452
account of old custom; or better still, make the attempt to exploit the oil fields of Bisayas. We might also with advantage favour the im- portation of Spanish, European, or Asiatic flour, which could compete with American flour from Hongkong.
WENCHOW.
15th May.
The tea season is on and in full swing. The Poochi takes up this trip a big cargo. Prices have gone up this year, due chiefly to a greater demand for, therefore appreciation of, the Wênchow products. Exports from Winchow seem to be increasing generally; the Poochi has shut out cargo almost every trip this year to the annoyance of shippers and the delight of junkmen; lorcha and juuk traffic has in con- sequence grown of late.
The
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
M. de Champeaux, agent of the M. M. Com- pany, returned to the colony by the Oceanien on Saturday.
H.E. the Governor gave a dance at Govern- ment House on the 25th May in celebration of the Queen's Birthday.
The death rate last month was, for the British and foreign community, civil population, 31.0, and for the Chinese commanity 27.9.
It is notified in the Gazette that H.E. the
Governor has been pleased to appoint His Hon. our Dr. Carrington to be a member of the Gor. erning Body of Queen's College in place of the Hon. N. G. Mitchell-Innes.
About six o'clock on Saturday morning a sudden squall of wind which swept across the barbour lifted the awning, stanchions, and the funnel from the steam launch Shun Wa and they were blown into the sea. Fortunately no one was hurt.
The monthly carbine competition for the cup presented to the Kowloon Dock detach- meut of the H.K. Volunteers by Mr. John Wallace was shot for on Saturday, when the cup was won for the first time by Mr. D. Gow with a score of 76, with 21 points added, total Mr. Stewart, scratch, made a good second with 89 points.
Now the Winghong has stepped in; twice she has gone to Shanghai full up, and there seems every prospect of her coutinning to run. China Merchants are trying to run her off the line by reducing freights and fares. Passengers are now taken for 82 instead of $6 as before. Recently when the Winghong was unlucky97. enough to go ashore last trip, a notice was cir- culated here that she had made her last trip. and freights were at once put up to the old figure. She came in again though last week, and they are once more down again. The foreign community has no objection to six visits a month instead of three, but the Poochi is still prime favourite.
C
шап
re-
At the Police Court on the 20th May a China. was charged with being in possession of firearms on fire different occasions without a licence. The defendant pawned the firearms and it is believed that among them were volvers used in the armed attack at Wanchai, and that he has some knowledge of the robbers. He is a thief himself and Hon. Commander Hastings fined him $100 or three months' im- prisonment.
Information has been received in Hongkong that the three-masted schooner. Mount Lebanon went ashore off Montanha Island. about ten miles from Macao, on Saturday. The captain sent word that the vessel was fast on sand and a Chinese tug boat was sent on Monday morning to her assistance. It is some considerable time since the Mount Lebanon was in Hongkong. She was coming here with a cargo of timber from Ramjang,
Our Taotai is at his old tricks again, baiting the Christians. A young graduate, not a Chris tian, but an occasional visitor at a missionary's house, is threatened with the loss of his button. His father had a case in the Yohtsing yamên. During its progress report says that a letter was received by the magistrate from the Taotai urging that if any of the family were Christians the magistrate should take the opportunity to severely punish them. Thio magistrate unable then to get a hold upou them has now raised a couple of flimsy charges, adding as a third that this graduate is a Christian and having inter- course with foreigners, and therefore urges
The Singapore Free Press of the 11th May that he be degraded. The attention of the Pre-says-Mr. J. Napier, formerly in the employ feet has been officially drawn to the matter, of Messrs. Dakin. Cruickshank & Co.. Limited, but be of course denied the third point alto Hongkong, who arrived in Singapore about ten gether. Since then another man, a Christian, days ago. died suddenly yesterday morning, The deceased was a chemist by profession, and has had his great-grandfather's grave da. maged, and a fortnight ago laid his case be. being out of work went to live with a friend fore the same magistrate. The magistrate at 52, Hill Street, where he died. ignored the case, asking instead if he were last seen alive at 10, a.m., being found dead a Christian. A reply in the affirmative in his bed at one o'clock. An inquest will brought forth a torrent of abuse from the be held. magistrate, who ended by saying: "If you recant Christianity I will give you justice if you don't I will hare your button taken off." Not content with this the magistrate has since published his reply to the Christian's petition and ends up by saying: "You, a scholar, ought to spend your time reading the books of your own country's sages; instead of that you have renegaded to Jesus, and are preaching his doctrines, an exceedingly re- prehensible thing, in consequence of which you deserve to be degraded from your rank." H.B.M. Consul is, we hear, moving in the matter.--N. C. Daily Neros correspondent.
HONGKONG.
He was
The Right Rev. L. M. Piazzoli begs to ac- knowledge with thanks the following donations to the Home for the Aged and Infirm :-
Already acknowledged
$2.975 50
Mr. A. G. Rozario
Mr. D. Musso (Italian Consul) Mr. A. de Silveira A Friend
Mr. P. M. A. Graca... Mr. C. Danenberg
25
95
5
5
As will be seen from our Canton Notes, the rice dealers of that city have determined to accept Chinese subsidiary coins only at a dis- count. Other trades will no doubt follow suit and the coins will fall below par everywhere. When this morement makes itself gen- erally felt the coins will probably disppear from circulation in Hongkong and the colony's own coins will come into circulation again, as was the case some years ago when the Japanese small coins fell below par and disap. peared from our local currency. The wonder is that the Chinese coins have been able to hold the field so long.
