Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-04-29
DIVIDING CHINESE EMPIRE.
European Powers in Succession Reach
Out After Desirable Asian
Territory.

-
The persistent efforts of Russia to OBJ
tain on the Pacific an i~ce-free harbor for
the terminus Of the Tr%ans-Siberian
railway have led to a general grab" of
Chinese territory. says the Toronto
Globe. The Germans, who obtained set
Elements in Tientsin and Canton in De-
tober, 1895, had for years sought a coal
ing station as q base of support for po-
litical influences. The murder Of two
German Poman Catholic missionaries
about November /, 1897, afforded a pre-
text for action, as it was shown that the
crime was committed witch the compile
ity Of the authorities. Admiral Dieder-
ichs sliced Kiauchau on November "a,
1897, as he said, by way of retribution,
but this port was selected because the
rich coal fields of Shantung are easy OF
access and railways can be built at little
cost to the great coal fields of central
China and north to Picking. 1t was when
Prince Henry Of Prussia sailed with re-
Inducements that his brother, the en-
peror, boosted of wat would be lone |
by the mailed fist" After lorg discus
sion the Chinese tsung-li-yamen, on
March 6, 1888, agreed to lease to Ger
many for 80 years the Bay of Kiachau
and a strip of territory, the sovereignty
to continue to vest in China. Later val
liable commercial and industrial con-
cessions and monopolies were given to
Germany, covering the peninsula of
S%hantung.
1t was thought that the efforts of Rus
STA to obtain an i~ce-free port had been
frustrated when the British seized Port
Hamilton in 1886 and under threat of
war compelled Russia to evacuate Port
Laezereff and give pledge that they
would not occupy any Korean territory.
But after the cession of Kiachau to Ger
many Russia made a peremptory de-
mand for the cessiou of Port Arthur and
Talienwan on the same terms, one of
the reasons advanced being to protect
Manchuria against the aggressions Of
other powers. On March 81, 1898, the
lease of Port Arthur and T"alienwan was
signed, providing that these places shall
be as naval ports for the sole use of Rus
sian and Chinese men-of-war.
The British government thereupon
made q formal demand for the lease of
Weihaiwei IN its evacuation by the jap
anese, who had taken it during the war.
On April 2 the tsurg-li-ycmen consented
to lease Weihaiwei on the same terms
on which Port Arthur was leased to Rus
STA, the lease to continue until Russll
shouldcease to occupy the Liaotung PEN
lnsula. The place was handed over IN
May "a, 1898. The territory comprises
Liukung and the other islands of the
bay and q strip of territory ten miles
broad alonG its entire coast line. A
couple of years ago, however, the Brit
ish government, on the advice of naval
officers, decided to abandon the attempt
to make Weihaiwei a naval station.
In compensation for the advantages
secured by Russia and other powers
France on April 10, 1898, obtained the
lease of Kwanchu, in the Leichau PEN
insula, as . naval port, and other CON
cessiCns in the south of China. The
lease was of the same Kind as that of
Kiauchau to Germany. Then, to
lGI DullllCC lIE IItIl1A O1AuBallOAl u
KWanschu as a coaling station, Great
Britain demanded and obtained the ex-
tension of territory at Kanlung, oppo-
site Honkong, which military experts
had long urged rs necessary to the
safety of the British arsenal and mill
! tary harbor from the land SIDE. All
these nations have since obtained val
liable trading concessions.
, Port Arthur during the past 40 years
has had a curious history. Up to 1868
the place was known as Lushunkow and
was occupied by a few hundred Chinese
coolies. In that year several ships of
the British navy reached there on a sur-
veying expedition. One of these was
: gunboat Algerine, commanded by Lieut..
William Arthur, who ran his vessel in
between the cliffs that guards the har-
and thercupon the place was called after
him. Then the Chinese chose Port Ar
thur as the chief depot for their new
navy and French engineers and con-
tractors did the work of construction
for them. 1t was handed over ready for
occupancy as a naval station in 1891.
, Three years later it was captured by the
) Japs, who were compelled by the powers
10 give il back to China in 1896. In 1893
was made the lease to Russia. to WI ich
reference has already been made.