May 13, 1896.).
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
409
Oct. 19th-Despatch boat arrived before daylight, having given enemy the slip, bringing news that two Belgian vessels had sunk in Suez Canal and blocked the passage, also that there was a combined rising of Boers and Mata- bele at Cape against the British; further that tho Abyssinians and Mabdists had annihilated an Egyptian army in Soudan and were making for Upper Egypt and the Red Sea coast.
Heavy N.E. gale blowing. At 10 p.m. several incendiary fires broke out along the Praya and no water being available the fire swept up hill and before morning half the town was burnt down; towards morning enemy's torpedo boats rushed into harbour, destroying six of the larger British war vessels.
be only in the cause of right, justice, and liberty. of Harrow, before the Royal Colonial In- Oct. 18th.-Boilers and engines of torpedo It was the Duke of Devonshire who first said stitute.
boats found to be rendered useless by being cor that he held his estates in trust. Mr. Cham- At the invitation of the Chairman Mr.roded with acids; also Peak Tramway engines terlain has stated that the British nation Francis addressed the meeting and said every- and boilers damaged by same means and tram- holds her possessions in trust for the world at one must have been pleased with the
way unworkable. Several heavy guns in forts larg. The law recognises a duty on the part of accurate description Mr. Sharp had given of found to be also rendered useless by acids; trustees not only to guard and preserve.trust the qualities that had distinguished Englishmen several Chinese employés who had suddenly dis- fands and property, but also to secure their at all ages and at all periods of their history appeared suspected of having done it. Acid profitable employment and increase. fn His and which had attributed to the success they introduced in bottles and jars as samshu for the Excellency Sir Claude MacDonald's address had achieved in every part of the world. In use of Chinese staff. Enemy's torpedo boats to the citizens of Hongkong, to which he reference to these qualities he would like to hovering about entrance of harbour during the subsequently referred at a similar function suggest for the consideration of the meeting night, but not yet venturing in. Boilers of in Shanghai, he spoke of the magnificent that perhaps too much importance had been British ironclad and two other war-vessels de- Empire which had been won for us by attached to our love of sport; that was not stroyed by acid during night. our forefathers, and handed down to us the cause of our success, but was one with the responsibility to maintain, and justly of the qualities, one of the sequences, of our to extend it. Where there is life in individuals, character and of our disposition. A little too families, cities, countries. there must be much was attributed to the cultivation of continuous growth. and the British Em-sport and it was looked upon as something es- pire can be no exception to this rule. When sential to our success; but it was the result and her superior civilization is brought into contact not the primary cause of success. There was with that which is inferior, as in India, China, one thing he had missed in the lecture and that Burmah, and Africa, extension follows, without was a definition of what Mr. Sharp understood any ambitious motive on her part, but from the by Imperialism. It seemed to him (the speaker) unavoidable circumstances of her surroundings. that the Imperialism of old Rome was of a very It is the natural manifestation of the life and different nature from the Imperialism, if such vigour with which we, her sons, have been a thing exist, of Great Britain. The Empire graciously endowed. If continuous and of Rome depended entirely upon its military growing emigration is necessitated by our success and upon the governing power, the population increasing twice as fast as that of organising power, and the law-making power Germany, and ten times as fast as that of which the Roman citizens evidently possessed France, may we not fairly take the while our Empire, it seemed to him, resced lead in colonizing enterprise? The peculiar primarily upon our trade and upon our com. and exceptional position in which we have been merce as well as npon our powers of organisa. placed has from time to time compelled the ex- tion and our ability to govern inferior races. tension of our territories in India, and some He thought Imperialism meant the rule of one very interesting information with regard to supreme sovereign over a number of dependent that Empire will be afforded by the publication sovereigns and dependent states. It was some. in extenso. now in progress. of the early thing in the nature of a confederation, and to records of the East India Company.
that the British Empire was at the present The same condition of things which moment tending, but it had not arrived at that has from time to time led to the exten-point yet, except in India. sion of our territories in India, and which indeed has forced upon us these extensions, has now, after over half a century of occu- pation, arisen in Hongkong. The equitable title to possession is in use. In this sense we may quote the highest authority. Unto him that hath shall be given." Does not this barren rocky island bear testimony to the diligent use which the British have made of it? And now we feel that for the preservation and efficient government of this colony it is absolutely necessary that the adjoining territory, forsaken, neglected, derelict, as it is, together with the almost uninhabited islands round about, be added to the British possession here. China owes this to us, and we owe it to ourselves and
our self preservation to secure it. Former acqui- sitions of territory on account of their ap- parent worthlessness were thought to be proof only of aimless and harmless idiosyncracy, now they are regarded as indications of far seeing and dangerous astuteness in our national character. This change of feeling has resulted simply from accession of value consequent upon increased means of communication. Steam and electricity have practically annihilated distance. Nearness in time and space con- stitutes value. Our colonies were scattered, out of ken and far away. It took the best part of half a year to reach them. The Suez Canal has changed and the piercing of the Strait between the two Americas will further change all this.
it was
Mr. Sharp, in reply, said he supposed the general idea of Imperialism was connected with royalty and sovereignty in contradistinction to republicanism and referred to our present sys- tem of government under a monarch. Не thought the idea of Mr. Francis was quite correct and the character of the government to which he had alluded was possibly in course of accomplishment. The idea of Imperialism was at present the love of our present system of government under our, Queen and under her successors by right.
