The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-09-10
OF
THE CHINESE
Sir Robert hart's Book on Them
is Criticised as Likely to Be
Misunderstood.

LONDON, Aug 27.-A correspondent
of the Pines calls attention to the
following passages in speech recently
addressed to the Shanghai branch OF
the China Association by Byron Bren-
an British consul general at Shanghai.
criticising Sir Robert Harris book,
These From the Land of Sinim." Mr..
Brennan is described as one of the alb
| lest members OF the consular service,
who speaks with twenty-five years eX-
: perience, and whose name Lord Lans-
dOwne a few rights ago mentioned
among those experts whom the gov
eminent had the advantage of calling
into their councils during the last
critical phase of the Chinese question.
The speech was made on July 10, and
the passages referred to are as follows:
II used to think that after thirty
years experience one could form Il
pretty good idea of the position, but
lately in this respect my faith has been
/ shaken, for | have been reading book
written by a man who has had much
longer residence than | can claim-f
do not say he has had more eXpe-
rienc.. because experience is not meas
ured by years. but by tn. intelligent
use you make of your opportunities.
The book refer to is called These
| From the Land of Sinim.' AS this
| China association concerns itself with
! all matters connected with treaties, I
! may be- pardoned II | refer to one or
! two passages in that which arrested
my attention. One Is that the fact
| that foreigners are allowed to particl-
pate in the coast trade is unfair to the
| Chinese, and more especially what is
unfair is our lately acquired right of
navigation In the inland waters. a
| right which has been so beset with
precautions. rules and regulations that
| up to the present time not a single
steamer has managed to force Its way
through them. That book says, In
what other country would that privi-
| icge of coast trade be allowed to a for
egn flag? / think the question should
have been. in what other country are
means Of communication between one
part of the coast and another made so
difficult by cumbrous fiscal rules, made
/ by a gentleman not from the land of
Sinim, but from the land of Erin? We
all hope that from what happened last
year, which has been euphemistically
called an international episode, some
| good may come and that the British
| merchant may have something more
pleasing to contemplate than a mere
| increase of taxation. l trust that
| whatever advantage We may secure
| will not be- at the cost of eNtra-terri-
toriality, the abolition of which ha.
been so strongly advocated in the book
to which | am referring. One really
rubs ones eyes when one reads the
pages of that book. These are not ex.
tracts from Vice Versa by F. Anstey
they are from a serious book:
Gould We but give up extra-terrl,
toriality relations would at once right
themselves. rancor disappear, and
friendliness rule instead. Trade woulG
be- freely permitted everywhere and
the investment OF capital and develop.
ment Of Internal resources meet with
no unnecessary obstacle.
II foreigners We're subjected &c
chimes. jurisdiction Chinese officials
would be specially on their guard and
possibly receive the most express or
ders from their government to no,
only observe the greatest circumspec.
tion in all their dealings with foreign.
ers, but avoid subjecting them to any
treatment that could be complained o,
anywhere by anybody. The whole force
of Chinese thought and teaching woulS
then be enlisted in the foreigners IA
vor through it's maxim regarding ten
derby treating the stranger from afar.
What that tender treatment
amounts to We all saw last summer
One really wonders n these words wer,