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December 11, 1909.]
RANDOM REFLECTIONS.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
years for a reply to its proposals. One would have thought that the Government would have been reminded that St
The sporting festival is concluded, Andrew's Day has been duly celebrated, and we have got back to ordinary life.
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swer had been received to a certain letter. That * seems an ordinary business view of the matter, but possibly the explanation has Aye, there were some sair heids on Wednes-not been full enough. day morning. It was not Scotch, whisky that could be blamed on this occasion. Strange though it may seem, the Scot's beverage takes second place at the Scottish festival to the wine of France. Champagne was first favourite, and whether it affects the head or the feet the result is always the same. There is always plenty of in the dances and the "hooching "would gladden the heart of any Scot fresh from Home.
"life
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The strathspey and reel weut better than was expected. The music of the Buffs was all that could be desired for that dance, and everything passed off most successfully.
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Hongkong secured the cricket honours, but the tennis honours went to the Straits. It was
a big surprise to see Carr, our local cham ion, failing to make a stand against Cox, who, with out doubt, is the finest player we have seen here. His service was practically untakeable, and the precision and force with which he made. the ball skim the net were little short of mar- vellons. Moreover, his every stroke was clean and free, and it was a pleasure to watch his play.
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Council were particularly happy on Thursday. I am told that the orators at the Legislative The clock ceased work and its warning hands did not remind speakers of the speeding of the minutes.
Irish. On Saturday night he gave “a lesson in Sir Henry May is happiest when he is most Iish" at the Y. M. C. A. and slipped into a beautiful Irishism in the course of one of the stories he was relating. He said a certain landlord was dressed in a pair of brown boots!
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Those who heard "Sir Henry's concluding story on Saturday night went home happy. It was particularly good and is worth giving. An Irish teacher complained to a her son Micky was dirty. He's not only dhirty, but he shmells." "Shmells," exclaimed the indignant mother, my Micky's not a rose. You've not to shmell him; you've to larn him."
mother
that
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RODERICK RANDOM.
HONGKONG.
House Hotel, has been registered to practise Dr. C. M. Heanley, who resides at the Astor medicine and surgery in this Colony.
coming races arrived from Shanghai by the s.s.
A batch of seventeen griffins for the forth
Hangsang on Saturday.
Apropos of St. Andrew's Ball there is an interesting article on "Ancient Highland Spas" in the British Medical Journal, in which the story is told of the dancing cure as it was prac- tised many years ago in Strathspey. A Highland shepherd, one Donald M'Alpin, a famous dancer, was reputed to have cured his mistress of a mysterious malady by dancing a reel with her, and this story being noised abroad gained him
Mr. W. A. Rublee, the successor of Dr. the reputation of being a successful physician. Wilder, as American Consul-General at Hong- His humble cottage was besieged with crowds | kong, arrived by the Siberia on Monday accom of patients, and he soon had a thriving practice.panied by Mrs. Rublee and family. He engaged as assistant an ancient piper, who did the duties of apothecary, and the two evolved a course of treatment for almost every ill to which the flesh is heir. All these different processes terminated in the patient being wrapped up in warm blankets, and the doses of medicine and dancing were repeated according to the patient's constitution and disease, This was Christian Science before the days of Mrs. Eddy, and even in Hongkong the strath- spey and the more popular waltz are cure for mysterious maladies to this day.
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Mr. Denman Fuller gave an organ recital in St. John's Cathedral on Tuesday to a large and appreciative antience. The soloist was Badeley, who was in fine voice and rendered her numbers most effectively.
H.E. the Governor, together with HE Major General Broadwood and staff, dined at the officers mess of the 13th Rajputs on Tuesday A guard of honour and the band welcomed the distinguished visitors on their arrival.
At the Magistracy on Dec. 8 Mr. J. R. Wood committed a Chinese man and woman for trial bringing a boy fifteen years of age into the at the Criminal Sessions on the charge of Colony from Canton, and attempting to sell him for $40.50.
Dear me! Is the Legislative Council des- cending to the level of the Sanitary Board? It certainly looks like it when a whole afternoon is given to a full dress debate, an oratorical pyrotechnic_display, on the abatement of a
A Chinese who was arrested at West Point nuisance. Reminds one of the thrilling discus-
last week on a charge of stealing a diamond sions sometimes heard at Home as to the condi-ring, a pair of gold bangles and $51, and ad tion of the parish pump.
Perhaps it was because the subject under notice was comparatively unimportant that the debate at the Council on Thursday was so enter- taining. Our new knight was entrusted with the official explanation of the "nuisance," and scored when he pointed out that the term was not rightly applied. His attempt to "turn the tables was not quite so successful. The Star Ferry Company's matshed is no doubt a worthy object of ridicule, but to suggest that the advertisement alluded to was a reference to some new brand of whisky was rather a far- fetched attempt at the facetious on the part of the Colonial Secretary. An Irishman ought to be more conversant with the different products of the still. But one wonders with whose eyes the valiant critic looked at the advertisement when he read "millinery and underwear." I have studied the advertisement carefully more than once and have never been able to interpret it as Sir Henry has done.
