+
360
54
has not found a true bill" against the European. In the ordinary course, the ca-e should have come on for trial at the Criminal Sessions, but when the CHIEF JUSTICE took his sat on Wednesday the ATTORNEY-GENERAL pleasantly informed His Lordship that there were no indict menis on the file. The public is thus left to infer that a case in which great public interest centred has been quietly abandoned, and we may add the public has not been slow to make random We have no guesses as to the reason. beritation in saying that it is contrary to the public interest that the case should have been, dropped without a public ex- planation of the reasons.
What other view
can the Crown expect the public to take
of the matter in the circumstances than
or
""
་་
ог
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND with a view to the maintenance of public confidence in the impartial administration | of justice and, incidentally, in order that the general public may know whether, in the opinion of the law officers of the Crown, builders and architects are entirely absolved from responsibil ty imme liately a Govern ment certificate has teen granted.
DEATH OF PRINCE CHING,
0:
(Daily Press, November 22.) It is perhaps inevitable that the air should be thick with rumours of intrigues and tragedies at Peking just now, but it is scarcely necessary to tay that these sister rumours should not be unreservedly a - cepted. Following as it does so close'y upon
the demise of the EMPEROR KWANG H8D that this is a glaring instance of partiality aud the aged EMPRESS DOWAGER, the in the administration of the law? In point nouncement of the sudden death of PRINCE of fact this is the interpretation commonly CHING possibly serves to strengthen in the being given to the matter, ad it is much public mind the suspicion that some malign to be regretted that the ATTORNEY-GENERAL agency is at work in the Capital, beat on the did not find some means of making public extermination of all about the Court. We his reason for declining to file the indict have had the rumour that the death of the ment desired by the Coroner's jury. To FMPRESS DOWAGER was accomplished by suppose for one moment that the action of poison dministered by someone identitied the Crown has been influenced by "fear, with the anti-dyuastic movement; another favour affection is absurd: the rumour has declared the child Emperor to ATTORNEY-GENERAL doubtless had good be dead; and now it is suggested that reasons for thinking that it would be PRINCE CHING has committed suicide impossible for him to secure a conviction in The second rumour, certainly may be the case. This in itself, however, constitutes dismissed as a pure invention, and we very a reason why a public explanation should much doubt whether ither of the thers be made. At the Coroner's inquiry it was has any foundation in fact. Both the pleaded on behalf of the architects that EMPRESS DOWAGER an❘ PRINCE CHING al they were protected by the Government cert-exceeded the three score ficate that the houses bad been built in compliance with the provisions of the Public Health and Buildings Oriit auce.- Now one of the provisions of the Ordinance of 1903 referred to is Section 100 which regulates the cnstruction of walls and which reads as follows :- Every wall constructed of brick, stove or other hard and incombustible substance shall be solid across its entire thickness and shall be properly bonded and substantially put to gether with cement mortar or good lime
good cement mortar composed of lime and clean sharp sand, with red or yellow earth other suitable material to the satisfaction of the Building Authority etc." The case therefore raised the question as to whether the architect is entirely absolved from responsibility when the Building Authority and the Medical Officer of Health jointly certify that a house "has been built in compliance with the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance." For our part we do not think the Government justified in giving a certi ficate in those terms. All ta the Govern- ment can certify--and all, in our judgment, that the Government ought to be require to certify—is that a house bas en built in accordance with the plans officially approv- ed. But the terms of the Government certificate ce tainly cover a great deal more than that; and it would be of public int rest to know whether the abandonment of the case implies the Government's acceptance of the entire responsibility? We are concerned only with the general public us; ects of the maiter, and would very much regret if our comments were read us in any sense a per. sonal attack upon the arch tect whose misfortune it is to be so conspicuously connected with the mat ́er. Nothing is farther from our intention than that. We do not doubt that some good reason for the abandoɑment of the ouse exists, and all we desire and all we suggest is that the reasou should be as publicly made known as was the fact of the Coroner's committal of the architect for trial. We urge this primarily
or
the to
[November 23, 1208
esteem of the diplomats. Nor will it be forgotten that in the Boxer emente of 1900 the massacre of all who were confined in the Legations was averted only by the de- lays caused by his courageous action for the lives of the in pleading
the short- foreigners, and representing sightedness of the policy that would sacrifice them. HIS HIGHNESS since he entered public life has filled many of the highest offices of the State and proved himself an enlightened and a capable statesman. The nation at this critical juncture can ill-afford to spare him, and we can confi·lently say that in the Legation quarter at P. king His HIRNESS's death will be recognised as a serious loss to China. At a time when the nation is ou the very threshold of a reformation it is a national misfortune to lose the valuable help of a statesman of the Commanding ability and wide experience of the late President of the Waiwapu. But regrets are vain and we have only to add tbat HIS HIGHNESS goes down to the grave full of years and honours--revered by bis own people and bonoured and respected by the diplomatic representatives of the leading nations of the world.
once.
