November 17, 1902.]
Mr. H. Kirino is recognised as Acting Consul for Japan during the absence of Mr. M. Noma, and Nr. Labarca as Consul for Chile in Hongkong.
An outbreak of fire occurred on Monday night, about half past eight, on the steamer Woosung (Messrs. Butterfiold & Swire), which arrived on the previous day from Shanghai. The fire originated amongst some bales of cotton, hat it was seen in time and attacked by the officers and crew, who threw the burning material overboard. The flames were subjugated without the assistance of the Fire Brigade, which sent a floating engine alongside. The damage was slightį
The introduction of European weighing scales into the Central Market to replace the unsatis- factory and not always reliable Chinese ching or weighing-stick has now been to a certain extent effected and no doubt the use of scales will become generalamoug stall-holders in course of time. For this improvem nt credit is largely due to Mr. R. McEwen, Inspector of Markets. The scales are of an improved, simple type and are supplied by Mr. G. Girault, Queen's Road. It would be well for Europeans who have to deal with the Chinese if the use of such weights was made general throughout the Colony. Mr. C. E. Warren, building contractor. Des Voeux Road, on the 12th inst., at the Police Court, charged a dimin tive Chinese message boy in his service and a bigger boy employed as a messenger by the Sanitary Board with opening a safe in the complainant's office and stealing therefrom a bank-bill of the value of $50. The theft wa discovered when the complainant went to his office on the morning of the 11th inst. The safe was open, and an examination of the contents showed the extent of the robbery, He at once reported the matter at the Central Police Station, and Detective-Sergeant Wait was told off to make investigations. These resulted in the discovery of the fact that the two defendants had come across a key which opened the safe, from which they extracted the $50 note. There were other notes in the safe, but these were untouched. Mr. Warren's ser- vant was arrested on the premises, and he gave information that led to the arrest of the other defendant, in whose possession was found all of the money, by this time changed into smaller and more convenient currency, The latter was sentenced to two months' hard labour, and his little accomplice to receive a whipping of twelve strokes and to be detained in prison for forty-eight hours.
The Austrian oruiser Kaiser Karl VI. left for Nanking oa the 8th inst. The Portuguese gunboat Diu arrived from Macao on the 9th inst. H.M.S. Blenheim left for Mirs Bay on the 12th inst.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
H.M.S. Rinaldo will be docked at Newchwang for the coming winter.
The Japanese Foreign Department, says a Tokyo contemporary, contemplate opening Japanese Consulates at Changsha and Daluy in the forthcoming financial year.
Professor Jenks in his report on the Philip pines to the U. S. Government states that while there is considerable progress among the people | of the Dutch and English possessions of the Orient, nowhere is the autonomy equal to the privileges which Filipinos are now enjoying. He recommends that the government retain ownership of all realty of which title is in doubt, that encouragement be given large
and
investors.
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The Empress Dowager is hastening the work on the Imperial Palace at Paotingfu as much as possible, as it is said she may visit there t he has expressed the during the 10th moon. opinion that a ruler should visit more places aud personally know the condition of things better. It appears to the P. & T. Times extremely unlikely that any visit will be paid to
year, however. Paotingfn this
The Universal Gazette says that Viceroy Chang Chih-tung was quite ready to take the whole responsibility of the Chengchow murder case, but the British Minister negotiated with the Wai-wu-pu only and refused to settle the matter with the Viceroy, while the Consul- General of Hankow when approached said that It is report- A very handsome and skilfully executed brass he had no power to settle the case. tablet has been placed in the Roman Cathedral, ed that Viceroy Chang telegraphed to the Plymouth, by the officers and men of H.M.S. Foreign Office in London asking the office to Orlando, to the memory of the late Capt. James mitigate the term of the de.th punishment on Heary Burke, R.N., C.B., who commanded the the Chengehow military officers while all the other Orlando three and a half years on the China terms would be acceded to. The London For- Station, and served during the recent compaign.eign Office in its reply seems to be more compro- The distinguished officer was well known in mising, according to the Univerul Gazette. Plymouth and Devonport, and was married in the R.C. Cathedral in 1878.-
The P. & T. Times writes:-Rear-Admiral Sah has been taking effective measures to deal with the growing piracy along the southern shores of the Gulf. The Chefoo native mor- chants made representations to the U.S. Consul, who, as trade was being paralysed, at once transferred the matter to Peking, with the result that Admiral Sah was wired to take instant and vigorous steps to deal with the business. To as it is somewhat strange that so intelligent and active an officer did not act on his own initiative at once. The Chinese have always endorsed the theory of Roman Law, that pirates are enemies of the human race.
The servant difficulty seems pretty acute at Singapore. In a footnote to a letter the local Free Press writes.-The Hylam Secret Society case showed that the Society had for its objects: (1) To fight the enemies of the Society; (2) to go out and steal, giving 30 per cent of the proceeds to the Society; (3) to furnish members with maintenance if out of work, and lawyers if in trouble. Daily the police chronicla certain records of Hylam servants charged with theft and it is not to be wondered at, c nsidering the free hand some employers give their servants and the ease with which they can dispose of stolen property.
