OFFICIAL PECULATION IN CHINA.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2097, 12 November 1880, Page 2

OFFICIAL PECULATION IN CHINA.

As instancing the state of official rottenness which exists in China, the “ Pioneer” gives the following:—“The expensive guns which were procured from Europe (Krupp and others) were vary soon robbed of their brass sights by certain peculating potty mandarins, and the weapons were, of course, of no use whatever for actual service. Great was the consternation, therefore, when the ’cute Viceroy, Li Hung Chang, gave orders that a review should be held, and that those deadly pieces of artillery should bo fired off in his presence. The astute official thieves, however, were equal to the occasion. They speedily improvised pieces of bamboo in shape very nearly resembling the real sights, and gilded over the more thoroughly to hide the deception, placing them in position, and firing by rule of thumb, as if the finest calculations and sighting had been elaborated. One of the precious guns burst, it may be remembered, at this same review, by overcharging or double-shotting, but the greatest triumph of the military rogues on that day was the sighting of Krupp’s guns with pieces of gilt bamboo. Such are the men who would lead the Chinese braves to victory against disciplined Western troops. We fancy that Tso Tung-tung keeps a better run of his artillery than was done on this memorable occasion. It is not, wo believe, an uncommon thing to find the most vital parts of a machine stolen (if loose) after having been passed into the hands of the Chinese.”