64
two field guns among them, and headed by the brass band of the enturion they spent the day marching through Weihaiwei and surround. ing villages. They made an imposing sight. The object as I understand, was a beneficent one: they wished to overawe the people so that later when other buildings were being pulled down there would be no necessity to use violence to restrain the mob. One pitied officers and men, for the weather was exception. ally hot, the trying heat that precedes a thun- derstorm. I hear that several men fell out of the ranks through heat prostration,
|
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[July 16, 1898
to Mr. Morgan, I learn from Chinese in For infringing the exclusive privilege of authority that there is not the slightest prospect the Postmaster-General in conveying letters of success. Even if the Chinese were willing, from Hongkong to Canton and not taking and they are not, still Russia would never con- them to the General Post Office for transmission sent to allow another service similar to the on Wednesday, a Chinaman was at the Magia. Customs to be inaugurated in China with antracy on Thursday fined $50, the alternative English head and English staff.
being six weeks' imprisonment.
CHINESE OFFICIAL CHANGES,
THE AWAKENING OF SHENG.
Director of Railways Shông got a red-hot edict from the Emperor blaming him for doing nothing too vigorously, whereupon the Belgian contract was promptly sigued.
The official world was in a flutter for a few days after Weng Tung-bo's dismissal from office, not knowing what would follow. But all is now quiet and likely to remain so. Wang Wên-shno having filled all Wêng's important Already it has been found necessary to select billets. The Emperor's other tutor, Sun Chia- a piece of ground on Linkungtao as a cemetery. nai, from Anhui, has been appointed a Chung. On the 15th inst. Dr. Macaulay of the Centang or Grand Secretary, and we know of turion died rather suddenly and on the follow- no one more worthy of that gre t Chinese dis- ing day be was buried. Two French priests tinction. Sun Tajén is a kindly, affable, old came down from Chefoo on a torpedo-boat de gentleman of progressive tendencies and good stroyer for the very brief service at the grave. intentions. Wang Wenshao's appointment to Within the past few days your correspondent the Cabinet is regarded by the progressive party has been in the country some few miles to the as giving no strength to the Cabinet. Al- east of Weihaiwei. He there heard of a case though not particularly conservative he is dila. of piracy which was said to have shortly before tory and weak. It is thought Yung Lu will taken place in the vicinity. The men who did make a very good Viceroy of Chihli. As Titu the act belong to a small island called Kinnng of Peking he was energetic and commanded tao, about seventy li to the east of Weihaiwei. respect. The boat attacked was a small Japan junk. Everything of value was taken, though no one was injured. My informants said that the Japanese Consul with a few soldiers (I pre- sume from Chefoo) had arrived at the place to look into the matter, and during the enquiry no one was allowed to leave the island Prob- ably there is some truth in the story, but just how much one does not know. It may complicate matters a little, for I have it on good authority that the "neutral zone ĐI. tends as far as 121 deg. 40 min. east longitude. It includes Wenteng and Yungcheng hsiens, a part of Ninghaichou and part of another hsien- perhaps six to eight hundred square miles in all. If the "neutral zone means what it did in the case of the Japanese, then Chinese troops will not be permitted to locate in this district, and it certainly will prevent the hoisting of another flag on any part of the Promontory, the latter probably being the point aimed at, as I under. stand England claims suzerainty over that dis- trict. One would expect that, with the above limitation, matters will proceed as before, ander Chinese magistrates. Yet some active interven- tion may be found necessary as time goes on.- N. C. Daily News correspondent.
11
PEKING.
1st July.
Last Sunday registered the hottest day Pek- ing has seen in six years. The thermometer at four p.m. stood at 104 F. in the shade and at six p.m. registered 100. Previons to this 10 was the record.
1
GERMAN ENTERPRISE.
In spite of such high temperature events in the political and financial world keep moving on. The Germans are busy daily at the Tsungli Yamen, pushing the interests of a German firm, to oust Yung Wing from his concession for the Tientsin-Chinkiang railway and put the Ger- mans in possession thereof. Many influential Chinese have stated that they would rather this important road should be given to some other nationality to build and control, but as none are apparently competing for it the Germans will probably have a walk over.
YUNG WING CORNERED.
At any rate instructions have been issued to Yung Wing to produce the necessary capital at once or resign. As far as is known he can. not produce a cent and so he will likely, very reluctantly it is true, have to make way for his more powerful rivals.
The Peking syndicate represented by Chera lier Luzzatti scored again on the 21st inst, when --the Tsungli Yamen signed a second contract with them, this time giving them control of the mining privileges and necessary railroad and water outlet to navigable rivers in three north ern prefectures of Honan. Truly Luzzatti has managed his affairs well and is entitled to great credit for his success. Mr. Pritchard-Morgan bas left for Japan with the intention of return- ing within a month to again press his scheme for a Government Bureau of Mining.
.
THE RUSSIAN SPECTRE. While such a scheme might be beneficial to the Government and also incidentally, of course,
THE EMPEROR ON THE MOVE.
by rail as soon as the railway can be completed. The Emperor has determined to go to Canton and having made that decision he is impatient of delay. China has certainly begun to more and with some vigour too at last. Since getting rid of Wêng the Emperor has daily read ex- tracts from the leading foreign uewspapers besides looking at the pictures of the leading English and American illustrated weeklies, would not permit this when he was in power. which are labelled for his inspection. Weng
To-day the Weihaiwei convention was signed in the Tsuugli Yamèn to the satis. faction of both parties. Weihaiwei however
won't amount to much with the Germans con-
trolling the railroads and industrial enterprises to be started in Shantung.-N C. Daily News correspondent.
