442
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Belgian, which is France and Russia in disguise (go as the Chinese suy themselves a bear in a roat's skin).
THE RUSSLAN D. MAND ON CHINA.
The Kobe Chronicle trauslates the following telegrams from Japanese papers :--
Peking, 14th May. From the action of the British Minister, at Peking, Great Britain, it appears, does not ap- prove of the Russian demand on China for the concession to construct a branch of the Man- churian Railway, but no protest has yet barn made by Great Britain. The branch line Russia wishes to construct is intended to run parallel with the British line from Moukden to Shanbaikwan, whence it will go to Peking by way of Winping-fu and Tungchow and conuect with the Luban Railway.
Peking, 14th May. When the Russian Minister entered upon negotiations for the concession for the construc- tion of the branch line, the Chinese officials refused to accede to the demand. But it bas not been formally declined by an official note.
THE NEW TREATY PORT OF PUNIG.
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The scenery approaching to and in the Inland Sea of Samsah I: very fine; there are numerous islands, many of them wild and rocky, and the outline of the mainland is also very striking, If better known it might become a favourite place for boat sailing and yachting. There is excellent wild-fowl shooting in winter, but it is difficult to purchase supplies of any kind, and the visitor has to take everything with him. The people are friendly, good cultivators of land, and grow a good deal of sugar and indigo, The roads are al o good.
Forsign men-of-war have been paying fre queut visits to Samsah in the last two years, and have no doubt aroused suspicion in the native mind. Indeed, it is the opinion of many that the main object in opening the port is to prevent its being seized by some other nation. With the surronuding country in their hands, the Chinese could make it a strong and unap- proachable Naval Station-China Gazette cor- respondent.
COMPULSORY MURDER.
A strange, if true story comes from Pootung, illustrating the absurdity to which filial duty may be reduced in China. It appears that a father and son were engaged in the usual squabbling which invariably follows a financial trausaction, and after deluging each other with torrents of vituperation the son whipped out a knife with the apparent intention of using it "pon his parent. The elders of the clan imme diately interposed to prevent farther violence. Subsequently they met together under the presidency of the headman of the village, and decided that the only way to enforce filial obe. dience in future and to particularly emphasing its sacred character was to order the father to strangle his son. This he had to do and did do, it is said, at the peril of his own life, and he there and then murdered the lad in the presence of the clansmen, who departed satisfied with the result, registering their approval of the act.-Mercury.
DIEDERICHS..
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Fouchow, 7th May. An event which may be of considerable im portance to Foochow in the future is to take place to-morrow, namely, the opening of the new port of Funing to foreign trade. Mr. Commissioner Von Tanner, with a fully equip ped Customs Staff, is leaving here to-day for that purpose. Mr. C. A. McAllum will be left in charge, and, with the staff, will require to live on a hulk until stable offices, etc., can be put up on shore. At present there is only straggling Chinese village at the spot selected for the new port, which is situated on an in- dentation on the south side of the Island of Sandu in the Samsah Basin. Although it is officially called Funing, it is really 25. to 30 miles south of the walled city of that name.
The island of Sandu is about 45 miles north | ADMIRAL DEWEY AND ADMIRAL of the entrance to the Min river at Sharp Peak and is, five miles long and three broad, very irregular in outline, hilly, and well wooded. The bay extends for over a mile, between hilly country on both sides, and ruus in for a mile and a half. It is a muddy flat at low water. and is front there is a splendil anchorage for steamers of the deepest draught, the best in the Samsah Basin. The Customs offices and the new Foreign Settlement (if there ever is one) will be placed on the west side of the bay. There is no trade at this particular soot at pre- sent. It will, however. bo a central and con- venient gathering place for tea and other pro duce coming from Ningtaik, Funing. Fuan, and other smaller towns in the district. It will tap the Pau Yong tea district, the best quality of tos put on the Fopchow Market, and which is at present laboriously carried by coolies to Foocbow, a day's journey. This will be a con- siderable saving of expense, and it is calculated that in the course of time about half the amount
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We (N. C. Daily News) are informed that as Admiral Diederichs was passing through Hong koug homeward-bound in the Prinz Heinrich, he received a letter from Admiral Dewey expres- sing the latter's regret at the unfounded state. ments made in the Press as to their relations in
Mauila.
Admiral Diederichs asked Admiral Dewey to allow him to publish the letter, and to this step Adiniral Dewey gave his consent.
THE MANTLA CUSTOMS.
A ressident of Manila recently imported, for his own use, a pair of blankets such as are commonly used in temperate climates. England, or the United States, but are seldom found in a climate like that of the Philippines. That is the reason why he had to import them himself. The purchase price of the goods was $3 Mex., but before they finally reached the purchaser.
met :-
Import duty
[May 27, 1899.
surcharge of 10 per cent. on that, so that what in called “duty free” in the tariff is really sub- juot to a duty of $8.80 per $100, plus commiss- sion to customs agent, plus more stamps, plus cash valne of bother waiting to get the goods through the customs. This last item frequently amounts to a great deal more than all the rest put together. And these amounts are sheer waste; nobody benefits at all.
