HONGKONG.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5338, 7 May 1878, Page 3

HONGKONG.

(FBOII A COBBESPOXDEXT.) , In my last I promised to give your readers a description o£ Hongkong. Now, as there is every probability o£ a steady. trade , being opened up between that colony and some;of the treaty ports of China and New Zealand, thanks to that very enterprising • firm in "Wellington, Messrs. W. and G. Turnbull and Co,, to whom the people, of New Zealand, and more especially those in the-Wellington province, are indebted for direct shipments of new season’s teas, which are chosen by some of the best,tea-tasters'in China, and a host of other household necessaries too numerous to particularise. . The-May has been trading to Hongkong for the last five years ; but I, believe she is to be taken off to give place .to a larger, vessel which the firm is expecting from England. A short description, ‘ therefore, of: the place through which nearly all the Chinese export trade is conducted may be interesting to your numerous readers. ■ . ' : - The Crown colony of Hongkong is anisland about 9 miles long and from 2 to 5J miles broad, with an area of about 29 square miles, lying between Lamma Island" and the main, from which it is separated by a narrow channel, a quarter of a mile wide, named Lyemun Pass. The appearance of the island is somewhat picturesque, but on the whole it is generally barren and unprepossessing,'hit consists for the most part of rooky ranges, on the highest summit of' which, Victoria Peak, 1825 feet above the sea level, at the north-west part of the island, is a signal-station which communicates ■ with the town of Victoria on the north, and the ocean on the south. The island was first ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Canton in January, 1841, and by the Treaty, of Nanking iu August 1842. The town, or perhaps, more correctly speaking, the city of Victoria, is situated on the north side of the island, and nearly abreast Kowloon Point, the extreme of the peninsula of the mainland which forms the west, side of Kowloon Bay, and was ceded to .Great Britain by the treaty of 1860. This peninsula was secured bythe English to prevent the Chinese Government from attempting ’its fortification. It commands the eastern entrance to the barbor as well as the city. Victoria in many respects is* not unlike the city of Wellington in appearance. Tho shops and private houses are built pn tho slopes of Mount Victoria and the smaller hills on either side. Tho buildings arc closely built together, and are of very subBtantial materials, viz,, granite and brick. In many places tho foundations have had to be liewa out of the solid rock. Tho roofs are all double/ and composed of tiles, .cement, and sonic o ther heavy material. . This is done for two reasons: first, for the purpose of coolness in summer; and second, on account of the periodical typhoons. Although tho buddings are so massive, and built oh such secure foundations, yet in 1874, during a terrific typhoon, several of them wore blown down, tho roofs lifted off many others, while, tho damage done to tho shipping waS' something enormous. Between 10,000 and 20,000 Chinese lost their lives at that time.

T’raya is the' name of tho ‘ street or quay running along tho breastwork, which is built up o£ gcapito, extending: from Wauoiiai, the

