August 31, 1901.]
HONGKONG.
H.E. the Governor has appointed Mr. Cecil Clementi to be Acting Clerk of Councils, and Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Principal Civil Medical Officer, to be President of the Sanitary Board vice the Hon. W. Chatham, Acting Director of Public Works, resigned.
The clearing away of the debris caused by the house collapse in Cochrane Street is finished, only one more body having been found, this making total of 44 dead, 23 injured and 5 unhurt, or 72 in all. All that now remains is the pulling down of house No. 3, which of course has to be done by the house-owner.
Mr. H. E. Hammon-popularly known es "l'ed" Hammon-licensee of the Bay View Hotel, died very suddenly at about three o'clock on the 25th inst. on the hotel premises, in the presence of some visitors. Death was due to heat apoplexy. The funeral took place on the 36th inst. at Happy Valley, in the Protestant Cemetery, before a large gathering of friends and sympathisers. The deceased was aged 31
years.
A well-known and familiar member of the Parsee community, in the person of Mr. Beberam Adar Eranee, died on the 27th inst. at the Government (ivil Hospital, of dropsy. The deceased arrived here about forty years ago at a comparatively young age, and spent the best part of his life in Hongkong. He was a rentier, and was one of the first to settle in the Kowloon peninsula. Mr. Eranes was a native of Persia.
The interpreters at the Magistracy have at last"run up against the real thing"
A Chinese was brought before Mr. Kemp, Acting Magistrate, for being a rogue and vagabond. He was first questioned in Cantonese, Hoklo, Chiu Chew, and Fuhkien dialects. These failing to elicit a intelligible reply, he was tried with Hakka, and then Malay, but with- out avail. Some one suggested Hindoostani, Sanscrit, and Arabic, but the Magistrate was discouraged and the interpreters tired out. so the man was remanded for a week, to enable the court officers to find out what dialect he speaks.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Lient-Colonel Hughes, R.A.M.C, has left Japan for a two months' holiday.
Mr. R. F. Johnston, Private Secretary to H.E. the Governor, having gone to Canton for three months, Capt. W. L. Warren, R.A., has been appointed Privat Secretary.
The pom-pom battery of artillery, which arrived in the Colony some little time ago from the North, left for England on the 28th inst. via Montreal. The battery left England some eighteen months ago for China.
The Praya Reclamation Offices are to be shortly transferred from the present matshed erection to a bungalow which is rapidly nearing completion on the ground opposite the front entrance of the Hongkong Club.
Apart from the three plague cises (one in Victoria, 2 outside), with 2 deaths, the cases of communicable disease reported as occurring in the Colony last week were two of enteric fever (one European and one Portuguese, both in Victoria), both having a fatal termination.
The Italian Consul-General, Chevalier Z. leave by the 8.8. Peru Volpicelli, goes on to-day. He intends to start on his holi ay America, and will be away about six months altogether. During his absence, Italian interests in Hongkong will be looked after by the Austro-Hungarian Consul.
The Hon. T. H. Whitehead gave a polo dinner on Wednesday evening at his residence, "Charter House," in honour of the Hon F. H. May, who will shortly be leaving for home. The company consisted of polo-players only; and they talked polo, toasted polo and retired at an early hour in the morning to dream about polo.
On Saturday, the 24th inst., the final of the Water Polo Shield Competition was played at V.R.C. Kowloon, before a large attendance of spectators, ladies again being very much in evidence. The competing teams were the V.R.C. C" and the R.W.F. (Right). After a very determined game, the V.R.C. won by eight goals to four.
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On the 26th inst, the Band of the 3rd Madras Light Infantry gave another open-air perform. ance at Kowloon, and was listened to with evident appreciation by a gathering of good proportions. The entertainment has proved such a success that we hope that the authorities will see their way, when the Madras regiment leares, to continue the experiment with another regimental band. We have too little of this kind of thing in the Colony.
