TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13062, 12 March 1908, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

I I Evidently the CotnmonI \ wealth chronicler, who I Chinese writes so engagingly to Banquet. render for us details of a j Chinese banquet given in JSydnev a low evenings ago. must have i .su-ailow.d his -White Australia" prinleiplos with the last delicious drop ot 1 bird's nest soup provided for the deloctaItion of himself and tho other guests. (The occasion was the honouring of Mr i Thomas Ring, Chinese Commissioner, j jat the rooms of the Bin Yek Tong (Chinese Chamber of Commerce). In addition to Captain Green and other obviously Kiiropcan iiersonagcs, gentlemen named Sun Johnson. .Sun Quong Ilmg. Chung, Km Lup, Den Sin, and Jit Sin were present, to say nothing of Messrs* Voe Chuck Cheng and Kong -Bong. But, to our muttons or, rather, to ilio-e of the faithful witness who has called us in Ijhicv to the toast. The banquet clearly was on an olaliorato scale, and strictly according to Chinese custom. ! '-'With, what it started the. mighty i Caucasian could not tell, but it ended lup with oysters. Whethor or not he. 'did the correct thing he did not know. ' Altogether, tho courses numbered IS." lAs a preface there wore homeopathic i doses of duck. Th'*ii followed an ex- ■ citing chapter of pigeons, fish, sharks , tins, birds' nests, ordinary eggs ("mellowed," we arc told -when Captain * C-v>k was a l."y" >, ginger, and a fanfaro of culinary mysteries, everything being eaten with chopsticks. Tho Knropean guests apt<ear to have made poor piay with the primitive implements, and many sighed for the homely , kniie and fork. However, it is related that after about two hour.*' try- * ing, ••everybody was able to get i enough to eat- and drink." though v.c | may pardonably entertain a decided ! doubt as to whether chopsticks were . i utilised to render first aid in the asI similation of the liquid refreshments. |as would seem to he implied. But all ; fhe same, in the circumstances cf the 'trend of national feeling in favour ot Australia for the Australians, aChinese 1 banquet, of considerable social note in 'Sydney does strike one as being somiv- • what incogruous.

■ j What Britain bos achieved, *: A unofficially, en behalf of •si Famous foreign oountrie*-* i.s best re|i Exile. lated by the records*of t-ini--1 ous exiles, such as Sir Robert Hart. Kaid Maclean, and others of that ilk. Sir Rolx-rt Hurt, after 1: tiity years of faithful, diligent service ' ; as lnsp-octor-Gonera.l of the Chinese •' [ Maritime Customs, and. at the age of .- .-event v-three. luus retired to spend the | evening oi his days among his kinsmen. • His career is one of those cuiious blends into which tha* which is severely : prosaic and that which i> radiantly ro--1 j mantie have eii'toied in equal proporr , tion*;. In the mi'Ut of corrup.t oflicial- -; rloni his individuality sNi-od out impeccable, unswerving, and unbending in its uprightness until in the native i ; mind it was clot led .th most ot tho aitiibutes ol a dc,tni-god. Such slaves "; to duty are rarely toshionrd nowiuiays. ' Ii w:is iii l*"d '-ha» Sir Robert Hart ": made his first .journey to China, ami ill j ail thus., years he hao only twice re- ; visited his home-—in 1 >(.>'> and in IS 70. , I«idy Hart a.nd her children hnv« bo-en awaiting his return tor twenty years. i >.ir Robert Hart- assumed control of ihe Chinese Customs Department in 1 ' l!--'l. and since that time he has been the trustee of ;■.;[ F.uropean in.WToAts in v ; the Chinese F.mpire. It I- difficult to - : coneelV'*. llia-t to this ]itth» grey mall — modest and unassuming m a-ll things — •should have Imen entrusts! such tremendous ro.sponsibi'it i.is. Arid yet- if ~ his carer .dionid havo excited tho won-d-nug admiration of tiie Occident, h-o.v '; much more must his daily demons: ration of iofty. so'!ler*is ambition have - ; a ilV'i cd t"':e p<" rceptive, v lis-crupuiou.s : On. in, uit.h tthicb he came -so nvii-

