November 4, 1905.]
Channel Rocks via Meyer's Buoy began to tell its tile, eventually winning a fine race by a few seconds, Bon to a good third, having been well up the whole time
Times of finish:
Colleen
Min
Bonito
Kathleen
H.
1
M. 18
40
1
19
30
1
20
25
1
25 35
HANDICAR CLASS,
*98*5
In this r o Chanticleer in his new owner's hands did a fine performance, doing his couree in just eight minuts, m re than the champ on- ship boals and beating Alannah without his handicap. Capt. Warren is also to be con. gratulated on his good showing with Gloria, but he only had a thinese boy as crew.
Times of finish Corrected
H. M
Chanticleer Alannah
H. 31. 8. 36 20
1
Doreen
1 39 07 1 45 00 1 46 20
Gloria
REVIEWS.
8.
127 55 1) 1 39 07 (4) 1 34 00 (2) 1 36 2) (8)
Coins of Japan, by Dr. NEIL GORDON MUNRO.
Yokohama: pubished privately. $12.50. The work of a busy surgeon in Yokohama, the result of spare time researches in connection with a
cerer man's hobby, the only obj-ct claimed for this book is that of affording relaxa. tion for other brainworkers who may take it up. This is false mode tv. There is a whole library of works on the subject--i · Japanes, but this we believe, is the first and only work in English. placing within the reach of the uulsarued in einology the mass of interesting information it contains. It is erudite, and yet has a certain straiu of pawky humour which prevents dulness, even for the reader not particularly enamoured
of numismatics.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
The Far East,1y ARCHIBALD LITTLE. Oxford:
Clarendon Pres‹. 78. 61.
44
321
historically enlightening, as are the subsequent | continuous ravine. The remaining third flows pages. China contributed both coins and through an alluvial plain. The sediment it coiners. The comments on the various inscrip- | carries out to ses 'is sufficient to create tions never become tatious, which almostimplies annually a fresh island in the Pacific one mile a compliment to a writer on such a subject. square and fifteen fathoms deep." This prompts There is an appendix dealing with Japanese a very interesting prophecy: In the very near archaic writing, and an excellent index. fature the innumerable rocky islands which Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the fringe the coast, the Saddles', the 'Raggods' book is the illustrations, which reach the ac no and the Cunsan archipel go generally, and of excellence so far as printers' colouring which now stand out of the shallow waters of pigments permit. It is these which are the estuary, will look down upon embanked responsible for the high price of the work. paddy fields, with the river flowing between, preci e'y as the hills inland from Shanghai now stand out from the fields which have been raised by the same process within the limits of the historical period." Certainly the appearance of the hills thus mentioned sugges's that at one time they were islets in a huge lake or inland sea; and the author believes that in a comparatively recent geological time the river did run through a ser es of la es. He elaborates this theory convincingly (p.p. 60-61). In the discourse on the southern basin we note the r-mark: Continuing up the Pearl river we reach the frontier town of Po so, by which, as we showed in our account of Yunan, we attain the easiest ascent to the Yannan platean from the outside world, and by which the railway about to be built from Hongkong to anton will doubtless, some day, be prolonged into Yunnan," May we interpola e at this point a ferve it amen ? Cintoa (p. 187) appears to have been in touch with the Roman
Dr. Munro, evidently an ardent collector and dili,out reader, has not disdained to supplement his own knowledge with that of the Japanese authorities, living and dead, and to these he tenders full acknowledgment, There is an interesting introduction which may appear in the light of padding to those acquainted with anthropology and the histo y of barter, etc; but it adds to the completeness of the book, and is a far from tedious resumé of the philosophy of the subject. This refers not to the introduc. tion so called, but to the first chapter, entitled prehistoric and protohistoric." Following a quotation of Tylor's well-known and interesting disquisition on the ox as a unit of value, Dr. Munro seriously makes the somewhat silly remark that "it is possible that the word 'oof,' vulgarly applied to money, might be traced to hoof, which is used to designite the foot of certain animals, but was formerly applied to the animals themselves, especially when e unting them for sale or exchange.' It adds to the coincidentalness, so to speak, of this punning discovery of the author's, when he remarks, "the common Japanese word for money is o ashi, honourable foot." But there is an example of this sort of coincidence in his own book, page 48, where we read: "Toil (I ku) with the sword to) was, in ancient times, the most laudable occupation, and the combia ation with its implied deeds of 'derring do, was a significant way of writing' merit.''Ka' and 'to' combined therefore mean merit." Why not as justly suggest the possibility of tracing a connection with the word 'kudos'? We seem to remember that the slang word, oof, had a music-hall origin, and that even so it was only a contraction of an argotic word "ufftish,” the source of which we have failed to remember. Bat for that vague recollection, we might have joined the learned doctor in his search for possible derivations, and have suggested the Freuch word œuf as an indication that eggs were once used as a currency. But while there are points here and there for the critic to carp at, the book is without serious blemish as serious contribution to the foreign literature of Japan. It will rank as a work of reference; and in this connection it is a pity that the proofs should have been read so badly. The letterpress teems with irritating literals.
