A calendar for 1892 of the Soviety for the Diffusion of Knowledge hus been issued in Chinese called py 3 Fy SP LIP. Its special features are that it has four Chinese illustrations got up by the Photu-lithographic Co.y SHangha and that it is a very large amount of useful knowledge arranged ins comparative mauner on international affairs, auchassovereigus, railways, steamers, nines, manufactures, trade, customs revenue, education, mi leading events of the your, riots, indem making it specially' instructive for students at the tions and for intelligent persons at tine of the year. Price 10 cash each. Discoint 30% on ten dollars' worth and upwards, Ie ig to be obtained at the mission Press, Shanghai, People have been naturally asking what our Note on Thuraday from the Hupwo really meant, as to the magistrate having orders from the Viceroy at Nanking to see that all land sold by Chinese to foreigners i future was sold through the magistrate and at " moderate price. We understand that one of the foreign Ministers at Peking was asked by his Consulate here to represent tothe Tsungli Yamen that it would bea good thing if the Nanking Viceroy were asked to hint to the Chinese here, that they should nut put exorbitant prices on any land that foreigners wanted to buy in Hongkew Liu Kun-yi, who is an old hater of foreigners and a good Hunanese, snd la very much opposed to any extension of the foreign limits here, saw his chance, and instead of confining himself to a recommendation, which would no doubt have been perfectly harmless to all concerned, promulgated this order that all land was to be auld through the magistrate, who would fix the price. He knew that the average countryman hates and fears the water, and the result will be that he will t sell his land at all, which is the Viceroy's object. The countryman knows very well that if he dues sell, and has to get his money from the underlings of the magistrate, there are so many contribution boxes it will have to pass on its way to his hands, that it will have strangely shrunk when it does reach him.
We have to thank Pare Chevalier, director of the Sicawei Observatory, for a copy of wlletin Mensuel for March last. The the Month is marked by an detailed account of the gale of the 15th March, and the number contain farther the usual invaluable tables and diagrams. Last Murch, we learn, was unusually prolific of magnetic perturbations, We have tu thank Messrs. R. Meiklejohn Ca. of Yokohama for " copy of their Japan Directory, 1892. We congratulate the publishers heartily on being able such a compact form, and with such ing and binding, to give so much infor-on ubout the island empire of the Eust and the foreigners who have made it their home. It contains, as we copy from the title list of rin Japan and Japanese government dep wrtments the peerage of Japan; an alphabetical of foreign re Japan and Corea, and an appendix of useful information, with lithographed plan of Yokohama and the promise of the title page is fully and intelligently carried out. pave lnve to thank Mesace. Kelly & Wale, for " copy of that indispensable little ual, The Nautical Pocket Manual for 1892, It is " handsome little leather-beand volume wit! i, and eon: tains, besides the ud diary for the year, Shanghai 'Tide Tables, Customs Signals, Woosung Bar Signals, 'Shanghai Fire Signals, Distance Tables, Lists of Lights, Buoys, and Beacons on the Coasts of China, Corea, and Japan, and a variety of other useful' and occu It is in its 18th year of publication, an atill edited by "E, W."
We have received from Messrs. J. Llewellyn & Ca. some supple bottles of a very pleasant table water, not too salt and with just enough and not (ow much carbunie acid gas in it, called Takuradzuke Mineral Water. certainly as nice as any ut It the imported moral waters ordinarily in use in Shanghai, and nicer than some of them.
Messrs. Frazar & Ca., agents at Shanghai of the Queen Insurance Company, now merged in the Royal, have sent us a' most neat and convenient blotting-pad, issued by the former Company, bound in leatherette, and provided with folding doors. It noticeable that the total invested funds of the combined companies on the Sist December, 1890, amounted to £7,891,896
We are asked to state that the Seeger and Guernsey Ca., of New York, publishers of the Cyclopedia of the Manufactures and Products of the United States referred to in our issue of the 19th, are not publishers in the ordinary sense of the term, but export import commission agents, etc., who, in producing the book, have utilised their extensive experience of American commerce.
