# Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China/The Press

THE PRESS.
By W. H. Donald, Editor of the "China Mail."
he early history of the Press in the Far East is somewhat shrouded in mystery. So far as can be ascertained no data exists as to whether the printer and the ubiquitous reporter followed hot on the heels of the Honourable East India Company or not. Between 1613 — when the daring pioneers of the China trade first sent their white-winged clippers round the Cape to gather in the silks and teas from far Cathay and Japan — and 1830, there is no trace of a newspaper having been established. Though a foreign settlement was in process of growth in Canton as early as 1702, and though it gradually developed, despite Chinese opposition, until 1834, the men of that time lived without what is now regarded as a sine qua non of civilisation — the newspaper. But the printer was not to be denied. He appeared, it is certain, in 1834 in Canton, and the Canton Register burst upon the people of the city of Rams at a period when history was in rapid process of formation; when the days were pregnant with big happenings. One John Slade was the editor of this pioneer of the Press in the Far East, and his paper shows him to have been a man with the bump of combativeness largely developed, though the circulation of his lucubrations may have been limited. He lived in an age of keen dissension and at a time when food for the Press was of a hair-raising character such as few modern journals have the fortune to obtain. In the columns of his little paper history was writ large, and therein is to be discovered records of the agitation — ultimately forcibly assisted by warlike anti-foreign Chinese — which eventually led to the founding of a British Colony in Far Eastern seas.
In the early days of this agitation, Hongkong — where now lives and has its being the whole of the foreign Press of Southern China — was scarcely thought of as a possible Colony. It was a mass of rock — a nest of pirates — though in 1836 a correspondent in the Canton Register prophetically suggested that "if the lion's paw is to be put down on any part of the south side of China, let it be Hongkong ; let the lion declare it under his guarantee a free port, and in ten years it will be the most considerable mart East of the Cape." The prophet was right. About this period the Register found opposition, and the papers thrived while the British merchants were allowed asylum in Canton, fighting vigorouisly the while for a strong and forceful British policy in China. And the good fight initiated so long ago has been carried on down the corridors of time by every other paper that has since been founded.
What is erroneously described as the opium war in 1839, brought about the temporary suspension of Canton papers. Driven from Canton to Macao, and moved on from that settlement, the two thousand British subjects ultimately settled in Hongkong in 1841, and brought their predilections for a Press with them. On January 26, 1841, possession was formally taken of the island, and on May 1st, of the same year, the first press was established. A Government Gazette was published. It was a four-page paper issued at half-monthly periods, but even this frequency was too much for its publishers, and gladly it was handed over in 1842 to the first proprietor of a newspaper on British soil in the Far East.
On March 17, 1842, the Friend of China was established, and gave the news of the period in weekly doses. It was of four small pages, but, on taking over the Gazette on March 23rd, the issue of the journal on March 24th was enlarged in size though not in pages, and the title was altered to the Friend of China and Hongkong Gazette. The editors were then the Rev. J. L. Schuck and Mr. James White (later M.P. for Brighton, England) and, though the publisher's name was not disclosed in the early years, in 1845 it was given out as John Carr, and later a Portuguese was the printer. In the issues of this paper are naturally to be found the impress of the first steps taken to make Hongkong the important port it is to-day, the editor remarking in the issue of September 22, 1842, upon the "magnificence of the prosperous career now before us. . . . Already we hear the teeming projects fraught with good for our Island." The Friend of China did not have the journalistic field to itself, however. The Canton Register was in circulation, and on January I, 1843, the Eastern Globe made its appearance, though it did not prove of lusty growth, despite the political warmth of the time. The officials were in the bad graces of the populace, and the Press strongly criticised their actions, not even sparing the then Governor, Sir H. Pottinger. Though an ordinance to regulate the starting of newspapers was passed in 1844 (the second act), apparently the widest freedom was given, for no clauses to safeguard against libel were inserted, and the expressions of opinion of Press writers were couched in what would nowadays be counted criminally libellous language. Sir H. Pottinger was described in one issue of the Friend of China as a man who "appears either to have been utterly devoid of the sense of the moral obligations imposed upon him, his heart being perfectly seared to the impression of suffering humanity, or deliberately living in seclusion among a few adoring parasites whose limited intellects were devoted to pander to the great man's vanity;" and the lesser officials were mercilessly dealt with.
The lines of the early guardians of the constitution were by no means cast in pleasant places. They had managed to incur the displeasure of both the Press and the entire commercial body, but despite the manifest antagonism, the Colony progressed, and in 1845, which year the historian describes as having centred in it the principal social and general progress of the Colony, the China Mail was established, with the notification that it was to be the official paper for Government announcements. All other papers published before it subsequently died, and to-day it stands as the oldest living link connecting the affairs of the present with those of the dim and distant past. On February 20, 1845, it appeared as a four-page weekly, edited by Mr. Shortrede, and became, like its predecessors, a fearless exponent of the public's views, despite that it was the official organ of the Government. About this time there also flourished a paper known as the Hongkong Register, edited by one Mr. Cairns, and it seems that he is ​chie6y mentioned in history as the successful party in an action in 1847 against a Lieutenant Sargent, of the 95th Royal Irish Regiment, claiming damages for assault. The lieutenant objected to a paragraph appearing in the Register and promptly assaulted and battered the editor. The jury awarded the editor $1,000 damages, and he had the distinction of being described in court as "a very in- offensive man, and one who, as an editor, seldom had come to extremes or suffered gall to mingle with his ink." In that respect all his successors in the journalistic world of Hongkong did not follow his good example, as events will show.
In the same year, when the judicial affairs of the Colony were regarded with a certain amount of distrust, the editor of the China Mail was cited for not conforming with the provisions of Ordinance No. 2, of 1844, by "having removed his printing establishment two years before from one place to another without communicating the fact to the authorities." The prosecution was supposed to have had something at the bottom of it, as " Mr. Shortrede had made himself rather conspicuous some time before in the matter of some revelations concerning the police," and it was quashed when it reached the criminal session stage, the Crown Prosecutor refusing to lend himself to such vexatious proceedings. The defence regretted " that the prosecution had not been suffered to take its course so as to have had an opportunity of exposing its whole history." Mr. Cairns later vacated the editorial chair of the Register, and it was taken by Mr. W. H. Mitchell, who, in 1850, resigned to join the Government service as a police magistrate and sheriff, the appointment being considered improper and much criticised. He was succeeded by Mr. W. F. Bevan, who, in 1853, in turn joined the Government service.
Considerable feeling existed in Hongkong in 1847 regarding the dismissal of Mr. William Tarrant from the Surveyor-General's staff — he having brought charges of extortion against certain Government employes — and later being charged with conspiring to injure the character of Major Caine. The charge was dismissed and the incident is only mentioned because Mr. Tarrant, in June, 1850, purchased and edited the Friend of China and Hougkoiig Gazette, in which paper he carried on a vigorous campaign against the Government. The year 1853 (September 24th), saw the publication of another Government Gazette, little satisfaction, in the shape of favourable treatment, having been obtained by the Government from the China Mail by virtue of its notifications having been published exclusively in that paper. In 1855 Mr. Andrew Scott Dixon — who some years later became proprietor of the China Mail — started a shipping sheet under the title of the Hongkong Shipping List, and, whilst it made no pretensions to give news, it seems to have filled a want, for it lasted many years. In 1857 came the Daily Press, started by Mr. G. M. Rider, first as a daily shipping list with limited news, but later as a full-fledged newspaper, with Mr. Yorick Jones Murrow as editor. Though small, it pioneered the way, at all events, for the daily newspaper in the Colony, the China Mail being transformed from a weekly to a daily shortly afterwards.
This year saw the beginning of bitter vendettas in Hongkong, and warfare was waged in and out of the Press. Actually, feeling was brought to fever pitch as the result of the great attempted poisoning scandal on June 23, 1857. In connection therewith the editor of the Friend of China was awarded $1,010, against Cheong Allium, for damages sustained in consequence of his having been poisoned by bread delivered by defendant, the editor taking action as a test case. Cheong Ahlum was the proprietor of the principal bakery in the Colony, and on January 15, 1857, an atrocious attempt was made to poison the foreign community by mixing about ten pounds of arsenic in a batch of bread baked at his premises. It was deduced that Cheong was cognisant of the attempt, since he settled many of his accounts and left for Macao in the morning before his customers' breakfast hour. He was given over by the Macao authorities, and, with nine others, was tried but found not guilty. Though he may have gone to gaol originally a rich man, his trial left him a poor one, and "consequently the verdict of $1,010 puzzled most people to know why this case, brought by one of the several hundreds poisoned, should have taken so much money to effect a cure. "In the middle of July, 1857, Cheong Ahlum was released from gaol (after having been illegally detained for twenty-two days), and immediately quitted ​the island, leaving his creditors, among them Mr. Tarrant, in the lurch. This inspired the editor of the Friend of China to launch out into a violent attack on Dr. Bridges, the Colonial Secretary, who was also Cheong Ahlum's counsel, and the result was an action for libel, the editor refusing to publish an apology. Neither was any attempt made to disprove the libel when the case came before the Court, and the jury (specially selected by Mr. Tarrant) brought in a verdict of guilty, and he was fined £100, and ordered to "be imprisoned until the same be paid." Sympathisers soon raised the necessary amount by public subscription, the editor was released, and later boastingly published the list of subscribers. This proceeding made it hard for the next man tried for libel, as the judge, bearing this incident in mind, remarked, when Mr. Y. J. Murrow was before him in 1858, upon the law having been previously set at defiance, and sentenced Mr. Murrow to imprisonment in addition to fining him. The fining of Mr. Tarrant did not deter him from his attacks on Dr. Bridges, however, and later in 1857, he repeated the libel for which he was originally fined, but, having apologised, the case against him was dropped.
HONGKONG PRESS GROUP. :
| B. A. Hale. Manager, Hongkong Daily Press. | | G. T. Lloyd. Editor, South China Morning Post. | | J. W. Bains. Sports Editor, China Mail. |
| | T. Wright. Editor, Hongkong Daily Press. | G. Murray Bain. Proprietor, China Mail. | W. H. Donald. Managing Director and Editor, China Mail. | |
| T. Petrie. Assistant Editor, South China Morning Post. | | A. W. Brebner. Editor, Hongkong Telegraph. | | J. P. Braga. Manager, Hongkong Telegraph. |
The public life of the Colony was at this time convulsed by "an internal chronic warfare, the acerbities of which beggared all description," and naturally the tone of the community was vividly reflected in the columns of the papers. The Friend of China, "generally criticised the Government and most public officers with some animus," writes Dr. Eitel, in his history of the Colony, "and repeatedly insinuated that the Lieutenant-Governor (whilst Chief Magistrate) had been in collusion with his compradore's squeezing propensities." The fact that the Lieutenant-Governor allowed five years to pass before he stopped these unfounded calumnies by the appeal to the Court, which, as soon as made, consigned the editor to the ignominious silence of the gaol (September 21, 1859), encouraged in the Colony a vicious taste for journalistic personalities. The more wicked a paper was, the greater now became its popularity. Soon another local editor, Mr. Murrow, of the Daily Press, who, in certain business transactions in connection with emigration, had been crossed by the Registrar-General, outstripped in scurrility his colleague of the Friend of China, and commenced to insinuate that the Registrar-General was "the tool of unscrupulous Chinese compradores, and in league with pirates." The Registrar-General resigned, but he was later on induced to resume office. The Daily Press, however, did not cease its assault on public functionaries, and the editor, in April, 1858, having accused the Governor (Sir J. Bowring) of corruptly favouring the firm of Jardine, Matheson & Co. in the matter of public contracts, was proceeded against in court, and was sent to gaol for six months. The jury were unanimous in their verdict and were in retirement but fifteen minutes. In addition to the sentence, a fine of $100 was imposed, as the judge remarked, "to vindicate the law, and put a stop to the unmeasured abuse of public individuals." Mr. Murrow was placed in the debtors' side of the prison and was allowed every comfort. He conducted his paper from the gaol, writing his editorial effusions within the prison walls, and his attacks on Sir John Bowring (whose administration history shows to have been a disgrace to the British name), continued unabated. As a result the Illustrated London News on July 3, 1858, severely criticised the Government for allowing Mr. Murrow to write from the gaol, and showed no sympathy for the imprisoned editor. On his release Mr. Murrow instituted an action ​for assault and false imprisonment against Sir J. Bowring, claiming $5,000 damages, but when the case came on, on December 30th, it was decided in favour of defendant, "and thus terminated one of those scandalous matters which will for all ages mark out the year 1858 as a memorable one in the dark pages of Hongkong."
The Press, perhaps, was the least to offend in these unwholesome days, the Government officials among themselves indulging in the most disgraceful open calumnies and undisguised defamations. In 1857 the Attorney-General (Mr. T. C. Anstey) charged the Registrar-General with "having a scandalous association with a brothel licensed by himself; with basing passed a portion of his life amongst Chinese outlaws and pirates; with an alliance with some of the worst Chinese in the Colony, through his wife — a Chinese girl from a brothel; with being a speculator in brothels," &c. Whilst it may, perhaps, be better to draw the curtain gently over this ghastly page of history, it must be mentioned in justice to the men of the Press who endeavoured to fight down the monster of iniquity, which gradually increased its hold of the Colony, and found themselves in gaol for it. Their battle was a strenuous one and their reward was not one of glory. In the case of the Attorney-General v. the Registrar-General public feeling ran high. A commission was appointed to investigate the charges and brought in a verdict of "not guilty." Prior to this the Attorney-General tendered his resignation but it was not accepted. Mutual recriminations amongst the heads of departments became outrageous and a disgrace to the Colony, and when the Commission's report was published, the Governor, Sir John Bowring, asked the Attorney-General to defend himself under pain of suspension. He was suspended in February, 1858, and later practised as a lawyer, giving the Government a decidedly unpleasant time whenever possible. The Press violently attacked the Commission, the Friend of China, alleging that the charge against Mr. Caldwell had broken down "through a contemptible, damnable trick on the part of the Government." Although the China Mail managed for a long time to keep without the pale of the law in these parlous times, it, as was natural, could not do so all the time, and on December 18, 1858, found itself in court on a charge of libel against Mr. Anstey. Mr. Andrew Wilson was then the editor, and he made such reflections on Mr. Anstey's conduct in the libel case, the Crown v. Tarrant, that the plaintiff secured a verdict and the editor was bound over to keep the peace in the sum of $1,000, and ordered to apologise. The China Mail avoided the court chiefly because it was then the avowed organ of the Government, a distasteful distinction it seems, for ultimately it shook off the connection with the powers of the land and ranged itself with the other papers.