The Commodore then announced that Mr. Sharp would continue his lecture on Friday next, at 5.15 p.m.
Mr. Sharp interposed and explained that he had delivered the whole of his lecture. He at first intended, as the paper was a very long one, to give half of it that day and half next Friday, but his hearers were so patient under the inflic tion of the first half that he thought he would give the whole of it at one sitting. (Laughter.)
The Commodore, amidst much laughter caused by this incident, said he was sorry to hear that Mr. Sharp had delivered the whole of his lecture. It had given them all much pleasure. |(Applause).
A vote of thanks to Mr. Sharp concluded the meeting.
THE WAR OF 1896/97 AND EVENTS IN THE FAR ÉAST IN COA- NECTION THEREWITH.
(CONTRIBUTED.)
The acceleration of ocean steamers and the electric wire have also given a new significance to the words foreign possessions." We had them before; we possess them now. The editor of one of the European papers has lately dis- Oct. 13th. Last of the rains. covered that England is encircling the world with her territory." He may yet learn that Pokfulam, destroying the dams of both reser Oct. 15th.-Heavy explosion at Tytam and she intends, by God's help, to keep it. the mercantile marine (for in this must be in empty. Two Chinese were observed just before voirs; all water escaped, leaving reservoirs cluded the ships of the old East India Company) dark carrying four large samshu jars in these which was instrumental in the first appropria-neighbourhoods; jars since reported to have tion and earlier development of our possessions contained dynamite. abroad. It is the British Navy which has com- pleted the chain of our national strength, and which holds in fee simple this inheritance for the people of the British Empire, and as the Pleader's Guide has it-
He that is seized of his lands in fee, Need neither to quake nor to quaver. "Tis the highest estate, for look'e d'y see, "Tis his and his heirs' for ever.
The lecturer then read long extracts from an address delivered by Dr. Welldon, Head Master
Oct. 16th.-Powerful French fleet arrived outside Hongkong from the south; a powerful Russian fleet appeared a few hours later from the north. Telegraphic communication by land and sea north and south found to be interrupted. Portion of British fleet in harbour.
Oct. 17th.-Remaining water supply of colony and water of several ships of the fleet found to be poisoned; much sickness and some mortality from this cause both amongst troops and crews of war-vessels.
October 20th.-The enemy's ships in harbour, Hongkong having fallen an easy prey to the 30,000 French and Russian troops landed from their transports, the transports having arrived two days after the main body of fighting ships. Telegrapic communication had all the time been in hands of the enemy. Large number of valuable merchant shi-s and merchandise also fell a prize to the enemy, together with stores of coal, dockyards, etc. Ten thousand men left to garrison Hongkong, while 20,000 proceeded with Beets to capture Singapore.
THE PUNJM MINING CO.,
LIMITED.
་
The Secretary of the Punjom Mining Co., Limited. advises us that he has received the following cable from the mine. being the result of the April clean-up :- • The mill ran 27 days, crushing 1.050 tons for a yield of 500 ozs. "of smelted gold. Forty tons of concentrates were calcined, yielding 100 ozs. The cyanide clean- up is not yet finished."
The Secretary of the Punjom Mining Co., Limited, advises us that he has received the following telegram from the mine, being the result of the clean up of the cyanide plant for April-"The cyanide plant worked 21 days treating 610 tons of clean tailings, yielding 27 ozs. of gold of an average assay value £2 28. 9d. sterling."
HONGKONG GYMKHANA MEETING.
The first Gymkhana meeting of the 1896 season was held on Saturday, afternoon at the brilliantly fine and the attendance of the public Happy Valley. Fortunately the weather was
was very large, amongst those present being His Excellency the Governor, Sir William Robin. 800, K.C.M.G. The programme was
an ex.
cellent one and contained six events, which provided a capital afternoon's sport, and if the standard of Saturday's excellence be maintained certain success is bound to favour the whole of
this season's Gymkhanas. Some very good fields turned out and the finishes were for the most part full of interest, particularly in the last event, which proved to be the best race of the day. It seems to be a recognised principle to have what we might call a silly event in Gymkhana meetings and the one
on Satur- day seemed to create considerable interest and amusement. The riders had to cover the course and he who passed the winning post nearest to five minutes, the time limit, was declared the winner. Of course watches were not allowed to be carried and so the competitors had to guess the time the best way they could. It is rather a difficult matter to guess the length of one minute, but to have to guess five minutes while riding on a pony is, we should imagine, far more difficult and doubtlesR exciting-to the guessers. During the after- non the band of the Rifle Brigade played the