372
The
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
i
TOURISTS' DILEMMA,
Scotland and China contribute each a fifth of the cases, and Ireland and India about a tenth.
Several well known residents of Hongkong The reason for this excessive indulgence in
found themselves in an awkward predicament alcohol which so often leads to such disastrous
the other day. They were in the city shop- results in persons of unstable mental equilibriumping, buying curios. They were on foot. is perhaps not very difficult to seek : for it is an
When they thought of returning, they found undisputed fact that the abuse of alcohol is that their return had been out off by the flood. common in this Colony especially among the No chairs were to be found and the only wage earning classes and a certain section of
ments offered them to cross the flooded streets sen-faring folk I may mention incidentally was to climb on the backs of coolies. Even this that I have seen more cases of alcoholio
was a delicate task, as two of them weighed insanity and more cases of excessive alcoholic
over two hundred pounds each. They finally indulgence during my short period of service had to wade through to return to the in this Colony than I have seen in a longer Shameen. period of service in another Colony. reason then most generally assigned is that the olimate here is enervating and that in conse- This quence the system requires bracing up. ides combined with the well-known camaraderie among a set of men earning a precarious livelihood, often out of work, always isolated and bereft of home ties, must lead to excessive alcoholic indulgence and this in its turn surely leads to mental derangement. It cannot be too strongly insisted upon that if the climate is bad the means adopted to counteract its effects are worse and but augment its injurious effects, if any. Total abstainers and moderate drinkers, that is, those that drink with discretion, come off best.
DEATHS.
These amounted to 7--of whom 6 were male and one female, giving a percentage on cases treated among the males just under 4 per cent. and among the women just over
per cent.
2
OCCUPATION OF PATIENTS. The occupation of those under treatment during the year is stated in Table III. as far as ascertainable.
It is a great pity that the patients, both Europeans and Chinese, display a strong disin- clination to work or to keep themselves occupied in some way that would distract their thoughts and take them out of themselves. Work and occupation as a means of treatment are well recognised in all English Asylums and have been found effective in ameliorating the mental condition of such as are able to undertake the one or the other. Our resources in this respect are limited, but we find European patients are particularly intractable. It is all we can do to induce the native patients to undertake a little gardening from time to time.
CANTON
(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)
May 12th
NEW LOTTERY FOE CANTON.
Some time ago two merchants named Cheong and Leong respectively petitioned the Lin Hau Kak applying for a monopoly for a new lottery to be called the Yuen Fung Lottery. They offered a royalty of $48,000 per annum. Yester- day the Lin Hau Kuk informed them that their Toquest was granted. A sum of $12,000 was immediately deposited with the authorities.
NEW POLICE STATIONS.
Vast improvements have been made of late in the police department. Buildings in semi- foreign style are being erected to replace the old wooden temporary structures, and the force la gradually being trained into shape. The streets are well guarded, and rowdyism is less prevalent, as the policemen do their duty fairly well.
THE FLOODS SUBSIDE.
There has been no rain for the last three days and the floods have now subsided. This year's crop of peaches and lichess will nevertheless be considerably under the average both in quality and quantity.
THEATRE AND SCHOOL.
May 14th.
A certain merchant has memorialized Viceroy Shum offering a royalty of $13,000 per annum for the privilege to build a theatre on a portion of the site previously occupied by the Cheung Shan temple (which was confiscated by the Viceroy). The royalty, it is suggested. may be applied for educati nal purposes. It is reported t
that the Viceroy has granted the privilege, subject to his approval of the plans and regulations of the theatre.
THE WEATHER.
The rains have ceased at last, and we bare been having sunshine for the last three days. Within twelve hours the thermometer bas risen from 72 to 88. The Chinese anticipate a hot summer, and according to the sample pro- vided within the last three days they should bo right.
A CANTON FATALITY.
May 15th.
A house in Han Lan Fong inside the walled city collapsed at eight o'clock yesterday moro. ing. The premises were occupied by a family surnamed Li. Li's wife and his four children were all buried under the debris and killed.
THE GAMBLING GROOM STORY.
The groom who sold his master's horse lo a Bannerman, and pawned the saddle managed to win a hundred dollars at fantan, and went and bought the pony and saddle back, and has taken them to his master. In consideration of his pluck the master simply admonished him.
180 a good story ends; but from whom did he re-purchase the pony P-ED.]
WHARF LEASE,
It is reported that a certain Ho Foo-nin leased the ss. Chukong's wharf from the Chinese Government some four years ago. It was distinctly stipulated in the lease that the lessee should not sublet the wharf to any or admit any foreigners into foreigners partnership with him. The wharf is now in foreign hands, and the lessee is being prose. outed.
EDUCATION NOTES.
