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way which exists there. The Bill now before the Council gives the Governor-in-Council power to deprive the public of that right.
That is a nice little dispute that is going on between Mr. Ure, K. C., Solicitor General for Scotland, and Mr. Balfour. The latter declared that Mr. Ure had made scandalous state-
ments and that he had dishonoured his profes- sion and his office, while Mr. Ure replied that Mr. Balfour had dishonoured his high position by stooping to the meanest calumny in order to escape a political embarrassment of his own creation. Suggests uric acid (with capital U),
doesn't it?
son,
This week I have been glancing through a book published in America bearing the title of "The Chinese," written by a Mr. J. S. Thomp who incidentally mentions that he had the pleasure of staying a year and a half at the luxurious and hospitable Hongkong Club, Consequently Mr. Thompson will probably be known to many Hongkong residents. He has given to the world his recollections of Hong kong. Much has been said about the Colony that is nice, and a good deal that is quite the reverse. It is interesting, perhaps, to know that Hongkong is "a dozen higher and grander Gib- raltars clustered together, and the architecture of the Colony is the grandest in the Far East.” His description of social life in the Colony,
the "Pompeiian luxuries of bathing in Junk Bay, and a three page account of a St. Andrew's Ball. He says it is worth leaving Saigon with its transplanted opera to attend this great ball, but I think local Scotsmen, when they read the description, would prefer that men of Mr. Thompson's type would remain away. It may be that he was striving to be humourous, but in places he becomes distinctly libellous.
includes references
to
RODERICK RANDOM.
HONGKONG.
For being in possession of 200 rounds of ammunition a Chinese was on Nov. 2nd fined $100.
The Cameron Highlanders will go under canvas at Stonecutters during their ten days' stay in Hongkong.
A Chinese arrested on board one of the steamers for having a loaded revolver and several rounds of ammunition was at the Magistracy on Nov. 4 fined $50; --
A native was on Nov. 4 charged with dealing in Hankow lottery tickets and with announcing a lottery. He was fined $25 for the first offence and was remanded on the second.
A Chinese shopkeeper was at the Magistracy on Nov. 2 fined $50 for having unjust scales in use. They were four per cent. against the pur- chaser.
A Chinese detective who deserted from Pingshan in the New Territory some time ago was arrested on Nov. 2nd and brought into Hongkong.
A robbery with violence took place in Queen's Road East, on Tuesday, when two men entered a house, gagged and bound the inmate and stole a quantity of clothing.
The Dancing Season in Hongkong may be said to have been inaugurated on Saturday evening by the very successful dance given at Kingsclere.
The return of cases of communicable diseases in the Colony during the past week shows one European (imported) and one Japanese case of enteric fever and one Chinese case of puerperal
fever.
His Excellency the Governor has, under Section 4 of th Liquors rdinance, 1909, specified Tai O as a port or place into which or from which dutiable liquors and denatured spirits may be imported or exported.
It is reported that Mr. Wai Chun Ting and others of Hongkong have applied to the Viceroy of Canton through the Taotai of Industries for a grant of land at Taishatau, close to the terminus of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, in order to create a trading port there, The matter is under the consideration of the Viceroy.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
The ten men arrested in connection with the
armed robbery which took place recently at West Point were brought before the Magistrate on Nov. 2nd. Three were discharged, but the remaining seven, pleading guilty, were remanded for a week.
An amusing episode took place at the Ma gistracy on Nov. 1st when a Chinese was called to enter the box to give evidence. Instead of stepping up as expected, he fell on his knees and was in the act of performing some elaborate ceremonial when the policeman intervened and pulled him to his feet.
At the Supreme Court on Oct. 29 Mr. S. Smith, Kowloon Dock, was sued by a house coolie formerly in his employ for $12 wages, It was stated that the plaintiff left the defen- dant's service without notice on the 1st Septem ber and was claiming for that month's wages. His Honour the Paisne Judge gave judgment for defendant.
Mr. Colbourne Little, Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, who for the past. five or six years has been an Assistant Engineer in the Public Works Department, has left the Government service, and announces that he has started in business on his own account as an Architect and Civil Engineer with offices in Bank Buildings.
and Mrs. Fairbanks at dinner on Friday at
His Excellency ths Governor entertained Government House, the guests including Mrs. Fuller and Mr. Stuart Fuller, General Broad- of Macclesfield, Mr. and Mrs. Hewett, Captain wood, Captain Heathcote, the Earl and Countess
S.M.S. Kaiserin Elizabeth, Mr. and Mrs. Bolles, von Skerl, S.M.S. Panther, Captain Hansa, Mr. and Mrs. May, and Captain Nicholas,
H.M.S. Flora.
A curious ground for action was mentioned at the Supreme Court on Oct. 29, when it was stated that the defendant had committed tres- pass on plaintiff's property and painted his name in Chinese characters on certain granite stones belonging to plaintiff, Plaintiff's solicitor complained that the characters had been painted in tar on the stones and the tar could not be got off, and that the granite was rendered un- saleable. The hearing was fixed for next week.
[November 8, 1909.
