May 16, 1904.]
RUSSIAN OFFICIAL NEWS.
Shanghai papers publish the following des- patches :---
It is reported from Vladiovostock that to-day, at 7.25 a.m., the enemy's squadron was seen south of Askold Island, its strength being ten large vessels and six torpedo-boats. At 9.45 a.m. it took the direction of Rousky Island, steaming westward. No other news on this subject has been received.
According to the report of Captain Bolchakof, the Corean officials at Kongshen (Kyongsyong) seemed to be on the Japanese side, and would give no assistance to the Ru siaus,
In different parts of the province of Kirin, the activity of the Hunghu'ze is incressing. The bands, mostly mounted, and 100 to 500 strong, seem to have some organisation. The pickets of railway guards have bad some small engagements, on the 26th near Shitoucenzy, and on the 27th near the station at Tchaotoufu. In the former skirmish we had one soldier woun- ded, and in the latter Lient. Boutkevitch received contusions, and two soldiers were killed.
During the night of the 29th, between Telin and Suitaiczy, the patrols of the railway guard heard an exp osion; the patrols opened fire, to which the bandits answered with a volley and made off.
It was found that some 70 feet from the bridge, four pyroxiline cartridges had been placed on the rails over a distance of nearly 100 yards; the explosion destroyed six rails: the road-bed and he sleepers were not destroyed. and traffic has been resumed.
On the same night, between Sintaiczy and Houshitai, a fresh explosion was perceived at the junction of two rails, over a length of ten feet. Another cartridge which had not gone off was discovered.
The culprits could not be found. The road is repaired.
At the station at Ereendjiandzy i the course of an investigation, a large quantity of rokorok (explosive compound) was found in some Chinese shops, and some Bickford fases. Some arrests have been made.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
in the Third Moon, and on the twenty-third day, the devout votaries of Tien Hau journey in their thousands from all parts of the southern provinces to worship at the ancient shrine and supplicate for good joss in the coming months. The festival indeed is one of the most famous in China, yet though its celebration takes place at our very door it is but little known to Europeans here.
Shekwan Bay is famous for the quality of its oysters and its crabs. During the past few days it has presented the appearance more of an important shipping port than of an unsequester- ed bight under whose placid surface lie the silently growing beds of shell-fish. Junks by the hundreds filled the bay-junks of strange shapes and rig, from the covered-in house-boat peculiar to the inland rivers to the huge coaster of a hundred tons or more with massive cannon frowning over the bulwarks; the war-vessel with fags and braves in gay attire, and the rapid sampan flitting in and out among the shipping. More than a score of steamers, big and small, from the old converted wooden hulk to the latest type from the shores of France, lent diversity to the scene.
Onshore the view was even more wonderful. Where only a week ago the eye could see no- thing but paddy fields and find nothing more interesting than the old dismantled fort on the hill (a dragon with his fangs cut out), a veritable city now appeared. a city of bamboo and palm leaf. Numberless gangways had been built out into the sea for landing pilgrims from the boats A great broad wooden street had been built on piles from the wharves to the temple across the watery fields, and all throughout its half-mile length it was flanked with booths where could be bought joss-sticks, joss-paper and crackers by the cart-load. The great joss for which Shekwan is famous are coloured paper cocks Thousands upon thousands are bought and carried away into the remotest parts of Kwangtung and Kwangsi. These are carefully preserved among the household gods until next iival comes round, and happy is the man or woman who out of the myriad sold chances upon the chanticleer who evinces an ability to crow, for everlasting prosperity follows in the footsteps of its happy possessor and his or her
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customary lines of Chinese drama. There is a state of war between two rulers. The op- posing forces meet, terrible in their battle array, and one side is pat.to flight. The King receives news of the disaster to his forces and calls his counsellors in conclave to decide upon the course of action to be taken-shall it be peace or war? His daughter the Princess is present. She (or he rather) would for one of
pass the ugly sisters in "Cinderella" pantomime. Her face is painted white after the style of a singing-girl, but the paint stops at her chin and leaves exposed a scraggy, yellow neck with buling muscles. What was the result of the conference we did not wait to hear, but the audience appeared to be highly interested in the proceedings.
On the road back to the seashore we had more leisure to notice the sights of the fair. Every now and again we came across patrolling braves with burnished rifles on their shoulders. They cut a fine figure when employed in pacific pursuits. There are others, too, whose duty it is to prevent the organised crushes got up by the pickpockets and cutpurses. They are armed with only a rattan-cane, but for their purpose it proves to be much more efficacious than the rifle. It is part of their duty also to keep the legion of beggars in order. If one should yield to the supplicatory "Cumsha, taipan," of a single member of this vagrant brotherhood, one is immediately pestered with a small army of them at his heels. Great was our relief when a cane-wielding regulator of the traffic appeared on the scene and dispersed one such tail with a few sharp cuts of his cane about the shoulders of the most clamant of the beggars. We smiled our thanks, but apparently he wanted a more substantial acknowledgment of his services, for with the greatest sang-froid in the world he held out his hand for the cumsha that wo had denied our tormentors. Typically Chinese, truly!
to
..
