104
CANTON.
[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 3th January.
EXPORT OF RICE,
Some three months ago, it may be remem. bered, the prohibition ou export of rice and grain from Canton was withdrawn. The whole of the export trade was farm d out, and a large sum was thus added to the imperial revenue here. This policy has caused a great deal of discontent. The price of rice has been steadily going up, and with it that of many other staple products. The charitable institu tions, which have a good deal of influence among the Chinese, protested against the permission to export rice from the first, and now it is rumoured that their rep esentations may not be without effect. In connection with the shove, I hear that early this morn. ing a placard, posted up during the night in Canal Road, was seizel by the anthorities. This placard is of the flaming" variety. It points out the troubles cause by the export of rice-rise in prices and spread of poverty-and then somewhat illogically attriontes the whole to the hated foreigner. Finally, it calls on all worthy Chinamen to rise and slay the foreigners on Shameen-and fixes the date for the 19th day of the 12th moon. All smokeand no fire! Foreigners have many crimes attributed to them by the Chinese, but
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
RAILWAY ITEMS.
Mr. Barns, the chief of the engineering staff. of the Railway, left Canton on Monday for the United States. During his stay in Canton he made himself very popular with all with whom he came a contact, He did excellent work in pushing on the Fatshan branch, and it is largely owing to his business capabilities and powers of organising that an much has been already done. In connection with the Railway, it may not be generally known that a survy was comp sted 8ome time ago—of the country between Can- ton and Whaupos. This will make the news that the construction of the Kowloon-Canton railway has at last definitely been decided upon welcome to Britishers. The influence of Hong- kong as a centre for the Liang Kwang trade would not be enhanced by a auton-Whampoa |
line.
[FROM ANOTHER correspondent.]
Canton, 2nd February,
ANTI-FOREIGN PLACA D.
The following is a translation of one of the placards that have been posted up in the streets of kill all foreigners here :--- Cauton threatening to attack Shameen and
"Ever since Shum (the Viceroy) came to Kwangtung the poor have become poorer day by day at first he promised to do away with all taxation, but afterwards he increased it still more heavily. He extorts from and fines the rich, and discovers capitalists amongst the
[February 8, 1904. had been carried to ballot for a new committee. The result of the billot was the election of - Messrs. E. B. Drew, T. Rennie, C. Skerritt Rogers, E. J. Moss, and T, Brockett.
A.D.C.
The performance of Our Boys has been fixed for Tuesday, the 9th February, and is expected to be a very successful one. Mr. G. Balloch is stage manager.
PROSPECTIVE DEPARTURES.
The community have been startled by the news of two important changes about to take place. Mr. C. B. Rickett has resigned from the Hougkong and Shanghai Bank, of which institution he has been the local agent for some 14 years. Mr. Rickett expects to leave by the second German mail in April, and is to be succeeded by Mr. C. H. Balfour as agent./
Mr. W. G. Maovicar, the sub-agent of the Chartered Bank, is also leaving the port. I understand he is to take charge of the Hankow agency, and expects to have some five weeks hence. Mr. W. G. Peter, brother of Mr. J. C. Peter, chief so- sou tant of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank is said to be his probable successor.
FOOCHOW ARSENAL.
Mr. Ch. D yêre is still at Pagoda Anchorage, as also is Mr. L. Retard, French Consul-General from Shanghai, Dr. Vizerie, of the Arsenal staff, is going home to Europe on furlough.
it is hard to see how their culpability has been foreigners to buy rice and export it to foreign CORRESPONDENCE. arrived at in this pai ticular case.
BEACHCOMBERS.
There has of late been a considerable influx to Shameen of undesirable characters of the species beach-comber, and the gaol at the United States Consulate has been occupied more than once during the past month. The railway
sttracts men who hare come to the end of their tether in Hongkong, and th-y come up on the chance of obtai. ing employment. Those of them who are not taken into the employ of the Company often find it hard enough to get back to Hongkong, and in the meanwhile cause trouble on Shameen
SHIPPING ITEMS.
On Tuesday last the river fleet received au accession to its numbers. The Ying King. Captain Arnold, will ply regularly under the British flag. A dinner was given on board on Tuesday evening to the Consuls and some of the principal merchants, and the new venture may be said to have been happily inauguraled. After New Year we may expect to see the two new French ships, and the transfer of the Kong Nam to the West River trade.
Canton, 4th February
PRIESTS AND PLACARDS.
Last night another inflammatory placard was posted up-to be torn down by the police this morning. This placard was a facsimile of that found in Canal Road last week. Some lig t seems now to be thrown on the subject, thanks to the investigations of the Government spies who are on the qui-vive at present, The culprits appear to be priests, who are seeking to win the sar of the coolie alass, which cannot be approached in any other way. What grievance these priests have against foreigners it is hard to conceive-one would imagine that they derive considerable profit from the globe-trotter element, which contributes large suus towards the income of the "show" temples. However, the story may not be true. If any fears existed among foreigners on Shameen, they were surely allayed by tue arrival of H.M.S. Alacrity which is at present in port. To-day is the day fixed by the placard-posters for the rising, but all is quiet.
countries purposely to injure the poor. At present there is no al ernative but to kill the foreign worms and destroy Shameen for the The 19th (Chinese) protection of Canton.
