Ball, given in the former dining-ball of the Astor House Hotel, brought close one of the most successful series of dances even given by the members of the Marine Engineers' Institate. There are few dances given in Shang bai which are more generally than those of the Ma and the Fancy Dress the season is concluded, is alway forward ta with eager anticipation. This dance proved no exception, and more than eight hundred invitations had been applied for and isened.
'The dancing ball bad been most prettily and tastefully decorated. The entrance was surmounted by a crest' of the Tnstitate—a three bladed propeller, with the appropriate motto Von sibi aod omnibus"—and a larger crest of the same design, draped with the Red 547
Ensign and the flag of the Institate, formed the centre piece of the gallery at the South end of the hall; while at the North end a speds! platform bad been erected, containing seating accommodation for fifty people, and banked with a pretty arrangement of flowering plants and palms, interspersed very effectively with coloured electric lights. Four streamers of gay bunting extended from the centre chandelier to the four corners of the room, and the windows and mirror-panels of the walls were arched with bamboo foliage and strings of coloured lights, and draped with flags of all nations, As usual, the former drawing-room of the Hotel made an excellent sitting-out room, where light refreshments were served, and the former reading-room was converted into a bar where the sterner sex could obtain more potent liquors; while the private dining-rooms were pat to excellent use as card-rooms and at the north-east end of the corridor a room was set apart for flash-light photography.
Dancing was carried on with grest enjoyment until the early hours of the morning and the following excellent programme of music was rendered by the orchestra of the Hotel Cockney Band" 'A Waltz Dream The Draid's Prayer"
Two-Step.
Schottiscb..
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.