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March 26, 1904.]
H. M. river-gunboat Moorhen returned to Hongkong from a cruise on the 11th inst.
The name of the Rer. F. T. Johnson has been
added to the list of J. P.'s.
Mr. W. Ramsay's appointment as Engineer Surveyor for steam-launches is notified in the Gazettee.
Major L. J. Dopping-Hepenstal, R.E., has been appointed Staff Officer to the Commanding Royal Engineer, South Chius.
Direct exchange of parcels between Hong- kong and the Dutch East Iudies is now establish. ed. The limits of weight and dimensions are published in the Gazette.
H.E. Major-General Villiers Hatton, C.B., in compliance with the Shanghai Municipal Council's request, bas notified his intention no detach a field officer to inspect and report to the Volunteer Corps there.
Vice Admiral Sir Gerard Henry Noel, K.C.M.G., afrived by the P. & 0,8 8. Šimla and on the 11th inst. hoisted his flag on the Alacrity.
He has been Rear-Admiral of the Mediterranean Fleet; Lord of the Admiralty, 1893-98, and A.D.C. to Queen Victoria 1894-96.
Ho was born in 1845.
A correspondent calls attention to the dange rous state of the retaining wall on the south side of Caine Road at Breezy Point. During the last rains part of the wall gave way and fell into the road. Now another portion appears to be on the point of giving way. The wall is bulging out already, and when heavy rains come it will very likely collapse altogether, to the danger of any pedestrians who may happen to be passing. The P.W.D. would do well to ses to the repair of the wall before the rainy season begins in earnest
Un on the 16th inst. the light draught sternwh.el gunboat An Hsi ran her trial in the harbour. This little vessel was built at Cosmopolitan Dock to the order of Messrs E. C. Wilks & Co., for H.E. the Viceroy of Canton for special service the higher
on
reaches of the West River. This vessel has been built in the short period of two months from date of order. The principal dimensious are 72 feet over all, 13 feet beam, with a draught of one foot six inches only. The speed attained on the measured mile was 8 knots, being nearly a knot over the guaranteed spoed. The
An Hai loft to-day for Canton. The plans and specifications were prepared by Mr. W. C. Jack, M.I.N.A, of Messrs. E. C. Wilks & Co.
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One could almost count the sailing-ships that visit Hongkong during the year on the fingers. the more up-to-date steamers having almost wiped the pioneer type of craft off the trade in these parts. Indeed, almost the only wind- jammers." to use a nautical expression. that come this way at all are occasional freighters from New York, with kerosene for the Standard, Oil Company or an odd lumber-vessel from elsewhere. The Vale of Doom, a small three-masted barque, flying the Sarawak flag, arrived from Rajang on Thursday with 1,000 tons of timber, consigned to Messrs. Sander. Wieler & Co. She was 35 days on the passage, experiencing strong N.N.E.-head winds- gales from Latitude 17 to Latitude 21. Mr. Wesemeier is captain of the craft. while her owners are Messrs Pasedag & Co., of Amoy. It would be interesting, by the way, to know how many deep-water craft. fly Rajah Brooke's flag.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Mr. H. Wynne, of the Kowloon Docks, was married to Miss Annie Maude Parker, at S. Peter's Church on the 17th inst. The brides. maids were Miss Ethel Parker (the bride's sister) and Miss Anna Guy. Mr. W. Nicholson was best man. A reception was held afterwards at the Hongkong Hotel.
We have regretfully to record the death at the Government Civil Hospital on the 12th inst. of Mr. William Noble, superintendent engineer of the Asiatic Petroleum Company, T.d. Mr. Noble had been in the service of the Company upwards of eleven years, and had superintended the installation of the Company's huge oil-tanks in various parts of India, at Batavia, and elsewhere. Latterly he had been at Haiphong arranging for an installation of tanks. Suffer ing from fever, he came to Hongkong about a month ago
Admiral Sir Cyprian A. G. Bridge,_K.C.B., paid his farewell visit to Government House on the 11th inst, being receive at Blake Pier by a guard of honour and band from the Sherwood Foresters. In the afternoon he was saluted with 17 guns (15 for Admiral; two for Com mander-in-Chief) by the new admiral, answering with 13 guns (13 for Vice Admiral; when Vice- Admiral Sir Gerard Noel, the new C mmander- in-Chief, officially assumes his position he will be entitled to two more gans). Admiral Sir Cyprian Bridge has shifted his flag to the Leviathan, the Alacrity being now temporarily occupied by Vice-Admiral Sir Gerard cel, who may remain on her till the Glory is ready for sea-service. Admiral Sir Cyprian Bridge will be busy receiving calls, and inspec ing the various British warships at Hongkong between this and Monday, when he leaves in the Alacrity for passage to Japan, He proceeds home from Japan via Cans 'a. It is very probable that as soon as the Alacrity gets to sea he will strike bis flag.
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for medical treatment. Un- fortunately complications developed and Mr. Noble succumbed on the 12th in it. He was but 37 years of age, and leaves a wife and child who came with him to Hongkong. The interment took place at the Happy Valley on the 13th the Rer. F. T. Johuson officiating.
In the Government Gazette appears a pro- clamation by H.E. the Officer Administering
the Government, to the effect that "all land in the New Territories in relation to which no claim has been presented to the Land Court, and all land the claim to which has been dis allowed by the Land Court or in relation to which a title has been refused by the Governor under the power in that behalf reserved by the 14th section of the New Territories Land Court Ordinance, is land the property of the Crown, and all persons in occupatio of such land after the dates specified in the Notifications above referred to in respect to the various districts concerned will be deemed and treated as tres- passers, unless such occupation be authorised by grant or licence from the Governor or from some person authorised by him in that behalf."
