昏
102
CANTON.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
2nd August. There was a regular naval war on the 31st ultimo, between the collectors of the boat taxes and the boat people working between Fatee and Fong Tsuin. A number of adventurers had applied to the Viceroy and obtained a licence to impose taxes on all the boats in the province of Kwangtung. They formed a company by "Po Yik & Co" and paid to the Govern-
пате
ment two hundred thousand taels for the privilege of collecting taxes on all Chinese boats, large and small, in Canton; and they sublet the licence to other persons to collect taxes also on boats in the districts and towns outside of Canton. They should have begun operations on the 8th of the moon (20th July); but because there was a lot of talk about the difficulty of collecting these taxes, as the flower boat people had called meetings to discuss plans of opposi- tion, they demurred until a few days ago, when the monopolists anchored several boats between Fatee and Tong Tsuin and started to collect the taxes. Some had paid and gone away, but other flower boats and salt junks were passing. and these tax boats detained them until they had paid the taxes. The amount payable depended upon the caprice of the collectors; it was said to be levied by so much per foot. On this occasion the collectors used the English foot to measure the boats, which is by two inches shorter than the Chinese foot; so the boat people refused to pay the squeeze and began to quarrel. The collect- ors. when the latter refused to pay, went into their boats and began to remove the fixtures on board. As the salt junks usually carry guns and rifles, they began the fight by throwing missiles and firing rifles. Three persons were killed and several wounded. Some jumped into the water to escape, but two tax collectors were seized and detained by the boat people. On the same day, report being made to the magis. trates of Namhoi and Pun Yiu, these officials went with soldiers, and the admiral with gun- boats, to suppress the riot. At present the boat population threaten to strike. There is a regular blockade in the Fatee and Fong Tsuin. no boat being allowed to pass.
PAKHOI.
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.J
July 26th.
STREET IMPROVEMENTS.
A Public Works Department is an institution practically unknown or disregarded in most if not all places in China, and this port is not an exception. The streets are kept in such a state of unrepair that it amounted almost to criminal neglect on the part of the authorities. Several streets had been repaired lately by public sub- scription, and yet another one is now being improved through the initiative of the members of the Church Missionary Society, who, besides subcribing for the fund, took the matter in hand, assisted by others. The street in ques- tion, which runs from the Mission House downwards, is being paved with stones and considerably widened. The stones are being procured from the Yam-chow districts for this
purpose.
A. MISER.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
(August 8, 1904.
{FROM A CORRESPONDENT.] -
then, however, demanded that the accused pay | A DAY IN THE NEW TERRITORY. a heavy sum to be devoted to the repair of other streets. After some parleying the meeting dispersed for the day. Further conferences were held, and finally it was agreed that the accused should pay $480 towards the repairing of other streets. So the affair came to an end.
A NEW-COMER.
Mons. G. Lecomte arrived on the 10th iust. to succeed Mons. L. Flayelle as Vice-Consul for France here. Mous. Lecomte, I understand, came from Tientsin, where he was the Vice- Consul for France.
DEPARTURE OF MONS. FLAYELLE,
Mons. L. Flayelle, Vice-Consul for France. his wife (who had left here a fortnight pro- left on the 15th inst. for Hongkong to fetch
viously with her three children) and then to proceed to France on furlough. Mons. Flayelle will be much missed by the residents here, as during his stay of over three years in this part he has made many close friends besides being popular with everyone who had occasion to meet him.
A SUPPOSED LIBEL CASE.
A libel case is upon the tapis in the German Consulate against the editor of the local native weekly, the Toong Sat Sun Mun, published at the German Mission House. for accusing two members of the native community of having received bribes, in their respective offices, to obtain certain privileges from the authorities. As the case is sub judice I am not able to give further particulars.
WET WEATHER.
We have been having wet weather for a little over a month; rain fell nearly every day until that the books in the best constructed libraries the 23rd inst. The atmosphere was so damp
were found mouldy.
A TOURING VISITOR.
General des Mission Etrangeres. Hongkong. Monsignor le Rev. Pére L. Robert, Procureur
passed here on board the Hue on his way to Hongkong and Singapore on the 23rd instant.
TIGER HUNTING.
Two young local English sportsmen went out on Friday last to look for the king of the forest which was reported to have been seen in the villages not far from the town. They returned on Sunday morning spiritless and minus the baits-a pig and a goat, besides having to apologise to their friends for not being able to produce the skin of the beast they promised to bring, although they confessed to have seen and fired at it. The villagers are disappointed at their failure, as they live in terror of the tiger.
ANTI-CHRISTIAN RIOT IN HUPEH.
It is rumoured that à French Bishop and a priest have been been massacred, another priest made prisoner. two converts killed, and three chapels burnt. at Lichuan, near Sinanfu.
