RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1973 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8910rj06r NOTES AND QUERIES WILLIAM THOMAS MERCER (1822-1879): HONG KONG'S POET LAUREATE? 151 Hong Kong, a city dedicated principally to the acquisition of wealth, has produced few, if any, English writers of quality. But it did provide a home for over twenty years for a poetaster deserving of a niche in D.B. Wyndham Lewis's anthology of bad verse, The Stuffed Owl? This colonial versifier was William Thomas Mercer, who arrived in Hong Kong in 1844 as Private Secretary to his uncle, Sir John Davis, Governor of Hong Kong, became Colonial Secretary in 1854 and remained thereafter the chief executive officer of the Colony until retirement on pension in 1867, being then only forty-five years of age.3 4 In 1869 Mercer appeared on the London literary scene as the author of Under the Peak; or, Jottings in Verse, written during a lengthened residence in the Colony of Hong Kong. This book, an octavo volume of 305 pages, was published in London by John Camden Hotten of 15lb Piccadilly. That Hotten published Mercer's innocuous poems is surprising. That Mercer should have entrusted his precious verses to such a man is even more startling. Hotten, a speculative and disreputable publisher, in 1866 took over the publication of Swinburne's Poems and Ballads after the original publisher, Moxon, had withdrawn, frightened by the clamour that arose over Swinburne's 'fleshly' poems. Hotten, who died in 1873 of 'a surfeit of pork chops', was in his day a notorious publisher of erotica and facetiae. His list included not only Swinburne and, in 1869, the 'unfleshly' Mercer, but such works as Aphrodisiacs and Anti-Aphrodisiacs and A Discourse on the Worship of Priapus. Mercer, who was described by Sir Richard Macdonnell as 'a gentlemanly, scholarly person', was in Hotten's list keeping decidedly curious company. 5 It seems likely, however, that Mercer paid for the cost of publication of Under the Peak, for Hotten was a shrewd businessman and not likely to invest his own money in such a humdrum and tame book. Mercer had, in fact, done this before. In 1867, soon after his return from Hong Kong, he had put out at his own expense Addresses presented to W.T.M., recently Acting Governor of Hong Kong; with services, testimonials, etc., a eulogistic volume prompted by pique at failure to obtain a colonial governorship. ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1974 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/x633mp077 258 LIST OF MEMBERS ORDINARY MEMBERS: LANG, F. G... LANGLEY, John A. LAYTON, F. A. L. LECLERCQ, J. M. LEE, Miss Ngah-Ping + LEE, Sung-Tai LERNER, Bernard - + LESLIE, Mrs. Elizabeth LETCHER, Dr. Roy M. LEVIN, David A. LEWIS, Mrs. Helen LI, Edwin Lao LI, Shi-yi LIM, Miss Laye Tin + + + - 43, Kadoorie Avenue, Kowloon. c/o Toronto Dominion Bank, Rooms 917-920, Hutchison House, 10, Harcourt Road, H.K. c/o The Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corp., Queen's Road, C., H.K. G.P.O. Box 13, H.K. Extra-Mural Studies Dept., University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, H.K. 36, Village Road, 3D, The Fine Mansion, Happy Valley, H.K. 601, Regent House, H.K. B-6, Royden Court, 129, Repulse Bay Rd., H.K. Department of Chemistry, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, H.K. Department of Sociology, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, H.K. 14, Conduit Road, Emerald Court 5-B, H.K. Consulate General of Costa Rice, 3, Tin Hau Temple Road, H.K. 72, La Salle Road, 2nd floor, H.K. The Grantham Hospital, Wong Chuk Hung Road, Aberdeen, H.K. LINTHWAITE, Mr. & Mrs, J. 2, The Albany, H.K. LIU, Miss Alison LIU, Sydney C. - LLEWELLYN, John LLOYD, Mrs. Aileen $. LO, Hsiang-lin LOBO, Mrs. R. H. LOCKING, J. R. LOFTS, Prof. B. - LUCAS, Col. E. S. $. - LUNDEEN, Mr. & Mrs. R. W.. LUTZ, Hans F.. MA, Prof. Meng, M.B.E. + + + + 34. Lugard Road, H.K. Apt. B-2, Swiss Towers, 113, Tai Hang Rd., H.K. Dept. of Geography and