September 30, 1896.1
ing souvenir of the very short Republic of Formosa has been handed to us in the form of a two-leaved card containing a concise account of the brief reign of Lui Jung fu, the Black Flag leader, in Formoss, after the compulsory cession of the island by the Chinese to Japan. In the account of the finances of the ephemeral Republic the author (Mr. James W. Davidson) describes how Lui, in his efforts to raise a revenue, resorted to the pretty well known expedient in impecunious states of a postage stamp issue, and the card is illustrated with a set of these stamps, which are of the face value of 30, 50, and 100 cash respectively. There were two issues, and this is the second, printed in Canton and perforated. The memento can be obtained at Messrs. Kruse Co.'s. They will some day be very rare and of considerable value.
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MACAO.
FROM A CORRESPONDENT.]
25th September. In accordance with the request of the Governor of Timor, the Lisbon Government has approved of the construction of an iron wharf in front of the Custom House in that island. The cost will be about $60,000 and negotiations are in progress with a British firm at Batavia for the carrying out of the work. The plans for this wharf were made ten or twelve years ago, but have never been approved till now. Macão has to bear the expense and no doubt will have to run into debt for the purpose.
The Lisbon Government, in the same des- patch that conveyed its approval of the con- struction of a wharf at Timor, approved the expenditure of a small sum for the dredging of Macao harbour, but it seems to be intended only to throw dust in the eyes of the public. The expenditure approved for harbour expeanes is as follows:-$15,625 for the loan and interest during the year and $23,400 for the commence. ment of the harbour works. Macao has to pay on account of Timor $60,000 or more and for her own urgently required works she is allowed to expend only $39,025. We did not ask the home Government for a grant or help of any kind in connection with the harbour improve- ment scheme, but simply to let Macao have her own income and use it for her own benefit, and let Timor rest for a few years at all events. The Government remains deaf to all our on- treaties, however, although the harbour is a complete disgrace.
So far as the Macao harbour works are to be carried out, I believe the intention is to begin with the making of a sea wall from Sakong to Green Island, which will be carrying into effect part of the plan of Mr. Loureiro, engineer: This will reclaim a considerable piece of ground, part of which will be available for houses and manufactories, and between Sa- kong and the new wall junk docks will be made. The mud dredged from the inner harbour will be used to fill up the existing mud flat and the old junk docks. This will be some thing, no doubt, but it is far from being all we
wanted.
The annual revenue of Macao and its expen- diture are as follows: Revenue
Ordinary expenditure. $490.102.23 Extraordinary
21
29,375.00
$663,178.75
519,477,23
143,701.52 The annual revenue and expenditure of Timor
Balance
are as follows :- Revenue
Ordinary expenditure $170,522.83 Extraordinary,
50,781.25
Deficit
Balance in favour of Macao..... Deficit of Timor
Balance remaining
$113,876,00
CHINA ÖVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
keep up that island. If the Government would allow Macao to retain the full balance no doubt in two years or a little more we wonld be able to effect the complete dredging of the harbour; but no, we have to make good the deficit of that disgraceful Timor and are allowed to retain in our own treasury the paltry sum of $36,273.42. It is painful to see the money going out like that and doing no good either to Portugal, or Macao, or Timor itself. Things have never gone so badly in Timor as under the Government of Senhor Celestino.
Last Saturday an English family who came here recently to spend a few weeks and have taken a private house had jewelry to the value of $350 stolen by a coolie. Information was at once given to the police and fortunately in a few hours all the missing articles were recovered. The person who suffered was the pawnbroker, with whom the coolie had pledged the articles for $35. The pawnshops here are not allowed to accept European goods and if they do so they run the risk of losing both goods and money if the articles have been stolen. The coolie absconded and has not been arrested.
The sellers of pork are making hay while the sun shines. Since the Leal Senado spoke of imposing a new tax on this monopoly the men have never tired of putting up the price, and the public, especially the poor, are suffering proportionately. Formerly the price was și for six or six-and-a-quarter catties; now only four-and-a-half catties can be obtained take no notice of this abuse. The monopoly authorities
is under the Leal Senado, our representa- tive institution, and that precious body as if some does nothing. It would seem at least of the members thought more of the monopolist's welfare than of that of the public. The time is drawing near for the election of the Leal Senado for 1897-98 and I would again urge the ratepayers to choose independent men who will discharge their duties impartially.
for the same amount. The
The enrolment of pupils at the Lyceu Nacional for the ensuing term has resulted, it is said, in not more than a dozen entering, some classes If having only one pupil and others none. this be so it would be better for the Government not to open the doors of the institution, and so save the money which otherwise would be wasted.
CANTON NOTES.
