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The
on. But when it comes to the matter of send- ing visitors-by no means the least important contribution to the success of such an under- taking-Hongkong should do its share. trip to Haiphong by the arty steamers occupies about three days, and a few hours in a river steamer belonging to the same firm brings the visitor to Hanoi. Once there, during the vogue of the Exhibition, it is almost certain that he will enjoy himself horoughly.
Intending exhibitors must send in their ap- plications for space to M. R. Reau, Acting Consul for France, Hongkong, not later than 1st March.
SWATOW.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Swatow, 26th January.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
NORTHERN NOTES.
The following items are from the P. & T. Times of the 18th nlt. :-
We hear from Peking that the Yokohama Specie Bank is about to start a branch in the capital.
The number of native troops in the city on the day of the Court's return was about 9,000. All the Yamens next day showed practically clean sheets in the way of street offences.
..
The holes in the wall of the Imperial City which did so much to facilitate communication have all been filled up. and foreign residents! have now to make a twenty minutes' journey where fire used to suffice to get to the Legations.
The Pekingese are truly delighted with the return of the Court, and on grounds similar to that with which the West-end tradesmen of London like to have the Courts in town. It means that a good deal of money finds its way into circulation that is missing when the Court is absent.
THE "YANGTSZE TRIALS" BALL. The most enjoyable dance of the season is unanimously admitted to have been given by three very popular local residents, under the above name, ou Friday last. The ball was given
Princes Ching and Su have taken it upon in Kackchioh at Ewo's Piccadilly, the residence of the representative of the Princely House," themselves to tell the Empress that in their which was most sumptuously decorated and dong opinion Prines Tuan is chiefly responsible for the recent mürler of the two missionaries and up for the occasion. Nearly all the residents
the native Christians in Kansa. An order were present at the function, and dancing wes! carried on until the ** wee
bours of the has been issued for Tnan's execution, but as he morning. Greet praise is dde to Mrs. Stewart-belling the cat will be no easy matter.
is surrounded by his own devoted henchin-n. Smith for the pretty decorations at the supper tables and for the splendid arrangements throughout. Supper was served at midnight and another one was to follow at 3 a m.
ITER-MISSIONARY CONVERTS 1IGHT. Sefions fighting is reportell from Tong Poa San, in the Chaoyang district, between Baptist and Roman Catholic conveits. The former had three killed and the latter two; besides this, one Baptist convert was captured by the other side. What has led to the strife is hot actually known, but it is rumoured that the ownership of certain paddy fields, which belonged to both parties, is the cause of all the dissatisfaction.
The Chaoyang Magistrate asked the Rev. Dr. Ashmore, of the Baptist Mission, who is held in great respect by the Chinese to settle amicably the existing dispute, but he declined to do so and told the Magistrate to deal with the case strictly and justly according to Chinese law,
NEW POSTAGE RATES.
There is a report in foreign circles, which wo quote at its face valne. that the Legation ladies are henceforth to be welcome at the Palace whenever they like to call. Even if it be true, it will have little practical issue for some time to has his wife in Peking just now. come, as there is only one foreign Minister who
The contrast in the treatment of foreigners, and natives during the ceremonies attendant on
the return of the Court was most marked.. The
latter were kept bark by the usual argumentum
ad baculum so well known to Chinese soldiers and runners, while the former were allowed.
ready access to all sorts of unlikely places. Those foreigners on the Chien Men who were near enough to see the facial expressions of the Royalties, were under the impression that the Empress Dowager had a distinctly anxious face when she stepped from her chair to do worship at the Shrines. but that it changed to a pleased expression when she saw the hats remored. Her triple salutation in return was most marked. The Dowager showel very little if ny artificial colouring matter on her face, aud looked a woman of about 50 or 56 The younger Court women. including the Empress, were painted in the usual larish way.
Viceroy Yuan, as a mark of approbation for his services in connection with the recent return of the Court, has had the Yellow Jacket con-
ferred
him.
upon The river is still unfrozen in the greater If this continues it part opposite the Band. means that we shall again have to take our ice supply frm the creek aud ponds.
Some time ago the Hongkong General Post Office issued a notification, which was circulated here by the local British post-office that the rate of postage on letters of half an ounce, to and from Treaty ports to Hongkong, will be 10 cents. instead of, as heretofore, 5 cents. In the absence of particulars, the new departure op- peared to everyone enigmatical. In another notification from the Hongkong Post Office, circulated by its agency ere, the public is informed that the wording of the first circular was wrong in so far that the rates of postage to and from Treaty ports to Hongkong remain unaltered, if transmitted through the British post-offices at the various Treaty ports. lf, however, letters are seat through foreign, e. g. neither British дот Chinese, post-offices to Hongkong, the rate will be 10 cents for oz., ie. Union rate; if letters are sent through the Chinese Imperial post-offices to Ilongkong, the rate will be 5 cts. for every oz., the same rats as obtains in the British postal agencies, and thereby abolishes the former Chinese postal charge of two cents for oz), and 4 cents for dz., &c., to Hongkong. As the Imperial Chinese post-offices still forward letters of oz. weight with a 2 cents stamp to Hongkong, the addressee is charged the double deficiency by the Hong-river-hole with a current running under the ice. kong post-office. From information elicited at the proper quarter I learn that the Hongkong post il administration was prompted in this new step to prevent the Chinese post office unfairly" competing with them. This may appear right, but one doubts if it is reasonable for the Hong- kong post-office to force the Chinese post-office to change certain rates, in default of which the
addressee is taxed.
