RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1994 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/zk522640g 21 economic growth of the colony "While naturally trading for their own benefit, they think that they may justly claim to have contributed in no small way to the development, growth of prosperity of the Colony, and in their capacity as peaceful traders they consider themselves and their businesses a valuable asset to the community It has taken decades of hard work to create such an asset which they consider particularly valuable to the Colony since they have as impartial traders been instrumental to a great extent in attracting to this part business from all quarters of the globe thereby promoting British trade more than that of any other nation." As reasonable as this argument might seem to those who could differentiate between trade and politics, it found no sympathetic response among those who were responsible for the defence of the island and the patriotic call of God and King (CO129/144, p.573 No.520005) The letter was signed by the following firms with the date of their founding: Siemssen and Co. 1848 Arnhold, Karberg and Co. 1865 Melcher and Co. 1866 Sander, Wiele and Co. F. Blackhead and Co. 1854 Reuter, Brockelmann and Co. 1846 Garrels, Borner and Co. 1860 William Meyerink and Co. 1889 Carlowitz and Co. 1866 Deutsche-Asiatische Bank 1900 Carl Bodiker and Co. 1860 Raderkers and Co. 1868 The Medical Hall 1853 Jebsen and Co. 1894 Berblinger and Co. 1908 Bume and Reif 1905. Ferd. Bornemann and Co, 1888 Kruse and Co 1868 C.M. Schellhass Hans Schubart G. Prien 1880 Ulerup and Schluter 1905 China Export Import and Bank Compagnie 1856 Charles J. Gaupp 1859 ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1994 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/zk522640g 47 that of the New World Hotel. A soap factory was built on Shaukiwan Marine Lot which the company purchased at a Crown Land Sale in 1890 (DP 29 June, 6 August 1890) In a series of articles on Hong Kong Industries published in the Hong Kong Telegraph the writer chides British reluctance to invest capital in Hong Kong and cites the soap factory as another case in which German enterprise had outstripped that of the British (HKT 10 September 1895) At the time of the forced liquidation of German firms in 1914 the partners of Blackhead & Co were F H Hohnke, then of Hamburg, E H Thiel and J E Danielsen. Hohnke had been a partner since about 1888. At about the same time a son of the founder joined the firm. After Germany acquired the concession at Tsingtao, Mr Hohnke went there to open a branch of the firm (DP 7 March 1905). German Watchmakers Charles Weiss, Gaupp and Co The first shopkeeper in Hong Kong with a German-sounding name was Charles Weiss. Aberdeen Street second in the list of foreigners on the China coast published in the Chinese Repository in 1845 gives his nationality as German. In May of the previous year he advertises himself as "Charles Weiss, Chronometer and watchmaker from London and Geneva, Oswald's Hill opposite Gibb, Livingston and Co." This would be in the vicinity of the present Aberdeen Street (FC 24 May 1844) Two months later he moved a bit down hill to the corner of Graham and Wellington Streets (FC 24 July 1844) His brother Alexander A took charge of the business in 1853 during a temporary absence of Charles (FC 6 July 1853). Charles left Hong Kong permanently in 1856 and transferred his business to Henni Vaucher, formerly of Canton (FC 2 June 1856) Henni Vaucher was either French or Swiss; he had been a clerk in the watchmaking firm of Bovet Brothers and Co at Canton from 1851 to the time he took over Charles Weiss's business. He died of chronic diarrhea a year after moving to Hong Kong (FC 6 Nov 1857). Louis Heermann was an assistant in the shop of Charles Weiss from the year 1854. After the shop was closed upon the death of Henni Vaucher, Mr Heermann opened his own store on Queen's Road in February 1858 (FC 1 Feb 1858). While in his shop notice Mr Heermann calls himself ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1994 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/zk522640g 48 Louis, in the Hong Kong jury lists he is designated Ludwig. In 1857 he was an assistant in the watch and chronometer store of Douglas Lapraik. Not long after opening his own store, Mr. Heermann left Hong Kong. One of Mr. Heermann's assistants, Charles J. Gaupp, continued the business after his employer left. There were three individuals surnamed Gaupp who were associated with the Gaupp and Co. store in its early years, Charles, Louis Frederick and Hermann Frederick. In 1873, Carl Richard Heermann and Jules Kwiser were admitted partners in the firm, but Heermann left the firm by the end of the year (DP 22 Mar. 1872, 19 Feb. 1873). A relative Carl Otto George Heermann was an assistant from 1870 to 1883, and then a partner until the firm's liquidation in 1914. Also associated with the firm about the turn of the century were Paul Emil Heermann and Huge Frederick Heermann. Oscar von der Heyde was admitted partner in 1892 (GG 5 Mar. 1892). In 1883, Gaupp and Co. purchased the watch and jewellery business of the late John Noble (DP 21 Nov. 1883). In 1913 a branch of Gaupp and Co. was opened at Singapore under the management of C. Bunje. Auctioneers Lammert and Co. Lammert the auctioneers have a long history in Hong Kong. Their first association in Hong Kong was with the watchmaking trade. The transition from the watch to the auction hammer occurred as follows. One of the assistants in the watchmaking shop of Charles Weiss in 1852 was M. Zobel. He is listed as a watchmaker from 1853 to 1855. In 1856, L. Zobel, watchmaker, is mentioned (FC 3 July 1856) and two years later Mr. G.L. Zobel announced his intention of leaving Hong Kong. His business was carried on by Charles Henry Glatz (FC 1 Dec. 1858). Tragedy struck in 1858 when a youth employed in the shop as a watchmaker was murdered by a coolie who had been engaged by Mr. Glatz's servant to take over his duties while he was absent. The murderer fled to Macao but was captured and returned to Hong Kong for trial (FC 27, 30 Jan. 1858). The victim was a French lad named Francis Hypolite, but he was also known as Francis Glatz. He was probably a foster son of Mr. Glatz. ================================================================================