36.
Mr. Blade -I urge that each party is liable for the whole amount.
His Lordship-Do you suggest that the amount should be the same in each case ?
Mr. Slade-Legally, they are iu precisely the
same position. One is neither more nor less liable for damages than the other. The proprietor and the editor, the proprietor and the publisher, the proprietor an the printer and all practically on the same footing.
}
Leaving the points of law, Mr. Slade pro- ceeded to address the jury on the facts of the case, and in conclusion asked the jury to award Mr. Norvegna substantial damages
His Lordship observed that this was rather an important case, and he thought it would be more satisfactory if he deferred his summing ap until the next day.
REVIEWS.
“HE HỌNGKONG WEEKLÝ PRESS AND
ARRIVAL OF H., LI HUNG CHANG AT CANTON,
Canton, 19th January. Shortly after 1. p.m. on the 16th inst., the China Merchants steamer Hsin Yu steamed into the harbour of Canton with His Excellency Li
January 27, 1900.
A STEAMER LOST,
MANDARIN CRUISER BOARDE › AND ROBBED
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 24th January, The screw steamer Yao Kum, owned by a man named Kwan-lo-sam, of Canton, running between arton and Sancho, in the district of Punyu, and having on board a number of passengers and little cargo, was attacked and taken away by pirates. On the 21st instant, at noon, she start
ou her usual trip from Canton. On reaching Samcheong village some of the passengers on board hailed small boats and wan ́ed to go ashore, when a number of pirates well dressed, carrying with them luggage and pillow-boxes, who had stowed themselves amongst the passengers, made a certain signal, and taking ont revolvers and swords from their pillow-boxes and with shout- ing, intimidated the passengers and crew who were very much alarmed, and fled to one part of the ship. the pirates then ransacked all the luggage and ordered the captain to proceed
Hung Chang and suite on board from the direction of the Bird's nest fort and followed by a number of steam-launches with officials on As the Hsin-Yu was steaming into the board. Pearl River all the guard boats along the ronte fired salutes. The way from the Goverumented wharf to the Viceroy Yaman was lined by the soldiers and braves of all the regiments, and the Yee Chin pavilion was thronged with a great number of mandarins, civil and military, in gor geous dresses, awaiting His Excellency. At 2 pm. His Excellency, in a chair carried by eight bearers, and saite landed and were escorted into the pavilion and seated, and after the door of The Yellow River· Comments. By Jous DE
the large hall was thrown open and H.E. Li, RYLE. Hongkong: Kelly and Walsh, Ld.
in his gorgeous Imperial yellow jacket, stepped THIS is a series of comments, taking up forty-to the front of the ball and making au obei- three octavo pages, made by Mr. Johs. de Ryke,
sance and kowtao towards the direction of the the well known Dutch hydrographic engineer- Imperial Palace or Throne, received the seal About a mile or so a mandlarin erniser was ing adviser to the Japanese Government. The
and oredentials. All the officials, civil and mili-sighted, and the pirates hailed and boarded her, comments are made on the report of a survey made of the Yellow River by Mr. A. Rouffart, tary, were present, and presented their congrat- and took away all her arms and ammunition. a Belgian engineer, who came to China orginally in connection with tendering for an electrical tramway concession at Shanghai. When the recent calamitous floods took place in Shantung, causing such wretched. ness and disaster, Mr. Itouffart proceeded north and made a report on the River of Sorrows," and presumably a copy was forwarded to Mr de Ryke for his professional opinion. That opinion is embodied in the pamphlet before as, and there is no persouage in the East better qualified
to discuss the matter than the author of those comments. The commeu s are of course tech-
nical in nature but are comprehensible by the ordinary lay miud, and afford an idea of the difficulties that would coufrout the engineer in dealing with this disastrous river and the enormous expense that would be entailed in an uudertaking for prevention of the foods. Chinese official indolence and above all official parsimony stand in the way of such a work; a preliminery engineering survey of the river aloe would cost one million tuels aco rding to Mr. Rouffart's estimate. Until something how. ever is done tue disasters among the inhabitauts of Shantung, in the valley of the Yellow River, may be expected periodically.
Mesny's Chinese Miscellany. GENERAL
MESNY. Shanghai.
THE third volume of this interesting work has been received, aud cousists really of a continna- tion of the work of the two previous volumes, The book is full of information of things Chinese, compiled by the gallant General, who probably knows more of China that most men in the Celestial Empire to-day. A good deal of the information is recorded from bis Own personal experience and knowledge, whilst the opinious of well known sinologues have not been ignored. To anyone desirous of becoming acquainted with affairs of the Middle King. dom" the third volume of this Miscellany forms a good introdution. The volume 18 much better printed than its two predecessors.
•
The Russian transport Ekaterinoslov, 4,064 tons, and 120 crew, arrived on the 18th inst. at Singapore bound for Vladivostock. She had on board about 1.000 soldiers and passengers.
The Nippon Yusen Kaisha has received a telegram to the effect that the Tumba Maru, which left London for Japau on the 9th inst. collided with a Norwegian steamer on the Uth. No longitude is mentioned, but the affair took place in the Channel. The sailing of Tamba will be delayed three are no details as to the damage done. The Tamba Maru is a singularly unfortunate vessel. She was engined at the time of the great strike, and much of the work was carried out by apprentice labour in a fashion which made a large expenditure in renewals and alterations necessary o her arrival in Japan. She broke down twice on her first voyage to Japan, and there was rather serious Trouble with the crew, culmina ing in wholesale arrests at Hongkong. The name of the vessel has latterly been brought into unpleasant pro- 'minenos by the Kënt oase.--Japan Mail.
ulations to the Viceroy, and others knelt down Lowtaoing, and afterwards departed.
