August 11, 1900.]
to everybody present that looting at certain places in the city was all but universal. It was a case of either taking the sycee or leaving it to the city canaille or to the fire, circumstances which deprive looting of much of its heinous- ness. Orders on the subject of spoil should ever be prospective, then people willingly ob- serve them, knowing that all will share accord- ing to fixed rules. When they are restrospec. tive the more honourable suffer at the hands of their less scrupulous comrades, and it has been so in this case.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
remain at Wenchow as guardship. The Cus- toms staff have taken up their old quarters. The deposed Chinese officials have left in na- tive craft for places unknown.
THE RUSSIANS AT NEWCHWANG.
A despatch of the Shanghai Mercury's Che- foo correspondent, dated 3rd August, says :---
On the 25th ult. the Russians came from the Newchaton railway station to Newchwang, and there attacked suddenly, and without cause, a Chinese camp outside of the south gate of the city. After fighting for two hours the Rus- sians returned to Newchaton. The casualties were few on both sides. The Consular repre- sentatives at Newchwang, including the Russian Consul, protested strongly to the Russian com- mander against his unjustifiable action, which was entirely guided by the military authorities, and they have received verbal assurances that this sort of thing will not be repeated.
THE REINFORCEMENTS.
ROYAL ENGINEERS FOR HONGKONG.
107
THE "CHEONG YUEN" PIRACY CASE.
THE DEFENDANTS BEFORE THE MAGISTRATE.
tthe Magistracy on the 3rd inst., before Mr. Hazeland, the crew (9) of the steam launch Cheong Yuen were charged with felonionsly receiving one bag of cash, 20 rolls of brown cloth, 19 rolls of black cloth, one pair of trousers, and one pair of leggings. They were further charged with being in unlawful pos- session of other property, well knowing the same to have been stolen..
Mr. Heys represented one of the defendants and Mr. Reece the remainder.
THE DEFENCE OF SHANGHAI. The N.-C. Daily News of the 31st ult. says:— "The Consular Body having unanimously de- cided to invite the Senior Naval Officers in port to undertake the direction of the defence of the Settlements, they appointed the Consuls General for France and the United States to wait upon Vice-Admiral Sir E. H. Seymour, R.N., K.C.B., the Senior Naval Officer in port, and invite him to take the matter in hand. This Admiral Seymour has consented to do, and will as soon as possible call a meeting of the Senior Naval Officers of the various Powers represented in A draft of Royal Engineers was selected at the harbour, as well as the Russlan military re- Brompton Barracks, Chatham, for Hongkong. presentative, to discuss the necessary arrange- It consists of three sergeants and 32 sappers, ments. In this the precedent is being followed under the command of Second Lieutenant Car- that was set at the time of the late Franco-gill. Another draft, to comprise nine sergeantsing junk, these three hiding themselves away on Chinese war, when Captain (now Admiral) Ac- cini of the Italian navy, being the Senior Naval Officer, had charge of the defences of the whole of Shanghai. Good as our volunteers are, and great as is the confidence that we have in them, it is obviously desirable that they should be un- der professional direction when it can be ob- tained, and it is to men-of-war that every port | in China turns at once when danger threatens." It should be noted that the alarming reports, emanating from Shanghai, with regard to the state of the Yangtze, have been officially con- tradicted in Shanghai.
The N.-C. Daily News publishes a letter from Senior Consul Valdez stating that the onsular Body has received a communication from the Viceroy Chang Chih-tung stating a telegram in that paper's issue of the 25th inst., headed Bad News from the Yangtze." is without foundation, and that the Viceroy desires this contradiction to be published.
THE U.S. CYPHER MESSAGE FROM PEKING.
Mr. J. Goodnow, U.S. Consul-General at Shanghai, made public on the 4th inst. the terms of a cypher message which had been received by Mr. J. W. Ragsdale, the American Consul at Tientsin, from Mr. E. H. Conger, the U.S. Minister at Peking, dated there the 21st ult. The despatch is as follows:-
Have been besieged in the British Legation for five weeks under terrible and continuous fire from the Chinese troops. Since the 16th by agreement there has been no firing. Fifty marines of all nationalities have been killed and more wounded. We have provisions for several weeks but hope relief will come soon. Glad to hear of victory Tientsin, but regret terrible cost. Hope you are all well and safe."
This communication was accompanied by a message, the original of which has been for- warded to Shanghai and is in Mr. Goodnow's possession, from Mr. H. G. Squires, the First Secretary of Legation, to his children in Paris, reading "All well 21st."
NEWS FROM WENCHOW. The steamer Poochi arrived at Shanghai from Wenchow on the 4th inst. and reported that all is quiet. The new Prefect and Chentai seem to have gone the right way about doing things, for not only have the native soldiery been guard ing the foreign houses and property during the absence of the foreigners and done their duty
"not as much as a bit of paper "has been touched, and that the officials in office are doing their utmost to restore quiet and order in their districts. The two headmen of the rowdies who were captured some time ago are still alive in the Military Yamen. What their utmost fate is to be is as yet not decided upon by the authorities. Ne- tive guard boats are still stationed around Conquest Island. The city walls and forts are garrisoned by the new Chentai soldiers. The four Missionaries who went down by the Poochi have returned with her. The Chuentiao is to
well, but it is said that
and corporals and 37 sappers, was prepared for service at Weihaiwei. "Both parties were to embark about the middle of last mouth in the P. and O. steamer Victoria.
