October 1, 1898.]
Harbour by Admiral Dewey, who had received word that she was carrying arms to the insur gents. The arms had, however, been landed when the seizure was made.
UNUSUAL SCENE AT MURKAY BATTERY.
THE INSULT TO THE BRITISH
AT KAM TIN HỤ,
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. :
acknowledges you have done wrong, expresses, contrition for having done wrong, and promises never to do the same thing again. Who is the senior of you three men?
The elder of the village was pointed out. Mr. SMITH-Step up here. 'The elder stepped forward.
Mr. SMITH (handing him the original peti- tion in Chinese)-Read that petition so that COMMISSION everybody can hear it.
VILLAGERS APOLOGISE AND KOWTOW TO
THE UNION JACK,
Any one passing Murray Battery at two o'clock on Thursday afternoon would have wit- nessed an unusual scene. In the centre of the enclosure was a flag pole from which floated the Union Jack. On one side of the battery stood the Hon. T. Sercombe Smith, Acting Colonial Secretary, supported by the Acting Registrar General (Mr. J. Dyer Rall), the magistrate of Chinese Kowloon, and two or three Hongkong Chinamen. On the other side were niue China. men, six of them looking as if they belonged to the coolie class and three apparently belonging to a higher station iu life. As a matter of fact two of the latter were undergraduates, the third being the elder of the village of Kam Tin Hu. The other six were farmers from the
village named, which is situated in the district of Sun On, between Deep Bay and Taimosban. The passer-by would observe that Ou the Hon. T. Sercombe zmith concluding his re marks the Chinamen opposite him knelt down in a line and kowtowed to the British flag.
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In explanation of this scene we may state that on Saturday, August 20th, the Hon. J. H. Stewart Lockhart and party were engaged in their survey of the Kowloon extension, H.M.S. Plover having been placed at their disposal for the purpose of transporting them from one place to another. The party bad landed in order to inspect the Kam Tiu village. When the vit lagers, however, saw them coming they c menced to call out "Ta, ta and Fan-qui and to beat gongs. Soon a thousand men and women were assembled and they closed the gates of their village. When the coolies of the Com- mission asked for admission their request was refused, and Mr. Lockhart and his party were similarly treated. On some blue-jackets from the Plover making their appearance, and Mr. Lockhart telling them that if the gates were not opened within ten minutes force would be used, the villagers became alarmed as to the consequences and gave way,
Mr. Lockhart had the Viceroy's special pass- port to visit the place, and it was accordingly the opinion of the authorities iu Hongkong that the incident should not be passed over without notice, and as the result of this view the deputation already mentioned waited upon the Acting Colonial Secretary at the Govern- ment Offices, and subsequently followed him to Kurray Battery, where the proceedings des cribed below took place. Mr. Sung Sing, of the Registra-General's department, acting as in- terpreter:
To begin with Mr. Smith asked for the gate- keeper, and a man was pointed out who it was said acted as gate-keeper at night, following the occupation of a farmer during the day.
Mr. SMITH asked-Who is the man who shut the gate on the third day of the seventh moon? He was informed that it was a woman who shut the gate on the occasion under discussion,
Mr. SMITH-You know that on the third day of the seventh moon Mr. Lockhart visited you? (Yes.) His coolies were driven away. (Signs of dissent.) That is a fact whether you deny it or not and the same day he himself was refused admittance. He had the Viceroy's special passport to visit the place. Therefore, yon not only insulted the British Government but your own Viceroy. Now it is thirty one days since that occurred, and you have given the Govern- ment here and the Viceroy and the Tsungli Yamera lot of trouble. Still it is better to be late than never. Let me tell you that your village is a marked village. I tell you your village is a marked village and it will soon come under British jurisdiction. I have no doubt that whoever is appointed to govern that territory will pay special attention to your education. You have brought a petition here. I have got the draft of it in my hand. That petition
The elder began to read, but, as he faltered a good deal,
Mr. SMITH said-This man can't read. Let one of the other three step forward.
One of the undergraduates then advanced and read the petition.
Mr. SMITH-You three men will have to sign that before you go away. Where is the man called U Ki Chang. (Not here.) He wrote this placard. (To the undergraduate)—Read it.
The undergraduate complied.
Mr. SMITH-Is that a respectable thing ? said it was not done by them.
The deputation admitted that it was not, but
Mr. SMITH-I do not care. It was done by lation of the placard. some one in your village. Now this is a trans-
The translation was then read by Mr. Smith, who, it will be seen, interjected a remark here and there, as follows:- On account of the English barbarians--(what does that mean?)---- who came secretly (is that right?) to spy ont our land-(Mr. Lockhart came under official protection, with the Viceroy's special passport, and yet you meu say he came to spy out your land) we forcibly resisted them, thus vin dicating the reputation of our district. This business affects our prosperity and general welfare. The various villages should unite their forces, and the gentry of the various villages select a day to go to Sun On to see the magistrate (now just now you told me this had nothing to do with Kam Tin; listen to this)—and the expenses will be paid by Kam Tiu. opium, travelling expenses and food are to be defrayed by the gentry themselves. Tin (your village)-and the adjoining village, The expenses will be divided amongst Kam
and besides ten taels will be advanced first, the other fire shares to be evenly distributed among the five branches of the Taug family in Kam Tin."
