The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-07-18
CHINA AND JAPAN.
Brief Summary of News Brought
by the Steamer Belgic.
Depression in Commercial Circles - Piracy
Near Hong DISQUALIFICATION of Three
Criminals-Railroad Enterprise.

The Occidental and Oriental steamer
Belgic arrived at her dock yesterday, bring
ing Yokohama dates to July I'd, and Hong
Kong to June 23d The following is sum
mary Of her news:
China.
The pirates are still actively engaged in
their nefarOus business in the neighbOr-
hood of HOng-Kong.
The papers are filled with accounts Of the
massacre of Christian men, women and
children by the fanatical Chinese, who do
not appear to entertain any very great fear
of the officers of the law.
Mrs. Potter and Kyrle Bellew have arrived
at Hong Kong.
The medical inspection of ships at
Nagasaki has been extended to ships arriv-
ing from Hong-Kong and Chinese ports.
Great quantities OF silk are being brought
into the city of Marking for sale. Several
highwaymen were arrested outside the
South Gate few days ago for robbng a
company laden with several bales Of the
precious stuff.
Two rioters Implicated i'll the recent dis
turbance at Nnhu were decapitated on the
ID of June. Their heads, after hanging on
/ exhibition for three days, were sent success
sively to Ngankin, Hochow, Marking and
other places To be exposed to public view as
warning to rioters. The other prisoners
were remanded TO await the capture of sus-
poets at large.
The Indo-China Steam Navigation Com
pany seem to be going ahead in the ship
building line Notwithstanding the fact that
their shares are quoted locally at 80 per cent
discount The company has recently or
dered two new steamers from the London
and Glasgow Ship-building and Engineering
Company Qimited) of GOvan, which are re-
ported to be spar-decked ships 80 feet long
and So feet beam, of light draught, suitable
for trading in the China seas.
The commercial outlook locally is bright
ening daily, and signs are not wanting that
Hong-hoag Is not quite such % busted
flush as so Biany feared.
1t is reported by the Pinang Gazette that
more than one Chinese firm there is IN ser-
Gus difficulties owing to the fall in price of
Acheen pepper. 1t appears that they have
| advanced several thousands of dollars on
the produce at the rate of So a picul, and
the price has now gone down to as low as
SIS to So
A quantity of ancient manuscripts and
500 printed books have recently been dis
covered in repairing the roof of the mOnas-
terry of San Antonio, near Rieti. The dis
covery was at once communicated to the
Minister of Public Instruction. Careful ex-
animation has confirmed the importance of
the find. The manuscripts, sixty in num-
Der, belong to the tenth, eleventh, twelfth
and two following centuries. Some of them
are of great photographic value and others
are finely illuminated. They mostly treat
of theological and patriotic subjects and of
civil and canonical jurisprudence.
That mlsfortunes never come alone Is a
truism in respect to Bangkok this year.
First, from the unusually dry season the
produce could not be got down to MARKET
then terrific fire in Sampeng swept away
S1,5G0,000 worth of movable property. This
was followed by collapse of number of
business firms, which obviously shook the
commercial equilibrium of the place, then
the heightened drought and the terrible
epidemic of cholera effected disasters that
are irreparable, and TO crown all, says the
Times, a second fire has destroyed property
to the value of $500, 900 and caused the death
OF several people.
During the early part of this month, ac-
cording to the Merrury's Tientsin CORE
spondent, over twenty native money chang
ing shops stopped business, and the failure
OF two Chinese banks, with liabilities of
lis. 10000 each, was reported within the
same period.
The Chinese around 1ientsin and all over
| Shantung are fearfully uneasy about the
dearth OF rain, for it is believed that unless
| there are few good showers soon the en-
tire wheat crop win be destroyed. A rain
lall OF only two inches is reported over the
| Yellow River basin.
The Government Inspector of Schools DR.
Eitel. in his report for 1890. states that there
| were 223 schools in the colony last wear.
with 1914 scholars on the books. This edu-
cation costs the rate-payerS very little short
| OF $50 bead; 95 is pretty expensive when
| we consider the fact that the majority of
| pupils are scrubby little Chinese youngsters
whose parents don't earn much more.
"A wild and exciting tale about discovery
| OF gold comes from Lo Kwong Tun, a de-
ectable SPOT near Whampoa The man " no
made the discovery is described as duck
farmer" but his talents seem to be far
above his avocation. He became alarmed
| recently by an extraordinary mortality
| among his flock of 700 or 800 ducks. the
| death rate having suddenly reached a figure
| that meant ruin. The people of Lo Kwong
Tnn have no scruples about eating ducks