Chapter XI: Preface: To the Sixth Volume (10)

About the time of the opening of the canal, the State of
Missouri, by its Attorney-General, moved in the Supreme Court
of the United States for leave to file a bill of complaint
against the State of Illinois and the Sanitary District of
Chicago, the purpose of which was to enjoin the defendants
from discharging the sewage and noxious filth of the Sanitary
District of Chicago into the Mississippi River by artificial
methods. The complaint alleged that unless the relief sought
is granted the water of the Mississippi, which is used for
drinking and other domestic purposes by many thousands of
inhabitants of the State, will be polluted, and that the
public health will be endangered. The Court granted leave to
file the bill. The defendants then interposed a demurrer,
claiming that the controversy, not being in reality between
two States, but between two cities, was one over which the
Supreme Court has no jurisdiction. On the 28th of January,
1901, the Court rendered its decision, overruling the demurrer
to its jurisdiction. The effect of the opinion is that the
Drainage Canal attorneys now must answer the complaint that
the sewage and noxious filth of the sanitary district are
contaminating the waters of the Mississippi River at St.
Louis. No evidence of the facts will be taken in court. On the
request of the parties to the suit, a commission will be
appointed to take testimony and make a report.

CHICAGO UNIVERSITY:
Dedication of the Yerkes Observatory.

See (in this volume)
YERKES OBSERVATORY.

CHICKASAWS, United States agreement with the.

See (in this volume)
INDIANS, AMERICAN: A. D. 1893-1899.

CHIH-LI, The "Boxer" outbreak in.

See (in this volume)
CHINA: A. D. 1900 (JANUARY-MARCH).

CHILE: A. D. 1894-1900.
The questions with Bolivia and Peru concerning Atacama,
Tacna and Arica.

Of the treaties which closed the war of 1879-84 between Chile,
Bolivia and Peru (see, in volume 1, CHILE: A. D. 1833-1884),
that between Chile and Bolivia contained the following curious
provision, of "indefinite truce," as it has been called:
"Until the opportunity presents itself of celebrating a
definite treaty of peace between the Republics of Chile and
Bolivia, both countries duly represented by … have agreed to
adjust a treaty of truce in accordance with the following
bases: First, the Republics of Chile and Bolivia agree to
celebrate an indefinite truce; and, in consequence, declare at
an end the state of war, which will not be renewed unless one
of the contracting parties should inform the other, with at
least a year's notification, of its intention to recommence
hostilities. In this case the notification will be made
directly, or through the diplomatic representative of a
friendly nation. Second, the Republic of Chile, while this
truce is in force, shall continue to rule, in accordance with
the political and administrative system established by Chilian
law, the territories situated between parallel 238 and the
mouth of the Loa in the Pacific, such territories having for
their eastern boundary a straight line." Under this agreement
Chile has held ever since the territory in question (which is
the province of Atacama) and has claimed that her possession
of it should be made conclusive and permanent by such a
"definite treaty" as the "treaty of truce" in 1884
contemplated. In her view it was taken in lieu of a war
indemnity. Bolivia has disputed this view, maintaining that a
permanent cession of the province, which was her only
seaboard, and without which she has no port, was not intended.
The Bolivian government has continually urged claims to the
restoration of a seaport for Bolivian trade, which Chile has
refused.

At the same time when Atacama was taken from Bolivia, the
provinces of Tacna and Arica were taken by Chile from Peru,
with a stipulation in the peace treaty of Ancon (1884) that
she should hold them for ten years, pending the payment by
Peru of a war indemnity, and that the inhabitants should then
decide by vote to which country they would belong. But, down
to the close of the year 1900, the Chilian government had not
allowed the vote to be taken.

In September, 1900, the dispute, as between Chile and Bolivia,
was brought to what seemed to be an ultimate stage by an
incisive note from the Chilian to the Bolivian government,
proposing to grant to the latter "in exchange for a final
cancelling of all claims to the littoral, three compensations,
viz.: First, to pay all obligations contracted by the Bolivian
Government with the mining enterprises at Huaichaca, Corocoro
and Oruro, and the balance of the Bolivian loan contracted in
Chile in 1867: second, an amount of money, to be fixed by
mutual agreement, for the construction of a railroad
connecting any port on the Chilian coast with the interior of
Bolivia, or else to extend the present Oruro Railway; and,
third, to grant free transit for all products and merchandise
passing into and out of Bolivia through the port referred to."
Bolivia has not seemed to be disposed to accept this proposal,
and the situation is likely to become more strained than before.

{76}

CHILI: A. D. 1896.
Presidential election.

An excited but orderly presidential election held in June,
1896, without government interference, resulted in the choice
of Senor Errazuriz, to succeed Admiral Jorge Montt, who had
been at the head of the government since the overthrow and
death of Balmaceda in 1891.

CHILI: A. D. 1898.
Settlement of boundary dispute with Argentine Republic.

See (in this volume)
ARGENTINE REPUBLIC: A. D. 1898.

CHILI: A. D. 1900.
Adoption of compulsory military service.

The "Diario Oficial" of Chile of September 5, 1900, published
a decree of the Chilian Government establishing compulsory
military service in Chile. By the decree all Chileans will be
liable to military service from their 20th to their 45th year.
Every man on completing his 20th year will be liable to be
chosen by lot to serve one year with the colors, after which,
if so chosen, he will pass into the first reserve, where he
will remain for nine years. Those not chosen by lot to serve
one year with the colors will pass directly into the first
reserve. The second reserve will consist of men of from 30 to 45
years of age. Among those who will be exempt from compulsory
military service are the members of the Government, members of
Congress, State and municipal councillors, Judges, the clergy,
including all those who wear the tonsure, or belong to any
religious order, the directors and teachers of public schools
and colleges, and the police. The last, however, will be
liable to military duty if called upon by the President.
Various civil servants and every only son, or every one of two
only sons of a family which he assists to maintain, may be
excused service under certain conditions.

