118 



CHINA. 



the Emperor Tan-Kwang, who died in 1850, 

 succeeded to the throne in January, 1875. 



The area and population of China cannot 

 at present be accurately stated, as parts of the 

 western dependencies have successfully estab- 

 lished their independence, while other por- 

 tions, especially the district of Kooltsha, have 

 been incorporated with Kussia (see ANNUAL 

 CYCLOPAEDIA for 1874). 



In 1874 the number of foreigners in the 

 treaty-ports was only 3,466, of whom 1,537 

 were British, 530 Americans, 387 Germans, 

 307 French, 103 Spaniards, 65 Danes, 58 Rus- 

 sians, and 34 Austrians. The number of Euro- 

 pean and American firms was 339. The num- 

 ber of Japanese in the treaty-ports was 23. 



For public revenue, commerce, and shipping 

 movements, see ANNUAL CYCLOPEDIA for 1874. 



The British consul at Ching-kiang, Mr. E. Col- 

 borne Baker, in his last report (1875), calls at- 

 tention to the position which Ching-kiang has 

 lately assumed as a centre of military move- 

 ment and organization. "When war with Japan 

 upon the Formosa difficulty appeared immi- 

 nent, numerous bodies of the Chinese militia, 

 known as "braves," were assembled at the 

 above-named port in expectation of the out- 

 break of hostilities ; but it would seem that they 

 were intended more especially for defense and 

 to garrison the numerous forts that were con- 

 structed at the time in the immediate neighbor- 

 hood of Ching-kiang. Several mud-forts, large 

 and small, of the usual Chinese pattern, now 

 command the approach to that port from Shang- 

 hai ; but the most important works are situ- 

 ated on Silver Island and the two shores, being 

 three iron-plated batteries of ten or more guns, 

 smooth-bore, 68-pounders, which are laid to 

 direct a converging fire on the reach immedi- 

 ately below Ching-kiang. The plates, placed 

 without intermediate backing on walls of con- 

 crete, are not more than one inch in thickness, 

 except over the embrasures, where they meas- 

 ure about five inches. The magazines are 

 situated in chambers between the guns, and 

 the whole is covered with what is intended to 

 be a bomb-proof roof. They are all in a very 

 backward condition, and do not promise to be 

 formidable ; but the consul observes that, were 

 they completed and well manned, and fenced, 

 as seems probable, with a fringe of torpedoes, 

 the trading communities at the three river- 

 ports would, in the event of sudden hostili- 

 ties, be cut off for a time from all communica- 

 tion with Shanghai, and would find them- 

 selves for the moment in a position of immi- 

 nent peril. 



A Chinese naval reserve is in course of for- 

 mation ; each of the large provinces is to con- 

 struct two steamers, and each of the smaller 

 provinces one, which will make a fleet of twen- 

 ty-eight steamers in all. These vessels will be 

 used by the China merchants for steam navi- 

 gation in time of peace, and turned over to the 

 Government in time of war. 



The Emperor of China, T'oung-che, died 



January 12, 1875, from small-pox, which was 

 making great ravages in Peking. The help of 

 foreign doctors was persistently refused, and 

 the Emperor was only attended by his chief 

 physician, Noua-tzen. The Empress died on 

 the 27th of March. The China, Mail re- 

 marked, on her death : " Her fate has been, 

 indeed, an unhappy one. Wedded at the age 

 of fifteen, she became a widow at seventeen, 

 and since the death of her husband has, if na- 

 tive reports are to be believed, led a most 

 miserable life. She is said to have refused all 

 food for some days previous to her death, and 

 to have sunk from exhaustion. Whether these 

 reports be true or not, we can easily believe 

 that her position was a most unenviable one. At 

 best she was condemned to perpetual seclusion 

 for many years to come, while she was exposed 

 to intrigues which, in view of her expected 

 confinement, might have had her death and 

 that of the possible child as their object. 

 Death was probably a merciful relief." The 

 Shanghai Courier and Gazette said that the 

 early death of the Empress was entirely in ac- 

 cordance with the national idea of what is 

 most highly fitting for a wife so bereaved, and 

 that her memory would possibly acquire a 

 sanctity in Chinese eyes from the fact of her 

 having followed her lord within so short a 

 period ; the event being already attributed to 

 her regrets, as it was said that she suffered 

 from no definite disease. Another report 

 from China stated that the circumstances of 

 her death aroused general suspicion concern- 

 ing its cause, and that there was but little at- 

 tempt to conceal the belief that the fear of 

 complications in case her expected child should 

 be a son led to the sacrifice of her life. 



T'oung-che was succeeded by his cousin 

 Tsaeteen, a child only three years old. The 

 new emperor is the son of Prince Ch'un, the 

 seventh son of the Emperor Tao-kwang, who 

 died in 1850. He was supposed to have been 

 selected in preference to other relatives of the 

 late Emperor because he was younger than the 

 late Emperor, and his youth gave to Prince 

 Kung and the two Empress-dowagers an op- 

 portunity to retain for many more years the 

 regency. The other princes who had .been 

 thought of as successors of T'oung-che were a 

 son of Prince Kung, who is of about the same 

 age as the late Emperor, and a grandson of 

 Prince Yun. The name of the reign of the 

 new Emperor will be Kwang-liu. His father 

 Prince Ch'un was, at the accession of his son 

 to the throne, commander of the Mantchoo 

 troops in Peking, who are drilled by foreign 

 officers ; he is believed to be energetical, war- 

 like, and opposed to the foreign policy of his 

 brother, Prince Kung. Prime-minister of the 

 government will be Li-hung-Chang, the gov- 

 ernor of the metropolitan province of Pee-chee- 

 lee. Li-hung-Chang has long been one of the 

 prominent statesmen of China. When govern- 

 or of Kiang-su, he was known under the name 

 of Li-Futai. He then succeeded, with the aid 