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Admiral Baron Yamamoto, Japanese Minister for the Navy, is reported to have said to a visitor that the three armoured cruisers, the Matsushima, Itsukushima and Hashidate, which proved themselves the best fighting vessels in the Japanese Navy during the war with China in 1894-5, were now entirely out of date com- On the 12th inst. the British cruiser Espieglepared with the present war-ships. Several of left for Singapore and the Portuguese gunboat the smaller and older ressels in the Japanese Diu for Macao. On the 13th inst. the British feet had already been proved to be practically cruiser Argonaut arrived from Weihaiwei.
usele s for active service. By the proposed The Austrian cruiser Puglia arrived on Fri-extension of the Navy Admiral Baron Yama day from Shanghai.
moto said he meant the replacing of old vessels hy new ones. He did not consider that his scheme was worthy of such an attractive name as the extension of the Navy in the third It simply meant the substitution of stage." new ressels of about 8,000 tons for the old ones representing 5,000 tons.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Russians claim that the second-class cruiser Novik, now on its way to the Far East is the fastest cruiser in the world, as its speed is 26 knots.
A Northern vernacular paper states that the Foreign Ministers have demanded posthumous honours for the five reformers executed in 1900, as it is not sufficient that they have been nominally restored to office.
A private telegram was received in Shanghai on the 5th inst. from Nagasaki, stating that a large fire broke out at Fusan on Tuesday night at 11, and lasted until 5 a.m. next day; 300 houses in the Settlement were destroyed.
An Imperial decree has been issued announcing regret at receipt of news of the death of H. E. Tao Mu, late Viceroy of the Two Kwang pro- vinces. The posthumous honour of a Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent is granted him and also the funeral of a Viceroy. All black marks against his name are to be eresed from the official records and the officials on the route are to give every help in forwarding the remains of the late Viceroy to his native city in Chekiang province. His eldest son is granted the rank of a second-class secretary of oue of the Sir Boards, and his eldest grandson a third-class secretaryship in one of the Six Boards.
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A telegram to the Ostasiatische Lloyd, dated Tayeh, 1st November, says :-"The uewly established passenger station for the Yangisze steamers at Kichou, German a station not far from Hankow, has been totally destroyed and plundered by the wharfingers of The wharfinger of the the other wharves, German wharf was driven into the Yangtsze The N.-C. Daily News com- but was saved." ments: --it is to be hoped that no attempt is to be made to make capital out of the reported outrage on a German wharfinger at Kichou. Kichou is a village on the north bank of the Yangtsze between Kiukiang and Hankow, some 15 miles below Cook's Head. are no wharves or wharfingers there, and steamers only call occasionally if lights are shown, when a sampan comes off with passengers. The so-called wharfingers are all Chinese, and the whole. affair is evidently nothing but a row between competing steamer touts, of which the tout for the German steamers got the worst. It is unfortunats that such an exaggerated report should be promulgated just at the present conjuncture."
There
The Fochow Echo of the 1st Novembor says:---- The long looked for rain began to fall early on Thursday morning, the 30th ult., and continned up to last night, giving general satisfaction.-- It was said that with the advent of rain dengue fever would disappear, or at any rate receive a check. It is to be hoped so, as the visitation has been a severe one, some sixty per cent, of the native population having suffered from it, and foreign residents not having escaped,-Owing to the overcast sky, nothing was seen of the partial eclipse of the sun yesterday afternoon.~ The harvesting of the 2nd crop rice is to com- mence immediatly. According to all reports the crop has not suffered so much locally from the drought as in the surrounding country districts.-We understand that all is going on well with the ponies in training for our Winter Meeting. The course was somewhat heavy after the two days' rain, and consequently the times made in the gallops this morning were poor. Three of the griffins were sent a mile for the first time.
The Sin Wen Pao is informed that upon the transfer of the extra-mural railway, the Chinese Government had to pay one million taels to the Russians, so the station buildings, furniture,) clocks, etc.. remained intact and were not removed, while the trains ran as usual during the time of transfer, which conditions were rather unexpected by the Chinese. But when the transfer agreement was signed, the Russian authorities insisted that it should be signed by Tartar General Tseng, as Manchuria was in his jurisdiction; but the General retorted by saying that the million taels was paid by the Pei- yang Administration, so it should be signed by Viceroy Yuan. When instruction was asked for, the Peking Government ordered the latter to sign the agreement. The Russian soldiers stationed along the section between Yinkou and Shanhaikwan are gradually being replaced by The Fengtien Army was Chinese soldiers. found to be insufficient for the purpose, so Viceroy Yuan has sent out a body of troops under the command of General Kua to protect the line in conjunction with the Fengtien Army.
The Russian Minister of Finance, says the Japan Mail, has written to Count Matsukata saying that it will be impossible for him to visit Japan on the present occasion as his presence is required in St. Petersburg by the Tsar at an early date. The Minister's chief object in coming cast seems to have been to inspect The inhabitants of Vladivostock and Palny, Vladivostock are said to have petitioned that the place should be made a commercial port, and that certain facilities should be given to At Dalny it was pointed out to importers. the Minister that since the construction of a breakwater the port has became more liable to freeze in winter, and that an expenditure of several millions of roubles will be neces- sitated on that account. The breakwater in question stretches parallel to the shore. At its eastern extremity an opening is left for access to the harbour, and from the southern
shore. end of the opening a dam extends to the Naturally the water inside these structures would freeze more easily than it the sea were at liberty to beat in without ob- It is not stated what answers M. struction. de Witte gave to these representations either at Vladivostock or at Dalny.