March 8, 1900.]
ments not made the mistake of treating China as a civilized power, and through ignorance, apathy or mistaken kindness, refrained from enforcing the treaties ? It may also be added that the Straits Settlements, Hongkong and other Crown Colonies would probably have had by this time double their present trade and pop. alation had they been governed with intelli. gence and knowledge of their requirements instead of by clerks in Downing Street who are slaves to their own fads and subservient to the Exeter Hall and other mobs. The Directory was start- ed in 1963 when it gave 3,002 names; in 1870 it had 4,510, in 1880, 8,204, in 1890, 15,520, while this year its alphabetical list contains 18,563 names. The expansion of the Chroni. cle part has been in harmony with that of the Directory proper. The maps and plans were first giren sometime in the seventies and then they were few and very inferior to what are given now. Previous to 1877 no des. cription of the different ports were given. These are now, since the book has attained a large sale not only in England but all over the Contiuent of Europe and in America, India, Australia aud ereu South Africa, one of its most valuable features. The most remarkable fact of all in connection with this book is that when the port directories consisted of 87 pages. averaging less than half the matter coutained in one of the present 610 pages devoted to the same purpose, when the portion containing the Treaties and other documents occupied 41 pages, or much less than a tenth part of what is now given, when it had no descriptive matter and gave no maps or plans, it was published at the price of twenty-five shillings, and the then equivalent in silver dollars; it is now, when it contains ten times as much matter and costs twenty times as much to produce, sold at the equivalent of seventeen shillings; bat the scle was then and for many years later in hundreds; it is now between two and three thousand and is increasing at a higher ratio each year. This year four hundred more than last year have been printed and there is already an indication that the supply will be exhausted in a week or two.
{
As the book increases in bulk the difficu'ties of compilation and of mechanical production in- orease, the supply of labour being limited and of very inferior quality. Many amusing illustra. tions of these difficulties might be given. Some people send their returns at the earliest moment when they know that by the first of January it will be misleading, but they neglect to notify the changes and then complain that the informa. tion given is incorrect. A firm, for instance, is to be put unter the limited liability act from first of January; this is well known all over China and Japan, the members and assistants of the firm themselves having given the informa. tion months before; yet they refuse to authorise its insertion in the Directory although they know that the two persons or three at the most before whom it will come are bound
to secrecy as much RS a bank olerk, and that the Directory will not be published till the end of January. Then someone oconpy- ing au inferior position in that "paradise for mon of small minds," Her Majesty's Civil Service, will protest vigorously against his name having been put below that of some other equally intelligent, hard-worked and, in his own estimation, under-p.id public servant although the return has given by the head of his department and strictly to lowed. Again a remonstrance will be received from a B.A. of some backwoods "University" that the proof of his learning has not been made public. Others are offended because there was printed five only instead of six serieses of letters, such as M.N.C.B.R.A.§., which they are entitled to ap. pend to their names by virtue of payment an- nually of a five dollar subscription. Some persons give the names and ages of their children down
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE SOUTH ¿frican FUND.
"SAILORS AND SOLDIERS FAMILIES' fund."
thanks receipt of the following subscriptions to 'The undersigned begs to acknowledge with
the above Fund,
T. Jackson, Hon. Treasurer.
Further subscriptions will be thankfully
received.
Already Acknowledged... Smoking Concert at Victoria Recrea
tion Club
Sale of Absent Minded Beggar by the Robinson Piano Co. A. Friend Hongkong & China Gas Co. O. G. Reddy. G. H. Bryant A. H. Barlow
B...
...
K. Edulji Vaid
K
Collected by W. A. Stopani, hs follows. Capt. R..W. Almond s.s Diamante' A. F. Greig,
A. H. Notley,
do. do
Capt. Blaxland, s's. Esmeralda (ad-
ditional).
Maxwell Watson Arch. Reid.. F. J. V. Jorge
J. MacMurtrie W: A. Stopani
C
$149
*** 5 NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO H
55
20
25.
.20.
35
25
25
$96,495.18
125
15
H. C. R. Haucook
15
256 91
M. E. dos Remedios...
15
102
A. A. Cordeiro ...
15
100
C. Klinck (additional)
15.
G. M. Haddeu
100
R. Henderson
100
A. R. vou Stockbausen
50
30
Jas. Logan...
31
Jas. Toppiu
P. M. da Silva
20
E. Loureiro
24
Onsang" at Saigon
15
F. F. Barrelto
10
5
F. M. Lopez
Further Foochow Subscriptions
F. M. Barros
50
20
Miss A. L. Grøer...
