332
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
HONGKONG.
vanced posts as far as the district city of down at Tateyama on the vessel. At the time -Chenyuan, about fifteen miles distant from of the accident a stiff breeze was blowing, but the rebel posts at Kuyuan. The fact that the rain did not come on for nearly two hours the rebels number three to one of his own afterwards. The Isis was struck on the port men and the critical battle reported by tele-side and many plates were fractured and gram in those columns the other day in which knocked in between the boilers and engine- General Tung was dangerously near annihila. room. The davits and rails were snapped tion through the going over to the enemy of off, and the planking of the bridge deck nearly 5,000 of his own troops, must have proved ripped. Much damage was done inside and out- to him the utter uselessness, not to say danger, side the engine room, the combings and two of a further advance towards Lanchou, ansup- ventilation shafts being knocked away, and ported as he then was and with a hostile popula- many pipes bent. Indeed, looking at the loca- tion around him. On the northern side of lity of the principal damage, it seems passing Lanchon is Haicheng, at the foot of the Great strange that the main steam pipe was not Wall, forty miles from the capital. This city is broken. If this had happened, serious loss of said to be the headquarters of the Mussulmans, life must have resulted. The sailing ship's bow- where the chief Akhouns, Imams, and Mullahs spirit, which appears to have done most of the of the Kansu Mahommedans are now gathered, damage on the bridge deck of the steamer, was this city having been the first to draw blood carried completely away. Captain Efford made in the present rebellion, as mentioned pre- a survey of the Isis on Tuesday, and next viously. About 8,000 to 10,000 mounted morning Captain Hardy and Mr. T. M. Laffin Mahommedans are said to scour the country went down the bay to assist the W. H. Macey between the Great Wall and Lanchou, thus Japan Mail. cutting off that city from communicating with Peking by the northern and north-western routes. East of Lanchon up to Kuyuan every inch of the country is either in the rebels' hands or made a desert by them, making it dangerous for couriers to travel through, as they are either liable to starvation or death at the hands of the numerous bands of rebels. Titao, fifty miles due south of Lanchou, and Kungchang, 150 miles south-east of that city, are also in the hands of the rebels, who number in those parts, so says report, over 100,000 fight- ing men, thus cutting off communications southwards. In the north-west again, there is the large city of Hsining, 150 miles distant from Lanchou. The country between these two points is practically in the hands of the rebels, whose flying squadrons pillage and massacre, wherever they can, those belonging to the Tachiao (great or Buddhist religion). Thus on the 15th of September last, the date of our pre- sent despatches which have come from Ching- yang, the headquarters of General Tung's army, the city of Lanchou was entirely surrounded by hostile bands of rebels within a radius of 150 miles and more. Since then the Imperialists have gained no victory over the rebels, who, on the contrary, are constantly reinforced from all sides, whilst the former appear to be diminish ing by desertions in a faster ratio than the rein- forcements which are being sent them in drib- lets from the neighbouring provinces. Such being the state of affairs in unhappy Kansu it is really difficult to see how the telegram of Fri- day last managed to be smuggled through the hostile country surrounding Lauchon, which by the silence and absence of news from that place 18, it is feared, lost to the Throne.-N. C. Daily News correspondent.
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SHIPPING DISASTER NEAR
YOKOHAMA.
About twelve o'clock on Monday night, 14th October, the American sailing-ship, William H Macey, 124 days out from New York, was run into by the British steamer Isis, Captain Walker, bound in from Middlesboro', while the former was working up the Uraga Channel, on the port tack, heading for Sagami light. It appears that the sailing vessel, which has been off the coast of Suruga for the last ten days, owing to contrary winds, had had several of her stays carried away and was therefore unable to beat up the Channel; the Isis endeavoured to cross her bows from the starboard and failed to work clear. The William H. Macey was struck a severe blow, causing great damage to the star. board bow, and the water poured in. The master asked the steamer to stand by, which she did for a while and then proceeded on her way up to Yokohama, her own damage being of a severe nature. Signal blue-lights were burnt all night, but no vessel came to the assistance of the damaged ship, and it was deter- mined to beach her, the water coming in so rapidly. At five o'clock on Tuesday morn ing the William H. Macey was. beached near Tateyama Bay, and there was then 10 feet of water in her hold. She has 24,000 cases of petroleum and a general cargo on board. Mrs. Amsbury, the captain's wife, accompanies her husband on this voyage, and she at present
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The weather during the past week has been rather unseasonable, but although heavy clouds have at times hung over the colony practically no rain has fallen. On Thursday an appeal in an opium case was heard in the Supreme Court, the Sanitary Board met the same day, and the shareholders in H. G. Brown and Company, Limited, held their annual meeting. On Satur. day His Excellency the Governor, Sir William Robinson, presented, on behalf of the com- munity, an address to Lieut. Colonel Barrow, of the Hongkong Regiment, on the occasion of his departure from the colony. On Monday the Acting Police Magistrate was engaged in hearing an argument on the meaning of the word " 'immediate as applied to unloading vessels under the Dangerous Goods Ordinance.
Mr. Bourne, the British Vice-Consul at Canton, has been appointed to Shanghai.
A new floating fire engine is to be constructed for the Hongkong Government Fire Brigade.
