Tore are few more valuable local institutions in Shanghai than the General Hospital. The situation of the building is good and the medical attendance careful; while the all important task of nursing the patients devolves on a band of devoted ladies who discharge their @uties in an exemplary manner. We always read with interest the Annual Reports of this Institution. The brief one before us contains some interesting facts. We are very pleased to see that at last the peculiar objections of the Chinese proprietrix of the building have been removed. For some time, owing we believe to illness, the native Indy to whom the place belonged was unable or unwilling to comply with the re; quisite forms, but now the lease has been finally signed, and the repairs needed have been made at her expenses The Hospital has not been recently a paying concern, and there was a heavy deficit in the accounts for 1871, but the Ratepayers have very liberally come forward to extricate the Institution from its incumbrances, and by a grant of 8,000 taels have enabled the expenses of the current fiscal year to be met. It is to be regretted that the sale of the land near the Ningpo Joss House belonging to the Hospital, has not been s0 productive as could have been desired. Altogether, then, we are not sanguine as to the. Hospital being continued on its present-basis, unless the community make up their minds to set aside certain annual sum to supplement the deficiencies that seem likely to recur. No one is to blame for the present state of affairs. There is no extravagence in the administration of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.