as
THE CENSUS.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
The census taken on the 20th January last shows that the population has not been quite so rapidly as was supposed egistrar-General's returns of births find death; for the quarter ended the 31st December last the estimated population was ven ollows :-British and Foreign community, 10,962, Chinese, 249,313 whole population, 260,275 These figures were based on the assumption that the increase was proceeding at the same rate as it did between the census of 1881 and that of 1891 The expectation was that the estimate would be found under rather than over the mark, but the recent census gives a total population of 236,882 only, exclusive of the military and naval establishments, for which we should add, say, 5,000, making a grand total of 241,382, or nearly 18,000 below the estimate. By the census of 1891 the popula- tion at that time was shown to be 221,441, so that the annual increase since has been 11 per cent only, as against 3.277 per cent. during the decade 1881-91, 2.887 in 1876-81, and 3.345 in 1872-76. This falling off in the annual percentage of increase is not pleasant to contemplate, but possibly the Registrar-General when he publishes his detailed report may have some explanation to offer that will show it to be less serious than at first view appears. He may be able to give us some idea, for instance, as to the extent to which the enumerations would be affected by the different dates on which they were held In 1891 particular pains were taken to secure, if not exactly a bumper census, at least one that would not show the population below its normal strength, and the date originally fixed, 80th April, was changed to the 20th May, in order to allow of the return of the Chinese who had gone as usual at that time of year to the mainland to worship at the tombs of their ancestors. This year the census was taken on the 20th January, or a fortnight before the China New Year, when probably a number of Chi- nese had already left to spend the festival at their native places. Still, after making all allowances, the census must be classed as a disappointing one, so far as regards the total population. The British and Foreign population, however, shows a large increase, the figures (exclusive of army, navy, and mercantile marine) being 7,542 in 1897 as against 5,862 in 1891, or an increase of nearly 29 per cent., and it is satisfactory also to note that whereas in 1891 the per- of females to males was 68, in 1897 centage it has risen to 77. Amongst the Chinese population, however, there has been no improvement in the proportion of the sexes, the figures showing 41 females to every hundred males both in 1891 and 1897. In the previous interval there had been a small increase in the proportion of females, namely, from 38 to every hundred males to 41, and it is discouraging to find that this increase, small as it was, has not been maintained, for such an extreme disproportion between tes is a disadvantage to the community, cally and morally. The small
crease of the total population, ally of the female population, is be attributed to the plague and ures taken to combat it and rrence, for the prohibition
the cost of the sanita
es have necessar
living
lasse
E
are published more clearly on the
THE CAREW CASE.
(4th February
કમ્પ્યુ
myst only the
which
wanted
The
difficulty in proving or the writing of the Annie Lul completely cut away the defence by misadventure and showed that a was at work. In one of Mrs. CAREW letters written to her husband in July last, while he was in the country, we find what, read in the light of subsequent events, may be taken as evidence of nu idea taking hold of her mind. First to a call paid in the eroning by a from a ship in harbour whose acq the CAREWS had made, incident, but narrated with a refe "more mysterious (con ion CC Rachel and somebody the door an comes an account of Mr. CAREW' boatm having come up to the house for something, another very ordinary incident. Mrs. CAREW however, says she really thought the old
err
The CAREW case, one of the saddest and most sensational in the annals of criminal poisoning, has resulted in the conviction of Mrs. CAREW of the murder of her moral sense husband. The decision arrived at by the the creation jury was, as far as we have been able intellect in ordinary matter Amarently
unclouded to judge from the newspaper reports 80
On what other theory aro The we to account for the creation of far received, the only possible one. evidence given for the defence has not the Annie Luke mystery ? If the yet reached Hongkong and only a portion accused had simply of the opening address of the prisoner's her husband, and if it were the counsel has come to hand, but it would ap- alleged, that he was in the habit o pear that the evidence for the defence has arsenic, it would have been a simpl not had much effect on the minds of the jury to have given him an overdose and certainly the opening portion of Mr.
have stopped there. LOWDER's address, reproduced in this issue, then possibly have appeared is not calculated to shake the opinion arrived as due to accident,
been aroused, there at on a perusal of the evidence for the prose cution. In all cases of murder by poison a mass of technical evidence is necessarily in troduced and it is the business of the defence to make it appear that the poisoning might have occurred in any way rather than by the administration of the poison by the accused with criminal intent. So clear, however, was it in the present case that a murder had been committed that Mr. LOWDER, the prisoner's counsel, while the case against his own client was in progress, brought a charge of murder against Miss JACOB, which is still pending, and, in his address to the jury on behalf of Mrs CAREW he suggested, as we have learnt by telegram, that Miss JACOB impersonated Mrs. CAREW at MARUYA's, the chemist's where arsenic was procured. Although the view was pre- sented that the poisoning was the result of misadventure, the real issue was narrowed to the question of whether Mrs. CAREW ör Miss JACOB was the murderess. The Annie her reference to the affair, wit Luke letters were inconsistent with any tion “M
More mysteries! T other theory than that of murder and disposed carrying on an intrigue with Mr. Dick completely of the theory of death by in-son, in the course of which she told advertence. It appears that there is an gentleman a tissue of lies apparently without ANNIE LUKE residing in England, but she any sensible object, auch, for instance, an that has never been in Japan. The Yokohama she had seen a lawyer with refe Annie Luke was a creation of Mrs. CAREW's, obtaining a divorce, when as a who testified to having seen her, or rather a fact no such interview had tal mysterious lady in black, and this at a time Then comes the Annie Luke when Miss JACOB was in the nursery, so evidently created merely for the that it could not have been that person. the mystery, and the We have, too, the damning fact that Mrs. letters of passages CAREW, while admitting knowledge of the novels, which go to fact that arsenic had been exhibited to the deceased, by himself as she alleged, failed to inform the doctor of the fact until the last moment. The explanation given by | Mr. LOWDER on this point is that if she had told Dr. WHEELER about the arsenic she would also have had to tell him that her husband had consulted other doctors about certain matters that he did not want to know of, and that Dr. WHEELER her concealment was therefore a wifely and dutiful act. Mr. LOWDER must have been in great straits when he had to put forward such an explanation as that. Furthermore, after the intrigue Mrs. CAREW had been carrying on with Mr. DICKINSON wifely and dutiful conduct was not to be expected from her, even supposing the ment from the doctor of so material a fact as the taking of arsenic could under any circumstances be considered wifely and dutiful. Mr. LOWDER makes a point of the following already accused's anxiety to secure the best medical
܂
conceal
さ
nce for her husband, which he puts ard as inconsistent with a desire rder him and as likely to lead to the discovery of any means adopted for end, but it may be urged with mo that the object of the affected solicitad
ivert, suspicion from herself.
“man a raving.
47
maniac and concludes the exclama
a diseased imaginati total absence of motiv doubt this view pressed upon the
the
unfortunate
friends. Cases
eaving
the
per
aan s
insanity
yste
that which Mrs. CAREW appe suffered from, in which the intellec certain directions remains unclouded the moral sense is per desire for myste and a possession of the unknown to the medical
(5th Febru One feature in the Car
ed consider: Miss JACOB in loo
waste
ragmen
bask
tain
sket
y were us
lieve
be
and
have
LACOB Sieces
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