46
The Far East" in one volume of three hu dred pages smacks of Colloquial Cantonese io Que Les-on ; but big as the subject is, no one can real t∙is box attentiv ly without knowing more of the Far East than he knew before, and kuowing as much as oue mall herd" can be reasonably expected to carry.. The author certainly has "th power, acquired by a life-long resid nce in the East, of imparting a local atmospher' to his descriptions," and in the last forty-five years he has not travelled over the length and breadth of China with ut acquiring information. The f mous rolling stone presents his rich, mossy accretions n this volume, wh ch will be hurtily welcomed into the bibliography Oriental. It is, by the way written for the Regions of the World" series; and is a fully charged epitome of Far Eastera information
**
The chapter on "the antique coins" is very interesting, and that on medieval coins is
"The author has, in the volume itself, made his acknowledgements to all the authori ies consulted: he has further to express his oblig tion to Dr. Morrison, the indefatiga le corres- pndent of the Times for allowing him free access, during his recent s ay in Pexing, to his valuable and tru y unique collection of books on China; to Major Ryder, R.E., fo kindly revi ing the chapter on Tib-t; and to his od friend, Mr. Thos. W. Kingsmill, of Shanghai, for re- rising the ethnographic and antiquarian data,
upon which subjects he is, in Coins, the chief living authority." The foregoing quotation is from the autor's preface.
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The author begins by defining the whole of Eastern Asia outside of British Indis and Siberia as his theme, exclading, however, the Dutch East Indies and the Malay archipelago, in which latter be includes the Philippines. He dwells on the vastness of the area treated. and remarks that while Asia supplies lavishly all the needs of man, "it fails in its production of men. In a footnote he adds: "The epoch. making war between Russis and Japan, which has broken out since this book was written, renders this statement true of the Asiatic continent only." Whereat there will surely be cavillers. Chin, he say, is the most valuable, the most important, as well as the most intere ting portion of the Far East. His remark that the dependencies of Chins proper-Manchuria. Mongolia, Turkestan and Tibet-"bear much the same relation as do
our
own colonies and dependencies to their mother country" may evoke a grimace from some of us, especially as the affinity is said to be marked " in the one bottom fact that neither derives any direct pecuniary benefit from the relation; the obligation, if any, being on the side of the dependency fostered and protected at the expense of the parent country." With Corra and Tibet particularly in mind- to say nothing of Manchuria-this does not strike us as a grand o mpliment to the British Government. After a notably expert general outlive of the physical geography of China, we have detailed descriptions district by distric', the division being into river basins, a very suitable one for China, with entrées, as it were, of history, ethnography, politics, and gen ral information. There is an interesting reference to the mysteriously originating, long persistent, hot, dry, land winds" from the we-t that devastate the Peking district from Maroh to June, parching the land and making the city almost uninhabitable at that period with its famous dust storm (p 39). The pro-nontory of 8 a tung appears to have been at one time an island (p. 45). Perhaps the most interesting part relates to the Yangisz sphere, about which Mr. Little has writ en exhaustively before, and with regard to which be is probably the greatest living authority. For two thirds of is enorm us length, the valley is nowhere wider than the river bed; that is, it is a
mpire, while Arab, Dutch, and Portuguese traders early brought it wit in reach of Western Commerce," A foot te on the Hakka (p. 137) is also interesting, but space available for quot tons is now running short. As might be expected kuowing of the colla oration of Mr. King mill, the geology of Honkong receives fud attention. (P. 141 et seq). No ives igation is known of in conneo ioa with
the sedimentary deposit of the Pearl River, but the persistent silting up of Macao barbour shows it to be enormous. Macao as a port is doomed: it now rests in the glories of its histor c past and of its salubrious climate, which contrasts so favourably with the muggy atmosphere of the mountain-lockd harbour of Hongkong. Hence it is hardly probable now that the reclamation works, proposed by Portuguese engineers and estimated to cost £500,00 †, will ever be taken in hand by the Portuguese Government.” Hon kong, we read, is, 8 credit to British rale and an example to surrounding countries."
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After referring to the sheltered position of Victoria in winter, and the successful 'afforesta- tin of the island, the author says of Hong- kong: "Its old evil reputation for mal ria has disappeared, and, but for the hesitation of the Government in enforcing complete sanitary regulations upon the reluctant Chinesa popula- tion, it would be one of the healthiest commercial cities in the world, as it undoubtedly is one of the most prosperous and most beautiful."
The remaining half of the book deals with Manchuria (informatively) Mongolia, Turkestan (interestingly), Tibet (authoritatively), Indo- China, Corea, Siam and Japan. It is on the whole a "geography book" that will greatly assist teachers, make their lessons more attractive, and it will help also those who desire to come to a better understanding of the political and social questions of the Far East. There are eight coloured maps and many illustrations.
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The Hankow Race Club, now registered at Hongkong, held its first statutory meeting on Oct. 9. It was decided to empower the directors to raise debentures to the amount of $50,000 bearia interest at the rate of 7 per cent per annum, payable half-yearly on the 30th of June and 3 st of December, secured by the land and buildings comprising the property of the club, the debentures to be redeemable at par in not less than five years from date of issue, and thereafter at the discretion of the directors; the debenture cer ificates to be $100 sich. It was farther agreed that applications for from one to five deben ures should base pra ́e ence so as to give every member a chance of owning obe, while trustees wishing to keep at or part of their money already advanod to the club will have priority.
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