April 14, 1900-1
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE DEPARTURE OF THE HÜN.
T. H. WHITEHEAD.
On the 11th inst, the Hon. T. H. White- head, who is leaving for home on Saturday, was the recipient of a very high token of esteem from a representative gathering of Chinese merchants of this colony The presentation was in the form of an Address and an Embroi. dered Silk Soroll, while an Allegorical Piece of Plate is to be delivered to him on his arrival in England.
Swator. Upon this the plaintiffs issued their writs about a month later on the 13th March-and simultaneously obtained an order for service out of the jurisdiction. The ac countant himself went to Swatow to serve the writs upon the two partners in the firm-father and son,—and it was now suggested, and the plantiffs were quite content to accept it-lence this re-hearing-that there was some irregulari. ty in the service. The two writs seemed to have been served upon the father, the son being apparently out of the house at the time.
A month later, on April 14th. the case was heard. Owing to the absence of Li Sing, through in It was undefended. The second defendant disposition, his son Li Pak, presided, and was might or might not have been in Hongkong. supported by Ho Tung, Ho Fook, Pun Hung He was ultimately traced and in July was and Liu Chi Shan, There were also present; arrested Since that time, until a few Messrs. Tham Chee Kong, Leong Shui Kong, days ago, he had been in gaol. While in Leong Poi Chee, Low Chee Pak, Low Chin gaol he had made application for his dis-Ting, Loo Koon Ting, Chun Hew Wan, charge upon the ground that he had no means Chieng Chee Kong, Chow Kum Wing, Yung of satisfying the debt, He appeared before the Leong, Chow Dart Toog, Ho Kam Tong, Low Paisne Judge, who, however, would not grant Wan Chew, Kan Tin Hing, Chun Hung, the application. The points raised by the de- Chun Tuen Cho, Wong Tack Choon, Lo fendant now for the first time were first that Cheung Shiu, Chean Hin Yuen, Tang Lan the service was irregular; the second point, Be Kuk, Kwan Kai, and others. understood, was that the second defendant was not a partner. The third point was that at some time a composition was alleged to have been arranged between the defendants and their Farious creditors. The plaintiffs, however, said they never consented to a composition and never heard of it. The fourth point was that the defendant had a defence on the merits of the
ease.
The evidence for the plaintiff was then given. The case was adjourned sine die.
THE PIRATIČAL ATTACK ON THE "TUNG KONG."
FURTHER PARTICULARS; We have received the following full account of the piratical attack on the Tung Kong
On Tuesday night, April 3rd, the British steamer Tung Kong left Hongkong for the purpose of making her usual trip up the West River. We arrived at Wongmoon at 1! o'clock, and after discharging passengers and cargo left again at 11.15 p.m. After steaming for an hour, and arriving at a village known as Tai Nam Mee, she was suddenly attacked by a large gang of pirates who fired at her from both sides of the river. Judging from the number of shots fired, there must have been fully 150 pirates, who were evidently bent on capturing the steamer and robbing the pas sengers. This is borne on by the fact that the wheel-house was completely riddled with bullets (52 holes being counted), but fortunately the man at the wheel escaped, though how he did so is a miracle. The passengers, however, were less fortunate. One (a youth of 17) was shot dead, the bullet going right through his head two other passengers were also severely wounded in the left side and have since died of their wounds.
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Mr. Li Sing had forwarded the following letter in Mr. Whitehead:-" I sincerely and greatly regret that avere indisposition pre- vents my being present this forenoon at the City Hall, as I fully intended to be, to have the privilege of presenting to you an address from the Chinese merchants and community of Hongkong. My son, who knows English, will do so on my behalf and he will read the remarks I proposed to have made. I hope to see you before you depart on your well-earned leave of absence." On behalf of his father Li Pak read the follow ing address-Sir, I am here, on behalf of a very large number of my fellow countrymen, resident in this Colony, to present you with an address, on the eve of your departure from this Colony for what we hope may be but a tem- porary absence. In this address, to which I am a party, and in which I most cordially conour, we have endeavoured, however imperfectly, to give expression to our feelings of respect and admiration for you, and to our very grateful thanks, for all you have done for us during the honour of interviewing yon I am one of the old. years that have elapsed since last we had the est Chinese residents in the colony, and I bear my testimony without hesitation to the fact that, whether as Banker, or as Member of Council, no man in my time as done better work for, or more thoroughly earned the gratitude and thanks of, the Chinese Community, than have you, Sir. I have been highly honoured in boing community on this occasion. asked to be the mouthpiece of the Chinese I am still more pleased to have this opportunity of expressing On behalf of the signatories of the address, I to you my own feelings, and my own thanks. most respectfully beg of you to accept it and with it our humble offering of plate and an embroidered scroll.
