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A BENEVOLENT PIRATE CHIEF.
TERRORISING THE RICH MERCHANTS,
Chan Chean is a large town situated near Canton and is the largest grain market in the Kwangtung Province. The wholesale rice merchants there, taking advantage of the ca lamity caused by the recent disastrous flood, formed a ring and bought up all the rice that was available in the different markets. This sent the price of the commodity from 3 tasla i mace per pical to 6 taels 1 mace in the beginning of the current month. The avarious merchants not being satisfied with the enormous profite they were making have lately actually refused to sell rice to the poor country people of the distressed. distriots, knowing that these people would ask for a reduction of price. Whenever they came to make a purchase they were told that there was no rice in stock. The country people were very angry over the matter bat could do nothing to ventilate their wrath, This affair was heard of by the notorious Pirate chief, Lak Lan Hing, who on the 10th instant about dusk landed at Chan Chean with over 15 dragon boats filled with pirates and personally visited several of the leading rico merchants, whom he presented with visiting cards bearing the formidable characters Luk Lao Hing." Having asked their surnames he left a letter with each of them and told them to act in strict accordance with the contents of the letter. Every one of the merchants were in a state of great terror when Luk pat in his appearance in their shops as they did not know the object of his visit. Shortly after the departure of the robber ohief and when their apprehensions were over they! opened the letters, the gist of which was as follows:-
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"I beg respectfully to inform you that on account of the recent disastrous flood the
officials sud people of all trades and professions have rendered assistance in every possible way to alleviate the sufferings of those in distress while you are hoarding up grain to sell at high prices. You not only gave a deaf ear to the appeal of the hungry but you have even refused to sell rice to the people of the distressed district. You are devoid of virtue and your conduct is abominable. I hereby give you notice that within one month from to-day you are required to dispose of all your rice at cost price and only on this condition peace will remain between us, and if you do not repent and reform your doings I will summon and command my brothers to rob all your grain, convey it by vessel to the distressed districts for distribution amongst the sufferers, and exact a fine of $200,000, in atonement of your crimes and faults. If you do
not have this sum in readiness I will infliot the severest punishment &c. &c."
The merchants after reading the letter held a meeting with the intention of reporting the matter to the authorities, but, upon further reflection, decided to drop the matter as they feared that the officials would punish them for hoarding up the grain and raising its price; on the other band they dare not keep up the price for fear of Lak acting up to his word. It is reported that last week the price of rice in Chan Cheun had dropped to 3 taels 2 mace per picul and now to 2 taels 7 mace 6 candareens; in the latter price the merchants are losing mace per picul. This fluctuation has caused the price of the artiole to fall in Fat Shan and other rice markets,
Perhaps very few people know bow Luk Lan Hing became a pirate. He is well educated and very intelligent and was formerly school master of a public school in a village in the Shun Tak district. His school and lodgings occupied a small portion of a large ancestral temple situated on the outskirts of the village. The temple has frequently been made use of by pirates and robbers as a rendezvous and also a place for "dividing their booty. of late years owing to numerous robberies up country, many of the wealthy people have removed their valuables to policed cities and towns for safety and the chances of the bandits to make a big haul are care. Now they have changed their taotica by kidnapping the wealthy class and their children and also black. mailing. This requires some education as
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND,
they have to communicate in writing to the victim's relations, but hardly a soul amongst the robbers could read or write. They found Luk very useful; he often wrote letters for them and explained the replies. Of course, he was paid for his work. But it did not last very long before Luk's handwriting was identified by somebody who brought the matter to the notice of the authorities. The result was a reward of several thousand taals was advertised by the officials some two years ago for the capture of Luk, dead or alive, and in fact one day soldiers were on their way to capture him in his village. When the robbers got wind of it they went ahead of the soldiers and carried Luk away by force. He was afterwards compelled by the pirates to become their chief. Although the reward for Luk's cap- ture has now risen to 60,000 taels, he frequently visits his family in the village, passing right under the nose of the braves, and he has never been captured or molested. He is a great power now and his comrades are posted everywhere wherever he goes.
THE STATUS OF ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS IN CHINA.
