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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
At the Magistracy on Wednesday the China-At the Magistracy on Saturday Commander man Won Heung, who is charged with the wilful murder of his wife at Praya West last Septem- ber, was committed for trial.
Mr. Ho Wei-sun, solicitor, a brother of the Hon. Dr. Ho Kai, died on Saturday morning. The disease to which the deceased gentleman succumbed was, we understand, fever,
A Chinese woman was at the Magistracy on 28th June fined $25 for illtreating a girl about ten years of age. Though the child's back was covered with sores she had belaboured her with a stick.
A communication from Dr. F. C. Rieloff, Ger- man Consul, published in Saturday's Gazette, notifies that in consilleration of the danger of infection from plague vessels visiting Kiaochau will be subject to medical examination.
The plague has now quite disappeared from Macao and it is hoped the Hongkong Govern ment will soon see its way to cease the medical inspection of passengers, so that the Macao steamer may not be delayed on arrival
A number of firms engaged in the cassia trade have formed themselves into an Association called " The Association of China Cassia Exporters," with the object of improving the quality of cassia lignea and broken cassia exported from Canton and Hongkong.
At the Harbour Office on Saturday, before Commander Rumsey, three Zanzibar firemen and an American negro were charged with refusing duty on board the steamer Venus, chartered by the O. and O. Company. They were each sentenced to fourteen days' im- prisonment.
It is notified in the Gazette that Her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to issue a mandate anthorising the consecration of the Rev. Joseph Charles Hoare, M.A., to be a Bishop, to the intent that he should exercise his functions in one of Her Majesty's possessions abroad.
The Hon. J. H. Stewart Lockhart returns from Lis leave of absence by the C. P. R. steamer due about the 2nd August. We hear that on his arrival he will undertake an examination of the new territory about to be handed over, and it would appear that the formal transfer will not take place until he has made his report, The Portuguese Consul-General (Mr. Romano) has forwarded to His Excellency the Governor a numerously-signed petition praying that the sentence of death passed upon Ozorio for the murder of Mr. de Jesus be, commuted. The petition was considered by the Governor in Council on Friday morning and was refused the date of the execution being fixed for Monday, 11th July.
The steam-launch Wah_On, running with passengers between Macao, Kongmun, and Sam- shui, on the. West River, was pirated close to Kongmun on the down trip on Thursday. The pirates were nine in number and plundered the passengers and vessel of articles to the value of about $600. Piracy is rampant all along these waterways and yet the Chinese Authorities never take any means to prevent it. Some other Power should do it for them at their ex- pense.
On Wednesday afternoon the remains of P. C. Lithiby were interred in the Happy Valley, a number of deceased's colleagues in the Police Force attending the funeral. He was admitted to the Hospital on Saturday, suffering from malarial fever, and died at eight o'clock on Wednesday morning. Deceased was a native of Exeter. He joined the Hongkong Police Force in 1895, having been previously five years in the Metropolitan Police Force. He was only 32 years of age.
Commander Rumsey had before him on 24th June at the Harbour Office two seamen named Įkin and Fitzgibbons belonging to the British ship Metropolis for disobeying the lawfu commands of William Richards, master of the said ship. The captain stated that at about 10.30 a.m. on Thursday he requested defend- ants to see all clear and they refused to go into the hold; they said it was too hot. Ikin stated that they had been scraping down aloft in the pouring rain. They could not stop down below en account of the great heat. Fitgibbons said he had the same to say and was willing with the others to go to work in any part of the ship, except the hold. Penalties of 14 days' bard labour each were imposed.
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Hastings had before him two Chinamen-one a broker and the other a boatman-who were charged with being in unlawful possession of 50 bags of flour. A watchman arrested the boatman on Praya West at half-past six on Friday morning for being in unlawful posses- sion of the flour. Subsequently the broker went to No. 7 Police Station and claimed the|| flour as his property, producing two receipts for 30 and 17 bags respectively from two different shops. He explained that he had the other three bags in his possession. It was proved that the flour from the two shops in question was sold two hours and a half after the arrest of the boatman. The latter was discharged and the broker fined £10.
All day on Thursday the weather was dull and threatening with squalls and heavy showers at intervals. At 3.30 p.m. the following notice was issued by Mr. Figg from the observatory
"The centre of the depression is likely to pass near Gap Rock. Strong east gale probable in the harbour." As the black south cone, indi- cating a typhoon to the south within three hundred miles, had been displayed since Tues day evening, the shipping and smaller craft had had ample time to make preparations to meet the storm or seek places of safety and the re sidents to make all secure about their houses There were few sampans at work yesterday and as the day wore on and the appearances became more threatening the launches also ceased plying, the Kowloon ferry service being stopped at 7 p.m. From two to four o'clock on Friday morning the wind blew in gusts of typhoon force, but fortunately very little damage was done.
