132
*
f
The
[February 20, 1895.
THE WAR.
REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.
LONDON, 13th February.
A Japanese despatch from Weihaiwei on the 9th instant states that on that date the forts on the island of Linkangtao and the Chinese fleet The cruiser Ching Yuen was sunk on the 9th by shells fired from the captured forts.
were unsubdued.
LONDON, 14th February. In view of the conflicting reports from Wei- haiwei, the following is the present situation:-
LONDON, 18th February. Admiral Ting and the Commandant of the island of Linkungtao have committed suicide.
The surrender of Weihaiwei is complete. The Chinese soldiers and sailors and the for- eigners (with the exception of the American subject Howie) have been liberated.
The Chiness attacked Haicheng on the 16th instant and were repulsed with heavy loss.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
the mines were being exploited and the quently led into crime. The rowdyism works erected at Hanyang the much needed by which a section of the Rifle Brigade are trunk line remained untouched. The day has prejudicing the good name of the Regiment come when this line is a vital necessity, but may doubtless be traced to this cause. it is still non-existent, and the Peking Govern-imposition of a duty would increase the no effect in ment must sorely regret having listened cost, but it would have to the patriotic but unpractical suggestions raising the quality of the liquor imported. of the Viceroy of the Hukwang.
Although the duty would strike good and But, as we have said, the determination bad liquor in the same amount, and so to push on with the railway southwards to lessen the difference in their relative cost. wards Shanghai, the commercial centre of the cheaper would still be selected by men China, is not so much a proof of progress as whose object is to get drunk at the least a sign of exigency if not of despair. The possible expense. Supposing the duty The forts on the mainland have been taken mistake of so long deferring the work is now amounted to twenty cents a bottle; twenty and those on the island of Linkuogtao silenced. plainly seen because the necessity for such cent whisky would then sell for forty cents, The Chinese ships Ting Yuen, Ching Yuen, Lai communication is pressing daily on the and forty cent whisky for sixty cents, making Yuen, and Wei Yuen have been sunk, and thir- teen torpedo boats destroyed or captured; nptice of the Government. Similarly the the difference in price to the consumer only the remainder of the warships, including the memorial condemning modern weapons is no fifty per cent. instead of a hundred per Chen Yuen, and the forts in Liakungtao are great proof of a desire to revert to old me- cent., but the cheaper liquor would still holding ont, Admiral Ting has sent a gunboat thods. It is due simply to the fact that a be preferred by the men who now consume with a flag of trace offering to surrender on great proportion of the new rifles have been it. Liquor is cheaper in Hongkong than condition that the lives of the sailors, soldiers, rubbish and that they were supplied within most places, owing to the absence of and foreigners at Weihaiwei are guaranteed.
LONDON, 15th February. defective cartridges or of another pattern to any duty upen it, but whether it is much in.
The Chinese Eavoys in Japan in obedience the gun. Moreover, the so-called soldiers ferior in quality is, we think, doubtful. have not, in the majority of cases, been Even in England spirits of very inferior to fresh orders have gnitted Japan.
LONDON, 16th February. trained to the proper use of such arros. At quality are retailed. "A Magistrate of Li Hang-chang's honours have been restored Pingyang many of the Chinese troops throw twenty-seven years' standing" writes a to him, and he has been summoned to Peking away these useless weapons and took to letter to The Times in which he says:prior to his starting to Japan to renew peace spears, with which they rashed on the Japa- "I do not think the beer usually sold in negotiations. nese, of course to their own speedy discom- public-houses is deleterious, but the spirits, fiture. Even the few troops that had been | “ specially the whisky, is often vile. Yet provided with good rifles and sufficient am- "when submitted to analysis, as I have seen munition were not taught to keep them in" scores of samples, the only complaint as to order and they very soon allowed them to "adulteration is that of adulteration by rust and spoil. No wonder that ignorant" water-the oue harmless, if not beneficial. quill drivers should come to imagine that it is "adulterating fluid. We have given public- the weapons rather than the soldiers that are "houses a virtual monopoly; is it too much at fault and that they have been iustrumental "to insist that the spirit sold is good and as in securing the defeat of China's legions. "wholesome as it can be, even if dear? And They only know that the old gingal played a "the dearness is rather useful than other- prominent part in the overthrow of the Ming "wise. Why should we allow publicans to dynasty, and they believe that with similar" recoup themselves for the exorbitant prices weapons the Chinese troops might be more charged by the owners of the houses by re- successful now. This is proof of ignorance" tailing this filthy and poisonous cheap rather than of retrogression. The truth is "spirit-a fertile source of maddening drunk- that there has never yet been any real pro-
Un- and perhaps of disease ?" enness gress in China, and under the existing fortunately the writer of the letter does not regime there never will be, except such as is suggest any means by which the sale of forced upon the authorities. They neither the class of spirit to which he refers could covet railways, armoured vessels, or modern be prevented. If scientific analysis does weapons save and except as means towards not supply a sufficient test to deter- one ond-that of keeping all other nations mine between good and bad spirit, what at arm's length. Fortunately for the Chi- more can be done? It might be theo- nese people, however, their rulers will not be retically possible to trace the origin of all permitted to stand still. Fate is too strong the liquor publicly sold and to deal with the even for Chinese conservatism, and, like all question on that basis, but in practice it would the rest of the world, the Chinese will have be absolutely impossible. We have more to go forward. Railways and other improve faith in the spread of moral education and ments will be introduced into the Celestial in the operations of the various societies that Empire because they are a necessity and in exist for the promotion of sobriety, whether spite of mandarin antipathy to them as amongst soldiers in particular or the people pioneers of a new and better order of things. at large, than we would have in legislative
PRISONERS AND REFUGEES. The time for fighting against this innovation enactments framed to regulate the quality of
Chefoo, 10th February, 9 p.m. has gone by, we believe, for ever.