RANDOM REFLECTIONS.
+
Shopkeepers have also realised that Christmas is near. Despite the general depression and the dropping dollar the purchasing power of our European residents never was stronger than it has been this last week. Wherever I went I
that the prices of many articles had gone up since the beginning of the week. After all there is nothing like the advice given in cheap come early and sale announcements at home avoid the crush.”
44
What a quick change was noticeable in the dress of our citizens this week! On Wednesday men and women were sporting their light summer attire, but through the night winter made its presence felt and people on rising made straight to their wardrobes and their trunks and ~
warmer garments to meet the brought out
feel of the atmosphere. parky years and ten decidedly
Overcoats too have become fashionable all at id down by the Psalmist as the natural
The cold map however helps us to realise span of life; both were extremely feeble,
that Christmas is near. and it requires no great stretch of the imagination to ralise that the death of the EMPEROR must have thrown upou the aged EMPRESS-Dowager, and upon PRINCE CHING a load of anxiety and care which was too much for their enfeebled constitutions to bear. In the message regarding the PRINCE's encountered friends and acquaintances on shop- death which has reached the Colony, it is ping bent or else helping to swell the crowds which daily besieged the registration department stated that His HIGHNESS was overwhelmed
of the Post Office. Notwithstanding the protests makes lose " with sorrow on learning of the death of the of the native shopkeeper that he
at the price to which he had been beaten down, EMPEROR and EMPRESS DOWAGER, and was
his smile seemed more expansive than ever these troubled because he was not appoin ed to take part in the enthronement of the present last few days, and the purchasers who did not monarch. He consequently feared that lebay until the closing days, learned to their cost would lose face" under the new régime left to at ribute and the public are the death to natural or unnatural causes, inclination of the according individua reader. Those who exp cted an upheaval at Peking aiming at giving to PRINCE CHING the guardianship of the Throne are naturally prone to uspicion. Let us hope that the long chapter of the venerable sate man's useful life lay not been terminated in any other than the most peaceful manner. By all for eign diplomats who have come into con. tact with him, PRINCE CRING was held in the highest respect. As the Presi lent for many years of the Tsungli-Yámen (the Board of Foreign Affairs) bis relations with the Legations were intimate. His Highness entered upon the duties of that important office, in 1884, in succession to PRINCE KUNG, a great improvement was remarked in the efficiency of that body. The author of “ The › nglishman in Chioa," the late Mr. MICHIE, whom Dr. MORRISON succeeded as Times correspondent at Peking, remarked of him: Prince CHING, though rew to public affairs, acquitted himself like a gentleman, and gained the goodwill of all the foreign Legations by bis laborious efforts to learn his work, and to bring justice and
well as
courtesy into the The PRINCE transaction of business."
in since stood high
88 reason
has
ever
As 10 88
the
Perhaps at no other time in the year does the 8.4 the present. low dollar pinch so many Friends at home have to be remembered, yearly accounts have to be met, and the necessary remittances call for a greater expenditure than is necessary when the dollar has a higher steri- It is "hard lines" that the dollar ing value. should reach its lowest exchange valus just st this time of the year, but we the bitter with the sweet.
must take
The law is a hass. So must we think whọn We read that according to a Police Court magistrate's decision the householder who is
has no legal remedy. To obtain this he must annoyed by the barking of neighbour's dog convert himself into a pedestrian, a passer-by. If he walks past the dog and it barks at him he can prosecute with some prospect of success the owner of the offending animal, but should he chance to live near to it-well, that is his mis- fortune. He must grin and bear it-unless an sccident happens to the dog.
H. E. the Governor and party had a trip to Macao yesterday, but I have not heard how they fared at ̈ yat, yee, sum, sze.'
#1
That versatile nobleman, Lord Rosslyn, has been distinguishing himself again by a system, "to break the bank," but like all the others it
1
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