106 



CHINA. 



which is liquidated by shipments of sycee- 

 silver to British India, balance due upon the 

 value of opium imported. 



The United States import from China pro- 

 ductions, principally tea and silk, to the Tsel9 - 

 amount annually of 7,493,318 



And find a market in China for merchan- 

 dise annually to the value of 702,603 



Leaving a balance of 6,790,715 



which is liquidated by shipments of gold and 

 silver, or sterling bills. 



The United States, therefore, furnish a large 

 proportion of the bullion which the Chinese 

 pay the British for opium. The bullion is not 

 absorbed in China ; it goes on to India, and 

 thence to England. 



Education and knowledge have received a 

 powerful impulse by the contact with foreign- 

 ers, as may be seen in the schools and arsenals 

 established at various points. The arsenal at 

 Shanghai, under the superintendence of Mr. 

 Hall (an American), is intended for the build- 

 ing of steamers and gunboats, and the manu- 

 facture of all kinds of munitions of war after 

 the most approved foreign models. The prem- 

 ises cover nearly half a square mile of land. 

 There are thirteen foreigners employed as 

 superintendents of the various departments, 

 and some 1,300 native workmen. In the year 

 1863 they launched their first vessel, a paddle- 

 wheel steamer, 185 feet long, carrying six 24- 

 pouncjers, brass naval howitzers; two 12- 

 pounders, and one 20-pounder iron rifle gun 

 upon the forecastle, with the launches, boats, 

 and every foreign appliance, complete. Upon 

 the 12th of April, 1869, they launched a screw 

 gunboat 163 feet long, of American white oak 

 keel, copper fastened throughout, and fitted up 

 in every respect with all the modern improve- 

 ments. She was to be armed with four brass 24- 

 pounder howitzers, two iron 20-pounder Blake- 

 ley rifles, one steel 20-pounder Blakeley rifle on 

 the forecastle, and one iron 68-pounder and two 

 brass 12-pounder howitzers. There was another 

 on the stocks similar to the last mentioned, 

 but 200 feet long, which would be ready to be 

 launched in a couple of months. The keel of 

 a transport 200 feet long was being laid, and the 

 plans of a corvette 240 feet long were being 

 prepared. Two other vessels, one 260 feet long 

 and the other 280 feet long, were under con- 

 templation. Tramways were being laid down, 

 and a large dock constructed. Connected with 

 this establishment is to be a large scientific 

 school. Already some sinologues are em- 

 ployed in translating various works for text- 

 books and reference. The work turned out 

 seems of the best quality, and the native man- 

 agers are importing valuable libraries of scien- 

 tific books, and all necessary philosophical and 

 chemical apparatus. They seem thoroughly 

 alive to the importance of all these branches of 

 foreign science, and determined to make them- 

 selves masters of them. 



A curious specimen of Chinese schools may 



be found in the examination of candidates in 

 Nanking. The number in attendance at an ex- 

 amination held in 1869 was 16,000, and the 

 examinations were conducted by a literary chan- 

 cellor and vice-chancellor. There was an old 

 man aged 103 years, accompanied by his son, 

 aged 80, his grandson of 50, and great grand- 

 son of 20 years the two former of whom, ac- 

 cording to Chinese precedent, will attain at 

 least to an honorary degree. 



The treaty concluded in 1868 between the 

 United States and China received in 1869 the 

 imperial sanction. The reports from China, 

 which had repeatedly announced a desire of 

 the Chinese Government to evade or reject the 

 treaty, thus proved groundless. 



In November, 1869, the revised treaty be- 

 tween England and China was signed. The 

 following are the important changes : A modi- 

 fication of the transit dues ; the opening of two 

 new ports to trade and commerce; the work- 

 ing of coal-mines by foreign appliances, as an 

 experiment, in two places yet to be selected ; 

 a reduction of the duty on native coal, and 

 other articles; the establishment of bonded 

 warehouses; the navigation of the inland 

 waters by vessels not steamers, and a tempo- 

 rary residence in any part of the empire by 

 foreigners. The ports to be opened by the 

 treaty are Wachau, on the Lower Yang-tse, 

 and Wanchau, on the coast, between Ning-Po 

 and Foo-Chow, both of which ports had been 

 strongly recommended in all the memorials on 

 the subject. The Chinese Government had 

 also agreed to employ an English barrister to 

 frame a code of mercantile laws, in conjunc- 

 tion with the judge appointed by her Majesty 

 the Queen of England. The Supreme Court 

 will govern all international civil suits. The 

 advantages to be gained by the treaty are pro- 

 nounced substantial, and equally beneficial to 

 the Chinese as to foreigners. 



On September 2, 1869, a new commercial 

 treaty was concluded between China and Aus- 

 tria, conceding to the latter power the same 

 rights which the other treaty powers enjoy. 

 The desire of Austria, to obtain new stipula- 

 tions in favor of the Eoman Catholic missions, 

 was not acceded to by China. 



The printing establishments connected with 

 the Protestant missions were: Shanghai 

 American Presbyterian Mission, 8 presses, 

 25,000,000 pages printed ; American South- 

 ern Baptist Mission, 19,000 pages printed. 

 Ningpo American Baptist Mission, 594,500 

 pages printed ; Independent Baptist Mission, 

 160,000 pages printed. Foo-Chow American 

 M. E. Mission, 2 presses ; 7,000,000, pages 

 printed. Amoy American Reformed Mission, 

 one small press for printing colloquial Chinese. 

 Hong-Kong London Mission, 4 presses ; no re- 

 turns of printing ; China Inland Mission, 2 

 presses ; no returns of printing. 



The Chinese Recorder, published at Foo- 

 Chow, gives the following statistics of tho 

 Protestant missions in China in 1869 : 



