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TONKIN NOTES.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT]
Hanoi, 18th October. NEW CAPITAL FOR INDO-CHINA.
Hanoi is to become the capital of Indo-China. The transfer of all the Government depart. ments from Saigon to Hanoi will be made in a very short time, This decision has been taken by M. Doumer, the Governor-General, in the course of his recent sojourn in this town. The whole of the Tonkinese Press applauds this
decree.
THE VIOLATED BOUNDARY.
We have not yet received any additional details about the different riots which occured in Laos. I have already informed you of the violation of the boundary by Siamese troops, and I may slate now that very serious repre- sentations have been made to the Siamese Government by the French representative at Bangkok.
M. DOUMER'S TRIP.
Dar Governor-General, whose family is now at Doson, has proceeded on the Kersaint to Batavia and Bangkok. He will not return to Saigon before the beginning of November.
MURDERERS STILL AT LARGE.
Giang and the other murderers of M. Martin at Bacninh are not yet caught, notwithstanding the very active pursuit of Inspector Lambert and the Mandarin Qaan-an Chu-man-trinh.
THE AGRICULTURAL CHAMBER,
The electors of the Cochin-China Agricul- tural Chamber are convoked on the 27th October to elect five new French members instead of MM. Paris, Guéry, Monceaux, Camérini, and Vidal, whose mandate expires on the 7th November.
MM. Gobert and Lecachen, members of the Tonkin Agricultural Chamber, have left Hanoi, the first going to France for reasons of health, the other to China and Manila for several weeks' absence.
i
SWATOW.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
!
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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of kerogene oil that is imported, for which privilege they are prepared to contribute to the Government (.e., to the Viceroy) $4,00) per annum, and after a lapse of ten years to present the Government with a bonus of $10,000. As was to be expected, the Vice- roy readily agreed to their proposals. The Taotai, presumably under instruction from his chief at Canton, deputed a weiyuan | to call upon the Consuls here and enquire whether they have any objecti ns to a tax on kerosene being levied. The Consuls informed the weiyuan that they could not give their permission to such a new departure, it rested entirely with the foreign merchants interested in the oil trade. The promoters of this scheme have approach ed the compradores of the foreign Hongs with a view to coming to some arrangement, and I learn from a very reliable source that the compradores would not lend their assistance to an undertaking which may injure the very flourishing kerosene oil trade of this port. It is trusted that the attempts of the two Chinese to make a fortune-for such would be the case- at the expense of the population at large will be frustrated by the foreign merchants refusing their consent to this new scheme. I am in- formed that the United States Consul at Foochow strenuously opposed a similar plan which was mooted there some time ago.
VLADIVOSTOCK NOTES.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Vladivostock, 14th October. THE CHINESE EASTERN RAILWAY.
[November 4, 1901.
was made about 9.45 pm. The latter ambuscad- ed under a high embankment surrounding the houses of the contractors of that section and also the barracks of the Manchurian railway guards, who at that station number only 13 men. When the first volley was fired by the marauders, the guards immediately placed them- selves in the intrenchments (which are made at each station on the line), from whence they repelled the fire for nearly two hours. With the first exchange of volleys, most of the Russians at the place ran for protection to the guards in the trenches, while others, fearing lest the guards would not be able to withstand the attack by a force nearly 50 times its size, preferred to flee for safety outside the limits of the attacked place and hid themselves in the grass. It is supposed that the attack was made by the band a little prematurely, as a few of the latter first approached quietly several Chinese shops and without losing time began to loot them. One Chinese shopkeeper, seeing this, ran at once to give the alarm and inform the guards, and, while running, began to blow the alarm-whistle, upon which he was fired at by the brigands pillaging the shops. Apparently the firing of a shot was to serve as a signal for the rest of the band (in ambuscade) to begin action; for immediately after a few shots were fired at the fleeing Chinaman, firing was commenced by the robbers from all sides, a hail of bullets striking on the houses and the people, who be came panic-stricken and were running for safety from one place to another. In the course of two bours the marauders fired over 10,000 shots, while the guards defending the station fired about 24 thousand. The house which most suffered was that of Contractor Sokoloff, who repelled the firing from a window of his house, The official opening of the big railroad bridge whence he had no chance to escape with his wife, built by the Chinese Eastern Railway on the 5 children, and a nurse, and he was obliged Sungary River took place several days ago.
therefore to remain inside, depending for pro- The bridge presents one of the many magnifi-tection upon the walls of the house. According cient structures on the railway line. All the to an eye-witness, the house was pierced with local authorities and officials of the road were
bullets all through; not only were its walls present at the opening ceremony, and after pierced, but also the floor, ceiling and even the a service held by the clergy according to the brick-oven. By some miracle, the contractor's rites of the Russian church, several locomotives wife and children, who were lying prostrate were chained together and have several times from fright on the floor in the middle of crossed the bridge.
