1881-08-25 — Page 2

A. S. WATSON & Co. WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DRUGGISTS,

GENERAL CHEMISTS,

AND

Manufacturers of the following AERATED WATERS, viz : SODA, TONIC, SARSAPARILLA, AND POTASH, LEMONADE, GINGERADE, RASPBERRYADE, AND PHOSPHORIC CHAMPAGNE.

Deliveries in Town aud Harbour from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M.

SHIPS MADIQUENE CHESTS REFITTED, PASSENGER SOS SUPPLIED.

Prompt Attention given to Coast Orders.

HONGKONG DISPENSARY.

HONGKONG. SHANGHAI PHARMACY,

SHANGILAR.

CANTON DISPENSARY,

THE DISPENSARY,

Foocnow.

CANTON.

Notices to Correspondents. All communications should be akiresscil. The Editor Hongkong Telegraph," 15, Wellington Street.

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THE

Hongkong Telegraph.

HONGKONG, 25 August, 1881.

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH-THURSDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 1881.

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho Mossagories Maritimos mail steamship Anadyr was coming in the harbour as wo were going to Press.

wwwwwwww

The following is the Return of Pri- soners confined in the Victoria Gaol, at 8 am. on the 23rd inst. :-Commit- ted from the Supreme Court, 7 Euro- peans and 220 Chinese; total 227, From the Magistracy, 9 Europeans, 4 Indians, and 323 Chinese; total, 336. From the Marino Magistrate 2, from Courts-martial 10, from Summary Jur- isdiction 1, and 33. casos remanded and ending order, making a total of all prisonors of 609. A large number of these prisoners are in gaol for non- payment of fines inflicted under the Gambling Ordinance; and a few under the Light and Pass Ordinance.

Owing to the abolition of the Tobac. co monopoly the rich Spanish bankers project forming a company to culti yate the fragraut wead in Cagayan and sabala; the Sonur Marquis de Campo,

THE TELEGRAPII” LIBEL CASE,

The hearing of this libel caso, in which Mr. H. Wicking, morohant and commission ageut, of Club Chamobors, suod Mr. R. Fraser-Smith, printer and publisher of the Hongkong Telegraph, for the sum of $1,000, for damages sustained by the falso al malicious publication of an alloged libel in the columus of that journal on the 2nd August, was commenced this morning in the Summary Jurisdiction Court, before Mr. James Russell, Acting Puisne Judge, and Messrs. H G James, J. A. Mosely, and S. G. Bird, forming a special jury.

ten or unwritten as regards their pas-

copy of the report bo forwarded to the sage-money, must not be passed by

Royal Humane Society. There ap- him as free emigrants." This was

pears to be a docroase in the number of read aloud in open Council, and it is

mombers, but the Chairman took a difficult to see how these plain words

cheerful view, saying he did not think could be so misunderstood as to in-

any resignations were caused by a fall We notice the arrival of the Englishing-off of zeal, but were owing to other duce the China Mail reporter to and American Variety Combination circumstances. The Society has had make the Governor say that the At-Company from Manila yesterday. Their torney-General had given his opinion first performance will take place on

to evacuate their head-quarters in Dadlell-stroot, but this is no loss as it that there must be a written contract. Saturday next, as will be seen by is at presont lodged in a Government The fact that the Attorney-General advertisement in another column. building at no cost to the Society and made no reference to the subject when

in a more contral situation. The funds speaking yesterday in Council, and Judgment in the charter-party case, aro very low, and considering the ob- that the Daily Press report does in which Capt. Stabell sued the Waject for which the Society is formed not give the passages verbatim as Hing Yuen for $527.60, under circum- this ought not to be the case; there read aloud at the meeting, renders it stancos reported in our issue of the

can bo no doubt, whatever that an ap. all the more important to the public 20th instant, was delivered yesterday peal to the community would bring in a that the misrepresentations of the by Mr. Justice Russell, who after good round sum and place the Society in Ching Mail and the omissions of the briefly reviewing the evidenco decreed a sound financial position. The follow Daily Press should be rectified, and that the defendant pay to the plaintiff ing officers were appointed:-Hon. that it should be made plain that the the amount of extra freight represented P. Ryrie, President W. J. Samp statement deliberately put into the by the difference between the freight son, General Superintendent and Fore- from here to Newchwang and Chefoo, Governor's mouth by the Mail is a

man of the Eastern District; Mr. Lea. the Registrar to ascertain the amount therbarrow, Foreman of the Central pure fabrication. Again, in refer- due. No order was made as to costs. District; Mr. J. White, Foreman of ring to the case of the Abbotsford,

the Western District; Mr. T. F Fisher, the China Mail makes the Governor

Hon. Secretary; Mr. G. Caldwell, speak of "the clearance" given or

Hon. Treasurer; Dr. Stockwell; Hon. withdrawn, but we cannot find that

Surgeon. The Committeo consist of His Excellency used the word at all.

