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prayer that the dark cloud of plague that has hung over the Colony for ten long years may be dissipated by the efforts of the devoted | workers engaged in combating its ravages, and that the great port of Hongkong may once more become as healthy as it is beautiful. Good- bye! (Loud applause.) I will only add, ladies and gentlemen, that I wish I had seen the sun on the last day of my stay in Hongkong as Governor, but the sorrow and regret with which we leave it on so wet a day has its solaos, and that is, that my friend, Mr. May, will enter upon his administration under the beneficent influence of a
which rainy day
will improve the vegetation, and I hope, replenish the reservoirs and providently 6870 this Colony from the dangers, the difficulties and the troubles of a water famine like last year! (Loud and continued applause).
THE DISTRICT WATCHMEN. The company then dispersed, and proceeding to the entrance of the City Hall, H.E. addressed a body of the District Watchmen, some 80 strong, his remarks being interpreted in Chinese by Mr. Ho Fook.
HIS EXCELLENCY said-District Watchmen, I determined to say a word of commendation to you before I left the Colony. I think it most creditable to the Chinese community of the Colony that, outside the regular police force they have, by voluntary contributions, raised a special force of district watchmen for the purpose of assisting in the work of the police. I hear that you are over 80 strong at the present moment, and from the Registrar-General, who is one of the committee, I learn most excellent accounts of the manner in which you have done your work. Some of you have been highly commended, and during the past year several have received rewards. It is an useful thing to have a body of men like you, and probably, in the course of time, some of you will be ready to go on from this District Watchmen Force into the regular Chinese police force of the Colony. I am very glad to have the opportunity of seeing you here to-day and saying "good-bye" to you. One last word. If you continue to do your duty faithfully you may be always sure of that consideration and respect from your Chinese friends in the Colony and from the European residents that make life
very, pleasant to every man. I now say "good-bye" to you, and I hope that, in the future, you will continue to be worthy of the high com- mendation that I have heard of you from the gentlemen of the committee and from the Registrar General to-day.
THE EMBARCATION,
|
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND William M. Goodman, at a meeting of the Le- gislative Council. The members present were Hon Colonel L. F. Brown, R.E. (Officer Command- ng the Garrison), Hon. A. M. Thomson (Acting Colonial Secretary), Hon. Sir Henry Spencer Berkeley (Attorney-General, Hon. L. A. M. Johnston (Acting Colonial Treasurer), Hon. Basil Taylor, R.N. (Harbour Master), Hon. W. Chatham (Director of Public Works), Hon. A. W. Brewin (Registrar-General), Hon. Dr. J. M. Atkinson (Principal Civil Medical Officer), Hon. Sir C. P. Chater, C.M.G., Hon. Dr. Ho Kai, C.M.G., Hon. Wei Yak, Hon. Gershom Stewart, and Mr. R. F. Johnston (Acting Clerk of Councila).
Hon. F. H. May was attended by Capt. Hurly, Acting A.DC. On reaching the head of the table the Chief Justice rose and admin. istered the formal oaths of office: the oath of allegiance was taken first, then the oath of office, and the judicial oath. Immediately the cere- mony inside was concluded, the guard of honour from the Sherwood Foresters preseuted arms, and the National Anthem was played by the band outside. The Chief Justice congratulated His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government on his accession to office and as the members of the Council and others present left the room they shook hands with His Excellency and Mrs. May.
His Excellency and Mrs. May afterwards proceeded in the Governor's chairs to Govern- ment House.
THE ADMINISTRATION OF
HONGKONG.
[November 30, 1908.
little as possible, and to satisfy the demands of foreign trade in Manchuria as much as possible, though not, I am afraid, to sac an extent as the average foreign trader wishes. Meanwhile a tight hold will be kept on Manchuria; in fact I cannot believe that the Russians will ever relax their grip on the three provine s in the way some Japanese and Euglish publicists imagine. They believe, rightly or wrongly, that if they allow the practical sovereignty of Manchuria, which they now possess to pass out of their grasp, Port Arthur and Dalny will remain on their hands dry and withered memorials whose roots of blasted hopes, like trees have been cut away.
They believe that the Manchurian railway will lose balf its raison d'étre and more than half its prosperity. They believe that the restless activity, commer- cial and political, of the Englishman and the Japanese, combined with the astounding busi- ness genius of the American will make of Man- churia a busy hive of industry in which the English tongue will be the lingua franca and in which the infrequent Russian trader an unknown and mys- will be stared at as terious visitant, while the Russian troops will be left perched high and dry on the bleak rocks of Liaotang like 8. Simon on his pillar, with nobody caring in the least whether they stay there or come down. Ench is the fate with which the Russians believe they would be threatened by the flooding of Manchuria wi h traders other than their own, and sooner than submit to such a fate and be laughed at for centuries hence by the Chiness and the world generally for their enormous and unremunera- tive outlay in Manchuria, and especially at Dalny and Port Arthur, they would, I believe, be pre-
evio1ion.
I need not point out, however, that the Russians are mistaken if they imagine that any foreign nation wishes to see them deprived of the fruit
In a Government Gazette Extraordinary on Saturday there was published a Dormant Compared to see extreme measures taken for their mission, dated the 14th October, appointing "the Colonial Secretary for the time bein of the Colony of Hongkong, or the Senior Military Officer for the time being in command of His Majesty's regular forces in the Colony," to administer the Colony. By virtue of this the Colonial Secretary administers the Government, while, should the office of Colonial Secretary be also vacant, or should the Colonial Secretary be "incapable or absent," the duty of administration falls on the Senior Military Officer.
