July 1, 1897.]
O Most High King, hearken, we entreat Thee, unto the prayer that, on behalf of our be- loved Queen, we offer to Thee in unison with the other numerous loyal subject-races of her Great Empire, each race in its own tongue and its own way to save her and guard her, and keep -her from all manner of harm. Do not foresake her in her old age. Let no evil befall her or hers and remove and keep away all manner of plague and pestilence from her land. Prolong her days in peace, prosperity, and happiness 50 may all the nations be blessed in her.
Ŏ Thou who art mighty on High! Command blessings from Heaven upon her son the Heir Apparent and upon all the members of the Royal Family. Pour Thy great kindness upon them all! Keep them as the apple of the eye, and shelter them under the shadow of Thy wings. Pour Thy spirit upon them and upon
their descendants,
Vouchsafe Thy mighty help unto her people this O Lord Our God, King of the Universe! great and glorious British nation to which it is our good fortune to belong! Cause them to be high above all nations "in praise, in good name,
in honour.".
Pour upon them from on High the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord! May they live for ever and over in peace and safety.
May the words of our mouth and the medita- tion of our hearts be acceptable in Thy sight. O Lord our strength and Kedeemer. Amen.
THE PARSEE SERVICE.
"
A congregation of the members of the Par- see or Zoroastrian community of Hongkong was held on Sunday afternoon at their premises in Elgin Street for the purpose of offering prayer and thanksgiving to Almighty God in com- memoration of the completion of the sixtieth year of the reign of Her Majesty the Queen Empress Victoria. There was a full gathering and after the usual office for "Jussun service and other prayers had been gone through a special service for the occasion was held under the auspices of the Trustees of the Zoroastrian Fund of Hongkong Canton; and Macao-Messrs. Mody, Mehta, and Battliwara. The form of prayer and thanks- giving though short is very much to the point and was very impressively pronounced by Mr. Mody. The following is the Prayer :-
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O Holy Ahnrmazda, our Heavenly Father, we Thy humble servants of the Mazdyasnian faith with heart-felt devotion praise Thy divine goodness and yield Thee unfeigned thanks for the many and signal blessings which Thou hast conferred upon the various peoples of the British Empire through the revered instru- mentality of our Gracious Sovereign the Queen- Empress Victoria during the sixty years of her glorious and blessed reign. We Thy humble Zoroastrian worshippers, O Holy Creator, again yield Thee hearty thanks that Thou shouldst be pleased to let Thy wisdom be her guide and Thy arm her strength, so that in her the spirit of wisdom and strength, justice, truth, peace, and love flourish in her days to promote the general welfare, unification, and solidarity of her various subjects of all classes and creeds, and with uplifted hands we pray unto Thee O Merciful Mazda, to bestow upon our illustrious Sovereign Thy choicest blessings, to gift her with many years of a happy life resplendent with glory, and to continue her reign, O Holy God, with all honour. We, beseech Thee, O Great Almighty, oto bestow of Thy bounty upon our beloved ruler the blessings of the annihilation of famine and pestilence in her Indian and other do. minions which, through Thy endless grace, favour, and providence, have grown up with the mother country as the Greater Imperial Britain, and to endow in this vast commonwealth the blessings of fruitful peace and plenty; and we supplicate Thee, O Good God, with all our hearts to orown the fulness of her days with the fulness of divine blessings, grace, and love, and receive our humble prayers, O Almighty Mazda, that these and all other Thy gifts may be long continned, and erown her with im- mortality in the life to come. Listen we pray Thee to this invocation of Thy servants of the Zoroastrian faith in Hongkong and grant us our wishes. Amen.
The offerings collected after the close of the service will be given to the Zoroastrian Jubilee
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Fund started in 1887 for relief to the poor of all nations and creeds.
OTHER SERVICES. Special services were also hold at the Union Church and the Wesleyan-Methodist Chapel.
TUESDAY'S PROCEEDINGS.
THE CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO THE
the
QUEEN.
honour to move, and which I trust will be seconded by the Senior Unofficial Member, is that the following telegram be sent to Her Majesty
We the Governor, Executive Council, and Legislative Council of Hongkong in Council assembled on this auspicious occasion of national rejoicing and thanksgiving desire on behalf of ourselves and all your other loving subjects in this colony to give expression to our feelings The two days' jubilations were most appro-and persou. We pray that by the grace of God of loyalty and devotion to your Majesty's throne Council Chamber. Here, at ten o'clock, His your glorious reign may be long continued over priately commenced on Tuesday morning in the
a peaceful and prosperous Empire.” (Applause). Fixcellency the Governor, Sir William Robin- the Executive and Legislative Councils held for son, G.C.M.G., presided at a special meeting of
gratulation to Her Most Gracious Majesty the purpose of sending a telegram of con- Queen. A detachment of Indian and Chinese constables, under Acting Chief Inspector front of Government buildings, and on the Mackie, was drawn up on the grass plot in arrival of each hon. member at the entrance the constables smartly shouldered arms. The meeting was fixed for ten o'clock, but a quarter of an hour before that time members began to arrive and when, punctually to the minute, His Excellency walked into the Council Chamber all the members were present with the exception of the Hon. T. H. Whitehead. It had been arranged to have a photograph taken of the
whole Council sitting and in order to get placed inside the Governor's private room, the best possible focus the camera was
the doors of which were thrown open, while the reporters' table was moved from its customary position so that there should be no obstruction of the lens. Two plates were exposed by Mr. R. C. Harley, but unfortunately the light was rather bad, so the results may not be so satis- factory as the important occasion demanded. Owing to his lateness-he did not arrive until after the Governor had commenced his speech the Hon. T. H. Whitehead paid the penalty of being left out of the photograph altogether, an omission which will clearly demonstrate to future legislators that the photograph was not taken at question time. With the conclusion of this ceremony commenced the business of the meeting, the proceedings being listened to most attentively by the members and the general public-the general public consisting of four ladies. When His Excellency the Governor rose to move the dispatch of the telegram to the Queen all the members stood in their places, resuming their seats when he had finished. The Hon. C. P. Chater, C.M.G., seconded the resolution in a speech which was, like the Governor's, short and to the point and well delivered.
