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flag at the American Consulate, Amoy, to-day, thus showing official condemnation of vandal indignity. He also appoints special deputy to proceed to Amoy to investigate other com- plaints." The claim of the American Consuls is that if such an act of indignity should be allowed to pass without official rebuke, vorze deeds of violence might be expected to occur. They commend H.E. for the course he has taken thus far in this matter, in his instructions to the local authorities to discover the offenders.
BOYCOTT FORBIDDEN BY CHINESE GOVERNMENT.
A proclamation issued by the Waiwupu con- cludes as follows : —
There is cause for apprehension, however, that
evil characters may take the opportunity to
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
NAVAL FOOD,
[WRITTEN FOR THE DAILY PRESS
BY "WAVING PLUME."]
The extract by Royal Nary in the July Fleet, which we published in the Daily Press of Angu-t uth. drew attention to the contrast,
he actual food a man does get on between board a man-of-war and that which the recruit. ing posters lead him to suppose he will get upon joining the royal navy, Like so many of our official statements, the naval food looks
(August 21, 1905.
Sir!" We have evidence before us, however' that as far ago as 1891. it was done-un- officially of course-and that in a Corvette with about the minimum of facility. The truth is the Admiralty Official knows perfectly well that the sailor will not eat the biscuit supplied under the guise of 'Bread.' The biscuit is possibly the next hardest thing kuown after the diamond. But the Admiralty official also knows equally well that his little puff in the Advertisements about savings' would be lost if he supplied the sailor with something he could eat Speaking generally the biscuit paper a most excellent and generous brought on board is merely ornamental and is allowaner; but if a man! were to consider !
issued only when it becomes necessary to empty moment, he would notice that the poster, it overboard in a state of weevilly activity refers to quantity only: nothing is said about the quality. Within the last few
the years
Ou
a
question as to the rations supplied on board ship has been brought before Parliament with very little result because it is quite a different matter
A
man saves a few pence on the ample supply ' of this provision which he cannot eat and has to spend a few shillings on supplying himself with something that he can eat. The article
create disturbances and influence the iguorant discussing naval rations theoretically in London referred to concludes with these words:
masses to break the peace. In view of this,
:
!
therefore, the Waiwnpu states that it is most important that steps be taken to exhort everyone to be patient and quietly await the result of the said Board's deliberations on the subject. His Excellency the Governor, having sent a reply by telegram to the Waiwupn. now in- Į structs the Bureau of Commerce to issue this proclamation to inform all concerned that as the new treaty is still being deliberated upon by the Waiwupu, and that nothing definits has as yet been decided, all gentry, merchants and literati are exhorted to wait patiently for the instructions of the Waiwupn and cast away
all doubts and suspicions, and they are also further asked to exhort the labouring classes and common people amongst them to await the result of the deliberations of the Waiwupu in the same manner, and refrain from listening to the evil influences of the rowdy element, and thereby avoid creating disturbances which will Let all only end to their own det:iment. respectfully obey. An important proclamation. 3 st year of Kuang Hsü, 28th day of the 6th moon (30th July, 1905),
JAPANESE KINDNESS AND COSSACK CRUELTY.
The Peking Times learns of an act of kindness by the Japanese from an Italian gentleman who has just arrived from Moukden. which will commend itself
to everyone, During the evacuation of that place by the Russians the gentleman referred to was assaulted in the early morning by some Cossacks who demanded money from him. He refused to give them any, and one of the Cossacks slashed at his head with his sword. In putting up his bands! to defend his head he received a terrible wound, the sword penetrating right through his hand and clearing the skull. The Japanese arrived shortly afterwards and finding him in his house learnt the details and immediately procured a military doctor who gave him every assistance and called twice a day for one week to dress his wounds. Remembering the amount of work which devolved on the medical corps at this time, the kiuduess is most note- worthy.
FENWICK AND CO. PROSECUTED.
INDUSTRIAL NOISE OBJECTED TO Before Mr. F. A. Hazeland, at the Police Court on Aug. 18, Messrs Fenwick and Co.were charged, at the instance of Sergeant Blackman with unlawfully, between sunset and sunrise, making certain noises calculated to annoy and disturb the peace and tranquillity of the vicinity.
Mr. Looker (of Messrs. Teacon. Looker and Deacon) appeared for the defence.
Sergeant Blackman stated-At 1 a.m. on the 41th instant I was on duty at Praya East, I heard noises like the hammering of iron coming from Messrs. Fenwick and Co.'s works at Kennedy Road. The noises were loud enough to keep everybody in the vicinity awake.
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[
His Worship--I have had this company. brought before me by the police two or three times now. I think some citizen who heard the noise should be produced, as has been done in former cases. As the company are going to move the summons might be re-entered. In the meantime I will adjourn the case sine die.
with a full stomach to discussing he rations in remarkably solid fact on board a ship, say in Hongkong Harbour, with an empty one!
