476
to King Charles asking him to accept another bill of £100,000 sterling, the American Con- gress gare the King the assurance that "the gratitude of the American people to His Catholic Majesty and the generous Spanish nation would be eternal,"
It is no doubt in the name of this eternal gratitude that the United States to-day seek to despoil Spain of the island of Cuba, from which were despatched the relieving expeditions des- tined to assure their independence.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
noon the troop arrived at Hozan Hill, where the banditti were in force. The latter defended themselves very strongly, taking advantage of big caves, which formed natural fortifications. Eventually, on the 21st, the Chinese were defeated with a loss of 22 killed, while the Japanese loss amounted to 8 killed and wounded: A number of guns and considerable ammunition were captured, and thestroops returned to Hozan without further fighting.
On the 22nd, the Civil Prefect of Hozan re- It is right to recognise, however, that all the ported to the military headquarters, that about Spaniards of the last century were not so con- 100 armed men, under the command of an old fident as King Charles III. and his Minister, rebel leader known as Lin were assembling, Count de Floridablanca. Thus Count d'Ararda, apparently with the intention of joining the ambassador of His Catholic Majesty at Paris, band that had been defeated the day before by wrote to his official chief with reference to the the Japanese, and requesting the immediate United States of America as follows:-
despatch of soldiers. Meanwhile the rioters "This Republic was born a dwarf and had retired to Loon-ah-tieng and orders required for the achievement of its indepen-were received to attack them there. The dence the support of two such powerful Japanese infantry on approaching the place nations as France and Spain. Some day, wore fired upon from the outskirts of the however, it will become a giant; then it village, and the attack was commenced, the will forget the benefits received from these Chinese returning the fire briskly. Soon after- powers and think only of its own aggrandise- wards a fire was seen to be burning in that ment.
portion of the village occupied by the rioters. As to its origin the Japanese were unable to account. They had not as yet entered that portion of the village. The banditti fled soon after, leaving 31 killed and 40 who were after- wards taken prisoners, and it is assumed that they fired the place as they were escaping
This prophecy of a diplomatist may be re- commended to the meditations of ancient Europe.
COLLAPSE OF THE PATRIOTIC LEAGUE.
A Peking correspondent of the N. C. Daily
News writes :-
The new patriotic club of which I wrote you bas come to an untimely end. It has evaporated like rain drops from our summer clouds, leav- ing nothing but an ugly blot to remind us of its existence.
It was founded on a lia; and though it en- rolled some respectable names its animus was from the first anti-foreign.
To one who read the documents, and talked with its members there was no mistaking its spirit, but the alleged fact to which it appealed as a spur to the movement was not to be divined, without evidence. That evidence is now in
hand.
The Emperor having ordered an inquiry the Governor of Shantung replied that on careful examination he found no truth in the report of a sacrilegious mutilation of images. The soldiers he said had not even gone into the part of the temple which contained the images.
A Shantung missionary to whom I last week spoke of the alleged outrage promptly denounced the stories as a fiction, adding that he had just come from the place referred to; and that he had not heard a word said in regard to any oc. currence of the kind.
The story was invented by some one who knows how to fire the Chinese heart. But what must we think of a patriotic association that has no better basis to rest on ?
The organisation we are told was never com. pleted, and that those who responded to the false alarm are now ashamed of having signed
the paper.
FORMUSA.
25
[from our owN CORRESPONDENT.]
Tamsui, 1st June 1898. In the May 9th issue of your journal a correspon dent in the south of the Island gives to the public the Chinese version of an engagement in which there were "24 men, 2 women, and 4 children killed, which your correspondent describes as the "indiscriminate and savage butchery of in- nocent countrymen and helpless women and children by the Japanese soldiery in the Hozan district." We in the North are of course not in a position to ascertain the exact truth of affairs occuring in the South, but in all fairness to the Japanese your correspondent will doubt- less not object to the presentation of their
rersion.
On pointing out the article in question to Staff Captain Ota, this officer looked up the fficial reports covering the period and per. mitted us to copy them.
i
"
Your correspondent states that the Japanese, smarting under the defeat sustained, allowed their lust for blood to overcome all soldiery instincts, for on the return journey to Hozan they attacked a peaceful village called Loon-ab- tieng." Your correspondent has doubtless erred here, as the Japanese were eventually victorious at the Hozan Hills, and the Loon-ah-tieng en- gagement did not take place at that time. It was a separate expedition ordered by the Civil Prefect and consisted of four companies, whereas the Hozan Hill engagement force was comprised of only one company.
Your cor. respondent can quite likely verify these state- ments if he desires.
As to the killing of "2 women and 4 children," which your correspondent is scarcely justified in describing as the "indiscriminate and savage butchery" of " helpless women and children by the Japanese soldiery of the Hozan district," it is quite possible that it occurred. It would seem almost impossible to attack any village without killing some
and children, if they were there.
women
The Japanese have a great task before them. The country is much disturbed in several districts and the savages have been making frequent raids on the Chinese. It is necessary that strict measures be taken in dealing with the armed banditti, and in this the authorities should be encouraged rather than impeded. ́
HONGKONG.
