Anuary 20, 1897.
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for future narration ~ I that both the girl who close by, and her brot Spanish family, are qui one deny to the natives
CRICKET.
THE CLUB V. THE NAVY.
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but
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
refuses to believe in the heinous intent of his chaplain, though the authorities who investigated the affair are satisfied of the guilt of the Tagalo priest. The machinations of the rebels seem to have permeated all quarters and to have taken in their withering grasp natives and half-breeds | excellent qualities, but they are utterly in every station in life from the millionaire to rule themselves. property-owner, local governor, lawyer, govern- Six new transports are under way he ment lerk or official, doctor, professor in the troops, and when they begin to arrive colleges, to the most ignorant and poorest fisher- to be able to give the readers of The Chine man or domestic servant in Spanish and foreign | 'Gazette early information of stirring -- enu employ. Indeed, it would be difficult to find a Now we are in Christmas week and the parallel for such widespread treachery. The and shops are thronged with people, but all publi thing, it must be understood, is not of sudden gatherings, processions, etc., usually associated development, or product of a day, or the growth with the festive season are prohibited, and we are of one unholy night; but has been hatching constantly reminded that we are living and unsuspected for at last seven years, but was state of siege, though to look out upon the gay rendered an abortion by the lucky disclosure to and noisy Escolta from where I am writing it is Father Gill by the girl whose brother was difficult to realize it, except for the fact that engaged in printing the secret papers of the every second men as in uniform and all constantly catapunin. The story of the confessional and carry their arms. Before this trouble broke out the breaking of the priestly seal of silence there were not a thousand Spanish troops in the that Mr. Davidson and others told in whole Archipelago, so that the Spanish rule, explanation of the discovery of the plot is, however bad it may have been, did not take to put it mildly, all Tommy rot. There was much force to sustain it. On Saturday last a no confession, no secret, no breaking of priestly plot was discovered amongst the prisoners in the vows, and consequently nothing at which to criminal prison to revolt and kill the guard, bi hold up our hands in holy horror about the was disclosed in time by one of the omni-present whole business. What I am amazed and hor- detectives whom the Government have every- rified at is that any white man can be so short-where, even in the prisons amongst the con- o sighted as to display blind but well meaning victs as one of themselves. An abortive con- sympathy with the natives of the Philippines spiracy to seize one of the armed lannches that in this horrible conspiracy to murder, burn, patrol the bay was also discovered amongst the poison, and assassinate their European masters native crew, who were arrested. On Saturday ex- and teachers wholesale, because they ignor- Governor-General Blanco, Marquis of Peña- antly hope that if they could thus repay nearly Plata, left in the Spanish mail steamer, Leo the four centuries of patient, fostering, and not Thirteenth, and was seen off by an immense unduly harsh rule though it is not exactly to concourse. The night before he was entertained our minds the wisest or best rule, and is proli at a dinner by the agent of the local branch-of fic of the most exasperating annoyances and the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, but since fruitful of scandalous abuses, by converting this his supercession the man whose word was law. beautiful city into a shambles, and these rich for over three years has been totally neglected and lovely islands into a Malay pandemonium by his own countrymen !-H. O'SHEA in China That the vast maiority of the natives have no Gazette. idea beyond murdering the Spaniards, priests, officials, merchants, haciendados, fair women and innocent children, in one fell swoop, and plundering their property, and that everything was nearly ripe for the execution of this demoniac purpose, is clearly established beyond doubt. The plot was revealed openly by the sister of the printer who told her to ask the priest, as the most likely one to know, what was the catapunin and what was the meaning of the strange things that were being “set up in the office where he was employed. He sent proofs of the curious documents to the priest who waited for weeks before communicating with the authorities and then a sudden raid was made and lo! the most trusted and respected of the mestizo (half caste) and native popula- tion, many of them the personal friends of Sercombe Smith was fortunate in winning Governor-General Blanco and other high officers the toes and naturally elected to bat upon a soft of state, were shown beyond the shadow of but not very difficult wicket. Johnston did not doubt to be actively engaged in concooting a give the out side much trouble, succumbing masssore besides which the Cawnpore butchery early to one of Elliott's deliveries, but most of was a mere circumstance. The rebels also be the immediately succeeding batsman made sub- lieve that if they can get rid of the Spaniardsstantial contributions to the score, Howard in they can run the country and pay no more particular playing a useful innings of 58, though taxes! Everyone will have plenty to eat, he was indebted once to the wicket-keeper nothing to do and pay no cedula or other and to the umpire for opportuni- tax to anybody! This is the simple argu- ties of continuing his innings. Subse ment which the agents use everywhere to beat quently Sercombe Smith and Cobbold of up recruits and to get the peasants to join Cambridge University fame-put on nearly their ranks. As a practical and early illustra-60 runs before the latter was bowled by Shipway tion of these delightful tenets the washermen, for a steadily played 24, and a little later on who have mostly all turned rebels, walked off Sercombe Smith and Gordon piled on another with half the wardrobes of male and female 40 for the ninth wicket, when Gordon was Manila, for here everyone wears white tropical caught and bowled by Elliott. It was hoped clothing the year round, and consequently that the indefatigable skipper of the side would for a time the rebels were the best dressed carry out his bat. but eventually he gentlemen in the Philippines, while their bowled by Bedwell for an excellent innings luckless customers were getting new clothes 80. For a few overs when he first went in he together. I have seen many of the docu- seemed to be rather uncomfortable, and was ments seized in the catapunin records, good deal stuck up by some of Shelford and copies of the testimony given by deliveries; but having had a life at the wi the prisoners who turned King's evidence settled down in earnest, and and the confessions of the condemned whose best as well as the highest in the
