a
June 29, 1903.]
CANTON.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Cinton, 20th June.
THE NEW VICEROY.
Yesterday the 9th Excellency the Viceroy Shum Chan-bu arrived at Canton and at 6 am. landed at the government wharf among a great multitude of civilians and officials, civil and military. A guard of honour was posted there to salute His Excellency. Accompanied by the dials he went into a temporary matshed to partake of tea and cakes, and thence to the Viceregal yamen, where he was received by the late Acting Viceroy Tak Sow, who hunded over to him the seal of offic. In the aftegoon His Excellency made official calls upon all the high officials, Tak Sow, the provincial governor Li Hing-yuil the Tartar General Sow Low, and others. On the way to the Kwangchow prefeclare a certain person went up to his chair and presented a petition, which turned out to be about a matter of debt. After the official calls Hi Excellency went to stay in the Canton College for the time being.
H.E, TAK Bow.
As regards His Excellency Tak Sow, the late Acting Viceroy a word or two may be said. He is a very good and conscientious sort of au official, very mild and polite, but hardly fit for official business. He is work and too old. During his tenure of office the official business was mostly done by his secretaries and writers. He is now awaiting the steamship Kwang Li to fake him to Shanghai, and thence to Peking to be a Viceroy of Chow Tub; where he will have nothing to do but say prayers and see about the transport of rice to Peking
KWANGI.
It is said that the Kwangsi rebels have in- vaded Liogshan in Kwangtung. and General Li Ka-cbeuk has been despatched to Limehow with soldiers to intercept them.
TIBET.
Ta-chien-lu, Tibetan border, 14th May.
THE PEOPLE, KXCITED.
•
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT,
The delay of the now Amban from Peking is als tending to confirm their belief in all these rumoure, which is to some extent interfering with trade.-Mercury
CORRESPONDENCE.-
PLAGUE AND THE USE OF SALT.
TO THE EITOR OF THE "DAILY PRE88.
4.
Hongkong, 20tli Juno. SIR-I find a very interesting paragraph io your
"Scientific Miscellany" of 19th inst. During the first of the plague epidemic here, in 1894, I had the question frequently put to me by Chinese friends, Mr. Smith, why do not Europeans. et attacked by plague ?" To which my reply invariably was. Because they use salt when eating their meals! This was a conclu- sion arrived at by me, as the large proportion of chlori e contain.d iu salt acted internally as
459
especially exemplified in the case of potland, which has retained all the old chivalry, hardiness and pluck which made them sach dreaded foes in the long ago."
When, in the name of wonder, was Scotland conquered and aunered? When the Scottish James VI assumed the British Crown?
For pure nublushing effrontery and woful ignoranos displayed, this pronouncement of the Mail's letter-writer is unbeatable. It is enough to rouse the choler of the most apathetic Scot-if there be such a thing as an apathetic S.ot; and as for the effect it would have on such perfervid patriots as the Rey Jacob Primmer and Mr. Theodore Napier--we 1. the white-heat of their wrath were sufficient to set the heather in a blaze from Johu o'Groat's to the Mull o' Galloway. And so we owe it to the English that they have not yet crashed out of us our national characteristics! The man who can write such, trash is not well-enough informed to qualify for a Third Standard certifinte, his Your paragraph above uamed, which says, ignorance of history is as obvious as his bump- "Capt. Rost, a young medical officer in tious impertinence is glaring, and he apparently India, has found that a cerain bacteria attend-adjudges the intellectual calibre of his renders ing a malignant disenso develops only when to be of the lowest. At home sach "gap" as the natural chlorine of the body falls below he has written would be laughed at, but her normal," seems to go far to confirm the conclu- in Hongkong there are people of all nationalities sion I arrived at in 1894, although, strange to whe in ignorance may take his word for g spel, say, it is the first statement 1 have seen in print and it is with a view to pr vent such a thing on the subject.
happening that I trouble you with this letter.- Yours, etc.,
AN UNSPEAKABLE SCOT,
a disinfectant.
I now think it is worthy of much considera- tion auf study, in the direction of proving whether there is anything in my "salt" theory, about plague. It is notorions that, in the East, native food tastes mawkish and insipid for want of salt seasoning, as any one who has been bold enough to partake of a Chinese feast can testify-Yours, e'c.,
J. GRANT SMITH.
BROKERS' COMMISSIONS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.
Hongkong, 22nd Jr. SIR-The correspondence between the Guam- ber of Comme ce and the Brokers' Association is certainly anising, but I hardly think the general public want to see a discussion as to whether the brokers do not act impartially now; will not make them do so. I certainly think a chang in the system of charging brokerage the right system is to charge the seller only, but if a chane is made the chief point is to reduce the present exorbitant charges in the way of brokerage on some stocks.
In China Providonts $10 stock, 15 conts is charged on sale and purchase: National Banks $27 stock, 50 cents
3 per cent.; 4 per cent; Douglases $40 stock, 50 cents cent.; Watkins $8 stock 15 cents
23 per Hongkong Electrics (new) $7 stock, 10 cents 4 per cent,
3 per cent.
