The Portland daily press., 1886-12-29
LIFE IN SHANGHAI.
A City OF Queer Government, Thin
Clothes and Little Small Change.

4NCW 1OIk
When foreigners speak of Shanghai, the
great commercial metropolis of China, they
usually mean only the foreign settlement
near the native city, This consists of abont
1000 resident foreigners of all nationalities,
the majority of whom are, however, English
The land is held by long lease from the Chi
nese Government, and in the case of the
English settlers this lease is in the name of
the British Crown. Many of the build
ings are very large and costly structures of
stone and brick, and, with respect to archi-
tectural beauty, would ornament the finest
cities in Europe and North America.
The Municipal Government of ''the settle
ment' is Republican in form. There is a
Board of Councilmen elected annually by the
land owners, or rather land renters. The
legislative body exercises many of the attri-
butes of sovereignty. 1t makes assessments,
fixes the rate Of taxation, prescribes the po-
lice and sanitary regulations and defines
the functions and fixes the salaries of all
subordinate municipal officers. Of course
this power of taxation is a mere assumption
of authority. 1t is authorized neither by the
public treaties nor by the terms of
lease from the Chinese Government.
Not one of the treaty powers whose
nationality is represented in the set
Element has eminent domain, though all
have extraordinarily. A crime committed
therein by a Chinaman is amenable to a
Chinese tribunal, just as crime committed
by foreigner outside of its limits is amena-
BILE to the authorities of the offenders ma
tionality. The same rule applies with re-
spect to all foreign residents and property
owners within the so-called concession. All
disputes between them, and all crimes COM
mitted by them are triable only by the au-
thorites of the defendants nationality and
according to the laws of his country. A res
ident English official has no authority to IS
sue or enforce tax fl ia. against an Amer
lean or German resident and vice versa. The
municipality is therefore one without char
ter and is merely self-constituted corpora
ton. without the shadow of legal authority
to impose taxes upon resident property
holders for the purposes of public improve
ments. And yet this is just what it has
been doing for years, and nobody raises any
objection. The reson is obvious, 1t is the
only means of providing for such improve
mentS as are essential TO comfort. conyen-
fence and health.
The resident consul Of each of the treaty
powers is eX officio member of the Munich
pal Advisory Board, body which CORES
ponds in some respects to our Federal Sen
ate, and the Dean of that consular body Is
ex 0fficio president of this board The board
usually names some member of the consular
body TO sit with native magistrate and the
mixed court" thus constituted has iurisdic-
ton in all petty cases arising between for
eigners and natives within the limits of 1.-THE
settlement" The execution Of sentence is
obligatory upon the magistrate of the de-
PENDANTS nationality, and when disagree
ments arise the case is usually referred to
the consul representing the foreign litigant
and to the Taotai representing the native If
they cannot agree, the case becomes diplo-
matte question, and is referred to Pekn. The
system is little complicated, but it has been
found to work well, and there is probably
not more orderly community nora more eff
ficient and honestly administered municipal
government in the civilized world.
The American settlement, is at the
northern extremity of the quay; the English
is next above, and the French is still further
up the river, adjoining the native city. In
each of these sections there is a good hotel.
but the guests at any one of them are usually
made up of all natonalities. Hence first
Impressions of Shanghai are usually received
at one of these hotels. Take that in the
American settlement for example. You see
a massive structure of stone and brick two
stories high and surrounded by a we'll
trimmed lawn, here called compound The
word is from India, and is mercy corrup- |
ton OF the Portuguese c0n,pGnd. Our host |
is an American, who came out here many
years ago as missionary.