St. Patrick's Day was celebrated lant Friday night by " most charming combined entertainment of concert and ball at the Palace Hotel. The whole of the dining-room floor had been reserved for the occasion, and it was elaborately and taste-tally decorated with feathery bamboo, green and orange electric lights, festoons and bunches of shamrock 8 Irish inscriptions, which by the majority of the: {gacats to indicate the warmth of welcome which they received from their hosts, At the west end of the dining-room a mall platform had been erected for the concert part of the programme, behind mich was rajeed the Society's picture of St. Patrick. Av has been stated, the programme consisted more or less alternately of songs and dances, although the latter, particularly in the second part of largely predominated. At programme where all was good it would be difficalt to particolarize, bat mention must be made of theTrish dances do its daty and soo that ite people are daly enlightened.
Handreds of special coolies, in ani-form, all looking very are employed in thoroughly cleaning the large, almost now, Government Technical Schools, and fitting up the Mandarios' sommer clab houses for the reception and lodging of the inguisbed greets. These buildings are situated in the sooth-eastern extremity, and really outside of the city, looking straight into the open country, and on rising ground, facing the famous lotus lagoon. The fine new Hoopital (Dr. Christie's), which adjoing the above Schovls, is to have the honour of providing rooms for the Meetiogs, and the Hospital laboratories, together with those which are being fitted up near by, will be very useful for the important experiments, The work before those who are responsible for the many preparations, very great. One feels that this Conference should be landmark io the history of the East. The native press should give it the best support it coo, and try to incase the idea into the millions of Chins that such meetin, for the benefit of mankind, of Miss I, M. E, Davies and Mr. A E. Fenton, which were enthusiastically received, and the comic songs of Mr.
Mackaye, The story of the Dahlia Fosiliers was particularly happy and the. Irish brogue was inimitable. The late-nese of the hour to which the proceed. ings were carried on prevents us from giving a detailed description; bat speaking generally it may be said that the evening was aiced was that the rooms were not large enough for the nambers of guests It is time that China should show the world that it has ad the stupid stage of believing that the plague, and all epidemies, are the rosal 8 of the tnal'gn acts of foreigners, The newspapers can lead the way and make the fatare much happier for the people, The high officials here know well that it is only by scien tific means that the recurrence of such devastating scourges can be stopped.
That there will be an abundance of stories set a-going by those who hate all modern improvements, snd who want to involve the Govenment in perpetual
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.