October 12, 1901.]
CORRESPONDENCE.
[We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.]
THE AMEER OF AFGHANISTAN.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.' 9th October. SIR,-In your leaderette on the late Ameer of Afghanistan you give expression to a different opinion as to his merits lo those of other people who knew something about him, and I enclose a copy of verses by Sir Alfred Lyall, K.C.B., Lieut.-Governor of the Punjab and Scind, who If had good reason to know the late Ameer. you can give room for them, they will express the character of the dead potentate much better than people could who did not know him so well as Sir Alfred Lyall. Kipling was writing on fairly good information when he penned the "Ameer's Mercy."-Yours. etc.,
SIMLA
(Enclosure.)
₹
THE AMEER'S MESSAGE.
BY SIR ALFRED ('. Lyall, K.C.B.
1.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
He is far from his pine-clad highlands, and
the vineyards of Kohistan:
I
He is gone with the rest-all vanished; he
passed through thy citadel gate. Will they come now, these I have chosen?
watch for their faces, and wait; Fc: the night-shade falls over Kabul, and dark
is the downward track,
And the guardian hills ring an echo of voices
that warn me back;
Let the Ghilzaio bide on his mountain, and
depart, as thy message has said.
sure friend the Ameer shall When but one
send-when the tombs give up their dead."
311
like to speak, but they are simply overawed Just imagine this in a British Colony!
So well informed is the Viceroy Tao Mn by his numerous secret spies and informers that he knows exactly the name and position of every Chinaman who leaves here for Canton. In fact, his system of espionage is complete. What are our detectives paid for P
1
The man Ng Shui Shang, who has just been banished for being connected with the assassina- tion of Yenng Ku Wan, has had much to do with the corruption of our detective force.
Surely the British Government are not going to allow this gross offence against British rule to go unnoticed. It should be a question for the House of Commons.→Yours, etc.,
SURPRISED. P.S.-Friends thank you from the depth of their hearts for what you are doing in the cause of justice.
[We gladly publish our correspondent's letter and Sir Alfred Lyall's poem, but we would point out that we were considering the late Ameer from the standpoint of his political value for the maintenance of the peace of Cen- tral Asia. Oriental and Occidental methods of keeping the peace often differ, as do the ideas of the virtues of Princes. Not even all Wester- HONGKONG'S FINANCIAL POSITION. ners agree about Macchiarelli's advice to his Prince. The merit of the Ameer is that he guided a turbulent kingdom so long without mishap and remained on terms with two power- ful neighbours This entitles him to the title of wise at least.-ED. D.P.]
Abdurrahman, the Durani Khán, to the Ghilzaie | HONGKONG'S FINANCIAL POSITION.
Chief wrote he:
"God has made me Ameer of the Affgháns, but
thou on thy hills art free.
I rule by the sword and signet; I care not to
flatter or bribe;
I take nor fee nor service of the noble Ghilzaie
tribe.
Nor pledge nor promise I ask of thee; I
pardon if all men know
That thy heart has been hard against me, and
thy friend has been my foe. For the sons of Sher Ali are exiles, their best
men broken or fled;
And those who escaped are homeless, and all
who remained are dead.
Such is the work of the Merciful, whose will
is to smite or to save;
+
It is He gives wealth and vengeance, or tears
o'er a bloodstained grave. Now, while the swords are a moment still, ere
ever fresh blood shall run, I look for a wise man's counsel, and I would
That Affgháns were oue. From Merv, last home of the free-lance, the
clansmen are scattering far, And the Turkman horses are harnessed to the
guns of the Russian Tsar. So choose thon of all my liegemen, or choose
thou of all my host, One true man, loyal-hearted, whomever thou
trustest most,
Whom thy tribe has known and honoured, to
bring thee in safety and peace; Thou shalt ride unscathed to Kabul, and the
feud of our lives shall cease."
II.
The Ghilzaie chief wrote answer : Our paths
are narrow and steep,
*
The sun burns fierce in the valleys, and the
snow-fed streams run deep;
The fords of the Kabul river are watched by
the Afridee,
We harried his folk last springtide, and be
keeps good memory. High stands thy Kabul citadel, where many
have room and rest; The Ameers give welcome entry, but they
speed not a parting guest;
So a stranger needs safe escort, and the oath
of a valiant friend.
Whom shall I choose of those I know? Whom
ask the Ameer tó send ?
Wilt thou send the Vazir, Noor Ahmed, the
man whom the Ghilzaies-trust ?
He has long lain lost in a dungeon, bis true,
bold heart is dust. Wilt thou send the Jamsheedee Aga, who was
called from the western plain? He left the black tents of his horsemen, and
he led them never again. Shall I ask for the Mollal, in Chazai, to
whom all Affgháns rise ? He was bid last year to thy banqueting-his
soul is in Paradise. Where is the chief Faizullah, to plodge me
the word of his clan ?
