December 19, 1895.]
At the Magistracy on Thursday afternoon Fang Tim, hairdresser, was again charged with | giving false particulars whilst pawning jewellery belonging to Ho Tsat, a concubine. She was couvicted on three charges and sent to gaol for one month on each, the sentences to run concur. rently. Mr. Ewens, who defended, asked his Worship to state a case on a point of fact, and this was consented to, and the woman allowed out on bail of $400. Mr. Robinson (instructed by Mr. Mounsey) appeared from the prosecu-
tion.
The resolution acknowledging Mr. Justice Ackroyd's services, of which the Hon. T. H. Whitehead had given notice, did not come on at the meeting of the Legislative Council on Saturday. We understand it has been with- drawn and that the unofficial members will pro- bably address a joint letter to the Government in the same sense as the withdrawn resolution. For a body like the Legislative Council, with an official majority, to pass votes acknowledging official services would reduce it to something ike a mutual admiration society.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Shareholders in the Punjom Mining Co., Limited, will be disappointed to learn that the new expert who was sent out to work the cyanide process has arrived at Singapore suffering from serious illness and will have to be sent home again. Great results were expected from the cyanide process, but the Company seems doomed to misfortune in co n- nection with it.
For state-created crime Hongkong would easily take first place. A singing girl is sent for to attend an entertainment in the evening at a house in the same street as that in which she lives, but on the opposite side and a little lower down. She sets out to cross the street in an obliquo direction and is at once pounced on by a ferocious minion of the law and haled to the Police Station because she has not pro- vided herself with a lantern. If that is the sort of thing by which it is expected the natives will be impressed with the justice, the reason. ableness, and the majesty of British administra- | tion the Government must have very peculiar views.
The installation meeting of St. Mary Magda-
A meeting of the seatholders and subscribers len Chapter of Rose Croix was held on the attending St. John's Cathedral was held at the 13th inst., when the following officers were in- City Hall on the 11th inst., under the chairmanship stalled:-M. W. Sovereign, G. C. Anderson ;
of Mr. T. Jackson, to consider the question of the Prelate, J. Kirkwood; First General. R. P. Chaplain's re-engagement. The following re- Simmonds; Second General. A. Seth; Recorder.solutions were passed That Mr. Cobbold be E. C. Ellis; Treasurer, D. E. Brown; Marshall. S. J. Hanisch Raphael, Rev. St. Aidan Baylee Captain of the Guard. E. J. Main; Almoner. A. Schomberg; D.C., J. W. Edwards: Organist. W. Danby, P.M.W.S., Outer Guard, J. Max-
well.
H.M.S. Narcissus was to be commissioned on the 19th November by Captain H. B. Lang with the following officers --Commander G. Gore- Browne; Lieuts. N. B. Youel (N.. E. F. A. Gaunt (G.), Basil R. H. Taylor, W. L. B. Moly- neux, and F. A. Whitehead; Sub-Lieut. B. A. Smith; Chaplain, Gordon-Vaudin; Naval In- structor, Arnold Cleere, B. A.; Staff Surgeon J. 8. Lambert; Staff Engineer J. W. Henwood, Engineer Charlie Broadbent; Paymaster B. C. Scott; Assist. Engineers S. P. Fergusson and W. M. McDonald, Assist. Paymaster J. A. Banbury.
Messrs. Dodwell, Carlill & Co.. write us with
reference to the Strathnevis: We have a fur- ther telegram from our Tacoma firm, sent up- parently after receipt of the letters advised as ex- pected when they previously wired us, giving us the information that the disaster occurred on the
requested to renew his engagement ou the pre- sent terms for a further period of three years." That he be granted six months leave of ab- sence during 1896, upon the terms previously offered, viz., half pay while absent and a free passage back to Hongkong. "That the Church body will pay the salary of a clergyman during Mr. Cobbold's absence, making the best rangements they can in the matter."
ar.
ex-
At one o'clock on Monday morning a fire broko out in the third floor of the Hop Cheung shop, 100. Praya West. The Fire Brigade, under Hon. Commander W. C. H. Hastings and Mr. Badeley, were quickly on the scene. but as the tide was low considerable difficulty was
Consequently perienced in obtaining water. the flames had made a big inroad into the pre- mises before the firemen were able to get to work. They played on the flames for three hours, and although they did not succeed in saving the building, which was gutted, they managed to confine the flames to the one house. The damage was $7,000, and it is covered by insurance with Messrs. Siemssen and Co.
