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The island of Liu Kung is barren and nearly treeless. The hillsides on the mainland are either barren rock or planted with dwarf piue and scrub oak trees. The valleys are mostly undulating country full of gullies and mountaiù river beds; the stream are all torrential and choke up the valleys with sand and debris from the hills. During three-quarters of the year these river beds are dry. All the hills aro terraced for cultivation as far as possible. The strata of the mountains are metamorphic, consisting of beds of quartzite, gneiss, cristal-¡ line and limestone fcut acro s by dykes of volcanic rock and granite. Gold is found in the territory and has been worked by the Chinese, and silver, tin, lead and iron are said to exist.
The
The territory contains some 330 villages, and the population is estimated to be 123,750. There are four small market-twus where fairs are held every five days. There is no local industry, but a little rope-making, boat-building, line-making and stone-cutting is done. Chinese inhabitants are either fishermen or farmers. The chief crops grown are maize, millet, wheat, sweet pot toes, buck-wheat, turnips, beans, and peanuts. The food of the Chinese is cereals, fish, vegetables, or eggs Very little fruit is cultivated. The scrub oak is grown to some extent for the maintenance of the sikworms. The raw silk produced is sold to the Chinese silk filature; at Chefoo.
There is no export trade except in salt fish, which is carried in Chinese junks to Southern China. The import trade is not large, and is also carried on in Chinese junks. It consists of timber, firewoud, and maize from Manchuria and paper, crockery, sugar, and tobacco from Southern China. The average yearly import of maize is about 50,000 piculs, valued at $250,000. The value of the salt fish exported is about $50,000 per annum. Most foreign goods, are brought from Chefoo by junk to Weihaiwei, consisting of piece goods, yarns, oils, matches and sugar.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
made round the coast by the local Government for the convenience of foreigners and there arð recreation au parade grounds nok pt by the Admiralty and War Office in bath placas
The native city of Weihaiwei (which lies on the mainland opposite the island of Liu Kung) is a walled town of about 2.0 10 inhabitants By the provisions of the Weihaiwei Convention of 1898 this town stil remains under the jurisdiction of the Chinese authorities. The town is a poor one, and greater portion of the enclosed area is not built on, but cultivated for vegetables. Tho market or fair held three times a month is the largest in the Settlement. A Chines sub-district deputy magistrate and a military sergeant reside in the town of Weihai- wei. These two off ers are subor liuates of the Prefect of Tng Chou Fa.
The Settlement of Weih iwei is declared a free port. Ne custom duties of any kind are collected. By agreement, the Chinese Govern. me nt is permitted to make use of the bay of Weihaiwel for its fleet, so far as is com- patible with British interests.
[October 25, 1902.
HONGKONG.
A coolie was killed at Shek Shan, in the Yaumati district, on Wednesday afte noon, by the fall of an embankment at the foot of which he was excavading.
During the day ended at noon on Weduesr- day oe (fatal) case of plague was reported in the Colony. The victim, a Chinese, died at 25, Gough Street.
H.M. The King's signature of the exequatur empowering Cavaliere Z. Volpic lli to act as Consul-General of Italy at Hongkong is notified in the Gazette.
In the Wigwam lawa-tennis tournaments J. A. Woodgates (rec. 15) on the 18th iust. won th
A" Class Sugles, beating F. Yeats (owes 30) by 3 sets to 1 (9-7, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3).. Ou Saturday Sims (owes 3/6 of 15). beat Brown (scratch) in the B Class Singles.
The excellent band of the 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers played their farewell pro- gramme on the Parade Ground Wednesday even- It is not the punt intention of Hising. There was a large attendance. Bandmaster Majesty's Gorerament to refortify the station,
Moir and his men have done a gre it de 1 during but to retain it as a flying naval base, and as a the time they have been stationed here to relieve depôt, drill-ground and sanatorium for the the monotony of every-day life, and they are China squadron in North China.
well deserving of th thanks of the community. All
official communications with the Pro- vision al Government of Shantung are conducted by the Commissioner difect without reference to the Consular authorities of the Foreign Office in China. The revenue derived from the leased territory on the mainland is collected from the following soaress :-(1) Land tax; (2) | junk registrations and wharfage dues, wine and opium monopolies; aud (3) fines of Court and other miscellaneous sources. In 1910 the total revenue collected amounted to $4,077, ont of which the land tax accounted for $ ·,824,
JAPANESE EXPLORATION IN
CENTRAL ASIA.
Mr. Arthur Seymour, the representative of the Janet Waldorf omp.ny, arrived on the s.8. Autralian on the 21st., vid Manila, to make ar. rangements for a theatrical season in Hongkong commencing about the 17th November. The Company consists of twenty-six members and brings with it a strong repertoire containing some of the newest and most successful dramas and comedies of the day.
