October 2, 1905.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
the action of the Viceroy is in "ccordance with that progressive policy which Cuina is believed to be eunnciating.
On Sept. 21st the police were apprised of an occurrence at Kowloon which at first sight bears indications of murder or manslaughter. A coolie named Yau Kam, came down from the country to inform a coolie employed by a local contractor that his father was sick and expressing the wish that he should return home. This desire was conveyed to the contractor who refused to allow his employe to go, an altercation ensued between the coolie who brought the message and the contractor, but the quarrel was not confined to the two. Others interfered and apparently Yau Kam was set upon by s veral and so violently beaten that he succumbed about an hour afterwards, at 5.3, outside the Police Statiou. The affair took place on the Reclamation Works at Tsim satsni.
"Use. As the sense of the passage shows." In the author's place we would have sub- stituted for that bald remark the obvious equivalent, "No use crying over spilt, milk." One for which we can recall no foreign equivalent (and there ought to be one) is ALLEGED MURDER AT KOWLOON.
Straightforwardness, without the rules of propriety, becomes rudeness." It does, as all know who meet the man who boasts of always speaking his mind! On page 20 there is an allusion to the universal practice in Hong" kong of styling a "Boy" a (a title of respect belonging properly to am n who knows how to use pen and ink). Perhaps that is why Hongkong "boys" are so uppish an cheeky. The mechanic who wish-8 to do his work well, must first sharpen his tools" is "used when one has bad tools, or a bad pen, etc." Don't the Chinese over use it in the sense of "Keep your powder dry then? The Chinese version of You cannot get blood out of a stone" seems to be "You cannot get juice out of an iron pear." Bound up in this book, and having to be traversed b fore one can come at the index, are no less than 26 pages of press notices, including the dicta of the Y.M.C.A. Bulletin on som lectures delivered by the author. These could have been dispensed with without injuring it. The book itself is well printed and cleanly read. It does not open flat, and before this reviów was half writt n. the reviewer's copy had fallen to pieces, owing to the strain of the stitches on the edges of the pres-ed open piges. That exhausts the uncomplim ntary possibilities; and it only remains to be said that a second series, as half promised, will be a welcome addition to the list of useful books which this indefatigable and able sinologue has produced,
A CHINESE
ance.
HOUSE OF LORDS."
At the Magistracy on Sept. 22 four men were brought before Mr. G. N. Örme in connection with the fatal affray. Their names were Wang Hing. Yan Tum, Won: Hong and Lui Sin, and they were charged with the wilful murder of Yan Kam at Kowloon on September 21st Inspector Laugl-y asked for a remand till to-day, a request which was granted.
The post mortem examination which took place on sept. 22nd revealed the cause of death to be rupture of the spleen. The deceased was found to have an enlarged spleen, and was kicked thereon by two of his assailants.
UNDESIRABLE IMMIGRANTS.
A private letter from Peking states that the Empress Dowager has decided to establish for the present only what may be called an Upper the authorities at Hongkour re at 1 st taking The Japan Chronicle observes :—-It seems that House of Legislature, to be compos d of the determined action to prevent the indiscriminate Viceroys and Governors of all the provinces of lumping of undesirable into the Colony, Tue the Empir, who are to go up to Pking once a French authorities at Saigon bare for some year to confer on matters of national import-years pa-t hen in the habit of banishin un- At other times, while in the provinces, desirable Chinese to Hongkong, and havether by a Viceroy, if any bu-iness of importa ce a ises, cause local police authorit es to be troub od shall confer with the Gover or or Governor with a large number of imported crimin Is. under him, and a Governor with the Provi cial Hunting the e men out, once they were lib rated Treasurer, Provincia Judge, Salt Commissioner in the Colouy, wa no easy task, and often th-y and substantive Taotais, generically terme were not discovered until some crime had ben "Sze-tao," und r him. Prefects, sub-prefects, commit ed. The water police took te mat r and departmental and d str ct magistra es shiu hand and confer with t e gen'ry and no als of their res ectire cities, and when te cmm nly have anything to propose they shll have to pre-ent the pposals to their own gentry and norables, who shall ing them to the notice of the officials immediately ov8 · them. This method of "popular" gov. rument will continue until education becomes more gner 1 and the masses under-tand betier thr individual respousibi ities and du ies of citizenship.
CLOSING A CHINESE PORT.
now
ณ
arr n.ement was an
Interi info with the French G vernment. under which the aig authorities have given waning of the arr vai of banished criminal, together with a list of their names,
nd thus te police are able to meet them arrival ad prevent tem fro lading A criminals arrived from Saigon by the st amer b teh of 39 particularly evi'-looking Chines
Herlon crently, Ind under this new arr ingeven were at once taken in charge by
water police, and banishment ha ing bee made out against them, they were pssed on to adjacent Chinese pris. However desirable ach an arrang ment m y be fom Hong-ong's point of view, it would seem to be so much the worse fo the "adjacent ports ' whr the administration is not 80 well orgasi ed and able to deal with such people as is the case at ongkong,
the
orders
LANDSLIP ON THE PRAYA,
A landslip ocem red on the Priya Wes', opp site the Kee Wing buildings, on ept.
