326
qualified support of ens. It would have been better for every member of the Service; they would have had more security in their positions against injustice; an appeal would lie, not to one man, who is often prejudiced, but to a properly constituted board, whose decisions would be made public, whose responsibility to the Tamen and bondholders would prevent abuse and be a guarantee for a just and equitable administra tion.
Hongkong, 10th October, 1899,
B.
THE INTERPRETER OF THE U. 8. CONSULATE AT CANTON AND THE BEDLUE CHARGES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS,
""
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
THE MANILA SHARE MARKET.
[October 14, 1899.
A GERMAN VIEW OF GREAT BRITAIN'S CLAIMS IN THE YANGISZE VALLEY,
In an article on the establishment of German lines of steamers on the Yangtase the Ostasia. tische Lloyd expresses the hope that a German gunboat may be stationed on the river. Our. contemporary claims that Germans bave done much pioneer work, not alone at Hankow, but also at the other Yangtsze towns, and in conclusion says:-
The issue of a periodical share list at Manila may be regarded as an indication of the in- oreased business activity which the recent changes there are bringing about. Mr. Walter A. Fitton is now publishing a monthly market report, and in the first issue, dated 2nd October, he says :-
"I have commenced this circular to supply what, to my thinking, fills a long-felt want. As our local stock market has up to this received little or no publicity, doubtless the quotations given will cause outside, as well as local, inves- The efforts of England to seize the fruits of tors to give some attention to same, as the German diligence for herself and make the whole market offers considerable inducements to in of the Yangtze Valley a British domain are too vestors. I would, however, strongly recommend well known to call for repetition. It is also those not on the spot to be careful with whom, known that the English claims are merely paper and how, they place their money. There are severolaims: they neither are nor will be acknow- al brokers of repute and long residence here, who will give proper care to any business placed in their hands, and, in case of necessity, doubt less provide any references necessary.'
Tn the list of Companies particulars are given regarding each concern in the same form as in the Hongkong Sharebroker's circular. | The following are the Companies, and we re. produce the figures showing the capital, nomi- nal value of shares, and present quotations
Capital. Bhares. Paid Quotation.
Stook.
BANK.
up.
Banco Espanol Filipino 1,500,000 200 all $320, salas
CIGAR COMPANIES.
Alhambra
Comercial
Germinal
Dock. Varadero (Canacao slip)
SUNDRY.
100,000 500 all
44,000 500 all
130,000 500 all
140,000 500 $80
100 per cent
prem. {100 per cent. prem.,buyers 25 per cont. prom.,buyers 12 per cent. prem.,buyer
45,000 100 all $105, buyers
ledged. Already the German flag, both mer cantile and naval, regularly appears on the Yangtze and it must be fully known that Germany has not the remotest intention of yielding to British pretensions. No doubt there will be protests, not only from England but also from China. The latter must clearly understand that Germany does not intend to let the whole of the Yangtsze Valley fall into the hands of Great Britain. We do not want it for ourselves, but we want equal rights in it with other nations. To secure recognition of those rights it seems to us the proper means is to see that the German flag shall never be absent from the Yangtsze.
THE ANTI-MISSIONAXY DISTUR- BANCES IN FOKIEN,
DENUNCIATION OF OFFICIALS.
The N. C. Daily News publishes the follow- Compania Maritima... 2,500,000 500 all $350, nominaling Imperial decree, dated 20th September:- Electric Light... Telephones
Dear Sir,-A friend handed me a copy of your most valuable and widely read paper The Hongkong Daily Press of the 4th inst., in which I was directed to a paragraph under the caption of "The Bedloe Charges," a script you took out from the New York Herald. Undoubt edly you must have done it with the best of intentions and never imagined the extent of the injuries it was calculated to inflict and heap upon an already persecuted, abominably treated, weak, friendless, and now suspended Interpreter, Chung of the United States Consulate at Can. ton. This is indeed "adding insult to injury!" How plausible an excuse it is for a nation of 80,000,000 to give to the world this impression Constancia that their accused officer was perfectly innocent and if he erred at all it was due to the implicit confidence the said honoured officer placed in his lieutenant the Interpreter, thus exonerating the officer and making the poor Interpreter the scapegoat, solely for Uncle Sam's "face" sake and at my friend's heavy expense, a blot upon his character which will probably rain his entire future. However, Heaven shapes the destiny of man, and it seems that it was His will that poor Chung must suffer, for he has repeat- edly appealed to the State Department at Wash- ington, through the proper channels, for justice, but justics seems to be an unknown quantity to the proudest nation in the world. He has been suspended by virtue of an official despatch written and signed by the U.S. Consul- General, Hon. G. Goodnow, and the same was handed to him by the then U.B. Vice-Consul, Mr. Williams, in the office of the U.S. Consu- late at Canton on the 25th September, 1898. Three days after the receipt of this he left the office without removing any of his personal pro- perties, nor did he ask for his last quarter's salary, and, before leaving, for three days he was engaged in the gathering up of all the do- caments for Bedloe to prepare his defence. Afterwards he notified the Consul-General of his new address, and kept up a correspondence with him for quite a long time until subsequent ly he found that he could communicate with the present acting Consul, with whom he had the pleasure of several personal interviews.
