Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-01-06
UNKNOWN CHINA A
MODERN ELDORADO
A Land Astounding in Bound
less Resources.
TO BLOSSOM AS THE ROSE
It Needs But tho Touch OF the Magic
Hand OF Civilisation-The DoEsed
and Persistent Opposition or Its
Millions of People TO she March of
Progress christendom Cons
cerncd.

Copyright, 1898. by w. E. S. Fales.)
The wave Of progress has at last
reached the Flowery Kingdom. and
that great land Is In deep water. 1t
matters but little whether the party of
progress and European civilization, led
by the young Emperor. Kwang Su. and
his counselors. or that of conservatism
and the old order. led by the wonderful
Empress Dowager, Isl An, and her
loyal servitor. Ii Hung Chang. prevail
in the exciting struggle now in action.
In the former case China will enter
upon a new era of development as
ries of separate and often antagonistic
territories and protectorates.
Whatever the way it come the new
condition will be of benefit to both the
Chinese and the outside world. What
is of equal If not greater interest, it
will give the public much valuable
knowledge. Strangely enough. the Mid
die Kingdom. though civilized 1000
years, Is In many respects an unknown
country. 1t possesses mineral resources
so enormous as to threaten many
American and European industries in
the war of competition, yet of these
even the Chinese themselves know next
to nothing. Most of the facts in this
field were gathered by foreigners espe-
cially by consuls, missionaries and
travellers.
second subject. which promises to
be of rare interest lis the population it
self. This instead of being homoge-
neous. as is popularity supposed, is a
singular composite of races and types
In each of the eighteen provinces and
States of China proper and those of
Manchurla. Mongolia, Ill., Kononov,
Tibet and the Shan territory are the
remnants of earlier peoples, some who
have been driven by arms from their
ancestral homes, and others who ap-
pear to be aborigines.
a third subject is the industrial life
OF the people. Many trades and manu-
features are kept a secret; processes
are transmitted from father to son
more sacredly than heirlooms; inven-
lions and discoveries are boarded by
their owners so that scarcely any one
reaps their advantages.
| AT beast one-half of the country Is
still unknown to the outside world. No
two maps agree upon any district in
the interior and Of numerous large
areas there is no chart whatever.
THE MIDDLE KINGDOM.
That so little should be known Of
the Middle Kingdom is not to be won
dered at, when its vast size is remem-
bered. Even to-day it is larger than
Canada, Brazil, Australia or the United
States, including Alaska. Porto Rico
and Hawaii Sixty years ago the Chi
nese empire was estimated to cover
100000 square miles. and although
Russia has robbed her of a great area
on the north, France on the south.
Great Britain on the southwest and
Germany on the northeast. she still
retains at least 100000 square miles.
The climate has n wider range than
that of Europe and North America.
northern Mongolia being comparable
to Manitoba or Finland and Hainan to
Venezuela or Morocco. The coast line
is 1000 miles and the three chief rivers.
the Yangtse, Hoang and Canton or
Pearl. are the first in the world SO far
as travel and traffic are concerned,
each having a floating population of
more than million souls.
The mineral resources are the first in
If not In interest They
are so great that 1t is no marvel that
Peking is now crowded with venturous
seekers after mining concessions. The
British merchants who obtained the
exclusive right to open and work the
coal deposits of Shen-Si now inform
the world that the beds contain 10000.
100000 tons of anthracite and 100. O00.-
100000 tons of bituminous coal prac-
tically In sight, and that the mining
engineers estimate that the supply is
sufficient to provide the world with
fuel for 20 centuries
THE Annoy DISTRICT.
In the Annoy district there is a SINH
lar formation, which was discovered by
General LIE Gendre. the United States
Consul at that port. He traced the
basin over fifty square miles and figured
the field to contain at least 1000. 0oO.-
600 tons. Scarcely pound has been
mined by the natives. They have
superstitious fear in the province of
Fokien that delving in the earth dis
turbs the respose of the dead, who
forthwith haunt. torment and harass
the miner. On account of this foolish
fancy mining Is prohibited by custom
and by law, which Is merely custom
crystallized. Yet in Annoy fuel is so
scarce that the poor dig up the roots OF
the grass and dry them, and the well
to do use imported coal ct Sc. SIS and
even $40 per ton.
The secret of the seizure of Kaio-
Chou and the adjacent territory by Ger
many is to be found not in war maps
or trade reports, but in Baron Won
Richtofen's great volume on China in