the room, were not struck by a single bullet. The only persons wounded, as stated above, were the contractor himself and the nurse, the latter dying from the wounds she received in her back. Near that house were also killed a Rus- sian labourer and a carpenter, named Butzigin. The latter, under a hail of bullets, was endeavour- ing to remove from the house the women and children and carry them to a safe place in the trenches. He succeeded in carrying away one of the children, whom he handed over half way from the trenches to another man and was speedily returning to remove the rest of the family; but as he approached the house, he was shot dead by two bullets from the brigands. By this time some of the band made an attack upon the house and began setting fire to it, but three soldiers of the guard bravely jumped at them from the trenches and with well aimed shots killed two of the party, causing the others to flee. whereupon the three guards at once removed from the house the unfortunate women and children and ran back to take their places in the trenches. Among the killed was also another Russian who met his death in a barn where he had con- cealed himself and into which the marauders entered to ransack; a medical assistant was also found dead about half a mile from the barracks. No one is thought to have been wounded in the trenches; all the wounded and killed were those that either had no chance to run for protection to the trenches or those who preferred to look for safety outside.
According to reports received from station- masters of the above railway, on the 3rd October there remained unlaid but 100 versts (80 miles) of rails, and, when completed, through traffic the line of the Trans-Baikal Railway. will begin on the entire road, connecting with
AN EXPECTED VISITOR.
Swatow, 29th October. THE HOUSE-TAX. What seemed before merely a rumour is now a real fact, and before long funds raised by means of the house-tax will be flowing, as a contribution to the defrayment of the large indemnity to the foreign Powers, into the coffers of the Chinese Government. With a view of ascertaining particulars concerning the rent of every house, two weiyuans, sent by the Cheng Hai Shien, have been busy here of late gathering all necessary information, on obtain- ing which they affix a Chinese document, con- taining the details of each house, on its front and also enter everything in extenso in books kept for the special purpose. The Cheng Haichurian ronte, and is expected at Vladivostock Shien called on the foreign Consuls to sound them with regard to a tax on foreign houses. i.e., houses owned by non-Chinese. The Consuls told the Cheng Hai Shien that without instruc- tions from their Minister at Peking they could not consent to their nationals paying any house.tax.
THE TAOTAI
has again applied to the Viceroy of this province to be allowed to resign his post. Though he has received no reply yet, persistent rumours are circulated to the effect that Taotai Yang is to be his successor,
CLAN-FIGHTS.
At Fungshun, a Hakka district no great distance from Kiayingchow, several serions clan-fights have taken place, which have induced the Shien of the place to apply to the Taotai for soldiers. The request has not been complied with. It is a noteworthy fact that wherever trouble breaks out in this district, no matter of what nature and to what extent, the official of the place concerned usually appeals to the Taotai for assistance, but it appears proble- matical how the latter is to satisfy constant and repeated demands for succour when he has under his command at Chowchowfoo only about 2,00€ soldiers,
TAX ON KEROSENE OIL.
Two influential and wealthy Chinese have petitioned the Viceroy of this province to allow them to impose a tax of five cents on every case
In accordance with the report of over a month ago with regard to the expected arrival (from St. Petersourg) at this city of the Privy Councilor Mr. P. M. Romanoff, Deputy Minis ter of Finance, information has now been received by the local authorities that Mr. Romanoff had already left Harbin for Nicolsk- Oussurisk on the 9th October, going by the Man- about 22nd-24th October. The local Military Governor, Lieut. Gen. Tchitchagoff, returned here yesterday from Habarovsk, it is said, for the purpose of starting off to meet Mr. Romanoff en ro te to this city. It will be remembered that the visit of Mr. Romanoff is in connection with several pending important business matters concerning this port, among which is also the question as to the advisability of re-establishing here "Porto Franco" for a few more years.
BRIGANDAGE ON THE RAILWAY LINE- FULL DETAILS.
The following are particulars of the attack made by an armed band of Chinese marauders on a small railroad station near Muren, on the Chinese Eastern Railway, as reported in local Russian newspapers -
The special train sent from here with medical assistance to the small railroad station of Lia- Omkhe, to bring from there the people killed or wounded by the Chinese band of maranders (ex-Boxers), returned to Muren at 12 o'clock on the 19th September. It brought the railroad contractor of that place badly wounded in the head and legs, his children's nurse, fatally wounded; 4 killed and 6 wounded Russians, and 4 killed and 7 wounded Chinese labourers, who were working on the road. The wounded nurse died shortly after she was brought to Muren. As has now been learnt, the attack by the band of marau- ders, who numbered between 300 and 500 men,
As there is no telephonic or telegraphic connection at that place, there was no way to communicate at once with the nearest station regarding the threatening danger, and the only hope entertained was that several of the Russians who succeeded in escaping during the first stage of the attack would give timely warning to either of the neighbouring stations. There was not even a horse to be got, as all the horses and cattle took fright at the firing, broke loose, and ran away. One of the Russians volunteered to run for assistance to the nearest station, and accordingly set out at once for Taipling. After he had run distance he encountered one of the band, with whom he had a fierce struggle and who
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