Hon. C. P. CHATER-Your Excellency, I rise with the greatest possible pleasure to second the resolution which you have just proposed, and which irresistibly calls for our sincerest and most ardent approval. In the allotted span of human life, there are few of us who do not
forces us to realise how powerless, after all, is experience, sooner or later, some occasion of deep import and momentous intensity, which the whole wealth of language, how poor the whole fervour of imagination, to enable us adequately to express the event of the hour. Sir, there has come to us now an event of that nature, which Her Majesty's subjects the wide world over are celebra- ting in humble reverence to their God, in loyal devotion to the Crown, and in the hope that spared to guide and direct in the future as she their Sovereign may yet for many years be
Sir, in this far outpost of Her Empire, these has in the past the destinies of Her people. feelings of reverence, devotion, and hope are re-echoed in emphatic and no uncertain strain, and, in grateful acknowledgment of the oppor tunity which time has brought us, it is our privilege to respectfully assure Her Majesty, through yon, Her Representative, that the heart of this community is beating to-day with the happiest sentiments of respect, regard, and affection for the person of Our Gracious Queen. (Applause).
LHE RECEPTION AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE, The reception at Government House, which was held by His Excellency the Governor at eleven o'clock, was very largely attended. The visitors commenced to
arrive very early, doubtless in order to ensure escape from the rain which ominous black clouds predicted as imminent, and while waiting for the hour to strike they assembled in the porchway and hell discussing most anxiously the weather pros pects. When the rain commenced to fall the general opinion seemed to be that it would not be wet in the afternoon because it was wet in
the morning, consoling logic which happily proved correct. Photographers busied them. selves in the grounds in front of Government House by taking snap-shots of various arrivals as
was
His EXCELLENCY-Gentlemen of the Ex- ecutive and Legislative Councils, I have asked you to meet me here this morning in order that they walked along the well-trimmed I may submit to you a telegram which I propose, pathway, so there will be no lack of interesting with your concurrence, to send to Her Majesty mementos of this auspicious occasion. The
was held in the the Queen, through the Secretary of State, reception
ball-room, humbly yet heartily congratulating Her Majesty which very tastefully decorated with upon the completion of the 60th year of Her beautiful plants and flowers, and as the glorious reign. It is all but impossible to
visitors arrived they were marshalled up a pas- sage which had been corded off and their names realise the fact that this great commemoration is being observed not only by millions of Her announced by Captain Phillips, A.D.C. His own subjects, but by hundreds of communities Excellency, during the reception, stood at the which are not subject to Her Majesty's rule. top end of the room and on either side of him The love and respect entertained for Her Majesty were the various Consuls, all of whom were in Service dress. Notwithstanding the gloomy as- the Queen and Empress are indeed universal, not only on account of her faithful observance of all pect out of doors the room presented a very gay the obligations of a Constitutional arch, but appearance, the mingling of the exceedingly on account of her personal qualities. Amongst pretty dresses of the numerous ladies with the Her Majesty's colonies. dependencies, and naval, military, and Civil Service uniforms in- the communities to which I have referred, there tensely heightening the effect of the whole When it became known in the room is none I am sure more loyal than the colony scene.
that His Excellency the Governor had been of Hongkong. If any proof of this statement were needed I would point to the magnificent decorated with the Grand Cross of St. Michael contribution of $93,000 which has been made and St. George and that the Hon, C. P. Chater in this colony-$35,000 of which I am proud had received the Companionship of the same to say has been furnished by the Chinese. Order congratulations were showered upon the With the Government grant, the sum sub-fortunate and well deserving recipients. Record scribed in Hongkong towards the Reign Celebrations will be upwards of $184,100, an amount which will not be exceeded even if it is reached by many larger and richer colonies. Though the telegram I am about to read to you may inadequately express our ad- miration of, and veneration for, the Queen, I am certain you will adopt it, and will authorise me to forward it for Her Majesty's gracious acc eplance. The resolution which I have the
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PRESENTATION OF ADDRESSES.
The reception over no time was lost in pro- ceeding with what was the most important cere mony of the morning the presentation of the addresses from the community and the Masons and a tablet from the Chinese. address was from the public, and was pre sented by Hon. C. P. Chater, as Chairman of the Jubilee Committee; the second presenta tion was of the tablet from the Chinese
The first
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