302
!
substantial wall, the largest of the kind here, encircles the ground on which the building stands, and the flower and vegetable gardens, as well as the inevitable tennis court. The locality also was well selected, being between the B.itish Consulate to the south and Mesars. A. Schomburg & Co.'s residence to the north.
OTHER ERECTIONS.
I must mention als that the Customs are building a row of six two-storied houses for the accommodation of their out-door staff, and the premises are fast approaching completion.
Foundations have just been laid for the French Government New Hospital situated to the west of the French Government School. A grant of $3,000 had been made for this pur- pose two years ago, but work could not be commenced until now, for the only contractor (Lo Tzi) had his hands fully engaged at the time,
The foundations for a new chapel for the Church Mission Society are also about to be laid.
Native houses are springing up like mush- rooms throughout the town.
These speak volum s for the improvement of the port and the increase in the number of the native population. Where such improvements are noticeable, trade ought to increase in the same ratio; but no; it is declining in nearly all its branches, while the prices of food stuffs are rising to heights previously unknown.
CATTLE.
Oxen have been sent to your port recently in appreciable numbers. These animals, I under stand, are brought here from Kwangsi overland and exported by steamers to your port, and taken to the abattoir there, As a new source of meat supply for your port, it ought to materially relieve the Colony from the high price of meat said to be ruling some time ago.
A FAMILY ARRESTED.
Owing to a Canton telegram received here by the Naval authorities, the family of the late chief officer of the Chinese gunboat Kwang Kum, composed of his wife, bis old mother and a servant girl, has been arrested and detained. The chief officer is reported to have embezzled, while in Canton, the sum of over Tls. 1,000 entrusted to his care to be taken to this port. He has absconded and is still at large. The family is to be sent to Namhoi to be dealt with if the man fails to surrender himself, or his wealthy relations do not pay the money.
"THE VICTORIOUS NUMBER."
That is the title of a seventy-page commemor ation number of the Maicho Shimpo, which has reached us from the publishers in Yokohama.
眼眼
THE HONGKONG WZEKŁY PRESS AND
tea there which was followed by another party having been sent out to India in next year for the purpose of studying the condition of grean tea there." The history concludes with a word for the future. In no distant future great reformation will take place in tea trade and shonld Yokohama merchants remain lazy just as they are the tea market will be removed to Shizuoka as is evinced by the quotation at Shizuoka ruling at Yokohama."
It is a wonderful example of journalistic enter- prise, although we must admit it would have been more "victorieus" if the publishers had bad the sense to get someone bitter a quainted with the English language to edit those portions which are printed in our tongue. Because some of the blunders are so amusing, and with no desire to poke fun at our confrères, we may quote some of them, merely cautioning the reader against thinking that English is not better understood and
* wrote in the neigh- bouring empire.
An article on Japanese restaurtsaat Yoko- hara describes the uative restaurants at Yokohama where visitors are advised to study Japanese manners. We read that the upper part of room is portial the chief guest being to sit backing it," and "when the entertainment is progressed the host give thanks to the assembled guests which is returned by them. Geisha helps in the entertainment while they sing and play as well they being. The is considered as necessary in entertaingment. They make toilet their special study so that their style is elegant and graceful and associating as they do with men of upper circle they are genteel in deport ment and easy in manner"! And more beside, all to "saed the eyes of the behoders" A "Mr. Tuft" is said to have enjoyed it quite recently; the appears to be an American Secretary of War A history of the tea trade tells us that in 1875 a Chinese was engaged for manufacture of tea and black tea in Chinese way having been manufactur the esanmple was sent abroad to ask for criticism while an officer e nnected with tndustry was despatched to China for observa- iion of the actual condition of black and green'
"
The editorial artic'e is addressed to "the rulers and people of the worli" and to "Emperors | Kings, Presidents, Ministers of State, and general public of foreign countries." It re. marks, inter alia: "We need scarcely say that our little paper is incapable to represent fully and satisfactorily the idea and feelings of Japanese people, but circumstance not a lowing us to be silent on the subject we assume upon ourselves the liberty of placing ourselves as mouth organ of the people." It must be admitted that mouth organ is a distinct score. Proceeding to discuss" post vellum measures, our contemporary goes on: "However the Japanese nation feeling grateful for the symp thies expressed in our late struggle with Russia our labouring thir selves to supply the of the worlb with good and cheap article which sball welcomed by all. When the country was first opened to trade these emgaged were ignoront and lacked fund while foreigners who opened frome in this country were finicpocery those who got fortume by coniling of prosince of Japanese peoper. This brought about conflict f ointerest between them and both parties not unders'auding each other well transaction was often made with doubt and suspicion. The result of such circuma'ame is that there character of Japanese was misunder stood and trae worth of Japanese people was not know abrowd. But now there are many merchau who got wealth by the trade and uncerstands that honecty in the only means to get riches, as their charcter is not infend to any fuey recesone. Again said recebont of good character having come to engage in foreign lands bid clements have been drivers out of the industrial circle of late and gɩods element come to monopolize the market now.