Naws lips were opened once they knew their fate, and and Shelford were the mainstay of t I may say that the world has little idea of the in the bowling line, but they were both rather full atrocity of the designs they contemplated. expensive. But I do not say that there are not a great many scandalous abuses in the government of the Philippines that should be remedied, and would be remedied if they were brought forcibly home to Madrid. But this is another side of the question-and opens a story which I must leave
of a Moorish pattern, inlaid at and breech with brass or silver, and altogether, more curious and andient than formidable or serviceable. They very much resemble the pieces used in the Malay prows by the pirates who half a century ago infested the Straits of Malacca and the neighbouring seas. The rebels have also tried to make guns ont of the church bells, which they cast into long tubes and bound round with ropes and strips of hide, but on the few occasions on which they tried to use this archaic artil- lery in Cavite, the results were more discom- fiting to themselves than disastrous to the Spaniards. The rebels have managed to get hold of a great many rifles of various pat- terns, besides stealing all the arms they could through the active collusion of the servants in Spanish or foreign employ in Manila and other | places Nearly every Englishman and German has thus been relieved of his arms_by his boys, and, of course, a great many Reming tons and revolvers have been carried over to the rebel side by the numerous desertions from the Spanish side, while others have been obtained by the killing of Spanish outposts. But the rebels are fortunately without any organization for getting in arms from abroad systematically, and must of course only have very limited supply of ammunition. They are consequently very careful of what they have, but they are reported to be busy trying to make coarse powder, the ingredients for which they have in abundance in Laguna, where the Tael volcano furnishes an in- exhaustible supply of sulphur, nitre being found in many places in possession of the rebels. With their well-known patience and great capabilities for imitating any pattern laid before them, I have little doubt that they will be found to have been able to add to their stook of cartridges. They rely largely on lances, spears, and a national weapon something like B matchetts, but heavier, called the bolo, with which almost every rebel is armed. It is a formidable tool at close quarters and the natives have proved already that not even arms of precision and rapidity of fire are altogether to be relied upon to keep them at long range. Many of the Spanish troops carry matchetts in addition to their regular arms. I have learnt from a private source that the natives have also enlisted a new and curious weapon into their service, along bamboo syringe filled with a liquid made from the fruit of the caong, which is allowed to decompose in water until the poisondus principle of the plant having been evolved by chemical change passes into the solution. This liquid is said to produce a wound which never heald, but as the back of the roughly made syringe generally leaks and drops on the user, they are unwilling to use it very much. They have also poisoned arrows, discharged with great precision from back wood bow, with which they are very expert. In Cavite and many other places they have out the harvest and are now getting in the rice, evidently with the idea of sustain ing a long siege But from all reports, I should say that if the Spaniards are lucky enough to inflict a decisive chastisement upon thema in Cavite, the entire revolution will col- lapse. The absence of a real leader must tell upon the rebels and all their principal men are either in the fortress here or have been shot already by the authorities. Francisco Rozas, the millionaire and friend of General Blanco, Rizal, the doctor and idol of the Philippine Indians, Lans, the artist whose picture won a gold medal at the Paris Exhibition, and every other native of wealth or influence in the catapunin or inner circle of conspirators, which the natives created for their own purposes inside the lodges of Masonry, into which the Spaniards confidingly initiated them years ago, are in the toils of the law and may be shot on any day. An immense amount of suffering has been inflicted upon their families by these misguided men. In dozens of cases, the estates of those implicated have been embargoed by the Government and people formerly in opulence Buddenly reduced to poverty. Some native priests are amongst the prisoners, three at least having been tempted into the plot, one being attached to the house of a Spanish bishop whose throat was to cut in the night! But it is only ht to add here that the bishop steadfastly
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The Navy had the best of the first matan. under the above title, which was played earlier in the season, but the landsmen-represented by a strongish team-took a somewhat bitter revenge upon the present occasion, when they obliged their opponents to retire from the field defeated by an innings and 82* runs. The Nary had a fairly good lot, but - with a little luck in the disposition of ships on the station they might have been con siderably strengthened, the absence of Bon-
Garde, ham-Carter,
and Allenby being specially felt.
once
The batting of the Naval team appointing, Trotman Loing bo mediately for 1, Perry Ayscoug to one of Cobbold's slows, and of Wood's straight uns wi the further bewilderment
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