Tur Hongkong Daily Press" of the 15th has the following account of the piratical attack on the late Mr. Evans At 11.45 p.m. of the 12th inst., whilst the s.s. Kong Nam, Captain Austin, was en route from Hongkong to Canton, a little to the southward of Tiger Island, signals of distress from a trading junk were observed. The Kong Nam bore down on her, and ascertained that she had been pirated at 7.30 p.m. when off Cha Si, a village near Tiger Island. Pirates, of whom there were about 20, first fired a volley in the air, apparently to frighten the junk's crew, and then they boarded the junk, seized and bound all the crew, and on catch: ing sight of a foreigner exclaimed, "Oh! here's a foreigner; let's kill him, as he can fight ten of us at the same time a shower of bullets was poured into him. After ransacking the junk from stem to stern, and taking everything of any Value, even to a few live fowls, they began to depart in their dug-out, but not before some of the
supposed dead man overboard, which how-suggested throwing the body of the ever they did not carry into effect, owing to the pleading of the people on the junk. About: $1,000 in cash was stolen, besides everything of value they could lay hands on, Thejunk was boarded by the chief officer, who was accompanied by the chief engineer, of the Kong Nam (the latter having " knowledge of the Chinese lange uage), and they found out on enquiry that the wounded foreigner was an Englishman named Evans, who was for many years the British Consul's constable at Canton, and has only recently retired on a pension, The Kong Nam then steamed alongside of the junk and the wounded man wag transferred to the steamer, where he vas attended to by the affeers; and his. suflerings alleviated as far as it was possible for non-medical men to do. The steamer then proceeded at full speed to Canton, and on arrival there sent immediately for a doctor, who, on seeing the man, ordered his i mediate removal to the hospital, which was promptly carried out. Mr. Evans was on passage to Hongkong with his wife (who 4s a native woman) and two children. The captain of the junk being a nephew of Mrs. Evans, accounts for her husband's presence there as a passenger.
Ws are kindly informed that Mr. Fisher Unwin is just publishing in his Colonial Library' a now volume of children's stories by that fascinating writer E. Nesbit. The book resembles the author's earlier books, "The Would-be-goods" and "The Treasuro Seekers,"
very real and human children, living in in that it treats of the experiences of tivo the modern world of commonplace and machinery. But it differs from them by reason of the sixth person in the little drama—the strange uncanny "It," whose wonderful powers upset all ordinary laws of nature and make possible such adventures as do not usually fall to the lot of children, at least nowadays. These adventures are varied and thrilling, and the story of the five children and the way in which they manage to escape from the very tight places into which they are thrust by the gentle malice of "It" will form most pleasant reading to all children who caro for the Bastable family and for that realistic delineation of childish life and character which is E. Nesbit's strong point.
An important new issue in Unwin's Colonial Library is a translation of "The Deeps of Deliverance," a novel by the most distinguished of living Dutch writers, F. van Eeden. Like Tolstoy and Tike Gorky, Van Eeden is an artist. who concerns himself with the more The W.eC. the Dany Ga timate truths of life. The present worl which is inspired by a profound if conventional religious feeling, tells the life history of Hedwig Marga de Fontayne. It traces the evolution of the soul of a (woman with a singularly daring realism, but a realism marked always by its moral significance. The story is a study of the inner life, a tragedy of temperament and circumstance. A woman of strong con-fioting impulses to whose lot fall all the great experiences a woman may know; Wedwig ands at last 2 guiding principle for her life. Both moving and impressive, the truth and intensity of this story will appeal to the growing class of readers who follow the higher tendencies of European fiction.
