390
SERIOUS BICYCLE ACCIDENT IN JAPAN.
Kobe, 21st April. The Rev. J. B. Porter, of Kyoto, was travelling from Tsuruga to Fukui on Tuesday last in com- pany with several others, and as he was tired before completing the journey he told the others to go on, and he would rest. Later on he started on alone, and in some way, which has not been learned yet, he fell over A precipice estimated by Japanese and foreigners to be between 400 and 600 feet. As he went over a postman saw him and ran on ahead to a village for help. When help arrived it was necessary to go a mile or so beyond where he fell and reach the place by boat. When found Mr. Porter was sitting on the ground with his head leaning forward on his breast. He made a few movements of his lips and then lost consciousness. He was taken to Tsuruga and Dr. Dahning, of Osaka, was summoned. The latest report is that he may live. He was badly cut about the head. The only wonder is that he was not killed. Further particulars and news of his condition is an- xiously awaited. Mr. Porter was removed to his home in Kyoto yesterday.-Hyogo News.
CUNGKING.
7th April. "I'm not one of those who can see the cat in the dairy an' wonder what she's come after," says one of George Eliot's characters, and so when one finds the Chinese assigning the Japanese a concession far outside the city, on the other side of the great (and dangerons) river, and abont a mile lower down, it is im possible to resist the conclusion that they do not mean the Japanese to do business here, any more than when one finds the Japanese accept ing it one can avoid the conclusion that the common Chinese reports, to which I referred in a previous letter, have some foundation, viz., that the Japanese having looked at Chungking do not think much of it, and mean wever to come back any more, but just accept a con- cession anywhere to save face. At the same time there is a proverb: "He that has a head of wax should not walk in the sun,' and it be the Japanese have a head of wax in Korea and the deferred indemnity, and thus do not care to tarry in the interior of China.
may
THE FRENCH MISSION AND ITS TREATMENT.
appease
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
say the Frenchmen laughingly. It must have been a most comic little incident at each even- ing's inn-coming, an incident that, would also always gain in the repetition. They have traversed but little of the ground the American Commission travelled, but the accounts received | from Chêngtu do not tend to show that the populace there has been greatly impressed.
The idea seems to be that the French must how have a concession alongside of the Japan- ese. And we are wondering what is the object of Mr. Brenan's visit to this port, and what will be the outcome of it. Chinese who left Ichang only a few days before he did have already arrived here on the 4th, although four days" stopped by snow, and also obliged to delay to join a larger company, because a caravan had recently been robbed en route. If the English are also to remove to the other side of the river it is to be hoped steam launches may be allowed to run here so as to give foreigners some opportunity of conferring with Chinese merchants. Mr. Chinda and Mr. Narakara left this port on Easter Tuesday, having arrived on Ash Wednes. day, their visit to Chungking being a purely Lenten one. Mr. Woodruff is also leaving this port after but a short time here as Commis- sioner, Mr. Schjöth of Ichaug replacing him. Our cold and rainy weather has been somewhat inordinately prolonged this year up to 5th April, but the thermometer has now gone up to 82 in the house, and poppies have burst forth into full flower. Monsieur and Madame Hass are still living in a boat at the Taiping gate, the usual refuge of strangers, bu they hope they hare secured a pied à terre till the French
Government builds a Consulate.
8th April.
According to Chinese the Japanese conces sion has 800 feet of frontage, and is 500 feet deep. It has also not been definitely accepted, but only subject to the approval of the Japanese Government, Perhaps after all a better site may eventually be secured. On the present site they say there are 2,000 graves to be removed. the distinguished French writer, seems to have We are sorry to hear that Monsieur Monnier, got into a certain amount of trouble at the great salt springs of Tseliuching,.
[May 7, 1896.
There were 1,929 visitors to the City Hall Museum last week, of whom 150 were Euro- peans.
The death rate last month was, for the British and Foreign community, civil popula- tion, 37.6, and for the Chinese community 29.8. It is notified in the Gazette that Surgeon- Lieutenant J. A. Lowson has been appointed Surgeon-Captain to the Hongkong Volunteer Corps.
It is notified in the Gazette that Captain John McCallum, Hongkong Volunteer Corps, has been granted twelve months' leave of absence from the 7th May.
On the 28th April there were 11 cases of plague, on the 29th 16, on the 30th 20, on the - 1st May 9, on the 2nd 10, on the 3rd 10, on the 4th 11, and on the 5th 17.
Beginning with the City of Rio de Janeiro, leaving hence 21st May, all the steamers of the Pacific Mail and Occidental and Oriental 8.8. Companies will call at Honolulu.
A Simla telegram of the 13th April says:- The latest returns relating to recruitment of soldiers in British India for the Hongkong Regiment are eminently satisfactory.
Mr. E. H. Sharp, barrister-at-law, late of Hongkong, has been admitted, at Shanghai, to practise in the Supreme Court for China and Japan, and has joined Mr. W. V. Drummond.
