Mr. Samvet Plimsoll, of whose death Renter advises us, was born in 1824. Ho successfully contested Derby in the Liberal interest in 1868, and retained his seat until 1880, when he retired in favour of Sir William Harcourt. Mr. Plimsoll entered Parliament as the sailors' friend, and gave up his seat for the express purpose of helping them, thinking that a Cabinet "minister could do more for them than a private member. He was instrumental in obtaining important amendments to the Shipping Laws during the early seventies, and in 1872 he published Our Seamen," a sequel to which he has since written. In 1890 ho published a work on cattle ships. Soon after the formation of the National he accepted its Presidency, but afterwards retired.
Is another column will be found the very satisfactory report and accounts of the Chartered Bank of India, ete. The Money Market Review of the 23rd of April gives a full account of the meeting of shareholders on the 20th of April. The Chair-"|. man, Mr. J. H. Gwyther, congratulated the company on its exceptional success in the past year, which they could not expect to see repeated, considering the competition certain points, sich as Hongkong and Shanghai where the supply of banking facilities is far in excess of the requirements of commerce. Mr. Gwyther spoke of the injury done by the restriction of the currency in India, and the position was Eecoming more and more strained. In China the tension has been relieved. Mr. Gwyther deprecated the "grabbing" that has been going on in China, and thought that the European Powers would have done much better for themselves and everyone else, if instead of "grabbing" they had jointly insisted upon the opening up of China in all its borders to foreign trade. He spoke of the unsatisfactory financial condition both of China and Japan, the latter country having been obliged, through the shortage of her own crops, to buy 500,000 tons of foreign rice, costing ut Toast £3,500,000.' He hoped the dividend would be kept up to 10 per cent.
A Catcxet match was played on Thursday afternoon on the Recreation ground between the Police Club and a team from the P. & 0. steamer Parramatta which resulted in a win for tho'Iatter by 16 runs and 7 wickets.
A srniovs fire occurred on the premises of the Tah Teh ai mill, near the Camp, on Sunday night. The fire was first discovered ina large godown at about 9.30 P-m., and prompt measures were at once taken by the mill stof to cope with the outbreak, but in consequence of the inflammable nature of the contents of the building thulr efforts could only prevent the fire spreading to the adjoining promises. The flames continued to burn with groat. fury until an carly hour in the morning, and on Monday afternoon it was necessary to keep three streams playing on the atill huraing building. The fire being, outside the settlement: 1i, the alarm was not rung, and the Fire Brigade therefore did not attend. A large godown, measuring about 200 feet by 100 feet, used for the storage of beau-cake, cottonseed, and ground nuts, was completely gutted, but fortunately none of the surrounding buildings wore involved. No cause is at resent assigned for the outbreak. The fongkony Fire Insurance Gompany had a line of Tls. 3,200 on the building, and the contents are said to have been covered by a policy for Tls. 10,000 in the Phoenix, all of which is a total loss.
Tue fire department were called out at about 12.30 on Friday morning to a fire that broke out in some Chinese houses in an alleyway leading from Nanking Road to Tientsin Road. Five houses were completely destroyed and we believe were covered by insurance.
As authoritative telegram received on Sunday from Foochow states that there is no plague at that port.
Mr. Chas. Denby, jr., formerly Secretary of U.S. Legation at Peking, writes us from New York under date the rd ult., that all relations between himself and the firm of Louis Spitzel & Ca. have been terminated.
Tas rates of exchange between forei; currencies and Haikuan taels fixed by the Shanghai Customs for the levy of ad valorem duties during the month of June are £1 @ 2/6 Francs @ 3163 Hk. Ti.
Marks @ 2064 Hk. Ti.
Gold$@60$° Gold $1=Hk. Tis, 1.48
Saturday morning, and celebrated ths fiftieth anniversary of his birth on Tuesday.
Aw Imperial edict of the 3rd instant appoints Chi Ting-shao, Taotai of Hankow, to be Provincial Judge of Hupsh, vice' the late Judge' Ma, who died at Wuchang about a month ago.
Ch'én, Provincial Commander-in-Chief of Apviggs from: Ningpo state that' General Chiang, started for Weéichow in a Chinese cruiser on the 28th ultimo, with a battalion of foreign-drilled troops and a couple of machine guns.
We learn that the Bmperor's Rescript, ving his consent to the memorial of the board of Revenue recommending the suspension of the House Tax and Extra Opium Tax, was endorsed on the memorial on the day on which it was presented, the 18th ult.
Tr is currently ro ted that in consequence of the cha 'Taotai already mentioned, the Viceroy h: temporarily deprived him' of his button, but has not removed him from office, an opportunity being given him to exculpate himself, BLE. Yi Ly, the new Vicoray of Szechuan, arrived at this port from Foochow on Wednesday croning at 7 o'clock. BLE. leaves for his post to-night, the 'TPwungli Yamen being anxious that he shall take over his seals of office as early as possible, 'A devon? renched Shanghai from Poking on Tuesday that the Tsungli Yamdn has inclined " favourable ear to the bitter cry of the Customs Staff, and that the pay of the Indoor Staff is to be doubled, that of the Outdoor Staff raised by 66 por cent, and that of the Chinese Staff by 50 por cent. We give the report with all reserve.
the prefectural city of Ch'unnchou, Fukien, Cuinese reports from Amoy state that to which Amoy also belongs, has Intely been visited by the Plague and in such 4 degree that sixty and more deaths are now daily reported in the city itself, without counting those dying in the suburbs and villages in the immediate vicinity,
huan, Senior Vice-President of the Board Tae Sinwenpao reports that Chang Yin-of Revenue, was recently denounced to the Throne by the Assistant Grand Secretar] Hsii Tsung, and also by the Provinciay Treasurer of Anhui, Ting, but for'somo reason or other the Emperor laid both memorials on the table, taking no notice of them.
ELE. Cane Cutu-roxe arrived at his provincial capital on the 28th ult. but did not take over his seals of office until three days after (31st). visited several of the important forts on the Yangtze while en route, and his investigations will form the basis of a report to the Throne on the efficiency of the Yingtze defences, A bisparcH received by the mandarins from Hankow states that the Taotai of that port, under instructions from the high Been late having frequent conferences provincial authorities at Wuchang, has with the Japanese Consul and the Commissioner of Customs regarding the damages suffered by them in the late riots at Shasi, and that an arrangement as to the indemnity is about tobe come to soon. Tt is reported that the demands of Japan are very moderate.
War An-yew, the detective for whose arrest the Council recently paid $500 and who was sentenced to three yenrs' imprisonment for torturing prisoners, died in St.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.