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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND tradesmen with constantly increasing capital. Russian treatment of these people is ordinarily commendable. One would never suppose from it that there had been such slaughter of them elsewhere in the district so savage as to destroy every vestige of the city of Aigun, and blacken the Amur with the dead bodies of the inbabit- ants.
But this is in line with Russian notions observed not so far North. When they have occasion to whip the Chinese they do it as hard as possible; but at other fines they treat them kindly. A coolie here my carry his head high and act as if he were human, and had ¦ rights to be respected; and no one will molest him so long as he behaves tolerably. Ife is as at Dever an object of blows aud enrses, some of the foreige ports in China. Thousands that class arrive every Jear from of Chefoo, finding work here at good wages, and some remaining to go into trade or contracts, They would be encouraged by the authorities in larger
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(August 25, 1902.
THE TROUBLE IN NORTHERN SIAM.
FROM A CORR (SPONDENT.]
Bangkok, 9th August, According to reliable native sources, Muong Phre has been invaded and captured by Ngius, ¿e., Shans inhabiting Northern Siam. The Nans and Lakon Lampangs are also reported to be in league with the Ngius.
The trouble began at Phrë, where thi.ty armed Ngins arrived without passports. The gendarmes demanded their passports, and they replied that they had weapons but no A free fight then ensued, in which both Papers.
their assailants the gendarmes and suffered severely. The Ngius finally boited.
The next day 300 Ngins arrived and killed the Commissioner of Gendarmes, the Finance Commissioner, and the wife, cảildren, mother and father-in-law of the latter. The Siamese
him. But the policemen understood neither his sign nor his speech, and, with language that was so much jargon to him, although he readily grasped their sign-meaning, they tightened their grip upon him and marched him off with them, he | protesting all the way, to the police station. There he was as unfortunate in declaring his in- nocence as he had been before, and the officer at the desk directed that he be placed in a cell, where he passed a hungry and sleepless night. When arraigned for examination the next morning, he explained himself through an interpreter. The Justice seut for the shipping agent and his testimony to confirmed the captain's story that discharge from custody was ordered. The shipping agent would have appreciated bet- ter the humour of the incident had not the diuuer he had prepared become overcooked from loug waiting, and then grown cold. He had spent the evening expressing his views of a man who would accept an invitation and then deliberately ignore it. Of course Russians have to do the
to increase the prosperity of the port, and it bulk of the business of this port, but so far
seems likely that Chinese capital will be brought general trade has fallen mainly to houses that have a Russian register, although not directed in for permanent account. Liberality in all kues by men or money of that nationality. The is not to be expected at'once of a government bound by tradition to practices the other way. register is obtained by giving to a Russian
The tendencies observable in regard to foreign some interest in the business, so that his name may figure as
a partner. Men commonly help in shaping the progress of this part may, selected for that purpose are clerks, and the indeed, be credited less to a change of heart interest they obtain, while never large, conufs toward foreigners than to the nuwillingness or in place of an advance of salary, which would inability of Russian enterprise to respond to the otherwise have been granted, so that partner-conditions here presented. If men and woney ships of this nature rarely involve any sacrifice were coming in abnudanlly from that quarter, by the principals in a honse. In time, when there might be a different story to tell regards fallen. Telegraph communication is the port shall establish a definite commercial ing encouragement for th Chinese and open to Raheng only. status, Russians may feel like venturing thus Japanese. Capital or other co-operation from far from home, and this kind of evasion may be those lauds may be favoured inerely as 80 lessened. In banking, no chances are taken on agency to be used only so long as convenient what the future may yield That business is for Russiau plans, and afterward disregarded. Probabilities lak the other way. for confined to the Russo-Chinese Bank which, en
34
seem
as
commercial reatures, calculated
one now
joying a monopoly in its line, finances all the since the development to be accomplished undertakings of houses in general business, at is continental in its magnitude, it would
if no
above ground rates possible only under an arrangement for exclusive privileges. No bank business may be could live long enough to see foreign capital done without the mediation of that agency and despised at this clearing-house for trade, it exacts toll for all enterprise. A house enjoy. but cyncism concerning the ultimate intentions of Russia has sunk too deep to be uprooted ing the favour of the Bank may skim the cream of business in its line, for a suggestion through by the appearance of such a tendency as that the bank that orders be placed through such a just pointed out, so it may as well now be house amounts to a notice that only in that attributed to motives of self interest. Probably way may the desired accommodation be had. no Russian would urge that it was inspired by It is no secret that the bank has furthered
a sudden regard for the welfare of human kind of the Eastern species. One is brought to a various enterprises on a joint account basis, sharing in the commercial profits therefrom chilling sense that this is Russia by a recent besides getting the commissions chargeable in erupt ou of press censorship. When a ceusor- the regular way. There has been opportunity ship was arranged here, it promised to be already for individual fortunes as well as for lenient, for instead of assigning it to an official immense bank profits; but the managers, while specially employed for that purpose, and hired to not lacking in zeal for their institution, seem be rigid and exacting, it became an attachment to have been strangely careless of chances for to a school for Eastern languages, which the personal enrichment, and there is reason to be authorities wished to help by other means than lieve that their positions have yielded them direct subsidy. to the sum of 1800 roubles per nothing except salaries. They are all Rus-year was allowed for a professorship, the duties sians, a circumstance that makes the more of which were to include such inspection of singular a case of self-abnegation in a land newspapers as would keep the authorities where the "
abuse is flagrant, where informed on what their neighbours were saying squeeze Russians have notoriously outstripped those of them. It seemed to be intended originally past-masters in "squeeze," the Chinese, and as a sort of officiul clipping office. If the where rare privileges extended to branches of the exclusion of printed matter was contemplat. Russo-Chinese Bank have yielded fortunes to ed, the interdict was to lie against priuts managers in other places, as well as tremendous of Japanese, Chinese, or Corean origin, which a small profits to the Bank. Some of those who think at best could circulate only in they might have made more of the openings for way, and could not be seriously missed if the profits than have those in charge of the local mails failed to deliver them. After the censor- branch, say that the Bank might have owned ship had run nearly a year, it enlarged its nearly all the land here and might thus have to cover publications in other languages, heaped up assets much more valuable than have Newspapers in English, printed in China and been acquired, in addition to large private Japan, and papers from Europe and the United fortunes. No doubt a grab-all course might States fell under the ban. Since then.all of have been possible, had the managers felt so these prints arriving by sea have been trans- mitted to Moscow, where they are lead and disposed; but that effort would have spoiled a record, wherein a monopoly, organised purely mailed back, unless thrown away.
