Since the French demand in 1898 for the lease of Kuangchouwan and its cession to them by China very little has been written on the subject owing to its being little known now-a-days to the outside world, except to junkmen trading between Hainan Island and the West Kuangtuny and Tongking coasts. But in the time of the previous Ming dynasty Kuangchouwan was the headquarters of large fleets of pirates who, by reason of their hold of the place, dominated not only the sea route, north of Hainan Island, but the whole coa-between Kuangchouwan and Ton ihis state of affairs is still as true now as it wes three centuries ayo, and the French Kuanychouwan will masters of the whole Tongking coasts, The but they did not at the ti demand, and they are now trying their hest to counteract their fatal cession of Kuangehouwan.
The Chinese claim that the French demanded, at first, a Jease of only 100 li square of territory, and with the object ut delimit ing the bound: of the ceded region, Chou, rcting Taotai of Kiungehou, and P'an, Taotai of the Kno-Lien: 1g Intendancy, were sent as Commissioners to meet a French Commissioner, early this yeu Arrived xt Kuxngchouwan, however, the Chinese Commissioners found that the French were not satisfied with the mite first demanded and, in addition, wanted an extra territory of over double the original demand. This the two Taotais were not prepared to grant, but they zealously went to work to find why the French wanted such on out-of-the-way Kuangehouwan. Referene yamen records soon explained the ance of the place tis-t-vis Hainan Island, the Kuangtung coast, west of Lienchou Peninsula, and the Gulf of Tongking, and it soon became apparent to the Government that any further islands and territory in the vie chowwan would not only able from the hut also throw the whole western coast of the province as well as Hainan Island com-the mercy of the Fren wan alone in and in the hands of a strong Chi force, the mischief will not be so great and, with this in view, the Chinese Government is determined not to yield to all the French demand.
Already have the Chinese and French Commissioners met three separate times, but without result, as neither side would give way, and this has been the reason for sending Generst Sri to settle the question, once for all. The French like the General, whom they style Marshal Ssu, as he has been very friendly, uniformly courteous, and liberal-minded in his dealings with the French on the tung borders, the General's headquar-rs being in the city of Chtingchou, to the forth of Pakhoi, and w few miles east of the French borders; while the on the other hand, have great confidence in him as he commanded the victorious Chinese "troops at Liangshan (Langson)
As General Ssu has nearly 20,000 troops in the vicinity of Ch'ingchou who are also pretty well armed, this gives colour to the report that the Empress Downger's last verbal command to the General—when ho left Peking French if necessary, without instructions from the capital.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.