The London Gazette announces his Royal Highness George F. E. A. Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and York, K. G, &c., Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) and Royal Marines, to Le Colonel-in-Chief, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers,
A most painful incident occurred at Tangku on Tuesday evening. Three of the Roval Welsh went out on a pai'tse which unhappily went through the ice. Our version of the affair says that two of the men scrambled out without much difficulty, but that the third, a man named Sheppard, got underneath the ice and was not afterwards seen. We hear that the paid ise çoolia showed the greatest courage in diving for the drowing man. Under such circumstances conduct like this is the act of a here, as it is all but certain death to go into a
We understand that the miniature railway train that has traversed the Concessions recently on sectional lengths of rails, is part of a forth- coming scheme of the B.M.C. to cope with the sanitation question. A goodly length of old aid and that of the two cars to transpose the "line" has been acquired, and it is hoped by its solid refuse of the two British Concessions to a remote dumping ground.
Some of our gallant defenders' bodies, tem- porarily buried in Hai Chang Wu's graveyard, now the Municipal Market, were on Tuesday exhumed and transferred to the Cemetery. Many of our readers will remember that the brave fellows had to be buried there for the simple reason that the shell-fire was so terrible and persistent at the Cemetery that burial was
|
[February 1, 1902. impossible, Mr W. Parker and his indefati- gable Sikhs and faithful Chinese incurred many langers, and as it was, actually lost one man by a shell while interring the dead. These fellows deserve a medal more richly than nineteen- twentieths of the men who will get it.
CORRESPONDENCE.
We do not hold ourselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by our correspondents.]
A BUILDING CASE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS,'
Hongkong, 26th January, SIR-Re the case about 27A and 29a. Wing Lok Street, at the Magistracy, I note in Mr. Crisp's evidence that "the plans submitted by Messrs. Rose and Moosdeen were so incorrectly drawn that his Worship world not be able to make anything of them." Mr. Crisp would no doubt greatly improve their knowledge by pointing out to them how they should have been drawn. From what I have seen of the plans, I would not for a moment hesitate in saying that any man with a little knowledge of architecture could at a glance see what was really required to be done."
He further stated. the walls are built of soft blue bricks, and their condition did not warrant any alterations." If the alterations had been carried out according to the plans sub- mitted, the weight on the walls would have been made lighter by about 15 tous
As to the heavy weight on the roof, I am told they were not instructed.
Thanking you for the insertion,-Yours, etc.,
LOUIS A. ROSE.
HANDICAPPING IN HONGKONG.
THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS."
Hongkong, 27th January. SIR, I wrote to you last October with re- ference to the danger, as I considered it, of being influenced by other racing club ruls when fixing the scale of weight for inches to be carried by our present lot of subscription waler griffins, my view being that, considering the heavy weights the Hongkong ponies have to carry, it would have been good policy to try again the experi- ment of attempting to bring them together by adopting a scale of 1 lb. per inch. instead of Everyone knows that the 2 lb. decided upon. weight tells in proportion to the distance it has to be carried, and that as the wei ht is increased the capacity for carrying more decrea es. till we reach the proverbial last straw. emboldened by thir reasoning to hy before your readers a rather interesting comparison between Hongkong and Indian racing which has just attracted my attention.
I am
I find that it is possible to reduce 10 races on the first 3 days of the Calcutta Meeting. in December last, to about the same average distance on the first 10 Hongkong Waier Sub- scription Races at the coming Meeting, viz., 74 furlongs, and I see that the average weight carried by winners in Calcutta was under 8st. lb. as compared with a minimum weight for inches in Hongkong of 10s. 21b.
This letter does not claim more than an academic interest, but I hope that the local tipsters will take it into consideration, and, when they give their opinions based on sprints against the clock, that they will tell the public whether they think Mr. Mystery's 1hd. 3in. can give Mr. Whiteybrown's 14hd, Din. 24lb. in a mile, and things of that sort. Yours, etc.,
ONLOOKER.
POSTAGE RATES IN CHINA.
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to
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.
Hongkong, 29th January, 1902. SIR,-I have read the remarks under New Postage Rates in your Swatow correspon- dent's letter published in your issue of this morning with much interest. It is strange the Hongkong P.O. should go out of its way inform the public that the rate for letters mailed in Chinese ports for Hongkong through foreign Postal agencies is 10 cents per oz., the same as the Union rate. Constituents of such foreign P.O.'s in China get the necessary information as to postage rates from the P.O. they
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