The Christinas tea and entertainment of Shanghai Temperance Society were given on Saturday evening, at tie Hall in the Hankow road. Considerable prepara-ion had been made for sume days prenus, and the result wa: complete success, Mr. 0. P. Blethen, the president, and Mr. A. Gordon, the hon, secretary of the Society, had left no effort unmade to secure the assistance of friends not only inside but outside the society, whoarefound willing at all times to give aid in a good cause; and on this occasion these Were supplemented by others whose liberality combined to provide a feast that can only be described as superabundant, in the fullest sense of the word, Substantials and delicacies of all kinds, including the most ornate of Christinas cakes, pies, and ornamental confectionary, profusely graced each of the eight large tables spread for the accommodation of the expected guests, the harmony of colour being further sustained by a liberal display of flowers and evergreens, arranged with that tasteful effect Which only feminine hands can hall its Fund its adjacent apartments were transformed in a remarkable manner, with the aid of 1 ud flags almost innumerable and ly every nation and diversity of hue; in addition to the ordinary gaseliers, which were also decorated with festoons of evergreens and flowers, there were suspended in different parts of the room, handsome chandeliers, altogether producing " brillinoy of effect not easily to be surpassed with such materials for decoration, 0 that will long be remembered in connection with this excellent Society. It would be omission not to record that tie flags ensigns were kindly lent by Captain Barclay, of the Northumpton, Captain Peters, of the Inverness, and Messrs, Farnham & Ca.
The hour fixed for the commencement of the ten was seven o'clock, but long before that time the guests hind begun to arrive, and dispersed themselves over the spacious bull The staircases and corridors had also been decorated with large branches of evergreens, changing the entire aspect of the place from its overyday plainness to one of gaiety and festivity anificiently indicative of the enjoyment to follow. this portion of the ornamental preparation was the work of Mr. Grimmer, the manager, assisted by willing helpers, including some seamen of the ious' ships in port. Just before the our appointed, the stirring notes of a drum and fife band were heard in the distance, and in a fow minutes a strong party of men from the Modeste marched in fours to the hall, and soon joined. the others of their shipmates who had previously arrived, together with men from the Ringdove, U. 8. 8, Hartford and Kearsage, the Northampton, "Inverness, and other vessels, until the goodly number of about 120 seamen and marines were assembled at the tables, interspersed with
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.