The following letter from H.M.'s Consul at Hankow to the chairman of the Municipal Covneil there will be read with general interest British Consulate, Hankow, 25th July, 1891.
Sm,—I have been asked to repeat what I said at the Landrenters' meeting yesterday with regard to the Wusueh affair. In the first place I stated that what I said should not be entered on the minutes. I stated I was not at liberty to mention matters still under discussion. I stated that only two of the murderers of Argent and Green had been executed; about their guilt there was no doubt, that their heads had been exposed in Wusueh. That the Chinese law in such cases demanded that all who took part in killing should be punished, those who had murderous intentions by being beheaded, those who had no murderous intention by being strangled.
That the Chinese law with regard to incendiarism and stealing from fires is adequately deterrent, but the law for assault is extremely lenient, except in cases where permanent injury for life has been inflicted.
That only eight of the rioters were now in custody awaiting trial, but that the Viceroy had ordered rewards to be issued for information that should lead to the arrest of others.
That Messrs. Bramfitt and Miles were on the spot to be present at the trials and watch proceedings.
That the Viceroy had promised that all convicted should be punished with the extreme rigour of the law.
That the authorities had offered to rebuild at once the premises of the mission Wusueh at the cost of the inci: government.
With regard to the two territorial mandoring who neglected te protect our countrymen and countrywoman, one was degraded on the 6th July and I have the promise of the authorities that the other shall be @ 9 The Imperial Edict of the 13th June, a most satisfactory document, has been widely promulgated throughout this pro-
I stated at the meeting that I was not satisfied with what had been done; I may add here that J feel sure Sir John Walsham and Lord Salisbury will share my dissatisfaction.
I think had due diligence been done more than ten of the rioters would by this time have been arrested.
I do not think sufficiently vigorous measures have been taken to arrest and punish the authors, printers, and disseminstors of calumnies against us, who reside and carry on their nefarious occupation in a neighbouring province.
have not been notified that the Imperial Edict has been promulgated in that province.
'And considering how near that province is to us, and considering how few of the Wusueh' rioters have been arrested, I cannot advise you, Sir, as Chairman' of the Municipal Council to relax such measures as the Council, or Defence Committee acting in concert with the Council, may adopt for the protection of the Britis Concession.
There are other points unnecessary to allude to, in which I have not yet been notified by the high authorities as to the course they propose to pursue.
Until the Wusueh affair is settled, I think we cannot have that full confidence in the will and power of the Chinese authorities to perform its duty in protecting us that we would wish to have both in our own interests, and in the interests of the country where our lot is cast, for the true welfare of which we all wish and many of us publicly pray every Sunday.
Thave the honour tobe, wit Your most obedient humble servant, (od.) Carrs. Garpxer, A. E. Revweut, Esq., Chairman, Munielal Council, Hankow. officials are not likely to be students of Dickens, but they certainly-seem to understand the principles of a Circumlocution Office, which is beforehand with all other departments in the art of perceiving how not to do it.
Mr. August H. Muertens, late manager of the Government silkworm nurseries in Corea, is at present in Shanghai and will Teave for Europe next week by the Sachsen. A representative of the North-China Daily News interviewed him the other day, and in the course of conversation Mr. Maertens drew a decidedly gloomy picture of the kingdom which he hus quitted for good after residence in it of six or seven years, Speaking first of his own speciality, Mr. Maertens said "All that the Government has done to encourage silk cultivation has ended in failure, At the present time there is only one Government silk-weaving establishment in Seoul. It employs a few Chinamen, and simply turns our @ little silk fur the use of the Queen, The Coresns have not the patience to carry a commercial enterprise through; they want immediate results, The cultivation of mulberry trees of course demands time, but the Coreans could not see this, and soon got tired of the whole affair. Under instructions from the government I imported half a million mulberry trees. had to pay most of the expense myself, and it was two years before I got anything back."
Asked to describe the general position of affairs at the capital, Mr. Muertons said:
"The King is about'36 years of age. Ho is a well-ineanivg man, but entirely under the thumb of the Queen and his ministers, who do not allow him to know more of what is going on than suits themselves, His foreign advisers ure General Legendre and Mr. C. R. Greathouse, late American Consul-General at Yokohama, They are Doth Americans, and so are all the foreign military instructors, Of all the reprosentatives of other countries the Chinese Resid-out seems to have most influen lo is certainly received with less formality than any one jao in audience with the. The Russians are increasing their influence, beneath the surface. As to the Corean
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.