TALING OVER THE SEALS
The ceremony of taking over the seal of the Viceroyalty by H.E. Li Hung Chang has been duly performed at Canton. The 18th inst., at 5 a.m., was the day previously fixed for taking over the seal of Viceroy. Shortly before the Pau of the native army, taking with them a hour appointed the Prefect She, and the Colovel
number of soldiers, proceeded to the yamen of the Provincial Governor, and from thence tỏ ey carried the Imperial Bauner, official flags, to gether with the tablets of titles and other para plaualta, in a procession to the Viceroy's yamen. Just at 5 a m., when a round of salutes was fired from the principal dour, the usual ceremony of tea-drinking to `he health of His Imperial Ma Jesty Kwangsu was gone through, His Excel. loney and saite proceeded amidst a large multi- tude of spectators to the Viceroy's yamen. The 18th inst at 5 a.m. was the day fixed for his taking over the seal of the Viceroyalty.
THE RIVER PIRATES.
ATTEMPTING TO BLACKMAIL, FOREIGN FIRMS.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 22nd January,
A short time ago a litter was sent by the brigands to the office of China Merchants af Canton demanding a sq zeeze of 1,000 taels. Of late similar latters bearing post office starup- and addressed in English have been sent to Messrs. Reuter, Brockelmann & Co. and Messrs. Deacon & Co., Shameeu, demanding payment of squeeze from the two foreign firms. The oue addressed to Messrs. Reuter Brookelmanu & Co. was written in Chinese, as published in the nativ. newspaper Pokman Po, of the 22nd instant, of which the following is a translation :---
"On account of the heary expenses the brethren of the Triad Society have to incur for the new year, we request your honourable firm to oblige us with a loan of 5,00 tauls. Please pay it over to a flower boat in Yung Fa iu Kookfuo; some one will be there to receive it. Failing to pay the same we are afraid that it would be a matter of great inconvenience or tronble to all your employees, and we shall certainly make use of dynamite to explod› your firm."
Upon which enquiry has been made at Yung Fa, but no one was deputed there to receive the
money.
The Nam Hoi Magistrate has been com ❘municated with by the Consular authorities of he respective nations so as to institute en- quiry and make arrest.
The German gunboat Iltis was telegraph for, and is now anchored off Shameen for any emergency.
The Burean for foreigu affairs, lately insti. tated by the late Viceroy Fan Chung Li, and situated in the old city, is ordered by the present Viceroy Li Hang Chang to be removed into the Viceroy's yamen for the convenience of transacting business.
on the voyage.
The braves on board the crniser stood by with folded arms looking at each other, and could not do anything
THEIR POLITEN F89.
The pirates then again preceeded on their way to Min Fa Shan (5.6. cotton hill), where they forced the passengers to go ashore, saying to them, "Brothers. please go ashore; we take your money and goods for the time being as a loan to us because we want money for the new year. They then ordered the crew to take the steamer to no oue knows where. It is sup- posed that she must have gone to Chutao-
shau, the nest of the pirates. The owner of the steamer has petitioned the mandarin, and steam launches have been sent out to search for the missing steamer.
A JUNK PIRATED.
On the 16th instant. at Fatshan, in the village of Shekwan, opposite « josshonse, a junk loaded with firewood was lying at anchor The master of the jack went on shore on business, so did some of the crew. There were left three men on board to take charge of the cargo. About fifteen to twonty pirates, armed with revolvers and swords, went on board and over- powered them, and drove them into the hold, one pirate guarding them. The rest of the pirates took the boat to Yungohow, opposite the river, where they sold the firewood to the villigers at one dollar for four picals. Crowds of ignorant and simple-minded villagers were attracted to the spot, and were contesting with each other in buying cheap bargains until the whole load of the firewood was sold. When the juuk master returned he found his boat mis- sing, and was informed that she was in the op- posite river. He immediately engaged a small boat to take him there, There he saw his own
junk lying at anchor and a orowd of villagers on board buying firewood, but none of the crew; so be quietly ordered his ninall boat to take him to the nearest guard-boat and reported the robbery, and then went on shore to give information to the Commandant of the guard- house. The b aves of the guard-house, together with the soldiers of the guard boat, went to make the arrest. On their arrival the villagers got frightened and ran away; but the pirates stood heir ground and shots were fired. Alarm gongs sounded and the soldiers on shore attacked from behind and some of the pirates jumped into the river, one being "killed and others arrested. The matter was reported to the elders and gentry of the village, who ordered the villagers to pay the junk master money for the firewood, and the matter dropped.
A BUREAU OF COMMERCE,
Canton by an Imperial decree of the Chinese Government for the protection of merchanta who go to foreign countries for the purpose of trade, the same as that of Swatow, and the expense for its keep is to be paid from the lesse of the Taisua theatre at Honam. Soyün Sui, one of the gentry, is appointed president of the institution.
A Bureau of Commerce has been instituted så
t