July 1, 1901.]
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Echo de Chine says that the concession for the Yunnan Railway has been granted for 75 years.
Plague cases are reported to be numerous, but not of a virulent type, in the Engchun neighbourhood of Fohkien, not far from Amoy. The coffin containing the remains of Baron von Ketteler was to be shipped in the German transport Palatia, which was expected to leave Taku on the 21st ult.
At will be noted from our Weihaiwei cor- respondent's letter that H.M.S. Centurion on her way home will probably follow the example of the German battleship squadron and avoid Hongkong.
The NC. Daily News has ro ived the following unsigned telegram, dated Tongku, 20th June, 5.30 p.m.:- Threatened strike at coal mines Kaiping miners stop working out look uncertain.' The news is not confirmed.
The temporary hospital which was opened at Nagasaki by the French Government for the reception of wounded and invalide! French troops from North China has now been per- manently closed. Some of the proporties used in the hospital have been sold.
The Tientsin Chamber of Commerce has addressed a note to the Doyen of the diplomatic corps in Peking, requesting that the Allies Administration Yamen (the Provisional Government) may be made permanent, in order to ensure the protection of foreign inrests.
Judge Taft, President of the Civi: Jommis- sion in the Philippiness has now appointed Supreme Court and District Judge:. Among the Supreme Court appointments are four Filipinos or Mestizos and three Americaus, Don Cayetano Arellano being the Chief Justice. Among the appointees for the Distric Judge- ship are eleven Americans and six Filipinos. The highest salary paid to the District Judges is received by the Judge of Manila, r`z, $5,500 per annum and the lowest to the District Judges of the Calamianes and Cayos Icand group, viz., $3,000 per annum.
the
The following paragraph appears in Corriere della Sera (Milan) of the 21st May" Mrs. Volpicelli, the wife of our Consul in Hongkong, was decorated with the large silver medal of the Red Cross for her charitable work in China. Mira. Volpicelli was received by Queen Margaret, who paid her many compliments." Many of our readers will remember th t Mrs. Volpicelli left in October last on the Italian trausport Sing pore which took home 60 sick and wounded Italian sailors and soldiers, besides two wounded Austrian officers. The silver medal was given for her assiduous nursing and attendance on the patients during the long homeward journey.
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Major Cæsar Nerazzini, Grand Cross of the Crown of Italy and Officer of the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus, who arrived at Shanghai by the Kiauchou has taken charge of the Italian Consulate-General. Major Nerazzini who was formerly a doctor in the Italian Navy, is not a stranger to Shanghai, having visited the port on the staff of the Dake of Genoa when the Duke came there in command of the Vetter Pisani some twenty years ago. The King of Italy has conferred on Signor E. Ghisi, the predecessor of Major Nerazzini, the rank of Honorary Consul. General, and has appointed him Commander of the Crown of Italy, in recognition of his services to his country in Shanghai.
Apparently great dissatisfaction is felt among the civil employees in the different government offices in Manila. by the order of the Civil Service Board that all civil employees must pass a civil service examination to prove their fitness to continue in the service. Most of the employees who have been in the same pos's for several years, came over from the United States as volunteers to help their country to gain a foothold in the Philippines. While still soldiers they were detailed for duty in the various departments to assist in the ra organisation and to ovolve order out of the chaos caused by the war, and after having been honourably discharged from the army continued in the service as civilians. They argue that the best criterion of their fitness to continue in the positions they hold is the efficienor with which they have discharged their duties hitherto
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
There is some talk in Manila that General Wright proposes to organise a Filipino Militia
corps.
At the Police Court at Singapore on the 20th ult, the fourteen prisonera arrested in connection with the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank robbery were arraigned before Mr. Michell. Seven of the prisoners were admitted to bail, and the case was postponed for a week. It has been decided at Tientsin to have an annual celebration of the siege and relief of the Settlements, in the shape of a banquet on the 23rd June, on which day last year the relief was virtually effected. The Gordon Hall was selecte.f as the place in which this annual banquet shall be held.
The Straits Times of the 18th ult., says: -- H.M.S. Lizard couled this morning. It is interesting to note that the gunboat took thir- toan days to come from Hongkong, the reason being that she met with advers" winds and sens When she got here she had only fifteen tons of coal on board.
all the way.
Four more transports have been chartered here, says a Calcutta despatch of the 6th ult., to bring back the Indian Contingent from China-the Itau ‘a, the Itinda, the Rajah and the Sumatra. As at present arrang d the Infan- try Brigade will embark on the Lalpoora, which will be fitted and ready to leave Calcutta for Hongkong on Saturday (8th ult.). The Itaura, Itinda and Sumatra bring back the Cavalry Brigade.
Considerable friction has occurred in Shang. hai between the Recreation Ground Committee and the Polo Club, nearly culminating on the 15th inst. in a fight, according to the local The trouble arose over the action of papers. the Polo Club in erecting a matshed and rail which they reserved for honorary and playing members, which the Recreation Ground Com- mittee held to be an infringement of the public rights
The
The Statement of Expenditure in connection with the recent Royal visit to Singapore has twenty-one items of expenditure, varying in amount from the humble 75 cents Paid Royal Artillery for firing signal guus," to the $11,215.02 accounted for by the Honorary Treasurer of the Decoration Committee; or the $10,852 52 Expended by the Colonial Engineer for furnishing Government House." Protector of Chineso expended 89,958.92 on illuminations, and another even $8,000 on the Chinese and Malay processions. Mr. C. B. Buckley spent $2,221.93 on Gathering, and $1,00 was spent on the Penang Volunteers. No less sum than $267.60 was paid for gharries and rickshas. The President of the Addresses Committee spent $997.78 on the address and appurtenances thereof, Mr. Rodesse disposed of $591.77 on the Regatta. Advertising in Chinese and English only came to $213.5 The other items comprise hotel charges, 8865.9), van hire, allowances to post- men for acting as porters, etc.
the Children's
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The Malay Mail remarks that the damage done to Pahang by the recently published, report on the Raub Company's workings will be lasting. It will scare off capitalists and weaken the position of existing mines. This. coming on the top of certain other not over successful mining "vontures in other parts of the peninsula, is likely to result in a good deal of real and direct loss.
