Yesterday, the first day of the Shanghai Autumn Race Meeting of 1878, was marked by brilliant weather, if anything ioo fine and warm for the advanced season of the year; but the warm sunshine coupled with the unusual greenness of the foliage of the surrounding country, gave a beauty and spiritedness to the scene most unusual in the month pf November. This enticing a ical condition led to a much more numerous and earlier attendance Of ladies on the Grand Stand, which before the start for the Maloo Plate was affected, presented. quite a gay and attractive appearance, a forcible contrast to the miserably wet and quently, muddy and dispiriting weather of the meeting of last Autumn. The course was in pretty good condition, though not by any means what is popularly termed a flying, one, and some game finishes resulted.' The grandstand, was, as customary, nicely decorated' with flowers and evergreens and the Stewards and the indefatigable Secretary of the Race Club are to be complimented on the general completeness of their arrangements not only for the more busilies circumstances, but also for the convenience and comfort of those attending the meeting. A band under the direction of M. Bernard, added much to the pleasure of the nly one feature to notice, and that is the Stewards' tiffin, provided under charge of M. Mondon, of the Shanghai Club, and at which we never remember io have seen "so numerous as assemblage of guests. The palmy days of the Shanghai Race Club are by no means over, despite the apathy which seems to pervade other of the institutions of the Settlement, and, as affording an opportunity for healthful. recreation and a genial holiday twice in the year to the community generally, we cannot conclude this introductory notice of the Autumn Meeting of 1878 without expressing a wish that long may it flourish and be truly the means of promoting the national sport of the "old country.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.