Two considerations combined to pre.
tthe French National Fire from being celebrated by our neighbours customed vigour. Madame reception at the ich is always such " brilliant function, and the unpropitious weather spoilt the effect of the lavish decorations, both by day acd at night. There was " large attendance st the Cons ion in the morning, cluding represen ves of the Consular the Customs, and Council. The French community, as us out in force, and after Ratard, the Ca: me long and was punctuated by frequent applause.
Alter referring to the fact that he had no occasion this year to complain of the lack of interest in the elections Ratard touched upon the appointment of the Provisional Committee. He pointed out that of the four French members of the Council throe had at that time left Shanghai, and the fourth was prevented, by {amily bereavement, from uodertakiug bin public duties, were many urgent questions call-on be had recourse to the only legal remedy possible, which was to suspend the Council, to replace it by Provisional Committes, and to apply to the French Minister in Peking for an order to dissolve the Council and proceed to fresh elections. "That la exactly what I did," continued BIN. Ratard. "I am reproached with haviog nominated the Provisional Committee without consulting avy one, and with not having vomivated old jones upon it. My answer is very simple, When I saw that public affairs we © standstill and thet at the time, should for one moment believe that I wished to bring about, as people said during the clecti a coup d'état and that th was taking were dicoted against them. Lexplained to each of them the situ tion and asked them to form part themselves of the Provisional Committee, and I consulted them regarding the three French members to be nominated to make the Committee equal in number to the suspended Council. In undertaking the responsibility of er ing © Provisional Committes one has to be guided by prinoiples—to select men of uussssilable honour and well-versod in publi nominate them in free from electoral considerations. The names of the mea who have been good enough to accept nomination are known to you all, and fulfilled perfectly the desired conditions of capability and independence, aod as at least two of ther could not offer themselves for election they were, as I and the spirit of the law wished them to be, above snd beyond election intrigues." M. Ratard then detailed the work done by the Provisional Committes, which included the reorganization of the Fire Brigade, the formation of special Bureau of Municipal finance, and the settlement of many outstanding questions. then explained the origin of the He pointed out that the only part he had played in formation was to ask would be ged any 01 had in any way influenced No less than seven charger brought against him which included allegations of squandering Tls. 60,000 on the reorganization of the Fire Brigade, putting dead mon on the register, omitting names from the register, postponement of the elections, acting stra vires in the nomination of the Provisional Committee, faking the elections by using s ballot-box with a of promising M. Tillot Municipal schools, M, Ratard in detail into these charges. which had no difficulty in refuting. Other municipal matters were dealt with in turn, but considerations of vent us from giving M. Ratard's speech, at length in this issue, In the evening the weather was again unpropitious to illumi sequently could not camp glory of former years, One notable option, however, must be recorded brilliant display made by the cruiser Alger, which outlined with ble lite styed out in pictur fiver and the sight. the darkness of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.