A Recent issue of the Peking Gazette contained a memorial from the Imperial Commissioner in charge of the Foochow Arsenal, in which that functionary re-Min River in front of the Arsenal and jotted the continued silting up of the
the diversion of the main stream to the opposite bank. He pointed out that unless some remedy were sought and applied without loss of time, the inevitable result would be the formation of shallows along the Arsenal frontage, and there would be an end to the usefulness of that institution as a place for the construction and docking of ships. While exposing the evil, the Commissioner did not fail to indicate the cure. Iwo plans suggested themselves to him; either a cutting of the nature of a canal at a point higher up the river, whereby the stream might be concentrated and increased in power; or the formation of a bamboo and earthen breakwater at a short distance above the Arsenal, which would have the effect of diverting the current in the direction required to scour away the accumulations of mud. The former method, he observed, would be certain of effect. but expensive; the latter would cost but a few thousand taels and he had therefore decided to adopt it, though by no means confident that it would prove effectual.
This memorial, apart from its value illustration of a penny-wise pound-foolish policy, by no means peculiar to China, strikes again the note of alarm which was sounded when H.M.S. Firebrand essayed in vain a few months ago to escape from her winter berth at tientsin, It is the old story of the Woosung Bar, before the Anding tardily set to work; it is the same ery that has come from the Front Reach at Canton; it is a growl which has long been familiar at the ports of Formosa it is the fountain-head of all those troubles on the Yellow River which have been disastrous to millions. The rivers of China are silting up. Of course they are; so do the waterways of other countries. But elsewhere Governments do not fold their hands and sit still until they are belaboured or hooted into activity. When the Mississippi misbehaved itself and the New Orleans levees were in danger of being left high and dry, the United States did not look pathetically on and lament the threatened disaster. No; the matter was entrusted to competent engineers and eventually Captain Eade came forward with his plan which has proved so successful. In France again, where such navigable rivers as the Seine periodic cally give rise to similar anxieties, the state of their beds is esteemed of sufficient importance to call for incessant vigilance. Whether there be cause for immediate action or not, the maintenance of inland waterways is a constant subject of study and experiment in France. The successful execution of river works is recognised as requiring the greatest skill and foresight; an error of judgment may aggravate the existing evil instead of curing it. To guard as far as possible against mistakes of this kind and to avoid wasteful expenditure without any useful result, French engineers have for many years past been conducting a series of experiments with ingenious models, in which the actual conditions under which nature works are reproduced. Supposing for instance, that the course of the Seine below Rouen is found to be changing, an accurate facsimile of so many miles of the river is constructed on a scale of say a foot toa mile. The materials used correspond as far as possible to the actual geological consti-tents of the bed and banks, but the inclination of the bed is slightly exaggerated to allow of a readier flow. A stream of water is then turned on, proportioned in amount to the known volume of the river, and is allowed to continue for several days to admit of its action being watched. It is found as a rule that the effects produced in the model correspond fairly accus rately to the processes in nature; and with the data thus obtained, it is possible to work out in theory some plan for dealing effectually with the problem in hand. A scheme of operations is accordingly decided on; may-be an embankment or dyke, a mole ora breakwater, of masonry or earthwork must be built; may-be cavalisation must be resorted to or the cutting of a new channel. Whatever the device, it is first tried on the working models if the practical effect answers to the theoretical, the plan is adopted and carried out at the actual scene of operations; if not, further attempts are made with the model, till the right method is hit on. This is the system pursued in France. In England, where the importance of waterways is fully recognised and every river of mark has its own Conservancy Board, the merits of the French empiric method have been appreciated and similar experiments have been carried on, resulting in a very considerable decrease in expenditure and increase in efficiency. pea trois (Chinn. -&. preamps Sopie It is perhaps early in the day to
ciation of such refinements of civil engineering. She assimilates western ideas slowly and reluctantly, and the national mind is little absorbent even amongst those highest in station. But even to her brain the truth must filter through in time that the state of her rivers is going from bad to worse, and that to spasmodically tinker up their banks after half a province has been laid waste is both expensive and unsatisfactory.
What she requires system, and the first step she ought to take is the creation of a department specially affected to the Conservancy of Water Communications. A staff of competent European civil engineers would necessarily be an adjunct, but there is no reason why China should not establish a Cooper's Hill College of her own, with a view of ultimately being in a position to dispense with foreign assistance. Such ambitions are laudable; and if she sets her standard high enough, no one could blame her for indulging in them. But let her take the motto of the T=#-erh chi to heart, and begin with what is near so as to reach what is far off. It is not only the British gunboat in the Tientsin Bend, or the Canton steamers in the Back Reach, but the dead and ruined millions on the banks of the Yellow River who call upon this country to be up and doing lest worse things befall.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.