The installation meeting of Perseverance
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475
The
At the Police Court on Monday a lukong and an ex-lukong were charged with extortion. At the beginning of the month the men boarded a junk and accused one of the crew of having* stolen some oil. The man said the oil had not been stolen as it was his property. prisoners then threatened to lock him up if he did not bribe them and the man became so frightened that he allowed the accused to sell the oil for $12 and also promised to give them an additional $30 when he returned from Macao. * Inspector Witchell was informed of the affair and when the junk came back from Macao he went on board and arrested one of the prisoners just as he was in the act of receiving some of the extortion money. The officer soon after- wards had the other man in custody. They were sent to gaol for six months with hard labour.
The Hongkong Police have received informa tion of a very daring robbery by violence which occurred in Ting Tan, a village in the Sun On district. About thirty men armed with re- volvers, carbines, and swords, entered the house of a steward employed on H.M.S. Pique, and forced the inmates to keep silent while they rifled the premises. The steward, who was on leave, was not present at the time; only his family were in the house. The gang forced open a box and stole $80 in bank notes, $300 in silver. four fixed deposit receipts on the Hong- kong and Shanghai Bank, worth $4,000, and several pieces of clothing. The desperadoes went away without injuring any one, and the steward, on being told what had happened during his absence, gave information to the Hongkong Police and also to the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank in order that payment on the deposit receipts should be stopped.
The Grafton, which left Portsmouth on the 11th November, brings out the following officers for the men-of-war on this station:-Lieut. H, Adair, Sub-Lients. A. Lowndes and V. L.
Bowring, Surgeon F. W. Lumley. Engineer
W. C. Stevens, and Gunner W. Northcote, for the Pigmy; Lieut. S. V. de Horsey, Sub-Lieut. H. Cayley, Assist. Paymaster W. Davy, En- gineer R. Main, and Gunner F. Roper, for the Plover; Lieuts. A. L. Cay and T . Shelford, Surgeon J. H. Read, M.B., and Assist. Engineer Drake, for the Alacrity; Lients. J. K. Laird, P. E. Allen, Sub-Lient. Å. E. House, and Gunner M. Murphy, for the Daphnes Lieut. G. 8. P. Gwynn, for the Tamar; Surgeon H. W Stephens, for the R. N. Hospital, Hongkong; Assist. Paymaster C. S. Inglis, Sub-Lieut. H.
20th October, when she was seven days out from Lodge, No. 1165, was held þu Monday evening, B. Gillibrand, and Gunner Gates, for the
Victoria, and that instead of the main shaft be- ing broken, the tail shaft is broken and the
pro- peller lost. Our firm further advise us that the
steamer Tacoma, which sailed from Tacoma on the 8th inst, bound for Yokohama, was instructed to endeavour to find the Strathneris if such could be done without any great delay.
At the Magistracy on Monday Mr.T. Sercombe Smith held an inquiry respecting the death of a fireman named Yni Kau, who was scalded to death on board the Chingping, on Wednesday last. The following was the verdict: That the deceased Yai Kan met his death by scalding, due to au escape of steam whilst the feed-pipe was being disconnected on board the steamer Chingping on the 11th inst.. in Victoria Harbour. The Court finds that the pressure of steam in the feed-pipe was due to the very defective state of the check valve, and considers that the chief engineer, Mr. Jervis, is censurable for not having examined the check valve during the year in which he has been on board of the steamer Chingping.
