88 Through the Yang-tse Gorges 



fallen over the place, due to the machinations of the 

 intruding foreigner, who has insisted upon opening a new 

 treaty port at Chung-king, whereby all imports are now 

 admitted into the heart of Szechuan upon payment of one 

 single import duty in Shanghai. The unfortunate Szechuan 

 officials fought as hard as they could against the irmovation, 

 which in this decentralized land meant nothing else than 

 their total ruin, but in vain. A few junks carrying local 

 merchandise, and so unprovided with "foreign" customs' 

 passes, still pay Li-kin duties on the spot, as also the salt 

 junks, this trade being a government monopoly by treaty. 

 The result is to replenish the Imperial coffers at the cost of 

 the local authorities, which latter pay a fixed tribute to 

 Peking, retaining the balance of whatever they may collect 

 for their own benefit. Thus, the revenue of Kwei-chow, 

 formerly estimated at 2000 taels a day, is being gradually 

 reduced to nil: the central government, whose expenditure 

 in relation to the size and resources of the empire was smaller 

 than that of any other civilized state, is now draining the 

 provinces in a way diametrically opposed to the genius of 

 the Chinese constitution, and one cannot wonder at the 

 consequent hostility of the provincial authorities to foreign 

 intercourse. These provincial officials, deprived of their 

 perquisites, their salaries being purely nominal, have to 

 resort to all kinds of oppressive devices to make up their 

 incomes. What the eventual result of our thus forcibly 

 strengthening the Imperial Government at the expense of 

 the provinces will be, remains to be seen. At present it 

 acts in favour of supporting the Foreign Customs Service, 

 as only by means of foreign officials in the Chinese service, 

 backed as these are by outside foreign influence, can the 

 system be maintained in the face of the persistent and 

 natural opposition of the provincial governments. It is true 



