November 4, 1897.)
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Captain Loveband, A.D.C. to H. E. General Black, returned on the 2nd November by the Empress of India. Captain Loveband has been spending a holiday at Banff to recuperate after the severe attack of typhoid fever from which he suffered in the spring.
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The enquiry into the death of Tso Shin Kin, who was murdered on the night of the 17th inst. on the road between Yanmati and Chinese Kow- The loon, was resumed on 29th October. finding was that the murder was committed by some person or persons unknown.
A Chinese passenger on the Kowloon ferry launch which left Pedder's Wharf at 11 o'clock on Monday night jumped overboard a few minutes after the start. Another passenger missed him and gave the alarm, but althongh
the launch steamed round the. spot for about a
pletely soaked with sea water. In spite of the | The telegraph stoamer Sherard Osborne, hav- terrible catastrophe and the general havoc, every-ing completed the laying of the cable between thing is being done to preserve order in the place. Manila and Visayas, left Manila on the 28th The Acting Governor, with an activity which October for Macao, to repair the cable between does him immense credit, called together all the Macao and Hongkong. European residents to discuss the best means of coping with the emergency. An incident, trivial in itself, serves to illustrate the vigilance that is being kept over the town. During the storm 112 prisoners managed to escape from the Gaol, but the Captain of the Civil Guards has al- ready recovered 89 of them and is still seeking for the rest, fearing they might do mischief. Among the most notable edifices that have been destroyed may be mentioned Government House, the Trea- sury, Barracks of the Civil Guards, the different Courts, the Parish Church, etc. The premises of the Singer Manufacturing Company were also blown down, and in spite of the of efforts of the
some manager to save the machines the greater portion of them have been lost. The province now presents a most mournful picture and sorrow is de- picted in the faces of all. Homes, property, every-quarter of an hour the body was not recovered. thing has been destroyed, and thousands of peo- ple are now scattered over the island trying to find food and a place wherein to stay. The coast is strewn with the wreckage of vessels, a number of which most hare been lost. The loss of life by sea and land must have been something horrible to contemplate. It is reported that the town of Hernani, in Samar, which contained 6,000 souls. has altogether disappeared, and at
town
three Loog, a
in Rombron, only
A resident in Hongkong, having made en. houses and some cocoanut trees remain. quiries in London respecting the North China The following readings of the barometer were and Developments Company, Limited, about which ther was much discussion when it was recorded at Tacloban on the 12th October :- At-4 a.m., 754 millimetres, at 6. 751; 'at 7, 748 registered, has received the following reply :- at 8, 746; at 9, 742, at 10, 738; at 11, 728. Respectable concern. Have a good balance It was only at 7 p.m. the barometer indicated at bankers; capital not all publicly subscribed. Cannot ex- that all danger was past. It then showed 755 Not much work done at present. millimetres and continued to rise till 12 mid-press any opinion as to success.' night when it was normal. In one locality the when lowest reading observed was at 0.40 p.m., it stood at 722 millimetres.
Home "
HONGKONG.
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At the Police Court on the 2nd November Lam Lum, a fishmonger, was charged with offer- ing a bribe of $1 to a olerk in the Registrar- General's Office for the purpose of obtaining the rednotion of the price demanded for a stall in the Sookunpoo Market from $4 to $3. The evidence of the clerk was taken and the case remanded till Friday next, bail being allowed in the sum of $100.
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The grant of the opium farm, commencing on the 1st March, 1898. has been settled. From the Governor's speech delivered at the meeting of the Legislative Council on 25th October it an increase of appears that there will be $86,000 a year in the revenue, but as the new opium farm does not begin until next March the increase next year will be no more than about $71,000,
On Saturday a man and his wife were com- initted for trial on a charge of causing the death of a woman named Lam Mui, who died from injuries which, it is alleged, were caused by the prisoners during her pregnancy. While the case was being heard the court was cleared of everybody except those who were concerned in the case, so that the morbid taste of many people was fortunately not satisfied.
The preparations for the Hongkong cricket week, which commences on Monday next, are now well in advance. The Straits cricketers arrived by the last English mail and have put in much time at the nets. The Shanghai team is expected in a day or two. The officers of the West Yorkshire Regiment gave au At or the polo ground on the 27th ult, and a most enjoyable afternoon was spent. On Wednesday the shareholders in the Punjom Mining Company, Limited, decided to wind up the concern and to form a new Company. The Saintary Board met on Thursday. On Friday the shareholders in the Great Eastern and Caledonian Mining Company, Limited, held their statutory meeting. The death on Sunday of Mr. James Sampson, who was born in Hong- kong, caused general regret in the colony, he haring taken a keen interest in sporting matters, particularly rowing. On Monday the Legislative Council met and the Appropriation Bill was read a second time and afterwards considered by the Finance Committee. The Secretary of of State's decision in the case of Mr. Osmund, late first clerk in the Registrar-General's De-imposed on 1st Nov. on a man who swindled a partment, who was called upon by the Executive Council to resign on a reduced pension in August last for having received bribes, was that Mr. Osmund be dismissed from the public ser- vice with the forfeiture of his pension.
General and Mrs. Black returned from the North by the Indo-China steamer C'hoysang.
The woman who endeavoured to set fire to a matshed occupied by another woman with whom she had quarrelled was on 26th October com- mitted for trial.