In August of the same year (1857), the editor of the Friend of China was brought to court for libelling the Acting Colonial Secretary on a charge of burning the books of the pirate Machow Wong to screen himself and the Registrar-General against a charge of complicity with pirates, but the jury brought in a verdict of not guilty, and the Court awarded costs against the Government. It must be explained that prior to this alleged libel the Attorney-General had laid information against the Acting Colonial Secretary on the charge mentioned. "The conduct of the Governor, who, to avoid a subpoena being served on him in this libel case, had hurriedly departed to Manila, being too ill to attend, provoked much criticism at the time, and, elated by this measure of success, the editor of the Friend of China and the Attorney-General (who had been suspended) commenced an agitation in England which only served to bring upon the Colony greater odium." The libel case in which Brevet-Lieutenant-Colonel Caine, Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony, sued William Tarrant, editor of the Friend of China, on September 17, 1859 (referred to above), created great interest. In the article complained of the sentence occurs that "Colonel Caine must either be one of two things, either the cleverest rascal that ever lived — a felon for whom transportation would be too light a punishment — or he is a much-maligned man, and deserving of the sincerest pity," and the charges were that he wanted a dollar per head from each inmate of Chinese brothels, ad lib. In court Tarrant defended himself and pleaded juslification, but, after three days' hard fighting, the jury found defendant guilty, and the judge sentenced him to gaol for twelve months, and fined him £50 in addition. This temporarily ended the Friend of China. It ceased to appear, and whatever property Tarrant had was ruined. In gaol Tarrant became "ill" and was put in hospital, but stern visiting justices would have none of it, and he was sent back to his cell and "the companionship of felons and refractory seamen." But the community once again moved on his behalf and petitioned the Governor to allow Mr. Tarrant to be confined to the debtors' side of the gaol. The Governor, Sir Hercules Robinson, refused, and agitation grew within the Colony and without, and the conduct of the gaol came in for severe criticism. Colonial, English, and Indian papers took the matter up, and ultimately the Duke of Newcastle (Secretary of State) ordered Tarrant to be placed in the debtors' side of the gaol, and suggested that half the sentence should be remitted. Shortly afterwards the case was brought before the House of Commons, and on March 20, 1860, after six months of the sentence had been served, Tarrant was released, his fine of £50 having been paid by subscription. But his troubles were not at an end. He was returned to the debtors' prison for costs {$2,263) due to Dr. Bridges in connection with the trial, and Dr. Bridges, having a grudge against Tarrant, now sought long-awaited revenge. Tarrant was in prison four months. He tried every means to obtain release but failed, and once again representations were made to the Home Government. Dr. Bridges acknowledged that Tarrant was being kept in gaol, not for the money, but for ulterior motives, and eventually the public decided once again to stand by Tarrant, and his debt was paid by public subscription. He was released on August 4, 1860, after four months' confinement on account of this bill, and revived the Friend of China, eventually transferring it, first to Canton, and in 1862, to Shanghai. In 1869 he sold the Friend of China, which shortly afterwards succumbed, and in 1870 went to London much debilitated, and died on January 26, 1872. Upon his death he bequeathed to the City Hall Library a complete file of the Friend of China, and it is there now, somewhat dilapidated, to tell all who care to open the pages, something of the bitter times that Hongkong knew in early days. In a speech in the House of Lords on June 28, 1860, the Duke of Newcastle declared that "in no part of Her Majesty's dominions was libel so rife and flagrant as in Hongkong." It must not be forgotten, as Mr. Norton Kyshe points out in his "History of the Laws and Courts of Hongkong," that "the Hongkong Press, albeit open to some of the anim-adversions cast upon it on the score of violence, had, on the whole, deserved well — if not at the hands of the officials, at least at those of the community. But for it, colonial reformers at home such was the indifference of some of the leading men of the community — would have heard nothing of the many and enormous abuses and crimes which, after having for so many years been openly perpetrated, to the scandal of the name of the British Government in China, by persons holding magisterial and other appointments under it, were still allowed by an alarmed administration to enjoy the immunity on which they had so confidently relied. But for the Hongkong Press there can be no doubt at all that the Parliamentary Blue Book which was laid on the table of the House of Commons in April, 1859, and March, 1800, upon Mr. Edwin James' motion for papers relating expressly to the case of Mr. Caldwell, who had since become notorious throughout Asia, would never have been heard of or seen the light at all."
With the advent as Governor of Sir Hercules Robinson, who was sent from London with definite instructions to avoid "stirring up that mass of mud which appeared to have encumbered society in Hongkong" (1859), an improvement was expected to take place in the social and commercial life of the Colony.
However, upon the commencement of the inquiry into the Civil Service abuses of the previous administration the old animosities were renewed. The editor of the Daily Press again entered the lists, and, in March, i860, charged Mr. Caldwell with extortion and perjury, but withdrew the statement when proceeded against for libel. Shortly after this (November, 1860) Sir H. Robinson determined to take action to prevent the Press libelling so freely, and brought before the Legislative Council a bill to "amend the law relative to newspapers in Hongkong." The only law then applicable to the Press was Ordinance No. 2, of 1844, which released the Press from all restraint, and made no provision for libel or defamation. The bill introduced by Sir Hercules provided for newspaper publishers entering into a personal bond of £25o. It also provided a new procedure in libel cases. Hitherto, parties libelled had to apply to the magistracy for a summons, and if the evidence was strong enough the defendant was submitted to the Supreme Court as if for misdemeanour, when the Attorney-General prosecuted. This had a tendency to create the belief that the Government occasionally promoted actions for libel against certain editors. The amending bill provided that a party libelled must sue for damages, and that costs at all events should be secured for the plaintiff. The Ordinance was passed, and was numbered 16 of 1860. This measure was later repealed by No. 6, of 1886, which made the bond $1,200, but in a sense maintained the procedure.
In August, 1860, a committee of inquiry was appointed to investigate the charges brought against Mr. Caldwell (he was ultimately dismissed), and in connection with this Mr. Murrow, the editor of the Daily Press, produced prisoners as witnesses, "to hunt down the object of his hatred." But "the rancour of the editor of the Daily Press was not satisfied with the scope of the inquiry, and he clamoured for further investigations, and desired the former Acting Colonial to be impeached. When Sir H. Robinson resisted any re-opening of the inquiry, the irate editor appealed to the Secretary of State, hurling various charges against the Governor." ​Ultimately the editor was informed that "as he had been five times prosecuted for libel he was not entitled to any consideration, and that the Colonial Secretary would receive no further communication." And here practically ended the strife that had so long been carried on in the Colony. The Colonial Service was placed upon a better basis, and the Press had little call to use violently abusive language, though criticism continued to be free. During Sir H. Robinson's six years of office (he departed in March, 1865), the tone of life in the Colony was greatly elevated, and harmony was produced. The Press was conducted on better lines, and Mr. Murrow lived to carry on his work until 1884. A set of regulations adopted by Sir H. Robinson regarding civil servants and the Press are worthy of mention here. They were to the effect that whilst there was no objection to public servants furnishing newspapers with articles signed with their names on subjects of general interest, they were not at liberty to write on questions that could properly be called political, nor to furnish any articles whatever to newspapers which commented on the measures of the Government, and habitually exceeded the bonds of fair and temperate discussion. These regulations have been maintained to this day, though of recent years the necessity for them has entirely disappeared. In April, 1867, China Punch, a fortnightly illustrated paper, was published by the China Mail, and conducted by Mr. W. N. Middleton and others. On May 28, 1868, it ceased publication temporarily, but in November, 1872, the previous proprietors were induced to revive the production. Local topics and men were dealt with in a humorous and effective manner, to the intense amusement of the public. This journal, run on lines somewhat similar to its London prototype, only lasted whilst Mr. Middleton was in the Colony. When he left (November, 1876) Punch subsided, and since that time no paper of the kind has managed to rival its humorous and its witty caricatures and cartoons. On November 1, 1869, H. C. P. Glasson published an advertising sheet called the Daily Advertiser, which, after two or three years, developed into a newspaper, but did not last long. Then came the Hongkong Times, which also quickly languished, and left no serious footprints in local history to mark its existence. In the seventies the field was left to the China Mail, published in the evening, and the Daily Press, issued in the morning, and whilst they strove to fulfil the mission of the Press, nothing startling occurred to mar the even tenor of their ways until towards the end of 1870, when the Daily Press incidentally accused Mr. C. C. Smith, the Registrar-General, of having ill-advisedly interfered in certain judicial proceedings in the Police Court, and, being sued for libel, was mulcted in the sum of $250 damages and costs. In 1872, too, the Daily Press was once more in court for publishing a letter by Mr. Welsh, a merchant, who had been fined by the judge for, as a juryman, "paying insufficient attention to the case," but having apologised, the publisher, Mr. Bell, was excused. Mr. Welsh, it may be mentioned, was sent to gaol for fourteen days for contempt.
Either late in the sixties or early in the seventies Mr. George Murray Bain (who may be now regarded as the doyen of journalists in the East, having joined the China Mail in 1864 as sub-editor and reporter), took over the editorial work on the China Mail, and in 1872 became proprietor. His journal was conducted on most conservative lines and with studious regard for fair play, and the esteem with which he was regarded increased with the years. In 1877 he commenced the fight of his life, for then there arrived in the Colony as Governor Mr. (later Sir) John Pope-Hennessy, and against his policy the China Mail launched itself vigorously. Prison discipline and flogging were the subjects upon which the Governor first trespassed with unappreciated results. Flogging was abolished and crime increased remarkably, the Governor endeavouring to cure crime by reclaiming the criminals. Naturally this failed in such a place as Hongkong, and the public and Press were up in arms. On October 7, 1878, a public meeting was held to draw attention to the existing state of insecurity of life and property, and the policy of the Governor was severely criticised. In a despatch to the Secretary of State, Sir John acknowledged the increase of crime, but added, "it cannot be attributed to me, for it commenced before I arrived." So eager were the community for an explanation of the proceedings going on under the Governor's direction within the gaol walls that the China Mail was determined to find out for them, and managed, unbeknown to the authorities, to procure a berth in the gaol as turnkey for Mr. W. Arthur Quinton, who, in November, 1907, died in Yokohama. Mr. Quinton remained at his post long enough to become thoroughly familiar with the prison details, and then wrote a series of articles for the China Mail, which made for subsequent reforms, and also incidentally caused the departure from the Colony of Mr. Quinton—and, later, the Governor.
During Sir J. Pope-Hennessy's time the Hongkong Telegraph was founded (June 15, 1881), by Mr. Robert Frazer-Smith, who rapidly showed the community the metal of which he was made. He preached the gospel of anti-humbug in his columns most effectively. With scathing pen he pricked various bubbles, and made worthy and unworthy citizens alike tremble in their shoes. His work became reminiscent of the tirades that disfigured the Press in Sir John Bowring's time, though there was generally a spice of humour in them that did not appear in the articles of his predecessors. Early in his career Frazer-Smith fell foul of the law, and for libelling the German tragedian, Daniel Edward Bandmann, he was sent to gaol in July, 1882, for two months, being given the privileges of a first-class misdemeanant. As with Tarrant so with Frazer-Smith. He was received upon his release from gaol by a representative deputation and presented with an address and $1,000, as an expression of sympathy. Actively resuming the control of his paper, Mr. Smith's pen wrote personalities to the discomfort of many and the enjoyment of most. Early in 1883 he attacked the editor of the China Mail. Mr. Bulgin, and a libel case ensued, the complainant claiming $1,000. He was awarded $100 and costs. Forthwith the defendant returned to the baiting, and in November of the same year succeeded in obtaining his third writ from Mr. J. M. Price, the Surveyor-General. He won the case, but the sympathies were not with the virile editor on this occasion, for the Hon. F. B. Johnson and ninety-nine residents signed a letter offering to pay Mr. Price's costs of the proceedings in court, but the offer was courteously declined. Smith accused the Surveyor-General of being guilty of jobbery and corruption.
In 1885 and 1886 the newspapers had much of a public nature to busy themselves with, for the development of the Colony was proceeding apace, and files of the China Mail and Daily Press show a clear grasp of local conditions and a studiously courteous style of journalism. The Telegraph continued lo supply the spice to life, and Mr. Frazer-Smith, in February, 1890, once again crossed swords in court, the plaintiff this time being Mr. Oscar Grant, who recovered damages amounting to $251 on three counts, with the costs of the suit. The whole of the Press this year were in vigorous opposition—the Daily Press in particular—to the practice of appointing local barristers as acting magistrates with the privileges of continuing their private practices, and the scandals were somewhat suggestive of the days of Dr. Bridges, previously alluded to. Becoming tired of prosaic life, apparently, Mr. Frazer-Smith trespassed on thin ice with disastrous results towards the end of the year, and he and a reporter named Ward were convicted of criminally conspiring to bring a charge of rape against J. Minhinnett, a foreman of the Public Works Department. The jury recommended the defendants to mercy, and a sentence of six months' imprisonment in each case was passed, with damages to plaintiff of $3,000. Before the case was heard in 1891 Frazer-Smith went to Australia for a trip, and as he was on the vessel to leave he was arrested on a writ issued by Minhinnett. He was allowed to proceed later, and eventually sued Minhinnett for $1,000 damages for needless arrest, but he lost the case. In June, 1901, the Jockey Club held a meeting and struck Smith from the list of members. A public meeting on the Cricket Ground (not representative) passed a vote of confidence in the editor. He was not, however, cured of his taste for risky writing, and in 1892 Mr. John Mitchell, of Messrs. Butterfield & Swire, sued him for libel and obtained $250 damages. He continued for three more years, constantly being in conflict with leading citizens, and on February 9, 1895, died and was buried at Happy Valley.
