Mr, Wilkinson's references to Berkshire were capped by the Consul-General, who pointed out that not only. was Berkshire a Royal County in that it was responsible for the King's Castle at Windsor, but attached to that castle way the famous St, George's Chapel, to which. the Society must always look as the chief shrine of its patron saint, Mr, Phillips felt that a reply in lighter vein would hardly be appropriate When so much suffering and misery was being witnessed on every side. During the period of stress and danger the English and other British communities in Shanghai had worthily upheld the interests of the Empire especially in the manner in which they had striven to succour the Toast fortunate of their fellow country-men and women, Mr, Philo Ups said that he understood that the resources of the local branch had. been severely strained by the froquent calls recently made upon them. Ho was glad therefore to be able to tol them that a portion of the big "Relief Fund for Distress in China" now beng raised in Great Britain was to be allocated for Brit fsh hospitals and British subjects in distress, A strong Central Executive Committee was on the point of being established at Shanghat for the dis tribution and control of the funds and the needs of national Societies fand other special British organiza tions would not be overlooked. At the same time, he added that _na~ turally the greater part of the Fund would be for Chinese sufferers, Mr. Phillips concluded his re-maries by again thanking the Prest dent and the members of the Come mittee for the honour paid to him und expressed his great pleasure at still "finding so many old friends Jamong them.
Tribute To The Dean Another guest, and yet not a guest, of the Society was Dean A.C. Trivett, who was specially asked to attend the Itneheon in recognition of the splendid work which he had done during the last two or three months in coping with the distress among Englishmen and English women owing to the present trou bles. As it happened, the catastroreed when the Almoner, the and the President were absent from Shanghai, In this tergeney the Dean, helped by an one tcrgetie sub-committee, took charge of the situation and handied no less than'69 urgent -cuses of relief, the process the funds of the Society were drained to the point at which formidable overdraft had to be curred, but thanks to the co-opera tion of the Bank the spring of bene. valence was not interrupted on that account, "Mz. Wilkinson, amid ap= plause, conveyed the Society's thanks to the Dean for his admirable labours. The recipient of this tribute modest ly assured the company that he had merely performed a service which was pleasing to bim, The Pootung hasbeen busy collecting cotton crops, which it will send to factories jin Inland districts, states a Chinese report,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.