Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-05-27
Actual Potash.
cHiNA,S NEW CAPITAL.
.'ian to Forsake Picking for a Ne
seat of Governments

4'ls2n to FOrsake Rek1nS tOr u new
Seat of Government.
Under the current of the conservative
existence of the Chinese empire there
is working the spirit of change. 1t
IS truth strongly displayed by the re-
cent visit of Ii Hung Chang, China's
most powerful yiceroy, to the rest of the
world; but it lis even more clearly shown
by the fact that in the empire '''ruled
by it's ancestors" where any departure
from what has been is thought wrong,
there is talk of changing the capital. AS
yet it is merely talk, but its existence
and the radical change with which it
deals shows plainly the recent progress
of Far Cathay.
Hanllow, the city proposed as the new
seat of government, possesses from
commercial point of view, radical adj
vantages over Pel1in, and this fact is
urged as the strong reason for the
change. Situated in the center of China
proper, on the banks of its great artery,
the Yangtze, by which large steamers
can penetrate to the heart of the city,
Hankow has great future before it.
With the awakening of more progress
sive. spirit in the empire, it must become
place of prime Importance. 1t is al
ready the center of the tea trade in the
Yangtze valley, and during the tea sea-
son of May and June il il crowded with
buyers from all parts of the world. BY
far the largest portion of this trade is
in the hands of Russian merchants, but
other nations are represented in the
neighborhood.
For a considerable time the British
have had settlement about half mile
north of the Han, large tributary of
the Yangtze, from which Hankow, liter
ally the mouth of the Han, takes its
name. The French have also been in
possession of a grant. Some time ago
the Germans, taking the initiative, APP
piled for and obtained a settlement about
mile north of the British concession.
Russia, whose interests in Hankow are
very great, promptly followed and OBJ
tanned land also bordering on the river
between the British concession and the
French and German settlements.
In these settlements the introduction
of improvements has been rapid. A
bund, OF esplanadc, has been construct
ed, and other work is under way and be-
ing rapidly pushed forward. The river
rises 40 feet when it is within q short
distance of the bund wall. but OCCASION
ally it is subject TO flood, on which &C.
casions it is necessary to take boats up
and down the blrnd and along the
streets. Both sides of the bund are
planted with trees, and from the river
the British concession has a pleasing
appearance, looking not unlike a por-
ton Of Shanghai bodily moved up the
Yangtze.
Through the work of Europeans and
the native rulers, progress in the city
has been considerable. A railway has
lately been projected between Pelxin and
Hankow. Should it be continued to Can
ton, rapid transit of passengers and
goods might be made between the two
latter places. The long, roundabout,
and sometimes disagreeable passage via
the Yangtze and the dangerous China
sea. could be done away with at pleasure,
and the journey itself accomplished in
perhaps less than two days.
Immediately opposite HanlSeW city
lies Wuchang, the principal residence Of
the most powerful yiceroy in the em-
pire after Ii Hung Chang Chang Chi
Tung. He is a man of strong intel
lectual power, and has brought about
many reforms. At Wuchang there arc
large cotton mills, and at Hanyang, on
the Hankow side of the river, are large
iron works and arsenal, the formation
of which has cost Chang Chi Tung an
enormous amount of money. His right
hand man, Tsai Tastai, is well-edu-
Gated and most gentlemanlike man.
Until quite lately Englishmen held most
of the important posts. They have been
gradually superseded by Germans Ger
man interests are being pushed forward
in every direction. Even the troops at
the garrison and fort at Wuchung are
being placed under German officers for
instruction.
In Hankow there are no European
shops. Most of the necessities of life,
however, can pc 0DpaiItu ifoth HdEty
storekeepers. The climate is extremely
trying to foreigners, the Thermometer
frequently going up to 1903 and 1914 in
summer, with perhaps only two or three
degrees difference between midday end
midnight. At sunset all breezes die
away and radiation sets in, making a
summer night in Hankow thing to be
looked forward to with dread. The win
tiers are very cold, but during spring ana
autumn life at HanlxoW is a delight
Chicago Tribune.