+
200
The same sentence is hereby awarded the Han- lin graduate, Wu Shihtsaó (a native of Yun- nan) whose nature is charged with being the same as the cashiered Hanlin Compiler Ch'êu Ting aforesaid. With reference to the Hanlin Compiler Shên Pêng who, after making his extraordinary and crazy charges (against Jung Lu and Kang Yi) left Peking for his native | city of Ch'angshu (near Soochow) and who has been reported by acting Viceroy Lu Ch'uau-lin to have already been arrested, we hereby com. mand that the said Shên P'êng be also imprison- ed for life in the provincial gaol in Soochow. The three Hanlins last mentioned especially deserve their punishment owing to their dis reputable and ungentlemanly conduct. Finally we command the Chancellor of the said Academy to carefully watch the conduct and characters of the other members of the Academy and denounce such as deserve to be punished.
· Note.-The above five Hanlins, oue Manchu and four Chinese, are all noted members of the Reform Party, the unequal punishments award. ed the last three being due to the fact that the latter gloried in being friends of Kang Yu-wei. Although the Manchu Hanlin was only hauded over to the Board, the probabilities are that he also will be cashiered or at least degraded several steps, which will amount to the same thing.- Translator,
"THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY.”
LECTURE BY CONSUL VOLPICELLI,
On the 15th inst. Consul Volpicelli (Italian Consul) delivered a lecture in the City Hall, under the auspices of the Hongkong Odd Vo- lumes Society, on The Trans-Siberian Rail way; its commercial and political importance." There was a good attendance.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
| Germany. And then there was the forest zone and the polar zone. If they want to eastern Siberia they had another zone fit for cultivation which was almost as large as Gerinany. Altogether in this zone fit for cultivation they had an area about three times that of Germany. Considering that Germany could support a population of 50 | millions, they could easily admit that a hundred millions could live there, because they had besides the forest zone, which was about eleven times the size of Germany, and though this forest zone seemed at present to be considered anin. habitable, the Russians said very justly that at the time of Tacitus Germany was supposed to be unfit for habitation for a similar reason. All this country was to be opened up by this railway and that was where the real importance of the railway The Russians were taking care to provide the people to cultivate these vast tracts of land. To facilitate this railway rates were very cheap, people being able to travel 6,000 miles for the equivalent to 88.
|
|
|
came iu.
A hearty vote of thanks to Consul Volpicelli for his interesting leotare concluded the pro- ceedings.
THE THEATRR.
"THE GEISHA" AT THE CITY HALL. Not many "Japanese” plays have been seen on the English stage, and the few that bare as a rule make no pretensions to be realistic. There was that delightful burlesque-opera “The Mikado," in which, of course, the local colour was taken from a fan-and-pottery Japan; "The Geisha"; and later "The Moonlight Blossom,” which did lay some claim to astuality, though it only ended in being unconvincing and was saved by the beauty of its mounting under Mr, Forbes Robertson's supervision. Apart from those we can recall no Japanese play—and only two Chinese, one a dramatic gem"The Cat and the Cherub," by C. B. Fernald-and the other the musical comedy "San Toy," still running in Loudon. Now "The Geisha" does not claim to be a picture of Japanese life, while, on the other hand, it is not of "The Mikado" school. It is ouly the ordinary musical comedy with its scenery and colour taken from the man-in-the-street's conception of Japan. But the music being light and tuneful and the libretto of fair merit, "The Geisha" made itself a popular favourite in a short time, and its popularity continues out of London. Having seen it last in what Robert Louis Stevenson calls "the city of en. counters, the Mecca of the West-or, to be more precise, the northern pavement of Leices ter Square," we are glad to be able to welcome The Geisha" again in another quarter of the world.
The Hon. R D. Ormsby (Director of Pub lic Works) occupied the chair. In his opening remarks he said he felt it an honour and a pleasure also to he asked to take the chair that evening when his friend Consul Volpi- celli was going to lecture on a subject which was of inmense interest to all of them. In these days everybody who could travel travelled. Times had changed very much in that way. Faci lities of travel were very much greater than they were 20 years ago, and the necessity for travelling had become so much greater. That be. ing the case a description of a new route by which to proceed from the Far East to Europe must be of very great interest to them all, not only the description such as one could readin books on the subject of Siberia and the Siberian Railway, but the personal recollections of one who had travelled by that line. He had heard it said that the average mau knew very little about Siberia. They probably knew
about Central Africa and of such places as Zanda than of the great oities which had grown up in To a well-filled on Thursday evening the Dallas the centre of Siberia. He believed that before Musical and Dramatic Company gave a fourth long people would, in thinking of a visit to performance of The Geisha " The piece went Europe, not only have, as they now had, the exceedingly well, aud the company were wel choice of two or three steamer routes, but also
entitled to the repeated plaudits of the au- the possibility of travelling by that great rail-dience. The musical portion of the play was way, In fact he believed there was at least one much better rendered than on the opening person at presentin Hongkong who would, before night, the band and vocalists working more in long, proceed home through Siberia, and to him unison. On witnessing the performance of the no doubt the lecture would prove of especial Dallas Company it can be easily realised interest.
why
"The Geisha was 80 successful at home. The music is bright and some of the solos, Chinchiu Chinaman," "Polly winked Jack's the bis ove" Star of my Soul" and Boy," are already well-known to those who have not witnessed the comedy and are of abiding pepularity.
