36
THE NEW TIME AT SHANGHAI,
*
The N-C Daily News has received from Para Fros, S.J., Direct r of the Sidawei Observa- tory, a few remarks about the International Time, in roduced at Shanghai on the Ist inst Pero Fros hogins with the heading: "Inter national time
Zone time. (Green. wich time)--Our zone should be called China Coast zine." It is a opted, he says, for the benefit of large a port as Shanghai. It is for the port that the Observatory takes the trouble of dropping the Bill within balf-a- ssosud, anl of dropping it twice a day, and is preparing for an additional night" signal. Practically, nearly all the navies of the world and the graut navigation companies nss this time. It is very convenient, in fact indispensible, for railway companies to have one standard of timo, as it is for the telegraph companies; and zone time is adopted over the greator pirt of Europe, with the excep- tion of Fraños, Portugal and Russia, though France and her colonies will probably soon fol- low; over North America, including Canada, aud Japan, and over the British colonies and Dependencies, with the exception of India (where it is prevented by petty jalousies bet- ween the chief cities), the Straits Settlements. and Hongkong. Under the new system we shall have the same time as the Philippines and West Australia, and shall be exactly one hour behind Japan.
To take the 8-hour.from Greauwich meridian is especially saitel, as we have said already, for the Uhini cast. It passes half-way between Foochow and Weuchow, through Hangohow, near Chinking, throngh Kiaochou and Shan- haikuan, and across the Galf of Pechili. The following changes will have to be in roduced:-- Plac Minutes. Place. Minutes, 8 late 5 late 8 fast
Swalow
Amoy
Foochow ... Wenchow
Ningpo.........
Hangchow
401
14 fast Weihaiwei
8
Chefoo
>
3
Taku....
2 lato Tientsin
**
...12
Peitaiho Shanhaiknan Port Arthur
0
19
12
5 late 6 fast
1 late Kinkiang.........15}
39
Shanghai 6 Chinkiang Sfast Wuha Tsingtao ...... THE FRENCH TROOPS AND LOOT.
The France Militaire pablishes some extracts from the report of General Voyron on the loot. states that there were oily some individual ing by the French troops in China, in which he
cases of looting difficult to prevent, but after- wards severely dealt with ; and that on the whole the behaviour of the French troops was better than that of the troops of other nations. The march from Tientsin was very rapid, and the French troops arrived under the walls of Peking almost totally auprovided with food, and with insufficient covering for the night, the want of both food and night-olothing having been already felt on the liue of march. Most of the houses were aban'loned, and what was found in them in the ships of food and bedding was ap- propriated for the gener 1 use of the troops, but as soon as the inhabitants returned nothing was taken officially without a proper receipt being given. No doubt some small objects were taken by individual soldiers which was scarcely to be wondered at, considering the bad example of other troops! It should, however, be added that the inhabitants had taken away or hidden most of the portable things of value, and that perhaps their greatest losses were dua to marauding bands of Chin 83, who knew best where to find the hidden objects. With regard to the looting of the place of Princs Li by the French missionaries; assiste.l by their native converts and the French soldiers and sailors stationed at the Poitang, each soldier and silor reosired a cheque, payable in France, for 2,000 francs from the missionaries for their services. The next
morning early some of their comrades stationed als where, hea ing of what had been done, came and took some ingots of silver away from the Li Palace on their own account and afterwards sold them, no doubt at a very consider able discount, to a Frenchman in Peking, who gave cheques for them. The looting was not authorised by General Frey, and he felt that it would give a great impetus to looting in general if he allowed the cheques in
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PŘESS AND
[January 12, 1903.
peg is its "Notes on Native Affairs":-
The N. C. Daily News publishes the follow-
in
either of the above cases to remain in the hands¦ TUNG FU-UISIANG'S MOVEMENTS. of the ind viduals who had received them, and he therefore ordered them to be paid into a fand for the general benefit; and this was done by the soldiers, but the sailors refused to do it. General Voyron, in his report, justifies the Prince Li was one of the chief instigators of the lo ting of the Li Palace on the ground that
Boxer rising. officers, they in common with the officers of With regard to the French
other nations took some small objects from Peking as curio, of which the intrinsic value of boxes (of loot) among his luggage, but these was very trifling. General Frey had a number
were intende for certain authorities in Paris or for the national museums. General Frey | French Minister in Peking; and General bad arranged the matter with the consent of the Voyron believes that the various persons, direc- fors of museums and others, concerned had already been informed of the approaching arrival of the objects.
NEWS FROM CHILE.
