Improvement in Northen Ice Conditions Prom Ov Own Comaronoent twas possible, days ago, to report ne, amen, 2 22 substantial clearance of the ice in our Immediate neighbourhood and although the conditions further up. the gull have grown even worse during the past two weeks, yet here things have been much more open, When the scutterly breezes got to' work the bay ice loosened considerably and in two or three days left the greater part of the bay uncovered, At the same time the inner half of the harbour was apparently as tightly frozen as ever.
When the outer waters wore fre and almost normal there was still rellable footing in the parts bound between the mole and the Jellies, Scores of men were busy cutling the ice into more movable sections so as to give it bettor chance to join the apparently retreating flocs. None of the men /seemed to consider the ice thin enough to be regarded with suspicion, and of the common coastal tramps was #0 firmly embedded in this novel sort or dry dock that her crew descended to the ice and widded paintbrushes to Improve the appearance of her stern and sides.
The southerly breezes developed inion strong "south blow," so that even more of the harbour cleared, and there Was promise of normal launch traffic, Fishing "put-puffs" made move to get out and other optimists aeeerted that the winter was over. The middle of February Is a litle arly for statements like that, and sure enough the wind went back to His northerly turn and for a whole week it has done its best to blow the kee-in again. Ships from Shanghai arrive all right, deliver their mai cargo and passengers, but then they Iie under lee of the Bluff waiting for favourable reports of the Tee Kingdom further north.
The sea immediately outside seems to be mostly clear and the ordinary eastern entrance Is being used by ships, but there is a mile or more of joe ait along the front except just at the harbour entrance. Intermittent snow, falling half-heartedly as In an English winter, udds to the cheerless~ ress while it beautifies the distant hills and the Bluff and intensifies our desire for spring.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.