May 6, 1905.]
credit is due to the engine room staff for their masterful performance. During the chase they only came on deck to get a blow and to see the distance increasing between the grey. hound and the good old ship Waihora. As yet we had not shown our colours; perhaps we were faulty, but had an eleven inch shell struck as we were ready to stand by to hoist St. George's, St. Andrew's and St. Patrick's flars at the peak and the Maltese at the mainmast, and to go down in the ship we love, doing our duty."
THE TIENTSIN GERMAN CONCESSION.
At a meeting held at the Tientsin German Consulate on April 14th arrangements were made for the formation of a German Municipa'ity to run the affairs of the German oncession. Up till now the land has been laid out by a large company. They have built the roads, made a band and supplied the police and lighting for the roads. This was done under an arrange- ment with the German Government. T'hese
|
|
UHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
REVIEWS.
Chun Kwang, a tale of Chinese Love and Tragedy, by OLIVER G. READY, B.A., Londo; Chapman and Hall, Lim.ted. 68. The Reviewer does not pretend to know the Chinamin as well as Mr. Ready knows him. Eatre nous, he would prefer not to. It i th refor, against perfect'y fair criticism in this case that he should be introduced to a Chinese Romeo, a character which he considers in the liht of a Mrs. Harris. Still, there are
more philosi imists than Mr. Ready who aver that John Chinam in is of a very romantic and sentimental disposition nd there is nothing for it but to bow to superior knowledge. It can be said without hesitation that in the really pretty and interesting narrative of the course of yung (Ch.nese. love, the author 1188 managed to introduce a great mass of really faitful description of the habits and customs of the people amongst whom he has spent many years. It should be noted, moreover, that Mr. Ready claims that his characters really existed. and he honestly believes that his pictures of Chinese life and society are neither exaggerated nor minimized. The "atmosphere" of the book is convincingly Chinese, although the Reviewer still thinks that the heroin was too good to be true. Her conduct, inhinese eyes. must appear blameworthy, sweet and intelligent
public duties will be carried out by the Municipality, as soon as the resolutions for forming same, which were adopted at this meeting, have been approved and anctioned by the German Reichstag. The Municipality is to be run on similar line to others in China There are to be five members of the Council; the chairman and three members must be German.
legal Chiuse will not be allowed to vote or be qualified for election on the council but other nationalities will be eligible. Mr. Woelcken proposed that the land in the German extension should not be so d to a big home company, but that it should be left for the community or private individuals to buy the land; he thought it would be in their interest to do so. This motion was carried.
The resolutions have already been despatched home to Germany for confirmation.
THE CHINESE METTLE.
Within the last few digs we have had to chronicle several attacks On foreigners by Chinese in this and the adjacent provinc. The circumstances attending the affair at the Ta Sheng Cheong cetten mill on Tuesday will be the subject of inquiry at the Mixed Court and we, therefore, reserv our comment until the full facts are brought to light before the Magistrate and the Assessor. The fact, however,
remains that, whatever the causes which led up to the unfortunate disturbance, two foreign residents of this Settlement were in such danger from a body of natives, that they had to be rescued by a posse of police, and although their injuries are happily slight, the affir is one of which it is to be hoped s rious notice will bз taken. It is impossible to shut our eyes to the fact that there is still abroad a feeling of hostility to the foreigner, and it is to b⚫ feared that it is fostered rather than repr-ssed by the officials and gentry. The mandarins are generally careful to show their opposition in a more subtle way than by actual violence, but it is there all the same. We have not forgotten incidents which have occurred in connection with the building of the proposed road o the Hills, and the attempt to cut off the beef supply of the Settlement is fresh in everyone's memory, When we read of Viceroys who drink the blood of their victims and sanction the barbarities which have been lately described by our Kueilin correspondent, it is not surprising that the commoner people should show their lack of the restraints of modern civilisation.-N.-C. Daily News.
LAND SALES.
|
293
Gulliver's Travels, Robin-on Crusoe, The Pilgrim's Progress, and Mallock's "Veil of the Temple," all in an afternoon, and straightway wrote and compiled A Japanese Utopia, which was probably finished the self-same even- ing. This Japanese Gulliver's Utopia is so vague that the reader is left unconvinced of its superiority to existing social systems. The best thing noticed is the Utopian newspaper, which was as much a Government affair as is our post-office. "The current number of the Pa oh-ta-kar was splendid; it had only one page
Good literature is rire, and when the editor does get some in Pe-oh, he excludes all the inferior matter; form and space serve good taste, not good taste the form." If the editor of the Daily Press wants a Utopian paper to-day, he will know what to do. Those costly cablegram and intellectual editorials are in- ferior matter to the "good taste of the Re. viewer! Mr Magous has some good things to say about religion and educa ion, but they have all been said before. It is a book for a wet week-end in a country house where the cues are all untipped and there is nobody to play cards with.
HONGKONG SANITARY INSTITUTE.
