THE NEW CHINA.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 199, 6 August 1912, Page 5

THE NEW CHINA.

THE POLITICAL ADVISER. YUAN-SHIH-KAI’S NOMINEE. [ PRESS ASSOCIATION - COPYRIGHT. ] London. Aug. 5. The “Daily Telegraph's” Pekin correspondent says that there is much comment at the Legations over Dr. Morrison’s appointment and his handsome salary. The Chinese, Foreign Office disclaims all responsibility. Apparently the appointment has been made by Yuan-shih-kai. AUSTRIA'S APPROVAL. Vienna. Aug. 5. The newspapers applaud Dr. Morrison’s appointment as evidence of the sound sense of the Chinese. Dr. Morrison is one of the greatest living authorities on Chinese affairs, and lie is eminently fitted in every way for the difficult task of evolving order from the chaos of Chinese Republicanism. For fifteen years past he has had his home in the Chinese capital, travelling largely from province to province. He has helped to make as well as i ecord history. Di. Morrison’s life has been full of adventme. Boin fifty years ago at Geelong, the son of a famous Australian schoolmaster and sprung from a noted family of ath letes, he early showed his bent towards exploration. Leaving Melbourne L’niveisir- in his eighteenth year, he shipped at a common sailor in a “blackbirder.” in order to expose the abuses of the Kanaka labour traffic. After a trip to New Guinea and back, partly in a Chinese junk, he walked alone from Normanton to Geelong, across the whole width of Australia, carrying hie “swag” and his “billy,” and covering 2,013 miles in 123 days. While conducting an exploration to New Guinea he received two ugly spearwounds from the natives, and for a time was left for dead.

Nine months later, at Edinburgh, Professor Cheine removed the second spear point from his body. At Edinburgh he completed his medical studies started at Melbourne, and qualified. Emigrant to America, assistant purser on a fruit steamer, Senior Medical Officer cf the Rio Tinto copper mines in Spain, Physician to the Sheeref of Wazan in Morocco, and surgeon-in-charge of the Ballarat Hospital—the years to come were a strange medley. A journed of 3000 miles from Shanghai to the Bur mese frontier, across China, completed at the cost of £lB, resulted in a book. The book had a totally' unexpected outcome. Morrison, while on a visit to London, was asked to call at the office of the “Times,” and was offered the post of travelling correspondent, with orders to proceed immediately to Siam. In 1897 he settled down in Pekin, an almost unknown man. Within two years his name was familiar in every Foreign Office in Europe ; his announcements had been more than once debated in Parliament , and officialism louqd that it had to deal with a man whose prescience in getting at the fundamental facts was almost uncanny. On more than one occasion his cablegrams were denied from the Treastny Bench, only to have their tiuth admitted soon after. When in 1900 news came that the Peking Legations had fallen under the Boxer attacks, and that Alorrison had died with the others, his paper printed an eulogy on him such as it is given to tew men to receive A few weeks later he had the pleasure of iead<ng his own obituaiy notice 1

His position m the Fat- East is unique. Ohiim r -e and Emopeans alike admit his authority and know ledge. Dr. Morrison looks the explorer that he is. His stuidy frame, his air of great physical strength tell of the open-air life. And yet alter talking with him for a time one is apt to forget the traveller in the scholar. In his home in Pekin Inkas tiie finest libraiv of books on Chini in the world, numbm-ing nine thousand volume-. His library is a model of order. Every volume is indexed ; eveiy cutting filed ; everv fact readv for imme'hat“ teference.