that precaution, or stowing the arms where they can be regained, might easily give these des- perate characters the opportunity they seek to attack andd-lunder the ship.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
NOTES FROM VLADIVOSTUCK. Mr. J. T. Mannix writes to the N. C. Daly News from Vladivostook under date of 7th
June:-
The chief engineer of the great Siberian- SERIOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT IN Manchurian line, with a considerable number of
JAPAN.
assistants from St. Petersburg, were passengers on the Nagato Maru which arrived in this port to-day. The party includes a number of Russiaus who are very brilliant in their
of engineering. They profession
The climax of railway "accidents which have unpleasantly been frequent of late in Japan was reached by an accident which happened on the Nakasendo line of the Japan Railway Company on Sunday 11th July. An up train, consisting of twelve cars, left Mayebashi at 10.04 a.m. and arrived at Fukaya at 11.30. When the train was leaving the lat'er station under reduced speed a freight train, loaded with bricks, which had been coming up from a branch line to effect a junction with the main line, in spite of the signal hoisted, collided with the other from the side with terrific force. Three carriages, a first, second and third, were shattered like match- wood and all the others were derailed and over- turned in the paddy field which proved rather fortunate in lessening the effects of the shock to the occupants. Of the three cars smashet there was no passenger in the first-class car bud in the second-class there were twelve passengers, two of whom were seriously injured but the rest managed to escape with compara- tively slight injuries. Altogether seven persons, including two women, were most badly hurt; the recovery of two of them, a man and an old woman, is said to be doubtful. Needless to say all the passengers who had the misfo, tune to be in the train were more or less injured. The disaster occurring as it did very close to the station every possible assistance and treatment were extended to the unfortunate people soon after the occurence. Such a catas- trophe is said to be unprecedented in the annals of the Japan Railway Company. The two
are mother and daughter and are reported to be living at No. 39, Bluff, Yokohama. They had been at Ikao and were on their way home when they met with the disaster.-Japan Gazette.
interested
had
B
à lightful voyage along the coast and were much
in what they saw of Corean life, and in other features of a voyage which was thoroughly "international." There were some passengers aboard the Nagato who took the steamer at Hongkong, and these en- joyed a trip which was exceedingly interesting, The British subjects among the passengers were delighted all along-Hongkong, Shanghai, Chefoo, Chemulpo, Nagasaki, Fusan, Gensan- with the interest shown by the government representatives of, those communities in the But there was nothing Diamond Jubilee.
to delight these people in what they found in Vladivostock. Not a cannon was boomed, not a flag was raised, not a thing was done to mark the day. Perhaps this complete absence an anniversary which the of interest in world in general observed with becoming respect was due as much to the damp and very unpleasant condition of the weather here, as to the rather anti-English feeling that is found among Russians generally these days. There was a British steamer or two in port, but if the officers aboard those ships celebrated they
demonstrative enough to disturb the silent hundreds on the neigh- It is entirely bouring Russian warships. probable that Vladivostock is the only port of considerable size in any civilised country in the world where there was absolutely no obser- vance of the remarkable occasion. That there
not were
|
[July 29, 1897.
these officers and representatives of Manchurian interest. These are but mere formalities to be attended to, however; and it is only a matter of another fortnight when the work of the final survey will be begun. It is the purpose to pro- secute this work with all possible vigour. There are well-informed men in this community who predict that the Trans-Siberian railway will be an accomplished fact when the new century begins, and this, notwithstanding the fact that, not nearly as much has been accomplished since the first rail was laid as even the conservative Russians predicted. When construction work is actually resumed many thousands of coolies, Chinese and Koreans, but paticularly the former, will be put at work. It is said that 8,000 or 10,000 able-bodied natives of Manchuria can easily be secured at a rate not greater than 20 Kopeks a day.
TIENTSIN.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Tientsin, 10th July, There is little stirring in the political world just now, but that little excites our interest far beyond its intrinsic importance. The Belgian loan is by no means un fact accompli, and is even now the very centre of a oyclone of intrigue. As usual, the preliminary agreement seems to have been drawn with a good deal of ambiguity and there are many meshes in the net by which the wily fish inside can escape if so inclined. The belief is common up here that France primarily and Russia secondarily are behind the agents of the little state in this matter; bnt in the present unhappy condition of Western com- petition, both in the field of diplomacy and com- merce, this belief was inevitable. The Chinese plausibly give out that by giving so big a thing to a small state they obviate the jealousy con. sequent on the invidious selection of a greater country. It has of course been pointed out to one Western state might best be met by giving other great powers an equal right of inter- ference on commercial grounds: in other words that China's safest policy for the nonce would lie in the balance of outside antagonisms.
women who are included in the list of injured exists in this community pronounced anti-Bri- them that the present political predominance of
TIGERS NEAR FOOCHOW.
