August 15, 1903.]
HONGKONG.
On the 9th inst. w. s the first anniversary of the Voroustion of King Edward, and the men-of-war in harbour dressed ship in celebration of the occasio
The following appointment has been made at the Admiralty:-Lieutenant Q. C. A. Cranfurd, to the Tumar, additional, for T. duties at Hong kong, to date July 4.
The visitors to the City Hall Library and Museum for the week enjing 9th August were 192 nou-Chinese and 60 Chinese to the former and 37 non-Chinese and 1,54: Chinese to the latter institution.
Contrary to expectation, Sir Eruest Satow, H, B. M. Minister at Fuking, left on
on the 8th inst. for Shanghai in the P. & O. steamer Sumatra, which, on passing H.M.S. Tamar. was saluted by that vessel H.M.S. Vengeance. on which His Excellency was expected to make the trip North, left the Harb u at 10 am. the 8th inst., and may possibly convey the Minister farther North.
on
A sad accident attended a police gambling raid at 30, Eastern Street, West Point, on Tuesday night last! The suspected prsons were taken by surprise and a lush was made to escape into the next house by way of the verandah. Daring the scramble oue of the gamblers, a coolie, either fell or was pushed over the verandah into the street below, a dis- tance of forty feet. Halighted on his face and chest, and sustained terrible injuries which must have made death instantaneous. The body was removed to the Government mortuary.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
An outbreak of fire rcourred at 891, Queen's Road West on the 9th iust., in a medicine shop, and did serious damage to the contents three floors before it was extinguished. The entire premises were iusur. d for $4,800.
¦
A Chinaman who robbed an Indian boy in Kowloon of a silver watch the other day, on the protext of putting some lichees in the boy's pocket, was sentenced to six wooks hard labour at the Police Court on the 11th ius. by Mr.¡ J. H. Kemp.
The Japanese stamer Kagoshima Maru which arrived bere ou Monday, brought with her the Chinese crew, numbering 24, of a fishing junk which became waterlogged in a typhoon and was floating helplessly fifty miles from Breaker Point when the Japanese boat sighted her.
The year's plague total sine the 1st January is now 1,392 During the week ended Saturday last 9 cases of plague (all Chinese) and 9 deaths occurred. The only other case of communicable dise se during the same period was one of enteric fever, the patient being Mr. T. Petrie, lufe of the China Mail.
The following returns of the average amount of bank notes in circulation and of specie in reserve in Hongkong, during the month ended 31st July, 1903, as certified by the managers of the respective banks, are published in the Gazette:-
Banks.
Chartered Bank of India, Aus
tralia and China Hongkong and Shanghai Bank-
ing Corporation National Bank of hina, Limited
Total.
Average Specie in A mount. Reserve.
$
ૐ
3,581,275 1,750,000
10,174,925 7,000,000 429,752 150,000
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At the office of the Public Works Department on Monday two lots of Crown land on the
..$14,188,952 $8,900,000 Shaukiwan Road were put up for sale by
To Queen's Road seems to have become Mr. Rees, on behalf of the Government, applicable the old joke about the Strand-that Shaukiwan I. L. 396, containing 630 square it is always "up." At the present moment feet, and a road frontage of 90 feet by 70 deep, the P.WD. are making things lively for pedes was ultimately sold to Mr. Mootee for $6,200, triaus and vehicles in the neighbourhood of The lot carries with it an annual Crown rent of the Post Office and the Clock Tower. A large $44. The upset price was $1,90. Chinese gang of coulies are plying pick and shovel houses are to be erepted 0 this property.and sending pebbles and debris flying into the Shaukiwan I. L. 97 with an area of "2,800 | air and upoù the parements in a manner to square feet road, fro..tage of 40 feet by 70 feet | make one afraid of lo-ing one's eye-sight. Also,
a steam-roller adds to the
So deep, was bought by Mr. Wong Yee Kai for $2,60, the upset being $84 The auumal thundrous was the noise it was emitting Crown rent attached to the lot is $20.
on Wednesday that M. Justice Wise sitting was unable in the Supreme Court hove to hear the arguments of the learu d counsel aldressing him and sout down the usher to
A shocking domestic tragedy occurred at Shaukiwau on the night of Tuesday A Chinese fisherman and his wife lived at 1. Un Hing Lane, Shaukivan, where they rented a cubicle. Jealousy appears to have been the motive for the crime, which involved the killing of the wife and the attempted suicide of her murderer. The weapon used was a knife, and the dead woman was lacked about in a fearful manner, her throat and the upper part of her body bearing the worst injuries; the infuriated man then attempted to take his own life b cut- tin his throat, but though the self-inflicted wound is a dangerous hue it is not expected to prove fatal. The police were informed of the occurrence, and entered the house; the woman! was already dead, but the man was still alive. A launch was immediately procured, and he was carried on board and taken to hospital; the body of his victim was sent to the mortuary The couple were married only last year.
