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of the Government, but if that was
avowed object of the Government he ventured to say that the Government was mistaken in the method which it employed, because if they wanted to teach a pupil anything they must teach it him in his own language. He felt that if they really wanted to get at the hearts of those who were Chinese speaking by race and by early education, they ought to try if they could to give them Christianity in their own language If they made Christianity merely an English subject, there would be great danger of the Bible being considered merely as a school book and it being a matter of head knowledge and not heart knowledge. Whether anything of the kind could possibly be worked he did not know. Mr. Piercy and those associated with him were very much too busy to learn Chinese themselves, to enable them to impart knowledge in Chinese, but it would be a good thing if they could arrange some plan by which those who were not thoroughly conversant with the English language might be taught the principles of Christianity in the language that they did know and could speak. He exhorted the baptised Christian boys in the school to unite themselves together and be a praying and Bible-studying working body of boys amongst the others, and live Christian lives so that they might influence the other boys in the school to become Christiañs.
Mr. PIERCY explained that the 235 scholars present last year were not present the whole year. The average attendance would be 120, and of these 120 only 102 had complied with the Government requirements to be present one hundred days. Of these 96 per cent. passed. In the previous year all or nearly all, with one or two excep- tions, passed who had a hundred attendances. In 1897, 82 per cent. passed.
Mr. COBBOLD thanked the Bishop for his very kind, interesting and inspiring words and called for three cheers for the Bishop, cheers for the Queen and the Headmaster following..
“BRITISH INTERESTS IN THE FAR EAST."
LECTURE BY CAPTAIN G. C. ANDERSON.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
On 20th March, under the auspices of the Hongkong Odd Volumes Society, Captain G. C. Anderson delivered a lecture in the City Hall on "British interests in the Far East. Mr. Granville Sharp occupied the chair. There was a fair attendance.
Captain ANDERSON, the delivery of whose lecture occupied about 50 minutes, remarked that British interests in the Far East embraced, as everyone knew, a very wide extent of subjects. Indeed as a high Russian official once remarked to him when discussing the Port Lazareff business in 1879, "Your British interests, they are up in the air and down in the ses, and wherever one turns there is a British interest involved." British policy could not be described as a dog-in-the-manger one, for our country and our colonies were open to men of every nation and creed on equal terms with our- selves. Here in Hongkong, everyone was wel. come so long as they were good citizens and obeyed the law, and one had only to walk along Queen's Road to see how ad- vantage of this was taken, for there one met men of every known country and creed, and, added the lecturer, "we are particularly tona- cious that no word should be spoken to hurt the feelings of the stranger within our gates. This applies wherever the British flag flies, and despite what is termed the intolerable arrogance of the British the sense of fair play among them is universal, from the Prince of Wales to the crossing sweeper." (Applause.) After tonohing on the Fashoda incident, the war be- tween America and Spain, the latter of which had, he said, put quite a different aspect on the political horizon in the Far East, the lecturer
mentioned the Nicaraguan Caugh he
thought America would push and
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on this station. In addition to this, it is very necessary that the defence of the southern shores of this island should be taken in hand by the Imperial Government, for during the foggy season there is no saying what might happen and no one has yet shown that the views expressed from time to time are wrong or unreasonable. If the island is worth forti- fying it is worth having it done in a pro- per manner so that we can take care of our- selves and leave our ships free to scour the seas. There appears to be a tendency to say of Hongkong 'Oh they have got their hinterland, their colonials, and must keep quiet now, but that I take it is not the idea of the public here. We are badly in need of a man like Lord Charles Beresford, who has no need to care a straw for anything or anybody, for will get nothing done without persistent plain speaking and to speak plainly a man must needs be independent. We are fortunate in having a body like the Navy League, of whom much will be expected in the future, for they at least have justified their ex- istence and have pointed out much that only such a body could do. There remains the questions of the Canton-Kowloon Railway and the trunk line to Hankow. No doubt that in due time the Chamber of Commerce will have something authentic to tell us about that. These matters have simply got to be put through with a due regard for British interests and treaty rights, otherwise there will be trouble, and a low political barometer some- where, seeing the vast interest of this colony in being able to tap the very heart of China's dormant resources, in which project every merchant, manufacturer, and ship owner in the United Kingdom is more or less interested. I need not trouble you with any rediscussing our own purely local interests, which have been well thrashed out by the local press and are familiar to every one here. Speculating on what may or may not happen in the near future will not do any one much good, in the absence of any definite information, but I will say this, if we as colonists are to be expected to make the hinterland pay its way, the interests of civilians will have to be considered as something more than incidental, while concediag everything necessary for defence. War Office clerka turned loose to make reservations according to their own sweet will would be sure to overdo it as per tradition. Our high naval and military officers may be trusted in a matter of this kind, but not War Office clerks. Some of us know the loss of revenue the colony has sustained by nonsensical reservations which would now be covered with tax paying tenements without the slightest detriment to the public weal. Defence we must have, but it must not be forgotten that, our Empire exists for, and through commerce, as all modern Empires do for similar reasons. The modern diplomatist must have trade statistics at his finger ends, if he desires to score; the new order changeth and the old order passeth away. If we have no diplomatist who is able to awaken the Chinese from their sleep of in- numerable ages, then their Empire is doomed, and it will be a case of Deil tak the hindmost when the worry for the pieces comes off.' When the ideas of Lord Charles Beresford have become accomplished facts, when China has been furnished with a reliable army and navy, honest officials, humane laws, and a well filled treasury; when we get a representative Sanitary Board, a reformed Post Office, and a Court house, where neither judge, jury, council, nor prisoner, can be baked or frozen; when the Jubilee Road and Hospital are completed, and the ratio between gold and silver on a satis factory basis we may then begin to think that the people of this colony may rest in peace, and that British interests in the Far East will then take care of themselves.”
