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British residents in Siam, and there is naturally considerable irritation, but there are no indications at present of an organised protest. What the total British population is in Siam we have no statistics available to show, but in the five Consular districts of Bangkok, Chantabus, Saiburi and Puket, Chiengmai, and Nakawn Lampang, the total number of British subjects is nearly six thousand. Of these less than three hundred are whites. The rest are made up of Indiane, Chinese, Malays, Cingalese, Burmese, Shans, Eurasians and Tongsus. There are about 200 French citizens in Siam, but France has something like twenty thousand Asiatic subjects and protégés in the Kingdom. Germany has about the same number of white subjects as France, and America ranks next. Presumably the Siamese Government is negotiating with all the other Powers for the surrender of extra-territoriality, and naturally starts first with the Power whose influence in the country is greatest, though a beginning may be said to have been made ten years ago, for in the Treaty with Japan, negotiated in 1898, it was arranged that the jurisdiction of Japanese Consular officers over Japanes subjects in Siam should cease when thes Codes are completed. In Siam, as was the case in Japan, the surrender of extra-territoriality is viewed with great misgiving by the great majority of British subjects, who contend that the present state of the nation's progre s does not justify the step. The only word which the British Chargé d'Affaires has yet permitted himself to say on the subject is to the effect that "a moment's consideration of the exceeling liberality of Siam in certain directions
should suggest that British subjects would find their fears were *groundless." We may fairly assume that the British Government which, it is well known, has had the subject under e nsider. ation for a very long time, is well assured that the interests of its subjects in Siam are not likely to suffer by coming under Siamese jurisdiction, with such safeguards as the Treaty provides; and unless the community is able to show conclusively that this con- fidence in the Siamese Government is woefully misjudged, the outery against the surrender of extra-territoriality is no likely to carry much weight with the Home Government. It must be recognised that no Western community in an Asiatic country would compl: cently submit to deprivation of the extra-territorial rights and privileges which it has long enjoyed and it is natural that such a change should be viewed with great misgiving. Many of our readers can recall the lugubrious predictions of foreign residents in Japan when the Powers surren- dered their extra-territorial jurisdiction there, but the experience of the past eight years has justified the confidence of the Powers and it may be hoped that the results
in
the satisfactory.
case
of Siam will be no less
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
RANDOM REFLECTIONS.
[March 29, 1909.
not likely to make for clarity but to make confusion worse confounded. For in- stance if the name of Chater Street in Hongkong was changed there was surely no occasion to alter Chater Street in Kowloon. First. Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Streets in Yaumati always suggested a certain proximity which will be completely lost under the new Dames which have no advantage in clearness. Somebody might try again. The present result of renaming our streets is far from satisfactory.
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The presence of so many fighting machines in our waters would suggest that the time of peace on earth good will to all men had not yet arrived, especially so when we read the cables in the daily papers describing the agitation at home over the strength of our favy. But though we have not decided to beat our swords into ploughshares there is, nevertheless, a growing international amity which is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in our port. Here wo have
My attention was arrested on glancing welcomed the warships from most countries through a home paper the other day by a head- which possess a navy, and th past week hasing that the queue was in danger, and naturally witnessed an expression of our good feelings I read on expecting to obtain some interesting information about China from such a fertile towards representatives of other nations.
source. I was disgusted however to find that the quene was not the hinaman's plait of hair but the system of obtaining admission to unre- served portions of theatres or football matches, which it appears was threatened by the proprietors of a Manchester theatre being sum- moned for causing an obstruction. The magis- trate held that the queno was not a public nuisance, and the admission to theatres will be conducted on the old lines. So the queue is saved and we may rest content.
The cruiser Fuerst Bismarck, the flagship of the station ever since coming out here in 1900, the year she went into commission. returns to Kiel in November of this year. She will be thoroughly overhauled and then attached to the German home fleet in Baltic waters. The first-class
Scharnhorst cruiser
has been designated by the German Navy department as the flagship of the Eastern station, to take the place of the Fuerst Bismarck. The Scharnhorst is a modern warship, of recent construction, heavily armed, and displacing over 13.000 tons. will, a contemporary, says have the distinction of being the largest war vessel maintained on the Chinastation by any of the Powers. This how- ever, is not quite correct. His 's King Alfred for instance has a displacement of 14,100 tons.
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There is no doubt about it. The men of the moment in Hongkong are the American naval men. The French we see more frequently, and are always glad to welcome, but our chief interest these days is in the American sailorman with his foudness for cycling, his delight in ricsha riding, and his enthusiasm for baseball. Ho certainly has a large conception of liberty and he undoubtedly makes the most of his freedom.