In 1894 Mr. T. H. Reid became a partner in the China Mail, and also editor of the paper, and in 1900 the Hongkong Telegraph, after being run by Mr. Chesney Duncan, and later by Mr. J. J. Francis, Q.C., was formed into a limited company, the principal shareholders being Chinese residents who took over the business from Mr. Francis in order that they might have an organ in which to give expression to their views. With Mr. J. P. Braga, later on as manager, the paper has been conducted with becoming regard to the tenets of fair criticism, several gentlemen having occupied its editorial chair since its formation as a company. The three papers (China Mail, Daily Press, and Telegraph) were now with one accord moulded on high principles, and thoroughly living down the evil reputation newspapers gained, some not undeservingly, in former years. In November, 1903, the South China Morning Post joined the ranks as a morning paper, in opposition to the Daily Press, and made an endeavour to oust the older morning paper from the arena. It was founded as a public company in March, 1903, by Mr. A. Cunningham, a former editor of the Daily Press. The first editor, Mr. Douglas Story, remained but a short while, and before four years had passed the founder had severed his connection with it, the manager and editor now being Mr. G. T. Lloyd. In the China Mail office recent years worked changes. Mr. T. H. Reid departed in 1904, and was succeeded as managing-editor by Mr. W. H. Donald, whilst in 1906, the proprietor, Mr. G. Murray Bain, ​having earned a rest from long and arduous labours, had the business converted into a private limited company. Mr. W. H. Donald was made managing-director and editor, Mr. Bain himself being the chairman of directors, whilst the members of the latter's family were the only other shareholders. In the Daily Press office the management has been of recent years in the hands of Mr. B. A. Hale, Mr. T. Wright being the editor at this time of writing, whilst the Telegraph is now edited by Mr. A. Brebner. These gentlemen worthily fill the responsible positions occupied by them, and the whole Press of the Colony compares most favourably at the present day, so far as tone is concerned, with the best English journals. The journalists mostly take a keen pride in the important work which constitutes their mission, and with an endeavour to promote a kindly feeling of comradeship, formed on December 16, 1903, and inaugurated on January 6, 1904, the first Journalistic Association in the East. It did not last long, although its objects were excellent, and since it has now passed into oblivion and history contains no record of it, no harm will be done by ensuring the safe-keeping of the fact in this volume. The first committee consisted of the following: President, Mr. T. H. Reid (China Mail); Chairman of Committee, Mr. P. W. Sergeant (Daily Press); Committee, Mr. Douglas Story (South China Morning Post), Mr. W. H. Donald, (China Mail), and Mr. E. A. Snewin, (Hongkong Telegraph). The primary object, as shown in the Constitution of the Association, was "the elevation and improvement of the status of journalists in the Far East." This recalls an incident which may prove of interest. In 1850, when the Criminal Sessions of the Supreme Court were held for the first time in the room now occupied in the upper part of the building in Queen's Road, members of the Press were provided chairs at a table inside the bar, and a hope was expressed "that they would testify their regard for the attention shown for their accommodation by appearing there in the ordinary garb of gentlemen." History sayeth not whether they complied with the suggestion, but later on the reporters were given special accommodation immediately in front of the dock. With the increase of papers in the Colony in more recent years greater facilities for work were required, and in 1907 the reporters were once again favoured with seats vis-à-vis the legal fraternity.
Having traversed the history of the newspapers in the Colony, it might be interesting to note the circumstances of to-day. From the news point of view the papers have great difficulties to face. The Colony is small and local happenings are not always interesting, and excessive cable rates place limitations upon enterprise in the direction of obtaining foreign intelligence. However, the papers keep the Colony excellently supplied with the happenings of the outside world. Editorially the papers offer a strong contrast to those of fifty years ago. They are all well-conducted, though editors use rose-water too liberally in their criticisms. Criticism, however, is not so free as is possible in other parts of the world. The community is small, interests are surprisingly interwoven, and a tendency exists in some quarters to prevent even legitimate reference to certain interests by withdrawing support from the paper guilty of the "indiscretion." One or two papers endeavour to stem this tide of demoralisation, and whether the survival of the fittest will ultimately see the editors on top or not remains to be seen. The efforts of the papers are not always recognised by the community as fully as they might be, or they are misunderstood, and some who have so much to gain by the presence of a free and outspoken Press, and so much to lose by the absence of it, would do no harm to indulge in a little occasional heart-searching to adjust the focus of their views and ascertain if, after all, they realise and adequately acknowledge the value and supreme importance of the newspapers which exist in their city. It is essential that they should know fair from unfair criticism, and though in 1904 the China Mail was boycotted for twelve months by a foreign section of the community for commenting upon a matter which the editor deemed fairly within his province, it is questionable whether boycott is a wise or a good thing. But in Hongkong in minor and individual ways it has been used frequently, and the result is that the average editor has to think twice before he publishes an article such as the general reader sometimes looks for. Hongkong, in short, does not cater for a strong Press, and any limpness noticeable is due more ​to force of circumstances than to the weather, which the article elsewhere on that subject will show to be extremely trying.
Hongkong, unlike most other cities, is now without a weekly paper (excepting the weekly news editions of the newspapers), though many attempts have been made to establish one. Already mention has been made of Punch, which enjoyed but a brief life, and from the cessation of that paper, no attempt seems to have been made to conduct a genuine weekly paper until within the past three or four years. When the South China Morning Post was established, an attempt to run a weekly illustrated was made, but the production (the Weekly Post) was suspended after a few months and converted into a news summary. In 1903 a weekly advertising sheet called the Reminder was published by Mr. T. Swaby, and it afterwards developed into the Island, a more pretentious paper, but without any particular literary merit. Then, on August 4, 1906, the China Mail established a weekly illustrated paper, and offered $500 to the general public for the best title, titles to be selected and voted for. Until a name was selected the paper was called the New Weekly, and when the "name competition" closed, it was felt that not one of the numerous titles selected would suit, and the proprietor paid the $500 to the person whose selection had secured the highest number of votes, and called the paper the Hongkong Weekly. No effort was spared to make the paper popular; high rates were offered to encourage literary and artistic assistance, and though a little was forthcoming, sufficient was not available to bring the paper up to the ideal the proprietors had in view when they started it, and reluctantly they ultimately decided to abandon it. The last issue was on March 7, 1908.
The public of Hongkong do not seem to have reached the weekly paper stage. Neither do they want magazines. The China Review, established many years ago by the China Mail (to supplant Notes and Queries, published by the same paper), though supported and widely read for many years, treating as it did on Chinese subjects, ultimately left the Colony for Shanghai, whilst a second trial of the kind was made under the title of the Review of the Far East, by the Morning Post in 1907. This collapsed after two issues. A small sporting magazine called the V.R.C. Magazine, conducted by the Victoria Recreation Club, lingered through part of 1906 and 1907, but ultimately failed for the want of support. The bones of many forlorn hopes whiten the "inky way" in the East.
Of more serious publications, Hongkong has the Directory and Chronicle of the Far East, issued annually by the Daily Press, whilst Who's Who in the Far East was originated in 1906 by Messrs. F. L. Pratt and W. H. Donald and continues to be largely supported to date. It is published by the China Mail.
The China Mail.
Rising amid the bones of several futile enterprises that bleached on the journalistic wayside in the early days of Hongkong, the China Mail was of vigorous birth and was thus able to withstand the withering influences that laid waste all predecessors. To-day it thrives with the distinction of being the oldest paper in the Colony, if not in the Far East. Started on February 20, 1845, as a British journal, it has, through the years that have been lean, or fat, remained true to its colours, and the high policy it established at the outset of being fair to all men in general and stoutly loyal to British traditions in particular has been maintained through varying changes to the present day. It now stands, without prejudice, for the best that is British and the best that is cosmopolitan in the Colony. Its criticisms—when necessary unsparing, but at all times studiously free from rancour—bear the impress of genuine effort to uphold the right. A watchful eye is first kept upon the Colony's interests, and, withal, a broad imperialism is the political gospel preached, with a fair commercial field and no favour to all men.
Its columns are never sullied by personalities, and, in general, the conduct of the journal is in line with the very best traditions of English journalism.
The first appearance of the China Mail, in 1845, was as a weekly paper, published each Thursday. Then the Colony knew not the cable, and news came only by the occasional steamer, or by the sailing ship which was such a feature of the Eastern trade of sixty-three years ago. With the growth of the Colony the China Mail kept pace. It soon developed into a daily paper—first of four pages, then of eight, and a further increase is now contemplated, and will probably be effected before these lines are in print. The China Mail, too, has been the parent of several "little ones." First, there came the now long-defunct China Punch, a highly popular illustrated humorous paper in its day; later, the China Review, a scholarly journal dealing with Far Eastern affairs, which still lingers, though under different ownership; then Notes and Queries, confined to Eastern subjects; and, in the present day, the Hongkong Weekly, an illustrated Saturday paper, dealing with sport and the lighter side of the Colony's life. All along, there has been published in connection with the China Mail, the Overland China Mail, which devotes itself to giving the week's Far Eastern news and comments. The China Mail also originated and published the Hongkong Directory, afterwards disposing of it to its present owners. For many years the proprietors of the China Mail have published a vernacular paper, the Wa Tsz Yat Po (Chinese Mail).
From its first issue and for several years—until the Government Gazette was established—the China Mail bore the following notification on its title page: "Government Notification.—It is hereby notified that from and after the 20th instant (February, 1845), and until further orders, the China Mail is to be considered the official organ of all Government notifications." Then, as now, however, the paper was a free critic of Government policy, and through its career has been distinguished for having the courage of its own convictions in regard to questions vitally affecting the public. In Sir John Pope-Hennessy's time the China Mail conducted a campaign against what is historically known as that Governor's "vicious policy," and was instrumental in preventing considerable harm being done the Colony. As a newspaper, the China Mail ranks as first in the Colony. Its telegraphic services from London, Australia, and the whole of the Far East, including Japan, Colombo, and the Straits Settlements, enables it invariably to give the earliest information of current events. The publication of news of Chinese affairs, with criticisms, is a feature of the journal, and one that is of distinct service to all interested in the Chinese Empire.
The present chairman of directors of the company, Mr. George Murray Bain, became proprietor of the paper in 1872, and between 1894 and 1904 had as a partner and editor, Mr. T. H. Reid. In 1904, Mr. W. H. Donald succeeded as manager and editor, and in 1906, when Mr. Bain decided to convert the business into a private limited company, he was made managing director and editor, which position he still holds. Mr. G. Murray Bain being chairman of the board of directors, and Mr. H. Murray Bain, secretary. On the literary staff of the paper are Mr. W. H. Donald, Mr. F. Lionel Pratt, Mr. J. W. Bains, Mr. Taylor, and Mr. Li Sum Ling. As the "China Mail," Ltd., the company conducts a printing and publishing business—Who's Who in the Far East being the chief annual publication, in addition to the journals mentioned. The address is No. 8, Queen's Road, Nos. 2, 4, and 6, Wellington Street, and No. 5, Wyndham Street, Hongkong.
MR. GEORGE MURRAY BAIN, the principal proprietor of the "China Mail," Ltd., is one of the oldest journalists in the Far East. Born in 1842 at Montrose, he was educated at the Montrose Borough School, and joined the China Mail as sub-editor and reporter in 1864. His ability was quickly recognised, and his promotion, consequently, was very rapid. In a short while he was appointed editor, and within eight years of joining the literary staff, became the proprietor of the paper. During 1877 and 1882 he took an active part in fighting the vicious policy of Sir John Pope-Hennessy, then the Governor of the Colony, and has consistently upheld British interests and maintained an impartial attitude towards other nationalities. In conjunction with the late Dr. N. B. Denneys, he started the China Review in 1872, and in 1906 converted the China Mail into a private limited company. Mr. Bain takes an interest in all public movements, and encourages all sports. He is a member of the Hongkong, the Jockey, and the Cricket Clubs, and lives at "Birnam Brae," Conduit Road.
MR. WILLIAM HENRY DONALD, the managing director of the "China Mail," Ltd., and editor of the China Mail, was born in 1875, at Lithgow, N.S.W., and is the eldest son of George Donald, first mayor of Lithgow, and later M.P. for Hartley. He was sub-editor and afterwards editor of the Bathurst National Advocate, and, having served for some time on the staffs of the Daily Telegraph, Sydney, and The Argus, Melbourne, came to the Far East in May, 1903, to take up the position of sub-editor of the China Mail. In the following year he was promoted managing editor, and, upon the formation of the limited company in June, 1906, was made managing director. As the representative of the China Mail and several Australian and English papers, he did a great deal of important journalistic work in Japan during the Russo-Japanese War. He was the special correspondent for the Daily Express, London, and the China Mail, with the ill-fated Baltic fleet, under Admiral Rojdestvensky, at Vanfon Bay and Port Dyot, Annam, Indo-China, and was the only English correspondent to witness the final departure of the fleet for Tsushima on May 14, 1905. In conjunction with Mr. F. L. Pratt, he established Who's Who in the Far East, in 1906, and still retains his interests in that publication. He is the correspondent in South China of the New York Herald, Daily Express, London, Daily Telegraph, Sydney, and several other papers. He is a member of the Hongkong Club, the ​Cricket Club, the Royal, Hongkong, and Corinthian Yacht Clubs, &c. He resides at "Goodwood," No. 5. Babington Path.
MR. JOHN WILLIAM BAINS, the writer of our article on sport in Hongkong, was born at Wreck Bay in 1880. After being educated at Camdenville Superior Public School, he received a training in newspaper work in the office of the Sydney Daily Telegraph. In July, 1903, he left Australia for Hongkong to join the China Mail, on which newspaper he is sub-editor and sporting editor. He is keenly interested in sport, and has a seat on the committee of the Victoria Recreation Club. For some time past he has been one of the instructors at the Hongkong Technical Institute.
The Hongkong Daily Press.
Having published its jubilee number on October 1, 1907, the Hongkong Daily Press obviously must have shared the major part of the history of Hongkong as a British Colony. Sixteen years after the cession of the island—during the administration of Sir John Bowring, the last Governor to be at the same time Minister Plenipotentiary and Superintendent of British trade in China—the Daily Press made its appearance as a four-page shipping paper, with only a couple of short columns of editorial comments on such news as arrived by mails—then few and far between. Mr. George M. Rider figures in the imprint as editor and pro-proprietor, and certainly deserves what glory may attach to the bold enterprise of publishing the very first daily newspaper to appear in the Far East. "Having roamed somewhat extensively on the surface of this Planet," he confides in his first editorial, "we have naturally acquired a trifle above the average knowledge of matters connected with Shipping." As a shipping paper the Hongkong Daily Press began, and as a shipping and commercial paper it still chiefly claims pre-eminence among its contemporaries. Even in those early days, however, it had a soul above mere dollars and dividends, and showed
"HONGKONG DAILY PRESS." :
| Machine Room. | Composing Room. |
a stronger sense of public duty than modern communities, in comparatively small towns, are accustomed to from journals depending largely on their subscribers, and advertisers, for existence. On public affairs of interest to the Colony, its pronouncements had a tone refreshingly candid; a spade was a spade fifty years ago; and in its second volume there are indications that this journalistic infant was growing as sturdy as its conception had promised. Some of its editorials were written in the local gaol, the Governor of that period having his own view of the limits of legitimate criticism. Governors and editors came and went, practically pari passu, and as the Colony developed and expanded so did the Hongkong Daily Press, which almost immediately trebled the area of its pages and increased their number. It is now an eight-page production, showing on each page its acknowledged status as a caterer for serious-minded men of business and affairs. There is a weekly "mail edition" of from twenty to twenty-four pages, which conveys to a wide circle of distant readers an epitome and digest of the news of the Hongkong hebdomad. For forty-five years it has issued the Directory and Chronicle for the whole of the Far East—a book now regarded as indispensable in offices, all over the world, having anything to do with China, Japan, Korea, the Straits and States, Borneo, the Philippines, &c. This volume, though condensed as much as possible, has swollen to over 1,720 pages, giving details of places, as well as of persons, and much important information bearing directly on all departments of the Far East. The European staff of the Hongkong Daily Press and its germane publications, which include occasional books and pamphlets relating to Hongkong, China, and the Orient generally, includes (in London) the managing-lessee and two reporters; (in Hongkong) the editor, two reporters, two European proof-readers, the business manager, accountant, and others. From its office in Fleet Street it receives, daily, an independent service of telegrams, with the letters and reports of its European correspondents in London, Paris, Hamburg, &c. It also has correspondents in Japan and various cities and Treaty ports in China.
