July 9, 1898.]
Mr. Figg's prediction of a heavy gale was fulfilled early on Friday morning, 1st July, the wind blowing in gusts of almost typhoon force from about two to four o'clock. At 4.40 the black ball was hoisted, signifying that the depression had passed to the westward, and it appears that it entered the coast to the west of Macao. Ow. ing to the notice of the storm that had been given in Hongkong and the precautions that were taken there is little damge to be recorded. At about half-past six on Friday morning, however, a sampan ventured out near the East Point Sugar Works and was upset. Of the seven occupants two little children were drowned. The affair was reported to No. 2 Police Station about two hours afterwards.
On Saturday evening, and again on Monday, the members of the King's Own Regimental Dramatic Club gave an entertainment in the Gymnasium, Murray Barracks. The first part of the programme consisted of songs, three of which were of a humorous character. They were sung by H. Whiting, Corpl. Williams, and created much amusement. Corporal O'Donohue, Lieut. Lethbridge, Colour-Sergeant Lelliot, and Bandsman Carter also proved very acceptable vocalists. The second part of the entertain- ment comprised a farcical comedy entitled "Home, sweet home," the different characters being admirably impersonated by J. Arnold, H. Whiting, G. Gilling, H. Gibbs, E. Aldons, T. Packer, Lieut. Galloway.
The Echo Macaense publishes a paragraph with reference to an Englishman, whose name is not given, who went into the post office at Macao to inquire about a letter he was expecting. The Postmaster was absent and in his absence the en- quirer was attended to by one of the subordinates. Not being satisfied with the replies he received be wished to see the registry book, but his request was refused, whereupon he grew excited and exclaimed "damned disgraceful post office The clerk asked him to repeat the phrase, which the "beefsteak," as our contemporary terms the Englishman, did twice. The matter was, ro- ported to the Governor, who could not let such an insult pass without reparation, and the up- shot was that the Englishman persoually apolo- gised to the Postmaster.
At the London Bankruptcy Court an applica. tion for an order of discharge was made on 8th June by Sidney William Coxon, formerly a stockbroker at Hongkong, but recently a com- pany director and manager, Cromwell-road, West Kensington. The bankrupt failed in March, with liabilities of £6,791 and assets £2. He ascribes his insolvency to a loss of £6,736 sus- tained through the fall in value of 500 shares in the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, which he purchased in 1891 as a speculation. The only offence reported by Mr. E. L. Hough (Senior Official Receiver) was that the assests were not sufficient in value to pay 108. in the £ to the creditors, and on that ground Mr. Regis trar Giffard imposed the minimum suspension of two years.-Ordered entered accordingly.
For-
On Saturday afternoon some excitement was caused in Queen's Road by the fall of a quantity of brickwork and scaffolding from the top floor of the Hongkong Hotel, just above Miss Fairall's shop. For some time past repairs to the verandah have been in progress, and the accident of Saturday afternoon is said to have been caused by a workman stepping upon or leaning against the brickwork before the mortar was set, but it is to be noted that the coolie did not come down with the bricks, as one would have expected if they had given way under pressure in the manner described. tunately there was no one passing immediately in front of the building when the fall took place, but two coolies who were waiting with their master's chair had a fortunate escape, as they happened to have gone under the verandah and were therefore sheltered from the shower of bricks which fell outside and smashed the chair. Had the accident occurred before Miss Fairall's shop was closed and when a lady was entering or leaving it is almost certain that she would have been killed. Some enquiry as to the cir- cumstances of the accident should be made by the Director of Public Works, for if a great mass of masonry is liable at any time to be hurled on to the heads of passers-by by the accidental touch of a coolie it would seem the precautions taken are insufficient.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Mr. W. Boffey, an old resident of the colony, died on Saturday morning and was buried on Sunday afternoon. Mr. Boffey was for a great number of years in the employment of Messrs. Lane, Crawford & Co. as the manager of their tailoring department. Two or three years ago he established himself in business on his own account, but had recently rejoined Messrs. Lane, Crawford & Co., resuming his old position. He was a prominent member of the Masonic body and a Past Master of Victoria Lodge, No. 1,026, and of the Eothen Mark Lodge, and
many of the brethren attended his funeral.
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The Austrian cruiser Frundsberg arrived at Singapore on the 25th June. The Frundsberg is a vessel of 1,840 tons, and has a crew of 225. men and nine guns. She comes from Pola, and was expected to sail on the 29th for Manila.
of
A Tokyo press despatch of the 24th June says the Government commenced drawing the indemnity money in April last by exchange bills, in order to prevent the exodus of specie. The amount drawn so far is some 15 million yen. More is yet to be drawn.
We (N. C. Daily News) learn that a warrant has been forwarded from Shanghai to the Monday being the 123rd anniversary of the British Consul in Chefoo for the arrest of the independence of the United States of America, stranded steamer Amarapoora, which, it will be Mr. Rounsevelle Wildman, U.8. Consul-General remembered, ran ashore on the S.E. Promon for Hongkong, was "at home" in the after-tory in a fog early last month. It seems that noon, and some 300 gentlemen called upon him, the master and managing owner declined to including the foreign consuls and the leading leave the vessel, and, as no enquiry into the residents of the city. His Excellency Major accident could be held in the absence of the General Black sent his aide-de-camp. The master, this course has had to be adopted to Consulate was decorated with numerous stars force matters to a conclusion. and stripes, and the Celestial members of the household found a bent for their enthusiasm in their usual fashion-letting off innumerable crackers. The American ships in the harbour were gay with bunting.
