May 16.
Tue last article has been written and the last proof corrected in the old offices of the North-
China Daily News." Within a few hours the housebreakers will be at work on the familiar building, clearing away its rather tremulous walls to make way for a house more suited to modern Tequirements and increased business. The occasion is one for praying the clemency of our readers towards temporary shortcomings. Anyone with the smallest acquaintance with machinery knows that it has a rooted objection to being disturbed, and the classic changefulness of woman is staid de-carum compared with the caprice of linotypes. So if, during the next fortnight or so, while we are settling into our temporary quarters in Messrs. Burkill's godown, our readers find any cause of annoyance in the papers, we hope they will be charitable enough to-remember that the annoyances of the staff are at least as great.
On page 5 will be found some pictures and reminiscences of the old hong. De Quincey quotes just remark of Dr. Johnson's that we never do anything consciously for the last time without sadness of heart." If this was De Quincey's feeling when running away from Manchester Grammar: School, how much more shall w-say goodbye to the old building that has housed us for so many years with regret? The life of a journalist is to spurn delights and live laborious days ''—~and especially nights. And yet delights come back to him, in so doing, such as perhaps no other walk of life can quite supply; and it is impossible that the recollection of these should not gather some association with the place in which they occurred till it almost seems as if the latter Were somehow responsible for them. There were happy days
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.