The last of the Hiogo Hotel, Limited, appears to. be within measurable distance, and the sooner the company is dissolved and forgotten the better probably. Faulty if not fraudulent in inception, weakly and indifferently directed since it passed under control of a Board of Directors, a bone of contention and an unending subject of disagreement and dissension among shareholders, it has done little or no good: from first to last. Better that the Hotel had continued under its former proprietor—might then still be in the land of the living. Almost. all connected with its transfer to the Hiogo Hotel Company, La., have now gone the way of all flesh. Mr. Taylor is now the only one of the provisional or original Directors left, I believe; and he has suffered indirectly. It has Ghced disruptions still unbridged; after iven Kobe its great Law case and pro-
struggling along under adverse circum. stances for many months, and after being offered at auction and bought in for considerably less than one-half of the figure at which it was transferred, the property, land, buildings, furniture and all have been or are being sold for $45,000, a remarkably low price, buyers are a syndicate in which son holders have an interest and in which Mr.
F. J. Bardens, of Messrs. and Ca,, is the moving powe reported to be acting for a Japanese capitalist. Notices have' been posted in the Hotel that it will be closed on the 30th instant, and the few remaining guests have been invited to seck other quarters. The Bar and Billiard Room, etc., have been let to the Steward of the Hotel, who intends to run the business om his own account. A portion of the Hotel (detached) has been let as a residence. What the syndicate which, upon conditions, cured the property, intends to do with it is not known, Godowns are spoken of is also a sale to the Government, which ix rightly or wrongly credited with an intense longing is regain possession of all property carrying with ita right to thewaterfrontage. There is an idea, too, to rebuild and use the place as a Hotel again. Time will! show. Just. at present all we really know is that the Hiogo Hotel is to be shut up at the end of the current month.
'THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PRESS, An almost infallible sign of an Administration out of touch with the general body of the people may be found in the frequent suspensions of newspapers. To some extent this holds good here as elsewhere, and for this reason there seems ground for misgiving in the repeated interference of the present Ministry with very many the journals suspended would occupy too of the newspapers of the county. A list of much space here, but they number upwards of seventy (sufficient, it will be thought when it is remembered that all these suspensions have been-ordered by the Ito Cabinet, which only assumed -the reins in August 1892), cover almost all grades and shades of opinion, and affect the provinces no less than the capital. The opening of the Diet in November will perhaps show how far the misgiving is warranted, but the Government's action vis-a-vis certain political parties justifies the view that the executive is not altogether sure of its hold. There have been one or two rumours of a change in the Government already.
THE CRICKET WEEK, Everything has now been definitely settled in connection with the approaching cricket week. The Kobe-Yokohama match will be played on Monday and Tuesday, 16th and 17th October, the China cerns Japan match on Wednesday and Thursday and the Shanghai-Kobe umateh on Friday and Saturday." Tt is expected to prove an eventful week, and both here and in Yokohama it is being looked forward to with keen interest. "The eleven to represent this port has mot been chosen yet, but it appears probable that it will consist of Messrs, Pakenham (Captain), OK. B. Edwards, F. E. Wilkinson, ¢. H. Lig foot, W. Braess, G. Braess, A. L. Robinson, KO. 8. Hitchock, E. A. Grifiths and Dr.
Miller. This isa team' which should give a good account of itself. The China-Japan match is certain to attract the closest attention, as a good deal of doubt as to the relative strength of the teams in bowling. Itis understood here that Messrs. J. Abbott, H. Adams, W. Bates, A. G Caruthers, R. Macgregor, J.' Mann, F, H. Sawyer, S. E, Smalley, A. P. Wood and two others, are coming across to do battle for your side. Yokohama will not unlikely be represented by Walford, Duff, Fenton, White, Tate, Bremner, Dickinson, Meaden, Ross, Layard and perhaps E.R. Morrins of Liss or Mollison, and strongest all-round man the Northern W. D. S. Edwards, perhaps the best
Now as he leaves in a few week for a port has, is unfortunately unable to come
run home. There is no doubt whatever his absence will be a great loss, as he is probably the strongest bowler in the country. As the Jipan Herutd says, Yokohama without Edwards may be likened to land meeting Australia without its uugements are on foot, Tneed hardly to give our visitors " hearty welcome.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.