Mr. Ho Fook read the address as follows: To the Honourable Thomas Henderson White The steamer kept on her course, and the
head, Manager of the Chartered Bank of watchman, seeing two sampans coming off from India, Australia and China, and Member of the shore loaded with pirates, fired about a dozen
the Legislative Council of Hongkong/ shots at them, and made things so warm that the
Sir-Six years ago when you were about to pirates turned back, leaving the steamer to pro- proceed on a visit to Europe, the Chines: Mer coed on her way to Wongmoon, where she chants of Hongkong presented you with a Ser- arrived at 4 20 am. on Wednesday morning and vice of Plate and with a Public Address in reported her night's adventure to the Castons which they have endeavoured to acknowledge officials at Wongwoo station. It is hardly your many public services and to give expression necessary to say that, since the Tung Kong to their feelings of gratitude for all that yon adventure, all the West River steamers bare had done to promote the best interests of given Wongmoon and district a wide berth, the colony and of all classes of the residents and consequently all communication with Wong-during your tenure of office as an Unofficial moon by steamers is practically stopped.
Member of the Legislative Council since 1890.
H.M.S. Tweed and torpedo boat No. 38 are both up the river. They went up two days after the piracies. They proceeded up the river past Tui Nam Mee. The Tweed is at Chao Tan Shan, 40 miles from Tai Nam Mee, and the torpedo boat is cruising in the river 50 miles off Tai Nam Mee.
Our correspondent adds:-" Nothing has been done about the piracies: Although the Tung Kong is registered in Hongkong she flies the West River flag. But even if by some quibble of law the Tung Kong is not entitled to British protection surely the passengers are
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Plague regulations at Calcutta and the ports of Burmah have been declared against vessels arriving from Aden.
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In the time which has elapsed since that pre- sentation you have continued to serve the Colony faithfully and loyally, and you have deserved well of your fellow citizens. Now that you are about to leave us, though only for a brief period, we again desire to avail ourselves of the opportunity to place on record our high appreciation and grateful acknowledgments of the important and most valuable services which you have rendered Hongkong and the Chinese since 1894, both in the Legislative Council and out of the Council by your letters and by your speeches, as also for your unwearying efforts in face of grave discouragments to secure for us that consideration in respect of local self-govern- ment to which our numbers, wealth and enter- prise justly entitle us.
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We deeply regret that your atrennous endes- vours, during your sojourn in Europe in 1894 to obtain for the Colony a full and fair measure of Municipal Government were not productive of the Councils, or in the methods of adminis of more substantial change in the organisation tration. A permanent majority of Official Members in the Legislative Council still rendera it impossible for the opinions and the wishes of the inhabitants to have influence in shaping tho laws of the Colony and in regalating its finances, which their knowledge, their experience, and the extent of their material inter ste give them a ations have been effected and that the Chinese fairclaim to possess. It is true that certain alter- Community have now two Representatives on the Legislative Council in lieu of one. For the 1 improvement in the composition of the Councils, Legislative and Executive, such as it is, we feel deeply indebted to you, for if you had not, in advocated the cause of progress, even the season and out of season, here and in England, ! slender measure of reform meted out would not have been conceded.
We further specially desire to express to you our appreciation of your readiness at all times and patience in listening to us, in investigating to safeguard our interests; for your courtesy
quainted with the facts, so as to arrive at a our complaints, and in making yourself no- complete understanding of our grievances; for mistaken, and for your courage in advocating your candour of speech if you thought us
founded, however adverse the Government, or our cause when you believed it to be well-
however unwilling your colleagues may have been to lend you their support. We do not forget what the Master said of U—“
"When good government prevailed he was like arrow (straight and decided); when bad government prevailed he was like an arrow (straight and decided)."
Your mostable Report on the condition of the Tung Wah Hospital in 1898, and your recom. ization were far more exhaustive and far mers mendations for its improvement and re-organ- searching than any other, and, consciously or un- consciously, the reform of that Hospital has in fact Managers on the lines you recommended. To been carried out by the Government and by the
your inflexibility and insistence in pressing on the Legislative Council and on the Government, year in, year out, the urgeat necessity for the re- organization of the Sanitary Board, it is mainly due that a fresh lease of life has been given to that most useful Institution, and that it has ceased to be a purely official organisation.
The failure of the attempts of the local cessive Light Dues on the shipping is also, in officials to hamper the trade of the port by ex-
tenacity of purpose. the main, attributable to your perseverance and
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All classes of the Chinese feel deeply indebted for your attitude and protests against the Bill entitled 'An Ordinance to provide for the summoning of Chinese before the Registrar General," which gives unlimited power for the examination in seoret of Chinese from the New Territory. You more fully represented their views, their opinions, and their wants than did hope your appeal on the subject to The Right others who purported to speak for them and we Honourable Joseph Chamberlain, Secretary of State for the Colonies, will be as successful ne it deserves to be.
the proposed Arms and Ammunition Ordin In connection with the Opium Ordinances ances; the Extraordinary Legislation for the New Territories; the "Lee Hing Monopoly:" your protest with reference to the Estimates for Public Works Extraordinary during 1900 and many other measures, great and small, you bave done immense good, and by your constant questions, your firmness, and sturdy opposition to all that was one-sided and unfair to any one class of the Community, or which threatened to interfere with the freedom of the port and with the prosperity of trade, you have merited for all time our heartfelt gratitude.
acquainted with our real requirements than We make bold to say that you are better" many of those whose knowledge of our language" and whose official status place them in a superior - position for acquiring such imformation, We set a high value on your independent and skilful endeavours to promote good government in the Colony, as well as on your unwavering advocacy of right methods in respect of general question.