Maxy persons have no doubt followed with a consid of interest the dise: been going on for some time in reference to_ the alleged appropria~ tion by the Roman Catholic Fathers, at Ningpo, of land which the community claim to be public property. The various letters that we have received from "Campo" and other correspondents give, in our opinion, a very lucid and logical presentation of the question from the point of view of the Ningpo community, whilst the "Echo de Chine" has devoted several leading articles in defence of the Roman Catholic contention that the land in dispute legitimately belongs to the French Mission at Ningpo.
On 23rd May of the present year, on the initiative of three well-known residents of Ningpo, a public-meeting was convened at that place. The Chairman in explanation as to why the meeting was called, asserted that a part of the public race course known a: the Great Northern Road was in danger of being appropriated by the Catholic Mission. The Committee had, it appears, secured documentary evidence of a specific kind, which afforded conclusive proof, as far as they themselves were concerned, that the said lund was public property, and that consequently no private person had any right to appropriate it. To the meeting also this evidence appeared to be convincing and they decided by resolution to notify the Catholic Mission of the decision arrived at, and also that three gentlemen were to be appointed and empowered to remove the private boundary stones, as well as any other obstacles that might have been unlawfully placed on the said public land. This action has not no naturally provoked the opposition of those who consider, liily or wrongly, that they have a just and legitimate claim to the land. Hence the discussion which has been going on for some considerable time, but which it is to be hoped may, for reasons which need not be specifically referred to ab this juncture, be speedily brought to an amicable and satisfactory settlement.
The facts of the case as supplied to us by an apparently well-informed correspondent at Ningpo are as follows In the year 1862 a strip of land 40 fect broad, stretching from the Ningpo main river, across camps, to the Tsie Kie branch of the river, was surrendered by certain British subjects for public use and styled the Great Northern Road. Later in the same year a further road was constructed branching out from the Great Northern Road in a westernly direction. In 1865 the late Consul Fittock called upon British subjects to give reports of their land holdings specifying portions surrendered for public use. One at least of the replies remains in the archives of the British Consulate, giving a map drawn to scale of the said Great Northern Road. The western portion of this road has been in recent years neglected by the public. Within the last six months the land upon both sides of the race course has been purchased by the Catholic Mission, and prepared for building purposes. Apparently ignorant of the public rights to this neglected portion of the road, boundary stones have been placed in the middle of it. Now it happens that recently the Standard Oil Company has also acquired land at the eastern end of the sxme road, and had stones placed upon the public ground. The error was pointed out to both parties. The
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.