The Quaints opened their final short visit on Tuesday with an entirely new and very. cheery programme. Instead of the more or less disconnected items of previous performances, the various songs and dances were largely brought in as parts of playlets, "The Dream of Pierrot Land" in the first half—which showed the Quaints here and there in almost a serious vein—and 'A Village Concert" in the second. This was particularly bright, with special mention to be made of "The Choir," by Guy Fane, Dod Mehan, Harold Farrar and Ivan Campbell, and the wonderful work at the piano by Mr. Hugh Bayly_as village organist. Miss Mavis French was in specially good voice and sang delightfully. Miss Jessie Hitter did some beautiful comedy work, and _a_lovely "amateur" dance, and Mr. Farrar had a very attractive song The Pedlar of Dreams." Perhaps the best item of all was the quartette "They went to sea in a sieve": the words are immortal, the tune bewitching and the singing was perfect. One would like to hear it again many times.
The subject of Shanghai's rice supply is again causing uneasiness, Local bodies have sent communications to the Civil Governor of the province at Nanking, pointing to the recent high prices of the cereal, and asking that steps be taken to ensure a regular supply in the future to assist in the control of prices. ther reproduction prohibited without permission.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.