London, 12th May.
The Second Section of the Crimes Bill has been adopted but cloture had to be reapplied.
As will be seen in our advertising columns, the China Railway Company advertise for tenders for the supply of steel rails, fishplates and spikes.
The tea market in Hankow was opened on the 9th inst. at 18 per cent. for Ningchows, and 20 per cent. for Keeméns, under last year's opening rates. The quality of these Kiukiang teas and of the ks is reported to be very inferior and opening press are considered to be dangerously high.
'A large supply of common teas is i expected. The river is rising, and there is little fear now that the ocean steamers en route to Hankow will meet with any delays.
People who have been making holiday trips during the races report a greatly increased cultivation of the poppy.in various districts. One gentleman says that about Kashing the quantity of land now covered with poppies is immense compared with that of last year, and extends all over the country in that direction. Another, that near Ningpo and up towards Ning-kong-jao he passed and saw in the district large tracts similarly covered, and near Chapoo some fields have been put to the same use. It is evident that the country people are going in extensively for the manufacture of native opium, and it is highly probable that they are doing so in most suitable places in the Empire. The effect of this on the trade in foreign opium will no doubt be great, and the cheapening of the price of imported and native drug may have results which will be far from satisfactory to the honest opponents of the opium trade and to the Peking Government. Considering the rejection of Sir Robert Hart's proposal to tax native opium, and the extension of pop cultivation, we should find no more denunciations of opium in Peking Gazettes and other official documents. We should be glad to have information from other parts of China on this subject.
We are informed that at the annual meeting of the Shanghai Tug-boat Association, held on Wednesday afternoon, the accounts for last year were adopted, the Directors re-elected and the three special daily resolutions passed.
The Annual Meeting of the Shanghai ElectricCompany on Monday was adjourned to Monday next, at 2.30 p.m. in consequence of there not being a quorum of shareholders present within the necessary time.
We understand that the half yearly meet-of the shareholders in the Chartered mercantile Bank of India, London and China, held on the 19th ult., passed off satisfactorily. The Report will be found in another place.
In another column will be found the first report of the Shanghai Choral Society, which was formed last year, and has already and to the publi, The report men:
a deal of pleasure to its. mem:. tions that the membership is not now up to the highest figure reached last year; but we trust that this decline is only temporary, and that the roll will soon contain at least a hundred names. The cultivation of vocal music is not merely an advantage and a pleasure to the singer, but becomes a fountain of enjoyment to the public, and a Society like this is an absolute necessity in every cultured community. The financial position of the society is sound, as will be seen from the report, and it will probably be soon possible to reduce the subscription, Bare justice is done in the report to the valuable exertions of the Committee, and the Into hardworking and able honorary secretary, Miss Drummond.
An open meeting of the Shanghai Young Men's Christian Association was held in their Hall, 18, Peking Road, on Thursday evening. "The principal business of the evening was the reading of a paper by the Ven. Archdeacon Moule on the Withering of the fruitless fig tree," which elicited remarks from a number of the members. At the ordinary meeting of the Association next Thursday evening, the Rey. Dr, Farnham will read a paper on Martin Luther,"
Sir R. T. Rennie, Chief Justice, heard a motion, on Tuesday in Chambers, by Mr. Drummond on behalf of Mr. John Geo, Thirkell, proprietor of the Shanghai Coun for additional time to prepare his defence in the suit for libel instituted against him by tad ae Shufeldt of the U.S. Navy.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.