The morning call., 1891-04-07
CHINA AND JAPAN.
Late Items of Interest Brought
by the City Of Rio.
The Distress in Tentsin Is Dreadful-Terribls
Fire in Tinghai-Notes From
Japan.

The Pacific Mail Company's steamship
City of Rio de Janeiro, Ward master, ar
rived from China and Japan yesterday af-
tprno0n. The following items are taken
from Hong-Kong papers of March 18th and
from Yokohama exchanges OF March 22d
China.
The foreign trade of China during 1890,
despite the great decline in opium and tea,
shows slight increase over the previous
year, the customs receipts for last year for
all the treaty ports, together with Kowloon
and Lappa, amounting to Ills. 1889, 1877,
against tbs. 81, $50, 1856 in 1885,
The funeral of the late Prince Ch'un, the
Emperor's father. which took place in the
beginning of February, was one of the
grandest sights ever witnessed in Picking, and
was unparalleled for gorgeous pageantry.
Chang Tung, VicerOy of Liang HUI and
Senior President of the Board of War, has
issued proclamation advising his people
to open mines of every description. His
district abounds in deposits of coal and
iron which he Is in favor of utilizing and OF
establishing extensive steel works.
The Chinese Times says: The distress in
the neighborhood of Tientsin has now
reached its extreme point and every day
there are numbers of starving people-ltt-
orally dying Of fanine-to be seen in the
foreign settlements of Tientsin. Visits to
the villages near the race-20urSe reveal IN
descriDable misery, the inmates in many
cases being not merely without food but
absolutely without clothing. The women
huddle together in their cold cottages unable
TO put their heads out OF doors for want of
a rag to cover them. These poor wretches
are WITHIN three miles of the Town Hall.
On March 10th II fire broke out in the city
of Tinghai which lasted all of the night
ana well into the following day. Three
httt
lives were lost
The North China News says: The Vice
roy of Minehe in the matter of assurance
is entitled to first honOrs. In memorial
TO the throne recently lie had the hardihood
TO ask for rewards for some of his people
for saving the lives of seven foreigners and
over forty Chinese, and cargo valued at
100, 900 taels, from the Newch wang, which
he AYERS was wrecked off the coast of Foo
chow. The Newchwang was not lost,
though she stranded in April last OFF Annoy.
Nearly all the cargo, which was insured for
1900 taels only, was jettisoned to tighten
the ship. and the vessel ultimately d0ated
and finally reached Shanghai for repairs. A
Junk with some soldiers was sent to protect
the stranded vessel, for which service COM
pensaton was made, but the statement
about saving life and cargo is pure fiction.
The great audience" is at last an accom-
plished fact. The foreign Ministers were
received by the Emperor Of China on the 9Th
inst in the TIE Kuang Ko. The Ministers
at first objected to the place OF reception, as
it is the hall where tributary princes are re-
ceived; but the Tsung-h Yamen said there
was not another and that a special reception
hall would be built. The En- bassadors
were received separately and were intro
duced by Prince Ching, President OF the
Tsung-li YamPn.
A commissioner from Corea has it is said,
been in Tentsin all winter endeavoriDg to
persuade Ii Hung-chang to withdraw the
order requiring the Corean ENJOYS TO be in
troduced to foreign courts by the Chinese
Minister
The Ii Sheng Magistrate in Shantung has
issued a proclamation commanding the pe0-
pie under his jurisdiction to maintain friend
ly relations with foreign missionaries reSid-
ing there. Since the opening of China to
foreign intercourse, he says, large numbers
of foreigners enter the country as mission
aries, building churches, establishing good
schools, and preaching their doctrines to
the people. The Throne, in a special de-
cree ISSUED in the sevenths moon of the
tenth year of Kuang Hsu, commands all
officials to protect missionaries who estab-
lish themselves in the interior from the g-
norant and unruly, for they come from dis
tant lands to do good and must be treated
with respect. Those who destroy their
peaceful habitations or places of worship.
or in any way modest them, will incur Sc
we're punishment.