December 11, 1905.7
Cauton, 7th November.
THE LINCHOW AFFAIR.
It is reported that the Linchow commission has asked for the execution of three of the murderers on the 8th instant, The commission is expected to start on the return journey on the 10th and will reach Canton about the 16th or 17th. Minister Leong Shing has cabled to the Peking Government informing them that he had received a communication from the United States Government stating that the Missionaries had agreed not to demand an indemnity for the Linchow Massacre.
FORTUNE'S FAVOURITE.
Viceroy Shum memorialized the Throne semetime ago recommending for promotion Cheung-Yu-Lok, the ex provincial Judge of had been degraded two Kwangtung, who steps in rank for inflicting unnecessary torture on a prisoner called Mak-Ah-Sui, who died in
prison through the injuries received during the course of his trial. Judge Cheng was appointed to the On-Hui province lately and, through Viceroy Shum's exertions on his behalf, has now been summoned by the Throne to appear at a special audience so as to receive the Imperial pardon. Cheung-Yu-Lok will be
restored to his former rank.
POST OFFICE MONOPOLY.
The Kwangtung Post-master of the Imperial Chinese Post has received instructions from Peing to severely punish all illicit carriers of mail matter. All parcels and letters must henceforward pass through the Imperial Post- office.
MUST STICK TO TREATY PORTS.
A French merchant who recently established a firm and godown at To-shing in the Sai-Ning district, has had to abandon the business and to take the sign board down, as the Chinese objected.
COPPER COINAGE.
The Board of Revenue at Peking has cabled Viceroy Shum and the Viceroy of Fukhien that their joint application for permission to export copper coins has been granted. There will be a heavy demand for these coins, and the Kwangtung and Fokhien mints will be kept busy, as those coppers are said to be heavier than the foreign coins, which stand now at 10 per cent, discount.
ARTS AND MANUFACTURES.
A meeting was held yesterday in the Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of establishing a large shop for the furtherance of every branch of art and manufacture. The capital is to be $1,000,000, and 80 per cent has been already subscribed. The charitable institutions are investing their reserves at 8 per cent interest. Everything that can be locally mads will be handled by this company, whose object is to provide work for artisans of all crafts and to gradually substitute Chinese-made articles for
the imported ones. A Commercial Press will be
established in conjunction with this institution and will give reports of the state of the market and general commercial news,
MASONIC INSTALLATION,
At the Masonic Hall on Dec. 6th the officers for the ensuing year of the Naral and Military Lodge were installed. They were as under :- Right Worshipful Master. Wor. Bro. J. Smith Immediate Past Master, Wor. Bro. F. J. W. Last; Depute Master, Wor. Bro. W E. Claret Wor. Senior Warden, Bro, A. W. Hill; Wor. Junior Warden, Bro. E.A. Chap. man; Treasurer, Bro. W. J. Gast; Secretary, Bro. J. J. Blake; Chaplain, Bro. Young Hee; Junior Deacon, Bro. G. Cleare; Senior Deacon; Bro, J. Roberts; Director of Ceremonies, Bro. A. E. Standage; Organist, Bro. A. A. Caesar; Inner Guard, Bro G. W. Coysh; Stewards, Bro. R. MacLeod and Bro. C. H. Parkinson; Tyler, Bro. J. Vanstone. After the installation cereniny. those present adjourned to the banqueting hall, where a banquet was held in honour of the Right Worshipful Master, Bro- ther Joha Smith, The usual toasts being honoured, and the wants of the inner man appeased by the tempting disbes pr›vided, an inpromptu musical programme was gone through, and with its conclusion a very pleasant evening terminated.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
407.
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY FOR "Pa set of rules on which a horticultural
HONGKONG.
A meeting of ladies and gentlemen int rested in the formation of a Horticultural Society for Hongkong was held last evening in the City Hall His Excellency, the Governor, sir M. Nathan, presided over a good attendance, and was supported by H.. the Feneral Officer Commanding (Major General Villiers Hatton), the Chief Justice (Sir Francis Piggott), the Attorney-General (Sir Henry Berkeley), and and Afforestation Department. Mr.S. T. Dann, Superintendent of the Botanical
His Excellency the Governor, in open.