There were 37 in-patients treated at the Alice Memorial Hospital last month and the number of out-patient visits was 1,024. At the 66 respectively. Nethersole Hospital the numbers were 41 and
Geo. H. Bateson Wright, D.D.... $20 D. Noronha
S. R. Futtakees......... W. J. Tutcher
Wan Yuk Shan
10
Mr. John F. Sheridan, the celebrated come-
dian, and his talented wife (Miss Gracie White- ford) are passengers by the P. & O. steamer Pekin. They made their last appearance with the 1st May. the Willard Opera Company at Shanghai on
Wong Wai Shun, the new Governor of Yunnan, returned to Hongkong on Sunday from Peking, where he was visiting the Emperor, and proceeds to his post at once via Canton and the West River. His last office was that of Provincial Treasurer of Kwangsi.
The Hon. Treasurer of the Alice Memorial and Nethersole Hospitals begs. to acknowledge with thanks the following donations to the funds of the Hospitals:--
D. Sassoon, Sons and Co.. Meyer and Co.
$100 50
At the anti-foot binding meeting the other day when those opposed to binding were asked to stand up all the men present but six arose to their feet, and a merchant among the audience began a speech against bind. ing. Since then a mandarin calling, taking up Pastor Kranz' pamphlet lying on the table, said: "Ah, I have the larger copy of this book with pictures. No, I was not at the meeting the other day, but my people were.
The Queen has been pleased to approve of ing, the elder women can't, you see their toes have dropped off. But my little girl of six is the appointment of Lieut.-General George She Digby Barker to be Governor and Commander- not having her feet bound any more.
in-Chief of the Bermudas or Somers Islands, in screamed out so, directly she laid her head upon
succession to General Thomas Casey Lyons. her pillow, I could not bear to hear it.
Bermuda is to be congratulated on the appoint- she got no sleep." He is a man of means, and
ment. made no reference as to any possible difficulty about marrying her.-N. Č. Daily News cor- respondent.
The French Commission of Exploration are anyway all here, now, and the Delegates from Lyons viewing Chungking froin all points of view are we hope discovering many points of resemblance. The party from Chengtu per- sonally conducted by M. Rocher, Consul de France, arrived a few days ago, and do not report favourably of the condition of things in that city. Insults seem to have been their portion, and the population struck them as decidedly sullen and hostile. They were also requested to keep indoors for the first few days until the officials bad had time to the people, and accustom their minds to the idea of so many foreigners. This they very properly declined to do, and showed them- selves about everywhere they had a mind to go. At Tongchuan the mandarius went even further and on their arrival requested them to leave the place at once, saying that if they did not the officials could not be answer- able for the consequences. M. Rocher seems to have replied that they would go away when they had completed the business that had brought them there, and somewhat plainly intimated to the officials that they would be held answerable for the consequences if any. thing happened to any member of the party. They do not complain of having had the usual dirty missiles thrown at them, indeed they complain of nothing and wiped out any insults by one of their party with ready French wit, each evening selecting one of the most objec- tionable of starers out of a crowd all objection- ably staring, and marching up to him boot brush in hand with the peremptory order in unfaltering French: Here you brush my boots for me.' On which the man thus distinguished brushed the boots thus submitted to him, then filed terrified, But unfortunately he did not appreciate all the humiliation in- volved in brushing another man's boots for him, | steamer Manila,
HONGKÒNG.
As to unbind-
Besides
The total number of plague cases for the year is now 731; it is satisfactory to note that the disease does not show any signs of increasing to an alarming extent. During the week some interesting actions have been tried at the Supreme Court, one of them being an appeal by Mr. Kennedy, dairyman, which was dis- missed, and another an important action respecting two bills of exchange. Not a little sensation has been caused in the colony by a sentence of three months' imprisonment passed by the Magistrate on the captain and doctor of the German mail steamer Hohenzollern. for landing at Stonecutters' Island, which is a fortification, withont permission. The doctor was also convicted of having a photographic camera in his possession. Last Saturday night an armed gang robbed a shop and in the chase one of them shot a watchman dead. The murderer and four other men are in custody.
Mr. D. Gillies, the popular Secretary of the Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Co., returned to the colony on the 1st May by the P. & 0,
|
An indication of a change that may become more general has been brought to our notice, namely, that there is now a vessel on this coast carrying an Indian crew: The captain and officers speak well of them; they are quiet. willing, and less inclined to give trouble than the Chinese.
At the Police Court on the 5th May a coolie in the employ of Mr. A. B. Johnson, Crown Solicitor, pleaded guilty to stealing $5.50, the Mr. Johnson said the money of his master. prisoner ran away with his foki's wages and was He was sent to caught yesterday morning. gaol for fourteen days with hard labour.
The following subscriptions to the Home for the Aged and Infirm are acknowledged
.$300 Society of St. Vincent de Paul Messrs. Chater and Mody Hon. E. R. Belilios, C.M.G. A. S. G.
25
25
25
The name Tse Yet, San Francisco" given in the last list should be Tsé Yet Francisco.
At the Police Court on Saturday the Pro- curator in Hongkong for the Dominican Missions in the Far East was summoned by Mr. H. McCallum, Secretary to the Sanitary Beard, for not having complied with a notios served on April 16th to have a choked drain at The 2, Victoria View, Kowloon, cleaned. offence was admitted and a fine of $10 was imposed.