Anyone that bas Calendar) is the day fixed,
Our brethren. when courage, come and join us divide will attac Soameen and kill all foreigners; leave your soldiers. One detachment
not a single biade of grass untouched! We your brethren, have already come to Canton. Those mandarin dogs have given us sufficient public provocation, and everyone intensely."
you come,
hates them
In view of this sort of inflamatory placard the Chinese officials have sent a few guard boats to anchor in the canal opposite Shameen for ita protection, although there is no sign of anything unusual and no cause for fear. It is customary that at the end of every Chinese year some rascals spread some such wild rumour to excite the populace.
t
FOOCHOW,
[FRO 4 OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]
Fonchow, 31st January. There has been a singular dearth of any local news that might interest your readers out- side this port of late. Mr. Rickett's dauce (a bal masqué) at Wayfo ng proved a great
success.
a
ROAD TRUSTS.
There has been no little friction and great d'al of interest shown by the whole community in the management of ur Local Road Trust, ending in the resigna tion of all the rastees and the secretary The wisdom of spending the fauds availa “le on laying down somewhat flimsy drains all oved the "settlement was generally doubted by the commauity, when other more pressing repairs to roads, etc., were obviously de irable. Some letters in our weekly paper fanned the flame of discontent with the result m ntioned above, A meeting of all subscribers to the Road Trust was held in the Club on the 29th and was attend ed by a large and representative gathering Mr. Siemssen, the outgoing chairman, tendered bis resignation for himself and the other trustees and secretary. In point of fact Mr. Fires have been very frequent during the Martziakevich,
the trustees, had past few days. On Tuesday of last week there resigned previously as he did not approve was a fire at the western end of Honam Island, of the "drains" scheme. Subsequently, upon followed by another on Thursday to the east. & proposition by Mr. Brady (the Eng. The latter burnt almost to the water's edge.lish Consul) that the resigning trust es On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesd y nights in should be asked to stand again-which this wook the steam-whistle on the fire-boat in
was practically a vote of confidence, and was the-river announced fires. The only one of any seconded by Mr. Drew, the Commissioner of importance was that on Sunday, it burnt out a Customs, Mr Siem sen most indignautly score of large shops in the Tuirteenth Ward, refused, and quite lost all sympathy with the and was not got under for two hours.
meeting, leaving the room directly a proposition
FIRES.
•
one of
STREET NAMES IN HONGKONG.
TO THE EDIT & OF THE "DAILY PRESS.'
Hongkong, 1st February.
好痛
SIE,-In your Jottinga" to-day you comment the street nomene ature. You call to remembrance the different Governors and presiding fficers of the Colony, and notice the omissions in the series. It is a good thing, doubtless, in a fleeting and changing population like that which we have here, to make some mark
against the names of each of the successive rulers who come and go, whether deserving or otherwise, for the memory of the Colony is short and elusive; bu, when putting them on the record, should we forget those who assisted at the birth of the Colony, and on whom the str. ss and responsibility of a most trying work fell I say no, and I think the omission very marked (and not at all creditable to Hong- kong) of any trace of the names of Sir Ruther- ford Alcock and Sir Harry Parkes; not a single mention anywhere. And yet to no man has the Colony in its incipience been more indebted than to Sir Harry Parkes, to whom it owes the acquisition of Kowloon, and who was distinctly` the leading actor in the events of that day, When I saw hat one road was renamed "Park
ond" I thought that it would have been a graceful piece of thoughtfulness to have added ao uple of letters; but the principal street in the settlement would not have been unworthily 80 named. Shanghai has done herself the credit of erecting a statue, well deserved, to his memo- ry; Hongkong should no have been behind in showing on British soil ber appreciation of the services of an admirable representative Briton. I know that it was the intention of Sir Henry Blake to have moved in the ma ter, but in the end he left it unattended to.-Yours, &c.,
L.
We take the two following articles from the Shanghai Mercury of the 27th ult:-Mr. R. Littmann, the ex-employes of the Russo-Chinese Bauk, arrived here last night by the N.D.L. steamer Geru. He was met on his arrival by Detective-Sergeant Moore and conducted to the Central Station, where he spent the right. At 9 a.m. to-day he was taken to the German Con- sulate, where be had a hearing, and from there to the British gaol, where he will be confined during his trial. There is a report about town to-day that a prominent Chinese resident of Kobe, not a connected with the Russo-Chinese Baok there, who was a passenger by the Hakuai Maru to-day, bas found it convenient to remain on board, under Japanese jurisdiction, while the Consular authorities concerned are discussing certain complaints made against him. will probably be heard of the case
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