Poitiel. Ix curious contrast to the complete accounts which have been published, of Japanese proceedings in Formosa, are the confused rumours which, only, have reached us, of Chinese doings in the island. A large number of troops were sent over on the withdrawal of the Japanese, with the ostensible object of reducing the savage tribes, and enforcing the authority which it had oom =red to the Chinese Government rucher tardily to claim. Of what they did, we know next to nothing. Rumours found their way, from time to time, to Foochow, of hostile encounters, in which the Aborigines were reported successful quite as frequently as their opponents. On the other hand, the Chinese Commander is said to have made some roads, and to have established some sort of authority in certain of the districts, At the recommendation of Shen Pao-chen, the Imperial Commissioner for Formosan affairs, some organisation of the country was effected, some wise edicts were issued, and the Futai of Fohkien was ordered to take up his residence in the island for its better governance. The then incumbent of the post crussed over accordingly, bat retarned last month, to die—'The majority of the Chinese troops withdrew in the summer, and passed through Shanghai on their way back to the districts north of the Yangtze, from which they had been drawn, The Chinese Government contracted a second leal in the spring, of similar amount to the first, but this time by private negotiation. Tls. 1,000,000 were lent by Messrs, Jardine, Matheson Ca,, and Tls. 2,000,000 by the Oriental Bank, at 10 per cent. No scrip was offered on the market.
'A series of important memorials* on foreign affairs and other questions of state policy, addressed to the Throne by the Chief Mandarins of the Empire, found publicity in Aagast last. Chief among the subjects advocated, were the appointment of Ministers to Foreign countries, and that measures should be taken to select and train officials who might be utilised in foreign matters when needed. The purport of the memorials was that it was clearly time for China to relax her policy of concentration within herself, arid to take some note of what was going on around her. The views expressed were in many cases intelligent, and if given practical effect would afford some hope of pro-Bfe885 but we have been so often de-H, C, eral, Avgust !}uded by promises of the kind, that we suspend belief until we see the proposals take more active shape.
Foreign Relation, THe murder of Mr, Margary in Yunnan and the attack on Colonel Browne's expedition, stand first in order of time as well as importance, among the incidents of foreign intercourse during the past year. In the beginning of August, 1874, Mr. Margary received instructions from H.M. Minister at Peking, to proceed overland to Yunnan, and to join at Bhamo an expeditionary party under Col, Horace Browne, which was coming from Rane amah and Yinnan, The expedition oon to explore the trade routes between,
was undertaken with the fall cognisance of the Chinese Government, and both Mr. Margary and Colonel Browne bad Imperial passports. Mr. Margary also bore despatches from the "sung-li Yamen, explaining the object of hi journey, and requiring that he should treated with consideration. These me structions were obeyed, and his passport implicitlyrespected, on the outward jour+ ney. He succeeded in traversing China without hindrance, and joined Colonel Browne at Bhamo on the 26th January.
Encouraged to believe that their own journey would be similarly facilitated, the party—composed of Colonel Browne, Dr, Anderson, and Mr. Fforde of the Indian Service; and Messrs. Allen and Margary of H.M. Consular Service in China, "with a body-geard of fifteen Sikhs, besides 150 soldiers of the King of Barmah, who were to escort them to the frontier—set out on their journey of exploration, about the 15th of February. On the 17th, as they reached the fourth of the guard-houses built by the Burmese Government near the frontier, reports of trouble ahead began to reach them travellers coming from Momein stating that a force of 400 Chinese were assembled to dispute their passage at Manwein. The report was disbelieved bat it was determined that Margary should ride on to see if the road was clear, on the understanding that he would push on to Manwein if all were well, and await the coming of the party, bat return at once if he saw signs of trouble. He accordingly started on the morning of the 19th, with his writer and four servants, but was unopposed, and wrote back in the evening to 503 that the road was perfectly clear, anc that he was going to press on to Manwein. Ramours of trouble, however, continued to meet the main party, and on the morning of the 22nd came a report that Margary and all his servants bad been murdered, and that 3,000 Chinese were advancing to attack them. The appearance of Chinese soldiers on the neighbouring heights soon confirmed the rumour, and dispositions were quickly made for defences
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.