21
R. Clemson
20
Ven. Archdeacon Wolfe Rev. Ll. Lloyd
12
10
**
J. B. Carpenter
10
F. E. Bland
10
S. Syuge
E. D. Sauders Rer, W. Bridie Card Party 8.5. Davil Rice G. Manington
W. Graham
I. V. Chute
*
L. H. Star
Dr. M. Mackenzie Rer. T. Studdert Rer. W. S. Walsh W. Muller Miss E. L. Little...
Miss G. M. Harmar Miss C. I. Lambert Miss E. M. Leslie Miss M. R. Barr... Miss Dopping-Hepenstal Miss I. Chambers
Miss Faithfull-Davies Mrs. E. Saunders Miss J. Bushell
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
$97.579.09 Further subscriptions will be thankfully
received.
Already acknowledged Hongkong Gorerameut Commander-in-Chief, Officers & Meu
IL.M.S. Centurion
J. E. Reece
A. Ahwee Tansan (J.C.W.)... Stag Hotel
Mrs. A. Melhuish C.C.B.
F. Erown, Foochow J. F. Large H. Knight
$97,579.90
50,000
Tamsui and Twatatia Subscriptions
ther).
E. H. Low
R. de B. Layard... F. 8.
F. Ashton
Thomas Harrington G. L. Mackay J. M. Tait “An American
Paul Schabert E. E. Andrus
C. H Best Isabel Layard
1,294.75
100
50
50
20
2)
10
15
5
-(Fur
55.15 55.15
50
50
33.71 31.20 27.77 27.62
2210
20.80
20.80
20
$150,117.64
The 28th February having been fixed for the closing of the above fund, His Excellency Sir Henry A. Blake, G.C.M.G, notified through the press that he would be glad to meet the subscribers yesterday at noon at the Council Chamber, to discuss the desirability or other. wise of leaving the distribution of the remaining portion of the fund still to be remitted to the discretion of the Lord Mayor, instead of send ing the whole amount to the Sailors and Soldiers Families' Fund in accordance with the resolution passed at the meeting held on the 27th November to inaugurate the Fund."
At the time stated no one turned up but His Excellency aud Viscount Suirdale and Sir treasurer). Thomas Jackson (the honorary Subsequently the Bishop of Victoria (Dr. Hoare) put in an appearance, and a meeting was got together by calling in the Government officials on the premises.
Sir THOMAS JACKSON said His Excellency had asked him to state the amount now in band. The previous evening it was just a little in excess of $156,000, including the $30.000 voted by the Government. Already £7,50 had been remitted
to the credit of the Sailors and Soldiers Families', Fund. There still remained about £7.500 to be remitted, and His Excellency would address them as to what was to be done with this sum.
His EXCELLENCY said it had been found that the money subscribed specially for the Sailors and Soldiers Families' Fund up to the present was quite equal to any calls which would be made upon it. Probably they were aware that the Lord Mayor of London had requested that the distribution of funds remitted in the future should be left at his discretion, as there were several funds in England all arising out of the war-one dealing with sick and wounded soldiers. In accordance with the wish of the Lord Mayor it was proposed that the disbursement of the remainder of the money, including the $50,000 voted by the Government, should be left to the discretion of the Lord Mayor.
The BISHOP then proposed :-"That the ex- penditure of the South African War Fund now in the Lands of the honorary_treasurer to be remitted to the Lord Mayor of London shall be placed at the discretion of the Lord Mayor. The Hon. R. D. ORMSBY seconded, and th motion was carried.
This was all the business.
It is estimated that the expenses of the cere- $149,563.14 | monies attendant upon the wedding of the
Further subscriptions will be thankfully | Crown Prince of Japan will amount to 450,000
***
·
25
25
15
do.
13
10
10
to the babies, although we do not remember of received. any one complaining of their non-insertion; but | Already acknowledged it is not long since we had a most indignant! 8. 8. Chingtu letter from a gentleman whose daughter, aged E. A. Ram fourteen, was not included in the Ladies' List. In Vernon-Turner (Bet) glancing at the 1863 Directory we find that cut | H. H. Gompertz (further suba) of the sixty-six special jurors then in Hongkong, Hongkong Volunteers, one, but one only, is still among us. The Pub W. M. B. Arthur lisher much regrels the delay in publication, but Magistracy Staff feels safe in promising that it will not occur Vernon-Joseph (Bet) again, much greater facilities for rapid pro- William_Ng Kwai Shang duction being in course of provision.”
C. E. P.
yen.
$149,563.14 The British Consul found it necessary to 77.50 issue a circular on the 13th nltimo cantioning his nationals against going into the Native City, Tien sin, during the Feast of Lanterns festival, ts, owing to the excited state of the populace, it was inadvisable to penetrate the crowded thoroughfares. The Chinese Authori- ties took the precaution too, of prohibiting the usual processions and ceremonies this year, and the feast was therefore virtually unobserved, only a very limited display of lanterns being made.
10
5