Admiral Sir E. H. Seymour to lunch at Admiralty House.
On Wednesday morning the Mayor paid an official visit, and was received by Admiral Sir E. H. Seymour and Capt. Jellicoe and Flag Lieutenant Fair and officers. The Mayor heartily congratulated them and all the crow upon their safe return after their arduous work in China.
In the course of a conversation with Admiral Seymour, the Mayor learned that there are about 350 officers and men who landed and proceeded to Peking, and in the name of the borough bis Worship asked the gallant Admiral to accept, on his own, his officers', and his men's behalf, an invitation from the whole town to dine at a public banquet at the Town Hall on Septem- ber 11th. Admiral Seymour replied that he was very proud indeed to receive such a high honour from the inhabitants of Postsmouth, and cordially accepted the kind invitation tendered to him, his officers, and his crew. He further intimated that, although he was hauling down his flag that evening, he would certainly be only too glad to travel from any part of Eug- land to be present on such an occasion.
The Naval Brigade will march through the streets of Portsmouth, which will be profusely decorated, on the 14th, and proceed to the Town Hall accompained by several bands. Admiral Sir E. H. Seymour will pay a special visit to Portsmonth for the occasion, and stay at the world-renowned Keppels Head Hotel. where he will proceed to the Town Hall in the Mayor's carriage and escort of mounted police following.
were
The exterior and interior of the Town Hall will be specially and suitably decorated for the occasion by the authorities on similar lines to that when the Powerful Brigade entertained. The Mayoress will present, on this occasion, to each officer and men present a silver enamel pendant suitably engraved "China Expedition, 1900-1901."
Following in the footsteps of the Powerful, the ship's company of H.M.S. Centurion have decided to erect a memorial in Portsmouth to commemorate their comrades who fell in China. The Parks and Open Spaces Committee were asked to allot a site in Victoria Park for the memorial, but the committee were divided in opinion on the matter. They therefore dele- gated the matter to a sub-committee, who will select a site for the memorial-
During the absence of the Centurion of four and a half years, events of great international importance have been crowded into the exciting record of the flag ship, and it was this fart which accounted for the nansnal interest mani- fested in her arrival at Portsmouth on Monday.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
really have been perpetrated had not these articles been politely appropriated by the British. However, these were not the curios which claimed most attention, but rather some of the gune on deck. The most interesting of these was undoubtedly a 4-iu. Krupp gan- this having been taken from the North-west Fort, Taku. It was captured from the British in the second Chinese war, in the year 1853, and it is gratifying to know that after many days it has at last come into the hands of its rightful owners. Under these circumstances it is understood that the gun will be off red to the Admiralty.
There are also two Chinese muzzle-loaders, which fell into the hands of Admiral Seymour's men and also a small Krupp gun, which was annexed when the Chinamen turned over the forts at Shanhaikwan. The most curious of all is a one-inch old iron gun taken from Tientsin. It is unmounted, is painted red, and is, strangely enough, enclosed in places between pieces of rough doow. The gun is comparatively light, and is suspended in a prominent position on the lower deck by cords, and proves not a little interesting.
Some of the men have pet animals which they have found during their sojourn abroad; some have various species of wild birds; some have images used in idolatrons worship-but all have something to show their friends and the public in general; and it might be incidentally men- tioned that some of the articles which look singularly commonplace usually have a great history behind them to form the subject of a thrilling yarn.
When oue is hunting about a ship in search of foreign enrios the sudden appearance of some nineteen Chinamen was, to say the least, somewhat startling. But they looked so inoffen. sive that it seemed quite in the nature of things to givè one an opportunity of airing his pidgin English. This particular Chinaman was armed with a chopper which he used to dispenso meat to his comrades, and he used it with such dexterity as to be highly suggestive that he had exercised this gentle art to another purpose on former occasions. But the Chinaman never divulge more than necessary, so one had to re- main in blissful ignorance upon this point, These Chiuamen are domestics on board, and will be transferred to the Cressy as soon as the Centurion is paid off.
THE DEATH OF CAI TAIN CLEMENS.
The circumstances surrounding the death of It has been one of the most eventful commis. | Captain Clemens excited great interest amongall sions of modern times, for it has witnessed a foreign residents in China. It will be remember- period of much stress and national auxiety.ed that deceased was found dead in his cabin We remember the crisis which arose throngli | aboard the Kirangping, on the morning of the Russia's occupation of Port Arthur; we remein- 2nd of April last, shot through the head. On ber later the friendly appearance which the | the 13th of April a lengthy enquiry was hell Centurion put in at Manila when there were at the German Consulate, Shanghai, into the suggestions of European intervention cireninstaures of the death, and as a result of America's operations in the Philippines; and we remember with pain, not numixed with pride, the foremost place which members of the Centurion's crew took in the incidents of the famous attempt of the international naval force to relieve the Legations. The crow have helped to make history which shall redound to the honour of old England, and every chapter in which they have figured has only, seemed to increase the nation's gratitude.
