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Since that date though occasional rumours bave come in from Tientsin of Sir CLAUDE MACDONALD'S activity, no signs have been witnessed of any amelioration of the state of Chihli and Shantung.
[March 31, 1900.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
revision and has received a reply to the effect Messrs. M. W. Blade and E. Robinson (in- that Her Majesty's Government have no objec-stracted by Messrs. Deacon and Hastings) tions to consider the matter. Nothing further appeared for the plaintiff and Mèssrs. J. J. Francis, Q.C., and H. E. Pollock (instructed by Messrs. Johnson, Stokes, and Master) for the defendants,
has been done.
Your obedient servant. CLAUDE M, MACDONALD.
Chairman of the Hongkong General
Chamber of Commerce, Hongkong.
R. M. Gray Esq.,
THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEETING.
A meeting of the Legislative Council was held on the 29th inst., H.E. the Governor presiding.
As stated in my letter of 20th May, 1896, to Mr: Chatterton Wilcox, ao obauge of tariff is Not indeed that any one could expect at all likely to take place without previous con- this amelioration. In the first place, it was sultation with the parties most interested, more sufficiently obvious that the Empress Do-especially the Chambers of Commerce of Hong- wager and her advisers were not inclined to kong and Shanghai, whose views will receive impose any real check on a movement direct- full and careful attention.
I am, Sir, ed against the foreigners, who were in sym- pathy with the hated Reform Party, and Their native supporters. And, secondly, even If from motives of expediency the Empress's party wished to suppress the movement, Their power was notoriously insufficient. The decay of the central authority, which has been proceeding for so long and bow seems to be approaching its last stages of dissolution, has stiil left indeed the sem- "blance of power, but the hold on the mass of the people is kept simply by the appeal to their prejudices, not by any remnant of real strength. The continuance of the present government depends on the license It allows to the more turbulent elements. Now that the patience of the Powers seems exhausted and the crisis appears to have arrived, the Empress Dowager will not find that the Boxers can avail her anything to maintain her position. Gratitude is not. to be expected by the shepherd from the wolf let loose among the sheep, and so, as we pointed out the other day, the Empress will discover she has paid dearly for the removal of one or two obnoxious persons by the destruction of life and property among the people at large. All the ele- ments of the complete ruin of the Empire, as at present constituted, are here. The appearance of foreign force would be suf- Ecient to precipitate that ruin. It China san escape at the sacrifice of the present dynasty and the Boxers, her loss will indeed be gain.
A
The Hon'ble T. H. Whitebead, "Will the Hon, the Registrar-General inform the Council whether it is a fact that the occupants of disorderly houses who had been moved out of houses in the central districts and gone into houses to the west thereof are again being moved, and if so whether the movements have been or are being effected by virtue of orders made by the Magistrate or by the summary actions of the Police?" In reply the Acting Colonial Secretary said: "The houses to the east of Whitty Street are being moved, and the movements are being effected by virtue of orders issued by the Acting Registrar-General." |
The Bill entitled an ordinance to amend and consolidate the law relating to the carriage movement and possession of arms and ammuni- tion, was dealt with in committee.
The Hon'ble T. H. Whitehead presented a petition, containing 152 ladies' signatures, con- cerning the rise of market stuffs in the colony and gave notice of motion concerning the appointment of a committee to enquire into the
matter.
His Excellency the Governor stated that Messrs, R. M. Gray, D. Gillies and R. Shewan had been appointed as a Special Committee to enquire in to the proposed increase of salaries
THE GOVERNMENT AND TARIFF for subordinate Government officials.
REVISION.
The following important letters have passed between the Chairman of the Hongkong Gene- ral Chamber of Commerce and H.B.M's Mi- nister in China :-
Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce,
22nd February, 1900.
*
At the meeting of the Finance Committee the recommendation of H E. the Governor that the Council vote a sum of thirteen thousand dollars ($13,000) to cover the cost of increases on salaries for Chinese employees of the Government, sanctioned by the telegram from the Secretary of State of the 24th February, 1900," was passed.
Our full report through want of space is held
Sir,
over. A rumour is being persistently oir- onlated here to the effect that the negotiations with the Chinese Government in reference to the revision of the Tariff are being pushed on rapidly.
As the details of the new Tariff with Japan iwere, most unfortunately for this Colony, not submitted to the Chambers of Commerce here and in the Far East generally until after the new Treaty was signed, the Committee naturally feel anxious lest a similar course should be pur- *sued in the case of China. They therefore most earnestly hope that, before any arrangement is come to with the Government of Peking, they will be afforded an opportunity to express their opinion on the Tariff proposals, and they would further like to be informed whether it is correct that negotiations on the subject have been commenced.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Year obedient servant,
R. M. GRAY, Chairman.
Bir Claude Macdonald, K. C. M. G.,
H.B.M's Minister in China.
SUPREME COURT,
March 26th,
IN ORIGINAL. JURISDICTION.
