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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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tine discrimination in sifting what is fake from what is true.
But what is to be said of the other side P "There
wit- are European eye
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nesses writes your Tainanfoo correspondent. (The italics are mine. The things witnessed,
them into one of the tea such marked success
for the Foochow tea trade far, what has been done is me but the most satisfactory re obtained, that is
are supposed to be the "atrocities" that your make and appear say, teas of
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one could play, because you could always find some one to play with-and beat. He told the story of a certain old Colonel who played lot on & well known links in the South of England, and who, when chaffed about his exceedingly bad play, said "Well! I may be a bad player, but I am better than that damned fool Jones."!!!-We all, said correspondent describes). One cannot help the Commodore, have our "damned fool Jones"
asking concerning these Europeans and for this reason no one need despair however where are they and who are they? There were late in life he began, or however badly he played. two or three Europeans in the district of the Capt. Rumsey had alluded to "the system." As rebellion many weeks ago, who may have seen a regards this, all he, the Commodore, could say little of the fighting, but they long since left was that this "system" (which is now prover- it. The plain fact is that the atrocities bial in Hongkong golfing circles) had carried your correspondent reports come to him only him through many a tough fight, and he felt from Chinese sources. Any people in the proud to say that on his last public appearance position in which the Chinese in Formosa now on the links he defeated a great friend of his find themselves would be unlikely to tell the by its aid. This friend, however, was not a pure unvarnished truth, and the Chinese have Jones." The Commodore resumed his seat never, so far as I know, had a particularly high amid loud applause, after wishing the Hong-reputation for the article in question. Rather, kong Golf Club and golfers all success: they have had the reverse.
Mr. McKie then in a humorous speech pro- posed Mr. Waymouth's health, and after a response and a song or two a most pleasant evening came to an end.
CORRES ND NCE
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[We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents]
THE JAPANESE IN FORMOSA.
TO THE Editor of THE "DAILY PRESS.' Sir,The writing of some of your correspon- dents in Formosa concerning the doings of the Japanese in the island has astonished me not a little, but none so much as that of your Tainan- foo correspondent. The reason has been that the deeds stated to have been done by the Japanese are so different from what should have expected of that people, after a long experience of their nature gained from living amongst them. Still I had no means of ascer- taining the truth or the want of truth of your correspondent's statements till lately. Since, however. I have been in Formosa, have travelled several hundred miles through the country, a great part of the distance through the districts in which the affirmed atrocities took place, and have taken every opportunity of discover. ing what has been the actual truth, from what I could see and from what I could learn from both Japanese and Chinese, I have no hesitation in affirming that your correspon- dent's statements as to the action of the Japanese are, with a few exceptions, either exaggerations or pure fabrications. There have been no "atrocities" except inasm asuch every form of war is atrocious. ~ Active rebels have been shot down or caught and executed without much mercy. I believe this is the custom with the people of all countries in such lamentable cases. Through the districts in which the rebels held sway for a time towns and villages have been burned, leaving the sur- vivors homeless. I have heard of such things in cases of war in European countries and in America. That"
women and children were put to the sword" is simply untrue, though it seems to be the case, as is inevitable in war of any kind, more especially in the suppression of a rebellion, that some who were innocent suffered with the guilty and that the property of many who were not in any sense rebels was destroyed. The Japanese Government is now offering to compensate all who have lost in this manner.
Provocation for the rebellion there was some undoubtedly, but it amounted to nothing more than the overbearing manner of soldiers and coolies and the petty tyranny of petty officials, concerning whom I am so far in accord with your correspondent that I wish the higher off cials were made responsible.
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The real fact seems to be that the foreign community of which your correspondent is one chafes-not unnaturally-at finding its privi- leges curtailed on account of the transference of Formosa from Chinese to Japanese rule, enjoys hearing news to the discredit of the latter people, and that there are easy means for getting such news manufactured to meet the demand, a Chinese being, as a rule, only too ready to furnish the kind of tales that he finds his listeners relish. Such expressions as "the Japanese
like all Oriental sava- ges, thirsted for revenge are enough, without comment, to show the spirit in which your correspondent writes, and to throw discredit on anything that he writes, in the mind of any fair- minded reader, of whatever nationality.
"
Your correspondent states that the Japanese have not contradicted reports of the "atrocities." If he means that they have not actually con- tradicted what he was written I cannot say him nay, because I do not know that any Japanese correspondent has noticed his effusions. On the other hand the Japanese newspapers print daily, or nearly so, matter from their own correspondents in Formosa which give a very different description of affairs from that of your Tainanfoo correspondent. I travelled for about a hundred miles with one of these correspondents and found him a particularly bright and intelligent man who had had a very thorough education in England.
