New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-30

.,- m narade This Is we'll known TO tho
inspecting officer but he receives oo"'e.
report that he has inspected the army anu -"
,ouna Z, in nerfect order" Several reflections
flow from this lamentable tale. II suee
naturally the familiar roposition-adVahoeu "
r,ora than one Chinese official by LORD Charie'
and receIved as n rule with amiabity-tnat ioi
eien officers should be placed in COMMAND u
the troops We have seen how willing the Elm
neror and Empress were to ran III WIN
idea as placed before the Tsung-i- ai'e" =.
their English adviser. But imper'ai i"'e.'''
in the problem would appear to be more y.
academic The army remains inemc'eh"
can only put her troops under the
OF aliens when all the nations commune "a -,
illness to lend her aid, and we nave ii''''
sufficiently the fact that each nation 10 ''''
r,a,,,, for its own hand. Furthermore, when
the Powers have decided TO cooperate VIM %
20 make over the Chinese character as IL Is
....,a.s - lord charles Beresfords general al
pek,ns? There is the rub. The Chinese nature
{. rooI,v combining with foreign influences to
disintegrate the Empire. Numbers alone Will
30, mia the nation together. China may create
an ir,posing array of patriots on paper but
while corrupton is steadily at work the military
fabric is certain to become more and more
rotten.
There IS much that is interesting. OF course
IN what the author has TO say about the COM
rnercial significance of every nation In the chi
nese market but the passages most attractive
10 Americans will doubtless be those aiiuuins
TO our own trade relations In the Iohgshah
railway shops certain valuable STATISTICS were
obtained Mr. Kinder. who took Lord Charies
over the ground. stated that he was USING
American engines. On being asked why ne SUI
stituted these for engines OF Enghsh MAKE he
gave the following explanation: He hao ap-
piled to several English firms. but they cou'u
not deliver according TO his specihcauons' ei'hei
as regards price or time. the Enghsh pii0'
was 81 500. with twenty-four months to de-
liver The American engines were only tl'o'"'
and four and half months to deliver The
Russians purchase nothing in England II they
can help It. All the rolling stock rails. sleepers
and other railway material for the road through
Manchuria is brought from America In MS
analvsis of the cotton imports our author shows
that American trade has been increasing rapid
w In the last ten years. In that time we reao
America has increased her interest in the I'M
portation of plain goods by 12l per cent IN
quantity. and 59la per cent In value" In the
same period "the interest OF Great Britain ana
India in similar goods has decreased 1874 per
cent in quantity and per cent In quality
Lancashire has felt the weight OF our compeu-
ton sorelv but the British merchants and ship
owners still derive some profit from our large
product of goods for the Chinese market, as
these goods go over in British ships and. to a
great extent, pass through British hands before
they reach the natives. American oil has the
advantage over Russian in China. but the Chi
nese middlemen get round this with simplicity.
They pour the inferior oil into cases which
ba MI DrOduCt
OF these methods the imports Of American oil
in China have increased from 100000 in 1887
10 f1O19.4OO in 1897. We have increasing in
terests. too. in the importation OF -four. lumber
and machinery.
Lord Charles Beresford covered a wide terri
tory in his brief tour of China, and deals with
considerable list Of subjects. There are valua-
bic notes on the finance and currency; on trade
treaties and tariffs; the British consular
service in China. and on the waterways Of the
country. The forts and arsenals are also
touched upon The great value Of the book lies,
however. in the fusion Of all the facts with wise
political observations. The author confirms by
all his data the hypothesis that China is break
ing down under the pressure of alien interests,
and he is urgent in protesting that halt should
be called in the policy Of demanding territorial
concessions upon any and every pretext. The
Open Door will do much to accomplish the need
ed change. he thinks but what Will really be
done only the future show. In the mean
time this book is a contribution to the general
subject which cannot fail to bring light 10 many
thoughtful readers. The style is terse and clear.
The statistics included only such as are CAL
cuated to be OF practical service. Though II Is
so largely concerned with commerce. the au
thors lofty conception Of the duty OF the ma
lions to China, and his lucid political thought.
make the volume of general interest There are
two excellent portraits OF Lord Charles Beres-
ford reproduced.