7
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School. Mr. Moses applied to the Government for the site to be put up for sale and witness saw Mr. Brown, the then Surveyor-General. Wit- ness received instructions from Mr. Moses to prepare a report and get out an approximate stimate of the cost. The matter was dropped but revived in 1893, but again the sub- joot lapsed. The next thing was that Mr. Belilios spoke to witness about the land in Kennedy road and asked him to apply to the Government to put it up for sale. The total area was not mentioned, but Mr. Balilios said he wanted as much as he could get. He also said that the Jewish community could bare a portion of it for a new synagogue, but if they did not wish it he would have the whole of the land himself. Mr. Belilios first of all
applied for the lower lot as a feeler to see how much the Government wanted for it. Witness knew that Mr. Belilios was looking out for a site for a new house, as be bad frequently said the Chinese were surrounding his present house, "Kingsclere," and he would have to clear out of it. In making the application for the ground witness told the Director of Public Works that he had nothing to do with the Jewish community and that his client was Mr. Belilios. Witness attended the sale at the request of Mr. Belilios, who was not certain whether he would be able to attend him self and if he was not there he wished witness to buy the land for him. When the upper lots were bought it was intended to approach them through the lower lot, the idea being to build the new house on a plateau twenty feet below the Macdonnell Road.
The Court then adjourned. THE PROTECTION OF CHINESE BRITISH SUBJECT.
A STRAITS CHINAMAN IN TROUBLE. [SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE "DAILY PRESS."
Singapore, 6th December.
The Governor of the Straits Settlements telegraphed to the Consul at Amoy asking for the release of a Straits born Chinaman in carcerated in a native prison in China while travelling. with a Straits passport.
The Consul replies that the Minister refuses protection because the Straits born man had not registered at the Consulate until after the suit in which he is concerned had begun.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND .
THE GERMANS AT KIAOCHAU.
CAPTURE OF KIAOCHAU CITY. SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE "DAILY PRESS."
Shanghai, 6th December.
A force of two hundred men from the Ger- man fleet captured Kinochau city on Friday without opposition, the Chinese retreating.
Peking, 29th November.
The German Minister has formulated his demands on the Tsungli Yamèn under six heads:-
**(1) Tls. 200,000 indemnity for the two Ger. man missionaries killed at Yenchou. (2) The rebuilding of the chapel destroyed in the riot, (3) The payment of Germany's expenses incur red in the occupation of Kiaochau. (4) Li Ping-heng, retiring Governor of Shantung, to be cashiered and dismissed from the public service. (5) The severest penalties upon the murderers of the German priests and upon the local authorities where the riot took place. (6) a. Germans to be given the sole right to open coal mines throughout Shantung province. b. Special privileges to be granted Germans in the matter of railways in the said province. and c. Germany to be given the privilege of storing coal at Kiaochan in perpetuity: e, Kinochon to become a German naval coaling
station.
The Imperial Government has, so far, re-
fused to negotiate with Germany, and demands the withdrawal of the German forces before consenting to any of the above demands.
30th November.
In the Grand Council this morning his Im- perial Majesty declared that he was willing to
grant articles 1, 2, and 5 of the German demands, but as for Articles 3, 4, and 6, His Imperial | Majesty is said to have announced that he would rather lose life and throne itself than give way to such preposterous demands. It is further stated at the Palace that the Imperial Govern. ment will ask the Dual Alliance and Great Britain to mediate and has decided not to pro- ceed to extremities with Germany at present. Confirmation is given to the above report by the daily conferences the Ministers of the Tsungli Yamen haye been having with the Ministers of France and Russ of late. There is also a rumour, the source of whic cannot be traced, to the effect that the Russian
PARTITIONING OF THE CHI- Minister has declared his inability to give any
NESE EMPIRE.
EXTRAORDINARY REPORTS.
Frivate information has been received in Hongkong by a prominent resident from a cor- respondent in the North believed to be well informed to the effect that Russia, Germany, and France have agreed upon a policy of territorial aggrandisement by which each is to obtain substantial advantages. Germany is to retain Kiaoch au and ultimately annex the whole of the Shantung province, France is to hare Formosa and the Fokien province, and Russia is to annex Korea and Manchuria and the whole of the north-eastern portion of China as far as the Shantung border.
No official confirmation of this extraordinary report has been received in Hongkong, so ance is attached to it in non-official circles far as can be ascertained but some import- and we hear that a meeting of the Committee of the China Association is to be held to-day to consider the situation. We understand also that the information has been telegraphed to the home press.
help to China in the present crisis.
Shanghai, 29th November.
On Saturday last a number of junks, belong- ing to local native bongs, which had loaded for Kiaochou returned to port with their original cargoes on board, and reported that they had been prevented by the Germans from entering the harbour limits of Kisochan, while Tientsin junks already in Kiaochau harbour loading for the north were also prevented, according to the story of the local junkmen, from leaving the harbour.