The
Two hundred soldiers have left Ichang for the scene of the riot.-Lichuan is in Hupeh about 125 miles south-west of Ichang. victims in questiou were Belgians. not French, Our correspondent at Ichang has told us, says the N-C. Daily News. from time to time of trouble between the people and the Roman Catholic Missionaries in Western Hupeh, and these troubles have now culminated in a deplorable massacre at Lichuan, the victims being the Right Reverend Father Theotimus Verhaegen. Titulary Bishop of Syena, and Vicar One of the native subscribers for the above Apostolio of Southern Hupeh, and his brother, fund, named Chun-Foo-Loong, had been accused the Rev. Father Frederic Terhaegen. who are of stealing the paving stones intended for, and reported killed, and the Rev. Father Florentius lying on, the street. About one hundred slabs Robberecht, who was made a prisoner by the were found concealed in his gardens adjoining rioters and whose death is since reported. The the street. The accused, though a man of news came to us first in the telegram from our means, was looked upon as a miser; in fact correspondent at Ichang. and it has been he is held by the majority as one of those confirmed by a telegram from the Rev. Father wretches who would take the beam out Polydorus Vercruysse, Procurator of the of his own eye if he could sell the timber. Catholic Mission of Southern Hupeh, to the As soon as the robbery was discovered a Belgian Consul-General here. Whether there crowd was collected and entered his gardens was any cause for this terrible outrage, beyond in a body and commenced to smash everything the general ill-will of the people to the Roman in it, including some beautiful flower pots, Catholic missionaries, we do not yet know, but plants, jars, and fruit trees, after the lynch it is an outrage that nothing can excuse or manner. The mob, during its work of palliate. It is satisfactory to see that the destruction, was not in the least disturbed by authorities at once sent off a force of two hundred the authorities. The following day the accused soldiers to the scene, which will be in itself a
**
was summoned before the Municipality to fevere punishment to the population and the answer the charge of robbery, but being afraid officials who permitted this tragedy to occur. probably to confront his accusers, he sent his Still more condign punishment will, it is to be wife instead, who denied the charge. It was hoped, soon follow.
At this time of the year one sees the New Territory at its best. The mountains are green to their crests and the valleys are smiling with crops, ranging in colour from green to yellow. A curious thing to observe is the way in which the work of husbandry goes on; within the same acre of land one can see planting, reaping and threshing proceeding simultaneously, while in contiguous plots the delicate young paddy is just showing above ground, the half-grown crop is waving Instily, and the fully ripened grain body is busy planting or garnering, and the hangs heavily waiting for the sickle. Every- yoked oxen have to work from dawn till sunset. The Chinese, by the way, apparently do not agree with the injunction against muzzling the or that trendeth out the corn, for every draught animal to be seen is furnished with a muzzle that effectually prevents it from snatching a chance mouthful of the luscious young growth. Bank Holiday unfortunately was not an id-a. day for traveling ah at the country. All the mountain tops were expped with rain-clouds which every now and then swept across the plains and broke in a deluge on the already But the was compensation for flooded fields. any discomfort that had to be endured in the beau ifal effects of the mist when the suo would break through and his reflection be cast back in broad rainbows At this seasou. after the rains have come, the who's of the low-lying country is flooded, and the farm pule, mostly women, work among the rice half way to the among the paddy fields and serve as public. knees in mud. The paths which twist and turn
highways are for the most part laid with slabs of stone, but there are places where this top down until it is sometimes less than a foot wide. dressing is dispensed with and the path narrows A wrong step one way or the other and the pedestrian finds himself encased in a mud Even in covering far above the boot-tops, broad daylight such things will happen, but should he have the misfortune to be caught out after dark then he can depend upon arriving at his destination much in need of a bath and a change of clothing.
as
Our company was the victim of such a mischance on Bank Holiday. We started off to see a new part of the country that we had never visited before, having as our guide, philosopher and friend a New Territorian who developed walking ability to the extent of something approaching six miles an hour when once we got fairly started on the journey. We saw the country all right, but by the time we had satisfied our curiosity it was getting dusk and there was a return journey of more than six miles in front of us over such delectable paths If there is one are described above. peculiarity about the people in the New Terri- tory it is that they wish as much as possible to rag the fellows who come out from Hong- kong. In this instance the New Territoriaus certainly had the best of it. There is a suavity about New Territorians that beats everything. The New Territorian in a soft and Sam Slick voice will ask you to go as far as the next village which, he avows, is not more than six or eight miles distant; but when once you start to walk the road you find that the six miles multiplies into twelve and the road gets worse as it goes along.
"
On this particular night after we left on our return journey the stars were shining but feebly. We had to trust mostly to our homing instinct to find our way home. Even our guide, long- legged though he was, and conversant with geographical matters, was not able to set us on our feet.
*
We set out on our way with light heads and wet feet. Darkness descended like a cloud before we had got half way. I forgot to mention that on the way across we had had a river to wade. On the outward route the stream looked so formidable that the whole of us, with the exception of the hardened Now Territory man, stripped, waded across and donned our clothes on the other side.
But coming back in the dark things were very much changed. Our long-legged friend delighted in taking us by all the by-paths. If there was a bridge to cross he was sure to take us by a ferry, across which we had to wade, and
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.