THE GOVERNOR'S VISIT TO MACAO.
H.E. Sir Henry A. Blake, G.C.M.G., went to Macao on
on the 30th ult., in the torpedo-destroyer Junus, accompanied by his Private Secretary, Mr. R. Johnston, and Lieut. A. Blake, A.D.C. They arrived shortly before noon, and after the guns of the Macao forts had replied to the salute of the Janus, H.E. was welcomed before going ashore by Mr. Seaton, the British Vice-Consul, and a number of Colonial officials. A guard of honour awaited His Excellency on landing, an the British National Anthem was played as the party, accompanied by Lieut. Corbett, commanding the Janus, proceded to Government House. There His Excellency was received by the Governor of Macao and Madame Horta e Costa, and at one o'clock a large number of prominent civil and military officials were duly presented to. H.E. 'At o'clock the following party eat down to lunch :- H.E. Sr. José M. de S. Horta e Costa, Governor of Macao and Portuguese Minister Plenipoten. tiary to China; Lady Horta e Costa; H.E. Sir Henry A. Blake, Governor of Hongkong; Mr. F.O.Seaton, British Vice-Consul a Macao Mr. R. F. Johnston, Private Secretary, and Lieut. Blake, A.D.C. to the Governor of Hongkong; Lient. Corbett, Coinmander of H.M. Janus; Chief Justice Albano de Magalhass; Chief of the Military Department, Lieutenant-Colonel Costa e Andrade; Attorney General, Sr. Mondes Pinheiro; Inspector of Revenus Office. Sr. Fon- toura de Carvalho; President of Municipal Chamber, Sr. Nolascoda Silva; Colonial Surgeon, Dr. Gomes da Silva; Colonial Secretary, Sr. Al fredo Pinto Lello; General and Mrs. Pinheiro Silvauo; Commander of the Expeditionary Forces, Gen. Moraes Bessa; Commander of the Macao Infantry Souza Brito; Harbour Master, Lieut. J. C. Alcobia, Royal Portuguese Navy; Chief Ordnance Officer, Captain Durao, R.A.; Naval Surgeon, Dr. Gonsalves Pereira. Royal Portuguese Navy; Lieutenant Tristao de Car valhses, A.D.C.; Mrs. Tris ao de Carvalhaes; and Lieutenant Mario G. Homen, A.D.C.
H.E. the Governor of Macao, who spoke in English, proposed the toast of the day in the following terms :-
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Sir, I beg to express to Your Excellency my deepest and most sincere gratitude towards Your Excellency, who has deigned as a re- presentative of His Gracious Llajesty the King Emperor to visit this Portuguese colony. I ain quite sure of being a faithful interpreter of all the inhabitants of Mac in assuring Your Excellency that our feelings towards the great English people are still, and I hope they wil always be, as sympathetic as they have been daring past centuries. Therefore in the name of this colony, and as a representative of His Most Faithful Majesty the King of Portugal Don Carlos the First, I have the honour of ask- ing you to drink to the health of His Gracions Majesty theKing-Emperor. Edward the Seventh. "God Save the King" was played as the com- pany rose to do honour to the toast.
H.E. the Governor of Hongkong responded as follows :-
·
:
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
THE STRANDED "SOBRAON.
Thursday.
is of a more reassuring character, and the hope -The latest news from the scene of the wreck is entertained that the liner will yet be success- fully floated. Two telegrams have been re- ceived in the colony--one by the P. & O. agents and the other by Commodora F. Powell, R.N. The first, which was sent by Captain Goddard, states briefly that the steamer Coromandel had arrived with purps and divers, and that after a consultation between Mr. Mackenzie, who is in charge of t epumps and gear, and the captains of H. M. s'oreship Humber, H. M. S. Daphne, and the Coromandel, it was decided to attempt to raise the steamer. The telegram received by Commodore Powell was from H.M.8. Daphne, and stated that when the Sobraon is pumped ont and lightened there is a chance of saving her This telegram also mentioned that the assistance of two cruisers was required, and H.M.S... Hermione has been despatched full speed to Tang Yang Islaud H.M.8 Blenheim, Which was proceeding to Woosung, has also been instructed to call at Tung Yung.
The Chips Merchants' steamier Irene, having on board all silk baggage and parcels taken from the Sobraan, is proceeding to Hongkong. The following is the substance of the tele. gram received from Captain Goddard :-
Coromandel arrived with pumps and divers; after consultation, Mackenzie (in charge of pamps and gear), Captain of H.M.S. Humber, HM.S. Daphne, and s.8 Coromandel decided attempt raise steamer. All silk baggage and parcels proceeding Irene. Weather favour able."
The China Merchants 8.N. Company state that the Irene is proceeding to Hongkong.
Commodore F. Powell, R.N., also received a telegram from H.M.S. Daphne at Sharp Peak to the following effect:-
“Humber arrived, required for some time; when Sobraon is lightened cargo, coal, and pumped out, with assistance of two cruisers, there is a chance of saving her."
From the foregoing it will be seen that the most active steps are in progress for the salving of the Sobraon. The case on the face of it is one of great emergency. There is the ever- present possibility of the weather changing, and Ritchie, the local superintendent of the P. & O., that, too, to a quarter least to be desired. Mr. is of the belief that this contingency is mainly responsible for the operations now decided on, ad that the intention is to cament the ship's bottom and tow her into deep water.
Friday.
The P. & O. office here was in receipt of Tarious telegrams on the 2nd inst, but the only divers had examined the bottom of the ship, and one of importance was that which stated the
that their report as to its condition was very favourable.
A portable engine had evidently been brought info "requisition, as it was further stated that tac p mps and boilers were at work on board the Sobraon.
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(May 4, 1901.
