Page
July 2, 1904.]
the Tsar; he denounces the war as ascrib- able to the immoral ambitions of men sitting in their palaces and appeals to the people to refuse to go to the front.
RUSSIAN
TORPEDO AT GENSAN.
ATTACK
TOKYO, June 30, 7.15 p.m.j Our Consul at Gensan reports that early on the morning of the 30th inst. six Rus- sian torpedo-boats entered the port and fired about 200 shots upon the Japanese settle- ment, sunk one steamship and one sailing vessel, aud then rejoined three ships side the harbour and disappeared.
Two Coreans and two soldiers were slightly wounded. The damage done to the buildings was insignificant.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
SUPREME COURT.
:0:
Monday, 27th June.
IN ORIGINAL JURISDICTION.
The BEFORE HIS HONOUR SIR W. M. GOODMAN
(CHIEF JUSTICE),
"He
Those on the Hitachi were Captain Campbell | prevent the execution of an outrage which (in command). Mr. Bishop, Chief Officer; and would stop railway communication for a pro- Mr. Glass, Chief Engineer; and on the Sado longed time. In this connection we can be Captain Anderson (in command). Mr. Dring. sure that, stimulated by the indefatigable Chief Officer; Mr. Kerr, Chief Engineer; and activity of the chief, General Tchitohagoff, Mr. Carmichael, Second Engineer. We learn the frontier guard will be fully equal to the by telegram from the Ujina office of the Nippon task before it. Yusen Kaisha that of these officers Mr. Kerr is the only on known to be saved. Reports in the vernacular papers lead to the supposition that some have lost their lives, but it may still be hoped that most of the officers were taken on the Rus- sian vessels. From a Sasebo dispatch to the Asahi, and is well at Okinoshima, while the same Captain Anderson, of the Sado has been saved out-journal states that Captain Camphell, of the
1: Hitachi, went down with the ship.
message speaks in the highest possible terms of the gallant conduct of Captain Campbell. coolly died at his post with the Japanese military officers, and his conduct merits the sympathy of the whole nation. The fact that he placed more value upon his uty than upon his life is truly admirable." The message adds that Captain Campbell served for twenty years as captain of Nippon Yuson Kaisha vessels, and rendered distinguished services to Japan during the Japan-China War. That Captain Campb 11 would do his duty nobody who has met him would doubt for a moment, but We join with our Kobe trusting that the news of his death may prove contemporary in sincerely incorrect. Other dispatches, though not actually announcing the death of the European officers, agree that their behaviour during the disaster was admirable in the extreme, and all that could possibly be expected.
THE ATTACK ON JAPANESE)
TRANSPORTS.
NARRATIVES OF SURVIVORS.
The Kobe Chronicle of the 18 h inst., reporting the disaster to the Hitachi-maru, says:-
seas and
The various narratives of survivors and reports of officials show that the Hitachi-maru and Sado-maru, both fine 17-koot steamers, and formerly European liners of the N.Y.K., left Shimonoseki early on Wednesday morning for a destination which we are not at liberty to disclose. The weather was bad, with rough a heavy mist, so that it may be presumed that the chances of escape of the steamers were greatly lessened by the fact that before the Russian squadron was sighted it was already only one or two miles away. The war- ships announced their purpose by firing three shots across the bows of the Sado and Hitachi, both of which endeavoured to show a clean pair of heels, and continue on their course at fall speed. Escape, however, was impossible, ad both vessels soon realised the necessity of
|
HOW THE RUSSIAN COMMUNICA
TIONS ARE GUARDED.
Vremya of the methods adopted by the Russians An interesting account is given in the Novoe
for keeping watch over the Manchurian railway. The writer says:-
The two attempts made to destroy the Man- churian Railway, the first by two disguised Japanese officers, and the seco d by fiv Chinamen, who placed dynamite cartridges on the permanent way just before the passage of a train, show that this is a danger which we must reckon with seriously Let us see how the work of guarding the line is carried out.