​MR. T. WRIGHT.—A list of names of newspapers, principally provincial, can have but little interest, and though claiming nearly a quarter of a century's experience as a journalist, the subject of this note has not had a career that lends itself to picturesque narrative. His first trespass upon editorial space was a "letter to the editor, in which, as a boy of ten or eleven, he criticised a "leader" that had emphasised the adage about sparing rods and spoiling children. The editor, Mr. George Chatt, a great man in the North Countree, sent a message to his correspondent: "Join us, and we'll make a journalist of you." Being at that time, thanks to a too indulgent father and a sorely tried tutor, full of leisure, the boy accepted the invitation and entered upon a journalistic career. The first sum he earned was six shillings, for a "turn-over" entitled "The duty of parents to children." He was then about twelve years old. In course of time he acquired the usual local fame by the usual vigorous criticism of the usual deplorable condition of the usual parish pump, attained a high position on the local stepladder and a salary exceptional for one of his years. To count age by the almanack is not always to count truly: Mr. Wright claims that he was really born on the steamer that brought him to the Far East in 1902. Till then, he discovered, he had merely existed in chrysalis form. His advent in Japan, and meteoric career there, is still spoken of with bated breath by those confreres who managed to survive his mordant humour. At the outbreak of the war he achieved special distinction by declining to accept the chance of glory, and dysentery, by going to Korea as the Daily Mail's war correspondent. Instead, he preferred to join the late Mr. "Bob" Little, of North China Daily News fame, at Shanghai, whom he was intended to succeed on retirement. Mr. Little's intention to retire was, apparently, abandoned, and the chair of the Hongkong Daily Press falling vacant, Mr. Wright came to Hongkong, where he has been endeavouring to conduct that fifty-year-old journal strictly in accordance with its own traditions.
"HONGKONG TELEGRAPH." :
| The "Telegraph" in 1881. | Editorial Offices. |
MR. BERTRAM AUGUSTUS HALE, manager of the Hongkong Daily Press, is a son of Mr. Charles Hale, for many years town surveyor of Shepton Mallet, Somersetshire. Born in 1870, he was connected with journalism in Devonshire and London for some years, and came East to join the Japan Chronicle in 1895. In 1899 he became editor and part proprietor of the Hiogo News, and whilst in Japan he also acted as correspondent of the London Standard. He arrived in Hongkong in February, 1903, as manager of the Daily Press. He married in November, 1898, Florence, a daughter of the late Charles Boulton, of Dover. He lives at "Wellburn," a pleasantly situated house on the Peak, and is a member of the Hongkong Club.
The Hongkong Telegraph.
The Hongkong Telegraph was established by Mr. Robert Frazer-Smith, and its first issue appeared on June 15, 1881. After a somewhat chequered career, the paper became the property of the late Mr. John Joseph Francis, Q.C., who at that time was undoubtedly the cleverest lawyer practising in Hongkong. Mr. Francis in due course converted the business into a limited liability company, the registration taking place on February 22, 1900.
While owning to a special desire to promote Chinese interests, the Telegraph has followed an entirely independent policy, directing its attention largely to the advancement of the commercial interests of the Colony, without disregarding the various other facets of work on an evening journal. Its connection with Canton, the capital of Southern China, has been singularly successful, owing to the excellence of its news service from that centre of Chinese activity, while it has also established a close connection with the Treaty ports along the coast.
The Telegraph is recognised as a staunch upholder of British trade in Hongkong, and its criticisms and editorials on trade generally, with particular reference to the ​industries and other enterprises promoted in the Colony and in the southern provinces of China, have been characterised by acute inside information and keen perception, with the result that the mercantile community generally are firm supporters of the journal.
MR. A. W. BREBNER, the editor, is a native of Aberdeen, Scotland, and received his education at Robert Gordon's College in that city. Afterwards he joined the editorial staff of the Aberdeen Free Press, and in 1895 proceeded to Jamaica, West Indies, to take up the position of sub-editor on the Daity Gleaner in Kingston. During the Cuban war he acted as special correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph. After a sojourn in England, he was appointed assistant editor of the Bangkok Times, Siam; and, after a short connection with the Straits Times, he joined the Hongkong Telegraph, of which he was appointed editor in January, 1906.
MR. J. P. BRAGA, the manager, is a native of the Colony. He was first educated at St. Joseph's College, and, proceeding to Calcutta, passed through St. Xavier's College and Roberts College. In 1889 he was awarded the only scholarship secured by the European students in the Matriculation Examination of the University of Calcutta. On his return to Hongkong he joined the firm of Government printers and publishers, and was admitted a partner of Messrs. Noronha & Co. in 1899. This partnership was dissolved upon the death of the senior proprietor, and in July, 1902, Mr. Braga received his present appointment.
South China Morning Post, Ltd.
The youngest daily newspaper in Hongkong is the South China Morning Post. Registered as a limited liability company, with a capital of $150,000, on March 18, 1903, it made its bow to the public in November of the same year.
The founder of the Company was Mr. A. Cunningham, who had previously been connected with newspapers in Singapore, Shanghai, and Hongkong, and who afterwards acted as general manager and editor. The first editor was Mr. Douglas Story, a prominent London journalist and war correspondent. The Company started with splendid backing, and had on its first directorate such prominent men as Mr. E. H. Sharp. K.C.; Mr. C. Ewens, solicitor; Père Robert, the head of the Mission Etrangères; and Mr. G. W. F. Playfair, manager of the National Bank of China. Adopting a vigorous, Independent, and up-to-date policy, the venture rapidly came to the front in local journalism, and now claims to have the "largest circulation." Elaborate cable services from London, Berlin, and Tokyo were its chief features, and business people were not slow to recognise that through the Post they were brought into touch with the affairs of the world in a manner hitherto unattempted by private enterprise. The Post also takes the credit of being the originator of the 10-cent newspaper in Hongkong. In a short time the Post increased in size, and now it gives its readers a daily average of thirty columns of reading matter and forty columns of advertisements. During the Russo-Japanese War the Post was strongly pro-Japanese, but has not permitted its enthusiasm to interfere with unbiased criticism of certain dubious methods imported into the commercial field by our ally. British trade in China has always had a staunch supporter in the Post. In matters Chinese the Post has consistently maintained a strong lead. It initiated a movement for the suppression of piracy, lent its support to the cause of railway development, and has urged reform and enlightenment on legitimate lines. The good intentions of the Chinese authorities have always been applauded, and oft-repeated back-sliding has been denounced. The opium question has received due attention, and the effect of the arrangement between China and our philanthropic Home Government on the mercantile interests of Hongkong has been emphasised time and again. One consistent aim of the Post has been to promote a clearer understanding, both politically and commercially, between the Chinese and the "barbarians" of the West. In local politics the Post maintains a fearless attitude in voicing the views of the laity on all matters requiring adjustment, and ideas mooted in its columns for the betterment of conditions of life generally in the Colony have, many of them, received the approval of the local administrators.
​In addition to its daily issue, the Post publishes a weekly mail edition, which also has a large sale. Like most newspaper enterprises in the Far East, the " South China Morning Post," Ltd., does not confine itself to the production of newspapers. Its printing department is fitted with the most modern English and American machinery and plant, including the linotype, of which marvellous invention the Company is the pioneer in the Far East, and of which the Chinese trained on the premises by Mr. G. J. Dyer come to be expert operators in a comparatively short time. So successful has the innovation been, that the Company is now erecting its third machine. Chromo- lithographic work is done on a big scale, and experts have pronounced it equal to the best home work of its class. A feature of the lithographic work is Chinese calendars, of which many thousands are turned out every year-end, and for which the demand is rapidly increasing. As a sign of development, it may be mentioned that the Company has recently erected its own gas-producing plant, which supplies the necessary power for driving the 16 and 32-horse-power engines, and also the electric motors which light the premises. Reforms have recently been instituted which will permit of further development. The present directorate consists of Dr. J. W. Noble (chairman) ; Mr. G. C. Moxon, National Bank of China ; Mr. J. Scott-Harston, of Messrs. Ewens and Harston, solicitors ; and Mr. H. Pinckney, of Stewart Bros.— all of whom take a very keen interest in the progress of the business. Mr. G. T. Lloyd, formerly assistant editor, is now general manager and editor, and he is supported by a capable and experienced staff.
MR. GEORGE T. LLOYD, the editor and general manager of the South China Morning Post, was born on October 2, 1872, and educated at Carmarthen, South Wales. His early training in journalism was obtained in the county of his birth. He occupied the editorial chairs of several English provincial newspapers before he came to Hongkong, in 1904, as assistant-editor of the Morning Post. Three years later he was appointed to his present position. Mr. Lloyd was president of St. George's Club for 1907. He resides at the King Edward Hotel, Hongkong. ♦ ♦♦ ♦ MR. THOMAS PETRIE, assistant-editor of the Sontli Cliina Morniiif^ Post, Hongkong, is a native of Scotland, and commenced his journalistic career on the staff of the Forfar branch of the Dundee Courier and Argus and Dundee Weeltly iVews. Later he was transferred to the head office at Dundee, and remained with this firm for four years. In 1900 he decided to come East, and in March of that year joined the staff of the China Mail, Hongkong. He remained in the Colony for two and a half years, and then proceeded to Bangkok as sub-editor of the Siam Observer, but, his health failing, he was compelled to leave Siam, and next joined the staff of the Japan Herald at Yokohama. In 1904 he returned to Hongkong, to take up sub-editorial work on the Morning Post, and in 1907, he became assistant-editor. He received the appointment of Official Shorthand Writer to the Supreme Court of Hongkong, and has acted in a similar capacity to various Commissions — those re the Private Chair and Jinrickshaw Coolies, the Public Works Department, and the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance. At the last-named, which sat in 1906 for ten months, no fewer than 183 witnesses were examined, and a remarkable amount of evidence was taken. Mr. Petrie was formerly a member of the Institute of Journalists.
THE "CHINESE MAIL." THE EDITORIAL STAFF.
The Chinese Mail.
The Chinese Mail, known in Chinese as the Wa Tse Yat Po. is one of the leading Chinese papers in South China. Its original promoters were Mr. George Murray Bain, of the China Mail, and Mr. Chun 6i Ting, Chinese Consul-General to Cuba — who, after his return to his own country, took part in the negotiation of the British Commercial Treaty with China. Mr. Chun Oi Ting is still a proprietor, and under his supervision, the paper, for over half a century, has pursued an impartial policy, and has striven to promote education and commerce. During the China-Japan War the offices were wrecked by an infuriated mass of Chinese, because the paper published the first-hand information ​about the loss of the Chinese fleet in the China Sea, the surrender of Port Arthur, and the defeat of the Chinese Army near Korea. In 1895 the premises caught tire, and after this the headquarters were removed to their present situation, No. 5, Wellington Street. Mr. Lan Man Shan, who was for some time Attaché to the Chinese Legation in America, has held the position of managing-editor, with intervals, for over twenty years, and, through the columns of the paper, he has done much to create a healthy public opinion with regard to various movements for advancing the welfare and prosperity of the country generally. The present manager is Mr. Li Sum Ling, who took over the responsibilities of the post from Mr. Chun Un Man, the son of Mr. Chun Oi Ting.
The paper has always had the courage of its opinions, although the policy of expressing itself freely on matters of public interest has often appeared to be opposed to its own immediate business interests. In 1903, owing to an attack made upon Pui King Fuk, the notorious Nam Hoi magistrate, an attempt was made to stop the publication of the paper, but it was shown that the editor was within his rights as defined by ordinance. Again, in 1906, owing to the trouble which arose in connection with the Canton-Hankow Railway, all Chinese papers in South China unanimously joined in an attack upon the management. As a consequence an order was issued by the Canton Viceroy, Shum Chun Hsen, prohibiting the Hongkong vernacular papers from circulating in Canton or in any ports under his jurisdiction. Owing to immense influence being brought to bear in certain quarters, however, the Chinese Mail and one or two other publications were exempted from this prohibition.
The paper has a high standing among Chinese officials and in Chinese commercial circles. Many improvements have been made recently in its organisation, and all important news relating to the political movements in the Chinese capital and Central China, is obtained with the least possible delay.
Who's Who In the Far East.
This publication, as the name implies, is a work of reference which supplies information in regard to persons, native and foreign. holding positions of prominence in the Far East Especial effort was made during its compilation to obtain information as full and accurate as possible in regard to the statesmen and dil and military officials of Japan and China.
Two editions of the work have been published, the first in June, 1906, and the second in June, 1907. The third edition will be published in January, 1909, and thereafter at intervals of two years.
Who's Who in the Far East owed its inception to the enterprise of two Australian journalists, Mr. F. Lionel Pratt and Mr. W. H. Donald, who are still the proprietors. The former, who edits the work, was for many years connec-ted with the Australian Press, and represented important Sydney and Melbourne dailies with the Japanese Army in Manchuria during the late war. Mr. Donald is the managing director of the ••China Mail." Ltd. {q.v.) The b<K)k. which contains some 2.000 biographies, is published for the proprietors by the -China Mail." Ltd.
Messrs. Noronha & Co.
The printing and publishing of the Government Gazette and other official productions has been carried on for three generations by the house of Messrs. Noronha & Co., the oldest printing firm in the Colony. The business was established in 1844. A heavy stiK-k of type is carried, and the firm is thus enabled not only to keep a great deal of the matter required by the Government always in type, but also to undertake large private contracts. A speciality is made of all branches of book-work and publishing.
SHANGHAI.
With the necessary reservation applicable to all generalisations, it will be readily conceded that every country and every place has the Press it deserves. It follows, there- fore, that it requires no great erudition in the science of human nature to be able to gauge a community from its newspapers. To those who have never tried the experi- ment it may safely be recommended as an instructive and entertaining pastime. If they have not time to make a serious study of the w'hole Press, let them turn to the adver- tisements, peruse these carefully, and, with a few glances at the body of the paper, they will be able to reconstruct with folerable accuracy the life of the community in which they find themselves.
