1
422.
steam only when it is put in the furnace; the proposed mission will have the oppor- tunity of playing the parts of the engineer and stoker, and if it does its work well very valuable results may he cbtained. Much is hoped from the con mercial concessions obtained by the Japanese as one of the results of the late wer Still more import ant concessions might be obtained solely by diplomatic pressure rightly applied, and we hail the movement initiated by the Birck- burn Chamber as a step in the direction of bringing such pressure of ectively to bear,
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
pletely evacuated by the Japanese forces in accordance with the provisions of Article III. of this Convention, that is to say, the Southern portion of the province of Feng Tien from the mouth of the River Yalu to the mouth of the thence to Hai Cheng and thence to Ying Kou; River An-ping, thence to Feng Huang Ch'ên,
also all cities and towns to the south of this boundary and all islands appertaining or be longing to the province of Feng Tien situated in the eastern portion of the Bay of Liao Tung and in the Northern part of the Yellow Sea. is in consequence suppressed, as are also the Article III. of the said Treaty of Shimonoseki
previsions in the same Treaty with reference to the crnclusion of a Convention to regulate
THE FIRE INQUIES (TINAI CE, frontier interccurse and trade.
16th. 1895).
Article III Within three months from the d: yen which hun shall have paid to Japan the compensatory indemnity of 20,000,000 Kup- ing Teels provid for in Article II. of this Convention, the retroceded territory shall be completely evreupted by the Japanese forces.
Article II-As compensation for the re- frecession of the Southern portion of the pro- In reference to the Fic rerne Ciê-
vince of Feng Then, the Chinese Government ́ance, 1erd & fist fine at the necng of the argage to pay to the Japanese Government Legislative Coureil on Monday, section 4, | 20,000,000 Kuping Tails on or before the 30th which provides that it shall lawful for day of the 9th month of the 21st year of Kuang any interested person, with the have of corresponding to the 16th day of the 11th the Magistrate, to examine the witresses,uth of the 8th year of Meiji (November is not new, but is merely a reprodue tion of રી provision of the existing Ordinance. Some time ago Mr. Wone HOUSE held that a solicitor representlig en Insurance Company Lad verht of cres examination. The set on aive refered to seems clear enough, lv, view of Mr. WODEHOUSE's r. 'ing it would be desirable to place the netter Leyend all doubt her introducing the ven 'personally or ly counsel" afte!
reson" and the words "
:fter " EXEMÈDE,*
the witnesses of ariving at if & fie and show-
at petive fin the
It is corecxll, i
or cros
The cross-exan affords one of 1 the facts as t ing whether commission <
*
11
+3
of course, that the and that the Insta employ it merely as i the amount of the ch n: policies issued by then; lui a la le evil it seems to Te the loor of the two, would perhale noc astecary it the matter could be stiely dt to the cherction of the Magistrate, but experience is shown in this particular matter that Mr. WODEHOUSE's discretion is radically defte- tive.
1E LIATUNG CO. VE TION,
The following is the text of the Convertion between (bina and Japan for the retrocession of Liactung. signed at 1king, 8th Nov.. 1895:-
Arick 1V.- {hina engages not to punish in any mannerrer to allow to be punished these linese subjects who have in any manner been can.prom sed in connection with the oc- cupation by the Japanese forces of the re- treeeded territory.
Article V The piestnt Convention is signed in duplicate in the Chirre, Japanese, and Eng- lis frigerges. All these texts have the same Furing end intention, but in case of any fcrences of interpretation between the Chi- T+S+ ard Japanese texts, such differences s1»] le decked by reference to the English.
11.
|
et
If date.
December 4, 1895.
Done at Peking this 22nd day of the 9th month of the 21st year of Kuang Hsü, corre- sponding to the 8th day of the 11th month of the 28th year of Meiji (November 8th, 1895).
THE MILITARY CONTRIBUTION.
The following despatch from the Secretary of State. on the subject of the Military Con tribution has been forwarded to us by the Colonial Secretary for publication :--
Downing Street,
26th October, 1895.:. Sir, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 267 of 28th August last, regarding the military contribution of the colony, and the cost of construction of the new barracks.
2. With reference to the inclusion in the Hongkong revenue of certain receipts which are of a municipal character, and are not in- cluded in the general revenue of the Straits Settlements, because municipalities exist in that colony, I have in the first place to point out to you that the municipal revenues at the Straits Settle- ments are only about 20 per cent. of the gross. revenues (general and municipal), and that for the sake of comparison between the two colonies I could not regard as "municipal" several of the items specified in the second enclosure to your despatch under acknowledgment which altogether amount to over 30 per cent. of the revenue. For instance, pawnbrokers' licences and spirit licences form port of the general, not the municipal revenue, in the Straits Settle- ments. In that colony also the municipalities contribute abont'$72,000 to the general revenue for police purposes, while the municipal work in the outlying districts is performed by the Co- lonial Government, which receives for that pur- pose $87,000 under the head "district collec tions."
