THE FRENCH AND CHINESE AT SHANGHAI.

West Coast Times, Issue 4438, 13 October 1883, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE FRENCH AND CHINESE AT SHANGHAI.

Hostile feeling between the French and Chinese at Shanghai was the cause of a disturbance there on the 14th July. The North China Daily News says :—": — " A number of sailors belonging to the Irraouaddy obtained leave of absence to spend the evening ashore. Many of them ordered dinner at the Cafe de France, on the Yang-king-pang, and about twenty of them sat down to their meal soon after seven o'clock. The presence of the sailors attracted a crowd of Chinese, who viewed the cafe from both sides of the Yang-king-pang. The sailors went on with their dinner without paying any attention to the crowd outside, and were enjoying them themselves heartily, when their mirth was suddenly brought to a close by some rowdies, who taking advantage of the crowded state of the road, threw stones through the windows of the cafe opposite the table where the sailors were sitting. Half a brick struck a sailor in the mouth, cutting his lip severely. Other stones was thrown, which smashed a lamp in front of the cafe, and did some damage inside the building." The same paper of the 16th July says :— " A rumor was current last week that there was going to be a riot on the day of the celebration of the French Fete, and precautions were taken accordingly. The proceeding was a wise one, for soon after the illumination commenced about fifty soldiers came out of the city. They were armed with some ugly looking weapons, and appeared to have organised a plan of attack on the houses on which they had threatened vengeance in the morning. We have been unable to acertain who struck the_ first blow, but the soldiers were soon in a hand-to-hand fight with the French police, who endeavoured to capture the marauders, five of whom quickly found themselves locked up, but not till they had inflicted serious injuries on an informer and some slight injuries on a detective and some of the constables. With three of the soldiers were captured their weapons. One of these is the jawbone of a pony, with the teeth filed down and bound round with cloth to make a convenient handle. Two other weapons are Chinese fighting irons. The soldiers are still locked up. at the French station, notwithstanding that their officers have sent to ask for their release . They feared that some of the men had been killed, and wanted to know whether such was the case. M. Binos very wisely refused to give the soldiers up, having determined to send them to the Mixed Court to be there dealt with. The informer who was injured received a severe blow on the head, fracturing his skull, and several bruises on his arm, which caused it to swell to twice its natural size,"