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We are informed by the manager of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, that they yesterday morning received telegraphio advice from the London offlee that at the approaching meeting of shareholders the directors will recommend a dividend for the past half-year at the rate of 10 per cent. per annum free of income tax.
Several reports on the case of Greef versus the Equitable Life Assurance Society, arising out of a question as to the disposition of the So- ciety's surplus, having appeared in the newspapers lately it will be of interest to our readers, many of whom hold policies in this Society, to hear that according to a telegram just to hand the final decision of the Court of Appeal was given in favour of the Equitable.
As P. C. Young was passing Queen's Road Central at about ten o'clock on Thursday night he saw. smoke issuing from a paper shop at No, 235. He raised the alarm and Deputy-Superint- entend Baddeley and the Fire Brigade were soon on the scene. The fire had got good hold but it was soon got under at No. 235, but not before the adjoining premises had become ignited, and considerable damage was done before it was extinguished. While the Brigade were at work some Blue-jackets interfered, and it was found necessary to arrest one of them. There was also a small fire near the Gas Works last night, At the Magistracy on Monday Mr. Gomperts, Acting Police Magistrate, gave his decision in the limewashing case in which the Land Investment Company were the defendants. The Company had been summoned for neglecting to have ten houses in Moon Street and Sun Street limewashed during the months of July and August, Mr. tfastings, on behalf of the com. pany, contended that his clients were not liable, inasmuch as the houses is question had been let to a Chinamau for five years from first of Jau- uary last. His Worship held, however, that sa crown lersees the company were liable and imposed a fine of $10 in each case.
McDonnell Road has now been extended to join Kennedy Road. A walk along it, starting from the Kennedy Road end, will be found ex. ceptionally interesting on account of the view it affords of the large amount of building that has of late been carried on in the district and that which is still in progress. From no other point can such a comprehensive birdseye view of this particular part of the colony be obtained. After proceeding for a short distance along the road the pedestrian will see facing him quite a large township of substantially built European houses, all of very recent erection and some still incomplete. Included in the view are the houses on the Peak Road, most of which are also comparatively new. The view as a whole gives the beholder a striking im pression of the progress the colony has made within recent years. As to the style of archi- tecture adopted opinions may differ. Most of the new houses are highly ornate, in the opinion of some perhaps painfully so
Mr. Ernst Puhlmann, the gentleman who was recently attacked by pirates at Hamehow, near Pakhoi, as reported in the Daily Press of the 20th September, is at present in Hongkong. From an interview with him we learn that our report of his exciting experience was substan. tially correct, though inaccurate in a few of the details, as for instance, the statement that he sprang to his feet on being roused by the pirates. He was sleeping under the awning of the Chinese boat, and the height of the awning did not permit of his standing up. He was in a sitting posture and Was just about to fire, having one cartridge in bis gun, when he was struck on the head from behind. Upon recovering consciousness be man- aged to get over the side. Then followed the ohase in the water as already described. except that it was over banks with channels between. so that it was partly swimming and partly wading, and at the time Mr. Puhlmann waited for his nearest pursuer to come up and gave him a kick in the stomach Mr. Puhlmann had se- cured a foothold on a rock. After arriving at the shore Mr. Puhlmann was still pursued and when the pirates had lost his track he still saw lanterns moving about which he took to be those of the pirates trying to pick up the track again. Their object, he has since been informed, was to take him prisoner and hold him for a ransom, Tls, 200,000 being the figure that had been mentioned amongst them,
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THE HONGKONG, WEEKLY PRESS AND
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In addition to plague the cases of communi- cable disease reported last week were one of enteric fever and one of puerperal fever.
During the week ended 80th September there were 2 cases of plague and 2 deaths. Duinr the present week there have been 2 cases and 1 death.
#f
Why the price of mutton should be raised owing to a scarcity of pigs is not very clear. The following notice-(we follow the original orthography) has, however, been issued by the butchers: Owing to Scarcity of live pigs Coming into Market. Price of Pork and Mutton is advanced. After September 30th all kinds of Pork and Mutton will be charged." (Here follows list of prices.)
At the Magistracy on Tuesday, on the infor. mation of Nuisance Inspector Brett, the owners of the following houses were each fined $10 in respect of each house for neglecting to limewash during the months of July and August:-No. 43 Ship Street, 147 and 149 Queen's Road East, 25, 26 and 27 Albany Street, 10 Kat On Street, 25 Nullah Lane. 153a Queen's Road East, and 78 Wanchai Road.
[October 7, 1899.
We are advised by the Acting Secretary of the Punjom Mining Co.. Limited, that a tele- gram from the mines was received yesterday morning, giving the result of the September clean up as follows:-The mill ran 29 days orushing 2,350 tons yielding 179 ounces smelted gold. Concentrates produced 40 tons. Pro- spects at Guban mine are encouraging."
A report is in circulation that a piece of land on the eastern side of Kowloon Bay, with deep- water frontage, has been purchased with a view to the establishment of a dook or slipway. An no sale of Government land in the vicinity has been notified, the ground in question, assuming the report to be true, must presumably have been private and not public property.
At the Magistracy on Thursday afternoon Kam. Shu, barber, was charged on remand with at- tempting to bribe Inspector Mackenzie. Mr. Melbourne, appeared for the defence, and at the conclusion of the evidence for the prosecution said that if his worship had decided to commit the prisoner for trial he would reserve the de- fence.-The prisoner was committed for trial.
