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February 2, 1901.]
There are just three items in the meagre messages which we have as yet received of the last hours of our Elect Lady's life-itoms which may be retained happily in our memories. We are told that, but for one restless night, Her Majesty retained consciousness without pain. Death had no torrors for her, as a balovod and obadient Prelate read prayers for his dying Sovereign. O may we die the death of the righteous; and may our last end be like hers! Again we are told that she was surrounded by her children. Happy, thrice happy, is the mother, be she ever so great or so humblə, of whom it can be said as of the virtuous woman
whose "price is far above rabies." that "Her children rise up and call her blessed." And once more, we are told that the passing of Victoria came in sleep. It seems almost an ideal end it is what many of us would d sire; for so
"God giveth His beloved sleep." Our Elect Lady is not dead but sleepath." The souls of the righteous are in the hands of
God.
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:
Shall we mourn for those who are not?
Nay, while love and regret
Still linger within our souls, they live with
us yet.
If we love, then the Souls that we love, they
exist and they are,
As memory which makes us ourselves brings
precious things from afar! There is no Death forever! Love lives and is for ever."
Therefore to-day we mourn for, we remem- ber, we praise "the Elect Lady, and her children, whom we love in truth."
THE PEKING ROLL OF HONOUR.
The following is the full list of names men- tioned in Sir Claude MacDonald's despatches to Lord Salisbury for exceptionally good service during the siege of the Legations:-
Capt. F. G. Poole (East Yorkshire Regiment), Capt. Strouts (R.M.L.I.), Capt. Halliday (R.M.LI.), Messrs, D. Oliphant, H. Warren, Dering, Cockburn, Ker, Capt. Percy Smith (38th Regiment, retired), Messrs. Clarke-Thorn- hill, (Rev.) F. Norris, Tours, Tweed, (Dr.) Morrison, Russell, Townsend, Bristow, Han- cock, Flaherty, Kirke, Barr, Hewlett. Brazier, Brewitt, Sandercock, Ferguson, Wintour, Richardson, Simpson, Do Luca, Dupree, N. Oliphant, (Dr.) Poole, (Dr.) Velde; and two ladies, Miss Myers and Miss Daisy Brazier.
Sir Claude requests the thanks of H.M. Government to be conveyed to the following foreign officers :—
Lieut. Baron von Rahden (Russian Navy), Capt. Myers (U. S. Marines), Lieut. Darcy (French Navy) Li ut. Baron von Soden (German Marines), Lieut. Paolini (Italian Navy), and Lieut. Hara (Japanese Navy).
The following non-British subjects are also noticed as particularly distinguishing them
selves :-
HARMSTON'S CIRCUS.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. day night, a large house assembled at the whole business over again, and when the fresh Theatre Royal, and encores were the order start thus made reaches a hopeless tangle, then of the evening. The young performers r5- we shall probably go through it once more. sponded to these nobly, and consequently it Meanwhile Lo Feng Lu and the representative was a late hour before the curtain finally of this charming and enlightened people, whose went down. Had there been any doubt of civilisation dates back to ages before that of our visitors' popularity it would have been dis-Europe, who delights his hearers in Washing- sipated on Wednesday. We look forward to ton and elsewhere, are doubtless assuring their return later this year
the respective governments to which they are credited, that only give the Chinese time ad they will make ample amends for every- thing. Whether the Governments really be liere these assurances or not does not particu- larly matter; the people evidently do, and until they really take Chinese affairs into their serious consideration there is not the slightest chance of the Government doing anything. Very few people know and apparently still fowor care whether the unfortunate missionaries were murdered at Chuchow or by Chuchow. The great bulk have some sort of idea that associated with Chuchow there were some murders, but got no further than this. Until then the British public make up their minds that they will not allow the Chinese to murder British subjects doing it in the future as they have done in the and exact no ratribution, the Chinese will go on past-with impunity. If these conclusions are just ones it would be as well if the public could spara a little time and attention to the matter and as a start enquire when and how the Chu. chow massacre is to be atoned for?
The leading feature of Harmston's perform. ance during this week-if it be necessary to make a selection from the splendid programine presented-was the wonderful display by the Jansons, the German aerialists. It is somewhat difficult to give the performance of the two Jan- sons & comprehensivo title, as their work is partly trapeze and partly gymnastic, and partaking of both it is certainly one of the most finished performances we have seen. The lady seems gifted with herculean strength, and in one in her mouth the end of a slack wire on of the acts she actually grips and sustains
which her partner turns a8 neatly as though he were revolving round a horizontal bar. She also hangs head downwards in mid air from a trapeze, and holds with hooks from straps on her wrists a circular-revolving | arrangement on which are five people-a kind of serial merry-go-round Her partner also does a good doal,Jaud his performance has that precision and neatness of finish which will arouse the enthusiasm of all gymnasts. The Sisters Frezagonda still charm with their brilliant " terpsichorean revels," as the man- agement term it; Ajax continues to twist and turn himself in a most wonderful man-
ner, which leads his audience to believe him ab- solutely boneless, and George Harmston reigns supreme in horsemanship in the ring. Wo un- derstand that notwithstanding the large numbər of artists Harmston's possesses, more are ex- peeted from home by the incoming mail
steamers.
