eptember 9, 1899.]
et seront toujours respectées par eux, We do not find nay similar provision in the British or Ruminn treaties, but under the most favoured untion clause the provision of the French treaty may be invoked by the subjects of other Powers (in this case Great Britain) in support of any claim they may have.
JURAT
When the boundaries of the French and Russian concessions at Hankow
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REFORT.
LEPRUST IN HONGRONG.
(Daily Press, 6th September.)
State's circular despatch on the subject As a consequence of the Becretary of of leprosy, coupled with the enlar of the colony'a boundaries, will sooner or later have to undertake the establishment of laper retreat. Until the other day, the Royal College of Physicians
was of
{
$203
Dry
Memorial Hospitablia Fabrumpy 1887, "that any opportunity of ascertaining the " prevalence of leprosy has been afforded.” It is still to that institution that the Go- vernment will have to look for its tion upon this important" súbject-- CANTLIK by his valuable monograph" afforded a basis upon which to collsing the information available” and his practical suggestion for the establishment of loper retreat will now, no doubt i reddive. attention.
“Dr. CANŢLIE, on an analysis of the cas at the conclusion that leprosy that had come under his observation;
a
and is caught in Hongkong, be other words, leprosy is endemic in Hour source of infection what it may, In
kong.
ig." He favoured the establishment of retreat, not only on the ground of lesson- risk of contagion," but also on humanitarian grounds, to afford a home for the leper outcast. The doctor looks upon it as beyond doubt that we will have leprosy pread to other than Chinese in this colony Happily that contingency has hot yet arisen. Up to the time he wrote his monograph Dr. Ukwita had not seen neither had be heard-
were settled, all British owners of land
of opinion that leprosy was non-con- within those concessions protested" to British Government against their property having been guided by the opinions of that the tagious, and, successive Becretaries of State being included, and the Foreign ffice body, proposals for the compulsory segrege answered through the British Minister that tion of lepers in the various colonies not owners of British property could not be included within those concessions without almost invariably been forbidden or die possessing, responsible government have their consent. The question whether they couraged, although in the case of certain can be so included or not to now to be sub self-governing colonies legislation with that mitted to arbitration. If it were a question object has received. Her Murent sent of including French-owned property in a In view of the change of opinion embodied ing the British concession we can well imagine in the recent report of the Royal
College what stress would be laid by our French of Physicians the Secretary of State is now friends on the provision of their treaty inclined to favour the plan of regular above quoted, and it: seems to us that loper communities, where, as far as possible, it ought to carry considerable weight family life can be enjoyed and the atmos with the court of arbitration. Lord phere of home may prevail over that of the goes on to say, appear to afford the best prison. Such settlements, the despatch chance of arriving at some sort of satisfac. tory solution of the main difficulties, which beset the question of compulsory, seggreta- tion. Incidentally it may be remarked that the recorded views of the Royal College of Physicians afford a striking example of how popular beliefs may sometimes, strike the mark more correctly than scientific, opinion. From Mosaic times the world at large has been of opinion that leprosy was contagious: after long denying the accuracy of that opinion the Royal College of Physi- cians in the year 1899 has arrived at the
any European being attacked in China,
nor had he seen a case amongst the Portu- ruce. He goes on to say however:
“Tlist some cases have coourred.I have no
loubt, and we have the example at Singa pore before us of Europeans being attacked: "An English girl eleven years of age passed through Hongkong the other day on her way from Singapore. Her father had contractedTM leprosy “in – Singapore, and "died therefrom, and now this child ** was the victim. The propriety her travelling about in mail
CHARLES BER SPORD, who does not make any reference to treaty provisions bearing on the case, but traits the question of owner- ship simply as one of natural right, says in concluding his summary --"Some sug- gestion has been made that the British "Government should force the Chinese to pay a heavy compensation for having “conceder land to the Russians and French containing British-owned property. This “is a cowardly and unchivalrous practice, "which has been resorted to lately, under similar circumstances, by all foreign "countries with regard to China. China being prostrate, one European Power, at "the point of the bayonet, demands cons "cessions which China has neither the right
The question of leprosy has not hitherto 'to give nor the power to refuse. Im.
