20th February.
The Chamber of Deputies cent to discuss.the Colonial budget.
2ist February.
The Budget Committee of the Chamber of Deputies propose a reduction of 800,000 franco onthe secret funds allotted to the Ministry of the Interior. The Mini insist on the item of 1,600,000 francs, The question will be referred to the Cabinet.—Courrier @ Haiphong.
London, 2ist February.
Sir James Fergusson' denied that' the Government wore taking military action with regard to Venezuela.—Straits Times, A traveller who has just come down from Peking overland has given us some information as to the Yellow River, which supple-monte the news so fur published. There has been'an idea that the river has deserted ita Shantung bod altogether, and one of our correspondents has argued from this that the attempt which the Chinese are believed to be making to replace the river in that bed, Is equivalent to trying to make it uphill' Our informant, however, found flowing by bed; it was. about a considerable' portion of the stream still
quarter of a. mile-wide where he crossed it, flowing with a good steady stream. At the Hungtze Lake he found a large force of Chinese engaged in digging an outlet from the lake into what is marked on Wil-Tiams', and most English maps as the old course of the Yellow River, in Kiangsu; but as; far as he could observe, he deul very much whether they would be successfal'in drawing off any quantity of the river by that channel, the bed there being so high. From the Hungtze Lake southward, the river flows through a series of lakes, which it has raised considerably above their normal level; the level of the water in the Grand Canal, which is Seing now lower. A portion of the water erally higher than that in the lakes, enters the Canal some 30 miles from the Yangtze, and there is a swift current in it; but " large portion of the water is drawn off through four or five other channels, which enter the Yangize to the east of Chinkiang, and thus the Grand Canal itself has been saved from destruction. How far these various subsidiary channels will auftice—presuming the repairs to the great breach are not finished in time—when the spring freshetscome down, remains to be Mr. Ma Kie-chang, who went home with Count Mitkiewicz, returned here on Monday.
'We are glad to know that the Viceroy Li has given marked proof of his interest in Dr. Myers' medical school, and has so far carried out the promises he made when that gentleman was in Tientsin last year, by inserting in the Tientsin Hong List, on the official list of H.E.'s medical staff, the name of "Dr. W. Wykeham Myers (particular service)."
Wo regret to state that a fatal accident occurred in St. Xavier's School, Hongkew, Sunday, by which a fine little boy named Wan, J. Burr, aged eight, the son of Mr. Win. A. Burr, pilot, lost his life. The deceased was couling down the stairs, in the dangerous manner that all boys delight in, vid the ban-ulster rail, when he lost his balance, falling heavily to the floor, He was picked. up in an insensible condition and Dr. Little was sent for immediately. But before his arrival, which took place within half an hour after the accident, the unfortunate ad was dead. His skull was found to be severely fractured. Needless to say the occurrence threw a gloom over all the inmates of the institution, in which it was the first serious accident since the foundation of this admirably managed school, some fifteen The SIN. Police Minstrels guve their frst performance in the Council Board Room on Tuesday night to a number of their friends. ere were eleven Minstrels and they gave a number of songs, some of which Folom, ta the sevend part, a couple of were sung by performers who had capital forces were enacted, the whole ings concluding soon after 11 o'clock. Mr. Bourke's song " Hard to Love" and Bf istry Sweetheart when a Walker were encored. In addition to these boy" by Mr. two singers, Messrs. Bullock, Culshaw, and A. Clarke have good voices, The jokes and conundrums were not of a very high ord while the hero of the Hongkew Lodging House, Mr. Roustel was the Night who had an unpleasant knack of relieve ing the lodgers of their valuables while they slept. The stage was draped with flags anc curtains, and on the drop scene was painted the gorgeous coat of arms of the municiality with the motto amnia junta in sno, and the flags of twelve different nationalities.
On Monday afternoon, the Police were paraded at the Central Station on the occasion of the annual inspection by the Council. Mr. Wood said the t cordiality existed between the Police and the Council during the past year, and he hoped the same kindly feelings would continue between them and the new Council. A photographic group was taken of the Fores at the same time.
On Thursday evening, the Rev. W. B. Bonnell delivered a lecture in the Room of the Young Hes Soe Association, his subject being Something out of Nothing." The Ven, Archdeacon Moule occupied the chair, and after ing devotional exercise, Ted by the Rev, W. Muirhead, introduced the lecturer. The room was well filled, and the lecture which took an hour and a quarter to deliver was interesting. The lecturer gave many instances of discoveries made by means of the air-pump and enlivened the proceedings by practical illustrations of the effects of so-called vacuum, and also of the effects of electricity on various substances in glass tubes. All through, the lecturer received close attention, and was awarded hearty applause. In the course of the evening, the chairman intimated that an 'Ghree months' weekly mee—one night in the present month to devoted to a discussion on Prof, Bonnell's lecture. A vote of thanks having been to the lecturer, he was asked to allow his lecture to be published, Mr. Muirhead begs to acknowledge the following sums for the Yellow River Fund.
Rev. 20 5
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.