498
His Lordship said he took it that their ver- dict was in favour of defendant.
The Foreman said yes.
The Acting Attorney-General said it was an untisual proceeding.
His Lordship remarked that the jury had made up their minds and defendant would be discharged..
Defendant was discharged accordingly.
PERFORMANCE BY THE HONG-
KUNG A,D,C.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
At the Theatre Royal on Thursday night the Hongkong Amateur Dramatic Club presented a "triple bill," which was divided between drama, comedy, and farce. A very fair audience assembled and the performance, though not one of the A.D.C.'s most ambitious efforts, gave evident satisfaction. The feature of the even-
ing was the admirable acting of Mrs. Bagnall Wild, both in the comedietta and farce.
The first piece presented was "Our Bitterest Foe," a one act drama, by G. C. Herbert, repre- senting an incident of 1870. The characters
were as follows :—
General von Rosenberg, a Prussian Commander
Mr. C. H Grace Henri de la Fère, an officer in the French Army
Capt. Burney, R.A. Blanche D'Evran, his cousin
Mrs. C. H. Grace The scene is laid in the Chatean de la Fère, which is in the occupation of the Prussians, and the incident turns on the affection conceived by General von Rosenberg for Blanche D'Evran, who is engaged to her cousin, the owner of the chatean. Henri de la Fère appears disguised as a peasant and is discovered by the General, who has formed a wrong estimate of his character and treats him with contempt, only refraining from condemning him to the usual fate of a spy out of regard for the young lady. De la Fère, how ever, resents the contempt, the General discovers the error he has made in regard to his char- acter, generously surrenders his love, and gives the young people a pass through the lines. The plotis improbable and the dialogue melodramatic, butthesoting of all three characters was good. Mr. C. H. Grace with his fine presence and intimate knowledge of stage business made an excellent General; Captain Burney showed some dramatic power in the passage' in which he defies VON Rosenberg; and Mrs. Grace acted with feeling in the part of Blanche.
The second piece was "Sugar and Cream," a comedietta in one act, by James P. Hurst. The characters were :-
Mr. Wentworth ... ........... Mr. R. K. Bagnall-Wild, R.E. Frank (his son)
Mr. E. F. Shewell, R.A. Mra. Mirfield (a young widow)...Mrs R K. Bagnall-Wild. Spruce (her maid)
Mrs. C. H. Grace.
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Mr. Wentworth, a widower, and his son Frank are more like brothers than father and son, and treat each other with considerable familiarity. The old gentleman thinks it time his son was married and, having arranged a meet- ing with Mrs. Mirfield, gives him strict injunc- tions that he is to propose that very day. He has paved the way by writing a letter to the lady, which, however, is couched in such ambiguous terms that it might be taken for a proposal on his own behalf. Frank, being shown this letter by Mrs. Mirfield, resolves to play a trick on his father by treating it in that sense, and the lady, wishing to arouse a little jealousy in Frank, also thinks fit to accept that read. ing for the time being, so that when Mr. Wentworth reappears he is claimed as the lover, and though not at all inclined for a second matrimonial venture, finds himself unable to altogether resist the lady's blandishments. Frank, who is really in love, thinks that his joke is becoming serious and begins to experience the feeling Mrs. Mirfield wished to arose in him, but in the end the affair is straightened out and the young people receive the father's blessing. Mrs. Bagnall-Wild gave a clever and humorous rendering of the part of Mrs. Mirfield and was repectedly applanded. Mr. Bagnall-Wild made an excell. ent Mr. Wentworth, at one time declaring that he was as young as the best of them and at another that he could not think of marrying at his time of life. Mr. Showell was also capital in the part of Frank, and the more credit is due to him inasmuch as he took the part at short notice in the place of another gentleman who was prevented from playing by indisposition. Mrs. Grace played the part of the maid with much archness.
The third piece was "The Steeple Chase farca in ore act, by John Maddison Morton, the cast being as follows: Mr. Tittume... Alderman Slowcoach Dr. Clipper
Buzzard (a Sheriff's officer) Cummings Thomas Boote ...
[November 26, 1898.
THE CANTON ELECTRIC LIGHT WORKS.
Mr. G. C. Loxon Mr. E. P. W. Skrimshire Mr. R. K. Bagnall.Wild, R.E. Mr. H. W. Bird Mr. A. Bannerman, R.E. Mr. J. F. Noble Mr. E. F. Showell, R.A. Mrs. Clipper (niece to the Alderman)... Mrs. C. H. Grace Mrs. Tittums
Mrs. R. K. Bagnall-Wild The scene is laid in an inn at Southamp ton, where Mr. Tittums is awaiting the arrival of his wife by steamer. He has the misfortune, however, to find on getting up in the morning that his clothies have been stolen or have gone astray during the night, and without his clothes he cannot well go to the wharf to meet his better half. Seeing a port-attached manteau he takes the liberty of borrowing the contents, which prove to be a jockey's outfit be longing to Dr. Clipper, a sporting medico who has come down to ride in a steeple chase. This gentleman has eloped with Alderman Slow coach's niece and is in hopes of making his peace with the uncle. He finds, however, that Bazzard, a Sheriff's officer, is at the inn lying in wait for him. Buzzard, to induce Clipper to walk into a trap, represents himself as the Alderman, while Clipper, having discovered the plot, makes Mr. Tittums assume his name for the time being in consideration of not being given into custody for the theft of the clothing. The result is a most amusing mixing up of the characters and a general confusion which kept the audience in almost continual laughter.
