arduous and, what would appear to the ordinary man, almost impossible journeys. It is this nomadic existence, in conjunction with his powers of observation and discrimination, which has given him so unique a position. His place among newspaper correspondents is far higher than that which would ordinarily be accorded even to the accredited representative of and regular contributor to the greatest journal in the world. He is recognised as an authority on Chinese public affairs, and his writings upon any phase of life within the Empire are regarded as authoritative and considered worthy of careful attention by all serious politicians. Dr. Morrison's most noteworthy characteristic is his remarkable and statesmanlike insight into coming events. It was one of Dr. Morrison's telegrams that wrung from Lord Curzon in Parliament an unwilling acknowledgment of the journalist's "intelligent anticipation of events before they occur." In one of the issues of the Times early in 1900 may be seen a letter from its Peking correspondent stating in plain terms: "Within twelve months there will be war between Japan and Russia." Nothing in the way of political prophecy could be much more definite than this. As events proved, the prophecy was in error. The Boxer outbreak in North China intervened in June, 1900, and the collision of Japan and Russia did not take place till four years later. The forecast, however, stands as one of the most remarkable in history, especially as the very possibility of war was emphatically denied by those interested up to within a fortnight of its outbreak. Dr. Morrison is an Australian. Born on February 4, 1862, at Geelong, Victoria, he was educated at Melbourne and Edinburgh Universities, at which latter institution he graduated in 1887. Between 1882 and 1883 he crossed his own country on foot from the Gulf of Carpentaria to Melbourne. In the autumn of 1883, whilst travelling in New Guinea, he was speared by the natives, and the spear-head was not removed from his body until his arrival in Edinburgh some eight or nine months later. He crossed from Shanghai to Rangoon by land in 1894, and his varied experiences and impressions of the journey are recorded in a most interesting volume entitled, "An Australian in China—being the narrative of a Quiet Journey across China to Burmah." In 1896 he accepted a special commission from the Times to travel from Bangkok, in Siam, to Yunnan City and round Tonkin, and in the following year he crossed Manchuria from Stretensk, in Siberia, to Vladivostock. In 1905 he represented the Times at the Conference between the Japanese and Russian Peace Commissioners at Portsmouth, where his special knowledge and thorough grasp of all the details of the problems at issue gave his articles a permanent value. Mr. Morrison is a Doctor of Medicine and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION.
The Peking branch of the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank was opened, in 1885, by Mr. E. G. Hillier, C.M.G., the present agent. In the Hongkong section of the present volume a full account is given of the establishment and growth of the parent bank, one of the leading financial organisations of the world, so that it need only be said here that the Peking branch, occupying specially built premises situated in Legation Street, carries on ordinary banking business similar to that of the other branches. The present building was opened in 1902, and forms a handsome addition to the important thoroughfare on which it stands.
MR. EDWARD GUY HILLIER, C.M.G., a son of the late Charles Batten Hillier, His Britannic Majesty's Consul to Siam, was born on March 11, 1857. Educated at Blundell's School, Tiverton, and at Trinity College, Cambridge, Mr. Hillier entered the service of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in 1883. He was appointed agent of the Peking branch in 1891, and has held that position ever since. He was the negotiator of the Chinese Imperial Government Loans, issued in London and Berlin between the years 1895 and 1905. In 1902 he acted as British delegate on the Commission of Bankers for the Chinese indemnity, and in recognition of his services he was, in June, 1904, created a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. Mr. Hillier has lost his sight, failure of vision in 1896 having resulted in total blindness. He was married in 1894. He resides at Peking, and is a member of the Royal Societies' Club, London.
