the Tation River. This, in brief, is the history of railroads in Siam and Her present railroad programme. Thus far, it has been her endeavour to keep her railroads in her own hands. During the 10 years of her railroad history, the Government has spent $16,000,000 Merican (about $6,000,000 gold) in this endeavour. Under the present management, which has always insisted on buying supplies in a closed market, railroads have proved poor financing for the little kingdom, "if one is to judge by her Government reports. The opinion is gaining ground that the present method is a decided mistake, and a change is being looked for. The only private railroad in operation in the country is now pay ing 7 per cent, and at times it has paid a much higher rate. With the open tender, which would grant to the department the same right that is exercised by the private corporation to buy in the world's market wherever terms can be found most favourable for Siam-there is every reason to believe that a long step would be taken toward making the larger Government plants pay as well as the smaller private venture.
CANTON,
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 12th July.
H.E. TAO MU'S RESIGNATION. News has reached official circles in Canton that His Excellency Tao Mu has been permitted by the Imperial Government to resign on ac- count of ill health, that the Provincial Governor Tak Sow is appointed Acting Viceroy of Kwangtung and Kwangsi, and that the governor of Shansi province, Shan Chon Aün, will be transfered to Canton to take the place of Tak Bow. Later news to hand says that Tao Mu has given orders to have a certain official residence near the government wharf cleaned out for him to live in temporarily until the Imperial order arrives, when he will hand over the seals of office to his successor.
BLACK FLAGS GIVE TROUBLE.
Liu Yung-fu, the Black Flag general,. had the greater part of his military power taken from him last month, being left with only one hundred soldiers. These soldiers who have been placed under the command of the acting Prefect Kung, the prefect of Wai Chow, and other officials, have been very unruly, constantly trying to desert the army and go home. Upon the report of one of the captains, the Prefect Kung has issued an order cantioning the soldiers not to desert, and that if any one of them wants leave of absence to go home he must give in his name, the name of the street, district, and province, so that investigations may be made. But these Black Flags are not to be baffled in their attempts; they threatened to walk away with their arms, and, if they be detained any longer, to raise trouble; so oue month's pay has been given to each of them for expenses upon their delivering up their arms to the ammunition department.
BRIGANDAGE.
In the district of Tung Qn. Siu Hing prefec- ture, bands of local banditti are collecting together with a large number of bad charac ters-a thousand or more-robbing and attack- ing villages, and contemplating, it is said, a rising. A rebel chief in Ka Hing Chow, a Hakka district, issues notifications, and posts them up in the streets, styling himself the Great General of the Thirteen Provinces." Wong Sung, the late Magistrate of the Sun Lak district is ordered by the Viceroy to take three battalions (1500) of soldiers to go into Siu Hing to capture them.
PORK BUTCHERS TAXED. A tax has been imposed on pork butchers The butchers of the Pork Guild were summoned before the Nam Hoi and Pun Yu Magistrate, and ordered to guarantee the payment of a tax of $60,000, a year to the government.
The N.-C. Daily News Tokyo correspondent says that Lord Cranborne's statement in the House of Commons about the alliance with Japan - caused “great astonishment in that country, but the newspapers withheld comment, The Times protest against the remark was much appreciated.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
NOTHERN NOTES.
The following items are from the P. &. T. Times of the 5th July
Ma-ton, the mainland station of Weibaiwei, is, after the Coronation, to be known as Port Edward.
In the railway-siding case we understand that Mr. E. Cousins represents the bondholders and that Mr. E. P. Allen has been retained as their Counsel.
Tribute rice is now going on to Peking by train in large quantities. We hear that the cars are taking 500 tons a day at present and the prospect of the immediate future is that this will be increased to 1,000 tons daily.
We understand that the French troops that left on Sunday last are not to be replaced, and that the departure represents the permanent reduction of the French garrison. From the numbers of the Indian reliefs it wonld look as if reduction of the British forces in North China, was not iu. immediate contemplation. The immediate explanation is doubtless the length of railway line that has to be protected. The 21st P.I. which arrived last week in the Pentakota at once came up, and moved into the quarters vacated by the 4th P.I. The Regiment has 721 rank and file, 16 native officers and 10 British officers. Not a few of the senior officers are absent on furlough, special duty, etc., and this may have weakened the regimental reputation for good cricket. They have brought their band. The officers mess is at the Taatai's house west of Victoria Park in the Taka Road. The officers are Lieut. Col. W. C. Faithfull; Major P. M. Carpendale; Captains D. C. Andrew, C. Kaye; Lieutenants R. Ridgeway, H. J. Doveton, J. R. Cook, P. H. McCleverty, C. G. V, M. Wardell, and J. K. S. Fleming, I.M.S.
