386
Ching and Yuan Shikal, the matter is now at a standstill. The substance of the proposed agreement, says the Asahi̇'s correspondent, is as follows
?
1. That the Chinese Government shall engage Russian officers to train the Mongolian troops.
2.That Russia shall be granted the privilege of constructing forts at places necessary for the defence of the frontier.
4-That Russia shall be given the privilege of establishing schools in Mongolia to teach the Russian language.
|
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRÈSS AND
CANTON.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.
Canton, 10th May.
THE SOUTHERN REBELLION.
With reference to the rebellion in Kwang- tung and Kwangsi, further news is to band, which may be of interest to your readers. The rebellion was first begun in Kwangsi this 8.—That in case a disturbance should break year by some disbanded braves, and it has out in Mongolia, the Russian authorities shall expanded, by the addition of large numbers of deal with it on behalf of the Chinese Govern-local banditti, to the number of from six to seven ment.
thonsand. Its headquarter is in Nanning in the province of Kwangsi and the surrounding districts. The r.bels have built their forts and camps and they have their regular generals Their chief wears a small straw hat trimmed with red ribbons hanging down to the shoulders -a military get-up that looks very like that of an actor-and he rides on a horse. The arma the rebels use are Mauser quick-firing rifles, They have had fights with the Imperialist soldiers in the districts of Shun Fa, Chum Chow, Low Chow, and Wa Lum in Kwangsi, and Yum Chow, Lim Chow, Ko Chow, and Chow in Kwangtung. The small Wai number of soldiers despatched by th Viceroy of Canton being defeated, General Chan Ping Chik sent another requisition to His Exc·Ï- lency for further reinforcements.
5. That litigation between Russians and Chinese in Mongolia shall be tried in the Russian Court at Blagovestchensk.
6.That the collection of taxes and the administration of the government in Mongolia shall be left in the hands of the Chinese officials as before, but no officials shall be appointed with out the consent of the Russian authorities.
7.-That only Russians shall be allowed to remain in Mongolia, the residence of other foreigners being strictly prohibited.
FRENCH DESIGNS IN SOUTH CHINA.
|FROM OUR MACAO CORRESPONDENT.]
Macao, 13th May. The latest sensational rumour circulated with more or less persistency in the best informed circles--both European and native-as to French designs in this part of China is to the effect that emissaries of the French Government have acquired from a Chinese owner an extensive tract of land in the promontory of Ca Tai, opposite the Nine Islands. Ca Tai is situate about thirty minutes' ride from Maca, and by those acquainted with its position is considered of immense strategic advantage to any Power aiming at the expansion of its influence in South China.
One of the rebel generals was the other day killed, and the story related to me is as follows: -Tam Yuk, a native of Ng Chun in the dis- tricts of Namhoi, when he was fourteen years of age, was adopted by the late rebel chief Aw Sun as a son. He was very active and intelligent, and in any plunder party he always headed the gang. A large reward was promised by the mandarin for his capture. A few days ago at a fight in the village of Satow he and his comrades were surrounded by soldiers; and as he was more active than the rest he escaped and ran into a silk filature shop. This the soldiers surrounded, and he again escaped to a distance of about three or four miles, when he was shot in the back and legs and died. His head was cut off and taken to the Namhoi Magistrate.
AN ENLIGHTENED OFFICIAL.
It is given out that the site, for which $120,000 (it is stated) has been paid, is bought for the
Ever since Kung Sum Cham was appointed purpose of erecting a naval hospital. How far acting prefeet in Canton he has introduced this is true it has not been possible to ascertain. many reforms in his yamen. He has dismissed There is, nevertheless, & curious statement, and several chief porters or Mun Sheongs from his so far unaccountable, in the Directory for 1902 office who were shown to have become rich by published by Didot-Botin in Paris, which gives squeezes, and employed Wei Yins in their the establishment of a naval hospital at Macao stead. As he was an interpreter in Viceroy's under M. Mennier as the chief medical officer. yameu, he had frequently come into contact It is true that in the '60's there was such an with foreign consuls and acquired a great institution here; but it seems impossible to experience in the transaction of affairs with reconcile the error of inclusion when the foreigners. Lately be has ordered a new re- Directory gives the name of its Conception room to be built in the Western part sular agent correctly as Mr. A. J. Basto, our esteemed citizen in Macap. Ca Tai by reason of its exceptional geographical position possesses deep anchorage and commands the entrance to Macao and Canton, and is calculated to be immensely suitable to the ends of a fleet having for its object the immediate and rapid descent on Hongkong. The transfer of the property must, in the ordinary course of things, come before the Chinese Government, and it is con- fidently expected that difficulty will be placed in the way for the consummation of the French Government's end. The conflicting interests that will arise between the interested Powers as to the maritime rights of the extensive bay which Ca Tai encloses on its one end will be difficult of a satisfactory solution and may give rise to international complications.
of his garden in the yamen for the purpose of receiving guests, and this will be completed in two or three weeks. He is of the age of thirty-four, very intelligent and friendly to foreigners, and he has been in Europe on official missions. His colleagues envy him, because he holds seven or eight positions.