Chan Kai Ming, first clerk, and Chan Shan, second clerk at the Magistracy, and Cheung Shiu Po. a shroff, severed their connection with the Magistracy on the 1st inst. It was alleged that they had been in receipt of bribes from a gambling house keeper, and Hon. H. E. Wode- house was appointed to inquire into the allega- tions. After the inquiry the two clerks and the shroff sent in their resignations, but whether this was done voluntarily on their part is not publicly known.
Six months' imprisonment was the sentence friend of $4. The complainant was short of work and on the 25th ult. the prisoner obtained a Post Office mail notice and handed it to com- plainant, telling him that if he showed it on board the Empress of China be would obtain employment. For his services the prisoner de- manded $4, which the complainant willingly gave. Of course when he boarded the Empress of China he found he had been cruelly hoaxed and at once gave information to the police.
Two lots of Crown land at Percival Street, Two performances of "A Pair of Spectacles" East Point, were sold by auction on Monday The first lot, No. 1,451. contains by the Hongkong Amateur Dramatic Club are afternoon. announced, the dates being Tuesday and Thurs-34,240 square feet, the annual rental being day, 9th and 11th November.
$378; the upset price was $7,533. The second lot, No. 1,452, contains 17,230 square feet and the annual rent is $193; the npset price was Messrs. Jardine, Matheson and Co. $3,790. bought both lots for $20 above the upset price. There was another sale of Crown land on Tues. day, the property being Inland Lot No. 1,453, Kennedy Road. It contains 30,364 square feet $228. This lot was and the annual rental purobased by Mr. Belilios for $4,580, or $25 above the upset price.
Another case of defrauding the Post Office came before the Hon. H. E. Wodehouse on 26th October. A shopman living in Hillier Street was charged with sending to Canton mail matter by means other than through the General Post Office. He was
seen by a constable to deliver a number of letters contain- ing money to somebody in the compradore's office on the steamboat. A fine of $50 or six weeks' imprisonment was imposed.
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The transport which is to convey the Lanca shire Regiment from Malta to Hongkong will leave England on the 11th inst., and it is ex- pected that the West Yorkshire Regiment will say good-bye to Hongkong about the first week in January. The West Yorks will go to Singapore, where the Rifle Brigade will embark on the transport for England. A freight ship carrying details will leave England for Hong- kong about the middle of December.
The Committee of the Cricket Club met on Saturday and selected the following, from whom the eleven to represent Hongkong in the inter- port matches will eventually be chosen :-A, S. Anton, H. Arthur, G. O. Campbell, H.K.R.; P. A. Cox, Col. Gordon, W.Y.R.; C. W. Gordon, W.Y.R.; J. F. H. Hastings, R.N.; T. N. How- ard, W.Y.R., Surg. Lt. Col. Johnston, A.M.S.; Capt. Langhorne. R.A.; F. Maitland, H. S. Mo- berley, H.K.R., T. S. Smith, A. G. Ward, M. D. Wood, Rer. G. Vallings. A special net will be put aside for the practice of these members and it is earnestly hoped by the Committee of the Club that they will avail themselves to the full of the coming week's opportunities to get into form.
The St. Cecilia Society has been established in Hongkong for the purpose of cultivating the taste for music, and on Saturday, 30th Oct. the inaugural concert was given in St. Patrick's Hall, Garden Road, a large number of people being present. The concert was conspicuously successful and we sincerely trust the Society will prosper, not only by way of increasing its own number of vocalists and instrumentalists, but by winning the support and appreciation of the general public. The programme consisted of nine musical items and a short and pleasant speech, which was delivered by Mr. J. McGregor Forbes, who presided in the absence of Mr. J. J. Francis, Q.C: All the contributions, vocal and instrumental, were highly appreciated, the efforts of the orchestra showing how carefully Mr. A. Cattaneo, the hon. conductor, had accomplished his work.
Prince Nor-Kut-Urh-Tut, uncle to His Im- perial Majesty the Emperor of China, in com- mand of the Royal body guard with permission to wear the three-eyed peacock's feather and walk in His Majesty's presence, recently pur chased some medicine from A. S. Watson & Co.'s branch at Peking. His Highness was go pleased with the beneficial result of his purchase
that he sent that firm a testimonial with the
following inscription in Manchurian characters
on red silk:---
ET
To Dr. Watson of Great Britain
Sickness disappears at the touch of
your hands. a collection of similar testimonials from high We understand A. S. Watson & Co. have quite
chang, brother to His Excellency Li Hang- Chinese officials, one of which, sent by Li Han- chang, goes so far as to refer to the celebrated
'Dr. Watson as the Saviour of China.
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It has now been established, even to the satisfaction of the Government we believe, that the sewage in the disnsed sewer near the P. & O. Office runs down from house drains, and not up from the harbour, as was alleged. The place is worth a visit, even at the expense of having to endure an abominable stench, though modified somewhat by the use of chloride of lime. The month of the sewer was closed some time ago, it being supposed that all the house drains formerly discharging into In taking up the old it had been diverted. Praya wall, however, it was discovered that was a large accumulation of filth. there An official explanation was published to the from effect that this filth had been washed up the foul foreshore, but further investigation has revealed the fact that one or more house drains have all the time been discharging into As there are no reliable plans of the the sewer. old drainage system it is not extraordinary that the whereabouts of some of the drains should be unknown, but surely the mouth of a sewer should not be closed until careful investigation has shown that there is no discharge into it. It must The affair is an accident, but one of those accidents that ought not to occur. not be forgotten, however, that Hongkong is one of the best drained cities east of Suez," a statement for which high official authority exists.
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