Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1895-05-17
A TEA GO DOWN AT TAMSCI.


longitudinally separated into two parts by
a range Of mountains extending from the
northern to the southern extremity. Many
Of these mountains are of volcanic origin,
and some two or three are still active
vents for the products of internal disturb
anccs. q
That part of tho island lying to the west
Of the mountain ridge is by far the more
progressive, albeit the progress is mainly
Of the Chinese sort, though somewhat in
advance Of that of the celebrated empire.
The products, besides tea are camphor,
sugar, drugs, tropical fruits, spices, maize,
dye stutfs, tobacco, rice, jute, hemp, coal
and sulphur, and there is a rather extern
sive commerce between the dealers in these
articles and the rest Of the world, the i'm
ported goNls being principally opium,
cheap cotton goods and limited range of
manufactured articles. Along the western
coast there are numerous towns, chiefly
inhabited by Chinese from Annoy, Swallow
and other places in the province Of Fukien,
to tho government Of which the island has
formerly been tributary.
Kelung is the chief city of Formosa from
. commercial standpoint. It is located on
the west coast near the northern extremity
and owes it Importance to it's exports of
coal dug from the mines near by. Tam
sui is another important city, the priced
Formosa tea being it's chief article Of ex-
port. Taiwan, the capital, is much far
thor south than either Of these cities. Be-
sides it's commercial Importance, which is
considerable, this city brings forth the fur
Their claim for attention that it is better
paved, better built and better cleaned than
almost any other Chinese city. Takao is
still farther south, and it is from these two
last named cities that most of the fruit and
other exports aside from tea and coal are
sent.
To the east Of the mountains the inhabit-
ants are mostly aboriginal savages, sunk
en- so low in tho scale of human develop
ment as to make the Chinese civilization
to the west seem almost like enlighten-
ment in comparison. These savages have
always fatty declined to submit to the rule
Of the Chinese, and there have been many
contests between the mongols and the ma
tives, though these fights have been less
sanguinary than the encounters between
different tribes of the natives themselves.
According to all accounts, there is always
fighting going on among these tribes, and
it is understood that the quelling of the
turbulent aborigines will be one Of the
first tasks undertaken by the Japanese
after they actually take possession of the
island.
A number of English and German trad
ers are located in Formosa, and it appears
that the best part of the foreign trade has
drifted into the hands of these men. Some
years ago a protege of Ii Hung Chang
named Lin Ming Chuan was made govern
or, and he at once began to introduce all
sorts Of occidental improvements, project
ing railroads, telegraphs and many other
new tangled things. 1t was largely duo to
his energy and enterprise that tho coal
mines in the northern part of the island
were opened and it seemed likely at enc
time that he would soon cause his domain
to lead all China in material progress. 1t
has been explained that he did all these
things in accordance with the wishes of
the viceroy and the imperial government,
who desired to test the availability Of mod
ern mechanical improvements in Formosa
before risking them on the mainland.
However that may be, the governor did
not carry out his plans of improvement
beyond a limited degree, and he was or
dered to be disgraced while in the midst of
his career of progress.
1t was claimed some four or five years
ago, at the time his degradation occurred,
that he had been detected in making COM
binations with certain German trader,
whereby the trader got monopoly in GER
tain lines of trade and the governor took
part Of the proflts-in other words, that
the two men had Ideal" on. Lin Ming
Chuan is said to have borne his disgrace
in the most philosophical spirit, and we'll
he may have done SO, if the published &C.
counts are correct, for the degradation is
said to have consisted simply of buttons
removal and not to have included the cut
ting down Of any of his revenues or the
curtailment Of any Of the privileges of the
German trader who made the ideal" with
him.
The course taken by Japan in the gov
eminent Of Formosa will be watched with
the greatest interest by the rest Of the
world.