THE
Hongkong Weekly Press
VOL. LI.]
AND
China Overland Trade Report.
CONTENTS.
Epitome of the Week, do.........
Leading Articles :—
China's Trade in 1899
Chinese Ports and the British Flag
Tariff Revision and the Chamber of Commerce
The Dynasty and the Powers
The Government and Tariff Revisou
The Legislative Council Meeting............ Supreme Court
Hongkong Sanitary Board
Ghastly Discovery at Kowloon...................................
The Theatre
Chins and Manila Steamship Co., Limited Hongkong Hotel Co., Limited...
HONGKONG, SATURDAY, 318T MARCH, 1900.
.209
Between the 1st January and noon on the 26th inst. seventeen cases of Bubonic Plague have been reported as occurring in the Hong. kong, while the number of deaths has been 210 sixteen. From the week ending 3rd March up
to now only one case has been reported.
.210 .211 .21' .212
No. 18
A Japanese telegram, dated Seoul, 19th fakt, states that "on the 17th the Russian warships Burik, Rossia and Navarin arrived at Chemulpo. M. Alexieff was on board one of the vessels, and, accompanied by the captains of the three war. ships, he arrived here yesterday. M. Alexieff and the captains inspected various places in the city yesterday and had an audience of the Im.
▲ number of residents of the Looohoo Islands are about to establish a regular steamship ser- 212 vice between the islands and Amoy. A Japan-peror to-day. M. Alexieff will proceed to Japan-
on the completion of his business at Seoul."
212
ese paper learns that the promoters have 213 decided to apply to the Government for a state .214
subsidy of 250,000 you for a period of five years 215 from the date on which the undertaking is rea- ...215lized.
..214
Hongkong Land Investment and Agency Co., Ltd. ..,217 China Sugar Refining Co., Limited...
Tha Punjom Mining Co., Limited
,210
In addition to the fire Haulins recently ar- 217 rested, fifty have been impeached. Among those 218 impeached was Wu Shih-chao, Chinese Director of the Peking Syndicate, who has been banished to home, where it is said secret despatches have 222 followed him ordering his imprisonment for life. Three of the first five also received long sent
.219
..2.9
223 223
Green Laland Cement Co, Limited
Luzon Sugar Refining Co, Limited.
China Sugar Refining Co., Limited...
Correspondence
Indian Famine Relief Fund ...
South African War.......
Alice Memorial and Nethersole Hospitals
223
Tientsin Notes
223
Manila....
Canton
Kiaying
Football
Royal Hongkong Yacht Club
Hongkong Volunteer Corps
Hongkong Schools' Athletic Sports...
"The Grip on Colonial Empire
Hongkong and Port News...
Commercial..
Shipping.
DEATH.
.224 224 .225
.225
.225 ,225 .226
tences.
"As anticipated," says the Peking correspon dent of the North China Daily News, "the
British and Italian Ministers have tried to in-
tervene in the sentence pronounced against the 225 Hanlin Wu Shih-tsao, owing to the help given 225 by him in getting the Peking and Yaugts
Syndicates their large concessions in Shansi, Honau, and the Yangtze Valley previnces. The two Ministers approached the Taungli Yamen 229 protesting against the sentence, but received the ..231 reply that, as it was the first intention of the Empress Dowager to have Wu Shih-taao sam. marily decapitated, the commutation of his son- tence to imprisonment for life was an not of meroy, which is all that can be expected."
On the 28th of March, at Shanghai, CARLOS M. DE LEMOS BARRETTO, fourth son of the late Luiz de Lemcs BARRETTO, aged 19
Macao years.
papers please copy.
ARRIVALS OF MAILS.
•
The French mail of the 18th February arrived, per M. M. steamer Yarra, on the 26th March (36 days); the American mail of the 27th February arrived, per O. & O. steamer Coptic, on the 27th March (28 days); and the English mail of the 2nd March arrived, per P. & O. steamer Bengal, on the 29th March (28 days).
EPITOME OF THE WEEK.
Jung Lu was created a Chamberlain by Im perial Edict on the 8th inst.
In the forthcoming naval manoeuvres the Japanese fleet is to be manned, armed, provi- sioned, and provided with ammunition as if for actual fighting.
El Comercio announces the opening to trade of the Philippine ports Bongao, in the island of that name, Matti, in Mindanao; Balamban and Davao, in Cebu.
