1691.
Price, Tent Ta, it kow Kian In many respects it is a remarkably self. contained province, producing nearly thing the peo) ire, and forming 3 little kingdom chiefly known, however, to us as a province which is almost inaccessible from the anti-foreign disposition of its inhabitants, but which produces in large quantity coal, iron, timber, tea, oil, tobacco, rice, etc., besides the best soldiers, and the biggest and finest mandatina la the empire, The only foreigners resident are a small garrison cof Roman Catholic Fathers who have held the fort a few li from the city of Hengchow Fu for between the last two and three hundred years, As to travellers, lamented Margary and the learned Rich through it; also a too early scientific swallow, named Mr. Ma, who turnel up about sixteen years ago looking for the best route for a railway. from Hankow. to Canton. He found it tne, for there is no, other which for directness, evenness, oF promised abundance of traffic, can for 4 moment. come into competition with the one traced by him, Let the fact be remembered to his credit when the railway gets built, Protestant Missionaries, many ha visited it, or crossed it, but of persevering workers in it, it has had but three.. First, in the order of time, myself, Mr. Chi, humble member of the tribe of peri sellers of good books, Then Messrs. Wa and Li, two gentlemen connected with the China Inland Mission. They spent many years in hard self-denying effort to find tome place, no matter how insignificant, where they might be allowed to live and attempt settled work, but without ccess. Mr. Li lost heart, and left the mission field; but Mr. Wu persevered until he died two years ago in a boat. Little is known of all he did, and all he suffered. The best work is often done by those who: seem to have no inclination to say. much bout it. So too it was with Mr. Mo Ya-ko, and F. man, who last year ut body to a solitary mission Szeel where it now reste in' heard of Mr. Bo; yet ever ince of the Empire. His journ for twenty-five by travelled in almost would have. made the reputation of hall 14 score of F.R.G.8.'s, but they were never written, save by the recording angel, The uy but bet as a tale. with trumpet and noble army of martyrs still. goes march
dram, sotho world, which is so busy making ise about its own affairs, seldom hears:
its tread.
passport last March, I thought it right to On spplying to Her Majesty's Consal for facta s35 tell him that we were bound on a visit it to 02 -the departments and cities of Changsha Fu a (he capital), Hengchow Fa, and 'a; and that in these regions the authorities had got into the habit of contending that a passport forthe province could never mean the particular place at which one happen to be. He kindly undertook to have this put right. The result, however, was that no passport was forthcoming, but instead a request from the Taotai that Mr.
Chi should be informed he must not go to these places. H.M.C, declined to do this, and insisted on the passport, but after waiting reasonable time, he still did. not get it, but only the: information that the matter had-been referred.by-the: Taotai to the Viceroy, and was.under-his consideration. Still more waiting and: then 'H..M: C, sent in. & fresh 9 ion... -Meanwhile the time at our disposal for the journey. was rapidly slipping away, snd our boatmen ere Weary Waiting. As-no one-could tell how long the authentic Id: keep on probably just as long as we ig to wait—we resolved to leave without the important document in question. In favour of such a lawless proceed-as much tw be said. The Chin-consider matters very slowly. Practically they were denying the passport without undertaking the responibility of saying they would not grant if this were once successfully done, it would be-often attempted to the inconvenience of all travellers in the interior. If the passport were obtained I could have it sent after me; and, if not, I knew that where I-was going it did not matter much whether I had one or not. Lastly, supposing they caught me and sent me back in disgrace, it would then become possible to attract beneficial attention to this matter; and'as to punishment it would be a most interesting point to decide who it was that ought to go to jail, the Taotai, the Consul, ur I! So making due arrange: ments for a messenger to follow latest jo date, we started.
In these central provinces ti the native authorities with regard to passports is varied, In Hupeh, and Anhui, t is never for, 1y occasion to produce one. In putts of Kinngsi, Szechuan, and the west generally, it is demanded at every city, and generally carefully copied, no matter how often they may have soon it before. In Hunan they have no wish either to see it or it it is the traveller himself who brings it out unasked in endeavouring to demonstrate that he has certain rights which they ought to recognise.
The passport problem is one! which the mind of the ordinary district magistrate has not yet fully mastered. If it morely gives permission for foreigner to move about unmolested as long as he behaves himself, and the people Lave no objections, he does not see the necessity for any document; but what the passport may mean over and above this is the thing which puzzles him, Failing' a passport, other papers may be found to answer just aswell, A friend of mine used his certi-
asa with most: Ho did ea in perfect ficate of rogatetion as a British subject war an arise he hal with at an expense Lit bore on the words of registration must be carefully by the party in whose favour it issued,' +i would avoid delay "and inconvenience while resident' or travelling in-Ohina," he very: excasabl the conclusion that it was a the Chinese never told him ti anything wrong with it. When his friends endeavoured to enlighten him he absolutel; refased to be illuminated vu the strength of the document itself, and when, at last, re too many for him; he wished to be.informed what then he was expected todo with it. This information he lacks to this day; and as such bewilderment in not unreasonable it might be well if H.M. government would have directions for use" printed on the back of these registration certificates. Some "parties" might be put to serious inconvenience bya mistake of this kind, Going slowly up.the Yangtze in a native boat gave one plenty of time to speculate on whether the passport problem might not
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.