A
September 24, 1904.]
FRONTIER NOTES,
FROM A CORRESPONDENT.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRA DE REPORT.
New Territory, because it is certain the Chinese Government will never trouble. If a satis factory dry cultivation could be introduced it would certainly help to make the country less malarious and more suitable for both Chinese and Europeana.
SAN ON, 21st September. ECHOES OF THE WAR. The sound of the Russo-Japanese war has
It is often a matter of wonder to me how the echoed even to San On. Two old people living Chinese manage to get such good crops as they in Shek Ha Village, C.T.. have recently been do from land which receives such little nourish- granted a sum of $1,000 by the Russian Government in the way of manures. At the most, ment as compensation for the loss of their son, the land wets but a little-a very little lime or who was killed up north in some manner dried cattle manure yearly. There is no whereby the Russian Government became systematic manuring of the ground as at home." liable. The identity of the parents had to be All European vegetables rapidly deteriorate certified to by the local officials or headmen, when raised from stock grown on Chinese soil, and these gentry, it is said, managed to extort a unless the soil is plentifully manured. lar.e sum of money from the parents of deceased before they would sign the certificate of identity.
I have also heard that compensation has been given to two other people living in Sheung- shui, B.T.. also for the loss of their son. In this case I understand the Police official there signed the document of identification, but, of course, without the squeeze pidgin.“
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SPORT.
cause.
CORRESPONDENCE.
MR. JOHN HARTLEY . JAPAN.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
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SHANGHAI. September 14th. STR. Many thanks for your kind and So far very few sportsmen have been sympathetic review of my pamphlet "Boy. seen in Chinese Territory this year. Perhaps cotted by the Imperial Japanese Govern- the weather has been the deterrent
mont ele, containing the Higgledy Piggle Certainly the weather has not been favourable dy copies of letters. documents etc. for snipe shooting there is also too much
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had the late Sir Harry Parkes' views regard. water in the fields. Some of the best suipeing the meaning of the clause in the 1858-1868 ground in San On is in the neighbourhood of treaty. "Class III" Prohibited Goods, Opium;' Po Kak Hu, north of Sham Chun, but of course I attempted wholesale importation of medically with the present unsatis.actory means of prepared powdered opium for use by the Japanese travelling this place must for the present remain outside the limit of local sportsmen. (Why doesn't the Hongkong Government hurry up with the Canton-Hongkong Rail- way) I have often wondered why local sports. men do not get up a deer hunt. There are two kinds of deer on the Sau On mountains- the musk deer and red deer.
In the cool dry winter months no sport could be more exhilarating. The pure mountain air and healthy exercise would do much to build one up after the heat. And then there is the scenery, which is magnificent. The writer has stood on the summits of Ng Tung Shan and Tai Mo Shan and boon monarch of all he surveyed, and there is no finer sight in South China than the view from these mountains.
ROADS.
ort, and all classes of the people during the Civil War and cholera in 1877 & 1878 as per article 9, 1866 Convention and by virtue of the
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Most Favoured Nation Clause." after the Hollanders had been favoured, also other foreign firms. I am not surprised at being called a "mono-maniac but still hope to obtain justice in British Courts and compensation from the Japanese, now Britain's most Valiant Ally before I die, for boycotting, for many years, general merchandise, (not opino) into Japan in wholesale quantities, the genuine mauu- factures of Britain, America, Germany, aud the British Dominions. The claim is a diplomatic one: such claims ure slow of settlement in the Far East. unless the claimant has powerful influence behind him. I have still faith in British love of Fair Play and of all other foreign nationalities in the Far East. My ** motto is Nil Desperandum Yours truly.
*
writ sar-
JOHN HARTLEY. [Part of the above is evidently kastik"; but we can forgive Mr. Hartley much. admiring his perennial hope and dogged defiance of despair. Had we sufficient influence, we would recommend Japan to be, not just, but generous. -Ed.]
HUMANITARIANISM.
When is the Hongkong Government going to complete the road from l'aipo to Sham Chun? The administration of the New Territory has been in British hands for nigh six years, and all the roads made equal a trifle over 20 statute miles, making the average of roads constructed about 3 miles a year. The Taipo road when completed to Sham Chun will be appreciated by many who have daily intercourse with Hongkong, as also would a few bridle paths connecting the principal valleys with the main road. The Chinese have had a Government forced upon them which from the first they resented, and which the majority still hate with the Chinese traditional hatred of all European interference; therefore it behores the British Government to
Hongkong. 17th September. do all they can to win the admir tion of the i STR. Now that the Governma'it is introduc- people by conferring as many benefits on them ing measures for the better conservation of wild as is consistent with good government. The birds and game in this Colony and the main- present roads are the most wretched on earth land, it would be useful if the legislative power far worse than in Chinese Territory-and the writer has had experience of both. Customs employees can enjoy a good gallop on their ponies on the Chinese roads, but find this impossible should they happen to cross the border to British Territory.
