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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
MANILA.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
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Manila, 17th December.
OFFICERS. ENDYMION'S
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the year was fairly satisfactory, although the general mourning consequent upon the lamented death of our late gracious Queen considerably . The interfered with the gaiety of the season.
carried forward has substantial balance
for since been availed of
the purpose BANQUET TO THE of repairing and redecorating the whole When H.M.S. Endymion leaves Manila Bay, of the interior of the building, and of introduc- it is hoped for the sake of all on board that the ing electric light into the halls, staircases, and ship will take a cruise of several days before smaller rooms, so that the whole of the Ball entering another port. Ever since the anchor Room Suite is now lit with one uniform il- came to rest off the Pasig breakwater there has luminant. Electric plant for lighting the been a continuous round of entertainment, stage has been ordered and will shortly be fixed Dinners, receptions and bill have filled one day and, it is expected, will greatly add to the com. after another. The members of the Commission, fort of both performers and audience. At the the English residents and the cinha have liter- height of the plague season in June last a case ally plotted out the hours, until the officers unfortunately occurred in the basement of the
came almost to the point of establishing social aud dividing City Hall, and the whole building was closed instead of ship's watches " for a month, during which period it was thor- themselves to stand duty on shore. Captain oughly fumigated and cleansed. Since then a Paget is well known to many of the American large portion of the basement has been con- Army and Navy officers, and his duty in Cuba creted and all living rooms lime-washed. The and China has won him many friendships. Lt. increase of the population of the Colony Colonel Welchman, I.S.C., who came on the showed itself in the crowded houses_drawn Endymion as the guest of Captain Paget, has by the Lilliputians, the Dallas, and Brough spent most of bis time on shore and has been a companies, when the accommodation of familiar figure at the Army and Navy Club. the Theatre was taxed to the utmost Colonel McKibben, commanding the Port of extent. The Committee has sustained a great Manila, and Lt. Colonel Anderson of the 6th loss in the retirement of the Hon. H. E. Pollock, Cavalry invited him to inspect the barracks, K.C., who took a great interest in the Library stables and parade grounds, which courtesy he and was the originator of the scheme for open-accepted, and later expressed himself as being ing it in the evenings, and who founded the much impressed with the high standard of the Free Lending Collection which is housed in the
negro troops stationed in Manila. Library and also is the only collection of books in Hongkong available free to every person, the only condition being the obtaining of a guarantee from a resident householder. That these arrangements are appreciated is shown by the fact that over 25.000 persons made use of the Library during the 12 months under review, and the current year promises a large increase on those numbers. Regular contributions of newspapers and periodicals to the Library, and gifts of standard books to the Lending Collec. tion are urgently needed and will be gratefully received by the Secretary. Mr. Pollock gen- erously contributed a donation of $300 in aid of the Library on his departure, and I may say that similar donations will always be very welcome. The Museum suffers from lack of space and absence of scientific supervision, but the fact that it attracts over 110,000 visitors a year shows the need for such an institution. Gifts of specimens of all sorts are solicited by the Committee. A great improvement in the lighting of the Museum has been effected by the glazing of the doors on the South side, which were formerly of solid wood I desire to express on behalf of the members of the Committee their appreciation of the active interest taken in this Institution by Mr. Bow- our Secretary and Librarian, ley, whose exertions have contributed much to the present satisfactory position. Committee do not for the present aim at making a profit out of the City Hall, the share- holders of which have never received a divi- dend; their object is to administer the trust reposed in them in the interests of the Colony at large, and for the benefit of the community generally, and they hope that the report and accounts, now laid before the meeting will be accepted in that spirit. (Applause.) "I beg to move the adoption of the report and accounts.
Mr. B. LAYTON, the Hon. Treasurer, seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
This was all the public business,
The
The Chinchoufu (Shantung) correspondent "The new of the N.-C. Daily News says:-" railway is looming up. Already the survey flags are visible for a considerable distance north and east of us, and the railway begins to bulk largely in our imagination. A friend lately made the journey from Tsingtao to Weihsien easily in a day and a balf, which formerly took three hard days to do by road. The railway is now open for traffic to Changlin, 33 miles from Weihsien, and the line would soon be open to Weihsien itself if bridges could be built more quickly." A Berlin telegram of the 16th inst. says:H. M. the Emperor has expressed to the Schantung Eisenbahn Gesellschaft (Shan- tung Railway Company) his congratulations on the occasion of the opening of the line from Tsingtao to Changlin.”
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[December 30, 1901.
taken with them justice, fair play and the best interests of the governed. (Applause). So that England has been able to make the govern- ments of strange peoples wise and popular government. The younger branch (America) has undoubtedly a similar feeling of expansion.. I believe Americans bring with them the same ideas which have animated Old England in annexing territory. (Applause.) Captain Paget has been adopted, yes, formally adopted by Americans; he belongs to the young England type, to the large English type and not ) to the little English. The time for differences between England and America has passed away. Let me repeat, 'Blood is thicker than water.' We have received from England the laws and custom and self-control that has made America of to-day; we have given back to England the evidences of thrift and enterprise and invention and Al girls-hence we are square.' __(Loud applanse, with appreciative bursts from the gun room contingent).
