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THE STRANDING OF THE "CARRIER DOVE."
The finding of the U.S. Marine Court, Shanghai, which enquired into the stranding of the sailing vessel Carrier Dove, has been rendered as follows (we take the report from the N.-C. Daily News) :-
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
i
[August 10, 1903.
better appearance, chasing the others and | tendent of the Arsenal. The munitions of war appropriating loot of various kinds from their sent to Kwangsi from the Arsenal are not of a villages. The Customs authorities sent satisfactory character, and the responsibility: word of the affair to the Nam Tan Magistrate rests with the Superintendent, who has been and he came down with a lot of his soldiers. replaced by a Taot›i iu whom the Viceroy trusts. At present there are 125 braves stationed at Kak Tin and 25 at Sheang Po, all billeted at the expense of the Chik Mi people, who have been ordered to pay $250 compensation to the ¦ three other villages and also to pay to them the purchase-money they received for their river rights. Such measures are nothing it not drastic.
Mr. Olsen.
US, NAVAL GUNNERY.
FROM A CORRESPONDENT.j
Chefoo. 27th July.
FOOCHOW.
The following items are from the Foochow Echo of the 25th ult.:-
The news conveyed in a letter from Kucheng early in the month about a inau-eating tiger being about in that district has had the effect of bringing down three sportsmen from Shang-' hai bent on bagging the noble beast, and it is to be hoped that they will be successful. They arrived per Haean on Tuesday and started up the river the same evening for Kucheng.
The growing rice in the extensive plain between the city and the Kushan range was reported in our last issue to be looking healthy and well and this was correct as far as appear- auces went. There is an abundance of good long straw, but the harvesting reveals a very The United States flagship Wisconsin has disappointing state of affairs as regards the just returned from three days target-practice at gain, inasmuch as little more than half of an sea. Her wonderful record is as follows: twenty-average yield is being obtained. three hits, out of thirty-one shots. Target, twenty by seventeen foet in size; speed of ship,
The evidence before us shows that, as the Carrier Dove approached the shores of China after a prosperons voyage, observations were taken fixing her position up to June 28th at 3 p.m. None could be taken afterwards,
Mr. J S. Chubb has taken over the charge of By the Captain's calculations the North Saddles Light would be about 26 miles S.W. Shamchun Custom Station in place of Mr. W. at daylight on the morning of June 30th.M. Whaite. transferred to Shataukok, mice Shortly before 4 o'clock a.m. of that day, he sent the second mate aloft, who reported that he could just see a revolving light in that direction Not satisfied with this report, the Captain then put on all sail and beaded his course as he supposed for Amherst Rock, At 9.30 a.m. the vessel struck 12 miles N. W. of Shaweishan. The crew were rescued by the Irene (Capt. Johns) with only the loss of one man and were brought to Shanghai from Shaweishan by the Haean (Capt. Wallace). Both of these Captains showed the helpfulness and kindness which is to characteristic of seafaring men.
It appears
at Shaweishan for f revolving light at the North Saddles, an error the more natural as both are white lights and as it was in exactly the position relative to the ship in which the latter would be according to the dead reckoning. We find that the Captain of the Carrier Dove used all reasonable caution to ascertain the ship's position and cannot be blamed for the stranding
RECORD-BREAKING.
that both mates mistook the occulting light twelve knots per hour: distance from targe proving that whatever progress is being made
of the vessel.
JOHN GOODNOW,
Consul General
27th July, 1903.
.S.A., Shanghai.
J. A. AMESBURY, Master Am, Ship Roanoke.
NOTES FROM THE NEW TERRITORY
3rd August. The heat has been great during the past four days. As high a temperature as 95 was recorded on the frontier.
The lichee crop has been an exceptionally good one this year all over San On, including the New Territory. Pineapples are being exported in immense quantities from the Sham- chun and Lee Long districts, and are shipped in junks at Shamchun for the Canton and Hongkong markets.
Lance-Sergeant (4) Leneghan has been trans ferred from San Tin Police Station to the Central, vice L-S. (56) Wilson, from Central
to San Tin.
Bad characters living on the Frontier are always a source of trouble to the New Territory police. Recently the Nam Tau magistrale, Chan Leong, Kit (a Manch), who has always been more or less friendly to the British Government, made an official raid on a number of the villages along the Frontier, in Chinese territory, and arrested a large number of these bad characters, who were taken to Nam Tau and disposed of according to their deserts.
