September 7, 1908,]
NEW TERRITORY NOTES.
WILD ANIMALS. Sportsmen in Hongkong are apt to ridicule the idea of there being wild animals in the New Territory which can be reckoned in the sense of "big game and that too in spite of numerous proofs from the villagers. A little over a week ago in the gray light of the early morning, a large gray-brown animal which looked like a huge wolf visited one of the Customs stations on the frontier, seized a fifteen- catty pig in its month, and made off towards a gap in the hills. A road leads through this gap and some of the braves at the station gave chase. The animal on reaching the top of the gap saw some people coming in the opposite direction, whereupon it dropped the pig, and made off among the hills. The pig was alive when recovered and is still living, although considerably cut about the neck and back by te fangs of the animal which carried it off The incident was witnessed by the Europeans in charge of the station.
SAMCHUN,
Few Hongkongites have any idea how busy a place is this frontier market-town, which the British Government so foolishly banded back! to the Chinese in 1899, Samchun lies in the centre of a wide fertile valley-the most fertile in all San On-the whole of which is closely cultivated. The population of the place is not considerable, probably not more than 6,000, but the position of the town itself at the farthest navigable point of the Samchun river gives it a vast trade for its size. It is no exaggeration to say that Samchun is the trade-centre for at least 200,000 people, and this, we think, is a very modest estimatiou. Nearly all the inhabitants of the New Territory north of the Kowloon range of bills and all the people south of Lungfalu in Chinese territory, make this their chief buying and selling place. A market is held about every third day, and on! these days the country around Samchun is like an indigo sea; such is the press of blue-clad Chinese carrying all kinds of produce.
The L.M.C. authorities here draw a monthly revenue of $800 to $1,000. There is also a tax imposed by the local authorities upon all pigs brought into the market-town.
The lower class people in Simchun are mostly the refuse of Hongkong and the Straits Settlements-deportees, etc.-and Я strong anti-foreign feeling prevails among this class. Many of the gentry too are not free from this feeling although there are some who profess they would like to see Sam- chun under British control. Robberies are frequent in and around Samchun, and the usual squeeze system prevails. Gambling houses are everywhere. There is a small guard of braves in the place who spend their time mostly in lounging around the gambling and opium dens. A Shun Ti or local headman represents the Chinese Government.
CANTON.
[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.
Canton. 28th August. CANTON NEWSPAPERS AND THE PEKING
MURDER.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
hailed with joy. He had, it is remoured, been working against the Viceroy by spreading slanderous reports about him, and Shum has at | last considered it necessary to stop his mouth.
RLD ROBBERY RAFFLED.
A daring attempt at robbery was made ou Tuesday afternoon. A coolie was conveying $2,000 worth of treasure to A sampau. for ship rent ou board the s.s. San Cheung. When he arrived at the wharf he sat down on the bag of treasure to take a rest. No sooner had le got to his feet, however, than the treasure wa seized by three of the desperate characters who abound on the riverside. These men endeavour- ed to make off with their booty, but so loud a hue-and-cry was raised that they were compelled to abandon it, and one of their sumber fell into the hands of the Customs guard. The merchants are so incensed at this daring attempt, that they are doing their utmost to get the prisoner execut-d, and it is given out that he will be strangled at the scene of his crime.
FROM ANOTHER CORRESPONDÈNT.
Canton, 31st August.
NOT FOR PUB ICATION.
It is said that since Viceroy Shum has come to know that the clerks and writers in the yamens in Cautou have giveu items newspaper men, aud that the news published by the native daily papers relating to the matters in Kwangsi is fale and discreditable to the Imperial troops, His Excellency in great anger has sont orders to the officials of all the gamens to reprimand their clerks and writers severely. The news that has been transmitted from Kwangsi to the yamiens here is of such importance and so confidential that it is not allowed to be published, and should any of the writers dare to divulge anything, they are to be severely punished.
LI KA-CHECK.
General Li Ka-cheak has been captured and brought back to Cauton in charge of Admiral Ho Cheung-ching. He i imprisoned in the Panyu gaol.and is to be tried by court-martial.
When the soldiers of Li Ka-cheuk heard that their general was captured and brought to Canton they deserted and went into the vi lages plundering money, clothing, and oxen, and dividing the booty among themselves. No sooner had the rebels kuwn that they were robbing and illtreating the villagers than they marched against the soldiers and killed many of them, driving the rest into other villages to hide themselves. Shortly afterwards the troops returned to Canton by the guuboat Fuk P under the command of Admiral Ho.
THE WHAMIOA DOCK.
The duck along the sea side of Whampoa has not been made use of for a long time, and H.E. Shum has ordered, a weiguin to make an estimate of the expenses to have it repaired. The latter estimated that a thorough repair will cost 50,000 taels, and a less complete repair 5,000 taels.
FROM THE
“CHUNG NGÒI SẢN PU”,
LI KA-CHECK'S SOLDIERY.