BEFORE SIR JOHN CARRINGTON (CHIEF JUSTICE) AND A SPECIAL JURY.
BELILIOS V. THE BANK OF CHINA AND
JAPAN, LIMITED.
now
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The following composed the jury-Messrs. T. H. Hongh (foreman), N. A. Biebs, W. M. Watson, D. W Craddock, E. A. Ram, J. N. Goosman, and Louis Berindoque.
Mr. W. D. Graham's name was called, but he asked to be excused. He said the case was likely to be a long one, and he was going to Europe next week,
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His Lordship-When do you leave ? Mr. Graham-On the 4th of April.
His Lordship-You have made all your ar- rangements P
Mr. Graham--I have not made all my ar rangements. That is why I wish to be ex- cused.
His Lordship-But you have fixed to go? Mr. Graham-Yen; I have fixed to go. His Lordship considered the application à reasonable one, and excused Mr. Graham.
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Mr. Slade read the pleadings, and it appeared from the petition that "In or about the month or August, 1891, the plaintiff bought through one C.-L. S. Coxon at the price of $338.12 per share 200 shares of the Hongkong and Shang. hai Banking Corporation upon the express con- dition that one éter Emil Helga Melbye should finance and carry the same for the plaintiff which the said Melbye agreed to do upon con-- dition that the plaintiff would deposit the said 200 shares with bim as security and would fur- ther deposit with him the said Melbye a cash margin of $20 per share. The plaintiff agreed to the aforesaid conditions and caused scrip certificates for the said 200 shares together with blank transfers thereof to be deposited with the said Melbye, and subsequently paid to him by Compradore Order on the 29th August, 1891, as cash margin as aforesaid the sum of $4,000, being at the rate of $20 per share on the said 200 shares.
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The said Mothye carried and financed the said 200 shares together with 877 other like shares not belonging to the plaintiff by pro- curing the aforesaid Bank of China, Japan and the Straits, Limited, on or about the 24th August, 1891, to issue to him under his style or firm name of Dunu. Melbye & Company a letter of credit on the office of the said Bank in Lon- don which said letter of credit authorised the said Melbye to draw drafts at 6 month's sight under his style or firm name of Dunn, Melbye and Company upon the said Bank at its London Office for any amounts not exceeding in the aggregate £60,000, aud the said letter of credit was issued upon the terms that the said Dunn, Melbye and Company otherwise Melbye should deposit with the said Bank scrips and blank transfer deeds for shares of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corpo ration to the full value of the drafts drawn under the aforesaid letter of credit by the said Dunn, Melby and Company, and that the shares so deposited should be transferred to the name of a nominee of the said Bank and that the said Dunn, Melbye and Company, otherwise Melbye, should further deposit with the said Bank a cash margin of $20 per share subject to the said Bank paying interest on such deposit at the rate of 24 per centum per annum and that the said Dunn, Melbye and Company, otherwise Melbye, should pay the said Bank a commission of per cent on the amount of the drafts of the said Dunn, Melbye and Company under the above Letter or Credit and that the said Dunn, Melbye and Company, otherwise Melbye, should hand to the said Bank an undertaking to place it in funds to meet at maturity the drafts of the said Dunn, Melbye and Company drawn under the said letter of credit.
In this case the Hon. E. R. Belilios, C.M.G., claimed from the Eank of China and Japan, Limited, a declaration that he was entitled to redeem 200 shares of the Hongkong and Shang hai Backing Corporation belonging to him, being a portion of 1,077 like shares, which were on or about the 24th August, 1891, in the pos. session of one Peter Emil Helga Melbye, and by him on or about that date deposited with the Bank of China, Japan, and the Straits, Limited. as security. The said 200 shares were
The said Melbye under bis firm name of in the possession of the defendants and the Duon, Melbye and Company, accordingly drew plaintiff was willing to pay to the defendants bills under the said letter of credit to the ex- whatever sum was properly chargeable by them tent of £60,000) and duly fulfilled the aforesaid against the plaintiff in respect of the said conditions and in particular caused scrip certi- Sir,
ficates and blank transfers for 1,077 shares of I beg to acknowledge your letter of 22nd shares. The plaintiff also claimed that an ac. February. In reply I beg to state that there is count might be taken of the amount due by the the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corpo ration exceeding in value £60,000 to be deposit. no truth in the rumour that negotiations with plaintiff in respect of such shares, and that on the Chinese Government in referenceto a revi- payment by the plaintiff of the amount founded with the said Bank, which said scrip certi due on the taking of such account the defen- ficates and blank transfers includeil the certifi sion of the Tariff are being pushed on rapidly.dants might be ordered to deliver the said 200 cates and blank transfers for the 200 shares of The Chinese Government has approached shares to the plaintiff, and the plaintiff also the plaintiff referred to in paragraph 3 hereof, Her Majesty's Government on the subject of a claimed the costs of suit.
At the time of the deposit of the said 1,077
Peking, 6th March, 1900.
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