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.'
9th October.
SIR,-In the address of H.E. the Gov. ernor. Sir Henry Blake, to the Legislative Council at the meeting on Thursday, the 26th That the present ult., His Excellency stated financial position of the Colony is satisfactory, and that on the 31st December, 1900, there was a balance of assets over liabilities of $1,100,785 69, which does not include the value of silver at the Mint, 840,415.82" (paid for I presume as it appears to be considered as an asset)-so that the actual balance of assets over liabilities was on 31st December last $1,141,201.51. What is the necessity for such a large credit balance ? and how is the money invested?
Surely it is not intended that the present residents in the Colony shall pay for all the intended new buildings-official ones and im- provements of one sort and another-and that loan will not be raised whereby our successors could pay their share of the permanent build- ings and improvements of this Colony? The Chancellor of the Exchequer in London when he finds a balance at the credit of a year's revenue, and that a succeeding year will also probably leave a larger balance, immediately
announces that certain Taxes and Duties will be reduced for the coming year.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE “DAILY PRESS,'
Hongkong, 10th October.
SIR, I have to thank your contributor Ratepayer" for writing and you for publish- ing his letter of 9th instant, bringing to public notice the oppressive house-tax now levied by the Government.
I trust this publicity will have the effect of getting the tax reduced to 10 per cent. or even less, and I for one would still be contributing, living in the same house as I occupied five years ago, a larger amount to the public revenue than I did then.-Yours, etc.,
ANOTHER RATEPAYER.
'CHANGE DOINGS.
The Morrow of September Settlement,
tongkong, 1901.
вы
#
Reverse the spell," he cries,
And let it fairly now suffice, The gamble has been shown." Another heavy load, and, judging from appearances, the last of its kind, for a time at the close of this settlement, which, however, all events, has been lifted off the market with did not pass without causing considerable damage, particularly to the small fry Very few, indeed, of this class of operators have come out of the fray with a whole skin, while on the other hand, a goodly number perhaps have no skin left. Some instances have also been reported where engagements could not fully be met, and a compromise had to be ar- ranged. In spite of this, however, we were not so badly off as our friends up north, where, it has been reported, several rash operators were
Why is such not done here? The 13 per
hammered," and it cannot, therefore, be a matter cent. per annum we have now been paying for
of surprise that since the August settlement some years and at present on rents which in
there was a great falling off in prices on the most cases are nearly not quite double what Rialto of the Model Settlement, followed by an they were 5 years ago is a very heavy tax indeed, almost entire suspension of business, the prin- and a reduction I think should certainly be cipal cause for which state of affairs being, as made in the above rate for the year 1902, and it was here, the heavy drop in Dock shares. larger reduction in future years if possible. But whereas the fall in our Docks was
I shall be glad, as I am sure many other ratepayers also will be, if the Hon. T. H. limited to about $50 per share (heavy enough Whitehead will ask some questions on the in all conscience) and our market was able to withstand the strain tolerably well, Farn- subject to-morrow by His Excellency the Gov-hams dropped the alarming figure of about ernor's leave, as I am afraid that, as the second $100 per share and played the very "old Harry" reading of the Ordinance comes on to-morrow, with the northern market. In fact, it is not it will also be read a third time then, and passed. unlikely that our market suffered not a little So if anything can be done in order to get in consequence of the shaken confidence thus the 13 per cent, reduced, urgency is needed.-
brought about up there. It is a curious coin- Yours, etc.,
cidence that the same kind of stock should have RATEPAYER.
been the cause of the trouble both in Shanghai and Hongkong. We may, nevertheless, console ourselves with the fact that things might have been worse. At the time of the month when it was expected that the most acute stage would be reached, that is when the month was just out of its teens, matters began to assume a different aspect, a general demand "set in, Docks had then touched and all available stock, on the market was rapidly taken up, their lowest figure, $270, but did not remain long at that rate, and by settlement time were up to $282, while at time of writing shares are hard to obtain at $290. Quite a consider- able business has been done forward, from December and up to March. Of course, this sudden rise cannot be entirely due to the altered tone of the market, but is in some measure due
THE GAGE STREET MURDER.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE
13
DAILY PRESS.
9th October. SIF,-The man who fired the fatal shots was executed because the officials feared that he would surrender to the British Government and give evidence. They are now looking for his accomplices. It is a well known fact that when Mr. Young Ku Wan was assassinated the detectives of the Colony were bribed by the Cantonese authorities to the extent of several thousand dollars. It is also a well known fact that many of the discharged detectives have joined the Canton Government in various capacities. Many of Young's friends would