The Shanghai Steam Navigation Company's steamer, the Shanse, Capt. Steele, carried out another party on Saturday last, to "prospect" in connection with Mr. Seward's praiseworthy scheme for establishing a Sanitarium amongst the groups of islands which dot the estuary of the Yangtsze. They formed a goodly company—the Vonsular body, the bench, the press, and the desk, being all repro-sented. Having discharged her Ningpo passengers and cargo, the Shanse steamed out to sea again early on Sunday morning, towards the Northward and Eastward, and reached the Rafles' Group between 2 and 3p. The explorers then landed in two parties, and although the sun was shedding some of his hottest August rays, rock and crag were manfully mounted, and notes taken of the probable enpabilities of this and that spot for suitable building and bathing localities, Three or four gentlemen even made a detour of the main island of the group, crossing the hills at a considerable elevation, and threading paths which only goats could reasonably pronounce s practicable. It is needless to say that they returned in a condition so exhausted, that cries for re-froshments were about all that they could enunciate,—cries which unfortunately could not be satisfied at the moment, for in the playful hurry to disembark, which was remarkable considering the age and experience of many prosont, all precautions against casualties had been neglected, and the sufferers had to wait until the steamer could be reached before the welcome sound of explosive corks could be heard.
Asregards the results of the exploration, opinion was divided. ~The more sanguine thought that they had seen more than one charming cove fringed with a sandy beach, where rows of villas might be constructed facing the and a Monster Hotel perched upon either horn of the crescent.
Bathing at these beaches at high water would not only be practicable, but delightful, that is, free from mud; and scrubs of pine or other hardy vegetation covered the hills hard by, which could be so aided by art.as to develope with time into shady groves and spacious woods. One adventurous gentleman actually discovered, it must be confessed at some risk to his life, a marine grotto, in which veritable sea-anemones flourished, and the finny tribe darted about in all the luxuriance of shape and color—a cool and curious retreat, in fact, which it did not need much imagination to paint as the favorite resort of blooming children and pretty governesses in the future. The more practical of the party, however, saw nothing in the island but bare rocks and muddy uninviting shores. They had their bath, and found the water briny, but the brine had too much of the earth earthly to make it enjoyable; the fact being that, as ill luck would have it, the hour selected for the pastime was dead low water, The idea of making a sanitarium in such a spot was all very fine, no doubt, but they didn't see it. So they returned on board as wise as they went. In one thing, however, all were agreed, and that was in pronouncing the fresh sea breezes delicious and revivifying, after the heavy ming atmosphere of Shanghai, and in lauding the genial, kindly hospitality of Captain Steele. It is to be hoped that these experimental efforts in favour of covering a suitable and accessible locality for our much needed Sanitarium will not soon be relinquished. It is unfortunate that we are so entirely surrounded by this element of mud, which seems persistently to pervade the water for many miles to the eastward, so that even where the sea on the surface looks pro-missingly green, and a strip of sandy beach invites the explorer to strip, he no sooner leaves the shore than he steps into miro of the softest and clammiest kind. It is possible that an island may yet be discovered which does not possess this pecularity, and that there are such further to the eastward is proved by the fact that Povtoo is fringed by as sandy beaches and blue water as the most devoted bather could wish to enjoy. In any event, sea air can always be secured, and if only a picturesque locality can be hit upon likewise, we do not see why the two essential objects of a sanitarium—namely, health and recreation, cannot yet be attained.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.