The annual meeting of the local branch of this Associatiun was held on Monday, the Gth inst., in the City Hall, the Hon. G. M. F. Playfair (chairman) presiding The chairman read the report of the committee and reviewed the work done clu the past year, showing that the lewding commercial questions had been grappled with and sation taken in a number of cases, In the course of his speech Mr, Playfair read an extract from a lett-r received that morning from the Secretary of the Association in London, follows:—"Not only have your protests been promptly forwarded to the Foreign Office, but we have evidence that they have been acted upon." Mr. Playfair alluded in terms of high appreciation to the labours of Sir James Mackay, and paid a merited tribute to the energy and Gevotion to duty of Mr. James Scott, B. M's Consul at Canton, The report and accounts having been seconded by Mr. F. Maitland, were carried unanimously. Mr. Gershon Stewart asked if ko might be allowed to propose the re-election of the resent member i body. The Chairman having it that this could be done, Mr. Stewart proceeded to formally more the re-election of the committe, adding that he was sure that they would perform the duti office as satisfactorily in the comi the past year. Mr. W. J. Saunders ded, and' the resolution was carrie? unani mously. This was all the public business before the meeting.
The Union Insurance Society of Canton.
The yearly meeting of shareholders in this prosperous concern took place on the 9th inst, The Chairman, in the course of his speech, said the increase in the balance was due 1" large extent to the fall in the value of the dollar. The bulk of the ociety's business was done in sterling, and it would bs more convenient if its re kept in gold. The accounts satisfactory so far as they the directors, in dealing with the very fine results for 1900 and 1901, had not been unmindful of the staff, to whom they had voted a bonus of per cent of the year's salary to the Provident Fund of each member, Ho felt sure the shareholders would approve of this action. The Hon. G. W. F. Playfair, in seconding the adoption of the report and accounts, after referring to the satisfactory statement made to them, warmly endorsed the action of the Board in voting a bonus to the employees. Provident Fund. His remarks were met with applause, and the report and accounts were passed with acclamation. The other formal business having been transacted, the Chairman then pt that the Society's paid-up capital should be increased by $59 per share, which would be done by a transference of $509,000 from the exchange fluctuation account. The proposal now no more, having been swept away in was carried unanimously. Arrival of the Derbyshire Regiment.
The chartered transport Wakool, which arrived here on the morning of the Sth inst. from Capetown, brought the Ist Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Dazbyshire Regiment), to relieve the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. were shortly afterwards landed at the Commissariat Pier, and headed by the band of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, marched to}
Murray Barracks, where they took up their quarters. The regiment is only 600 strong, having been reduced considerably during their Jong service in South Africa, where they saw much fighting. They are smart, well set-up men, most of them veterans. About two-thirds of them go to Peking to serve as Legation Guard there, buri the regiment will no doubt shortly be brought up to strength. One draft of 174 mon now on its way from England in the steamer Deucalion, and will be here next week. Tt isa pity that the Legation Guard cannot be supplied from the Royal Marines, as the practice now adopted of splitting up the only English regiment in the garrison here is one to be deprecated on several grounds. The men do not like it, and the Colonists do not like it. It is not advisable to reduce the strength of the English portion of the garrison in a colony where the over-Chinese from Kuangtung, more especially whelming majority of the population are
portance of making Hongkong a military as recent experience has proved the imlepat for the Far East.
The Royal Welsh Fusiliers will not leave here, I am told, before the 21st proximo, as some repairs will be necessary to the transport Wakool, in which they proceed to India, before she Teaves here.
A Brave Deed.
ina ricsha along the Praya East, he fell Asa Portuguese man was being conveyed asleep, and on awakening suddenly he sprang from the vehicle and fell into the water. There was no means of saving him except by swimming to him (the hour being one o'clock in the morning); this Lance-Sergeant Brown proceeded to do, though he could see nothing but a dark object floating in the water, and he succeeded in reaching the drowning mau, In the meantime another constable, P. C. Brown, had got a rope, and with this he in turn swam out, reaching the rescuer and rescued, and by this means they were hauled ashore. the latter in an unconscious state, in which he remained for an hour.
Naval Movements, The man-of-war anchorage is gradually assuming its winter aspect, a3, one by one, the warships drop down from the North to enjoy the more genial weather of Hongkong. The arrivals during the week have been:—On the 4th inst., the Portuguese gunboat Zaire from Macao; on the 7th inst., the British battleship Albion from Shanghai, and the French flagship D'Entrecasteaux from Amoy; and on the Sth inst., the Japanese cruiser Chitose from Takow, Formosa. The only departure was that of the French gunboat Kersaint, on the 4th inst., for Haiphong.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.