A Seoul despatch of the 20th inst. says that the mining concession has been definitely granted to Mr. Pritchard Morgan for a term of 25 years, 25 per cent. of the output to be paid to the Korean Government.
H.E. Tao Mu, Viceroy of the Shen-Kan
provinces, left Lanchou, Kansu, on the 16th instant for Peking for special audience. The Acting Viceroyship has teen taken by Wei Kuang-tao, Governor of Shensi province,
A correspondent, writing from Port Arthur says that there are no signs yet of regular railway traffic between there and Newchwang. "Ocos sionally trains make the trip, being composed partly of freight trucks and partly of passenger cars. The distance 18 something like two hun. dred miles, and a special train has covered the entire distance in a little over twenty-two hours! No mails are taken by this line, although it is all laid and in working order not only as far as Newchwang, but all the way to Monkden. Mr. Gürschmann, the Engineer-in-Chief, is at pre- sent in Peking, and it is hoped that on his return he will take steps to open the railway line pro- perly."
The North China Daily News of the 23rd yesterday state that the impression in official inst. says:-" Telegrams received from Peking
oirolas that day was that H.I.M. Kuang Hsu's death by foul means is daily expected, and that so sure of this is the conservative Grand Seore- tary Hau T'ang that he has already prepared his suit of Court mourning, consisting of grey and black cotton-cloth official robes, in anticipa- tion of the Emperor's near demise. Thi example was being generally followed yesterday by officials high and low in Peking, and so numerous are the orders for mourning Court robes at the clothes' stores in the capital that buyers are now oharged twice and often three times the ordinary figures demanded for anek articles."
in Korea are moving to have the Government A Tokyo despatch states that some Russiana forest at Kamikian province sold to them with the view of supplying railway sleepers for the East China Railway Company. This is confirm- A writer in The ed by news from Kores also. Shanghai Mercury says that “Russian influence is beginning to be felt more especially in the north of Korea, where much liberality is shown to the natives. Year after year, the northern Koreans migrate to Vladivostook and other adjacent Russian territories. They go as coolies, but inasmuch as the Russians show preference to the Koreans the latter display more attach- ment to their alien masters. The Koreans are even more docile than the Chinese, though inferior to the latter in point of intelligence. But as far as strong muscles and sinews go the Koreans are not a whit behind the Chinese, and moreover are free from some of the obnoxious traits of the Chinese-such as forming meerat organizations which set the local laws at defiance, etc. The Russian favour to the Koreans is of far deeper import than mere sentiment."
Following quickly on Russian action with regard to the fishing rights at Saghalion comes The trial of the murderers of Mr. Brooks the further now that a tax of 1,000 yen per took place on the 28th of February and the annum has been announced by the Russian Mr. C. W. Campbell, of H.B.M.'s Consular Ser-warehouses established there for the sale or dis- following days. at Chinanfu, in the presence of officials in Vladivostock as payable on all tea vice. The trial was conducted by the Provin-tribution of import tea. This news arrived last cisl Judge in a large hall of the Hofang-chi, week, says The Japan Gasatte of the 21st inst., where important cases are taken. bell took with him as secretaries Mr. Mathews Tea Guild; and, as most of the tea house5 Mr. Camp in the shape of a telegram to the Japan Central (Mr. Brooks' colleague), and Mr. Coaling established in Vladivostock deal only in Japs- (English Baptist Mission, Shantung). On nese and Chinose teas, this regulation will." if some minor points the evidence was very oon. carried into execution, lead to another tariff tradictory, but the more important matters came war, and a very natural retaliation by the out very clearly. The six men principally con Japanese Government, who will doubtless then cerned captured Mr. Brooks at Changobiation increase the taxes on all Russian goods coming and in spite of the expostulations of the tipas or into Japan and Formosa. We learn that village constable, carried him away. They do attempts are being made by the Russian Agent not seem to have killed their prisoner until he in Korea to endeavour to make the Korean attempted to escape. Five of the gang were authorities also discriminate in favour of members of the Tatao Hui, a secret society of Russian imports, as against those of all other great local influence, and their connection with nations. Whether they will have induence did not try to interfere. Only four men were be so blindly fatuous as to allow themselves to it seems to have terrorised the villagers, who enough to succeed, or the Korean government actually implicated in the death. The verdict be led into such a fatal mistake, only time and is not yet to hand,
the sotien;of the Japanese authorities will show,