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January 27, 1906.]
absurdity of the proposal, a method which, under the pretext of protecting the foreigners, will only obstruct business with them.
THE VICEROY DISTRUSTS FOREIGNERS, It is reported that the Viceroy has ordered all officials, not to suffer interference by foreigners in any litigation where they have no direct interest. In any case a foreigner must plead through his Consul; and officials must ignore all petitions otherwise. presented. Magistrates must not receive foreigners who try to speak to them about cases in Court; nor allow any foreigner to attend Court as adviser, attorney, advocate, or any similar capacity The whatever, on behalf of Chinese subjects. cloven hoof seems to protrude at both ends which is the right view? The Viceroy is suspected of a d sire to discourage dealings with foreigners; the Ling-pojis suspected of in- difference to the protection of foreign interests.
CANTON.
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Jan. 22nd.
ANOTHER PROCLAMATION,
Viceroy Shum on the 20th issued another proclamation, largely repeating what be had already said. He announces that he now has full authority from Peking to use his discretion, and warns the people that if they allow themselves to be deceived by the alleged representatives of the Guilds (who were seditious men who had played fast and loose with him during earlier Legotiations) they will risk their lives and properties, and only aggravate the orimes of the cashiered gentry, so that he would sentence them to the maximum penalty provided by the laws.
VICEROY TO BE IMPEACHED.
An express printed and circulated by the Yeong Shing press just reaches me. It states that a telegraphic despatch has been received here from Peking referring to Lai-Kwai- piu's arrest.
"The Imperial Council Chamber has memo. rialized the The Tartar General Ping: Kwangtung with full powers from the Throne to charge Viceroy Shum and supress rebellion. All the Cantonese officials in Peking will send a joint memorial against Viceroy Shum on the 21st instant."
A HUMANE CAPTAIN.
On the 20th instant, shortly after the 8.8. Kwang Tung left Canton, and when in the neighbourhood of Macao Fort, & Chinamin fell overboard. The accident was apparently not noticed by anyone on board the Kwang-Tung, as that vessel proceeded down river. For- tunately the 8.8. Ying-King was following behind. Capt. Page, seeing a man struggling in the water, immediately threw two life buoys, one of which fell near the drowning man. He seized it, the Ying-King stopped her engines at once, and the man was picked up. The Chinese passengers were loud in their praise of the humanity shown by Capt. Page towards their unfortunate countryman.
MACAO.
(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT).
BAD WINES.
January 23rd.
The Government issued an order last week prohibiting the sale of Chinese wines (liu-pun and mau-can) to Portuguese soldiers, because their effects upon European consumers are bad. There are other cheap and nasty drinks on sale at the restaurants and wine shops frequented by the soldiers' which should also be tabooed.
DISEASE AMONG BOYS.
San Joseph College has been officially closed for some days owing to an epidemic. It is some kind of varioloid.
A SLOW RECORD.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE ŘEPORT.
MANANA.
The dirty bazaar of San Domingos still stands as left by the fire of ten years ago, an eyesore. The ground should at least be cleared.
THE PORTUGUESE NEWSPAPER.
There are rumours of a libel action against the Portuguese newspaper, for what it said about St. Joseph's College.
HONGKONG TO CHINWANTAO.
VIA PEKING.
|
Wall. A big stone tablet keeps the memory of Sir Walter Hillier and the Hon. Mr. Ricketts, who was held in great esteem by the Chinese" I stopped at Tongshan on the way here, having an introduction from Major Nathan (a brother of His Excellency the Governor), to the Engineer-in-Chief of the Kaiping Collieries, Mr. Paquet. I went down a six-hundred- foot shaft and had a look-see. About four thousand ecolies work daily, and 350 mules stay down there all the time. The thres mines are turning out a little over 20,00 tons a week, and all their coal is taken by the Imperial Chinese Railway Co., or by Shanghai. Under the able management of Major Nathan, continual development is taking place. When the new electric plant arrives, the output will probably be much larger. The employees have a little racecourse, and races were on when I was there. Major Na han sent his pouies from Tientsin to encourage the meeting. Perhaps the most important place I visited was Chinwautao, which I reached via Tangho by rail from Tongahan. Steamers sail hence to Shanghai (C. E. & M. Co.) in fifty hours."
C
t
Why do you regard Chinwantao as so important? The Directory and Chronicle says, it I remember aright, that its trade is small."
The gentleman whose trip by rail to Paking was described in a recent number of the Daily Press (Jan. 19th) was amazed to find that the bare itinerary took so much telling. In a fur- ther chat with a representative of the paper, he mentioned many matters that seemed even more interesting than the details already given. "It is possible, if we leave off where we did," he said, "that some people may be disappointed -I mean if they act on my advice and make this interesting trio. You might put in a paragraph to warn ladies not to attempt it just yet, or at least not without special arrangement with the railway company for accommodation.
