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CANTON.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 6.h June.
THE DRAGON-BOAT FESTIVAL, The Feast of Dragon boats passed off rather quietly this year. Fewer mishaps happened because there was a less dumber of boats. Ou the third day when the Dragon-boats went to the temple of the Mother Dragon to worship, the "dragonites" had a race, and afterwards a fight; some throw earthenware jars, while others fired shots from revolvers, so that some had their heads broken or were wounded, and others jumped into the water. Pirates disguised as Dragon boatmen went to rob the pilgrims in the flower-boals.
A DEPARTURE.
Mr. L. A. Byworth, the Harbourmaster of the Imperial Maritime Customs, and Mrs. Byworth left Canton on Tuesday last for home on furlough, an account of the illness of the latter. By consent of Mr. A. Nielsen, Deputy Commissioner, a very handsome silver cup accompanied by an address was presented to him by the officers of the outdoor department as a token of esteem. Whea the souvenir was presented speeches were made and toasts proposed, to which Mr. Byworth replied in appropriate terms.
CURING THE OPIUM HABIT.
An anti-opium society has been formed in Canton whose object is to cure opium-smokers of their vice by giving them medicinal pills. Each member of the society is to contribute five dollars a month. If he gets cared his money is returned to him and if he is not cured within a month his contribution is forfeited to the society. A large number of smokers have joined the society and the number to be cared within a month is reported to be sixteen.
[FROM THE CHỨNG NGJI BAN FO”]
OUTRAGEOUS ROBBERS. The robbers in Canton are as fierce as ever. In fact the whole city is overrun with robbers, though the officials have imitated the methods of Hongkong in having constables policing the streets day and night. On the evening of the 28th ultimo a gang of miscreants broke into the house of a petty military officer in Oi-Loong Lane, near the Tartar City, and carried away his concubine, together with a young maid-ser- vant. The captives were carried away in chairs which were placed at the door of the house in readiness by the culprits. It is reported that the offence was committed by the Banner people, who hitherto have been the most lawless criminals in the city, for they are under the supervision and jurisdiction of the Tartar General who always does his utmost to pro- tect them and make light of any complaint presented to him. When the Banner people, having committed theft, robbery or other crimes, run back to the Tartar City, the soldiers and lakongs dare not go into the Tartar City and arrest them, for they have no right to do so, and even when a Banner criminal is caught outside the Tartar City committing an offence, he must be sent back to the Tartar General for trial. It is said that the two female captives are still hidden in the Tartar City and will be sold as prostitutes later on.
THE NEW VIQEBOY.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
For the reception of the new Viceroy, ths leading merchants of the seventy-two guilde propose to decorate all the streets with flowers from the Government Wharf to the Yamen through which His Excellency is to pass The heading merchanté also held a meeting in Sz- mun College to decide plans on 'reform, which will be sent to the Viceroy as soon as he arrives.
REBELS.
į
PAKHOI.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Pakhoi, 3rd June.
STEAM TRAFFIC.
June 15, 1903.
and the girls as described by his informer, but they were duly provided with the usual dermits and the officer was therefore unable to prevent them leaving, although he had great suspicions about the affair. The following day the officer began to make euquiries as to who eap- Never within recent experience of this port plication the permits were issued on and discover.. was there such an immense steam traffic as uted that two men representing themselves as present. Every day almost we have a vessel or
members of two respectable shops, had applied two coming or going. They nearly exclusively for the permits and that ti e seals of the shops bring in rice from Haiphong and Hongkong,
were forged for the purpose. The Commissioner The price of the grain is, nevertheless, bigh and
of Customs requested the Weiyuen to arrest the two men. One was nowhere to be found, and steady, with a lower tendency.
the other was discovered to be a servant to the
THE HEALTH
wished for, although the thermometer is rang- of the port at present is all that could be ing from 90 deg. to 91 deg. in the shade in the middle of the day, at night the southerly breeze generally relieves the oppression caused by the heat during the day, and sometimes we have also the usual summer showers. We expect to pass the summer this year without the annual recurrence of plagus for which this port has become famous. There were, it is true, one ог two sporadic cases of plague amongst the sea-faring section of the com- unity on the beach some six weeks ago. I was told that a correspondent wrote to a northern daily recently, reporting that plague was spreading here in epidemic fashion. I can only contradict the misleading statement.
▲ 80-CALLED CONVERT.
A
A native Christian, Tam Sau Sun, pick. named K'ao Seong Fu, ie., prime minister, ! is now a fugitive. The authorities are looking for him for having impersonated a A man of Custom House detective recently. nefarious practices who culy requires a little opportunity to develope his bad inclinations, a little while ago he came across some ginseng in the possession of B cook or steward em- ployed on board a steamer, who had the roots safely landed and concealed in house by the beach. T'am at once took possession of the ginseng, stating that he was a Customs detective and took the goods away. Somehow or other the matter reached the ears of the Commissioner of Customs, who.com. municated with the local authorities with a view to arresting the impostor, who, having smelt a rat, made himself scarce and is still at large. This man had a rather bad record, having been in prison once, some four years ago, for impersonating a R.C. native priest in Limchow whilst he was merely a pretended believer. After his term of imprisonment he became a Protestant proselyte by entering the English mission, but, having probably learned that he could not obtain much advantage there, he then joined the German mission. It is not easy to define his present position; as a matter of fact, there are many of these pseudo- Christians nowadays who only join the missions for mere earthly benefit. Not long ago a young native clerk in a foreign hong, having rau himself into debt, joined the mission apparently with no other design than to gain time to slip away in peace and safety, which be did a short time after.
