Some two hundred thousand men are fighting in South Africa to uphold the honour of the Union Jack, but it is time attention were given to another quarter of the globe, where our flag is constantly outraged impunity. The scandalous state of aff in Chinese waters is one that no self respecting Government should suffer for a week. If public attention were not rivetted in another direction it would have been fastened long before now, and with greater indignation, upon the shammable outrages perpetrated on vessels flying the red ensign between the second port. of the British Bipire—Hongkong—and Canton, the southern capital and greatest tradi centre in China. In spite of she definite promises of the Government a year ago, that properly equipped and "suitable vessels should be sent out to protect our trade on the rivers and inland waters of China, the opening of which to British trade was the one substantial gain falling to this country from the events.of 1898 and 1899 in the moribund Empire, it is a disagreeable fact that British trade on the Canton and West Rivers has recently been brought almost to a standstill by pirates and long-shore banditti who infest the trade routes; while the much-vaunted concessions on the Yangtze have proved amyth—ss, indeed, lias our possession ofa sphere of interest in that region
eighty cases of piracy in the Canton and West Rivers were reported, and during the ast two years the pirates have been equally busy in that neighbourhood. A recent case may be quoted as an example of the state of affairs, In January of this year the small British river steamer Lily left Canton for Whampos with between fifty and sixty passengers. She reached Whampoa safely, and some twenty passen-yers went ashore. She then resumed her voyage, but when passing the village of Sintsing a score or so of the remaining pa-sengers showed their true colours. drove the captain and crew how, and proceeded to planiler the vessel at leisure. Phe little steamer was then headed for Shik-tan, where some piratical small craft were met, and supply of ammunition, provisions, anda reinforcement of twenty men wore obtained, The plundered passengers and crew were then sent away, and the Lily was utilised for a piratical cruise! A. native trader was met, and relieved of her cargo of coals—and the arms she carried to protect it! Next morning off Heungshan the Lily fell in with the Shek-ki, native tender, in tow by the small steamer Kuang Geung, The pirates attacked the steamer by ramming, but the Lily came off second best as the newcomer was of unusual strength. They took her, however, by boarding, and plundered both the vessel and passengers.
abandoning the badly injured Li tes transferred themselves, th nents, provisions, and plunder to the new vessel, This was the s, s. Kuang-ki. Inter in the day when the pirates had entirely vanished, the usual belated gunboat (Chinese) put in an appearance, and actually towed the Lily back to Canton. Latest exploit of these gentry is the firing on the steam cutter and boats of H.MLS. Tweed. OnMatch3i last the Hongkong correspondent of the "Daily Mail" telegraphed that the little Sandpiper had run ashore at Samsuia. about twenty-five miles from Canton, and was reported to be badly damage, adding "as she cannot be everywhere at once piracy goes on flourishing." The "Daily Mail" correspondent also states that the West River pirates had several armed vessels and were practically masters of the river. This state of things will continue if the Foreign Oflice remains so delightfully confident that four toy" gunboats ¢ n efficiently patrol some four thousand miles of river-way. From twelve to eighteen British bluejackets comprise the crew of each of these tiny vessels, and all four carey but two six-pounder popguns. They are much smaller than a London "penny-steamer" and probably not 30 useful. Two of them steam only nine knots, but the other two hare rather more powerful engines, and steam between twelve and twelve and a half knots, but as they are used for the Upper Yangtze, where the rapids run thirteen, their progress up that river is crab-fashion Now, a British River Squadron (mighty it sounds), which possesses about sixty seamen and petty officers and four six-pounders, would be annihilated if attacked in detail on a dark night and in awkward place by the heavy piratical craft with which the writer is well acquainted. This is how the position would work out. Let us suppose the scene to that nest of pirates, smugglers, and rebels—the East Coast." The night is pitch-dark, a strong head tide is ranning, and thereby reduces the speed of H-M.S. Sandpiper to about 4} knots. The dangers of the navigation are not very well-known ty the lieutenant in command who is searching for pirates, and has a cruising ground of about 1,000 miles. Suddenly out of the darkness, sweeping silently and rapidly down with the tide, loom two great vessels, looking like native traders well armed to protect their cargo and passengers. These solid teak-hull craft, of at east 7,500 piculs (about 459 tons), suddenly fall foul of the little gunboat, and a volley of "stinkpots" clears the way for a crowd of boarders. The poor little Sandpiper is a mere eggshell of a craft, being of the tissue-paper order of naval cedure of which our destroyers are specimens, She would have no possibility of resistance, for the mere weight of the boarders would almost sink her, and if it came ton broadside at clove quarters she would receive the contents of some ten smooth-here 16 or 20-pounders and a pounder amidships, crammed to the muzzle with round, mixed, and bar shot. The little Sandpiper would cease to exist! If it were broad daylight and a mile between the combatants, there would be a different story to tell, but Chinese pirates, like our Brother Boers, do not give points hen they fight. When these pests operate in shallow ers and narrow rivers they keep far too look out to be approached by any "smoky little gunboat." Worse still, the lo~ Is ure frequently in league with them. The Compradores," where the gun boats obtain their fresh supplies, probably employ men who are hand-in-glove with the picotes, and the very interpreters, clerks, and servants of the British authorities, the poor relations and candidates for ofice ound the great Chinese officials, are often in the swim. Perhaps the Foreign Otice innocently imagines that this is only a question of some two or three hundred desperadoes to be captured by a British admiral supported by H.E, the Viceroy of Canton This Viceroy, the notorious Li Hung-chang, is the last person to wish well or do well to British trade unless in some articular case it suits his own purpose, is certainly our greatest enemy in the Far East and has been bought body and soul by enormous sums paid him by Russia. The brilliant result of our tradil i in China is the appel corey of the Twvo-Kuang! When our trade was paralysed in this region by piracy and. lawlessness, instead of our Admiral having instructions to put this down with a strong band, as Palmerston or Beneonsfield would have done, Mr. Bax Tronside actually asked the assistance of the Germans to support his remonstrance at Poking! Never before was such. fatal ignorance of Chinese official nature displayed by European statesmanship—and that is saying a good deal. Nominally, ea account of Li Hung-chang's knowledge of foreign affairs, but in reality to seize such an opportunity of placing a bitter enemy in the best position to injure our interests, those tools of Rassia—the ex-concubine of the deceased Tung Chi, the so-called Empress Dowager, and her confederate and right hand in'foreign affairs, seized the opening our diplomacy placed in their way. Viceroy "Log," who would have let us
Viceroy "Stork," who will do his best take our own course, was, superseded by (secretly of course) to destroy both our trade and influence.
The seriousness of the situation lies in the fact that the outrages on British vesselsare but the straws that show which way the wind blows. They are prompted by men who can make both the so-called Empress-Regent and Viceroy Li dance to their tune. Why was the young boy appointed the other day to succeed the deposed Emperor, selected as the future occupant of the Dragon Throne? Because the Prince, his father is at the head of the great secret society of 'The Long Knives and Boxers." The aims of this society are to drive out or massacre all foreign devils," and in their opinion the safest to begin' with are the British, who are no longer considered capable of using suitable force to defend their rights, The result is the murder of British officials and missionvties during the last twelve months. The cage reported from Tientsin last
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.