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how dare you, you, you-" Well, it would never do to give in a newspaper a verbatim report of the avalanche of lurid words which the stupidity of the coolie caused to fall from the lips of his offended master. The next morning I read in the Daily Press a paragraph headed Why Men Swear," in which the excuse given was that the working man never learns a tithe of the expressive adjectives and adverbs that abound in our language. But his soul hankers after something more virile than "very" and ex tremely," and in his meritorious but unlearned endeavour to be picturesque he falls into the error of profanity. This paragraph assumed that it is only the illiterate working man who swears, but many who swear roundly would be greatly offended if on that account they were regarded as illiterate. The man I saw swear- ing on the wharf was an absolute stranger to me, but he was apparently in the social scale a plane above the working man. If he had not the excuse of the illiterate how would you account for his use of disgusting language in a public place and within the hearing of several ladies, except on the grounds of moral depra- vity
His Excellency the Governor has naturally spent a very busy week making himself fami- liar with the topography of the Colony and with its most prominent citizens. One little change the public has been quick to notice in connection with His Excellency's movements about town. His Excellency has eight crimson- clad coolies to his chair instead of four. Not since the gubernatorial reign of Sir John Pope Hennessey has a Governor of the Colony been borne in his chair by eight men, except on very rare occasions; but as on the mainland a Viceroy is always borne by eight men it is rather a matter of surprise that the King's representative in Hongkong, with its large population of Chinese, has not always deemed it desirable to move about with a corresponding equipage.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
THE
WAR.
FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.
STEAMER SERVICES TO JAPAN CEASE.
LONDON, 5th August. The P. & O. steamer Malacca leaves Algiers on her Eastern voyage to-day. have decided to refuse cargo for Japan.
The P. & O. Company, and the Holt line,
DECISION IN "KNIGHT COMMANDER" CASE.
LONDON, 8th August.
The Russian Prize Court at Vladivostock has declared that the steamer Knight Commander was a lawful prize, and that the sinking of her by the Squadron was there fore justifiable.
ENGLAND AND RUSSIA.
LONDON, 9th August. Grave anxiety is still felt over our relations with Russia. Mr. Balfour, the Prime Minister, announced to-day that Great Britain maintains its position with regard to the seizures of English ships.
ENGLISH PRISONERS AT TOMSK.
KOBE, 10th August. The commander of the sunken steamer members of his crew were saved, and are all Idzumi telegraph from Tomsk that all the
well at Tomsk. At that place are also, safe and well, sixty-six men and thirteen officers of the Sado Maru. The latter include Messrs. Carmichael.
Anderson, Kerr, Dring, and
The decision' of the Chief Justice in the
JAPANESE OFFICIAL TELEGRAMI.} Bamboo Pole Case has evidently given unquali- fied satisfaction, not only because such a
THE TOMUCHING CASUALTIES. decision was generally desired, but because his
TOKYO, 5th August. lordship clearly demonstrated in his lengthy
Our Tomuching attacking army reports judgment that the law on the subject does not that in that engagement our casualties so strangely conflict with the public conveni- numbered 860, whereof 194 were killed and ence and safety as the Magistrate who raised | 666 wounded. We buried about 700 corpses the question in the Police Court reluctantly of the enemy with due respect. We captured concluded it did. While regretting the difference six field-guus, many rifles and shells, and of opinion in the Higher Court on the question, large quantities of flour, barley, ammunition and while admiring the conscientiousness of the Paisne Judge who supported the Magis- etc. General Kuroki reports that in the trate's view of the matter, the public judgment engagement of Yushultintzu and Yangizu- is absolutely in accord with that of the Chiefling, our casualties totalled 946, including Justice. With all due deference. I suggest 40 officers. The enemy's casualties are that the arguments of His Honour the estimated at 2,000 at least. Puisne Judge are more specious than sound. eight officers and 149 men, two field-guns We captured Take for example, His Honour's illustra and many rifles, tents, shells, etc. tive parallel the case of # man carrying a rifle. How can we make the distinction, he asked in effect, between the man carrying a rifle on the pavement and the coolie with his carrying- pole? The intelligent policeman might readily note that distinctions exist which make an appreciable difference in the degree of annoy ance and inconvenience caused to the public in the two cases. First it will be noted that the
bamboo pole is half as long again as a rifle, and his rifle at the shoulder, the coolie, as a rule, carries his pole horizontally on the shoulder If the man properly carrying his rifle turns suddenly to the right or left he does not usually
then it will be observed that while a man carries
strike the man behind him on the head with the rifle barrel, but I have seen the horizontally-borne bamboo pole strike as many as three persons at one turn of its human pivot. If a man carries his rifle so improperly or carelessly as to annoy or incommode the public then he ought to suffer the same penalties as the pole-carrying coolie. It is in the interests of public safety and convenience that laws are made, and the man who annoys or incommodes the public, whether with a bamboo pole, a rifle, or anything else, ought to be taught that it cannot be done with impunity. The point for the policeman and the magistrate to decide is whether the thing carried annoyed or incommoded the public using the footpaths. It is after all a very simple question.
