February 4, 1899.]
SHANGBAI MUNICIPAL, COUNCIL.
The polling for the Municipal Councillors at Shanghai resulted as follows:--
'J. 8. Fearon J. Prentice
́R. Inglis
D. M. Moses
E. A. Hewett
F. Anderson
E. B. Skottowe
H. R. Kinnear...
M. Robde...
J. J. Buchheister...
The first nine only were elected.
269 259 .253 253 ..244 243 ..240
211 202
116
ANOTHER SERIOUS FIRE A 1 SHANG||AI,
Shanghai, 27th January. A large area of the populous district of Nam- tao, at the south eastern side of the city was laid in ashes this morning and the various insurance companies are again badly bitten. The fire originated in a tea-house next to the native customs station and quickly spread to the ad- joining shops and houses, many hongs in the neighbourhood being in quite a large way of business. The house where the fire started
is said to be insured in Messrs. Jardine
Matheson's Offices for Tls. 7,500. It was about 1 a.m. when it broke out and we are informed that within half an hour the native fire guilds from the City were on the scene and did what they could to arrest the progress of the flames. The bells in the foreign fire stations did not ring an alarm, but even if the firemen had turned out they could have done little or nothing owing to the want of water, though they might perhaps have been able to get one or two streams by means of their engines from the river. The firé practically burnt itself out and those who visited the scene to-day marvel that the native fire- men with their poor appliances could do as much as they did towards staying its progress. Some 60 or 70 houses were destroyed. So far as we can gather the losses to the insurance companies are the Manchester Tls. 10,000; the Law, Union & Crown Tls. 8,000 or Tls. 9,600; Messrs. Jardine, Matheson's various companies Tls. 7,500; South British Tls, 3,500; London Tls. 1,000; Royal Tls 2,000; Lancashire Tls. 8,000; New Zealand Tls. 1,500, and even these figures we believe do not complete the list.-China Guzette.
A ROUGH VOYAGE.
The C. N. Co.'s steamer Ningpo, Captain Phillips, arrived at Shanghai on the 24th January from Otara (Japan) with a full cargo of coal. She has, as her general appearance proves, had a perilous time, and there is land
At 1
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
two on the starboard side were stove in. Soon after daylight on the 16th, the weather having moderated, Capt. Phillips bore away for Hako. date Roads and anchored in Satsukari Bay at 1.50 a.m. on the 17th. During all the time they were visited with heavy snow and hail squalls. At noon on the 18th, having done all that was possible for the safety of the ship, a fresh de- parture was made, the wind blowing fresh from the north-west and west and then veering to north-west with moderate gale force as far as Oki-sims, thence moderate N.N.W. winds and nasty beam sea to port.-N. C. Daily News.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT OF THE
JAPANESE NAVIGATION ENCOURAGEMENT LAW.
When the Government first submitted to the ninth Diet the Navigation Encouragement. Law, it was estimated that the annual calls upon the Treasury to pay the subsidies would not exceed a million yen. Contrary to expecta tion, however, so may ships have since been built and passed the examination entitling them to the bounty, that the expense under this head in the thirty-second fiscal year threatens to reach four million yen. In view of this ment is trying to check the increase. Their enormous expense, the Communications Depart investigations have resulted, says the Osaka Mainichi, in a proposal to reduce by 50 per cent. the bounty granted to ships built in foreign countries. This proposal, it is said, will be submitted to the Diet before the session closes.
but were it not her substantial seaworthy design, she would have never weathered the gale. On the morning of the 14th inst. she left port under somewhat favour- able circumstances the wind being variable and moderate. Five o'clock that evening the wind shifted to the westward, and at six to the north-east and blow a whole gale from 8 p.m. until noon. The following day a per- fect hurricane was encountered, and Captain Phillips judiciously hove the vessel to. p.m. the barometer was at its lowest, namely 23.95, with a temperature of 5 degrees Fahr. The ship was little but masses of ice, the rig- gings were frozen into solid blocks, the ropes were a foot in diameter with ice, and the weather cloths on the upper bridge were walls of the same cold and cheerless substance. At half-past two the wind veered to the northward and commenced to moderate although still blow- ing a gale. By half-past nine the wind had fallen considerably, and the sea became less rough, when ons indepedent almost perpendicular wave of gigantic proportions came rolling along into which the vessel plunged up to the foremast The huge body of water breaking aboard swept the heavy ice chest over the side, smashed the main derrick in halves, and completely stove in the steel bulkhead of the saloon, flattened down the rails both of the upper and lower bridges and even carried away the awning spars of the former. Fortunately Mr. Pennel, the chief officer. who was on watch escaped without injury. The bridge ladders which were triced up were also carried away and the compradore's room stove in. All the boats were thrown out of the chocks and
-Kobe Chronicle.
THE TRADE OF KOBE AND TOKOHAMA,
YOKOHAMA BEATEN BY SEVEN MILLION YEN,
>
109:
On the first evening more thau a hundred sat down to tea, mostly Barfleur men; on the second cocasion most of them were from the Undaunted. Special leave was also kindly give on these OVOR- ings. It was a little change for the men and most of them, doubtless, greatly appreciated the effort to brighten their stay in this "dull place," as it is commonly called.
