Navy, which loses a most, gallant officer, and the circumstance of its occurring at sea, after his ship had been relieved on this, station, makes it additionally pathetic. It is surmised by his friends that the deceased may have succumbed to an attack of apoplexy.
ALLEGED BOXER PROPAGANDA IN HONAN.
The Boxers of Honan province, evidently depending upon the well-known sympathy of Hei L'ang (Manchu), Governor of that province, he having been a strong partisan of the noto-
rious Prince Tuan and intimate friend of the late sanguinary Yu Hsien, the bloodthirsty Governor of Shansi in 1900, Lave, according to a Kaifeng (capital of Honan) despatch, again begun to revive in that province their Boxer, or Great Sword" Society propaganda-for the Boxers are only an offshoot of the Great Swords of Northern Kiangsu province. This Boxer propaganda was begun in the sub-perfectual city of Kwangebou, Honau, in the early portion of March last, and gradually spread until the common people of the four hsiens belonging to that sub-prefecture, namely, Kuangshanhsien, Kushibhsien, Hsihsien, and Shangch'ênghsien, are, now almost all proselytes of the Boxer daily holding headmen who have been numerously attended séances, or meetings, for the past three months or so, initiat- ing their disciples and teaching them how to become "invulnerable" to the bullets and swords of the Western Barbarians. Now all the above has been an open secret in Kaifeng for nearly two months and Governor Hsi Liang was amongst the very first to know it, yet he did nothing to stop it, or show his disappoval of the propaganda. Evidently Hsi Liang
:
thought that Honan was too far away from the coast or Yangtsze for foreigners to hear of the Boxer movement in his province, but he was soon brought to think otherwise by receiv ing the following telegraphic despatch in the middle of April last from Viceroy Chang Chih- tung at Wuchang :-
:-"I have received a des- patch from the British Consul at Hankow, stating that he has beard that the people of the four districts of Kwangchou, and thence northward to Chouckchiak'ou are practising Boxer antics and that the people teaching them are mostly members of the Great Sword Society, or Tatao Hui. Further that, although the sub- prefect of Kwangehou knows of this state of affairs, he dare not interfere, while, on the other hand, the gentry and literati stand aside and look on, making as an excuve, that they will do nothing because of the prohibition in force forbidding literary examinations in their cities. Besides this the Consular despatch goes on to state, the rumour that people's eyes are being gouged out for medicinal purposes. is again being universally spread about in the south eastern portions of the same province." As, unless this be stopped, there may again rise up serious
the British Consul asks (Viceroy Chang Chiu-tung) to reg est that Your Excellency (Governor H-i Liau) issue strict orders to put a stop to this revolutionary movement as soon as possible.”—N. C. Daily News.
.d'sturbances
ine
The Japan Advertiser says:-The day of Yokohama as a favourite rendezvous for the American warships seems to be returning, and there is hope of making the Asiatic station once more a post of assignment eagerly sought aitor. For a time after the Battle of Manila Bay (here was much mourning in American naval circles over the probably permament tuoference of operations to that. quarter, whose climate and social conditions threatened to make dull music for those who had been accustomed to the gaieties of the treaty ports of Japau. Recent- ly, however, as we have been told by one high in authority, it has become p.obable that owing to the great increase in the American naval force in Asiatic waters, combined with the necessity for recruiting the health of officers and crews suffering from the enervating effects of the southern climes, 1 okohama and Kobe will sldom hereafter be without some representatives of the American Asiatic fleet. It is needless to say that always, as in the past, they will have the heartiest welcome here,
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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CANTON.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT..]
Canton, 17th May.
THE FAYUEN CULPRITS..
The case in which a certain Yü A Fuk charged with burning or o herwise destroying a German Mission House in the district of Fayuen was tried before the weżywin of the Kwong Fu prefecture. In spite of his total denial of the commission of the offence, evidence went to show that he was one of the culprits. As he was not alone concerned in the crime orders were given for the arrest of his comrades,
so as to try them together.
A DISAPPOINTED GENERAL.
General Ila Yuk Sow was appointed by Imperial order to take command of the gar- isons in Kwangsi, and was going to take up his post, but on arriving at Canton he heard that the order had been reversed, and So Yain Chou reinstated in his place. Ha Yuk Sow was very much disappointed, atd did not wish to proceed to Kwangsi. He is staying in Can- ton and the other day was invited by General Ho Choong Ching, who is in command of the Bogue Forts, to see the drill. They went by the gunboat Kwang Ching to the Yi chi, Wang Tong. Taikok, Shakok, and others forts to see the gun practice, shooting at targets, and the foreign arms, after which drilling with General Ha Yuk Sow stopped with General Ho Cheong Ching in B gue Fort for several days.
EXAMINATION REFORM.
It is customary that at the annual literary examination in the district of Nam Hoi there should be over four thousand students, but this year there was only one half this number on account of the Patku essay on the old system being done away with, and the rest of the students have gone learn English.
to schools to
A BENEFICENT GIFT FOR EDUCATION.
