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April 2, 1898.J
capital of Shensi, is spoken of as the Ravenna of the Chinese Honorius. I need not add that such a step is not likely to become a practical measure. Such a confession of impotency as it would imply would destroy the dynasty by in- ternal ferment.
· Russia meanwhile carries on her policy of unscrupulous bluster and bluff. St. Petersburg knows nothing of the thousand and one petty machinations which her agents here work on personal account, but it instantly assumes the advantage and prestige of these when successful. Recently a Russian Colonel has been appointed military instructor in Shaoshan, the nearest great military camp to Tientsin. His contract, sent down by the Taungli Yamen, because it feared to face the consequence of refusing to
accept it, is a most wonderful document. He is to be paid by the Czar, but is to receive Tls. 300 a month from the Chinese for expenses; he cannot be dismissed by the Chinese; is to have sole power of appointing and dismissing all other foreign and native instructors; is not to take orders from the local or provincial officers, &c., &c. This precious document issues from the Russian legation as if it had the very imprin'a- tur of the Czar himself. As a matter of fact it is entirely the fabrication of Mr. Pavilow or one of his subordinates. If it succeeds, Russia takes up the coign of vantage it gives and drives one more nail into the coffin of Chinese Butonomy.
Bea.
CANTON NOTES.
[FROM THE CHUNG NGOI SAN PO.” The Viceroy and the Governor are praying for rain daily in the temple of the gods of the Their service commenced on the 26th inst. The slaughtering of swine is strictly prohibited. On the 28th instant the sky was clouded, but there was no rain. The officers will continue to pray till rain makes its appearance.
The Viceroy, the Governor, and the Tartar General have issued a further notification-en- couraging the people to apply for the loan bonds of one hundred taels each bearing inter- est at the rate of five per cent. per annum repayable in twenty years. They say that as the bond forms are not yet ready they will give receipts for money which will be exchangeable for bonds subsequently.
It is said that a large number of robbers in Sawan are about to raise a rebellion. They have a good many weapons and junks in readi- ness for the purpose. A few days ago a junk which, it is said, belonged to the robbers, laden with two hundred rifles, two hundred revolvers, two hundred pistols, and a large quantity of ammunition was seized by a cruiser near Linfashan. When the cruiser was seen, the junk was abandoned by the crew, who swam ashore and landed. Their plot has been made known to the mandarins, who have sent many detectives to make enquiries.
It is said that the Sansz in Canton are going to establish a free English school in Pohingsai Street where all the subjects of an English education are to be taught. The teachers are Chinese.
On the 19th inst. a gang of about eighty robbers made an attack on a village named Lichnen, in Punu district. Seven houses were looted. The value of the booty amounted to ten thousand dollars. When the robbers went away they took a farmer belonging to the village as hostage, so that the villagers dared not give pursuit.
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A clan fight broke ont in a village named Ngoiyeungtsai, in. Takhingchow, and is still going on with great ferocity. The local officers, who were unable to stop it, have applied to the Canton Government for assistance. A good many lives have been lost during the fight.
A correspondent at Kiukiang confirms in a note dated the 23rd March the news we (N. C. Daily News) lately gave as to the attitude of the Yangtaze Valley Viceroys and Governors towards Peking. He says:-It is reported here that the Governor of Kiangsi in common with the other high officials of the Yangtsze is disobeying the Emperor's orders to disband the provincial regiments, and they are on the contrary secretly enlisting troops on their own account.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
HONGKONG.
269
On Thursday at the Police Court Commander Hastings sentenced a boatman to four months'
boatwoman while their sampans were lying imprisonment with hard labour for assaulting alongside the steamer Chung Shin on 25th March. A collision occurred between the two sampans getting alongside the steamer, and a dispute arose. The defendant and another man beat the woman with bamboos and knocked her into the water.
At the Police Court on 28th March, before
ment with hard labour and each of the others
The Manager of the Hongkong Branch of
been the chief topic of conversation during the The departure of the fleet for the North has past week and every item of news in regard to the position is eagerly sought for. The battle- the Immortalité are now the only British war- ship Victorious arrived on Thursday. She and ships in the harbour, and they will be going to the North very shortly. The principal social event was of course the ball given by the civil community in honour of H.R.H. Prince Henry Commander Hastings, a Chinese was charged, of Prussia. The ball was given in the City unlawfully keeping a gaming house at 21, on the information of Inspector Cuthbert, with Hall, and the decorations were on a most mag-Nullah Lane, and ten other Chinese were nificent scale, while the company present was large and thoroughly representative, amongst charged with gaming on the premises on Satur those present being H.E. the Acting Governor, day. The offence was admitted. The first H.E. Admiral Seymour, and a number of naval offender was fined $5, or six weeks' imprison- and military officers of various nationalities. On the 25th March Sir John Carrington (Chief $2, or ten days' hard labour. Justice) delivered an excellent speech on the occasion of the distribution of prizes to the scholars of the Victoria English Schools. On Saturday the 26th March, the final for the foot- ball challenge shield was played at the Happy Valley between a company of the Royal Artillery and a company of the King's Own Lancaster Regiment. The Lancasters won by three goals to nothing. At a special meeting of the Sanitary Board it was resolved to advise the Government to declare Macao a place infected with bubonic plague and to recommend the medical inspection of Chinese passengers arriving from that colony. There were 3,166 visitors to the City Hall Museum last week, of whom 277 were Europeans. Commander Hastings had between 20 and 30 persons before him on Tuesday for keeping dogs without licenses, finos ranging from $1 to 83 being inposed in most cases,
A communication has been received by the Government from the French Consul stating that Asiatic immigration into Saigon from Hongkong has been temporarily prohibited on account of the plague.
