Primarily, however, the object of the railway, as explained to the French Chamber when the guaranteed annuity was voted, is "to promote the prosperity of Tongking, and to open vast regions to French commerce and industry," and it is the commercial future of Yunnan concerning which opinions differ.

For some reason or other this province has been generally regarded in the public estimation as some mysterious Eldorado, waiting to yield its riches to anyone who should have the courage to embark upon the serious quest of them. Its reputed wealth has become almost traditionary. Only of recent years have doubts been raised, with the result that some have become sceptical of the immense wealth of Yunnan.

The French, however, appear to entertain great hopes for the future. They lay stress upon the known resources of the Yunnan plateau, which yields three harvests of rice annually, in addition to supporting other cereals; and with less justification, perhaps, they dwell upon the mineral resources of the province-silver, iron, copper, tin, zinc-the extent of which is quite unknown.

Mr. Little, some of whose remarks have been already quoted, lends a measure of support to the French view. He considers that "a considerable trade is certain to be done, provided only that the present onerous transit dues through Tongking be removed or modified by the French administration of that otherwise progressive colony."

The opposite point of view may be illustrated from a report compiled by Mr. J. W. Jamieson, of H.B.M. Consular Service, when Acting-Consul at Ssumao.

"It is difficult to understand on what grounds such sanguine hopes of Yunnan's future prosperity are based, when it is seen what little support has been given to such illusory ideas by competent observers, conversant with actual facts.

"I am quite prepared to admit that the mineral wealth of Yunnan is great, but the difficulties in the way of working the same are so formidable that they are certain to deter all who wish for some return on their outlay from investing capital in mining enterprises, at least in the southern and western sections of the province.

"Apart from minerals, the province possesses few other resources, and the inhabitants are unenterprising and lazy to a degree. So long as they can grow enough rice to feed themselves, and procure enough cotton wherewith to make the few articles of clothing necessary in this equable climate, they are content." 1

1 Bluc Book No. 3 of 1898, at page 1.

The proper conclusion to be drawn, perhaps, from these things is that there are possibilities of the development of a fair trade between Yunnanfu and the sea, but that apart from this the province of Yunnan has yet to justify itself as an area of potential wealth.

Finally, turning to developments of the future, it is interesting to note the views of M. Doumer, who may be taken to represent extreme colonial opinion in France.

The railway between Laokai and Yunnanfu, he considers, will only demonstrate its true value when it is continued to the rich and populous province of Szechuen. Its objective should be the capital city of Chengtu. The line, he thinks, should pass through Suifu, virtually the head of navigation on the Yangtze, and follow the bed of the Min River, at the mouth of which Suifu is situated, until arriving at Chengtu. From this place a line should be carried to Chungking, lower down the Yangtze. But between this port and Suifu, the base of what would roughly form an isosceles triangle, M. Doumer is of opinion that a railway is unnecessary in view of the existence of first-class water communication "at all times by means of the Yangtze."

So much for the penetration of China immediately north of Tongking. M. Doumer is equally ambitious in other directions. He urges that the commercial possibilities of the provinces of Kwangsi and Kwangtung should be exploited by an extension of the HanoiLangson line; that the latter point should be connected with Kwangchauwan, the French possession in Kwangtung, by a railway traversing Lungchow and Nanningfu. Arising out of the same idea is a scheme for a line from Nanningfu by way of Kweilin, Yangchow, Hengchow, and Changsha to Wuchang, while a series of short lines radiating from Wuchow to Canton, Kwangchauwan, and Kweilin have also been suggested as part of this comprehensive system. But these important projects are best described in M. Doumer's own words.

"La pénétration en Chine, au nord de nos possessions, serait assurée par la construction de ces lignes à travers le Yunnan et le Ssetchouen. La pénétration au Nord Est, dans le Quang-si et le Quang-Tong, peut se faire, à la fois, par le prolongement de la ligne indo-chinoise d'Hanoi à la Porte de Chine et par le territoire nouvellement acquis de Quang-Tchéou. Déjà le prolongement de notre ligne au delà de la frontière, jusqu' à LongTcheou et ulterieurement jusqu'à Nanning, a été concédé, par le Gouvernement Chinois, à une compagnie française. Des difficultés de divers genres

en ont malheureusement retardé l'execution, depuis huit années bientôt qu'elle est possible.

"La Mission d'études chemins de fer, qui a parcouru le sud de la Chine en 1898, avait détaché un groupe dirigé par M. l'ingenieur Wiart, pour faire la reconnaissance complete d'une ligne qui irait de la frontière du Tonkin à Hankéou, entrepôt commercial du centre de la Chine et point terminus du chemin de fer franco-belge de Hankéou à Pékin. La voie projetée passerait par Nanning, Liou-Tchéou, Kouei-Lin (capitale de Quang-Si), Heng-Tchéou et Tchang-Cha (capitale du Hounan). Sa Longueur serait un peu moindre de 1500 kilomètres. L'étude qui en a été faite donne les éléments d'un avant-projet; elle a été communiquée aux administrations françaises intéressées,

"De Quang-Tchéou pourraient partir deux lignes de chemins de fer; l'une, passant par Muilok et Kao-Tchéou, irait rejoindre le Sikiang, probablement à Ou-Tchéou-Fou; l'autre passerait par Tchekam, Souikay et Yulin-Tchéou, pour se souder à la grande ligne Long-Tchéou-Nanning dont il vient d'être parlé.

