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1 will only mention one point in Mr. Shewan's Itter to th Investors' Review in which he goes wrong. He speaks of Hongkong being governed by men sent out by the Colonial Office, who know nothing of our wants and ways and few of whom ever seem to learn-many of them merely mediocre schoolboys, one day in charge of the Police Department and the net the Post Office, or Treasury, or Magistracy without any previous training for those important offices." "Nor is this to be wondered at," he continues, "for to a great extent the Colonial service is supplied from the ranks of those who cannot pass to higher examinations for the Consular and other better paid Civil Services." Now Mr. Shewan seems to be unaware that the Hongkong Civil Service is recruited by cadets who go through the same identical examinatin as the Indian Civilians, and that so far from us getting men who "cannot pass the higher examinations" (which do not exist) we have in this Colony men who were high up in the Indian list, including one placed seventh, if I am not mistaken. In any case the difference in marks even between the highest and lowest candidates in the Civil Service examination is too small to put them on different planes of intellect. In stigmatising our cadets as "mediocre school- boys," while contrasting the other services with that of Hongkong, Mr. Shewan betrays a want of knowledge which is at permissible in a public man such as our popular Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council is. I, for one, very much regretted to see him "give himself away" as he did.
محمد
In no recent year have the vagaries of our Colony's climate be-n more marked than they have been this Spring. Twelve months ago at this season we were enjoying fine bright weather with a pleasantly high temperature. A week ago one would have sworn that we had eutered upon the hot weather in real earnest, the glass registering from 72 to 74 degrees. Yet on Saturday the thermometer fell from 74 to 62 degrees, and following upon such a hot spell the cold appeared to be more intense than any that we had experienced during the winter. The only consolation to be drawn from the infliction upon us of last week's muggy, drizzling weather is that the reservoirs have been replenished, and a water-famine avoided.
The notice which the local branch of the China Association has taken of the flagrant violation of British sovereignty by the cold- blooded murder of the Chinese schoolmaster in Gage Street at the instigation of the Chinese officials in Canton is such as to deserve the thanks of the entire community. The claim
for reparation ought to be pressed against the Chinese authorities very strongly. There should be nothing lackadaisical about the attitude of
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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Something was said in this column a week or two ago concerning the defective orthography in many of the sign-b oards outside Chinese shops on the Colony, resulting in some cases in the most comical announcements being made. Į Some of the printing establishments have also been adding to the amusement of the British community lately. A week or two ago I observed a poster intimating that "several local talents' would assist at a concert, and now I observe the announcement of "A grand artistical string concert."
Very few Europeans at Hongkong seem to keep gold-fish, though, indeed, there is a certain demand for Chins gold-fish in Europe. The Chinese, of course, go in for them pretty strongly, as is fully demonstrated by the number sometimes seen for sale in Queen's Road and other thoroughfares. It would be interes. ting to hear what the writer of "Notes from the Botanic Gardeus has to say on the matter. There must be quite a few species in that pretty little fountain pond. The following interesting paragraph appears in one of the most recent issues of a home paper:-"The most beautiful and costly fish in the world come from China, and the rarest and most expensive of all is the brash-tail gold-fish. Specimens of this have sold for as high as £140 each, and in Europe the prices range from £50 to £100. The brush-tail gold-fish is so small that a five-shilling piece will cover it, and probably there is no living thing of its size and trei. ht that is worth so much money." I notice that there are some fine gold-fish, of the large sort, in tubs at the Zetland Street Masonic Temple compound.
THE WAR.
BANYAN
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENTS.]
London, 13th March. Admiral Makaroff telegraphs from Vladi- vostock that in a naval action on the 11th inst. the Russian destroyer Steregustchi and also a Japanese torpedo-boat were sunk.
London, 17th March, General Kuropatkin has ordered Admiral Stoessel to continue to hold Port Arthur. The General intends to place 250,000 troops on the Yalu, and to guard the railway with 150,000.
Kobe, 14th March. Admiral Togo reports that on the 10th instant two Japanese flotillas composed of torpedo-destroyers advanced to Port Arthur with the object of laying contact-mines. Six Russian destroyers came out and attacked them, when a fight at close quarters occurred. A boiler on one of the Russian vessels burst, and the other five fled shatter- ed by the combat. The Japanese destroyers Asashio and Akatsuki were damaged, the latter's boiler also bursting, whereby four firemen were fatally scalded.
The second flotilla intercepted two of the enemy's destroyers and an hour's fighting ensued. One of the Russian vessels escaped, and the other sank. The Japanese casual- ties were 22.
Port Arthur harbour seems well mined.
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{March 21, 1904.
a.m. section A of the flotilla met air Russiau destroyers off the southern end of Liaotishan, and an engagement ensued, lasting twenty minutes. The destroyers Asashio, Kasumi, and Akatsuki steamed up close to the enemy and opened a heavy fire on their boats. The Russian destroyers; unable to withstand this violent attack, daring which the engines of several were severely damaged, and the boats set on fire, turned and fled, some of their crew shouting for mercy the while. In this engage- ment our destroyers were somewhat damaged, seven of our sailors were killed, and Chief Engineer Minamisawa and eight men were wounded, The torpedo-destroyer Akatsuki had her auxiliary steam-pipe cut, and four of the engine-room staff were killed. However, none of our boats were put out of action.
