The dinner of the China Association was held at the Hotel Metropole on March 9th, the night of the ' blizard." The guests, who had arrived there in wu ordinary snowstorm, had to leave it in one of the wildest nights we have ever known in London, a bitterly cold "north-east wind blowing the heavy fall of snow into every crevice, and forming drifts even in thorough fares like Regent Street. Happy those who found cabs, even although the seats were covered with snow.
In many respects this year's dinner resembled last year's dossel the implies the which constitute infidelity, lying, untrustworthiness in business, debt, ete. Not one of these irregularities troubles the Japanese in the slightest degree, yet Sir Edwin leaves it to be imagined that they do, and the visitor or resident is proportionately disappointed and resentful when he discovers his mistake after a lengthened residence. I was reading the other day in faces were missed, and some new ones were present, but the great majority of the com-Dany obusished ut tle wetabers ed Sir Thomas ive, and energetic, genial face of th pel, who bears his years so allusion to 1828 was received with much surprise by those of his hearers who were not familiar with his history. to be, it tends to become more and more Oficial as the dinner may be supposed a home paper, that the Empress Frederic! k simply an annual gathering of many old had met with no actual insult during her friends who have no other opportunity recent visit to Paris, and that the artists of meeting, and it was pleasant to and dealers who had pictures andbrie-<&-prac the hearty' atid-shaking and. beaming to sell were "very polite." Now Iam not faces on every ing testimony going to say that the Japanese are not tothe warmth and affection which had bees polite; they are, and " very pleasant slumbering for a0 long but were ready to be courteous-mannered people, peaceable, evoked us soon as the old familiar face Was ug. gentle and kindly one to ancther, but the teen. fan room, @ creation of manner, not of itoness is the politeness of the western Some guests came from long and itis pretty clear that. this feature of heart, and very pronounced in the people will beovme there and more who have something to sell. It is charming, marked in the future, and that once 8 this politeness, but it is meaningless.
London will see brought together an get into the habit of saying Thank y ing number of middle-aged and howing or smiling to your boy every to whom the oj time he brings you your boots, and you fi cir battles. oval will find it wonderfully easy and gratifying once more thie old stories, appoat to after a fortnight's practice, but it will in bring a pleasure as deep as it is innocent. no way interfere with your giving him half-What ought to have been one of the chief -hour's notice the first time he doesn't was Sir Thomas bring them, at least not in Japan; but at detailed explanation of bie home it would, because we are not in the policy in China, which will undoubtedly be habit of acknowledging services graciously Toad with great interest by Europese in unless we feel kindly the servitor.
China. - Respectfully, however, as he Wan We are sincere in our politeness. I do not received, it was manifest that Eusterh wish to undervalue the delicious politeness policy and politics us such lind no: great of Japan; it is worthy of praise and ad-interest for many of those present, and miration, but it is equally undesirable to it was curious to observe how fow of them oserrate it. Sir Edwin Arnold in his con-seemed to know: much about the. matters tributions to Scribner's has retrodden much into which he entered so fully. It was the ground he Reiger i the a of Quite clear that the Chefoo Convention, tion of the ground which has been trodden Daily Telegraph, and also a small por-and the breaking down of Chinese exclu, sivaness in Peking were matters that had by other people, i.e. quoted frequently little interest for the gloat majority of his from the translations of residents, without ore specially a0 he has not written: his acknowledging the fact, which is'bad taste, hearers "Probably it fie ati and Jengthy speeches: savouring of polite will parly er entirely" omitted, and toe
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.