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HMS. Andromeda, Capt. Nelson Ommanney, the relief for H.M.8. Blenheim, arrived from Portsmouth on the 29th ult. She left Singapore 24th ult., and had a fine passage.
Capt Great, who is taking over command of the Ocean, vice Rear Admiral Foote, arrived from England by the P. & O. 8.8. Chusan on the 22nd ult.
On the 22nd ultimo the British fleet return- ed from Mirs Bay, the vessels being the battle- ships Glory, Albion, Ocean, Vengeance, and Centurion, the cruisers Talbot, Gressy, and Amphitrite, and the despatch-boat Alacrity.
Mr. R. F. Johnston, Acting Assistant Colo nial Secretary and Clerk of Councils, who is proceeding shortly to Weihaiwei to take up there the post of Secretary to the Government, to which he has been seconded for a year, was enj tertained to a farewell dinner on the 27th ult. by some of the leading Chinese gentlemen of this Colony. A few European guests were also
present to meet him.
The return of deaths in the Colony during February shows a total of 332, of which 17 were in the European and foreign community, 12 civilians, 3 Army, 2 Navy) and 315 among) the Chinese. 118 deaths were due to chest affections, 7 to malaria, and 3 only to plague. The British and foreign civil death-rate was 14.9 per 1,000 per annum; that for the Chinese, land, 12.9, boat 9.2, land and boat, 12.3; and for the whole civil community, 12.4.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
The following telegram from H.B.M.'s Consul at Newchwang is published in the Gazette:- "Vessels have been warned not to cross bar between dusk and daylight.”
the cruisers Amphitrite and Sirius left on the The battleships Albion, Glory and Ocean, and 28th ult. for Mirs Bay. It is understood that they proceed North on the 9th prox. after com- pleting certain firing exercises.
Consul-General, entertained a party of naval Senhor Conselheiro Romano, the Portuguese officers from the Portuguese warships Vasco da Gama and Adamastor at luncheon on the 24th ult. at his residence "Duart." Arbuthnot Road. issued on the 25th ult. by the Acting Medical For the first time this year a bad return was Officer of Health with regard to plague. Dr. Pearse reports 8 cases in the 48 hours ending at noon on Monday, 7 of them fatal. All were Chinese, and two were imported. More cases have been reported since, bringing the year's total up to 54.
By kiud permission of Rear Admiral von Holtzendorff, the Band of the Hansa gave‘an orchestral concert in the Theatre on the 22nd ult. This is the second occasion this season on which & Band from a German warship visiting the port has given an orchestral concert in the Theatre, and the Hansa's band was favoured last night with a full house. An excellent programme was provided embracing selections from the works of Weber, Schumann, Gounod, Czibulka, Brahms. Schubert, Wagner and Stuart. We do not know that the Hansu's Band has given a concert before in the Colony, but it is safe to say that they will be welcomed by lovers of music in the Colony whenever they are visiting Hongkong again. The entire programme was played in first-class style and each item it was evident was keenly enjoyed by the audience. was
In acknowledgement of the the enthusiastic appreciation of the audience. two or three extra pieces were played, the concert being brought to a close shortly after eleven with a few bars of the British national
The Chilean training-ship General Baquedano Comdr. Luis Gomez, arrived from Singapore on the 23rd ult. at the Foreign Warship Anchorage. Her original port was Valparaiso, Colombo being visited immediately previous to Singapore. She is bound on a long voyage so that the cadets and recruits may have a thorough training. The General Baquedano, which is of 2,330 tons displacement, 1,500 horse power, and 13 knots speed, built at Elswick, and like the majority of training ships is full rigged. Indeed her tapering masts, numerous spars, and rigging make her look more like a frigate of the days of Trafalgar than a modern built vessel, con- structed as she was in 1900. The vessel is fitted with Belleville experimental boilers and carries a number of engineer cadets who are being versed in the working of these boilers as well as a large number of ordinary naval cadets The vessel's armament consists of four 4.7-in guns, two 12-pra. two 6-prs, and sundry light machine guns with one torpedo-tube. She will probably remain several days at Hongkong.
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Shortly after 1 a.m. on the 24th ult. the fire-bell rang, summoning the Fire Brigade to Bonham Strand West, where an outbreak had occurred in the building forming No. 1 in that street and extending through to Winglok Street, No. 165. The Brigade under Mr. E. R. Hallifax was speedily on the scene, the hoses coupled and the engine set to work to pump water from the Praya. As usual, there was a long wait before a supply could be got from the mains. Indeed, before the Brigade could get water the flames had obtained a thorough grip on the building, and the flames rose high in the air. No. 165, Winglok Street was gutted from top to bottom and the roof fell in. No. 1, Bon- ham Strand West was also gutted on the two top floors. By three o'clock the firemen had the conflagration well in hand; an hour later it was entirely extinguished and all danger, of it spreading was over. These two build- inge two stories are occupied by the same firm of merchants who trade under the names of the Yee Fat and the Yee Hing Lung. No. 1, Bonham Strand West was used as the shop, No. 165, Winglok Street as a go- down, while the top floors were occupied as living places by the employees and as offices, etc. There were an air-shaft and communica- tion doors between the two buildings. The stook consisted of dried cuttlefish, shrimps, ginseng, and various other edibles. It is sup posed that the fire originated at the back of the godown, but the cause is unknown. All the persons who were on the premises at the time of the outbreak contrived to make good their escape. The stook was insured for $37,500 with the Manchester, the South British, and the Tung Wan Insurance Companies. By the owners of the shop the value of the stock is pat at 840,000. Mr. Hallifax was assisted in the supervision of the Brigade by Inspector Lane and Sergeant R. Macdonald.