An extraordinary general meeting of the Sanitary Institute of Hongkong was held on the 3rd May in the rooms of the Institute, No. 10, Wyndham Street.
as she seems to the foreign roader. It would be difficult to
better present 2
The following office bearer were elected to picture of Chines
procedure; and
serve until October uext: -Dr. Pears, chairman; the little account of the magistrates in con-
Messra Cunningham, Jackman Cater and Dr. sultation is particularly neat. The reasons for
Clark, committee of managemen'; Dr Macfarlane, a particular judgment were eminently re-son- able, Orientally regarded. The Chinese middle-treasurer; Mr. Gibson, secret ry; and Mr. Carter,
assistant secretary. man is also a chracter wel hit off. A capital feature of the boox is to be found in its illustra
-
tions. pictures drawn to order by a Chinese artist Tho e who have had goose-flesh" at seeing foreign attempts to illustrate Chinese or Japanese loos will know how to appreciate these charming drawings. The book is neatly and strongly packed in blue cloth.
Macao: the Holy City: the Gem of the Orient Earth;" by J. Dyer Ball, M.R. 1.3., Canton: China Baptist Publicati¬u Society. $1.50.
Mr. Ball has done better work than this, and he might have been better advised to leave the compiling of a mere guide book to some smaller man. It is not particularly well writt n. judg- ing by the standard set by the vivacious Things Chinese" of the same author; and 80 cannot add to his reputation as littérateur. Typographically, it confrs upon bim uum rited disgrace. Apparently the China Baptist Publishes did not trouble to obtain any author's corrections. for at the end there are thres pages of errata, containing 161 recorded mistakes, and there are errata even in the list of errata. Add to that the most severe censure ou account of the hideou-ly unsuitable type used for cross-beadings, and it will be gathered that the Reviewer had little pleasure in the performance of his iume liate task. An apparently exhaustive in lex may make the book useful to visitors who want to see all there is to s-e at Macan. It is a matter of taste, perhaps, but the Reviewer cannot imaging anybody being pleased with Macao scenery after seeing Hongkong. Stone piles like Cromwellian castles are capable of picturesqueness in decay but the historical stuccoes and adobos of Macao have a second-hand air about them that goes well with the grims and sordidness of the Chinese house. It might be "the gem in Camoen's time, but it seems to be a gem needing some polishing and re-setting now. The book is "marked down from $2 to $1.50. In its present form. people will pay $2 for it just as readily as they will the smaller sum.
It was announced that an Examination for Inspectors of Nuisance will be held in October
should sufficient candidat s present themselves.
A HUMANE (?) DECREE.
The N.-C. Daily News translates an April Decree of the Chinese Thron" as follows:-
We received the report of Wu Ting-fang and shên Chia-pên with regard to the revi-ion of the laws of the Empire to meet the require- ments of the present age. As a matter of fact, death by decipitation was the severest punish- ment permitted in the laws of the Imperial dynasty (before the conquest of China), but when our ancestors entered this country the old laws of the preceding Ming dynasty were embodied into our own. in consequence of which such extreme entenc -s as death by Lingch'ih (slicing process) and the like was allowed in order to serve as a warning to the wicked and reckless. This sort of punishment is not a merciful one and is contrary to our desire in the dispensation of justice and neroy. In view of this, therefore, since our Ministers are engaged in the work of revising our laws we hereby comman that only the sentence of decapitation shall be put ou criminals guilty of the death penalty, and further command that from hence- forth the sentences of Lingchih, exposure of the head after decapitation, and beheading the corpse of a malefactor, under sentence of deca- pitation when alive, shall be abolished for ever. As for those criminals who, under the old laws, are now awaiting death either by Lingchih or have been sentence to decapitation with expo- Bure of the head afterwards let them merely be Those who have been summarily beheaded. sentenced to summary decapitation shall have it changed to summary strangulation, while criminals condemuel to summary strangulation are to wait until the grand autumn assizes for Persons under sentence of final hearing. decapitation after the assizes shall be strangled after the grand autumn assizes, that is to say each sentence already given is according to this decree to be commuted one degree. A person, moreover, who has been found upon trial to be an accessory before the fact is to be punished, but anyone not under this category is to be Japan is evidently still a name to conjure released. Furtuermore the punishment of publishers with. Mr. Magnus has thought so,
branding a criminal and such like is also to be for except in the title, and on the foolish title. abolished. The memorialists are also commanded page picture showing an impossible Japanese to work diligently and carefully in the duty lady in impossible clothes surrounded by im-which has been given them to perform and to possible furniture, there is nothing Japanese lose no time over it so that the revised laws may be speedily printed and published for the know- about the whole book. The Reviewer has a well-founded theory that Mr. Magnus read ledge of whole Empire.
At the offices of the Public Works Depart-4 ment on 1st May I. L. 1740 sitnated at Causeway Bay, was sold to Robort Corney, contractor, for, $5,020, being $20 above the upset prics.
Mers Hughes and Hough yesterday auctioned the R. P. of I. L. 1216 situated at Park View, Lyttleton Road. There were several bidders. The land was sold to Mr. Lau Cha Pak for $7,500 for the equity of redemption, subject to a mortgage of $27,560.
t
12
*
Leonard Arthur Japanese Utopia, by Magnus. London: Geo. Routledge and Sons Limited. 18.