118 



CHINA. 





The importance of the tariff at the Yang-tse 

 is shown by the consular returns for the 

 quarter ending December 31st last. The im- 

 ports into Shanghai in American bottoms 

 alone amounted to the sum of $20,147,847, 

 and the exports during the same period reached 

 the sum of $15,947,583, exceeding by far that 

 carried by all other nationalities put together. 

 During the same quarter the imports into Han- 

 kow stood at $4,052,716, and the exports at 

 $4,423,470. With a few insignificant excep- 

 tions, the American commerce on the Yang-tse 

 is carried on by the Shanghai Steam Naviga- 

 tion Company, whose shares stand to-day at 

 thirty-three per cent, premium. 



In April, information was received at Pe- 

 kin that the Imperial Government had made 

 a demand upon the foreign ambassadors that 

 schools for the education of females be abol- 

 ished ; that the teaching to male subjects of the 

 empire of all doctrines opposed to those of 

 Confucius be forbidden ; that missionaries be 

 considered Chinese subjects, and that women 

 should not be permitted access to the empire 

 as missionaries. It was also stated to the 

 ambassadors that the attendance of women 

 upon religious service was one of the occasions 

 for the recent massacres of foreigners; and 

 that, though those events could not but be de- 

 plored by the Imperial Government, compensa- 

 tion for their commission was absolutely refused. 

 In reply to this decree of the Chinese Govern- 

 ment, a memorial was presented by the Prot- 

 estant missionaries in China to the diplomatic 

 body at Pekin, deprecating the policy of al- 

 lowing the Chinese authorities to escape from 

 their treaty engagements to grant protection to 

 Christian missionaries. The hostility toward 

 foreigners is, the memorialists say, not likely 

 to subside without further violent scenes, un- 

 less firmness and energy are shown by foreign 

 powers in opposing infractions of the treaties. 

 The ambassadors of the Christian countries 

 took, however, no decided steps in this direc- 

 tion, although the Chinese Government ap- 

 peared to be greatly influenced by an anti- 

 foreign court party. Thus the Canton customs 

 authorities trebled duties on opium, and laid a 

 tariff on all native goods coming from Hong- 

 Kong, not hitherto exacted. The existing forts 

 were greatly strengthened. New forts were 

 constructed farther up the Peiho, and other 

 preparations were made indicative of an antici- 



pated foreign war. For a time new complica- 

 tions were feared, but in June it was an- 

 nounced that the influence of the war-party in 

 Pekin had been broken. The death of Wo, 

 the tutor of the Emperor, and secretary of the 

 Imperial Library, had deprived the anti-foreign 

 party of one of its most influential men, whose 

 hatred against the Christian foreigners ap- 

 peared to increase from year to year. The 

 chief of the war-party, a younger brother of 

 Prince Kung, known under the name of the 

 Seventh Prince, was degraded to a lower rank ; 

 and the influence of Prince Kung, who, it is 

 thought, desires the maintenance of friendly 

 relations, was again strengthened. In Decem- 

 ber it was announced that the Chinese Govern- 

 ment had determined to follow the example of 

 the Japanese, and send young men to England 

 and the United States to be educated in the 

 schools of those countries. 



At the beginning of 1870 the number of 

 Protestant missionaries in China was, according 

 to the Chinese Recorder, a Protestant mission- 

 ary paper, edited by the Eev. S. L. Baldwin, 

 at Foochow, 152 males and 129 females, di- 

 vided over the various ports of China. The 

 aggregate number of Protestant chapels at 

 these places was 296. The number of boys 

 and girls who were daily taught was over 

 4,000 ; the number of Sunday communicants 

 nearly 6,000. Among the missionaries were 

 several who had studied medicine, and hospi- 

 tals for the Chinese were conducted by them at 

 Pekin, Tien-tsin, Shanghai, Hankow, Ningpo, 

 Amoy, Canton, HangchoAv, Taiwan, etc. The 

 Protestant missions were divided as follows : 



The China Inland Mission, under the Rev. 

 Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, consisted of fifteen males 

 and fifteen females. 



In September the northern provinces great- 