CHILI: A. D. 1900.
Vote against compulsory arbitration at
Spanish-American Congress.

See (in this volume)
SPAIN: A. D. 1900 (NOVEMBER).

----------CHINA: Start--------

CHINA: A. D. 1894-1895.
The war with Japan.
The peace treaty of Shimonoseki.
Recognition of Korean independence.
Cession of part of Fêng-tien, of Formosa,
and of the Pescadores Islands to Japan.
Relinquishment of Fêng-tien by Japan.

In the original edition of this work, the causes of the war of
1894-1895 between China and Japan will be found stated in the
Supplement (volume 5, page 3736), under "COREA." In the new,
revised edition, the same appears in volume 3, under "Korea."
At the close of the year 1894 the Japanese were pressing their
campaign, with little heed to the cold of winter, for which they
seemed to be well prepared. They had won, almost with ease,
every serious engagement of the war. They had half destroyed
the Chinese navy, on the 18th of September, in a great battle
at the mouth of the Yalu River, and, on the 21st-22d of
November, they had captured Port Arthur, the strongest
fortress in China, with costly dockyards and great stores of
the munitions of war. In the first month of the new year the
successes of the Japanese were renewed. Kaiphing was taken on
the 10th; a vigorous Chinese attack was repulsed, near
Niuchuang, on the 16th; a landing of 25,000 troops on the
Shantung Peninsula was effected on the 20th, and a combined
attack by army and navy on the strong forts which protected
the important harbor of Wei-hai-wei, and the Chinese fleet
sheltered in it, was begun on the 30th of the month. The
attack was ended on the 13th of February, when the Chinese
admiral Ting-Ju-chang gave up the remnant of his fleet and
then killed himself. The Chinese general, Tai, had committed
suicide in despair on the third night of the fighting. There
was further fighting around Niuchuang and Yingkow during
February and part of March, while overtures for peace were
being made by the Chinese government. At length the famous
viceroy, Li Hung-chang, was sent to Japan with full powers to
conclude a treaty. Negotiations were interrupted at the outset
by a foul attack on the Chinese ambassador by a Japanese
ruffian, who shot and seriously wounded him in the cheek. But
the Mikado ordered an armistice, and the Treaty of Shimonoseki
was concluded and signed on the 17th of April. The essential
provisions of the treaty are as follows:

"Article I.
China recognizes definitely the full and complete independence
and autonomy of Corea, and, in consequence, the payment of
tribute and the performance of ceremonies and formalities by
Corea to China in derogation of such independence and autonomy
shall wholly cease for the future.

"Article II.
China cedes to Japan in perpetuity and full sovereignty the
following territories, together with all fortifications,
arsenals, and public property thereon:
(a.) The southern portion of the Province of Fêng-tien, within
the following boundaries—The line of demarcation begins at the
mouth of the River Yalu, and ascends that stream to the mouth
of the River An-Ping: from thence the line runs to Fêng Huang;
from thence to Haicheng; from thence to Ying Kow, forming a
line which describes the southern portion of the territory.
The places above named are included in the ceded territory.
When the line reaches the River Liao at Ying Kow it follows
the course of that stream to its mouth, where it terminates.
The mid-channel of the River Liao shall be taken as the line
of demarcation. This cession also includes all islands
appertaining or belonging to the Province of Fêng-tien
situated in the eastern portion of the Bay of Liao Tung, and
in the northern part of the Yellow Sea.
(b.) The Island of Formosa, together with all islands
appertaining or belonging to the said Island of Formosa. (
(c.) The Pescadores Group, that is to say, all islands lying
between the 119th and 120th degrees of longitude east of
Greenwich and the 23rd and 24th degrees of north latitude. …

[Image: China East Coast.]

{77}

"Article IV.
China agrees to pay to Japan as a war indemnity the sum of
200,000,000 Kuping taels. The said sum to be paid in eight
instalments. The first instalment of 50,000,000 taels to be
paid within six months, and the second instalment of
50,000,000 taels to be paid within twelve months after the
exchange of the ratifications of this Act. The remaining sum
to be paid in six equal annual instalments as follows: the
first of such equal annual instalments to be paid within two
years, the second within three years, the third within four
years, the fourth within five years, the fifth within six
years, and the sixth within seven years after the exchange of
the ratifications of this Act. Interest at the rate of 5 per
cent. per annum shall begin to run on all unpaid portions of
the said indemnity from the date the first instalment falls
due. China shall, however, have the right to pay by
anticipation at any time any or all of said instalments. In
case the whole amount of the said indemnity is paid within
three years after the exchange of the ratifications of the
present Act, all interest shall be waived, and the interest
for two years and a half, or for any less period if then
already paid, shall be included as a part of the principal
amount of the indemnity.

"Article V.
The inhabitants of the territories ceded to Japan who wish to
take up their residence outside the ceded districts shall be
at liberty to sell their real property and retire. For this
purpose a period of two years from the date of the exchange of
the ratifications of the present Act shall be granted. At the
expiration of that period those of the inhabitants who shall
not have left such territories shall, at the option of Japan,
be deemed to be Japanese subjects. Each of the two Governments
shall immediately upon the exchange of the ratifications of
the present Act, send one or more Commissioners to Formosa to
effect a final transfer of that province, and within the space
of two months after the exchange of the ratifications of this
Act such transfer shall be completed.