We do not say that the taxes are too heavy, or that the government get more than it really needs, and must get, but we do say that there is great need for simplification in these matters. If a man can make one payment and have done with it and get his goods ashore immediately the ship comes into the bay, it is worth his while to pay without grudging, whatever be the amount required, but the thing which hampers trade is the waiting and the worrying and the figuring out of complicated sum in fractional arithmetic. For the privilege of pay- ing $10 in taxes, a man has to waste $20 worth of time. Some goods are kept at the onstoms weeks and weeks, not because there is very, much labour required to be done, but because the importer does not have time to attend to that particular thing. Sometimes goods cannot` be landed because a inaa cannot lay his band on the document just when he wants it, or because the document may have some trifling inform ality about it, or for a thousand and one differ- eut little vexations causes, all of which point to simple method.-Manila the necessity of a Times,
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CHINESE arrested iN FORMOSA.
A Japanese telegram dated Taipeh, 15th May, translated by the Kobe Chronicle, reads.
Many of the Chinese tea merchants erriving at Formosa have not provided themselves with passports and in consequence have beau arrested. This has greatly affected the state of the tea market in Formosa.
A FOREIGN COLONY IN THE HOKKAIDO.
The existence of a small colóny of foreigners in a mountain within 10 cho of the sea-coast-
village of Ishibetsu, opposite the port of Hakodate, was made public some time ago by the vernacular press, says the Japan Times.
recent visit to the cology by the police authorities of the Hokkaido Go- vernment and the Chief of the Hako- date police has revealed to some extent the real nature of these foreigners. They appear to be a company of religious zealots, of the sect known as Trappists, who find in the retired spot of the northern island a fit refuge for exercising aumolested their peonliar faith. The colony consists of seven Frenchmen, four Dutch, one Italian, and one Canadian, in all 13, beside a few Japanese. They all live in one house, dress themselves alike partake of the game food, and work together, under a leader named Brayers. They rise at daybreak, and soon start on their daily tasks assigned by the
of tea leaving Foochow might be conveniently the following additional charges had to be leader. The daily work over, they devote their shipped from here. It is questionable, however, if the trade will be sufficient to induce merobauts to settle here and thus divide the already decay. ing tea trade of Fooohow. For the present, if tea is shipped at all, it will have been taken to
Additional 8 per cent, ad valoren Surcharge, 10 per cent. import duty... Stamps on Customs documents...
Fooh the green state, and prepared for | Commission to landing agent
the
there.
His
Collinson made a rough and incomplete sur- rey of Samsah Basin in 1840, of which the British Admiralty published a chart, soundings have been found to be little changed and remarkably correct. The Germans drow attention to the place by making an additional survey in the autumn of 18 6, before they oc- oupied Kiaochow.
The Spanish priests shave had stations and a great many converts in the surrounding coun- try for a long period, and the English Church Mission first began work here about eighteen years ago They have numerous chapels and schools, the head-quarters being at Funing. The Mission from Trinity College, Dublin, has now taken over this particular branch, and
Freight from Hongkong Boat hire in Manila Bay Man employed to land the goods More stamps...
...$4 20 89
leisure hours to praying and reading. In their stable, they keep four horses and seven cattle, which they only use for work. They 42 are strict vegetarians They make bread 45 of the flour tha their farming supplies 75 them with. Their sole labour is agriculture,
25
$10.06
1 10 aud they have already opened a considerable 175. tract of land in the neighbourhood of their 25 retreat. They were very reserved on the oc- casion of the visit, a Japanese member speaking only with the leader's permission. Everything about them indicates religious piety and devotion, When they go to Hakodate on business, they are never alone. A new member is said to be assigned a certain amount of study for three years. and is obliged to remain in a separate These secluded settlers do not seem to room 1 be mere hermits, for they are taking care of abont 30 orphans, and educating them on lines which are well in accordance with our govern- ment regulations.
Thus the cost of the goods is much more than doubled, without particular advantage to anybody. If the government wants to get $5.76 on overy $8 worth of merchandise, it would simplify matters to say so, in a direct manner, instead of occupying the man's time over a quarter of an hour in figuring out a number of little calenlations on each package,
The tariff prescribes that certain goods are to enter "free of duty." That does not mean free of duty, it means free only of
goods are still liable to 8 per cent, ad valorem and to a
from the nature of the country find it conven- | tariff impost on the goods, but the original
ient to do a deal of travelling by boat.
There were three cases of smallpox reported There were no deaths from the
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