The struggle between French and British diplomacy in China is one that closely concerns the United States. been explained in these col lumps, the extension of territory demanded by the Frouch Shanghai is warranted neither by the extent of their trade nor the number of heir residents. At the date of the last census, out of 5,114 foreigners in Shanghai, only 430 were in the Frei settlement. Out of 3,887,000 tons of shipping entered at Shanghai in 1897, only 114,609 tons were French. Under treaties with China, made over half century ago, there wera so-called foreign settlements—British, American and French—marked off for the residence of foreign merchants. At one time there was a disposi manifested to administer them on equal lines. The French authorities withdrew, in 1868, from the general scheme of administration which had been agreed upon by the three Consuls in 1854; wud publi ed, in 1868, a code of regulations which gives the Consul somethin; Nike gubernatorial powers, The fusion of ti he British and American settlements had, is the meantime, been complete. They formed, anc continue to form, one Municipality, administered by n single composite Council, whose members are elected annually by the votes of property-owners an.l ratepayers upon the nature of whose qualification the residents. have agreed, Other powers have gradually come upon the scene Austria, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Norway and Sweden, Portu. zal, Russia, 'Spain, Switzerland and even Peru, have made treaties with China in the intervening years, but all have sought and found hospitality' within the great Cosmopolitan Settlements officially designated Anglo-American, The French alone have stool aloof, keeping in their own istration of th e territory originally assigned to them.
sssigne: This attitude of isolation is accompanied by certain pretensions which are all the stantial interests to justify them. It is the French theory that their Consul-General has the sole power to give titles to property within the French settlement. A simi-Jar claim, made fifty yeara ayo, was with drawn on the protest of the Consul of the United States. It is now being reaffirmed
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.