442
home, and Siberian furs can be purchased according to Vladivostock merchants-cheaper in London than at Siberian ports, with the ex- ception of an occasional bargain with an im. pecunious native.
་་
64
}
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
by its absence, sells "over the ship's side ” in Nikolaevsk at two roubles a bottle! Shanghai Manila made" cigars, purchasable at seventy cents Mex. a box of one hundred, sell in the mart for two to three roubles. Of course the reason is to be found in the heavy duties on cigars and liquors imposed by the Government, and a box of ordinary Londres cigars, purchasab'e at Shanghai for three dollars, sells in Nikolaevsk for fifteen roubles $16.50. But it is evident that an ordinary Chinese ship's compradore who puts in a season or two on this run can gracefully retire well laden with the proceeds permissable by neglect of duty and susceptibility to bribery on the part of the Customs officials. Of the other services it is not easy to get in- formation. Soldiers are employed as coolies to work the ship, their companions being Chinese and convicts, their rations apparently consisting of the omniprescent brown bread and tes, and when the captain of the tug boat likes, or the weather is too rough, they are left out, on board the lighter in mid-stream, to shield themselves all night as best they can from a piercing cold wind. The soldiers get paid extra for such work but complain that their chief officer seizes half of these additional earnings. The British public bowl a good deal about the condition of their "Tommy Atkins "-let them picture the British soldier, dirty, with sodden and ragged clothing, ill-fed, badly paid and "squeezed' at that, working in competition with the lowest class of Chinese coolie. The only point observ- able in the Russian soldier on Siberian shores to rank him as a fighting unit, is his physique
if all other qualities seem lacking-a vacuum, one may put it, produced by his treatment. From first to last he appears-to remain the same dull poverty-striken peasant, and the only result of his military training he takes home with him apparently is his grey grest-coat considerably the worse for wear. There are exceptions, and soldiers who show ability as carpenters (the soldiers build the houses in Nikolaevak), shoemakers, tailors, etc., are invited to remain. These, if they could only be persuaded to do so in large numbers, would form the real practical material for the colonisation of Siberia. It is useless by experience to hope that result of the Russian criminal convicts from Saghalien, though they are fairly well treated and have placed before them many inducements. But they appear to be too utterly ignorant and degraded to ever expect them to form even the successful civilisation. rough nucleus of Grim tales are told of the penal settlements of Saghalien, where not a night is said to pass witbont some unhappy wretch murdering another. The real colonists woull be the soldiers and the political prisoners, but the
The Amur river, though very very wide and shallow, teems with fish, and the vast hills on its banks for hundreds of miles are densely wooded. At Nikolaevsk the one industry is the exportation of salmon; salted, dried, and made into "salmon backs." A dozen fine fresh salmon can be bought at any of the river cabius for one dollar Mex. Higher up the river the pre- paration of caviar forms another industry, but on the occasion of this visit it was scarce to obtain. The town of Nikolaersk is com- posed of a collection of houses built of wood on the orthodox 'log-cabin princi- ple, and some are very commodions, com- fortable, and well-finished. From the river the town presents a very picturesque ap. pearance with the brightly painted roofs of the houses, in the contre of which stands the church with its green log walls and white pinnacled towers. Although very quiet by day the reverse is the case at night, for Russia in fulfilling her colonisation scheme of Siberia has imported into the town a fine type of time- expired criminals from Saghalien, who rob and if necessary murder anyone of respectable ap- pearance found on the streets after dark. So bad has this evil become that in May last the principal merchants (foreigners) on the visit of the Governor of the province placed the con. dition of affairs before him, and although an apology for a police force exists and the place is strongly garrisoned by soldiers, absolutely nothing has been done to remedy such a disgrace- ful state of affairs. Virtue is triumphant by day the town then sleeps; unrestrained villainy flourishes by night. The official department mostly in evidence in Nikolaersk is the Customs it is that only with which foreigners have to deal. If the Customs service of Siberia be representative of the effectiveness of the other services of Russia, then she can congratulate herself that she is but a few degrees removed from the degradation of the public services of Spain. Instances of open, barefaced, smuggling take place hourly in Nikolaesyk under the very ken of the Customs officials, and the same applies to Vladivostock. For instance when Visiting a steamer, which was about to depart and only awaited the Customs clearance, a tug-boat came alongside and landed a portly and well-uniformed representative of the I.. Customs. He immediately made his way to the saloon, where, after transacting the busi. ness with regard to the clearance, and partaking of liquid refreshments, he proceeded to examine the cabius and rooms with the energy of one intout upon performing his duties to the uttermost, though there was nothing illicit likely to leave the port-unless it be ticket-of leave convicts. This done be marched with dignified mien to the door of the saloon and stood languidly gazing ou the river until the tug should leare, Curious enough the reason of the tug's delay was due to the absence of its captain and its engineer. The latter passed the Customs' officer with a case of German brandy on his shoulder, nor did the engineer hurry or attempt concealment of his charge, if that were possible, because of the presence of the Customs' official. At the sam moment the captain of the tug came from the other direction with a similar case, both of which were carefully concealed in the tug The responsibility of the Customs having now been concluded the tug put off for the wharf. Before leaving, when joking about the incident to a local Danish merchant who happened to be on board, he replied 'Oh, that's nothing-the officer gets his share You should study the matter at Vladivostock. where smuggling is carried on wholesale owing to the well-known susceptibility of the Customs officials to bribery." While the ships are in port at Nickolaevsk at all times men come alongside.
latter
a
21
are banished to remote parts and treated with severity. Whilst in Saghalion the criminal who may have murdered four of his fellows is well fed offered a cabin to live in and paid for his employmeat, his political fellow whose only crime may be a modernised idea of government is kept a life prisoner in the mines or chained to a wheelbarrow doing the hardest employment above. Siberia seen super. ficially from its shores is a magnificent country. It is magnificently wooded even to the summit of its hills along its rugged shores, its hidden mineral wealth is said by engineers to be enormons. Its soil on the banks of the Amur is very rich and suitable for cultivation, though the long winter of five months may offer impediments to some branches of agriculture. It is a country with a future.
