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British jurisdiction from which any vessel of the other belligerent shall have sailed within the previous 24 hours.
(2.) Any ship of war of either belligerent entering a British port shall be required to put to sea within 24 hours after entrance, except in stress of weather or wher quir- ing provisions or things necessary for her crew, in which case she must depart as soon as possible after the 24 hours and must only take on board what is necessary for immediate use. The proviso concerning a departure of not less than 24 hours after that of a ship of the other belligerent is of course taken into consideration.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
(3.) No ship of war of either belligerent shall be permitted, while in a British port, to take in any supplies except provisions and such other things as may be requisite | for her crew, and except such coal as may be sufficient to carry her to the nearest port of her own country or to some nearer de- stination. Moreover, no coal shall again be supplied in the same or any other British port, without special permission, until after the expiration of three months.
(4.) Armed ships of either party are for- bidden to bring their prizes into British ports.
Two further rules were issued by pro- clamation in a Government Gazette Extra- ordinary here, yererday to the following
effect:
1. During the co tinuation of hostilities no coal should be supplied to warship of either belligerent power except on the wri item authorisation of the Harbour Mas. ter specifying the amount of coal which may be supplied.
2. Before issuing any authorisation for the supply of coal to any belligerent war- ship the Harbour Master shall obtain a written declaration, duly signed by the officer commanding such warship, of the destination to which she is proceeding and of the amount of cal already on board.
Such are the rules with regard to the observance of neutrality in force in Hong- kong to-day, as in other parts of the British Empire. They are the natural consequence of a Proclamation of Neutrality, and simi. lar rules must be in force in the dominions of all countries that declare themselves neutral. Now all the leading Powers have intimated their intention o.'observing neu. trality; but in the majority of cases no proclamation has yet been made. We read in REUTER'S telegram of the 18th instant that the Russian cruisers Dmitri Donskoi,
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BIAS IN WAR NEWS.
¿February 22, 1904.
Britain and proclaim neutrality in due form. | quite the equivalent of the truthful witness Otherwise affairs remain in a very anomal- on oath. Further proof of this will no ous position-although, as Britain possesses doubt be forthcoming when we get the nearly all the coaling-stations between the written accounts of the actual spectators of Mediterranean and the Farthest East, it is the Port Arthur engagements. Those cor- Britain's action which is the most important. respondents who were fortunate enough to have been in Port Arthur on the 8th instant and subsequent days will have a lot to say about the attacks on the Russian feet, and most interesting reading-matter should be forthcoming. But we cannot expect that there will not be considerable divergences, as in the brief telegraphic accounts which we have already received. Such effects of sympathy with one or other of the combatants are impossi. ble to avoid. In official despatches facts may be purposely suppressed or exaggerated. A veracious writer may produce the same result by mere human error. Impartiality is very difficult of attainment.
(Daily Press, 19th February.) Evidence of the curious, though very natural, effect of personal sympathy on the appreciation of facts may be now seen in the form in which the recent events up North have been related to the outside world. Even if we take so narrow a field in which to look for examples as the European Press of the Far East alone, we shall find plenty. In Hongkong we have heard a good deal about the Port Arthur bombardments, and every account practically has tallied in representing the Russian losses as serious and the Japanese as incon- siderable. Turning to the Shanghai papers, we find those published in the English language supplying similar news to our Own. But if we look at the French
HONGKONG JOTTINGS.
journal L'Echo de Chine we find a very Northernmost Asia in a turmoil and the whole
No new-comer should fail to visit the western end of the town to-day, if he has not already done so, since the thoughts of the Chinese have tarued to their annual holiday. The streets wear the aspect of an English country fair-with difference. The stalls are there, lining each side of the principal thoroughfarea, and the people throng in the streets. But it is not such a scene of "bustle and jollity, business, frivolity" as, for example, the Cookney associates with his Mile End Road. He will miss the raucous shouting, the boisterous merriment of the vendors of small wares, and also the shows which he rants prominently in the "fun of the fair," but he will nevertheless see a great deal to interest him. Many of the stalls bear collections of Chinese art and manufactures such as only persistent bargain-hunters can discover at any other time of the year, and by taking advantage of the vendor's desire to have as much cash in hand as possible by the closing hour of the year up many excellent little
(Daly Press, 15th February.) China New Year's Eve arrives with all
East in excitement. Even those careless of different tale. In its issue of the 12th inst.
