1882-01-13 — Page 2

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

AND

GENERAL CHEMISTS,

Manufacturers of the following ABRATED WATERS, viz: SODA, TONIO, SARSAPARILLA, AND POTASH, LEMONADE, GINGERADE, RASPBERRYADE, AND PHOSPHORIC CHAMPAGNE. Deliveries in Town and Harbour from

7 A.M..fo: 7. P.M..

Sarra' MEDIOIENE CHESTS REFITTED, PASSENGER SHIPS SUPPLIED,

Prompt Attention given to Const Orders,

HONGKONG DISPENSARY, -

HONGKONG.

SHANGHAI PHARMAŬY,

SHANGHAI. CANTON DISPENSARY, `·

CANTON.

THE UISPENSARY,"

THE

FOOCHOW.

Hongkong Telegraph.

HONGKONG, 13 JANUARY, 1882.

THE numerous fires which annually occur at this season of the year havo lately attracted a good deal of public attention, and naturally have led to these ever recurring conflagrations just before the Chinese New Year being regarded with some suspicion. It is certainly a most extraordinary circumstance that throughout the greater portion of the year fires occur but rarely in any part of the Colony, whilst at this particular time-just prior to the annual squaring up of accounts on which the Ülinese place so much importance--the native business portions of the city are almost constantly the scene of fires of a more or less serious description. Within the past fortnight we have had something like half a dozen con- flagrations in various parts of long kong, and we learn that, singularly enough under the circumstances, the whole of the buildings burned were fully insured. This of course is a matter which specially affects the Fire In- surance Companies, and it appears to us that if they would combine, effective measures might be taken to discover whether these numerous fires are really the result of accident, or the work of interested incendiaries. As this is an appeal to the pockets of the shareholders in these companies, it may in time receive some practical consideration.

ance.

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH-FRIDAY, JANUARY 13TH, 1882.

It was telegraphed from London yesterday that great excitement has been created in Egypt by a collectira note, calling for daily service from January 1st.

The following says the Daily News of Doomher 23, is the nu abər of Socialists expallei from the inpr. tant towas in Germany: Berlin, 155; Hamburg and environs, 195; Lsipzig, 70 total, 420 Most of those bave dont upon them for their bread. The wives, children, and relations dopen- majority have omigrated to England or America. Four had bean previously members of Parliament. Their names

numbers

tive districts of the city if assisted by a breeza of wind, endangers the enfoty of the whole Colony, and is far beyond the powers of our fire engines to successfully resist. Hundreds of persons were totally ruined by the terrible calamity above alluded to, and history would but repeat itself under similar circumstances. Tharo are still people in Hongkong who firmly believe that what will ever be known as the Great Fire, was the deliberate work of an incendiary, and that the failure of the authorities to bring tho charge home to the eus- pected person, was a gross miscar-aro Mossrs. Fritzscho, Vabitsich, Rei. riage of justice. Be that as it may, mer, and Hesselmann," there would appear to be good A Correspondent writes:The ill- grounds for viewing the large num-lvised of zeal of Bishop Grasnier of ber of recent fires with suspicion, and Singapore, which resulted in complica. it is therefore a duty the authorities tione necessitating the abandonment of owe to the public, and the public owe Singapore by the "Christian Brothers," to themselves, to use every available after a dozen or more years educational means to thoroughly investigate the work in co neotion with St. Joseph's causes which lead to every fire oc Institation, could not be better exposed curring in our midst, so as to abate and censured than by adducing the success of the labors of the same what has become a dangerous nuis-

Society at Rangoon, to which plnos Grosa ` cárelessness in these

some of the Singapore Brothers have matters is almost as criminal, and transferred their services. St. Paul's deserving of punishment, as wilful Institution, Rangoon, now fire-raising.