tho above officers, with the addition of Then the evening print put into the

Messrs. Edo anil Cook. mouth of the Governor some astonish- ing reference to "the Chefoo Treaty," whilst, so far as we can discover, His Excellency never mentioned that treaty. Once more, in refer- ring to the report by Major Palmer ou the proposed Observatory for Hongkong, His Excellency incident- ally mentioned that Major Palmer had been employed by the Govern- ment to observe the transit of Venus in New Zealand, and that, as his hearers had seen by the scientific papers, his report (meaning, of course, his report on the transit of Venus), had been very highly thought

has commissioned Senor Calvo to ex- of by the Astronomer Royal and Her.

plore the district intended for the cul- Majesty's Government, wherefor the tivation of tobacco. Senor Calvo is Governor selected Major Palmer to unpowered to build a village capablo Mr. T. C. Hayllar, Q.0., instructo report, with Mr. Bowdler, on the of receiving one hundred Spanish la- by Mosses, Stephons and Holmes, ap- proposed Hongkong Observatory, and bourers who will be sent in his ston-pared for the plaintiff; and Mr. J. J. We have been very much struck His Excellency then concluded_with er to the now plantation. The village | Francis appeared for the defendant. with the glaring inconsistencies the words "his report, which I now will be constructed at the sole cost of Little of public interest had trans- which have appeared in the two re- lay on the table, is a very clear and the Marquis, and will comprise of 100pired up to our time for going to press. ports in the local papers of the last admirable document." This is how dwolling houses, a church, a hospital, meeting of the Legislative Council. In the Dally Press reports the passage; and all the other necessary erections. one or two instances in the China but now let our readers compare the Senor Marquis, we hear, will present Mail, the remarks of His Excellency naively simple version of the China shortly proposals to purchase the exist the Governor were so garbled in rela- Mail:"He would take the oppor-ing factories and warehouses.--Comer- tion to facts that were already within tunity of putting before them a our knowledge that we (to make valuable report of Major Palmer. doubly sure) applied for information The report had been highly thought and papers, and it is now apparent, and of by the Astronomer Royal." This we are in a position to make clear, is précis writing with a vengeance! that the system regularly adopted Finally, though we might multiply by the China Mail of giving not only instances of similar perversions of false reports of the Governor's ac- the truth, in view of the fact that of tions, but of positively falsifying His all the members of the Education Excellency's public utterances, and Commission appointed by the Gov- of putting words into his mouth ernor, two only were not members of which he never used, could not pos- the Council, it is rather curious to sibly be better illustrated than by find the Mail placing in His Ex- a comparison of the two reports men- celleney's mouth the assertion that tioned above. To begin with con- "there was no member of the Coun- tract emigration the China Mail cil on that Commission," In regard had a paragraph some time ago to some other statements-gramma- alleging that the Attorney-General tical and otherwise-which the China differed with the Governor in Ex-Mail attributes to the Governor, it is ecutive Council on the question of sufficient to say that His Excellency contract emigration. On this im- never said "there were many impor- portant point the Mail-as if to

tant subjects that could be treated verify its own false invention now very quietly," or that "passenger makes the Governor say:-"As to emigration was greatly the matter the question of what constituted a of the highest importance to Hong- service contract (sic), the Attorney-kong"; or that it was known in General had given his opinion that Parliament that a traffic was carried it must be a written contract." We on which would do injury to the trade have very carefully, but in vain, of England"; or that the revenue, searched the Daily Press report for to be derived from opium farm was de passage thus distorted by the to be credited to the export to Mail, in fact no sentence at all re- Australia and California.”