Foochow, 17th July. There was quite a flutter of excitement in the port last Monday when the news got round that a Kuliang tiger had been shot. A number of foreigners and a crowd of Chinese went to Mr. Siemsson's hong to see the animal. It proved to be a young tigress, a lightly built and beautifully marked beast. She measured 7 feet 11 inches from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail, and "weighed 205 lbs. Native report has it that on cutting her up it was found that the Celestial Nimrod had "killed two birds with one stone," It may be so, but she had kept her secret well. There are two or three stories current as to how she came by her death but the most likely опе appears to be that a cross-bow with a poisoned arrow, set spring gun "fashion," did the deed. The native hunter states that the poison did its work in two or three minutes. It would be interesting to know the ingredi- ents used in the manufacture of this appar- ently very deadly compound, but so far we have not been able to arrive at this. One enquirer was told that an extract of wasps and some portion of a lizard formed a part of the mixture. The hunter spoke confidently of bagging several more "monarchs of the jungle" and if we may credit all the reports we hear he should have no difficulty in doing so, though the statement made by a gentleman at the Club the other evening, that one had only to go into the garden of a Kuliang house and say shoo" to see the tigers going over the walls like spar- rows out of a rickyard, is open to question.
Echo.
St
The following express was issued at Shang- Lai on the 16th July by the Shanghai-Langkat Tobacco Co., Limited, as a notice to share holders: The following telegram has been received this afternoon from the General Agent, Mr. McBain. Pipe, broken amidship, pump- ing second hole, 150 feet pinion stripped; esti- mated delay within a week, miles of Petroleum."
tish sentiment it does not require long to deter- mine. The Britishers aboard vessels appreciate the feeling, and while they understand they will never be subjected to personal insult or indignity, they spend very little time ashore. Whether so queer and apparently inconsistent Re the premature British loan which the ' a combination as Russia, Germany, and France Peking and Tientsin Times heralded some has been formed or not, it is nevertheless a fact six weeks ago, a curious story is going that the commercial representatives of these around. A preliminary contract for such a three countries get along very nicely and bar-loan (as was described was really signed and all bed-fellows in Vladivostock. the formularies were complied with as if serious moniously as
business were meant. The Peking agent is a There is no doubt at all that Britishers are looked upon with suspicion by some of the secret well known ex-medical-missionary. We say ex because a strong disclaimer has been issued on agents of the Russian government here.
The Russian Government is determined, if his behalf that he is now in any way connected, possible, to frustrate the work of nature, and except by sympathy, with the Christian pro- To ac-paganda. The preliminary agreement is said keep this port open the year round.
a tremendous ice-boat to have contained a penal clause that either complish this purpose has been brought from Europe. The boat side was to pay Tls. 100,000 in case of failure to arrived very recently. It is confidently expected carry on; and the story is that the Chinese are
now pushing the disciple of Galen for that sum. Vladivostock will be kept open next winter. This, if accomplished, will be a remarkable thing.
The Ministers are all eagerly assisting the Peibo improvement scheme, but it hangs fire It has never been done yet, although an
Li is favourably disposed ice-breaker of good proportions tackled the in some occult way.
a couple of winters since. to the question as a very, urgent national re- crystallisations The new boat, the product of Danes, is of such form, and he has carried the Yamen with him. The viceroy here gives it a warm platonic sup- tremendous weight, as to be able, it is said, to break ice a couple of feet thick or thicker, and port, but issues a strong non possumus as re- do it so handily that persons aboard the craft gards big funds. The Taotai in charge of the hardly feel any special vibration. The Danish inception is pottering about reporting abund- inventors and engineers who brought the ice-antly, and doing nothing. The fact is that the breaker from Europe do not appear to have the slightest doubt as to the complete success of the machine.
Business men, generally, in this section are pleased with the conditions and prospects. They have begun vigorous prosecution of the work of constructing the trans-Siberian rail way, and predict such an impetus to emigration and general business after the completion of that great prospective artery as no country ever witnessed before. The chief engineer of the railway, whose arrival at this port I have men- tioned has spent a good deal of time at Peking and it is understood there is now absolutely nothing in the way of going ahead with the enterprise and building the road through Manchuria, and thereby making an actual saving of 600 or 700 miles besides securing other advantages probably greater than the one named. The chief engineer, is now in conference with the Russian Governor, and in a week or two there will be a confab between
scheme proposed is not big enough to satisfy mandarin ambitions and desires; leven Li is supposed to preferentially favour measures which involve a very large outlay in earth- cutting, dredgers, &c., &c.
Naval things are attracting some attention from those on the inner track. In native circles it is given out that Chen Neng Tai, the naval officer in Enrope, who is superintending the vessels being built in Germany and Eng- land, has reported that he has reason to believe Captain W. Lang, R.N., could again be induced to come to China; and that an urgent wire has been sent to Lo Feng Lob, the Minister, to close with him at once. This is news indeed, if true; but we have the best authority for asserting that Capt. Lang was of quite a different opinion in January last. Nothing but an urgent request from the British Govern- - ment to sacrifice his personal wishes to their policy would induce him, he then said, to come to China; and even under such circumstances