p.ite'iy into coniact :- Dedicating his iili'iits to the improvement amd upiittng of China, Sir Robert Hart refused o he<v>me British Minister at Pekin. »nd witii characteristic Oriental ingratitude the Pekin (k>vemment two rears ago sought ( unsuccessfully) to place native officials in supreme control 5' the Customs on -ivhioli Iviropean loans, to China are secured. For many years past, -WIO employees have worked under the direction of the benevolent autocrat, and no foreigner knows so much of the mysterious inner worKing oi Chinese life. It is given to few me-.i t.> hi lour s.i long and so -arduously in I pursuit of a single notile purpose. It ■ is given te fewer to retain the fortitude to .sutler the process oi waiting so long | for infinitesimal results. For China is not even yet awakening—sho is but stirring uneasily in her slumber.

When tlio last English j The mail lett the process of j Vaiii.diing hiiying-out superfluous i "Public." public-houses was pro- j coed ing merrily apace. In two sittings, lasting six hours altogether, a sum cf £H23,H>2 was allotted t i persons interested in 115 houses, by t:ie Comp'j.nsation Authority for Lindon, operating under the Licensing Act ct ]00J. Tlie list of names of there hcsstclrio v. hot-e cheering light ha.s f*.i!ed is reminiscent of ir.-uii.y t liifiu-s —-»if tamous scenets in iiction. of .*•: reuuou.s adventures, ot Britons by li- >I and flood, cf things spiritual, of ihiii'. r s lemporal ;of commonplaces, of the sublime, and of the ridiculous. I.<r,.iity is the forte oi mine- host* in. inimcrou:. i Us*: iiSiit*-.**., for we lind (only to lose i tile Queen's Anns, the Rose and Clown, do'go the Fourth. Britannia, R.-nal .ViitiTt, Rose ami Sliamloek. I).:he of Kilinbu-j-gh. Royal Stand-a-rd, Pnni. c of Wales. Alexandra. Roya-1 Oak, Prince Recent, Princess of Wales, and Royal Denmark. Historical assoeiat.tns bulk largely in the scheme of numoiiciaiuro. There is Pitt's Head. Admiral Tyrcll. St. George and Dragon, [ Garibaldi, iSalisbury Arms, Duke of I rSi-.ivii x, Tudor Arms. T.ord Coilingwood. | Admiral Napier, lx>rd Nelson, and ] otiieis. ZsKiiogical curiosities aro vivii- | h presented by tho Golden Lion. Red i Lion, the .M/igpie and -Stump, Dun j Cow. White Hart, black Swan, Bull's j iii ad, Nightingale. White Lion, Brazen I Sei-pont. and \\>d Cow. Houses appeal- ! ing to the thirsty throats of artisans ' olid tradesmen arc the -Gardener's Arms. Bu toiler's Arms. Horseshoe, Weaver's Arms. Plough, and, Waterman's Arms. Forty politics peer from the portals of the Freeholder (in two placet.?) ami the. Freetrader. A quaint-ly-named house i>> the Thames Tunnel ; mo's thoughts aro diverted from spirituous to spiritual channels by mention of the Angel, jnusic is poorly represented by the Jew's Harp: a -whiff of nut-brown *Uo .is conveyed "by the Brewery Ta.p; the Old Gunboat probably existed rather for defence thaJi for defiance; while Beehive is suggestive of the efforts of strong aj-m-s and willing hearts should the guest become obstreperous. .Some idea of tho value of tho various lioonsctiextinguisher! may ho gained from the fact that compensation ixiid in respeot of ten houses ranged from £931-1 to .£5120, oi six houses from. £-lof>9 to £-10*09, sixteen from £3887 to £3000. thirteen liom £13580 to £2000, twenty-seven from £1939 to £1071, and iiv© from £913 to £->jB.