oscillation similar to the last was sembling this latest production of the "I don't wish to go down to pos- notice with a direction of N. 2o E. to evening paper's inventivo faculty is terity talking bad grammar," said S. 2 W. Telegraphic news from the to be found in the morning journal. Lord Beaconsfield, as he corrected the different provinces state that they have In the course of the researches we report of his last speech in the House suffered less than at Manila, At the -have-made-we- discovered that the of Lords a few days before his death; Mayon volcano a new crator has opon

passages which the China Mail so and we have no doubt a similar feel-od, and this is gouerally taken as a ingeniously perverted were the fol- ing animates his friend and some good indication. lowing quotations from a report of time Parliamentary colleague, Sir the Attorney-General of July, 1880, John Pope Hennessy; at all events the

The annual meeting of tho Hongkong which the Governor read to the conductor of the China Mail may lay Human Society was but poorly attend Council:-"The real question for the flattering unction to his soul in an appearance, including the Chair- od yesterday, only half a dozen putting the Harbour-Master's Department in that he holds the undisputed mono-

man and Secretary. The animal re- this matter is to find out in all cases poly in this Colony of dealing in port was submitted, and as it contain. what emigrants are really under con- the most glaring idiomatic absurdi-ed a reference to tho services of Fore tract, chether written or unwritten. ties and ungrammatical English that The Emigration Officer over made the columns of a nows- must distinctly understand that emi-paper a discredit to our advanced grants under contracts, whether write civilisation.

cio,

His Lordships suggested that some settlement might be arrived at, but this was rejected by the counsel for the plaintiff. Mr. Hayllar observed that as the substantial issue appeared to be truth, and as publication was admitted, ho thought that the defendant ought to begin. Mr. Francis then addressed the jury, commencing by reading the alleged libel, and shortly after the Court adjourned to tiffin.

THE PROPOSED OBSERVATORY

FOR HONGKONG,

We translate the following from El Comercio: "On the night of the 17th inst., a few minutes before nine o'clock shock of earthquake was felt which caused considerable alarm. At a little after nine, another movement was folt, but it was very slight; and, we are told, another was felt at three am. the following morning. Sub- joined is the dopeription given by tho

In reviewing the very important pro- Director of the Observatory relative to coedings at the recent meeting of the Leg the earthquake of last night" At islative Council, we propose to deal spe- 8.51 p.m., a dreadful impulse was felt,cially and separately with a few of the leading questions brought forward, so that followed by a quick oscillation; the the public may throughly obtain a com- direction was from N. 10 E. to S. 10 prehensive idea of what is actually being W. Thie amplitude of the oscillation done, ostensibly for the welfare of the col drew an arc of 1° 15'; 0° 44′ to S. and ony. In laying the colonial estimates for

31 to N. The index of the vertical

1882 before the Council, H. E. the Gover- sismometer separated two mills from its ference to the long talked of Observatory nor made the following remarks with re- position with this movement; it was precoded and followed by a subterra. nean roar which made one think the oscillation was more violent than it really was. At 9.11 p.m. a second momentary quake was felt; the sub. terranean roar was felt, but it was weak and confused. At 11.2 p.m. a quick shock was felt, in which the Oscillation was pronounced to be of longer duration than in the former. Its direction was N. 4 E. to S. 4° W. At 3.15 am. on the 18th, a second

ian Whito, principally through whose efforts five persons were taking off a sinking junk in thio gale of September last, it was proposed and carried that a

and Time Ball

The next thing is $20,000 for an Ob- scrvatory and Time Ball. A sum has been voted in the current Estimates for that purpose, and I hope it will be spent. Ten thousand has been already voted for the service, and I propose to take twenty thousand dollars for the coming year. On this subject I have the satisfaction of lay- ing before you a very able report by Major Palmer, of the Royal Engineers, whose services for this purpose were kindly given to me by. Colonel Papillon. Major Palmer was the gentleman employ- ed by the Government to observo the Transit of Venus in New Zealand, which was a very important observation, and his report, as you will have seen by the scientific papers, has been very highly thought of by the Astronomer Royal and Her Majesty's Governmont. I therefore throught it would be advisable that he should consider, with Mr. Bowdler, this scheme. It is a subject which few know anything about, and we were fortunate in having Major Palmer in the Colony. His report, which I now lay on the table, is a very clear and admirable document. He enters fully into the question of having a correct time ball dropped at a certain hour every day. IIo also discussed that which is of great interest to us, the whole question of motoo- rological observations and also observa-

