September 24, 1898.J
limited body of openly hostile con. servative mandarins at the Metropolis and in the provinces, his Majesty's recent exertions for the reform and strengthening of his empire have endeared him to the great body of his subjects, not even excepting those who at present are in arms against the constituted authorties; many of the uprisings being really aimed at what his Majesty is now himself volun- tarily granting and trying to compel his officers of the Crown to grant to the people. Should the Emperor be spared by Providence to con- tinue his noble work of reform, few persons will in future be persuaded to rise up against the Manchu dynasty, which prior to this was un- iversally believed to be in its last throes.
An Imperial edict of the 12th inst. commands the Board of War and Tsungli Yamen to report on a suggestion of three secretaries of Boards to abolist. the Imperial courier post in favour of the present Post Office under Sir Robert Hart. Another edict of the same date approves of the plan of the Hanlin Reader Jui Hsün (Manchu to encourage the establishing of newspapers and magazines in the capital and throughout the Empire as the best means of educating the masses, and commands the high officials every. where to exhort the gentry and wealthy classes to embark upon such enterprises with full knowledge of the Imperial approval. A third edict replying to a joint report of the Tsungli Yamén and the Board of War, concerning the manner of future examinations of military can- dididates for degrees, according to Western methods, declares that the joint report is not full enough and lacks essential points of per- manent reform. The report is therefore rejected with the command that the memorialists recon-
sider their report in conjunction with the Grand Council. It will be seen from this that his Majesty Kuang Hsi is. not contented with a mere superficial attempt at reformation but that whatever he desires to establish is to be per-
manent.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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asserted that Sir Claude Macdonald bad de- manded Li's dismissal for perfidy." It has been bruited about among the political quid nunes for some time that some six weeks ago Sir Claude got Li's reiterated personal assurance that the Belgian Syndicate Loan was not com. pleted and was still a negotiable subject The very next morning the Minister had in his hand one of the formal copies of the agreement duly sigued and witnessed, showing that at the mo- ment Li was denying it the whole thing was an accomplished fact. This reputed incident en- raged Sr Claude and drove him to apply for drastic measures at Downing Street.
Apart from this the petty strife of yamen intrigue has for the moment ceased. Sir Claude Macdonald has somewhat run down in health and is going to Peitaibo for a few days between September 14th and 24th. The Admiral is to take a part of the Fleet for an autumnal cruise up the Gulf at the same time, and it has been arranged that the two will meet there. The Minister, by the bye, has followed the example of Sir Robert Hart and become a laird at Pei- taiho. He would personally have preferred the new summer Legation quarters to have been there instead of at the Hills; but the F. O. objected. If an important despatch arrives and the Yamen has to be interviewed it can be easily dono within twenty-four hours from the Hills. but with the present railway communication it would take at least three days from the seaside resort.
re.
The Marquis Ito is in Tientsin en route for Peking. His Excellency will utilize his inter- view with the Viceroy to further the cause of the new Japanese Settlement. Its limits have been fixed; but nothing has yet been done to clear out the uatives. It lies between the pre- sent French Concession and the Native city.
The land regulations of the British Municipal Extension are hanging fire in Peking throngh the reto of Mr. Pavilor. He is unwilling to allow his compatriots to acquiesce in the new An Imperial edict of the 11th instant ap- rules as long as certain Britishers are proves of the suggestions of Hsiao Wen-shao, calcitrant in some dispute at Hankow with the a third-class Secretary of the Board of Punish-
new Russian Municipal authorities in that port. ments, to establish schools of instruction for
The Peiho River impovement is now under planting and manufacturing tea and for weigh, but not much can be done till the plant sericulture, according to the best combined and material are in situ. This cannot possibly Western and Chinese methods, in order to keep be till the end of the year. The river in the up competition with similar foreign manufac meantime tends steadily to the worse, and Tien- tures. Viceroys and Governors of provinces tsin is strictly speaking no longer a sea-port. where tea and silk are manufactured are there- The three big Shipping Companies are now fore commanded to establish at once such schools bringing their stuff up largely by train. of instruction and report to the Throne what bably as a natural consequence of the bad river they have done in the matter. Another edict the bar is better than it has been for years, of the same date sanctions the recommenda- has been the commouest experience this year tion of the Grand Secretary Sun Chia-uai to for vessels drawing 12 and 13 feet to come add a medical department to the proposed Pek-right in without ever lightening a package. ing Imperial University where all that is best Increased wharfage is needed at Tangku and is of Westeru and Chinese, surgery, pharmacy, being very rapidly supplied. and medical practice may be taught to students. A third edict issued the same day commands all high provincial officials from the 3rd grade, or Provincial Judge upwards, to observe the rule of asking permission to go up to Peking for an Imperial audience, after every third year of their appointment a rule which of late has not been usually observed. The Emperor's inteu- tion in revising this rule is to give him the up- portunity of personally examining his high officials from the provinces in order to whether they are fit for further retention, motion, or otherwise.-N. C. Daily News.
TIENTSIN,
CANTON NOTES.
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[FROM THE CHUNG NGOI BAN FO.”] Consul-General at Singapore, who has been It is reported that H. E. Chang Pat-shi appointed to be Director General of Railways and the Imperial Banks of the Southern Pro- rinces. has returned to Siugapore to raise a capital of two million taels for those undertak seeings. His Excellency was in Canton last month pro-and it is said that he has examined two routes
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all the crew and passengers were saved by the steam-launch and passing boats.