On the 9th inst. the Barfleur left for Korea and Nagasaki, and expected to be absent till the and of the month. The Undaunted and l'eacock are still here; the latter runs to Chefoo once a week with the mails. The Grafton is looked for any day, and then the Undaunted will probably get a change to the South, This will be appreciated by officers and men, for the weather here has recently been very stormy and cold. Skating sud sliding have been indulged in on a small scale, but there is no really good sheet of water near by for these healthful exercises.
for
The business of buying out the Chinese shop- keepers of Linkungtao seems to be proceeding fast, and in a short time they will have remove from their premises, to the great disgust of most of them. Some, 1 hear, refused to take the money decided on their places, but I am afraid that they will soon find that it is useless to resist. It is but fair to say that most of thrise who have rented or bought shops during the past seven months have done so with the full know- ledge that at any time they might be compelled to turn out for the authorities to take posses
sion.
Major Bower and a fellow officer reached us two days since. It will be remembered that he is commissioned to raise a regiment of one thousand Chinese to train as soldiers to sefre under the Union Jack. It is understood that the gallant officer has had difficult and arduous. undertakings entrusted to him in the past; but I question if he has ever had a more difficult task to accou plish than the one he is now enter- The prediction made last year that the total ing on, or one that calls for more tact and trade of Kobe would show a considerable excess
patience. There will first of all be the difficulty over that of Yokohama has proved correct, the of getting such a number of young men within returns now indicating that Kobe's trade ex- the proper age limits; but even greater than ceeded that of Yokohama by almost seven mil-
that will be, I fear, the almost hopeless task of lion yen. Kobe has thus become the leading getting them to serve for a term of years or commercial port in Japan, though its exports rather to ensure the fulfilment of such an en- do not as yet equal those of Yokohama. It ap-gagement, at least for a few years to come. But pears that the exports from Kobe during last the pay will be good, no doubt, and they will be year amounted to Y60,119,645, and the imports
fed well; if from the first they are treated to Y138,133,798, making a total of Y 198.3 3,442. kindly and like fellow-humans, it will "pay" Yokohama's exports were Y80,312,635, and in every sense of the word. imports Y111,024,140, making a total of 191,336,975. The large excess shown by the trade of Kobe over that of Yokohama is ac- counted for by the falling off in the export of raw silk from the latter port by almost 14 mil.
lion yen compared with the previous year, but it must be remembered that the export of rice from Kobe, which usually bulks very largely in the average. The export of cotton yarn from the returns. was also last year much below Koke in 1898 showed an increase of six million yen over the figures for the preceding year, copper an increase of Y888,000 and matting of Y710,000, while in the imports there was an increase of Y15,290,009 in rice, Y2,610,000 in raw cotton, Y2,030,000 in sugar, and Y780,000 in oiloake. The Yushin Nippon, from which we take this information, remarks that Yokohama's trade returas fluctuate according to the silk market, while the trade at Kobe is more general and therefore less likely to show such wide differences. There is little doubt in the mind of our contemporary that now Kobe has taken the premier position, the advantage will not only be retained but increased from year to year-Kobe Chronicle.
WEIHAIWEI,
17th January.
هر
The Imperial Chinese postal authorities are arranging to establish an office in Weihaiwei city. A bi- or tri-weekly courier will run be- tween here and Chefoo, and it is hoped that arrangements will soon be made for a bag: for-
Weibaiwei direct to be made up at Shanghai. This will be a great convenience to all con- cerned.-N. C. Daily News correspondent, t
MACAO.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]z
Macao, 27th January: A very curious accident occurred on Tuesday last in a lane near the Inner Harbour About noon the report of a cannon was heard and very soon the locality was crowded by persons attracted by the sound. It appears that a Chinese merchant had a few old cannon, which he had bought many years ago, and they were kept in this lane, lying on the ground, Six Chinese children were playing the game of throwing cash, and one of the cash being lost a boy about twelve years of age lighted
a match to look inside one of the cannon to see if the cash had rolled inside. No sooner had he brought the match to the cannon's mouth, however, than the gun went off. One of the children died a few minutes after the accident and all the others were burnt, some of them so severely that their recovery is despaired of. The gun is about six feet long. It appears that it must have been loaded with a full charge of powder, but no one knew that, not even the owner.
The sailors and marines were not quite for. gotten about New Year time. The missionaries on the mainland invited the marines to a tea and magic lantern entertainment and lecture. Leave was prolonged till 9.30 p.m. by the officer in charge, and the men who responded to the in-:|
On Monday last written tenders for the vitation speak of having heartily enjoyed them- kerosine and gunpowder monopolies were selves. On Liukungtao, Mr. Mudditt, at the 'n opened. The former was secured by the stitute, provided a meat-tea with plenty of bright old farmor, Lee Kiang-chin, whose offer singing and a lecture after it, also illustrated | was $17,000 odd, as against 89 000, the by the magic lantern, on two separate eveningą, price at which the monopoly was sold two
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.