in spite of all obstacles. He dealt at some length with Russia and her policy in Asia, and said with regard to British interests in the
south of China:-"It has been most forcibly pointed out by the worthy Secretary of the Odd Volumes that one of the foremost is that an adequate naval force, and especially of battle ships, should always be kept |
On the motion of the CHAIRMAN, a hearty
[March 25, 1899.
REVIEW OF TEORIN
HAPPY VALLEY,
On 17th March a review of the tro på was held in Happy Valley at which 2,414 officers and men made up as below, were present:
Staff
Officers.
N.C.O. &
Men.
•
Royal Artillery Europeans 14 Hongkong 8.B.R.A..
322
..10
324
Royal Engineers
8
.203
18
.698
..19
792
75
2339
End. R. W. Fusiliers. Hongkong Regiment...
Totals
The different corps had taken up their posi tions by half-past ten, when H.E. Sir Henry Blake and H.E. Major-General (ascoigne and their staffs arrived. · Lady Blake and Miss Blake and Vice Admiral Seymour and staff were also present. The ladies, of whom there were a large number present, occupied seats in an enclosed space on the Race Course in front of the Grand Stand.
On the Governor and the Major-General making their appearance, the whole force pre- sented arms, the Royal Welch Fusiliers and the Hongkong Regiment drooped their colours, and a royal salute was accorded the Governor As Sir Henry rode along the line and inspected the men the band played May Blossom Troops." On the completion of the inspection there was a march past, the parade concluding with a royal salute.
The scene presented by the men in their varied uniforms was a most brilliant one. Major Close had charge of the Royal Artillery, Major Jeffreys of the Royal Engineers, Lieut. Col. Mainwaring and Major Morris of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, and Colonel Retallick of the Hongkong Regiment. "Billy," the goat, occupied a prominent position, in front of the Welshmen.
FINE STEAMING PERFORMANCE
BY THE" POWERFUL.”
The particulars of H.M.. Powerful's pass- age to Manila show that the vessel doss credit to her name. The Powerful_left_Hong kong on Tuesday morning, 7th March, at a.m. and as soon as she had obtained an offing, ie., got well clear of the land and the fishing junks, she went to target practice, which lasted until after 2 p.m. She then proceeded at fast speed to Manila and arrived there the next evening at 8.30, anchoring shortly afterwards. The average speed was twenty knots for the trip, although at times she did more, and the machinery worked without the slightest hitch or anxiety to those concerned in its manage- ment. This is very satisfactory, especially after the disparaging statements that appeared in the papers after the vessel's arrival in The Tailee, from Chinese waters last year. Manila to Hongkong, met the Powerful about 5 p.m. on the 8th March, and as the Powerful was stripped to her ordinary war appearance, baving struck her topmasts and sent all gear down from aloft, she bore a very business-like look and presented a fine picture as she steamed past with her four funnels smoking away and the spray dashing from her bows.
THE COMMISSION OF H.M.S. "NRCISSUS.”
H.M.S. Narcissus, now in harbour, is prepar- ing to leave for home on the termination of her commission on the China station. She com- missioned at Portsmouth on the 19th Novem- ber, 189, and arrived at Hongkong about two months later, having a complement of 37 officers and 450 men.
The commission just closed has been an event-
vote of thanks was accorded Captain Anderson ful and interesting one, on account of the
for his lecture.
News has been received from Peking that an ediot had been sent to Li Hung-chang to re- main at Shantung to superintend the work on the conservation of the Yellow River, and that owing to this edict H.E. Li will have to stay up Shantung for some time to come.-N. C. Daily News.
peculiar circumstances of the service on which the vessel has been engaged. The first tour of duty was as Senior Officer's ship at Chemulpo, where she remained for about ten weeks, leaving in June to join the fleet at Korniloff Bay for the usual summer cruise. Whilst on detached duty in September, she had the misfortune to lose her Captain (Capt. Lang, R.N.) and threa of her boat's crew, by drowning of Fish River. Details of the socident are doubtless still in