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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
very wise of him not to have vouched for the accuracy of the statement that the police started by first throwing stones at the people, for I was the first to turn up, before it commenced in right earnest, and saw no policeman then, but heard threats of "Burn Shameen and kill foreign devils,” and after some minutes stones commenced to pour like hail and matters looked very serious for some time. This is a plain tact and I can vouch for its
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[November 1, 1898,
Nothing should be left to chance but the pre- parations for defence shou'd be so perfect as to let the other side think it wiser to leave the colony alone.
RESIDENT.
Hongkong, 6th November, 1898.
THE HANKOW-CANTON RAILWAY.
the gentleman who poses as the modern | Eye-witness" in your issue of 1st inst. It is | return it with a new plant from home, later. Diogenes. If" Modern Truth Finder" has the interest of his country at heart so warmly, it is rather strange to many of us, in Hongkong; that he should be found so strongly contesting the efforts of one who is doing his best to bring the Chinese nation to its proper level in the scale of nations. Mr. Ho Tùng, who commands honour and respect amongst all who come in contact with him, and in most Chinese centres, was only actuated by the kindliest and noblest of aspirations in his treatment of Kang Yu-wei and his family, and for this can he be held to blame by any? What he has done has proved him one who thinks no sacrifice too great when the cause of humanity needs a helping hand. May be have long life to further his good work, and may more of his kind be with us always, to perpetuate the brotherhood of mankind. Thanking you in anticipation for the insertion of the above.-I am, sic, yours truly,
CLAUDE LÈY KUM. Hongkong, 10th November, 1898.
THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS INSTITUTE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE
DAILY PRESS.
Canton, 4th November, 1898.
TO THE
ACCURACY.
THE INDIAN CURRENCY COMMISSION.
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dwell at length on the injury to their trade. A public meeting of the merchants interested will be a step in the right direction. Do not allow silver to be kicked still further. Awake, arise, or be for ever fallen
EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS,' SIR,-It is a matter of deep regret that the Indian merchants in Hongkong and Shanghai, handling a voluminous trade in imports from Bombay and Calcutta, have up till now not done anything to enlighten the said Commission holding its sittings in England. They should leave no stone unturned to ventilate their views at the present juncture. Whatever their views may be on this subject of supreme importance they should be freely and fairly threshed out DEAR SIR, The Committee of the Soldiers and laid before the Commission without reser- and Sailors Institute have empowered as to ask vation. Now is the time, and if the opportunity assistance through your columns in defraying is allowed to slip by they will have to blame the cost of moving in December to their new themselves for their backwardness. It is be- quarters in Duddell Street. Hitherto they haveyond the scope of this brief communication to been hiring rooms in that part of Queen's Road which has been bought by the Admiralty. This Institute was started by private individuals on the basis of "self help and self support," with the objects of providing Christian influences and affording means of recreation and amuse- ment for the two branches of Her Majesty's Service. The Committee is composed of the resident Chaplains (ex officio). together with three representatives elected from the Army, and three from the Navy. During the whole ten years of its existence the Institute has never made any appeal to the public for funds; but inasmuch as the occasion is extraordinary, and the expenses connected therewith very heavy, the Committee feel confident that the community of Hongkong will be glad to shew their sympathy with the work. It is hoped, moreover, that a sufficient sum will be raised to allow the purchase of some new furniture and fittings, which are greatly needed to render the rooms more attractive and comfortable. The Chairman will be glad to receive donations sent to him at the "Vestry, S. John's Cathedral,” and, by the courtesy of the editors, these will be acknowledged in the daily papers. We have, sir, the honour to be, your obedient ser- vants,
GEORGE R. VALLINGS, Chaplain to the Garrison, Ch. of E., and Chairman and Treasurer S. & S. Institute.
ED. RICHARDS,
Secretary S. & S. Institute. Hongkong, 10th November, 1898.
STREET ROW OR RIOT P
"}
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS,
SIR," Volunteer" remarks that Mr. Smith contradicted himself by asserting that the recent tronble here was a mere street row and then admitting that it was necessary to call out the officials to quiet the disturbance. But the plain truth is that they were more alarmed at the as- tion taken by the foreigners than anything else. One excited individual, I hear, was with dif- ficulty prevented from firing upon the people,
so ardent was his zeal, and more than one indi- vidual seemed to have made up his mind for a fight. Such an insane proceeding would undoub tedly have caused serious consequences, and the officials are to be highly commended for the prompt way in which they acted, as of course
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The proposal of Sir Adam Forbes, a veteran merchant of India, to establish a ratio of 22 to 1, with the Indian mints thrown open, with some modifications, is likely to be the best course to be adopted under the present cir- cumstances. The Wolcott ratio of 15 to 1 is teo visionary to be at all entertained. I, for my part, would suggest the ratio of 25 to 1.
Apropos of this subject, the following brief letter has been contributed by H. E. Delphin (Lieut. Colonel) to the Financial News, which I take the liberty of reproducing verbatim for further elucidation.“
C. M. P.
Hongkong, 9th November, 1898.
(Enclosure.)