In the case of Shanghai the theory certainly holds good. Tradition — the religion of the port— is there exemplified in the history of the North China Daily News, which, to the older section of the population at least, is always tout conrl "the paper." Instinctively this section feels a sense of proprietorship over it, and for that reason is ever its most captious critic, resenting every innovation until it has, in turn, become sanctified by usage. The movement of population is reflected in the number of newspapers that have come and gone ; its intellectuality and pursuits by the standard of those still existing. Enter into the social life of the community and you will find that the proportion between those whose thoughts are for the most part bounded by the res- tricted limits of the Settlement and its immediate surroundings, and those whose minds dwell upon Weltpolitik, science, art, and the hundred and one subjects that form the basis of conversation in the big capitals of the world, is well preserved in the contents of the daily Press. Shanghai is a commercial centre, and the reward for strict attention to business in business hours is complete relaxation of mind at all other times. The leisured class does not exist, and it would, therefore, be idle to expect the Press to cater for such a clientele. Intense devotion to the temporary place of adoption — that great characteristic which makes the Anglo- Saxon race such a successful coloniser — is as dominant in Shanghai as elsewhere, and it is faithfully reproduced in the Press. From these reflections we may turn to a consideration of the various journalistic enter- prises undertaken during the history of the Settlement. It was in the closing weeks of 1843 that Shanghai was formally declared open to foreign commerce, but the first steps in the establishment of a foreign settlement were deliberate. Consequently, the pioneers of those days have little to be ashamed of in the fact that the first newspaper did not make its appearance until nearly seven years later. There were only 157 foreign resi- dents in Shanghai when the North China Herald issued its first number on August 3, 1850, and for fourteen years it supplied, with the addition of a daily shipping list, the immediate wants of the community. With the gradual growth of the Settlement, how- ever, came the opening for a daily news- paper, and on July I. 1864, this appeared from the office of the North China Herald in the form of the North China Daily New.^, which incorporated the Daily Shipping IJ.^I. For twenty-four years in all, until 1874. these papers held undisputed sway. But on July 4th of that year this position was challenged by the Celestial Empire, and from that date journalistic effort in Shanghai may be likened to the hundred-headed hydra of antiquity. The Morning Gazette and Advertiser, with an evening counterpart known as the Evening Gazette, inaugurated the list of unsuccessful publications, which, though started often under the best auspices, soon languished for various reasons. Among them may be . mentioned the Cathay Post, the Shanghai Times (the first of this name), the Shanghai Daily Press, while others such as the Courier and the Temperance Union found their elixir of life in incorporation with healthier organisations.
On April 17, 1879, the Shanghai Mercury appeared as an evening paper, and, absorbing the Cornier and the Celestial Empire — the latter as its weekly edition — quickly established itself on sound lines, which have successfully carried it onward to its present standing in the Press of the Settlement. The story of the individual newspapers which still circu- late in Shanghai wilt be told at length under separate headings. Here it is sufficient to record the order of their appearance. Shortly after the Mercury in the same year came an un- pretentious weekly known as the Temperance Union, which, thanks to outside contributions, was able to advocate its principles in an at- tractive and scholarly manner, maintaining an unbroken record until 1H96. In that year the paper passed into the hands of the present editor, who changed its name to the Union and, while retaining its advocacy of total abstinence, enlarged its scope to cover the interests of all who " go down to the sea in ships." On July 2, 1894— the summer heat of Shanghai has exercised and still exercises a peculiarly stimulating effect upon local journalistic efforts — appeared with the China Gazette, the second evening paper, the joint proprietorship and editorship of which have remained in the same hands throughout the twenty-four years of its existence. It represents that form of journalism which is unfettered by tradition, and which expresses its likes and dislikes with a potent and facile pen. Another journal that was conspicuous for its doughty championship of foreign interests was the Shanghai Daily Press. which at one time changed its name to that of the New Press. In its latter days it enjoyed Japanese financial support, but when this terminated abruptly, the Shanghai Daily Press ceased to exist. Finally, in 1901, the position of the North China Daily News as the only morning paper of the Settlement was challenged by the advent of the Shanghai Times. After a chequered career it has settled down under a semi-official Chinese aegis, with a penchant for the United States.
All the newspapers to which reference has been made are, or were, written in the English language. Foreign journalism is represented by Der Ostasiatische Lloyd, founded in 1886 as a small daily newspaper devoted to German interests. A year later it became a weekly publication, and in its present form it occupies a high position in the local Press by reason of the able manner in which it is conducted, its wide scope and scholarly ​articles. French interests are in the capable care of L'Echo de Chine, which for eleven years has maintained a creditable record for all that gives French journalism its unique position in contemporary ephemeral literature.
Side by side with the daily Press Shanghai has been well supplied with literature of a different nature, ranging from the more serious effort of an illustrated quarterly to comic weeklies. It is impossible to give too high a meed of praise to the East of Asia, a valuable publication, unfortunately no longer continued, issued at one time by the "North China Daily News and Herald" Company, Ltd. It was started in January, 1902, under the direction of Mrs. Timothy Richard, and on her death, which occurred soon after the completion of the first volume, Mr. W. J. Hunnex was appointed editor. For some time a German edition of the magazine, under the editorship of Mr. Chas. Fink, was published simultaneously with the English edition. The special aim of the magazine was to increase the general knowledge of the East of Asia. The co-operation of some of the leading writers and thinkers in the East was secured, and the subject-matter was brought before the world in fitting dress. The magazine was printed from type and machines specially procured, on art paper in colours, with a characteristic cover specially designed by a Chinese artist. Each number contained about a hundred pages. The illustrations were from original drawings or photographs, taken in the majority of cases by the authors themselves, or under their supervision. From time to time the drawings and paintings by native artists were reproduced, displaying a pleasing contrast between Occidental and Oriental art. At the conclusion of the fifth volume the East of Asia ceased to be published, and only a few copies of the five volumes are still to be had.
In a category of its own may be placed Sport and Gossip, a bright Sunday paper that sustains its title more consistently than its owners, to judge from the frequent changes in its proprietorship.
Of the weeklies, whose name is rapidly becoming legion, priority belongs to the Eastern Sketch as the mirror par excellence of local life. Under the editorship of Mr. H. W. G. Hayter, whose facile pencil provides its most effective illustrations, the Eastern Sketch has identified itself particularly with le haut monde and political cartoons. Social Shanghai is a monthly that reflects the greatest credit upon its editor, Mrs. Shorrock; for it is a valuable record of social events in the Settlement, set out in attractive style and copiously illustrated. In the Bnud (recently under new management), an attempt is made with rapidly increasing success, to combine the light and more serious sides of everyday life. The Saturday Evening Review breaks a lance in Chinese interests, and makes its bid for popularity with several pages of comment on current events and articles culled from foreign publications. The Sunday Sun, the Mirror, and the Prince are other efforts in similar directions, which have not yet been in existence long enough to enable the degree of their hold upon the public to be gauged accurately. One and all, it is to be feared, fall short of Puck and the Rattle that flourished from fifteen to twenty years earlier. These were conspicuous for real literary efforts which give pleasure even when their original setting is forgotten. Their successors of to-day are of an essentially ephemeral nature, prompted more by a desire for commercial success than by the cacoethes scribendi of a genius, whose scintillating pen will not be denied.
THE "NORTH CHINA DAILY NEWS AND HERALD" OFFICES.
The North China Dally News and Herald.
The North China Herald was founded in 1850, by Mr. Henry Shearman, and the first issue appeared on August 3rd of that year. It was a small, unambitious effort, and for many years consisted only of a double sheet the inside of which alone was devoted to the week's news. The first number contained a list of foreign residents, who then numbered 157, and subsequent issues gave the reader a short course of lessons in the local dialect. As a record of the early history of the Settlement these early numbers make interesting reading, though a present-day journalist would hardly be satisfied with the short paragraphs devoted to local events. Strenuous times were those early days, when the Taeping rebellion had reached its zenith, and the Triads were in possession of the native city. The foreign residents, no less than the Herald, regarded the daily encounters between the imperialists and the rebels without dismay, and it is amusing to read in the issue of April 1, 1854, three days before the battle of Muddy Flat, a warning against ascending in large numbers to the church tower to watch the attack of the imperialists against the city as "the upper portion of the tower is very slightly built, and if it be crowded as on Wednesday night last, and again on Thursday, a catastrophe too painful to contemplate may result." Nor to the writer who described the battle of Muddy Flat did there seem anything foolhardy or extraordinary in three hundred volunteers and sailors setting out to oust some twelve thousand imperialist troops from their camp.
The Herald was, however, more than a bare record of events. It contained many contributions of permanent value from scholars who have long since passed away. ​356
Dr. Medhurst was a frequent contributor to its columns; Dr. W. A. P. Martin, the veteran missionary who is still alive and as active as ever, regularly wrote for the paper, and in its columns many public questions of real moment at the time were threshed out to a satisfactory conclusion. Mr. Shearman died after a short illness on March 22, 1856, and, in informing its readers of the event, the Herald described him as “an unoffending man whose departure could not be un- accompanied by regret.” The paper was continued by his executors until May 17th, when it passed into the hands of Charles Spencer Compton who remained editor and proprietor until 1861. He was succeeded by Samuel Mossman (1861-63). During the régime of R. Alexander Jamieson (1863-66) the daily shipping list developed into the North China Daily News, a small three-page paper, con- taining a shipping list, about three columns of letterpress, and a number of advertisements.
The next occupant of the editorial chair was R. S. Gundry (1866-79), and under his direction the paper was immensely improved. The Herald was increased in size, a daily leading article was introduced, and in 1870 the Supreme Court and Consular Gazette, a small weekly periodical devoted almost entirely to legal reports, passed from the hands of its proprietor, D. Wares Smith, and became
the paper. Practically verbatim reports of every important case in the Supreme and Consular Courts have been published since that time, and to the present day great care is devoted to full and accurate reporting of every legal case of interest. It was during Mr. Gundry’s editorship also that an index of the North China Herald was published half-yearly,
Mr. Gundry was succeeded by Mr. G. W. Haden (1877-78) who had been his sub- editor. The next editor was Mr. F. H. Bal- four, who brought to his work the know- ledge of a sinologue, and steered the fortunes of the paper ‘for nearly six years (1881-86). He was the author of “ Taoist Texts” and several other scholarly works. Mr. Balfour, who is still living, retired in 1886, and his place was taken by Mr. J. W. MacClellan, his sub-editor, who is best remembered by his short history of Shanghai. During his editorship the late Mr. R. W. Little joined the staff as sub-editor, and when Mr. MacClellan retired in February, 1889, Mr. Little was appointed editor by the proprietors.
Mr. Little brought to his task a vast store of local knowledge—he came out to the East in the early sixties, and from 1879-81 was chairman of the Council. Mr. Little was to the fore in everything affecting the welfare of the Settlement, and he wrote
THE COMPOSING ROOMS,
amalgamated with the Herald, the title of which now became the North China Herald and Supreme Court and Consular Gazette. Under Mr. Gundry’s editorship, too, the amount of letterpress in the daily paper was increased. Mr. Gundry is still familiar to Far Eastern residents as the founder of the China Associa- tion, of which, until recently, he was presi- dent. He continues to write with authority on Eastern affairs, and many important memoranda on questions of Eastern policy have been addressed to the Foreign Office by him. With the amalgamation of the Herald and the Supreme Court and Consular Gazette particular attention was devoted to law reports, which have since been one of the features of
with an almost infallible judgment. He was one of the original members of the Mih- ho-loong Fire Company, a keen member of the Shanghai Rangers, and took a prominent part in the A.D.C. Known as “ Uncle” Bob to the whole Settlement, he had hundreds of friends and not a single enemy. Under his able guidance the North China Daily News added to its reputation as a reliable chronicle of Eastern affairs. His energy was boundless. He would work in the office until 2.0 a.m. and be down the same morning by g o'clock, a feat that none of the younger members of his staff could attempt. When he died, after a short illness, on April 21, 1906, Shanghai lost a brilliant
TWENTIETH CENTURY IMPRESSIONS OF HONGKONG, SHANGHAT, ETC.
speaker, a graceful writer, and one whose name will be remembered with affection on the China coast for many years to come,
HARRY L. GILLER, Secretary and General Manager.
Mr. Little’s length of tenure was a valuable asset to the paper, but on his death the growth of the Settlement, and the feeling that the paper should extend its scope beyond purely local considerations, led the proprietors to adopt a new policy and secure the services of a trained journalist. To this end they obtained the ‘services of Mr. H. T. Montague Bell, who for ten years had been on the foreign staff of The Times in various parts of the world. “Old custom” dies hard in Shanghai, and of course there were some who, at the outset, criticised every departure from the traditional policy of the paper. Its main features, however, have been conserved, though the advent of new blood has led to several improvements in the form and size of the North China Daily News. Just before Mr. Little’s death the old and cumbrous eight-page paper was changed to one of twelve pages of a more convenient size. Latterly there has been an addition to the number of columns devoted to letterpress, and a further increase is contemplated.
The offices of the North China Daily News and Herald occupy a prominent position on the Bund, whither they were removed from 2, Kiukiang Road, in 1902. The offices had been in Kiukiang Road since 1887, and prior to that date at 24, Nanking Road (to 1866), and at 10 and at 15, Hankow Road.
Mr. Shearman was the original proprietor of the paper, and Mr. Compton purchased it from his executors. Then Messrs. Broad- hurst, Tootal, and Pickwoad became partners in it, and finally the late Mr. Pickwoad was the sole owner. Mr. Balfour acquired an interest on assuming the editorship, and in
1906 Messrs. Pickwoad & Co, formed a private limited company to take over the paper.
Besides the Herald, a Shanghai Calendar was published in 1852 from the same office, containing a list of foreign residents in China, and a variety of useful information. In a few years this developed into the “Hong List,” which at one time included China and Japan, but now confines itself to North China.
The North China Daily News of the present ​TWENTIETH CENTURY IMPRESSIONS OF HONGKONG, SHANGHAT, ETC.
day is a twelve-page paper, containing about twenty-one columns of letterpress, besides shipping news, commercial intelligence, and a share list. In addition to Reuter’s tele- graphic service, it has an exclusive cable service from Washington, Tokyo, and London. A feature is made of outport news, early and reliable information being obtained from correspondents in over eighty of the principal cities in China.
Notes on Native Affairs, published daily, contains the Jatest information from native sources, and regular letters are published from correspondents in London (where the paper has political, lady, and sporting corre- spondents), Paris, St. Petersburg, Hongkong, Peking, Tokyo, Australia, Chicago, and India. Special attention is given to commercial news.
As the medium of official notifications of the Municipal Council, the North China Daily News publishes a weekly Municipal Gazette.