3 t
|
THE NEW COMMODORE,
237
Commodore Williams-who succeeds to the been promoted to the rank of rear admiral- Hongkon comm `nd. Commodore Dicken having*
arrived on Sept. 26 from England via Vancouver by the C.P.. steamer Empress of China. He is accompanied by Mrs. Wil iams and family. Rear Admira! Dickou leaves on Saturday week on board the Nubia.
Considerable di satisfaction has natur lly arisen in local shipping cire es over the act on of the authoriti s at Lui Chow in prohibit ng fur her trade with that plc on th part of foreign merchants. It appears that some time ago through the applicati n of the French Administrator of Kwang (how Wan, the mandarin at Lui Chow allowed a stem r sailing the French flag to en er the port and trade with foreign ports. This pmisi was given the years ago, and since the n vessels under the British, German, Italin and Portuguese flags ad entered the prt, pa i g
just before 10 o'clock. With at all charges and likins exacted by the Chinese warning, part of the erend in the middle of authorities, and had made the place a trading the rod sank, le ring a circul r hole (f about port. It was Lot opened by any decros or
four or five feet in diam ter. When this was treaty but was opened in fact by the traders approached, it was seen that the subsid nce concerned. Now the Viceroy of Cinton, was greater than at first appe red. From influenced it is suggested by certain classes the mouth, the hole gradually widened of people, has given orders not to allow any to a diameter
of about ten feet, being steamer to enter, but as there has been no in shape like an egg, while in depth official notification of this sent to the represeo- it was about twelve or fourteen feet. The tatives of the countries interested we under- stand that several steamers intend proceeding there in spite of the prohibition. It remains for the Consular authorities to discuss whether
concrete had apparently kept the surface from slipping further than it did. Fortunately, no one was injured and the hole was quickly barricaded.
There were no formalities attending the advent of his successor.
MISCELLANEOUS.
20:
At a sale of crown land held at the offices of the Public Works Departm nt on September 25 b, the letting by public auction of Tai Hang Lot was offered. There was only one bidder, Mr. Chan Tai, to whom the lot was knocked down for 84,870, being $20 above the upset price.
The troubles at Tokyo and Yokohama have had one result not altogether bad; they have suppressed the threadbare idyll of the gentle Japanese policeman and the respectful criminal, who gracefu ly obeyed the invitation, “Esteemed criminal deign condescendingly to enter august gaol."
There is much conjecture as to why H.M.S. Astræa is going home via Labuan with the St. Dunstan (dredger) in tow. The reason, wo learn, is that there is to be a court martial at Labuan on a seaman for striking an officer, and the President of a Naval Court must be a post captain. Captain Tufnell of the Astræa is going to Labuan as president of the court,
A
H.M.S. Iphigenia, instead of the Astrea, is to tow the Government diedger St. Dunstan to Labuan. ho Iphigenia is thas again delayed getting hom to England, having recently been sent to Amoy to cope with the local rio s on the bnau for the Navl Court Martial to be held eve of dep-rture for home Sh will go to there-of which Court Captain W. B. Fawek- nor will be president. Tience, all being well, is a heavy boat to be towed by th- Iphigenia she will proceed to England. The St. Dunstan (3,600 tons) and, should rub weather be ex
1
prince,
will be
some hat of a bandful. H M.S. Flora is the Iphigenia's relief for the China &quadron.
com.
German traders are ex rci-ing their minds as to the r country's consu'ar representation in Manchuri Before the war & rman me cial interests in this region were looked after by a co um rcial agent s a'ioned. at VI divost ck.
Sould, however, Port Arthur
and Dalny, or any larger part of Manchors, into th-h nds of Japan, the German now pass Cou-niate there will no longer sufficx "Ho v. ever te peace nego iatio s my termi ate," ways the Hamburger Nachrichten, “ we think
not ino portaue to remind the department in que tion in Berlin that it is a matter of the most urgent importance in vow of the Germa
indu ties export
to establish consulates both at Duluy and at Newcawang wituon delay.
Ri-sha cooli s' backs are the latest #pao^s to be exploited for “ muri" adv rising. Te Singap re Free Press say--The latest local advertising en erp is i no doubt the result of the working of a g eat business brai, but when the resil nt who has not the moins t $5 ran s dogcart," and perforce adopt te ri зh as his mode of locomotion, meets it for the firs: time he will receive a shook. A re'ir'ng individu il last eveuig eft the office for home, took his Beat in the ricsha and noticed bl-zing on the back of the coolie the virines in large print and gay colouring of a certain tropical 1onio. The journey was not humorous to the person riding. This it seems is one way by which the ricsha paller may increase his stock of e-nts, and it does credit to the postio imagination" of the gentleman who evolved it, but we hope it has not come to stay.