A correspondent writes: - "The rickshaw service in Hongkong proper is now fairly well under control, and with the exception of a rush occasionally at the Hotel doors, the coolies are passably civil, and accept without demur their legal fares. But across the water at Kowloon you find another state of affairs. The coolies are insolent and abusive, and at least double fare is exacted from residents. Non-residents, or visitors going to and from the Docks, are mulcted in as much as can be got out of them. it being nothing uncommon to hear a coolie demandiug' one dollar for the fifteen minutes run. Strangers and seafaring people very often give way to their demands to avoid trouble and escape farther abuse. It appears that the police are powerless to stop this unless the party interested appears at the court to prosecute the coolies for calling them foreign devils and worse. Surely some other means might be found of bringing these pirates to reason, say a notice board with the fares at every rickshaw stand, and a notice in Chinese that blackmailing passengers would be punished by simply giving the number to the first police mau. Another rickshaw stand is urgently needed somewhere on the sea front, the present stand below the Hongkong Regiment Barracks being too far from the European quarter."
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Commander Hastings is determined to do all he can to put down the gambling houses in the colony, and with this object in view he generally imposes a pretty stiff penalty upon offenders in this respect. On 28th June he had before him two men and a woman charged with keeping common gaming house at 38, Third street. On Monday Inspector Hanson and a number of police went to the house in question. Before cents with which to gamble was sent in. Then entering an informer who had been given 40
a Chinese constable entered and found de- fendants and others engaged in the game of fan
tan. He arrested defendants. The informer said he bad evidence that the place had been used as a gambling house for two years. Mr. Hastings, who appeared for the defence, called a witness who said the informer asked the woman for some money about a month ago, and because she refused to let him have any he said what he would do. Mr. Hastings contended that there were no gambling utensils in the house. There were only a matot, box, a biscuit box, and some cash found in the house, and under the Ordinance these could not be recognised as gam- bling utensils. Defendants were just having a quiet game, the informer when he entered having asked them to have one so as 10 entrap them. Defendants were each fined $75, or three months,
[July 2, 1898.
It is with regret, says the Foochow Echo, that we notice the name of Mr. C. H. Brewitt- Taylor amongst the departures on the pas- senger list of the steamer Haeshin. Always courteous, but especially so in the very trying rôle of head of the postal department, Mr. Brewitt-Taylor's departure is a distinct loss to Foochow, though naturally it is by his còl leagues and subordinates that his loss will be most felt. We learn that Mr. Brewitt-Taylor will be "at home" for the future in Peking, where we trust that his talents and scholarly attainments will meet with due recognition and reward.
MISCELLANEOUS.
A Tokyo press despatch of the 18th June states that the Japanese Naval Department has ordered from England two more torpedo those now being built in varions countries for destroyers, each 275 tous, the same type as the Japanese navy. The contract was signed
last month.
The following notice appears in the Hiogo News-Mr. Percy Mackenzie Skinner, who has been editor of this journal for the last five years, has severed his connection with us. Mr. Skinner is shortly proceeding to Singapore to take up a similar position on the Straits Times. We wish bim every success in his new venture.
The well-known and much-respected Rey, Y. K. Yen, M.A., Archdeacon of the American Episcopal Mission, South, died at the Parsonage near the corner of Boone Road and Broadway, Shanghai, on the 20th June. The funeral took place the following afternoon at the American Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, of which church the deceased was the Chinese Pastor,
At the inquest held at Nagasaki to enquire into the circumstances attending the death of William Evans, chief gunnery instructor on board H.M.S. Grafton, who committed suicide by shooting himself on the 17th June on board the ship, evidence was given that deceased was of a despondent disposition. Dr. Crowley, Staff Surgeon, R.N., said be had known the de- ceased from the 12th to 18th May last, when he was on the sick liat suffering from insomnia. The evidence previously given regarding the behaviour of deceased was corroborated by wit- ness. He could give no reason why Evans had taken his life. Deceased had spoken to witness and state that he was feeling much better, and never gave the slightest symptoms of an inten- tion to commit suicide. He saw nothing in his behaviour that would have induced him to put him under restraint or prohibit his access to firearms. The deceased had no suicidal tendency, and it was temporary insanity, caused by a hypochondriacal disposition and by nervous anxiety lest he should develop paralysis, that caused him to commit suicide. A verdict of temporary insanity was returned.
The recall of Colonel E. Rice, until recently Military Attaché of the United States Legation in Tokyo, was, the Japan Mail says, understood to be in connexion with the Hispano-American war, but we were not aware of the high position awaiting him beyond the water, and the news will be received with sincere pleasure by his many friends. He has been nominated an Assistant Inspector-General in the United States Army, Colonel Rice has a long record of active and distinguished service, beginning in 1861. It fills a whole column of the Boston Transcript, and since it does not admit of abbre- paragraph should not be omitted:" He was in viation, we cannot reproduce it here. But one
the battle of Gettysburg, where he was wounded twice in the repulse of Pickett's charge. He was presented by Congress with a medal of honour for leading the advance of his regiment and the Forty-second New York, in the charge made to close the gap in our line and repėl Pickett's assault. The inscription was: The Congress to Lieutenant-Colonel Edmund Rice, Nineteenth Massachusetts Volunteers, for con- spicuous bravery on the third day of the battle of Gettysburg.' In the fierceness of this affair, the Nineteenth Massachusetts (which he com- manded) captured four stands of colours, and lost over one-half of its number, killed and wounded." It was believed in America, at the date of our latest advices, that Colonel Rice would be sent immediately to Manila, but our readers know that he has proceeded direct to New York.