November 27, 1895.)
issues, probably some aid may be derived by future purchasers. As to forgeries, there were several started in Amoy, of first issue especially, but comparison with the original, than which the counterfeit is much better and more artistic, enables the fraud to be easily detected. Beyond a very few sets bought for purely personal use, the writer has no interest in the future of these stamps, so the foregoing remarks may be taken as being as impartial as any that can possibly be made at
this time.
Other reminiscences of the republic are the
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY'S CONCERT.
Hongkong Philharmonic Society was given at The first concert in connection with the the Theatre Royal on Saturday night before a fairly large audience. The programme was in every respect high class and the whole enter- tainment was most enjoyable. But before dealing with the concert itself we would like to suggest to the committee the desirability of making better stage arrangements in the future. To commence with, a conductor, whether he be
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rest and refuge on the mainland. The victims were a jeweller and an opium dealer at 124, Wellington Street, and it was at 9.30 on Friday night that the shop was entered. Everything was carefully and quickly carried out and it is highly probable that even if a policeman had been passing the place he would not have suspected anything amiss. The men entered through an unfastened door and instantly pulled out buli-dog revolvers and demanded the inmates-three men-to sur
bank notes and lottery tickets issued by that of fine physique or not, does not look particularly and then proceeded to search the premises;
government.
With reference to the notes, the face values
were written in by hand, the seals and other impressions being the same for all values. We hear something of someone having discovered a mare's nest in the shape of "forgeries" here too, but as this supposition seems to be solely based on some trifling differences in the border patterns, and the discoverer seems quite unaware and unwilling to admit that impressions were necessarily made from two or three successive blocks, it appears highly probable that he has allowed himself to be led away by a too sus- picious "native informant." This seems the more likely, as many of the notes he would reject had evidently been in pretty free circulation, are passed by all the Chinese experts who have been consulted, and who also declare their
The "lottery tickets were the outcome of a final and desperate attempt on the part of some of Liu's financiers "to raise the wind.'
the promise being to pay four times their face value "after the Japanese had been driven into the sea and peace restored"! It was truly wonderful how many fools there were who
handsome when perched upon an upturned bare camphor-wood box. In the second place the ladies and gentlemen constituting the chorus would be better able to do justice to themselves if they stood on a platform of two or three tiers instead of on one common level; this arrange- ment would enable the conductor to better perform his duties, ad he would be able to stand directly in front of the performers and
would also be able to dispense with the un- sightly bare box. Moreover there would then be no necessity for the continual shifting of the piano from one side of the stage to the other. We hope the Committee will extra cost would not be very great. see their way to adopt these suggestions, as the
was BC-
the
render without noise. The robbers then tied the men's hands behind them with their queues, keeping the victims well under cover of the revol- vers and threatening them with instant death if they dared to move. In a safe notes of the value of $800 were found, and also $400 in silver. This amount was quite large enough for one haul, and' the villains then left with- ont disturbing any of the jewellery. Before going, however, they sternly bade tied up inmates to keep silence and one of e are disbanded soldiers from the gang said, "We General Liu's army, and we have no means of subsistence." So terrorstricken were the men in the shop that they did not raise an alarm until the desperadoes had had sufficient When news of the time to get well away. alarming outrage reached the Central Station a and Quincey, who were at the Odd Volumes' communication was sent to Inspectors Stanton meeting, and they at once proceeded to inves tigate the crime, bat although they worked hard all night they were unable to obtain any tangi. ble clue, and the robbers are still at large. These two cases have not unnaturally caused considerable alarm, as there can be no doubt that the gang would have shot dead the first. person who attempted to check them, and it may be they will offer desperate resistance if the police are lucky enough to find their where- abouts. Of course it is impossible to sat whether their story about being disbanded soldiers is true or not. In any case it is to be sincerely hoped that the police will succeed in running them to earth, and that the arrest will not be attended by serious consequences to any of our officers. A proof that the miscreants
were bent on murder if resisted is shown by
To the performance itself nothing but praise can be given, and each artist won warm ignorance of forgeries having existed, at any admiration, but Mrs. Hagen, who was, we rate to any extent. On the whole, therefore, it seems very probable that this idea may be disbelieve, not very well, we have heard sing much better. The dust given by Miss Lammert and counted, and most, if not all, of the notes declared by this amateur expert counterfeit,
Dr. Meadows was perhaps the finest effort of the evening. accepted as the genuine article, issued by Liu together, and the applause which
Both voices blended perfectly and generally taken by the people.
corded them at the conclusion was de- servedly won. Miss Lammert also
gave a solo "The Promise of Life" and as usual her sweet notes enraptured her hearers, who de- manded an encore, and Miss Lammert responded with "Sunshine and Rain." Dr. Meadows also gave two solos, and his rich melodious voice was perhaps never heard to better advantage. He was exceptionally fine in the Cavalier songs, in which he was assisted by the chorus of men's voices. Miss Hitching has perhaps no superior in the colony as a pianist. She has a wonder- fully fine touch, and her rendering of Chopin's Polonaise (in A) could not have been surpassed by any amateur in Hongkong. Mr. J. Gil- christ gave a correct rendering of "I fear no foe," and there can be no question that in him we have a very accomplished singer. He has a perfect control over his voice and his notes are very sweet Mr. M. Alsberg's per- formance on the violin was a charming treat and we hope this accomplished player will come ford many times during the season.
