ours.

:

are

com

our

“Uncle Sam” intends to pull be without delay treated on the the chestnuts out of the fire for lines indicated above, and not us; but they will do their fair held—as it is now—merely at share of chestnut-pulling, and the pleasure of a foreign Power if necessary, of bear-baiting, if whose interests in North China we give them the lead by mak- are not precisely the same as ing a firm stand in Northern China. This can only be done Russia is our very dear friend by constructing a defensible at present: she wants peace harbour at Wei-hai-wei, and badly (also “at present”): her adequately fortifying the island. strategic railways

not The command of the sea must finished, and Port Arthur is also be maintained : that goes dependent for its supplies by without saying, in the case of sea routes. But is it certain such an isolated position. Shall that she will always want we do this? Or shall we let our peace ? And has she not proved case go by default ?

herself capable of tearing up The main consideration of treaties when they become the problem is that of time. inconvenient ? Moreover, we If the breakwater is

know that she respects force. menced at once, it is almost Under these circumstances, it certain that a splendid defen- seems to us that if we really sible harbour can be completed mean

to defend

trade (and the island can certainly interests in North China, and be adequately fortified) before not merely play a game of bluff, Russia can complete her stra- it will be wise to put Wei-haitegic railways, or be ready for wei in such a condition that it an advance on Peking. Are can be held in war as well as in there any political or inter- peace. Now is the time to act. national reasons for hesitation The course is clear, and delays or delay? We are willing, like are dangerous. Mr Punch's rustic, to admit that Before closing these remarks Lord Salisbury may have some we desire to say a few words information that we have not as to the climate of Wei-hai-wei, got. We do not profess to be in for that must always be an imthe secrets of the Cabinets of portant point to consider in Europe, and they would not be the establishment of any naval safe for a moment if we were, station. Well, to begin with, for we have no faith in

secrecy :

we should consider it a downbut the problem appears to be right insult to Wei-hai-wei to fairly simple. Either we mean compare it to Hong-kong, where to defend our trade interests in we have our principal naval, Northern China or we do not. and only military, hospitals. If we do not, the sooner we And as to Yokohama, where evacuate Wei - hai - wei the

now have our auxiliary better, as the game is only one naval hospital and sanitarium, of bluff: but if we do mean the climate, though fine on the to defend those interests, it is whole, is very hot and relaxing essential that the place should in summer, and not to be com

we

one

sun

pared to that of Wei-hai-wei. a fortnight. They last In short, we believe the clim- generally from one to three ate of Wei-hai-wei to be the days, and sometimes bring a healthiest in the world, and we little snow with them : they speak with some experience. blow from west round to north, It is never too hot in summer; and they are decidedly unthere is always a cool breeze pleasant, the air being keen to temper the heat. The spring and cutting, but quite dry. and autumn are magnificent. Between these blizzards the There is an adequate rainfall, weather is simply magnificent but it does not go dribbling - more like the Riviera in on for days together as it does winter than any other climate in the British Isles; it comes we have ever seen, but superior down with a good swish, and to the Riviera in that the air then clears up and the is drier and more bracing, and shines brightly.

And as to the sunshine, if possible, more winter—the dreaded arctic win- brilliant. ter of Northern China that one The soil of the island at hears so much about, - it is Wei-hai-wei (and also of the

undoubtedly cold at Wei-hai- mainland) is extremely fertile. wei for about four months in The whole southern slope of the the year, but it is a bright, island could be turned into a clear, dry, bracing cold ; no vineyard, or a fruit-garden if fogs, no rain, and very little preferred. Vineyards have been snow. Europeans living at started at Chefoo on a considerChefoo (which is about forty able scale, under both French miles from Wei-hai-wei, and in and German management, and the same latitude) say that with every prospect of success. the winter of 1898-99 was an The Chefoo pears are famous exceptionally mild one. That all over China ; the cultivation may be so, but even if greater of them started about cold is sometimes experienced, thirty years ago by an American all accounts seem to indicate missionary. that the general characteristics To sum up then : Wei-haiof the weather are as described wei can be turned into a paraabove.

dise, a sanitarium, and a fortified During the winter of 1898- harbour; but it cannot be held 99 there were occasional bliz- a secondary naval base in zards—an average perhaps of time of war.

was

a

as

INDEX TO VOL. CLXV.

