was ushered in much after the fashion of its predecessors, maigre the fact that it is the Jast of the nineteenth century. It came in, however, with an altogether unexpected change of weather; dull, cold, and windy, changing in the eve in, and ever since it has been growing colder, So too, there has been more or less rain every day until toxtay, which promises a little beter, the sun having broken out. The er theless, even lower, continues dry I hope the last a long lime, for up to the 31st of December we have practically ter.
Chere is Fery little news to record. The first two or three days of the week were devoted to the holidays, and the "happenings " since have been few and unimportant. Socially the "At Home" held by Luly Blake on the 2nd instant at Government House has been the leading event, thong it excited little interest. HI governor will hold a levee at Gore Monday nest. I suppose it will be well attended, for the official world will have be there, but the civil community do not "enthuse" over levees for which, in point of fact, they, have <n use Its however, a cheap of entertainment, and I don't blame Six Henry Blake for resorting toil, seeing how bully the Governor of Hongkong is p THE PATRIOTIC FUND, as I sill for short call the Fuml being raised for the families of those who fall in the war in South Africa, is still being added to, and now reaches nearly 876,000. T trast it will amount t0 $80,000 before the list is closed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.