476
the committee Mr. H. E. Pollock K.C. (President), The Hon. Mr. Gershom Stewart, Mr. R. Chatterton Wilcox, Mr. M. W. Slade, Mr. D. R. Law, Mr. T. E. Cochrane, Mr. E. W. Mitchell, Mr. B. Layton, Mr. N. J. Stabb, hon. treasurer, and Mr. A. R. Lowe, hon. secretary. The number of members and associates of this branch is 285 members and 35 associates
THE NEW CHINESE MINISTER TO COREA.
A
As the term of office of H.E. Hsü Tai-sheng, Chinese Minister at Seoul, expired last Novem ber, at the recommendation of Prince Ching, H.E. Tseng Kuang-ch'uan, a Metropolitan officer of the 4th grade, has been appointed to succeed H.E. Hau T'ai-shêng, the decree making the appointment, according to the Universal Gazette, having been issued on Thursday morn- ing, the 8th instant. H.E. Tsong Kuang. ch'uan is the nephew and adopted son of the late Marquis Tseng, former Chinese Minister to Great Britain, where his Excellency the late Minister was quite popular. The new Minister to Corea is better known to Londoners as Lord Kingeast Teêng, he being an attaché of his adopted father's embassy at that time. fluent speaker of English and French and a sound Chiness scholar, H.E. Tseng Kuang oh'uan was the late Li Hung Chang's right- hand man during the peace negotiations in Peking in 1901. For these services Tsêng was promoted from his then rank of first-class secre. tary of the Board of Works to that of expec- tant Metropolitan officer of the 4th grade, this making him eligible for the post of a Minister of the second class to a foreign Court. His Ex- cellency was also of much service to the Chinese Treaty Commissioners at Shanghai during the tariff negotiations last year, when he acted as translator and interpreter for a few months until the death at Shanghai of his adopted mother, the late Dowager Marchioness Tseng, mother of the present Marquis T'sêng Kuang- lan. An able, patriotic and a progressive official, we may confidently anticipate a most honourable career for his Excellency in the Diplomatic profession he has chosen. His Excellency is about forty years of age.
THE CHILDREN'S LEAGUE BAZAAR.
We are asked by Mrs. May, the President of the Ministering Children's League, to state that the proceeds of the Bazaar recently held by the Ministering Children's League have been distributed amongst the following
charities--
Victoria Home and Orphanage $ 425.00
Blindenheim
Miss Johnstone's Baxter Mission..
French Convent
Italian Convent
Diocesan Girls' School...
Total ...
425.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 50.00
$1,200.00
THE CHINESE IN FORMOSA.
A long lecture delivered in Shanghai recently by Mr. Consul Davidson of Formosa included the following extract: The Chinese population may be divided into two classes, the Hoklo, who speak the Amoy dialect and who came originally from Fokien province, and the Hakka, who speak a Cantonese dialect and immigrated ohiefly from the Kwangtung province, where they were practically outcasts. The Hakkas are a hardy and warlike race and predominate in the savage border districts, where land could be obtained for the taking and where a certain freedom from official oppression was ensured.
Unlike their Hoklo brethren, they are generally fearless, and we thus find them, of all Chinese, most willing to undertake the making of camphor in dangerous districts. There are a few prosperous Hakka villages in the plains; but, as a rule, the Hakka prefers the hills. It is roughly estimated that there are in the islands nearly 500,000 of these people.
The Hoklo, who number over 2,000,000, are the predominant race throughout the island. They have brought with them the customs of their homeland to such a degree that a Chinese.
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[Desember 26, 1904-
Chamber of Commerce, Singapore, 4th November, 1904. DEAR SIE,-I have to acknowledge the re-
your Chamber's letter of that date addressed to the London Chamber drawing attention to the un- satisfactory condition of the French Mail Service and suggesting that the matter be laid before the Postal Authorities,
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND village in Formosa presents the same features as a village in their home province. The houses are of like materials and are crowded together in the same unsanitary way, the narrow ill-smell-ceipt of your letter of 21st ultimo with copy of ing streets present the same filth and are as irregular, the street hawkers have the same call and exhibit the same wares, and the people are alike in their dress and habits. Like their brethren on the mainland they are industrious and economical, but, unfortunately, unclean and superstitious. If they possess any advantages over the great masses of the Chinese mainland, it is that the present
less anti-foreign and generation liberal in many ways. The parents of the thousands of the Formosan Chinese arrived as
are
more
strangers, practically, in a foreign land; they doubtless met with hardships and unfriendliness while obtaining a foothold, and it is perhaps this fact that has made them look with more kindly spirit towards strangers in general. Without a doubt, the splendid work of the missionary bodies in the island, who lived down the disfavour with which they were at first regarded, accounts to a great degree for the absence of any strong anti-foreign spirit among the people at present.
