Rear-Admital Lord Charles Beresford, ©.B., M.P., on Sunday evening, the 8th January, 1899, was entertained at a farewell banquet' at the Shanghai Club by. representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, the Shanghai Branch of the China Association, the Municipal Council, and the American Asiatic Association. Mr, Alford: (Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce) was in the chair, the following Being" list of those present:—Mr. J. Fearon, Me, F. Anderson, Mr. E: A. Hewett, Mr. R. Inglis, Mr. J. Prentice, Mr.: M. Rhode, Mr. B. Shellim, Mr. A. P. Stokes, (Municipal Council); Mr. J. 0. Bois, Mr, W. D. Little, Me. A. Worth, Mi. J. H, McMichael, Mr. Drammond Hay, (Chamber of Commerce); Mr. O. J. Dudgeon, Mr. J..0. P. Bland, Mr. Wade Gard'ner, Me. G. J." Morrison, Mr. A. Mr.'F.'E. Haskell, Me. F. P. Bull, Dr. Wright, Mr. I. Kerr, (China Association)
Ward Hall, Mr. R. W. Mustard, Mr. I J. P. Roberts, the Rev. E. 'T. Williams, Mr. J. F. Seaman, Mr. A. W. Danforth, Mr. R, H. Hunt, (American Asiatic Association); and Mr. Robin Grey.
After dinner, The Chairman gave the usual loyal and national toast, "Our Respective Rulers," which was duly honoured.
the toast of the evening, "Our Guest."
The Chairmss, again rising, proposed He said—My lord and gentlemon, it will perhaps be convenient to you all if, before submitting the resolution and toast of the evening, I-explain the proposed procedure, but first I think I may claim without feat of: dissent, that though the brevity and uncertainty. of Lord Chatles Beresford's transient visit here to-day prevented a numerically large gathering to-night, we as representatives of four Inrge bodies, are Ely that could, have inet to wish our noble practically the most representative assem eat bon voyage. As Chairman' of the chamber. of Commerce it was desired I should preside, for that Chamber pleads the coramercial interests of all nationalities. Joined with us to-night are' the Municipal Council, whose motto, Omnia Junctain Uno, is evidence of its constitution, and supporting usara the Committees of the China and:. the American Associations.. The energetic but liberal policy of the China Association has made itself heard both in China and at home, and whilst welcoming the birth of the American Association we can rest assured that it will prove another means of attaining through Peking or Washington the ends for which we all have striven. There is one remark I would like to make before submitting the resolution of the evening; it is to express our appreciation of the common sense shown. by our noble guest in coming out_ here to personally investigate affairs. His investigations will help him enormously in any debate on China in the House of Commons, and, besides that, be a safeguard to all our interests, and I repeat that our particular thanks are due for his businesslike procedure in learning and thinking before speaking, instead of, as is too often the case, speaking with little thinking and no learning. It is no secret that Lord Charles has'a big book, and in the volume of the book is written all that, he hath seen and heard, and done.
I will] not detain you longer, for after reading the resolution itis to bs seconded and supported by' representatives of the bodies I have named. Subsequently the resolution will be formally put by me in order that we may ship's health and listening to those happy, have an opportunity of drinking his lord-
words of response which we know will follow. The resolution is That our cordial thanks be tendered to Lord Charles Beresford for the service he has rendered to Foreiga Communities in China by personal investigation into the conditions of the various interests we represent.