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On the 30th ult. there took place the funeral of InspectorJ. H. Gidley of the Hongkong Police Force. Mr. Gidley had been in bad health for some time past, suffering from Bright's disease, and he had only returned to Hong. kong after spending a
period of leave in the Straits Settlements, to which he had been recommended to go with a view to a cure of his ailment. He was in the Police for about thir- teen years and W88
connected with the Detective Department, of which he was one of the most valued members, for about six years. He got a medal for the work he did in connection with the suppression of plague in 1894 and last year he was awarded another for his services in connection with Sir Henry Street at West Point when plague Blake's experimental administration of First
80 prevalent there. Among the Police he was very highly respected and was gene- rally a favourite by reason of his genial ways and obliging manner. He was married about three years ago when home on leave. Our sympathy for Mrs. Gidley will be echoed by all who knew her husband.
was
The sunken steamer Pakshan, formerly owned by Messrs. Bradley & Co., has been completely removed. It will be remembered that in June, 1902 E steamer, the Pakshan. lying off West Point, near wharf, disappeared one night in a manner pro- Jardine's old bably never heard of before. An engineer, new to the ship, had taken the cover off a sea valve, allowing water to rush into the engine-room with such force that he was powerless to stop it. The steamer gradually settled down in 50 feet of water. Mr. E. F. Gibson subsequently made a fruitless attempt to raise the vessel, and, having undertaken the task, was required to remove. her in the only remaining way--by dynamite. He was not allowed to use more than 25 pounds of the explosive at one time, so the job Was &
To very long one. own expression: "it was like taking hundred bites at an apple." Mr. Gibson, of course, would have liked to clear the vicinity of shipping and let one big charge off, but this did not suit the Harbour Master' a views. All the material was removed after being blown to pieces, and there is now some clear, six fathoms of water at the place.
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[May 2, 1904.
MISCELLANEOUS.
It is said that large numbers of Japanese rosa, of course and that the Insular Govern- labourers are entering the Philippines-ub ment is keeping quiet on the subject.
The Kiangnan Arsenal at Shanghai is to be removed to Wuhu, a site there having just been selected. The cost of the removal is estimated at 3,000,000 taels.
The shipments of Ceylon tes to Russia, says the Times of Ceylon, are continuing merrily, and
suffer in their tea. undergo in consequence of the war, they won't whatever hardships the Russians may have to
We have received from the Kobe Chronicle office Part I. of A. Diary of the Russo-Tapu nese War, with maps and illustrations, which is now in its second edition, and from the Kobe Herald office an illustrated War Supplement, also well illustrated. Both are excellent pro- ductions and give a good idea of the enterprise of our Kobe contemporaries.
On the 22nd inst. Yuan, Tuotai of Shanghai, was telegraphically instructed by the Waiwppu that the portrait of the Empress Dowager, to be exhibited at the S. Louis Exposition and after to be presented to the United States, was on its way South from Tientsin by the Hsinchi. The portrait (which was painted by Miss Carl, as we recorded some time ago) is to be placed in the Temple of Longevity in Shanghai native city. pending the arrival of the American mail.
The Courrier d'Haiphong of the 7th inst. says:It will be recalled that by the terms of Article 6 of the diplomatic instrument signed at Paris on the 13th February last, Siam is prevented from maintaining in Battambong, Sisophon, and Siemrap any forces but those of the native Police commanded by French officers. If we are correctly informed, the Governor- General of French Indo-China proposes to entrust the organisation of this future militia to several Inspectors of the native guards, on the Tonkin list, whose pay would be met by the budget of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
At an extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders of the Nagasaki Hotel, Limited, it was decided that the Company should go into voluntary liquidation. The capital of the Company was 130,000 yen fully paid up, and there are first debentures to the amount of 170.000 yen at 7 per cent, and second debentures to the amount of 93,000 yen. Interest amounting to 5,950 yen is due on the first of these deben- tures and 6,510 yen on the second issue. The receipts of the Company, it was stated, were under 5,000 yen a month. Mr. P. J. Buckland has been appointed liquidator subject to the approval of the Court at Hongkong.
The
The following can hardly be classed as "War news." It is a telegram from the Novi Krai, appropriately dated Liaoyang, 1st April:-"The first encounter of the trops in Corea was a brilliant victory for the Russian arms. Japanese lost ten times as many men as we did. According to the Coreans, the Japanese buried fifty dead. Five hundred Coreans were engaged to carry 120 wounded. The confusion was so great that the Japanese waved two red eross the Japanese from the commencement of hosti- flags as a signal for mercy. The total losses of lities to the middle of February are two ironolads damaged, one cruiser 'sunk, eleven destroyers the battle of Chemulpo." sunk, and in addition, one cruiser damaged at
The Manila Sunday Sun for the past two months has been conducting a very vigorous campaign against the management of the Orpheum Theatre in Manila. We mentioned the grounds of complaint and the outcome of the quarrel the other day. Briefly, the Sunday Sun alleged that the house was run chiefly for the liquor license and that the actresses were allowed to drink in the private boxes with patrons of the show. The management ejected Mr O'Brien one night because of criticisms which had appeared in his paper, and the Sun's editor thereupon announced that his paper would pay for its seats in future and insist on its independ
ence. The Sun now announces that Mesars.
Levy and Jones are proposing to open houses similar to the Orpheum in Shanghai and Hong kong, with the permission of the authorities, and that Mr. Levy is in Shanghai making arrange.
ments now.
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