The first arrivals were Japanese and Chinese pirates, and towards the close of the fi teenth century Chinese officials had frequent contests with them at sea. The turbulent days following, which recorded the advance of the Tartars over Chins, drove to the island many daring spirits, including that remarkable warrior and leader, Koxinga,
THE MAILS.
The following letters appeared in the minutes of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce.
Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce
Shanghai, 21st October, 1904.
The Chairman,
The London Chamber of Commerce,
Oxford Court, London, E.C. SIR-The irregularity and uncertainty of the arrival of letters from Europe forwarded by the Messageries Maritimes has for some long time caused great inconvenience and dissatisfaction among merchants and others here.
During the current year the mails by English Packet have been delivered on an average in 32.1 days, by German Packet in 33,6 days, and by French Packet in 35.1 days.
The chief cause of complaint, however, is not in respect of the difference in the average time, but, as above stated, in the irregularity and uncertainty attached to the arrival of the
French Mail.
The accompanying table [omitted] showing dates of departure and arrival, number of days cccupied in transit, and the interval between arrivals of French and English Mails, demon- strates, I think very clearly, that the idea of a weekly service is very far from realisation.
European correspondents are apt to imagine that in posting duplicates of English Mail advices by the following French Mail, they are ensuring the arrival of letters and documents in advance of cargo. This, however, is by no means the case, and serious inconvenience and delay are caused by the reverse of this being a common experience.
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2.-The Government here has recently ar- ranged for the despatch of an Outward and Homeward Mail Service via Negapatam through the more efficient medium of the British India Steam Navigation Company, as explained in the accompanying extract from the Chairman's address at the half-yearly General Meeting held on the 22nd September last.
We fear any representations on the part of this Chamber to the Postal Authorities here would therefore have little effect, and we are at present practically independent of the French Mail Service; still, we are quite in sympathy with your Chamber in this matter.-- Yours faithfully,
(Signed) A. J. GUNN,
Secretary.
ANOTHER CHINESE SQUEEZE
STOPPED.
a
Upon the completion of a gaol for culprits the other day by the Shanghai Municipal Authorities to take the place of the miserable squalid quarters, under the charge of an avari. cious and relentless female gaoler, at the Mixed Court, the Magistrate of that tribunal was com- municated with, asking that all Chinese females lying under sentence in that Court for offences committed within the Municipal jurisdiction should be transferred to the new gaol. The Magistrate appears to have refused his consent to the change, but Yuan Taotai of Shanghai is apparently much more amenable to reason, for we are informed, says the N.-C. Daily News, that, a pealed to by the Senior-Consul, he at once sent instructions to the Mixed Court to have the female culprits imprisoned there transferred to the new Municipal Gaol for It must be borne in mind that the women. female gaoler of a Chinese yamên is the posses- sor of a most lucrative billet, a portion of whose income it may be safe to assume finds its way up to higher quarters, so that under the cir cumstances there need be no surprise at the non-success of a first attempt to what would be the virtual abolition of a post like this. Of those unfortunates whose evil star had put them into the clutches of these female gaolers, there are well-authenticated cases where a victim, on showing inability, or perhaps obstinacy, in re- fusing to pay for the privilege and, compara- tively speaking, luxury of being allowed to sleep on a bed of pine boards, has been tied to a plank, standing edgewise, and compelled to lie on it until she promised to pay the fees." This we know is only a comparatively mild torture exercised upon indigent delinqu ‘uts.
THE INTERNATIONAL TROOPS IN CHINA.
The following interesting extract with reference to the detachments of troops of the It is possible that this state of affairs is not different nations serving at Peking as guards so fully appreciated at Home as it is on this to their respective legations is from the report side, and as this Chamber feels that the matter is of one of the United States officers serving there: one of very considerable importance I venture
"Most Americans sent from the Philippines to ask the good offices of your Chamber in develop malaria soon after arrival, the cold- bringing it to the notice of the Postal Authori-serving to bring out the latent organisms, but ties, in the hope that a solution of the difficulty after treatment for a fortnight with quinine, may be found, either in the improvement of the the trouble dis ppears, not to return, and present service or in its substitution by another invariably the patients gain in weight from ten and more efficient medium.
to thirty pounds afterwards. I am told the sime is noted with the French who come from Indo-China and the British from Hongkong and other tropical possessions. I am sorry to say that although the Americans preserve ex- cellent discipline, drunkenn ss is more preva- lent among them than the other nationalities. Possibly this is due to the lack of the canteen The British have a well- system with us. established post exchange, where light beer is sold, and in connection a club room, which tends to keep the soldier in barracks and preserve sobriety. The French give a ration of wine; likewise the Italians and Austrians.
I may add that it has happened more than once that an overdue French Mail has been brought from Singapore or Hongkong by an English Mail steamer, thus bringing within the range of possibility the loss of both original and duplicate advices, a contingency which might involve very serious consequence.
I am also addressing the Manchester Chamber of Commerce on this subject.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient servant, (Signed) WILLIAM D. LITTLE,
Chairman,
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