Mr. C. J, Dudgeon—On behalf of the China Association I have the great pleasure and honour of seconding the resolute which has been proposed by the Chairman. In doing so I may perhaps be allowed to claim that the China Association, being a body of like nationality with his lordship, has possibly had some fuller opportunity of following the work upon with his lordabip has been engaged than has been given to the other representative bodies present to-night. His lordship has called S.] upon the Association for some measure of assistance with regard to his mission, and I feel fully justified in saying that it be hard to find in any previous mission t" China the same thoroughness of investigation which has characterised his lords and methods. His lordship has visited practically every open port in China, taking the views of the foreiga communities at each, and though, as he told us when he was last here, the views received have at times been conflicting, yet nature to think that full agreement of opinion was hardly to be expected over so wide an area as that which has been the subject of his lordship's studies. Such differences of opinion, I also venture to think, have not gone much beyond matters of detail, -and that on broad essentials the views of the various communities are at one. 'Anyway Iam certain of this, that there must be complete unanimity' of opinion amongst all the communities, from Canton to Newchwang, upon one point which was 80 strongly emphasised by his lordship when he last spoke to us, namely, the slenderness of the security upon which foreign trade in China rests, and it may be added that such security as has existed in. the past has been very much lessened by recent events which have expose! the utter helplessness, and weakness of the government of the country. It is to.this absence of security, not only for the trade which exists but for the vast schemes for China's opening which are now being showered upon the European public, that attention must be directed in the near future, and the knowledge of the real state of the case which his lordship takes home with him, must be of immense assistance in public opi necessities of the situation. (Hear, hear. China's necessitous financial con: and the obligations which she has contracted with Foreign Powers, make it clearly impossible that she can much longer continue in her policy of exclusivism, and contempt for foreign ways. Thorough reform, fiscal and administrative, throughout the Empire is absolutely imperative, but it is equally clear that no schemes for reform can be carried through without the assistance of ive strength for their execution.
int has also been appreciated by his lordship, who has expressed his view that reform of China's civil and military forces must be taken in hand concurrently with, if indeed it must not precede, the reform of her finances and administration. For the rest, I have no doubt that his lordship will agree that the China of the future may be gauged from an experience of China in the past; nothing has ever been gained from China except through pressure, backed by force, and nothing ever will be gained from hor except by the same means. (Cheers.) Let' the nations who are interested in developing the vast commercial possibilities of this country join in exerting the necessary pressure for reform, through which alone the required security for trade can be found, the integrity of the Empire maintained, and the door of trade kept open to all on equal terms. (Applause.) Tam tempted to take advantage of this opportunity in order to introduce @ matter of's specific natare, and it is ona, I hope which is occupying the attention of Her Majesty's Minister in Peking to its fullest extent—it is the dastardly and shameful murder which has recently occurred of Mr. Fleming in the province of Kueichou. Tam sure all foreigners in China must be anxiously watching for some signs of steps being taken towards reparation for that terrible crime. Whether as missionaries or merchants we have the right under treaty to travel with full protection, and, if, this murder of Mr. Fleming is being simply allowed to pass as an incident unfortunate but irreparable, thoro is a further loss of prestige of foreigners in hina, and a further incentive to Chinese Iawlessivess arid outrage. (Hear, hear.) It only remains for me to repeat the thanks of the China Association to his lordship for his most able and important work, which, as I have said on a previous occasion, is all the more important on account of the strength which it receives from his lordship's porsonality. Before sitting down I wish to say one word in connection with the single misfortune which has attended his lordship's mission; I allude to the serious illness which has unfortunately fallen upon his lordship's secretary, Mr. Macdonald, We all most heartily, sympathise with Mr. Macdonald, and we trust that he will speedily be restored to perfect health; we also much regret that he is not here' this evening be included in our'wish of bon voyage to Lord Charles Beresford and his staff.
Mr. J. 8, Fearon—t have much pleasure supporting, on behalf of the Municipal il, the resolution which has been eposed by the Chairman. The future prosperity of Shanghai, not only as a distributing and manufacturing centre, but as the chief place of residence of foreigners jin the East and the headquarters of their trade, must inevitably stand or fall with our observance or neglect of the motto quoted by our Chairman which has been for many years that of the Municipality, viz., Omnia Juncta in Uno. Founded on the mutual interests of European trading nations, as opposed to the tesisting-con-servetism of the Chinese, advanced to her present position by the united efforts of all nationalities, Shanghai stands to-day a unique example of successful cosmopolitanism, a splendid result of international federation in the common cause of commerce and civilisation. The Municipal Council of Shanghai has been aptly termed the most successful missionary in China; the work which has been done by this community of '[traders during the gradual evolution of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.