The 4th P.I. had a great send off last Satur- day. Hosts of civilian friends and nearly all the officers of the British Garrison and many of those of the foreign contingents were present. There was unhappily a lot of delay due to the slow manoeuvring of the lighters and the extreme lethargy of the German bridge crew. The departure advertised for 9 did not come off till 10.30. There were two bands present, and great cheers and counter cheers. Col. Radford and his officers have identified themselves completely with the social interests of the place and are greatly regretted. Stress of weather prevented the men getting out to the Pentahota on Sunday morning; they had to return, but succeeded at the next tide.
On Monday last we had telegraphic news, from Peking that the Ministers had held a meeting on the previous Saturday at which the chief business discussed was the rendition of Tientsin city. They were concerned with Chinese objections to the last proposals, and it was understood that inter alia the permanent approval of all the T. P. G.'s concessions to trading companies was objected to most strongly. Our information was to the effect that the Chinese objection found a good deal of support among the Ministers on grounds which we need not even adumbrate.
The cash question is still urgent in Tientsin, and not within living memory has there been so odd a position of affairs. One large cash is by immemorial tradition equal to two ching chien or small cash, but as a matter of fact if one changes a dollar for good sound large cash of respectable origin one gets about 825, while if one takes the rubbishy iron stuff now offered as small cash he gets as many as 1800 instead of 1650 (twice 825). The con- fusion and indeed actual hardship on the poorer classes are very great, for it is always out of them that the money-changers wring the profits brought about by dobased coinage.
The T. P. G. would be undertaking fine altruistic work if it could tackle this question and leave it solved as a legacy of benevolent government. We understand that the Municipal Councils while adhering to their existing schedule of ricksha fares propose to quit them selves of all connection with the debased cash and the discredit attaching to it, by hereafter issuing their ricksha-ticket booklets on a five-
cent silver basis.
Eight Chinese houses in Angus Street, close to Elgin Bridge, Singapore, were destroyed by fire on the night of the 10th inst.
SWATOW.
(July 19, 1902.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
با
Swatow, 12th July,
19 KIANGSI STRANDED. The 8.s. Kiangsi, which left Hongkong on the 8th instant for Kobe with a general cargo, stranded on the north of Namoa Island on the night of the 9th instant. All foreigners and Chinese, were saved by a native on board, fishing junk and brought into Swatow. The wrecked steamer belongs to Chinese, but at the time of the disaster was sailing under the American flag.
TH LEKIN QUESTION.
After many abortive schemes and prolonged negotiations between the Chinese officials and merchants regarding the intended levy of lekin, the parties concerned could not arrive at any satisfactory arrangement or settlement. The lekin question was then left in abeyance for a short interval, but the Chinese mercantile community, were ultimately informed that it was the provincial Government's stern intention to commence collecting the duty from the 1st day of the 6th Chinese moon, ie, the 5th July. The merchants, after repeated meetings of their repective guilds, finding resistance to the new tax useless, have, ostensibly under pro- test, finally yielded to an imposition of lekin. Pending the consummation of the lekin tariff, B preliminary tax of 3 mace per 100 taels on exports will be raised. Imports are divided into various categories; piece goods will pay 5 cts. per package, sun- dries 1 per cent. ad valorem or in some cases 10 cts. per package: The levy on the most important articles, viz., opium, yarn, and cotton, has not been fixed yet.
AN ENERGETIC TAOTAN
Our locul here but a short while has made himself Taotai Tiog who has been
well liked by both foreigners and Chinese. He is taking strenuous means to keep the place free from evil-doers and law-breakers. It is said that he accompanied the night patrol on their peregrinations the other night and person- duals hovering around the numerous gambling ally apprehended several suspicious indivi- dens. Taking a step in the right direction be has stationed soldiers, housed in matsheds, in the vicinity of the offices of Messrs, Butterfield and Swire, Bradley & Co., and Jardine,
Matheson & Co, · `
SZECHUEN
Chengta, 14th June.
CONTINUED DROUGHT
is seriously affecting the price of rice, and poor people are already suffering much. Those districts which come within the scope of the irrigation works of this plain are all right, but a large part of the farming land still depends for water upon the rains, and these this year are remarkably late.
EL
"
RECRUDE:CENCE OF BOXERISM. Favoured by conditions caused by the drought, " Boxerism" is making extraordinary headway in Szechuen. So far as we know, the first Boxers began their propaganda in a small way about the beginning of this Chinese year. Last month two battles took place between the Viceroy's troops and the Boxers, the first at Tszyangbsien, less than three hundred li away, the second near. Anyolisien, not mach farther away, in a slighly different direction. Result in each case, victory for the Govern- ment troops, and disaster to the Boxers. A dozen were killed outright, others wound- ed, and later twelve heads were exposed at two of the city gates of Tazyang, cause was supposed to have been dealt a severe but blow by these two actions, and so it was; the outcome seems to have been a scattering of the seed, to 'spring up with mushroom rapidity
The Boxer
in scores of market towns and villages round about. News comes steadily in of Boxer drills going on in the temples in all the villages, though not in the cities. They drill at night. Some unintelligible gibberish is mattered by the leader, at the same time that he goes
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