Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-01-06

Ihe province (Shangtung) has mex
haustible DEPOSITS OF iron and coal,
cheap labor and incalculable water
power. Other valuable minerals are
gold. silver. copper, zinc. lead. arsenic,
antimony, sulphur. cement rock, stea-
tite. asbestus and mica with Kiao
BAY opened to commerce. the new col
ony or Emperor William is bound to be
one OF the great manufacturing CEN
tres OF the far East, IL not of the world
The same state Of facts underlies the
costly race and determined diplomacy
between France and Great Britain for
the possession of Yunnan, the most
southwesteny province Of the empire
AT first sight the International contest
appears to be unjustified by the value
OF the thing at stake. Yunnan is
mountainous. its soil not overfertile
Its roads vile. it's streams unavailable
It's cities poor and its population sparse,
heterogeneous and often degraded, but
1t is famous in Chinese literature for
It's buried wealth. and both the rival
governments have surveyed the terri
tory and reported upon its endless
treasures. Anderson. Colquhoun, Mar
gary, Browne and other eminent ex-
perts have acted in British interests.
while as many have done the tame for
French. Prince Henry. of Orleans. was
the last OF the latter Il year and a
half ago.
TIN AND GOLD BELT.
They determined that the wonderful
I'm and gold belt of the Malay penin-
Suia traverseS Yunnan, and tina. the
deposits are of extraordinary quality
ana quantity. They also found giant
seams of the purest anthracite. indica-
tions OF large petroleum fields. Be
SIDES these they discovered iron cop
per, zinc. lead, silver, quicksilver. ru-
pies. sapphires. emeralds. Jade, plum
oaso, platinum and nickel. The noun
tam streams furnish measureless wa
Ter power. the climate is healthful and
the people. though ignorant, are tract
able and Industrious. Under modern
ciViiized control, the district is a YER
itaoie Dig bonanza. At the present
moment John Bulls Burma railway ia
zSo miles nearer the Yunnan mining
country than the rival road of France
III Tonquin. The former at the pres
ent rate OF building will reach Yunnan-
100. the capital. in 1897 while the lat
Ter VIII not arrive until 1905 or there
after.
The moment China ia thrown omen TO
the world. there will be n noble field
ior mining enterprise Where the prec
lous metals can be extracted from
quartz rock profitably without the use
OF machinery. high explosives and i'm
proved reduction processes, it is self
evident that with the latter there will
be profit of from % to 100 per cent
on the capital invested.
Beyond this result is one of far
greater Importance to the statesman.
Under these new conditions. China, in
stead Oh importing coal, OIL iron. steel.
copper, brass and machinery, will he
able to export, and on account of the
extreme chea.pness of it's labor. will be
able to compete seriously with the
iCrht
kets of the world.
WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED.
When the door of China is opened
VIDE, 1t will be easy to answer tho
question whether or not there are hu-
man beings with short tails in the
provinces Of Quang-si and Yunnan
several alleged specimens have been
SHOWN In Canton. They had a small
round projection in the small of the
back at the foot of the spinal column.
or those seen and examined by Euro
peans one was declared to have no
| rudimentary tail, but small tumor. n
| second had protuberance which re-
suited from an accident or was made
with view to impose on the public.
wnlle a third had an elevation which
seemed genuine. These people are refer
red to by the Cantonese as monkey
men, tailed Miaotsze and tailed Iu. The
cantonese say that these creatures
come from community in the noun
tains between Quang-si and Yunnan.
ana that some of them have stump
tails three and four inches long.
Another odd human type is found in
me polyandrous villages in the high
iands and mountain valleys of Yunnan
and Szechuen. The men are brown
about half way between Malays and
Papuans. They till small farms. hut
depend for subsistence chiefly upon
their hocks and herds. Unlike the
Buddhists. both Monaghan and Indian
,hey are great meat eaters. There are
bears. wolves and tigers In their conn
try and the natives keep huge blood
mounds to fight the carnivora. Their
polyandry seems based on their mode
OF living. One of the husbands stays
nome with the wife and attends to the
farm. The other husbands go Off In
the spring to distant high valleys and
return In the fail It Is believed that
tnese people are related to the hin
tribes of India, which have n sinoiiar
custom.
THE LO-LOS.
The most interesting of these abor,e-
mai peoples are the Lo-los of Szechunn
Ihey are tall. strong. brave and often
handsome. and are feared by the Chi
neSe very much as our redskins are nv
their white neighbors. They claim that
.hey once owned the western half of
me great plain of the Yang-tse and
were driven westward and southwark
ny Shlnese armies from the north four
or nVe thousand years ago. They were
repeatedly defeated. but never sub-
1ugated. and even to-day hold and eyer-
cise exclusive control over MANY noun
famous districts. They preserve their
ancient language. which is Drayidian
ana not Monaghan in structure. and
strangest of all they have their own
system OF writing. Their buildings are
or the Afghans rather than those of
their Chinese neishbors VI