34
CHINA
[history
troops there until the necessary guarantees had been obtained kong. For this purpose a small group of islands at the southern, her the security of her trade. At the same time categorical point of tke peninsula of Korea, forming the harbour known as for of civil and military reform were laid before the Korean Port Hamilton, were occupied. Objections, however, were raised schemes and the Japanese force in Seoul was largely inby the Chinese Government to their continued occupation, and Government, By the beginning of July she had over 10,000 men Great Britain expressed her willingness to withdraw on receiving creased. there. The Chinese Government thereupon proceeded to send sufficient guarantees against their cession to any other Power. A troops to reinforce General Yeh, who was stationed at Asan, trilateral agreement was thereupon come to, by which Russia more short distance south of Seoul. Among other transports a bound herself to China to respect the integrity of Korean territory, aBritish steamer, the Kowshing, was chartered and despatched with, and Great Britain thereupon agreed to evacuate Port Hamilton, some 1200 On the way, and when nearing the coast of which was carried out in February 1887. In. 1890 occurred an Korea, thetroops. met a Chinese man-of-war steaming back event which, though seemingly insignificant, in itself, marks a full speed toKowshing with evident signs of disorder. As subseturning-point in Chinese history, viz., the resignation of Admiral quently becameChina known, this vessel, the Chi-yuen, had exchanged Lang from the command of the Chinese fleet. One of the lessons hostile shots a few hours previously with a Japanese man-of-war which the Chinese Government seemed to have learned from and got the worst of it. The Kowshing was presently accosted the French war was the recognition of the value of a strong by a Japanese war vessel, the Naniwa, and was called upon to fleet. Money was not spared, and a really efficient squadron surrender. This the Chinese soldiery refused to permit, and the had been got together and put under the joint command of Ad- British officer in charge then proposed to take the troops back to miral Ting and his British colleague Admiral Lang. By tact and China. This in turn the Japanese refused to allow, and after a judgment the latter had so far avoided directly raising the ques- warning the Naniwa opened fire on the doomed A scene tion of who was really chief. Order and discipline were well of indescribable confusion followed. The vesselvessel. with her maintained, and both men and officers were steadily improving living freight, a few escaped by swimming to asank in the knowledge of their profession. During a temporary island, three of the British officers were picked upneighbouring absence of Admiral Ting, however, the Chinese second in command boats, and all the rest perished. Formal declarationsbyof Japanese war soon claimed the right to take charge,—a claim which Admiral Lang followed. The first battle was fought at Asan on the 27th July. naturally resented. The question was referred to Li Hung-Ohang, The Japanese attack was repulsed, but the Chinese evacuated who decided against Admiral Lang, whereupon the latter, feeling their position during the night and retreated northwards. A that his authority to maintain discipline was gone, threw up his series of desultory skirmishes followed, but the only real stand commission. His resignation was accepted, and he left, never to the Chinese made was at Pingyang. The division under General return. From this point the fleet on which so much depended Tso the only capable and honest general in the Chinese army— began to deteriorate. Superior officers again began, to steal the offered a stubborn resistance till their leader was killed, when men’s pay, the ships were starved, shells filled with charcoal they turned and fled. The defeat became a rout, and left instead of powder were supplied, accounts were cooked, and all the the road to China open to the victorious Japanese. Two days corruption and malfeasance that were rampant in the army crept afterwards, on the 17th September, the naval engagement of back into the navy. It is needless to point the moral. Chinese Yaloo was fought. The Chinese fleet possessed two ironclads superciliousness, jealousy of foreigners, and contempt of foreign heavier than anything in the Japanese navy, but it was hopeinstruction, once more proved her ruin. What the dismissal lessly out-manoeuvred by the Japanese and lost heavily. Five of Admiral Lang cost her was soon to be proved in the fa,tal vessels were sunk, burnt, or driven ashore. Night coming on, battle of the Yaloo. Meanwhile things had not. been going the Japanese drew off, and. the remainder of the Chinese squadron well in other respects. Excessive taxation and misgovernment was allowed to seek shelter in Port Arthur. They did not venproduced a general feeling of unrest which continued throughout ture to put to sea again, and in the end were captured or destroyed 1889-90-91. Rumours of risings and rebellions were prevalent, the harbour of Wei-hai-wei in February of the following year. promoted, it was said, by secret societies, chief of which was the in land the Japanese continued their progress, crossed the Yaloo “Ko lao hwei,” or Old Brotherhood Society. Numerous