Municipal Council, Shanghai, 7th July, 1897.
Siu,—I have the honour to acknowledge the reveipl of your letter of 5th instant, Which was subthitted for the consideration of the Council at its meeting yesterday, In reply, I have to inform you that the Council is unable to comply with your rei Id authorise a special grant mensem, in order to enable your Society to engage the services of MI Etzel as Curator to the museum. Wi fully recognising the claim of such Iustitutions to rank: highly, as educational factors, is of opinion that it would not he justified in making the required grant without the authority of the Ratepayers, to whose consideration it is suggested that yon should refer the matter at the next meeting.
Thave the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, A. R. Borgtr, Chairman, To P. G. Vox Monursporer, Esq., President, China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.
Electrical Department.—The following Minute from the last meeting of the Finance Committee is ordered to be pub-
The report for 1896 states that the results of the year's, working unfortunately compare very unfavourably with the earnings of the two previous, years, and the receipts have been materially reduced. This shrinkage is attributable to the low freights. owing to the competition to which the local companies were subjected by an unusual influx of tonnage from Europe working on the coast lines, and to the number of vessels in Japan waters released from the requirements of the. late war.
£751,241 11 2
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.