Abdul-Hamid, Sultan, friendship of,
with the German Emperor, 921.
ADMIRAL SIR W. MENDS: FIFTY-FIVE

YEARS OF NAVAL SERVICE, 853.
'Adventures of Captain Bonneville, the,'
Washington Irving's narrative of, 46.
AFRICAN ELEPHANTS, THE PRESERVA-
TION OF, 89.

America, war between Northern and
Southern States of, neutrality of
British Government in, 233-the task
of, in the Philippines, 1028 et seq.
American colonists, manners and habits

of the earlier, 585 et seq.
American Revolution, Sir George Tre-
velyan's History of the, criticised, 581
et seq.
'Angel of the Covenant, the,' by J.
MacLaren Cobban, notice of, 101 et
seq.

ANNO DOMINI, 351.

APOLOGY, A BIRTHDAY LETTER OF, 312.
ARGYLL, MONTROSE AND, IN FICTION, 93.
Argyll, the Duke of, Napier's por-

trait of, 94-Dr Munro's treatment
of, in 'John Splendid,' 101—Mr Mac-
Laren Cobban's character of, in 'The
Angel of the Covenant,' 102.
Ashley, General, fox-hunting expedi-
tion of, 44.

AT THE BACK OF BEYOND, 669.
'Autobiography and Letters of Mrs
M. O. W. Oliphant,' notice of, 895 et

seq.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A CHILD, Chapters
XV.-XIX., 52—xx.-xxIII., 364-XXIV.,
xxv., 514—xxvI.-XXIX. (Conclusion),
707.

BUCHANAN, Under the Beard of, 264.
Burdy, Samuel, the biographer of Philip
Skelton, account of, 885 et seq.
BYGONE DAYS, 461.

Byng, Admiral, the execution of, 466.
Byron, Moore's Life of, 82.

California, first discoveries of gold in,
273 et seq.

BACK OF BEYOND, AT THE, 669.
Battle of Leipsic, account of the, 704 et CALIFORNIAN GOLD DISCOVERIES: Ro-
MANCE OF THE MINES, 272.

Bonneville, Captain, adventures of, as a
fur-trader, 46 et seq.

Borgu, claim of the Royal Niger Com-
pany on, 606-French attempts to
gain possession of, 608-Captain Lug-
ard's command of the British forces
in, 612 et seq.-the French evacuate,
616.

BORGU, THE STRUGGLE FOR: AN UN-

WRITTEN CHAPTER OF HISTORY, 605.
BORROW, GEORGE, 724.
Borrow, George, fondness of, for boxing,
726-sympathy of, for footpads, 727—
Dr Knapp's charge against the step-
daughter of, ib. — autobiographical
nature of the works of, 728-fondness
of, for outdoor life, 731-appearance
and character of, 733.
"Boston massacre," Sir George Tre-
velyan's version of the, 589.
BOSWELL, AN IRISH, 884.
Boswell, James, the Life of Dr Johnson
by, 80 et seq.

Brackenbury, General Sir H., reminis-
cences of Sir George Pomeroy-Colley
by, 558 et seq.

Brackenbury, the family of, 376 et seq.
-services of, to the State, 384,
Bridge, the new game of, 979.
Bright, John, the parliamentary speeches
of, 240.

GEORGE BORROW, 724.

"Gay Lord Quex, the," success of the Ivory, the African traffic in, 89 et seq.
play of, 984.
JAMAICA: AN IMPRESSION, 304.
Jamaica, appearance of, from the sea,
304-the capital of, ib.-the railway
in, 305-a cattle-breeding station in,
306 et seq.

George III. and his Ministry, Sir George
Trevelyan's charges against, 583.
GERMANY'S INFLUENCE AT CONSTANTI-
NOPLE, 921.

GIBBON, FROM THE NEW, 241.
GIFT OF FULFILMENT, THE : AN AL-
LEGORY, 283.