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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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CRISIS:
November 18, 1901.
TELEGRAMS,
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT]
SHANGHAI, 8th November, 7:47 p.m. Li Hung-chang died quietly, in his sleep. Wang Wen-shao succeels him on the Peace Commission.
In accordance with Li's dying memorial
to the Throne, Governor Ynan Shi-kai, of Shantung, will be promoted to the post of Viceroy of Chihli. Yuan leaves Chinanfu on the 19th instant.
Yuan's successor in Shantung will be Chiang Yen-ching, Grain Commissioner at Tsingkiangp
Li Hung-chang has been promoted to the rank of Marquis and has been granted the highest posthumous honours ever paid to a
Chinaman.
Prof.ssor A. W. RUCKER in his opening hypothesis is produced-that the main; Instead he gave an elaborate monograph on Presidential Address on the intimate con- *structure of our theory is true; that atoms recent researches in the geology of Scotland, stitution of matter. Scientific men have are not merely helps to puzzled mathema- giving an enormous amount of detail, both been accustomed for nearly a hundred years ticians, but physical realities.'
geological and paleontological. The paper to look upon matter as a corgeries of atoms, Neither Major MACMAнox's address on will long remain as a classic on the subject,
Section HOT
but the scientific results to be drawn in DALTON'S atomic theory which has done: opening the Mathematical such inestimable good to the science of that of Professor Cossar EwART to that of connection with the science at large are left physics, and more especially to the scientific Zoology expresses any new facts or disclosed for the careful student to discover for him: self. As geology is a science which has consideration of heat, chemical affinity, and any new modes of thought. They are use. energy, was, as the President remarked, ful as a summary of what has been done, in the past suffered severely from attempts to generalise on insufficient data, the new ârst given to the world in the year 1807 but none will revert to them in future years
hrough a Glasgow professor THOMAS as murking a departure. Professor PERCY departure may be hailed. As a fact the THOMSON. That generalisation almost of FRANKLAND in his address to the Chemical geology of the world is apt to be over- necessity led to the establishment of the Section gives us many useful facts as to the whelmed in the geology of the locality, but undulatory theory of light, the recognition | practical progress of education in the the accumulation of careful and really of heat as a mere mode of motion, and the science in Great Britain and elsewhere. It scientific momographs will lead to a new existence of an ether as a necessary corollary, is especially interesting as not parading the comparative stu ly of the indications afforded So far the atomic theory sufficiently fulfilled ¦ pessimistic views to which we have recently elsewhere, and doubtless in time will result all that was required of it; hut towards the į been treated in rather full measure; mis- in revision of the, at present, very un- end of the century new radiations comma uced takes have been made, and the chemical satisfactory condition of the science. to be discovered, - Becquerel rays, Röntgen - education of our colleges has not always, rays, Hertzean rays and a number of! nor often, been of a useful and practical others. According to the accepted theories; nature. It has in fact been too academic, at the beginning of the century matter was and we have certainly suffered. Through- continuous, and there was a marked differ-out the whole period there has been a fair ence in the behaviour of it in its three usual supply of men who kept the science well up phases, s lid. liquid or gaseons; but lately to the water level, and it has been a whole- these distinctions have been breaking down. some sign, that to a much greater extent An atom as taught by DALTON was a than elsewhere the most used work has tangible mass, you could measure it or hecu done by amateurs rather than by weigh it; of late in the attempt to poñetrate professional chemists. to the fundamental basis of matter, the especially nels is the encouragement of yet but to a small most advanced of investigators have been original research, as
extent wilised. Of course the encourage- compelled to acknowledge that they have, as Professor KUCKER put it, to deal with ment of original research needs a sufficient something, whether we consider it under supply of students ambitious enough to "the guise of separate particles or of dif-, devote themselves to it, and the two things ferential portions of the medium, which has are correlative. Endowments will never properties different from those of matter in · make an original expiorer : the bent of mind bulk.