14
Now, in face of all these facts for the New York Herald, the oracle of American Demo- aracy, to state, and you, the best informed paper in China, to repeat, that Bedloe's Interpreter apparently did not wait to be dismissed, but fied," is indeed a great injustice to him who did his level best to save Uncle Sam's face, in the best manner he could, at the risk of his own interests. It does not seem possible that an American of sound mind could have com. mitted such gross falsehood as quoted above, for that "one may deceive all the people for a part of the time, or some of the people the whole time, but he never can decieve all the people at all times" is.trne iu all instances.
So with these few lines of explanation I hope you will do him the justice Englishmen are wont to, bestow upon like occasions, by making "Fair in Play" your sole judge of honour and space your valuable paper the scale of justice.
50,009 25 all $26, sales 85,00 100 all $100, buyers
AN OUTSIDE VIEW OF THE HONG- KONG VOLUNTEERS TRANS- TAAL OFFER.
"The Moralist" of the Straits Times writes:- Recent events in the Transvaal have caused quite a flutter of excitement in the Volunteer corps, and I note that several members of the Hongkong detachment have offered their ser vices should hostilities break out. Their Siuga- pore comrades, however, have not brought themselves into conspicuous notice by following their example, as, no doubt, they are aware that any such offer would scarcely receive serious consideration. Unquestionably, the Hongkong
members were fired with an ambition to serve their country, and so I venture to say is every volunteer; but the Government won't require the services of any twenty or thirty members from a certain 'corps to settle this Transvaal dispute.
I am not seeking to belittle the action of the Hongkong Volunteers but it must be re- membered that under the Volunteer Enlistment Act, volunteers can only be utilised for home servios, or for the Colony in which they agree to serve. In offering themselves for active service they would cease to be volunteers, aud have to be accepted as fairly trained recruits for the regular service. I have no possible doubt that on any occasion of extreme em. ergency a large number of volunteers would be found ready to offer their services on these con. ditions but such emergency has not yet arisen. Until it does so, it is the main duty of every volunteer to make himself as efficient as possi ble in drill and discipline and endeavour to keep the detachment up to its full strength, so that he may be fitted, whenever the occasion arises, to take his part in any duty really re- quired of him for the service of his country.
We (N. C. Daily News) regret to record the Thanking you for your patience in the pre- death of Dr. Waldemar Petersen, of the Deutsch- mises, I beg to enclose my card with compli-Asiatische Bank, which took place early on the ments and subscribe myself, yours,
Macao, 6th October, 1899.
PERDU.
The flags on the steamers Tsintau and Knivs- berg were half-masted at Shanghai on 2nd October on receipt by wire of the news of the death of their owner, Mr. Jebsen of Aponrada.
morning of the 35th October, of typhoid fever, Deceased, who was only 25 years of age, was most popular both socially and in his busi- ness relations. He was an ardent sportsman, and only quite recently was rowing in the German Four and Eight. The flags on the Club Concordia and the Grand Stand were halfmasted no n token of respect.
Hsu Ying-k'uel, Viceroy of the Min-Che provinces, denounces the prefect of Kieaningfu on the ground of laziness and love of comfort→→ | [Really for not being energetic enough to stop the recent riots against foreign missionaries. Translator)--and in punishment therefor we hereby command the said prefect, Ch'ong Chia- yu, to
be degraded one step, namely, to the rank of a sub-perfect. Yao Ching-yi, district magistrato of Shunch'anghsien, is also denounced for criminal negligence of his du- ties and ignorance of judicial procedure, inso- much that a litigant lost his life; and a mili tary officer, San Tung-hsien, Colonel of the Front Battalion of the Fushiang Brigade, stationed at Ch'uanchon prefecture is charged with keeping lax discipline in his command, so that when recently called upon to keep order among the people the soldiers acted as robbers and pillaged the inhabitants they had been sent to protect. Both the above-named district magistrate and colonel are hereby cashiered and dismissed the service, but as they are also de- fendants in certain suits brought by people who had suffered through their maladministra- tion, the said cashiered officers are hereby com- manded to be imprisoned to await trial and sen- tence, if found guilty. The Beards of War and of Civil Appointments are commanded to take note.
Commenting on the above the Foochow Echo says:-We have not heard much of what was being done in the way of obtaining redress for the sufferings of some of our Missionaries and · ́ their converts at Kienningfoo as far back as June last, but it is evident that Mr. Consul Play- fair, although exercising the patience necessary in dealing with Chinese, has been firm. Under the heading "Denunciation of Fuhkien Officials" it will be seen that the Viceroy has taken his part in proving to Prefects, Magistrates and Military Officers that they cannot neglect their duty with impunity. There is yet however, we understand, a good deal to be done before Mr. Consul Playfair is satisfied; but as all that is required now thoroughly understood we hope before long to announce that a settlement has been come to—a settiment that will ensure our Missionaries from trouble in the future at Kien- ningloo.
The first Rugby practise of the Hongkong Football Club will be held next Tuesday. Mem- bors desiring to participate should put their names down on the board or inform the Hon. Secretary.
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