A Kansa mili'aryficer in Shanghai at uiesent engaged in applying for arms and Commander-in-Chief of Kausu, bas received ammunition, e c., for the force of the Provino al
official, to the effect that the ex-General Tung news from Kayun, the headquarters of that
Fa-hsiang's emissaries have succeeded almost undermining te whole fabric of the is reported in consequence that whenever Tang military organisation of Kansu province. It Fu-hsiang shoul feel inclined to raise the standard of rebellion, he will be joined by every the soil, for it is a well-known fact in the soldier in the province who is native born to North-western provinces that Tung Fu-bsiang has always been considered a his felow provincials of Kausu-not even a hero by
excepting the Musulmans, a certain 11- merous section of whom are his faithful allies. His "
mirtyrdom," as it is designated by the people of Kansu, at the hands of the foreign The recant bome newspapers published some
Powers-it should be noted that the Empres very interesting news concerning the Republic Tung Fu bsiang & still grea er hero in the eyes Dowager is not blamed at all—has made of Chile, stating that the British Minister, Mr. Lowther, had forwarded a long report to the of the populace of the Northwest, especially British Foreign Office on the situation of this amongst the soldiery, so that the task of Tung's Republic. He says that since the dispute emissaries in enticing them to promiss their between Chile and Argentine has been settled, support "when the time arrives" has not been the Chilian Government has devoted all spare
a hard one at all, Latest despatches further funds to the materials for the construction of rail-state that a large number of military of ers, ways, harbour, and other useful works.
natives of Kauan, who still command troops fidence has again been established. The foreign under the Viceroy of Suen-Kan, have also capital will be sufficien', and the work hitherto pledged themselves to join Tung's standard. suspended has since been given a new impuls do not hesitate to declare that, if that ex- Those who know how matters stand in Kansu The new laws promulgated, especially those General is to be crushed, the task will have to referring to alcohol, demonstrate an earnest tendency on the part of the Government, which is determined to repress iusobriety with all severity, by imposing severe punishment on the offenders. In short, the Minister, Mr. Lowther, declares that Chile has started a new era of perce, progress, and labour, which will be immensely favourable to the whole of the
Sulh American continent.
Con.
Its
be done by the troops of other provinces aud likely to join en masse their hero when he not by those of Katsu, who are exceedingly begins his march on Peking in another attempt
11
to " drive the Westeru barbarians into the sea.' In the meanwhile, reports have arrived at Lanchou, the provincial capital of Kansu, from Ninghsia, near the boundaries of the Alashan Mongols, stating that the notorious ex-Prince Tuan is in constant communication with Tung Fa-hsiang, and that the former is only waiting for his son, the ex-Heir Apparent's, airival from Peking to declare his intentions to the world. It is also stated that ex-Prince Taan has openly boasted that he will have 51,000
Tung Fu-hsiang invades the capital by way of Mongol troops at his back when he mar hos against Peking through the Great Wall, while
Sbansi province. conditions. It is
Chile is one of the most prosperous and best organised countries of South America. population amounts, according to the last census, to 3,05 000 inhabitants. There are actually 45,00 Europeans, of whom 6,240 are British. This influx of foreigners is due to the good order which prevails in the public adminis safely; and to the atural richness of the country, tration, guaranteeing welfaro and personal
which fully repays all honest labour by its bene- ficial climate, suitable for
any situated between parallels 19-56, South latitude, and presents a great variety of climates. Its boundaries, from N. to 8., embrace an extent of 4,230 kilometres of longitude and its width from the Pac fic Ocean to the highest range of mountains in the South varies between 170 and 400 kil. Its total extent is 724.712.09 kil. much larger than any European country with the exception of Russia
For transportation of silver and copper, which ab:und on the north of the Republic, and the various agricultural and indust.ial products from the centre and the south, means of communication have been greatly increased. The railroads so far extend to 4,642 kil.. of which 2,186 belong to the Government and the rest to privato companies. The majority of the latter are e mposed of English capitalists. It is proposed to construct shortly more than double the lines already stated.
HONGKONG.
A Chinese woman fell from the roof of a
house in Wing Kut Street on Friday morning,
and was killed.
A fire occurred in Kowloon City on Friday afternoon, involving the destruction of two Chinese houses The exact ua uro of the damage is not yet known,
On Friday, at the Police Court, a cool'e was sen enced to six weeks' hard labour for attempt- ing to seal a brass "gure" od, value $15,
from H M.S. Ocean.
The visitors to the City Hall Library and Museum for the week ending 3rd January were 314 non-Chinese and 66 Chinese to the former. and 68 non-Chinese and 3,337 Chinese to the latter institution.
Kwok Li Mai (31), a married woman, was sentenced to three months' hard labour at the One of the principal busine ses of the country Police Court on the 5th inst. for cruelty to her is in saltpetre, which is used as a manure on the exhausted European fields. In 1900 the ten-year-old son. She bound the boy's wrists with a rope which she fastened to a nail in the walk, production reached 82,778,247 Spanish quintales then bat him with a bamboo and scorched him (owt), of which 31,741,292 were exported.a: out the head and face with a li;hted wick, From the 15th of May, 1901, up to the same date in 1902 the following amount of saltpetre was sent to different parts:-Great Britain, 102,000 tons; Hamburg, 455, C0; United
100,0.0; Rotterdam, 83,000; various ports, 100,000; which gives a grand total of 1235,000, tons.
It is reported that the health of M. Lessar, the Russian Minister at Peking, will probably not permit of his resuming his post at the Chinese capital. M. Lessar is in his 52nd year.
The police are investigating a peculiar case of supposed food poisoning that occurred at 33, Mosque Street on New Year's Eve. A party of eight, including the six inmates of the house and tiro visitors, sat down to supper, and rexy shortly afterwards all were seized internal pains, accompanied by vomiting. With one or two the attack was se acute as to cause insensibility, but not fall were affected alike. The police were informed by some neighbours and the sufferers were removed to hospital, where they are doing well. No explanation of the strange affair is yet to hand.
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