To the Editor of the *Norrn Carxa Dairy News."
Sin,—The new Treaty may be all we want on paper, but it will not make the Chinaman any more fond of the "Foreigner" than before. Yet hundreds, if not thousands, of Europeans will soon be going to live and work in the interior, missionaries, miners, merchants, surveyors, and others, and they will be subjected to contumely from the great mass of the Chinese people; contumely pushed too far leads to riots: riots lead to bloodshed.
The North has had a lesson which may last ten years. In Central and Southern China the people throw stones and hail the traveller as Foreign Devil, much as of yore. The ordinary Chinaman knows nothing of our power to avenge attack nor credits us with determination to avenge insults: and, as regards the latter he is probably right.
The remedy I suggest is simple and practical. When peace is made and the time comes to withdraw our garrisons, let the Indian troops march home through Central and South-West China and let the French march overland to Tongking. Let this Jand-march homewards be stipulated for in the forthcoming Treaty, anere need be no fighting, and our disciplined troops can be relied upon to treat the people fairly and pay for their supplies. The winter climate of this part of China is perfect and it would be a healthy picnic for the men. I will leave our French friends to find their own way home, but as to our Indian troops, I would say: Take them to Ichang by steamer, or on to Chungking if the Government can provide the transport. From either place good, though narrow, stone roads lead over the mountains until the wider earth roads of the Yunnan plateau are reached. Along these paths two men can walk abreast but the Chinese are accustomed to see their troops march in single file only: there is no fear of ambush; the Chinese, in their present state, will only be too glad to avoid all excuse for fighting, knowing as they do that it is impossible for them to organise any true opposition. The march from Ichang to Bhamo would take three months; the winter climate is such that men could bivouack in the open, but if tents are preferred, porters to carry them, together with luxuries that the country does not furnish, can be hired for a song along the whole of the route. Horses should only be taken in limited number owing to the scarcity of forage and the stony paths.
military promenade of this nature will effectually prevent the mandarins deceiving the people into the belief that the foreign armies have been once more driven out of China, as in 1860, and that the result of the "double eight" moons of 1900 is simply As You Were.
2nd Jam
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.