18th July. We thought the Chefoo Telegraphic Convention had been consigned to an interment, from which a resurrection was impossible. Sir John Pender and is. company. have ceased to press it. or indeed to feel any further. interest in it. The British Government. has withdrawn from its advocacy and support and has: informed. the British Minister.at Peking not. again to touch the, question. without. first referring home for instructions. Sir John Gorst lately, at Liverpool, took credit. to Her Majesty's Government for refusing sanction.to the Convention as.it_ was to mercantile interests. That they bad bolstered it up for several years "in conjunction with the Russian Goyernment is well known, but the Chambers tot Commerce of Shanghai, Hongkong, and: London obliged' the. Government:-to alter its policy.. I'he influence of the Ministers of those two Governments was almost more than the "'sung-li Yamen could withstand, yet somehow or other the Convention has _hitherto-remained unratified. "The stars in their courses have been fighting against the two cable Companies, and. their indefatigable Representatives, the two foreign Governments and their honoured Hepresentatives at the. Court of Peking, The presentative, the Preoct of Chefoo,. the Great Northern Company with -its. refarerfal Viceroy. of Chihli and the misters of the Tsung-li Yamen have all been thwarted. How has.this been brought about? Whi. has- blocked the way? Who has threatened to memorialige the Throne, if ratified? Who has held them up to ridicule and made traps into which they have unwarily fallen? When the history of the Convention is written all these and: many other curious things will be revealed, Why do we now refer to this question? Because it is sought, to regal-vanish it into life. The Chefoo Taotai, the Russians and the Great Northern Company ure.too much interested in it to allow it to remain buried, Protracted meetings have lately been held at Tientsin on this question by..the above parties, with the object of resuscitating in some.form or other the Convention and after'very protracted deliberations at Tientsin, HE. Sheng left by steamer enroute for the Yellow River, aud'sent.a deputy to Peking. The final settlement, if arrived at, has not yet leaked out.
As stated; long and protracted meet ings were lately held in, Tientsin between the Chefoo Prefect' and. the Russian Consul, Mr. Vahovitch. If. Chine.yants to connect with the Russian tines; the Russians insist that the Chinese tariff shall not be lower than that of the Great Northern Telegraph Company. In short, Chiva must maintain the same tariff as the Great Northern. Objection being taken to this, the Russian Consul. has had to. wire to his. Government, for. instructions, and so far as has yet leaked out, no instructions have been, forthcoming. As. the British Government has now refused its consent to the no "tribute" from the Companies and Convention, China can presumably get
can of course not accept the same tariff" as the Great Northern Telegraph' Ca, The Chefoo Convention wanted to pay China a small contribution ($100,000. per annum calculated equal to one tenth, of the revenue from telegrams to Europe, from Shanghai, Foochow. and: Amoy) for keeping the same tariff. China can send very. cheap telegrams, as is now done from Tientsin to Helampo for.34. cents per word. If 34 cents be from Tientsin to Kiacbig and,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.