હો હો રંગી
292.
THE " AUSTRALIEN.”
The French Consul, while on board the Aus. tralien, held an enquiry into the circumstances of the stranding of the ship, being ass sted by an officer from the French cruiser Bugeaud as assessor. The result of the enquiry toads to show that the accident was dus to the steamer not answering her helm when ported in order to enter the narow channel between Uma-hima and Nakoloshima. It appears there is no reason to believe that anything was wrong with the steering gear, and the only explanation seems to be the existence of a strong and quite abnormal current bearing on the bow of the ship and counteracting the effect of the helm, with the result that the ship drifted bodily to starboard, and, instead of entering the channel, struck the land stern on, notwithstanding that she was headed almost precisely as she shoull have been to enter the channel, and was within 150 feet or less of the open water. The speed of the engines had been reduced when the grounding appeared inevitable, but with little effect in reducing the headway of the ship.
No blame attaches to the captain or officers of the steamer, all orders having beзn executed as given by the pilot in charge (Captain H. B. James), nor does any blame seem to attach to the pilot himself as far as is shown by the Consular enquiry, which was necessarily of a summary character. The pilot will of course be called upon to clear himself before the Japanese Marine Court, and the proceedings will doubtless throw full light on what appears at presant to be merely one more instance of a disaster caused by the treacherous currents in Japanese waters.
The French Consul took advantage of the steamer Annam stopping for an hour or so, on the 30th ult.. on her way from Kobe, in proximity to the Australien, to proceed on board and examine some of the passengers who had been brought back to Kobe after the stranding of the last-named ship and had been present at the time of the disaster. All those examined, including Sir Hiram Wilkinson, Chief Justice of the British Supreme Court in Shanghai, testified to the perfect coolness of the captain and officers, and the efficiency of the crew. A.8 one of them expressed it, the boats were lowered with as little excitement and as good order as on the occasion of boat drill-Kobe Chronicle.
HONGKONG.
The Police and the Volunteers ara to get the new service rifle shortly.
The Rt.
A Chinese corpse, dead of plague, has been found on a buoy in the Central Fairway of the Harbour, the discovery being reported during the 24 hours ending at noon on the 14th inst.
A conference of Anglican Bishops was to be held in Shanghai on the 16th inst Rev. J. C. Hoare D. D., Bishop of Victoria, left by the Korea on the 13th inst. to be present at the conference. On his way back. the Bishop will visit the Fobkien portion of his Diocese, and will probably return here sbout the end of November.
The following returns of the average amount of bank notes in feirculation and of specie in reserve in Hongkong, during September, are certified by the managers of the respective
Banks:-
Banks Chartered Bank of Indis, Aus-
tralia and China... Hongkong and Shanghai Bank-
ing Corporation. National Bank of China, Limited
Average Specia in Amount. Reserve.
$
3,32,435 1,850,000
11,673,832 7,000,000 445,630 150,000
Total... $15,439,897 $9,000,000 An exciting inbident was witnessed at 230 on the 11th inst., opposite Blue Buildings, Praya East. Having had a quarrel with her mistress, a Chinese woman jumped into the harbour with the intention of putting an end to her existence. The would-be suicide struck the water near a sampau, the occupants of which had seen her enter the water, and on coming to the surface the bost people secured a hold of her clothes, and after a hard fight managed pull the woman, who struggled like one possessed, into the sampan; from thence she was transferred to No. 2 Police Station.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Mr. W. Armstrong has been elected a lay member of the Church Body, vice Commander R. Murray Ramsey, resigned.
H.E. Sir Henry and Lady Blau arrived hers on the 13th inst, from their trip to the West River by the Stanley, and landed at 8.45 p.m. at Blake Pier.
It is notified in the Gazette that M. Gaston Liébert, having arrived in the Colony, has been recognised by H. E. the Governor as Consul for France.
A big civet-cat, which has been working havoc for some time past in a poultry-yard at East Point, was caught the other day, and shot by Mr. J. E. Sinclair.
The local agent of the Messageries Matitimes Company, on the 9th inst. informed us that the s.8. Australien was successfully floated on the previous morning by the help of the French flagship Montealm, and sailed yesterday morning for Naga ai, where she is to be docked for repairs.
A quantity of mit-biga caught fire under Dart Loong's shop in Wellington Street on At the risk of breaking the 12th inst. their necks, several Japanese climbed up and down the verandah-supports of the second aud third floors of the buildings, aud la their excite ment they also threw bundles of clothes, etc., from the windows. Firemen from the Central stamped out the flames.
The Hongkong correspondent of the N. C. Daily News hears that our new Goveruor, Sir Matthew Nathan, is not likely to take up his appointment here until March next. Sir Heury Blake will proceed to Ceylon about the and of November, and during the interregnum, General Gascoigne's successor not having arrived, Colonel Brown, R.E., the Officer Commanding the Garrison, will administer the Government.
In the Supreme Court on Friday an Indian employed by the
Opium Farmers appeared in a claim for about $37 lent to a fellow-countryman, an old half-witted man who acts as watchmau iu a local hostelry. Mr Justice Wise heard the erid nce and told the plaintiff that he ought to be ashamed of himself for leading the money to the defendant under the circumstanc s that the evidence disclosed; he knew the plaintiff through his previous appearances in Court in the same capacity, aud he gave judgment for payment of the debt dus and costs at the rate of $1 per month. At this rate the plaintiff will require to wait some three years before he recovers his money. The aged debtor left the Court weeping tears of joy, aud calling down blessings upon the presiding Justice.