A CHINESE VIEW,
Some years ago the privilege of official rank was granted by the Emperor of China to priests engaged in mission work in this country. The Protestant Clergy declined to accept the honour, but the Roman Catholice seized upon it with avidity seeing therein the immense political power which the concession gave to them more especially in remote interior stations. It is of course well known that the Church of Rome seeks temporal power in order to utilise it, in any way, to further the Church. The policy of the means justifying the end, the end being the infallible benefit to hamanity aq- cruing from adherence to the faith of the Church of Rome, has been unswervingly held by that Church. Priests of the Churob have therefore considered it only a duty to utilize their honor. ary rank as a lever for obtaining concessions for their establishments and their converts. They have not hesitated to interfere in law cases on behalf of their converts and in many cases have forced the magistrates to give decisions in favour of their converts, contrary to the true rulings of justice and equity. In visiting the Yamene the Catholic priests
practics to
insist upon
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that
made it reception being accorded to them in accor- dance with their official rank and status. It has at times happened that the rank of the priest has been higher than of the local official and the extraordinary spectacle has been witnessed of the orders of the Chinese Government officis! being over- ruled and vetoed by a foreigner with a higher complimentary rank. Land disputes between their converts and those of other churches have been a fruitful source of friction and the
Roman Catholic priestly Officials have invari ably used the power of their rank to weigh down the scales of justice in favour of their protégés. Though this is prefectly consistent with the policy of the Roman Church and doubtless had the desired effect of attracting converts, it undoubtedly created a condition of affairs in the country which no Government could long tolerate,` There can be but little doubt that most of the converts, attracted to the Roman Church in this way, became members thereof solely for the material benefits to b derived therefrom. The Church also offered a barbour of refuge to evil doers and criminals and many of these have taken advantage of its shelter.
Some time ago the question of withdrawing this complimentary rank was, after due consi deration, decided upon and the Government have now sent notification of this to all the Viceroys and Governors of the various Provinces and Dependencies, with instructions that hence- forth priests of the Roman Catholic Curch call- ing on officials are to be treated only as ordinary foreign gentlemen and are not entitled to any recognition of rank.
That this is fair and just is indisputable and the priests have only themselves to blame for the loss of their courtesy rank and the prestige which it carried, for had they not abused the privilege, China would not have been compelled
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[August 3, 1908.
to withdraw the favour. It is to be hoped that this alteration of status will curtail the illegal interference in Government affairs in the interior by these missionaries and that a more peaceable state of affairs may result. — Chinese Public Opinion.
LAST WEEK'S THUNDERSTORM,
The thunderstorm which passed over the Colony last July 25th was one of the heaviest Vivid fishes of experienced here for years, lightning were followed by loud peals of thunder, while rain fell in torrents for nearly an hour. In different parts of the city the streets were fooded, while considerable damage has been done
to the roads.
Mr. George Grimble's house at Pokfulam was struck by lightning which broke some panes of glass, and carried a brick pillar bodily from the verandah into the garden. Fortunately no one in the house was injured. Mr. Parr, the Com.... missioner of the Kowloon Customs, who resides at Durisdeer, Magazine Gap, The Peak, also suffered much. Most of the retaining walls of his property and the new tennis lawn have given away. A considerable landslip has occurred on the Peak close to Stewart Terrace. Another occurred near the Victoria Hospital, Barker Road, and considerable damage of the same nature was done to the site of the house Mr.
Ram is erecting in Barker Road.
When removing débris in Barker road, the coolies unearthed the dead body of a native, and the corpse was removed to the Mortary. Sanitary Inspector Colton reported to the police that at four o'clock on Saturday after-
noon the front verandah of his house, a three- storey building оп Leighton Hill Road, collapsed, and caused damage to the extent of $2,000. Vebody was injared, but the road in question was partly obstructed. Another sabsidence occurred at the Central Sanitary building, where the retaining wall gave way and many tons of earth was carried on to the Military Parade Ground.
News has filtered through slowly from the New Territory on account of the stoppage of communication, but yesterday information was received that a number of temporary bridges on the Kowloon-Canton Railway line had been destroyed, and that part of the embankment on which the temporary line is constructed had been washed away. A parapet wall on the Taipo Road, three-quarters of a mile above the three mile stone, also collapsed, At Sheung Shui village Indian Constable No. 570 had a narrow escape from drowning. He attempted to cross a stream which was running a banker, and was carried away by the current, With great difficulty two comrades rescued him, and he was ourried to the nearest out-station in an uncon-
scious condition. There, after the treatment for
the apparently drowned had been applied, he
recovered.
A CANTON ACTION AT SHANGHAI,
In the Danish Consular Court at Shanghai Honour the Con- on the 23rd, inst., His sular Judge, Mr. T. Rasaehow, rendered his decision in the oase Lee Ta-lan v. W. Smith and Co., as follows:
The plaintiff in this case is a Chinese com- pradore from Canton named Lee I's-lun who sues the firm of Carl W. Smith & Co., and its owner Carl W. Smith, a Danish subject trading at Canton for the balances of three accounts amounting to $1,063,69, with interest at the rata of 7 per cent per annum from date of petition until payment, and costs.
Defendant has not objected to the items which go to make up these balances but he has put forward a counter-claim of $1600, making a final balance in his favour of which he however had made the plaintiff a present thereby squaring up the account. Plaintiff has denied the existence of any counterclaim and since defendant has produced no proof in support of his statement judgment is given for plaintiff with costs.
Within three daysafter receiving notice of this judgment defendant shall pay to plaintiff Mex. $1,063.09 with interest at 7 per cent. per annum from the 10th April 1908 until date of payment and also the costs of this case with $150, or suffer the consequence of the law.
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