THE
Hongkong Weekly Press
VOL. XLVIII.]
AND
China Overland Trade Report.
CONTENTS.
Epitome of the Wock, &c. ........................
Leading Articles:-
HONGKONG, SATURDAY, 20TH AUGUST, 1898.
.153
: 62 183
163
164
164 165
Russia's Polioy in China
France and the Canton-Kowloon Railway
154
Kwangchauwan and French Designs in South
China
155
The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank and the Gold
Standard
Spanish-American War.
Hongkong Legislative Council...
Supreme Court...........
155 155 ...157 ..159
Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce
Inland Navigation
The United States Commercial Mission to China
Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation..
The Hongkong Hotel Co., Limited
"Star" Ferry Launch Co.. Limited
Great Eastern and Caledonian Gold Mining Co.,
Limited
165
Royal Hongkong Yacht Club
.168
Rifle Match.
.168
Correspondence ..
The Woosung Railway
.166 .166
Bureau of Control for Railways and Mines.
.167
The French Railway in Yunnan
The Wreck of the Amrapoora
The Need for a Survey of the Upper Yangtsze
.188
Fire on the Baring Brothers at Kobe...
.168
Rico Riots at Biking
.168
Typhoon in Formosa
.168 163 169 172
Hongkong and Port News
Commercial
Shipping
DEATHS.
.187
187
At Melbourne, on the 8th July last, MARY ANNE, the dearly loved wife of Major WILLI M STOKES, and mother of F. W. STOKES, of this town. Deeply
lamented.
At the Wesleyan Mission Hospital, Hankow, on the 2nd August, 1898, EDWIN GOBBINS. of the Wesleyan Mission Society, of dysentery; aged 57.
ARRIVALS OF MAILS.
The French mail of the 15th July arrived, per M. M. steamer Inlus, ou the 14th August (30 days); and the English mail of the 22nd July arrived, per P. & O. steamer Sutlej, on the 19th August (28 days).
EPITOME OF THE WEEK.
Mgr. V. Garnier, Roman Catholic Bishop, died at Shanghai on the 14th August.
|
A Seoul despatch of the 3rd August, trans- lated by the Kobe Chronicle, states that the Korean Council of State has passed a resolution, brought forward at the recommendation of the Finance Department, to adopt the gold stand- ard.
The Echo de Chine explains that the institu- tion at the back of the Belgian Syndicate which has contracted to build the Great Western Railway of China is the Société Générale pour Favoriser l'Industrie Nationale, of Brussels, a Bank with a capital of 350,000,000 francs (£14,000,000 sterling) with agencies in all the great financial markets of Europe. The Russo Chinese Bank is merely acting as its agent in China, and the Syndicate, according to the Echo de Chine, is no more Russian than it would have been English if the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank had been appointed agent to the Belgian bank.
Sir Arthur Chichester, the eighth baronet, died at Youlston, near Barnstaple, on July 13th, in his 77th year. He is succeeded in the baronetcy by Captain Edward Chichester, of H.M.S. Immortalité, at present stationed at Manila.
$
There was a rumour in native official and mercantile circles in this port yesterday, saya the N. C. Daily News of the 10th August, to the effect that, as an outcome of the recent Shusi riots the British Government has demand- ed of the Imperial Government the opening of the districts of Siangtan in Hunan, Chiaughsia (Wuchang) in Hupeh, and Hukou (Poyang Lake) iu Kiangsi province to foreign trade.
The N. C. Daily News recently stated on the
afthority of a Peking correspondent that in Sir Claude Macdonald's opinion the time was not opportune for pushing the question of Settle- ment Extension. Our contemporary now learns of the highest authority that this statement is quite erroneous. The opinion of the British Minister on this question is the very reverse of that attributed to him by the corespondent.
