September,15 1900.] ·
Just as the Sunkiang was about to start f Manila three Chinsmen were found stowed away in the fore-hold. They were taken before Mr. Hazeland on the 8th inst, and fined $25 each.
On the 8th inst. a Chinaman who was arrested on landing from the Yaumati steamer was found to be in possession of 25 taels of prepared opium. On being taken before the Magistrate he said the opium was for medicine, it not being fit for smoking. Mr. J. J. Spooner (Chief Excise officer) said that this was not so, but it was prepared Malwa opium. A fine of $41.0 was imposed.
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Recently a barkeeper named Cheng On Hang came up from Singapore with $1,100 in his possession-$600 in silver dollars and $500 in bank notes. He and another man, named Mok Fung Kwai, whom he had known for one or two years, arrived on the night of the 6th inst., and they put up at the same boarding house, occupying the same room. On the 9th inst. Mok Fung Kwai went away and did not return, and on the following day Cheung On Hang found that his money had disappeared. He reported the matter to the police, and Mok Fung Kwai was arrested and charged be- fore Mr. Hazeland on the 13th inst. with stealing the money.
His Worship, however, did not consider the evidence conclusive and dismissed the case.
A boy in the employ of Mr. T. G. Hughes, of Kowloon, was charged on the 12th inst. with being in unlawful possession of a brooch. The brooch was missed about a month ago and on another brooch being lost the other day 'Mr. Hughes instituted a search. He caused the boy to turn out his bag, but found nothing. His suspi- cions not being allayed he caused the boy to turn out his bag again. The boy professed to do this, but Mr. Hughes noticed that he took care to keep his hand in a certain place, and on making him take it away he found he had hold of the brooch lost a month ago. The boy's excuse was rather a thin one. He said
he "found the brooch in the dark" and that as he did not know who it belonged to he kept it. His Worship told him he was satisfied that he had stolen the brooch, and that it was lucky for him he had not been charged with larceny. He would be fined $10, or two months.
Mr. Hazeland had a kidnapping case before him on the 11th inst. The complainant was a girl 13 years of age named Li Yan Choi, who had been living as a servant with a family in Coch rane Street for two or three weeks, having been brought over from Macao, and the defen- dants were theung Kee, a shroff, and Tse I, a married woman. The girl's story was that when in the street she asked the second defen- dant to take her away, as her mistress ill-treated her, and that the second defendant's brother took her to Canton.-Li Sing, a married woman living in Peel Street, said the complainant came of her own accord, saying she wanted to leave her mistress, and she paid the defendants $96 to get possession of her.-His Worship was satis- fied that money had been paid for the girl. He was further satisfied that the girl had left the house in Cochrane Street because she was ill- treated there, and he accordingly dismissed the case and ordered the girl to be sent to the Po Leung Kuk.
Yan Hang, of No. 6 Mutton Stall, Central Market, appeared before Mr. Hazeland on the 13th inst. charged with cruelty to animals. It appeared that on Friday last he transferred 38 goats from Kennedytown to the Hunghom depot for slaughter. All excepting seven were slaughtered on Saturday. On Tuesday the Indian watchman told Mr. T. J. Cotton, Market Inspector, that the seven had not been fed since their arrival, and on examining them the Inspector found that this was no doubt true, their stomachs being empty. He spoke to the owner about it, and the man said that the Indian troops, for whom the goats were re- quired, preferred the goats to be lean rather than fat. His Worship said that it was quite clear that from Friday to Tuesday these goats were allowed to remain in the depôt without touching a single ounce of food. It was a case of absolute cruelty to animals and that needless suffering was caused them. He proposed to make an example of the defendant to show him and others that it was an offence to treat dumb creatures in this way. He would fine him $50, or two months,
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
213
At the Magistracy on the 7th inst. three mar- ket coolies were charged on remand by Wong | appears a notice to the effect that a marriage In the London Morning Post of the 3rd ult Kwok Pun, keeper of No. 57 stall, Central Mar-will take place early in October between Cap- ket, with upsetting and damaging his stall. Mr.tain J. Hamilton Davidson-Houston, Malay Hays appeared for the complainant. Chun States Guides, eldest son of the late Rev. B. C. Wing, a coolie employed at stall No. 58, said Davidson-Houston, of Dublin, and Kathleen, he remembered the morning of the 31st August. youngest daughter of J. E. Reiss, Esq., of At about eight o'clock he saw a coolie, who was Cassia, Cheshire, and 36, Cadogan Square, W. being chased by several other coolies, run into the Yuen Wo shop, No. 57. They were armed situation in China from Baron Nishi was It is reported that a detailed report on the with bamboos, spanners, and brooms. The received by the Japanese Government on the three defendants were among the assailants. A 27th ult. It has been decided to send a special scrimmage took place and the stall was upset, official to Peking with important instructions several silver dollars and some ten cent pieces which were in the till rolling on to the Chronicle, that Mr. Uchida, the Director of the to Baron Nishi, and it is believed, says the. Kobe ground.-His Worship: Did you see these Political Affairs Bureau, will be chosen for the men in the act of throwing over this stall?--- mission. Witness: I could not say. There were seven or eight there.--Wong Kwong, in the employ of the complainant, said he went to the top for some water and the first defendant would not let him get any, saying it was too late. Wit- ness then began to abuse him, and asked. "By what right do you stop me from drawing water ?" They then had a fight, and on some of the first defendant's friends coming on the scene he ran away. They followed him into his master's shop. The first defendant threw a weight at him and hit him in the chest, and the third defeudant struck him with a broom. They then upset the counter. The defendants were each ordered to enter into a personal bond in the sum of $50 to keep the peace for six months.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The first German transatlantic cable, between
Germany and the United States of America, was opened on the 31st ult.
der-in-Chief of the French forces in Indo-China, General Dodds, recently appointed Comman-
was to sail from Marseilles on 26th ult.