tions of terrestrial magnetism. Tho ex porionee of the last few hours will be enough to convince us of the importance of meteorological observations in the China

|

mag-

Sea. I received within the last few days two telegrams from the Government of Manila, and the Commoil are aware they indicated the full force of the gala we have recently experienced, and in the samo way we shall be able to make observations that will be not only useful to ourselves, but to all the ports on the China Sen. The notie observations will also be of great service. We will also have observations of the tides. I do not remember a case lost in the China Sea, but a question has since I came to this Colony of a ship being arisen as to the tides and currents, and though they appear to be very uncertain, yet careful observation of the tides and currents and the temperature of the air

and water, will often enable exptains of ships to determine whether the particular current on which they rely has changed find in this report an admirable resume its place or otherwise. On the whole we and all the Finance Committee is entitled to know before finally embarking on such a large expenditure as $20.000 and the subsequent expenditure for the mainten Anco of the station.

We heartily concur in every one of His Excellency's observations, and are glad to such substantial fashion to an undertaking see that his support has been promised in. which cannot fail to prove of incaleatable service to the advancement of science, as well as for the advantage of the shipping and general interests of the Honghong Community. From the papers on the sub- ject laid before the Council, copies of which have been forwarded to us in the usual course, we observe a letter from Lord Kim- berly, dated April 7th, enclosing a letter from the Secretary to the Meteorological Office, and requesting that copies of all re- cords taken at the Observatory (after its establishment) should be regularly sent to that office in London. The Secretary's letter in which copies of the records are. solicited, states that the Kew Committee have learned with great satisfaction that a determination has been arrived at to estab-

lished a self-recording Meteorological and Magnetic Observatory at Hongkong, thousand dollars was voted, subject to the

It will be remembered that a sum of ton

approval of the Secretary of State for the

Colonics, for the erection of an Observatory

on Mount Elgin at Kowloon, and the Acting Surveyor-General, Mr. E. Bowdler, who has had special experience in this kind of work in connection with the fine Observatory at the Mauritins, received instructions to collaborate with Major Palmer, R.E., and it was ultimately arranged that the last-named gentleman, whose scientific attainments have already gained him a more than local reputation, should prepare a detailed report, conveying his views on the whole subject. This report has now been published and was laid on the Council table the other evening. Equally as a scientific treatise, and as a practical report on the best means of erecting an Observatory which will do honour to Hongkong, and of conducting the working of the same to the best advantage, Major Palmer's elaborate and carefully written pages merit the highest praise. It is far too lengthy for reproduction in the limited space at our disposal, or we should gladly reprint it in fall; however, wo must content ourselves with touching on one or two of the salient features, referring especially to the proposed mode of constructing the Observatory and the advantages which may be expected to accrue from its institution.

Major Palmer, after quoting some very interesting comments from a letter for-

warded in September, 1879, by Dr. Warren de la Bue to Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, do- failing the great benefits science would derive from an Observatory provided with self-recording instruments in Hongkong, and referring to the opinions of Mr Bland- ford, the Meteorological Reporter to the Government of India, and to Governor Hennessy's reply to the Secretary of Stato, dated 20th Novomber, 1879, concludos that in the proposal to establish this Observatory, three chief objects are aimed at, namely

To determine the Local Time by astrono- mical observations, and drop a Time-Ball daily.

To obtain series of Meteorological obser vations with instruments of the best kinds, and to acquire information relating to the Typhoons and Monsoons of the China Sen.

To obtain a series of observations in Terrestrial Magnetism, also with the best modern apparatus, and proceeds to deal with these subjects, sojarutely, in the abore order.

The main purposo in dropping a. Time- Ball is to enable the masters of the numer ous sca-going vessels which come to Hong- kong to ascertain the errors and rates of their standard time-keepers, without hav-- ing recourse, as at prosent, to the practice of sending their chronometers shors to be rated by the local watchmakers. Though this latter expedient is well known to be

both clumsy and unsafe, yet, in ports not provided with a time-ball, it is practically the only one available to masters of mer- chant vessels, few of whom have the know- ledge or leisure for the somewhat trouble- somo alternative of taking their own time- observations on shore with an artificial

horizon and a hack chronometer. On the other hand, the errors and rates derivable. from a time-ball necurately dropped are not only obtained with very little trouble,