'MR, O'CONOR TO THE MARQUIS OF SALISbury.
Peking, September 8th, 1885.
My Lord,—Some weeks ayo I instructed Mr. Ca sduer ty report to me 1 the probable effect of the commercial at tions of the treaty recently concluded b tween France an apon the trade vid ton with the i id markets of Kwang-Kevangsi, avd Yannan, and to me me how far he considered that the opening of a Lresty Port on the West ver—as, for instance, Wuchow—would counterbalance the advantages secured to the French by the present treaty. In reply to the above question, Mr. Gardner distinctly of opinion that the stipulations alluded to will effect upon the trade vid Canton with the inland markets, and is inclined to believe that the establishment of a resty Port on the West River woul counterbalance the advantages acer the French under thy late agreement, Ca support. th opinion, Mr, Gardner alleges that the i Iand trade between Kwangtang and To is being a very sma interchange of ities between the how Berfecture i Kwaugtang wud ande required by the will continue, gs heretofore, tw ronch Umm neither from © ye the French ports Tonquin, but from Hungkong,, through Pakhoi. Referring to the trade of Kwangsi, Mr. Gardner expects that the populous southern corner of that province (incl the Prefecturesof Tai-ping, Na Sa-nyon, Ge.) will coutinus tu receive ports from Hungkung by Uwe route: viz., the West River and the land route vid the port of Pakhoi, With reference to Yannan Mr. Gardner derives his cond sions from an officer of the Imperial Chinese army, who is of opinion that the wealth of Yanuan consists in its mives of lead, ey; per, and tin, which are at present wou by. the Hroneh as wealth and a future lage population Yunnan are realised, this will not, in h i prejudice the trade of Cantor I be in a position to com: pete, not unfavourably, with the French i lying, by way eased populiation with the commodities it will require. I would here bey attention to the fact that Northern Yunnan is easily accessible by the Yangise River, " trade route which has been strangely ignored, partly in con Sequence of the erroneous delineation of "ps and partly from a mistaken idea that the rapids of the Upper Yanzt-e oppose an almost insurmountable obstruction to water northernmost department of ly, Chautung, is bounded the north by the Yangtse, and with re-junks ascending or descend [need only remark that nearly the whole import and export trade of the rich Prosiuee of veyed. those rapids which, indeed, are only formidable during two of the summer mouths, Ibis point, which beata very strongly the development of trade with Western China, deserves more than passing reference, But for the moment confine myself to a quotation from a trade report by Spence, i lik he remarke: 1 have been up and down them (the rapids of the Yangtse) in Chinese junks, at all seasons of the year—in the Height of the nor freshet and at the lowest winter fevel—and 1 am firmly convinced of their practicability for small, handy, light-draft, full-powered steamers during nine months of the year, without the aid of more than the ordinary methoda of steam navigation," This statement supported by the authority of Mr, Yaukowski, a, Yangsze pilot the only ex: pert who has examined the rapids at variensous of the year, Chaucung is con= dered to be "the most po; ulins and richest part of Yunnan," Me, Baber i forms me that the Department is very rich in mineral wealth, as yet slightly developed, and that the minerals must always tind their exit, as they do at pros sent, down the Yangtse. Mr. Cle Allen, Her Majesty's Consul at Baleho a report on thy same oubjuct, which I had him to draw up, treats the question with more especial reference to the si fect which the facilities given to. Frau by the Franco-Chinese Treaty will exercia upon British trade in Pakhoi, Me fikes a somewhat gloomy view of the present condition of that port, but ix satisfied that it is perfectly possible, by menus of a lighter and note equitable system of inland duties and wu honest wud liberal observances by the leal functiones ries of the transit pass clause of the Treaty of Tigutain, und still more by the coustruce jon of roads, to build up the trade of Puke hoi into one of crest value, Pakhoi possesses one great advantage over any wf the 'Tonquin ports, viz.,- the good apprench to its harbour, which can be entered time of the tide in a d-fathom vel, without pilotee, Mr, Allen and Gardner buth draw atte ration that, in Eh cilities wre often' less important factors of trade routes than financial arrange. ments, and with reference to this fet quote nw remark upon the introduction Wonquin River. "That presented cone ble physical didliculties, and in ade dition there was the ditlienlty of " double fiscal system, as the French would, of course, collect duties at their (Conquinese)
9 He spoke without the smal Jealousy in this matter, fur, after spend tore than forty years in China, he had come to the conclusion that there was room enough for all; and supposing that the Frouch did make that a grent trade would be for the South-eastern section of Yunnan and nothing else." (Proceedings of the It val Geographies Society, December, 1882.)
as his argument extends, Tam agree with Mr, sev no reason to apprehend any nodi ste prejudice to the interests of Bey trade with Kavangt but our commercial relations butt with that province and with Kwangsi would, I xa Uigposed to think, be strengthened by the establishment of a Leeaty port on the Wear River at the hi; t com-observed that Mr. Gardner discuss the c ous which would: arise from the construction of railways by the French in in, Of that scheme be carried into efzet, it seems probable that a monopoly of the trade of at lost Southern Yitunar the en pital, will fall into French bands.
But on the subject of th- trading possibilini Yunnan and Western audition of the popula-little beyond the vegueat
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.