A. C.
THE INTER-PORT SHOOTING
MATCH.
HONGKONG AGAIN VICTORIOUS.
On Saturday morning Mr. M. S. Northcote, Hon. Sec. of the Hongkong Rifle Association, received a wire stating that Shanghai's score in
solimb the gangway, walk forward to the quarters ¦ the inter-colonial shooting match was 893.
of the Chinese crew as if the vessel belonged to
Hongkong's score was 934 and Singapore's them, but shortly return to their boats, well laden with brands of liquors imported into the East 92', so that Hongkong is again the winner. Of for the sole purpose, be it charitably said, the nine contests which have taken place Hong- to sell!
Bápsula randy, three stars, gilt and white | kong has now won six, Singapore two, and
the label a work of lithographic art, | Shanghai one.
Surchased at four taels a case, with the usually The following patriotic label "made in Germany" conspicuous - score :--
|
November 26, 1899
200 500 600 yards, yards. yards.
Sergt. Major Lowrie 88 33 Priv. Dumfries Gunner Battey: Priv, Hart Captain Little Colr.-Sergt. Peace. Sergt. Macdonald Lient. Keylock Gun.J.E. Macdonald 30 Sergt. J. McDonald 33
UMPIRES.
82
31
28
28
30
29
29
Total.
8888523825
821=566888|8
គគគគគគគ
899
Singapore-Lieut. Carey, R.N. Hongkong-Major Tripp, (late Commandant Hongkong Volunteers.)
Shanghai-Major Holliday.
The Singapore Free Press of November 11th says:-"Examining the eight years' statistics of the scoring in the annual inter-colonial match between Hongkong, Shanghai, and Sin- gapore, it appears that fifteen team shoots with Martini-Henry aggregated 11,997 points, that is to say 799 8 as an average per shoot. Nine Lee-Metford shoots aggegated 8,112 points, giv- ing 901-3 as an average per shoot. The diffe- rence on ten rifles per team is 101.5 points; other wise 10-15 points per man. This is not a fine weather handicap but an all-weather handicap, the match having often been fired by individusl teams is very unfavourable circumstances such A8 a heavy thunder-storm or an afternoon's down-pour, with disastrous results.”
CRICKET.
SHANGHAI TEAM Y. STAY-AT-HOMES. On Saturday a. match took place on the ground in Queen's Road between the Hongkong Shanghai" eleven and the Stay-at-Homes. It will be seen from the score that the home sters bad by far the best of the game, and that if it had not been for the tine batting of A. 8, Anton the show they would have made would have been sorry indeed. His 112 not out in- cluded three 6's, fourteen 4's, seven 2's and 24 singles. Hancock was the top scorer-84-for the Stay-at-Homes, and Wall came next with 72. Score :-
STAY AT HOHEJ, T. Sercombe Smith, b Vallings... H. Hancock, run out
P. A. Cox, e Davies, b Vallings K. G. Campbell, R.A., b Lowson E. Mast, st Arthur, b Langhorne.
Salter, R.N., e sub, b Campbell............. Lt. Dewar, R N., o Arthur, b Campbell Wall, R.N., b Lowson Bedwell, R.N., b. Lethbridge Mounsey, b Vallings A. R. Lowe, not out
Extras
Lethbridge Lowson
Vallings
Total
BOWLING ANALYSIS.
19 84
1
29
72
10
6
13
251
Overs, Maid. Runs, Wides. N.B.
14 4 39
.22 7 56
12.3
-
58
4
55
2
10
20
Langhorne...... 14
P. G. Davies... −3
G. D. Campbell &
THE HONGKONG/
SHANGHAI - ELEVEN.
G. D. Campbell, o P. A. Cox, b' T. 8. Smith
A. S. Anton, not out
[12:
Dr. Lowson, b T. 8. Smith,
-10
Capt. Langhorre, R.A, b T. 8. Smith. H. Arthur, b Hancock
Capt. Dyson, A.P.D., rua out
Lt. Lethbridge, K.O.R., b T. S. Smith.
A. G. Ward, 1.b.w., b T. 8. Smith..
Rev. G. R. Vallings, b T. 8.Smith
Lt. P. G. Davies, R.A., a and b T. S. Smith. A. Anderson, b Wall
T. 8. Smith Wall
Extras
Total
BOWLING ANALYSIS. Overs. Maid, Runs, Widos. NB.
17
71 13.13
Hancock
2 18
Bedwell. Dewar
4
5 1
18 15
175
barbekets.
Small-pox has broken out on board of H.M.S. Iphigenia now lying at anchor off Kungkungtao. Shanghai's detailed Seven of her crew are in the hospital at Chefoo,
-N. C. Daily News,
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