JAPANESE COOLIES FOR CHINA,
The 500 coolies and 50 horses ordered by the British military authorities from the Niehi Yei Association of Kobe have been already sent to Taku by the Moji-maru, and are at present em- ployed in North China. Japanese papers learn that the Japanese Association has been favoured by the British authorities with another order for the supply of 1,000 vehicles and 100 tents. The order is being executed in Kobe, and the goods will be forwarded to Taku as soon as they are ready.
THE INDIAN TROOPS.
The following Simla telegrams give details about the Indian troops for China:
Simla, 24th July. The report that four of the infantry battalions now on their way to China are to be detained at Hongkong is now confirmed here officially.
Simla, 25th July.
The 34th Pioneers have been ordered to China to take the place in the Second Brigade of the 14th Sikhs detained on account of cho- lers. The 14th Sikhs will go when clear of cholera. The sailing dates of vessels contain- ing the Cavalry Brigade for China are advanced, the Nizom to 28th July, the Nurani and Rewa to 2nd August, the Fultala and Sunda to the 4th, the Upada and Ula to the 5th, the Fazilka and Lawada to the 9th and the Ujina to the 11th.
The replacement in their regiments by fresh appointments to the Staff 'orps of officers with- drawn for service in China is sanctioned.
Acting Captain Superintendent Badeley said, that on the night of the 17th July, at about half-past eight, the Cheong Yuen, which was a ferry launch running every half-hour regularly between Hongkong and Yaumati, was held up by some pirates or robbers, who took passage as ordinary passengers. They forced the crew down below, took charge of the launch, and steamed out of the waters of the colony up the Canton The same night or early the next River. morning they seized a fishing junk. They put all the passengers except three aboard this fish-
the Cheony Yuen. Then they steamed away, and during the course of the next day and night pirated several other junks in the Canton River, one in particular in connection with which he should call evidence. On the 19th ult. the pirates left the launch and told the Captain and crew to get to Hongkong, which they did, with a considerable quantity of stuff on board, pre- sumably the crew's share of the booty. The crew had no chance to get rid of the stuff before they were hailed by the police launch. Alukong was put on board, and the launch was taken to Taim Tsat Tsin. Here the launch was searched, with the result that those proceedings were instituted.
Sergeant Ashmore said that on the morning of the 19th ult. he was out in the police launch when he met the steam launch Cheong Yuen. He hailed her to stop and she stopped. The coxswain came on board the police launch and made a report that the launch had been pirated. Witness placed a policeman on the Cheong Yuen and directed her to be taken to Tsim Tsat I sui. The deck of the Cheong Yuen was all clean. Replying to Mr. Reece, witness said he met the launch between Capsuimoon and Cheung Hu point, outside the limits of the harbour. It was 8.30 a.m.
By Mr. Hays-He hailed the launch because he knew it was the Cheong Yuen.
!
Sergeant Gourlay said he was at the Tsim Tsat Tsui Police Station on the 19th July. He had a report that the Cheong Yuen back by the first defendant, had come who said that the launch had been pirated on the 17th at about 8.30 p.m. while on a voyage between Hongkong and Yaumati. He also said that one of the men produced a re- volver and ordered him into the fore-cabin along A telegram, dated Simla. 23rd July, says: with the passengers and crew, except the en- The hospital-ship Maine, with its complement|gineer and the stoker. About an hour afterwards of American nurses, sailed on the 11th instant She will be for China, from South Africa. supplied with a quantity of equipment either at Bombay or Hongkong.
THE HOSPITAL-SHIP "MAINE."
peo-
The Government of India on the 20th ult. issued a most important resolution on the plague, in which they frankly admit that it is impossible, to stamp out the disease in India, though they think much can done be to reduce it, They lay down that only such measures are to be taken as can be enforced without hurting the prejudices of the people. They absolutely forbid the employment of informers, compulsory examination of corpses, the shutting up of ple in infected houses and the preventing of areas. The their escaping from infected Government of India also lay down that house to house visitation, compulsory notification of sickness and the grant of rewards for informa- tion as to the existence of sickness should rarely, if ever, be resorted to. They attach, however, great importance to the preventing of the con- veyance of infection from India to Europe, and think that this will continue to be effected by he means already in force at the ports of em- barkation.
two of the pirates came down and searched most of their persons, but not all. Then a few of them were brought and placed in the after cabin. The first defendant then said, "On the morning of the 19th, at one o'clock, the pirates left and I came up on deck along with the crew. I found the pirates had gone. I found my launch near Fu Mun. I then steamed back to Hongkong and came to Taim Tsat Tsai Wharf.” He also said, "I think they pirated about five junks." The man did not mention anything about there being stolen property on the launch. He said $3.40 had been stolen from the money- collector. He pointed out the second defendant as the money-collector. The second defendant then said he had lost the money. Wit- ness then went down to the launch with the in nine defendants and searched. He found i the forecabin two boxes of Florida water, containing 24 bottles, and two compasses. He found these on the seat of the cabin. In the coxswain's locker, which was opened with a key he found in the bottom compartment amongst the ballast one bag of cash. There was only one way to to get to the cash, and that through the bottom compartment. When he first saw the bag he asked what it was, and goś
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