FARMING,
The rice throughout the whole of San On. both in British and Chinese territory is splendid. Of course there are the poor land patches, but speaking generally it promises to be the best crop for some time past. I have often wondered why the Chinese have never sought to cultivate different species of paddy-a paddy, for instance, that could be grown on dry land to equal the present cultivated wet paddy. Of course there is a kind of "dry" paddy grown but the grain in not so suitable for food as the ordinary kind. I have read quite recently how in the southern states of America experi- ments had been conducted in the cultivation of several species of dry paddy, the crop results of which equalled the ordinary paddy both in quantity and quality. The British Government might conduct some such experiments in the
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
placed some definite construction on the words. It is a matter of common knowledge that hundreds of such birds as finches, kingfishers, and magpies are slaughtered yearly under the guise of sport, and as these feathered songsters do not come under the category of game, their slaughter should be made a punishable offence. The precautions against the trapping and sale of birds during the close season by Chinese bird dealers is also another measure which cannot be passed a moment too soon. The Ordinance is one the provisions of which our S.P.C.A. should lose no time in thoroughly investigating in order to prevent further abuses in shooting.-Yours, etc..
PARTRIDGE.
[This "Partridge" is neither shy nor strong on the wing. The construction of "the words in the present active Ordinances is definite enough, and any new measures are sure to be made quite clear as to meaning. We cannot acdept our correspondent's definition of local finches, kingfishers. and magpies as feathered songsters," and if he looks at the Or. dinances again he will find that, in the close sea-
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son, they do "come under the category of game." We believe, moreover, there are good reasons' for refraining from excessive interference with - the dealers in pet birds. There is a good deal of wanton cruelty with which local humanita- rians may busy themselves, without straining the law too far. The conservation of wild birds is an object of the law, as of utility, not sentiment.]
THE NOWROJEE MEMORIAL.
1L
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
L
"?
Hongkong, 16th September. SIR.-Referring to the letter from Kobe, referring to the late D. Nowrojee, will you kindly draw the attention of your readers to the fact that a meeting had already been called a month ago, and that "The Dorabjee Nowrojee Fund," raised by the local Parsee community, resulted. Nearly fifteen hundred dollars have already been subscribed by the Parsees.-Yours, etc..
DUTY.
THE CRICKET LEAGUE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS." SIR. As a cricket player, very much in. terested in the local sport, may I suggest that the League committee might cancel all the return matches, and allow all other cricket clubs to join in the competition?
Business men cannot spare time to practise except on Saturdays and Sundays. Saturdays are claimed for the matches, and on Sundays the ground is not available for practice.Yours, etc.,
A PARSEE BAT.
BRITISH-TIBETAN TREATY,
The Universal Gazette gires what purports to be the full text of the new treaty between Tibet and Great Britain. The following translation was made for the Shanghai Mercury. It is evident that it must vary considerably from the correct English copy.
1. The Tibetans now consent, according to Article I of the Tibet-Sikkim Convention (signed at Calcutta. 17th March. 1890, and ratified at London 1890), to re-erect a boundary tablet at the frontier of Tibet and Sikkim.
(Note:-Article I of the Tibet-Sikkim Con. vention reds:-The boundary of Sikkim and Tibet shall be the crest of the mountain range separating the waters flowing into Sikkim Teesta and its affluents, from the waters flowing into the Tibetan Machu and northwards into other rivers of Tibet, The line commences at Mount Gipmochi on the Bhutan frontier, and follows the above-mentioned water-parting to the point where it meets Nepaul territory.)
2.--The Tibetans consent to open, in addition to Yatung. where the Imperial Chinese Maritime Customs is, two towns, namely Gyantse and Kudung, and both British and Tibetan traders are allowed to reside there, freely. The inconvenient points in the com- mercial treaty of 1894 will be revised after due negotiations with the Tibetans, and then the three trade towns will be treated accordingly. When traders find any town on the route which may be developed for trade in future such town will be opened for trade after due negotiations
have been made.
3. The terms of the treaty of 1894 are not › convenient; and the treaty must be revised, for which purpose the Tibetans will appoint com. missioners to negotiate with Great Britain.
4. The Customs Tariff has already been fixed and no additional tariff will be levied.
5. From the frontier of India to the frontier
of the three trade towns of Yotung, Gyantse and Kudang no likin station or other inland tax station will be allowed to be established on the route. As the roads leading to these trade towns are in a very bad condition, the Tibetans shall repair them at once. The Tibetans shall appoint daly qualified officials at the three trade towns and all the despatches of the British officials in the three trade towns shall be received by them for transmission to the Imperial Chinese Resident as well as other Chinese or Tibetan officials. In case further trade towns be opened the same system shall be established. 6. As the Tibetans did not observe the former treaty, and fought against the British Mission to settle the boundary, the Tibetans shall pay an indemnity of £500,000 or Rupees 7,500,000,
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