The Herald, which is the weekly edition of the paper, contains about seventy pages of letterpress, and is published on Saturday, for transmission by the Siberian mail on Tuesday. A quarterly index is published, as the Herald has now reached a size when it cannot conveniently be bound in six-monthly volumes.
The North China Daily News and Herald occupies a unique position, not only in China but throughout the East.
The Herald circulates all over the world, and its views are not infrequently quoted in the Houses of Parliament, and within the past few years Prince Biilow has cited it for its friendly policy towards Germany.
H. T. MONTAGUE BELL.
Editor. MR. HENRY THURBURN MONTAGUE BELL, editor of the North China Daily
News, and North China Herald, was formerly a member of the foreign staff of the London Times. He is a son of the late Mr. J. L. Bell, merchant of Egypt and Ceylon. While at the St. Paul’s School, London, he gained a classical scholarship, to Peterhouse, Cam- bridge, where he graduated with first-class classical honours in 1895. In December, 1895, he was appointed assistant correspondent for The Times in Berlin. In 1898 he pro- ceeded to the Balkans as acting correspondent for The Times, and remained there for two and a half years, gaining an intimate know- ledge of Greece, Servia, Bulgaria, Montenegro,
and Macedonia. During the Boer War he was in the field for some eighteen months,
as war correspondent for Zhe Times and received the Queen’s medal. Subsequently, from 1902 to 1906, he was The Times’
correspondent for the whole of South Africa. He arrived in Shanghai to take up his present appointment in July, 1906. Mr. Bell, who is thirty-five years of age, was married in 1903 to the only daughter of the late Mr. E. Chadwick, of Bromley, Kent. His chief
357
The Shanghai Mercury.
The record of the Shanghai Mercury, a ten-page evening journal with a large cir- culation, has been one of steady progress, and no local newspaper commands a greater share of influence in the field of domestic politics in Shanghai. It was founded on April 17, 1879, by Messrs. J. D. Clark and
Rivington, and speedily attained wide popu- larity.
Mr, Clark was a man of varied
THE EDITORIAL OFFICE.
recreations are earlier
cricket and tennis, but in years he was an enthusiastic all- round sportsman, captaining his college cricket and Rugby teams, and gaining his colours for rowing, tennis, and_ athletics. He is a member of the principal local clubs, and of the Rand Club, Johannesburg.
a
experience. He had been in the Royal Navy, he had assisted in the establishment of the Rising Sun and Nagasaki Express, and he had been in business in Shanghai as a merchant and broker. He _ therefore brought to bear upon the conduct of the paper a knowledge of peculiar value in Shanghai, and the result was that the Mercury began at once to make headway. In 1889 the Courier and the Cele: E were bought, and the latter was continued as a
FF ​358
weekly edition. In 1890 a company was formed to take over from Mr. Clark, who was then the sole proprietor, the Shanghai Mercury and Celestial Empire, together with
the large and growing jobbing business carried on in connection with the papers.
MR. JOHN D. CLARK, M.J.L.,
editor-in-
chief of the Shanghai Mercury and of the Celestial Empire, was born on August 12, 1842, and was educated privately and at Norwich He joined the Royal Navy 1861,
Grammar School,
and came to the Far East in being
THE PRINTING ROOMS.
Mr. Clark, however. continued, as managing director, to control and manage the business. At the present day the Mercury is a _ ten-
J. D. CLARK, M.J.L.,
Managing Director and Editor.
page evening journal, with a wide circu- lation and considerable influence in the pro- motion of the general welfare. In policy the Mercury is Conservative, but it is not bound to any home political party ; the good of Shanghai and the welfare of its residents being the first article of its creed, and the advancement of British interests in the Far East, the next.
present at the actions of Shimonoseki and Kagoshima. He left the service in 1865. In 1873 and 1874 he helped to establish the Rising Sun and Nagasaki Express, and, coming to Shanghai in 1875, he set up in business as a broker and general merchant. In 1879 he established the Mercury, and he has been chiefly responsible for its continued success. His publications include “ Formosa,” and “ Sketches in and around Shanghai,” &c. He is a member of the Masonic and Shanghai Clubs, and of the Constitutional Club, London. At present Mr. Clark is on leave.
R. D. NEISH, Assistant Editor.
TWENTIETH CENTURY IMPRESSIONS OF HONGKONG, SHANGHAT, ETC.
The Shanghai Times.
The Shanghai Times was founded in the spring of 1901 by Frank P. Ball, at that time “taipan” in Shanghai of the American Trading Company. Realising that there was no newspaper in the Far East, outside Manila, devoted to the adequate representation of American interests, Mr. Ball conceived that the establishment of a journal with such a purpose was likely to prove a commercial success, as well as being of service politically to the United States, and to this end he entered into an arrangement with two pro- fessional journalists, namely, Mr. Tom Cowen, an Englishman, since deceased, and Mr. W. N. Swarthont, an American, who had previously been associated together in the establishment of the Manila Times at the Philippines capital. Mr. Cowen was a jour- nalist of proved ability. During the early nineties he . had been sub-editor of the Hongkong Telegraph under the well-known Mr. Frazer-Smith, founder and editor of that paper. Later on he had experience in Shanghai and. Japan, after which he went to Manila and became. interested with Mr. Swarthont in the Zimes there. He died in Japan in 1906. One of his brothers is Mr. John Cowen managing director and editor of the China Yimes, Tientsin.
Mr. Swarthont, an old ex-soldier of the American Army in Manila, was a practical printer of great experience and ability. Under the arrangement with Mr. F. P. Ball he and Mr. Cowen were to be joint editors of the Shanghai Times, in which each had a small monetary interest. .
The first premises occupied by the paper were situated in Nanking Road, over the well- known jewellery shop belonging to Mr. Hung Chong. The original “make-up” of the journal was on the American model, that is to say, the front page was given up to news, and no advertisements were permitted to appear there under any conditions. Shanghai, however, had always been accustomed to seeing advertisements on the front pages of its daily newspapers, and, finding that ad- vertisers were not willing to fall in with the new plan, the proprietors of the Times were obliged before long to bow to the dictates of “old custom” and do as their contempo- raries did—that is, put their advertisements practically where and in what manner their patrons wished.
The Shanghai Times had not been running for many weeks when it became involved in a disastrous libel suit. Mr. Henry O’Shea, editor and proprietor of the China Gazette, brought an action against Mr. Cowen, as editor and part proprietor of the Times, for libel on account of an article, of which Mr. Cowen was the author, and which appeared in the Shanghai Times identifying Mr. O'Shea with the notorious but mysterious “ Shanghai Liar,” who had invented the story of the capture of the Legations in Peking by the Boxers and the boiling alive in oil of every foreign man, woman, and child in that capital. The fiction appeared in several London and New York papers, and memorial services were actually held in St. Paul’s and other churches, for the victims. Mr. O'Shea re- covered damages against Mr. Cowen, which, however, were never fully discharged, and there can be no doubt that the result of the trial was a serious “ set-back” to the Shanghai Times. Mr. O'Shea also had a subsequent suit against his lawyers, Messrs. Browett and Ellis, whose bill he declined to pay on the ground that it was extortionate and that counsel had not obeyed his instructions with regard to the prosecution of the suit against ​Mr. Cowen. Ultimately the matter was ar- ranged by arbitration before Mr. F. S. A. Bourne, Assistant Judge.
JOHN O’SHEA,
Editor.
In the middle of 1902 the offices of the Shanghai Times were removed to Honan Road, and, Mr. Swarthont having returned to Manila and Mr. Cowen gone to Tientsin, a new editor was found by Mr. Ball. Shortly after- wards, however, Mr. Ball, who had lost considerably by the paper, sold it to Mr. Willis P. Grey, the head of the syndicate which had the original concession to build the Canton-Hankow Railway. Mr. Grey en- gaged Mr. “Volcano” Marshall to edit the paper, but this gentleman soon became in- volved in a suit for slander with Mr. John Goodnow, the American Consul, and other Consuls, and a complete re-organisation of the Shanghai Times was the result. Mr. Frank Maitland, proprietor of the weekly, Sport and Gossip, and Mr. Henry O'Shea, of the China Gazette, became interested with Mr. Grey in the 7imes, and a partnership was arranged under which publication of the Times and Sport and Gossip was taken over by the China Gazette, the three papers to be run as a joint venture by the gentlemen named. Linotype machines were bought by Mr. Grey and installed, with a great deal of other plant, in the Gazette office, and Mr. O'Shea became editor of the Times and was entrusted with the general management of the entire concern, Mr. Maitland retaining the editorship of Sport and Gossip. The arrange- ment, however, did not endure longer than a few months, and finally a dissolution of partnership and an arbitration took place between Mr. O'Shea and Mr. Grey. UIlti- mately the latter sold his interest in the Shanghai Times to Mr. Maitland, who became sole proprietor of the paper, as well as of Sport and Gossip. Mr. George Collinwood, who had been business manager during the partnership between Messrs. Grey, Maitland, and O’Shea, became editor of the Times and of Sport and Gossip. The offices were re- moved to the corner of the Bund and Canton Road, and a godown was secured on the Yang-king-pang to serve as a printing office. The linotype machines had by this time
become useless, and hand-setting had again to be resorted to. In 1905 the editorial offices had to be removed to Kiukiang Road, on account of political considerations. The Bund offices were part of a Japanese Shipping Company's premises, and as the Times had been espousing the cause of the Russians towards the end of the war, the Japanese took offence and gave the papers notice to quit. Towards the end of 1905 differences arose between Mr. Maitland and Mr. Collin- wood, and the editorship of the two papers passed into the hands of Mr. A. Marnham, who had for some months previously been over the editorship of that paper and Sport and Gossip on June 15, 1906. Mr. O'Shea had been connected with the Times in the first few months of its existence, and, for a short time after Mr. T. Cowen left Shanghai, had been joint editor with Mr. Swarthont. In January, 1907, Mr. Maitland died; the other directors of the company did not wish to carry on the papers, which had been steadily losing money, and once again the Shanghai Times and Sport and Gossip were placed in the market. They were sold separately, the Times to Mr. J. C. Ferguson, and S. & G,, as it is familiarly called in
A RECENT ISSUE OF THE “SHANGHAI TIMES.”
sub-editor. Mr. Maitland sold his interest in the papers to a company. The ‘Shanghai Times and Sport and Gossip,’ Limited. The plant and machinery were bought by the Oriental Press, by whom the publication of the two papers was undertaken, and the offices were removed to the Rue du Consulat, in the French Concession, where Mr. John O'Shea, the present editor of the Times, took
Shanghai, to Mr. J. D. Clark, of the Shanghai Mercury, and Mr. George Lanning. The Oriental Press was settled up with, and_ the papers were removed to No. 18, Nanking Road, the premises formerly occupied by the Shanghai Library, the responsibility of publication being undertaken by the Mercury. Dr. Ferguson went home for a year to America, and on his return Sport and Gossip ​or 060 was taken out of the Times office into the office of the Mercury, and the Shanghai
Times was once more alone. The paper is now firmly established. It is practically the official organ of the Vice-
regal Government of Kiangsu, and is also looked upon as a representative American daily—the only one in the Far East. At the
date of writing, June, 1908, its prospects are very bright indeed, and there can be little
THE
doubt that with efficient management it is on the highway to success commercially.
The staff consists of Messrs. John O’Shea, editor; W. Sheldon Ridge, assistant-editor ;
S. Trissell, sub-editor; L. D. Lemaire, manager; S. Hammond, S. Wilkins, and
A. Wood, reporters.
= MR. JOHN BARRETT O'SHEA, editor of
the Shanghai Times has been nearly twenty
“CHINA GAZETTE”
years in China, for he came to Shanghai in February, 1890, on the staff of the Shanghai Mercury. He was subsequently on every daily paper in the Settlement, and_ then, after travelling extensively, and working in Japan, Korea, Siberia and North China, he returned to Shanghai to take up his present appointment in 1906. Mr. O'Shea was born in Dublin on July 15, 1869, his father being at one time editor of the Freeman's
PREMISES.
Fournal, Dublin, and latterly editor-in-chief of the Catholic Standard and Times, Phila- delphia, U.S.A. He received his education at St. Patrick’s, Drumcondra, and privately at Dublin, and for a time studied medicine.
The China Gazette.
The China Gazette, an evening journal (with an overseas weekly edition), was founded just fourteen years ago, its first issue appearing on July 2, 1894. The Gazette was lucky
TWENTIETH CENTURY IMPRESSIONS OF HONGKONG, SHANGHAT, ETC.
to commence its career at the outbreak of the China-Japan War, and it rapidly achieved position and circulation by reason of its exceptionally accurate information upon the progress of that struggle. It espoused the Japanese side of the quarrel, and in this way enjoyed the distinction of being the only paper published in China which treated the war from the more truthful Japanese side, instead of printing the wild and grotesque Chinoiseries and tales of imaginary victories, which formed locally such a memorable phrase of that epoch-making campaign. Since then the China Gazette has devoted its attention mainly to political questions, and, as the recent war between Russia and Japan progressed and its lessons became clear to those who could see a little behind the scenes, the paper re-enacted its role of ten years before and espoused the Russian side. On both occasions this policy naturally incurred for it a certain measure of unpopularity which, however, it has now out- lived, and the value of its services as a corrective to the overwhelming press propa- ganda conducted in Japanese interests has since been widely recognised. Among its chief contributors on the late war and on political questions arising out of it was Mr. Putnam Weale, who went north in the interests of the Gazette, the result being his first permanent work, ‘“ Manchu and Musco- vite,” which began in the columns of the Gazette at the close of that year.
The early publication of important State papers, treaties, conventions, and secret agree- ments has also been a prominent feature of the Gazelle, which, for this reason, enjoys quite an extensive circulation in quarters where Far Eastern questions are specially studied. The editor. and proprietor, Mr. Henry O'Shea, originally started the paper, and continues at the helm.
HENRY D. O’SHEA,
Proprietor and Editor.
Der Ostasiatische Lloyd.
The German community and their interests are ably represented by the Ostasiatische Lloyd, a paper which, during its twenty- three years’ existence, has experienced many vicissitudes and appeared in various forms. It is now firmly established as a weekly review, containing some twenty-five to thirty pages, and dealing not only with matters of local interest but also with international topics in the Far East and with the affairs ​of the home country. Founded in 1886, it was first issued as a small daily newspaper appealing exclusively to German residents in Shanghai, but within a very short time radical alterations were made in its constitution. After twelve months it was published once a week, and articles upon subjects of general interest to those living in the East formed one of its chief features. The property passed into the hands of several different persons during these early years. In 1898, Mr. Fink was entrusted with the task of entirely re-organising the business, and from that date steady and continued progress has been made. A little more than a year ago a branch office was opened in Peking, and correspondents have been appointed in all the more important business centres in China. The paper has a wide circulation, for, besides being distributed throughout China, Japan, East Siberia, Siam, the Dutch Indies, &c., many copies are sent to Europe. In 1900, Mr. Fink established a news agency in connection with this paper, and this has developed so quickly that it now supplies papers in Cairo, Singapore, Penang, Batavia, Sourabaya, Bangkok, Hongkong, Tsingtau, Tientsin, Peking, Hankow, Kobe, Yokohama, and Tokyo, and has made the name Der Ostasiatische Lloyd known throughout the world.
MR. CARL FINK, the editor of the review and manager of the news agency, was a “free lance” journalist for some years before 1889, the date of his first appointment on the staff of a newspaper. He was engaged in newspaper work in the United States of America for four years, after which he occupied an important position on the
Managing Editor.
Conservative paper, Die Post, in Berlin. During his residence in Shanghai, Mr. Fink has taken a prominent part in the social life of the community, and has endeavoured in a variety of ways to promote the interests of his fellow countrymen. It was in large measure due to his initiative that the “Deutscher Konzert Verein” was founded, and that the German A.D.C. was revived in 1905 after a lapse of many years.
“DER OSTASIATISCHE LLOYD.”