4
"Now then," coutiuued Mr. Smith, Has that nothing to do with anybody here? Do not you find that Kam, Tin occurs three times in that placard In conclusion Mr. Smith, pointing to the British Bag. said-That is the flag you have insulted All of you must kowtow to that flag three times, and do it all kneeling down in a line."
This direction having beey complied with,
Mr. SMITH concluded-Now then you can go about your business. Do not repeat it, and when the British come along there again mind your P's and Q's. Take care you bebare
ourselves. Now then, get away.
The deputation, having expressed their thanks for their reception, withdrew,
The following is à translation of the petition presented:-
"A petition from the gentry of Kam Tin vil- lage stating that through the ignorance of the country people they had committed an offence for which they knew they should repent, and praying that they may be gracionsly pardoned as an act of grout kindness exhibited to them.
"Petitioners state that the people in Kam Tin village are farmers or fic. «ood-cutters, and have no manners or education. Sometime ago, the Hou. J. H. Stewart Lockhart, the British Commissioner who was appointed to take a village, when some of the farmers and persons survey of (the leased) territory, arrived at this who carried burdeus got frightened, suddenly barred the gate, being rustics and ignoraut, thereby heedlessly offending the Hon. J. H.
Stewart Lockhart.
"On learning the facts of the case, from enquiry being made, petitioners summoned these offenders before them and have repri- manded them. They have now received instruc. tions from the Magistrate of this place who acted under instructions from his superior officers to bring the persons in company with them to proceed at once to Hongkong to tender their apology and settle the case. Upou receipt of these instructions, petitioners trembled with fear and again summoned (the offenders) for an
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explanation and reprimanded them. Now the people of the whole village are well aware that they have committed a very great wrong for which they know that repentance is too late. Wherefore, they purposely present a petition to your Honour and pray that you will be graciously pleased to show an extraordinary favour to them out of consideration for the ignorance of the rustic people and pardon them for this a favour which not only petitioners but the whole inhabitants of this village will ever keep in their remembrance.
THE GAMBLING SCANDAL.
DISMISSED POLICE OFFICERS
ALLOWED PENSIONS.
We are informed by the Acting Colonial Secretary that the Secretary of State has de- cided not to re-instate Messrs. Stanton, Baker, and Quincey in the Police, but to allow them pensions, reduced by 20 per cent.. ubject to their ceasing to reside in the colony of Hong- kong.
EXCITING CHASE AFTER A PRISONER,
THE TRAIL LOST.
窳
Considerable commotion was caused at Vic. toria Gaol shortly after noon on Monday by the discovery that a Chinaman who was undergoing imprisonment for returning from banishment, and who had previously served 12 years, had escaped, Captain Superintendent May was at once informed, and without loss of time all might disclose the direction taken by prisoner. hands began to search for anything which
Warder Morley soon found evidence which proved conclusively that the man had escaped over the west wall, dropping into a lane leading into Stanton Street. prisoner having cut himself while climbing the wall. Spots of blood were noticed along Stanton Street, Mosque Street Caine Road, Castle Rond, to Pokfulam Conduit. There had been a heavy downpour of rain just
before the search was commenced, and con-
trail sequently the obliterated.
was to some extent Once it was lost, but it was
picked up again by Sergeant Rogers, who is at present engaged in sanitary work, and afterwards the Captain Superintendent and Chief Detective Inspector Hanson followed it until it brought them to near Victoria Fort, parties in the meantime scouring the city in different directions. ended at the water, and there is no doubt pri- The pursuers saw that the trail
soner escaped in a boat to Chinese territory.
A RAID ON HONGKONG, COMPRA- DORES.
HEAVY FINES FOR SELLING WEAK SPIRITS,
At the Magistracy on 28th Sept. Commander Hastings had before him three compradores who had been summoned on the information of Inspector Duncan for selling spirits to which more water than the quantity allowed by law had been added.
There were two charges against Fuk Tai Loong, of 2. Elgin street, one for selling weak whisky and the other for selling weak brandy, Inspector Duncan produced the certiftate of the Government analyst which showed that the whisky, which was labelled "Fine old Scotch," contained 4 per cent. excess of water. dant said he paid $3 for a dozen bottles. The brandy was labelled Fine old cognac, made in Germany," and contained 22 per ceut. excess of water. In the one case defendant was fined $100 and in the other $50.
Dofer-
The next offender was U Yok Wan, of 15, Lyndhurst Terrace. Inspector Duncan said that the Fine old cognac made in Germany," which he purchased from defendant for 25 cents the bottle, coutained 18 per cent. excess of water... Defendant paid $2.75 for a dozen bottles. A bottle of whisky contained 10 per cent. exoJSS of water. For the whisky defendant paid $5 a dozen Fined $100 and $50,
Hoang heung, of 14, Elgin street, was charged with selling Fine Champagne cog. nao- containing per cent, excess of water. He said he paid $575 the case, each case con tained 47 fluska. He sold the flasks for 20 cents each. He was fined $100.
Mr. J. Hastings applied for a re-hearing at
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