The method now in vogue in the Colony of dealing with insurance claims for loss by fire, where the parties concerned are Chinese, should have a salutary effect in reducing the unmber of fires where the cause can never properly be Instead of handing over the ascertained. insurance money, the company, wherever pos- sible, secures the stock-books, ascertains exactly what has been lost, and re-stocks the premises (with the same description of goods, and to the same value. If the Chinaman has been careless in his stock-taking-well, the loss is his. If, on the other hand, he has been prodigal in his entries, the insurance company loseg,
Residents who passed along Queen's Road East on Thursday evening were afforded an opportunity of witnessing the want of stability of the magnificent public road our Public Works Department congratulates itself over. The steam roller apparently proved too heavy for the road, or the foundations gave way, for the front roller of the engine was partly buried in a big chasm which had been insufficiently filled in, being an inlet to a new nallah. This road, it seems, was constructed with the idea that nothing heavier than bicycles or rickshas would, pass over it. The small steam-roller proved too much for it, with the result that the roller has been temporarily put ont of action. It is customary in rural districts in England to post a notice to the effect that such and such a bridge | is not allowed to be crossed by traction engines or steam-rollers. It will now be necessary to apply this notice to our local roads. About 8 o'clock, fifty men from the R.A. Were comman- Messrs. McAuliffe and Šlavin now definitely | deered to assist in excavating the roller, hat announce their opening entertainment at the there was small likelihood of its being moved. City Hall on the 7th prox. The show will ba Fire broke out early on the 28th inst. in a of a general nature, nud will include a ten Chinese-owned Japanese curio shop at 136,round bout between the principals themselves. Queen's Road Central. The flames spread two five-round contests between McAuliffe and with great rapidity, and althongh the Fire another and Slavin and another, exhibitions of Brigade, under Inspector Kemp and Sergeant American axe-swinging and torch-swinging Gourlay, worked strenuously, the top floor. etc. Altogether the bill appears to be very where the outbreak originated, and the one attractive, aud with such excellent exponents underneath ware completely gutted. The of boxing as Messrs McAuliffe and Slavin in ground floor suffered damage from fire and the main item. success is bound to attend the water. Fortunately the outbreak was mainly venture At any rate the audience will be able confined to its place of origin, the adjoining shop to feel certain that no such fiasco will be seen at No. 138 being only slightly damaged. The on the 7th pror. as has occurred at some shop at No. 186 was well stocked with goods, previous boxing affairs here. all of which were either entirely destroyed or greatly damaged. Neither the cause of the fire nor the damage it caused is yet The British transport Rajah ar:ived on the known. The premises are insured for a total | 24th inst. from Calcutta. sum of $31,00-$16,000 in the North German The British transport Nurani, which arrived Fire Insurance Company, $10,000 in the Chun on the 26th inst, from Taku, brought down the On, and $5,800 in the Tang On. The contents 7th Rajputs and a Native Field Hospital. The of the safe-stock-books and money were British transport Sumatra arrived on the 26th saved, so that it will be an easy matter to estimate the value of the goods destroyed. The Commercial Union Assurance Co. had $6,000 on adjoining property, damaged owing to the
fire.
H.Y.SS. Eclipse and Daphne were still at Amoy on the 21st inst.
from Calcutts.
On the 27th inst. the British transports Rajah and Sumatra left for _Taku, and the Nurani for Calcutta. The German gunboat Iltis left for Swatow and Amoy.
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MISCELLANEOUS.
195.
The Straits Government has declared the island of Tongkah no longer infected with plague.
The Echo de Chine states that Admiral Pottier telegraphs that the embarkation of the French contingent at Taku was effected most satisfactorily. The transport Nire will take the 18th Regiment of Colonial Infantry to Indo- China, and will return to Taku to pick up the staff now remaining.
'The Mercury comments thus on the defeat of the tramway scheme at Shanghai: -Tramways will never pay, we are told. That is quite possible. But we shall never know until we have put the thing to the test. Mr. Ziegler offered to do so free of cost to the community. But a spirit is abroad, Timeo Danaos, etc., which sees danger, even when safeguarded by the express condition that nothing shall bind the community except a vote of the Ratepayers. Perhaps some day we shall be wiser. Let us hope so.
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Mr. Edward Solbé, who died at Bromley, Kent, on the 27th ult., at the age of 59 years, was appointed a student interpreter in China in 1863, becoming a third-class assistant in 1867, aud a second-class in the following year. He was acting interproter at Chefoo in 1869, and for a time filled the post there of Acting Consul. He was promoted to be a first-class assistant in 1871. He was acting interpreter at Ningpo, and in 1872 was promoted to be an interpreter. He retired on a pension in 1874. He later on acted as secretary of the Central Conservative
Office at Westminster.
The Administration Report of Singapore Municipality for 1900 has just been issued. Mr. J. O. Anthonisz signs the report as Presi- dent in succession to Mr. Gentle. The revenue* was $1.422,440 against $1,136,569 in 1899. The outlay was $1,474,079 against $1,000,165. In- cluding outlay out of loan, the total expenditure in 1900 was $1,595,271. The loans stood at $1,522,917. The rikshas running were 8,237. The carriages taxed were: licensex 495, and private 1.118. The revenue for 1901 is estimated at $1,46,400, and the outlay, axclusive of works payable from loans, is set at 81,286,781.
COMMERCIAL.
TEA.
EXPORT OF TEA FROM CHINA TO UNITED KINGDOM AND CONTINENT.
1901-2
llo
288,338
Hankow and Shanghai .. Amoy and Formosa. Foochow
Canton
288,358
1000-1 Iha.
198.068
198,088
EXPORT OF TEA FROM CHINA TO UNITED STATES AND CANADA.
*1901-2
Shanghai Amoy and Formosa
Foochow
1900-01
6,422,205 7,028,430
6,422,265 7,020,439
SILK.
CANTON, 17th August :-Taatlees.-No settle- ments are reported. Re-reels.-There has been a little more enquiry for this class, and buyors having advanced to meet the views of holders, settlements of about 100 bales have resulted. Prices paid are $595 to 2580 for Nos. 1 and 2. Filatures Business continued to rule fairly active during the first half of the fortnight, Anest sizes especially being in demand, and dealers obtained an advance of $10 to $15 per picul. The fears of shortage in the 4th crop have been realised, and it is estimated that the outturn will fall about 30 per cent. short of an average yield. Owing to the resulting high prices of CocoonIA, holders have advanced rates still further, and buyers have latterly withdrawn before the higher
values.
level of
hort-reela have attracted rather more attention among a low American buyers. Waste.--The market is quiet, but Arm owing to scarcity of stock. Buyers in general are unable to pay the prices asked, and tran- sactions are of a very limited nature.
CAMPHOR.
Hoxoxoxo, Xth August.-—No arrivals.