February 17, 1900.J
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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OCCASIONAL NOTES.
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secure as Instructors men from the Garri- were taken, abandoned, retaken and again son who have not only been up to the abandoned and every time at the cost of life mark in their work but have gained the and property. Advances were made from
On Monday the great dramatic event of the goodwill of the men-a not unimportant time to time as the increase of troops allowed,
season will be upon us, when the curtain will ́ Consideration. At the same time, no ones and then up went the trenches again for
run up to disclose the first performance of the will deny that at the present juncture a per-weeks of waiting. Ports were blockaded,
"Yoeman of the Guard." The show is being manent Instructor would be a great acquisi- trade naturally languished and disappeared promise six performances there is apparently anxiously awaited for, and as the management tion, Sergeant J. MILLIGAN, master gunner altogether. Prices rose, food began to be no question as to its success. of the Royal Artillery, is the heau ideal of imported from Hongkong and Singapore,gramme already circulated the chorus is one of Frota the pro- a drill instructor, and, seeing that his time and local merchants of foodstuffs waxed fat. the strongest yet secured and the energy of the will expire shortly, the powers that he could The large firms have been the real losers,
popular musical director can go a long way to not do better than retain his services. A for inter-island communication was suspend- make rough places plain. The piece is one of more popular appointment among the men ed.
ir Arthur Sullivan's best, and the music is Philippine business men should be could not be made, while at the same time fairly versed in the advantages of laying
very attractive. The loaders, judging from the it would be difficult to find anyone whose asile capital for rainy days, but this "day
rehearsals, seem to know their parts very well, and have proved their ability in past theatricals. abilities better qualify him for the
post has been probably the cloudiest in the tur Therefore we poor outlanders who have neither Another suggestion which has been bulent weather that seems peculiar to the the ability to a t nor the voice to sing look for- thrown aut more than once is that Archipelago. However, these things are
ward to a bright and enjoyable entertainment, the Volunteer Lustitute is not by a long beginning to be old stories now. The three and promiss a bumper bouse. way utilised n much as it might be months of October, November and December for the purposes of recreation and social saw the most astonishing activity on the
There is no doubt that the Jockey Club has intercourse. Hongkong is sadly deficient part of the American troops, and the Fili-done a very unpopular thing in increasing the in the men whereby the young men pino army of North Luzon was driven from charge of admission to the races. It is all very of the colour can pass away an odd hour place to place until the leaders were left
well to adopt measures that point to exclusive. rationally, and the Volunteer Institute could without commands and Aguinaldo escaped the wherewithal to keep them up. Bat exclu- uess if you are pader uo obligations and bare be made to remedy this defect tn certain A. a fugitive into the mountains, with sireness is a sulfish policy and rightly finds no extent, and at the game time enormously scarcely enough men to equal the number public support. The Race Meeting is more increase the interest in the Corps. By the of his former servants,
or 1+88 a publio institution, and has been addition of another storey the present
made 80 by the support of the public in premises could be made into a capital club,
fees and in the general interest displayed in the the past. both by contributions in admission but even if no extension were made there is
many meetings. All the public are not in the plenty of room for a billiard table in tre
affluent positions they would wish to be, and it Institute, and this would undoubtedly prove
is bad enough to have necessities such as house- a great boon to all the members of the
rent jumping up periodically 100 per ceut with- Corps. If the matter were properly takea
out one's occasional Inzuries doing likewise. up there should be no great difficulty ex-
The Race Club owes a duty to the public as perienced in getting the wherewithal.
well as to its own exchequer, and a reversion to self to many, ero to those who are able to pay the old price of admission would commend it- the enhanced fee.
His Excellency the GVERNOR and others, when addressing the Volunteers, in- variably impress upon them the importance of making themselves as efficient as pos sible, pointing out the inefficient men are a source of weakness to the Corps, and are, in fact, worse than useless. All this is very tr::e, but it would come with much greater force if the men were provided with every facility for making themselves efficient, and if the authorities took care that they had no excuse for not bringing themselves up to
the mark.
A YEAR'S WORK IN THE
PHILIPPINES.
