AFFAIRS IN TONQUIN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1008, 24 November 1883, Page 4

AFFAIRS IN TONQUIN.

A private letter received in Mar- -: seilles, published by the Daily News, says;—“A private letter that I have just received from Tonquin, written by a person who can see behind the scenes gives me interesting details, which unfortunately are not the.same as the official news upon the situation in that country nnd Cochin China. It is understood less there than in France that a special mission is confided to the General. The truth is that there is a serious dissent between the three chiefs r . actually in Tonquin. s lt is also a fact • that many mistakes have been already made,since the commencement of the

, expedition, and that there has been no : time, to, rectify them.- My correspon'r:i . also says that heavy orders for aiof provisions-have been giv§n at Hong Kong, and that food sent out from France has been wasted on account of the want of warehouses. Another ' ’ grave 1 fact is that steam launches were bought which proved useless . for the expedition, not being suit- ' able .for the service required of them. These orders have been given directly through the agency of a private firm, without the assistance of the Ministry of Marine. Naturally the bargains were concluded at a great disadvantage to the buyer, who had no right to transact business, of this kind. *The waste in all this distant expedition,’ says my correspondent, ‘ has been enormous. I also hear on good authority that the Civil Commissary-General has left at Hong Kong isiooofr for

provisions, the total sum of this account v equalling '75,000fr. As another waste~fhr piece of expenditure the Commis-sary-General hired a Messageries MaritimeS steamer, when he had at his disposal the men-of-war Triomphante and Drac, which could have taken him to Saigon. It-pan-well be' understood that with such waste the credit of 5,ooo;boofr voted for this expedition has beenquickly exhausted. Those

.. surrounding M. Harmand are all great 'j j spendthrifts. There is, nevertheless; a ■' ' map;here who by the unanimous t'estiiribnyof all is a man of great value—viz, Admiral Courbet, and it is really unfortunate that he was not at the head of the expedition from the beginning. There will be some difficult work to be dond now if we attempt to drive out the Black Flags, and with them the Chinese 'who assist them. Unfortun- , . ately we are in want of troops. We must’ if we want to see the end of the campaign, take Sontay and Bac Ninh, •>j arid fgb on to the Chinese frontier. As lortg -ris’ ; that is riot done the Black Flags will be masters of the Red River,

But, as we shQijldtcotJiJt. upon receiving a serious resistance—for our adver- ■ saribsare'well armed and fight well - it te f, neceSsary to be able to command more resources than we now have. Even in. Cochin China,the Government se£fo’riot to have understood what the thle of their representatives should be. They have placed at Saigon a young frtfet who was employed in 1&70 in a ‘ financial department at Algiers at a salary of 6ofr per month. This official woiild perhaps be good enough at the head of a department, in France, but he ■ fe incapaible of fulfiling the duties of ,' the post he now holds. They say truly . that,there is no more government here, , and that the Government govern them- ' Selves. -Before, we had' at Saigon a marine officer with the grade of a post captain. The presence of this officer -wias Wery - useful formen-of-war captains who. happened, tp be at Saigon; for /they ‘knew from whom" they could ask iyfq r ’ information and receive orders. ./Tprday everything is changed. Every , .officer is free to do as he wishes. There is at Saigon an officer called the ; Captaio of -the; Port, . whose authority, by' reason of his - inferior rank, is almost nil” - -