Candidates to the number of 192 have passed the recent examination and will be admitted into the new college as cadets to be trained as expectant officials in the civil serviç“. Amongst those who passed, 36 were officials, 74 numbers of the gentry (where training will_be paid for by Government), and 82 self-supporting students. Yesterday Viceroy Shum rceived an Imperial Edict appointing Ya Bik-min, formerly literary chancellor of the Kwangtung Province, Inspector General of all the Colleges in Kwangtung. In the afternoon H.E. Viceroy Shum called personally at Ya's yamen to offer congratulations.
MACAO.
(FROM OR CORRSPONDENT.)
THE ELECTRIC LIGHT.
May 14th.
After a good deal of patient waiting the inhabitants of this city were favoured with this luminant on Thursday last. incandescent lamps are working satisfactorily, So far the small but I cannot say anything of the larger ones, which are not yet working.
THE PUBLIC HEALTH.
I am glad to be able to report that so far the public health of this city is good, and now with the advent of bright sunny days there is every hope that this state of things will continue. It is true we had a few cases of plague here, but they were imported ones, and t have reasons to believe that we will not be visited by a plague epidemic this season.
THE CANTON-MACAO LINE.
The China Merchants' S. N. Co. have with- drawn their steamer Kiang-tung from this run There is ample field now for an enterprising syndicate to run a steamer on this line on Tues. days, Thursdays and Saturdays. The Steamboat Co's steamer frung-skas leaves here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
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(May. 19, 1908. ATTEMPTED GAOL-BREAKING AT
SHANGHAI.
ORGANISED RISING OF PRISONERS.
WARDERS SERIOUSLY INJURED, The following are extracts from the N.-C. Daily News account of the occurrence reported in our special telegrams at the time :----
A most determined attempt to escape from prison was made by the Chinese convicts at the Ward Road gaol on May 4th and as a result two Chinese were shot dead, one other died subsequently from his wounds, and several par sons were more or less seriously injured. [Two more have died.]
Between two and three o'clock an organised attempt to escape was made by a gang of the prisoners. By some means they obtained the Aword of an Indian warder and then tried to break out. The alarm was given immediately and a severe tussle ensued, in which a notorious criminal, an associate of Vah Ka-der, and another prisoner were shot dead and several were injured. The head gaoler, Mr. W. D. Blennerbassett, received a sword cut over, the right side of his head, and another sword out on his left leg between the thigh and knee and had to be removed to the Victoria Nursing Home, while two Indian warders were badly injured and had to be sent to hospital. The attempt to escape was, Idunately, pré- vented by the brave stand of the gaolers and warders, who suppressed the outbreak with they commendable promptitade, although suffered in so doing. There can be no doubt that the outbreak was a promediated one. Some twelve to fifteen convicts were at work making boots iuja tailor's shop and included in the gang was Vali Mao-mão, the associate and brother of the notorious outlaw Vah Kah-der. These men were working under the surveillance of an Indian warder, who was armed as usual with a sword. Some time between 2 and 3 p.m. Vah Mao-mao, who was undergoing a twenty- years' sentence. suddenly sprang up, and with a shoem-ker's knife in his hands leapt at the warder and out him across the throat, inflicting a dangerous wound. There- upon the other convicts rose up and ceising tools, attacked the warder. One of them drew the latter's sword and struck him with it. The Indian turned and fled down the steps to the lower shop, and in his flight (judginį: by the wounds on the back of his head) must have been struck with the sword two or three times. He got through the door to the shop ander- neath dad it was immediately closed behind him by another warder. Led by Vah Mao, the excited gang charged the door and with hammers soon removed the obstacle. They again at‹soked the warders and by this time several other Indians joined in the melee. The whistles of the warders gave the alarm, and the whole of the gaol staff made for the scene, the EuropeanS armed with revolvers, The head gaoler. Mr. W. D. Blennerlasset, went round to the east side of the matting shop and there he was im mediately attacked by a gang of men who had presumably been engaged in making ooir mata. By this time the convicts, howling and yelling, were rushing about the compaond with all kinds of working tools in their hands, and pieces of wood, including the bamboo poles used for bating the matting. The head gaoler was rushed to his assistance and in warding off a being pressed hard when an Indian wardor blow from a hammer, which was directed at the head of Mr. Blennerhasset, had bin sword (which is by no means a plaything) broken (ff six inches from the hilt. "It was Vah Mão- mao who delivered this blow, but it seems to bave been his last crime, for in the general fight he was thot dead about this time.
The assistant guoler, Mr. Weatherhead, seeing how serious matters were becoming, immediately opened the arms and ammunition store, and was for some time engaged serving out carbines and ammunition to the warders. From all appearances, those in charge of the gaol must have thought that the whole of the convicts who were on the premises were participating in the attempt to rid themsel of their keepers. Mr. Blennerlasset by time had received a staggering blow on right side of the head, which laid it
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