A TAX ON SAMSHU,
The Canton high officials intend to impose a tax on samsbu, charging on each jar two taels or $2.78 a month. The same proposition has been sent to all the officials in the different districts of Kwangtang to report thereon, and some merchants have offered to take monopolies in different districts. Probably this scheme will be adopted.
A DIFFICULT ESSAY.
The Namhoi and Punya Magistrates have issued official notifications that on the 10th inst. Mr. Wilkinson, British Claims Commis-literary examinations of the students in the sioner, has gone to Peking, after settling one or two final items of claims at Tientsin. He will report to the British Minister on the whole of the claims. It appears probable that, as was surmised during the bearing of the claims last autumn, the money will be paid over to the claimants at the beginning of June.
The Manila papers record the death at that port of John S. Cortes, second engineer of the steamer Sungkiang. A post-mortem examina- tion was to be held to determine the cause of his death. The Sunghiang was the first ship to come in from Hongkong without a five day quarantine detention at Mariveles, the quarantine against Hongkong having been raised about ten days ago.
different districts are to be held. One of the themes set for the students to write upon is "The Government of the different foreign countries." What they can make of it, I really don't know.
A IADY TOURIST.
It is said that a certain Chinese lady, by name Cheong Chuk Kwan, is going on a tour round the world starting this or next week. As a rule a Chinese lady is considered virtuons if she keep within doors; but this lady is different from the rest of her sex. She is rich, and well educated in English. Having progres- sive ideas she is going to see what Europe and like. This is the first and America are only instance in which a Chinese lady has over attempted such venture.
80
[May 19, 1902.
HOW TO AVOID LEKIN.
At Chinchao prefecture, Folkien, there are no lekin taxes. Three or four years ago when the late Imperial extortioner K’ang I came to Canton to raise money for the government, the native merchants of Chiuchao agreed to pay to the government fifty thousand taels every year, as to be free from the payment of fekin. This year the Viceroy sent General Wong Kum Fook, and sub-prefect Chong 1 to Fobkien, to consult the gentry and merchants there about the lekin taxes. The latter in addition to the fifty thousand taels which they have paid yearly are willing to add a further sum of one hundred thousand taels annually so as to be exempted from the payment of lekin. This has been granted.
AN EMBANKMENT SCHEME.
Three
In Canton there is a burean known as the "Chow Heung Kuk "instituted by order of the Viceroy, the object of which is to consider any arrangement likely to bring in money for the purpose of paying the foreign indemnity. A certain Taotai Hu is a president. Anybody who is ab e to suggest means to make money Some merchants have can approach him. formed a company named the Wa On with s capital of seven hundred thousand dollars, to be raised by sub cription, for the purpose of making embankments along the river front. hundred thousand dollars are to be paid to the government if these have proved failures. The reasons are--firstly that the people of Canton are becoming poorer day by day by the official squeezes and by the different taxes imposed upon them, so it is not easy to raise seven hundred thousand dollars: secondly, that the reclamation of the river fronts will certainly come under the control of Sing Sün Wai, the superintendent of the Hankow and Canton Railway Company; thirdly, the scheme of filling up the embankments if undertaken by merchants will certainly need government permission.
When the river fronts have
been reclaimed and sold, then the share. holders are to be repaid of their shares by the proceeds of sale; sixty per cent. of the interest is to be paid to the officials as graffility, and forty per cent. to be retained by the Company. This is the proposition, which, I am afraid, cannot hurried through; for in Canton 4. y amount of such schemes to there have bee raise money for the officials; but the greater part meet with opposition on the part of the shopkeepers, who live at present along the river front.
РАКНОЇ.
[FROM OUR CORDESPONDENT.]
Pakhoi, 9th May,
A CURIOUS CASE.
The German steamer Apenrade, with 20,000 tins of kerosene oil and a few hundred packages of general cargo from Hongkong, arrived on Sunday last. On opening the hatch the follow- ing (Monday) morning for unloading, a strange sight presented itself to those on board-a dead Chinaman, apparently a coolie or stevedore, was discovered amongst the
in the hold. How he came to be there, none on board could advance any explanation. From the state of decomposition, the unfortunate Chinaman ap- pear to have been dead for days previons. The
cargo
remains were soon removed ashore. As we have no sanitary authorities, the steamer was not placed in quarantine or otherwise in consequence, The Apenrade molested left for Haiphong on the morning of the 6th inst., after discharging the portion of cargo destined for this port. How differently would have been the case had the vessel arrived at Hongkong from Pakhoi with a dead body shut up in the hold for days, especially after
the declaration of the British Consul here that "bubonic plague is epidemic at Pakhoi and the neighbouring district," but, by the bye, it is not quite so virulent as to warrant an alarm being raised. Considering that plague is endemic in the port and its yearly recurrence is a certainty, a few cases of plagne should not cause any alarm during the hot months of the year. In former years, plague here has been ten times worse than at present.
PAKHOI HONGKONG TRADE. The restraint placed in Hongkong on vessels from this port will materially interfere with the
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.