!
1
ઈં were
few
Abgust 6, 1906.] having been told often that I could easily induce the proprietors to give me a lot of money as a souvenir. Accordingly, on the morning of the third day, after an early breakfast, sought one of the gambling saloons. After wandering through tortuous streets and lanes more up along and down along" than any in Cornwall, and steering safely between the Soylla of many beggars and the Charybdis of many fragments of putrid fish, I found a first-class gambling house and entered. My entrance was heralded with a salvo of crackers from the street which blased and spluttered so long that the game had to be temporarily stopped. The Chinese, I was told, were bombarding the plague germ. I believe it was a drawn battle. Un play being resumed. I observed for the first time the fascination of the game of fantan. The table on which we looked down was surrounded by a crowd of Chinese whose eyes were riveted on the cash as they were slowly counted in. No. 3 turned up, but from the stolid faces gazing at the table it would be impossible to tell which were wineers and which losers. A few of the lucky ones gathered in their winnings and departed, while some of the losers nonchalantly passed over their watches or bangles [gambling dens are pawnshops), on which they raised a little money. This they would stake on the number they expected to turn up next, and if they lost, depart with apparent unconcern. There Europeans in the shop who were not so stoical. As No. 3 turned up again I noticed a big man, who had a small voice, breathe what appeared to be a sigh of relief. He received his winnings, but on counting the money said it was not correct. The "boy" who paid it maintained that it was, and as all the Euro. pean's efforts to get what he considered he had "Take won proved futile, he grew very angry. the adjectival lot', he said, as be threw the Landiul of silver in the boy's face and left the house. Evidently it was easy come, easy go". Quietness then reigned for a time, but was again broken by the noisy appearance of a dark complexioned young ma11 who apparently
He 1 regarded Bacchus as his god of luck. staggered towards the table brandishing a roll of notes in the air and guessed" he was going to "break the bank". He was of a very sociable disposition, and spared no pains to show his friendship toward all around him. After calling for beer in Chinese, he men- tioned casually to au admiring public that be had not spoken Cantonese for ten years. It was admitted that, in view of this long interreg num, he pronounced the word for beer with a A charming accent. He staked, and lost. se ond loss quite destroyed his equanimity, and I regret to say that he told the banker what be thought of him in language less polite then he had hitherto employed. Other players could not grasp his point of view, and the result was that he was physically persuaded to seek fresh air. Having seen enough to satisfy mys if that gambling with the Chinese is a disease which cannot be eradicated, and having failed to draw the bonus that my friends had promised me, I left the saloon, intending to take a quiet siroll bome.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. pump levers in motion and after great exertion & quite perceptible trickle of water is observed stealing out of the nozzle. Cheers herald this discovery, and prodigious exertions magnify the trickle into a spasmodic squirt. Bat the water comes too late, for the fire bas barnt itself out. The Chinese managed to save a few of their cherished "josses", while the Portuguese police who endeavoured to stem the tide of fire were severely bruised or burned, because, a cruelly sarcastic bystander said, "Th y were too slow to get ont of their own way.' From what I I think it fair to admit that their efforts to combat the fire were valiant, but (difficult though is may seem for firemen) they have yet to learn to "keep cool":
Circumstances, however, turned my steps in another direction. An alarm of fire was sounded, and following the crowd, I emerged on the Praya Grande, where several matsheds, one of which was a Chinese temple, were buruing fiercely. I was astonished to see such a large crowd at Macao, and still more astonished to see how placidly they watched the conflagration. not a man offering the least assistance.
88W,
As such exciting scenes were not conducive to the bedth of an invalid, I decided for the remainder of my stay to dwell among the ruing and "hold communion with the living deal" With returning health and spirits revived, have returned to Hongkong, and trust soon again to visit the "Gem of the Orient". But do not think it is a good place to recuperate from financial debility.
It
THE AMOY AFFAIR.
73
Our enquiries as to the present temper of the populace in the neighbourhood have produced nothing reassuring, although it would be easy
The attitude. exaggerate their
from the people of th. money
to
ex-
action that their evil conduct has caused to be some due, might not improbably re-inflame their anti-foreign passions.
CORRESPONDENCE.
THE SAINAM" PIRACY.
#t
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
11
Canton, July 27th. SIR-Enough has been said' and written about the Sainam piracy, and more about Viceroy Shum, on whose head we heaped opprobrium for not putting down piracy with iron band, on West River. The miscreants will no doubt be laid by the heels, and punished as they deserv and we will be sleeping again the sleep of Rip Van Winkle until awakened by soms equally heinous murder. We are all aware of the facts, of the pirates being more daring everyday, now no more respecting forsiga flags; of the braves gambling and sleeping on board their guard boats, and Chinese authorities being effete and us÷l·88. Kuowing all these facts, it The two men attacked by Chinese outside
will be interesting to learn whit extra precau. Amoy last month are now far from the scene of
tions are taken by river steimers plying in the the outrage, but negotiations on their babalf
very deas of these murderous pirates. Are the are still proceeding. Mr. Forbes Eadie, whose physical injuries were less than the mental Chimese passengers or their baggage searched shock he received and subsequently continued to suffer from, is well on his way home; while Dr. Horne, after a very painful period of confine. ment to bed, has passed through Manila on his way to join his wife in Austra is.