HONGKONG.
There were 1,554 visitors to the City Hall Museum last week, of whom 171 were Europeans. A marriage has been arranged between Own, West Yorkshire Regiment), and Miss S. Lieutenant Ingpen (of the Prince of Wales Lyall, daughter of Mr. James Lyall.—Straits
Times.
The steamer Knight Templar has been chartered by Messrs. Apcar & Co. to run temporarily between Calcntta and Hongkong in place of the Aratoon Apcar, which has been docked at Calcutta,
On Thursday morning a junior lieutenant on the Chinese cruiser in the harbour jumped into the water with the intention of having a swim. He was, however, not seen again, and it is sup- posed he was seized with cramp,
On Saturday afternoon a coolie was employed storing logs behind a godown at Kowloon when some of the logs slipped and he was crushed beneath them. The man was so seriously injured that he died shortly afterwards.
The steamer Hongkong, which arrived at Woosung from Hongkong on the 9th July, was quarantined for three or four days, owing to a death on board among the Chinese passengers. The deceased, it was said, was a Chinese official.
The master of the Yuensang (Capt. J. Kynoch) appeared before Commander Hastings on Saturday to answer a charge of neglecting to go into the quarantine anchorage on the 19th of June when on a voyage from Amoy, which had been declared an infected port. Defendant said he did not know quarantine was in force at the time. A fine of $200 was imposed.
At the Magistracy on Saturday a junk master was charged with having brought certain animals into the colony used for human food in a way which caused needless and avoid- able suffering. The vessel was from Huensang. There were 161 animals on board whilst there should not have been more than 70 or 80. Three died on the way, and 27 were badly cut by ropes. Fined $50.
|
The maximum temperature last month was 91.1, on the 2nd, and the minimum 75.6, on the 16th. the mean for the month being 1.6. It has been generally remarked that June was an exceptionally cool month, but the mean was over, not under, the ten years' average, which is 80.5. The rainfall was 14.25 inches.
At Singapore on the 28th June the steamer Lightning landed 400 Chinese at the quarantine station, in consequence of a case of plague bav- ing broken out on board. The vessel also car- ried a detachment of the Hongkong Regiment, on their way to India. The ship was allowed after disinfection to proceed to the wharf, the troops being kept on board by a guard of their own number. The quarantined passengers- were released on the 4th July.
The cruiser Haiyung. built at the Vulcan Works, Stettin, for the Chinese Government, arrived on 13th July, under the German flag, which she will continue to fly until handed over. The Haiyung is a. twin-screw steel cruiser of 2.950 tons displacement, her length being 315 ft., beam 41 ft., and draught 16 ft. Her indicated horse power is 8,000 and her speed 19.5 knots. She has 2in. armour in gun Her armament position and 3in. on deck. consists of three 6 in. quick-firers, eight 4in.,
six 1.4in. Hotchkiss, and six machine guns. She has three torpedo tubes.
In our Canton notes from the Chung Ngoi San Po a few days ago it was mentioned that a Chinese woman named Ma Yan-shi, who had been naturalised in the United States, had brought an
action in the court of the Punu Magistrate
dollars, being money lent on a promissory note. against a Sansz named Chau Poi-yung for the recovery of the sum of one hundred thousand
At the first hearing the plaintiff was non- suited, as she produced only a photograph of the promissory note, but was given leave to sue again if she could produce the original. This she has apparently done, as we hear she bas obtained a judgment in her favour.
The master of the steam launch Chun Fat was charged at the Magistracy on 12th July with carrying 45 passengers in excess of the number allowed by his licence on Saturday last. P.C. Hammond said he was on duty in police pinnace No. 4 when he saw the launch come from the direction of Yaumati. He hailed her and blew bis whistle for her to stop, but she did not do 0. She was then opposite the Praya Reclama- tion making for Gibb's Wharf. He ran along- side and got aboard. On counting the passen gers he found there were 104 on board, whilst she was only licensed to carry 59, including the crew. A fine of $90, or three months, was imposed.
The master of the German steamer Della was charged at the Magistracy on Saturday with using the steam whistle of his vessel för a purpose other than that of navigation. Inspector Kemp said that at about 6.40 that morning the Della came from the east and when rounding Kowloon Point blew her whistle eleven times extending over a period of ten minutes. She bad a clear passage to the wharf. In answer to Mr. Looker, who appeared for defendant, witness admitt d that it was customary to blow one or two blasts when off the wharves as a signal to the Godown Company's officers. Mr. E. Osborne, secretary of the Godown Company, said the same. Fined $20,-
The following returns of the average amount of Bank notes in circulation and of specie in reserve in Hongkong, during the month ended 30th June, 1898, as certified by the managers of the respective Banks, are published :-
Banks.
Chartered Bank of India. Australia and China...... Hongkong and Shanghai Bank- ing Corporation, National Bank of China, Limited,
Total
Average
Specie.in Amount. Reserve.
$2,775,838
$1,400,000
6,176,267 3,000,000
448,824 150,000
$9,400,929 $4,550,000
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.