The following official telegram has been received :-" Shanghai, 28th March, 1898, Colonial
Secretary, Hongkong. Medical inspection on steamers from Hongkong. Canton, Swatow, Amoy, and Formosa ports.-Consul."
The following telegram has been received by the Kowloon Commissioner of Customs from the Commissioner at Shanghai: "Medical visit enforced forthwith on vessels arriving from Canton, Swatow, Amoy, Hongkong, and
Formosa."
At the special meeting of the Hongkong Sanitary Board on Thursday Dr. J. M. At- kinson, the President, observed :-I may men- tion for the information of the members that Mr. McCallum is now practically convalescent from his recent attack, and I hope he will be able to leave for Japan next week.
The M. M. steamer Oceanien, which arrived from Shanghai on 25th March and left with the homeward French mail on the 26th, held no communication with the shore here except for the landing and taking on board of mails. She took no passengers from Hongkong, either European or Chinese, although passages had been booked. These precantions were observed in order to escape quarantine at Saigon.
On the arrival at Nagasaki of the O. & 0. Company's chartered steamer Venus on the 21st March it was found that the chief engineer was suffering from a severe attack of small-pox, which, it is supposed, he had contracted at Hongkong. The necessary measures for disin- fecting the vessel were at once undertaken by the authorities.
At the Police Court on Thursday a Chinese excise officer was heavily fined by Commander Hastings, for bringing a false charge. On Wed- nesday P. C. Lippiat, under a search warrant for opium, accompanied the excise officer to a house at No. 122, Second Street. The constable went apstairs in pursuance of his search, and was shortly afterwards summoned to the ground floor where the exoise officer stated he had found six mace of opium on the bed of one of the occupants. Five more of the occupants corroborated a statement by the defendant that the excise officer had placed the opium on the bed to obtain a conviction. At the Magistracy yesterday Commander Hastings dismissed the charge against the occupant of the house, fined the excise officer $50, and ordered his dismissal from the service.
The Straits Insurance Co., Limited, has received a telegram from the Head Office giving the following summary of the Company's accounts to be submitted at the next annual general meeting-Net premium for year 1897, $742,000; amount carried forward from working account, 1897, to new account, $219,000.
The
sum of $110,000 has been withdrawn from Reserve Fund. Balance at credit of Profit and Loss, $345.
A Chinese woman and two men were charged at the Police Court on Thursday, before Comman der Hastings, with removing from a house in Yaumati, early that morning, a sick and ap parently dying woman, the female prisoner being fined $5 and each of the male prisoners $1. The prisoners were observed by an Indian con- stable placing the woman on an old boat lying high and dry on the beach. Inspector Robert son ordered the removal of the woman to the hospital, and yesterday morning she died of plague.
The Mount Austin barracks will be ready for occupation early next week, and as soon as the arrangements are completed four companies. of the King's Own Lancaster Regiment from Vic- toria Barracks will be drafted to the Peak. The Victoria Barracks will then be taken over by the Royal Artillery, who are at present stationed at North Barracks, which will be
handed over to the Naval authorities. The married men's quarters will in a short time be removed to buildings to be erected near Ken- nedy's Stables.
At the Magistracy on 28th March an en- quiry was held by Commander Hastings into the circumstances attending the death of a Chi- nese boatwoman. At half past nine on the morning of March 22nd a sampan lying off Bonham Strand was capsized by the military steam-launch Alexandria. It was occupied by four women, three of whom were rescued. Deceased, however, became entang led under the boat, and some time elapsed be- fore she could be set free. She was removed to the military hospital, but died shortly after- wards. The body was removed to the mortuary, and a post mortem examination showed the woman had died from shock and syncope follow- ing submersion. The Alexandria collided with the sampan in attempting to avoid a collision with another steam-launch. The verdict was in accordance with the medical testimony, and the Magistrate exonerated the Alexandria from all blame.
Mr. Quong Tart writes us from Sydney in- forming us of the intended visit to China of Dr. On Lee. During the past forty years the doctor has journeyed to and from his native land several times, but on no occasion under just the same circumstances as those attending him this time. Having practiced his profession for three years in England and since then very successfully in nearly all the Australian colonies, he has, Mr. Quong Tart says, gained the respect of all classes, and will commence his trip with the good wishes of all who know him. The significance of his visit this time is emphasized by the fact that he will carry with him a letter of commendation from the Govern-. ment under which he lives, and letters and autograph photos of His Excellency the Gover- nor, Lord Hampden, and of many of the leading statesmen and high officials. He proposel leaving Sydney by the steamer Australia 15th March.
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