munication from Peking, or ultimately from Kalgan, by way of Tientsin to Tsingtau, affect the trade of the Treaty Port? It may, of course, be taken for granted that the construction of the railway will not be entirely without effect; and, notwithstanding the tendency of trade routes to become fixed, there can be no reasonable doubt that Tsingtau will seriously compete as the port of entry for districts to the south and south-west of Tientsin which are now supplied through Tientsin and the Grand Canal.

The trade farther north, however, would not appear to be seriously threatened so long as the river and sea approach to Tientsin is properly maintained.

Of recent years the Haiho between Tientsin and the sea has been greatly improved, and a movement initiated by Mr. J. M. Dickinson, lately Chairman of the British Municipal Council of Tientsin and of the Tientsin General Chamber of Commerce, is now on foot to provide the necessary funds to secure further improvement by dredging the Taku Bar. When this is done there is no reason to suppose that Tsingtau will prove a serious rival to Tientsin in the regions to the north and west of that port, as the rail haul between Tsingtau and Tientsin and places still farther north will be too long and expensive to enable it to compete with the route by sea.

The effect of its construction, however, may be to reduce the high rates of freight on sea-borne cargo between Shanghai and Tientsin which prevail at the present time.

CHAPTER XVI

FRENCH RAILWAY RIGHTS IN SOUTH CHINA

DURING

URING recent years the growth of French influence in South China has been both considerable and rapid. It represents the logical development of French policy in Indo-China; or, more correctly, it marks the commencement of the realisation of French ambitions in South China for the furtherance of which Tongking was occupied.

There is no secret attaching to the reasons for the extension northwards of the French Empire of Indo-China. Prince Henri d'Orleans has testified to the fact that Tongking was occupied in order to provide a convenient means for the penetration of China. A no less remarkable utterance is to be found in the pages of L'IndoChine Francaise, a valuable work recently published by M. Doumer, the late Governor-General. On page 330 he writes:

"Longtemps, le Tonkin ne nous avait paru valoir que par l'accès qu'il donnait au Yunnan. On a très justement reconnu par la suite qu'il avait une valeur propre; mais ce n'était pas une raison pour oublier le but de notre prise de possession."

Tongking consists of the northern portion of what was once the kingdom of Annam. It is interesting, and perhaps almost necessary to a proper understanding of the French position in South China, to trace the steps by which it became Gallicised.

Tongking first came under the influence of the French in 1787. For some time prior to that year the two countries Annam and Tongking had been divided by internal dissensions, with the result that the King of Annam, Gia Long, was compelled to fly for safety to Siam. It happened at this time that Bishop Pigneaux de Betaine was head of the Jesuit establishment at Bangkok The bishop was politician, soldier, and priest, and he soon formed the conclusion that an opportunity had arrived for establishing the power of

France in Indo-China. He therefore invited the deposed monarch to accompany him to Paris and seek the assistance of the French king, Louis XVI., in an endeavour to regain the throne. Gia Long, however, refused the invitation for himself, but sent his son with the bishop in his stead.

At this time the great duel for empire that had been waged between France and England for nearly a hundred years was going against France, and it is not surprising to find the bishop putting forward the case of Gia Long in the following terms :

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The balance of political power in India appears at the present moment to be largely in favour of the English, and one may be justified in looking upon it as a matter of no little difficulty to restore the equilibrium. In my opinion the establishment of a French colony in Cochin-China will be the surest and most efficacious means to that end. The most certain way of damaging the English in India is to ruin, or at anyrate to weaken, her commerce in time of peace. Being situated nearer to China, we should undoubtedly absorb much of her trade. In time of war it would be still more easy to stop all commerce between China and any hostile nation. From such a coign of vantage it would be easy to interfere with the designs which the English evidently have of extending their frontier more to the east."

The result of the mission was a treaty in virtue of which Gia Long was to be restored to his throne on condition that he accepted the protectorship of France, and steps were being taken to give effect to the arrangement when the revolution broke out and confined the attention of politicians to internal affairs. Bishop Pigneaux, however, had no mind to be baulked of his ambition, and seeing no help was forthcoming from Europe he raised a force of French and other adventurers and, landing in Annam, shortly disposed of the resistance with which he was met, and effected the restitution of the king. It was not long before the latter began to realise and distrust the policy of his French ally, and in succeeding years French influence made but little progress. The reverse, in fact, was the case, and in the earlier part of the nineteenth century the murder of missionaries and native Christians became a frequent occurrence. A stop was not put to these things until the year 1859, when Admiral de Genouilly took Saigon by assault, and on his return from the Franco-British campaign in North China in 1861 occupied various strategic points, which resulted in the cession in 1862 of the provinces of Saigon Mytho and Bienhoa. Six years later Admiral Grandière secured the cession of further territory, and established a protectorate over Camboja.