202 Through the Yang-tse Gorges 



ages. Szechuan is specially worthy of study in this respect, 

 its customs being unalloyed with outside ideas. It has, too, 

 of late years been more free from political disturbances than 

 any other province, although its history is not free from the 

 periodical convulsions that in times gone by have afflicted 

 the West no less than the East. The trade control of the 

 Chinese guilds is still a living power, and, as far as I have 

 seen, one invariably exercised for the good of its members 

 and the honour of the craft. I could even wish at times 

 that our city companies still exercised some supervision 

 over the trades which in name they represent. Here, the 

 grievance of the individual becomes the concern of the 

 guild, and he is thus protected alike from unjust exactions 

 by officials and the often no less tyrannical procedure of 

 powerful monopolies. The wealthy foreign firms established 

 along the coasts have to reckon with them, and hence the 

 somewhat jealous eye with which they are regarded; but 

 their action on the whole is undoubtedly beneficial as much 

 in upholding fair dealing amongst their ^members as in 

 protecting them from outside injustice. More than one 

 instance of their power has been shown at the river-ports 

 within the last twelve months. A large steamer of two 

 thousand tons, belonging to the China Navigation Company, 

 was wrecked in the Yang-tse, and became a total loss. The 

 shippers, entirely Chinese, claimed from the company the 

 value of their shipments, and the fear of " taboo " compelled 

 the company to make them good. It should not be forgotten, 

 in connection with this now established custom in China, 

 that in the same way, where our own Government charters 

 vessels or ships stores by them, it, by the simple device of 

 striking a pen through the arbitrary excepting clauses of the 

 bill of lading, holds the owners responsible " for neglect of 

 master or crew," and, in the event of loss or damage, the 