Some native scoundrels have joined the dis- banded soldiers to commit robberies and crimes of every description in Chin-chow district. The local authorities are unable to check them. and assistance has been applied for to the Can- ton Government, in reply to which soldiers have been sent thither.
HONGKONG.
There were no cases of infectious disease reported in the colony last week.
The appointment of Mr. J. Dyer Ball to be a member of the Board of Examiners is gazetted.
Acting Deputy Superintendent of Police pend- Chief Inspector Mackie has been appointed ing the return of Mr. Badeley.
The appointment of Mr. H. E. Pollock to be Acting Attorney-General during the absence of the Hon. W. M. Goodman is gazetted.
The Hon. W. M. Goodman and family left- for England on Saturday by the Sultej. Mr. Goodman goes home on six months' leave,
Mr. H. P. Tooker, of the Public Works Department, who has been invalided, left for bone on Saturday by the Sultej, accompanied by Mrs. Tooker. Mr. Tooker's many friends will unite ih wishing him a speedy restoration to health.
The British sailing ship J. V. Troup, Capt. Beveridge, which left Hongkong on the 9th ult. bound to Liverpool, arrived at Singapore on the 16th inst., after having been ashore on the north end of Banka Island. She is under- stood to be uninjured, however.
Hughes and Hough) offered for sale by public On Thursday afternoon Mr. Hongh (Messrs.
Road Central sundry articles of furniture and auction at the New Club premises in Queen's
two English billiard tables. The latter fetched $520 and $530.
On Wednesday afternoon Messrs. Hughes and Hough offered for sale by auction the two- masted schooner Maud, which had been moved from Yaumati Bay to near Murray Wharf for dead weight and is built of hardwood. After the purposes of the sale. The vessel is 90 tons
some spirited bidding she was knocked down to Mr. Robinson, of Manila, for $1,630.
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by the Doric on Wednesday morning, and will no The Hongkong cricketers left for Shanghai
doubt have what is termed a good time." From the Mercury we learn that two public entertainments have been prepared in their honour, the A.D.C. giving The Wedding March' and the Smoking Concert Club Bombastes Furioso with local applications.
The regulations relating to wharves notified in Government notification No. 341 of 1898 have been cancelled and the regulatious pre- viously in force are to continue till the 1st January, 1899. A new set of regulations to come into force on the 1st January next is promulgated, which are the same substantially as those under notification No. 341, except as regards the date of their coming into operation.
Su Tak Loong, of Hoihow, and Cheung Tim Hi, of Chin Chow, boarding house runners, again appeared before Commander Hastings yesterday, the first being charged with decoying emigration, and both being charged with de- 25 coolies into the colony for the purpose of
taining the coolies by intimidation. First do- fendant was sentenced to 12 months' hard labour -six for each offence--and the second to six months.
for the Hankow-Canton railway, one commencing from Pak-bok-tang, in the vicinity of Canton, to Fatshau, thence running along the course of the North River, and then to Lok-cheong, thence to Hunan and Hupeh; and the other commenc- At the Magistracy on 16th Sept. Li Tai, aged ing from Kai-pau village, in the neighbourhood 31, of 2, Staunton Street, being a clark in the of Canton, to Fatshan, following the course of employ of the P. and O. Company, was charged the West River as far as Kwangsi, thence with embezzling the sum of $668 taken possES- to Hunan, going northward to meet the Lu-Hansion of by him in the name of his employers.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Tientsin, 13th September. Li's fall from power is the one topic of con- versation in political circles. The first tidings of the erent appeared in the form of an Im- perial Decree in the Peking Gazette; and, un-railway. There are to be two branch railways. like most political changes in China, it was in one from Samsui to Kwangsi and the other no way presaged or anticipated, but was a from Kwangchow to Fukien. veritable bolt from the blue. The fact is sufficiently assured by the medium of com- munication, but it is most curious that no verbal corroboration has yet reached us from the capital. There is infinite speculation on the cause of so sudden a change in the Imperial Counsellors, bat so far no hypothesis advanced altogether accounts for it. The most plausible theory finds On the 10th instant a junk towed by a steam- some support in certain Australian tele-launch ran on a sunken rock on her way from grams brought up from Singapore and dated | Canton to Chan-chuen. The junk sank im 17th August (London). These telegrams mediately with all the cargo on board, but luckily
On the 16th instant the yamen of the Hock shan magistrate was robbed by about two bun. dred robbers. The Magistrato and the yameu runners dared not make any resistance. The robbers took away about six thousand taels from the Treasury, revenue just collected from the various villages.
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After defendant, who has been allowed out on bail, was first brought before the Magistrate Mr. Master, who conducted the case for the prosecution, said that further defalcations to the extent of $15,000 had been discovered, and asked that the bail might be increased to $10,000, which
was grauted. Mr. Master now said. he would not proceed with the charge of forgery and suggested that the second charge might be dealt with summarily. Mr. Ewens, pleaded guilty to the charge of embezzlement. who appeared for defendant, said his client. Defendant was sentenced to six months' hard labour.
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