The worthy Sir Thomas Jackson, the Chief Manager of our lvex! Bank, groutly to any big publ Honour, but lo consented to dine at the dub the other evening n¢ the guest of Mr. Fullarton Henderson, who ie perhaps hi oldest friend and neqtisintance in the Eust. The Hon, C. B. Chater and the Hon, Justice Wise, und about n score of Sir Thomus's old friends, were present. he dinner was purely'an informal gathering, and was all the more enjoyable for that reason. After dinner, and when the toast of the Queen (God bless her!) had been enthusiastically received, Mr. Henderson called upon the guests to do honour to and give " God-speed the principal glost Sir Thomas, he said, was well-known to many of them for many years. It was nearly forty years ngo,—the century was not much past middle age—when he first met the " fine slip of x boy" who was even then full of promise—promise which hus been so well fulfilled. Referring to the big i Se Lomas bad tution which through foul wear! typhoon thrown in—with its many runifications and bramehes spread pretty well all over the world, and housed with more or less pals he went on say that the Bun ranged from savings bank deposits to large national loans, and it had become not only a commercial but 2 political power in the lund. The only instances in which the honour of ight hood had been conferred in_Cl upon unoffiginls were Sir Thomas Ssu land and Sir Thomas Jackson, both Sir Thomases and both connected with the k. The speaker, in the most felicitous ner, next touched upon the many virtues of their guest,—his unostentations but widespread charity, the support he ever gave to all the healthy sports of the Colony, and his identification with churches, schools, benevolent societies, and all similar institu-set tions, which had always claimed his atten-Alter a bantering reference to the instances in which er—Mr. Henderson concluded by si they were all glad their yuest was con back to them, and he couldn't do better than wind up with a quotation of an old Scotch song—'Better lo'ed he canna be, will come back agen"—The toast of lous life and happiness to Sir Thomas and his household was then heartily honoured.
bomas, in his response to the toast, endeavoured, iis any modest Irishman wou inimive the good and kind things w their host had said of h m. He, however, confessed his great love for Hongkong and its residents, and remarked that there were fow commercial communities which had displayed more true courage in the fice of adversity, and atill fewer staunch nnd shrew nien of business who could have uc: ceecderl xo wel facing and conquering those difficulties, He thanked their kind. host and the others for their hearty. goal wishes, and expressed x hope that he would see all of them on his return, or at least all who had not by that time gone back to the home country, After the health of the Chairman had been duly honoured. the evening was passed pleasantly with a few songs, It may be interesting to mention that the terms of residence in the East of the twenty-four gentlemen present, aggregated G84 years, thus giving an average of 234 yours per man. This fiot muy also be of interest to the Life Insurance Agencies in the Colon
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.