500 pupils, and during the past half It appears to us that every fire in

your no less than 100 pupils have been Hongkong produces a fresh incident refused admission in consequence of showing the great necessity existing inadequate space. The Rangoon Ga-. for the services of a professional fire-zette adds on this head: We know master. Had such a man been pre- bow active and zealous these Christian sent when a small difficulty occurred Brothers are to extend their influence in the Hollywood-road, much time for good, having no domestic ties of any lost in getting the Insurance engine kind whatever, to distract their atten- to work would have been saved, tion.from their good work, the neces The goose-neck would not fit, thatity which compals them to refuse fur is to say in could not be screwed on.

ther pupils must be a pressing one in- doed. The good that the Christian Now, these copper pipes that screw

Brothers do is not confined to children on to the plugs are all the same

of their own denomination; their esta- size, and the plug-pipe only wanted blishment is open to lads of overy caste cleaning of rust and dirt to fit the and creed, as any one who has visited goose-neck, but from want of their institution in Soolay Pagoda thought or tools, or both, the en- Street can see for himself. Pashaps gine stood still useless for a time such a congregation of so many nation- sufficiently long to burn down much nalities it would be dificult to find in property. Neither did it occur to any other institution is the world; and those in charge to fall back upon the that this is so is a sure, testimony to next plug until much valuable time the noiversal esteem' in which the in- had been lost, notwithstanding that struction imparted in this place is held, as well as of the very moderate feas plenty of hose for doing so was on

levied for the same." the spot. This ultimately was done, but would have been done instantly by a professional fireman, or, for that matter, by "any other man" with two ideas in his head.

Tho German corvette Stosali undock.. ed at Aborleon this forenoon. The German borquo Carl Gorard came out of Kowloon Dock to-day, making room for HMS. Dak.

unconscious throughout the night; but that he is so much improved this fore- noon that great hopes are entertained of his recovery.

Au American paper states that Ri- chard White Grant fainted the other day when a friend whose grammar he was correcting told him of a Western girl whose companion asked her at a There is, however, another side to party-"Shall I skin a banana for the question of far greater importance you?" "No, I thank you," she re- than more financial losses to the Fireplied; "I have one already skan." Insurance Companies, and one which

In reply to our enquiries at the Civil demands the best attention of the local authorities. We refer to the Hospital as to the condition of Con- general interests of the public, which, stable T. Middle, who was seriously in- it must be conceded, are very seriously jured at the fire in Quoan'a Road yes- imperilled by the suspicious freterday afternoon, we learn that ho was quency of these fires throughout the Colony. It is perfectly true that during the present season we have been lucky enough to escape a con- flagration of a very serious nature; Judgment was delivered on Decom- although it is quite likely that had a bor 1st by the Military District Court strong wind been blowing while the of St. Petersburg in the case of Prince Scherwaachidze, who was charged with fire was raging in Queen's Road yes- terday afternoon, we would-have had having killed M. Mossjagin, a mer- to record a repetition of the terrible chant, in a brawl at a restaurant last summer. The accused was found calamity of the Christmas of 1879. gailty of having drawn his sobre in the It is a matter of certainly that with

affray, and of having inflicted upon M. the assistance of a slight breeze from

Mosajagin a serious wound, which, the north or north west, the publish however, according to the finding of ing office of the Chinese newspaper the Court was not the cause of death. at the back of the Liverpool Arms" He was sentenced to be exiled for three could not possibly have escaped, and years to the government of Archangel, the whole of Gough Street would to be dismissed from the army, and to probably have been destroyed. More lose, bis, nobiliary rights and titles, by good luck than good manage 5,000 roables as compensation to an He was farther ordered to pay a fine ment this danger was avoided,

other merchant who sustained per but who can say that the next

manent injaries in the affray. In view, fire may not be assisted by the

however, of the provocation which the elements to such an extent as to Prince received, the Minister of War render the services of the Fire Brig will submit the sentence, to the Em- ades of little or no avail? The ex-

with a recommendation that it peror,. periences of the great conflagration be commuted to three years' confine- in December, 1879, conclusively provement in a fortress without deprivation that a fire in one of the crowded na of rights.