The Government of Siam has abolished tran. sit dues on tobacco. A tax of ten per cent. on value of the crop is now levied on tobacco plan- ters.
We welcome the reappearance on the 25th interval of over two months. It was on the ult. of the Peking and Tientsin Times, after an 15th June last that the staff of the Tientsin Press ran away and thus abruptly suspended the life of our contemporary.
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Minister at St. Petersburg, to the Japanese A telegram from Mr. Komura, the Japanese Foreign Office, states that an Imperial Ordin- ance was issued on the 4th ult. decreeing that the affairs in China required a special appropriation of money, the Russian Govern- ment has been obliged to raise the Customs Tariff, and that the Existing Customs Tariff, on the goods imported into Russia would be raised by between 10 and 50 per cent. The telegram added that the rate of duty on rugs and earthen- ware had been raised by 30 per cent., and the No change has been made in the duty charged rate on silk, porcelain, and ivory by 10 per cent. on other Japanese goods. The Imperial Ordin- ance took effect on the 5th inst.
A certain Francis Laur in L'Echo des Mines, quoted in L'Echo de Chine, has discovered that Sir Robert Hart and Lord Charles Beresford bert Hart for not privately warning the British are responsible for the war in China-Sir Ro- Minister at Peking that vast stores of war material
and Lord Charles Beresford for advising the were being brought into China,
best policy was to organise and create a strong Tartar General at Foochow Arsenal that China's than pay army, rather attention tother navy.
The N.-C. Daily News records the injury by lightning on Tuesday last of Messrs. J. E. Shoemaker and Douglas. It appears they were standing at the open office window of the American Presbyterian Mission Press, Shang- hai, watching the storm. Mr. Shoemaker had his hand on the wood rail, when the lightning struck the chapel about forty yards in front and seemed to divide itself, injuring the brick. work of the chapel and travelling along a wire which gave communication from the gatekeeper
and Mr. Douglas who was standing just behind It struck Mr. Shoemaker on the hand and chest, to the office where the two gentlemen stood.
was hit on the chest; both staggered and fell. The former was unconscious for a little time, but both are now all right again..
Lient.-Colonel W. H. Poe, late of the Royal to the services rendered by the Marines guard- Marines, calls attention in a letter to The Times ing the British Legation at Peking, which he In the course of a somewhat long letter, he seems to think are likely to be lost sight of. remarks:-To judge by a few brief and casual
the services of the little garrison-much less columns of the daily Press these few weeks past, allusions to them which have appeared in the
the fact that this garrison has been almost en- tirely Marines-seem likely to be overlooked. With the remembrance of the scant acknow- ledgment accorded to the Royal Marines who fought at Graspan fresh in my mind-where out of some six officers and 300 men one-third with a view if possible to prevent a like injus- of their number were left on the ground-and tice being done their comrades in Peking, I
able siege comes to be written the conduct of venture to draw attention to these latter, feel- ing assured that when the story of this memor- the Marine garrison, and more particularly that of our own British contingent, will be chapter of deeds of valour which adorn the roll found to add yet another page to that glorious of English history, but which, I regret to say, when performed by the Royal Marines, seldom or never meets with the recognition which is its due.
COMMERCIAL.
TEA.
1899-1900 lbs.
1808-09
·
lbs.
The extent to which well-meaning people can be blinded by their devotion to some particular hobby is shown by the following passage from the Friend of China for July :-" Precisely how far the Opium trade is responsible for the hostility of the Chinese to foreigners, no one can estimate with accuracy; that it has had a very large share in causing this feeling, no one who knows the feelings of the Chinese on the subject can doubt, The earnest and repeated appeals of the Chinese people to the British Government have fallen EXPORT OF TEA FROM CHINA TO ODESSA on deaf ears; China has seen herself humiliated and disgraced, time after time, largely as a re: ult of this trafic, fastened on her against her Shanghai and Hankow... 36,072,807 25,363,948 will. Can it be greatly wondered at that, in her mad fury. she should now have risen against the Wes.eru peoples who have inflicted this humilia- tion upon her ?" There is little wonder that those who believe in such do not relish the statement of Lord Curzon (quoted else. where with disapproval in the Friend of Chin); The pretence that China is hostile to the British people or to Christian Missions because we introduced to her the opium habit is about as rational as to say that the national soreness that sometimes arises between England and France is due to our resentment at having to cross the Channel for our best brandy."
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SILK,
CANTON, 31st August.-Silk-Tsatlees.- No settlements are reported. Re-reela. Only 10 bales No. 1 at $600 are stated to have been settled. Filatures. During the earlier part of the fort- night some little activity was noticeable in business especially for America, and settlements of about 1,200 bales in all were effected for the Continent and States. The prices we quote are those being asked for 4th crop Silk, but the rates for 3rd crop parcels which have been freely offered $20 per picul lower. Some business in 4th crop and principally dealt in have been quitted at $10 to Silk is reported, say on the basis of $755 for 20 bales Kwong Shun Cheong 11/13 drs, and con