We (Daily Press) take the following from the Regimental News:—On the 27th ult. His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government paid an oficial visit to His Excellency the Viceroy of Canton, of which the following isa brief account. On arrival at the house of H.B.M.'s Consul, Mr. Alabaster, we found invitations to dine with the Viceroy awaiting us, Each i vitation was written on a large red form about 24 inches in length and 12 inches broad. Down one column were printed iota guld characters symbolic of the ood wishes that the Viceroy entertained for the welfare, prosperity, long life, and promotion of the recipient. Down the second column was written the actual invitation in Chinese characters, while across the third column was the English interpretation of it, After despatching our cards we got ints huge unwieldy official chairs, and, preceded by a guard of Chinese warriors clad in brown holland uniforms, each having a white circle on his back and chest: showing the number of his regiment—Ist Battalion Imperial Cantonese Fencibles—wended cur way along the extremely narrow, dirty, and unsavoury lanes that do duty in Ganton for streets, to the yamen or palace of the Vieeruy; This journey Insted quite an hour, for it was exceedingly Giflicult to get the heavy chairs round the innumerable corners that had to be tarned ex route. Close by the palace we wore startled by a salute fired from somewhat antiquated ordnance at only a few yards' distance—a compliment hardly to be expected in the midst of a crowded city. A Chinese guard of honour lined both sides of the rond from this point to the palace, and it was with some surprise that one heard the command " Present arms", given in excellent English, The ' present" itself was smartly performed and was exactly similar to our own. Introduction to the Viceroy then took place with a good lot of bowing and formalities on both sides. Phe Viceroy is a most genial, hearty, and pleasant looking old gentleman, to whom 8 long grey beard and moustache give quite a venerable air. As His Excel-louey the Governor had decided not to went uniform, the Viceroy did not appear in full dress, but wore a long dark green coat with no ornaments whatever. His stair consisted of about 20 military officers smartly dressed in long embroidered grass cloth coats, wearing official hats crowned with crystal or brass balls, the rank of the enter being denoted by' the colour: the renninder of his retinue were interpreters or minor officials clad in long blue robes. Dinner was served on a table covered with a red cloth, and before each guest was a large yellow embroidered napkin. The dining room was enclosed on three sides only, and through the space where the fourth wall should have been we looked out on a large garden, the main features of which were a rockery and a miniature pond. Dinner, out of compliment to His Excellency, was entirely English and quite the best meal we have tasted out of england. Half the cooks and a large quantity of the silver plate b ing to the European community had been requisitioned for the occasion, which perhaps may account for it. Etiquette demanded that we should partake of each of the 25 courses and drink freely every time the Viceroy proposed to do so. This he did with laudable regularity until human nature fairly succumbed, and the genial old gentleman lay back' in his chair as if he could eat and drink no more. Meanwhile his two little grandchildren had been foraging round, occasionally receiving a piece of asparagus or other dainty morsel from their grandfather, and those two young imps bad been having a regular field day with our head gear. The tall hats of His Excellency and the private secretary afforded them infinite amusement, and those guileless infants rubbed the silk the wrong way with fiendish joy. Anguish was depicted on the classic brow of the private secretary as he looked on in silent impotence, although it was somewhat of a consolation tu know the hat was borrowed—his own having been carried out tosca the day their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Connaught landed in Hongkong. After stolidly assimilating food and drink for two hours and a half we bade an revoir to our genial host, who promised to return the Visit on the following day. As a gunboat could not be sent up to Canton, the Commodore very courteously despatched a guard of Marines by ordinary boat, who doubled in at one gate of the compound as the Viceroy entered from the opposite side. The poor bugler indeed was so pumped with his run that his salute was full of variations, but he made up for this by a magnificent blast on the Viceroy's departure. His Excellency the Viceroy was immensely well pleased with this guard. The Viceroy was carried in a large oficial chair over which was held a huge umbrella about 20 feet high. On each side of him were feers mounted. The guard took post on ide of the road up to the Consulate in a smart and soldierlike way that eloently told of foreiyndrill and supervision, though we understand that all foreign instructors have now been dispensed with in the land forces. Tiffin at the Consulate was chiefly marked by the number of glasses of liqueur imbibed in so short a time, We were quite sorry when he rose to go and hope we may some day meet with him again, Our stay in Canton was most pleasant one and was marked throughout by that hearty welcome and hospit that one must come to the Kast to find,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.