A
On Thursday evening Bro. F. Howell was installed as Worshipful Master of the St. John Lodge for the ensuing year. The ceremony was conducted by the R. W. District Deputy Grand Master, E. C. Ray, who was attended by the District Grand Officers. Wor. Bro. Howell appointed his officers as follows:- S.W., Bro. H. B. Bridger; J.W., Bro. J. I. Andrew; Treasurer, Wor. Bro. J. Dickie; Secretary, Bro. F. Waiker; S.D., Bro. S. MacIsaac, J.D., Bro. H. Reeves; Organist. Bro. S. Donnenberg; D. of C., Bro. J. Hand; Steward, Bro. G. Williams; I.G., Bro, G. White, Tyler, Bro. J. Maxwell. At the banquet which followed the ceremony the usual loyal and masonic toasts were duly honoured.
when Bro. H. W. Robertson was installed as Worshipful Master for the ensuing year by the Right Wor. District Grand Master, Hon. C. P. Chater, who was attended by the Grand Lodge officers. Wor. Bro. Robertson appointed and invested his officers as follows: S. W., Bro. F. W. Edwards; J.W., Bro. F. F. Kiene; Treasurer, Bro. A. C. S. Manners, Secretary. Bro. Dr. F. W. Clarke; Chaplain. Bro. Rev, St. Aidan Baylee; S.D.. Bro. A. Cumming; J.D., Bro. C. W. Longuet; I.G.. Bro. Bragmann: D.C., Bro. W. A. Cruickshank; Steward, Bro. P. G. Davis; Tyler, Bro. J. R.
Grimble.
If it be argued that no man can lurk or prowl with evil intent while proclaiming his whereabouts to the whole city by means of a lamp and that no man with a lamp in his hand would break open the shutters of a shop, might it not by parity of reasoning be contended that the whole population would be rendered law abiding during the daytime by compelling every man to carry a red flag in his hand? A still more effective means would be to lock up every Chinaman found in the colony, be- cause a man cannot commit many crimes while confined within four walls. The business of the colony would be brought to a standstill it is true, but that does not seem to be considered a matter of much account. Several branches of business have been brought to a standstill by the regulation requiring Chinamen to carry lamps after seven o'clock in the evening, the theatres and restaurants for instance. The local repre- sentatives of Mrs. Ormiston Chant say it is a good thing that such places should be closed. They would no doubt contend also that it would be a good thing if the music hulls and public houses in London were closed, but the Lon doners themselves do not seem to take that
view.
Redpole; Engineer W: T. Cox, for the Pea- cock; Assist. Clerks C. Boulton, Le Febre, Hammond, and Hodder, for the Centurion.
Fire broke out at one o'clock on Monday morning in the ground floor of the shop of Wong Cheong, foreign goods dealer, 247, Queen's Road Central. The Fire Brigade, under. Hon. Commander W. C. H. Hastings and Mr. Badeley, quickly responded to the call, and found the premises well alight. The master of the shop was not there at the time, but he was in the neighbourhood, and on hearing of the outbreak he hastened back. The Brigade worked for an hour and a half before they managed to subdue the flames. The build- ing, consisting of two storeys, was completely gutted, and the first and second floors of 72, Jervois Street were also burnt out, while the ground floor was damaged by water. The shop where the fire originated is insured with Messrs. Sander and Co., for $14,000 and with Messrs. Carlowitz and Co., for $1,500. The shop at 72, Jervois Street, which is occupied by a second- hand clothes dealer, is insured with Messrs. Siemssen and Co. for $11,000.
MISCELLANEOUS.
An experiment in the cultivation of jute in Tonkin is said to have resulted in quite phenomenal success.
The wreck and cargo of the steamer Nanking have been sold by public auction at Shanghai. The wreck realised Tls. 3,900 and the cargo Tls. 36.
The following telegram has been received by the Master-Attendant at Singapore from the British Consul at Batavia-Missing boats. Avoca picked up by ship Irmeira : all well.”
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