more
Consul VOLPICELLI then delivered his leo. ture, which was illustrated by a large map per pared by the Hou. R. D. Ormsby. It was in 1897 that the Consul made his journey across Russia, leaving Shanghai on the 3rd of July. He gave graphic descriptions of the places visited by him, including Vladivostock, `Kha- barofsk, Blagovieschensk, Mitrofanova, Chita, Irkutsk and other places. In conclusion he said that this great railway was a very important undertaking, and to give them an idea of the importance of the line he would give them a few figures. The railway was generally considered a military line The general idea was that it was set-off to the Japanese fleet. The Japanese built feet and the Russians built a railway. But he thought that that was not altogether the case. They must consider that Sibaria was divided into thres zones-a zone which could be culti vatel, a forest zone, and a polur zone. This railway line ran through the zoue fit for culti. ratiou In western Siberia there was a moun. tainous region ten times the size of Switzerland, and a sone fit for cultivation almost as large as
|
|
|
+9
11
PI
As Wun-hi, Mr. Dallas was the comedian of the evening, and though the descent from his fine representation in The Sign of the Cross to that of the portrayal of the wily Chinese proprietor of the Ten House, in "The Geisha' may not be pleasing yet one is compelled to admire his wonderful dramatio versatility. Mr. Dallas had a good part, and he made the most of it, his former visit to Chias enabling him to do justice to his lines, bis flow of “pidgin English" | being extensive and entertaining. plessing to notice that to Mr. J. 3. Ferrell was assigned a leading part, he representing the Marquis Imari, "Dad's" parformance (he is better known by that cognomen amongst dramatic and Press circles in the east than any other)| was one of the best in the play, and was a charac- ter which no other member of the
could company
it was
44
{March 24, 1900
so well have portrayed. Mr. Ferrell's representa tion was a distinct success and the veteran actor came in for a good share of the applause. The singing by Miss Muriel Alleyne, who took the tilla rôle, was most charming and was a revelation to most of those present. She possesses a fine mezzo-soprano voice, which has been carefully trained. Her enunciation was perfect and her singing most regular. She was repeatedly recalled. The part of Lieut. Fairfax was taken by Mr. Arthur Percival, a young man with a good presence, who takes his part in a manly way typical of the class he represents. He has several good solos allotted to him, most of which are fairly well rendered, especially Jack's the Boy" but he is apt occasionally to get ahead of the music and sing flat. Especially was this noticeable in
"Star of my
Soul." He has a good baritone roioe which might with more training, be used to much better advantage and though the tremolo is no doubt very effective when artistically used, it is apt to weary when continued through the song, and certainly in- terferes with Mr. Percival's articulation. might do well to study the singing of Miss Alleyne. Miss Madge Grey had only a minor part to fill, and the pleasure of witnessing her performance in a leading rôle may be left to a subsequent piece. Miss Florence Peel deserved much credit for her graceful dancing, and was recalled on each occasion. The other characters of the pieca were all well taken, but the choruses here and there might have been dispensed with. The costines worn were most pretty, and evidently costly.
ENTERTAINMENT ON U.8.S.
+
44
MONADNOCK:"
*1
He
The U.S.8. Monadnock was tastefully deco- rated on Friday evening last on the occasion of a performance given by the Minstrel and Van- deville Entertainment Company. Among those who patronised the entertainment were: Commo- dore Powell, Consul-General and Mrs. Wildman, Lieutenant Hobson, Commander J. C. McLean, Lieut.Commauder Burgdorf, Mr. W. Whiley, Mr. W. B. Walker, Mr. J. Goodchild, a num. ber of the European staff of the Kowloon Docks, members of the Warrant Officers' Club and th ● Engineers' Institute, and a number of Indies, Not only were the visitors provided with a capi- tal programme, but they were most hospitably en- tertained in other respects, and the generally ex- pressed opinion was that the evening had been a inost enjoyable one. The programme opened with a minstrel performance, when the following items, interspersed with jokes, were given-Senti- mental, R. W. White; Rag Time," Howard and Coleman; "You'll have to choose another baby The Wandering Min- now," G. B. Coleman, strels," White and Frohwein; Sentimental, G. D. Lang; Comio Ditty, T. A. Mac Mahon; Professional Dancing, M. F. Washingtou. A most effective tableau followed, J. F. Craig impersonating Columbia, J. J. Martin the U. 8. Army, and A. F. Genth the U. 8. Navy An amusing conjuring exhibition was given by Professor G. B. Coleman, assisted by R. Heys, Laily and Tyrell gave a short boxing show, G. F. Cross acting as referee, and Coleman and Howard contributed a laughable skotch entitled The Masion! Mokes in the Haunted House," with R. Hoye as ghost. M. Schmidt,-1a our own original ikie," appeared next, and after Caine another sketch, Burlesqueing Patti, a manager stranded in Hongkong," in which the characters were taken as follow:- The Manager, J. A. Howard; Pete, 1, W. Spinny; Dummy Joe, Straub, Booth, G. {F. Cross; Kernell, M. F. Washington; Black Patti; C. L. Siefert. "Scenes on the Plantation,' and a man-o'-war cake walk were given by the entire company, Coleman, Howard, Frohwein, Straub, Cross, Siefert, Gibson, Martin, White; Lang, McMahon, Washington, Craig, Heye, Lally, Bessant, Morrow, Schroud, Wetherbee, Schmidt, Gentsch, Spinny (as the toughest coon in town). The last item on the program. me was "The Girl in Red," by E." J. Gib. BOD. The following were the managers, etc.. General manager, J. P. Morton';" business manager, G. B. Coleman; stage manger, J. A. Howard; property manager, J. J. Martin; trea- curex, W."A." Gulick; electrician J. Johnson; sage carpenter A. F. Gontch; finterlocuter, G. F.Cross; Bones, J. A. Howard and R. W. White,
་་
him
44
Page 10Page 11