"Article VI.
All Treaties between Japan and China having come to an end in
consequence of war, China engages, immediately upon the
exchange of the ratifications of this Act, to appoint
Plenipotentiaries to conclude with the Japanese
Plenipotentiaries a Treaty of Commerce and Navigation, and a
Convention to regulate frontier intercourse and trade. The
Treaties, Conventions, and Regulations now subsisting between
China and European Powers shall serve as a basis for the said
Treaty and Convention between Japan and China. From the date
of the exchange of the ratifications of this Act until the
said Treaty and Convention are brought into actual operation
the Japanese Government, its officials, commerce, navigation,
frontier intercourse and trade, industries, ships and
subjects, shall in every respect be accorded by China
most-favoured-nation treatment. China makes, in addition, the
following concessions to take effect six months after the date
of the present Act:

1. The following cities, towns, and ports, in addition to
those already opened, shall be opened to the trade, residence,
industries, and manufactures of Japanese subjects under the same
conditions, and with the same privileges and facilities as
exist at the present open cities, towns, and ports of China.
(1.) Shashih, in the Province of Hupeh.
(2.) Chung King, in the Province of Szechuan.
(3.) Suchow, in the Province of Kiang Su.
(4.) Hangchow, in the Province of Chekiang.

The Japanese Government shall have the right to station
Consuls at any or all of the above-named places.

2. Steam navigation for vessels under the Japanese flag for
the conveyance of passengers and cargo shall be extended to
the following places:

(1.) On the Upper Yangtsze River,
from Ichang to Chung King.

(2.) On the Woosung River and the Canal,
from Shanghae to Suchow and Hangchow. The
Rules and Regulations which now govern the
navigation of the inland waters of China by foreign
vessels, shall, so far as applicable, be enforced
in respect of the above-named routes, until
new Rules and Regulations are conjointly agreed to.

3. Japanese subjects purchasing goods or produce in the
interior of China or transporting imported merchandize into
the interior of China, shall have the right temporarily to
rent or hire warehouses for the storage of the articles so
purchased or transported, without the payment of any taxes or
exactions whatever.

4. Japanese subjects shall be free to engage in all kinds of
manufacturing industries in all the open cities, towns, and
ports of China, and shall be at liberty to import into China
all kinds of machinery, paying only the stipulated import
duties thereon. All articles manufactured by Japanese subjects
in China, shall in respect of inland transit and internal taxes,
duties, charges, and exactions of all kinds and also in
respect of warehousing and storage facilities in the interior
of China, stand upon the same footing and enjoy the same
privileges and exemptions as merchandize imported by Japanese
subjects into China. In the event additional Rules and
Regulations are necessary in connection with these
concessions, they shall be embodied in the Treaty of Commerce
and Navigation provided for by this Article.

"Article VII.
Subject to the provisions of the next succeeding Article, the
evacuation of China by the armies of Japan, shall be
completely effected within three months after the exchange of
the ratifications of the present Act.

"Article VIII.
As a guarantee of the faithful performance of the stipulations
of this Act, China consents to the temporary occupation by the
military forces of Japan, of Wei-hai-wei, in the Province of
Shantung. Upon the payment of the first two instalments of the
war indemnity herein stipulated for and the exchange of the
ratifications of the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation, the
said place shall be evacuated by the Japanese forces, provided
the Chinese Government consents to pledge, under suitable and
sufficient arrangements, the Customs Revenue of China as
security for the payment of the principal and interest of the
remaining installments of said indemnity. In the event no such
arrangements are concluded, such evacuation shall only take place
upon the payment of the final instalment of said indemnity. It
is, however, expressly understood that no such evacuation
shall take place until after the exchange of the ratifications
of the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation.

"Article IX.
Immediately upon the exchange of the ratifications of this
Act, all prisoners of war then held shall be restored, and
China undertakes not to ill-treat or punish prisoners of war
so restored to her by Japan. China also engages to at once
release all Japanese subjects accused of being military spies
or charged with any other military offences. China further
engages not to punish in any manner, nor to allow to be
punished, those Chinese subjects who have in any manner been
compromised in their relations with the Japanese army during
the war.

"Article X.
All offensive military operations shall cease upon the
exchange of the ratifications of this Act."

{78}

When the terms of the treaty were made known, Russia, Germany
and France entered such protests against the cession of a
portion of the Fêng-tien peninsula, on the main land, and
brought such pressure to bear on Japan, that the latter was
compelled to yield, and relinquished the districts in question
by the following imperial proclamation, dated May 10, 1895:

"We recently, at the request of the Emperor of China,
appointed Plenipotentiaries for the purpose of conferring with
the Ambassadors sent by China, and of concluding with them a
Treaty of Peace between the two Empires. Since then the
Governments of the two Empires of Russia and Germany and of
the French Republic, considering that the permanent possession
of the ceded districts of the Fêng-tien Peninsula by the
Empire of Japan would be detrimental to the lasting peace of
the Orient, have united in a simultaneous recommendation to
our Government to refrain from holding those districts
permanently.

"Earnestly desirous as we always are for the maintenance of
peace, nevertheless we were forced to commence hostilities
against China for no other reason than our sincere desire to
secure for the Orient an enduring peace. The Governments of
the three Powers are, in offering their friendly
recommendation, similarly actuated by the same desire, and we,
out of our regard for peace, do not hesitate to accept their
advice. Moreover, it is not our wish to cause suffering to our
people, or to impede the progress of the national destiny by
embroiling the Empire in new complications, and thereby
imperilling the situation and retarding the restoration of
peace. "China has already shown, by the conclusion of the
Treaty of Peace, the sincerity of her repentance for her
breach of faith with us, and has made manifest to the world
our reasons and the object we had in view in waging war with
that Empire. Under these circumstances we do not consider that
the honour and dignity of the Empire will be compromised by
resorting to magnanimous measures, and by taking into
consideration the general situation of affairs. We have
therefore accepted the advice of the friendly Powers, and have
commanded our Government to reply to the Governments of the
three Powers to that effect.