shutting down steam in order to remain afloat, for there is little doubt that the vessels could easily have been sunk had they attempte to disregard the fire of the cruisers. As it was the Russians seem to have delivered a shell fire which did considerable destruction, The steamers brought to a step, were told that the non-combatants, crews, etc.. would be allowed to This service requires a special force of frontier take refuge on the warships, but the troops guards, consisting of fifty-five squadrons of were given an hour in one minutes in the other to clear from the vessels. six bat eries of artillery; altogether 25,000 men, case and forty cavalry, fifty-five companies of infantry, and This was no easy matter, for it seems that spread over a stretch of country about 1,250 a high sea was running at the time, and miles in length. This number, seemingly, is several of the Hitachi's boats were capsized in inadequate, but, although the troops never the attempt to get away, As in the case of kuow what point is threatened with attack, the ibe hinshiu-maru, many of the officers com- bandits are equally at a disadvantage, as they mitted harakiri, and others shot themselves may come into collision with a detachment of rather than fall into the hands of the enemy the railway guards, who are constantly pat- When the time allowed for escape had expired, rolling not only the entire length of the railway a warship approached to wituin a hundred and line, but also the country for thirty miles to the sixty yards of the Hitachi aud deliberately right and left. Moreover, the work of the torpedoed her, whereupon she quickly sank, patrols is facilitated by the fact that the Chinese cartying down with her, it is believed, the great have a horror of the darkness, shutting them- majority of those who had left Shimonoseki selves up in their houses at sunset, and not that morning. The latest reports to hand emerging again until it is broad daylight. estimate the number of men belonging to the For the Hunbuses, however, not only does Hitachi who perished at one thousand, and it is night possess no terrors, but they prefer to to be feared that the majority of these went carry out their misdeeds under corer of down with the ship. Contradictory reports darkness. There is consequently no doubt that have been received regarding the fate of the a man captured at night is either a Hnnhas or Sudo-marus but it appears that this vessel did a Japanese in disguise. By day it is difficult to not sink though she was greatly damaged. A distinguish peaceful Chinamen from Hunbuses, number of refugees have reached various ports, the only difference being in the arms carried by and their accounts show that about a hundred the latter. After an attempt on the line the men at the outside belonging to the S de lost bandits make off at full gallop in the direction their lives. To cap this story of disaster. as of the villages. They hide their arms, and two steamers were leaving Shimonoseki Straits then, with the most natural air in the world. on Thursday with the object of extending any confront the soldiers mingled in the crowd of help that may be required, they came into villagers, who do not dare to denounce them for collision, the result being that one was sunk. We fear of subsequent vengeance. have been unable to ascertain with certainty the Besides huuting Hunhuses, the frontier guard names of foreigners engaged, and, in view of has to defend the railway from possible attacks the constant changes, it would be wrong to by Chinese regular troops. Bridges, tunnels. make what would be little else than a guess. and all the principal points are defended by There is no reason to think. however, that they strong detachments with artillery. The Chi- are among those who have perished, as it is nese soldiers and the Hanhuses are dangerous most probable. they are on the Russ an war in this sense, that they compel us to scatter our ships.
forces. The soldiers are not braver than in Altogether says the Kobe Chronicle of the 19th 1900, but it is difficult to get out of the way of inst., there were at the time of the disaster a dynamite cartridge, which is always easy to seven foreign officers on board the two vesselslay on the rails at the time when a train is three on the Hitachi and four on the Sado, passing, What is especially important is to
+
AN UNDEFENDED SUIT.
The Hing Lung shop sued Ng Lau Tong for 82.250.10, being balance due for 13 cases of curios, etc. Mr. P. W. Goldring, solicitor. of Mr. John Hastings's office, represented the plaintiff. Defendant was unrepresented.
The plaintiffs in their statement of claim said that they were curio dealers carrying on business at No. 15, d'Aguilar Street. Defen. dant was compradore to Messrs. Macgregor Brothers and Gow, merchants and shipowners, agreement was made between the plaintiffs and 4, Des Voeux Road. On 8th July, 1903, an the defendant, whereby the plaintiffs under- took to deliver to the defendant when he should so request certain goods for sale on terms, inter alia, that upon the expira- tion of four Chinese months from the date of delivery the defendant should (unless he then returned such if any of the goods as were unsold) pay to the plaintiffs the price of the goods or any balance of the price then out- standing. The price was agreed at $3,225. On the 9th September, pursuant to the aureement, the plaintiffs delivered to the defendant at his request and the defendant gave plaintiffs a written memorandum of the agreement. Plain- tiffs craved leave to refer to this memorandum at the trial. The said period of four hinese months expired on 5th January, 1904, but the defendant had not returned such if any of the goods that were unsold and had only paid the defendant $1,025 of the price, leaving a balance of $2,250.10 which they now sought to
recover.
His Lordship said he understood that the defendant had filed no statement of defence, and consequently, by Section 300 of the Code, was not entitled to be heard in that Court. Plaintiff, he understood, was prepared to give
evidence to prove his claim.
Ma Tsin Hop, the master of the plaintiff shop, went into the witness-box and gave evidence, after hearing which,
His Lordship gave Judgment for the plain. tiffs.
1
Thursday, 30th June.
IN BANKRUPTCY.
BEFORE IIIS HONOUR SIR WILLIAM M.
GOODMAN (CHIEF JUSTICE).
THE PO FUNG BANK.
The hearing was continued of the case in which upon the application of the Official Receiver, the Court had ordered that an issue be tried as to whether Lo Yuk Shang, Kwong King Tong and-Kwong Yik Lam were partners in the Po Fung Bank at the date of the petition in bankrupty being filed, or at such other date as the Court may determine.
Mr. John Hastings, solicitor, appeared for the Official Receiver; Mr. M. W. Slade, barrister (instructed by Mr. H. W. Looker, solicitor. of Messrs. Deacon, Looker and Deacon), appeared for the men alleged to be partners in the bank; and Mr. S. W. Tso, solicitor, and Mr. O. D. Thomson, solicitor, represented certain creditors.
Mr. Slade in his concluding address said the issue which his Lordship had to decide was whether these men were partners in the Po Fang Bank. It was a very serious question for all the partners. It was also a very serious matter for the defendants, for if it was held that they were partners their money would all be swept into the net of the Official Receiver. So
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