Gribble
Mrs. J. Liddell Kwan Yoh, Esq.
Long Ghung-liring, Esq.
Me. Gorocko
Zellinti Rev. A. Sowert, Mrs. Muclawrence Clifford.
Miss Stenhouse John Stenhouse, Bsq.
Mrs, ©. Richard Atkinson 3 Heidorn HHH Re corer Ap five o'clock Inst Monday afternoon a] 4! fire broke out in a native dwelling house in alleyway off the west side of Seward Road between the Fearon and Yuenfong Roads. The Victorias were exceptionally smart turning out and had a red on the within seven minutes of the first alarm. They were closely followed by the Hong-Kew Company and within ten minutes two streams of water were negotiating. the "conflagration. The fire, which is believed to have been caused bya woman at No. J. 2743 upsetting a kerosene lamp, was quickly Aostroyed' and one which was insured in inder, but not before three houses were
the Queen for Tls. 1,500 was slightly damaged by water. flames were extinguished and only the smouldering ruins remained to be quenched. The houses between the fire and the Seward Road also caught alight but wore jut out before any considerable damage been done.
Iris stated on good authority that the Sopaneso, are making large purchases of smokeless coal at Singapore and the ports to the eastward of the Straits.
Stuce the close of the summer, says a Peking dispatch, three new branches of study have been added to the curriculum of the Peking University. These are military science, science of government, and the ancient and modern histories of all nations, including that of China also. In the last named two branches only men of high literary dogeees will be admitted as students, the intention being to fit them specially for the posts of prefects, subprefects, department and district mass collectively known as local a thorities." The importance of even a tial knowledge of these two sciences such officials is obvious enough as comed with their present state of ignorance throughout the empire.
'A Caxton dispatch states that Marshal Sa who went down to Hongkong from Shanghai in the French cruiser Pascal the other day, and then changed at Hongkong into the Chinese cruiser Kuangkéng to xo to Canton for a conference with V Tan, left for Hongkong in the cruiser on the 16: h witl probably proceed to Kw that vessel instend of the French cruiser. The Chinese high authorities in the South consider the affair of Kuangchon Bay in a very grave light as the French have clearly hinted that they are ready to use force in the end ift is not settled satisfactorily to themselves. Viceroy T'an has again petitioned the Throne for permission retire, and has also advised giving in toa part of the French demands in order avoid host owing to the lack tung province.
A Nanxrvo dispatch stites that two LO. Baron Generalissimo of the Chekiang provincial forces, namely General Chou nnd Brigadier-General Yao, have recently arrived in that city from' Hangchow to raise 5,000 extra troops for Ohokiang. The new troops are to be all Hunanese, and as there are said nearly 30,000 disbanded or retired Hu-win Nanking, under the protection of Viceroy Liu, who is " fellow provincial, it is anticipated that the enlist tot the new regiments will be comparatively a rapid one. The fact that baron Li is also Hunanese accounts for his enlisting only Hunan men for his army. There are already now in Chékiung province some 12,000 Hunan troops.
'A Newcuwaxo dispatch fom Chinese sources states that the Russian Railway authorities have had x hard time of it recently in keeping their Chinese workmen within their quarters after work, to prevent the plague being brought within the lines. On the 22ud instant there was a regular riot amongst the labourers who upon being prohibited from leaving their quarters, went on strike. 'They were then told that they would forfeit their last two months' pay if they persisted in strike whereupon there was a regular rush for Russian Consulate to demand the, pay owing them. 'The Russian Consul refusing on the same grounds, the men became riotous and the Cossack guards—only a fow in number—were called out anda volley was fired over the rioters' heads tu make the mob disperse, On this the Intter became so mutinous and matters looked so threatening that the Cossacks are reported to hare flung away their arms and abandoned the Consulate. The mub was just debating whether to set fire to the building or not when some Chinese-speaking foreigners from the Customs came on the scene as eace-makers, and showed the rioters that they were in the wrong, as they should have gone in the first place to complain of their treatment to the Newchwang Taotai, who was bound to take up their case. Further that if they set fire to the Russian Consulate and did other acts of violence, their action would be construed as rebellion and matters would be the worse for the whole gang. These words are stated to have calmed the mob into reason and the whole crowd, some 700 strong, then marched to the Taotai's yamen. As the mail was just then closing for Shanghai the dispatch had to be cut short at that point. It should here be also stated that the labourers in: this section of the Manchurian Railway are mostly strong, able-bodied young Tientsin ese, who ara generally considered a reckless and daring lot.
A LocaL vernacular paper reports the recent arrival at Paris of Yi Keng (Manchu) the new Chinese Minister to France and successor of a fellow Manchu, Ching Chins, who had to retire through the denunciations against him by Li Uni-huan, Chinese Minister at Berlin, owing to the murder and suicide of two attaches in the Paris Legation. The vernacular paper states that when Yi Keéng arrived at Paris he called, in accordance with the usual official etiquette, on the French Forein Office, and amongst other things requested to know when he could have the honour of presenting his credentials to the President of the Republic. The reply given next day was that: 'President Loubet had decided not to receive Yd Keng until the French bounds ties at Kuangehou Bay had been satisfactorily settled by the Chinese Government." The above, it may be noted, has been confirmed' by dispatches received by the local mandarins from Nanking and Peking, the latter announcing that this treatment of a Chinese Minister duly accredited is resented by the Tsungli Yamen and that when the Empress Dowager heard it, her indignation was extreme. The reply of the French Government to Yii Kong's request is taken to indicate that, if the Kuanvchou Bay boundaries are marked according to the desires of the French, well and yood; Yit Keng would, of course, be received with effusion. If not, then Yi Keng must expect to receive his passports and leave France at once.
Tas Hupao received on Wednesday a wire from its Peking correspondent to the effect that the Tsungli Yamen had received from the Russian Minister in Poking " most haughty and aggressive dispatch steenly prohibiting the Chinese Government from engaging Mr. Yano, Japanese ex-Minister at the capital, as Chief Adviser to the Tsungli Yamen, and also demanding that the further sending of Chinese youths to Japan to study the military profession be at once stopped. The dispatch, it is stated, ended with much threatening language similar to that of a conqueror to his vanquished enemies, With reference to the proposed engagement of a Japanese official to act Chief Adviser to the Central Government, will be remembered that this pap. first to make the intention known, This was at the time of the appointment of the Empress Dowager's two envoys to the Mikado, a part of whose mission, we stated, was to invite Marquis Ito to fill this important post, As the Marquis could ill be spared by his country, he recommended Mr. Yano instead for the post, and Mr. Yano being greatly liked and respected at Peking, the matter was quickly settled and 'a new Minister to Peking was appointed by the Mikado's Government. If the H: pao's correspondent is right, it is evident that relations between Russia and China are rather strained, especially as it is believe that the Tsungli Yaméa does not intend to give way to the Russian Minister's demsnds—at present.
'A pispatce has been received by the local mandarins from the capital of si province to the effect that the di magistrate of Yiyanghsien, named Tu, had committed suicide, owing' to his inability to keep the mob from burning down and destroying the Roman Catholic Church and compound inside the city. It appeared that magistrate Tu took an escort of soldiers and armed yamen ronners and encamped inside the R.C. compound the moment he heard that it was threatened by the mob who, while he was there, retrained from doing anything more than making demonstrations against the buildings and converts who had fled within for safety' But the other day, his presence
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.