toast of the prosperity of Shanghai, and the Chairman of the Municipal Council who replied to it, had little difficulty in securing the assent of their audience to the assurance that Shanghai is both prosperous and progressive. The building that is going on all round, of foreign houses in Hongkew and on the Bubbling Well Road, and of native houses in all three settlements, is one indication; the Municipal accounts that will shortly be published will shew, we understand, an improvement in the total receipts over the estimate of some twenty-five thousand taels or about six-and-aquarter per cent. There is a general advance in the stocks of local companies, though there are exceptions, where the fall is dune to special causes; and the new companies that have been started during the year, are most of them quoted ata premium. The year that is closing has seen a great step taken in the direction of railways in China; it would be idle to expect that this great change could be made without much hesitation and discussion, and it would be rash even now to predict when the Great Western Railway will be actually commenced but the determination has been come to that China shall have railways, and to a nation whose annals go back, pace Dr. Faber, some four thousand years, four or five years are nothing in such a momentous matter. Chinese dilatoriness and evasion have had their way with another enterprise from which much was justly expected, the opening of the Upper Yangtze. The visit of Mr, A. J. Little to London resulted in the Foreign Office being persuaded to bring pressure on the 'I'sungli Yamen through the reluctant British minister, and the Yamen has staved off the question for the time by buying the pioneer himself, and an unnecessary yuling, & grave nagpointment to the postponement of an inevitable and valuable enterprise, It is the policy of the foreign powers nowadays to give way when any question with China threatens to assume an acute stage, and China is therefore on the best terms with all her neighbours; and there is little doubt that the unfortunate fiasco of Treaty Revision in Japan must have been most gratifying to the conservatism of Peking. In Shanghai there has been during the year that is closing some unavoidable friction at times between the foreign and native authorities, but any resultant trouble has been generally satisfactorily arranged, and we recognise with heartiness the courtesy and readiness_to oblige of the present Taotai, Mr. Kung.
It is perhaps not inappropriate that we should publish to-day the vivid recollections by Mr. Wetmore of the Battle of Muddy Flat, of which he is one of the few resident survivors, Already in the thirty-five years since|met with the unanimous approval of fhatextremely casual fight took place, the community, but it is cerialy. that 8 crop of legends has grown up about it, the general. verdict is most to some of which Mr.
Wetmore refers;|It has been urged that the 1..wspapers favo Sist Dec. and we are very glad to be able to give should be very gentle in criticising the Tue proposer on Saturday last of the our readers an account of it so undoubtedly accurate as this is, The rough but easily comprehended plan that accompanies the story will farther shew the progress that Shanghai has actions ofthe Council, because public criticism may deter men from taking office but we credit our councillors generally with a robuster fibre than this objection would indicate. Fair criticism is always made since 1854. Rashly conceived and fortuitously carried out as the expedition against the large Imperialist force was, it succeeded in fulfilling its intention, and we may be sure that if similar danger should threaten the settlements again, the residents of all nationalities will be as ready to present annited front to the enemy, whoever
that that battle has had a good effect, he may be: There can be no question not thought of at the time, in cementing and consolidating the foreign community. It has added importance to the history of Shanghai, and given Shanghailanders something more than their material prosperity to be proud of.
In closing our last leading article in 1889 we must thank our readers for their kindly appreciation of our efforts
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.