It is further notified that H.E. Sir Henry Arthur Blake having left the Colony, the oaths of office have been administered to the Hon. F. H. May, and that His Excellency thereupon
assumed the administration of the Government. Lastly it is notified that the Hon. A. M. Thomson has been appointed Colonial Secretary until further notice; and Capt. M. R. the Officer Administering the Government. Hurly, 93rd Burma Infantry, A.D.C.-to H.E.
THE NORTHERN CRISIS,
Port Arthur, 8th November.
A PEACEFUL OUTLOOK,
From the City Hall His Excellency, Lady Blake and Sir John Keane proceeded, in chairs under an escort of eight Indian constables in charge of Sergeant Abley, to Blake Pier, where a guard of honour of the Sherwood Foresters was drawn up and the band | [FROM OUR PORT ARTHUR CORRESPONDENT.{ of the same regiment. Thousands of people flocked to the vicinity of the Pier to bid farewell to the Governor, and the Pier itself was crowded by very many prominent people in the Colony. The Governor's party, including Hon. F. H. May and Mrs. May, then boarded the launch Victoria (which flew the Hongkong flag and the Blue Ensign), and the farewell words having been spoken, they set off for the Malta amid rousing cheers from the crowd, the boom of cannon from the Tamar, the noise of numberless crackers (the figure stated to be ten millions!) let off on shore and on the craft in the Harbour, and the strains of "Auld Lang Syne" from the band. About a score of launches accompanied the Governor to the Malta. Upon landing at the gangway the party were received by Captain Daniel, the commander. Many hundreds came aboard to shake hands for the last time with Sir Henry, and it was not until the last minute that the visitors took their leave. As the launches sailed away they each circled round the liner and the passengers gave cheers for Sir Henry and Lady Blake, who stood upon the hurricane- dook. As the Malta started on her journey another salute was fired from the Tamar.
was
THE NEW GOVERNOR. In the afternoon, at half-past two, the Hon. F. H May, CMG Colonial Secretary, was sworn in as Officer Administering the Gover- ment by His Honour the Chief Justice, Sir
Things have quieted down very much here, and I am glad to say that a peaceful issue of the Manchurian complication may now be expected. There is not much activity in naval and military circles, and various steps that have been taken of late by the autho- rities seem to indicate that, in their opinion, peace is assured. But I suppose one cannot say all's well" until the Japanese are of the same way of thinking. The Port Arthur paper of Sunday last contained the following leading article on this subject. As will be seen, the writer begins by expressing his surprise that Admiral Alexieff has been taken for a jingo, and goes on to say that he is no such thing, that he is the representative of the Tsar, which is the same thing as saying that he is in favour of peace. He points out that the Viceroy is not, any the more, a man of the peace-at-any-price sort. If war is necessary be will not shrink from it, but will embark on it with vigour and resolution, Russia is then represented as being in favour of the opening of Manchuria to foreign trade, so long as her own interests are safeguarded, and as not objecting in the least to Japanese emigra. tion to the peninsula of Corea, so long as the independence of Corea is not menaced. Reading between the lines, and relying on other sources of information, I believe that the idea is to interfere with Japanese operations in Cores as
of their vast labours in Manchuria or that a via media may not be found. There is also another side to the picture they draw of the irresistibl, Anglo-Saxon advance, and that is the irresistible
Muscovite advance; but this side of the
question has often been presented in your columns by abler pens than mine.
"1
THE NOVI KRAI ADVOCATES PEACE. The redoubtable Novi Krai has, then, come forward with the olive branch in its hand and surprise, what all that noise is about, why those asks in a gentle voice, expressive of pained rude, warlike clamours? That is the latest development. The Port Arthur journal begins its leading article on the Manchurian question with a quotation from the Chuo Shimbun to the following effect:-"The Emperor of Russia has now organised in the Far East a special form of government, calculated to develop Russian business and commercial interests. In our opinion this step dissipates the phantom of war and contributes to the maintenance of peace."
The Novi Krat continues as follows:-"This esteemed organ of the Japanese Press is un- doubtedly right, and it is a great consolation to us to be able to cite its testimony on this subject in view of the fact that the Japanese Press seems to be generally convinced that the Viceroy of the Far East belongs to the War party in Russia and that his appointment to his present position means the triumph of that party. This opinion is of course, absurd. As the Novoe
remyd recently pointed out when dealing with the establishment of the Vicero, alty, the Viceroy of the Far East is carrying out a plan previously drawn up by the Russian Tear, and care for the preservation of peace is the prin- cipal problem of his viceroyalty.
ALEXIEFF A FRIEND OF PEACE.
"It must not be forgotten, on the other hand, that there cannot be the least doubt that the choice of his Majesty, at such a difficult moment in the political life of the Russian Far East, has fallen on a man who has shown in his past career as a ruler of distant possessions of Russia, that he possesses a firm, well-defined grasp of the role which Russia has to play here, and the ability of keeping his Majesty constantly in- formed of the condition of things out here, There is in this idea of the nature of the Viceroy- alty a great difference to what the Novoe Vremya says further, but we agree with that paperwhen it remarks that the important question is ‘in whose hands will be the immediate control of Russia's policy on the shores of the Pacific ?' The clear
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