November 18, 1897.]
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after being charged with debenture interest, being reduced to Tls. 7,156.07. The directors are glad to be able to state that, under the new management, considerable economies have been effected in the Company's expenses.
Directors. Mr. J. H. McMichael retires in rotation as required by the Articles of Associa- tion, but offers himself for re-election.
Auditor.Mr. G. R. Wingrove again offers himself for re-election.
C. J. DUDGEON, Secretary. W. V. DRUMMOND, Chairman. Shanghai, 11th November. 1897.
BURNING OF A RIVER STEAMER IN TONKIN,
L'Avenir du Tonkin of the 6th instant gives a long account of the burning of the river boat Phénix, running between Haiphong and Hanoi and owned by the Messageries Fluriales. It the appears that at 8 p.m. on the 3rd instant Phénix, which had on board four first-class, two second-class, and about sixty deck passengers., and which was laden with forty tons of general merchandise, had just left Lach-tray, when an alarm of fire was given, and in less than a minute's time the boat was enveloped in flames, The first class passengers were at the time in the saloon. Mr. Gandox, the commissaire' on board, ran forward and aft to inform the passengers of the disaster, shouted orders to the pilot to run the boat ashore, and rushed off to save the mails. He could, however, only succeed in extricating the two bags for Hanoi. In this he was assisted by the cook, who likewise helped him to lower the boats, the sailors having disappeared. At the height of the confusion, Mr. Husson, a passenger on board, espied a little child abandoned to perish in the flames. He at once took it up and, as he was a fine swimmer, plunged with it into the river, but unfortunately in rising to the surface his head struck against the bottom of the vessel with such force that he relaxed his hold upon the child, and it was with difficulty he got to shore himself. The cause of the fire, s explained by a native eye witness, was that among the cargo on deck were 39 barrels of oil and about ten or twelve packages containing several hundreds of native palm leaf huts. A few drops of the oil leaked out of one of the barrels. and an Anna- mite, after having lighted his water pipe threw a burning match upon this oil. The oil in- stantly caught fire and the flames spread to anything that was inflammable on board. In one hour, only the blackened steel hull of the Phénix remained. Only three natives were reported as missing, and of this number two were children. Several persons were slightly burnt, but none sustained any serious injury. The Long Tcheon, a Chinese steam-launch from Nam Dinh, passed the spot at about 11 o'clock the same night and conveyed the European passengers and the injured to Haiphong, for which place she was bound. The Tigre, which was on her way from Hanoi to Haiphong, reached the scene of the accident at 3.30 the next morning, and Mr. Gandox, the commissaire of the Phenix, and about 30 Annamites went on board.
This unfortunate accident, following upon that of the Raphael, and the wreck of the Quang yen on the rocks of Port Wallut. must be a very considerable loss to Messrs. Marty & D'Abbadie, In estimating the value of the Phéniz at 120,000 francs, the cargo at 15,000; the loss resulting from the absence of the vessel from the lines during a year, say at about' 50,000 francs; and miscellaneous expenses at 15,000, the total would come to 200,000 francs. Messrs. Marty and D'Abbadie have compensated all the native passengers who have gone to them to claim on their baggage burnt.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
CANTON NOTES.
HONGKONG.
391
FROM THE "CHUNG NGOI SAN PO."
The Hongkong cricket week ended on Mon- It is said that the Tartar General has received day, and, after keeping fine for the whole time, a telegram from Peking to the effect that His the weather suddenly changed on Tuesday and Excellency is to be transferred to the post of rain fell in torrents. The Straits Settlements easily proved their superiority over both Hong- Tartar General in the province of Chekiang.
The Tartar General and the two Assistant kong and Shanghai, as on each occasion the Tartar Generals have appointed the 24th instant southerners took the field they inflicted a single for the bombardment of Shau-Kau Hill. The innings defeat on their opponents. In celebra- bombardment will last fifteen days. It is a ruletion of the cricket festival "A Pair of Spectacles' that the Tartar General shall bombard the hill in was performed by the A.D C. on Tuesday (9th) question once a year, for it has been long believed and Thursday, a fete was held on the cricket by the Imperial families that the hill possesses ground on Friday, a dinner was given on Satur- excellent fengshni and has the spirit of a dragon day. H.E. the Governor gave a ball at Govern- within it. so that if any one buries the remains ment Honso on Monday, and the Volunteers a of his ancestors in the hill he or his decendants concert at the City Hall last night. On Thurs- will be able to conquer the Empire and make day Hongkong fired in the Interport Rifle Match, scoring 916, or 18 points behind Singa- themselves emperors. Consequently the hill is not allowed to be used as a burial place and the pore. Two terrible tragedies marked the week of festivity. On Sunday morning a woman and Tartar General is ordered to bombard it once a year so as to drive off the spirit of the dragon. her son were murdered in Shelley Street, and This is the best chance for the Tartar General the murderer attempted to commit suicide and on Monday night a gang robbery was committed to make his squeezes, for after the bombardment be will report to the Emperor that the expenses in Burd Street, one man being murdered. amounted to hundreds of thousands of taels. Really only three or four guns are to be fired.
On the 2nd instant a man named Hu Fa-ting was murdered outside the North Gate, where he was found in a dying condition by some passers-by. The dying man, who was still able to speak, said that he came from Heungshan district and stopped at an inn in Yuen-cheong Street. He was not on good terms with a man named An King-tsun, who sent the murderer. named Ip-Yan sang, to lead him to the North Gate and kill him." He died a few miuntes after The father of the making this statement. deceased has reported the case to the Magis- trate. but the murderer is still hot arrested.”
