igo  THE-  CHINESE  EMPIRE
of  the  American  nation,  and  yet,  if  an  American  has  lent
his  name  to  the  transaction,  the  American  Consul  is  bound
to  intervene  to  protect  the  Chinaman’s  goods.  This  is  only
one  example  of  many  in  which  extraterritoriality  is  abused
to  give  to  Chinese  a  protection  from  their  own  officials  to
which  they  could  otherwise  lay  no  claim.  Instances  have
been  known  where  a  foreigner  with  no  capital—not  apenny-"
opened  branch  firms  in  several  places  and  ran  steamers  in
his  name  and  under  his  flag,  but  had  no  share  in  the  working
of  the  business  and  was  never  heard  of,  except  when  it
became  necessary  to  call  a  case  out  of  the  Chinese  magistrate’s ­
  yâmen  to  the  foreign  Consular  court.  In  one
instance  a  small  steamer  was  transferred  within  a  few
months  first  to  the  British,  then  to  the  French,  then  to  the
American,  then  to  the  Italian  flag,  in  order  to  keep  her  out
of  the  Chinese  court  to  which  both  the  claimants  to  hei
ownership  were  subject  ;  the  transfers  were  frequent  because
the  case  was  too  notorious  to  be  upheld  even  by  the  lax
methods  of  China,  but  the  legal  machinery  was  there  an
was  used.  Each  power  professes  to  wish  to  stop  these
abuses,  but  nothing  can  be  done  except  by  unanimous  consent ­
  of  all  the  seventeen  treaty  powers  ;  one  recalcitrant
power  would  provide  for  its  nationals  a  rich  harvest  from
the  traffic  denied  to  other  foreigners  ;  and  it  is  unlikely
that  anything  will  be  done,  unless  the  great  commercia
nations  take  the  matter  in  hand  and  decide  it  by  themselves.
The  Missionary
While  the  merchant  may  live  at  the  treaty  port,  and
even  within  the  reserved  area  at  the  port,  and  find  his  customers ­
  come  to  him  readily,  provided  the  wares  he  offers
are  wanted,  the  missionary  must  go  to  the  people  and  offer
them  his  evangel  :  they  will  not  hunt  him  up.  To  reach
their  hearts,  he  must  go  into  the  highways  and  byways  to
preach  the  gospel  ;  and  to  shut  him  up  in  the  treaty  port  is
0  neU t r f lise  the  facilities  for  his  work  which  have  been
secuie  y  treaty.  China  is  no  exception  to  the  rule  that
the  heathen  are  quite  content  with  their  existing  religions