March 10, 1900.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
A CLUMSY ATTEMPT TO‘DEFRAUD. | A VISIT TO TAL-AN-FU, SHANTUNG
A tthe Magistracy on the 2nd instant, before Mr. Gompertz, Wong A Luk, a farmer, resid- ing at No. 30, Tai Hang, opposite the Polo Ground, was charged with conspiring with others to deceive the Director of Public Works in order to obtain grants of Crown land.
Mr. Bowley (Messra. jennys and Bowley, Crown Solicitors) appeared for the prosecution. He said that a gentleman named Mok Man Cheung, assistant compradore to Messrs. Butter- field and Swire, had bought a piece of ground at Tai Hang village, which was immediately behind the Polo Ground at Causeway Bay. After this a broker came to him and told him there were several squatters in Tai Hang village who would obtain from the Crown pieces of land in respect of which they hold squatters' licenses, and that if Mr. Mok Man Cheung would advance money ou these leases they would be able to build houses upon the sites. la consequence of this representation Mr. Mok Man Cheung drew up a petition. This petition he took down to Tai Haug village, and in the house of the broker, the defendant and six others signed this petition. There were annexed to the petition seven squatters' licenses, and the prosecution alleged that these seven people who sigued this petition claimed that these licenses were valid licenses at that time and that they would be able to obtain leases from the Crown in ex- change for thein. The petition was signed by these seven men, including he defendant, and on the next day, Monday, January 2ud, the pati- tion was brought to the office of the Land Bailiff, addressed to the director of Public Works, by the defendant and six other persons. It was handed to the Land Bailiff and by him passed on to the Director of Public Works. On an investigation being made it was discover- ed that the licenses were absolutely useless, as they had expired. He believed they were dated 90, 91, and 92. Squatters' licenses were only gran ted for one year, and at the expiration of the term of the license was not renewed the squatter be- came a trespasser. Persons holding squatters' censes in Tai Hang village were dealt with by the Squatters' Board in 1893, when their li licenses were cancelled, and instead of lige asos they obtained leas-s for plots of ground for a term of 999 years. Cousequently there were no squatters now at Tai Hang village with the exception of certain wishermen, who had the right of washing in the stream behind the village. It was immediately discovered that this was a fraudulent pretence on the part of the defendant and the others by which they endeavoured to obtain leases from the Crown. Mr. King was nuable to recoguise six of the men who came to him but he recoguised the de- fendant, who acted as ringleader and spokes- man. The d-fendant said his name was Fung Tai, which was the name on one of the licenses, bnt it was afterwards found out that he had given a wrong name. This offence was conspiracy, and what the prosecution had to prove was that the defendant
agreed with other
persous
It to defraud. really a somewhat clumsy attmpt at defraud. ing, and was discovered almost immediately Consequently he would ask his Worship to deal with the case summarily.
a
was
Mok Man Cheung and Mr. King give evidence in corroboration of this statement.
The defendent said he had a paper with the name of Fung Tai on it. That was his wife's name. She was dead. He was at Shanghai when she died. When he was coming dowu to Hongkong from Shanghai his ship was burned and he took this paper to the interpreter's place to get the land. The interpreter said," All right"| and that he could get him the land. People told him be could get the land with this paper.
Loa Kwai, the defendant's sister-in-law, who said she was a widow, living at Tai Hang village, was called by the defendant as a witness, bat she gave no material evidence.
Mr. Bowley, in reply to his Worship, said be had not heard before that day that Fang Tai was the defendant's wife.
age,
The defendant is an old man 70 years of and Mr. Bowley said the prosecution did not wish to press the case. A nominal penalty would be sufficient.
In consequence his Worship did not send him to prison, but fined him $10, and bound him over to be on his good behaviour for three months.
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PROVINCE.
[FROM A CORRESPONDENT.] It has not fallen to the lot of many Eng lishmen to visit the very heart of a great province in North China; consequently a few reminia- couces may not be without interest.
UANTON.
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[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 3rd Marc h. Fantan is far the most popular form of gambling here. Until lately it was carried on covertly, by bribing the officials; but now the authorities, seeing the uselessness of prohibiti ng The ancient and sacred city of Tai-au-fu is the game, have turned it into a source of re- second only to Chi-nan-fu, the capital of Shan-enue for the government, and it is carried on under official protection. The commanding of- tung. Its celebrity arises from the fact of ita
ficer of Kwong Hip undertakes to pay for the situation at the foot of the sacred mountain of license one million taels annually, and thus Tai Shau. It has been the fortune of the pre-license he farms out to all the gambling house sent writer to ascend this mountain upon more
in the city and the suburbs. The money thus than one occasion. Rivalling Snowdon in height, obtained from gambling goes to defray the it is ascended by a vast number of wide stone
expenses for the increase of army and navy. steps (asserted by natives to number 6,0 10) with
So on the 1st instaut nearly all the gambling more or less frequent intervals of landings houses were re-opened, displaying large sign- or stages. This presents a formidable walk,
board with gilt characters ou them, while the but is cheerfully undertaken by hundreds, even
soldiers of Kwong Hip in red uniforms guarded thousands of pilgrims as soon after the opening the doors. Gambling was in full swing day and of New Year as weather permits. near, some on fout, some in barrows, soms in is from 60 to 65 taels a month; for the medium night. A license for a first-class gambling house mule-carts, they swarm into the city of Tai-an- fu, men of all ages, and even the cramped-footed establishment about 10 taels.
