CHINA. 



CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR, SOCIETIES OF. 



ened the garrison. The right that the Chinese 

 Government had reserved of collecting customs 

 in the leased territory was already repudiated 

 bv the British before they took possession. No 

 further disturbance occurred in the annexed ter- 

 ritorv. Nevertheless, in the middle of May, a 

 force'of 2.000 infantry, artillery, and marines took 

 forcible possession of the Chinese city of Kau- 

 lung and of Samchun, the principal town in the 

 coveted district north of the river. 



The Italian Government through its minister 

 presented, on Feb. 28, a demand for a lease of 

 Sammun Hay, on the coast of Chekiang, as a 

 coaling station and naval base, on the same con- 

 ditions as in the case of the German concession 

 at Kiau-Chau, with a similar land radius, and 

 including three islands off the coast; also the 

 ri"ht to construct a railroad to Poyang Lake, 



railroad and mining rights 



with preferential 



throughout the southern two thirds of Chekiang 

 province. The British minister supported this 

 demand, as well as a request by the Belgian min- 

 ister for the concession at Hankau of an area 

 at the terminus of the Luhan Railroad. Although 

 two Italian war vessels arrived for the purpose 

 of impressing the Chinese, the Tsung-li-Yamen 

 returned the Italian note with a statement that 

 they refused to receive it, declaring to Sir Claude 

 MacDonald, the British minister, in answer to 

 his note supporting the Italian demand, that they 

 declined to negotiate or to discuss the matter 

 on any grounds. The return of the dispatch 

 brought from Signer Martino, the Italian min- 

 ister, a peremptory demand that the Tsung-li- 

 Yamen receive the dispatch and enter into nego- 

 tiations on the understanding that the request 

 for a coaling station and sphere of influence be 

 favorably considered. Four days were given for 

 a reply, no notice being taken of the excuse given 

 that the dispatch had been returned because it 

 was impossible to grant the demands, and a re- 

 fusal might endanger the relations between the 

 two powers. The Tsung-li-Yamen requested the 

 return of the dispatch, but made no statement re- 

 garding the demands that it contained. The Ital- 

 ian Government was persuaded that these would 

 not be granted at present without coercion, and 

 when it learned that its representative had pre- 

 sented an ultimatum demanding an agreement to 

 the request for Sammim Bay it disavowed his 

 action and recalled him from his post. His igno- 

 rance of diplomatic methods at Pekin had be- 

 trayed him into making his demand in a rash 

 and indiscreet manner. His successor, the Mar- 

 quis Salvage Raggi, pursued the same object 

 more insidiously. The Italian Chamber, which 

 had been kept in ignorance of the design of the 

 Government to secure a foothold in China, was 

 not favorable to a new physical conflict or a 

 demonstration that might lead to one after the 

 Abyssinian failure. The Government in Italy 

 changed at this time, and the Marquis Visconti 

 Yenosta was more inclined to caution than his 

 predecessor. He first confined himself to a re- 

 quest for Sammun Bay as a coaling station, with- 

 out suggesting a claim to the Hinterland. As 

 the Taung-li-Yamen was not yet ready to make 

 any territorial concession to Italy, which was re- 

 garded as one of the less formidable powers, ne- 

 gotiations were continued on a general basis, the 

 minister seeking to obtain opportunities of com- 

 mercial expansion for Italy similar to the com- 

 mercial concessions granted' to other great powers. 

 Meanwhile Italy kept a strong naval force in 

 Chinese waters. The Tsung-li-Yamen offered to 

 concede to Italians certain mining rights in Che- 

 kiang, but would not discuss other demands. 



The treaty of Shimonoseki added Chungking, 

 Shashi, Hangchau, and Suchau to the list of 

 treaty ports. The West River Convention with 

 England added Wuchau and Samchui, and the 

 French Frontier Convention Szemao, making 28 

 in all. When the Russians took possession of 

 Port Arthur one of the first demands of Great 

 Britain was that two new treaty ports should be 

 opened, one of which was Nanning, near the Ton- 

 quiii frontier, on a tributary of the West river. 

 The Chinese Government would not then agree 

 on account of objections raised by France, but 

 early in 1899 the Tsung-li-Yamen acceded to the 

 proposal. The other was Wusung, which the Gov- 

 ernment, with the concurrence of the local au- 

 thorities, made a treaty port in 1899. Yochau, in 

 Hunan, the Chinese Government also opened to 

 foreign trade in 1899. It has also promised vol- 

 untarily to open Santuao, in Fokien, and Ching- 

 wantao, in Pechili. Funing and Nankin have also 

 been promised after some pressure from outside. 

 In these new treaty ports the Chinese claimed 

 the right to fix the conditions of trade, since they 

 had been opened voluntarily. Even in the older 

 ports the likin barrier is often placed at the 

 boundaries of the foreign concessions. In the new 

 ones the exactions were made so onerous that 

 there is little opportunity oft'ered for trading, 

 although from such trade as comes the local of- 

 ficials derive a heavy toll, and for the land de- 

 sired by foreigners enormous prices and taxes. 

 The opening of the inland waters of China to 

 foreign steam vessels in 1898 has been hedged in 

 by so many restrictions, especially for the pro- 

 tection of the customs revenue, that the conces- 

 sion is almost nullified. For example, no steamer 

 trading with Hong-Kong or any of the treaty 

 ports is allowed to call at any nontreaty port. 

 The opening of the West river, which England 

 secured after a long diplomatic struggle, is of 

 very little benefit to merchants so far. For the 

 development of domestic trade the free naviga- 

 tion of the inland waters has been of less value 

 than in the case of foreign trade, because domestic 

 produce is subjected more often to arbitrary likin 

 exactions. The control by the Maritime Customs 

 of the specific likin taxes pledged for the service 

 of the Anglo-German loan of 1898 has, like all 

 innovations in China, failed to produce the strik- 

 ing results that were expected. The taxes set 

 apart were the general and salt likin of certain 

 ports and districts in the Yangtse valley and 

 the province of Chekiang. The duties in the 

 hands of the customs inspectors have not yielded 

 the amount expected, while the local authorities 

 have imposed fresh taxes on internal trade to 

 make up for their loss of revenue. 



CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR, SOCIETIES 

 OF. The following statistical report of these so- 

 cieties was compiled on Christian Endeavor day, 

 Feb. 2, 1899: 



In the United States: Number of Young Peo- 

 ple's Societies, 28,261; of Junior Societies, 12,535; 

 of Intermediate Societies, 801; of Mothers' Socie- 

 ties, 70; of Senior Societies, 30; Parents' Soci- 

 ety, 1. 



In Canada: Number of Young People's Socie- 

 ties, 2,921; of Junior Societies, 530; of Inter- 

 mediate Societies, 13; of Parents' Societies, 2; 

 Mothers' Society, 1. 



In foreign lands: Number of Young People's 

 Societies, 8,535; of Junior Societies, 1,078; of 

 Senior Societies, 19; of Intermediate Societies, 11; 

 of Mothers' Societies, 6. Number of floating so- 

 cieties, 120. 



Whole number of societies, 54,934; total mem- 

 bership, 3,296,040. 