outside news, as the Southern Chinese are wont is published a despatch ascribed to a special
to be, seem anxious to know what is happening correspondent in Port Arthur telegraphing Local Chiness papers have gone the length of two days previously, announcing an unpublishing pink "Extras" detailing the latest successful attack by the Japanese fleet, trom the North. I do not know whether Can- which had to retire wth heavy loss (après ton shares the anxiety of Chinese Hongkong or avoir subi de grosses pertes). No loss on
goes to the length of special editions. Certainly the Russian side," concludes this message,
our natives are not apathetic about the crisis, even though New Year festivities must neceS- Now it might be thought that this story sarily occupy their thoughts a good deal just had an equal chance of being true with
now and for the next few days. any other which could not be verified at once. But it is of course contra- dicted by Admiral ALEXIEFF's admissions. However, L'Echo de Chine publishes just underneath its "Port Arthur" despatch an undated Paris telegram reporting injuries to the Tsarevitch and Pallada and damage to the pumping-apparatus of the Retvizan in the night attack, and next day slight injuries below the water-line to the Pallada, Diana, Askold, and Novik, with a loss of nine men killed. Below this telegram, again, is the following "official news" from S. Petersburg: -"The cowardly and treacherous attack of "the Japanese before the declaration of war "has not had the success announced by the Japanese. All the vessels in·licated are "afloat with their engines and armament intact, of which the Jap nese might have persuaded themselves by the effect of the "shells from these vessels." Further Aurora, and six destroyers had already pro. L'Echo learns that three Japanese warships ceeded from Suez to Jibutil, whers they were very seriously damaged during the coaled and were to remain till the 18th second attack ou Port Arthur, the Yashima, instant, awaiting the arrival of the battle- Asamz, and Naniwa. The general trend of ship Oslyabya, the transport Saratoff, and these coutradictory reports is to make outsolatory remark three destroyers which had already left that the Japanese, to use a popular expres. Suez, and of several torpedo-boats and sion, took little change out of Port Arthur. transports then in the Canal. France had If this were really so, it would indeed be not then and has not yet, as far as we know, surprising that the Russian fleet seems to actually procla.ed neutrality, so that there have been helplessly prisoner in Port was nothing illegal in the hospitality Arthur harbour since the night of the 8th We do not claim that all the accorded to the Russian squadron at Jibutil. | instant. Yet this was certainly a contravention of news which we have received from the the virtual pomis of neutrality, and is North is to be accepted as the plain state- distinctly an action of friendship towardment of the facts of the war so far, though Russia. It would be interesting to know it agrees fairly with the general account of whether, if the Nisshin and Kasuga things in the Shanghai papers. We must had sailed from Singap re to a port admit that we have the Japanese and pro- on the Indo-China coast, they would Japanese version; while L'Echo de Chine have met with the same treatment. It has the pro-Russian account. Aul this has been rumoured in the Colony that bring us back to our original point, that those two cruisers have proceeded to some telegram tend to be curiously, though foreign port between Singapore, avoiding | naturally, biassed by the sympathies of the Hongkong, it is to be presumed, because of senders. No correspondent, or no reputable the proclamation being auticipated immedi- correspondeut at least, sets out deliberately ately after the declaration of war. It may to misrepresent the facta; but he cannot now be expected that the other Powers of help being influenced by his sympathies to as to make him not Europe will follow the example of Great such an extent
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it is possible to pick bargaina." It is also
possible now as at any time to pay for an article twiel its value. When after purchasing an article at half the price originally asked the vendor added into the bargain the cou- you b'long no foolo," I asked him if it was his experience that "foleign men b'long fools," and he replied: "Pleoty foleiga men b'long foolo, but foleign women, they more savee,"
Apropos of the approach of the New Year, with its deafening and continuous, explosion
orackers ant of
the beating of gongs, I have thought that it may dispose the Westerner to think charitably of the noise if I mention that sa American physician, whose observations appear in a paper callel the Medical Brief, holds that noise has an excellent effect in a great maayes of illness, He says that a patient of his w 10 at the print of death, Ho had raosived the last rites of the Church, the pulse had ceased, and he had fallsa into the state of com which ordinarily precedes death. Suddenly & 1830s in the next ge struck up th Anvil Chorus" [+›m Il Trov- atore-not a bid sabilitate for Chinese gǝags. Then the pient's pulse began to beat again, he opened his eyes and began to hum the tune. This was the turning point, and was followed by complete recovery. Who, after this, will not welcome the New Year with all its attendant
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