Sous time ago the Chinese Government undertook to establish a code of sanitary regulations for the especial benefit, or the reverse, of foreign ipping visiting the port of Shanghai. With a considerable amount of inge-unity, it had got hold of all the oblectionable phases of quarantine as practised in the Mediterranean, but had, as might be expected, made no provision for the practical though doubtless dificult. task of inspecting vessels on their arrival, More than this, while attempting to lay down stringent rules for foreign vessels, it had taken care to omit all mention of native craft. In this latter instance, possibly, it acted wisely; for even had it all the will, it need scarcely be said that it had none of the power, to make its own regulations effective. Having heard nothing further of the matter, we presume that has dropped into oblivion; though the recent ease of the Carisbrooke, and the sudden and unexpected resuscitation of code of rules laid by for some seven years, teaches us that in matters Where obstructiveness is convenient desuetude is no bar, in China. The case of the Flamingo and her cargo of 1,920 men, shews how little such regulations are likely to be regarded by the Chinese Authorities where they themselves are concerned. The! Flamingo is by no means a very large vessel, her registered tonnage is reported at 1,209 tons. She has no special fittings for conveying passengers, nor any unusual appliances for ventilation. Yet into this vessel the Chinese Authorities at Formosa allowed nearly two thousand men, whom it pleased them to denominate soldiers, to be crowded. It is notorious that the Chinese take no thought for the health of their troops, there is no medical department, nor are there even surgeons to attend upon the wounded. Every man has to look out for himself, live if he can,—die, if exposure and improper food leave him no alternative. It was a portion of un army managed under those conditions that was embarked on board the Flamingo and landed in the Foreign Settlements last Saturday.
At the best of times the climate of Formosa is none of the healthiest but for troops left to take care of themselves, and engaged against the savages in the jungle, it must have been deadly. Of course we have no statistics, such would be contrary to all Chinese ideas of right, or rather spoliation. How could a commander make money, if the number of his troops were known The thing is too ridiculous to think of. We, however, do know from the reports of the Tapanese force in occupation, that their troops suffered very severely from sickness. The appearance of the undisciplined mob who were landed on Saturday, seemed to show that they had not escaped the dangers incident to camping in a climate like that of Formosa. At the hottest time of the year, two thousand men in this condition are huddled into an ordinary merchant steamer, no provision is made for comfort or decency, and finally they are landed in a populous Settlement in the condition to which we have had to refer.
Chinese troops are generally the offscouring of the population, and even at the best are but an ill-disciplined rabble, Residents at Anping, in Formosa, complained of the conduct of these same troops when lindod there daring the trouble with Japan. It needed but a glance at their arms and accoutrements to see that even the show of discipline daring their stay could not have been maintained.
Bayonets rusted on to the ends of their brown besses locks too little cared for to be able to go off; no scabbards, belts, or cartridge boxes. Sometimes half a dozen guns tied together in a bundle, the ancient strings of which showed that possibly for months they bad not been handled such were some of the belongings of the ragged regiment whose arrival caused such disgust. True, there were abundance of flags. very second man, probably, was armed with a bamboo some thirty feet long, at the -extremity of which was an iron spike, and round which was wrapped a calico flag. The men bearing these marched in Indian file, with their nondescript weapons sloping ab an angle of about forty-five degrees, with the course they were taking. This was the only sign of discipline apparent. The others not armed with flags, roamed over the place in search of wheelbarrows or jinrickshas to convey those who were unable to walk; those who were able to do so for the nonce converted their guns into carrying poles, and walked along with bundles of nondescript articles slang from each end. But though not very formidable in a military point of view, this invasion of the Settlements may well give grave cause for alarm, The unhealthy condition of the men in Formosa was not likely to be improved during their overcrowded passage to Shanghai; and in point of fact, we believe, several died during the trip, Several succumbed as they were being landed, and died on the wharf; two, we are told, were actually left dead and uncared for on board the ship. So unmistakeable was the effluvium that, we believe, every one on the wharf who could do so, avoided the neighbourhood of the ship from which the men were being landed. What was the condition of the ship herself we had not the opportunity of examining. We know what ordinary Chinese are, and can imagine the rest. The men in this condition were marched, we believe, to the neighbourhood of the Arsenal, and we presume will be encamped there for some time. They cannot fail to have brought disease with them, and no better means for propagating it could well be desived. Nor is this all; there are, we believe, altogether some 6,000 troops in Formosa waiting to be conveyed to Shanghai, and this is just the first batch. Irrespective of the general inadvisability of marching bodies of undisciplined troops through the Settlements, the present is a specially oblectionable case, and we are glad to hear that the Taotai has recognized the fact. The prospect of 6,000 men, such as, those we saw on Saturday, marching through and being encamped in the neighbourhood of the Foreign Settlements, would not be reassuring from any point of view. And we repeat our hope that the Taotai will be induced to admit the principle that the Foreign Settlements shall be held free, in future, from such incursions,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.