'The
On the 21st inst., the old military custom of "crying down credit was observed in con- uection with the 1st Derbyshire Regiment (Sherwood Foresters). It is one of the army regulations that when a regiment arrives at any town in which it is to be stationed, a procla- The village communities are administered
mation is read warning all concerned not to through their beadmen in accordance with
give credit to the new arrivals, as the Govern. Chinese laws and usages, and the people har A correspondent writes to a contemporary
ment will not stand guarantor for debts incur- now entirely acquiesced in the newly-established
Japan gives frequent instance nowadays of her red and will not allow any member of the regime. All purely civil matters are left as desire to ascertain the truth in all things. One regiment to be imprisoned for debt. much as possible to the village chiefs. Difficulty of the most interesting of these is the archeo- proclamation was read yesterday at various is experienced in getting the village headmen to logical expedition which has just left for points in the city, and the proceeding was take any active steps in criminal matters, and Central Asia under the management of Cunt observed with much interest ty the passers-by. very few persons will give evidence against Olani Kozni and Mr. Watanabe Tetsushia. At each point, the reading of the notice was their own village people. As a class. the
Conut Otani is a member of the Royal Geogra-preceded by the boating of a big drum. natives of the territo y are law-abiding and wellphical Society. The purpose of the expedition behaved, are illiterate and vory indigent. Tue is to search for Buddhistic remains in Central territory is over-populated, and too poor to Asia, India, and China and to trace as far as is support its population, and thousands of villagers possible the course of Buddhism from its source emigrate yearly to Manchuria and Corea.northwards and eastwards to Japan. The There is, perhaps, no place in China occupied by members of the party, seven in number, are all foreigners where labour is so cheap.
Japanese. Count Utani's father, Otani Kozon, now living in Kyoto, is Lord Abbot of Ni hi Hon-gwan ji, the monastery of the "Origiual
Weihaiwei is now a fairly regular port of call for many China coasting steamers sailing northwards from Shanghai daring the summer months, and there is a small steamer subsidised by Government to run all the year carrying mails and passengers between Chefoo and Wei- haiwei. This enables the public to reach Wei- haiwei by water viê Shanghai and Ch-foo at any time of the year.
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An alarming incident occurred in Praya East about eight o'clock on the 21st inst. Two buffalo cows were being led along, when a couple of China pouies harnessed to milk-vans approached from the opposite direction. Just as the ponies drew almost level, oue of the cows rushed at them. The Chinese youth in charge of her did all he could to restrain the animal, which simply dragged him along at the end of
the halter like a straw, and attacked the neare, t pony, goring it frightfully in the leg and cheat. The infuriated cow then turned upon the second pony, which fortunately escaped with only a slight wound in the right foreleg. The buffalo looked like becoming unmanageable, but as soon as the ponies were led away she quietened down and became quite tractable.
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Vow," and a direct descendant of the Shin Shin sect, who lived in the 11th entury. Count Otani Kozui has been an extensivo tra eller, and was elected a member of the Royal Geographical Society because of his explorations in China, His father seat him to Jerusalem to study Christianity and Mahomedanism, and on his The climate of Weihaiwei is exceptionally own initiative he visited Iceland, and spent tho good, and the winter, though cold, is dry and best part of a year in the Arctic circle. He bracing. The maximum temperature is about is an enthusiastic student of Sanskrit and 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, and the ancient Chinese, aud has done much original minimum about 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The work in the Oriental room of the British place is windy at times. There is an excellent Museum. All the members of the expedition beach for sea bathing on the island and mainland. have been preparing for this work for saveral The summer heat is not great, and the rainfall years. Mr. Watanabe Tetsushin has been study- is very small, averaging about 20 inches per | ing Church bistory with a priest of the Church annum. As the settlement is healthier than the of England, and has paid particular attention other treaty ports in China, there is every to the Nestorians, who wandered from Con-board. The master of the German steamer prospect of Weihaiwei becoming a very popular health resort in future. Apart from its almost perfect climate, its freedom from malaria, and the absence of all epidemics amongst the Chinese, the Settlement itself offers effectual security to foreign residents, with freedom to travel about at pleasure in the leased area without fear of being molested by the Chinese, or being subjected to any of the usual unpleasantnesses and inconveniences fo.eigners have to put up with in China inland.
An European school has already been establi shed at Weihaiwei, and a land and building society, formed in Shan, bai, has already erected several commodious European bungalows and a large hotel on the mainland. Both on the mainland and on the island good roads have been
n Wednesday the s.s. James Brand rrived in the harbour with the German §.s. T'ai Lee in tow, and both dropped anchor in Kowloon Bay. The James Brand left Sh nghai on 12th October for Samboo (Singapore), and on her way south experienced the customary north-east mousoon. When in lat. 14.22N. long. 122-43E. on 18th Cotobar, she picked up the Tai Lee disable.l, with over 60 Chinese passengers on stantinople off into Asia in the fifth century. stated that he wanted to be towed to Hongkong. He lived in St. Petersburg one year and speaks Ropes w、re accordingly run away and towing Russian fluently. Mr. Hori Masuo, who will hawsers were connected. A fresh monsoon was look after the surveys and the map-making, has blowing at the time. On 19th October the been studying topography in Oxford." Mr. towing hawsers parted and with much difficulty Inouye, a veteran of the Chino-Japanese war,
wore reconnected after seven hours' work. in which it will be remembered the Japanese Owing to the heavy sea that was running, while showed wonderful ability in matters of trans- this operation was being carried out, lines had port, will have charge of the impedimenta, Mr.
to be made fast to each ship to keep them in Fujii Sensho, Ph.D., is well versed in Chinese position. On the following day the James and Japanese Buddhistic literature. He bas Brand's pateat steering-gear gave out, and the been studying Sanskrit in Berlin and Paris, engines had to be eased and the ship put under and has already been several times to India. hand geer while the necessary repairs were Though the amount of money that Nishi Hon-carried out. T. is was successfully accomplished gwan-ji can put at their disposal is practically unlimited, Mr. Watanabe does not expect the cost to be excessive."
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in the ond, and both vessels arrived without further mishap in Hongkong after five days" towing, a distance of 500 miles.
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