Thirteen is popularly supposed to be an unlucky number, but if there is any fate connected specially with that number the Marine Engineers proved on Monday night that the Laureate was right in saying that "nan is man and master of his fate," fur their thirteenth annual ball was as triumphant a success as any of its predecessors. The elephant whose trunk will pick a currant out of the trembling schoolgirl's offering of nny bun, or move at command a great balk of teak, the steam hammer which crushes a mass of iron into the shaft of a 3,000-ton steamer or cracks filbert without breaking the kernel, have long been used as types of enormous power that may be employed in the heaviest or lightest. tasks with equal efficiency. The Marine Engineers' Institute of Shanghai is a depository of enormous power, for its members in their working hours control forces of almost incalculable magnitude; and yet in playtime they can handle with equal delicacy and perfection the dainty triviality of a ball. Unfortunately there is still no ballroom in Shanghai with accommodation com, mensurate with the growth of the settle. ment and the hospitality of the Engineers, and they're obliged to enforce on themselves a self-denying ordinance, and sternly limit the number of their guests. Society was nevertheless well represented, for invita-jons were sent out to some five hundred and twenty persons, and about a hundred and fifty ladies and considerably more than two hundred gentlemen answered in person to the summons. The Stewards, Messrs. P. V. Grant, James Johnstone, C. Buchanan, J. Harris, R. Agnew, President, "J. Ford, A. Law, F, Clifton, A. Shearer, W. Bell, J. Parlane, W. Pearce, W. Randle, R. Craig, J. Shearer, H. Good, W. Gordon, W.cHardie, W. H. Campbell, Frank Ken: nedy, James Ferrier, Thomas Russell, R.
Astill, A. Miller, R. Beveridge, and D. W. Jones, Hon. Secretary, had arranged the following pleasant programme 1 Waltz Gitana.
2 Quadrille Pantomime. 3 Waltz Love's Dreamland. 4 Caledoniane Original.
5 Polka Bonne Bouche, 6 Lancers Mikado.
7 Schottische 3 Waltz Tender and True, 9-H. Schottische 10 Quadrille Les Brigands. 11 Waltz 12 Lancers. Piratesof Penzance. 13 Mazurka Veckerstrande, 14 Waltz "Pluie @Or.
15 Caledonians as anti 16 Polka "Les Grenouitles. 17 Waltz. "Les Sourires, 18 H. Schottische 19 Lancers [Guard of Honour, 20 Waltz Récerie.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.