The Viceroy has given orders to the autho- rities in all the districts to open English schools, but as there were not sufficient funds to enable them to do so, a rich merchant of Swatow, by name Tai Yan In, who had amassed a great fortune in Singapore, has contributed $100,000 towards the expenses of establishing schools and engaging teachers. The Acting Prefect Kung Sum Chan has contributed 5,000 taels, and all the reserved fuuds of jos-houses, the Temple of Horror, and native schools are to be paid over to schools for teaching English.
A QU STION OF PIG.
As I wrote in my last letter, the officials of the Chau Heung Kuk would gladly take up any scheme that is likely to bring in money to pay the foreign indemnity. They propose to charge a lekin tax of ten cents on every pig that is killed in anton. The butchers are not satisfied with this arrangement, and if the officials were to carry this measure into effect they would s rike and deprive the people of their customary meat.
FROM ANOTHER CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 21st May.
DISEASE.
Cholera and plague are very rife in the towns and villages of the Delta. "Dr. Anderson of Fatshan, who has just recovered, like his col- league, from an attack of cholera, reports that Fatshan is simply saturated with plague and he has never before seen the disease so bad in that city and in the surrounding country. Both diseases are very prevalent in the city of Canton and it is hoped that the plentiful supply of water from the recent rains will help to purge the place of these epidemics.
THE REBELLION.
In spite of the columns of graphic details which appeared in some of the Hongkong papers of the alleged wide-spread rebellion in Kwangsi, the officials at C nion, foreign and native, know very little about it, and do not hesitate to give their opinion that it is greatly exaggerated. They are in a position to get more reliable information from the scene of the affected districts than we are in Hongkong, yet the accounts published here from time to time of cities besieged and fierce battles are revela- tions to them. English naval officers doing
(May 24, 1902.
patrol duty in the Delta, who are curaful to obtain as reliable information as possible from the interior of Kwangsi, consider that the rebellion has been grossly exaggerated. There is no doubt that certain self-dubbed reformers in Hongkong are chiefly responsible for this and hope that by so fanning the embers of this rising of pirates and discontented soldiery, and continually keep ng the thing before the public that a serious rebellion will eventuate.
DEVELOPMENT
Canton is showing signs of commercial devel- opment. On the Honam side of the river a considerable tract of land with a water frontage has been purchasad by Messrs. Butterfield & Swire, and scores of workmen are busily employed on it. This firm intends to erect large ice-godowns. On the opposite side and adjoining the handsome block of buildings owned by the German Mission, Messrs. Arnhold, Karberg & Co. have almost completed their offices and tank for the storage of kerosen".
The French are also preparing to erect a large hospital on a piece of land given by the hoppo, which will have accommodation for eighty beds.
THE WEST RIVES,
Signs of activity are being displayed with regard to the West River. It is thought that Sir James Mackay is pressing the matter on the Chinese Government, and it is generally be- lieved that in consequence the river will soon be
opened to foreign trade in earnest, the present exasperating restrictions being removed.
OBSTRUCTIONS.
The Chinese are in several places busily engaged in reclaiming sections of the Canton River, and in parts the work will form serions obstacles to steamers making the journey from Hongkong to Canton. The attention of the it and they have visited the scene with Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs has been called to officials, with the idea of stopping the erection of any obstacles that are likely to interfere with the safe navigation of this important waterway. Apparently the authority of the Customs was insufficient, as the r. clamation goes merrily on.
PEKING.
Peking, 5th May.
YUAY SHIKAI
returned to Paotingfa on 2nd May, after accompanying the Court to the Tung Ling. For some time post be has been busy recruiting additional men for his army, to make up for desertions 300 soldiers deserted during the trip to the Tombs), and to enable him to effectively police and control Tientsin native city, in view of its early rendition t the Chinese authorities.
RECRUITING.
Judging from the stories current as to the way the recruiting is done, the Viceroy has, apparently, been unfortunate in his choice of reoruiting officers Having selected their man, it being all the same to them whether he desires to enlist or not, they proceed to bleed him. If the victim desires to enlist, he has to pay the equivalent of a month's pay, to allay the recruiting officer's anxiety as to his physical fitness: but if, on the other hand, he has no wish for military service, he is told that he is just the man for the job, and in various ways is threatened into paying up in order to be left alone. It is reported that recruits, finding that in addition to drawing their pay they had to drill and get into condi- tion, have taken a great diel Fe to military service, and there have been numerous desertions
1 ISTURBANCE; IN CHIHLI.
For some weeks past rumours of disturbances in the south of Chihli have been current in the tea shops in Peking. It was reported that Yuan Shikai had received no less than six official despatches, from as many Hs'en-officials in the prefecture of Shunteħfu stating that from two to three hundred Boxers had crossed the border from Ehuntung and a tered the Hsien city of Kuangts'ung, seized the officials, attacked and defeated a band of Yuan's new recruits on the way to Paotingfu to join the army, and killed a Roman Catholic priest whom they met on the road, and were carrying his head, exposed on a pole, round the country side. They implored the Viceroy to send troops at once, as the rebels were growing in numbers and threatening to attack their cities. The rumours have been confrmed by * memori
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