April 28, 1897.]
toast of " Our Guest, the Director of Public Works."
Messrs. Lockhart, Goodman, F. H. May, Platt, and A. J. May with music, &c., added to the pleasure of a most successful evening, which terminated by the company singing "Auld Lang Syne."
HONGKONG POLO CLUB.
ANNUAL DINNER.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Department, to have an opportunity of doing anything towards honouring their departing The toast was received with the greatest chief, and to best express the sentiment of acclamation, ringing cheers being given again Mr. Cooper's subordinates Mr. Wood stated and again, with a finishing one for Mrs. Cooper. that if each officer in the Department consulted
Mr. COOPER on rising to reply was and obeyed his own inclination he would will again heartily received. He said Your Ex-ingly pack up and accompany Mr. Cooper to cellency, Mr. Chairman, and gentlemen. I Ceylon. Outside his own efforts to secure the rise to thank you most heartily for the success of the evening Mr. Wood acknowledged very cordial manner in which you have received the willing and valuable aid of one of Hong the toast proposed by my learned friend the kong's most popular Service men, Mr. Sercombe Attorney-General. It is needless for me to Smith. BBY that on such an occasion as this I find it extremely difficult to adequately thank you. Words would altogether fail to express the gratification that I feel in seeing around me s0 many members of the service to which I have had the privilege of belonging for the last nine years. The honour that you have done me in assembling here this evening to entertain me before my departure for Ceylon I most respect- fully appreciate. Indeed it is impossible for me to imagine any more gratifying act on your part, for I valne most highly the assur- ance which your presence here gives me that those with whom I have been associ- ated in the performance of my duties appre ciate my endeavours to promote the wel- fare of this colony, to uphold the position to maintain the credit of the profession to of the Department over which I preside, and which I belong. As to how far I have been successful in those endeavours it is not for me to judge. From the references just made by Mr. Goodman to the work done by the Public Works Department one might think that the credit of such work during recent years is entirely due to me, but it is not so, for I have had the good fortune and pleasure to have had associated with me an able and competent staff and one on whose loyalty I could always depend.
As you are aware, the duties of
the offices I have held have been of a
multifarious nature. I suppose at one time or another I have been associated in the performance of those duties with members of every Government Department in the colony, and I take this opportunity of thank- ing them one and all for the courteous con- sideration and assistance that they have ex- tended to me. I do not propose to enumerate the important public works that have been carried out during recent years in this colony, nor need I refer to those that are at present being constructed, or to those which I con- sider should be undertaken in the near future, as information concerning such matters will be found in the published annual reports of the -Public Works Department.
However much my promotion may be the subject for congratu- lation I cannot leave this colony without many regrets, but you will have in my successor, Mr. Ormsby, a gentleman of some thirty years' experience in Colonial Engineering Works and who has for several years past occupied a high position in the Ceylon Public Works Depart- ment. The parting with friends, both social and professional, is always hard to bear, but in this instance my wife and I will find some consolation in the thought that, pending the construction of the great trunk railway across the Empire of China, Ceylon may be looked upon as a halfway house on the journey to England, and in hoping that the kind friends we are leaving behind will afford us an oppor- tunity of renewing from time to time their friendship in our new home. Whatever may have been the various opinions expressed as regards this colony, its healthiness, its govern- ment, its public works, I confidently look for- ward to its future welfare, and in doing so with your kind permission I have the honour to propose "The Prosperity of the colony of Hongkong and its Dependencies." Excellency, Mr. Chairman, and gentlemen. I will ask you to drink to "The Prosperity of Hongkong and its Dependencies."
The company did full justice to the toast, and although it was ontside official hours the Colonial Secretary obeyed the request of His Excellency the Governor to reply, and quite rose to the occasion with an excellent and happy speech.
Your
The CHAIRMAN then proposed the health of the Secretary, and in returning thanks Mr. WOOD said it was the greatest possible pleasure, especially to any officer of the Public Works
The annual dinner of the Polo Club took place at the Hongkong Club on Monday even- ing, 19th April, the Hon. T H. Whitehead, the senior member of the Club, in the chair, and Captain P. de S. Burney, R A., Vice-Chair- indisposition, and several other playing mem- man. Captain F. H. May, C.M.G., through bers were unavoidably prevented from being
excellence the Hongkong Club is noted for.. present, but twenty sat down and did ample justice to a dinner well up to the standard of
said it was unnecessary on such occasions to re- The CHAIRMAN in submitting "The Queen" commend this toast, but 1897 dommemorates a memorable epoch which is attracting the, at tention and evoking the sympathies of the whole civilised world. The sixty years' reign of Her Gracious Majesty is the longest and the most glorious in the history of the British Empire. The one sentiment which dominates all others is that of loyalty and devotion to our Sovereign Lady Queen Victoria, and we fervently hope Her Majesty will live long, for the honour and the glory of Her Empire and for the welfare of the people committed to her charge.. great enthusiasm.