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Prince of Wales on the 16th February gave a sitting to Mr. G. E. Wade, the sculptor, for a statue which is to be erected at Hongkong. A notice appears in the Shanghai limes to the effect that on the 12th March the paper became the property of Mr. Frank J. Maitland. and from that date Sport and Gossip was incorporated as the Sunday issue of the Shanghai Times.
The
The Shanghai Spring Rac Meeting will be held on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th May. Stewards this year are Messrs. R. E. Bredon, C.M.G. (Chairman), C. Brodersen, D. Landale F. Gove, John Liddell, W. S. Jackson, and R. Macgregor.
Mr. H. C. Nicholle arrived in Colombo by the Gera on the 28th ult. His appointment to Ceylon is for three months, during which he is to re-model the Auditor-General's department. The popular idea in Colombo is that the new system will throw more work on the Treasury, which will have to do all the accounting work.
Prince Pu Luo, special Chinese Commis- sioner to the S. Louis Exposition, who is a great-grandson of the Emperor Tao Kuang. and a grandson of the third Emperor, arrived at Woosung on the 9th inst.in the C.M.S. Anping, and devoted the afternoon to, visit- ing the Chinese men-of-war at Woosung.
The captain of a coasting steamer bought half a Macao lottery ticket from a Chinaman, who subsequently came and told him that he bad won the first prize half of $60,000. The captain could not find the ticket. He sent to a curtain coast-port, his headquarters, to see if it could be found at home, but a negative reply resulted,
249
Mr. Henry O'Shea's connection with the Shanghai Times ceased on the 5th inst., that journal announces
The financial report of the Bank of Taiwan to the 31st December last shows a net profit of 153,714 yen.
The total assets amounted to 18,073,360 yen. The Bank has an authorised capital of 5,000,000 yan, only half of which is paid up, and the reserve fund amounts to 299,500 yen.
A few more details of the first train to Tsinanfu, whose arrival our Shanghai telegram announced in the 17th inst., are to be found in the N.-C. Daily News, whose correspondent tele- graphs under date Tainauf, 16th March-Gay with Chinese and German flags, the locomotive decked with evergreens, the first through train on the Shantang railway ran into 'T'sinanfu at nine o'clock last night The distance from Tsingtao is 496 kilometres (252 miles), and the time consumed was fourteen hours. The Go- vernor's band serenaded the incoming train. which carried a party of over twenty Germans A g and illumination and fireworks combined to make it a beautiful scene.
a Japanese have been committed for trial at A French subject named Henri Fouque and Yokohama ou a charge of fraudulently obtaining 2,795 you from the Yokohama Specie Bank and a Chinese exchange, as well as an attempt to defraud the Russo-Chinese Bauk of 13,500 yen by means of forged cheques.
A report reached London from Paris last month that the agreement now reached between from the agreement of October, 1902, thể France and Siam does not differ very greatly ratification of which was prevented by the French Colonial party. The Bangkok Govern. minor points, ment, it is believed, has now given way on some appointment of more Frenchmen in the Siamese particularly concerning the
servic'. The recession of Chantaboon to its lawful owner remains, and to Siam this, and the question of railway communication in the Mekong Valley, are the chief points.
A sad case of suicide at Yokohama is reported in the Japan papers, the victim being a Mr. D. Bacon, an American, who had recently come to Japan. According to the account given in the Japan Gazette, it appeared that the deceased was invited to dinner at the residence of Mrs.
a
Forrest, No. 26, Bluff. After dinner a dance took place, but Mr. Bacon did not participate in it, having retired to a back room. About one o'clook ona of the ladies present went to the room where Mr. Bacon was, and Was horrified to observe tha he was holding revolver with its muzzle pointing at his temple. Before she could stop him, Mr. Bacon pulled the trigger and fell down dead, the ball penetrating into his brain. described as the son of a well-known New York merchant who has a connection with the Stan- dard Oil Company.
Mr. Bacon is
According to the Deutsch Asiatische Warte, the 6th inst. was to be a red-letter day for Tsingtao, as the first mole in the new harbour was to be opened to traffic. The following was to be the programme :-"The opening ceremony is to commence at 11 a.m., when 8.M.S. Iltis followed by the ss. Coverneur Jaschke will en ter the harbour and make fast alongside the new pier. On arrival at the pier, Governor Truppel and the second Admiral of the craiser squadron will disembark, when he will be met by the Director of the department of harbour construction, who will report the pier ready for traffic. A locomotive from the Shantung rail- way company, coming from Tsingtao will then run slowly along the mole, ontting a cope stretched across the track. This is to be fol- lowed by an address by Governor Truppel, ending with the Kaiserhoch whilst the band will play the national anthem."
The cableship Scotia was wrecked last week off the island of Guam. It is impossible to say whether she can be salved or will be a total loss. The Scotia is a vessel of 4,667 tons register, built in 1861 and was comman led by Captain Rushton. She is the property of the Com- mercial Company's fleet for cable-laying and repair work. The Scotia was on her way to Guam from Hongkong when she was wrecked.
The scenic charms of Ceylon appear to have laid firm hold of Sir Henry Blake, and he has given frequent expression to his feelings of admiration. A Colombo paper remarks that when Sir Henry referred to Galle as the sport "where once older nations exchanged the wealth of two hemispheres," he must have quite startled the good people of Galle, and says that "the condensed report of his remarks reads like an extract from Lothar". hardly a criticism justified by the speech, we think. We note, by the way, that in the course of the speech our late Governor said that apprehensions as to plague in Ceylon__were exaggerated, as his large experience showed that plague could not exist in a temperatur. like Ceylon's.
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