Three men charged with complicity in the armed robbery committed at Kantao last month, when they stole property to the value of $1,000 and brutally assaulted an old man and his daughter, were on Nov. 4th committed for trial.
A curions loss was reported from the Charles Hardouin on Sunday morning. The Police have been informed that "while two bullocks were being landed from the steamer they were lost."
Did they disappear through the gangway, or were they taken up into the clouds ?
The eighteen men charged before Mr. Wood at the Magistracy for being on the steamer Cyclops without permission were on Nov. 4th discharged, his Worship holding that anybody had a right to go on board when the gangway was lowered if they had business there. It was for the shipping people to challenge anybody coming on board.
Another instance of the long arm of the law aine to light on Thursday when a man named Li Fuk was arrested by Chinese detective Li Fuk on a charge of having with others conspired to defraud a certain man of $10,000. The offence was committed in 1906, and he has only been discovered now. He appeared before the Magistrate on Thursday, when bail was fixed at
$5,000 cash and two securities of $7,000 each.
A shroff from the Hongkong and Shanghai Magistracy yesterday charged with the larceny Banking Corporation was brought up at the of $250. It is alleged that a depositor went to deposit this sum at the bank and the defendant d'Almada, from the office of Messrs. Golding, on taking the money made a false entry. Mr. Leo
and the hearing was adjourned until Saturday. Barlow, and Morrell, appeared for the defence
An interesting case came before Mr. Wood at the Magistracy when a Chinese boy was charged with being in unlawful possession of a golf ball. Defendant offered the ball, which was a new one and had never been hit, to Mr. Robinson at the Happy Valley golf course for sale, but that gentleman refused to have it. Mr. R. 0. Hutchison, who was in the neighbourhood, sent the boy to the Police Station in charge of a district watchman. Defendant told the Magis- trate that he had picked up the ball at Deep Water Bay, and his Worship, after cautioning the boy, discharged him.
Six weeks' imprisonment and six hours in the stocks was the punishment meted out on Satur- A peculiar story was told to Mr. Hallifax at the Magistracy on Nov. 4, when an accountant day by Mr. Wood to a compositor who stole a quantity of type from the office of the Hong-was charged with the theft of 1,000 bricks. The kong Daily Press. The thief was exposed in defendant was discharging bricks from a junk Des Voeux Road near the Daily Press Office, alongside a piece of land at Kowloon near to the and three other rogues were seated with him. place where complainant had his bricks stacked. One was found guilty of embezzlement and be- Defendant told his coolies to take some of the sides a term in the stocks was sentenced to six bricks from complainant's stack and place them mouths' imprisonment. The second and third with the others which were being unloaded. were sentenced to similar terms, one for return- This was done. As the complainant had missed ing from banishment, and the other for larceny from the person.
The booming of guns the other night caused people to wonder whether Hongkong was being attacked. It appears that the cause of the unusual roar of artillery was the desire of the Naval and Military Authorities for a little practice. A torpedo boat went beyond the harbour limits and attempted to pass Belcher's Fort in returning without being observed. on guard, however, men
were too wide awake, and the detection of the destroyer was the signal for a blank fire and a flashing of the searchlights on an imaginary enemy, whose fate would have been sealed had it been a reality.
The
#
A problem that would have taxed the wisdom of Solomon to solve came before Mr. Hallifax at the Magistracy on Nov. I when two women were charged with the theft of rice from a certain piece of land. The first defendant, however. asserted that she paid rent for the land to Government, and when the Magistrate appealed to Inspector Collett for information the latter replied that both the complainant and the defendant paid rent to the Government for the same plot of land. The complainant, however, had sown the paddy and the defendant had reaped it. The Public Works Department had no survey of the land. Inspector Collett assisted the Magistrate out of the dilemma by offering to withdraw the charge until he could ascertain to whom the land really belonged. His Worship readily assented to the suggestion and the case was withdrawn.
a
quantity of his bricks he caused a watch to be set, with the result that defendant was discovered yesterday causing complainant's superior bricks to be stolen from the stack and placed with his inferior bricks.
The Water Return for the 1st of November, communicated to us on Nov. 5th, represents a great improvement on its predecessors, and upon the return for the corresponding date of last year. All the reservoirs were above over- flow-Tytam to the extent of 2ft. 6žin. and Tytam bye-wash 2ft. 6in. The storage on the island
to of Hongkong amounted 742,211,000 gallons, which is nearly twenty million gallons more than on the corresponding date last year. There had been an inter- mittent supply in the rider main districts up to October 25th, but since then a constant supply has been given. On the Kowloon side. the return shows the water in the gravita- tion reservoir to have been 12ft. 2in. below as compared with 20ft. below overflow, overflow last year, and the storage 176 million gallons last year and 237 millions this. In short, on the island we had on the 1st November six months supply in the storage reservoirs, and on months' supply.
*
was
the Kowloon side ten
It is officially advertised in the Shanghai newspapers that by order of the Postmaster. General of the United States the fee for registered mail matter has been fixed at Ten cents U. S. Gold for each piece, in addition to the regular postage.