"Quite true, at present. I call it important It is a new line, of course, and there are no because I think it has a future. It is an all- sleeping cars or Pullmans. I took bedding the-year-round nearly ice-free Treaty Port, and chow with me from Hankow to Peking; admirably situated, with a sheltered harbour, a and even then had to endure the very real dis-
breakwater a third of a mile long, and it is the comforts of the Chinese inns at the varions only outlet for Tientsin, Peking, and New- stations. For rich or poor, it is no different.chwang to the sea in winter time. It is expect Chinese inns are no respecters of persons. Theyed by those who know to be the great trading centre for north China, without a rival. The supply a room, bare but for a wooden couch and a mat; you do the rest. They will let Chinese Engineering Co has got most of the you hire a uative mattress, if you are brave
sea frontage. Already the settlement is expand- ing fast, and it seemed to me there were immediate and immense prospects for commis- sion and forwarding agents, for small firms
ing and exporting, for hotels (wanted right away), for storekeepers, and for land agents, and so forth. The railway from Tientsin to Shanhaikwan, after paying interest on capital and deducting work- ing charges, returned a net profit for 1905 of.. Tis. 1,200,000, of which Tls. 810,000 was pald to the Emprass-Dowager, Tls. 10 · 1,000 bonus to the staff, and the remaining Tis. 300.00) oarried forward. That shows how the carrying trade has grown. And that is only a small 8 ction of the northern railway system. You should have seen, as I saw, the crowds rushing for seats in the trains there, when the barriers were opened to the third class passengers. I tell you, it is a gold mine, and every route left andeveloped by China represents a loss that takes some figuring. out. Chinwantao has also, I understand, a climate particularly salubrious. Now you see why it on elsim special interest, eh ?
enough or green enough to want it. As for AG course when the Lu
lavatories.
Han line is completed this warning will not
ing cars.
"
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are
Fine
be needed. I was told they mean to run sleep-representing insurance companies and import-
"What did you think of Peking? "Oh, I'm afraid I can tell you nothing new. It is an inexhaustible place for sight-seeing, even with a guide; I recommend the guide. My man was formerly in the service of Sir Ernest Satow for many years, and had good English and was full of savvy. We went to the Altar of Heaven, that noble amphitheatre of pure white marble, enclosing a circumference of about six thousand yards. It is here that the Emperor worships thrice you praying for rain and good harvests. I saw also the Altar of Agriculture, where His Majesty inaugurates the season of ploughing. Then there the temples, including that one with the great bell, weighing 87,000 pounds, and thirty. four feet round. Shopping is & delight, even for a man, in this wonderful city. sables from $500 to $3,000 apiece were shown to me. heard. by the way, that the recent visit of Miss Alice Roosevelt, an in- defatigable shopper, had caused prices to go up and stay up. The Legations interested me particularly. They have been enlarging their premises since the attack in 1900, the British especially. Building and improvements were still going on. I wandered round early one morning, and encountered strings of camels laden with coal from the collieries round Peking, twenty to thirty miles out. Many men went about their business riding upon assen. The German soldiers must be keen;
I saw them drilling in the early morning, in about ten degrees of frost, and was told they are always at it. I was struck by the bit of wall at the corner of the British Legation, which has so evidently been 'stormed at by shot and shell, and is now railed off and inscribed
· Lest we forget.'
335
"But they have forgotten, haven't they? I understand that most of the Legation ladies show no reluctance at kowtowing to the Empress-Towager ?"
That may be, but I don't think they have forgotten anything. I took the three or four hour trip to Tientsin, which has grown enormously since the Boxer trouble. Seven hours more by rail brought me to Shanhaikwan, English and Germans bave trolly lines by which the sea is reached in twenty minutes It's a beautiful seaside place, and the Great Wall abuts here. The railway cuts through the
Our gunboat Rio Lima took nine days to and the frontier of Manchuria. Both the reach Shanghai.
EARTHQUAKES.
We have had another series of earthquake shocks, beginning at noon on Thursday,
91
The traveller embarked on the s.s. Kaiping at Chinwantao, and sailed direct to Shanghai, so had little more to say that is new. He is a keen sportsmao, and among his unreported reminiscences were comments on racecourses he examined. He wears by Happy Valley, but admitted that the track at Haukow was
beautifully situated, too. Its inner course (for training) is about six or seven feet deeper than the outer, so that the training never interferes with the galloping. The course is quite round and has no obstructions. Tientsin had an advantage in its still accommodation for ponies, about 130! It also affords au naintercupted view of the whole of the course.
An order by Major General Villiers Hatton, C.B., Commanding troops South China, dated January 23rd, says: Of the Winter Essays which have been submitted seven are considered good, all of which show study in appreciation and care and thought in working out. That by Major A. C. Painter, R.E., is considered of sufficient merit to be sent to the Chief of the General Staff. The names of these seven officers are:-Major R. A. Kaye, E.G.A. Capt. C. G. Vereker, R.G.A., Capt. O. L. Price, R.G.A., Major A. C. Painter, B.E Major 8. H. Pedley, 2nd B.W. Kent. Regt. Capt. R. M. G. Tulloch, 2nd R.W.K., and Lieut. Col. A. E. Aitken, 119th Infantry.