Donald MeColl again had charge of the decorations and though it is extremely difficult to evolve anything really new in the geovral scheme and at the same time bring in all the special decorations which Shanghai has lwen brought up to expect to see at the ball, he achieved another triumph. His idea was to concentrate on the main hall and nui to spend too much money on the beautification of the supper room (where people were too busy to spend much time in stadying the decorations), on Auchternmchty (where wall decorations served no purpose), or on the sitting out rooing and nooks decorations could not be Thus the canny man much for the treasurer. Kutering the Town Hall, guests were met by ushers drafted from. the [Shanghai Scottish, who escorted them up a staircase ornamented in the—traditional manner with a big illuminated st. Andrew's Cross, banks—of greenery and arched bamboo foliage, with a stalwart Sikh lancer posted every few steps. They were revived by the President (Mr. C. H. Rutherford) and Mrs. Rutherford just inside the big hall_and having offered their congratulations, turned to admire a simple yet really beautiful decorative scheme. Facing them on the far wall was the big illuminated panel of Edinburgh Castle and opposite it, under the clock, a brand new portrait of "the Saint." The old one has not yet been renovated, but the new one is a fine picture, true to
St. Andrew's appearance. In the the generally accepted idea of side windows were the illuminated pipers, who also seem to have found a permanent place. Around the walls in their accustomed places were the clan and_regimental shields, guarded by Lochaber axes and interspersed with trophies of arms, Scottish emblems, etc. Between each pair of side pillars was an arch of bamboo foliage.
The platform had been taken down and re-erected in she centre of the left wall. It was furnished in blue and white and over it was a shield of the Royal Arms. Facing it was a new feature, there being hung on the wall a splendid oil painting of Burns, painted before her marriage by Mrs. Owing (Mr. McColl's daughter), arid on either side of this were pictures of scenes from Tam Shanter."" The ceiling was laced with thin ropes of greenery, cutting it into squares and in the centro was an enormous St. Andrew's cross, lighted up by blue lanterns. The fixed lights were shaded with hanging foliage and there were scores of addi-amber, of the lantern type adopttional lights in red, salmon and ed two or three years ago, the whole effect being most tasteful. The space usually occupied by the platform was utilized as a sitting-out room, as well og the gallery and tha usual judiciously screened nooks which with which all dancing people are familiar.
Auchtermuchty re-opened in its usual quarters, well furnished as of yore with what was principally required, but, as stated before, not. overdone in the way of decorations. In the President's supper room (the band room leading out of the hall on the left) there was a shield of the arms of his family over.Mr. Rutherford's chair and one of the McColls over the Vice-President's chair. The Royal Standard and the Scottish Lion and the Holyrood scene further brightened the walls, but the other decorations were very simple. In the supper room, at the end of the passage, the adornments were where every one wanted them—on the table—and the caterer certainly did his work well.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.