The Echo Macaense says:" In a defended case in the court here, in which the plaintiff is the well known Li Shing, of Hongkong, the evidence of the plaintiff was required, but as he could not be subpoenaed on account of his domicile being in the neighbouring colony an application was made to the judges that bis evidence might be taken English there. The plaintiff, however, it better to
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deemed
allow himself to be cited at Macao and he wrote to requesting him to be good enough to fix a day the Judge for the taking of his evidence, stating that he would come to Macao on the day named in a steamer that he would charter, and requesting further, in view of the bad state of his health, that the Judge would take his evidence on board, this request being supported by the certificates of two English doctors. The request was granted, independently of the medical ground, for the law entitles parties to a case to have their evidence taken at their residences upon their paying the attendant expeuses. Accord- ingly, on the day fixed, the steamer Tai On arrived off the Praya Grande flying the Eng- lish flag. The Judge notified the plaintiff's advocate that he could not go on board unless the English flag was hauled down and the Portuguese hoisted, the reason being obvions. Notwithstanding that this was done, when the Judge went on board an attempt was made to exclude persons not concerned in the case, but, on the verbal request of the defendants' advocate, the session was declared public. But what was the good of all the display? Was it ostenta tion, a desire to show the power and wealth of the plaintiff? The hire of the steamer would and lunch. The usual following accompanied be $400, besides the expenses of the champagne the plaintiff, Mr. Quincey, the celebrated ex- Inspector of the Hongkong Police, being at the head of his bodyguard. It is said that there were also on board a lawyer and two employés of one of the life insurance companies, who were to protest in case the plaintiff was compelled to leave the vessel to give his evidence on land. The journey altogether must have cost $4,000. Will this amount included in the bill of costs ?"
MISCELLANEOUS.
The effort to form a volunteer corps among the Straits Chinese has fallen though.
Owing to the frequency of housebreaking cases at Singapore lately special watch has been recently kept upon the Tanglin distriot. Capt. Hamilton and Sergeant Brennan in the course of their rounds the other night saw a gate open leading to house No. 73, Scotts Road, which is occupied by one Sin Kok Chun. Noticing a ladder against a tree they suspected thieves and went up to the house, when they were fired upon by the son of the occupier, who stated that he always fired on thieves. Fortunately will be charged with a rash act. the bullet whizzed harmlessly past, but the man
A terrible accident took place in one of the forts at Haiphong on the 30th June. Five on a small waggon running on Decanville rails, artillerymen were engaged in removing shells when one of the shells rolled from the waggon and, striking the rails, exploded. When the smoke cleared away a dreadful spectacle was seen. One of the men had his head completely blown away and another had lost an arm and a leg. Of the three others two were wounded, the third no doubt owing his escape to the fact that he was behind the waggon and partly sheltered. An Annamite working in a neigh- bouring field had his face bruised.
The Kobe Chronicle says:-The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank have circulated a notice, dated the 25th June, stating that from the 30th inst. interest at the rate of 3 per cent. per an num will be allowed on credit balances in cur- rent account. This will be to raise the rate from 2 to 3 per cent.-a step which has probab ly been resolved upon in view of the fact that the rates of the Japanese banks on such accounts have recently been raised in some cases to above 5 per cent. The ample security afforded by foreign banks, and their absolute trustworthi ness as depositaries of business confidences, doubtless allow them to offer lower rates with- out diminishing the volume of business done..
tack which might have been attended with very News has just reached Foochow that an at-
serious consequences, was made a week or two since upon Miss Gardner C.E.Z.M.S. near Kien Ning City. It seems that she was walk- ing through one of the surburbs attended by a Biblewoman when a man suddenly seized her by the wrist and made an attempt to strike ber with a chopper. Miss Gardner was able to wrench herself free and before her assailant could at- tack her again the Biblewoman bravely inter- posed and bore the brunt of the attack, being severely wounded on the arm. The man,
who seems to be mad, is in durance vile and we are glad to hear that the brave Biblewoman is in a fair way towards recovery-Echo.
The coal trade in Japan for May last was very Mr. Pritchard Morgan, M.P., arrived at prosperous, the total quantity exported being Shanghai from the North on the 29th June. 214,536 tons, with a declared value of 1,484,619 The N. C. Daily News learns from its Wei-yen. This shows an increase of 47,151 tons over haiwei correspondent that Dr. Charles A. Macan- lay, fleet-surgeon of H.M. flagship Centurion, died rather suddenly on the 15th June, and was buried the following day.
A crocodile is reported to have been captured in the Dedap river, Lower Perak, in whose stomach was found a human leg (probably that of a Malay), besides portions of three buman skulls, fishing hooks, lines, and pieces of white drill and kabki cloth. This crocodile is cre- dited with killing three Malays, one being the Kota S'tia policeman who was taken out of a boat when going his rounds last year-Singa- pore Free Press.
the returns for the preceding month, and an increase of 13,488 tons over the figures for the corresponding month of last year. The great increase in exports during May is chiefly due to the fact that coal accumulated during April in Moji, and other coal-producing districts, owing to most of the steamers engaged in the coal trade having been chartered for the con, veyance of rice to this country. The quantity exported during May makes a total of 893,706 tons, valued at 6,121,866 yen, since January last, This shows an increase of 40,067 tons in the quantity and an increrse of 982,818 yen in its declared value.—Nagasaki Press.
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