Geology, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, H.K. Flat 8A, Hamilton Court, 8, Po Shan Road, H.K. c/o Dept. of Chinese, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, H.K. Race View Mansions, Apt. 72, 46, Stubbs Road, H.K. c/o The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, Sports Road, Happy Valley, H.K. Dept. of Zoology, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, H.K. 94, Main Street, Stanley, H.K. 1101, Tavistock, 10, Tregunter Path, H.K. Tai Yuen Lau, Flat A, 3/F., Tai Pak St., Tsuen Wan, N.T. Dept. of Oriental Studies, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, H.K. ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1979 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/2801w5938 246 ORDINARY LOCAL MEMBERS HODGKISS, Dr. I. John, 17 High West, 142 Pokfulam Road, HONG KONG. HODGSON, Mr. A. F., Johnson Matthey Commodities H.K Ltd., 12A1 Far East Exchange Building, 8 Wyndham Street, HONG KONG. HODGSON, Mrs. Kirsty Hamilton, Flat E1, Marigold Court, 4 Marigold Road, Yau Yat Chuen, KOWLOON. HOLMES, Miss Jeanette E., 26 Kennedy Road, HONG KONG. HOTUNG, Mr. Eric, 10 Stanley Street, HONG KONG. HOWE, Prof. Geoffrey L., Division of Dental Studies, 1/F, Patrick Manson Building, 7 Sassoon Road, HONG KONG. HSIA, Mr. Tung Pei, P.O. Box 20027, Hennessy Road Post Office, HONG KONG. HUGALL, Miss E. Jane, David Trench Rehabilitation Centre, Occupational Therapy 3/F, 9 Bonham Road, HONG KONG. HUGHES, Ms. Anne, 5604 Cape Mansions, Mount Davis Road, HONG KONG. HULL-LEWIS, Mrs. J. M., 501 Tavistock, Tregunter Path, HONG KONG. HUYSMAN, Mr. J., Repulse Bay Apartments, A35. 101 Repulse Bay Road, HONG KONG. JARVIS, Mrs. Patricia Ann, Flat 8B, Vienna Court, 41 Conduit Road, HONG KONG. JEFFERY, Mr. M. J., New Territories Development Dept, 21st Floor Murray Building, Garden Road, HONG KONG. JOHNSON, Mr. & Mrs. P. K., c/o A.I.A., P.O. Box 444, HONG KONG. JONES, Mr. Gordon, W. E., Flat 42 Buxey Lodge, 37 Conduit Road, HONG KONG KHAN, Dr. Latiffa, Shau Kei Wan Govt. Technical School, 40 Chaiwan Road, Shaukiwan, HONG KONG. KHAN, Miss Sherifa, c/o Belilios Public School, 51 Tin Hau Temple Road, HONG KONG. KING, Miss Carol Anne, Language Centre, University of Hong Kong, HONG KONG. KIRKBRIDE, Mr. K. M. G., The Building Authority, Murray Building, 8/F, Garden Road, HONG KONG. KWAN, Mrs. Alice Wong Sau Ching, Flat 2A, 9th Floor, Beverley Heights, 67 Beacon Hill Road, KOWLOON. KWOK, Mr. Ping Leong, Kerry Trading Co. Ltd., 25/FI. American International Tower, 16-18 Queen's Road Central, HONG KONG. LACK, Mr. Alan J., Flat 1, Peak Pavilion, 12 Mount Kellett Road, HONG KONG. ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1989 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8336pm92h 168 so called Christy's Minstrels --- a famous group in the United States, yet it may be doubted severely whether it was the same one that visited Shanghai. Eight years later, the first company to come down to Shanghai from Hong Kong, where they had also been playing, was the one led by a Mr. C.R. Faylor. On February 10 1864 Lytton's The Lady of Lyons was on the bill as the opening piece, but the Herald thought it a failure in consequence of "that portion of the company which had been collected in Shanghai and pressed into service". How this is to be understood is not quite clear. Did Faylor's company consist of only a few actors, who were to be supplemented by local worthies? But then, who else could they be but amateurs, the darlings of the foreign community? However this may be, on May 9 at an evening in which also the "Royal Shanghai Ballet d'Action" [so far for fancy names!] participated, the "celebrated comedy Nature and Philosophy or Eighteen Years Labour Lost” was given. As members of the company were mentioned Mr. and Mrs. C.R. Faylor, Mr. and Mrs. E. Yeamans and Major Pegus. Amateurs almost always adopted stage names in order to hide their real identity, but with professional actors it may be assumed these names were real. 45 A more substantial contribution to the amusement