It is with much regret that T have to chronicle a very painful result of the extremely disorderly condition with which affairs have been allowed to lapse during the past two years, as also, it is thought, demonstrating the danger of those in supreme authority professing general racial antipathies. I may mention that T have taken pains to verify what follows hereafter. It cannot for one moment he believed that those in high local positions who are responsible for creating the impression that anti-foreign tendencies are not disapproved of, could ever have anticipated that the effect of their utterances and acts could have had so deplorable a result when acted on by their most ignorant and excitable followers. We can well understand that in Japan itself the account it is now my painful duty to give of the latest ebullition against foreigners will be received by all the well-balanced and educated minds in that country with a sense of distressing humiliation and sorrow. This only tends to show how far national instincts and intentions can undergo deterioration when given scope under conditions desizmedly arranged so exclude the light of general public opinion and control. The full bearing and justification of these inferences, however, will bbe hettor understood after the chronological description of administrative affairs during the past two years (which will form the subject of my next communication) has been laid before your readers.
Tt is only within the last 18 months at most two years, that interference the cemetery has been noticed. This at first consisted mainly in removing the gates from their hinges and throwing them within the graveyard. Thinking that perhaps if the attention of the Police were called to it the attacks would cease, the community contented themselves with repairing the damages and notifying the prover Japanese authorities of what find been done. For some time, although some of the iron work round the graves continued ta be broken up and scattered about the ple, these aggressions were intermittent and not of great extent.
Tt was not till within the last five or six months that matters appeared to have coma toa climax, and what seems to be a regularly organised outburst of malignant spite has resulted in practically considerable injury to the whole cemetery. The assailants would appear, apart from the general racial antagonism which has no doubt chiefly prompted their acts, to have divided this up into specific lines of animosity.
(1.)—Thus, some of them seem to think that those graves, which by reason of their connection Public Services were to sume extent representative, called for special attention, (2) others again app rently were actuated by their hatred of Christianity, as typified by the cross; while (8) the remainder, and perhaps the majority, sailing in under the general sentiment oF i) will, have been more universal in their depredations.
Under the first line of attack occurs that which has, if possible, most strongly roused the indignation of the community, for one of the monuments seriously mutilated is that of alody who, while she lived, was held in the greatest admiration and esteem by the whole settlement. As a mark of the universal regard in which she was held the residents erected a Memorial Chapel, while over her grave stands what was a very beautiful Maltese cross of white marble, on a_ substantial plinth of the same material, I allude to the wife of H.B.M.'s Consul in Tainan at the time (the present Consul-General ab your port,) and it would seem that this semi-official status has marked the stone out for the special mulignaney of the anders. Besides ripping up the iron railings round the grave itself, the cross has been irretrievably injured by chipping and other mutilations. It would "seem impossible to renew it im part, and that nothing short of complete renovation is now practicable.
Another monument, also of white marble, in form of a headstone erected to the memory of Surgeon Perey Lord, R.N., who succumbed to climatic disease while serving at the port during the Liu Yung-fu troubles, has also been much chipped and mutilated, the iron railing and. standards xound the grave itself having been broken up and thrown away.
On the back of this tombstone have been written the letters "K, 1X." with the ytords "last" or "lost Christ." What the letters signify of course it is impossible to definitely say, they might stand for the writer's initials, but he probably would not be so indiscreet as to append these. What. seems more probable, and in kevping with the general tenor of the insert tion is that they denote something like "Killed Krist" for it is obvious that the whole is a profane play on the name of him in whose memory the stone wax erected. Attempts have been made on other crosses, but, as these are carved from hard granite, beyond unimportant indentations the injury done is comparatively trifling, although wherever there have been railings or any ornamental work these have ben broken up' and scattered around. Perhaps the most remarkable instance. of the anti-eross sentiment is afforded by the grave of a sailor, who was buried early in the 60's, and is marked by a granite headstone, the grave itself being blustered over, bearing on the top a brick and mortar cross. This humble tribute of regard from his comrades has remained unmolested from the time of erection until recently. The granite prov ing too hard for their destructive power and the cross too much for their religious susceptibilities, the ruffians have brok the latter up and done what other age to the grave they wore able. Several other graves have been attacked and injured, so far as the destroyers were able to' effect this, notably one that had very handsome iron /ornamental framework round its borders, with " head-plate of the same metal, with the exception of the latter part, the ornamentations, ete.
been totally demolished, and the portions scattered around! The n door of the Mortuary Chapel has been wrenched from its hinges and thrown on the ground. Fortunately the very handsome red granite tablet placed im the Chapel itself to the memory of Mas. Warren has, so far, not been touched, The above includes' the most striking items of the ravages wrought, Dut to one who knew the pretty and well-kept little Cemetery in the pre-Japanese days of comparative peace and good
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.