The following note is from the Chinese Recorder for February:—It is a fact, perhaps not known to the general public, that certain Manchester and Glasgow firms put idolatrous labels upon their cotton goods for the Indian market, and these labels are often seen decorating shops in the bazaars. Rubber stamps are being manufactured by x firm called ' Addison &Co.," and which are said to include a complete series of idolatrous pictures. For the love of gain, men in so-called Christian countries are willing not only to thus nder to the worship of immoral and goddesses, but for the reason are prostituting their art in making molten images to be sold in Japan, magistrate's yamen as the devil hates holy and, very likely, in China also, to adorn the temples of Buddha and receive the homage of pagan devotees, Work could not be begun on the new Custom house on the Bund until the Taotai had chinchinued joss" there, and a deputy of BE, Nieh undertook the necessary consecration on Saturday morning.
We learn from Foochow that Mr. Vaughan died on board the Nestor on Saturday morning. 'The cause of death has been certified as heart disease, Now that the Council are widening the Yangtsepoo Road, the trees have. been transplanted and' placed further back, Many of these trees were planted in February 1871.
Some evilly-disposed person has commenced to destroy the new trees on the Back Bubbling Well Road. Tt is hoped Uhat detectives will be sent to find out who the miscreant is Chinese passengers are taking advan: tage of the present cheap fares to Ningpo, to pay a visit to their homes in that neigh bourhood. The Kowshing and Tungehora took a large number away on Monday,
on Sunt A large umber of junks left the river lay, a8 many as twenty-one being counted ugh Island at one time on Sunday morning. Some of the junks are navigated in a most reckless mammer and steamers oozasionslly find the greatest difficulty in avoiding them, On Sunda tuarning " juke ran into wstoamer whioh had been going dead slow and then Jet go her anchor. The Captain saw the juck and endeavoured to get out of her way, when she deliberately tacked and crossed the steamer's bows.
The result was a collision, which ao far as the jer was concerned, was unavoidable, The junk, however was not much damaged, The German squadron, under Viov-Admiral Valois, has left Chile for the Brazils, Thence it will proceed to German East Africa and then return to Chinaand Japan, Commander Vernon H. Tisdall, R.N., hus) been i ted to the Linnet for her new commis ion.
The Mirzapore, with the incoming English il, left Singapore at 5 30 a.m. on Monday.
The Culédonien, with the incoming French Toft Singapore at Lam. on Friday last, The City of Peking arrived at Yokohama on Friday, and her mails will come on by the Yokohame Maru which is due here on 2nd February, When the Pechili left Foochow the Villars and another French man-of-war, probably the Lion, were in port.
The German gunboat Jitis returned to Shangha on Saturday from the Ri and the French gunboat Lion arrived from Foochow.
The Inconstant returned to Woosung on Wednesday from the River, The Fw: gshun, which left here on 26th instant, is ashore at Bush Island, having met with " mishap during a fog. The Yehsin attempted to tow her off, but' without success.
A number of steamers which should have arrived here on Tuesday did not put in an appearance till Wednesday, having been detained outside by fogs. There were twenty-one arrivals here on Wednesday The Hoihow, outward bound, went ashore at Woosung on the south side a little inside the Lighthouse on Saturday evening at 7 o'clock. On Sunday morning the Chungking attempted to pull her off, but without success, and was sent down again on Monday afternoon to make another attempt. The lent was caused by the steamer attempting to avoid a junk, The Hoihow floated off at 7 a.m. on Monday with the assistance of the Chungking and has since proceeded on her voyage, with new boilers, was towed to Boy.
The Netochwang, having been supplied
jetty on Monday afternoon for the ing repairs.
The Empress of Japanarrivedat Vancouver on the 25th January.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.