name of tho-eastern; ’prirtion _of_the_ .town, to,. Ty-fbo-shang on the .west-.end, ,tha. distance being about four miles. Iu Praya central are situated the offices and godowns (warehouse?)! of the principal European merchants, ship chandlers, Chinese compradores, • and shops of all description. The , merchants’ offices are' very handsome and commodious places, and nearly all. three storeys high. The rooms are large, lofty, and well.ventilated;; the windows, which are numerous, . have ~also Venetian shutters for use in the hot weather.,;. Nearly all places of business and private bouses have balconies around them, with; screens that can be pulled up.and down at will. ■ _■ All along the Praya central and Praya west, and abutting on the footpaths, are stalls closely i packed together, on which the Chinese expose for sale fruit, oranges.in any quantity (with therind .peeled off, chow, sugar-cane,..and sweetmeats of various kinds anil fantastic shapes. In fact, the, miscellaneous assortment is. so numerous .;that a column would ; hardly suffice to specify.'.the .articles,, even’if oneiwere at fall conversant with, their names.-Nearly;alj the eatables are made at., the stalls,; and where a fire is required to..make the articles for sale, the vendor lias a small iiiqtcil ppt in which he lights‘a fire to do ( the necessary cookipg. Travelling barbers are .also, very plentiful. Their.■■stock-in-trade’ is 'Carried-About on the bamboo, and it is a very common thing to pee about a dozen of them at'.woricwithin as many.; yards, shaving the heads and faces of their celestial Brethren, and removing from the ’liqad anything that might-bo troublesome. Tinder the , verandah 3 a great; ; : Ghinese ‘women are "to be seen sitting on. lojy, Stools mending clothes, and. in some oases they have a stall containing cigarettes and other small fal-lals 1 for .-side. Maffy of ,'themxhave infants strapped on their backs, ■ and -very, often two o three larger, fry Quack doctors arelilso numerous,'and may bb' seen sitting ou’doorsteps with the oontentsiofi their medicine-diesis , exposed to -yiew, while others are moving up.‘'and‘ down the various lanes and streets, shaking an implement, which is very like ; a’child’s. 1 rattle, to draw attention to ‘the fact.. that .'there, ’is/.a ~.doctor,, pbopt. Nearly the whole of . the breastwork, 'is, ooijupied -by .sampans—used,-principally' [for »pjssenger (traffic—cargo- boats,- junks;; beef,’ some of the latter waiting for hire, and others landing cargo taken .from .the sliips and steamers lying in the harbor Tho goods thus lauded .are then conveyed :by means of..the-bamboo and ooplies to. the gqdowna of, the differeppedn-! signees. I have seen. as . many- as : . a f dozen coolies'(as the Chinese .laborers ,or, lumper?, tire 1 called) carrying one article, but weighing,abejut as many owt, - There are. no, horses or, carts .nsed for oiwrymg.anyttdng, the whole of > the .work being clone by: coolies, whose wages., pre from 4 dols. to 6 dola. per month if ■ employed' constantly, or-25,- cents.. to .30’ ~cents, jif engaged by, the day, ; r It wilßbe seen.-froradnis that Chinese , labor is remarkably cheap,hut living with them, is also, ,yery cheap. - A,day’s; wage.will almost keep.pne.in.chow-.fpr.a.-.vf.odk. The amount .of human-.traffic along tho .priii-’ cipal streets is,, very great,; and, ;it, is,-often! a matter.of.'difficulty to -push one’s way.throubH - such.a,crowd.There.is .one,fear that does not trouble the pedestrian as he walks ; the streets;: and that is of being.runtoyer;by,a,conyeyauqef - 1 or knocked down by a homo, for there are nohe to speak of. It is, .therefore,-.very common |to see ladies carried about in. .their own sedau chairs while the, gentjemeui walk alongside. I presume ;the reason-.the: ladies j take to the chairs isifrpm.the, faet of [there Being so much traffic in the'streets,.forlit,is not at;all a plea- : - sant thing—espeoialiy,, for the .fair sex—to be unintentialiy hustled sometimes by dirty looking Mongolians.. , ■■...!i <t.. ,i ■ ■' The streets behind, the,, Praya and running parallel with it is called the Queeu’s-road, and is really a very pretty and in some places picturesque street. Queen’s-road central is ob-' enpied principally by European? and tho better class of Chinese merchants, silk,rummers,: shipping, insurance, and other [offices, and a host’’ of Chinese money [changers and other shops. Here, too, are situated the Supreme Court aud offices, the town, clock (which stands on ’a tower erected for that- purpose), the - post office, the club; and banking i 'establishments, and they -are; all very • handsome- mtriictvres. The western end of the road .in fer the most part occupied by the Chinese, who ail-conduct! some business or another on the premises, and a number of European-hotels and restaurants. This is called the- sailors end of . the tbwu from the fact of the Sailor’s Home being located there. On-the east end of tho road, and before reaching Wauchai, stand the :city; hall,;the theatre, the public library and museum, th’e cricket ground, military ! drill ground, : and the barracks, arsenal, and military and. naval stores.' :-The barrack accommodation: is very extensive'and: comfortable, and considerable additions and; improvements have been and; are still being made. “.They! are at present occupied-by the. 74th Highlanders and a portion of the- 28th body of the latter having been sent to Singapore, vice the 74th transferred to Hongkong. ; At. Wauchai are the principal, coal, depots, foundries, distillery,, sugar refinery godpwns, Chinese boat-builders, and a confusing , number of-shops, markets, &c. Here, too,‘reside the washerwomen, or, perhaps, to spealc,.mbre corirectly,,washermen, for ihe men dt> the washing and 'irbning 'and 'thd women'the’ canvassing and inending.' ‘ These people ha ve a Very busy time of it by reason. of the large amount of shipping ; their charges are; fndderate,. and the way they “ get up . the washing. would shame very many of our colonial washerwomen.” ■Behind Wauehar is a beautiful spot named Happy‘Valley ; oh the'hills‘surrounding it are some'-very large and handsome private residences. ,It is a delightfur ivalk‘-,up .'the valley,’a cabal runt up part of the" way fori the purpose of draining it ; clumps, pf planted here and there, ’while, the,.walks and '' carriage-driye’ fiave ■ rows ”of trees on either ’ side.' At’tiie' head, f ,of the valley is the Hongkong ’ Baceoburae, a place about half as large, again as the Wellington Basin Reserve;.there are two grand stands on the grounds, beside training stables, ; Onthe south side of the cour3e, aud on tho side of the hill, stands the cemetery.’A, atone, wall 8 feet high encloses it, and a very massive,iron gate is erected in the’centre. .It; is beautifully laid out, with a largo variety of, trees,, shrubs; plants, and flowers. Stone steps and .winding footwalka lead up. to the higher, portions of the' grounds, while'in the centre is ayeryhandsome fountain. Below a pretty little church is seen peeping but among .the thick, foliage.,; -Every-: thing is Icepfcdn.firßt-class order—not a leal, to be seen on the rooks, and the shrubs, &c., are kept well trimmed by a large staff of Chinese; whose gardening, qualifications are well; known,' espeoialiy in the colonies.- -Wore it ,not for the numerous* monuments, and. headstones - one; woujd think it ;was ~a garden attached to fa! gentleman’s,house, so .tastefullyj is,everything; Arranged., ..These monuments;;,; &0., ..give . it; a melancholy yet withal a peaceful appearance. Acting thus on the mind,one is i inclined to think;" here could I rest iu peaoe.”' The majority of [the monuments have been! erected in, memory of the soldiers and sailors who fell during! the siege of Canton and other places m, ,China, by their surviving com- j rades. Some of; the. headstones.; are '.very j elegant, and many of the j qiiaiut and original;''sevefal, besides enumerat- . ing the many good.-qualities ofi the deceased,; state the line of business he had followed prior ,to departing this life; Speaking'of monuments and headstones reminds' me of a couple of signboards I saw iu the Queen’s-road on returning from.the cemetery.’ The following is a verbatim copy of what was bn'some of them!: “Mow’King. Tombstones engraved. Monuments and headstones erected with perfection".*’ “Sing Hing Mow, stonemason, &e., will <;erect most handsome''monuments over the grafo.lbf anyone.” I felt inclined to patronise the" last named tradesman owing to hia very liberal offer. 1 ’ ‘ ..(To le.MntinuedJ,, ~ s')-j THE YESSO .EXPLOSION,CASE;

