Some facts about mining situation before the french regime in Cao Bang

JOURNAL OF SCIENCE OF HNUE Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 123-130 SOME FACTS ABOUT MINING SITUATION BEFORE THE FRENCH REGIME IN CAO BANG Le Thi Huong Quang Xuong Hight School - Thanh Hoa E-mail: lethihuong1973mc@gmail.com Abstract. In Cao Bang Province many precious minerals can be found. In Vietnam’s official history, gold mines were mentioned as existing in Quang Nguyen (during the Ly Dynasty) and Tin mines were said to exist in Vu Nong, both of which were worked for a long time. In Cao Bang, the feudal court wished to develop mines for the economic benefit that could be obtained. Keyworld: precious minerals, French regime, Cao Bang. 1. Introduction Nguyen Trai noted in his Du Dia Chi that Cao Bang province was a rich land: "In the Quang Uyen area there is gold and ‘red sand’. In the Thạch Lam area there were rhinoceroses and fine horses. In the Truc Son area there were straight trees" [1]. In the mountains of Cao Bang province were natural resources and products that could facilitate the development of mining activities. In 15th century, Nguyen Trai wrote that in Nhu Ca and Vu Kien there was gold; in the Long Thach area there was silver; in the Đinh Bien area there was gold and lead; in the Tong Tinh area there was a silver mine in the north and a gold mine in the west, in Ngan Son was a silver and a gold mine; in Bong Son silver was mined along with lead and there was a gold mine, in Cam Lac was a lead mine and a gold mine, in Đong Lac was a gold mine called Phuc Tinh, or Phuc Sinh (by the Chinese) and in the north was gold, silver and lead; Vu Chan was a gold mine and gold, silver and lead were mined in the north; in Bach Duyen were the Thien Ngai gold and tin mines; in Quang Co, gold was found with iron and lead; at the Cay Thi mine (also called Ba La) iron was mined; at the Bao Nang mine was found good quality iron and copper; at the Si Trung mine in the Đong Ne layer copper was mined; and in the north in the Ba Du layer was a silver mine excavating 3 jars per year. However, before the 17th Century little mention was made of mining in the province. It was local people who did the 123 Le Thi Huong mining and benefited from their efforts. The State had no interest in the activity and did not interfere with any mining that was being done. 2. Content 2.1. A mining overview in Cao Bang during the 17th and 18th Centuries In 17th and 18th Centuries, mining in Cao Bang province developed as an industry and profession. The State during this period required from the locals 10 percent of their production in the form of a tax. Phan Huy Chu wrote that mining was productive mostly in Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Cao Bang and Lang Son where gold, silver, copper and tin were mined. The State was able to obtain a great deal of money from the taxes that the miners were forced to pay. In 1760, the Le Trinh king had his close mandarins and local mandarins man- age and oversee the mines with one supervisor managing one to two mine fields. They used their own capital and controlled the hiring of the miners. When a mine was established, the Trinh Lords allowed them to forgo paying a tax for 5 years. Once the mines were producing, the State collected a tax based on their annual pro- duction. If the mines of a supervisor were successful, they could continue managing them and the supervisor would be responsible for running the mines and paying the taxes. In 1756 in Cao Bang province, Bui The Khanh paid Chinese people to reclaim a zinc mine in Con Minh commune. In 1758 they reclaimed a gold mine in Kim Ma, Tam Long commune, and in 1759 they reclaimed a tin mine in Vu Nong commune [2]. Two gold mines in Kim Ma, Tam Long commune, and a zinc mine in Con Minh commune were operated unknown to the Trinh Lords. Gold and silver was mined tax-free while the tin mine was taxed at the rate of 1200 kg of tin per year. In 1761, under the the Le Trinh dynasty, Nguyen Huu Phuong went to Cao Bang province to review the mining situation and ordered that Bui The Khanh must pay a tax, but he did not. He was therefore removed from his position as example to others [2]. In the second half of the 17th century, in Đang Ngoai, there was a general uprising of peasants, some of the leaders being Hoang Cong Chat, Vu Đinh Dung, Nguyen Tuyen, Nguyen Cu and Nguyen Phuong Danh. During that time no taxes could be collected. Some years later the Le Trinh Dynasty assigned people to bring the mine back under State control. The State again benefited form mining activities as did individuals, “but the wealth in the mountain forests has all been removed”. 