"We have specially commanded our Government to negotiate with
the Chinese Government respecting all arrangements for the
return of the peninsular districts. The exchange of the
ratifications of the Treaty of Peace has now been concluded,
the friendly relations between the two Empires have been
restored, and cordial relations with all other Powers have
been strengthened. We therefore command all our subjects to
respect our will, to take into careful consideration the
general situation, to be circumspect in all things, to avoid
erroneous tendencies, and not to impair or thwart the high
aspirations of our Empire."

_Great Britain, Parliamentary Publications:
Papers by Command, Japan, Number 1, 1895._

CHINA: A. D. 1894-1895 (March-July).
Cession of Kiang-Hung to France protested against by
Great Britain.

In March, 1894, the government of China entered into a treaty
with that of Great Britain, for the settlement of boundaries
of Burmah, in which it agreed to make no cession of the
district of Kiang-Hung, or any part of it, to any other Power.
Notwithstanding this agreement, the eastern part of Kiang-Hung
was ceded to France in July, 1895; for which proceeding the
British Government promptly called China to account.

CHINA: A. D. 1895.
Treaty with Russia, giving railway privileges and
other rights in Manchuria.

On the 28th of October, 1896, the "North China Daily News,"
the leading English newspaper in China, published what
purports to be, and is believed to be, the text of a secret
treaty, concluded in the previous year, between Russia and
China, under which the former is extending her Trans-Siberian
railway system through Manchuria, and is practically in
possession of that province. The preamble of the treaty
declares that the Emperor of China has specially appointed the
princes and great officers of the Crown composing the Imperial
Chinese Ministry of War to confer with the Russian Minister
concerning the connecting of the railway system of the Three
Eastern Provinces with the Trans-Siberian Railway, "with the
object of facilitating the transport of goods between the two
empires and strengthening the frontier defences and sea
coasts. And, furthermore, to agree upon certain special
privileges to be conceded by China to Russia as a response to
the loyal aid given by Russia in the retrocession of Liaotung
and its dependencies." The articles of the convention relating
to the route of the railway are as follows:

"I. Owing to the fact that the Russian Great Siberian Railway
is on the point of completion, China consents to allow Russia
to prolong her railway into Chinese territories (a) from the
Russian port of Vladivostok into the Chinese city of Hunch'un,
in the province of Kirin, from thence north-westwards to the
provincial capital of Kirin, and (b) from a railway station of
some city in Siberia to the Chinese town of Aiyun, in
Heilungchiang province, from thence southwestwards to the
provincial capital of Tsitsihar, and from thence to the town
of Petunê, in Kirin province, and from thence south-eastwards
to the provincial capital of Kirin.

"II. All railways built by Russia into the Chinese provinces
of Heilungchiang and Kirin shall be built at the sole expense
of Russia, and the regulations and building thereof shall be
solely on the Russian system, with which China has nothing to
do, and the entire control shall be in the hands of Russia for
the space of thirty years. At the end of the said period China
shall be allowed to prepare the necessary funds wherewith,
after proper estimation of the value of the said railways, she
shall redeem them, the rolling stock, machine shops, and
buildings connected therewith. But as to how China will at
that date redeem these railways shall be left for future
consideration.

"III. China is now in the possession of a railway which she
intends to extend from Shanhai-kuan into the provincial
capital of Fêngtien—namely, Mukden (Shenking), and from
Mukden to the provincial capital of Kirin. If China should
hereafter find it inconvenient to build this road, she shall
allow Russia to provide the funds to build the railway from
the city of Kirin on behalf of China, the redemption of which
road shall be permissible to China at the end of ten years.
With reference to the route to be taken by this railway,
Russia shall follow the surveys already made by China in
connection therewith, from Kirin to Mukden, Newchwang, &c.

{79}

"IV. The railway to be built by China, beginning from
Shanhaikuan, in Fêngtien, to Newchwang, to Kaiping, to
Chinchou, to Lushunk'ou (Port Arthur), and to Talienwan and
their dependencies, shall follow the Russian railway
regulations, in order to facilitate the commercial intercourse
between the respective empires."

Article V authorizes Russia to place special battalions of
horse and foot soldiers at the various important stations for
the better protection of railway property. Article VII
"permits" Russians and Chinese to exploit and open any mines
in the Amur and Kirin provinces, and in the Long White
Mountain range in the north of Korea. Article VIII "permits"
Chinese to engage Russian military officers to reform the
whole army organization of the three Eastern provinces in
accordance with the Western system. The next three Articles
are as follows:

"IX. Russia has never possessed a seaport in Asia which is
free from ice and open all the year round. If, therefore,
there should suddenly arise military operations in this
continent, it will naturally be difficult for the Russian
Eastern seas and Pacific fleets to move about freely and at
pleasure. As China is well aware of this, she is willing to
lease temporarily to Russia the port of Kiaochou (Chiaochou),
in the province of Shantung, the period of such lease being
limited to fifteen years. At the end of this period China
shall buy all the barracks, godowns, machine shops, and docks
built there by Russia (during her occupation of the said
port). But should there be no danger of military operations,
Russia shall not enter immediately into possession of the said
port or hold the important points dominating the port in order
to obviate the chance of exciting the jealousy and suspicions
of other Powers. With reference to the amount of rent and the
way it is to be paid, this shall form the subject of
consideration in a protocol at some future date.

