August 7, 1895.]
SINGULAR FATALITY AT THE CENTRAL MARKET.
On Saturday Hon. 11. F. Wodehouse opened an inquiry respecting the death of a coolie at the Central Market last Wednesday.
Police Constable MacDonald said—I was walk- ing along Queen's Road ou the 31st July, not on duty. I saw a crowd of coolies in the road, near the Central Market. In the centre were two coolies struggling; one of them was bleeding at the neck. I thought he had been stabbed. made my way into the centre of the crowd and got hold of him, and asked what was the matter. The other coolie, who was holding the bleeding man by the queue, accused him of stealing a pair of trousers; the accuser then had the trousers under his arm. The accused denied the theft. I took him into the Central Market, looking for an Indian constable to take the conlie to the Central Station. When I reached the cross passage, in the centre of the market; I stood a minute or two to look round for the Indian. A crowd of coolies gathered ronud us; I told them to go away, and they went. As the Indian did not come, I walked along the cross passage towards the stairs which lead down to Jubilee Street. A orowd of coolies
about the head of the stairs ran off as I approached. The stairs divide, one way towards Queen's Road and one way towards the Praya; the coolies dispersed in different directions. When I got to the bead of the stairs I saw a coolie lying at the stair-foot, towards Queen's Road. I went down to see what was wrong. The coolies near said he had fallen down, and on examining him I found his head damaged. There was a deep cut across the skull and another over the left oys, and he was inseu- sible. I had to leave him and go to the Central Station for an ambulance, taking with me the man I had originally arrested. I got the ambulance and took the injured man to the Civil Hospital. Afterwards I saw a body in the mortuary; I suppose it is the same man, but could not swear. He was not dead when I took him to hospital, but insensible. The reason why I wanted the Indian to take the first coolie to the station was that I was not then on duty myself, but was in a hurry over other affairs and had no time to spare. If it had been, as I at first thought, a case of stabbing, I would have let the other business go and would have attended to the case myself, as I ultimately had to do when I found this man dying. I suppose it was my approach that made the coolies disporse suddenly. I was not rushing at them, nor attending to them at all, but simply looking for the Indian and walking slowly. My prisoner was not struggling nor resisting, I never touched the deceased, was not near him, nor ever had cause to do so.
Sam On, a miner from Singapore, said-I was arrested by a policeman three days ago in Queen's Road on a charge of stealing. He took me into the market, and stood there a few minutes looking about. There were some coolies at the head of a stairway; I did not see them run away, I saw a man lying at the foot of the steps as if dead. The policeman did not strike or kick or maltreat anybody in any way all the time. I did not see how the man was hurt. The police mau did not drive the crowd away vio'sutly.
Ng Sing, swe per in the Central Market, said I knew the deceased, Ho A Sing, a scavenger. He was my brother. He was sweep ing the stairs in the market with me on the 31st July, when a European in plain clothes came towards us. I saw him arrest a maú. After arresting the man, the European kicked my broth r ou the thigh, causing him to fall down the steps. It was a severe kick. When I saw him fall I went down, and took Liu up in my He was speechless, and bleeding from the nose. There were two of my friends near; I told them to stand by my brother while I went up to the Station to report.
arms.
The inquiry was adjourned.
It is believed, says the Hyogo News, that quite sixty days will be taken in pumping ont the water and clearing the débris from the coal-mine at Komatsu, Fukuoka-ken, the subsidence of which on the 9th has been alrea'y reported Forty-nine miners were entombed and had un chance of escape. Eighty thousand you is the estimated loss to the owners. A relief fund for the bereaved families has been started.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
103
THE ALICE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL | Shanghai, where he acted as Inspector of Cus-
CONCERT.
ご
The Hon. Treasurer of the Alice Memorial and Nethersole Hospitals begs to acknowledge with thanks the following donation to the funds of the hospitals:—
Proceeds of Concert at Mount Austin Hotel, per W. E. Crow, Esq., $459.35.
The following is the financial statement in connection with the Concert :-
Sale of tickets:-
RECEIPT.
Messrs. Kelly and Walsh Mount Austin Hotel At the door
Printing
EXPENDITUR.
Messrs. Kelly and Walsh (tickets
and programmes), Messrs. Guedes & Co. (Express in
Kowloon and Hongkong) Advertising
Daily Press Hongkong Telegraph
Hire of piano, Messrs. W. Robinson &
Co.... Special car, High Level Tramways Co.
Balance
toms for the Chinese Government. In 1855 ho was appointed Chinese Secretary at Hongkong, and in the same year he was sent by the late Sir John Bowring on a spocial Mission, to Cochin China. Owing to his familiarity with the native charac er and language, he was attached to Lord Elgin's Mission to China in 1857-59, and in the last named year he was appointed Chinese Secretary to our Mission in China. In this capacity he accompanied Lord Elgin's Special Mission to Peking in October, 1860. In 1861 bo was nominated a C.B. (Civil $258.00 Division); in the following year he became 198.00 Chinese Secretary and Translator to the British 36.00 Legation in China, and was acting Chargé d'Affaires at Peking, from June, 1864, to Nov., 1865, and again from Nov., 1869, to July, 1871, when he was appointed Envoy Extraordinary · and Minister Plenipotentiary and Chief Super- intendent of British Trade in China. He was advanced to the rank of K.C.B. in Nov., 1875, for his exertions in negotiating important treaties with the Chinese Government, and ob- 1.50 taining trading facilities in that empire. He retired on a pension in 1883. In 1889 he was 3.85 made a G.C.M.G. Sir Thomas Wade is the 3.30 author of "Tau-Erh Chi" (Progressive Course). 1867, which deals with both colloquial and do- cumentary Chinese, and is of great value to students of the Chinese language.