mediately another European Power, at the in Hongkong. The usual practice has been presented itself as a particularly serious one point of the bayonet, conipels China to to send indigent lepers discovered in the pay heavy conipensation for acceding to colony to Canton, where they have been "demands which she had no power to resist. passed on to the leper village. Affected “No more effectual menus could be invented persons in more well-to-do circumstances "to undermine the authority of the Chinese have been left to follow their own in- “Government, and disintegrate the Empire." clination, nothing stronger than •per If it be held, however, that Russia, having Bussion, coupled sometimes with monetary acquired her concession, is entitled to disturb compensation, having been used to induce. Messrs. JARDine, Matheson & Co. in the them to remove from the colony. The be, gu' to show that the segregation of occupation of their property, it is Russia theory the authorities have proceeded lepers in Hongkong is of importance to
06
#1
41
#
same conclusion,
1
senger steamers may be questioned, but there is no law against it, there- *fore she does not offend. In other countries; however, we hear, "of numerous examples. From Indin more than one surgeon' has gọne home to die of leprosy. From Am- erica, North and South; many instances are recorded. In Australia European women have contracted the disease-from- their leprous Chinese husbands.” In Demai rara the General Commanding the Troops; Instances such as these, rare though they his wife and children, all died of leprosy,
the
that should pay the compensation. The upon in regard to the removal of lepers, the European as well as to the Nativ● Russian treaty contains the following pro- whether indigent on otherwise, has been that community. It has been objected to the vision:- Les relations entre le Consul et les they did not belong to the colony Having establishment of a leper retreat that "authorités locales. In concession d'un ter- taken over a large part of the Bunun the good treatment the inmates would res rain convenable pour la construction des District, however, the colony has become ceive under the British Government would églises, des maisons, et des magasins, l'achat responsible for the lepera, belonging to that attract great numbers of lepers from t par les Russes le terres chez les Chinois, district and will have to make dus provisión: adjacent provinces of China" anxious to "et toutes les transactions qui sont du res- for them, as well as for any there may be inescape from the hardships of their lot in
sort du Conșul, se feront suivant les the island of Hongkong. itself."
their • own country! That difficulty, how- | règles générales observées par le Gouverne said to be a small léper village on the main ever, would “be easily met by-1res
ment Chinois dans les affaires avec les land wear the Lyemoon Pass, and as showing of the colony and those who had "resided
ling admission to the retreat” to native étrangers." Now by other treaties it is the prevalence of the disease in the district, provided that land acquired from Chinese it may be mentioned that of one hundred is to be paid for at its full value, and twenty-five cases of leprosy diagnosed the property in question at within two years and a half at the Alice
4
Wed by British subjects but Memorial Hospital nine patients gave Samen
1.00:
the British concession, and being as their native place, two Kowloon city one now included in the Russian concession, is British Kowloon, and one Hongkong. These to be trenteil on the same footing as Chin- figures are taken from Dr. CARTLIK's mo- ese property; it follows that Russin, if she nograph Leprosy in Hongkong” publi.. wants to Rasunie
Rasunie possession of it, must pay shed in 1890. Presumably statistics hav the owners its full value, together with, been kept during the period which has as we should think would be fair, elapsed, which “will” be
service liberal... addition as compensation for Government in helping it
arrive disturbance. The property has been idea of the requirements to be met, owned by Messrs... JARDINE, MATHESON CANTLIE remarked that "It was not & Co. for over thirty years, and it seeme “sible, until the Alice Memorial Hosp pity the British concession was not long ago. “ was opened, for European ductors to include that and all the "the diseases of the natives; therefore i-owned property at the port. 'only" since "the" opening of thes
here for a sufficient length of time tablish the presumption that they had con- tracted the disease here 2 other lepers, whether mendicant or well-to-do,- should be returned to their own country as soon their presence in the colony
Mabyċin SingS
discoveredi