of the Shanghai public was made by Lewis' Dramatic Company. It was of Australian origin and the "musical director and manager" was Charles Edouin. Other members of the group were Tilly Earl, Mrs. Gill, Lizzie Naylor, Jenny Nye, T. Andrews, Henry Birch, J.B. Creswick, W.B. Gill and nearly the whole Edouin (or, rather, Bryer) family: Julia, Rose, John and Willie. Rose (1844-1925) married G.B. Lewis and became later an actress at, among others, the Maidan Theatre in Calcutta. Her brother Willie (1846-1908; his real name was John Edward Bryer) first appeared in public when he was six; after the tour to Australia, India, China and Japan he played in Melbourne, California, New York and London.46 In 1862 the "Lewis' Equestrian Australian Troupe" had visited the port with "six of the best horses ever landed in China**,** but in 1864 the company had turned to drama and from October 6 until their departure in December an eight week season provided an unprecedented shower of farces, burlesques and even some quality pieces like Sheridan's The Rivals and the prison scene from Shakespeare's King John (Act IV, sc. 1), in which the role of prince Arthur was played by an actress, Julia Edouin, who took "the house by storm".48 The success of the company was apparently so great that they returned in March of the following 47 ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1989 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8336pm92h 248 39 NCH 14.3.1863. 40 NCH 2.5.1863. 41 NCH 17.6.1865, 24.6.1865. 42 NCH 28.3.1863. 43 For minstrel shows see: Engle; Toll. 44 NCH 13.2.1864. 43 46 NCH 7.5.1864. cf Dictionary of National Biography, Suppl. 2, Vol. I, p. 545. Here it is mentioned that the touring group was disbanded in 1863, but this is obviously incorrect. 47 NCH 15.2.1862. Could it be that the originator of this Company was the same as "G.B.W. Lewis", who built the Astley Amphitheatre in Melbourne in 1854? Cf MacGuire, p. 97, n. 1. 43 NCH 19.11.1864. 49 Smith, p. 243. 50 SCR 5.5.1865. 51 NCH 14.1.1865. 52 SCR 25.1.1865. Probably they first tried their luck in Macao, but there the public interest was very small on February 11 and the next day the performance had even to be cancelled (BGM 13.2.1865). 53 of Appleton, p. 54; about the decline of the benefit system see Troubridge, p. 87ff. 34 Performance 24.3.1852. NCH 27.3.1852. 53 36 NCH 26.1.1856. NCH 28.2.1861. Letter to the "Daily Shipping & Commercial News" 27.12.1861; see also NCH 9.10.1858. 47 Carse, p. 70; this was in the 1851-1852 season. Biographical data are given in Fétis, Vol. VII, p. 229; Born in Bordeaux, 11.5.1815; he was admitted to the Conservatoire de Paris, 25.10.1830, where he became a pupil of the famous flautist Jean Louis Tulou. In 1832 he won the first prize in a competition for his qualités précieuses: beau son, reticulation brilliante dans les traits et belle manière de phraser. He spent part of his life in Britain, where he was engaged as the first flautist of the "Théâtre de la Reine". This should not read Queen's Theatre (as it is translated by Riemann and others), but Her Majesty's Theatre at the Haymarket. In Fétis it is stated that the theatre closed in 1853; in fact it closed for the season 1852-1853 (Howard, P. 111). Rémusat subsequently returned to France to become a member of the Théâtre Lyrique orchestra (Théâtre de la Gaîté-Lyrique?). Pougin, in the Supplement (Vol. II, p. 403) however doubts this: "Je ne sais si le fait est exact; en tout cas Rémusat n'aurait pas tardé à retourner en Angleterre, car en 1856 j'ai connu cet excellent artiste à Londres où il occupait une brilliante situation". He died in Shanghai 1.9.1880. Besides being a soloist he composed a number of concertinos, fantasias, etc for his own instrument. 58 Supplement to Fétis by Pougin, Vol. II, p. 403. of note 57. 59 BGM 4.6.1866, 18.6.1866. 60 Lang, p. 51. 61 A concert of the Philharmonic Society on 26.2.1867 is mentioned in NCH 23.3.1867. 42 NCH 26.2.1859. ================================================================================