$492.00
$ 7.00
12.00 5:00 459.35
$492.00
W. EDWARD Crow, Examined and found correct. A. SHARP.
2nd August, 1895.
|
THE HONGKONG, CANTON, AND MACAO STEAMBOAT CO.,
LIMITED.
On Saturday the half yearly meeting of this Company was held at the Company's office, 18, Bank Buildings. The Hon. E. R. Belilios pre- cided, and there were also present-The Hon. J. J. Bell-Irving, Messrs. F. A. Gomes, J. Kramer, N. A. Seibs, Poon Pong (Directors) J. R. Michael, S. Rustomjee, G. B. Dodwell, E. J. Moses, Capt. S. W. Goggin, Geo. Fenwick, Chan Ufai, A. Deuison, Kwok Wah, Wong Ping Lum, F. Henderson, R. S. Philpott, C. W. Richards, Chan Chai, and C. Tomlin (Acting Sco etary)
The ACTING SECRETARY read the notice call-
1HE DEATH OF SIR THOMAS WADE,
Old China hands will hear with much regret of the death of Sir Thomas Francis Wade, news of whose death is wired out by Reuter. As a| Minister Sir Thomas was not au unqu dified success, but he was thoroughly devoted to his duty, courteous to all who had occasion to com- manicate with him, and attentive to all claims and complaints brought before him by Britishing the meeting. subjects. though the manner of his dealing with the Tsungli Yamen did not always bring about a fair and prompt settlement. He was a ripe Chinese scholar and had unfortunately acquired the habit common to close students of Chinese of attaching undue importance to the Chinese view of any subject. The Chinese officials were not slow to discover this weakness and to trade on it, with the result that negotiatious were protracted indefinitely and frequently ended in nothing. The Chinese, however, while taking advantage of this weakness when it suited them, had a very genuine respect for Sir Thomas and valued his advice, and it was largely dus to his friendly offices that the Formosa difficulty between China and Japan in 1874 was patched up. In the list of treaties with China a memorial of Sir Thomas Wade is to be fonud in the Chefoo Convention, negotiated by him in 1875, and which provided for the settlement of the Margary case, one of the terms being the opening of Chungking to foreign trade. Since his retirement in 1883 Sir Thomas Wade has been able to give the Go. vernment at home good advice on more than one occasion. No one had a better knowledge of China and the Chinese than be, and, removed from the baneful surroundings of Peking he was able to see things in proper perspective and uti lise his knowledge for the formation of sound judgment. Since the formation of the China Association he had been a useful and valued member of that body Personally Sir Thomas Wade was a man of great charm of manner, with a large store of anecdote and interesting re-
The CHAIRMAN said-Gentlemen, as the re- port and accounts have been in your hands for some time, with your permission we will, as usual, take them is read. No doubt you will remember that at our last meeting I expressed the hope that we should be able to present to you more favourable results for the ensuing half year, and I am glad to say the working does show an increase of a few thousand dollars. I am at the same time bound to admit that when compared with the same period of last year the result of the working does not appear quite so satisfactory, as the profits are some $4,000 less. There have, however, been exceptional ruuning expenses during the half year and exceptional circumstances reducing earnings.
Thus we have had to incur an outlay of $2,000, for in- stance, against risks from the torpedoes laid in the river, another $2,800 for pilotage through the torpedo grounds; the enhanced price of coal accounts for an increase in the ex- penditure for that item of about $8,000, while remittances for marine insurance and extra ex- penses, incurred owing to the cargo coo'is strike, have increased our disbursements, which al- together amount to $15,000 more than for the same period last year. Then the outbreak of plague at Macao in April, which induced the Hongkong Government to prohibit the entry of Chinose from that colony, caused a decline in the receipts ov that line which may safely be estimated at $9,000. The strike of the cargo coolies also had an adverse effect on our earning powers for two or three weeks. When, therefore, regard is had to these exceptional items of expense, the results laid before you must be deemed satisfactory, while the prospect for the future is still more encouraging. Wade, Sir Thomas Francis, K.C.B., G.C.M.G., The war between China and Japan having been elder son of Colonel Thomas Wade, C. B., born happily brought to a conclusion, the torpedoes about 1820, entered the army as Eusign in the have been removed, the pilots will not be needed, 81st Foot in 1833. and served afterwards in and the price of coal may be expected to fall China and elsewhere in the 42nd Highlanders with larger supplies from Japan; and, within and the 98th Foot, from which he retired as the last few days, the restrictions regarding Lieutenant in 1847. In 1843 he was appointed the incoming of natives from Macao have been Interpreter to the garrison of Hongkong, taken off. Referring to the strike of March and in 1847 Assistant Chinese Secretary; and April last it is only right to express in. 1852 lie was made Vice-Consul at our acknowledgments to the Government for
miniscences.
The following biographical notice of Sir Thomas Wade appears in "Men and Women the Time":-
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.