404
The appointment of Sergeant, H. G. Baker to be an Inspector of Nuisances is gazetted.
The men-of-war in harbour were decorated on the 17th inst. in honour of the birthday of the King of Spain and at noon a royal salute was fired.
Hon. F. H. May's pony Tocsin was sold on Saturday after the gymkhana meeting and realised $250. Mr. G. H. Potts was the purchaser.
It is notified in the Gazette that the anniver- sary of the Queen's Birthday is to be celebrated on Monday next, 24th inst, which day is there fore to be a public holiday.
Twelve lots of honse property belonging to the estate of the late Tang A Lok were put up for auction on the 17th inst. by Mr. J. M. Armstrong, but were all bought in.
On the arrival of the steamer Formosa from Swatow on the 18th inst. two cases of suspected plague were discovered on board. Both the patients are Chinamen and they were removed to the Kennedytown Hospital,
The Secretary of the Punjom Mining Co., Limited, advises us that he has received the following telegram from the mines:-"Have struck a small pocket of ore in the stopes above intermediate level yielding 60 ozs. of gold.”
▲ Government Gazette extraordinary was isaned Wednesday containing a notification ap- pointing Hon. W. Chatham, Acting Director of Public Works, to be the Water Authority under the Water Works Ordinance, 1890.
4 mysterious and extraordinary robbery of nearly five thousand sovereigns from the trea- sure room of the Taiyuan was reported to the police on Saturday. The vessel came from Brisbane, where she took on board a considerable quantity of treasure, including the missing sovereigns. This was all placed in the treasure room and duly locked, the only persons having a key being, we understand, the captain and the first mate. The robbery was discovered on the way up from Part Darwin, the last calling place, and when the vessel arrived in port on Saturday the police, in response to the signals, went on board. Detectives and about a dozen constables were afterwards quickly dispatched to the vessel and a thorough search was made, but no trace of the thief or the missing sovereigns was found. Of course it is possible that the gold was all landed at Port Darwin. A curious fact connected with the robbery is that lying near the £5,000 was & packet containing about three hundred sovereigns, but this was left untouched: A few months ago a similar robbery occurred on board the homeward bound P. & 0. steamer Oceana between Sydney and Adelaide. Messrs. Butterfield and Swire have offered a reward of $1,000 to any person giving evidence leading to the conviction of the thief who stole the five thousand sovereigns from the Taiyuan or for the recovery of the money.
At the Magistracy on the 13th inst. Mr. H. E. Wodehouse gave some wholesome advice to a constable. 'The remarks arose out of a case in which six Chinamen were summoned for as- saulting Police Constables Rattey and Wilson. The defendants were eating their mid-day meal on a footpath in Hongham when the con- stables came up to them. Rattey went on to the footpath and in doing so upset a bowl of rice, while the other constable continued to walk in the road as there was no room on the footpath. The upsetting of the rice incensed the Chinamen and they assaulted the policemen rather severely. Mr. Wilkinson and Mr. Mouusey defended the accused and pleaded that the kicking over of the rice bowl was not altogether an accident. The Magistrate discharged the defendants and in addressing Rattey said he could never take the part of the police when they behaved in an insolent manner towards the Chinese. The police were on the whole a valuable body of men, but they should never be overbearing towards the Chinese. Probably Rattey in kicking over the bowls of rice acted only on the impulse of the moment and it was hoped this case would be a warning to him as long as he remained in the force. It was unfortunate that the constable chose that particular moment to step on to the footpath, as his action had really brought about all the trouble. The Magistrate hoped that policemen in the future would consult their superior officers before acting in such a manner as Rattey had done on this occasion.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
|
The Jubilee Committee invite a general illumination of the city and the harbour on the 22nd June.
[May 20, 1897.
The Singapore Free Press of the 6th May says:-The ice-breaker Nodeshnij, now in bar- bour on her way to Vladivostock under the The chairs at the foot of Wyndham Street Danish flag, was built quite recently in Den- now stand pointing up the bill instead of mark to the order of the Russian Government. down, so that they are ready to take up In shape she resembles a scow, with the ex- their fares without turning. The relief to the ception that she not only runs up forward, but traffic at this busy corner is very noticeable. aft as well. She is of heavy tonnage and nearly Just before the last race at the gymkhana 4,000 horse-power. Her function is to run meeting on Saturday Mr. Spencer made a bal-straight at the ice floes and with her weight loon ascent and parachute descent at the break them up so as to allow of vessels follow- Happy Valley. His performance was watcheding her in and using the port. The Nadezhnij with considerable interest and the general is a twin-screw vessel of 1,212 tons gro-s and opinion was that it was the best yet seen in 258 net register and lighted throughout with Hongkong. Mr. Spencer
"landed in the the electric light. Another similar vessel, the harbour near the Causeway Bay breakwater, Activ, preceded her in the same direction last but was none the worse for his immersion. month.