We cau hardly express how glad we are to hear this "Honecty" is the best policy, much better than getting fortume" by coniling at
finicpocery."
|
44
זי
But now we have giren enough. As our contemporary observes, "want of space obringes us to stop her." Before we stop her, however, we may mention that the number is beautifully illustrated, only the English descriptions mar- ring the fine photographs. One, a view of the place in a dairy where the cows are milked, is sque-zing out place." The portrait of the proprietor is labelled: A. Successor of Keeping Cows And Mi Lking.
labelled the
Esq
THE STAR FERRY COLLISION.
INQUIRY AS TO THE CAUSE.
At the Magistracy on the 26th October before Mr. F. A. Hazeland and a jury composed of Messrs. A. McDougall, H. F. Carmichael and M. Cassidy, an inquiry was held into the cir- cumstances surrounding the death of Cheung Yung Mui and Chau Tai Tai, sampai women. The deceased wers drowned in the harbour on the 16th instant as the result of a collision between the simpan they were sailing and the ferry launch Evening Star.
Mr. F. B. Deacon (of Messrs. Deacon, Loker aud Deacon) appeared for the Star Ferry Co., and the coxswain of the Evening Stir, while Mr. O. D. Thomson watched the proceedings
on behalf of the relatives of the dec‘ased.
Dr. W. Moore, medical officer in charge of the Kowloon mortuary, testified that on the 18th instant he examined the bodies of the deceased and found that death was caused by drowning.
Chan Yau said he was the owner of the row. ing boat which was sunk by the Ferry Evening Star. On the morning of the 16th instant he was coming from the French mail steamer, which was at the buoy, to Blake pier. He had a Chiness passenger on board besides his wife, daughter, younger brother and a foki. Witness was sailing and the wind was blowing moderately from the east. The tide was running west.
[October 30, 1905.
He saw the ferry launch about 300 feet on his port bow. She had just left the wharf. When within about 200 feet of him he called out to the ferry four or five times; she altered her course to port shortly before the collision but struck him on the port bow. He did not hear any whistle. The sampin was capsized and its occupants thrown into the water, his wife and daughter being drowned. The collision occurred west of Messrs. Shewan Tomes' buoy.
To Mr. Dacon-He was sailing with the wind behind him, and slightly slauting. There were no other craft between the French mail and Blake pier, and he saw the ferry launch from the time she left the wharf. She steered an easterly cours The ferry altered her course when with ss bailed her. If she hal altered ber cou se to starboard instead of port the collision would not have happened ; he did not alter his course when he siw the collision imminent. His wife was steering. After the collision the ferry blew her whistle.
Mr. Deacon called Lo Fuk, coxswain of the Evening Star ferry launch. He said that when he observed the sampan it was sailing as if from the police pier to Hongkong. Thera was a fresh north wind and the sampan was sailing free.
He first observed the sampan about 200 yards distant on his port bow, and blow a warning signal on his whistle. As the sampan held her course witness blew 8 second blast, but apparently no notic W68 taken of it. He ported his helm with the intention of going astern of the sampan when about 50 or 60 fest distant. Before the collision he twice altered his course to starboard. The sampan altered her course at the last moment, and it was then that the ferry struck and capsized her. After blowing his whistle, as the sampan took no notice of his signals, he slowed down to half speed. At the time of the collis on the ferry's engines were going astern. He s'ood by the sampan after the collision.
he was close to the sampan, a few seconds after To a juryman-When he stopped the engines
he reversed them.
The inquiry was adjourned.
CHINESE "STEELYARDS."
Mesuy's Miscellany says: -The issue of bal noes [cheng, or apparatus for weighing in some branches of Chinese trade is limited legally to the guild of that particular line of trade at such place. Thus in Chung-ob'ing the pork butchers' guild issue scales to persons who have been properly recommended as suitable persons (members of the same guild) to start a butcher's shop in that town or its suburbs; it
bing the opinion of other butchers that another shop is desirable. The butcher has to pay Tls. 30, I believe, for his first set of balances aud Tls. 10, when they require renewal, These high prices are purposely charged as fees to the guild for the benefit of all its members. No butcher is permitted to set up in business without a sat of those scales or
balances. The standard of weight is one tael or liang, which is a Chinese ounce of about 550 grains troy.
The Chung-ch'ing butchers consider that one Catty, or Chinese pound of pork, should weigh twenty taels or ounces, that is the largest I have heard of in matter of market scales of any place. In some places eighteen taels are and twelve is the lowest called one catty, in others sixteen, fourteen, have heard of, and Settlements, and the catty thus is just the that is at Shanghai, within the foreign equivalent of the pound, Pang, avoirdupois 6,600 grains troy weight, which equivalent weight, and it is called P'ang-ching, or say applies to the Shih-cheng, or market scales only, The Ku-ping, or government treasury scales. grains; thus twelve taels, or Liang, are almost are larger; the tael being equal to 579.84 troy the exact equivalent of our pound avoirdupois, which is 7,000 grains. All other scales give less weight than the government scales from one to five per cent.
A Tokyo telegram to the N.-C. Daily News, dated 15th October, says:- -The American steamer Centennial (1,184 tons), bound for Vlad. ivostock, was captured on the 12th instant in La Perouse Strait.
T
*
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.