In spite of the news famine and the isolation for gain, has been satisfied to confine itself, in the main, to lines of banking customary in the imposed by a long arctic season, Vladivostock East, at a scale of charges that has permitted is an engaging place. It is starting out with customers to prosper. Exception is to be noted the confidence and ardour of undaunted youth; and in its physical habiliment it may probably in favour of the Japanese in the practice which calls for Russian registry of business partner-lways enjoy the distinction of occupying most ships. The Japanese are not yet engaging in | worthily a froutier further from its national large commercial operations here outside of capital than any other city in the world. shipping, but out of 4,000 of them in this ad- ministrative district, 3,000 of them are located in this city, and they are subject to no com- mercial restraint whatever. The official attitude toward them is unaffectedly friendly.
Chinese, who come here in large numbers, early all of the coolie class, develop into
scope
According to a Manila_Times despatch from New York, Mr. Root, U.S. Secretary of War, scandalised at the gambling going on among army officers in the Philippines, has demanded the resignation of several impoverished ones of whom their creditors complained.
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judges in Phre are said to have been murdered and ent in three pieces, and the town is now held by the Ngins.
It is reported that 600 armed Ngius went south near Lakon Lampang and have erect-d earthworks to resist the advance of the Siamese.
Telegraph-wires hare beou cat and it is not known whether the Ngins have now taken Nan and Lakon Lampang, but as Nan is the central telegraph station and no news has been received of late from there it is concluded that
it is rumoured that the real cause of the trouble was that the Ngins resouted the judgment, of the Siamese Court concerning forest property.
Phya Surisakdi Mantri, formerly Siames Minister for War and a very able man, has left
with some thousands of troops for the scene of
the disturbance, and will no doubt deal effectively with the Ngius.
The Siam Observer of the 11th inst. writos :---- The latest available news from the North is, we are glad to say, generally of a reassuring nature. The report which we mentioned a few days ago that Lakhon had been taken and set fire to by the Shans proves to be incorrect. It appears that the Shaus were repulsed by Captain Jonsen and his gendarmerie with a loss, to the Shaus, of some fifty killed; and since then they have not disturbed that place. No Europeans appear to have been molested. On the 4th Mr. Archer, the British Charge, received a telegram from Mr. Beckett, Consul at Chiengmai, stating that news had just been received from Lakhon that this latter place had been attacked; but the telegram was interrupted unfinished, Nothing more was heard till yesterday morning when the other half of the same telegram was received. It intimated that people in Chiengmai thought that they themselves were in some danger, and, further, that it might be advisable for Europeans in Lakhon to come Chiengmai, where a sort of committee of defence was being organised. It appears now, however, that Lakhon has been successfully defended, so that the danger must have been lessened. We learn that a telegram dated from Chiêngmai on the 9th inst. has been received from Phra Charanya, the Chief Judge of the Siamese Court at Chiengmai. This message states that up to that date there had been no attack and no apprehension of an attack by the Shan dacoits upon Chiengmai. Telegraphic com- munication is now restored right through to Chiengmai, though there may be some delay in the transmission of messages.
over to
Lakhon is considered a fairly strong and defensible place as against any attack which the Shans would be able to make.
The Shanghai Cricket Club on the 9th insi. got up a match between teams called "Great Britain" and "Greater Britain "—a title which, as the N.-C. Daily News report says, was some- what absurd, as more than half of the winning side were born in Shanghai or Japan, neither of which places are in any sense of the word British possessions. 125 for 7 wickets (G. F. and O. V. Lanning 29 each) and then dismissed their opponents for 57, K. J. McEnen securing 6 wickets for 27 runs.
Greater Britain scored