Thanks to the generosity of. the International Institute of China. whick two years ago entered into mutual cooperative agreement with the Royal Asiatic Society, the latter's large auditorium and foyers fare being redecorated in attractive designs and colours. This has. long been needed. but adverse conditions prevented the wark from being undertaken. The Museum is also, being redecorated.
Since the beginning of the present] season. under the able presidency of Mr. A. H. George, British Consul-Generat in Shanghai. some four ublic lectures have been held under the joint auspices of the Royal Asiatic Socioly and the International Institute of China. The last of these was given by Dr. John C. Ferguson. famous sinologist and Chinese art authority. who has long been a leading member of the Royal Asiatic Society and is now President of the International Institute. His lecture. lustrated with alfractive lantern slides of famous pieces. was "Sung Dynasty Poreelain." There will be two further lectures before the close of the present season dur-jing the summer months. One of these is to be on "Criminal Procedure In Ancient China." given by the well known legal authority. Count D'Auxion de Ruffe. on May 15. the final one being by Professor Donald Roberts on "Interpretation of Chinese History." to be given on May 29.
All such lectures are open to the public and during the past season have been well attended.
"Goos Old Clara!" said the pilot of a Beaufighter, as he was taking off to meet Nazi night raiders over Britain. Clara is the _up-to-the-minute RAF. idiom for that moon—an clair de la lune—which enabled not only the "Beau" but other night fighters to slap the Nazi night-bombers out of the sky.
Rounded Up May 9.
Working swiftly with the co-opera Hon of the Western Shanghai Arca Spcelal Police Force. detectives from Central station yesterday _arrested twenty Chinese, among them—six women, responsible for several eases of kidnapping in the International Settlement, Although no firearms had been found. detectives believed that they would find them in the course fof investigations. More arrests will, it Is also believed, be effected in the near future.
Some time ago. it was revealed yesterday, detectives received infor-motion that a gang of kidnappers was hiding in a straw hut. village off Robison Road. Preparations—were planned and the first raid on the lage was made shortly after midnight yesterday. when a party of SMP. and WS. raided! a bhut where they found several per sons. asleep and without the least suspicion that their hide-out had been discovered by the police.
"These men were taken back to the station' and information obtained from them allowed the police to carry out several more raids and to arrest fourteen men and six women, All the criminals, it was said. were asleep when cornered by the detectives and none offered any. resistance.
The raids lasted almost eight hours and the last person to be arrested was brought to the station sharily after 8 am. yesterday. The apprehension of this gang brought—the number of criminals arrested by the Central station to 31. within a week.
another gang. specializing in armed robberies, had been taken into custody on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
was revealed yesterday that great number of criminals) from peity thieves to kidnappers and murderers. had found the straw hut villages in the Western district of! Shanghai good places to hide. The ce-operation of W.S.ASPF. with the Shanghai Municipal Police, however.
expected to put an end to this Although the' exact number of kidnapping cases had not been leter~ mined yesterday. it was said that the ang had participated in numero crimes in the Settlement. Their activities in the Concession. although nothing is known of them at present, may also be brought to light in the course of investigations.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.