Tus building of the pontoon bridge across the Soochow Creek at the extremity of the Upper Yuen-ming-yuen Road has had a curious effect on the lines of native traffic. Notwithstanding that the old Soochow' Bridge has now been thrown open to the Chinese public, the paucity of passengers noticed after the opening of the first free bridge is still apparent, while a long line of foot and barrow traffic has set in, in @ continuous stream along the south bank of the Creek, It is evident that the site of the old bridge was a compromise between the wants of the natives and the convenience of the foreign residents; and judging from the direction whence the main stream of traffic now comes, we may with equal safety affirm that the new bridge is not as yet sufficiently high up. The main native thoroughfare from South to North through the Settlements has always been the Honan Road, commudicating as it does with the North Gate of the City, and it seems not unlikely that a bridge at this point would afford the greatest amount of facility to the native traffic. On the Hongkew.side no difficulty exists in connecting it with the public roads of the Settlement; a short continuation of the Tiendong road being all that is required. We believe we are right in saying that it was the intention of the old Bridge Company to plan a bridge over the Creek at this point, an intention which was only frustrated by the manner in which the opposition to the monopoly was carried on, As it is, it would be highly desirable that the pontoon bridge, which, in its present position, only acts as a sort of alternative route to the old Soochow Bridge, should be removed to some position higher up the Creek. If it caused the Settlement at Hongkew.to creep further westward, it might possibly relieve some of the overcrowding now experienced within the British Settlement. At all events, as its removal would cost little money, and would bea convenience to the natives, on whose behalf, nominally, the old bridges were bought up, it would be worth the trial. Foreign traffic, as distinguished from native, will for some time gravitate towards the mouth of the Cleck. The, new Bund line would be the most convenient for foreign traffic and the object of the Council, in any future bridge operations in that quarter, should be to approach this line as nearly as possible.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.