of you are ing the meeting, sid-As no doubt most
aware & horticultural
society existed here before. It was established on the 3rd February. 1873, and lasted exactly ten years. the last exhibition held under its auspices being on the 16th February, 183. The society then seems to have died away, as institutions do in this colony with its ever shifting community. The meeting being held to-day is with the object of reviving that horticultural society. If we cannot have con- tianity, the next best thing is to get a revival of old institutions. The principal object of the society is, as has been placed before you, to hold annual shows for the improvement of plaits and vegetables grown in the Colony. There is another object to which I trust the society if formed will give its serious consideration, and that is to improve the gardening department. A short time ago a lady spoke to me оп the subject. She had just been over to Kowloon, and, being a new arrival in the colony, was struck by the disgraceful way in which people kept their gardens. She asked — Could the Government not do something. Of course I was pleased with that touching belief in the Governor's powers, but it seemed to me more a matter for private enterprise if such a society were to be formed with good results. Of course the conditions in Hongkong are not We altogether favourable for horticulture. can hardly hope to get the beautiful gardens in the English fashion with velvety turf, closely clipped hedges and herbaceous borders nor can we hope to find a useful model in the Dutch garden with its formal flower beds and geome- The Italiau garden with trical arrangement. its shaded walks, tall trees and grottoes has a good deal worthy of imitation. I don't look to see the Persian garden surrounded by a square and water running down the centre. wall and filled with rose trees and orang, trees The Chinese garden, so far as I know anything about it, consists mostly of ponds, pagodas and bridges. The Japanese, I think, of all peoples, have sought to embody abstract id-as in their gardening, and with people in Hongkong taking an iuterest in gardening, especially these with plenty of spare time on their hands, one may certainly look forward to the time when Hongkong will be known as a place where "many a flower by water blows." As regards the object of the society, there is no doubt that there is a love of flowers in the colony, I would like to see more flowers_grown here and their quality improved. Then as to vegetables, I have always looked upon the garden as the place for flowers and the green-grocers' shop fr vegetables. We want to improve the character of the vegetables grown in the market gardens, and to get them grown under conditions which will make them more healthy for consumption. In time also the society will see its way to extend its efforts in this direction and encourage the improvement of gardening produce apart from market gardening. I don't think it should be too ambitious in the first instance, but I trust it will confiue itself at present to develop the interest in horticulture, improve the quality of the gardening, and also of the conditions under which the vegetables are grown in market gardens. If it achieves auy one of these purposes it will have done useful work and if it achieves all three it will have become an important factor in improving the Colony for all. (Applause.)
Mr. Dunn then explained the proposed con- stitution and scope of the society. He said that as His Excellency had remarked they were all anxious to do the best they could to improve the gardens in Hongkong. They had drawn
society should be formed.
Rule 1 was-The Society shall be called the Hongkong Horticultural Society and shall have for its object the encouragement of gardening in Hongkong.
As this implied, the chief object of the pro- posed society was to provide the means of im- proving our gardens. How successful garden- ing could be, has been shown in a few well Kowloon but also at the Peak. There might known gardens, not only in Hongkong and
be and ought to be many more gardens like them. Co-operation was all that was wanted. The owners of gardens and fruit farms should have some regular means of exchanging their views and experiences, especially with regard to the introduction of new flowers, vegetables and fruits. They should adopt co-operative methods in getting dut their seeds and other garden
requisites; they should form a library of works on tropical gardening and should freely consult it. Much fuller use should be made than at present of the Government Grdens, and con- tained with the Government Botanical Depart- stant and thorough co-operation should be main-
ment. These desiderata were practically Horticultural Society. What we wanted was a impossible of accomplishment without a society to hold meetings at which we could exchange our views, to get out our seeds, to lenl us books, and to obtain and distribute to Government together with the necessary advice us in due time the new plants introduced by the
for cultivating them.
|
Rule 2-Any person interested in horticul. ture is eligible as a member.
Everyone is, of course, welcome and I hope that the society may eventually include ladies and gentlemen of all the different nationalities in Hongkong united in the one object of beautifying our own and each other's gardens, and improving the quality and quantity of their produce. The interest already exhibited in the movement was very encouraging. As they knew their Excellencies the Governor and the General would allow their names to stand as patrons of the society and Sir Paul Chater had not only consented to be a patron but had enlisted the interests of a large number of his influential friends and had, with them, most kindly pro- mised to provide a sum of money which would give to the society a satisfactory financial basis. So they would see that as regarded personal su port the society would start at the outset under good auspices. (Applause.)
Rule 3.-The subscriptions shall be five dollars per annum payable on election or on the 1st of May in each year; the funds of the society shall be expended upon an annual exhibition of flowers, vegetables and for other purposes connected with the object of the society.
The details as to the amount of subscription and date of payment would naturally engage the attention of the Society itself when formed.
This sum would, however, probably be about the correct one for our present needs.
The first call on the funds and the chief
function of the society would undoubtedly be the annual dower show. Shows were not only essential for the healthy progress of gardening but helped to encourage friendly intercourse and exchange of gardening ideas with our neigh- bours. At the approaching show, for instance, contributions were expected from Amoy and other Chinese ports. The Municipality of Shanghai was even sending down its Superin- tendent of Parks and Open Spaces, so he heard, to be present at the show and it was quite possible that they might have exhibits from Mauritius and other distant colonies. The beneficial effect of these and other features of the flower show would be evident to all of them.
Rule 4 was-The affairs of the society shall be managed by a committee of nine members including the president, honorary secretary, honorary treasurer and six others to be elected anually at a general meeting to be held not later than May 1st in each year.
This was the usual arrangement in societies of this kind but it could easily be modified by members if necessa′′y, When the society was formed it was possible, of course, for any member, who wished to do so to propose detailed arrangements for the increase of its usefulness. But from the proposed rules and the short explanation which he had given he thought they
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