We understand that Acting Consul-General Davidson, has written a dispatch to the Shanghai Taotai, with regard to the proposed boycott of America goods, etc. by Chinese, that it is his (Mr. ison's), opinion that there is some misunderstanding amongst the Chinese with reference to the tenour of the proposed new Exclusion Treaty, and that he would like the Taotai to invite as many of the principal Chinese merchants and members of the gentry in Shanghai to meet him at the Bureau of Foreign Affairs on the Bubbling Well Road, on a day to be set by the Taotai, where Acting Consul-General Davidson may address them and explain away all doubtful points concerning the proposed Treaty. Mr. Davidson further stated that he would also be glad to forward to his Government any petition that the Chinese merchants, and gentry may desire to present to President Roosevelt, The Proposed Boycott of American Goods, etc. stated that a native member of one of the American missionary societies, named Pao Hsien-ch'ang, proposes to hold a meeting of his fellow-converts at the Moule Memorial Chapel to-morrow afternoon at 3 o'clock to discuss the recent action of Chinese merchants and gentry to boycott American goods, ete., as a protest against alleged unjust clauses in the proposed new exclusion Treaty.
29nd May. Activity of the Triad Society.
As is generally known the Triad Secret Society" of Kuangtung province - was organised by old Taiping rebels in the middle of the sixties, after the collapse of the Taiping rebellion which followed the capture of Nanking and the death at the time of Hung Hsin-chuen, the so-called " Heavenly King," or. " Emperor," of the Heavenly, or Taiping dynasty. The Chinese name of the Tri: is San-h6 Hui (Cantonese Sanhop Wu'), although it is sometimes also called Santien Hui (Cantonese Samtien Wui) or " Three-dots" Society. This last has been sometimes called a branch of the Triads, but as far as can be learned this idea seems to be erroneous. As anyone in the South knows, the Triads still have the ambition of ousting the present Manchu dynasty, and so they have had a hend in almost every insurrection that has started in Two Kuang provinees. Advices to hand now state the members of this Society, under their newer designation of Santien Hui, have become very active, proselytizing of late in the northern districts of Kuangtung province, especially in the sub-prefecture of Chiayingchou, where they are said to number over 7,000 men. One result of this is that operations are being pushed further north, so that, according to a Foochow dispatch, a large body has penetrated the districts of Wuping in Fukien, and Huich'ang in Kiangsi province. "This would seem to give the idea that the Triads are working to join hands with the Kolao Hui and its branches, the Great Sword (Tatao), and Dagger (Siaotao) Societies, in the Yangtze Valley. Evidently the authorities of Min-Che (Fukien and Chekiang provinces) and i think this new movement Triads dangerous enough to serious attention, and we undermeasures have bean arrived at int military action between the high authorities of the provinces above noted. There also seems to be an idea in mandarin.circles that the secret societies are hoping that the Chinese Government will be involved in difficulties by the arrival of the Baltic Fleet in Chinese waters, which will turn away the attention of the authorities, for the nonce, from the operations of the secret societies from the Liangkiang and Hukuang provinces in the Contre down to the Min-
Che, Two Kuang and Yin-Kuei (Yaunan and Kuicbon) provinces in the South.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.