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Shipbuilders and Engineers." He said that since coming to Hongkong he had met with many surprises, and not the least of them had been afforded in the discovery of the existence of the Institute of Engineers and Shipbuilders-such an institute as he did not think Hongkong could support. He was not yet a member of it, but he hoped to become one very soon. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Dickson expressed his thanks for the invitation ex- tended to him to attend the dinner, and concluded by wishing the Institute all success -uccess he would be happy to foster by every means' in his power. (Applause.)
The Institute having been toasted, Mr. H. B. Bridger, at the request of. Mr. Kinghoru, distributed the prizes to the winners in the recent billiard handicap. The winners are:--- Ashore" Handicap-1, Mr. J. W. Kinghorn; 2, A. Ritchie. "Afloat and Ashore" Handicap —], Mr. J. W. Kew: 2, Mr. F. J. Price.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND are similar to those in the dining-room-tiled floor, coloured windows, and bright-looking walls, upon which hang numerous pictures. Everything in the billiard-room, of course, is new, and the billiard table looks so inviting and smooth as to make even the verie t embryo feel that cannons on such a beautiful surface with such cues, would be the simplest matter in the world-easy as rolling off the proverbial log. The table has been supplied by Thurston & Company, Ld., of London, to whom Mr. Ruttonjee has cabled instructions to send out another tablo. The cost of both will amount to a little over 82,500.. A corner of the billiard- room is tu be set apart for a table upon which will be found all the latest Europeau and American papers. Off the billiard room, to the back, is the lavatory - a model of cleanliness and flushed by an automatic sluicing tank. Upstairs, on the first floor, is the drawing-room for guests, at whose disposal a piano is to be placed.
This apartment is furnished in the Chester- field style, with a handsome, diamond-square Like all Brussels carpet covering the floor. the other rooms in the hotel, it is fitted with an electric bell-two, as a matter of fact.-
Whilst and has incandescent gas-burners. on the matter of lighting, it is worthy of note that the large lamp over the entrance to the hotel sheds a sixty candle power incandescent light. There are twelve rooms on each of the first, second, and third floors, making thirty-six rooms in all, and each room has cost between three and four hundred dollars to fit up and furnish. The kitchen, which cost $1,000 to con. struct, has a large American range where food for 151 people can be cooked. At one end is a great boiler capable of heating in a few miuu'es its four hundred gallons of water for the supply of the bath-rooms, one of which is attached to each room; all the bath-rooms are supplied with Shanghai baths.
Mr. Kinghorn then replied on behalf of the Institute. That duty, he said, usually devolved upon the hon, secretary, but the hon. secretary was diffident on this occasion, and bad very kindly and very consider ately left the matter to him. (Laughter.) Dealing with the affairs of the Institute, Mr. Kinghorn said he had great pleasure in stating that they were in a very flourishing condition indeed. Another cause for congratulation lay in the fact that the Institute was Dow a thoroughly representative body. Hongkong, said the speaker, could not exist without engineers and shipbuilders -(a visitor—"Oh !") -and it was equally impossible for engineers and shipbuilders to exist in Hongkong with out just such an institute that under discussion. Combination was wanted, and combination they must have to remain solid body. Mr. Kinghorn trusted that Mr. Dickson would soon become one of them- selves, because the services he was in a posi- tion to render the Institute were very great A large room is reserved on the second floor indeed: Mr. Kinghorn finished his remarks for the accommodation of private dinner and by expressing the hope that the attitude of wedding parties, and for the holding of meet- members would justify a speedy augmentationings, dances, etc. The view from the second of the volumes and periodicals in the library.
Mr. E. C. Wilks and Sergeant Simmers, Royal Engineers, were the next vocal enter- tainers. The latter, who sang "I fear no foe," was encored, and replied with that rollicking old favourite, "A tailor's Stur." The toast of Kindred Societies," which was submitted by Mr. Wilks in a witty speech, was responded to by Mr. Kirkwood." Armoury Sergeant Viggers, Army Ordinance Corps, gave an excel- lent rendering of a comic song entitled "It's fine," and, of course, was warmly applauded, for Mr. Viggers has no mean reputation as & comic singer.
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The last toast on the card, "The Visitors," was given by Mr. Andrews, who coupled with it the name of Mr. Dickson, and when Mr. Dickson had made acknowledgement the remainder of the evening was given to singing, interspersed occasionally with impromptu speeches by loquacious members who desired to +xpress their views regarding matters connected with the Institute. The speeches were not always listened to with the close attention that would have been desired by the gentlemen who gave utterance to them, but all this only added to the general merriment of what can only be described as a most enjoyable evening.
OPENING OF THE QUEEN'S HOTEL.
A large company assembled to dinner on the 13th inst., on the invitation of Mr. H. Rutton- | jee, to celebrate the opening of the new Queen's Ho el, Kowloon. Situated within easy walking distance of the ferry, the hotel is a handsome, four-storied building with an imposing, orna- mental frontage looking over an expanse of varied scenery. At the immediate right of the entrance, on the ground floor, is the dining-room -a large, airy apartment with a delightfully cool mosaic-tiled floor, and coloured-glass windows through which the softened light makes fantas- tio patterns within. The dining-room, which is very tastefully furnished, is capable of seat- ing about a hundred guests. On the opposite side of the ball are the bar and billiard-rooms, separated by a luxurious curtain hanging from ceiling to floor. The structural features here
and third floors is splendid, but nothing in comparison to that from the terrace on the roof of the hotel, whence on every side a beautiful panorama is spread. That Mr. Ruttonjes has spared neither trouble nor money on his hotel is shown by the fact that he personally has spent superintended its building and npon it. nearly $120,000, $30,000 of which has gone in the purchase of a large piece of ground at the back, to be converted later into a garden and tennis-court. Everything in the hotel is up to date. There are three cooks-au Indian, a Pursee, and a Chinese besides their asistants; most of the wine has been imported from home; and Mr. Ruttonjee and his capable manager, Mr. F. Bishop, a former purser on the Pacific boats, have con- tracted for the suply of fresh American and Australian provisions by almost every steamer.