Why should we in Hongkong have to pay ou some stocks 2 per cent. to 1 per cent. to a broker. wheu in other ports in the East the charge is
1
par
For several months pist excitement among the people here has ben on the increase because of persistent rumours regarding the political affairs in Tibet, and there is no doubt it very important changes are taking place now both on the Indiau border and in Lhassa itself. It is firmly believed here that four or five years ago a speret agreement was made with Russia, whereby Tibet was practically made a protectorate of Russia, and the Tibetan niission to Rusin is suid to be a result of this agreement. It is also declared that one of the arguments used by Russia in favour of this more, was that in Russia they also worshipped the great Baddha, and were therefore of the same religion, and in proof of this, those who visi ed Busia were shown a large image of Buddha, and were thus convinced.
cont. to the seller only ou small stock and Another rumour is, that the Talai Lama cast
a small percentage on large stocks? A fair the King of Tibet [sic] in prison and took over
charge would be i por cant. commission to the the seals of government himself. This however seller on stocks to the value of $50, por cont. so enraged the people that the King had to be from $50 to $200, and † per cout. on high values. liberated, but the Taldi Dama kept the souls, and it is to be hoped that the Chamber of Com- and is now ruling with a high hand, so much so merce will take the matter up again and get it that the condition of the Chinese in Tibet is be-settled by a charge of a fair percentage on the coming quite unbearable. The King it is said has since died, and the Talai Lama is not looked upon as guiltless. There is also been serious trouble at Litang, ten days from here. Some fighting took place between the people and the priests thero. and the Albot of the monastery defied all interference by the Chinese, and was said to be supported by the Talai Lama at Lhass with whom he was in continual communication. This air however is now settled, the Abbot had to flee to Tsantnai, and the second head lama was made Abbot of the monastery, and to make things equal, the local Chinese official was dismissed..
E
The most important rumour, however, is to the effect that negotiations between Tibet and the Indian Government have fallen throu ̧h, and several thousand British troops have already crossed the border on their way to Lhasa. And the people here are most excited over a report, that the Tibetans have threatened, "if they are defeated by the British, they will kill every Chinese in Tibet man woman, and child."
turnover (to life seller). In the meantime my advice is invest in large stocks; it is far better, other things being equal, to buy and sell say 100 Docks value about $20,000 and pay $100 brokerage than to buy and sell say 2,000 China Provideats value about $29,000 and pay $600 brokerage.-Yours, etc.,
X.
UNCONQUERED SCOTLAND.
*
TO THE ED.TOR OF THE DAILY PEES8.
|
Hongkong, 20th June. SIE-Being a Scotsman, I was amazed to of the China Mail this evening: read the following passage in the London letter
England has never sought to crush out of a conquered or annexed country the individual characteristics of its people and to merge it into one great race of absolute similarity, as has been so unsuccessfully tried by France, Germany, and Spain. and in this she has shown true wisdom,
✓
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY P ESS."
Hongkong, 22ud June. Sin. I have read the letter which appeared in your issue of this morning by "Au Unspeak- able Scot" with amusement if not with instruction, Judging this person by his letter, it is difficult to escape from the con- clusion that he is an exact prototype of the Scotchmen so accurately described in Mr. Crosland's instructive book.
The exact circumstances under which Soot- land had the good fortune to be absorbed into the British realms have long since been forgotten by the av rage Englishman and it is not clear in what way the matter can be of interest now- adays to anybody or why it should have called forth the passionate and foolish letter referred to above. Yours, etc.,
ENGLISHMAN.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS
57
Hongkong, 23rd June, SIR. The absorption of Scotland into the English realm ‹ so vanatingly referred to by your correspondent Englishman
"" is as inaconats and misleading a way in which to state the actual position of matters as was the statement in the Mail which originally drew out my original protest. In 1603 what did the English Crowa represent Unt England alone and an Ireland convulsed and in her death-throes? From the union of the Crowns c n be traced the real rising-up of the British Empire. James VI of Scotland by means of Scottish settlers made Ulster the one- bright spot in a the English method of misrul '.
country devastated by When the clonisation of new countries had to be under- taken it was from the loins of Scotland that the hardy pioneers were got In Canada, in Scots have done more than their share of the East and the West Tudios, in Australja, colonising work-opening up paths for more lethargic Southerners to tread, planting sed the fruits of which in all probability the English reap.
As for Mr. Crosland, no Scotsmen but laughed over and appreciated the sharpness of his invective and the acidity of his villification. His diatribe, however, might as well have been entitled "The Unspeakable Cockney
or
11
"the Unspeakable Geordie." It would apply without serious altoration to either case. But Mr. Crosland is damned out of his own mouth If "Englishman" wil read his latest publication, Lovely Woman, I think he will agree with me in this. The man
who wrote Lovely Woman is not competent to treat of any subject dispassionately and with that care which is required where the susceptibilities of a susceptible people are to be considered Yours, etc.,
AN UNSPEAKABLE SCOT
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