The American mail of the Ist April arrived on the Sth by the P. M. steamer New York.
The English mail of the 27th March arrived on the 10th by the P. & O. steamer Malacca.
Her news had all been anticipated by telegrams from Hongkong. But we have later telegraphic advices to the Ist Ma Paris was strictly blockaded. The Mississippi had burst its banks, causing immense loss.
The chief event of the week has been the annual meeting of Ratepayers in the English and American Settlements, which was held on the 7th instant. The proceedings were much shorter than on previous occasions, owing chiefly to the firmness with which the Chairman checked conversational discussion. In some respects this was an advantage; but with an assembly of the nature of the Shanghai Ratepayers, care is required not to cut deliberation too short. People have not time to prepare set speeches, and aright conclusion is often evolved from dices of the. people, the hostility of the free, even loose, discussion. A full report of the proceedings will be found op. another page. The meeting was constituted with regard to the new interpretation of Art. 'XIX of the Land Regulations, to which we referred last week—excluding persons who had no other qualification than payment of Tls.10taxes. The Rules of procedure which we published on the 29th ulto, were agreed to, with one or two trifling' alterations, chiefly to meet a new interpretation that has been placed on Rule 1X, discarding the necessity for any definite quorum. RuleXV of the new Land Regulations claims the presence of such a quorum as essential to the legal transaction of business; But Rule XV seems only to apply to special meetings; Rule IX regulates the annual meetings of Ratepayers; and it only says "it shall be competent to such a meeting duly assembled, or a majority thereof, including proxies for absent owners of land, to impose and levy rates." Three persons therefore can approve the Report and pass the Budget! We begin to think a special meeting to revise and interpret the Land Regulations is becoming necessary. We may be quite certain this meaning to Rule IX was never intended, though it is expressed. As animated debate took place, with regard to the acquisition of proxies by the Chairman of the Council; but a clause in the rules of procedure, vesting in that official the votes by persons who have attended but left the meeting, was overlooked. As we have explained, this rule was designed to keep up a quorum; but now it is held that no definite quorum is necessary, the rule becomes useless and objectionable. The accounts, showing an outlay of Tis.
233,261 against an income of Tls. 232,150 were passed, and the Budget, showing an estimated income of Tls. 213,754 to meet an expenditure of Tls. 211,836, agreed to. The tax on tea-shops which the Council tried to impose of their own motion a few weeks ago, was authorised, but on the stipulation that it should not exceed 50 per cent of the Licensee's house-tax. The designs proffered for a Municipal seal, were all rejected. The incoming Council were requested to examine and report upon Mr.
Webb's claim against the Volunteer Corps.
The old Municipal Council formally retired from office on Monday, and handed over charge to their successors. The latter have elected Mr. John Dent Chairman, and Mr. Blydenburgh Vice-Chairman. The new Council have given a gratifying proof of energy, by at once opening negociation with the Soochow Creek Bridge Company.
A match at Bowls has been played between the members of the Senior and Junior Alleys. The first day's play on the Senior Alleys left the opponents even, each won two games. The second day's play, on the Junior Alleys, ended after a close fight, in favour of the Juniors, who won five games out of eight. In the first game the Seniors were nowhere, the second they lost by only 1 pin, the third by 15, and the fourth they won by 13. The Seniors. scored the greater number of pins, totalling 5,822 against the Juniors' 5,727.
Again, this year, the Committee have been obliged, by the continued rain,-to put off the Athletic Sports indefinitely, with every prospect that it will not be possible to hold them, this spring. And it is a safe prediction that, unless the time is fixed a month earlier, the same disappointment will occur twice out of three times: "The end of April and the beginning of May are generally wet in Shanghai; if the Sports were held during the first week in April, they would stand a much better chance.
The Rowing Club held a Spring Regatta on Wednesday, when three races were rowed—a Sculling race, an Eight-oar race, and a Four-oar race, The first was won by Williamson, the second by a boat of which A. Dent was stroke, the third by a four of which Claussen was stroke. A report will be found elsewhere.
The National Rifle Association of England has agreed to affiliate the Shanghai Volunteer Corps, and. to present its silver medal annually for competition among the members. This satisfactory arrangement has been brought about by Mr. Cameron, well known in the old corps as an energetic volunteer and a "crack" shot. Winners of this medal will be entitled to compete at Wimbledon for the Prince of Wales cup; and we believe the Corps, through its connection with the Association, will be entitled to send representatives to take part in the competition for the Queen's prize, on the same footing as the Home Volunteers.
We have to acknowledge a pamphlet containing various appendices to the Muni pal Report for 1871. The first and principal document is a valuable report by Dr. Henderson, as Health Oficer, which is sure to be read with interest. The others have been printed before, in connexion with the minutes of ewrent meetings of the Council; Mx, Medhurst's memorandum on outside roads, Mr, Hanbury's, report on the Sinza Refuge, and Professor Frankland's report on the samples of water forwarded him for analysis, are among them, A table of criminals arrested in the Settlement during the year, is also published.
We have received by the Mail, a pamph-Jet containing a lecture on Sunstroke, read before the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Edinburgh by Dr. Thin, in January last.
Dr. Thin's lecture is based chiefly upon his experience of sunstroke cases in Shanghai, and contains interesting facts and suggestions.
The trial of Da Silva in the late shooting case, took place on Wednesday, before the Consul for Portugal. The prisoner was sentenced to'three months imprisonment, and ordered to find two securities, in $500 each, to keep the peace for two years.
The Nourelliste says the Chinaman who lately attempted to murder M. Vial at the Franco-Chinese camp, has been sentenced according to Chinese law. The attempt not having resulted in death, he has been con-dommed to receive a hundred blows of the bamboo in Shanghai, and to be exiled to another part of the province, where he will receive another hundred blows on arrival. He will then be cangued for two months. Looking to the state of exhaustion to which he has been reduced by the regime which he has Jately undergone, it is improbable that he can survive the punishment.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.