The opening dinner on Wednesday night was ́a most successful affair. The fête on the Cricket Ground did not prevent a large number of guests from assembling to wish Mr. Ruttonjes every success in his new enterprise and to partake of the most excellent fare provided by him to welcome them. After dinner a number of speeches were made, and the toasts of Mr. Ruttonjee himself and the new hotel were drunk with great enthusiasm. The Queen's Hotel started with every promise of a most
prosperous career.
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(November, 18, 1901.
LICENSING SESSION,
The annual session of Justices of the Teace was held at the Magistracy on Friday afternoon for the purpose of considering twenty-four applications for public ins' and adjunct licences for the year 1901-1902. Mr. F. A. Hazeland, Police Magistrate, presided, and the other gentlemen present were:-Mr. F. J. Badeley, Acting Captain Superintendent of Police; Mr. J. H. Kemp, Acting Police Magistrato; Mr. H. P. Tooker, Mr. B. U. Wilcox, Mr. C. S. Sharp, Mr. G. T. Veitch, Mr. W. H. Per. cival, Dr. Bateson Wright, and Mr. C. A. D. Melbourne, Chief Clerk at the Magistracy.
All the licences were granted, but with regard to the Stag Hotel there was police objection on the ground that Mr. Lobo, the proprietor, is cashier at the New Victoria Hotel, and therefore unable to devote the necessary time to looking after the affairs of the Stag Hotel.
The applicant was called in, and, on the case being explained, gave an undertaking that he would give up his connection with the New Victoria Hotel and stay at the Stag Hotel.
The licence was granted on that under- standing.
PRINCE CHUN IN SHANGHAI,
We take the following account of Prince Chun's second visit to Shanghai from the N.-C. Daily News of the 2nd inst.:-The member of the Imperial House of China-Prince Chan— upon whom the eyes of the world have been resting during the past few months, arrived on his native soil yesterday morning. After a brief sojourn, full of dramatic episodes, in Germany, the Imperial Prince set sail for China in the Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship Bayern, arriving at Woosung early yesterday morning.
larly in the morning, the China Merchants' steamship Haeshin, with a large crowd of Chinese officials on board, proceeded to Woo- sung to meet the Prince. At eleven o'clock the Haeshin returned up the river, flying the Chinese flag and gaily dressed with bunting, and came up alongside the Kinleeynon wharves. At this place preparations had been made to give the Prince a fitting reception. Flags were flying, Chinese soldiers lined the approach to the wharves, and a Chinese band played unmelodious airs as the big steamship came to an anchorage.
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But where was the Prince? The band played its hardest, fireworks crackled with fearsome din, and the serried ranks of Chinsmen pressed against each other with unsubduable sagerness to witness the great one descend from the vessel. But a whisper went round the great concourse that Prince Chun was not on board, that he was still engaged in the mastication of his breakfast on the Bayern down at Woosung, and that he would not arrive until noon. last firework spluttered a weak protest against the delay and the waste of gunpowder; the press of people split into small groups; the native band ceased its music; the escort of mounted Sikh policemen clattered away to headquarters; the foreigners bent on sight- seeing walked idly up and down the foreshore, and the Chinese stared with solid persistency at the foreigners for another hour.
A few minutes before twelve o'clock, the gaze of the crowds along the Bund was focussed on a vessel, with white sides, yellow funnel, and masts decked out with bunting, steering a mid- river course for the Kinleeyuen wharves: This The Osaka Shosen Kaisha has under con- must bring the Prince; there could be no mis- a proposal to open & cegular take about it this time. The big-wigs of local sideration service between Kobe and Java, vid Hong, mandarindom gathered round the landing place They recently sent and jostled each other in the excitement of the kong and Singapore.
Java and thereabouts to moment. The jostling increased as the Kaipan, an employee to make the necessary investigations. In the for that was the vessel, slowed down, and it event of its being decided to open a regular became tumultu us when a slim figure, robed service, a steamer will be dispatched once in Imperial yellow, moved nervously to the With passengers. It is believed that it would be front of the small crowd of a month. difficult to get sufficient freight between the a hiss of escaping steam the Kaipan touched ports in the neighbourhood of Java, as most of the wharf and came to a standstill. The gang- the shippers of goods are running their own way was let down, the figure in yellow, with steamers, but on the outward voyages from nervous, hesitating step, cautionaly descended, Kobe or Osaka it is expected that plenty of the band blared, the soldiers stood to attention, freight, in the sha e of curios and coal, will be the eager, gaping crowd closed up. Prince obtainable, and on the homeward voyage sugar Chun had come to his own ones more.
om Java and rice from Singapore will be
gely shipped.
After landing, Prince Chun was very soon inside his carriage, drawn by a pair of horses
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