124 Some facts about mining situation before the french regime in Cao Bang Working the mines was much more laborious but after some years new mines were operating, some of these productive and some were not. In an attempt to increase its tax revenue, the State required taxes to be paid within a certain time limit but this was not a successful policy. Some time after, the Le Trinh Dynasty ruled that only after a new mine was producing for five years must it begin to pay taxes. The State asked everyone to "please work the mines". In the mine fields of the Le Trinh dynasty, the managers were told that they must hire Chinese laborers. Previously, the miners in Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, most employees were Nung Hoa Vi [4]. As more mines came into production, the State allowed the managers and supervisors to hire foreigners (mostly Chinese) in order to increase production and therefore taxes. Phan Huy Chu noted that at that time during the Le Trinh dynasty tens of thousands of eople were working each mine. Local mine workers and the Chinese with their families were at odds and there were many fights, with the Trieu Chau people being the numerically largest sized group. When a new group arrived and scrambled down a ship, they would fight with weapons and those who were killed were thrown down into the mine. This was a common occurrance but the Le Trinh rulers were concerned only with tax collection. At this time Bui Si Tiem said: "The products of the mountains and forests are to be used to help the country and the State tax shall be about 10 percent. Where mountains and rivers are dangerous in places, flat roads should be built and shortcuts should be created. Where the mountains are high and the passes steep with deep valleys, the foreigners found refuge, and this was a thing that should not be so. An overland trail goes into our country and homeless miners follow the gold layer digging out the land, transfering the gold into a tunnel. On the surface they made hundreds of thousands of piles of mine tailings and they created a tunnel that was large to accommodate hundreds of people, and this is a second thing that should not be. These foreigners were those who have long hair tied into ques, and they dressed in the style of the northern people (China). When they mine silver, they bring it back to their country, and this is the third thing should not be. A letter was recently sent to Luong Quang and in the letter it was said that in our country, every one respects the upper level people. However, because the upper level people are sheltered by the rulers but they disrespect their ruler, no one was controlling these upper level people and no one knows how to deal with them. Since ancient times the North Dynasty has sent people to our country to buy cinnamon, but when they should abide by our country’s customs, all purchases must be made with mutual agreement and they should not be allowed overwhelm the commoners" [5]. Minh Vuong (Trinh Doanh) said that it was right that a ruler make a decision on these matters. Because there was no response from Luong Quang, Trinh Doanh 125 Le Thi Huong commanded Nguyen Đinh Huan to close all of the mines, and no one was allowed to work in the mine fields. If a northern wanted to stay in our country, they had change their hair and clothing style and become a citizen of our country. They then became Nung Hoa Vi people were allowed to work in the mines. Howerver, because the mines in Cao Bang province were mostly worked by local people and the Chinese, the State could not control the mining activities or collect a sufficient amount of taxes from the mines to its own hire workers. In the Nguyen Dynasty, some mines were closed and other continued to be worked but only on a limited basis. 2.2. Mining activities in Cao Bang province under the Nguyen Dynasty During the Nguyen Dynasty the State oversaw the management and working of the mines. Although the Nguyen court wished to expand mineral extraction in the northern regions, which is the location of Cao Bang, for many reasons, especially the lack of State control of the area, management of the mine fields was loose and highly ineffective. The following are the guidelines, policies and measures of the Nguyen dynasty regarding mining in Cao Bang. During the early Nguyen dynasty a small number key court officials held power within the administrative system from the central to the local level. This was followed by the Gia Long Dynasty (1802-1819) during which time mining activities were also given little attention. This was in large part due to the fact that no one was interested in working the many mines, and that was due to the inability to collect a tax. In the early Minh Mang dynasty (1820 - 1840), the mines in Cao Bang were also overlooked. In 1820, because one mine owner and his workers took control, the mine managers in Bac Thanh town told Minh Menh to close the gold mines in Tinh Đa, Huong Minh and Nhu Vien, and this included the Tinh Đa gold mines in Thach Lam dictrict in the town of Cao Bang. Mining in Cao Bang began in early 1829. The Nguyen Dynasty oversaw the development of gold mines in Vinh Giang and set a tax of 300 grams of gold