THE INDIAN STANDARD MEASURE OF VALUE. To the Editor of The Financial News.
Sir,-To have a gold standard without a gold currency seems to me as absurd as it would be for a shopkeeper to keep scales without weights. A gold currency is admitted to be both unsuit- able and unattainable in India. A silver cur- rency has been used there for ages, is used there now, and will be used there for our time, at least. The rupee the standard measure of value, and her revenue is and must be mainly collected in rupees; but, unfortunately, her annual obligations in England, amounting to £17,000,000 sterling, have to be defrayed in gold. It is therefore all-important to India that a link should connect the white and yellow metals. The only satisfactory union is the one proposed last year by the Wolcott Commis- sioners. The condition was that Indis should reopen her mints to the free coinage of silver, as promised by our Government. The Indian Government says, in its despatch of March 24, that this cannot be entertained. Let us hope that the new Governor-General, primed with some Kitchener starch, will think and act other- wise, and stop all this playing with finance. I am, yours faithfully,
H. E. DOLPHIN (Lieut.-Colonel). Guildford, September 29.
THE IMMINENT WAR.
even a 'street row" may lead to a "riot."—I | TO THE EDITOR OF THE “DAILY PRESS," am, &o.
ANOTHER EYE-WITNESS. Canton, 4th November.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.” SIE-I have read "Another Eye-witness's letter. He goes for "A Volunteer," trying to pass off the subject as a joke in a bantering tone. This is hardly any argument or contro- verting of the facts as stated by "An Impartial'
Mr. Bash, representing an influential Am- erican syndicate, has returned to China and is at present staying in Shanghai with Mrs. Bash, Miss Bash, and children. Mr. Bash was fortu- nate enough to secure a contract for the build. ing of a railway from Hankow to Canton, the distance of the road being reckoned at 800 miles. The contract was signed by M. Bash, on behalf of his syndicate, and Sheng Tajen, director of railways and a representative of the Imperial Government. Mr. Bash after his well-earned success returned to the States and has come back with two other gentlemen con- neeted with his syndicate. He awaits the arrival of Mr. Parsons, an eminent engineer of New York, who is a passenger by the steamer China, when the party will leave for Hankow to commence the survey of the proposed reil- road.—Mercury.
ANOTHER ATTACK ON NATIVE CHRISTIANS.
A Wachang despatch received at Shanghai on the 4th November states that Viceroy Chang has received a petition from the district magis- trate of Lichuanhsien, Ichang prefecture, pro- vince of Hupeh, reporting a riot against Chris- tians in a market town within that magistrate's jurisdiction, resulting in the killing of four Christians and the burning of their chapel in that town. As the magistrate had no military force at his command to enable him to arrest the rioters, whose leaders are said to be known," an appeal is made to the Viceroy for aid. In consequence of this serious news Viceroy Chang at once telegraphed to General Fu, in command of the Iohang Circuit, and ordered him to go in person to Lichuanhsien to arrest the ringleaders of the mob.-N. C. Daily News.
THE MOBBING OF FOREIGNERS AT PEKING,
AN-ACCOUNT BY ONE OF THE LADIES. Miss Laura Cranston, writing to a friend at Seoul, gives the following account of the attack made upon herself and others recently, at Pek- ing. The letter was communicated to the Seoul Independent for publications
Here we are in Peking at last, but such a welcome the Chinese gave us! Father came ap last Tuesday, to see if there was much ex- citement about the Emperor. But he wrote and told us to come when we wished. So, yester- day at eleven we started. They put us in the train at Tientsin and we came up alone. Dr. Lowry and his daughter met us, and put mother and Ethel in sedan chairs, and Mabel Lowry and I crowded into a Peking cart, and Ruth and Mr. Lowry in another. So we started off for a five-mile ride, Mr. Lowry cautioning us about the crowds and said that the coolies were perfectly reliable. We entered the city gate and went round the wall of the temple of Heaven. Some distance off to the left, on the wide stone street, was a great crowd yelling. It was a feast day, so the people were hilarious. The chairs were ahead, then our cart, then Dr. Lowry's. As we were rounding the temple,
the crowd commenced to run toward us shont- ting. When they were close enough, they com- menced throwing mud and stones at the chairs. These were promptly set down by the coolies, and the mob had everything its own way. Mother had a chair with padded curtains at the windows, and a curtain door, but Ethel had nothing, and
SIR,-It seems to me that the military autho-oh! how quickly the glass was broken. I told rities would be wise to establish a suspension tramway to connect the hights of Kowloon with the low level, for they could thus promptly send men, machine guns, and ammunition into posi tion to resist invasion from the direction of Mirs Bay. If it is not possible to get the plant out from home at once they might be able to make arrangements to take over that of the private line now operating in the colony and
Mabel to tell the carter to drive up between the chairs and the crowd, knowing that in the cart we could stand more than the chairs. But we couldn't entirely surround the chair, and mother was still exposed. However, that didn't make much difference, for they com- menced throwing at us, and a stone hit the mule, and off he galloped as hard as he could go. I never realized before how fast a mule
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