the year that Trinity Church became Holy Trinity Cathedrai—two years after the present British Consular buildings had been opened in 1675, and a year after the Shanghai-Woosung "Railway had been laid, the present building was opened for business. Even not excepting the Ewo it must have been the most imposing structure on the Bund in a Settlement the limits of which cannot be adequate ly appreciated these day There do not appear to be many the names associated with the Bank then which are to be found but we notice in a report he annual general meeting of the Bank at Hongkong in 1875 such familiar names as Ede and Sassoon, not now represented by the original holders, and C. P. Chater now well known as Sir Paul Chater.
That was an interesting meeting which considered the then new bank buildings in Shanghai.
In his annual speech the chair-an, Mr. Forbes, said "A good deal has been said outside regarding our new Shanghai premises and it may be well that 1 should give you some particulars regarding them.
"The lease of our present premises in Shanghai expires shortly and the terms on which we were offered a renewal, viz.—that the place should be rebuilt, would have cost you a higher rent. With this in view, and considering it indispensable that the Bank should be on the Bund, the directors had about 18 months ago decided that in Shanghai, and bought the present site for Tls. 60,000. A cor-[tract was made for the building for Tls. 44,000, some iron_pillars, lete. were ordered from England, costing about Tls. $,000 and architects' commission was to cost Tls. 3,640, making a total of Tis. [125.e:0 so far as we know these amounts will not in any way be exceeded. Taking the highest rate at which we receive deposits, viz. ye per cent., this would cost us Tls. 5.782 and we shall have com-odious premises with accommod.- ition enn-? to that for which we {now pay Tls. 5,040."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.