The number of plague cases for the year yesterday reached 936. Unfortunately another European-Sapper Barr, of the Royal Engi- neers has contracted the disease and he was taken to the hospital yesterday. On Thursday the Sanitary Board met and an important dis- cussion took place in reference to Mr. Dauby's We have received a letter from a correspon- allegations respecting the carrying out of the deat complaining that plague ambulances and Board's regulations concerning plague. On Fri-dead boxes are left on the sidewalk in Old day Mr. J. J. Francis addressed a meeting at the Bailey, near the Police compound, much to the City Hall on the subject of the Navy League. disgust of those who have to pass them. We On Whit Monday there was a serious affray on
are afraid our correspondent's complaint will the German steamer Martha and two coolies
not have much effect. The Government, indeed, seems to take a pleasure in exposing these dis- agreeable objects to public view. There are generally one or two to be seen in Wyndham Street, ander repair, the work being conducted on the sidewalk, thereby causing an obstruc- tion, contrary to the Ordinance in that case, made and provided.
were shot by the chief officer during a fight between fifty cargo coolies and the second mate while the vessel was lying in the harbour.
At the Police Court on Saturday five lodging house keepers were charged with overcrowding their premises. Fines varying from $2 to $17 were imposed.
[May 27, 1896. On the 20th May there were 11 cases of 23rd 7, on the 24th 7, and on the 25th 13. plague, on the 21st 4, on the 22nd 14, on the
Two privates in the G Company of the Rifle Brigade, named Thomas Howells and Thomas Freeman, were charged before Hon. Commander W. C. H. Hastings on the 22nd inst. with steal-
ing about $10 and a part of a sleeve link from
Gustavos Stour. About nine o'clock on Thurs- day night Detective Sergeant Holt went into the lower bar of the Hongkong Hotel, and noticed that the two soldiers were behaving in rather a suspicious manner. The detective decided to wait in the bar and watch the men and so he ordered a drink and stood up at the counter facing a mirror. By this means he was able to watch the movements of the prisoners without creating suspicion. He saw Howells take money from the waistcoat pockets of Stour, who was helplessly drunk at the time. After robbing the man Howells and Free- man spent some of the money in drinks and Holt at length arrested the two men and put Stour in a chair and sent him to the Police Station. Howells was sent to gaol for three months and Freeman for one month. Stour was fined $1 for being drunk and incapable.
At the Supreme Court on the 21st May whilst a witness was giving his evidence in the case of argon, a Chinaman in the Court was noticed to be making motions in the direction of the wit- · ness box and the same were evidently recognised by the Chinese witness who was giving evidence at the time. The matter was at once brought to the notice of the Court and his Lordship ordered the man to be placed in custody till the Court adjourned for the day, when he would deal with the matter. When the Court rose to be brought forward and wished to know His Lordship accordingly asked for the man if he had anything to say in answer to what had amounted to a grave contempt of Court. The Chinaman replied that he had no intention of intimidating the witness, and was very sorry for what he had done and would leave himself to the mercy of the Court. His Lordship replied that he had bad serious thought at the time of doing something more severe, but he would now discharge him and hoped that the fact that he had been guilty of a very serious contempt of Court would be sufficient warning to him.
was
A smuggling operation of an unusual charao- ter has been causing some little commotion amongst the higher grade of officers of the Chinese empire. On the arrival of the steamer Lyeemoon at Shanghai on her last trip boxes containing in all 150 repeating 'rifles were seized amongst the luggage of certain native passengers, and the seven involved whose luggage passengers were detained and handed over to the native authorities. It turns out that the seven men thus handed over are all military officers of junior grade, that they are all Bannermen or Tartars, that all were on their way to Peking, some on promotion and some to buy higher rank, and, most astounding of all, that one of them was the bearer of a memorial to the Throne from the Tartar General at Canton. It appears that these gentlemen had, as is customary with their class, decided that they ought to utilize their journey by making a profitable commercial speculation and it occurred to them that the most profitable, "deal" they could go in for, as giving a good return and ready realisation on investment, was one in arms. Doubtless their military training, knowledge of what was a good or bad weapon, and the present demand for arms all over the Celestial Empire, helped them in their decision. However, whatever the inducement, they in- rested jointly, in Hongkong, in 150 repeating rifles at $20 each, making a total investment of $3,000, and they figured out that they could dispose of these at $10 each, thus netting the handsome profit of $3,000 which would add to their means of enjoyment and possibly enable them to purchase higher rank than they would otherwise find possible.
of opulence and rank. for vain dreams The wretched searcher pounced upon their valuable investment and handed over their sacred persons to the oppressor. much telegraphing between three or four of the largest cities of the empire, and the vn- fortunates will doubtless be called upon to disgorge still further or take the consequences,
*
Alas!
There was