sees
At various parts of the roadside one examples of loathsome humanity such as put one in mind of the Biblical description of the gates of the temple at Jerusalem. The maimed, the halt, and the blind are all here, as well as lepers in every stage of emaciation brought on by that foul disease. While they cry aloud for charity and lay bare their ghastly sores, the pilgrims laugh and chaff in the contiguous eating-houses or barter merrily with the booth. keepers for a Shekwan cock. It is well to get away from such a place. It is a respite even to stumble across a butcher at work bleeding pigs and handing them over to his folis to be dressed and roasted whole in an extemporised oven built of clay on the beach. Great heaps of oysters lie on the foreshore, numerous men and women being employed in forcing the reluctant shells to disgorge the delicacy that they guard so carefully. Everyone on the return journey carries joss" of some sort, and toothsome dainties for the family at home-oysters, fresh and dried, crabs or Chinese sweetmeats; and it is a light-hearted, merry (if tired) crowd that regains the steamer as she sets out for Capsui-
At Port Arthur and Newchwang all is quiet. Moakden, 7th May-The landing of Japa. nese troops at Pitsewo and on the coast near Cape Terminal began early in the morning of But the purchase of cocks and souvenirs is a the 5th inst. Sixty of the enemy's transports matter of after consideration. Our first devoirs were counted. Our patrols retreated from the
must be paid to the temple and its goddess coast. We destroyed our post and telegraph It is not the thing to dare to enter the office at Pitsewo, and the Russian population sacred precincts of the temple without bringing left the town. According to Chinese state- a votive offering. so we arm ourselves with an ments, the enemy encamped in considerable abundance of crackers and set off. What a force near its landing places on the evening of crush! At one part of the way so great is the the 5th, having sent out two columes, each press that the narrow thoroughfare is incapable consisting of about one regiment, one towards of accommodating all who would pass temple. the south and one towards the south-west.wards. To make matters worse, there is a Part of the Japane e squadron protected the sudden rush of people coming from the opposite landing-places, and part watched the entrance direction. It is the crowd being driven forward to Port Arthur. During the night of the 5th by the patrol of braves. The stream of people and 6th inst., three companies of the 4th becomes compressed, the strain increases, and at (Russian) regiment were sent out from last the human throng bulges out at the sides, Palantien to Pitsewo, and on their way were invades adjacent stalls, and even betakes fired on by the enemy's infantry. The detach- itself to the paddy fields at the risk of going mun. ment retreated to Pulantien without any loss. wet-shod for the rest of the day. After To-day, a detachment of the enemy's infantry, much crushing and good-natured interchange about 150 strong, two versts (1 mile) from of badinage we reach the temple. The joss- Pulantien, opened fire on a railway train which pidgin is soon over, and we are glad to escape was going nothward from Port Arthur. In into the courtyard and get away from the din the train there were many passengers, and about of crackers. the jostling and the cinders from 200 sick in sanitary cars. In spite of the Red the paper fires that fill the throat and eyes. It Cross flag, the Japanese kept up a hot fire on is a fine old temple replete with old pictures, the train and wounded two of the sick.
rare carvings, and resplendent idols. In the courtyard one finds that it is a case of "out of the frying pan into the fire." There is scarcely room to move. Games of chance are in full swing-fantan. kluk-kluk, dominoes, and the three-card trick all engaging attention. Chained up to a great stone lion are two miserable creatures, who. we are told, are pirates awaiting sentence. put there as a warning to evil-doers. They hide their faces in their folded arms and refuse to look up.
THE GREAT SHEKWAN FESTIVAL.
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Away back in days that are dimmed by antiquity the fisher people of Deep Bay and Canton River built a temple to their Goddess, Tien Hau Tan, and called it Shekwan. It may be that at a less remote period a city sprang up around the sacred building as cities have grown about our English cathedrals, but to-day the environments of Shekwan are devoid of the evidences of gregarious human life; barren hills above and flooded paddy-fields beneath fill up the scene. At ordinary times the only signs of habitation are a curl of blue smoke rising from the temple buildings, a fishing-bost in the bay, or a solitary figure among the rice. But what a vast change comes with the annual festival! For be it known that each year,
Opposite the temple is the theatre. The play is just about to begin as we see by the coming of an old man on to the stage with a pail of water which he forthwith sprinkles over the matting that the dust may be kept down. There is a weary prologue, lightened only by the vagaries of a clown with white painted nose and lip which he contorts in such a
manner as
to convulse the audience with suppressed laughter. Then comes the play. It is on the
RAILWAYS IN CHINA.
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The Shanghai native papers are busying themselves with the subject of various railway projects in China. According to the Sinwenpas an American merchant has applied from the Waiwupu for permission ta build the Taiyuen Hankow railway, with a capital of Tls. 40,000,000 which have already been subscribed. definite arrange- ments having been made with the Governor of Shensi as regards the railway. This railway, as proposed, will run from Taiyuen-fu, Shensi. passing Shensi, through Tung Kwan, and on to Hankow. The Waiwupu have not yet given any reply.
The Universal Gazette learns that the original scheme of the Belgian railroad merchants was to construct a line of railway from Shanghai to Canton where it would join the Canton-Hankow Railway, but in time their engineers found that Fohkien and Chekiang, through which the proposed line had to pass, were so mountainous that extraordinary labour and capital would be required to carry out their scheme. There- fore they finally gave the idea up and turned their attention to the northern section of the Canton-Hankow Railway, but as the right et
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