"
Imagine a meeting of missionaries being asked sing "Oh Gold, our help in ages past. Although it may be quite true, we do not associate such candour with our missionary friends; yet the incident, I am told, is one of those things not mentioned by the press which happened at a recent college function. Doubtless they will not risk receiving such a shock again at the hands of their Chinese typists.
At one of those missionary meetings of which I have been speaking the visitors were handed a long sheet of paper printed in Chinese. Apparently it set forth the objects of the meeting, and to most of those present it was unintelligible. Still it was not altogether
1
useless, for after holding one end up to her nose and the other stretched out at arm's length, a lady turned to a friend and exclaimed Why, it is a yard long." She seemed quite pleased that she had found a new measure.
ནཱ་-་:༦
Although the Hongkong Football Club is to some extent overshadowed by the League at present, there is no doubt that it still stands for sport. What more magnanimous action could one have wished than the course it adopted in handing over the cup presented by Mrs. David to the shield committee to be awarded the runners up. I hope they will continue to
the lead in sporting circles.
Hongkong knows something of the walking craze round the island and will therefore be able to appreciate the following comment taken from a Penang paper. This correspondent writes: have read a paragraph in your issue of the 21st Deo, to the effect that a gentleman connected with a local firm of brokers walked round the Island of Penang yesterday in rather less than sixteen hours. I have been trying to think it out and it worries me a good deal. Why did he walk round the Island in rather less than six. teen hours? As it was an Island he was walking around he had to come back to the same place as he started from, hadn't he? then why did he not stop where he was for the sixteen hours? A friend of mine suggests that somebody he had sold shares to was chasing him, or that his wife was out playing bridge and he was dummy. Another man says perhaps he had forgotten where he had left his cigarette case and was out looking for it. My wife says that if one walks round in a circle, it is impossible to remember the exact spot on the circle you started from, and that is why he did it. Will you please let me know the real reason so that I can get to sleep again."
RODERICK RANDOM.
HONGKONG.
The total amount subscribed by Peak residents as a Christmas box for division among the employees of the Peak Tramway was $443.
At the Magistracy on Jan. 12 Mr. J. H. Kemp fined a houseboy $10 for wantonly ill-using a dog by pouring hot water over it. The prosecutor was Mr. C. H. Gale of No. 1, Des Voeux Villa, the Peak.
His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to appoint Lieut. H. W. Green, 2nd battalion, The Buffs, as the military member of the committee for the Wongneicheong and Queen's Recreation Grounds, vice Lieut. G. R. Home.
The Board of Directors of the Y.M.C.A. have renominated the following gentlemen to serve for a further period of three years:- Hon. H. W. Slade, Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Dr. A P. Wilder, Rev. F. T. Johnson and Mr. A. S. D.. Cousland. They have also nominated Mr. A. H. Harris and Mr. J. R.. Wood to fill
Vacancies.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
The annual Flower and Vegetable Show of the Hongkong Horticultural Society is an- nounced for the 26th and 27th February.
Mr. James Scott, senior partner in the firm of Messrs Butterfield and Swire, left Hongkong on the 9th inst. for Shanghai by the steamer. Mongolia. Mr. Scott was accompanied by Mrs. | Scott, and his son Mr. Colin Scott.
Lady Lugard has been seriously ill since the new year, and last week her condititon was con- sidered somewhat dangerous. Dr. Jordan's re- Ports during the last few days have been more reassuring, but her ladyship's condition is not yet entirely satisfactory.
The necessary papers from the Viceroy of Canton in connection with the application for the surrender of Leung Tsat to the Chinese Authorities on a charge of armed robbery, having been handed to Mr. J. H. Kemp, his Worship on Jan. 13 committed the defendant to jail pending the decision of His Excellency the Governor regarding his surrender.
The extract of meteorological observations made at the Hongkong Observatory during the month of December 1908, shows that we had an average maximum temperature during that month of 67.9 deg., and an average minimum temperature of 59.5 degrees. The rainfall for the month was 4.285 inches, (which appears to be a record for 25 years), and we had 101.7 hours of sunshine.
Mr. A. N. Huke who for the past seventeen years has been associated with the bookselling business of Messrs. W. Brewer & Co., of Hongkong and Shanghai, severed his connection with the firm at the end of the year and left with Mrs. Huke for England on Jan. 12 by the Blue Funnel steamer Theseus. Coming out in 1891, Mr. Huke was attached to the Shanghai been admitted to partnership, he came down to branch for four and a half years and thou having Hongkong where he has since remained in charge of the business here. Mr. and Mrs. Huke have a wide circle of friends in the Colony and many were present at the wharf to bid them bon voyage.
Returns of the average amount of bank notes in circulation and of specie in reserve in Hongkong, during the month ended 31st December, 1908, as certified by the managers of the respective banks, are as under :—
BANKS.
AVERAGE SPECIE IN AMOUNT RESERVE.
·
$2,800,000
Chartered Bank of India,
Australia and China, $3,735,318 Hongkong and Shanghai
Banking Corporation...16,776,952 13,000,000 National Bank of China.
73,056
Nil.