It having been ascertained that there is suffi. cient interest taken in the subject to warrant the formation of a Cremation Society, the Hon. H. E. Pollook has issued a circular inviting membership. The first step to be taken by such a Society will be the collecting of information from other Cremation Societies, with a view to ascertain the different types of cremation ap- paratus, the respective costs of such apparatus, the plans of different crematoriums, the cost of
We have received from the Colonial Secretary a "Return of casas of bubonic plague occurring in the city of Victoria, Hongkong, during the year 1899.
The return deals with 836 cases which were reported to the Sanitary Board dur ing the period between the 1st January and 8th September as occurring in 681 houses. There were besides 582 cases which occurred in the villages of Hongkong and in British Kowloon or were found in the streets of the city, on theoremating, etc. high roads, or in the waters of the colony, all of the latter being either dead or in a moribund condition when so found. Particulars are given of the dimensions of each infected house, the open space in the rear, the number of floors and cubicles, and the floors on which the cases occurred. From the summary table it appears that 55.80 per cent. of the infected houses bad not an open area of 50 square feet.
A case which may be used as an argument in favour of the registration of servants cama before Mr. Gompertz at the Magistracy on Tues- day, when the boy-cook employed by Mrs. Smith, wile of Sergeant-Major Smith of the R.E., was charged with stealing $60 from a locked writing desk. He pleaded guilty. It appears that on Monday Mrs. Smith wished to see the boy about dinner, but on enquiring for him she found that he had left-the premises and that none of the other boys knew of his where abouts. On putting her hand in her pocket she discovered that her keys were missing. Sus. peoting that something was wrong she procured another key and unlocked the desk and saw at once that $60) had been taken away. She gave information to the police, and the defendant was arrested the same night at Yaumati with $30 in his possession. Sergeaut Gourlay said the defendant had been four times convicted of larceny and sentenced to 12 months' imprison. ment for returning from banishment. His Worship now sentenced him to another 12 months' imprisonment for returning from banishment and six montbs for larceny, one sentence to follow the other.
At the offices of the Public Works Depart- meut on Monday afternoon Mr. G. J. W. King offered for sale by anction Kowlooa Marine Lot No. 51 at Mong Kok Tsui. The lot, which is under water as yet, monanres 32,000 feet, and the annual rent is $330. Starting at an upset price of $9,600 the bidding, which was very spirited, ran up to $4,100, at which price, which is at the rate of 45 cents per foot, Mr. Chun Ng was the purchaser. The site is to be co- cupied by boat-building shede.
Mr. F. Kiene, the local manager of the Equit- able Life Assurance Society, gave a select little dinner party at the Hongkong Hotel on Satur- day evening on the occasion of Mr. W. B. McNaughton, the energetic and obliging agent of the said Company, leaving Hongkong for Shanghai, to which port he has been transferred. From the speeches delivered it was very evident that the Company enjoys the greatest confidence of the public and that Mr. McNaughton made himself most popular during his stay in this Colony.
Some belated quarantine notices appear in the Gasette. The Government of Bengal noti- fes that intimation having been received of the outbreak of plague in Swatow, the necessary instructions have been issued to the officers con- oerned to strictly enforce the Venice Sanitary Convention regulations in the ports of Calontta and Chittagong against vessels arriving_from that port." Swatow is now free of plagne. Another communication is from Western Äns-‹ tralia declaring Hongkong an infected port This at the close of the epidemic, when the port is on the eve of being declared free. The Cal cutta communication is dated the 6th September and the Parth communication the 2nd of the same month. If it was only on these dates that the respective Governments heard of the exis tence of plague at Swatow and Hongkong they were rather behind the times.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The American (Manila) of the 27th Septem- ber says Mr. R. Colegrove, of the Colegrove. Finlay Company, returned from Hongkong on the Diamante yesterday. Daring his absence Mr. Colegrove chartered a new A.I, 3,000 to steaner which will be the first liner to be placed on the direct route between Manila and the United States. The Colegrove-Finlay liner will coal at Hongkong, and come to Manila. Then, when her freight and passengers are on board the vessel, will go direct to Portland, The Union (Shanghai) says :-"It will be re- Oregon. On the return trip a stop of one day membered that the Glenavon was lost outside of will be made at Honolulu. Under the now service Hongkong some months ago. As is usual in thus given it will be possible to receive mail in 20 most, though not in all cases, Courts of Enquiry days from the United States and all the expense think it their duty to sit on the unfortunate and exasperation of having freight and baggage skippers who come before them, and the Hong- handled over and reshipped at Hongkong will kong Court of Enquiry which tried Captain be done away with. The new steamer is sup- Pithie suspended his certicate for one year. plied with splendid passenger accommodation Captain Pithie_referred his case to the Liver- and no pains will be spared to make the Cole pool Chamber of Commerce and his friends will grove-Finlay line popular with the travelling be glad to learn that the Board of Trade has public. The establishment of a direct commu- returned his certificate, thus reversing the find- nication with the United States is an event of ing of the Court of Enquiry." If our contem the greatest commercial importance to Manila porary's information be correct, as to which we and the projectors of the enterprise have in- have no independent information, it would seem augurated “the biggest thing out" and the best only fair that as the original finding was pub- thing that business men could do for the Philip-lished in the Gazette its reversal should also be pines.
published in the official orgas.
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