## L’Echo de Chine.

The Echo de Chine is now entering upon the twelfth year of its existence. Founded by a group of Shanghai residents for the purpose of maintaining French interests in the Far East, it was for a long time the only French organ, and it still remains the most popular and authentic. Having made its début amid the good wishes of the community, the journal has found numerous correspondents among that very important body, the Catholic missionaries, as well as official and commercial men in this part of the world, and from their regular contributions it has gained much of its interest. This circle of correspondents embraces not only the Chinese provinces, but also the following territories :—India, Ceylon, Burma, Siam, Indo-China, Hongkong, the Philippines, Manchuria, Korea, and Japan; in other words, practically the whole of the Far East. It is sufficient testimony to the high repute in which this journal is held to say that its columns are freely resorted to in France by the Press and by all those who are interested in Asiatic questions.
An independent organ, the Echo de Chine studiously avoids the discussion of French domestic politics, confining itself exclusively ​to the domain of general subjects and international questions. Its Chinese section is unusually weighty, containing daily native accounts and translations of official documents, which conduce to an understanding of the Chinese mind and its workings better than elaborate treatises. In common with the majority of its English contemporaries, the Echo de Chine has a weekly edition. This consists of fifteen pages containing the chief features of the daily editions, and is intended principally for subscribers in the interior
AN ISSUE OF “L’ECHO DE CHINE.”
of China and in France. Since Mr. A. Monestier, the editor, and Mr. J. J. Chollot, the managing director, took over the conduct of affairs two years ago, the paper has made very gratifying progress.

## The Sin Wan Pao.

The Sin Wan Pao is a leading semi-official Chinese paper. It was first published by Mr. F. F. Ferris, in the year 1903, for some prominent Chinese merchants in Shanghai. In its early years the venture did not prove very successful, chiefly because at that time very few Chinese were accustomed to read newspapers. The circulation did not exceed three thousand copies a day, including the copies sent to subscribers in other parts of China, although at that period there was only one other Chinese paper in Shanghai—that published by Messrs. Major, Brother & Co. After the Sin Wan Pao had been in existence three years it was found necessary to raise additional capital. Some improvement in the paper followed, and shortly afterwards, during the China-Japan War, the circulation reached four thousand copies a day. Later on, owing to lack of funds, the paper was printed by indifferent machinery, on poor Chinese paper, with worn type. As a consequence the circulation fell to two thousand copies a day, and the leading Shanghai firms could not be induced to advertise in the paper. In 1899, Mr. A. W. Danforth, who was then the proprietor, liquidated his business on the failure of the cotton trade, and the paper was acquired by Dr. John C. Ferguson, a well-known American subject in Shanghai. Since that date a great improvement has been made in
ALPHONSE MONESTIER, Editor, L’Echo de Chine.
the editorial staff and the management. In 1900 the paper competed successfully with three younger rivals. It gave the latest and most reliable reports on the situation at Peking during the Boxer trouble, and it contained the first account that reached Shanghai of the attack upon the foreign legations in Peking, and the massacre of foreigners. When the news of the murder of Count von Kettler, the German Minister at Peking, was announced, the office of the paper was besieged by natives eager to obtain copies of the paper at thrice the usual price. The circulation leapt up immediately to ten thousand, and the advertisements began to flow in freely.
During the Russo-Japanese War the Sin Wan Pao gave fuller accounts of the campaign daily than any of its local Chinese contemporaries, both the Reuter and Tokyo services being utilised. Special supplements were issued from the office free of cost, even as late as midnight, The editorial staff worked from dawn to midnight, and the paper was enlarged from six to sixteen pages. After the war, two modern-pattern machines were ordered from America to cope with the large circulation. In 1906 the proprietors converted the enterprise into a limited liability company, and registered it in Hongkong with a capital of Tls. 100,000, which was raised by the issue of shares both to Chinese and foreigners. A dividend of 16 per cent. for the year 1907 was declared in February, 1908. The Sin Wan Pao now has a circulation of one hundred and fifty thousand copies a day, excluding copies sent to San Francisco, Honolulu, Sydney, Singapore, Java, Manila, and Japan, and it has gained considerable influence among commercial and official circles in all parts of the Chinese Empire. A rotary machine—the first to make its appearance in China—has been imported from America, and, when erected, will produce fifteen thousand copies, cut and folded, an hour. The paper will then be of the same size as The Times, of London, and the price will remain 14 cash, or 1½ cents per copy, as at present. A new building of four storeys, lighted by electricity, is being erected ​for the offices of the Sin Wan Pao, in Hankow Road, and will soon be ready for occupation.
Mr. J. D. Clark, Dr. John C. Ferguson, and Mr. Chu Pao Shan are the directors, and Mr. J. Morgan is the secretary of the company. The editorial staff consists of two assistant editors, four sub-editors, and eight proof-readers, under the editor-in-chief, Mr. Yao Pak Hsuen. Forty-three compositors are employed in the composing room, under a competent foreman, and nineteen printers are engaged in the machine room. A Japanese and a European foreman will be required for the printing room when the new machine is set to work.
MR. YAO PAK HSUEN, editor-in-chief of the Sin Wan Pao, is thirty-eight years of age, and a native of Shanghai. He was educated at the Mai-chi College, a middle college established by the Shanghai Taoutai in the native city. Before the China-Japan War he was private secretary to His Excellency Shao Shiao, then Governor of Formosa. In 1900 he came to Shanghai as assistant editor of the Sin Wan Pao, and three years later he was promoted to the editorial chair. He is president of the Hupeh Primary School and a member of the Chinese Self-Government Society. His father, Mr. Yao Shien Ming, who retired into private life four years ago, is an expectant prefect of the Chekiang Province.

## The Saturday Review.

The Saturday Review is a weekly paper published at Shanghai and circulating throughout the Far East in general and China in particular, more especially amongst the thinking classes of Chinese and foreign residents. The object of the paper is to furnish a résumé of what the world says and writes about the Far East; to review the events and books of the day; to emphasise the value of any matter or effort conducing to the uplifting and prosperity of China and the Chinese people; and to supply elevating and interesting reading at a reasonable cost. Its policy is one of sympathy with all Chinese effort towards progress.
CAPTAIN WALTER KEARTON, Editor, Saturday Evening Review.
CAPTAIN W. KEARTON, the editor, has travelled the world for the major portion of his life. He served with distinction in the South African War, and, as correspondent for the Graphic, he accompanied the Macedonian insurgents in the last insurrection, and was attached to the First Japanese Army — Kuroki’s — in the Russo-Japanese Campaign. He is a member of the Savage Club.

