RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1982
https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mk61z420p
Smashed up the matsheds over at Kowloon; And here, perhaps, I may be allowed to say Apropos of nothing in the play,

These Kowloon matsheds are a perfect bane; They're hot and stuffy and let in the rain; And oh! those musical and parched mosquitoes When they are hungry, don't they fairly us.

The British soldiers should have bricks and mortar.

Our Ayrun* brother has them, then we oughter.

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Then there were the opinions of life at the lower end of the military hierarchy. Giacomo and Beppo treat sarcastically the soldiers' life — they have just been encouraged to "go and enlist — you'll have extensive pay". Giacomo replies:

And get boiled beef for dinner every day.

A soldier's life ain't quite all beer and skittles, There's too much guard and not enough o' vittles.

And as for Beppo:

Me be a soldier not much. I couldn't stick it What price the slow march in defaulter's piquet, Instruction drill and then fatigues, although We don't mind working for the good old P. and O.** I rather fancy we should greatly like

To see the coolies go again on strike.

A dollar a day, more beer than we can carry

Is better than parade in Happy Valley

If that were all they did I would enlist.

The long delayed unveiling of the Queen Victoria Jubilee statue† in Statue Square drew comment when Fra Diavolo, being pounced upon by villagers, expresses surprise:

Well, landlord, may I beg an explanation Of this great rising of the population? Perhaps another statue has been found

* Native Indian troops also stationed at Kowloon,

** During a coolie strike in 1895 soldiers were used to load and unload cargoes.

†The statue was commissioned in 1890. It was not unveiled until May 1896.
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