The interest of the residents in the route march of the Volinteers was arly evident. Between nine and ten o'clock as members of the Various units proceeded to their Jrendezvous on the Bund foresho em, women and eildren in thet and by the Uime markers were belt best were already gathering,
set out by the Corps Serggent-Major there was a very large crowd, For half a mile along the Bund the different arms of the Corps. were marshalled—the Corps (armoured cars, 45 in, howitzers, and Engineers)' towards the north. lend, the infantry of No.1 Column.in mass abreast of the Public Gardens, Columns extending away to the south, The onder.to march off was given towards half: past-ten o'clock) dat of such strength was the Corps that long after the head of the line had disappeared over the Garden Bridge half of the units were still standing at case, Crowds in Hongkew and Elsewhere the infantry units had fixed posi lung over the right threat of a rainy lay had apparently Kept. mo one away, for in Broadway, along which the Corps proceeded," there were great throngs, and every now and again cheers for the troops were raised. There were three bands marching with the Corps—the Municipal Band, that of the Suffolhs which had been kindly lent for the occasion, and the pipes of the Shanghai Scottish, At the Junction of Brondway and Boone Road the character of the Jérowds changed, and the Chinese turned out in full force, tremendous. ly interested in the spectacle, and indeed it was one to erento interest, [To appreciate this point of view iti only necessary to consider the com position of the Corps as aeon yesterday. First of all there were the nine armoured cars of the Machine Gun Con followed by the Battery of howitzers drawn by ponies. En. inoers with a truck full of their equipment showed a different arm, and then was seen the very attract tive turnout of the Light Horse. Infantry companies followed, each in uniform more or less dlstinctivs from the other, and this lengthy procession was broken at one point by the American Troop and at, another by the Light Gun Battery. For the occasion the' experiment was made of mounting the guns of ithe latter unit on electrically driven trucks, and it proved an. excellent scheme, the personnel of the buttery marching in front and rear of the trucks.
Having marched westwards along Boone Road, the column turned south into North Honan Road and recrossed the Soochow Creek, pre ceeding to Nanking Road. ' Here the crowd was foreign atta Chinese mingled, and it was just as inter gsted as the others had been, It is inevitable that in a march such as this there should be congestion at different parts of the line, and so lat places along Nanking Road certain of the units had enforced halts. Once Bubbling Well Road was reached, however, everything was all clear, and coming to attention the troops had a clear march past the saluting base, chan loxtraordinarily fine' piece of stof work was "done. Major-General Duncan, the commander of the Shanghai Defence Force, who took Yhe salute was informed that the head of the Corps would reach the soluting base at 19 minutes past 11 clock, and to the minute it did. General Duncan took post outskic his headquarters, being accompanied by Admiral Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt, Mr. Fessenden and Col, Gordon, Commandant of the.S. V. C. Amonz: {interested spectators were Col-Com-/mandant Sangster of the 20th Indian Brigade, ColCommandant Sir James Burnett of Leys commanding the 14th Brigade, Col.-Commandant Martelli, the Base "Commandant, fan Lt.-Col. Lawrence commanding the Coldstream Guards. The concourse of people here present was enormous, and by the time, Nos. fand 3 Columns were passing" the left hand men of the infantry were brushing elbows with the crowd, This part of the march was carried out in excellent form. the armoured cara passed the saluting base they lowered the maazles of their machine guns, and then crime a long succession of "eyes right's," the men acting int 8 very soldierlike manner on. the werd of command. Compliments were shouted to men in the ran's from their. friends in the crowd, Postibly the greatest enthusiasm wes excited by the presence at the rear of the column of the newly formed company of Russians. They vere some 280 strong—all men of remarkably fine physique, holding themselves and marching a= guards troops|men, adopting a form of goose-step as they passed the General. The Whole column took over 20 minutes
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.