The peoples and politics of the Far East : travels and studies in the British, French, Spanish and Portuguese colonies, Siberia, China, Japan, Korea, Siam and Malaya

Front matter

TTF

ASIA m

THE-PEOPLE5'AND

Preface

This booJc is the result of nearly four years of travel and study in the countries and colonies of which it treats. I have described and discussed no place that I did not visit, and in every one I remained long enough, and was fortunate enough in learning the views and experiences of the local authorities and best-informed residents, to make sure at any rate that I was not misled into mere hasty impressions. If I appear to present some of my conclusions loith excessive confidence, this fault is to be explained, and I trust excused, first, by my conviction of the importance to Great Britain of the issues involved, and second, by my faith in the accuracy and wisdom of my many informants.

The Far Fast presents itself to the attentive traveller under two aspects. It is the last Wonderland of the World; and it is also the seed-bed of a multitude of new 'political issues. I have endeavoured to reflect in these pages this twofold quality of my subject. Therefore the record of mere travel is interwoven with that of investigation : the incidents and the adventures of the

Vm PREFACE.

liou7- are mingled with the factors and the statistics of the permanent problems. By this means I have hoped to reproduce upon the reader^ s mind something of the effect of the Far East upon my own. It is a picture tohich is destined, either in bright colours or in sombre, to become increasingly faviiliar to him in the future.

I find myself ivholly unable to acknoivledge here even a small pai't of the help and hospitality I received', and I can only express this general but deep obligation. To Sir JRobert Hart, Bart., however, first of all; to Sir Cecil dementi Smith, ex-Governor of the Straits Settlement; to Sir G. William Des Voeux, formerly Governor of Hongkong ; and to Mr. F. A. Swettenham, C.M.G., British Besident of PeraJc, I have to offer my sjDecial thanks. To tny frieiid Mr. B. L. Morant, whose knowledge of Siam is more intimate than that of any foreigner living, and who at the time of my stay in Bangkok was governor of the late Groton Prince and. tutor to the Boyal children, I have to acknoivledge great indebtedness. I need hardly add that these gentlemen must not be forcibly connected with any of my opinions. Mr. J. Scott Keltic, Assistant Secretary of the Boyal Geographical Society, the Librarian of the Colonial Office, and the Librarian of the Boyal Statistical Society, have been good enough to give me valuable technical assistance.

In a few instances I have reproduced here, with considerable alterations, farts of contributions to the

PREFACE. IX

daily and periodical Press, cJiiefly descriptions of places written on the spot. The greater part of the illustrations are from my own photographs ; one or two are by that excellent photographer A. Fong, of HongJcong, one or two by Mr. Chit, and. one by Mr. Loftus, both of BangJcoJc. The map)S, luhich present certain geographical facts not — so far as I Jcnow — to be found in conjunction elsewhere, have been drawn under my own supervision.

R.N.

London, December 31, 1894.

Contents

Pbeface

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