Another claim

that the Christian Brothers possess to our consideration is, that they are edu- cating a large number of orphans gratis, who might otherwise grow ap ignorant and neglected, or go to swell the ranks of the criminal classes.

to an article in Harper's Weakly the The Daily News says that according

heathen Chinese has done more than rain the Caucasian by cheap labour, He has introduced a taste for smoking opium. We do not suppose that this will become a national vice in America any more than in England. In both countries people like more energy, even in their vices. The paradise of opiam is one into which fow people of English blood care to find the key, or to keep it, having found it. Some French literary men of the "romantic" school made experiments in smoking "bang," bat the experiment did not last long. after Théophile Gautier male a literary use of it, and turned it into "copy,” According to Harper's Weekly, things "There have gone farther in America. aro from three to five thousand Ameri- oans, male and female, smoking opium once or twice daily." The writer says he has known thirteen recruits join the army of opium smokers in one week, and out of the thirteen, four were actresses. The curiosity of Eve is not extinct, but we scarcely believe that the four actresses will long accept the blandishments of that serpent, the opium-pipe. People smoke opium in Fourth and. Second Avenues, and the rooms are kept by Chiness. Que fails to see why a man should not smoke. opiam, if he must be so foolish, in his own smoking room. On entering a "joint" or smoking room you take off. your coat, collar, and shoes, and lie down on a kind of divan The opiuus, a very cheap luxury, is brought in a is heated over a flamo. It is then clam shell on a long steel needle, and

twisted about, and finaly rolled into a pea, and forced with the needle into the bowl. Finally the pipe bowl is beld about the flame and the smoke inhaled. The bowl is then cooled with a damp sponge and the whole opera- tion is began over again. Opium seems troublesome stuff to stoke, and will never be a rival to tobacco.

RIFLE MATCH.-

HONGKONG POLIOя v. Inon Duki. ...A Rifle. Marsh ours off yesterday at Kowloon between a team of eight mon from HM.S. Iron Daks and an equal number from this Hongkong Polion The distances were 310, 500, anl '70). yards, 7 con la as such distance military marking. The ringes, w may observe, were chosen by the Fro Duke's team and are most unusual dia- tances for match firing. The wanther was very unfavourable for high class marksmanship, there being very anatoady breeze blowing from the left- frout, and a nasty haze between the firing points and targets, which made good shooting impossible at the long range. The shooting on both sides was far from first rate, and considerably under the average of both tonins. The Police took the lead at the 300 yards and never allowed their "Brothers in Blue" to get on level terms, eventually winning the match by 75 points.

We understand that the Police team, which in years gone by was a long way the first in the Colony, has lately lost a number of its best shots, and in a fow weeks more will lose the Captain of the Team, Inspector Cameron, who for years has taken a great deal of interest in his men, and been, as a matter of fact, the heart and soul of rifle shooting in this Colony. It is but fair to state that the Inspector has at all times received every encouragement from Captain Doane and Mr. C. V. Creagh who often supplied prizes and free unionition to encourage rifle shooting by the members of the police force. We hear that Taspoutor Cameron is not the only one of the old team that is about to leave the Colony, several others of the Inspectors having made up their minds to leave at the expiration of their ton year's service. Apart altogether from rifle shooting, we must express our regret that the Government has not seen fit to retain these young and experienced officers in the service by bolding out some enducement in the way of an increase of pay. It is surely a false economy to bring out a batch o inexperienced neu to supersede the Inspectors who have had ten years" experience in the colony, especially as the latter are quite willing to remain if any ladacement is held out to them. The scores of the respective teams are as under :-

67 18 55 55

HONGKONG POLICE.

700 200, 600 yards, yards, yards. Total 21 23 Inspector Cameron... 23 Sergeant Grant...... 17 20 Inspector Thompson 16 Act.-Sarg. MoDonald 25 Inspector Quincey... 24 Sergeant Butline ... 23 Inspector Fleming... 23 Constable Saners ... 22

19 18

20

8 51

20

12

58

21

12

56

22

IG

61

22

12

50

FIRE IN QUEEN'S ROAD' WEST.

the

About three y'olbok yesterday after- noon, the fire boil ring out an alarm, that a fire was raging in the contral district. On procasting to the spot, gui led by the dense volunts of smoke, we fou-l that the scane of the con-' fgration was the Qian-on shop, a store of Europe in fanoy goods, lamps, oils, Ba, situated at Nos. 187, aud 189 Queon's Road West. The flames ha I already obtained completo ipastory over the buildings, the inflamable character of a portion of the stock ahswing itself by the repeated blazos, of blue fla ne which shot out high above the surrounding buildings, As the district is a very crowded one, and the shops in the vicinity contained large quantities of infan pablo materials, there appeared every prospect of a tremonious