While we are becoming weary waiting for that Clock Tower to be built at Blake Pier, why should not the Government adopt an expedient similar to that which they used in the case of the Pier Shelter, and let us have "half a loaf "? It is obvious that when the new Tower is built it will be of little service to dwellers on the low levels; practically it will be a clock for the Harbour so far as the visibility of the dial is concerned. In that case the shipping people could not be better served than by a clock placed on any of the big structures fronting on the PA clock on Queen's Buildings, for instance, "would serve every necessary purpose and it could take over the timekeeping duties of the present Clock Tower and allow that grand old nuisanos to be obliterated from the
landscape.
on
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[October 19, 1903. H.M. gunboat Bramble arrived on the 13th inst. from Hofhow.
The French gunbɔat Décidée left the harbour- Friday afternoon for Saigon, |
The appointment of Mr. Li Mun, second apothecary's assistant, as a Public Vaccinator is notified in the Gazette.
46
管
Meteorology was the subject of the lecture by Dr. W. W. l'earss on Friday before the Hongkong Branch of the Sanitary Institute. There was a good attendance.
A man named T. Owens, who attempted to commit suicide at the Dook Co.'s establishment at Hunghom, where he is employed, on Thursday morning, by cutting his throat, is progressing as well as can be expected.
There is no appearance yet of a start being made with the laying out of the King's Park at Kowloon. The memorial tree planted by Lady Gascoigne grows apace and will soon require to be relieved of the iron railing surrounding it.
There sailed by the P. M.8.8. Kores, cn Tuesday, about noon, 94 Filipino students who arrived by the Rohilla Maru on Monday night, en route to the United States, where they are going to receive a college education at Government expense.
Among marksmen in the Colony the remolva of the rifle-ranges to Kowloon City is not looked upon with unqualified approval. Kowloon City is more inconvenient to reach, and its distance from Hongkong will probably prevent from attending at the butis many people who o‘her- wise would attend regularly.
Not only in Hongkong. bat in Macao also, there has been an unusual amount of hou.e- robbery lately. A lady visiting the Portuguese Colony the last week-end has, we hear, lost almost the whole of her personal jewelry while stopping at a friend's house, and has had to return to Hongkong without it being recovered. A meeting for the purpose of forming a football club in connection with the Y.M.C.A., was he'd on Monday, in the rooms of the Christian Uniou. The following office-bearers wore appointed :-Captain. J. Witchell; Vice- Captain, F. T. White; Hou. Soc., 11. Gidley; was decided Hon. Treas., W. T. Andrews. to eater for the Hongkong Challenge Shield.
A collision, fortunately unattended with any loss of life, took place in the harbour in the early hours of Friday morning, between two.
'hinese-owned steam launches. It appears that the launch Lee Cheung was just leaving the Fatshan Steamship Company's wharf, at 4.30 am. to proceed across the harbour when she was run into by the launch Lee Wing, The latter which was passing at the tim. sustained so much damage that the Lee Cheung immediately took her in tow, with the object of getting her into the naval basin, but the Lee Wing, having a big hole in her side, filled with water and sa k just outside of the basis. The value of the Lee Wing, and consequent loss to her owners, is estimated at $26,000. No lives were lost.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Peking Races are to take place on th 28th and 29th inst.
Mr. J. Sella, an Italian subject, was stabbed and killed by a Laos coolie at Hiulap, Siam, on the 1st inst. The murderer escaped.
The death is announced at Yokohama last week of the French Admiral Le Do, who has been lying in a precarious state at the Japanese port for some tim».
The China Gazette beads Router's telegram of the 9th October, which reports the Daily Mail report of Russia's offer to partition Corea with Japan, with the lines "A Daily Mail Story. Like the Peking Massacre Telegram.” We always thought that the China Gazette and those connected with it in 1900 had a lot to do with the Peking massacre story.
Ship Street is notorious for the number of assault cases which take place there. The latest occurrence of the kind was the 8th inst., when a Japanese fireman on the 8.8. Yawata Maru stabbed a Chinese woman ou the face, inflicting a nasty wound. Mr. T. Sercombe Smith, at the Magistracy on the 12th inst. made an example of the offender by ordering him to be exhibited in the stocks for three hours, in Ship Street, where the woman was assaulted. His Worship remarked that when the previous Japanese case of the kind was before him he threatened to put the next |
The local agent of the Norddeutscher Lloyd offender in the stocks. This senteno, will doubtless make a strong impression on Ship Co. writes to us informing us authoritatively Street rowdies. A party of European and that the Imperial German mail steamer Indian police, armed with revolvers stood, guard | Kiautschou has not been sold to the Japanese, over the man on the 12th inst. in case of This story was mentioned by us recently as a riot, but nothing occurred. Several snap-circulating in Japan. But the contradiction" shottists improved the occasion to secure au unique picture.
comes from the head office of the Norddeutscher Lloyd at Bremen, and must, therefore be final,
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