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that keep the world moving, and to these endowments we mustdd in the case of Dr. CANTLIE that of goodness of heart, ever prompting to kind deeds. The eulogiums passed upon him by Mr. J. J. FRANCIS, Q.C., and the Hon. J. II. STEWART LOCKHART will be endorsed by everyone. We not propose to-day to travel again over the same ground, but rather to note one or two controversial matters introduced by Dr. CANTE in his reply. It is one of his qualities to provoke discussion, and his speech on Wednesday was no exception to the rule.
do
Dr. CANTE says he has been "severely "criticised and the newspapers have also poured criticism upon him, and if he had listened to them none of the “CANTLIE fads' "would ever have come off." We doubt that, because he has more often met with support than opposition in his projects.
Obstacles," he went on to say,
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act but
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16
.,
[February 13, 1896.
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E
the
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
of supply for potable water to the colony, application from the TAI WON KUN for partly because it stands in danger of pollution assistance in his attempt to force reforms in from the houses already situated within the the Court, he met the Japanese Legation gathering area and partly cause the pro-Secretary and the Japanese Military Adviser hibition of further building within that area to Korea and these three men decided to prevents the opening up of eligible sites where assist the TAI WON KUN in his attempt Taipans and others could enjoy evoluights to enter the palace at Seoul by availing and where their children ould live and themselves of the Hun-ryou-tai troops as grow in the best climate in Southern China, well as some young fanatics, at the same Now in the first place, the colony cannot time instructing the Japanese troops in possibly dispense with the Pokfulam reser- Seoul to secretly assist them and to take voir and as the population increases the an opportunity of killing the Queen. The storage there will most probably have to be judgment then goes on to give details of increased by another reservoir above the the plot, MIURA's " instigation or. "in- existing one; and, in the second place, the struction" to kill the Queen being thrice risk of pollution from the houses situated mentioned, but "in spite of all within the gathering area has been reduced "facts above mentioned the evidence is not to infinitesimal proportions by the pre- "sufficient to prove that any of the accused cautions which have been taken to prevent actually accomplished a criminal deed” sewage finding its way on the hillside. and the charge is accordingly dismissed. The decision not to allow any more houses in the gathering ground is, however, a wise one. as stimulants: criticism is either useful in Taipans and others" can find plenty of sites suggestion, or he treats it with the motto for hill residences in localities a little further they say what say they det them say,' afield, and the suggestion that an important The colony has perhaps never contained a water supply should be abandoned in favour keener critic than Dr. CANTLY bins of residential sites for a few taipan and and criticism was not wanting in his qwerb hers seems to us outrageous, Dr. on Thursday; some of it may perhaps he CANTLIE says he had the whole train laid for found useful in suggestion and as to the re- the abolition of Pokfulam reservoir in 1889, mainder of it the subjects may possibly meet But a mere accident caused the miscarriage of it with the motto quoted by the doctor in the measure and he failed. The accident was self. His humorous reference to the Public; the breaking of the Tytam conduit in the Works Department as a producer of disease treat_rainstorm of 1889. That visitation, can hardly be dignified by the name of therefore, was not without its good effects criticism, and, though it served to raise a land the colony has reason to congratulate laugh at the moment, cannot be justified either by factor theory. The Public Works Department is open to criticism on many points, but extravagant abuse defeats its own object. As to the Vaccine Institute, it seemed rather a tumpery, subject to which to devote s much attention on such an occasion. The cultivation of an a Aquate supply of-vaccine lymph of good quality is no doubt very important, but now that we have an Institute specially for the purpose, surely the authorities ought to be able to arrange the details of its working, which can hardly be elevated to the rank of a first class public question. Passing to another subject, Dr. CAXTLIE recommends us all to take more holidays, which is very excellent advice in theory, the only difficulty lying in not to its application. He asks us also “
forget that the Portuguese deserve con- "sideration." "Meny a man, in your offices," he continues, “has been ten, fifteen, "twenty, aye, twenty-five
without
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Vous
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itself on being thereby spared from this particular "CANTLIE fad," which, had it been farried into effect, would have outweighed all the good of the doctor's other fads. Where would the colony have been during the last few dry seasons had we had no Pok- fulam reservoir?