On the 29th January, in the : Supreme Court, Hongkong,: their-Honors’- judgment On 'the points of Jaw reserved at the trial of the engineers of ;the- steamer-Yeaso, particulars of which I forwarded to you, was delivered by the Chief Justice, i c,:;--; Kb-;-;--

Mr. Justice; Snowden then, passed sentence as follows Theodore Bernard and William Henry King, you have: beat found- guilty by it very sound; and i wise :• decision of! i the •> jury which tried you of manslaughter, and that means that tho s deaths; of these two tnon mom tioned in the, informationwore caused by neglect of your duties in -various ways so blameable a 3, to„bo;oulpable,;aud that means- ofifninal,.audyou are therefore criminally liabler-af must say it would hnvo been a great misfortune ifs tho jury had come toahy'btber verdict. You .both undertook duties-as engineers on this ship, and you undertook to use all skill and care iu the management of the maohme’fyif J quitolagreo' with bheef the witnesses who sain there was no •divided - responsibility, if he meant by that that yon, the chief engineer, were bound to use your own skill and oare ! in inspecting tha 'ihaohlhdry and looklng out 1 by every means in your power for any defect, caused either by chemical of mechanical action, e.. That was your', clear ipersdhal-dfity. That duty you cannot; throw-oh' anyone bo-

_neathjou, .but/ ihyt'ea4;!b'L.doing -that, you, eesjjj.. to have .waited |.with ’folded hands until the ? third engineer-reported *to you;- You wore jsoarpely ou.speaking] forms.;, 1 Ofi one: occasion; you went iota the, boiler, to perforin your duty, but did it ’in 1 such ri"careless manner that , though r you ’Saw/Signs ■ which’Ought’ do have led; you, -.to, maker a closer examination you neglected to"take steps to ascertain how far the defect went.' >;That ds' a 1 cleab'hegleotj of duty. You, King, had duties of the same kind, but in a different degree, to perform. It wjw • your duty to’go into the boiler and inspect it. You did’ 80, and saw- its dangjerdus 1 state; rind yet -you contented yourself--with talking it over with the; second;.engineer.; ’ Instead; of doing that it was iyour duty, to go to the persons responsible;.for the-ship, and as the Chief Juatico - has-; 'observed, if,; half-an-hour before this explosion took-place you had made Cap-, tain Ashton, aware of; the .-deadly- peril which, existed;. I:,cannot .help thinking; thaE many men, who.liave been chufrled-’to death, would noW- be/alive.-jr-The. jury,have [recommenced, you to mercy, «T <‘liav©- also'-heard what you f have said yourselves -and -what. your oouuhol has said. I have great pleasure id giving the greatest possible weight tdithatirecommendation and to these, remarks. !>- I have ho doubt what you say is true, that you. yourselves hjve, l felt your position .verylsevecely ; still.it is impossible for .the Court to paascthisfover wilhout some; punishment,? .Now, asT'said before,,, your positions were different,'and I think the greater ,-degfee;of blame: ihuatifall onfthe chief engineer. He was engaged;-fori'a-'higher degree of skill and 'knowledge, r At the sain© ltime-1 dpnltsthihkstfiatra .veryseverejpunishmentiis*necessary; bub I hopc that-erigiheera in your position!will-net imaginerfhat-theipuniph-inout ivb award j-ou is. to bub/precedent, and that if another-similar accident' occurs they’; .willfget .off [as -easily as you,’ l ' Tiie- selitence-on you I Theodore ■ Bernard- is -tHut you be imprisoned .in - .Victoria' Gaol.for 1 four calendar months, without hard! .labor;,;! Tlie sentencejon you Williatn. Henry -Kindis -that you be imprisoned in ViotoriaviGaol for-three l -calendar; mouths, rvldo.withont-harcilabor.”