Directory_and_Chronicle_1892 — Page 538

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SHANGHAI

of seven Engine and two Hook and Ladder Companies. It is pronounced to be the most efficient Brigade out of the United States. There is a Hospital for foreigners, the building for which, although only completed in 1877, is already found inadequate and so badly situated that a new one is proposed. There are also several Hospitals for natives. The Temperance Society has a good hall and well furnished library. The other public institutions may be enumerated as, a Subscription Library containing about 12,000 volumes, a branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, with the nucleus of a Museum, a Masonic Club, a Sailors' Home, a Polytechnic Institution for Chinese, a Seamen's Library and Museum, a well supplied Gymnasium, a Wind Instrument Band, which gives concerts in the Public Gardens three times a week during the summer months, a Race Club, possessing a course of a mile and a quarter, a Country Club on the Bubbling Well Road, Parsee, Portuguese, and Customs Clubs, also Pony Paper Hunt, Cricket, Rifle, Yacht, Racquet, and various other Clubs for recreation. There are ten or eleven Masonic bodies, with over 500 members. In 1876 a District Grand Lodge for North China was constituted, with Shanghai as its head-quarters.

There are four Docks at Shanghai, the one at Tungkadoo, opposite the city, having a length of 380 feet over all, with a depth at spring tides of 21 feet; the Old Dock at Hongkew is 400 feet long and 18 feet deep at springs; and the New Dock at Pootung, at the lower end of the harbour, measures 450 feet on the blocks, with a depth at high water springs of about 21 feet. All steamers and most sailing vessels now discharge and load at the various public and private wharves. The premises of the Associated Wharf Companies have a frontage of about three-quarters of a mile. The Chinese Government has an Arsenal, Dock, and shipbuilding establishment at Kaou Chung Mow, a short distance above the city. It commenced as a small rifle factory in 1867. The Great Northern Telegraph Company's cable was laid to Shanghai in 1871, and that of the Eastern Extension Company in 1884, there being now two distinct lines of communication with Europe. An overland line to Tientsin was opened in December, 1881, which was subsequently extended to Peking. There is also a line west to Hankow and south as far as Lungchow, on the Kwangsi border. A railway

• constructed by a foreign company was opened to Woosung in June, 1876, but after running for sixteen months it was purchased and taken up by the Chinese Authorities. During the short time it was running the passenger traffic alone covered the working expenses, leaving sufficient profit to pay a small dividend. A scheme for Tramways in the settlements was sanctioned some years ago, but they have not yet been commenced. There are four locally owned lines of steamers running on the coast and the river Yangtsze. Several manufactories under both native and foreign auspices have sprung up of late years, and would considerably increase were it not that the native authorities are offering the most determined opposition to any manufactures uuder the control of foreigners.

The "Astor House" in Hongkew, the "Central" in the British, and the "Hotel des Colonies" in the French Concession, besides many second class inns, give hotel accom- modation equal to that of any port in the East. There are two daily newspapers, the North China Daily News, morning, and the Shanghai Mercury, evening; also three weeklies, the North China Herald, Celestial Empire, and Temperance Union. There are two native daily papers, the Shun-pao and the Hu-pao. These are sold at the prices of ten and eight cash, equal to a farthing and a half, and have a very large circulation. In one matter, that of Postal accommodation, Shanghai is perhaps over-supplied, there being British, French, American, Japanese, German, Local, and Customs Post-offices. Shanghai was made a port of Registry for British ships in 1874. All foreign hongs and even private houses have to give themselves fancy Chinese names, by which only they are known to the natives. The system is, however, found to have its conveniences. No ess than 2,633 jinrickshas, 2,266 passenger wheelbarrows, and 264 horse vehicles ply for hire in the Settlements.

The currency of Shanghai is the tael weight of silver, cast into "shoes" of fifty taels, more or less. The foreign banks issue notes of the value of one dollar and upwards for both taels and dollars. Smaller transactions are conducted in clean Mexican dollars and copper cash. There are nine foreign and numerous native banks in the Settlement.

Shanghai is the great emporium for the trade of the Yangtsze and northern ports, and to a considerable extent for Japan and Corea. The export of Tea from 1846 to 1850 averaged sixteen million pounds, and Silk during the same period seventeen thousand bales. The total import and export trade of 1868 was sixty-five million taels. It steadily ncreased each year until 1881, when it reached Hk. Tls. 141,921,357 but afterwards shewed a great decline, the total for 1884 having been twenty per cent. less than that 8of 181. It has esince, however, shewn a rapid rcovery, the total trade in foreign