Enough, however, of adverse criti-
Wherever cism.
the doctor is there will be argument, but argument with- but rancour and leading generally to some useful result. He could not forego argument even in his farewell speech, and We have not hesitated to join issue with him on those points where his arguments seemed unsound, but vield to no one in our admiration for Dr. CANTLIE taken all round. We thank him for "fads" such as the College ||Medicine for Chinese, the Heak Hospital, the Public Library, the Vaccine Institute, and the healthy influence he has exercised in bringing about sanitary improvements and cropting sound public opinion on various questions of local and imperial interest; and we would again echo the good wishes ex- pressed towards him at the enthusiastic meeting which assembled on Wednesday to bid him farewell.
we
of
VISCOUNT MIURA AND THE MUR- DER OF THE QUEEN OF KOREA.
a holiday except où medical certitiede Gentlemen, remember of what blood you are-sons of men who abolished slavery and do not allow this form of modern slavery to creep into the customs of our daily life unheeded and unchallenged." | No employer, we think, would refuse any reasonable application for leave; there is no question of slavery about it, but the difficulty is that there is little or no inducement to take short annual holidays in this part of The judgment of the Preliminary Court the world. In England a young clerk with at Hiroshima acquitting Viscount MIURA a few pounds in his pocket can go to the and forty-seven others of the charges brought aside or other holiday resort for a week against them in connection with the Seoul or two, enjoy himself, and in every way emcute of the 8th October has now been benefit by the change, but in Hongkong published, and a very extradrdinary document Japan is our nearest holiday resort and it is. It sets out that at the instance of the travelling there and back occupies from ten Public Procurator the accused were charged days to a fortnight and the cost is a larger with assassination and instigation to rebellion, item than in the short trips made by thei and then goes on to nafrate the facts as bulk of holiday makers at home. Macao is; found in evidence. The interest of the case. within easy reach, it is true, but a week end there is as much as most persons care for.
Dr. CANTLIË next referred to the Pokfu lam water supply and residence at the Peak. What he recoñumends is the the reservoirat Pokfulam should be discontinued as a source
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for foreign readers at all events, centres entirely in the person of the late Minister to Korea. Viscount Mitra, then, "saw to "his insupportable grief and indignation "that things in Korea were getting worse "and worse." Having received a secret:
A more remarkable judgment, we should think, has never been made public. The court in effect finds the charge proved, but finds also, without any statement of its reasons, that the offence charged does not constitute a criminal act. It seems extra- ordinary that in a charge of such importance, with a clear prima facie case against the accused, a court of first instance should have taken upon itself to decide on the question of law. The proceedings in preliminary in- vestigations in Japan are not conducted in public, and the press is consequently unable to report either the evidence or arguments, so that in the case in question we have only the judgment of the court to go upon, and, on the facts as stated in the judgment, there is only one means by which the court could have arrived at the decision it did, namely, that under Japanese law an Ambassador is licensed to assassinate or instigate to rebel- lion. The Japan Mail, whose utterances are generally understood to reflect Japanese official views, writing after the verdict but before the publication of the text of the judg ment, said:"From the first it seemed more "than doubtful that Viscount MIURA could be found guilty of a criminal offence. He had unquestionably defied the instructions given to him by his Government, and by employing the military force at his disposal to promote an unlawful coup d'étát, had "caused serious diplomatic complications "and brought his country into disrepute. But such acts are not criminal, nor can an ordinary law court take cognisance of them. Their punishment rests with the Adminis- "tration. Hence Viscount MIURA's instant "recall and his summary dismissal from "office seemed to represent the limits of the 'penalty to which he was properly liable. The Japanese Government, however, thought differently. In their eyes 'it appeared absolutely, necessary that all "available judicial processes should be em-
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ployed to establish either the existence or "absence of a legal connection between "Viscount MIURA's conduct and the shock- ing incident that lent such a sinister character to the coup d'état assisted by him. Acting on that belief, criminal proceedings were instituted against him by the Public "Procurator. An impression prevailed at one time that the accusation might extend even to treason, since, in flagrant abuse of the powers delegated to him, he had employed the country's forces in a manner calculated to endanger public peace and good order. But that form of charge was evidently deemed unwarrantable, and in the end, as we understand, the Hiroshima law court was invited to consider only whether the aid lent by the Minister to the coup d'état did not constitúte him an accessory to the murder of the Queen. To "establish that, evidence must have been
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