220
us to prove this, prove that, and prove the other a very difficult process as everyone knows, seeing every Chinaman will lie to any extent rather than offend an official. To take an instance. The other day a writer in one of the Shanghai papers referred, among other items, to the children in a cage story which was Liu Ping-chang's official report of the Szechuen outbreak, and which first appeared in this paper, and the sapient remark was made that if this could be proved the official would be incriminated. Now, as everyone knows, even in an honest country, there is a wide difference between legal and moral evidence. In China the gulf is unspeak- able. There is not a shadow of doubt that the statement is true, but we question if we could prove it. But this is all nonsensical talk. What then, in the name of common sense, is the meaning of a Treaty? Have we not proved our case when we have proved the wrong? By Treaty has not the Chinese Government solemnly pledged itself to discover and to punish the wrong doer? Away with this idiotic nonsense about our proving this and that particular! The proof is the burning buildings of Chengtu, the ashes of which are yet hot; and the pool of red blood at Kucheng, with which the garments of Chinese officials and foreign ministers alike are dyed with crim- son guilt and crimson shame until full repara- tion has been made. Do we need to prove that without the faintest provocation, the foulest and bloodiest wrong has been inflicted on British subjects, a wrong such as England never yet, since she was a nation, has suffered to pass unavenged? Shall this go unrequited P-Peking
and Tientsin Times.
HONGKONG.
Interesting news this week has been chiefly confined to the proceedings in the Supreme Court, where several important cases have been disposed of. The Sanitary Board met on Thurs- day. At present there is every prospect of a water famine in the colony as both reservoirs are very low, and the dry season will soon com- mence. Everybody is wishing for a small deluge.
The Governor in Council has directed that a. general valuation under the Rating Ordinance for the year commencing 1st July, 1896, shall be made on or before the 30th April next.
An extraordinary meeting of the Hongkong, Canton, and Macao Steamboat Co., Limited, will be held on the 30th inst. to consider a resolution for the reduction of the capital by a return to shareholders of $5 per share, reducing the no- minal amount of all the shares from $20 to $15. Leasehold property at 17, 19, 21, 23, and 25, Wing Fung Street was put up for sale by auc- tion on Friday afternoon by Mr. Armstrong. There was only one bid of $5,525, and the lot was accordingly withdrawn. Messrs. Johnson, Stokes and Master were the solicitors in the matter.
It is notified in the Gazette that no rent for the use of water metres will be charged in respect of water supplied to premises in the Hill District or Kowloon, except in cases of piers and wharves or where the buildings are used as hotels or for purposes of trade, or have a stable or cowshed within their curtilege, or where the consumption of water exceeds the prescribed domestic quantity.
No fewer than twenty-five illicit opium dealers were charged at the Magistracy on Monday, be- fore Hon. H. E. Wodehouse, with having opium in their possession. Fines varying from $2 to $250 were imposed. The defendant fined the highest amount is the compradore of the steamer Nestor. He smuggled his opium in a very ingenious fashion. He screwed a false bottom on a small insignificant looking tub and thereby concealed 50 taels.
In a rifle match between Selangor and British North Borneo we notice that Mr. E: L. Woodin, firing for British North Borneo, made the top score for his side, namely, 77. The ranges were 100, 200, and 400 yards, seven shots at each. Through some misunderstanding the Sandakan team included eight men, whilst the Selangor had seven only. The former shot with the Snider, the latter with the Martini-Henry. The total scores were, Selangor 567, British North Borneo 551.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
|
We are informed by the Secretary of the New Balmoral Gold Mining Company, Limited, that letters from the mines, per steamer Changsha, under date of the 17th August, advise the leasing of another battery adjoining the Queen mine at which it is expected the Company will be able to crush some 450 tons monthly of pay- able ore from September onwards.
By the last mail letters were received by the Plague Recognition Committee advising that all the medals ordered by the Committee have been completed and despatched as follows:---
Gold
Silver
Destination Hongkong Calcutta Shrewsbury
31
143
13
366
113
622
Total...44
Mr. Wyon's account amounts to £555.
A match between Lord C. Conyngham's Glenties and Mr. Hart Buck's Voltigeur was run on Friday afternoon at the Happy Valley before a good number of spectators. Glepties got away with a lead, but at the three-quarter mile post Voltigeur went to the front, and going up the hill he increased his lead and won by seven lengths. After this event was over Mr. Max Grote, for a wager of $100, accepted a challenge for a go-as-you-please race round the course against time. The distance is over seven furlongs and he had to make it in less than twelve minutes. The journey was accomplished tenin minutes six seconds.
