The morning call., 1890-07-10

The steamer Belglc, oil the occidental anu
Oriental line, arrived in port at an early hour
yesterday morning She brought valua-
BILE cargo and fifty-seven cabin passengers.
There were ia Chinese in the steerage.
The following items are taken from Hong
Kong exchanges as late as June 14th. and
from files of Japan papers as late as
June 25th.
China.
Silver dollars, of the same weight as the
Mexican dollars, are being coined at the
Canton mint. The dollars will not be put
into circulation at present, the coming be-
ing merely experimental.
The attempt made by the Viceroy of the
Two Kuang to impose an additional tax on
opium has been abandoned; the Picking au-
thoritieS interfered on receipt of protests
from the British Minister and Sir Robert
Hart.
The Shen Pao attributes the decline in
the tea trade to the following causes: First
foreign competition, and, secondly, The
machine-made tea of India and CeylOn, be-
sides being nearer TO the tea-cOnSuming
countries. Several large hongs engaged in
the tea trade lost heavily Oh last years
crop. but for all that there were in Kiuki-
ang alone something like thirty-three hongs
eHSdRtu III tll6 lIdub On tHO 9Cdl III ~
crop, no doubt with varied luck But In
the second crop there were only SIX or
seven hougs engaged. The question IS why
is there this great dropping OIL IN the sec
ond crop. The answer Is to he found In
the above reasons. But there is still an
other, and the greatest reason of all. 1t is
the heavy duties levied by the Government
on the article The dealers are compelled
by the enormous taxation to abandon the
trade. Formerly when picul OF tea cost
80 taels or so the duty was fixed at taels;
but in consequence OF tie lowering OF prices
a picul of tea of the ordinary kind costs
only or taels, and of course on this the
traders cannot afford to pay duty OF
taels There is no proportlonate lowering
of the duty with the lowering of prices, and
unless the authorities take timely measures
to redress this the trade that has for many
centuries been the staple Of China Will be
utterly ruined.
The Picking correspondent of the North
China News says: You may take 1t as
certain that your great Western Railway
has been definitely abandoned in favor OF
strategic lines III Manchuria. This deter
minatiOn was very much assisted by an ar
ticle which appeared in the Shlhpao
(Which, it is said, was written by for
egner) pointing out that II the Government
refused to allow Chinese immigration into
Manchura and abandoned the province to
the bannermen, China would find before
long that she had shut the 1rOnt-dO0r IN the
face of her own people and left the back
door open to her enemies, the Russians.
This article was brought to the notice OF
some of the Princes and the imperial tutor,
and the alarm was taken, with the result
mentioned.
Details of the great fire at Kirin on May
18th that destroyed ten lives and laid waste
Une-tifth part of the city are given in the
Hong Kong Mail of June 18th. The fire
was first seen at 2 O'clock in the afternoon.
Ten engines were soon at work aud the
Government troops used every effort 10
save the arsenal. where tons OF powder
were stored as we'll as 100000 cartridges Tor
Martni-HenTy rifles. Their efforts were OF
no avail, and a moment after the flames
reached the buildings terrific explosion
followed. This created a general panic,
and everybody escaped from the city and
left the flames to do their work. After
seven days and nights a heavy downfall o.
rain quenched the flames. The loss is
stated at 100000 taels, and $500 families
are left without homes.
A correspondent of the Shanghai Mer-
curry of May 2Sth writes from Iientsln:
From Shantung l learn that there the
people are suffering from drought, and that
in the Yellow River the spring treshets
have not put in an appearance, there being
only two feet of water in some parts, not
ably at Wutlng-foO, so that the french Syn
dictate dredgers, drawing four feet, cannot
get into the river to proceed with the dredg-
ing.
The Chinese fear that when the autumn
freshet comes down it Will play again havoc
with the banks of the river
Although fears were entertained hero
month ago about the wheat crops, very IA
Vorable reports reach us from the interior,
so that confidence is restored among our
Chinese friends, and trade which was at a
standstill, is Teviying again.
The border difficulty between China and
Korea at the Yau River, to the northwest
in kirin, has every prospect of an amicable
settlement. MessrS. Kinder, Cox u Co.'s
surveying journey will turn out. believe,
to be labor III vain. l am not sangulne
about the idea Of laying a railway through
KiTln. If the building OF the line through
Hupeh was not feasible across the hillocks
Of Hupeh, how much less will it he over the
hills and through the forest OF Kirn. 1t is
easy enough across the plains to Shing-
king, but where is the money to come from.
when for want of funds (2,000,000 taels) the
railway from Tientsin to 1ungchow fell
through? China cannot raise this amount
by herself nor even the 10000 taels to work
the Western Hill coal mine. The same
can be said of the Chinan-fu mines, where
the pri e per catty of coal has risen to ten
cash, or per ton 1860 taels. Chinan-fu coal
mines are only sixty Ii from the town.
1t Is proposed by Nlceroy Lii Hung Chang
TO build a fort at Kinchow (Which is situated
to the north of Port Arthur, and which is
an important strategic position, besides
being good seaport. The Vicer0y has de-
puted weiyuen to inspect the place (Which
is quite fat, and draw plans, which will be
submitted TO the higher authorities. King
chow is said to be the key to the city Of
Sinking, which was in olden times the
Manchu capital, before the Manchus con-
Quered China, and in times immemOrial
there was large garrison of Chinese
stationed there to prevent the Manchus
from invading China.