"X. As the Liaotung ports of Lushunk'ou (Port Arthur) and
Talienwan and their dependencies are important strategical
points, it shall be incumbent upon China to properly fortify
them with all haste and to repair all their fortifications,
&c., in order to provide against future dangers. Russia shall
therefore lend all necessary assistance in helping to protect
these two ports, and shall not permit any foreign Power to
encroach upon them. China, on her part, also binds herself
never to cede them to another country; but, if in future the
exigencies of the case require it, and Russia should find
herself suddenly involved in a war, China consents to allow
Russia temporarily to concentrate her land and naval forces
within the said ports in order the better to enable Russia to
attack the enemy or to guard her own position.

"XI. If, however, there be no dangers of military operations
in which Russia is engaged, China shall have entire control
over the administration of the said ports of Lushunk'ou and
Talienwan, nor shall Russia interfere in any way therein. But
as regards the building of the railways in the three Eastern
Provinces and the exploitation and opening of the mines
therein, they shall be permitted to be proceeded with
immediately after the ratification of this convention and at
the pleasure of the people concerned therein. With reference
to the civil and military officers of Russia and Russian
merchants and traders travelling (in any part of the
territories herein mentioned), wherever they shall go, they
shall be given all the privileges of protection and facilities
within the power of the local authorities, nor shall these
officials be allowed to put obstructions in the way or delay
the journeys of the Russian officers and subjects herein
mentioned."

_Henry Norman,
Russia and England
(Contemporary Review, February, 1897)._

CHINA: A. D. 1895 {August).
Massacre of missionaries at Hua Sang.

In the fall of 1894 the English and American missionaries at
Ku Cheng, in the Chinese province of Fu Kien, of which Foochow
is the capital, began to be threatened by a sect or party
called the "Vegetarians" (Siah Chai), who were violently
hostile to foreigners, and said to be revolutionary in their
aims. The hostile demonstrations were repeated in the
following April, and the missionary party started upon a
retreat to Foochow, but were stopped on the way by news that
the Mandarin at Ku Cheng had pacified the Vegetarians and that
they might safely return. They did so and were apparently
secure for some months. In July they retired from the city to
a mountain sanatorium, named Hua Sang, 12 miles from Ku Cheng,
and there, on the 1st day of August, without warning, they
were surrounded by a Vegetarian band of some eighty savage
men, armed with swords and spears, who performed a rapid work
of murder, killing eleven persons, including six women and two
children, and then disappeared. "These men did not belong
either to Hua Sang or Ku Cheng, but came from some villages at
a considerable distance. … The city authorities at Ku Cheng
had no hand in the outrage. It was evidently the work of a
band of marauders, and the district magistrate seems to have
done all that could be done under the circumstances."

_D. M. Berry,
The Sister Martyrs of Ku Cheng._

The British and American governments joined in sending a
consular commission to investigate the crime, and with
difficulty compelled the Chinese government to execute twenty
of the ringleaders of the attack. At Fatshan, near Canton,
there had been mob attacks on the missionary station, with
destruction of buildings, but no murders, during the same
month in which the massacre at Hua Sang occurred.

CHINA: A. D. 1896.
Tour of Li Hung-chang in Europe and America.

"Li Hung Chang, the Chinese statesman, left Shanghai with a
numerous suite, March 28, on board a French mail steamer for
Europe, to represent the Emperor of China at the coronation of
the Czar of Russia, and afterwards to visit other countries.
He declared that his object was to see Europe for himself, in
order to report to the Emperor as to feasible reforms for
China. A great reception was offered to him at Hong-kong, but
he refused to land by the advice of the European physician of
the embassy, who feared lest any member of the suite, by
catching the plague, would render the party liable to
quarantine elsewhere. Proceeding to Singapore, via Saigon, he
visited the Governor of the Straits Settlements. At Colombo he
was received on landing by a guard of honour. After the
Russian Coronation he visited Germany, Holland, Belgium and
France, and arrived in London early in August.
{80}
Wherever he went he was lionised, and he lost no opportunity
of asking questions and informing himself concerning the
manufactures and armaments of the several countries he
visited. He returned to China via New York and the Canadian
Pacific Railway, sailing from Vancouver (September 14) for
Yokohama and Tien-tsin, where he arrived October 3. Thence he
proceeded to Peking (October 20), where he was received by the
Emperor, and appointed a member of the Tsung-li-Yamen. At the
same time for presuming to enter the precincts of the ruined
Summer Palace while visiting the Empress Dowager after his
return home, his enemies took occasion of the slight trespass
to insult him, and proposed that he should be stripped of all
his titles and honours, with the exception of the earldom,
which is confirmed to the Li family for twenty-nine
generations. The case was referred to the Board of Civil
Appointments, and the Controller-General, Chang-chih-wan,
decided that 'according to precedent' the ex-Viceroy should be
cashiered, but on account of his life-long and distinguished
services to the imperial dynasty he should be recommended to
the clemency of the Throne, which took the form of a loss of
one year's salary. He took over his seals of office in the
Tsung-li-Yamen on November 1, but none of his colleagues were
present to welcome him."

_Annual Register, 1896,
pages 349-50._

CHINA: A. D. 1897.
The condition of Manchuria and Mongolia.

See (in this volume)
MANCHURIA AND MONGOLIA.

CHINA: A. D. 1897.
Foreigners resident in China.
Ports open to them.