The latest news as to what is transpiring in the Philippines was brought by H.M.S. Swift on Monday, the despatches informing us that the insurgents had begun to surround Manila and had already had several collisions with the Spaniards, the latter of whom had got the worst of the encounters. Further information is ex- pected by the Zafiro-to-day or to-morrow. On Monday evening the Hon. T. H. Whitehead gave a farewell dinner at the Charter House to Captain F. R. Loveband, for the last three years non. sec. Hongkong Polo Club, who left for aome on Wednesday. Some commotion was caused in the city on Thursday by a seizure of arms and ammunition suspected to be for
Manila.
The Royal Artillery have vacated North Barracks and removed to Victoria Barracks, and North Barracks were on 4th Jane taken over by the Naval authorities in connection with the Naval Yard extension. The late Mr. E. Sharp's property has already been taken over, and the work is now expected to proceed vigorously.
|
The Secretary of the Punjom Mining Co., Limited, advises us that he has received the following telegram from the mines giving the On April 19th, the Regiment Commander result of the May clean up-"The mill ran having received a report from the police to the 29 days crushing 2,550 tons of headings yield- effect that three or four hundred banditti were ing 262 ozs. of smelted gold. Twenty tons of assembling in Toa-ta-su, despatched one com- concentrates were ground in Berdan pans yield. pany of infantry to attack them. At about ' ing 15 ozs, of smelted gold."
1
[June 11, 1898.
declaring Amoy an infected port.
A proclamation appears in Saturday's Gazette
late special engineer, Praya reclamation works, The report for last year of Mr. E. Bowdler)
is published in the Gazette.
The ferry-boats for the service of the Perak State Railway are due to arrive there early next January. They are under construction by the Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Company -Straits Times.
|
Messrs. John D. Humphreys & Son, General Managers of Olivers Freehold Mines, Limited, inform us that they have received a telegram from the mines to the effect that the expert's report on Eureka mine is satisfactory, and that Mr. Hart Buck leaves for Hongkong on the 20th insf.
We regret to learn from Consul-General Wildman that he is in receipt of a cable to the effect that Captain Charles V. Gridley, U.S.N. died at Kobe on Sunday afternoon. Captain Gridley commauded the U.S. flagship Olympic at the battle of Manila Bay. He came here on U.S.S. Zafiro and left for America via O. & O steamer Coptic. Captain Gridley entered the Naval Academy from Michigan, 26th Septem ber, 1860, and saw service during the civil war, The Consulate flag was half-masted on Monday- a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased officer.
as
The following notice signed by the Hon R. D. Ormsby, Director of Public Works appears in the Gazette:"The Water Authority begs the co-operation of Peak residents in preventing misuse or waste of water, so as to avoid, if possible, the shutting off of the supply for many hours of the day. At present the capacity of the pumping station is strained almost to its limit and the daily consumption The presence of the military at Mount Austin in May exceeded that of April by 25 per cent." has no doubt contributed to the increased con- sumption mentioned in the above.
The Douglas steamer Haitan, Captain Hall, which arrived on 3rd June from Coast Ports, res- cued six shipwrecked Chinese sailors off Men- doza. The junk to which they belonged was bound from Swatow to Hongkong and was capsized about 2 a.m, on 3rd June and broke up. The six survivors were rescued from the wreck- age. They stated that the crew consisted of- nine, and it is believed the three missing men got entangled in the sail and, being unable to swim were drowned. Needless to say the men rescued were well cared for on the Haitan, and the native passengers and others gave practical expression to their sympathy by subscribing a few dollars, for which the recipients were ex ceedingly grateful.
The master of the steam launch Kwang Lee was charged at the Magistracy on 3rd June with carrying 29 passengers in excess of the number allowed by his license while in local trade waters. P. C. Osborne said that on Wednesday after- noon he was on duty in No. 6 pinnace between Stonecutter's Island and Kennedytown when he saw the Kwang Lee enter the harbour from the direction of Capsuimun. He stopped the launch, it being his business to ask where they came from, being on quarantine duty, and was informed that the launch came from Sum Chui, the other side of Capsuimun. He counted the passengers, and found they numbered 95, which was 29 more than the launch was licensed to carry within local trade waters. A fine of $58 was imposed.
Our readers will be glad to learn that a pro- posal to erect a memorial to the late Misses Ireland and Higgin has taken shape and that subscription lists are now open. Sisters Ger- trude and Frances lost their lives while in the performance of their duties and a desire has been widely expressed that the memory of their noble self-sacrifice should be perpetuated in some suitable form. As notified in a communi- cation in another column, the form of the mem- orial will be decided at a meeting of subscribers after the friends of the deceased ladies have been communicated with. Subscription lists will be found at the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, Messrs. Lane, Crawford & Co., Messrs. Kelly & Walsh, and Messrs. A. S. Watson & Co. Subscriptions will also be received by Mrs. Wilsone Black, Lady Carrington, Mrs. S. C. Holland, and Mr. T. Jackson, Hon Treasurer pro, tem.