Com.nander Boothby, R.N.. responded to the toast.... The Royal Navy" and gave a first class speech. He was followed by Admiral Rodgers U.S N. and Lieut. Colonel Welchman, 1.8.C. The later spoke in a most interesting manner on his impressions of Manila and the American Colonel troops stationed in the vicinity. Arthur L. Wagner, U.S.A., spoke eloquently on the history and achievements of the American Army, and Colonel C. A. Woodruff, U.S.A., moved everyone to the wildest enthusiasm in his exceedingly clever and witty response to This fittingly “Sweethearts and Wives." closed the evening, though many of the British officers remained on shore for the night and joined a merry throng which happily passed away the hours in the flow of soul,,song, wit and other things, until the earthquake shook them up rudely at seven the next morning. more cordial relations in Altogether the affair was a complete success and never were evidence. Everyone was in the happiest frame of mind and friendliest spirits.
Aside from the officers the following civilians were present-Commissioner Ide, W. Adams Oram of the H.K.S.B. Co., T. E. Sansom of the Chartered Bank, P. G. McDonnell, New York Sun correspondent, Captain E. G. Bellairs, Associated Press correspondent, Messrs. Steele and E. H. White.
OUT OF DOORS IN BORNEO, [FROM A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]
Last Saturday the members of the Army and Navy Club tendered a banquet to Captain Paget and the officers of the Endymion. Covers were laid for ninety-two and every seat was filled. In fact, after the speeches began, a number of officers crowded the doorways and joined in The midshipmen turned out the applause.
The in force and had a high time of it. table was arranged as an oval, thus accommo. dating three heads, presided over by General Chaffee and Captain Paget, Governor Wright and Commander William Q. Boothby, and Admiral Rodgers with Colonel Welchman. General Chaffee was toastmaster and formally bottoms up" (drain- opened the evening with ing the glasses) to the President and to King Edward VIl. He then introduced Captain Paget, who was constantly interrupted by pro- longed applause. He struck a responsive chord and carried the whole assembly with him. Briefly he referred to his old friend Chaffee, the diplomat, who, with a few simple words swept away the sophistry of Ministers. He spoke of the growing cordiality between the two branches of our race and quite took the place by storm by Laying, "If some critics and writers in the American papers seek to stir up or anticipate trouble, I am sure it is due to a certaiù insular feeling that still exists in those far wilds" (the United States). "Colom bia is the daughter of Britannia and if some- times we are suprised at the immense go and energy of the American nation, why after all- we bred her. America is coming home to England more and more every day. We have the American girl with us and I assure yon she is a strong element in our recognition of the States' facility and go in getting on top. We feel an immense warmth and hospitality wherever we see the Stars and Stripes." The genial captain may have intended to say some- thing more, but at this point he was silenced by the wildest applause and then someone started singing, "For he's a jolly good fellow," in
A letter from an American officer recently which everyone joined, and when the song was over the captain was in his chair and did not visiting the east side of the is. and is now shown to some of the friends he made who may be attempt to rise again. Then the band played a
Hot time in the old town," and all hands sang trusted with a secret, in which he confesses that he came to Borneo to shoot an elephant again.
Governor Wright was the next speaker with and succeeded. Knowing that his service in He said the Philippines was about over, he obtained a the text-The Philippine Islands.'
At Sandakan he made the that had he been asked to talk on this subject month's leave. thirty days after his arrival in the islands he acquaintance of the manager of a tobacco estate up the Kinabatangan River, whose guest he would have had much to say, but after a residence of eighteen months he was at a loss became. He led a free life on the estate and to answer, He felt that possibly one of the reported no special adventure while he remained. principal reasons for the Americans being His letter came from Manila, as he was about in the islands is because they have English to sail for the United States. It says that, lood in their veins and hence inherit the although he often heard elephants trumpeting taking over " large territories. and always went after them, he had no luck habit of
The Englishman has always taken over large until the day before that set for his departure. the good of the taking That day he found fresh tracks., Following territories-for
First comes the missionary, then them for several miles from the plantation, over. the merchant, the soldiers, the statemen. he came upon about a dozen elephants, among Wherever Englishmen have gone they have them a fine bull. The animals did not hear
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Labuan, Borneo. North Borneo does not seek fame as a hunting resort. Other lands which possibly offer no more are quite welcome to that distinction.. Government just now is interested in drawing settlers, not in scaring them off. It has set forth such stringent game laws that prudent residents, lest they risk fine or imprisonment, or both, usually avoid the subject. When some of the dreams of the country come true, and prosperity creates a leisure class, there ou ht to be a well-developed preserve for the pleasure of dukes and others who like to hang their halls with tusks, sins, and horned skulls. There is deer in plenty, the rhin ceros has here a habitat, every district is traversed by herds of elephants, and all manner of tropical birds At present it is permis- and animals abound. sible to speak in public only of shooting crocodiles, boa constrictors, and stray dogs.
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