Mr. Loxon is an acquisition to our local stage and his acting on Thursday raises plea- sant anticipations of his appearance in the forth- coming pantomime, in which, we understand, he will have a leading part. He gave a very amusing representation of Mr. Tittums, the old Cockney gentleman who did not know what get- ting into the pigskin meant, but had to receive detailed instructions from Dr. Clipper as to how he was to ride a race; and ride he did, and
Won.
Mr. Skrimshire was effective as the prosperous old tallowchandler, Alderman Slowcoach, and brought out all the many good points the part afforded. Mr. Bagnall-Wild had not such good opportunities in the part of Dr. Clipper as he had in the previous piec, but
he made the most of the business that fell to his share. Mr. Bird was excellent as the
boozy
Sheriff's officer, and the parts of Cummings, Thomas, and Boots were all capably filled. The ladies have not very much to do in the piece, but Mrs. Baguall-Wild gave a typical rendering of an old lady's part, and Mrs. Grace made a pleasant appearance as Mrs. Clipper.
Mr. H. C. Nicolle was acting manager, and Mr. E. W. Mitchell stage manger.
By kind permission of Colonel Rowlandson and Officers, the Band of the King's Own Regiment was present and played during the
intervals.
The alterations that have been effected in the theatre were generally commented upon with approval on Thursday evening. The dress circle has been brought forward, considerably increasing the seating accommodation, and the tiers have been rearranged and made more easily accessible. The steps leading to the gangways are, however, too narrow for the width of the latter, and any one on leaving might easily step over a small precipice at the sides, receiving an unpleasant shaking and possibly a sprain or fracture. ·
Every available seat in the Theatre Royal was again occuppied on Saturday evening, on the occasion of the performance by the Hong- kong Amateur Dramatic Club, H.E. the Acting Governor and the Chief Justice (Sir J. W. Carrington) being among those present. The whole affair was again a large success. The acting was unanimously voted to be ad- mirable, one and all being loud in their praises of the histrionic abilities of the performers.
to
Passengers to Canton may see, about a mile below the Dutch Folly Fort, a building in foreign style with a smoke stack, now in course of erection and approaching completion. This is the station of the Canton Electric Co., the shareholders of which are mostly Canton officials and Hongkong merchants. The our- rent is to be generated by three large dynamos and engines supplied by Messrs. Johnson and Phillips, of London, the makers of the Hong- kong Electric Company's machinery, the en- gines being supplied with steam from one multitubular boiler and three large Babcock and Wilcox boilers. The wires are to be carried through the city on brackets the walls, and one wire is to be carried on to Shameen, permission having been obtained from the Consuls and Municipal Councils to carry this on poles. Two other wires going into the city can also be carried on to Shameen, so that in case of an accident to one there will be two others to rely upon. The light is to be used for street illu- mination in the city, and the applications for private installations have been so numerous that already the duplication of the plant is under consideration. The whole of the work is being carried out from the designs and under the supervision of Mr. W. Danby, Mr. W. H. Wickham being the consulting electrical engineer. It is expected that the concern will be in operation in about four months' time.
NEWS FROM THE PHILIPPINES,
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
The U.S. gunboat Petrel arrived at Shanghai on the 12th November from Takn. Her en- trance into the harbour was greeted by the other vessels with cheers. She is expected to stay there about a month, during which time considerable repairs will be done to the ma- chinery, etc.
A NEW FACTION IN THE REPUBLICA
FILIPINA. ?
are
A new faction has been slowly but surely developing along careful lines for several weeks the figurehead, with Spanish influence as a past. The deposed Artacheo is mentioned as backing. The majority of Spaniards seem to and resigned themselves to fate; but there are have abandoned their outward aggressiveness
flame alive and lose no opportunity to canse some moving energetic spirits who keep the
disnsion. Artacheo stock that has so long laiu dormant, is rising again. It was pretty generally believed that he had been shot by Aguinaldo's orders shortly after he arrived at Cavite last June. It was definitely known that he was imprisoned. No one has seen him for months and when the rebel leaders questioned they deny that he has been done away with, but say that he is merely being detained until it is deemed safe to give him liberty. Artacheo will be remembered as the leader who was left in Manila to arrange the final terms and money affairs with the Spani- ards wheu Aguinaldo and the others had gone abroad, agreeing not to return again if all the Spanish obligations had been carried out. He represented a very strong faction and was Aguinaldo's greatest rival. Later, when he came to Hongkong, he and the General reled, with the result that the $400,000 then in, the bank to the credit of the leaders was tied up by an embargo levied at Artacheo's complaint. Sandico, also known in Hongkong, brought about a reconciliation, but jealousy never ceased to exist. We may expect to see developments in the near future.
quar
The provinces of Pangasinan and south
Ilocos, north of Manila, are the centres.
considerable discontent. They have had presentatives at Malolos for the past week Some weeks ago, while pleading their cases. one of the military expeditions was passing through these provinces, it became necessary to seize the buffaloes and several ponies for trans- portation. Promises were made to return them all and make good for those that were lost, but up to date the owners claim they have not seen them. The time is approaching for taking in the crops and plowing the fields and without the ever useful water buffalo the districts will suffer heavily.
·
THE "BUENOS AIRES
DEPARTS FOR SPAIN, The Spanish transport Buenos Aires has sailed for Iloilo and Spain, carrying 769 Spaniards, sick and prisoners, as well as a great number of officers. The scene at the dock was a peculiar
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