Since the seizure of Kiaochau Bay by the Germans a great increase of activity has been observed in the interior in the way of recruit ing troops, says a native correspondent, and it is intended to double the number of battalions by the end of this Chinese year in all the mari- time provinces. A telegram from Peking states that the Emperor has been receiving no less than forty-eight secret memorials on the subject
Censors but also from the high military and civil of the defence of the empire, not only from the officials in the empire. A change of policy will certainly be the outcome of all this, as great in dignation is felt in the interior provinces at the action of the Germans. Not even during the late war with Japan was there such a united feeling that something must be done for home and country, as may now be observed everywhere amongst the educated people and the masses. This patriotic spirit is said by the same writer to be grealy due to the reading of the books published by the missionaries since the late war.
Probably there is a substratum of truth in the report, but it is unlikely that a policy of out-and-out annexation is to be immediately en- tered upon.
What seems more likely is that the Powers named have defined certain spheres of influence in which each is to have a free hand to do as it likes and that in certain A decree has been issued by the Throne for- contingencies each may count upon the support bidding Li Ping-heng, the Viceroy-designate of the others. The statement respecting For- of Szechuan, to leave his Governorship of Shan- mosa seems the most incredible part of, the re-tung until the case of the two German priests port, but what is meant possibly is that in at Yenchou is settled satisfactorily. Another de- the event of war between Russia and Japan cree issued shortly after commands Chang Ju- Francs would lend her assistance to the former mei, the
who Power and take Formosa, as her reward should happened to ernor-designate of Shantung, what the war prove successful.
time, to start at once for Chinanfu, the capital
[Décember 8, 1897,
of Shantung, to assist Li Ping-heng. Regard- ing the last decree a Tientsin despatch reports that H.E. Chang Ju-mei passed through that city en route for Shantung on the night of the 20th instant, called upon Viceroy Wang the next morning, and had a conference with him which lasted all day and part of the night. At day. break of the 22nd instant H.E. Chang started for Chinan via the Grand Canal route. The same despatch also reports the arrival at Tientsin on the 20th of Dr. von Prittwitz, Secretary of the German Liegation, bound for Kiaochau Bay, It is further stated that Dr. von Prittwitz in- tends to visit the scene of the late murder in
Yenchou prefecture.
30th November.
Dr. Stuebel, the German Consul-General here, and Dr. Schrameier, interpreter, left yes- terday by the Loongmoon for Kiaochau Bay.
General Chang Kao-yuan who was in com mand at Kiaochou Bay at the time of its seizure by the Germans has, according to a Peking despatch, been denounced to the Throne by Li Ping-heng, the retiring Governor, for cowardice in not resisting the invaders. General Chang is one of the most popular officers in the Northern army and our Newchwang correspondent wrote very highly of him during the war with Japan. It is said by the friends of General Chang that
when the Germans appeared they notified him that the Emperor of China had handed Kiaochou over to the former and dared him to resist on pain of being denounced as a rebel."-N. C. Daily News.
ד
The China Gazette of the 1st December gives the following reports:-The contract for the erection of extensive barracks, dwelling houses, magazines, etc., for the accommodation of the German Garrison at Kiaochau has been given to a well-known Chinese contractor in Shanghai. The Chinese are growing more patriotic every day.
It is reported that the mandarins in Shantung have arrested nine of the murderers of the Ger- man Missionaries at Yengtu.
We understand that the journey of Dr. Staebel, the German Consul-General, to Kiao- chan is in connection with the establishment of Civil Government in that region, where Ger- man law will be applied to the native population.
An Imperial order by telegraph was received at midnight on Monday by Lu Hai-huan, Minister designate to Germany, instructing him to proceed at once to Berlin to open negotia-
tions with the German Government on the seizure of Kiacchau Bay. He leaves here by the German mail steamer Bayern on Friday next.
Various reports appear in the Japanese pa- pers with reference to the German occupation of Kiaochau Bay.
The Japanese chargé d'affaires at St. Petersburg, in a despatch dated November 25th, is said to have informed his Government as follows:-In reply to my inquiry, the German Ambassador at St. Petersburg states that his Government had previously informed the Russian Government of the occupation of Kiao-chau Bay simply from a friendly point of view, but he asserts that the two Governments had not had
any consultation upon the matter. He further remarked that it had been rumoured that a secret understand. ing existed between Russia and China [regard-
that Germany had no necessity of formally was not aware of any such understanding,:80 ing Kiao-chan], but the German Government
consulting with Russia concerning the present
step.
The action taken by Germany is said to be. regarded as a menace to the peace of the Orient, that Japan cannot be silent, therefore, and that a protest must be made either jointly or with other Powers or independently by Japan. The Government seems to be resolved to protest against the action of Germany.
It is also stated that though the occupation was formally communicated by the German- Admiral to the Commanders of the British, Russian, and French Asiatic squadrons, no notice had been received by the Chief of the Japanese Naval Staff Department or the Com mander of the Japanese standing squadron. și ș A Peking telegram states that Germany has made a further demand upon the Chinese Gov- ernment, relating to the construction
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