per year [5]. In 1830, The Nguyen Dynasty allowed Quang Hoa iron mines to operate in Kim Pho commune, Thach Lam dictrict (Cao Bang) and the revenue from the iron was 1000 kg per year [6]. In 1831, the Minh Mẹnh collected an iron tax from the iron mines and a household tax in the region. Before paying what they owed in the form of iron ore, households had to process the iron. Households who made the iron in Cao Bang provice and previously had to pay an iron ore tax of 50 kg per person now were required to pay 24 kg of processed iron [7]. In 1832, the Nguyen Dynasty continued to develop gold mines in Vinh Giang collecting 600 grams of gold per year 126 Some facts about mining situation before the french regime in Cao Bang in taxes. However, the gold mine owners refused to pay such a high tax and so Minh Menh closed down the gold mines for a few years, after which time they were allowd to operate again. To obtain more raw materials and mining tax revenue, the Nguyen Dynasty often ordered local people to find new ore deposits or functioning mines. They had to find one each year, or one every three years. They also had to find out how much gold was being mined so that the State could collect its full tax quota. At that same time, Minh Menh commanded the Ministry of Finance to set up a bonus system as an incentive for the miners. Under which the bonus rule, every 15 days, a miner was paid 3 francs in gold dust, which equaled from 1.3 to 1.9 bars of gold (1.3x3.7301- 1.9x3.7301grs). When it was enough for one bar of gold, they had to pay a tax on it. If someone panned two bars or more of gold, they would receive three bars of silver; if they panned three bars or more of gold, they would receive a bonus of eight bars of silver. If they panned four or more, they would receive 10 bars of silver. If they panned five or more, they would receive 15 bars. If they panned six or more, they would receive 20 bars of silver. If they panned 10 or more, they would receive 40 bars of silver [8]. Beginning in 1833, the Nong Van Van uprising risrupted many economic activ- ities in Cao Bang and the border region, that this included the mines. In 1834, Minh Menh issed an edict that outlawed the ownership of guns and allowed the State to confiscate all guns. It also closed the match operations to cutoff the supply of sulfur (a material used to make gunpowder) in the north and ordered that managers in the provinces prohibit anyone from keeping any amount of matches or sulfur. If anyone did so, they would be fined [9]. In order to increase his tax revenue, in 1834 Minh Menh ordered an official to begin collect an iron tax in the region. The Ministry of Finance order that while before the iron tax could be paid in the form of iron ore, now it must be paid as finished iron. With this change there was little difference in the weight that was owed in taxes and it was felt to be unfair. In addition, while iron bars and processed iron were no different, the tax previously included just one kind of iron and so the tax was effectively lowered. Therefore, officials discussed the products that would be collected in the form of tax and created new rules to require an amount in fractions. In 1834, the Ministry of Finance said that the gold and silver mines which were along the northern border, where new mines were being opened, were bringing in a lower amount of tax revenue. This was because managers there ignored the taxes and this was a significant loss to the State. Those who did benefit were the miners and those who bought and sold the product. Realizing this, Minh Menh ordered court counsellors Nguyen Van Chan and Vu Vien to monitor the situation to report 127 Le Thi Huong back to the king. The Ministry of Finance then passed a referendum that raised the taxes on an ore vein that produced more. With the lower taxes of the former rules, the mines with the better vein of ore were expanded. In Cao Bang provice, three gold mines were expanded in Tinh Đa and a gold tax of three Vietnamese ounces was collected. The tax collected from the gold mines of Thuong Pha and Ha Pha was 4 Vietnamese ounces while the gold mines of Vinh Giang were just being dug. The mine managers needed to keep close watch over operations and have their representatives makes more frequent inspections [10]. During the Nguyen Dynasty, mining was done by four groups of people: -Mines run by the State. - Mines run by Chinese businesspeople. - Mines run by local mandarins (officials) in the mountainous areas. - Mines run by local people. Gold mining in Cao Bang province was under the control of local residents or officials who recruited mine workers, or Chinese people. The responsibility to pay the State tax was that of the mine owner. In Cao Bang, there were gold mines in the Phú Nội Mountains of Phu Bac and Noi Chiem communes where gold reserves were high. In 1838, a businessman named Luong Hiep Thang from the Thanh Dynast paid a tax of four Vietnamese