Either, therefore, we must tat determines it is altogether independent adhere to the standpoint adopted by most of mere monetary considerations; and there “scientific men, riz., that the question of the is always the danger of the most elaborate existe .ce of ultra-physical entities, such as system reverting to the mere routine of the "atoms and the ether, is to be settled by academy, Geography and Anthropology the evidence and must not be ruled out occupied at the meeting such a merely on a priori grounds; or, on the other hand, academic position; the addresses were such it is impossible to deny that, if the mere as might have been uttered in the lecture- entry on the search for the concea.e; room of an ohl-fashioned university üfty years "& trespass on ground we have no right scientific teaching nor new comprehensive causes of physical phenomena is not ago; they marked no new developments in "to explore, it is at all events the teachings. A few facts there were, as facts beginning of a dangerous journey." there must be in all human teaching which These conclusions naturally lead up to the has not quite reverted to the type of the phenomena of life in its relation to matter, dark ages, or been extinguished by Moham a subject every day becoming more pressing medan or Chinese stagnation, but both as scientific energy wastes itself on prying lacked the stimulus of the progr. ssive into the innermost secrets of nature; and sciences. Professor RUCKER Asks: Is there no way of extricating the mind from this apparently hopeless entanglement The whole truth may possibly never be known, but that | should not prevent our proceeding can- tiously. Known and understood, but imper. į fectly at first, tie various theories in so far as they were correct were valuable guides; and it does not follow that because those theories fail to explain many things now within the sphere of observation they are, or have been, useless. They may contain a particle of truth, or they may contain nearly; the whole truth, but because they do not contain the whole it is not for us to discard them, and pitch them ignominiously out of court. Professor RUCKER wound up his remarkable address in the following words, which may well afford a starting point for the new philosophy :—“It may be granted "that we have not yet framed a consistent 'image either of the nature of the atoms or "of the ether in which they exist; but I have tried to show that, in spite of the tentative nature of some of our theories, in spite of many outstanding difficulties, "the atomic theory unifies so many facts, "simplifies so much that is complicated, that we have the right to insist-at all "events till an equally intelligible rival
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SHANGHAI, 10th November, 7.56 p.m. Prince Chun with an escort of Royal Horse Artillery and a guard of honour of Paluchis attended a brilliant birthday re- ception at the British Consulate on Saturday, King Edward. His Highness proceeded to Tientsin to-day per s.8. Anping, The Prince seat a personal telegram to
The appointments of Wong Weng-sho to the Peace Commission and of Yuan Shi-kai to the post of Viceroy of Chibli are in the nature of acting appointments only, their present rank being inadequate.
TARIFF REVISION.
5
per
cent.
In Mechanics, however, Colonel CROMPTON,
As most of our readers are probably aware, the President of the section, succeeded in breaking new ground in a well worked out
a provisional teriff for textile goods was recent. sketch of the progress of the world generallyly drawn up by Mr. Dudgeon, the Chairman in the mechanical arts, and of the part of the Shanghai Branch of the China Associa
That tion, in collaboration with the leading British taken by Great Britain in the race. much unnecessary time has been squandered merchants of Shanghai. The iden was to in- dues the Chinese Government to accept this is only too apparent, but the game is by no means lost, and gradually and in nearly all provisional tariff pending the adoption of the directions, new blood and energy have been final scheme which the Commission, headed by
out, the idea being that the proposed thrown into it. Following the lead of the Sir James Mackay, will in course of time bring President, the individual papers real in the ad valorem duty would open the door to frand and Section were of more than usual interest, seriously handicap honest traders during its and a general tendency to grasp the finer operation. Mr. Dudgeon's scheme was instituted details on which, amid the keen competition to obviate this. The local Branch of the China of the world at large, more depends day by Association yesterday wired to the Shan hai Brauch enquiring if this provisional tariff had day, is clearly exhibited. England cannot
come intooperation. We learn that the reply was expect in the general resurrection of the in the negative, and we are therefore driven to natious to have the field, practically unques- assume that in the meantime the 5 per cent. ail tioned, to herself, but she can still contrive calorem duty as interpreted by the I.M. Cas- to be the leader; and this position she toms will obtain, a fact which will be generally seems well able and willing to occupy. In regretted by those merchants whose interests the department of Geology a marked depar- would best be served by the more satisfactory ture from precedent was exhibited in the arrangement of the difficulty beset ing the
Dudgeon. opening address of the President, Mr. question of triff revision suggested by Mr. HORNE. As a rule the President traditionally gives an account of the general position of the science represented in the Section com- pared with its previous condition. No such intention marked Mr. HORNE's Summation.
Brigadier-General J. Smith is expected t succeed General Hughes in the command of th. U.S. troops on the island of Samar. The U.S Navy is doing some brisk work there.
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