164
that the reef will turn out well." In view of the probable large quantity of ore to be mined, if has been deemed necessary to order a tram- line, to be ready by the time the mine is open ed up.
j-
Chindras. We have not been so fortunate here, but are prospecting a reef from 2 ft to 6 ft. wide which ontcrops for a distance of over a quarter of a mile. At times we obtain some very good prospects by dish-washing, and I would not be surprised in shortly I am able to report a good find." Judging from the amount of work done in the near vicinity of the lode, a large amount of alluvial gold must have been obtained by the workers, though no doubt it is many years ago. Unfortunately, work is at a standstill at present owing to the prevailing sickness amongst both natives and Europeans. I am sorry to say that both the Europeans are laid up with malarial fever,
Tin-Early in April a Malay reported that he had discovered tin in the southern portion of the concession. At first it was thought to be of some value, but when tried later, the wash proved to be very shallow and the fin of a very low grade. I have not been able to spare any of the Europeans to prospect in this district, but will do so as soon as circumstances will allow, I remain, Yours respectfully,
THOMAS LESTER, Manager,
The accounts are as follows:~~
BALANCE-SHEET. 31st December, 1901.
CAPITAL AND LIABILITIES.
Authorised capital:
60,000 ordinary shares at $10... $600,000 30,000 preference shares at $1... 30,000
735
$63,000
Paid-up capital :-----
59,503 ordinary shares at $10
$595,030
147 ordinary shares (forfeited)
at.$5 paid
350 ordinary shares not allotted
60,000
Lesa calls not paid
$595,765 38,522
$557.243
30,000 preference shares at $1 ..
Accounts payable
Unclaimed dividends
Bills payable...
30,000
PROPERTY AND ASSETS.
Cost of estate
Cyanide plant
Machinery, plant and equipment
Development of concession
New and Kladi dams
Buildings
Roads and bridges
Bullock carts and live stock. Furniture at mines.
Stores on hand
Firewood and timber on hand Cash at mines
Merchandise loaned...
Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, Singapore
Concentrates........
Gold purchases
Accounts receivable
Cash on hand and at bankers ....
Head office furniture
Balance of working account.
To fees and arrears to Sultan of Pahang
WORKING ACCOUNT.
To 31st December, 1901.
Dr.
To balance from last account
To operation at mines
and Orang Kaya
To prospecting
To general expenses at mines
To Panggong office expenses
To insurance.......
To telegrams.
To exchange account
To agency fees
To salaries, wages and head office charges
To directora' and auditor's fees
Cr.
By interest
By transfer fees
By sundry revenue...........................................................
C.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
SUPREME COURT.
Saturday, 22nd February,
IN CRIMINAL JURISDICTION.
[March 1, 1902.
opening day of the Sessions other four men accompanied the accused in the dock, but as these pleaded guilty the base was adjourned in order to have their evidence taken against the remaining thres.
The following jury was empanelled :-Messrs. J. H. Danenberg, J. J. Sibbit, F. L. Marques, BEFORE HIS HONOUR A. G. WISE (ACTING E. I. Ellis, Shi Po Shan, E. E, Andrus, and
F. A. Brown.
CHIEF JUSTICE.)
MANSLAUGHTER.
Lan Chan and To Chin Hon, a married couple, were charged with the manslaughter of a female child on the 30th ult. They pleaded not guilty.
The jury was as follows:-A Muller, J. Witchell, G. M. Gutierez, F. Blunck, H. Arnold,
E. V. Gros, and A. Weill,
The Hon.
in
W. Maigh Goodman, K.C., Attorney-General, opening the case, said the two prisoners: were husband and wife, and were charged with the man- slaughter of their little child, a newly-born infant, aged about ton days. The prisoners lived at a place cd San-fun wai, between Castle. Peak and Pingshan, and the nearest doctor or druggist lived at the latter place, distant about two miles. On the 30th ult, Lance-Sergeant John Grant was on duty at San-fun-wai, and as he was passing a dry ditch he noticed a basket lying there. He thought he saw something more in the basket, and on approaching to investigate he heard a slight moning. In the basket was a little female child, lying face down and with its legs hanging over the side of the basket. The only clothing covering the child was a piece of rag, whilst a portion of a fishing-net was thrown over all. Lance-Sergeant Grant wrapped the baby in his jacket and took it to the Police Station at San-fun-wai, where two amahs were engaged to look after it. The child had a very bad cough and seemed to have some difficulty in breathing, but it lived till about seven o'clock the next night, or thirty- six and a half hours after being taken out of the ditch. The next step was to find out how the child came there, and Lance-Sergeant Grant made enquiries, which elicited that the child had come from the village of San-fun-wai, He went round and saw the two prisoners, in order to ask them if they knew anything about the matter. They made no attempt at con- cealmen; the man said yes, he had put the child there he thought it was dead. The $ mother said" The child died, and my husband 157,964.39 took it out and put it away in the ditch" Con-
67,182.04
tinuing, the Attorney-General said he had made 12,320.27
soo enquiries with a view to ascertaining what 8,118.26
the custom was with people in the San-fun-wai 32,171.65 17,429.51 district as to burials, and a Chinese doctor from 10,910.07 Pingshan, who would be called as a witness, had
1,124.27
stated that in the case of a child who died before 1,988.10 16,727.31 reaching the age of one month the custom in 2,930.63 the village was not to trouble about burial; 4,672.55 if, however, it was over a month old at 49.80 death, the child was buried in the ordinary way by the elders of the village. The Chinese doctor already mentioned examined the child, and found signs of convulsions; pneumonia of five days' standing was also apparent, and in his opinion the child would have died whether it had been placed in the ditch or not. Con cluding, the Attorney-Generat said that if what the parents had done accelerated the death of the child, even though they did not mean to kill it, they would be guilty of manslaughter; if, however, the jury believed that the prisoners honestly thought the child to be dead when they placed it in the ditch, then the verdict would be one of not guilty,
587,243.00 5.938.74 1,437.77
499.31
$595,118.82
C.