*
The magisterial investigation into the charge of arson preferred against Wong Li-kung. master of 99, Jervois Street, the shop which, it is alleged, was wilfully set on fire on the 21st April, concluded on the 11th May, when the acensed was committed for trial. Mr. Deacon, who defended, asked if the accused was committed for trial on a charge of murder as well. Mr. Dennys, Orown Solicitor, said he could not in any way bind the. Attorney General in any charge he might prefer after reading the depositions. Mr. Deacon said that as no charge of murder was pre- ferred he would apply for bail. He submitted that although there might be circumstances of a suspicious nature against, someone the only direct evidence against the prisoner was that some tins of kerosine were found in his room and be bad truthfully said he did not know how they got there. Mr. Dennys objected to bail and the Magistrate refused the application.
The Hon. Treasurer of the Alice Memorial and Nethersole Hospitals begs to acknowledge with thanks, the following donations to the funds of the Hospitals:-
Chow Dart Tong.. Herbert Price Geo. R. Stevens Nao. Nabekra...
$25 25
20
20
U. Nervagna & Co.
20
W. D. Graham
20
Wm. Lysaught
15
on. H. E. Wodehouse, C.M.G. 15
Malcampo & Co. ...
15.
Mrs. Von Stockhausen
10
B. L.
10
Kelly & Walsh, Ld.
10
10
10
10
10
E. S. Whealler H. N. Cooper.
10
10
A. G. Gordon.
10
Leon Gme, Le Roux
10
Ho Wyson
10
Rev. H. Rieke
W. H. Percival J. B. Coughtris Liao Taz San... T. H. W.
Jas. B. Duncan Levy Hermanos Newman Mumford D. F. Tumboly Woonwalla & Co. Fung Tang
Hon. W. Chatham F. D. Guedes...
R. Brotherton Harker... Bürgorjee Naorojee P. C Patell & Co.
J. C. Remedios & Co. C. Abdoola & Co. ... J. G.
...
F. Jemsetjee E. Ellias & Co.
MISCELLANEOUS, -
5
Well contented with the trial of Japanese captains" on two steamers plying respectively to Bombay and Shanghai, says the Hiogo News, the N.Y.K. is now reported to intend nominat- ing several more Japanese to vessels on its foreign lines.
Our Nagasaki contemporary says —One of Her Majesty's storeships we do not like to mention names came into harbour on Saturday morning and made all the sailor men in the place sit up with amazed curiosity. She had apparently some object in view, but the same was indefinite; and she simply prowled ar und abont and in and out of the harbour like a thing possessed. This singular behaviour was soon ob- served by Admiral Oxley on the Grafton and worried him immensely. Then he got nervous or something, and a few minutes after the store. ship had dropped her anchor he signalled to her to pick it up again and get out of the harbour and come in like a decent respectable British man-of-war. Well, the Admiral's orders hold. weight on British storeships, and the prowler quietly stole out of the harbour again. An hour later she returned and started another private tour of inspection, apparently with the object in view of occupying the entire harbour. Ultimately she again dropped anchor, and came to rest near the Boston, but she first had the privilege of picking up her moorings twice by order of the Admiral. Whether it was that the Admiral was too fastidious in the matter or the storeship was too eccentric, it is not within our province to sɛy. A very gallant attempt to save the life of a suicide was made on the 7th May, says the China Gazette, by an officer of the China Navigation Co.'s steamer Tamsui, and we hope the proper authorities will take notice of the fact and enquire into the circumstances, which are on that account worth recording. The vessel left Swatow for Shanghai on the 5th and all went well till shortly before noon on the 7th, when the cry
man overboard was
heard. The deck was at the time in the charge of Mr. J. S. Lamplough, chief officer; he threw. a life-buoy to the man, who was visible in the water, and then seeing him make no attempt to save himself, Mr. Lamplough, with the greatest gallantry, dived overboard. He swam in the direction of the drowning man, who had, how. ever, just disappeared for the last time. Captain Saies instantly gave orders for a boat. to be lowered, and it speaks well for the discip line of the ship to add that within six minutes of the alarm being raised the second officer, Mr. Shaw, and his crew were pulling for dear life to the aid of the drowning man. But after pulling about for a considerable time the search had to be given up, as the man had disappeared. Mr. Lamplough was safely picked up, and we trust he will sustain no bad result from his brave though vain endeavour to save the life of a humble shipmate. The suicide was the Chinese sailors' cook.
COMMERCIAL. Y
TEA.
EXPORT OF TEA FROM CHINA TO GREAT
BRITAIN
1896-97 lbs. Canton and Macao - .... 38,772,908 Shanghai and Hankow..... 18,410,313 ,12,749,306 Foochow
69,532,6275
1895-06 -lbs.
42,138,250 21,317,405
14,676,078
78,131,728
EXPORT OF TEA FROM CHINA TO UNITED STATES AND CANADA,
1896-97
A Tokyo press despatch of the 8th May, translated by the Kobe Chronicle, states that foreign firms in Yokohams have suspended the Shanghai sale of Russian petroleum, probably in the Amoy...... anticipation that the import of the oil will Foochow cease for a time owing to the war in the south- east of Europe. --
́lbs. .19,809,591
19,863,341
1895-06
lbs.
:20,004 771
17,971,624
[11,716,761:
12,199.184
51,383,696
69,265,579
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