!
seemed to me that I had been watching the fire for about twenty minutes when a shout, such as may have gone up when the walls of Jericho fell, coupled with a shifting of the serried ranks of the gaping crowd, heralded the arrival of the fire engine. I had hitherto believed that Hong- kong's imitation engine could not be beaten, but now I beheld cne with which that antique curio is not to be compared. If Macao be the most ancient settlement in China, its fire engine must be entitled to equal veneration. It was, as the legend on its side proclaimed, “ made in Germany". But the fire is at its height, so I
must follow events. The hose is quickly run out, one length into a well close by, while the nozzle at the end of the other length is pointed at the flames Then the fire-fighters get the
DIPLOMACY AT WORK.
Dr. Horne's worst injuries were to the head, It is Dow believed by a capable authority that the grisly story of the runi home, with protruding viscera, was a mistake, due te the arparition of oue of the stomachic walls which bappens to have a sheeny covering. But in the case of the skull wounds, there was no exaggeration. One of Dr. Horne's assailants, in tugging at a knife which he had left sticking in the Dr.'s head, seems to have depressed the bone edges of the wound, with the result, it is believed, that there is a constant pressure on the brain. rate, there are paralytic twitches of the facial muscles on one side, the sight of one eye bas gone (it is hoped temporarily only), and he has been subject to epileptic fits ever since. He
·
At any
has deci led, after a calm delibration of his own physical condition and the risks and chances of his epilepsy, to wait until he can raich Lon don with his wife aud there be operated upon by the most eminent surgeon available. Trephining ba: to be done.
оп
At
in
原曲
If not
for fire-armi when they come on toard steamers? Are they barred down by the iron gratings specially put up on the stairs t prevent their rushing on upper decks? why not? Of this remissness the pirates have Foreiga gunboats taken good advantage. are patrolling the river. By this equivocal step of policing their waterways, we have, to some extent, taken the responsibility off-the bands of the Chinese authorities, and it is not pleasant to contemplate that such open day robbaries occur in spite of their presence som?- where in the vicinity. When such a this end of the wedge is inserted, why not do it thoroughly by either increasing the number of the foreign gunboats to act independently of the Chinese authorities in pauishing the marauders on the spot, if caught red-handed, by hanging tem on yards of the gauboat, or batter still by asking the I. M Custom to act with them with their revenue cruisers, manned by Eurɔ- peans as auxiliaries Yours etc..
Meanwhile, negotiations between the local officials continue. There have been so many erroneous reports that we are authorised t narrate the position of affairs in this connection. It appears that Dr. Horne enjoys a previous record which makes him persana grata to the Australian Goverum at, who have made repre- sentations direct to the British Government, asking Imperial support for compensation
Dr. Horne's behalf.
pressut, we understand, the British Consul Amoy bas the matter in hand and there have been The Taotai promises of a local s tlement. is said to have admitted the justice of the claim, but pleaded non possumus with regard to rais- ing the money. The promises mentioned fere the reason for the business not being at puce transferred to Peking, where, in cas the focal negotiations fail, it will undoubtedly have to be prosecuted.
Chinese will the victims, and to compensate both of pay the costs of the relief expedition that was gent after them. There is a report, having local credence, but which we hope to be untrue, that the local missionaries have med led to the extent of petitioning the consul to discourage This report any claims for compensation. strikes us as improbable, because it so happens that they have theu selves (as we buli ve) a still pend. ing claim for some thousands of dollars as com pensation for mission property destroyed in the previous affair (when Dr. Montgomery had to take refuge in the yamen) at Chan po, also in the Amoy district.
The
have
to
SINE QUA NON.
TETTY OFFENDERS WHO SUFFER DEATH.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE
** DAILY PRESS.
21
SIR-la your issue of Saturday there was an account of another fatal accident to a China- man who had tried to escape over neighbɔuring roofs from a house raided by the police-after opium. It would be interesting it one of our unofficial members of the Legislative Council could obtain a return of the number of such fatalities in the last ten years, cans d by opium or gambling raids or perhaps one of your readers could supply it. To those of us who are accustomed to smoke our tobacco undis. turbed in our own verandah, or to take part in a rubber at Brilge at te Club, there is som› thing distressing in this hunting to death of those poor wretches, who, after all, are not
Yours obediently, committing any very hein us offencɔ.—I am,
Hongkong, July 31st,
E. R.
A meeting of the Jasticas of the Peace whi held on the 3rd August at the Magistracy for the purpose of considering the application for the transfer of the publican's liceuce in r »pect of premises at 33 and 33, Praya East from F, M. Oram to Stephen Clarke. Mr. H. H. J. Gompertz presided, and the other Justices present wer Messrs F. A. Haz:land, J. A. Japp, H. J. Craig, and C. A. D. Melbɔarn,. Mr. P. W. Goldring appeared for the applicant an as there was no police objection the transfer was sanctioned,