The rules for the Hongkong Football Challenge Cup have been published. The cup will be of the value of $100. The competition will commence next November and must be The com- completed by the 31st March next. petition is open to the army, the navy, and all local clubs. The Rifle Brigade is to play in the has competition by companies, but after the been won the winning team has to play the combined team of the Rifle Brigade. The com- mittee of management is composed as follows:- Mr. E. F. Mackay, Mr. P. G. Davies, R.A., Mr. L. T. Saunderson, R.B., Mr. T. L. Barnardiston, RN., and Mr. F. Browne (Hon. Secretary).
cup
There was a lively coolie fight at the Peak on Sunday afternoon. A gang of earth coolies were at work near the junior mess of the Hong- kong and Shanghai Bank. Some chair coolies One passed and at the same time a woman. of the coolies addressed to her some remarks of a nature not to be tolerated by polite Chinese society. The lady had friends amongst the op- posite party and the incident led to a conflict between the earth coolies and chair coolies. At first the latter got much the worst of it, being in smaller nuinber, but reinforcements arrived, and after a good deal of stone throwing the tide of battle turned against the earth coolies. A couple of policemen arrived on the scene, however, and a number of the rowdies were taken into custody and marched off to the station. They were brought before the Magistrate on Monday and remanded. Rather exaggerated reports of the amount of damage done got into circulation, and it was said one man had been killed and a number so severely injured that they had to be taken to the hospital, but as a matter of fact no one seems to have been very much hurt.
[September 18, 1895.
There were 1,698 visitors to the City Hall Museum last week, of whom 117 were Europeans, Dr. Clarke, the new Medical Officer of Health, arrived on Saturday by the Monmouthshire, accompanied by Mrs. Clarke and child.
The death rate last month was, for the British and Foreign community, civil population, 19.8, and for the Chinese community 24.9.
A parcel post service between Hongkong and Canada via Vancouver has been arranged and will come into force on the 1st October.
The Supplementary Appropriation Ordinance for 1894 and the Ordinance to amend Ordinance 17 of 1887 have been approved by Her Majesty. The reduction in the Bank rate of interest on loans from seven to six per cent, which we stated a day or two ago had been decided upon, has now been officially announced.
The maximum temperature last month was 90.1, on the 24th, and the minimum 75.1 on the 10th and 11th, the mean for the whole month The rainfall amounted to 6.125 being 81.4. inches.
A Chinese servant from No. 1, Mosque June- tion was admitted into the Nethersole Hospital the 10th inst. suffering from plague. on The patient, a youth fifteen years of age, was transferred to the Kennedytown Hospital and is now under treatment there.
The winner of the competition for Captain McCallum's Cup, held last Saturday at Kowloon Police rango, was Gunner Rutter, with an excellent score of 85, with 12 points added (total 97). By this score Gunner Rutter also won the Wallace Cup for the second time.
ANPING.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
9th September. From Chinese accounts the Japanese appear to be stationary in the vicinity of Changwha, but a move southwards may be made at any moment, in which case the march to Tainanfoo will not take long. A Japanese transport steamed past the port this morning, apparently with a view of selecting a landing, and there is no doubt that a force will be put on shore to co-operate with the advancing army.
The citizens of Tainaufoo are in a state of the greatest alarm, as the Japanese appear to be driving a rabble in front of them, bent on murder and plunder, and the country north of the city is reported to be in a state of anarchy.
The British Consul has warned his subjects against remaining at Anping while the Japanese take possession, but there is no man-of-war here to afford protection, and it does seem ex- traordinary that the port should be abandoned at the most critical time in the whole progress of the Formosan troubles.
SANDAKAN.
[FROM A CORRESPONDENT.]
6th September. On the 19th August there was considerable excitement here when it was reported that Mat Sallie, a Badjow, who had previously given the Bornean Government trouble, had appeared in Sandakan harbour with something like thirty- five native craft, manned with close upon a
Gongs were at once beaten to give the alarm dred of his followers, all being fully a hundr
soon
At 7 p.m. on the 14th inst. a fire broke out in an iron foundery, named Chan Hing, in San Tau Lan Street, West Gate district, Canton. and the fire engines were promptly on the scene. It happened, however, that the brooks in the vicinity had dried up and the supply of water
The fire was therefore insufficient. spreal to the neighbouring houses right and left and reduced everything that stood in its way to ashes. A great number of boats which had been left high and dry on the river bund on account of the low tide also caught fire and some thirty of them were burnt. The Governor reached the scene very promptly with a large number of armed soldiers and lictors. He gave notice that if any robberies should occur the plunderers would be executed on the spot, The officials who accompanied his Excellency were the General, Provincial Judge, Commis- sioner, Prefect, Magistrates, and Lieutenants. The fire was not got under until one o'clock. The number of houses burnt was about a hun- dred and twenty and a barber is reported missing. Some thirty pigs were burnt to death
The ostensible motive of Mat Sallie's demon, stration was to lodge a complaint with the Government, but as he committed an illegal act by coming with an armed force he was forbidden to land! The whole fleet then retreated to Mr. Cook, the officer in charge- Bahaha, a small island at the entrance of this visit to harbour. H. E. the Governor being absent on a Darvel Bay-took every precaution to prevent an attack on the town should that have been the Badjow's intention. Two steam launches with a posse of Sikh police patrolled the harbour and bays all night, but Mat Sallie made no further sign, and in the morning it was reported that he had proceeded with the whole of his fleet in the direction of the Labuk river.
or the
H.E. the Governor having returned 26th ult. the Government yacht was wailable to proceed in pursuit of the renegee, and on the 29th she was despatched Mr. E. H Barrant, District Magistrat, and Mr. Jones,
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