Tar M. M. S. Salazio, with the French mail of the 20th ultimo, left Hongkong for Shanghai at 11 a.m. on Wedneeday and may be expected to arrive at Woosung about 6 a.m. to-morrow.
Tam German mail which left here by the N.-D. L. 8. Gora on, the 13th ultimo, arrived at Genoa on the 16th instant at Tux R. M. S. Empress of Japan left Yokohama for Vancouver on Friday afternoon.
Tae stra Yarra and home on the 21st instant.
Nestor arrived Tar str. Palermo passed the Suez Canal homewards on the 21st instant.
Tur strs, Hyson, Manila, Oldenburg, Ness, Orange, and Thyra passed the Suez Canal outwards on the 21st instant.
Tur French East Asiatic Co.'s steamer Annam is to take away the Russian refugees from this port to Port Said. She is expected to loave this on Tuesday next, the 29th instant.
Ws understand that the Nippon Yusen Kaisha have chartered the str. Bengloe to the place of the Yawata Maru on the Shanghai-Yokohama run, the Tatter vessel being required by the Japanese government as an army transport.
Taz ©. M.S, Heinfung which arrive here on Tuesday morning from Tientsin, reports passing four men-of-war 60 miles th the South of the 8. E. Promontory, at 10 p.m, on the 20th instant. Those were probably the Chinese cruisers going north.
Tue British str. Foyle, from Batoum; But in here on Tuesday on hor voyage from hongkong to. Japan. In consequence of bad weather and a strong N.-E. inonsoon she took 9} days on the voyage from Hongkong and ran short'of coal. She coaled here the same day and then proceeded on her voyage.
Tux history of Shanghai is written in its Hong Lists, the succession of which stretching backward over what is now a Jong line of years contain a mass of information, of much value in its day and not devoid of interest forty years after publication. The 1904 edition is now issued from the "North-China Herald" Office. The growth of the foreign population of North China and Corea and the increase in the amount of material which it is sought to make readily available, account for the addition of 70 new pages to the list. The form rendered familiar by usage is retained. Every care possible has been taken to render the contents as accurate as is possible in a directory of changing persons and things, the map and plan prefixed have been subject, like the book, to careful revision, and recognising all' these things, the publishers are confident that any defects such as are inevitable in an annual of this character will not detract from the general utility of the new list. coRRESPONDENT writes: Apropos of the English-Chinese Pocket Dictionary just issued, it appears strange that we have not yet had a simple up-to-phrase book in pocket form somewhat in the style of the excellent Anglo-Japanese Handbooks published by Kelly & Walsh, Tomita, and others. Giles's Vocabulary does not meet requirements, the spelling involved and too metropolitan, and the size and binding inconvenient for the pocket. Besides being useful to sportsmen and others up country, now that the opening up of the interior by railways is imminent, such a vade-mecum for travellers will become almost indispensable. Of course the book would not be intended for serious students of Chinese. It should contain only the simplest phrases in daily use, and a short vocabulary of words; no Chinese characters, but their pronunciation, and the most' useful romanization would probably be a modification of the Peking and Nanking dialects, such as is generally understood, if not spoken, in the Yangtze Valley from Shanghai to Szechuan, and northwards. I believe such a work would be welcomed, and find a ready sale among the English-speaking public in Central and Northern China.
Nomenovs war pictures are now being produced by Japanese firms and the atest are glaringly coloured scenes of the Port Arthur engagements. The effect would be better if some one were to revise the English descriptions which are printed at the foot.
Wa have received the March issue of that excellent and. very interesting quarterly magazine, " Woman's Work in the Far East." It' is very well printed at the American Presbyterian Mission Press, and contains some good collotypes illustrating an article by Mrs. G.P. Pierson on Ainuland. We have also received the March issue of the "instructive and entertaining" " Chinese Illustrated News," with several woodcuts, issued by the Chinese Tract Society.
Wr have received from the publishers, Messrs. Kuhn and Komor, of Nanking Road, a number of Japanese war postcards, which will undoubtedly be welcomed by the friends at home to whom they may be sent. Three of them are serious, being tinted collotypes of scenes in the course of Japanese army manceuvres. Five of them are humorous, being very spirited water-colours, executed by hand by an artist specially engaged by the publishers for the purpose. (This artist was asked to paint some in which the Japanese were to be caricatured, but ho utterly refused.) The subjects are sufficiently indicated by their titles: "Playing Football with Russia," "The Bird without the Head," "Gulliver and the Lilliputians," "The Port Arthur Fiasco," and "The Sleeping Russ." All who are fond of pictorial postcards, and all who sympathise with Japan in the present struggle, will be glad to add some of these cards to their collections.
We learn that Mr. T. Fisher Unwin i issuing in his Colonial Library a new novel by Mr. Halliwell Sutcliffe, author. of "Ricroft of Withens,". etc. The title Through Sorrow's Gates" was suggested by the lines: "Pass sorrow's gates and fare beyond; there's manhood wants you there." The scene is laid in the author's favourite country, the moors of the West Riding, though in the present book he even further into the heart of the heath, nearer to that. simplicity of feeling and passion which is the real mark of the moor folk. His characters spring from the moor, as it were, and grow out of it; and not least of these characters is Bos. for, the impulsive, erring farm la dreamed wild dreams at Windy Farm, and saw herself supplanted by a little, wellborn woman rescued from the snow.
A very interesting arbitration was opened onTuosday before the Chief Justi Sir Hiram Wilkinson. When H. E. Li Hung-chang was in England he was introduced by Lord Salisbury at Hat-field to Miss Mortlock, a portrait painter, and in some way it was arranged that she should paint H.E. Li's portrait, which she did. She is now claiming one thousand guineas from the Grand Secretary's estate, her counsel being Messrs.. Dow. dall, Hanson, and MeNoill. Messrs, Drummond, White-Cooper, and Phillips have been retained as counsel for the defence.
Tne report of the Hongkong Hotel Ca., Ld., for the latter half of 1903 shows 4 divisible balance, on a paid-up capital of $600,000, of $84,162, The directors propose to pay a dividend for the half-year of 10 per cent, transfer $10,000 to repairs and renewals account, write off $11,000 from furniture, fixtures, and steam launch, and carry forward the balance, $3,162.
Unver " Latest News, Tuesday's "Echo de Chine" says that the report of the accident to the destroyer Skory is denied at St. Petorsburg.—The influx -of Russian troops into the north of Corea continues. They are in excellent condition. Typhus is decimating the Japanese troops.
Wepespay's "Echo do Chine" says that itis announced from Newchwang that a Japanese detachment had landed at the mouth of the river, made a reconnaissance, and promptly re-embarked.—The same Paper says that it can affirm loudly that, contrary to the assertions of the English, and Chinese papers, there is not a single Kussian soldier on the right bank of the river Lino, that is, in the portion of Manchurian territory evacuated in October 1902 by the Russians. Wo gather from this that wherever the Russians have evacuated, there are no Russians.
Tar East Atlantic having been soarched as far as Madeira and the Azores, as we learn from the "Echo de Chino," without any trace being found of the French armed transport Vienne, she is now given up as totally lost. It appears that it was very bad weather when she left the Charente, and the pilot advised the captain to put back, which he do-clined to do. Some gratings, evidently belonging to a man-of-war, have..been found in the Gulf of Gascony, and it is now believed that the Vienne foundered with all on board shortly after leaving port.
Ovr Nanking correspondent writes on the 17th instant that the southern capital is at last to be supplied with pure water, an engineer having already arrived from New York who, is making plans to drive or bore a well to any reasonable depth up to 1,500 fest,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.