"In the 'Bulletin de la Société de Géographie Commerciale,'
Paris, Volume XIX, a report is published from which the
following extracts are taken: There are over ten thousand
Europeans and Americans resident in China. The English head
the list with 4,000; the Americans number 1,325; Germans, 882;
French, 875; Portuguese, 805; Spaniards, 461; Norwegians, 375;
Russians, 116; Italians, 108, etc. There are 669 Japanese.
Twenty-two ports are open to foreign residence, that is to
say, that Europeans are allowed to acquire conditional title
to certain lands, on which they live, govern themselves, and
have special privileges in judicial matters. The ports are
Mengtz, Lung Chow, Pakhoi, King Chow, Lappa, Canton, Kowlon,
Swatow, Amoy, Fuchau, Winchow, Ningpo, Shanghai, Chinkiang,
Wuhu, Kiukiang, Hankow, Ichang, Chungking, Chefoo, Tientsin,
and Niuchwang. It is to be noted that Peking does not appear
on this list, although the embassies and legations are
established there. The Chinese who find themselves under
foreign jurisdiction appear more than contented with the
situation, because, although taxes are high, they are fixed.
Two hundred thousand natives live in the European settlements
of Shanghai. Besides the foreign residents of China, a large
number live in ports that have been ceded to other nations.
For instance, Hongkong comprises in its civil population 4,195
Europeans and Americans. With the troops and sailors, this
number is raised to 8,545. Hongkong is the actual capital of
foreign industry in the far East. More than 3,000 vessels,
with a tonnage of nearly 4,000,000 touch there annually. The
same spirit which caused the development of Singapore,
Colombo, and Hongkong is to be found in the foreign
settlements of the open ports of China."

_United States Consular Reports,
October, 1897, page 315._

CHINA: A. D. 1897 (May-June).
Cessions and concessions to England and France.

In May, the Chinese government sanctioned an extension of the
British settlement at Tien-tsin from 65 acres to about 300. In
the next month, it satisfied the complaints of Great Britain
concerning the cession of Kiang-Hung to France (see above: A.
D. 1894-1895, MARCH-JULY), by ceding to that Power the Shan
district of Kokang, about 400 square miles in extent, and
leasing to Great Britain in perpetuity a considerable tract at
the south of the Namwan River. The same treaty opened new
routes to trade across the frontier between Burmah and China,
and admitted British consuls and merchants to two new ports.
At about the same time France secured mining privileges on the
Tonquin frontier and rights for the extension of a railway
into Chinese territory.

CHINA: A. D. 1897 (November).
Germany opens the attack of European Powers on the
integrity of the Chinese Empire.
Seizure of the port of Kiao-Chau.
Concessions obtained as reparation for the murder
of German missionaries.

"Among the recent events that have attracted especial
attention to China is the lease to foreign nations of
important strategic or commercial ports on the coast of the
Empire. While the Portuguese have controlled the island of
Macao, near Canton, since 1537, and the English became owners
of the island of Hongkong, in the same vicinity, by the treaty
of 1842, no other nation had possessions on or near the coast
of China until within a comparatively recent date. One result
of the war between China and Japan was that Japan obtained the
island of Formosa, lying 90 miles off the coast of central
China. By this treaty Japan was also to have certain territory
on the peninsula of Liaotung, which commands from the north
the entrance to the Gulf of Pechili, the gateway to the
capital of China; but on the urgent protest of Russia, France,
and Germany this was abandoned, and the mainland of China up
to that time thus remained intact. On November 4, 1897,
however, the German Government seized the port of Kiao-chau,
on the northeastern coast of China, asserting as the cause of
its action the desire to obtain satisfaction for the murder of
[two] German missionaries by Chinese on November 1 of that
year. This port was held by a German war ship until the
announcement of a treaty with China by which the port of
Kiaochau and adjacent territory were leased to Germany for a
term of ninety-nine years, the German Government being given
the right to land troops, construct fortifications, and
establish a coaling and naval station, while German subjects
were to have the right to construct railways, open mines, and
transact business in the rich mineral and agricultural
province of Shantung, in which Kiaochau is located, Chinese
vessels, however, to have the same privileges in the port of
Kiaochau that the German Government might decide to give to
other nations."

_United States Bureau of Statistics,
Monthly Summary of Commerce and Statistics,
March, 1899._

{81}

The terms of the German acquisition of Kiao-chau, as
officially communicated to the Reichstag by Herr von Bülow,
Foreign Secretary of the German Empire, on the 8th of
February, 1898, were as follows: "The Imperial Chinese
Government, in fulfilment of the legitimate wish of the German
Government to possess, in common with other Powers, a point in
the matters [waters?] of Eastern Asia, where German vessels
may be fitted out and repaired, where the necessary materials
can be deposited, and other arrangements made in connection
with that object, cedes to the German Government in the form
of a lease, to run, as at present fixed, for a period of
ninety-nine years, the territory situated on both sides of the
entrance to the Bay of Kiao-chau, in South Shantung, more
accurately described below, in such a manner that the German
Government will be at liberty to erect all necessary
buildings, &c., within the territory, and take all the
measures required for their defence. According to the English
chart of Kiao-chau Bay of 1863, the district leased to the
German Government consists of the following:

1. The promontory north of the entrance to the bay, bounded on
the north-east by a straight line drawn from the extreme
north-eastern point of Potato Island to the sea-coast in the
direction of Zoshan.

2. The promontory south of the entrance to the bay, bounded on
the south-west by a straight line drawn from the southernmost
point of the inlet situated to the south-west of Tschiposan,
in the direction of the Tolosan Islands (Weber chart), to the
sea-coast.

