Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/368

 360J FOREIGN HISTORY. [i«».

fu, with right of future extension to Sin-gan-fu, the capital of Shensi province, but Sir Claude Macdonald protested on the ground that this concession had already been applied for by the Pekin syndicate.

Inundations of the Yellow Eiver created much distress in Shantung province, reducing 2,000,000 of people to starvation. Li-Hung-Chang returned to Pekin from his inspection, and reported that it would cost 4,000,000J. sterling to construct the barriers to prevent these floods. By imperial decree 400,000 taels were provided for works on the Yellow River and 600,000 taels for erecting dykes, and 2,000,000 taels were to be devoted to deepening the mouth of the river.

On account of the threatening attitude of the people in this province towards foreigners the German war-ships landed men in April to put down disturbances.

The Anglo-German loan contract for the Tien-tsin and Ching-kiang Railway was signed on May 18. The line, 613 miles long, would be a Chinese Government railway, to be completed within five years; the loan having a period of redemption of fifty years with security from a Government guarantee and from the railway itself. The amount of the loan was 7,400,00(M. with interest at 5 per cent. The German section of the road from Tien-tsin to the southern border of Shantung was to be under German and Chinese management, and the English section to Ching-kiang under joint English and Chinese control. An imperial edict in May sanctioned the construction of this important railway.

Shantu in Samsah Bay was conceded as a treaty port in May, and Yo-chau-fu at the entrance of Tung-ting Lake on November 13, being the first port to be opened in the province of Hu-nan.

The Chinese authorities declined in November to grant the application made by a British syndicate for a concession to remove existing obstructions from the Yang-tsze with a view to improving the navigation of the river. The reason assigned for the refusal was that the obstructions constitute a valuable defence against foreign invasion.

An imperial order of the Russian Government was issued in August directing that Ta-lien-wan would be a free port when the Siberian railway was finished.

Russia made claim on May 7 for a concession to construct a separate railway connecting Port Arthur with Pekin. This was refused on the ground that no more concessions could be granted till the lines already allowed were completed. M. de Giers informed the Tsung-li-YamSn that the Russian Govern- ment insisted that the right to construct this railway must be granted. The Chinese were, however, determined to resist this demand, and they were so advised by the British Govern- ment.

A dispute with regard to the possession of some land at Hankow purchased in 1863 by Jardine, Matheson & Co., an

CiOOgle