THE CHUCHOW MASSACRE.
[FROM A CORRESPONDENT.]
AN UNREQUITED OUTRAGE,
Shanghai, 22nd January. Not the least extraordinary thing in this most extraordinary country is the Chuchow Massacre. This affair has been lingering on and on since July last. Demands have been formulate! and the various points gravely argued by the Chi- connected with it are heartily sick of the whole nese officials until public, officials, and evoryons
affair. When it is considered what it was that was done a feeling of stupefaction comes over the ordinary individual at the collossal im- An Imperial Edict pudence of the Chinese. orders the massacre of all Europeans and, es an
aside, any odd other foreigner that may be about. The Governor of Chekiang promulgates this Edict and it is acted upon, with the result Lient Col. Shiba (Japanese), Don Livio Cae-
that some eleven people, men, women and chil- tani (Italian), Rev. F. D. Gamewell and Mr.dren, who had taken refuge at the Yamen at Herbert Squiers (American), M. von Strauch (Gorman), and M. Fliche (French).
THE THEATRE.
On Friday night, the 25h ult., Pollard's clever Lilliputian Opera Company played The Lady Slavey for the first time in the Colony and succeeded in drawing a very good audience, considering the depressing effect which the recent national calamity has had on theatre-goers generally. Those who witnessed last night's performance had ample reason for satisfaction, for the entertainment was well up to the high standard set by these talented young actors and actresses. The chief burden of the piece fell upon Miss. Madge Wil iams, who 28 Phyllis the daughter of Major O'Neil (Master Harold Hill) was quite able to sustain it, while Masters Willie Pollard and Willie Thomas as the She riff's officers kept the house in a continual state of merriment. The Lady Slavey was repeated on Saturday (twice) and Monday.
On Tuesday night The Geisha was put on again and met with a great reception," while to bid farewell to the company on Wednes
Chuchow, are deliberately murdered with the knowledge and connivance of the officials there if not with their actual assistance. The Gover- nor has been allowed to retire and some of the other officials are in prison at Hangchow; but beyond that nothing has been done. Those charged with the conduct of the nogotiations have done and are doing their best but yet the fact remains that things do not advance. They will in time, yes, but will the
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great solution overtake us all if time enough is only given. The question of interest for the future well-being of prospective residents in the interior of China is, how long is the solution going to take in this particular case? Four thousand British troops are in Shanghai within striking distance of a city where British women and British children have been cowardly and foully hacked to pieces and yet we still argue. There is a British fleet that can got to within striking distance of many a fort erected by the Government that of a set purpose bounded on the murderers and yet we stil! argue Both are commanded by men only too willing to exact a stern retribution for the dastardly outrage and yet we go on arguing. We have discussed pros and cons for six months and are now about to begin the
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CANTON.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 26th January.
SUPPOSED KIDNAPPING.
A telegram was sent to the Commissioner of I.M. Customs at Canton on the 22nd ult. that there were on board the steam-launch Cheon on 24 females, who were said to have been kidnapped at Wuchow on the 21st. He immediately des patched the Customs cruiser Fumun-chai m pursuit. On reaching Kumchuk she saw the launch taking a boat in tow, and stopped her, On going on board to make a search the crew found the 24 women in question, brought them back to Canton, and sent them to Kwang Chai Hospital to be taken care of for the time being, until their relatives and friends turn up to claim them. As no kidnappers have been arrested in their company it is possible they were not really kidnapped. The case, however, is one of suspicion.
PIRACY ON THE NORTH RIVER.
North River and their principal quarters are at There are at present many pirates on the Fan Tim, Mui Fa Chun, the Wang Sheak bamboo-plantation, Tai Mew Hap, and Tai Cheong. They are provided with firearms and
boats and are scattered about on different parts of the river. Sometimes they make over ten attacks a day. Whenever they see a cargo-boat pass they shout out to her to stop, and if she does not, they open fire and board her to rob and plunder. In the majority of cases the passengers and crew do not resist, and think themselves very lucky if they escape with their
lives.
THE NEW VICEROY.
His Excelleney Tao Mu, the new Viceroy of Canton, is expected to be here on the 1st or 2nd inst., as a few steam-launches have been des- patched to (hing-yün to take him and suite to
Canton.
The N.-C. Daily News reports that at 8.30 a.m. on the 22nd ult. a large Chinese lorcha, while making its way up the river, and endeav oaring to cross the bow of H. M. torpedo-boat destroyer Whiting, collided with her, carrying away the port rigging and damaging the anchor- chain. While the effort to get the lorcha clear and prevent further damage went on quietly aboard the Whiting, a regular pandemonium reigned on the lorchs, and it took the com- bined efforts of the police launch with several launches of H. M. fleet-who came promptly to assistance-to get the clumsy vessel clear. The Whampoa on its way up river to Messrs. But- terfield and Swire's wharf had to drop anchor quickly to prevent either collision with the forchs or running ashore, as the unwieldy craft swinging around blocked the entire passage,
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