Show WESTWARD COURSE OF PROGRESS I 1 Inte reet now naturally centers center I 1 in a the future development of the chinese e empire the opinion has frequently been expressed of late that after the war the country will undoubtedly be opened up to modern civilization and that various w will III be started tise the railroad gazette takes taken another view on OB this subject and points out but that it Is ie improbable that a nation with such trew endow wis via inertia should be materially affected by a little war in one corner of the country it further farther mentions some of the happenings in the patt as an an indication of what may be expected jim in the future the first railroad was built in china in 1876 and torn up by the people the following year this was in the province of hanking Jank Wan kIng ng at the some ame gimeli hung chang was arranging to have a colliery opened to supply coal to the fleet beet in 1878 coal mining was begun at Too tongshu Tong gesin sau about 80 miles from arrangements were made to build a railroad matiro ad 20 miles loog long from the mines to the nearest navigable water before the work on this railroad was commenced it had bad been decided to open a canal 21 miles long to a point within sven seven miles the colliery and to connect vils and the canal with a tramway this was done the railroad was located mot most of the way on the bank of the canal it Is was completed in 1887 giving the empire 29 miles of railroad lit li hung chang then planned to extend the line II 11 bel A bridge across the pet pel ho at was begun but at this thin point the opposition biame so great that an the viceroy was compelled to order th abe work on the bridge destroyed causing j a low loss V athe the railroad company of in 1890 an effort was made to start a railroad to run through manchuria northeasterly towards the russian frontier the road was surveyed but a report was made recommending not to carry the line too far as iu in the case caie of war with russia it might be of use to the enemy from all this the honolu sion is in drawn that the opposition of the people to lo foreign innovations is co 60 great areat as an to block the progress of civilize ciori even when the rulers of the empire are disposed to place it in line with other nations of the world notwithstanding these facts it is in more than probable wat that the time is approaching for the opening up of eastern asia to western methods civilization it boo ban been observed proceeds ever westward As lar far as aa historically known it came from west ern parts of asia and found its way through egypt and northern africa to europe then it bridged the he atlantic and raised its throne on this continent but as an it if anxious to complete the circuit without delay it is now reaches out over the pacific with a rapidity that tha t to is simply marvelous it is not at all improbable that in ID another century european affairs will be of second importance to those of the comets bordering on an the pacific had and he be islands of this ocean the gigantic development of the united states west want of the rookie buckler the affairs of ef hawaii and more than all the abe rlee rise of japan from a condition of saml barbarism point in this direction china can no DO more stop atop this thin progress when the time tor for its ill advance has baa come than it oan can prevent the sun from rising above the ocean and pouring his hia golden rays over the benighted people the development so BO far may have been slow it 11 may proceed with accelerated speed from oooo now on the ato appended figures from froin the philadelphia press give an idea of the immense growth of the commerce now carried on on the abe pacific as aa compared to lo that of the atlantic they retire sent the tonnage E f vessels that entered the ports pora mentioned from fore fureigh parts of the world during 1888 ATLANTIC POSTS PORTS tons london N new ew york liverpool beato I a philadelphia hamburg antwerp COO bremen PACIFIC PORTS tons tone hong hong sidney sydney oo melbourne elbourne san francisco Frano iaco chile japan |