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EUGENE CHEN.
(By Rowland B. Evans.) j
Just before tue Trans-Siberian express
left (Moscow on its ii,0(K)-uuie journey to
Harbin, North Manchuria, a few year.«
ago, there came into t'he compartment,
partly allocated to myself, a Chinase.,
well on tlie youthful side of middle age
and dressed from head to toe in the style
of a Mayfair beau. Indeed the only dif-
férence 1 could discern, sartorially, be-
tween Mr. Chen and the best-dressed ¡men
of England was in his footgear, Mr.
Chen's heels being somewhat higher than
are usually woru by men.
Th? exp'res-s, the speed of which must
have averaged about 40 miles un hour,
had not left Moscow far behind before 1
realised that 1 was travelling with ho
ordinary Oriental, for when Mr. (Then
began to speak he disclosed a wealth of
vocabulary of which the average Briton
would be proud. Indeed, the amazing
skill with whiüh .lie manipulated the Eng-
lish, language aroused my curiosity as
to how and where he had tome by it.- He
told me he had spent 15 years under
thc British flag, and had studied policies,
history, literature and commerce. Mr.
Chen said he found the British political
history of absorbing interest, and that
he had the keenest admiration for our
tongue. Even ju regard to commerce Mr.
Chen remarked that China would wel-
come an expansion of business relations
with the British Empire.
(Physically. Mr. ('hen is on thc small
side. If he were a pugilist he would
scarcely qualify for the feather-weight
class, bul. mentally, he soon impressed
me as a-personality t'hat would one day
have to be reckoned with. Not only had
he browsed, intellectually, in a very wide
iield, but he expressed his views in an
extremely forceful, emphatic and definite
manner, leaving no doubt in his hearer's
mind as to what he -meant.
Mr. Chen's life has Geen spent partly
in Trinidad, where he was born, partly
in England and Ireland, and in travel
generally, and. latterly, as editor of Chin-
ese newspapers printed in English wi-:h
an almost Anglophobic complexion, iüx
actiy what influence Iiis residence in ire-
land had upon him it would be interest-
ing to conjecture. It certainly did not
make him an Anglophile nor, on the other
hard, did it succeed in stamping out all
admiration within him for British quali-
ties. The One tilling that can be said, de
huitei.v. about Mr. Chen's attitude is that
he wants iChiiia entirely for the Chinese.
It is stated that the British Charge
d'Affaires (Mr. Paterson), at Managua,
thc capital of ÍNicaraguá, has delivered a
note to the American Minister there. :n-.
diealing that Britain contemplates send-
ing a warship to Nicaragua to protect
British interests.
Out of her own resources France has
made good most of the devastation in-
curred during thc war. Of 88,000,000
francs estimated to be required for re-
pairs, 73,00Q,<XK) francs have been spent.
.The devastated districts are contribut-
ing 0,000,000 francs annually in taxa-
tion.
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