(Daily Press, 14th February.) Just a year ago Manila was shaken to its very foundations by the fierce threak of the Filipin insurrection. Long expected by many residents, yet surprising and astounding to the masses, it threw the en- tire city to oustera tion by its sudden and obstinate fury. Everyone feared an uprising among thousands of natives living and employed in the city, and it was only due to the impid nd effective demonstra tions of the provost guard and district police that order was preserved. Even with the utmost precautions, brought t perfection by the experience of days and uights of the heaviest strain, there were uumerous shootings and small risings, while in iividual attacks occurred all over town. The next day, Sunday, the bloodiest battle of the whole insurrection waged for hours, on a fighting line of more than ten miles clear around the suburbs The
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General Otis, as the head of affairs, as-
tonished the world with the performances of his troops. Men fought through the mountains and jungle where Spaniard had never penetrated in all their years of occupa tion. Boots gave out, rations were unheard of, and yet they plodded on, living on rice and fruits. At one time in a whole battaliou there were just three pairs of boots; men looked more lice savages than soldiers, and many wore nothing more than huts, cartridge belts and a thigh cloth or breech clout.
To-day civil governments are operating in over one hundred towns, ports have been opened in all the provinces, and military patrols are being formed to insure the public peace. The south is yet unsettled, but General Kable is rapidly garrisoning the towns of the hemp districts and prospects are good for shipper and grower alike. Jolo and Mindouao are gradually coming into live and trade is everywhere improving. Recent orders have opened Manila and vi- cinity to the free traffic of the natives, and it is hoped that better markets and prices
will result.
The entire country is bound to be unsafe for a considerable time to come, for the dream of liberty is sweet and hard to forget; not only this, but, what is more important, there are several thousand rißes lying hidden about the provinces, and they may be used from time to time as opportunity offers. American rule promises much, and these large part of the population realizes that people are endeavouring to get into the good graces of the Government.
A
Filipinos were beaten at every point, and if the victory could have been tollowed the trouble would have been over in six weeks, but troops were wanting and trans- portation was an unknown element. He..vy entrenchments were placed around all camps, and there the Americans at and waited until troops and anime is and muni- ious of war stowly wårked across the 8,000 mites of sta during the weary months through which the war dragged on. Towns that he died shortly afterwards
In the natural course of events each year should see a great improvement in It is every condition of life and trade. only a matter of limited time, for the com- plete and permanent pacification of the Archipelago. There 1 one question, and Que only, that can bring about a more that which has just been felt, and that is disastrous and terrible experience than
the religious contention. The matter is coming to a climax, and unless it he juici. and awful events to record. ciously handled the future will have sad
While the Huengshan was coaling on Friday que of the coal boats alongside was frequently driven against a fender protecting the side of the vessel, the water being :ather rough. A | fauder was suspended, and a leg of wood tell on very he..vy lurch broke the rope by which the
to one of the coolies and injured him so seriously
The difference in revenue caused by the "anti-gambling crusade among the heathens" might be recuperated in other ways. The race meetings are events which help to make life liveable in Hongkong, are public institutions in fact, and every possible facility them in comfort and enjoyment. should be provided for everybody to witness
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I be excused for quoting an eulogy of the late Discussing borse-racing as an institution, may
Duke of Westminster, who was one of Eng- land's first racing men. The roes here are of course not frequented with the many evils that attend a meeting at home, though there may be gambling. The reference made by that popular some difference of opinion as to the principle of
Chester, to the position of the late Duke, might and broad-minded clergyman, the Bishop of be modestly applied to the recent action of the Race Club here in suppressing the many evils attending native gambling.
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In the course of a sermon, the Bishop of Chester said there might have been differences patronage of horse-racing, with its meau and of opinion respecting the Duke's conspicuous pernicious multitude of attendant evils, but of
one thing they might be absolutely certain, that in this matter, and in other matters as to which thoughtful persons were divided in judg. ment, the Duke acted conscientiously and under the firm conviction that the policy he pursued was on the whole the wisest and the best. He was by no means blind to the evils, the curves, which haunted the racecourse. They knew how readily be contenauced and supported every judicious effort to reform; how, for example, it was largely to bis infiuential co-op ration with Dean Howson aud other public-spirited citizens that Chester during the race week became less
the paudemonium it had been. Some of them would have been glad if he had seen his way to condemn even more decisively the ruinous vices of betting and gambling, but the point to understand and remember was that the Duke, with fall kaowledge of the subject in all its bearings, upheld and cultivated horse-racing not merely or chiefly because he delighted and excelle: in it. but because he honestly believed it to be in itself a noble sport, which th nation could not and would not afford to part with, a sport which «ught to be elevated, not abolished. Bome years ago the topic of racing was dis-
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