Ture are Commissioners of Customs who, however long they may be in the service, remain foreigners at heart, and they can give valuable advice to the native authorities of the ports where they are posted; there are some,. however, who soon become. as Chinese as the Chinese. themselves, and the. effect.of any advice they give is to confirm the Chinese in their efforts to obstruct foreign merchants and foreign trade. We do not wish tosay in so many words that the acting Commissioner of Customs at Changsha belongs to the, later category, but there are some remarks in his otherwise interesting Report on the 'Trade of Changsha in 1904 which are Aecidedly suspicious. He says,'in reference to the opening-of Changsha as a treaty port: "A Settlement and an Po open, or. treaty, port_ are synonymous terms with Chinese officials: the latter cannot be' Without the' former." If he found the Chinese officials.holding this view when he arrived at' Changstia. to open the port in accordance with the Japanese commercial treaty: with China, it was his obvious duty. to disabuse their minds of the idea as soon' as possible. For what it means is this, that while a port may be opened by treaty, the officials: can' prevent' its being opened to trade as long as a. Foreign Settlement is not provided: To see how false the statement is, we have only to look at the history of Shanghai. "There was no Foreign Settlement when Shanghai was opened: to trade in 1843, and the foreigners established themselves in the native city,'and they adopted as} their hong-names, some of which remain to this day, the names of. the native! hongs in which they found quarters, until a Settlement was established: It is evident from the report of Mr. Harris that there is no. really: convenient'site for a Foreign Settlement' at Changsha, and therefore, according to his view, Changsha is never to be really opened at all. Naturally, foreign merchants going to Changsha to.trade want to.be near the native merchants with whom they propose to, deal, and Mr. Harris tells. us" that °" the large -hongs and stores, areal inside the city." "We are rather, surprised. that, such, an obstructive..statement as.that made. by Mr. Harris, which puts the ideas.-of..the officials: and'gentry: of Changsha: above the. treaty: stipulations: signed-and-ratified by the "Chinese: Government, was allowed to" pass the censorship which we presume is exercised by the Statistical Secretary before these reports' are published. It is surely part of the duty of Commissioners of Customs to] no. do everything they can to promote trade, not to find reasons for aequiascing in the obstructive conservatism of the native officials.
With this serious exception, we find Mr. Harris's: report,'as we have: said, very interesting. He begins with a historical sketch'of Hunan, dwelling for moment on the: great men of the province, Tseng Kuo-fan and his brother, and Tso Tsung-tang, and the scholar Chou Han, whom he gently stigmatised a8 a "misguided patriot." He gives us a very good pen-picture, with a chart of the harbour, of Changsha and its surroundings, including the hill of Yalu and its college, once the home of the Confucian commentator Chu Fu-tse, whose grave at Kiukiang is one of the memorable sights of that rt, He mentions that the site which the Japanese were ready to accept for a Foreign Settlement is. on the river bank outside the North Gate of the city, and subject to inundation. This site, and the regulations proposed. he says, "have not as-yet been accepted by the other Powers,' who favour mixed residence." - By "mixed residence" he means, apparently, residence in the city, where a house has been provided for the British Consul; and it is for adopting a course favoured by all the Powers that such vigorous attempts have-been made to crush Mr. Bennertz, the pioneer of British trade in. Changsha. A plan of the- proposed Settlement is given; it would have been more useful if the height of the ground above or below high water mark had-been given, 40 that intending settlers might have had some idea of the amount of filling-in' and raising they would have to undertake. Considering the obstacles put in the way of trade by the officials, it is not to-be wondered at that the imports of foreign goods were not larger, the total -value -being -some: thing under two million taels, of which machinery and copper for: the: mint accounted for Tls. 470,000. The total value of the exports was Tls. 614,000; of which the principal "articles were rice (Tls. 259,000), antimony (Tls. 76;000), lily-flower seeds or lotus-nuts (Tls. 68,000), and fire-crackers.(Tls.. 55,000). The total duties collected during the six.months.-recorded. amounted to Hk. 'Tls. 35,367. British. and Japanese steamers Lave continued running: regi-latly: from'Hankow to Changsha, -but the service does not seem to' have: been entirely' satisfactory, es no attempt has'as yet' bew-made to provide special' lighters and. steam launches' for use in the low water season between Changsha and the outer' world.", There has been advance in the mineral development of the province, ich as it is known be, all, the province, except three Government mines, having been allotted to three "gentry companies, who' will not grant any concessions if' they' can avoid it. The- Japanese," Mr. Harris tells us, " are well alive to the; possibilities of this. province—their representatives are everywhere, severn first-class-teachers are assisting in scholastic work Japanese or English is the foreign.language taught in the schools, and it is likely that Japanese military instructors will be engaged for the two military academi¢s, This preference for Japan is in part explained by the proximity of: Japan to China, by the literary connections, and by the Jess. expense involved in residence in Japan or in the employment of Japanese instructors." Mr, Harris makes some pertinent remarks onthe coinage question, and notes that "no attempt is, unfortunately, being made to.deal with coinage, scarcity, depreciation, etc., on a scientific. and just basis." There has beens brisk export business in Hunan brass J0-cash pieces,. which are rated at 8 large cash in Changsha, "biit* are exchangeable-in Hupeh for 10-large cash. 5 It will be. noted that not a word is said in Mr, Harris's report of the splendid work done by the: missionaries in assisting the opening of Hunan and in providing and maintaining schools and hospitals.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.