## Social Shanghai.

Probably no place in the East has been so prolific in the production of periodicals as Shanghai, where the population is of so unique and cosmopolitan a character and the interests represented are so varied. Papers in profusion, both weekly and monthly, have seen the light of day. Many of them, after a brief and hopeless struggle for existence, have passed into the limbo of things forgotten.
The need, however, of an illustrated paper to record the doings of local society had been long felt when, in February, 1906, there appeared the first issue of Social Shanghai, a periodical similar in design to the well-known London publications and containing some forty-three pages of letterpress and fifteen very creditable half-tone blocks. At the outset the paper was intended only for ladies; the promoters promised to chronicle
SPECIAL “INTERNATIONAL FETE” NUMBER OF SOCIAL SHANGHAI.
dances, parties, “at homes,” and other social gatherings, and to give due attention to the fashions, music, sports and pastimes, and gardening. This promise was amply fulfilled in the first number. The paper continued to appear in a similar form until the following June, when the enterprising promoters issued
MRS. MINA SHORROCK Editress.
an enlarged and improved edition, containing seventy-five pages of reading matter, as well as close upon one hundred reproductions of well- known local people and current events. It was printed on heavy art paper and was as attractive ​as the materials at the command of the printers could possibly make it. Since that date the paper has continued to advance in popular favour, and has become one of the institutions of the Settlement. The scope has been enlarged month by month until Social Shanghai is no longer a ladies’ paper only, but a first-class up-to-date magazine, dealing with all the brighter phases of life in Shanghai and the outports, the editress always showing a specially warm interest in the Volunteers, Fire Brigade, sporting clubs, and juvenile members of the community. Many old Shanghailanders, who have left the Settlement, now look forward to the monthly appearance of the magazine by the homeward-bound mail, and on perusing its interesting columns fancy themselves back in the gay Far Eastern city of which they retain endearing recollections. From its inception up to the present day Social Shanghai has been the work of only one lady, who, after working hard for years, alone and almost unaided, has the satisfaction now of knowing that her production has met a want, is being appreciated, and is extending its scope and usefulness month by month. The proprietress and managing editress, Mrs. S. H. Shorrock, née Gow (better known as Mrs. Mina Shorrock), is a native of Glasgow, and was educated at the Bellahouston Academy and at the Ladies’ College, at that time the two leading ladies’ educational establishments of the city. She married the late Mr. S. H. Shorrock, M.I.M.E., who was at one time a very familiar figure in Shanghai, and came to the Settlement in 1897. As “Belle Heather,” Mrs. Shorrock was a valued contributor of social items to the North China Daily News and Sport and Gossip. Besides being editress of Social Shanghai she is the founder and president of the Empress Club, the only ladies’ club in Shanghai.

## The Union.

The Union, an independent weekly news- paper, is published on Wednesdays. It is the successor of the Temperance Union, which was established in 1879, but changed its name in 1896, when it became the property of the present editor.. Its motto is “Water invincible,” and its first two leader columns are devoted to articles on __ total abstinence. Then come editorials on local topics, followed by news and other items. It circulates largely among the shipping community and at the outports. Among its special features are a gazette detailing the changes in the personnel of the shipping, Customs, and public services, and anticipated tide-tables for the Woosung Bar and Shanghai River. The editor and proprietor is Mr. William R. Kahler.

## The Bund.

The Bund is an illustrated weekly journal of comment which, after remarkable vicissitudes, has entered upon the calm waters of success with a policy of fair criticism upon broad lines suitable to the international character of the Settlement. Its present proprietors are the Marquis Vittorio Rappini and Mr. T. M. Tavares, formerly a member of the French Municipal Council. Mr. V. Marshall is editor, and his vigorous articles constitute the strongest attraction of the paper, which, however, receives contributions from many clever amateur writers, Its forecasts upon leading events of the day have already established a strong regard for its opinions. The following extract from the North China Daily News refers to the metamorphosis that occurred in the Bund's policy after the last
change of proprietors :—‘ The Bund _ this week contains several humorous illustrations by V. R., in which the Mixed Court trouble and the French Bund prominently.
appear
V. MARSHALL, Editor, The Bund.
The letterpress has some interesting original articles, the most striking of which is ‘ At the Ming Tombs,’ by V. M., whose initials were not needed to reveal the author. It is written in his best serio-comic style and is appropriately illustrated. ‘The Education of Children’ and ‘Men's Fashions’ are also well worth perusal. The number is one of the best that has appeared.”

## The Eastern Sketch.

The Eastern Sketch is an illustrated humor- ous weekly, published in Shanghai every Sunday morning. The paper was started in September, 1904, by Messrs. Roddis and Prior, and was shortly afterwards acquired by the
H. W. G. HAYTER, Editor, Eastern Sketch.
TWENTIETH CENTURY IMPRESSIONS OF HONGKONG, SHANGHAT, ETC.
late Mr. H. Smith and Mr. H. W. G. Hayter, the latter of whom has conducted the paper ever since. The chief feature of the Eastern Sketch is its illustrations, which comprise Chinese political cartoons, caricatures of foreign residents, and pictures of sporting events. Since its inception the Skefch has levied contributions from some of the best local writers, both of poetry and prose.
The area of its circulation embraces Shanghai and the other Treaty ports.

## The Shanghai Sunday Sun.

The Sunday Sun was added to the list of Shanghai’s weekly papers in May of this year. It is freely illustrated with cartoons and photo-reproductions, and its letterpress chroni- cles and comments upon the leading topics of local and general interest. A feature is also made of short stories and anecdotes. The editor, Mr. Geo. Collinwood, an Ameri- can, seeks to make his publication “ the most readable periodical in the Far East.”
GEO. COLLINWOOD, Editor, Shanghai Sunday Sun.

## The Mirror.

The Mirror is a popular periodical which has risen, phoenix-like, from the ashes of the China Business Exchange, an advertisement sheet that was distributed free to the principal firms in the Settlement. The goodwill of this publication was acquired by Mr. O. Cainadan, a local solicitor, who altered its name, enlarged its scope very considerably, and placed it on a sound financial footing. The Mirror made its first appearance on April 1,.1908. It contains thirty-two pages, two of which are printed in French, and has a circulation of about five hundred copies a week. The editorial offices are at No. 9a, Hankow Road.
TIENTSIN.

## The China Critic,

Ar the commencement of the Russo-Japanese War, the whole of North China was supplied by the Japanese subsidised Press and tele- graphic agencies with the Japanese view of its cause, and with their version of occurrences ​TWENTIETH CENTURY IMPRESSIONS OF HONGKONG,
during its progress. With the object of presenting both sides of the question to the publici in the Far East, a paper was subsidised in Korea, another in Shanghai, and a third in Chefoo, whilst a special organ was started in Tientsin by the Russian War Department. This was the China Review, the first number of which appeared in August, 1904. The editor, specially appointed by the department, was Lt.-Col. C. L. Norris-Newman, F.R.G.S., F.R.S.A., late Instructor to the Naval Staff in Port Arthur, and a special correspondent of the Daily Mail attached to the staff of General Kondratovich in the early months of the war. The China Review, issued every evening, more than counterbalanced the efforts of the subsidised local Japanese paper. It ran with increasing popularity, and in December, 1906, it was purchased by the editor, who carried it on under the name of the China Critic until the beginning of January, 1908. It was then acquired by the present owners, the North China Printing and Publishing Com- pany, Ltd., which was floated successtully for the purpose. Colonel Newman remains with the Company as managing director, and as chief editor of its publications.
The ‘‘China Times,’’ Ltd.
When the Boxer rising was suppressed in August of 1900, the troops and Press corre- spondents in Peking had nothing to do but read the latest news from South Africa. General Barrow, chief of staff to General Gaselee, suggested that the Press correspon- dents at Peking might follow the example of their colleagues in Ladysmith, who established the Ladysmith Lyre, and start a newspaper
J. COWEN, Editor.
under the title of the Peking Loot. Two of the correspondents, Mr. John Cowen, formerly of The Jimes editorial staff in London, and his brother, Mr. T. C. Cowen, who had been correspondent of The Times in the China- Japan War, adopted the idea, but not the title, and founded the China Times with very inadequate materials. At that time it was asserted that Tientsin and Peking could not support a daily newspaper. The district not only supported one, however, but very soon had eight morning and evening papers. The China Times is the principal organ of opinion, and is much read by educated Chinese and the official and mercantile classes. Its head
offices are in the principal thoroughfare of Tientsin, Victoria Road. During times of high feeling between different nationalities, the China Times offices have been attacked, or threatened with attack, on more than one occasion. The proprietors are the ‘“ China Times,” Ltd.; the editor and general manager is Mr. John Cowen, who is assisted by his
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AN EARLY ISSUE OF THE
elder brother, Mr. W. C. B. Cowen; and the secretary is Mr. T. G, Fisher.
The ‘‘Tientsin Press,” Ltd.
The “ Tientsin Press,” Ltd. was founded about the year 1880 by six or eight prominent men of the Settlement, and was turned into a limited liability company in 1903, with a
of the world at normal mtes.
SHANGHAT, ETC. 365
capital of Tls. 100,000 in shares of Tls. 50 each. The Company are proprietors of the Peking and Tientsin Times, which was started by a private syndicate as a weekly newspaper in 1894, and converted into a daily in 1902, since which time it has been enlarged twice. It was purchased by the present Company in 1904. The manager of the firm
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“CHINA TIMES.”
is Mr. John Jackson, and the editor is Mr. H. E. Redmond, formerly of the London Standard, for which he is now correspondent.
The sub-editress is Mrs. Vaughansmith, who, previous to Mr. Redmond’s arrival in China, had occupied the editorial chair from the time of the formation of the original syndicate. The “ Tientsin Press,” Ltd. are also general printers, publishers, bookbinders, ​366
stationers, and theatrical agents, as well as agents for Reuter’s Telegram Company, Ltd. The offices are situated at No. 33, Victoria Road.
and Mr. Marx died shortly after the enterprise was fairly under way, and the journal passed into the hands of Mr. T. Ross-Reid. It
consists of eight pages of six columns each, columns are
of which sixteen devoted to
THE PRINTING OFFICES OF THE “CHINA TIMES.”
HANKOW. The Hankow Daily News.
The Hankow Daily News was founded in March, 1906, by Mr. John Andrew, a well- known merchant on the China coast, with the assistance of Mr. Otto Marx. In spite of many difficulties at the outset, the paper is receiving a gratifying measure of support from the business houses, and at the present time has a fair circulation. Both Mr. Andrew
T. ROSS-REID, Editor, Hankow Daily News.
general news and the remainder to advertise-
ments. Telegrams are received through Reuter’s agency, and letters dealing with
topics of local interest are written from time
TWENTIETH CENTURY IMPRESSIONS OF HONGKONG, SHANGHAI, ETC.
Liloyd’s Greater Britain Publishing Company, Ltd.
IN the belief that the reader may be curious to know something of the inner working of so great an undertaking as the production of this series of “ Twentieth Century Impressions,” the compilers are accustomed to include in the Press section of each volume a_ short exposition of their aims. Lloyd’s Greater Britain Publishing Company, Ltd. was formed in response to Mr. Chamberlain’s appeal, while Secretary of State for the Colonies, for the wider dissemination of knowledge relating to the scattered communities who combine to form the British Empire. The unanimous voice of the Home and Colonial Press has testified to the adequate manner in which the Company js fulfilling its objects ; indeed, in the various territories which have been visited —Western Australia, Natal, and the Orange River Colony, Ceylon, and British Malaya—it has been admitted that the publications of the Company constitute additions of great and enduring value even to local knowledge. Despite the experience which the Company has gained in the past, the compilation of this, volume on Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty ports of China, has presented its own peculiar problems for solution. Operations have extended from Hongkong in the south to Newchwang in the north, a distance of more than 1,400 miles, and from Shanghai to Hankow some 600 miles up the Yangtsze-Kiang. . Travelling within this area
CLV AN SR St EEO LINM WT
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THE OFFICES OF THE “TIENTSIN PRESS.”
to time by correspondents located at various ports on the Yangtsze.
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has not been unattended with difficulty, for many of the smaller and more remote ports can only be reached by coasting steamers, or by railways, which, though rapidly develop- ing, afford as yet only partial facilities. ​Illness has played its part in retarding the work, some of the members of the staff having been incapacitated by their transition in the autumn of 1907 from the tropics to the rigorous cold of Shanghai and the more northerly ports. But these difficulties notwithstanding, the close of July finds the last instalment of letterpress and photographs on its way to the printers.
The headquarters of the Company are in Durban, South Africa, but the real centres of activity are, of course, the London office and the branch offices established in the capitals and chief towns of the various territories visited.
The directorate of Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Company, Ltd. includes some of the best known and most substantial business men and financiers in South Africa. Mr. J. Ellis Brown, J. P., the chairman of the Company, was Mayor of Durban for many years. The deputy-chairman, Sir Benjamin Greenacre, is head of the great Durban firm of Harvey, Greenacre & Co., and deputy-chairman of the Natal Bank, Ltd. The other directors are Mr. Maurice Evans, C.M.G., M.L.A., the Hon. Mr. Marshall Campbell, M.L.C., managing director of the Natal Sugar Estates, Ltd., the largest concern of its kind in South Africa ; and Mr. Alexander Harvey Rennie, resident partner (in Natal) of the " Kennie " Steamship Company. All these gentlemen are also on the directorate of the Natal Trust and Finance Company, Ltd., Sir Benjamin Greenacre being the chairman.
The secretary of Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Co., Ltd., is Mr. Henry Ernest Mattinson, F.I.A.N., and the auditor is Mr. George Mackeurtan. The general manager is Mr. Reginald Lloyd.
THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE "CHINA REVIEW."
THE PREMISES OF THE "HANKOW DAILY NEWS."
THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE "PEKING AND TIENTSIN TIMES."