3. The Island of Tschiposan and Potato Island, as well as all
the islands lying at the entrance to the bay, inclusive of
Tolosan and Seslien. Further, the Chinese Government undertake
not to frame any Regulations within a zone of 50 kilometers
round the bay without the consent of the German Government,
and, in particular, to offer no resistance to any measures
necessary for regulating the course of the rivers. The Chinese
Government also grant to German troops the right of passage
across the zone above described. With the object of avoiding
every possibility of collision, the Chinese Government will
exercise no rights of sovereignty within the leased territory
during the period of the lease, but they cede these rights as
well as those over the entire water-surface of the Bay of
Kiao-chau to the German Government. The German Government will
erect sea-marks on the islands and shallows at the entrance to
the bay.

4. In the event of the territory leased not proving to be
adapted to the requirements of the German Government, the
Government of China will cede to Germany a more suitable
district, and will take back the Bay of Kiao-chau, paying
compensation for any improvements or constructions the Germans
may have made there.

5. A more accurate delimitation of the boundaries of the
district leased will take place in accordance with the local
conditions, and will be carried out by Commissioners from both
Governments."

The Foreign Secretary added the following particulars
respecting the area, &c., of the territory and the character
of the lease:

"The territory leased, the boundaries of which are not yet
accurately determined, will cover an area of 30 to 50 square
kilometers. Consequently, it is materially larger than the
British possession at and opposite Hong Kong. For military
reasons, the northern boundary had been pushed a little
further forward than is shown on the map presented to the
Budget Commission. The number of inhabitants is calculated at
a few thousand. As regards the size of the bay, accurate
details are as yet wanting. It runs about 20 geographical
miles into the mainland. At its narrowest point, the entrance
to the bay is about 3,000 metres broad. Two-thirds of the bay
afford harbour accommodation. The rent payable to China, the
exact amount of which has not yet been determined, is an
unimportant point, as it possesses a nominal character merely
representing the continuation in theory of the proprietorship
of China over the territory ceded. The following stipulations
have been secured respecting railway and mining
concessions:—The Chinese Government have consented to hand
over to a German-Chinese Railway Company, to be formed
hereafter, the construction of a railway from Kiao-chau, which
will run first in a northerly and then in a westerly
direction, to be subsequently connected with the projected
great railway system of China. The railway will serve the
coalfields of Weih-sien and Poshan, situated to the north of
Kiao-chau, which will be exploited by German capital. The
Chinese Government have further pledged themselves to accord
to the Railway Company to be thus formed, conditions at least
as favourable as those granted to any other European Chinese
Railway Company in China."

The Foreign Secretary concluded his speech with an exposition
of the motives which had induced the German Government to
occupy Kiao-chau in preference to other places. Its proximity
to the scene of the massacre had been the first consideration.
Secondly, it was favourably situated from a political point of
view, being removed from the French and British spheres in
Southern China and from the Russian base of operations in the
north. Lastly, the spacious, ice-free harbour, the climate,
which is probably the best to be met with in China, and the
existence of coalfields in the vicinity of the coast, offered
sufficient grounds for the choice of Kiao-chau. Herr von
Billow might have quoted in this connection a candid remark
which had been made not long before by the "Kolonial Zeitung:"
"The principal point is that the Power which possesses Kiao-chau
will control the coal supply in northern Chinese waters."

_Great Britain, Papers by Command:
China, Number 1, 1898._

CHINA: A. D. 1898 (February).
British diplomacy in China.
The tone in which foreign demands were made
on the Tsung-li Yamên.
Agreement not to alienate the Yang-tsze region.

Early in 1898 the Chinese government was in need of money for
the final payment of indemnity to Japan, and opened
negotiations with the British government for the guarantee of
a loan: Her Majesty's Ministers were quite ready to give the
needed financial aid, for a consideration, requiring, in
return, that Ta-lien-wan should be opened to trade as a treaty
port. But Russia was then scheming to secure possession of
Ta-lien-wan, and interfered with the British negotiation so
vigorously that the Chinese were frightened into breaking it
off, even after they had practically accepted the offered
loan. Not daring, however, to take from Russia the financial
guarantee which they rejected at British hands, they thought
to balance themselves between these jealous rivals by
borrowing without help from either. Both the Powers were thus
offended, England especially showing stern resentment on
account of the slight with which she had been treated. The
following report by Sir Claude MacDonald, the British Minister
at Peking, of his interviews with the Tsung-li-Yamên on the
subject, is very interesting, as showing the tone in which the
European Powers were making demands on the government of China
at that time. The despatch of Sir Claude MacDonald is dated at
Peking, February 20, 1898.

{82}

"Since the 4th of February," he wrote. "I have had four
interviews with the Yamên for the purpose of extracting some
concessions in return for the rejection of the offer of a
guaranteed loan from Great Britain after it had in principle
been accepted. At the first of these, on the 5th February, the
Yamên refused to recognize that we had any claim to
compensation, declaring that the refusal of a Russian as well
as a British guarantee left no ground for complaint. I told
them that this argument might have had some plausibility if
the two offers had been equally advantageous, or if the
Chinese Government had not committed themselves to serious
negotiations with us. The British Government had at China's
own request reluctantly agreed to do her a very exceptional
favour, and the Yamên could not suppose that we should accept
with equanimity a brusque intimation that the Chinese
Government had changed its mind.

"The Yamên abounded in protestations of their readiness at
some future date to give proofs of their gratitude to Great
Britain in the shape of encouragement to commerce, but they
insisted that the loan negotiations must first be dismissed,
and all demands for compensation in connection with them
dropped. I refused to telegraph such a suggestion to your
Lordship, and as after long debate they still refused to bind
themselves by any promises, I reminded them that at an earlier
interview they had asked me whether the action threatened by
Great Britain in the event of their accepting a Russian
guarantee would equally be taken if they borrowed from neither
Power. I could not at the time answer the question, but I
could now tell them that Her Majesty's Government had a right
to feel deeply affronted by what had occurred, and I would not
be answerable for the consequences if they declined to make to
Great Britain even such concessions as they had frequently
admitted to be in China's own interests.

