
on the little island of Singapore. There
is not much to choose in that city be-
tween the Chinese and the Malay. Dea
with one, and you will generally wish
you had dealt with the other, or neither
-Harper'8 Magazine.