September 3, 1906:]
but eventually numbers told and his cockade passed from his head.
At the conclusion, H.E. the Governor con- gratulated members of the Troop on the success of their undertaking, and referred to the exercises which were useful in warfare. He then proceeded to present the prizes to the winners, after which he called for three cheers for the Officer commanding the Troop, and his ❘ call was fittingly responded to. Messrs. M. Stewart, F. B. Deacon. W. G. Greason, G. C. Moron and C. H. Moss presented the prizes to the Troop.
MACAO.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
August 30th.
AN UNIMPORTANT ELECTION.
On Sunday, the 2nd proximo, there will be an election by the Macao citizers of a representa- tive at 8. Bento, Portugal, As the election is not of much importance, I believe that it will prove a very tame affair, only those who are compelled to vote will do so. The independent voters know that Timor (the sister colony) will eleot whom they or the Government wants. I understand, however, that this will be the last election of the kind, as Macao will have to elect its own representative independently of Timor the next time. More interest will then be given to the election.
THE WEATHER.
Yesterday's weather was very threatening, aud the glass fell very low. We thought that a typhoon was going to visit us. The inner harbour was full of fishing and other juuks which have come in for shelter: H. M. S
Moorhen was also here. The weather to-day has improved on the whole, but it is raining
bard.
THE SFA SERPENT AGAIN?
This morning as the bathers were as usual having their dip on the beach opposite the Bay View House a strange animal of several feet in length was observed by those on the
CHİNA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
NORTH CHINA.
(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)
Tientsin. August 18th. MAJOR NATHAN'S ACCIDENT. On the 16th Major Nathan, the popular agent and general manager of the Chinese Engineering and Mining Co., and brother of the Governor of Hongkong, was in a ricsha in the Taku Road here, when a passing vehicle came into colli. sion with his and threw him out. The thorough fare is a very busy one, and the consequences at that particular moment might easily have been worse than they were. As it was, the Major sustained a bad sprain of the ankle which will keep him confiled to the house for at least a fortnight,
EXPLOSION AT PEKING.
A more terrible accident occurred yesterday in Peking. The High Commissioners who have been abroad studying foreign administra- tive systems brought back with them, among phernalia, and a performance was arranged for other things, complete cinematograph para
the benefit of high officials and their friends. Two French experts were brought from Tient. audience, a crowded one, was startled in the sin to operate the cinematograph. The
middle of the entertainment by an explosion. which had most regrettable resu is. Two well known Chinese were instantaneously killed, and three others seriously injured. One of the killed was Col. Cho, one of the ablest and most up-to-date military men in the Chinese service. He had accompanied the Commissioners on their journey. The other was Mr. Ho, the ablest and most promising member of the staff of the Chius Merchants Steam perhaps Navigation Co. At any rate he was generally regarded as having an nousually brilliant commercial career in prospect.
JMPERIAL BIRTHDAY AT TIENTSIN,
The Emperors birthday is always celebrated with mach circumstance in the North.
137
the British and Japanese troops. This with drawal is already decided on in principle, but no date has yet been fired. The French military authorities have already determined both the principle and the date of the withe drawal of the major portion of their corps of occupation.
CONSTITUTION IN THU AIZ.
Both sets of Commissioners have now presented their reports and recommendations. It is sur- prising how much agreem 'nt there is between them. Their most important and serious divergence is as to the date of the institution of constitutional reform in China. Duke Tsai Tae and his fellow Commissioners are for launch- ing into the whol⋅ scheme recommended by them immediately. Tuau Fang and his companion favour a gradual adoption of the proposed new state of things. This, of course, is a vital difference. Otherwise there is practical agreement that the new Chinese constitution should follow the lines of a combination of the French and Japanese parliamentary systems. Both parties recommend the formation of a the internal administration of the Empire. Home Affairs Office, to thoroughly reorganise
CHINESE EMIGRATION.
The N.-C. Daily News says:-The real explanation of the paucity of women accom- panying Chinese male emigrants is to be found, it would appear, in the moral stigma attaching in the Chinese mind to a woman leaving her country and in the consequent difficulty, which more often than not amounts to an impossibili- ty. of obtaining for her the necessary leave of it is easy to understand the reluctance on the absence from the can. In view of such a stigma
part of the men to attempt to take their wives abroad with them. The subject has a special interest to-day owing to the fact that much of the genuine part of the outory raised in Great Britain against the employment of Chinese
sands. The batbers were at once apprized of Especially is this the case in Tientsin, where coolies in the Transvaal was based on the as-
the danger, and they immediately quitted the water. The animal appeared like a crocodile and was abont ten or twelve feet long. Sportsmen are keeping a watch for this monster, which has somewhat intimidated and reduced the usual crowd of bathers in this much frequented spot.
CHINESE PEARL SMUGGLERS.
