Firstly, they are of course saying there is nothing going on; people are always saying that in Shanghai, and always asking each other whether there is any news, and replying in the negative. And secondly they are of course saying there'is nothing in the papers, as though that implied great iniquity and carelessness on the part of the paper. The connexion between the first and second circumstancesdoesnotseem to occur to them in explanation—that if there is no news the papers can't print any. On the contrary, after having asked the stereotyped question, and received the stereotyped reply with more than usual listlessness, they repeat the stereotyped complaint with more than usual queralensness. Anything in the paper? No; nothing particular. No massacres, that is, that haven't occurred; nor floods that haven't happened; but some Chinese stuff about disturbances in Hunan, or Mahomedan defeats in Shanse. Yet that "stuff" may mean a considerable change for the better or worse in the Hankow or Tientsin import market. There is really nothing in the paper this morning; and that is the reason this is here.
Extincteurs are a fertile subject of con" versationjustnow. Everyhongoughttohave one. ° Penfold says that fire the other night was Kept under entirely by extincteurs, till the engines could be brought to play. "And that one in Woosih road last week it hadn't been for Inspector Wilson's exjctour, what a blaze there would been \there, all the fire brigade having gone to Hongkew. The fact is, no hong ought cess.
be without one. The disgusting thing that the Insurance Companies won't Jower their rates. The organisation of the fire brigade reduced their risks one half, the introduction of extincteurs has fenced them another quarter. But the rate has not been lowered a cent, so the Companies, instead of the public, get all the benefit of the improvement. Yet after all, the Coripanies are the public to a great extent., Every body has or can ha "Hongkong Fire" or.afew "Victorias and participate in the delicious jumps those stocks take, as men every now and then conceive they must have earned an-bother 10 or 20 per ant siam last spurt. By the by, how quiet Fire shares have been for a long time now, there will be tush on them directly.
Water works are the thing however which will effectually stop fire risks. Water running through the streets everywhere abundantly, instead of water bottled up in small quantities in a fire-well. When are going to have anything done about ter works Successive Councils have introduced the subject, shied at it and passed ition to their successors, who are really to take it up and deal with it—but who really Hand it over with equal delicacy to their successors. Some enquiry lins been made lately, and the estimate sived at isa quarter-of-a-million taels. But the Municipal engineer named a very much smaller sum than this, a while ayo. Well, the Municipal Engineer is in England now; ahd it would imply a lack of originality to accept his ideas, Perhaps it would be as ws well to wait, however, till his return; be: fore accepting the newly wrought' sugges: tion with implicit faith. He is specially instructed to work up the "subject, by enquiring about and visiting various Water Works; and may have something worth hearing to suggest, on his return.
The great question, however, is about the state of the creeks. Is it worth while to go away for the intended shooting trip, with the thermometer #0 low as it has been?
The creeks must be full of ice, wherever the banks are high enough to keep off the sun. Indeed several boats have come back badly damaged, already. The ice cuts them like a knife as they pass along; and a spoiled boat is rather a dear price to pay for your excursion; besides it might sink, and the water is rather cold just now.
One boat did, and the occupants had to pass a night on shore; but their fate was hardly a criterion, because one of them always has an adventure whenever he goes away; other men wouldhavebetter luck. On the whole, as the weather looks less settled, one may as well try. Boar chops are not at all bad, and the sensation of knocking over a.300-pounder muar be ecstatic. It is worth some risk to get away from the silly chaff that is going about now; and that man may have finished walking though Honan by the time one gots back.
At any rate, the time for all those balls will be drawing near, and we shall have something new to talk of. The Miholoong declared they would do better, this year than last. Don't believe they can. Nothing can surpass complete suc-
When is the foundation atone going to be nid, of the now Anglo-Chinese school? The Church Missionary Society School. Committee have bought Dr. Sibbald's gonion at the top of Foochow road, for a site. They are said to have $16,000 in hand, and will be able to put up a rather hand-sore building for that sum. In. the meantime, they have a room in the new Eurasian school building, where a few young Chinese are being taught. The nucleus of a school will thus have been formed, by the time tho'new house is finished. The object is to teach young Chinese English, and some Western know-
Talking of building, brings one to the Soochow Creek bridge. No one bridge, since the Monkey-God laid down the chain of rocks between Ceylon and Hindostan, has been more talked of. Its charter cannot be valid, because no Taotai has a right to control roads, bridges, or jetties in the foreign settlement, nor can authorise the levy of a'tax which is contrary to Chinese tradition. Bridges are about the only thing in China which are not taxed; they are always made-by wealthy people for convenience or from pure philanthropy. Tradition says the Soochow bridge was made to improve Hongkew property; and as it has not only done this, but has paid for itself may times over, ordinary people begin to think the Chinese principle might be emulated without much loss to the proprietors. The proprietors however.scem to think differently; and a Municipal Council: in wanted, which will test the question.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.