FEOM THE “CHUNG NGOI BAN PO.”] A Sansz named Leung Lun-pong petitioned the Government some time ago to be allowed to establish telephonic communication between Wuchow and Kwangchow. The Kwangsi and the Kwangtung Governments raise no objection to this being done, and the application has been granted.
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A censor named Chan Pak has memorialised the Throne to the effect that, as the Government is heavily burdened with the war-loan, a stamp tax should be instituted, by which a revenue of The stamps, he says, must at first be made in Eng- over 100,000,000 taels per annum might be raised.
land, but after the Chinese learn how to make them they can be made in Peking. An office should be established in every province to sell stamps. Every title deed must be stamped, and no unstamped title deed should be accepted as valid. The memorialist further states that it is rather a poor way to procure money by selling rank and cutting down the salaries of the officials and that if the stamp revenue can be
obtained the likin taxes can be abolished.
Nearly all the letter carriers' shops were registered before the arrival of the mid-autumn festival. It is to be hoped that the new postal system may be carried on without much difficulty.
221,304.10
On the 19th instant the Tartar General 107,428.10
drilled his soldiers in Tung-kau-cheung. His $143,701.52 Excellency paid much attention to the drill.
107,428.10
36,273.42
From these figures the public will be able to form their own opinion as to whether it is just that Macao should be compelled to give such a large amount to Timor to
A gunsmith's shop in Wong-sa was sealed by the Government on the 23rd instant. Twelve new guns were found therein and one inmate was arrested. It is said that the shop in ques- tion was accused of dealing in arms secretly.
The kidnapper, an old woman, who was handed back to the Chinese Government by the Hongkong Government was tried by the
261
Magistrate of Namhoi the other days, cho strongly denied that the kidnapped the wife of the mandarin, but said the woman asked her to bring her down to Hongkong to lead an im- moral life. When they had come to Hongkong, the wife went herself to the Yan Heung-lau brothel, where she spent three nights,” and then she went with her lover to live in a house at West Point for a month. The case” was re- manded.
ד: f
TIENTSIN.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
"
TIENTSIN, 10th September. The critical position of the Peiho is the one subject which monopolizes public attention. About three weeks ago the currents carried away the embankment a little below the British Settlement, and the great body of the stream is now escaping through the big hole made by the subsequent erosion. The escaping water has turned an extensive plane into & large lake, but meanwhile the reaches below the break have-no current, and the usual sum- mer scour on which we depend for the clearance of silt from the fairway is non-existent. At the match-factory natives on some days have waded across the river, and the greatest depth even now only five feet (it has been three) instead of the twelve necessary to steamer naviga. tion: The most alarming feature of the situation has been the absolute "sit-still-and-do-nothing" disaster. Even now they have no idea of the attitude of the Chinese in the presence of the contingent results to Tientsin City and the innumerable trading interests in North China. Three days ago Samuda's old dredger suddenly drifted down stream-(no foreigner had seen it for six or seven years)-it is now moored near the breach, and the proposal is to set it to work to deepen the river and close the breach simul taneously. It has those very long reaching mud shoots and can (or could once) déposit its wilt at a distance of 100 feet. The rush of water is however so strong that it is feared no result will follow. A local civil engineer offered to close the breach for $5,000, and the shipping companies would have been willing to bear part of the expense, but the Chinese declined.
The railway is quite unable to cope with the trade of the port in its normal condition. At present the exports and imports of five provinces are being carried up and down 45 miles of river in small vessels drawing three and four feet. The whole incident is the most marked and disgraceful breakdown of Chinese admin- istration since the war.
I note several singularly untrue paragraphs circulating in the South about coinage in the North. Like all the rest of littoral China, wa have had cash at a considerable premium for a long time. The Provincial Government, to remedy matters, has built an extra shed or two at the East Arsenal and has put down more plant for the production of the copper (bronse) coins; but after all it is a mere drop in the bucket. At present five stamps are turn- this is all that has been done. Next month, ing out 15,000 cash each per day, and
in this respect: the authorities being about to however, will probably see a great improvement "mould" as well as "stamp." No machinery has been ordered from England for dollar coinage, and at the present discount of silver there is no immediate intention of undertaking that business. Six or seven years ago a fine plant was obtained from Birmingham, but as silver fell it was never used. The Arsenal authorities are now about to try it for a big experiment in subsidiary silver coinage. The dies are being made here; they are not yet quite perfect but will be in a week or two, when it is proposed to make a large issue of 20-cent, 10-cent, and 5-cent pieces. Dollars will doubtless be undertaken at some indefinite future period.
Li expected here not later than the end of the month. His European receptions have un- doubtedly rehabilitated him somewhatamong the less dense Chinese, and the opinion gains ground that the Tientsin yamen may see him yet again; but I think this notion is partly due to the growing conviction that Wang Wen-she is not showing himself a strong man. Censors, by the bye, are increasingly at His Excellency.
The
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