The toast was drunk in "bumpers" with
Mr. WHITEHEAD said they would all be rejoiced to know that the genial Captain Love band, who had been laid up with typhoid fever. was now on the fair way to convalescence. The popular and gallant Captain was one of the most brilliant players and one of the hardest hitters they had ever had and a warm welcome
at Causeway Bay. awaited Loveband's return to the Polo ground.
►
The CHAIRMAN in proposing "The health of the winning team referred to the trite saying, called to mind by Mr. Platt at the "farewell" or "send off the Club in their small way endeavoured to extend to the First Battalion of the Rifle Brigade who left, Hong. kong in November last, that there are as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it." The speaker on that occasion thought that we should have to fish over many wide seas, nay, illimitable oceans, before we came across such a gallant band of sportsmen as we were then trying to honour, and believe me, gentleiren. we were at that time as regards the future of our sport very despondent and much down on our luck. But several kept their shoulders to the wheel and trusted to time and to Providence, and that we have been fortunate and most kindly dealt with goes without saying. "The Prince of Wales' Own" have not been very long with us, but long enongh to convince us that they are keen and eminent supporters of Polo and of every other manly sport. This afternoon the West Yorkshire team had given a display of excellent Polo and by their superior combination and by playing the game according to rule had deservedly won on their merits, the Cup presented by Mr. May the competitions for which had so much im proved the play of the Club generally. Let us drink the health and continued prosperity of the West Yorkshire team, and couple the toast with the name of their captain. Mr. Wood is one of the best players we have ever seen on the ground, and in addition is one of the best all round athletes in Hongkong.
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thank you very heartily for the kind way in which you have drunk our health. I think every member of the Polo Club will agree with me when I say that the Club owes a great debt of gratitude to Mr. May for presenting a Cup to be played for every three months by teams in Hongkong, There is no doubt that in doing so he has greatly improved. the class of polo played here. When teams know that there is a Cup to be won, they practise hard to play well together, and pay more attention to the combination of the team than to individual play. Rules are more strictly observed, and men stick to their places in the field in- stead of riding about with the sole object of having a. smack at the ball. In pro- posing the health of the losing teams; I de- sire to couple the toast with the name of our most hard-working Acting Secretary, Captain Burney. He worked hard to win the Cup with - the R. A. team, whom we were lucky enough to defeat by a very narrow margin just on the stroke of time. Every one who played in the final must have noticed what an improvement had been made in the ground, an improvement entirely due to the trouble taken by our Secre losing teams, coupled with the name of the gal- tary. Gentlemen, I propose the health of the lant and sporting Captain Barney. (Cheers and
applause).
Captain BURNEY said-Mr. Wood, Mr. Chair- man, and gentlemen, I rise to return thanks for the very kind way you have drunk the health of the losers. It has been my doubtful pleasure to have been now four times among the vanquished. I have tried to be in the winning team, but so far I have not been successful and I regret to see the Gunner team decaying ont win the Cup with an RA. team and I mean of sight. It has been my one great desire to to be successful yet. Every new Gunner that comes here will, I hope, join the Polo Club, until we can again place a team in the arena and this time to win. I am glad to say that there are no signs of decay in the Hongkong Polo Club. At the present moment we have twenty playing, six prospective playing, and twenty non-playing members, which I think is a very good representation for this small colony. Gentlemen, I trust that out of all these players we may next Tournament be able to raise four
teams. If I can possibly put an R.A. team in I will and I look to Mr. Whitehead to inspire the civilian element with the example of his own praiseworthy ardour to put a Civilian team in. If any one can do so there is no doubt be will. As a supporter of the game and as a supporter of the Club none can be found to equal him and I therefore, gentlemen, have much pleasure in coupling his name with my toast of "Success to the Hongkong Polo Club and let us drink it in Highland honours,
Mr. WHITEBEAD in the course of replying remarked it was unfortunate for the Club that Mr. May had been prevented from being pre- sent as his Irish wit and great fund of humour was ever welcome. It could not be on account
his grey locks, because he possessed few of any colour, that he found himself year after year in the bonourable position of their Chair-, man. Still locks or no locks, he fully intended to do all be possibly could to keep the ball rolling while he had the privilege of being one of them. It is impossible to overestimate the great and growing importance of outdoor sports and games in the life of the British people. They undoubtedly tend to bind men and communities together by common interests and common sympathies. The great develop- ment and keen general interest now taken in athletics is rather a revival of what used to prevail in England than a novelty, This movement in which so many men are involved is beartily to be welcomed, and it is gratifying to find that the ancient instincts of the British race are reasserting themselves. From a physiological point of view the popu larity of various forms of strenuous muscular exercise is a national good of almost inestimable value, as the tendency of town life is to deteriorate mankind. The individual does wither in the counting house and at the mill, but he does flourish on the cricket field, on the polo ground, and on kindred fields of sport and recreation. He not only flourishes physically but he reas Mr. Wood said-Mr. Whitehead and gentle-serts his manhood, and is enabled to enter into men, in the name of our Polo team I beg to
new and healthier relations and competition
The toast was received with prolonged cheers, and the singing of "For they are jolly good fellows."
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