The Manila Cablenus has the following amusing story :---
the Viceroy Yuan utilises the occasion for one
Was
Here
of those demonstrations of pro-foreign feeling tunately on Tuesday His Excellency which have made him so popular. Uufor- seized with a fererish attack, and his doctors prohibited him from attending the receptions at the Yamen the following day (the 15th). Sorry as the foreigners present were to miss the opportunity of meeting the Viceroy in person, no one in the circumstances of the Viceroy's illness could have wished to see him burdened with the fatigue of such functions: The dramatic bluff put up by Cleopatra when as appertain to the celebration of the Em- she swallowed two or three dinky little pearls peror's birthday. This is a much more elaborate in order to create a sensation, pales into affair in Tientsin than in Peking. insignificance before the everyday staut of a the Viceroy's task in doing the honours Chinaman named Ong Lam, who is charged of the day at the Yamen is no enviable one. with attempting to smuggle pearls and other His Excellency, with the other officials of the valuable articles into Manila last week.
city and province of which he is head, usually Among the stock brought over by Lam was
g is up before daylight to perform the necessary about a half a pound of pearls not very larger ligious devoirs at the temple. Then follows but somewhat valuable, worth four or a Viceregal reception of all the lealing Chinese hundred pesos. They were concealed in the of the city and surrounding distr ct. After after compartment of Lam's trousers and seized that there is a general reception of official and by the unfeeling custom's detectives. When unofficial foreigners. That fills up the morning, Lam came up for examination yesterday at the any spare minutes being occupied by sing-song custom house in order to make his defence, he In the afternoon is more sing-song, followed was primed to the muzzle with a plan for by an official dinner. To this succoeds more routing the officials. He calmly swore on oath sing-song, aud the day concludes with a crowded that the pearls were not in intention pearls, but reception of specially invited guests, las ing medicine and under the direction of a prominent
five
Chinese physician in Hongkong, were to be, taken internally as a cure for tuberculosis in any stage. He had forgotten the doctor's name and did not exactly remember the doses of pearls needed; but he declared that the jewels were for medical use and not the adornment of female beauty!
*
over
three hours, till after midnight. The
Viceroy has to exchange greetings and look and say pleasant things to many hundreds of persons, and must be sincerely glad when he is through with his nearly twenty-four hours of hard labour.
ARMY MANEUVRES,
The next prominent function in which the Somehow the officials thought Lam was carry. Viceroy of Chibli will take a leading part will ing medical innovations too far head of the be the forthcoming army manoeuvres in October. Materia Medica or they just naturally thought These will follow the lines of the manoeuvres of he was lying, anyhow they fined bim 8133 gold for last autumu, and, despite published rumours to bringing the pearls over on the steamer lubi the contrary, will be no less important, if and not mentioning the fact to his friends indeed, they are not more so. In fact, I am led to understand that one result to be expected is that, as last year's manœuvres were followed by the announcement of the date of the drawal of the German troops of occupa- tion from this province, so this autumn's manœuvres may be expected to be followed by the announcement of the date of withdrawal of
the custom house.
Ju Hosu, another Chinsman who came over on the game boat and was a friend of Lam's, also had some pearls, about six ounces. He claimed the same healing properties for his bag of six ounces and was fined $69 on the same ground.
with-
aumption that these men were being forcibly
kept apart from their wives and families for a period of three yeare. So strong was the Home feeling on this subject that the Transvaal Government was obliged to insert a clause in the Labour Importation Bill making provision for the bringing the cooles at the
over' of
expense
the wives of of the mine-
owners. Like other philanthropic suggestions emanating from well-meaning people in Great Britain the scheme did not appeal to the Cuin- ese coolies, for only some four or five asked to have their wives brought over. It would, per- haps, bave saved many heart-burnings among the genuine, though mistaken, humanitarians who opposed Chinese labour in the Transvaal, if they had known the views held in Chinas on the subject of female emigration.
+4
Chinese care to ignore. Any Chinese, man or There is a very stringeat custom which few woman, who leaves the country without the consent of his family, is expelled from the clan. This is the most bumiliating experience that with it a disgrace that will for ever cling to the anyone could be called to undergo, and it carries unfortunate victim. Only in peculiar cases is this permission granted to a married woman. Sir John Bowring gives an example in his Autobiographical Recoll otions" which is worth reproducing. “One of the richest Chinese Canton to beg my assistance in securing per- in Samarang, he writes, 'paid me a visit in mission to take his wife with him to Java. The disgrace attending a married woman's leaving China and the strength of the clan to which she belonged was so great that the most strenuous efforts, combined with the offer of a large sum of money, could not accomplish the desired result. And it would not be difficult to ad luce other similar instances. disproportion of women to men who leave their A few statistical items, showing the vast own country for foreign lands, may not be inappropropiate here. In 1899 there arrived in Singapore about 107,604 men and 5,514 women; the latter being five per cant. of the former. In Amoy the numbers were 53,75 men and 34 women.
In Swatow 31,911 men gainst 966 women, which is only about three per cent.
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