Total,. $20,585.326 15,800,000 At the prize presentation at Queen's College on Jan. 15 there was on view on the platform on which His Excellency the Governor was seated a to Dr. Stewart, headmaster of the Central massive silver cup which, in 1878, was presented School (now Queen's College), by his pupils on his promotion to the position of Colonial Secretary With the cup were presented ad- dresses and emblematical embroideries. The Doctor accepted the embroideries, but declined the cap on account of its great value. After being in the possession of the trustees for many years, the сир has now been handed over to Queen's College. Apart from its historic associations this trophy is interesting as a specimen of Chinese workmanship now very rarely seen.
From Tsui Kang village, Santin, close to the Chinese boarder, word was forwarded to the Central Police Station on Jan, 14th of an armed robbery which occurred there early yesterday morning. Four natives, one armed with a revolver and the other three with choppers, A good number of music lovers attended forced an entrance into a dwelling occupied by Herr Premyslav's violin recital in t. an old woman and a little girl. The inmates Andrew's Hall on Wednesday. His playing was
were aroused by the noise caused by the forcing greatly appreciated, as he revealed a
of the door, and when the robbers entered the derful mastery of the instrument, and one who carried the revolver fired two shots at the woman. Another of the bandits clove her skull with a chopper while the other two proceeded to ransack the house. The robbers departed with everything of value they could collect, and it is feared they have crossed the river into Chinese territory, and thus made
won-
his work was finished and artistic. Its distinguishing feature was the richness of tone. The Virtuoso was assisted at the piano by Mrs. J. Cochrane, with whom he was also associated in the three opening selections from Greig Herr Premyslav responded to two
encores.
their
escape.
January 18, 1909.1
"Will your Lordship adjourn this case sine die?" Mr. Dennys, Jr., asked Mr. Ins Gompertz in the Summary ourt on Jan. 8th. He followed his application with the remark believe the defendant is dead," which caused a smile to pass over the features of the Judge, and provoked a laugh from members of the bar. *
A rule made by His Excellency the Governor- in- ouncil under Section (1) of the Stamp Or- dinance, 1908, states:-On and from the fourth day of January, 1909, the stamp duty payable. in respect of any godown warrant or receipt, being of the nature of an agreement, shall be ten cents in place of one dollar as in Article 2 in the first schedule to Ordinance No. 38 of 1902.
+
Newlands," erected-about two years ago on a commanding site in Con duit Road, was purchas- ed on Jan. 15 at public auction by Mr. H. N. Mody for $45,000. It was a sale by order of the Mortgagors. The two lots comprised in the sale
measure approximately 63,118 square feet, and the price works out at a little over 71 cents and subject to the agreements and conditions of per square foot. The property is held under sale under which the land was purchased from the Crown at public auction, and the purchaser is entitled to apply for and obtain Crown leases of the lots for terms of 75 years each. The Crown rents payable on the two lots amount to $435.41 per annum. Messrs. Hughes and Hough were the auctioneers.
A daring armed robbery and kidnapping story comes from Kat Island, near Shatankok. On the 11th instant a native sold a small boy to a boatman there for a sum of $80, and it appears that during the bargaining before the sale was effected he took careful stock of the craft and learned the future movements of the seaman. Next day he returned to the island with five
other natives all of whom were armed with revolvers and choppers. The band of robbers overpowered the boatman, carried off valuables to the amount of $60 and also kidnapped the boy who was sold on the previous day and the boat- man's two young daughters. On the matter being reported to the Police at Shaukiwan Inspector Cameron immediately set detectives
on the trail with the result that two men have
·
been arrested and the children have been re- covered. The case was called on before Mr. J. H. Kemp at the Magistracy on the 14th inst,, and the hearing was adjourned.
In the busiest part of Queen's Road Central at four o'clock on Monday afternoon, a daring attempt was made by three Chinese to relieve a visitor of his ready cash. Evidently the thieves had been watching a money changer's stall and saw the complainant change $200 Singapore coinage into Hongkong money. He had not proceeded far along the street with his change blinded him by throwing pepper in his eyes, One man when the rogues accosted him.
while the other two made a bold attempt to clutched this tightly, however, while his cry wrest his bag of money from him, The visitor
of "thief," soon secured assistance from among the passers-by. Finding their efforts fruitless the robbers hastily decamped. and although all were pursued only one man was arrested. He was charged before Mr. J. H. Kemp at the Magistracy on Jan. 12, and the hearing of the case was adjourned.
The water return shows that in the five Hongkong reservoirs of Tytam, Tytam Bye- wash, Tytam. Intermediate, Pokfulum and . Wong-nei-chung there were on 1st Jan stored 549,968,000 gallons as against 577,894,000 in the corresponding month of the previous year. The consumption in the ity and Hill District during the month of December was 135,540,000 in the same month last yearDuring the last or 210 gallons per head as against 20 3 per head two years there has been a constant supply throughout the city in December, which is satisfactory when compared with the intermit- tent supplies of preceding years. ~The return of consumption is subject to error owing to the difficulty of accurate measurements whilst the extension works at Albany filter beds are progress. In Kowloon reservoir there were stored on Jan. 1st 162,341,000 gallons as com pared with 132,500,000 a year before, while the consumption during December amounted | to 28,923,000 gallons or 10'8 per head as compared with 84 per head in the previous December.
in