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I am certain that no class appreciate the visit of the American ships more than do the ricsha coolies. Quick to spot a stranger., they have made the most of thoir possibilities with the visiting bluejackets and it is little wonder that they wear the smile which is child-like and bland. Somebody described the smile as large as their hat, but that of course is an exaggera- tion. Still, it is indicative of the fact that the richa runners are reaping a golden or rather a silver harvest. When asked how much be their simple fares they blaudly respond dollar," and in nearly every case their demands
"one
are met. Some of the visitors there were who had taken the trouble to make themselves
acquainted with the tariff. but most of the tars had to pay for their inexperience of the wily
one.
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I notice the French. Convent, not satisfied with teaching the young idea how to shoot," aims at moulding beautiful characters and lovely dispositions by giving prizes for gentle ness, for smiling, and for politeness. I have no fault to find with the staff for attending to this side of youthful training. My only regret is that their scope is so limited. Supposing the Sanitary Department and other Government departments came under their influence. Hong kong would be a veritable heaven on earth.
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There has been no little perturbation in many receipt of copies of the endless chain prayer. households in Hongkong this last week by the The recipients are requested to send a copy to nine different people, one cach day, and the result will be that on the ninth day they will experience some great joy and at the same time be delivered from great calamity. The great joy on the ninth day can be understood in the feeling of relief at having finished such a task, but the calamity, the great calamity which has been thereby averted will, I am afraid, never become known. The only satisfactory feature about the thing is that it shows there are a few simple guileless souls still to be found in the colony.
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When ladies met and compared notes as to whether they had received this precious epistle. some began to feel aggrieved that they should have been selected for what they were inclined to consider as an insult. To impugn their character and reputation by suggesting that they needed such a prayer roused the feminine ire in several instances, but I believe this will be assuaged when they reflect that their friends who did not receive it were regarded as “ past praying for."
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What has happened to our local sports? should have thought they would have been "up and doing on learning that tigers had again made their appearance in the New Territory.
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The Manila Cablenes-American declares "we will not believe that Gomez can be sent,
will be sent, or is in jail until we see him there with our own eyes." Roderick Random is not the only one who would like to know what is met by that. Does the writer expect to be sent to jail also, or does he contemplate a pleasure excursion to the place of incarceration in order to feast his eyes on the imprisoned agitator?\ American newspapermen are so enterprising that there is no telling what they will do in order to obtain copy.
Hongkong may be slow in many things, but I don't think we are likely to follow the example of the Philippine Government, which is urged to approve a bill for curtailing the work. in the ing hours of government servants afternoon It is said that it is almost impossible to do good work there, during April, May and part of June and it is proposed to limit the working hours of clerks making them from 7.30 to 12.30. We certainly do not pamper our civil servants to that extent.
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A Malay newspaper reports: "About four days ago a woman at Sungei Besi birth to three
gave children, all male. Her husband is a vegetable gardener. Two years ago she gave birth to twins."
It may be due to my ancestry, but I cannot discover the subtle connection between vegetable gardening and triplets.
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Of course we who are out in the East have no personal interest in the old age pensious which have been introduced at home. We can make enough to keep ourselves out of the workhouse, but still we can take an interest in the less fortunate people who grow old at home. The following story
was not told at the Devonian dinner. It is pfore modern. Here it is: First Old Devonshire Woman: Have 'ee been able to get your old age pension?
Second Old Woman: Ees; I had me papers, and the fela asked me if I'd ever had any property and got rid of it. I told 'en the only property I ever had was leven children, and I got rid o they, and the Lord hath a-bin pleased
to take me husband too.
There is lots of life in that conception of parentage and marriage still, in spite of the centuries.
RODERICK RANDOM.
Archdeacon Moule, of Ningpo, announces that the Bishop Hoare Memorial Chapel in Trinity College. Ningpo, will very shortly be com- Imenced. A very excellent design for a Chapel. to seat 150 persons, he says, has been prepared by Mr. H. M. Tarrant. of Shanghai and estimates have been obtained. The inclusive cost of the building, with seating. lighting etc., will be about. $9.200, towards which $7,400 has Archdeacon Moule is already been received. quite sure that the remaining 1,800 will be forthcoming, as soon as the need is realized by those who valued the life and character and the work of the late Bishop..
Gadzooks Somebody has been busy. He or she or it has worried over our street nomen clature and "to prevent confu-ion" has devised new names for a number of our thorough-fares. some instances the duplication has been remedied. but in others the change is
In