Li Ka-cheuk, the alleged instigator of the murder of Yeung Ku-Wan, the reformer, ia Hongkong was brought back to Canton a few days ago by Admiral Ho Cheung-ching, and The native papers in Canton are not afraid to is at present locked up in th Panyu express their indignation at the execution of Magistracy by order of the Provincial Shen the reformer in the strongest terms. Treasurer, who is temporarily taking charge They denounce it not only as a barbarous and of the Viceroyship. A wire was subsequently revengeful act, bat as illegal-the latter point sent to Viceroy Shum in Kwangsi asking being especially insisted upon. One cannot what sort of punishment should be award- help admiring the courage and patriotism of ed to him. The Viceroy replied that be these editors in speaking out their minds is to be locked up till further notice. When so boldly. This has, I believe, been their policy | Admiral Ho arrived at Yamchow to effect the from the beginning, and no doubt they help to form, as far as it is possible in China, a kind of public opinion, for most of the literates in Canton read these papers regularly,
A RASCAL DEGRADED.
The notorious Captain Yang, so well known to Shameen residents, has at length been de- prived of his button. Danger has been hanging over his head for some time, for on the arrival of Viceroy Shum a chorus of complaints was raised against him. The average China- man here speaks of him with detestation, and there is no doubt that his punishment will be
arrest of Li Ka-chenk, he had received about one hundred copies of petitions against Li and some four hundred petitions against his sub- ordinate officers and soldiers all complaining of squeezing, ill-treatment, illegal imprisonment and execution of ianocent men by Li, and blackmailing, bullying, and kidnapping of children and young women by the others. When his soldiers, who were brought back to Canton by Admiral Ho wearing uniforms bearing two Chinese characters "Cheuk Yung" (i.e. soldiers of Li) marched through the market towns, all the shops were
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once closed, refusing to sell anything them. In fact they would have been. starved, if Admiral Ho had not been wise enough to tell them t⋅ wear the uniforms of the soldiers of General Fang Tsz-tsai, who is greatly respected and loved by every olurs of people. When they had obanged their uniforms, the people were very glid tɔ sel them rice, etc., at reasonable pric s. When the soldiers arrived at Canton they wout to the residence of Li's family in To-Fo street, demanding the payment of wages several months in arrears and threatening to set fire to the house if their demand was not at once complied with. The disturbance was not stopped till the arrival of the soldiers f the Punya magistrate.
General Fung Tsz-tsai sont a telegram to the Canton authorities lately to the effect that thirteen young women had been kidnapped by the soldiers of Li. The kidnapped young women were all in the disguise of males Two of them Lave been disc-wered by Geveral Fung who told the Canton authorities that the rest hare been brought to Can'on and has asked them to hunt them out.
A WISE STEP.
It is reported that Viceroy Shum, who knows that the multiplication of robbers is partly due to the issue of licences for gambling, has ordered the prefect of Wuchow to stop the Pak Kop aud Tz Fa lotteries and all sorts of petty gam bling in Kwangsi which have brought poverty and ruin to a good many people, who couse- quently have turned robbers. It is to be hoped that the Viceroy will do the same thing in Kwangtung, which is at present overrun with robbers.
PAKHOI
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Pakhoi, 26th August.
THE YAMCHOW BANDITS.
Admiral Ho, of the Kwangtung Squadron, returned on the 13th instant from his visit to Yamchow and left definitely for Canton with bis small fleet on the 18th instant. As might have been presumed, during his comparatively short stay at Yamehow the evil-doers are said to have behaved in a most orderly way, but soon after the Admiral's departure they resumed their work of depredation with renewed activity. and with such boldness. I hear, that the Native were both Custom. and the lekin-stations ransacked and razed to the ground, resulting in the death of three of the Tze-yes or employees
of these stations.
PLAGUE.
Bubonic plague, it is reported, has claimed many victims in both Ymehow and the small island of Waichor. port is still enjoying immunity from the dreaded scourge this year, considering its proximity to and its daily contact with these places.
It is a wonder how this
AN EPISCOPAL VISIT.
Mousignor J. M. Mérel, Roman Catholic Bishop of the Province of Kwangtung, travelling by land, arrived here the week before last on his postoral visit to the different mission stations under his charge. After a stay of a few days here he left for the island of Waichow on board the Chinese man-of-war Chun Tou, returning by a passage-bost, and left again on board the 8.8. Htte on the 22nd instant for Haiphong and Hanoi.
It may not be out of place to mention hers that the island of Waichow is a little dot in the Gulf of Tonkin, distant about forty miles from this port. The islet has a population of between nine and ten thousand souls, and its chief industries are fishery and husbandry. The natives are almost without exception of Hakka descendants, and a large proportion profess Roman Catholicism. No missionaries of other denominations are known to have touched this soil. The islanders are said to be quiet in their natur:l tendencies and general disposition.
COMMERCIAL DEPRESSION.
As an evidence of the depression of trade- in this port, I may mention that the frm of Kwan Hop, one of the oldest Cantonese mer- chants, of some thirty years' standing, became insolvent at the beginning of the present month. The liabilities are stated to be over Tls. 12,000; the loss fell mostly on the local merchants. The manager and the principal employees have
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