The Engineering Society of China inaugurated its session on Tuesday afternoon. The newly elected Pr "C.E., M.I. MECH. E., delivered the president, Mr. F. B. Pitcairn, m. inst. sidential address, which consisted of a paper of the utmost interest on the subject of water supply. Mr. Pitcairn said My first duty on taking the chair is to thank you for the high honour which you have done me in electing me as your President for the current year, and to assure yon that I shall endeavour to justify your confidence by emulating the efforts of my predecessors who have spared neither time nor trouble in advancing the interests of the Society. In choosing a subject to address you on, I have borne in mind the opening remarks of a past President, Mr. A..P. Wood, who, in addressing the members of the Society, said: "I do not propose to confine myself to questions relating to water engineering. By custom, discussion is not allowed upon a Presidential address, and such matters are better presented by means of a paper open for free discussion"', with which I thoroughly agree, but at the same time I think that in my case the cobbler should stick to his last, so that I will endeavour to interest the members in a short history of the development of water engineering.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.