"The Yamên begged me to smooth matters for them, to which I
answered that their present attitude made it impossible for me
to do so. Let them permit me to report that China was ready to
open inland navigation to steamers; to establish Treaty ports
at Nanning and Hsiang T'an; and to give reasonable security to
trade by a pledge against alienation of the Yang-tsze region
to another Power, and the rejection of our loan might be
forgiven. All these were matters within the Yamên's power.

"The Ministers did not deny the feasibility of what I had
asked (except as regarded the opening of Nanning), but
objected to these measures being tacked on to the loan, for if
that were done, Russia would at once demand
counter-concessions for the rejection of her loan, and China
would be placed in a very difficult position. On this they
laid much stress. I said I did not insist on the concessions
being formally announced as made to England in connection with
the loan, and should be prepared to move Her Majesty's
Government to treat them as steps taken spontaneously by
China, but that I absolutely refused to treat the loan account
as settled until I had some definite assurance that these
measures would be carried out within a fixed time. The Yamên
again attempted to persuade me to leave the carrying out of
the measures indicated entirely to the Chinese Government, and
it was only after the usual prolonged argument that they
consented to open internal waters to steam navigation within
four months; to let me know at an early date when they would
open a port in Hunan, and to give me a written guarantee
against the alienation of the Yang-tsze region to a foreign
Power."

After reporting conversation on other matters, the Minister
recounted his action on the subject of the Yang-tsze region,
and on that of the opening of inland waterways to steam
navigation, at an interview with the Tsung-li Yamên on the
9th. "I then produced," he said, "a draft of the note I
intended addressing to them with regard to non-alienation of
the Yang-tsze region. This was accepted with little demur,
with the insertion of the words 'now entirely in China's
possession,' which, as recording an undeniable fact, I agreed
to put in. Copies of the notes subsequently exchanged are
inclosed. I have not thought it necessary to narrate the
arguments by which I supported the demand for this pledge at
both these interviews. My chief ground was that we could not
afford to find one morning that by reason of the murder of a
foreign subject, or the refusal of some demand by a foreign
Power, some place on the Yang-tsze had been seized and was to
be retained on a ninety-nine years' lease. I then handed to
the Ministers the despatch … recording their assurance with
regard to steam navigation of inland waterways. They read it
with attention, and accepted it as satisfactory."

Of the notes thus passed between the British Minister and the
Tsung-li Yamên, that of the former, dated February 9, was as
follows: "Your Highnesses and your Excellencies have more than
once intimated to me that the Chinese Government were aware of
the great importance that has always been attached by Great
Britain to the retention in Chinese possession of the
Yang-tsze region, now entirely hers, as providing security for
the free course and development of trade. I shall be glad to
be in a position to communicate to Her Majesty's Government a
definite assurance that China will never alienate any
territory in the provinces adjoining the Yang-tsze to any
other Power, whether under lease, mortgage, or any other
designation. Such an assurance is in full harmony with the
observations made to me by your Highnesses and your
Excellencies."

On the 11th, the Yamên returned the following reply: "The
Yamên have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the
British Minister's despatch of the 9th February, stating that
the Yamên had more than once intimated to him that the Chinese
Government were aware of the great importance that has always
been attached by Great Britain to the retention in Chinese
possession of the Yang-tsze region, now entirely hers, as
providing security for the free course and development of
trade. The British Minister would be glad to be in a position
to communicate to Her Majesty's Government a definite
assurance that China would never alienate (any territory) in
the provinces adjoining the Yang-tsze to any other Power,
whether under lease, mortgage, or any other designation.
{83}
The Yamên have to observe that the Yang-tsze region is of the
greatest importance as concerning the whole position (or
interests) of China, and it is out of the question that
territory (in it) should be mortgaged, leased, or ceded to
another Power. Since Her Britannic Majesty's Government has
expressed its interest (or anxiety), it is the duty of the
Yamên to address this note to the British Minister for
communication to his Government."

The despatch recording the Chinese concession of steam
navigation on inland waters was in the following terms: "It
was … with great pleasure that I learnt from your Highnesses
and your Excellencies at a recent interview that the Chinese
Government had determined that wherever the use of native
boats is now by Treaty permitted to foreigners, they shall
equally be permitted to employ steamers or steam-launches,
whether Chinese or foreign-owned, or their own boats, and,
further, that this arrangement would come into effect before
the end of the 4th Chinese moon. I shall have great pleasure
in communicating the Chinese Government's decision to my
Government, for it is an indication that China is prepared to
take every step open to her to increase the volume of trade,
and so add to her resources and the wealth of the people."

_Great Britain, Papers by Command:
China, Number 1, 1899, page 13-18._

CHINA: A. D. 1898 (February-December).
The "Battle of Concessions," for railway building and mining.

By summer-time in 1898 the scramble among the Powers for
footholds of territory on the Chinese coast seemed to be
giving way to what Lord Salisbury described as "the battle of
concessions," for the building of railways and the opening of
mines. This newer battle gave his lordship much anxiety. On
the 13th of July he cabled to Sir Claude MacDonald: "It does
not seem that the battle of Concessions is going well for us,
and that the mass of Chinese railways, if they are ever built,
will be in foreign hands is a possibility that we must face.
One evil of this is, that no orders for materials will come to
this country. That we cannot, help. The other evil is, that by
differential rates and privileges the Managers of the railways
may strangle our trade. This we ought to be able to prevent,
by pressing that proper provisions for equal treatment be
inserted in every Concession."