'A meeting of the Executive Council was held on Ist instant, His Excellency the Acting Governor, Major-General Black, presiding, for the purpose of considering petition largely signed by members of the Portuguese community praying that the sentence of death passed upon Joao da Matta Ozorio for the wilful murder of Francisco Xavier de Jesus on the evening of May 9th be commuted. The Council, however, decided that the Jaw must take its course, and Monday, 11th July, was fixed upon as the date of the execution.
The following is copy of the petition To His Excellency Major-General Wilsone Black, C.B., The Officer Administering the Government of the Colony of Hongkong.
"The Humble Petition of the undersigned, members of the Portuguese Residents in Hongkong, Most, Respectfully Showeth 1,—That the Portuguese Community resident in Hongkong, whether subjects of Portugal or born or naturalised in Hon; Kong, have been, at all times, a most peaceful and law-abiding community and ave contributed, in some degree, to the progress and prosperity of Hongkong.
2.—That crimes of violence in every form are very rare in the Colony, and have been ut all times foreign to the habits and disposition of the Portuguese section of the community, among whom there has teen a singular absence of such crime:
3.—That there is no pressing necess at the present time for any terrible example of the power of the law such as tay sometimes exist and no special reason why every consideration should not be given by Your Excellency in the exercise of the prerogative of merey vested in you by Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen Your Sovereign, to any reasonable grounds that may exist for the exercise of that prerogative in the case of Joao da Matta Ozorio lately convicted of the wilful murder of Francisco Xavier de Jesus.
4.—That your petitioners view that murder with horror, and most deeply sympathise with the widow and family of the late Mr. de Jesus in their heavy loss and deep sorrow; that they admit the justice of the verdict and sentence and that they have no hope, except in the clemency of the Crown and of Your 5.—That they earnestly entreat your Excellency with all the power of their united prayer, for a commutation of the sentence on Ozorio, out of consideration for his family and friends, out of consideration for the Portuguese community who will be put to shame by his public execution, out of consideration for the criminal himself to give him time for repentavee, out of consideration for the Portuguese ination and people, the faithful allies and friends of Groat Britain, who have abolished the death sentence among themselves, who have stipulated in their treaty for the extradition of criminals, that no English subject given ap by them shall. be subject to the penalty of death, and who will feel ever grateful, if, in the administration of public justice on a Portuguese subject who hss become liable to the extreme penalty of English law, regard may be had to Portuguese feeling and opinion.
Wo therefore humbly pray your Excel-Iency to be pleased to exercise in this case the glorious prerogative of mercy entrusted to you by Your Sovereign and to commute the sentence passed upon Ozorio to such Jesser sentence as you in your wisdom may think 6t.
And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray, &e., &e,—Hongkuig Daily Press.
'The Nippon Yusen Kaisha's S.S. Nagoya Mar, which, struck on an. outlying rock about' eight miles south of Same Point (Hachinohe) on the 25th ult., says the Japan Herald, was found to be sinking, and was at once headed for the beach by the master, Captain Cottier, as soon as he perceived the danger, and after steaming some five or six minutes, he finally beached the vessel, which was filling rapidly, thereby saving all—a large number of passengers and the entire crew. The vessel is, we t to say, a total loss. Captain Cottier and the crew have returned to Yokohama. The submerged rock on which this fine but unfortunate vessel struck, was not marked on the chart, and previous to the catastrophe was entirely unknown to navigation, several vessels having passed considerably closer to the shore. It is not an altogether unlikely surmise that this dangerous rock may have been thrust up by volcanic upheaval at the time of the disastrous tidal wave which was experienced in the locality some couple of years or so ago, and the necessity is suggested by what has occurred of a new survey of that part of the coast and its adjacent waters, and of having the new danger charted, so that mariners may be warned of the situation of this dangerous rock. It may be that it is not the only one which a search in that locality may discover.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.