Many curious glances were cast on Thursday morning at an odd-looking couple sitting in the corridor of the Hongkong Hotel. They smoked cigars and appeared indifferent to if not entire y unéonscious of the embarrassing attentions of the assers-by. They were a conple of midgets whose diminative hight justified their right to the title, for the man was only 29 inches high and the girl 28 inches. Their name is de la raz, and they are brother and sister; the former is aged 29 years and the Itter 31. They look their age, too, in spite of their undersized bodies, to each has a head that would not look out of pl ce on the shoulders of an average-sized man or woman. Two Americans are taking them to the St. Louis Exposition, where the little folks are to be put up for show. The party expect to stop here about a week, and meantime arrangements are being completed to make hay while the sun shines by exhibiting the couple daily at « moderate charge to people who won'd like to see them dance, which they
are said to do very well.
uproar.
J
order the steam-roller t› cease work, After some delay the annoyangs stopped and the Court hand. The acoustic properties of the Supreme was enabled to proceed with the business in
Court are seriously enough affected by the ordinary street noises when the Court is sitting. but when a steam-roller ad 's to the uproar then the worse might well appear the better case so far as what the Judge can hear is concerned..
H.M.S. Britomart arrived from Weihaiwei on the 10th inst.: JLMS. Phoenix left for the same port.
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The Ln-Han Railway has so far been laid to Choshan. Cars have been run on trial between Hankow and the present terminus so that regular passenger traffio might be soon inaugurated.
The Japan Herald understands that the purchase of the “Ben " line steamer Benvenue by a Japanese firm is now under negotiation. The Bealurig of the same line, was recently sold to a Japanese coal-merchant of Yokohama.
The US. cen'sers Alb my. Cincinnati, and Raleigh arrived on the 11th ist. from Singa. pore.
The first case of cholera in Shanghai this season occurred on the 7th inst., the victim being nativa P.C. 736, who succumbed, a few hours after he was seized with the disease, in the S. Luke's Hospital.
On the 13th in t, the French gunboat Decidée left for Cantou.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Shanghai "school question," which threatened at one time to become a rather bitter controversy, has been settled by an agreement that the matter of biblical teaching shall be sholred until the ratopayers hare given their consent to its inclusion in the carriculum,
Two beachcombers by name Mathews and Rottgardt were each sentenced to eight years' imprisonment with hard Jabour for ribbery at Manila. This seems to be a departure on the part of the insular authorities from their usual enstom of shipping andes rables to this and other ports.
·The N.-C. Daily News reports that the sailing rossal Brilliant, which left Shanghai some time ago for Sourabaya, has, after a long struggle to got through the various straits which have to be passed to get to that place, returned to Shanghai. The Captain said that it was impossible to get through by the route which he intended, and that the other small stråäits through which he had the option of passing wers too dangerous for a vessel the size of the Brilliant, which requires two miles in which to turn.
Beri-beri has broken out in the Siamese Navy, and many of the men are down with t. There is also something of an epidemic of this disease among the students in the Royal Military College, where, says the Bangkok Times, one would hardly expect to find it, if it is really due
to the food eaten.
The Civil Governor of the Philippines has named the members of the committee who will investigate the opium traffic in foreign coun- tries and report the result to the Commission. Those chosen are Major Carter, of the Board of Health, Doctor Albert, president of the Partido Federal, and Bishop Brent, of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The compensation of the members while they are on the trip has been raised from 825 ) to $400 (gold) per month. Of course this does not apply to Major Carter as be will receive his regular salary during his absence from the islands. The committee will immediately leave for Japan, Formosa, Upper Barma, Hongkong, a.d Singapore, and study the traffic in each of these places and at the omelasion of four months will return again to Manila and submit a report to the Commission. This report will probably be the foundation of the final action of the government on the opium question.
Prof. W. C. Welborn, Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Agriculture, and Mr. J. A. Charlesworth, repressating Andrews and. Co., ootton manufacturers of Manila, are investiga ting the cotton-raising industries in Nor- thern Luzon with an ides of attempting its promotion and introduction in localities peculiarly adapted to its success- ful growth. The greater share of the raw cotton which Mr. Charlosworth uses comes
those
from New Orleans, by way of England, but the largest native product is obtained from the vicinity of Long. The tree cotton is useful only for a limited number of purposes on account of its short &bre, but it is thought that with proper encouragement and cultivation the cotton industry may become a most valuable one in the Philippines. Prof. Welborn having had practi- cal experience in the ulture of cotton in his Mississippi home is especially fitted to promul- gate the successful growing and introduction of this produce in the Ph.lippines.—Manila Times,
The Japan Mail (trauslating from the Asahi) recalls the story of the celebrated Russian lumber concessióù in Corea. It was obtained when the King of Corea-he had not yet made himself Emperor-was a refugee in the Russian Legation; that is to say, obtained under abnor- m I circumstances and without recourse to the
Then it lay, ual channels of diplomacy. dead letter, in the pigeon-holes of the Russian chancellerie until the moment came when the concession was about to lap-e by flux of time a danger that equally threatened the contem pora y concession of a French railway from Seoul to Wiju. Russia, however, always con servative of opportunities, obtained a renewal of the charter. Still there ware no signs a giving practical effect to the provisions of thi document, nor did any signs become apparen until the very moment when the Manchurian problem entered an acute phase. That is suggestive synchronism. It would seem tha the asylum concession as his charter may justly be called suffers, from th defect of vagueness and that Russia, not unn. turally, has sought to avail herself to the fall a its elastic-terms.
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