Owing to the high prices of rice, oil, and fire- wood, a notification has been issued at the re- quest of the charitable institutions abolishing the lekin taxes levied on the said articles.
On the 6th inst. a boat belonging to an inn capsized when trying to reach the Hongkong and Canton steamer on her arrival to get ens tomers. Two men were drowned.
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On the 28th ultimo niue robbers, after com- mitting a robbery, were chased by a party of soldiers, and in their flight they passed a mili- tary station. The robbers fired at the soldiers and killed a petty military officer in charge. They at lust reached Cantou and hired lodging boat in which they stopped. Two of the robbers, being afraid that they would be arrested for committing such an offence, re- ported the ease to the superintendent of the lukongg..by which they thought they would secure a pardon. The superintendent sent a party of lukongs to arrest all the other seven robbers, and they as well as the two informers have all been seut to the Namhoi Magistrate for trial.
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There were 2,163 visitors to the City Hall Museum last week, of whom 223 were Europeans,
At the Magistracy on 9th Nov. a Chinaman was fined $25, or in default six weeks' imprison- ment, for selling slips of paper on which were printed the results of the Waising Lottery.
The stamp revenue in October amounted to $21,762, being an increase of $4,245 on the amount collected in the corresponding month of last year.
Mr. C. Ford, Superintendent of the Botanical and Afforestation Department, returned from leave of absence by the P. & O. steamer Ganges on the 14th November.
The maximum temperature last month was 86.8, on the 12th, and the minimum 66.3, on the 23rd, the mean for the mouth being 76.8. The rainfall amounted to 6.425 inches.
The case in which Ip Yeung, an interpreter in the employ of the Sanitary Board, was charged with having obtained money by false pretences was concluded on 10th Nov. The pri- soner was sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment with hard labour.
Messrs. John D. Humphreys and Son, General Managers of Olivers Freehold Mines, Limited, have received the following telegram from Monnt McDonald-The Mill has been started, crushing in first rate form." This refers to the new mill recently erected.
At the regular meeting of the United Service Lodge, No. 134. held on Monday evening, the undermentioned brethren were duly elected to the offices of Wor. Master, Treasurer, and Tyler for the ensuing year :-Wor. Master, Bro. Dan Hall Treasurer, Bro. H. Hurst; Tyler, Bro. J. Grimble.
Two bend coolies were on the 10th Nov. charged with trying to hinder another bead coolie from going to his work by threats of violence. They were each ordered to pay a fine of $50 with the alternative of six weeks' imprisonment with hard labour, and to be bound over in one
surety of $100; in default, to be committed,
On the 6th instant a junk ruuning between Canton and Suntak district was robbed. The junk was towed by a steam-launch which had on board about ten thousand dollars realised by the sale of silk brought to Canton from Snutak for sale! Some robbers got wind of this and boarded the junk as passengers." It is a admitted on rule that
no passengers board steam-lanuches. towing junks. When not far from Canton, a well. the junk was dressed robber made a dog which he had with to the steam-launch. The him jump over robber, crying out that he wanted to get back his dog. immediately jumped to the steam-launch after it. When he got to the launch he pointed his revolver at the cox-presiding.
About a dozen robbers jumped after swain. him to the launch and then eut the tow rope, casting the junk off. and forced the Coxswain to steam to Chii-tan-shan, where they landed and took away all the money. A man who is suspected to be one of the robbers has¦
Bangkok must be an agreeable place to live in. | The Siam Observer of the 3rd instant gives the¦ been arrested in Canton. following as an ordinary paragraph under the head of "More Shooting:" -On Monday even- ing two passengers in a tram car were shot by a couple of men who stood under the fence of Mr. Maclachlan's compound. Mr. Blech and some police were in the car, but the men got clear away. Fortunately the wounds are not likely to be fatal, the bullets having in one instance passed through the wrist, and in the other through the fleshy part of the side, just escaping any vital organ.
The Osaka Asahi reports that the Osaka Shosen Kaisha has received a telegram, dated the 30th ult.. from its representative in London, announcing that the insurance office which insured the Tihoku-maru, recently sunk in collision off Lisbon while on her way to Japan. has won the case against the owner of the British steamer Eastbourne, which collided with the Taikoku, claiming damages for the loss of
the O. S. K. steamer.
At the Marine Court on 9th Nov. J. MacLagen, quartermaster on board the steamship Kaiser-i lind was sentenced to three weeks imprison- ment with hard labour for refusing to obey the commands of the captain, and Richard Fishwick, a seaman on the British ship Saint Ninian, was sentenced to seven days' for a similiar offence.
A meeting of the members of the Hongkong Smoking Concert Club was held at the City Hall on the 15th November. Mr. E. W. Mitchell The report and accounts, which showed a credit balance of $139.52, were adopted, and the following Committee was then elected.
-Capt. Barry Drew, Commander Taylor, R.N., Messrs. G. P. Lammert, J. Meier, G. A. Cald well. R. T. Wright. E. W. Mitchell, and J. F. A. Hastings.
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At the regular meeting of Lodge St. John held at the Masonic Hall on Friday evening, 12th Nov. the following were elected as officers for the ensu- ing year:-R.W.M., Bro. W. Farmer; W.S.W. Bro. J. Lochead; W.J.W., Bro. G. G. Burnett; Treasurer, Bro. C. Parkson: Secretary, Wor. Bro. F. Howell; S.D., Bro. J. Bargess; J.D., Bro. A. Weill; Organist, Bro. A. J. M. Farr; Stewards, Bro. W. Osborne and J. C. Good. child; Director of Ceremonies, Bro. W. Robert- sou; I.G., Bro. F. W. Powell; Tyler, Bro, Jorus.