Express the following comment on Mr. Hennessy's policy:—'' The Colony has always been a land of refuge for the most hardened of Chinese criminals; and if Mr. Pope Hennessy continues to' pursue his present policy, the English law in these arts will soon lose its majesty, and Hong-ong will become a hotbed of desperadoes. 'We do not. suppose that this latest mani-testation of Mr. Pope Hennessy's affection for the heathen Chinee' will very much surprise anyone. It is only another phase of the charitable mind which believes in confidential official native clerks, in native warders for the jail, and which takes part in periodical showy parades and hollow flatteryattheTung Wha Hospital,"—Addresses have been presented to the Hon. 0. Smith, by both the Foreign and Chinese residents of Hongkong, on the occasion of his leaving for Singapore to undertake the Auties of Colonial Secretary for the Straits Settlements. The addresses were express sive of the deep sense entertained of the services rendered by Mr. Smith in the various posts he has held in Hongkong during a period of sixteen Ko held the office of Registrar-General. ears; and especially during the time when
—The Daily Press, commenting on these presentations, says:—' The addresses presented by the foreign community and by the Chinese to the Hon, C. testify to the respect and esteem in which he is held in this Colony. 'The residents, foreign and native, very properly marked their appreciation of Mr. Smith's sixteen years' service in Hongkong by a public expression of the same, which must have been highly. gratifying to the recipient. Registrar-General. and Acting Colonial Secretary, Mr. Smith has shown signal administrative abilities and a uniform desire to do his duty conscientiously. As he remarked, in his modest reply to the address by the foreign community, he can truly claim that sincerity of purpose has been alone his guiding principle." Mr. Smith, like most other officials, committed errors of judgment in the earlier days of his residence here, when his experience was limited, but Irumanim est ervare; perfection should be expected from no man. Mr. Smith joins great administrative capacity with a valuable experience of Chinese ways and customs, and a knowledge of the Chinese language that will be of great service to him in his new post at Singapore. An official better qualified to act as Colonial Secretary for the Straits Settlements could searcely have been chosen."
The Daily Press says the British steamer Ocean Kin, Captain Roper,—which arrived at Hongkong on the 18th instant, made a good run down from Amoy, her average speed throughout being over 14 knots per hour.—The Kogio Kaisha, a new Japanese commercial establishment, is about to open a branch at Hong: kong. Japanese interests in Hongkong are, remarks the Press, steadily developing.—His Excellency the Governor has received an autograph letter from the Viceroy of the Two Kwang, on the subject, it is stated, of the release of Mr. Kiwok Acheong's son. This is the first time, it is believed, that a Viceroy has addressed an autograph letter to a of Hongkong, official communicat formerly answered by the Governor of, Kwang-tung.—The Press understands that Mr. E, R. Belilios, late Chairman of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, has placed, in Governor Hennessy's hands, the sum of erected in Hongkong. Asuitablesite hasbeen proposed between Beaconsfield Lodge and St. John's Cathedral, overlooking the Parade Ground. The statue, which is to be of bronze, has been ordered from England.—The' case against Frederick Slowley Hoffa is on the calendar for the present sessions, and it has been arranged in court that it should be tried on the 25th inst. Mr. Francis, instructed by Mr. Dennys, is retained for the defence, and a special jury will be summoned for the case. Mr. Francis applied for permission for Mr. Huffam to see his books and accounts, of course in the presence of an officer of the court, as it was nec for him to examine the books in order to fully instruct counsel. His Lordship, the Acting Chief Justice, said that of course Mr. Huffam should have every opportunity of examining the books within the precincts of the court and in the presence of an officer of the court; who that officer should be, he would leave to Mr, Sharp, the Crown Solicitor, to decide. There are five counts in the indictment against the prisoner, one of larceny and embezzlement, being employed in the public service of Her Majesty, and four of larceny as a trustee.—In reporting the committal of Newman for trial for murder, the Daily Press says his behaviour in the court was singular, and when spoken to by the Magistrate he appeared to be more excited. He was handeufled with his hands in front, and he several times tried to pick the pocket of a constable who was standing near. There were a great many Europeans present in court during the trial. It is said several doctors have seen the prisoner recently, and say that he is not suffering from madness, but that his mind is evidently in 'a most excited state.
The China Mail learns that a telegram has been received in the Colony, stating that the inhabitants of Timor, having risen against the Portuguese authorities and delivered the island over to the Dutch, the Dutch flag has now been hoisted on all the forts.—Tho German brig Peri has been lost on Breaker Point. She was seen ashore on the 17th inst., and the German man-of-war Freya, on proceeding to the scene of the catastrophe in order to render assistance, found that all hands were safely on shore, and that the vessel was a hopeless wreck. The Peri has been on the coast for a long time.
The Catholic Register of the 14th instant is sorry to hear of the demise of Mr. Jose Maria da Silva e Souza, which occurred on the previous day, this residence, D'Aguilar Street, at the age of GO. Mr. da Souza was the editor of the Aurora Macaense, the first Portuguese paper published in Macao after the free press law came into operation, He edited afterwards the Verdade e Liber-dade in the early days of the Colony, and latterly the magazine Impulso ds Letras. His poem entitled Vida e Milagres de Santa Filomena, and several other literary pro-Auctions are much and justly prized by the Portuguese.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.