"D'autres chemins de fer, d'intérêt plus restreint, mais d'une construction facile et d'une exploitation rapidement fructueuse, sont à étudier dans la zone territoriale comprise entre la frontière du Tonkin, et notre possession de Quang-Tchéou. Cette zone, de par les accords intervenus entre la France et le Gouvernement Chinois, et on peut dire aussi suivant un consentement unanime, est dans la sphère d'action des entreprises françaises."

It may be that the recent international combination of financiers, in the shape of the Central Chinese Railways Limited, has put such schemes for the moment at least beyond the range of practical politics. Furthermore, it may be assumed that the present attitude of the Chinese Government towards all forms of foreign enterprise will render any further acquisition of rights by France in South China improbable in the near future.

Nevertheless, it is well that these schemes should not be overlooked, for they are the proposals, in all seriousness apparently, of a man of standing and of considerable following. And if circumstances ever combined to render possible the attainment of M. Doumer's ambition, British trade interests, particularly in the province of Kwangtung, would be subject to direct attack, and must, it would appear, inevitably be adversely affected.

CHAPTER XVII

FENGFU-HONANFU - HSIANFU

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THE CHENGTINGFU-TAIYUANFU RAILWAY-THE KAIRAILWAY THE SWATOW-CHAOCHOWFU RAILWAY-THE CANTONKOWLOON RAILWAY-THE MACAO-FATSHAN RAILWAY-THE BURMAH-YANGTZE RAILWAY - THE KIANGSI RAILWAY

IN

N addition to the railways which have been already considered, many others have from time to time been projected of which some are now under construction, while of others the construction has been authorised. Schemes also of varying practicability have from time to time been discussed, and have formed the subject of dreams both commercial and political. In course of time some of them may take upon themselves a more material form, but in their present shape, except for those embryonic extensions which have been incidentally mentioned in connection with other lines, they are altogether too nebulous and uncertain to merit serious discussion.

It is proposed, therefore, to confine our attention to the following seven projected and in some cases partly constructed lines:(a) The Chengtingfu-Taiyuanfu Railway;

(b) The Kaifengfu-Honanfu-Hsianfu Railway;

(c) The Swatow-Chaochowfu Railway;
(d) The Canton-Kowloon Railway;

(e) The Macao-Fatshan Railway;

(f) The Burmah-Yangtze Railway; and

(g) The Kiangsi Railway.

It will be desirable to consider them separately and in the above order.

(a) THE CHENGTINGFU-TAIYUANFU RAILWAY.

The route of this railway runs from Chêngto, a station on the Ching-Han line a few miles south of Chengtingfu, by way of Pingting

chow to Taiyuanfu, the capital city in Shansi. The length of the line when completed will be about 170 miles.

A concession for its construction was secured by the RussoChinese Bank prior to the Boxer troubles, and embodied in an agreement dated the 21st of May 1898. The estimated cost at that time was 25,000,000 francs. The line was to be divided into two sections,—namely, from the point at which it leaves the Belgian line to the coal mines north of Pingtingchow and thence to Taiyuan.

Shortly after the arrangement was come to, however, the proposed route was surveyed, when it was found that the country offered so many obstacles to railway construction that the probable cost of the line would be far greater than in the first instance had been estimated. Accordingly, on the resettlement of the country after the Boxer troubles, new terms were arranged with the Chinese Government.

The revised arrangement is contained in two documents,1 a loan contract and a working agreement.

The amount of the loan is 40,000,000 francs at 5 per cent. per annum, redeemable in twenty years calculated from the tenth year after the date of issue. It is secured on the undertaking in the usual way, and, unlike the loan of 25,000,000 francs previously authorised in respect of this railway, it is guaranteed by the Chinese Government. The working arrangements are similar to those in force on the Ching-Han Railway.

The work of construction was commenced under the supervision of the Ching-Han Railway engineers in 1903, the metre gauge being adopted with a rail of 60 pounds to the yard. But progress has been slow owing to the tremendous engineering difficulties that have been encountered, and at the time of writing the railhead has only reached a point a few miles beyond Pingtingchow.

The prospects of the line, however, are thought to be good. Lord Charles Beresford gives it as his opinion that when completed it will be "one of the finest properties in China." It will serve by no means the least wealthy portion of a wealthy province, and as the country and its resources are developed it should certainly prove a remunerative investment for capital.

Some have professed to see in the railway the commencement of a flank attack on China through Central Asia. They assume its ultimate extension to Hsianfu, where it would in course of time 1 Appendix F, Nos. 1 and 2.