We
morning was pretty dark, and we were proceed- ing somewhat slowly, when I noticed the glim- mering of lights on the island. I was on deck at the time, as it was my watch; the captain was those on board fishing-junks, and did not pay with me. We thought at first the lights were very great heed to them. A couple of minutes past four o'clock some signal rockets went up from what we now know was the Sobraon. saw she was in a bad way, but the captain would not go right up, deeming it too risky; so we kept going round, waiting for daylight. There was a north-east swell at the time. At six o'clock, when the weather had cleared sufficiently, the chief officer went off in a boat
boarded the Sobraon, the captain of which asked the Irene to stand by. We stood by all day on the 26th, and saw the Sabraon's pas engers, who were camped on shore. On the 27th we took all their baggage on board the Irene, and still continued to lay to near the Sobraon. The wind on that day was from the north-east, with a moderate north swell; foggy. On the 28th welldetermined to save all we possibly could from the Sobraon, and so we took from her all the silver and silk she had on board and transferred it to the Irene. We took all the passengers on board too, and gave up our rooms to them-the captain, officers, and engineers."
"In what position was the Sobraon ?”—“ She was lying over to the starboard side-pretty well over.
"Was her position precarious ?"—“Very pre- carious indeed, for had a north-east gale started to blow she would have broken up in three hours I don't think she could be ashore in a worse place."
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Was the Irene the first steamer to sight the Sobraon ?"—"Yes, we were the first. There were any number of junks lying around; I be- lieve I could have counted a hundred; they came on the 28th April. On the 29th the P. & O. steamer Coromandel, one Chinese steamer, and two men-of-war arrived at Tung Yung. We sent our third compradore on board the Coromandel to act as translator. He was very useful, because he was the only one who' could talk the particular Chinese dialect spoken there. On that day, too, all the passengers we had taken on board were transferred to the Coroniandel. On the 30th April we saw we could do nothing more, and at 4.25 in the after. noon we hove up and proceeded for Hongkong. officer and the third compradore of the I ene Before we left I might mention that the chief tried to get hold of a junk to take a portable engine from the Coromandel to the Sob con
"
Did they get the engine on board?" "I can't say, because as soon as the chief officer` came on board we made for Hongkong." What was the weather like then?
It was very foggy, but otherwise was good.".
$4
£
"No, I do not. Her head is light in between two
Do you think the Sobraon will be saved ?"- rocks and her stern jammed up against one of hem. But for the fact that her stern is so jammed I believe she would have gone right over at once."
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No,
Were you on board the Sobraṛn ?”. but I saw it all from the hillside.” Your Excellency-I thank you for your most
The weather continues to be absolutely calm. "What is the nature of the approaches to kind expressions of personal goodwill and for DETALLS FROM THE the assurance of the feelings of friendship by
"IREN" OFFICERS. Tung Yung?". Well, outside the water is The local agents of the P. & O. 8. N. Com. thirty fathoms deep, but where the Sobraon is which our respective nation have been aniainted pany had no fresh information to report on lying I don't think it can be more than twenty for centuries. I come as the representativə Filay regarding tue stranded liner. Sobrvon, | feet, or twenty-five at the outside,” of the King Emperor to express tɔ Your Ex. They were in receipt of a number of telegrams,
What have you on board that you took callenoy the grateful acknowledgment of the but the news contained therein was merely a from the Sobraon ?"-"We have 820 packages hony of Hongkong of the mirked sympathy repetition and enlargement of what has already / of silk, each package worth about £120 and a
been published. The majority of the Sobron's passengers are coming on by the Ballua at. *
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lot of silver, besides passengers' luggage."
It's a queer thing, concluded our informant as we rose to go, "the Sobraon was just a year old the day before sho struck."
The China Merchants' steamer Irene, having on board silk and treasure salved from the Subraon, arrived here on i hursday night from
The Irce was boarded again in the after- Tung Yung Island, and after anchoring over-noon, when another of the officers was inter- night in Kowloon Lay, entered the h rbour on Friday morning at daylight and proceded to her anchorage,
shown by your Excelleasy in our late great Borrow. In the name of the Colony of Hong kong I think your Excellency, and I assure your Excellency that the feelings of friendship e pressed by you are warmly reciprocated by the pec ple of the British Empire. I 9 in the ancient Colony of Macao, where British trade was fostered in years gone by under the folds of the Portuguese flag, it is fitting that these old feelings of close friendship should be em- With a view of gleaning all information phasised. As the representative of the King of possible regarding the Sobreon, a representative England I raise my glass to the health of of the Daily Press boarded the Irene in the his most faithful Majesty King Carlos the First. early part of the forenoon, and found ail hands The Portugues Nation Anthem was play-busy unloading and taking in cargo. The el while the company drang the health of captain and chief officer were ashore at the
ng Carlos
offors of the agents; but the second oficer was on board, and offered no objections to being interviewed. His narrative was as follows :-
shortly after o'clock is Excellency re. turned to the Janus, being as smpanied to the landing stage on the Prava by the Governor of Macso, and left with his suite for Hongkong.
“It was on the 26th ult.,ut 4.10 in the morning, that we sighted Tang Yung Island. The
viewed.
was similar to
hat of the second officer, with a few fresh details added as to sairage, eto. He said:-
* As soon as we saw the signals, which I at first had difficulty in making out, owing to fog, the captain lowered a boat from the Irene and sent the chief officer in charge to ascertain if any assistance was required The Irene proceeded round to South Bay-by the way, the Sobraon was ashore in West Bay-and lay at anchor to await the boat. At 820 am the boat returned, having in tow one of the Sobraon's bouts, in which were a number of natives. The chief officer brought back word to the effect that thy
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