A very pleasing function took place on Wednesday at noon at the house of Mr. S. Barton, o.m.c., H. M. Consul-General, when Sir Beilby Alston, K.c.a.a., His Majesty's Minister, presented to Mr. E. T. Rivero, the head shipping clerk at the British Consulate-General, who has just retired after 39} years service in Shanghai, a han gold watch and pencil cage, both suitably engraved, which had been privately subscribed for by the members of the British Consular Service in China as a token of their esteem and regard.
There were present besides His Majesty's Minister, Mr. 8. Barton, his Honour Judge Peter Grain, Mr. H. H. Fox, 0.a.c. (Commercial Counsellor), Mr. C. F. Garstin (Consul), Mr. G. W. King (Police Magistrate), Messrs. A, P. Blunt, E, A. Sly, W. Stark Toller, 8. Wyatt-Smith, A. G. N. Ogden, H.
Steptoe, H. J. Macdonald' and L. Boyack.
Sir Beilby Alston, in a few well chosen words, told Mr. Rivero that he considered it both an honour and a pleasure that he had arrived in Shanghai in time for the presentation, as it afforded him an opportunity to testify how often his (Mr. Rivero's) name had been mentioned to him by His Majesty's Consular Officers, who had one and all spoken of him in the highest terms. Sir Beilby, expressing his regrets that the British Crown was losing such an able servant who had served so faithfully during close on 40 years, then made the presentation and shook Mr. Rivero warmly by the hand.
Mr. Rivero in reply thanked the Minister and the members of the Service for their kind gift. He stated that throughout his career he had never received anything but absolute kindness and consideration from the many Shipping Vice-Consuls with whom he had served. He had hoped to complete 45 years service, but only last winter his medical advisor had told him that it was imperative that he should retire. He did so with extreme regret, but he could say that he would ever regard the watch as a remembrance and would keep it by him to cherish him in his advancing years.
A senior member of the service when shaking hands with Mr. Rivero very aptly remarked that ho trusted the watch would keep.s good time as the recipient had for an equal number of years.
A few days ago Mr. Rivero was also the recipient of a handsome silver rose bow] suitably inscribed from the Chinese members of the Consulate staff. are replaced by the following Messrs. Hugo Reiss, Stirling Fes-sender, Chu Pao+an, Harold Dollar. Chang Nieh-yun and ©. L. Seitz.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.