the liquor sold. That of course is a different The Chinese captured twenty-three Japanese question from limiting the number of pub-mounted scouts this morning, 18 miles south of lic houses or placing the liquor traffic en- | Chefoo. Governor Li seems beat on indiscri- tirely under state management. The last minate decapitation. He has been trying to de- discussed in England, and as to the desirabi- when they found the place deserted by the troops named project is at present being seriously capitate the telegraphic manager and clerk of Weihaiwei village, who, it seems, decamped only lity of limiting the number of public houses defending it. So far these latest victims of im there can hardly be two opinions, but any potent rage have evaded the men sent after attempt to regulate the quality of the liquor them. sold, so long as the traffic is in private hands would be foredoomed to failure if carried be- yond the point which scientific analysis ceases to be of use.
As to imposing
看家
C
We take the following items, some of which are given as official telegrams and others special telegrams, from the N. Č. Daily News :-
a
JEALOUSY OF FOREIGNERS.
Tientsin, 8th February, 10 p.m, General von Hanneken asked permission to lead force to relieve Weihaiwei, which was granted by Prince Kung, but nothing was done owing to Hu Yü-fen, ex-Kuangsi Judge, immediately memorialising the Throne that it would be dangerous to place military power in foreigners' hands Jealousy was the cause of the memorial. Hu is allowed to memorialise personally, hence Viceroy Li had no opportunity to prevent the foolish memorial from reaching the Throne.
THE CHINESE LOSSES.
Chefoo, 9th February, 2 p.m. The Chefoo Taotai has received news that the
Chenyuen, ironclad, Chingyuen, steel cruiser, and Kuangping, wooden torpedo cruiser, are safe and unharmed. The Tsiyuen, steel cruiser, and Ping- yuen, armoured cruiser, are badly damaged but In passing Chefoo Japanese ships fired at the forts and the fire was returned. Governor Li is now in the vicinity of Laichow.
safe.
THE SALE OF SPURIOUS SPIRITS.
The difficulty experienced in preventing the sale of spirits of doubtful quality is not peculiar to Hongkong. A short time ago Mr. Crow, the Government Analyst, dealt with this subject in an address to the "Odd Volumes Society, in the course of which he mentioned that chemical analysis was practi- cally useless for determining the quality of liquor. Brandy or whisky, sold at twenty cents taxation, the benefit from a temperance torpedo boats from Weihaiwei. He is now in
a bottle, will pass the analyst's test, although it is evident from the price that the stuff cannot be what it professes to be; some of it, indeed, does not profess to be anything in particular, as, for instance," Best Highland Whisky made in Germany." The low price at which such liquor is retailed, there being in this colony no duty to enhance its cost, encourages its consumption in large quanti- ties, especially by soldiers and sailors, who, under its maddening influence, are fre-
at
point of view would be small if any and certainly would be far from sufficient to compensate for the expense and annoyance which would be entailed by the collection of such a tax in a place like Hongkong, where there is, fortunately for trade, no Customs service.
Commodore Tsai Ting-kan of the Chinese torpedo fleet is one of the very few who escaped capture or death at the hands of the Japanese, in the recent unfortunate sortie of the Chinese
Chefoo.
THE PEIYANG FLEET. The following is a summary of war telegrams received by the Shanghai mandarins from the North during the last few days:
With the exception of the Tingyuen and the
Laiyuen, Weiyuen, and two other ships of smaller
size which have been sunk, the rest of the Pei yang fleet is still at Linkangtao island assisting The Altonower, just taken over by the Nippon in its defence and fighting bravely. The Ting) Yusen Kaisha, has been re-christened the Yeijo-yuen, although considerably damaged in the stern by a torpedo has not sunk, but has been maru. Captain Barstow is in command,