3. Further, the cases of Hongkong and the Straits Settlements cannot be regarded in this matter as on the same footing, since although Artide D- 1 present Convention shall
there are separate municipal revenues in the latifed by
sty the Emperor of latter colony, on the other hand the I'ma and sjesty the Emperor of Japan penses of general administration are pro- aid the mt frats thereof shall be exchanged portionately greater than in Hongkong, partly et Teking within twenty-one days from the owing to the larger area of the colony, which is more than fifty times as large as Hong- In witness werecf the respective Flipkeng, while the gross revenues (including tentaries have signed the same and have affixed mural receipts) are less than three times thereto the seals of their arms.
those of Hongkong, and partly to the distance of the several Settlements from each other, re- quiring in some branches of the Government service the maintenance of a double or triple staff of officers as compared with the staff re- quired in the compact colony of Hongkong..
Lone at Beking this 22nd day of the 9th mouth of the 21 year of Kuang Hsü, corre- sponding to the St. day of the 11th month of the 28th year of Mejji (November 8th, 1895)
LI HUNG-CHANG (L. S.).-Minister Plenipo- tentiary Setor Tutor of the Heir Apparent, Senior Grand Secretary of State and Earl of the First Rank.
4.-Under all the circumstances of the case I see no reason for regarding the proposed per centage, taken on the total revenue of the Laren HayaHI TADABU (L. S.)-Shoshücolony, as at all an unreasonable contribution Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the to ask for from Hongkong. Sacred Treasure Grand Officer of the Imperial Order' of the Tising Sun, Minister Plenipo-
PROTOCOL.
His Majesty the Emperor of Chira and His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, desirng totemiary and Enjoy Extraordinary. conclude a Convention for the retrocession by Japan of all of the Southern portion of the province of Feng-tien to the Sovereignty of China, have for that purpose named as Their Plenipotentiaries, that is to say :-
His Majesty the Emperor of China. I.i Hung-chang, Minister Plenipotentiary, Senior Tutor of the Heir Apparent. Senior Graud Secretary of State and Lart of the First Rank, and His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, Baron Hayeshi Tadaso. Chosh Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the Sacred Tressure. Grand Cicer of the Imperial Order of the Rising Sun, Minister 1'lenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary; who after having com- municated to each other r Full Fowers. which were fornd to be in gorc and proper form, have agreed upen the following
Articles :-
Article I. Japen retrocedes to Chor in perpetuity and full sovereignity the Southern portion of the province of Feng-tien, which was ceded to Japan urder Article 11. of the Treaty of Shimonoseki on the rd day of the 3rd month of the 21st year of Huaug Hsü, corre- sponding to the 17th day of the 4th mouth of the 28th year of Meiji, together will all forti- fications, arsenals, and public property therecn at the time the retroceded territory is com-
5. As regards the expenditure on new barracks I have to remind you that your pre- decessor was informed five years ago, in Lord Knutsford's despatch No. 8 of 20th January, In view of the insufficiency of time to effect 1890, that the colony would be asked to bear a a formal exchange of the ratifications of the portion of the cost of their construction. Convention between China and Japan signed The fact that some of the expenditure had! this day respecting the retrocession of the already been incurred was among other con- Peninsula of Feng Tien, before the date named siderations taken into account, when it was in the said Convention for certain stipulations proposed, in Lord Ripon's despatch No. 83 of thereof to take affet, the Government of His 3rd April last, that the colony should only pay Majesty the Emperor of China and the Gov-one-third of the net total cost of the barracks, er ment of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, in order to prevent the possibility of delay in putting into execution the several provisions of the said Convention havo, through their re- spective Plebipotentiaries, agreed upon the following tapultion ---
The Governments of China and Japan shall within the period cf Eve days after the date of this Protocol, anncuuce to each other through the undersigned, their respect Plenipotentiaries, that the said Convention has received the approval of His Majesty the Emperor of China and His Majesty the Emperor of Japan respectively, and thereupon the said Convention in all its parts shall come into operation as fully and effectually as if the ratifications thereof had actually been exchanged.
In witness whereof the respective Plenipoten- taries have signed the same and have affixed thereto the seals of their arms.
and if the Imperial Government had agreed to pay the whole cost of the buildings already in hand or completed, it could have only been on the condition that the colony would tear a larger proportion than one-third of the remain- ing expenditure. I trust that on further con- sideration the members of the Legislative Council will agree that the proposals of Her Majesty's Government on this subject form a fair and reasonable settlement of the question. I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient, humble servant,
J. CHAMBERLAIN: Governor Sir W. Robinson, K.C.M.G.,
&c.,
&o.,
&o.
Messrs. Sennett & Co. inform a Kobe con- temporary that. they have sold to a Japanese syndicate the German steamer Siegmund, 740 tons, for £11,000,
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