6th August. On the north side of the Shamchan River, in Chinese territory, there is a village called Chik Mi, which lately has been the scene of much disturbance. The Chik Mi villagers held certain fishing rights in the river. Recently they sold these rights to a well-known Chinese woman who runs a launch from Hongkong, the price paid amounting in all to some $300 This transaction did not meet with the favour of the villagers of Sheung Po, Kak Tin and Taikokteia, situated higher up the stream. They objected on the ground that the new lessee might impose restrictions on the boats passing through the waters which she had leased. cordingly they armed themselves and descended upon the people of Chik Mi to give them battle. The Chik Mi villagers were by no means disconcerted by the attack. They dug trenches around their township, put up barricades and sand-bag defences, and made every preparation to repel the assailants. A fight ensued. and it would seem that the Chik Mi villagers made the
Ac-
The head of the gang of thieves caught last week was allowed to escapa in cours+ of being removed from one prison to another, fully
in other directions reform amog the police has not yet set in. However, the same audacious was caught again while on another attempt at robbery in broad daylight, and will, it is hoped, be proberly taken care of this time; This re-arrest has led to the discovery of the whereabouts of all the stolen property which will be returned to the owners.
two thousand yards. This beats the world's record of large gans for all Navies; no ship in the British Navy, the former champion of the world, made such shots with guns of thirteen-rogue inch calibre. This was accomplished while the ship was speeding along at twelve knots per hour, and in less time than half an hour, with guns the diameter of whose bore is the enormous size of thirteen inches. These facts impress the gunnery expert as more than marvellous. was simply paralysing to all who saw it.
CANTON.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.}
Canton, 5th August.
KWANGSI OPERATIONS.
It
From Kwangsi it is reported that the Imperial troops are not meeting with success, but no great operations have been entered on as yet. The Viceroy is biding his time, and will not move until he is fully prepared. General Fung is expected at Wuchow in the course of this week, and he will take with him from Yumchow (Chin. how) a large body of
troops.
'
From the North eight regi ents will arrive! in anton to-morrow. They belong to the Wn Chien Ch'ün-probably the best body of troops in China, at least as far as discipline is con- cerned. A Hupeh general is in command, aud many of the officers have been trained by foreigners at Nanking or Hankow. these troops reach Kwangsi the Viceroy may be expected to commence the campaign in earnest.
ATTACKS ON VICEROY SHUM.
When
Rumours are being circulated by Shum's enemies which are intended. to discredit him, bat little attention need be paid to them. His maligners say that the Viceroy has denuded Canton of money and troops. One million and a half taels have been requisitioned for Kwangsi, and native banks and merchants are feeling the effects. The money market has suffered to such an extent that interest is charged at the rate of 12 per cent. on short loans. Again, Canton is reported to be exposed to great danger from any stray bands of brigands or even malcontents in the city. Of the five regiments of armed police, three have been sent to Kwangsi, and the number of troops is gradually dwindling. Members of the Triad Society are pouring into the city by tens daily. So say the gossips, but as a matter of fact Cantou is very quiet now. One hears little or nothing of the burglaries and highway robberies which were of almost daily occurrence last year. The attempts to discredit the great Viceroy are ridiculous.
OFFICIALS DEGRADED,
Marshal Sa, whcss degrada ion was recently reported, has now been thrown into prison by the Board of Punishments at Peking. His fate will be a warning to corrupt officials, and his punish- ment is just. In Canton, Taotai Lin Ch'ing Tai has been degraded from his post of Superin.
Tea.-Business in Congou this week baş been restricted to 8,300 half-chests, owing pro bably to the paucity of the stock on offer The stock is only 16.480 half chests against 67,736 half-chests last year. Oolongs are neglected and the accumulated stock of this ted stands at 64,89) half-chests against 2.000 half- chests at the same date last year. The Export to Europe is 6,263,546 lbs. which is a little under that of last year to the same date.
There has been a good deal of talk lately about cultivating silk in the neighbourhood and there is no apparent reason for its not being one of the industries of the province The argument that if there had been the slightest chance of successs with it we shouldt. have had it with us as a trade long ago, may or may not be good. Nobody seems to kuok whether it has ever been tried.
CHINKIANG.
Chinkiang, 29th July. RIOT-STEAM LAUNCHES DESTROYER.
Steam launches are just now receiving serious, even revengeful attention from the country people in the vicinity of Kwachou, the river entrance to the northern portion of the Grand Canal, only a few miles above Chiakiang. The country people have been joined by the boat people of Yangchow, the trading centre a few miles up the Canal, and by the rowdies Previous to the 27th from the whole district. inst. the country people near Kwachon or at least so it was at first reported, had several times thrown stones at passing launches, they claim: ing that the wash of the launches had broken down the banks of the canal and caused their fields to be flooded. On the 27th inst., at a place called Sin Chialo, a crowd of people set fire to a passenger-boat which stopped there, hardly giving the passengers time to get ashore. and refusing to allow them to land their luggage The rioters refused to listen either to the boat people or the pleading passengers.
TROUBLE AT YANGCHOW.
During the afternoon of the same day a crowd. said to number about 3,000 persous, proceeded to the landing place at Yangohow, and destroyed the launch offices and jetties there, both those owned by the Launch Companies and those leased only. Not satisfied with this revenge, the mob next turned its attention to the launches coming up, and destroyed two completely, and badly damaged three others.
OFFICIALS NEGLIGENT.
During this outbreak, which lasted several hours, the local officials are reported to have taken no steps to interfere to protect the
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