Covered service reservoirs are to be constructed at the junction of Bowen and Garden Roads and at Wanchai.
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The appointment of Mr. A. G. Wise to be Paisne Judge, unofficially announced some time ago, is now gazetted.
Mr. T. Sercombe Smith has been appointed to discharge the duties of coroner in conjunc tion with his Magisterial duties.
The appointment of Mr. F. A. Hazeland to be Acting Registrar of the Supreme Court, Acting Official Trustee. Acting Registrar of Companies, and Acting Land Officer is gazetted.
It is notified in the Gazette that H. E. the Governor has been pleased to recognise Mr. V. P. Musso as in charge of the Italian Consulate during the temporary absence from the colony of Mr. D. Musso.
The two torpedo boats which recently arrived were specially built in Stettin for the Chinese Government, and tliey came out in charge of a crew of fifteen Germans on each boat. They left Stettin on the 15th August and met with fine weather nearly the whole of the way, and arrived here on the 23rd inst. They left for Foochow on the 27th inst.
Members of the Victoria Recreation Club and many friends outside the Club will be pleased to see once more amongst them Mr. James Sampson, whose name appears conspi- cuously in the Club's list of winners at the annual regattas years ago. Mr. Sampson has returned from South Africa, and after a short stay hers proceeds to Shanghai.
The Singapore Free Press of the 17th inst. says:--Captain Casey, well known in Singapore in connection with his efforts to salve the Karl Friedrich, a German ship laden with petroleum which was abandoned on the high seas, and his later exploit of bringing down a small launch from Hongkong for the Opium Farmer, here, quite recently went up to Hongkong for the purpose of bringing down two more steam launches intended for the Opium Farmer also. He appears to have got away all right and started well on his expedition, but, according to a telegram received here yesterday, when off Tourane, one of the launches was driven ashore by stress of weather. Captain Casey and his crew, however, appear to be all safe.
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Mu
[October 30, 1895.
There were 2093 visitors to the City Hall Museum last week, of whom 173 were Europeans. "It is notified that on and after the 1st Janu- ary next a twelve pounder gun will be fired every ten minutes at Gap Rock in lieu of the fog signal now in use.
On Monday the Volunteer Camp of Exer- cise at Stonecutters Island was brought to a close. The volunteers have been encamped at Stonecutters since last Friday week, and the movement has been signally successful throughout. The men were drilled twice a day, firing practice was indulged in, and other good work accomplished in a highly satisfactory manner. Visitors were allowed in the camp at certain times, and on Saturday there was an exceptionally large number of guests, and in the evening a very enjoyable concert was given in the open air.
The European manager of the Fatshan paper mills is leaving next month, his agreement having expired and he having received the offer of the management of a paper mill in one of the Indian native states, which offer he has accepted in preference to entering into a fresh agreement with his present Chinese employers. It will be interesting to note whether the Chinese directors and proprietors of the Fatshan mill will engage another European manager or endeavour to keep the mill running with Chinese only, and, if the latter course is followed, how it will succeed.
A Chinaman was charged at the Police Court - yesterday, before Mr. T. Sercombe Smith, with hawking whithout a licence.
The case pre- sented one or two extraordinary features. The man went to a house in Queen's Road West and offered a bottle of brandy ("three stars") for sale for 80 cents. The occupier of the house is a Chinese sergeant in the police force, and he was eating his breakfast at the time, and was in plain clothes. He asked the visitor where he got the brandy from, and the reply was, “I have a friend who is a servant at the Peak Hotel and every time a case of brandy is opened, he steals a bottle, and I sell it cheap for him." "In that case," said the sergeant, "I shall take you to the police station." hawker then said this explanation was false, and he made it merely to get a big price for the brandy, which, he added, he bought from a shop in Stanley Street. He was taken to the police station, and inquiries proved that his the brandy for 19 cents. The liquor was made second story was quite true. He had bought
in Germany and is retailed at this low price. The Magistrate fined the defendant $15 for hawking without a licence.
CANT N NOTES.
The
FROM THE CHUNG NGỌI SAN PO Governor Ma Pi-iu, who has been seriously ill, is reported to be recovering. His son, who intended to start for Peking a few days ago, now remains to attend to his father's sickness.
A merchant has sent in an application to the Canton officers to be allowed to farm out the lekin duty levied on swine offered for sale, at the rate of eight candareens per head. The swine-sellers have already prepared to go on strike.
The leader of the recent rebellion in Kochow, named Hong La-cha-me, has been arrested. The local magistrate immediately wired to the Canton officers to ask instructions. This was on the 9th instant. A telegram was sent to Kochow from Canton on the 14th instant to the effect that the leader in question was to be beheaded on the spot immediately on receipt of the telegram. The examination for Sz-tsui, which was delayed by the rebellion, has already commenced.
The flower-boats in Canton were formerly arranged in three rows, but they greatly obstructed the fairway for steamers. They are all now to be placed in a straight line, which makes it more convenient for steamers to come in and out. The Prefect and the two local magistrates went there the other day to inspect the arrangement. When the flower-boats know that the officials were coming they all hung up lanterns bearing the four characters Fung- Ching, Man-Lok," ¿.e.; "officials good, subjects happy."
In the district of Ko-in a notorions robber named Ki King-san with a band of over one