The Deutsche Asiat sche Warte of the 12th
alt. has the following criticism on the nov postage-stamps which were sent from homo to the Gorman postal authorities at Kiaochan for issue:-These postage stamps are very pretty, but are of no use for our colony. The denomination is printed in German instead of in dollar currency. What do we here care for marks ? You cannot buy stamps for German money, not even at the post office. Therefore what is the use of putting the denomination of a currency on a stamp which is here value. less A ten-pfeunig stamp costs four cents, but four cents are not ten pfeunig. The worst is that the Chinese make a lucrative trade in selling stamps. They sell a ten pfennig stamp for five cents. Now this could be easily stopped if the proper price in the prevailing currency of the colony were printed ther-on. As it is, there is no remedy, and the wily Chinese gathers his 20 per cent. profit. English postage-stamps in China have their denomination printed thereon in dollar currency, and the stamps of other nations are also always printed in the denomination of the currency prevalent in the country where such stamps are
gold.
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now
The Sin Wan Pao says that the famous
· Coal Hill" at Peking, north of the Palace, is The daily crowded with sightseers. various kiosques have been somewhat damaged, and a bronze image of Buddha has been tumbled down off its wooden frame. There are scattered about the grounds numerous tablets and photographers are seizing the opportunity of photographing these, a rare opportunity which will probably never recur. There is also a still rarer object upon the walls of the Forbidden · City, which is also being recorded on the lenses of the photographers. This is a Boxer proclamation in the name of Prince Chuang, Kang Yi and others. It says: "All the foreign devils halls have now been burnt, and the devils have now no place to hide themselves. If any one aids them to hide away, he will be killed without mercy. If any one searches ont a man, and hands him over he will receive 50 taels, a woman, forty tacks, or a devil child, thirty taols. They must be real foreigners, and upon inspection made the rewards will be paid at Onoз. If any one desires to help the military funds let them forward their money to Prince Chuang, and after peace i restored they will all be duly rawarded.”
The N.-C. Daily News states that, in response to the request of the Committee of Ministers at Peking on the Huangpu (Whangpoo) Question that a member of the Shanghai General The following appointments have been made Chamber of Commerce should go to Peking to at the Admiralty: Lieutenants: C. M. Masters discuss the Conservancy question, Mr. E. A. (N). B. S. Thesiger (G), R. A Neston (T), A. Hewett will leave for Peking early this week. W. Kerr, H. T. Pritchard, and C. R. Wason to In a leader-note our contemporary says :-". It the Cressy, to date May 23. Midshipmon (. is a great satisfaction to those in and out of the N. Biggs, to the Eclipse, to date May 3; G. B. Chamber of Commerce who have been hammering Palmes, C. H. Mackinnon, E. T Fletcher. F. L. away at this question for over a quarter of a Buck, and A. T. D. George, to the Cressy, to date centry to find it seriously taken up at Peking May 28. Naval Cadets: A H. B. Bissett, to the at last. Ten years ago a subscription was raised Ocean; U. H. Philips and A. G. Onslow, to the by the Chamber of Commerca for preliminary Eclipse, to date May 30; L, A. W. Spooner, H. expenses, and five years ago after attempts to N. M. Hardy J. F. Hutchings, H. R. Saw secure a leading English enginer, M. de Rijke, bridge, and R. R. Hallowell-Carew, to the Cressy, than whom no one has a better knowledge of the to date May 28. Midshipmau E. Combe, to the subject, made another survey and report, his fee Cressy, to date May 28. Paymaster H. Con- being $10,09) (gold), for which the Chamber stan ine. to the Cressy, to date May 28. Captain made the necessary arrangements. Three years 1. M. T. Tu lor, to the Cressy, to date May 28. ago the Chambər submitted to Peking a scheme Commander F. C. H. Allenby, to the Cressy, to for the rectification and conservancy of the river date May 23. Midshipman V. R. Williams, to and its approaches; and now the Committes the Cressy, to date May 28. Staff Surgeon R of Ministers is taking the matter seriously in H. Nicholson, to the Cressy, to date May 28. hand; and it is with great satisfaction that we Surgeon N. H. Harris, to the Cresay, to date learn that Mr. E. A. Hewett is returning to Vay 28. Lieutenant M. D. McNeils to the Peking early next week to discuss the question Eclipse, to date June 7th. Fleet Engineer J. 8. with the Committee. We hope that the Chamber Watch, to the Cressy, to date May 23, En-will succeed in their contention that the matter ginears: H. E. Rush and J. Kelly, to the Cressy, to date May 28 Assistant Engineers: H. Hammond, E. B. Scott, and E. G. Smith (probationary), to the Cressy, to date May 23. Paymaster A. H. Veitob, to the Eclipse, to date May 30.
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should be put in the hands of an international board. Strong efforts are being made to have it put altogether in the hands of the Foreign Customs; but there is a preponderance of reasons in favour of entrusting the work to an International Conservancy Board.”