The
frequently a very wide one. difference between theory and practice is The theoretical ration as set forth on the recruiting poster gives one the impression that a sailor is allowed
a
money
so much to eat that he can as a rule make a little pocket money by savings with which he cau purchase nice little extras to make the luxurious fare still more luxurious By savings is meant that those parts of his ratious which a man feels are superfluous and beyond his modest appetite may remain mudrawn and
credit
lieu. allowed in
Of course the recruit imagines that any savings will be paid over to himself and is much disappointed to find that the question of official generosity is a mere joke at his expense just a quibble. So far from savings being paid to the man he finds he has got to produce pocket money to assist the logs in paying
for those extras at the Canteen which are
necessary for the making up of a square meal! There is no such thing really as official philau- throphy either at the Aimiralty or the War Office. The sole idea in publishing any regulation to do with the members of our Forces appears to be to so word them that at a casual glance they appear to the public as generous promises, whereas, if examined closely they will be found a cleverly veiled trick for putting the hand into our soldiers and sailors pockets. Read the published inducements to a man to join the Royal Navy. He will receive an ample supply of provisions free-a free ration is given, including 1 1 of meat! &c.-Fr any portion not taken up savings are paid with which relishes can be bought at the Canteen" It almost sounds
in sumptuous and years to come Great; Britain on the strength of such a document will probably attribute her Naval success to the open hauded manner in which she treated the Naval Stomach: As a matter of fact it makes a sailor positively sick to hear all the, bombast of the Roast beef of old England being accountable for any of our National The man who doesn't have to fight may have plenty of the "solid beef and a'e, Sir!' but he takes particular care to see that the man who does have to fight gets but a very modest share of it. The Official mind argues thus, What is the cheapest stuff we can lay our hands on with which to feed our noble defen. ders" The Official mind, elevated once per week by a visit to Church, considers it has pro- videntially been furnished with a minimum dietary in the parable of the famous Prodigal
success.
KOU.
Say
་
་
fain to fill his belly with the husks that the swing did eat." The Official mind, after a good square meal, argues that you may what you like but anyhow the Prodigal Sou managed to become famous somehow or other and did it on husks, mind you! Why not,
We try something similar on the sailors? mustn't call our special food husks of course Good idea! or the Public will be on our track, Give em husks and call it ample provision As an instance of this take the bread' ques tiou. There is absolutely no reason nowadays why bread-i.e. bread as we understand it- should not be made on board or, on short Admiralty Officials when voyages. carried. questioned why this cannot be done look very wise and say "Quite impracticable, my dear'
.
'
But
In
are the official rations ample? Quantity, Yes: Each ship has a 'bread room
in which is stored the ship's biscuit. No one wants it and there it remains to be carried round the world, the men faking a small money equivaletit for it which goes to partly pay for bread bought from the Canteen which, whatever its quality, is at least eatable. Is that the end for which we maintain our Victualling Yards?
In a Battleship some years ago was a Chap- lain so clever as to be accounted amongst ordinary men a mere fool. Having read some rubbish about edible fungus. he stepped on shore and picked up some most unsavoury examples of the toad-stool variety. These he handed to the ship's cook to replace the ordinary Offices dinuer. Like the Admiralty Biscuit no one would swallow this luxury. Fortunately, hoverer, unlike the Biscuit supplier. the sup- plier of this dainty, being present in person, the Officers considered it only just that he should be forced to make a meal off his own patent food. The result was instantaneous: Edilbe fungus was never introduced into the Navy the demand: And further it is reported that again The supply proved more than ample for
the reverend gentleman never even thought of fungus again without shuddering from head to foot. Habits and customs in eating change. The tribes inhabiting the shores of Terra del Fuego are contented with a diet of worms or any other creeping things found locally; the ostrich may thrive on a meal of brass candle. sticks and soda-water bottles; and the goat looks upon a local newspaper as quite a banquet for mind and body. The silor, however, is only a mere man and his digestive organs should be considered from this point of view. If he asks for bread, it is a shame to give him a stone.
TRADE OF COREA.
The report on the trade of Corea includes the following The principal highway being from war inte:ference" thus open and safe there were not wauting exceptional induce ments to trade. Careals of every kind yielded excellent crops throughout the country, and the requirements of the Japanese forces-and in Hamkyeng-do of the Russian forces-created an easy market for these foodstuffs without the trouble and expense of transportation abroad. Native labour, too, was employed on a large scale, and well remunerated, in connection with the movement of troops and the work on the Seoul-Fusan und Seoul-Wiju rail.
millions of Many unwonted
you ways. were thus, in consequence of the war and the railway construction which it so greatly ac- celerated, distributed among the Corean people. Never before, it is safe to say, has the average Cor-an had so much to spend, and the Import tables shew.how freely he has spent it and how great and immediate is the advantage to Foreign im- trade which may be expected to follow any provement in his circumstances. Another, less gratifying consequence of the abundance of employment and higher wages was the greatly increased cost of living, both for Natives and Foreigners, prices having risen in many cases 50 to 100 per cent.
It is noteworthy that more than half the imports of the year arrived in the last four months.
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