It is reported in official circles that a telegram has been lately received that the rebels are still very active and very fierce. The soldiers, being greatly outnumbered, are unable to cope with them. The Prefect of Chong Chow has wired to the authorities repeatedly, asking reinforcements, saying that the district is over run with rebels and that the city is in great danger of being taken by the rebels. In answer to the demand of the Prefect. Ho Taotai and Vice-General Pun with a good number of soldiers have been sent to the scene.
TRAFFICKING IN GIRLS.
This port has become famous for this ne- farious traffic, thouzh the evil practice is of no recent date, so much so that there is a old standing order in the Customs Department that the officers on duty on board steamers must exercise the greatest care that no female native is allowed to leave the port unless she is pro- vided with a permit, and it must be guaranteed by a respectable resident or a shop that the holder of such permit a member of his or his foki's family. Formerly the Customs used to take the trouble of verifying the truth of the application before issuing these permits, bat since three or four years ago, with the creation of an Office of Foreign Affairs under a Weiyuen (especially to deal with matters relating to native emigration to foreign ports) the duties of ascertaining the genuineness or otherwise of the applications devolved on the Office of Foreign Affairs, at whose request only the Customs would then issue the necessary permits. It happened recently that an energetic Customs Office received private information that two old women were leaving, taking away with them a few girls on board a steamer then about to sail. The officer in question went on board to investigate and found there were the two women
Weiyuen of the Chinese Telegraph Office here; master and servant left the same day on board a Chinese gunboat for Canton. The Commissioner telegraphed to the Weiyuen to bring back bis servant, which he did in due undergoing a term of imprisonment. Too much course and the culprit is now in Limehow goal praise cannot be given to the Customs Officer concerned, through whose initiative the fraud was discovered. I need not add here that the detectives in Hongkong will doubtless exercise more vigilance in future on board steamers from this port to look for girls imported for illicit purposes.
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THE SITUATION IN KWANGSI.
The N.-C. Daily News learns from a reliable source that in response to the demand of Governor Wang Chih ch'un of Kwangsi, who deems himself insulted by people in hanghai because they have charged him with attempting to borrow troops and money from the French in Tonkin, and called public meetings in Chang Su-ho's garden and elsewhere to protest against his conduct, that the Peking Central Government has sent down orders to Shanghai for the arrest and punishment of six persons residing in the Settlements on the charge of sedition and calling together seditious gather- ings. Amongst these six patriots are a Hanlio. two chujên, a licentiate, and a Buddhist priest, a retired ex official of high rank. The N.-C. D.N. has it also on g od authority that a certai i high mandarin residing in Shanghai has been at the bottom of this persecution, and that when the meetings took place at the Chang! Gardens he ordered the Taolai to stop them and arrest the leaders of the movement. The Taotai being more broad-minded, hesitated to take action, until he was forced to by direct orders from H. E. En Shop, the Governor at Soochow.
In its Notes on Native Affairs oun Shanghai contemporary also mentions that on the 4th inst. the local mandarins re- ceived the following tel gram from Kwangsi:-
The rebellion in Kwangsi is increasing and daily getting more dangerous and more formidable. The Imperial army here is too weak to be of any use and is insufficient to garrison all important cities and towns. The latest news is that the rebels have besieged the city of Chungchou, belonging to the prefectural division of Taipingfu (Kwangsi province) and that unless relief is sent at once it will certainly fall into the hands of the rebels. The prefect of Taipingfu, Wa, has been sending appeals for troops and the Governor (Wang Ch'un) has therefore ordered a force under Ho Taotaí and Major-General Pau to proceed to Chungohou to raise the siege." Chungchou is a depart mental city, about forty-five miles north-east c Lungchou, and some twenty miles west of the Kwangtung border. Taipingfu city is about twenty odd miles from the Annamese borders.
In spite of the assertions of Governor Wang Chih-ch'un of Kwangsi that he has restored order in the province, says the N.-C. Daily News in another issue, news still constantly arrives from private and independent sources in Kwangsi alleging quite the contrary. If what is stated in the following letter from a reliable source, which we now translate, is to be believed, Governor Wang Chih-ch'un's troubles are on'y just beginning:-"The rebels of Kwangsi are daily getting stronger, especially in the vicinity of the prefectural city of Kweilin, the capital of Kwangsi, namely in the districts of Yining and Hsingan. Here the rebels, unlike other bands, conduct the government of the two. cities, collect regular taxes after the style of foreign municipalities, enlist troops, and drill,
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