arrests On and entered Chinese territory on 24th October. City and executions took place, especially in the Yangtse valley. In river, fell into their hands, and Newchwang, a treaty port, 1891 there was a series of violent anti-foreign outbreaks in the after’city occupied on the 4th March. Meanwhile a second Japanese same region. At Wusieh, two Englishmen were murdered, and was had landed on the Liaotung peninsula, and captured the at Wuhu, Ichang, and Kiukiang, attacks were made on the foreign army stronghold of Port Arthur on 22nd November. A third settlements and serious damage was done. Many missionary naval establishments in the interior were destroyed. The origin of expedition was launched against Wei-hai-wei, where the Chinese had now sought refuge. In spite of the inclemency of the these outbreaks was the same old story. Placards were circulated fleet operations were vigorously pursued by land and sea, and accusing foreigners of kidnapping children and of murdering them winter, on 12th February 1895 the fortress and fleet were surrendered. in order to boil down their eyes, brains, etc., for medicine. Admiral Ting and the general commanding committed suicide. sionaries were charged with the grossest immorality, and with Further resistance was hopeless, and negotiations were opened usino’ religion as a cloak to the vilest offences. It was found that for peace. After two abortive missions, which the Japanese rea society in Hunan, at the head of which was a notorious ex- fused as being unprovided with sufficient powers, Li Hung-Chang official named Chou Han, had been flooding the country with was sent as plenipotentiary, and on 17th April 1895 the treaty incendiary literature of this class. Repeated efforts were made to Shimonoseki was signed. The terms included the cession ol secure the punishment of these instigators, but with indifferent of peninsula, then in actual occupation by the Japanese success ; the Chinese Government, though not exactly screening Liaotung the cession of the island of Formosa, an indemnity oi the offenders, took no energetic measures to put a stop to the troops calumnies. The anti-foreign agitation, however, gradually died H. taels 200,000,000 (about £30,000,000), and various commercial out and things reverted to the normal condition. There appeared ^Th^e ^signature of this treaty brought the European Powers on even a prospect of considerable railway development—the leading the scene. It had been for some time the avowed ambition of officials having at last come round to the opinion that railways Russia to obtain an ice-free port as an outlet to her Siberian might be beneficial at least for strategic purposes. ambition which was considered by British statesWe pass on to 1894, a year which was fraught with momentous possessions—an as not unreasonable. It did not, therefore, at all suit her consequences to China, inasmuch as it witnessed the outbreak men to see the rising power of Japan seated along the Gult ol war. It opened auspiciously, for in purposes War with of the Japanese Liaotung, and by implication commanding the whole of the coastwas to be celebrated the 60th anniversary Japan. line of Korea. Even before proceeding to Shimonoseki, Li Hung0f the birth of the empress-dowager. It was resolved is believed to have received assurances from Russia that that it should be marked with unusual magnificence, and loyal Chang would not allow any cession of territory in that region to contributions poured in from all parts. In the spring, however, she operative. At any rate, in the interval between the the state of Korea began to attract attention. A series of. chronic become and the ratification of the treaty, invitations were rebellions had baffled the authorities, and help from China was signature addressed by Russia to the Great Powers to intervene with a asked for. China responded and sent 2000 men under General view to its modification the ground of the dis- Europeaa Yeh, notifying Japan of the fact, as she was bound to do under turbance of the balance ofonpower, and the menace to jntervea, the convention of 1885. Japam replied by sending troops also, China which the occupation of Port by the tiQn nominally to guard her legation, which she had a right to do Japanese would involve. France andArthur Germany acunder the same convention. The rebellion was stamped out, cepted the invitation, Great Britain declined. In the end the and then China proposed that both sides should withdraw. Japan Powers brought such pressure to bear on Japan that sffe made a counter proposal that both should join in imposing three up the whole of her continental acquisitions, retaining only such reforms on Korea as would prevent a recurrence of these gave island of Formosa. The indemnity was on the other hand internal dissensions. This, in turn, China refused alleging once the by H. taels 30,000,000. For the time the integrity of more that she was not wont to interfere with the domestic affairs increased China seemed to be preserved, and Russia, France, and Germany of her vassals. Again Japan retorted, denying the alleged could as her friends. Great Britain, who had taken no suzerainty, and intimating that whether China joined or not she hand inpose the retrocession, was looked on with coldness, and China proposed to prosecute her schemes of reform, and would keep