The part songs were beautifully rendered by the chorus, and excellect time was kept. The orchestra played three excellent selections, two of them being from Spohr's Last Judgment." Of the three items we think the third and last was the best and con- siderable credit is due to Mr. G. P. Lam-Pass Ordinance will be strictly enforced in mert for so ably conducting. The accom panyists were Mr. George Grimble and Mr. G. P. Lammert, and as usual they played faultlessly..
took the bait and bought tickets, some bearing as high a face value as $200. A Chinese rumour having got or been set abroad first that the Japanese would redeem the bank notes, and next that the property of the wealthy merchant from whose hong they were issued would be confiscated and sold to redeem his notes, led to rather fancy prices being asked for the paper, but now that the truth is gradually becoming known the price has come down to anything from five cents to perhaps even nothing per note, irrespective of its nominal face value.
Mr. P. Auguste Holst, a native of Sweden and ex-officer of the Swedish cavalry, who came to Formosa about three years ago to collect birds in the interest of Mr. Seebohm, the well- ← known ornithologist, died on the morning of the 16th. For months he had been in a very frail state, but in spite of all advice he insisted on going into the country "to be on the spot if he got better." He must have suffered great privations, through all of which he certainly exhibited indomitable pluck and pertinacity. Both the Catholic and Protestant missionaries showed him the greatest kindness, and it was in the care of the latter body that the poor man passed away, his last hours soothed by all that the kindest and most charitable solicitude could suggest.
He was buried on the same evening at the Protestant Mission Cemetery at Tainanfu, most of the residents attending the funeral. The primary cause of death was consumption.
TAIPEнFU, 18th November. The three-masted ship Inaho Maru ran on to a reef in Kelung harbour a few days ago and went to pieces on the 16th in a heavy sea. She was chartered by the Government and had just arrived from Japan with a cargo of railroad materials. The cause of the wreck was the ignorance of the Japanese captain, who ap. parently was unacquainted with the harbour. It is hoped that a considerable amount of the cargo will be saved:
Savages killed fourteen Chinese and wounded three in the north central districts.
JAS. W. DAVIDSON.
There were 1,943 visitors to the City Hall Museum last week, of whom 166 were Europeans.
A MURDEROUS GANG IN THE
COLONY.
ROBBERS ARMED WITH REVOLVERS.
During the past week there have been two exceptionally daring cases of robbery by menace, and it is quite certain that if a policeman had put in an appearance at either time would have been a repetition of the Winglok Street outrage which occurred a year ago. The first case occurred on the 18th inst., when three Chinamen armed with revolvers entered 106, Praya West, and by covering the inmates with their loaded weapons compelled them to quietly submit while the shop was ransacked. The robbers, however, had fortunately entered at the wrong time, as after turning every drawer and box in the shop upside down, the only valuable they managed to find was a watch; no money was in the house. In the second instance the robbers were more success- | ful, and it is probable that the large amount of their booty will cause them to take temporary
|
the fact that in addition to the revolvers being fully loaded they placed twelve cartridges on the table of the shop in Wellington Street and these they forgot to take away with them. The existence of such a highly dangerous gang as this furnishes abundant support for the police stringently insisting upon the carrying out of the provisions of the Arms Ordinance.
LATER.
The police have not been able to obtain any further particulars respecting the two recent daring robberies in the colony, and it is more than probable that the gang will safely escape, as they left nothing behind them which would assist the detectives in tracing them. In con- sequence of the robberies a notice has been issued in Chinese stating that the Light and
future. This edict has already had the effect of clearing the streets of loafers after seven o'clock at night; in fact, the thoroughfares are now almost deserted.
ALICE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.
A meeting of the Finance Committee of the Alice Memorial and Nethersole Hospitals was held on Friday afternoon at the Alice Memorial Hospital to consider (1) the disposition of a legacy under the will of the late Dr. Richard Young, and (2) a petition by the widow of the late Dr. William Young that the Hospitals should resign certain sums to which they are entitled under that will. Hon. J. H. Stewart- Lockhart (Colonial Secretary) presided, and there were also present-Hon. Ho Kai, Rev. T. W. Pearce, Messrs. C. Ewens, G. Murray Bain, C. Palmer, W. H. Wickham, and Dr. Thomp- son.
The minutes of the previous meeting having
read been and passed, Dr. Thompson read a letter which he had received by the last mail from a firm of solicitors in Lanark on behalf of Mrs William Young. The letter explained that the late Dr. Richard Young left property valued at £5,400, and a residuary
th
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