The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-01

the other side of the creek is the Eng
lish settlement, with $500 inhabitants,
and adjoining the English to the south Is
the French settlement, another creek
marking the bounds between the two Eu-
ropean rivals. The French settlement
contains about 500 people.
Last Of all comes the walled Chinese
town, where between 10000 and 10000
natives swarm in more or less dirty ORR
entail quarters.
So many kinds Of governments thrive
in this strange, composite. international
trade metropolis that a man who de-
serves it can easily get himself arrested
by six different kinds Of policemen. In
the English and American settlements he
will find the typical bobby" exactly ike
his brother of the London streets in uni
form. stick, badge and manners. in the
same quarters are employed a number OF
tall. copper-colored Sikhs from India.
wearing the blue uniform of policemen
topped by huge red turbans and swing
ing regular polfceman's "billies." Also
there are funny little fve-foot Chinese
policemen in the employ of the English
and American authorities who weaE lit
tie saucer-shaped hats of red bamboo
and amusing long white CATERS.
Crossing the bridge into the French
quarters one finds the guard de vile look
ing exactly as he does at home in Paris.
His red trousers are baggy. his cap peak
ed, his mustache waxed, and he is doubly
armed with a saber and revolver. As
eisting the French officers are little
Frenchified Cinnamon, aping as nearly IS
possible the costumes and general ap~
pearance of their employers.
In the outskirts of Shanghai the streets
are patrolled by more long-legged East
Indians IN gorgeous costumes, riding lit
tie, shaggy white ponies. They carry sab
ers and are the terror of the native Chi
nese.
Not one of the 5000 white residents
of Shanghai, though they may be born,
marry, live and die on Chinese soil, owes
a particle of allegiance to the Chinese
government The people of the English
and American settlements, which, for
governmental purposes, were consolidated
in 1863 are governed by a municipal coun
ell Of nine members elected by the peo-
pie and presided over by an elected
mayor In the French settlement, which
has refused TO consolidate with the other
ed and dismissed at pleasure by the
French council.
The queer American and English repub-
lie of Shanghai has its own standing
army, consisting of infantry, 1J9 strong
artillery with four guns and forty-fve
men, and troop of light horse con-
sisting of thirty-eight well drilled and
smart troopers.
As a result Of the cosmopolitan char
acter of the population of Shanghai the
city is full of the strangest and most
picturesque contrasts. A walk of three
blocks, for instance, win take one from
the rows of splendid business houses on
the river front 70 the narrow street and
strictly Chinese architecture of the native
quarter, with opium dens. fan-tan rooms,
and other native institutions in full oper-
alton. In ten minutes more the traveller
can go out along the Bubbling Spring
road, which is the show boulevard of
Shanghai, to well-kept grounds, where a
game Of baseball is under way. He may
go in an hour from the heart OF the
Chinese town, than which there is moth
ing in the empire more typical, to the
Shanghai club, one of the most perfectly
appointed and most luxurious clubs in
the world. He may ride to hounds after
fox, imported for the purpose, play
golf at a beautiful country club, attend a
regatta on the river, when the Chinese
authorities stop all the native traffic on
the stream, and in the evening he may
look out of the windows of the Astor
House. If that happens 10 be his hotel
at a burying ground where for untold
hundreds of years, the Chinese inhabi-
tants of Shanghai have laid away their
dead
In addition to the 100000 Chinese who
live in the native city, there are almost
as many more who make their homes in
the different foreign settlements or in
Households along the river and creeks.
Nor are all of the Chinese by any means
engaged in menial occupations. More
and more rapidly the rich men of China
are learning that their lives and their
property are safer under the Stars and
Stripes or union jack than beneath the
dragon flag Of China Consequently Shan
shai is full of Chinese milionaires In
many cases they immitate American ways
Of living often adding to the original
designs dashes Of Oriental sDlendor and
barbarism. This is nowhere better illus
trated than in the vehicles in which some
of the yellow-skinned rich men drive
along the BubbIing Well road Along
this road on either side stand the finest
and most elegant appointed residences in
the far East, surrounded by wonderful
gardens full of strange tropical plants
and trees. On the road passes a con-
slant and almost unending succession OF
vehicles. There are the welI-kept and
quiet carriages Of foreign owners in great
Numbers, but they are almost lost sight
o. and entirely obscured in the gorgeous
equipages OF the rich natives. 4 China
man. for instance. will have his bar0uche
painted in imitation Of a lotus pond, with
the flowers and leaves Of the sacred plant
in their natural colors as large az life,
Inserted in the back Of the vehicle viii
be a huge mirror. while the carriage win
be lined throughout in richly brocaded
and bright yellow six. Against this hack
ground and on cushions Of green and
purple silk the Chinaman viii Toll and
look out az the rest Of the fashioua be
world through great brown spectacles.
Now and then a mandarin viii come
along the road in his gorgeous palauqun
Before and about and behind him march
and ride his retainers. Some OF them
may De on PONY back bat the majority
run IN the street Chattering and pushing
people out % the way. Behind the plan
Quin 2 dozen coolies carry j long red
and gold paper Dragon
Tho great merchants Of Shanghai
though as a class they are passing out
az existence, their place being taken ~
commission agents. imported chiefly cot
ton piece goods. metals, and kerosene oil.
They exported tea and silks- In 1897 the
t01a, trade OF Shanghai amounted 70 more
than 81 e,o.pl1 OF this total the trade