Wo are at present experiencing exceptionally cold weather. Lest year the minimum of the thermometer, was 20; during this week it has marked 19. Toe in the neighbourhood has been bearing," and numbers have been out on ponds behind Hongkew, inthe morning and afternoon. The ice bears without much risk, though some fow fell in, from accident or incautiousness.
The ponds, however, being seldom more than six inches in depth, there is nothing more serious to be apprehended than wet and muddy feet. We are informed that on one pond on Thursday afternoon, there were about forty people; but the ice-farmer's interest interferes with the skater's pleasure, Such a store of the luxury is being laid up in this productive weather, that we should expect next hot season.to see it cheaper and better than usual.
Several houseboats are coming back, badly damaged by ice in the creeks up country.
There was no Paper Hunt, on Saturday, on account of the frost; one was tried on Monday, but the wind spoiled the scont.
We understand that a challenge has been given by the Singapore Volunteers to the Shanghai Corps, for a shooting contest.
The proposal is that the Volunteers at each place should shoot on a particular day, a Naval officer acting as umpire, here and at Singapore: and that the risk of bad weather should be accepted at both ends.
Considering the prevalent weather at Singapore, this risk is rather one-sided.
Sishultaneously with the interruption of the/communicstion via Hongkong, the public have had thrown open to them anew route for through telegrams, via Russia, a few particulars regarding which may be of interest. At this end, but one cable as yet communicates with Gutzlaff, another laid down for the sending of messages by the Russian route having broken twice and been taken up. The Russian section therefore begins properly at Gutzlaff, with the cable to Nagasaki. From the latter place it carried to Passiet Bay, landed at Wladivostock, whence it is laid a little to the north-east of Chabarowk, then going tothe west of Irkutsk, missing Kiachta, with which however branch -lines emnect from Werkneudinsk on the main line. The next principal stations beyond Irkutsk are Tomsk and Omsk, and the line then runs direct to Moscow, where a division of, the messages takes place. Those intended for the North of Europe, Scandinayin and England are sent to St. Peversburgh, and reach England by the G. N. T. Ca.' Gulf of Bothnia' cable to Sweden, Iand line to the western coast of Norway, and again by submarine cable to Aberdeen. Messages for London, France, the low countries of Europe, and America go from Moscow via Riga to Liba, with which place "Denmark is connected by cable, and by a submarine line from the west cost of Jutland to Newcastle, where the G. N. T.
Ca, have been making arrangements for their transmission without interruption to London. In the Siberian lino it becomes an object to endeavour to got messages sent long distances without re-transmission; the greatest space traversed by the power of one instrument as yet has been from Wladiwostock to Omsk, more than halfway to Libs, and a distance of about 2,500 miles. In spring, the Russian line will be exposed to danger along the course of the Amoor, by the breaking up of the ice, but on the whole the land lines are subject to no serious risks, and they can be readily repaired, At the military stations on the route, mon are placed to meet these emergencies, The international correspondence is attended to by Danish employes of the Russian Government, and so complete has the system proved that messages have been received here from London in 19 hours, time which it is hoped will be surpassed considerably after a few months working. The distance by the Russian route is but 3-5ths of the Southern route, and of this 3-4ths are land lines, by which, we believe, messages can be sent with\more facility than by sub: marine wire. But the first consideration for the public is, that.the opening of the Russian line lowers rates very considerably, The advantage of having two telegram phic routes to Europe, as a precaution against stoppage, is sufficiently great; but the projectors can scarcely have anticipated the extremity to which that advantage would be pushed, We are informed, however, that in the absence of direct communication, a telegram was sent to, and an answer received from, Hongkong via London, thus doubling the whole of the Old World to obtain information from a place only 800 miles away.
We hear that a Chinkiang junk, bound for Shanghai, with a cargo of 450 bags of rice to the order of a foreign firm, was wrecked outside Woosung on Friday night. Next morning, her position was no sooner discovered than a number of native boats wont off to her and began to plunder the cargo. One of the junkmen succeeded in getting on shore, and brought information of the loss to Shanghai, when a' sufficient police force was sent down to protect the wreck. Six people were arrested and are now in custody, and their three boats have also been detained.
Fire broke out on Tuesday night, in the Chinese houses at the corner of Foochow and Shantung Roads. The first alarm was from a tailor's shop there, which was almost immediately wrapped in flames inside, and threatened a large conflagra
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.