The ladies of Shanghai cannot complain of any lack of opportunities for dancing in ihe Model Seldtceiend for ths on any lack of opportunities of making the acquaint ance of the ladies under the pleasantest circumstances, Ball succeeds ball so rapic that the members of the Town Band niust dream of dances in the short morning hours: that are allowed them for slumber, and the horseboys who sit patiently on the brough haus in the cold outside must think that the reli m of the foreigner enjoins the passing of the hours of recreation, and many of the proper hours of sleep, in these delightful functions. Each association that marks the flight of time, by these annual reunions vies with its rivals in making its ball more successful than the rest, and none could possibly achieve this end better than the engineers did on Tuesday night.
waa honily ponsible to make an auter: tairnment of this kind more attractive than that of the mercantile marine officers on Thursday last, but as there is nothing forbidden to a sapeur, so there is nothing impossible to an engineer. Nor do they deserve such recreation less than their brothers of the deck. It is true that in bad weather the engine-room is a mu comfortable resort than the brid; stamumts; tink tee teaginays's; bepicion being often the only comfortable on the as a toilsome, hot, and oily life at all times as being the fortune of war, and no serious while he is on duty, makes even greater demands upon his courage when the seas are breaking into the stokehole, and he jhas the chance of being drowned like a lrat in a trap, while the deck officer has lone chance more for his life in being able to get clear of the sinking vessel. But there was nothing on Tuesday night to suggest the dark side of the engineer's profession. From the pavement on which they alighted, up through the gas-lighted, carpeted and covered corridor, by the broad, handsome staircase to the ball-room itself, all was brightness and gay colour. The Hall itself was simply decorated with the house flags of the various lines of steamers running to Shanghai, and with a terra-cotta bust on every et, Tendered excessively festive in appearance by noble, brow, the dropplag of a leaf here the presence of bunty wreath on every
and there ver an eye making the wearer look as if he were winking at the gay thro below hiw. Flowers and mirrors with innumerable twinkling jets of gas added to the animation of the scene.
Between three and four hundred wore or less smart people, the committee distinguished by a si Iver hai. screw-propeller on the lapel of their-coats, came together to make up thetvelfth annal bal ofthe engineers, and if they dia not enjoy themselves thoroughly, they must have concealed their feelings admirably, and. it was not the fault of the givers of the ceremony, whose names, as below, were duly recorded on the programme ewards:—W. Hardie, President. P. V. ice, J. Johnston, C. Bucha-D. W. Jones, T. Maceul-Reaside, 'A. Law, F.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.