469.18 584.04 4,479.76 3,346.28 27,779.47 467.43 224,403.81
$595,118.82
c.
145,353.66 36,839.26 4,178.80 7,014.16
The evidence of the Chinese doctor was 14,959.10 interesting. He said it was the custom of 3,205.50 people like the prisoners to bury a child im. 5,815.43 mediately after death, as, if the body remained
239.77
in the house for any time, they feared that its 164.20 404.68 ghost would bring bad luck to future children.
The jury retired for a few minutes, and 2,400.00 5,150.00 brought in an unanimous verdict of guilty. The prisoners were sentenced to nine months' $225,724.56
imprisonment each.
C.
1,005.02 37.25 278.48
224,403.81
$225,724.56
Monday, 24th February.
ARMED ROBBERY.
Three coolies were charged with armed robbery in Wellington Street on 5th February and the receiving of stolen goods. On the
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What
The Attorney-General, Mr. W. Meigh Good. Bowley, Crown Solicitor, prosecuted) stated that man, K.C., who (instructed by Mr. F. B. L.
on the afternoon of 5th February a very daring, impudent robbery was committed at 24, Wel- lington Street. At the place where the robbery occurred Wellington Street was built upon on both sides and it certainly was a very bold thing for those thieves to break into a house under these circumstances, terrorise the people with revolvers and choppers, and go off with their booty scot-free. But in this case they seemed to have miscalculated the energy of the police. He thought the police had done very well to have found out the robbers here and brought the guilt home to them. the jury had to deal with that morning however, was not the four men who actually committed the robbery but the share which the men who were empanelled and who pleaded not guilty, had in this crime. The facts of the case were these. There were two women and a boy living in a house on the first floor at 24, Wellington Street. There was no man in the place to protect them, and that was primarily the reason why the robbers selected this place for the robbery. Against the first prisoner who stood in the dock the case was this, that before the robbery took place the four men who had pleaded guilty assembled at his house and con. cocted a plan for rubbing the house in question. He was prosent when the plan was concocted. The four men got access to the house by au artful rase. One of them knocked at the door and said he had brought a letter. The women inside the house asked where it came from. He answered Canton," and they opened the door in the belief that it was a postman who had knocked, whereupon the four robbers marched in, terrorised the inmates with revolvers and choppers, and ransacked the house. All this time the prisoner whom he had indicated kept watch outside, having arranged to let off som crackers in the event of the appearance of the police. The men put their loot up in a bundle. As soon as they got outside the question of get- ting rid of the clothing of which the procee Is of their crime principally consistel, presented itself. The prisoner already mentioned took the bundle to another of the three, who, finding a revolver among the goods, saut an employes to socrete it; the latter threw it into a nullah. (the Attorney-Genera') was told that thess revolvers were not very efficacious but were only things to frighten people with; in this case, however, they effected their purpose. The bundle of stolen property afterwards came into possession of the third prisoner. it would be for the jury to decide whether he was guilty in the same degree as his two companions in the dock of the reception of stolen goods.
Evidence was then takes.
The jury found the prisoner who had waited outside the house to warn the robbers guilty of robbery with violence and larceny, and he was sentenced to five years' hard labour, with two whippings of twenty strokes each. His cousin, who received the stolen goods, got twelvo months' hard labour, and the third prisoner was discharged. Of the four who pleaded guilty to the armed robbery, three were sentenced each to five years' hard labour with two whippings of twenty strokes each, and one to three years' hard labour.
The Captain of the Knight Companion, which was recently wrecked off Cape Inaboye, has been exonerated from blame by the Yokohama Marine Court.
Chinese immigration from the island of Hainan to Sarawak is increasing owing to the high profits from pepper-growing in that state. It takes some years as a rule for a coolie to become a partner in a payable garden, and of course only a small percentage become partners at all; but the Chinaman is willing to take his chance of that.