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

ways. Armies Railways. Politics and FN W,is
Prospects, BY Lord Charles Beresfordo, MIsi
Portraits and Maps. octave. PIP. KILL 4sL mar
per Bros
wben Lord Charles Beresford was In China
he took pains to impress upon the nau'e CHI
cials. English merchants. and every one else
~.,,,h whom he came In contact. that he was not
waiting the country as a representative OF the
British Government. but as an investigator
commissioned by the Associated Chambers OF
Commerce In England. He repeats these warm
ings In his book. He had been asked 10 go 10
China he says. Ito make report on bri'isn
,raae and commerce. its future development
and what security existed throughout the EN-
,,,rs for such trade and commerce" This in
ssstence upon the unofficial character OF ms
,oission relieved Lord Charles of much emoar-
fsssment Neither France. Russia nor Ger
many could be In any way irrtated by his In
vestigations. Nor could China herself object 10
che close scrutiny which the traveller bestowed
upon the politics as we'll as upon the economic
conditions Of the country But on all hands
there was a feeling that while Lord Charles
might not be empowered to make any promises
for the home government his presence certainly
afforded unique opportunity for the canoid
discussion Of many serious questions Hence this
volume has a value hardly inferior 10 that OF
a report made by a fully accredited amoassa-
cor Every one was eager TO give him f1rst-hand
Information on important topics. and the Chi
,,ese outdid all the rest in frankness and cour-
1esy The Tsung-li-Yamen went so far as to
repeat 10 the Emperor and Empress Dowager
their visitors remarks on the question OF reor-
ganizing the army, and special edict was
issued placing two thousand troops under a
British officer for drill. Lord Charles having
suggested such an experiment Obviously this
nFff tot %
views on China 10 be obtained.
Our author looks with dsapproval upon the
situation indicated in the title OF his book
China has been dismembered in the past and It's
fragments reunited. but never before have the
forces Of disintegraton been as powerful as
they are at present. and Lord Charles appre-
hends that the breakup OF the country In the
coming century will be attended by effects Of
unprecedented harmfulness. China is destined
trrevocably TO be drawn into the vortex Of the
worlds trade II she is at the same time drawn
100 deeply into the vortex Of international poll
tics trade will suffer. and so will the country
In advocating the policy Of the Open Door as
he does necessarily. Lord Charles condemns the
policy Of the Sphere OF Influence which is mimi
cal 10 trade and TO the integrity OF the empire.
His solution of the matter is a reorganization OF
the military and police force Of the country.
AT present trade is insecure because life is In
secure because the lack Of homogeneous mill
tary authority not only permits conflicts be-
tween natives and missionaries. and between
foreigners OF different nationalities. but really
engenders them. One prominent bank official
at Picking whom he quotes. says tersely: six
ty-four per cent OF the whole foreign trade with
China is British There should be correspond
ing percentage Of influence but British inhu-
ence is in inverse ratio to British trade. ms
seems 10 concern only the British trader. but
the situation carries the discussion much
further. II British influence is not larger the
cause Is 10 be found not alone IN the inaction
of the Government. but in the aggressive con-
duct Of other Powers which means that the
chinese Empire is literally on the verge Of be-
coming kind OF cockpit OF the nations. coun-
try so distraught by international jealousies as
10 sink into chaos at once commercial and
social.
From English and Chinese alike our au-
thor gathered that Russian entertainments are
spreading insidiously every year Pending the
completion Of the Siberian Railway the Rus
SLAMS may keep an open door in Manchuria, but
once the great task is completed those the
spot believe that preferential rates will be I'm
posed in favor Of Russian trade. Cinnamon in
Charles Beresford that his nation is afraid Of
Russia Naturally their interlocutor secuted
that idea. but he admits that England shows
curious indifference TO what Russia is doing
10 strengthen her hold on the country. The
Russians have mounted seventy guns at Port
Arthur. Eighty miles away. at WeiHai-Wei,
the British have not yet mounted single gun.
We read OF British subject whose purchase Of
certain property rights vas set aside by the
Chinese Government at the irst.gation Of
Russian company. AT Cheefoo the British mer
chants addressed a memorandum TO Lord
Charles Beresford. calling his attention TO their
belief that the opening OF Kiao-Chau. with the
prospective railways and alleged sole right OF
German control in the claimed sphere Of in
,fuence" would be likely to have "a very ad-
verse effect on the port generally" At Shang-
hal the French claim sovereign rights over their
settlement regarding it 1.-The soil Of
France" and in this get perfect IL
lustration of the way in which the presence OF
the foreigner as political force can breed trou-
bic. The French made a claim for an increase
of settlement This claim led to a riot. We
may quote here the authors own words:
The cause Of the riot was a demand by the
French for the Ningpo Joss-hOuse burial ground
10 be included in French settlement under
french regulations, IN OTCer 10 erect q pubic
abattoir. This burial ground contains thou
sands OF graves OF all ages The French Consul
further demanded that all the old collins in the
public cemetery in the Ningpo Guild should be
removed by the surviving relatives of the dead
and in future not single coffin was 10 be
placed in the Joss house or buried in the grounds
The French Consul General further stated that
II must be clearly understood that when an
extension OF the Anglo American (or cosmopoli-
tan) settlement is made. al equivalent exten .
sion should be made TO the French settlement.
With reference TO the question OF the Ningpo
Guild Joss house. II must be borne in mind that
the Chinese Fay the utmost reverence to their
dead. In fact. II may be said that the only re-
lgion the Chinese really possess is a devou;
worship for their ancestors. Besides which
Chinese law forbids the removal Of graves ex-
-cept with the consent Of the relatives.
This incident. with Its manifestation OF con-
tempt for the laws and sentiments Of the peo-