ounces per year while selling four Vietnamese ounce of gold to the State. The Leaders of Cao Bang province reported the Dynasty, but the Ministry of Finance considered this amount was too low in tax rule so not to approve. Minh Menh then had local officials in Cao Bang to go with the country chief to the Hoa An region to mines that were renamed the Phu Noi gold mines where they were to follow the Tien Kieu mine rules (Tuyen Quang) under which workers were to be paid nine francs per month and laborers 4.5 francs. The quota of gold that was to be panned per month by a team was 1.7-2 Vietnamese ounces and any team that did not meet a monthly quota had to make it up the next month. If they exceeded the quota by two cents or more, they would receive silver. If, for example they panned more than 2.2 ounces, they would receive one ounce silver. If they panned more than 2.4 ounces, they received 2 ounces of silver, and so on. This was the only gold mine in Cao Bang and it was run by the State from 1839 to 1848. Normally, the gold mines of Thuong Pha, Ha Pha, Tĩnh Đà and Vinh Giang in Cao Bang provice paid an annual tax of 3-4 ounces of gold. If gold production fell, the State would reduce the tax rate. In Tinh Đa, in 1849, as gold output was low and the State collected only 2.5 ounce of gold that year. Bui Ai of Cao Bang reported that by 1856, gold reserves in Thuong Pha, Ha Pha mines, mining output was not enough to pay the worker’s wages so it should be shutdown. The Vinh Giang 128 Some facts about mining situation before the french regime in Cao Bang mine continued to be worked and it was taxed at three ounce of gold per year. The gold reserves in Phu Noi mine were very satisfactory and they paid an annual tax of 10 ounces of gold [12]. A synthesis of the Đai Nam Hoi records of mine production in Cao Bang under the Nguyen Dynasty is as follows [13]: Gold mines: Vinh Giang mine: Opened in 1829, it paid a tax of three ounces of gold per year. In 1831, gold production fell and it was shutdown. In 1847, the gold mine was being worked and the former level of tax revenue was collected. In 1849, the mine was again closed. Tinh Đa mine: In 1828, the gold mine was closed due to low gold output. However, in 1840, gold was being mined and tax payments of 3 ounce of gold per year were being made. In 1842, gold mining continued with the same tax quotas. In 1849, output was less and so the tax was lowered to 2.5 ounce of gold per year. Thuong Pha, Ha Pha mines: In 1829, the Thuong Pha and Ha Pha mines were closed due to low gold output. In 1832, mining resumed and a tax was paid in scrap gold of four ounces of gold; it sold six ounces of scrap gold; in 1841, the same amount of taxes were paid. In 1846, the mines were not worked. In 1847, mining resumed and a tax amount was paid under the old rules. The mines were shutdown in 1848 due to low output. Phu Noi mine: In 1838, Pham Duy Nhien had 15 miners working the mine. Taxes paid for the whole year amounted to 30 ounces of gold. In 1839, a mining agency was formed and the officials in Cao Bang province were allowed to choose who they wanted to work the mine. The mine was closed in 1848. Iron mines: Quang Hoa mine: In 1830, the Quang Hoa mine started to be worked and a refined iron tax of 1000 kg of refined iron was collected; in 1831 800 kg of refined iron was collected. One hundred kg of refined iron in 1832 had a value equal to five ounce of fine silver. In 1833, the mine was abandoned. Đong Nam mine: Up until 1831 the amount of tax paid in refined iron was 100 kg per year, equal to 88 kg of good refined iron. In 1832, 100 kg of good refined irons was worth five bars of fine silver. Khai Hoa mine: The paid tax in refined iron was 500kg per year up to 1831; the tax paid in good refined iron was 400kg per year. In 1832, 100 kg of good refined iron had a value equal to five bars of fine silver. Lien Hoa mine: In 1829, Lien Hoa mine began production and the paid a tax of 300 kg of refined iron per year. Overall, production at the Cao Bang mines during the Nguyen dynasty was 129 Le Thi Huong modest. According to information recorded in the Đai Nam thuc luc book and Đai Nam hoi đien su le tuc bien book, in the whole country 124 mines were being worked between 1802 and 1851. There were 34 gold mines, 29 iron mines, 2o match factories, 14 silver mines, nine copper mines, seven zinc mines, four lead mines, three pig-iron mines, two sulfur mines, one tin mine and one vermilion (Chau sa) mine. Of these, eight were in Cao Bang province (four gold and four silver mines) [14]. Between the time of the end of King Minh Menh’s reign to the end of King Thieu Tri’s reign, mines were operated for about 10 years (between 1830 and 1847). 3. Conclution Although aware of the tax benefit that could be had from the exploitation of natural resources, that realized by the feudal mandarins of Le Trinh and Nguyen was negligible. Restricting the expansion and operation of a