I am driven to suppose that your correspon dent expects official contradiction of what appears in your columns from him concerning affairs in Formosa! but you, I am sure, are aware that it is not the custom of Japanese officials to deny irresponsible reports that appear in foreign papers. Imagine, indeed, in any country, an official denial being given to such stuff as comes from your Tainanfoo cor- respondent!
This whole affair of the rebellion and its suppression is sad enough at the best, and it really seems to me a pity that you should lend your columns to make it appear more than it is by publishing reports so horribly exaggerated and distorted as those of your Tainanfoo corre- spondent.-I remain, sir, yours, &c.
Tai-boku
W. K. BURTON.
Tai-wan, 5th September, 1896.
IMPROVEMENT OF TEA MAKING AT FOOCHOW.
INTRODUCTION OF THE INDIAN
METHOD
The following letter appears in the Foochow Echo of the 12th September:-
:
Dear Sir,-It has been a subject of remark during the past few weeks that you have main- tained a mysterious silence regarding the crisis, Besides the writing of the correspondent if I may so call it, that has come about in the above referred to and that of various others, I Foochow tea trade. The purport of this letter have read the letters of Mr. Davidson, who is is quite as much to induce you to break that mentioned in your.issue of Angust 31st, and I silence and if possible to draw forth some must say that comparing the writings of all, and opinion from you as to our prospects, as to taking into consideration what I have seen and furnish you readers with the news, which been able to ascertain at first hand, Mr. David-cannot fail to be of interest to all. son's writing comes far nearer the truth than that of other correspondents. It may be the case that Mr. Davidson is over prone to believe the statements made to him by Japanese offi. cials, but it seems to me that he has shown a
Mr. Fraser, of the firm of Fraser, Ramsay & Co., after visiting the tea gardens of India and Ceylon and making himself acquainted with the methods adopted in those countries of pick ing and curing tea, has managed to introduce
have been produce ing a strong dark liquor, with an inf of the approved bright golden colour. more is required P We are at once placed in position to compete with Indian and growers in the great consuming markets Great Britain and Australia.
No difficulty, was found in starting a com pany locally for the purchase of machinery and for otherwise pushing the adoption of the new method of making tea among the Chinese. The name of the Company is the Tea Improvement Company."
v
chow
Over and above this, I hear that there is quite a little undercurrent of excitement going on in the foreign hongs. Of course with such a confervative people as the Chinese it is unlikely that more than a small proportion of the Congou crop will be made in the new fashion for a year or two, but in the meantime it is understood that some of the foreign hongs are already vieing with one another to get this small proportion into their own clutches. All sorts of induce ments are being offered, which the Canton and Chin-chew hong-men will not relish. Liberal advances are to be made to intending operators in this new fashioned tea, and extensive godown. room is to be placed at their disposal. † The i novel (to Foochow) method of selling the tea by t anction has been proposed the advancing For- eign Hong to be the auctioneers, who further proffer their services to ship any teas, for which satisfactory prices are not bid, to the consume ing markets of the world on owners' account. There is nothing like taking time by the fore-
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look.
Pray, Mr. Editor, let us have your views, or those of any of your contributors who may care to favour us with theirs.-I am, dear sir, yours truly,
T.
Upon this the Echo makes the following comments :---
We find ourselves forestalled by our corre- spondent "T" in being the first to make public an important piece of news, the introduction into this province of the Indian method of making tea. We were asked by some of our subscribers not to publish anything we might hear about it for a time, and it is only within the last few days that we have been released from our undertaking to abide by the request. Although the thought may have been quite original on Mr. Fraser's part, it was not new one. The idea of its altogether a feasibility had occurred to more than one of our resident merchants, but was abandoned by reason of the difficulties attending the introduction appearing to them insurmountable.” It may be guessed that the foremost difficulty was the certain strong opposition of the Chinese, high and low. It was reserved for Mr. Fraser to do what others had feared to attempt, and if all goes well, as the result of his first-experiment seems to predict, his name will be handed down to posterity as the reviver of our mori- bund tea trade. Mr. Fraser followed up the conception of the idea by going to the gardens and factories of India and Ceylon and learn- ing for himself all that he could about tea oultivation and tea curing in those co On his return to China he brought tea rolling machine, which was no followed by other machinery complete the curing on India The rolling machine was landed came the question of the difficul dreamers of the scheme had looked insurmountable. Mr. Fraser reckoned circumvented them. He had his establis at Peeling and managed to ge machinery up to that district piece out ruffling either the tender the sleepy! Instead of hirin
coolies to rush the would have created su possibly troub intervals, bit by bit by down from eling for they arrived, with their burdens withou
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