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From what transpired in the course of Thurs- day's debate it would appear that the Star Ferry Company have been anxious for quite a long time to replace the matshed on their wharf with a more permanent structure, but the Government have neither said yea nor nay. That sounds all right, but one fails to appre- ciate the attitude of a company desirous of improving its property being content to wait
mitted to bail in the sum of $500, failed to put in an appearance at the Magistracy on Saturday, and his bail was estreated.
Leiut. E. P. H. Pardoe, R.M.L.I., and Mr. A. Rodger, President of the V.R C., have been appointed members of the committee for the Wongneicheong and Queen's Recreation Grounds, in succession to Lieut C. B. Mulling, R. M. L. I., and Mr. Armstrong.
A native who attempted to palm a brass, finger ring on to a pawnbroker at Yaumati as gold was charged before Mr. E. R. Hallifax at the Magistracy on Monday with endeavouring to obtain money by false pretences. He pleaded guilty to the charge, and was ordered to pay a fine of $20.
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College of Medicine held on Tuesday Dr. R. At a meeting of the Court of the Hongkong MacLean-Gibson, Superintendent of the Alice Memorial and Affiliated Hospitals, was appointed Secretary. Dr. J. C. Thomson, who is about to leave the Colony, held the position for
many years.
A lukong who was on patrol duty in the New Territory on Sunday, observing four suspicious looking characters, stopped and searched them. On one man he found a loaded revolver, and took the possessor to the Yaumati l'olice Station. The man was charged before Mr. E. R. Hallifax at the Magistracy on Monday with carrying firearms without a licence, and a fine of $10 was imposed.
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Thirteen natives appeared before Mr. J. R. Wood at the Magistracy on Tuesday on a charge of gambling at No. 289, Queen's Road Central, The defendants were found guilty and the two keepers of the same game were fined $100 each, and each of the players $5. The amount found on the table, $592, was confiscated.
pect to Ordinance No. 3 of 909.-An Ordin- to exercise his power of disallowance with res- His Majesty the King has not been advised
ance to amend the Evidence Ordinance, 1889; Ordinance No. 24 of 1919.-An Ordinance to amend the Rating Ordinance, 1901; and Or- dinance No. 25 of 1909.-An Ordinance to amend the Dogs' Ordinance, 1893,
An Indian watchman at the Taikoo Docks, observing a coolie attempting to leave the works with a length of electric cable, endeavoured to arrest him. In the struggle which followed the coolie vanquished the watchman and made his Chin Lung, and on appearing before Mr. E, R. escape. But he was subsequently arrested at Hallifax at the Magistracy on Monday was sen- tenced to three weeks' imprisonment with hard labour.
The election of directors of the Tung Wa Hospital by the Chinese residents for 1910 took place on Monday at noon, at the hall of that institution. Mr. Lau Chu Pak was given with one exception all the votes for the Chairmanship, and his appointment was proclaimed with great applause. It attests the popularity of Mr. Lau Chu Pak that his compatriots should load
time to their discharge. him with so many public duties, and it is to his credit that he is willing to give so much of his
The police crusade against gamblers continues, and two more batchies were placed in the dock at the Magistracy on Dec. 8th. Of the twelve charged before Mr. Hallifax the keeper was fined $10, and each of the eleven players $2. Another batch of 22, which included one woman, were placed before Mr. J. R. Wood. These law breakers were arrested by Detective-Ser- geant Appleton at No. 17, Tung Man Lane. The first two defendants, the keepers, were fined $200 each, while each of the players were ordered to pay a fine of -5.
The return showing the storage of water in the reservoirs of the city and hill districts of gallons as compared with 629,980,000 last year; the Colony on the 1st instant shows 696,473,000
but an increased consumption for the month of November is shown, the rate per head per day working out at 23.1 gallons this November as compared with 21.5 in the same month last year. A the Kowloon waterworks the storage on the 1st instant, was 246,792,000 gallons, which is 86,682,000 gallons more than on the same date last year, while the consumption per head per day in November was 8.9 gallons" as compared with 11 2 in November last year.
The returns of the average amount of bank notes in circulation and of specie in reserve in Hongkong, during the month ended 30th November, 1909, as certified by the manager of the respective banks are as follow :—
Banks.
Chartered Bank of India,
Average Specie in Amount.
Reserve.
4,357,989 4,400,000
Australia and Chins Hongkong and Shanghai National Bank of China,
Banking Coporation... 11,460,714 13,000,000
Limited
Total,
51,336 Nil. .$16,469,492 17,800,000
Mr. E. H. Hinds, who is leaving Hongkong on the 15th inst. for Home, after eleven years residence in the Colony, was entertained by a the Hongkong Club on Saturday night. The large number of friends at a farewell dinner at
and Mr. A. Shelton Hooper, the vice-chair. Hon. Mr. E. A. Hewett occupied the chair
In proposing the toast of the evening the which Mr. Hinds is so widely held in the Colony Chairman gave expression to the esteem in
alike on account of his qualities as a sport and his enterprise and ability as a business man. ; Immediately underneath the menu was a quota- tion from Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra:
Let it alone: let's to billiards," and the com- pany accordingly adjourned to the billiard room after dinner, when Mr. Hinds played a game with Mr. Beattie. He was in capital form and gave an exhibition of play worthy of his reputation as a billiard player.
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