The crew have, however, at last returned, and with them they have brought numerous curios as mementoes of the part which they took in attempting to suppress the Boxer rising; so many, in fact, that its said every magazine in the ship is required in which to store these objects of interest. When the public poured on to the vessel yesterday afternoon those who had no friends to greet interested themselves in inspecting these trophies of war, which lay scattered about, and they evidently found them
The absorbingly interesting.
bluejackets seemed to take quite s pride in showing them to the onlookers, and the history connected with the curios were apparently known to each of the jolly tars, In various parts of the ship there was quite a formidable array of bows and arrows, carbines, and other munitions captured from the Chinese, and one could not help thinking what a lot of mischief might
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this enquiry the Court found that death was either self-inflicted or accidental. Many people who knew Captain Cleniens, says the N.-C. Daily News, have been dissatisfied with this verdict, in that it cast a slur upon the deceased's memory and was most distressing for his relu- tions, and it was further asserted that it might be possible to show that the dec-ased gentleman could not have committed suicide, under the circumstances.
Our Shanghai morning contemporary records some very interesting experiments made on board the steamer Kwangping on the morning of the 16th inst. under conditions as nearly possible similar to those existing at the time of Capt. Clemens's death.
case
The first experiment was to test the sound and effects of smoke from a rifle shot fired in the captain's cabin. The skylights and windows of the cabin were closed, the cabin door left open and the chart-room door closed, as was the when Captain Clemens was found dead. Mr. Forrester lay in the bunk and fired off the rifle, pulling the trigger with his foot. The room was immediately filled with dense smoke which penetrated to the chart-room. Ten minutes later the three bluejackets, who had not been in the room previously, entered and found that the cabin was still fail of smoke, the smell of which could not be taken for anything
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(September 28, 1901. but that of gunpowder. The sound of the shot could be heard distinctly in the chart-roon and on the bridge; indeed, standing on the bridge near the wheel, one could feel the concussion to the feet when the shot was fired, and the report was easily distinguishable as that of a gun. This and all the experiments were made with cartridges exactly similar to that found in the weapon by which Captain Clements met his death. In order that each of those present should have an opportunity of hearing the report from different standpoints, more shots were fired in the cabin. but the opinion was general that the sound was that of a gun and could not easily be taken for anything else.
The next experiment was the firing of shot into a bag of mutton which was placed where Captain Clemens' head had loin. The reason for this was that it was thought that the firing into flesh at close quarters might deaden the sound. The rifle was fired with the muzzle about half-an-inch from the flesh, but in this case the sound was just the same as before and carried quite as far, the mutton being scorched over a similar area to the burnt portion of Captain Clemens's face as seen when the body was exhumed in April.
The remainder of the experiments had re- ference to the pulling of the trigger with the toe and the arrangement of the bedclothes. A bluejacket lay in the bunk, witlr the clothes arranged as they had been found when Captain Clemens's body was discovered. The man had great difficulty in finding the trigger with his toe, and also found it bard 10 pull. In raising and bending the knee to pull the trigger it was seen that the bedclothes must be disarrang. ed.
Another noteworthy fact was that in each case in which this experiment was made, the man's natural inclination was to
grasp the rifle firmly in both hands, the left at the muzzle and the right a little further down. When Captain Clemens was found dead, however, his right hand was not grasping the rifle at all.
The whole of the experiments, says the Daily News, went to show that if Captain Clemens did commit suicide, he did so under almost impos- sible conditions, when far more easy ways were open to him.
ALFRED THE GREAT.
A. D.-871-901. More dark and still more dark, the Northern foe
Like winged terror come. The land is swayed By trembling fear; soon once fair fields are
made
A saddening waste and peaceful homes laid low In blood and tears; holiest shrines forego Perforce their robes and gold, None yet had
stayed
The dreaded battle-axe or undismayed
Bent back the Danes, or stemmed the tide of woe, Till thou didst rise and valiantly withstand The plundering hordes, the oppressors of the
land.
The nations trust, O king! failed not in thee; In thy bright days first glowed the light whose
flame
Kindled the topmost heavens, till it became The sun of peace and power and liberty
Canton, 19th September.
INCISE
The selection of Mr. John Barrett, formerly United States Minister to Siam, as Commis- sioner-General to Asia and Australasia, was approved by the Executive Committee of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company on the 12th ult. The duties of the position are to interest the governments and the people of Asia and Australasia in the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, that they may make exhibits and erect State buildings at the Exposition. The jurisdiction of the newly appointed Commis- sioner-General extends over China, Siberia, Japan, Corea, Siam, Australia, New Zealand Tasmania, and the South Sea Islands. He will also visit the newly acquired possessions of the United States-the Philippines, Guam and Hawaii-to interest industrial agencies there in the Exposition. The United States Govern. ment exhibit will embrace an exposition of the resources of the island possessions, but will not cover exhibits of private enterprises there.