houses from 20 to 40 tauls ; and for the lowest
women, receiving the invigorating spirit of the Monutain Goddess and the painted pilgrim staff to aid them on the weary march. Altar shrines aud temples are passed in succession, receiving a prostration, a row, or more substantial devo- tion by the offering of paper mousy, represent- ing either copper or silver, till the final temple is reached at South Hearen Gate. Here the pious. pilgrim for a thousand ages has offered prayers. thanks, and tribute in money
kind to Lao Nai Nai, Grandmother of the Mountain. Kings have been known to come to this veuer able mountain summit, but for long years past they have been represented merely by officišla
From far and
or
It was in the luxury of a mountsia chi borne by two Chinese, and in the company of a brother Englishmin. that the writer male his pilgrimage. The joyous Chinese spring had yielded to summer's heat, and the devout strau- ger pilgrims had ng departe to their homes. We had time to observe the landscape at leisure. It was varied, affording as constant enjoyment
and satisfaction, 'hough there are of course a thousand scenes of equal beauty. Here clumps of cypress-trees, firs, beech-trees leat a deeper green to the withered grass, or relieved the bare- ness of rocky boulders and torrent-worn stones. Now we crossed an old wooden bridge over a rushing stream and small waterfall, here we looked back to catch a sight of the city in-the distance, and finally, on gaining the summit, & glorious panorama lay outspread before us. Ia the distance were the shining lines of tributary rivers. plains of wheat and grain crops, while immediately below and around were mountain peaks and bills innumerable, with temples and priests' quarters slumbering in the eternal repose. Needless to say we spent a night on the summit, for the journey had teen firing to the chair-bearers, and the sun had begun to declius. Shelter for the night is readily afforded in the precincts of even to a "foreign devil a temple, for the frugal Chinese never lose
• chance of getting money, That at least was our experience on the famed l'ai Shau.
If the natural scenery is anjoyable, the arti- fivial adornments and memorials of the mountain
are also interesting. There are handsome stone arches or gateways at various stages with such melodious names as South Heaven Gate, Middle Heaven Gate, First Heaven Gate, carved and ornamental archways inscribed with folicitous phrases. Temples, large and small, ou either hand with mundane tea-honses at intervals, lend colour life and a measure of beauty to the moautain stairway. The city of Tai-ao-fu is closed by the customary wall, and no foreigner can safely dwell within its limits. The mis- sionaries, Anglican and Baptist, live in the suburbs, and are seldom molested or annoyed. The recent barbarous murder of Mr. Brooks, however, seems to indicate that a violent death may at any time close the career of a Christian foreigner.
We are informed by Messrs John D. Hum. plirevs and Son, General Managers of Olivers Freehold Mines, Limited, that they have received a telegram from the Mines, giving the result of ast month's crashing as follows:- 195 tons of quartz crushed for a yield of 230 ounces retorted gold; mill ran 24 days."
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There are now from 40 to 50 kinds of lottery here. genuine and otherwise. It is reported the highest tender for them, it is likely that that as the Waising lottery-farmers have offered they will succeed in obtaining a monopoly. It nay be said now that Canton is the chief gam bling haunt in China.
Ou the 21th, 25th and 26th ult., being the Feast of Lettuces," many people m.de the pilgrimage to the temple of the white clothed goddess of mercy at Kan Yew, to make their rows and pray the goddess for children, and feasted largely ou lettuce. Hosts of devotees went there by flower-boats towed by steam. lanches to "chinchin joss" and assisted at the theatrical representations, religious processions and fireworks. They subscribed liberally for these entertainments.
Five pirates were arrested in a low house in Tong-u-lau while they were having their relry there, through the instrumentality of a detective. They were brought before the Magistrate, tried, and confessed to the crime of stealing the steam-launch Lily to attack a coal- boat on the 23rd January last on the Canton river. They were decapitated, and their heads haas been placed in wooden cages and hung up on bamboo poles at Houam for public inspeo- tion.
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[FROM THE CHUNG NGOI BAN FO Ổn the 27th ult. at 9 p.m. a junk, towed by a steam launch carrying about one hundred and twenty passengers, foundered near Kong-Moon, where the passengers who came by the junk from San Cheong, San Ling district, were te re-embark on the Hang Chow for Hongkong. As it was very dark at the time only forty persous were saved, while about eighty were missing.
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Some merchants have presented a petition to the Viceroy, asking to be allowed to establish a shipping company with a line running directly between Canton and Singapore. The Viceroy is taking the question into consideration and has written to the Chinese Consul-General in Singapore to give a report of the Chinese
trades there
The price of rice is gradually going down- ward, for the Viceroy his sent several Weiyuen to Wuhu and some other places where rice grows in great abundance, to buy rice to be sold in Canton at a low price. On the 23rd ult. the gunboat Fok Po arrived at Canton from Waba fully loaded with rice,
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The fantan gambling-houses opened on the 1st March. They have to pay to the farmer from sixty down to five tuels a day reut, according as their business is large or small; with the ad. dition of the usual blackmail paid in former times to the officials, gentry, and Yaman run- A month's ruat must be paid in advance. A reward of fifty dollars is to be given to any person who effects the capture of any bad obaracter giving troublb to the gambling bouses. l'he rent of the monopoly is fixed nå 1.200,000 taels per annum throughout the Two hun- whole province of Kwangtung.
ners.
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