Router's telegrams received during the past week indicate strained relations between Great Britain and Russia, and that the position is regarded as serious is proved by the orders received by the man-of-war on the station. The Barfleur has for soma little time past been lying in Hongkong harbour waiting for her relief crew, which was coming out in the Blenheim, bat orders have now been received that the paying off is to be postponed and that the Blenheim, which arrived on Thursday, instead of turning her crew over to the Barfleur and returning with the time expired crew of the latter is to bold herself in readiness for im. mediate service. The Powerful arrived on the 13th August and was under orders to proceed to Batavia to represent Great Britain at the delebrations to be held in connection with the coronation of the Queen of Holland, but her orders have also been countermanded and she remains at Hongkong.
|
Bubonic plague has broken out at Nhatrang, Annam. The official statement is to the effect that only a few isolated cases have occurred, but the Avenir du Tonkin declares its disbelief in the official statement and gives reasons for sup posing that an epidemic of serious proportions is raging. The place is cut off from communi- cation, no vessels being allowed to call there, and letters have been intercepted; so that it is impossible to ascertain the real state of affairs Our contemporary opines that independently. the disease has originated entirely from "the microbe factory maintained at Nhatrang at the public expense under the name of Dr. Yersin's Institute." The native assistants, bar contemporary goes on to say, have no doubt become careless; they manufactured microbes in large quantity, and have them- selves been the first to fall victims to their own carelessness or ignorance in carrying out their work, and from them the disease has been contracted by others. "The epidemic thus commenced is bound to make large ravages, for we know. that the preventive serum, the discovery of which was too soon announced; has still to be found. Who would have thought that the Nhatrang Institute, established and maintained to protect us from the plague, would have had as its final result the Introductio of this contagious disease into Indo-China?
|
No. 8.
Native advices from Kiukiang are to the offoot that a French Commission, consisting of three engineers and an officer, were lately surveying several districts in Kiangai, and that they will recommence work in Kiangsi and Kwangtung, after a trip to Japan. If the natives are to be believed, the French have been promised a concession by the Chinese Government to construct a railway between Hankow and Canton. The China Gazette, from which we take the above, doubts the authenticity of the report. There are, however, certain circumstances which to our mind lend pro- bability to the supposition that there may be something in the statements made, after certain qualifications have been made. If the French have not actually been promised a concession for a railway from Hankow to Canton they may possibly be working with the object of securing such a concession, not, perhaps, with the idea of actually constructing the line, but of keeping other people from doing so.
Admiral de Beaumont, not much liking the
La Semaine Coloniale (Saigon) says that, administration and surveillance of the territory surrounding the bay of Kwangchauwan, has expressed his wish to hand the duty over to the Government of Indo-China. The Governor- General has decided that it is to be made a nilitary territory, and Commandant Lassalle seems to have been appointed to undertake its direction. This officer left at once for Kwangchauwan to see what should be dona. France, continues our contemporary, “will have nothing but unpleasantness in this region, for it is peopled only by old pirates whom China has never been able to suppress. It is estimated that for the occupation of this scrap of terri- tory a relatively important garrison will be required and that there will notwithstanding be much to do before the country is dell mitated and pacified, China knew very well what she was doing when she coded us the territory, and our diplomacy has once again been deceived."
Manila was occupied by the United States forces on the 13th August. The news was brought to Hongkong by the German cruiser Kaiserin Augusta on the 15th, but was not allowed to leak out until the following day, the cruiser having brought no mails except for the German and Spanish Consuls. The conse- quence was that the first news of the event reached London from Berlin and the news agencies wired to their correspondents in Hong kong for an explanation On the 17th the American despatch boat Zafiro arrived with fall details. It appeared the demand for surrender was made in due form, but was not acceded to, and the attack took place on the 13th. The resistance offered by the Spaniards was, how- ever, little more than nominal, and the Ameri. cans on their side were careful in the bombard- ment to direct their fire only on the defences, so that but little damage has been done in the city. The fight on shore lasted about two hours. The American loss was about half-a- dozen; the Spanish loss would be somewhat larger, though not heavy, as they simply fell back as the Americans advanced until they reached the walled city, when the white ng was hoisted. Governor-General Angustin, who had resigned his position some days before, came over to Hongkong by the Kaiserin Augusta and went on to Europe by the German mail
}
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.