Another striking novel which shortly sppesr in Mr. Fisher Um Colonial Liorary is "'the Long Vigi by Mr. F. Jenner Taylor. The narrator and chief actor in the story is an insignificant clerk in a City office; the heroine is an ma, and suggestions for the issue of further instructions to magistrates have "been issued. It has-also been impressed on the magistrates that more whippings should be inflicted as punishments, and thit juveniles should not be sent. to prison except when no alternative was possible. In cho civil courts the total number of suits instituted in Lower Burma was 40,743, or Mess by 971 than the number for the previous year, the decrease being explained by a good harvest, enabling cultivators to repay without difficulty advances made to them. In Upper Burma there was a normal increase in the number of suits, which rose from 15,981 in 1900 to 17,400 in 1901. 'A note by Mr. Justice Coplestone draws attention to under-staffing and over-working of the clerks in the Lower Burma Court, and while asking for an official port on the matter, the Licutenant-Gorernor has promised his. attention. to the matter when it shall be directly brought of thirty, absolutely unattractive and acid typist "P-fin the same place of 'Tx promoters of the Louisians Pur-business. Into' this milieu the author chase Exposition to be held in St. Louis in introduces St. John. the beloved Apostle, 1904 do not propose to leave undone the of whom Christ said, "If I will that he Smallest thing that will make their World's tarry till I come," who is waiting on earth Fair an unparalleled success. The "Bul-till the second coming and now and then erin" which they publish monthly is revealing himself to some chosen indi handsome newspaper of about the size of dual for the furtherance of some divine of 40 pages, full of admire us, and records of what has plan. The author's aim is lofty; he endeavour to point out the great' purpose been done, is being done, and is still to be dono' to command success,—for the United behind the apparently most futile in-/ cidents, and effected by the most insignia States are far ahead of ancient Rome. The October issue contains an account with necessity of faith and of continuance in ficant instruments, he Points out the/ photographs of " visit paid to the grounds tell-doing in spite of ridicule and apparent Globe ae which a Mr. Ho Yow, Imperial in September last by the St. Louis Railway failure; and he embodies these lessons Chinese Consul-General to the United in a story with most unexpected and unusual situations. The introduction of States," made a speech in which he showed himself no mean disciple of Wu Ting-fang St. John may perhaps be startling to some He said minds, but none who rosd the book can and Lo Feng-lu. fail to recognise its high intention and "Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen—It gives ite originality. great pleasure to-day in accidentally thrown among you, especially 60, We have received 'Indian newspapers gentlemen,' because you are connected with to the lst ult—Tho Maharajah of the railroads of this country. My experience Jodhpur has volunteered for active seras been that the railway systems and vice in Somaliland, offering to place himself at the head of 600. Imperial street car systems of this country could not by equalled by any other nation of the Service Troops, mounted on camels, with-world at the present time. We have about in eight days of receiving orders. The 500,000,000 people in China, and the first Maharajah of Bikanir has offered the railroad that was ever established there was whole of his camel corps, and the Nawab 390 miles in length between Tien Sen Twin of Bhawalpur his camel squadron. All and our capital. This road was built by show the greatest eagerness to take part and through the influence of our present in the campaign.—Lord Curzon is now in Minister, Wu Ting Fang. That was some excellent health, having quite recovered ten years ago, and they have never since from the indisposition which interfered thought' or given any attention toward with the discharge of his duties in Se building another railroad until recently, tember.—The following members of Parlia-mont will, it is now known, attend the when an American syndicate, working Delhi Durbar: Sir Edgar Vincent; Mr. together with Minister Wu, have propose a new railroad, to run from the north Tan Malcolm, Sir C. Cayzer, Sir M. central part of China down to the southern Bhownagree, Sir A. Haslam, Sir C. part. Now you know what that means. Tt McLaren, Sir Howard. Vincent, Mr. H. pleons that American influence will be in-Kimber, Mr. S. Samuel, and Mr. Berestroduced and felt in China. Tt means that ford Melville. There may possibly be the Chinese will be educated into your other members coming as guests to. the and be elevated in consequence. If provincial camps.—The 2nd Sikhs, at you know how to follow this up closely, Kohat, have been warned to hold them-Jou will see that it will greatly increase selves in readiness to proceed to Somali-Jour manufactured products used in China, land.—Dr. Sven Hedin has presented the tins benefiting the manufacturer in the zoological, botanical, and geological.col-United States. lections of his last exploration in Central "This new railroad is to be constructed
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.