"At 7 a.m.,
section of the flotilla, when returning from the harbour, encountered two Russian destroyers making for 1 ort Arthur. Our boats at once opened fire on them, and one fled while the other, the Steregushtchi, wAS seriously damaged, and ultimately captured by our destroyer, the Saganami. It was intended to tow her to our fleet, but the tow-rope broke, and the Russian destroyer, which was leaking badly, sank at 10.10 a.m. The Saganami four of her crew, who were rescued struggling in the water. During the gagement, B section of flotilla suffered com. Two sailors were paratively small loss. killed, and sub-lieutenant Shima and three of the men wounded, The Russian cruisers Novik and Bayan came outside to aid the two destroyers, and pursued B section of our flotilla, but on seeing the Japanese oruiser flest approach they steamed back into the harbour.
en-
were cruisers
"At 8 a.m., the same day, our main feet, together with the cruiser squadron, approach. ed Port Arthur. The cruisers joined the destroyers off the entrance to the harbour, while the main fleet steamed towards Liaoti- shan. All our ships opened a heavy indirect fire on the town and ships lying in the harbour,
at intervals, being answered, by the enemy's forts. Our vessels undamaged, and subsequently the proceeded to Talienwan, and bombarded the enemy's buildings on the island of Sanzan. These were seen to have been seriously damaged.
"Our
ornisers Takasago and Chihaya steamed to the west of Port Arthur, along the coast, but found no sign of the enemy's fleet. They perceived, in Pigeon Bay, the masts and funnels of the Russian destroyer Vnushitelni, which had previously been damaged, showing above the surface. This vessel had evidently sunk since the action. All our ships ceased firing at 2 p.m. and the fleet withdrew.”
CA
The Japanese Consul informed us on the 15th inst. that he had on the previous evening received the following official telegram :—
Tokyo, 14th March, 5.45 p.m. "Referring to the combat at Port Arthur on the 10th, Admiral Togo reports that in- formation received from the commander of the destroyer Saganami states that the prisoners rescued from the Russian torpedo-vessel Steregustchi were picked up in the water. One was a torpede-instructor, and the three others were stokers, two of whom were wounded. No others living were found on board, though numerous killed were seen. It would seem that the remainder of the crew, fearing capture, had jumped overboard. An attempt was made to rescue other of the enemy's sailors from drown- ing, but our destroyers were forced to desist owing to the fire from the forts being continued and the approach of the cruiser Novik.
the British authorities in this matter. If the memories of Departmental officials were not so proverbially short, a remembrance of the cost of this kind of attitude in previons, though less flagrant, cases of the kind would supply the incentive necessary for energetic action. In his recently published autobiography Sir William Des Voeux has something to say on this very topic. He mentions a case of a man who was seized in Hongkong harbour, carried to the Chinese mainland, and immediately executed. The Governor of the Colony at the time of the occurrence took no action beyond reporting the oircumstance to the home government; and though after diplomatic representation a tardy apology was obtained from the Chinese Govern. ment the fact of this slight amende was unknown it being generally believed that no punishment whatever had been inflicted upon the officials concerned. One would almost think, consider ing the time that has elapsed since the Govern- ment's attention was called to the evidence
“Tokyo, 13th March, 2.10 p.m. given in the Supreme Court last year at the
"Admiral Togo, commander-in-chief of the trial of one of the accomplices in the murder main fleet, reports that the Japanese destroyer of Yeung Ku Wan, a member of the Chine e
flotilla attacked Port Arthur, as previously Reform party, that the affair had been quietly arranged, on the 10th inst. The attacking Viceroy Alexieff, with his staff, is at Mouk- settled in similar manner, for it is simply force was divided into two sections, A and B. den. He sent a note to the Tartar General and incredible that the British Government should. Both of these succeeded in reaching the entrance allow a matter of this kind to drag on indefinitely. of the port, about midnight. Search was made Sir William Des Voeux cites the first case
for the enemy's ships, but was not successful, mentioned above as "only one of many instances At daylight, B section of the flotilla succeeded within my experience where the policy of keep in laying numerous mechanical contact mines ing things quiet, which used to be officially 30
outside of the harbour, notwithstanding the much approved, was gained at the cost of fact that a heavy fre was directed од increased trouble in the future.”—Verb. sap. the destroyers from the forts. At 430
JAPANESE OFFICIAL DESPATCHES. We received from the Japanese Consul on the 14th inst. a copy of the following official telegram sent to him from Japan:-
"The wounded prisoners are being treated by our medical officers and progressing favourably, They have expressed their gratitude at our efforts to assure their comfort."
TELEGRAMS VIA SHANGHAI, ETC.
Peking, 29th February.
arged him to issue a notice that China and Russia are co-operating in the present war. The Tartar General refused to comply with the request. Viceroy Alexieff then issued notice himself and warned the Chinese that they would be strictly punished if they failed to respect the announcement and refused to render assistance to the Russians.--Kobe Shimbun.