conflagration, dams were blazing furiously, and aproaling on all giles with alarming rapility. The Fire Engines, manned by the members of the Government and Volant:er Fire Briguiles were quickly on the spot, and an unlimited supply. at water being in readiness, no time was lost in cominendir to play on thờ. burning mass. Fortunately there was. hardly a breath of air, so that the afforts of the firemen to prevent the fire from spreading were greatly favored in this respect, and also as they could see exactly how matters wore progressing. A number of Ohi nese manuals were also quickly at work from the roofs of surrounding houses, and rendered good services in nauy instances. The Chinese printing offios at the back of the buraing buildings, and the "Liverpool Arma on the eastern side were for a time in

great danger, especially as the water. supply from Gough Street was for a timo altogether inadequate for the requirements of the engines in that direction, and the steam engine of the Insurance Company was standing still at the top of Aberdeen-street, in the Hollywood-road, for a long time. because the firemen in charge of it had not the thought to full back on the next play, the gouse-neck not fitting where they were. They ultimately went back to where Peel-strout crosses, and soon got to work. However, the firomon sova found their way into the printing office, and on to the roof, of the public, house, where after a time their efforts to confine the flamos were

Completely successful. The fire hav- ing osinpletely gutted the Quaá-on- shop was sooo got nuder, and before five o'clock all danger of the flames spreading had passed. The printing office alluded to above, was partially dainaged by the flaines, and the whole. of the paper, stock-in-trade, &c., remoy- ed by order of Mr. MoLuen, the Superin- 173 163 121 457 tendent of the Fire Brigade, and piled HM.S, IRON DUKE.

300 500 700 yards, yards. yards. Total. Cannon ......

.... 17 14 17 50 White......ƏRİ 20 17 10 5G Bell

13 50 18 58 44

18 19 Webber.............. 24 21 Gready.......TIMEZO 19 16 Crocombe....................., 10 14

18 Haynas.....

15 Lieutenant Robinson 16 19

10

6 96

*

5

38

15

50

148 186 99

882

The San Francisco Post has the fol lowing in its "answere to correspon- dents":"The young lady at Mills Seminary who recently sent as a poem, entitled "Marmurings from the Outer Utterness," is informed that any peca miary assistance she cau send to the widow of the man to whom we gave it to read will be gratefully received that lady."

up on the opposite side of the street was completely spoiled. The necessity for removing the goods after all danger had passed away was hardly apparent; however, that is the business of the In- sarance Companies, as we doubt not tha stock in question would be fully insured. Shortly before five o'clook reports were circulated that another fire was raging in Messrs. Gibb, Livingston, and Co.'s old promises, and at one or two other districts in the colony; and several of the firemen at ouce proceeded to in- vestigate what fortunately proved to be idle rumours. We regret to have to record a rather serioas, accident which

happened to Acting Sergeant Thomas Middle, a constaule attached to the Fire Brigade, who was directing a stream of water into the burning house

A when the granite beam supporting

the second verandah oracked by the heat and full down in several pieces, one of which strack Middle on the head, and knocked him down, He was at once removed to the Hospital where his wound was attended to by We believe he is suffer- Dr. Marques

The extraordinary character of our Bankruptcy Laws has long been a sub- ject of public comment, and we have frequently heard the late Chief Justice Sir John Smale expatiating on their unsatisfactory working in this colony. -Cases in, which heavy liabilities were shown, with assets practically nil, haveing from concussion of the brain, the not been infrequent in Hongkong, nor injury being of a serious character. We are they confined to this part of the learn that the Quan-on shop, which world. We note the report of & shady ace in me of the German Uffices was completely gutted, is covered by affair of this kind in a recent English to the tune of $18,000. paper. Finding, in a case hoard bu fore bim at St. Albans, that the debts, were £2,000 and the assets nil, Judge Whigham said that," in these matters we were going from bad to worse, and unless a stop was put to it the commer- cial oredit of England would go back, and the whole system of commerce fall to pieces." This most assatisfactory state of affairs calls for immediate and practical reform.

Even Mr. William Gladstone takes a sporting turn at times. In the House of Commons, recently, he offered to lay Sir Michael Hicks Bench 10 to 1 on Sir Wilfred Lawson's success in the motion about the Transvaal. Sir Mia haul did not accept, otherwise Mr... Gladstone would have been £1 richer, presuming, of course, that statesmen pay their wagers.