Geers. The past year has witnessed several changes "among official residents. Sir Edmund Hornby, who had landed in Shanghai eleven years. Majesty's Supreme Court of China and previously, to found Her Britannic
Japan—retired in May, at an unusually early age, to enjoy the handsome pension awarded to him after long and varied -vice—Threo months later, the Consular service lost one of its members by the death of Mr. William Hyde Lay, who had for some time filled the post of LBM. Consal at Chefoo. Mr. Ley died at the early age of forty years, twenty-three of which he had passed in the Consular Service—And later on, at the close of 1876, Mr. Walter Henry Medhurst, whose name had so long been' a household word in China, left us, happily still in the enjoyment of fall health and strength, to take in England the rest which ho had so well earned by thirty-six years of active service. Mr. Medharst's name has been associated with many of the prominent incidents of British intercourse with Chins since the campaign with resulted treaty of and the opening of Shanghai and four other ports to British trade; and those who know him best have always given him credit for having the best interests of his countrymen at heart, and striving to the utmost of his power to enforce their treaty rights against the '"fanciful, and obstructive" policy of ihe... native officials with whom he was callod on to deal. Mr. Modhurst's departure was sincerely regretted by the large majority of foreign residents in Shang... hai; anda valedictory address and handsome testimonial wore presented to him on the occasion.
Medharst has not yet been-filled, but it The appointment lately held Ko Mr. 1 ig believed Mx. Mongan will be gazetted to the - post.
The duties are being carried on,-in the meantime, by Mr. Arthur Davenport, H.M,'s Vice-Consul.—Earlier in the year, the Consular body had suffered another loss by the removal of Mr. George F. Seward, who had for many years held the post of United States Consul-General at Shanghai, and who was promoted to the post. of Minister at Poking, vacated by the death of Mr. Avery. Mr, Seward was succeeded by Mr. J. O, Myors.—Sir Thomas Wade left for England at the close of November, and the eccas was taken, at Shanghai, to present him with an address expressive of the high respect which his countrymen generally entertain for his marked ability an erudition, however much they may differ from the political views whicl seem too often to leave undue latitude to the vexatious policy of the Chinese.
Besides the Convention of Chefoo, two new treaties have been made public during the year, tending to improve commercial intercourse in the Far East—viz., the French treaty with Annam,. which opens the ports of Hanoi and Haiphong in the Gulf of Tonquin; and the Japanese treaty with Corea, which opens to Japanese trade several ports in that hitherto secluded country. Itremains to be seen whether other nations will follow the lead of Japan in seeking intercourse with this remote people. It. seems, at present, to be a very moot question whether the game is worth the candle, whether the country is not too poor to be worth the endeavour to open up commercial relations.
'A serious drought which prevailed daring the summer over a great portion of the north of China, has resulted
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.