BANYAN..
THE YUSHULINTZU VICTORY.
TOKYO, LATER. According to the detailed report now received from General Kuroki, relating to the Yushulintzu fighting on the 31st ultimo, the Russians had one of their heaviest reserves five miles away, at Pyenling, south of Yushulintzu. Our detachment managed to turn the flank of the retreating Russian column, and poured in a severe fire upon its whole line, the range varying from two hundred to a thousand metres. This column, so badly cut up, consisted of three regiments of infantry with four guns. In the after- field, flying the Red Cross flag. We ceased noon parties of Russians returned to the fire, and permitted them to carry away their wounded.
NAVAL FIGHT AT PORT ARTHUR.
TOKYO, 11th August. that the Port Arthur squadron emerged on The various reports from Talienwan show the morning of the 10th inst., and that a severe naval battle ensued till sunset. In the night, our destroyer flotillas seem to have attacked the enemy's squadron.
[August 13, 1904.
At dawn yesterday (the 11th) the Retoisan and another battleship of the Pobieda type appeared, retreating towards Port Arthur.
(REUTER'S SERVICE.] THE "KNIGHT COMMANDER ยท
INCIDENT.
"
LONDON, 7th August. The Vladivostock Prize Court justifies the grounds that the cargo and the vessel the sinking of the Knight Commander on
were lawful prizes, as railway material, destined for Chemulpo via Japan, was ou board.
ENGLAND STANDS FIRM,
LONDON, 9th August. Commons that the case of the Malacca was the first of the kind t at had arisen siuce Mr. Balfour pointed out in the House of
the treaty of Paris. The settlement was of the nature of a compromise. Since Russia showed a desire to ineet Great Britain his object was to prevent the incident from causing a great strain on the two countries. Mr. Balfour in nowise regretted that we did
our best to meet Russia, who had made no impracticable suggestions. We adhere to the opinion that the grounds advanced for sinking the Knight Commander, whether true or not, do not justify the act, and we have not abandoned our position in the smallest degree.
RUSSIA CLAIMS A BIG VICTORY.
LONDON, LATter. General Stoessel reports that the Japanes attacks on the 27th July extended along the whole front and continued till 8 o'clock in the evening, when they were everywhere repulsed with enormous losses. The enemy numbered 70,000.
WAR ITEMS.
P.M.KOREA AND THE RUSSIANS. kong from the Pacific Coast on the 11th inst. The Pacific Mail s.s. Korea arrived at Hong. The Vladivostock Squadron, it will be remember- ed Japan. but she got safely to
was waiting for her off the coast of Yokohama notwithstanding, on the 29th ult., to the great relief of all at that city. She was befogged On the day before she entered Tokyo Bay the off the coast of Japan for two days. Russian fleet was in Sagami Bay, off the en- trance to Tokyo Bay. The war vessels must it is understood, believed there to be two have passed quite close to her. The Russians,
submarines on board, besides foodstuffs. The Company's agents at Japan did all they could to have outgoing vessels warn the Korea, but as no message reached her she would not have pair of heels had she met them--she has power made any attempt to show the warships a clean enough to do so
RUSSIAN SEIZURES OF CARDIFF COAL CARGOES,
The question of recent captures of merchant- men by the Russian Vladivostook Squadron was discussed by the Cardiff Shipowners' Association. In the case of the steamship Allanton, which was seized notwithstanding that she was carrying representation be made to the Foreign Office coal to a neutral port, it was resolved that on the ground that the principle involved was of great importance to the shipping trade of Great Britain, which might be seriously unchallenged. affected if the seizure were allowed to pass
MINES IN THE HIGH SEAS, The C. N. S. Hunan, bound from Chefoo to Newchwang, observed a floating mine thirty lowered a boat and found that the mine was miles west of Port Arthur on July 27th. She
securely anchored in the ocean highway. A duplicate captured by the Japanese was seen in. Easeho. There were five glass tube detonators at the foot of a long projection. They hit the mine three times with a Winchester rifle at
400 yards' range without fracturing the tubes. The captain made accurate cross bearings Two hours later, two Japanese destroyers,
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