Sir John Brenan Presides at the Annual Meeting tne progress of many years, imlorovements due to the bequest of the ate Mr, Henry Lester and the need Jot more funds to keep activities running at full strength were points referred (o at the annual meeting of subscribers to the Lester Chinese Hospital, held at the hospital in Shantung Road on Tuesday (May 29)
Sir John Brenan took the chair, supported by Mr. F. W. Poate (chalrman of the trustees), Mr. FE. Elliston (secretary), and a number Jot trustees, members of committee, Jsubseribers' and members of the hos-
In opening the meeting Mr. Poate' stated that it was an old custom of {tho hospital to ask a leading resl-Jdent of the city to take the chair Jat the annual meeting, and that this occasion the meeting was fortu Mate in securing as its chairman S ohn Brenan, HM, Consul-General in [Shanghai. He then called "on Sir [John to address the meeting.
Sir John Brenan pointed out that from old records that it was during the frst few days of Novem-bor 1842 that Dr, Wu. Lockhart and the Rev. W. H. Medhurst came to Shanghai from "Nine seeking accommodation for themselves and their families. Avoarently they arrived just a few days before my frst predecessor in office. Captain Balfour, the first British consul pointed to Shanghai who arrived on November 9 on board HMS. Me-dust. This hospital and the British Consulate run each other very close from an_age point of view and although Dr. Lockhart, representing the hospital, really beat Captain Balfour by a few days. the actual work of the hospital did not sta until February 1844. My predeces sor, however, had established his consulate in November 1842, Tt m: {interest you to know that the first British Consulate was actually inside the native city and that this hosoitel commenced functioning just outside the old East. Gate. He found that another British consul. Mr. Alcock, afterwards Sir Rutherford Alcock, took the chair at the frst organized meeting _of subscribers to this hospital. This. meeting tock place on December 3 1048, Dr. Lockhart acting as secretary, and ever since that date my. predecessors in office have frequently taken the chair at these annual meetings. Another close connection Between the hospital and the British authorities in the olden days was the fact that Dr. Lockhart's wife was formerly Miss Catherine Parkes, a sister of Sir Harry Parks. British Minister in China, froom 1889-1885, whose statue can now be seen on the Bund.
In the course of years, this hospital's work has increased enormously, as we are all well aware. T would like, however, to stress two interesting points, from which comparisons can be "drawn. The estimated cost of the new buildings which it was proposed to erect in 1845 was calculated at between $3,- 000' and $3,500. In the frst two years this hospital's work, 19,000 people,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.