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354 about the loss of the Chinese fleet in the China Sea, the surrender of Port Arthur, and the defeat of the Chinese Army near Korea. In 1895 the premises caught tire, and after this the headquarters were removed to their present situation, No. 5, Wellington Street. Mr. Lan Man Shan, who was for some time Attaché to the Chinese Legation in America, has held the position of managing-editor, with intervals, for over twenty years, and, through the columns of the paper, he has done much to create a healthy public opinion with regard to various movements for advancing the welfare and prosperity of the country generally. The present manager is Mr. Li Sum Ling, who took over the responsibilities of the post from Mr. Chun Un Man, the son of Mr. Chun Oi Ting.

The paper has always had the courage of its opinions, although the policy of expressing itself freely on matters of public interest has often appeared to be opposed to its own immediate business interests. In 1903, owing to an attack made upon Pui King Fuk, the notorious Nam Hoi magistrate, an attempt was made to stop the publication of the paper, but it was shown that the editor was within his rights as defined by ordinance. Again, in 1906, owing to the trouble which arose in connection with the Canton-Hankow Railway, all Chinese papers in South China unanimously joined in an attack upon the management. As a consequence an order was issued by the Canton Viceroy, Shum Chun Hsen, prohibiting the Hongkong vernacular papers from circulating in Canton or in any ports under his jurisdiction. Owing to immense influence being brought to bear in certain quarters, however, the Chinese Mail and one or two other publications were exempted from this prohibition.

The paper has a high standing among Chinese officials and in Chinese commercial circles. Many improvements have been made recently in its organisation, and all important news relating to the political movements in the Chinese capital and Central China, is obtained with the least possible delay.

'''Who's Who In the Far East. '''

This publication, as the name implies, is a work of reference which supplies information in regard to persons, native and foreign. holding positions of prominence in the Far East Especial effort was made during its compilation to obtain information as full and accurate as possible in regard to the statesmen and dil and military officials of Japan and China.

Two editions of the work have been published, the first in June, 1906, and the second in June, 1907. The third edition will be published in January, 1909, and thereafter at intervals of two years.

Who's Who in the Far East owed its inception to the enterprise of two Australian journalists, Mr. F. Lionel Pratt and Mr. W. H. Donald, who are still the proprietors. The former, who edits the work, was for many years connec-ted with the Australian Press, and represented important Sydney and Melbourne dailies with the Japanese Army in Manchuria during the late war. Mr. Donald is the managing director of the ••China Mail." Ltd. {q.v.) The b<K)k. which contains some 2.000 biographies, is published for the proprietors by the -China Mail." Ltd.

Messrs. Noronha & Co. 

The printing and publishing of the Government Gazette and other official productions has been carried on for three generations by the house of Messrs. Noronha & Co., the oldest printing firm in the Colony. The business was established in 1844. A heavy stiK-k of type is carried, and the firm is thus enabled not only to keep a great deal of the matter required by the Government always in type, but also to undertake large private contracts. A speciality is made of all branches of book-work and publishing.

the necessary reservation applicable to all generalisations, it will be readily conceded that every country and every place has the Press it deserves. It follows, there- fore, that it requires no great erudition in the science of human nature to be able to gauge a community from its newspapers. To those who have never tried the experi- ment it may safely be recommended as an instructive and entertaining pastime. If they have not time to make a serious study of the w'hole Press, let them turn to the adver- tisements, peruse these carefully, and, with a few glances at the body of the paper, they will be able to reconstruct with folerable accuracy the life of the community in which they find themselves.

In the case of Shanghai the theory certainly holds good. Tradition — the religion of the port— is there exemplified in the history of the North China Daily News, which, to the older section of the population at least, is always tout conrl "the paper." Instinctively this section feels a sense of proprietorship over it, and for that reason is ever its most captious critic, resenting every innovation until it has, in turn, become sanctified by usage. The movement of population is reflected in the number of newspapers that have come and gone ; its intellectuality and pursuits by the standard of those still existing. Enter into the social life of the community and you will find that the proportion between those whose thoughts are for the most part bounded by the res- tricted limits of the Settlement and its immediate surroundings, and those whose minds dwell upon Weltpolitik, science, art, and the hundred and one subjects that form the basis of conversation in the big capitals of the world, is well preserved in the contents of the daily Press. Shanghai is a commercial centre, and the reward for strict attention to business in business hours is complete relaxation of mind at all other times. The leisured class does not exist, and it would, therefore, be idle to expect the Press to cater for such a clientele. Intense devotion to the temporary place of adoption — that great characteristic which makes the Anglo- Saxon race such a successful coloniser — is as dominant in Shanghai as elsewhere, and it is faithfully reproduced in the Press. From these reflections we may turn to a consideration of the various journalistic enter- prises undertaken during the history of the Settlement. It was in the closing weeks of 1843 that Shanghai was formally declared open to foreign commerce, but the first steps in the establishment of a foreign settlement were deliberate. Consequently, the pioneers of those days have little to be ashamed of in the fact that the first newspaper did not make its appearance until nearly seven years later. There were only 157 foreign resi- dents in Shanghai when the North China Herald issued its first number on August 3, 1850, and for fourteen years it supplied, with the addition of a daily shipping list, the immediate wants of the community. With the gradual growth of the Settlement, how- ever, came the opening for a daily news- paper, and on July I. 1864, this appeared from the office of the North China Herald in the form of the North China Daily New.^, which incorporated the Daily Shipping IJ.^I. For twenty-four years in all, until 1874. these papers held undisputed sway. But on July 4th of that year this position was challenged by the Celestial Empire, and from that date journalistic effort in Shanghai may be likened to the hundred-headed hydra of antiquity. The Morning Gazette and Advertiser, with an evening counterpart known as the Evening Gazette, inaugurated the list of unsuccessful publications, which, though started often under the best auspices, soon languished for various reasons. Among them may be . mentioned the Cathay Post, the Shanghai Times (the first of this name), the Shanghai Daily Press, while others such as the Courier and the Temperance Union found their elixir of life in incorporation with healthier organisations.

On April 17, 1879, the Shanghai Mercury appeared as an evening paper, and, absorbing the Cornier and the Celestial Empire — the latter as its weekly edition — quickly established itself on sound lines, which have successfully carried it onward to its present standing in the Press of the Settlement. The story of the individual newspapers which still circu- late in Shanghai wilt be told at length under separate headings. Here it is sufficient to record the order of their appearance. Shortly after the Mercury in the same year came an un- pretentious weekly known as the Temperance Union, which, thanks to outside contributions, was able to advocate its principles in an at- tractive and scholarly manner, maintaining an unbroken record until 1H96. In that year the paper passed into the hands of the present editor, who changed its name to the Union and, while retaining its advocacy of total abstinence, enlarged its scope to cover the interests of all who " go down to the sea in ships." On July 2, 1894— the summer heat of Shanghai has exercised and still exercises a peculiarly stimulating effect upon local journalistic efforts — appeared with the China Gazette, the second evening paper, the joint proprietorship and editorship of which have remained in the same hands throughout the twenty-four years of its existence. It represents that form of journalism which is unfettered by tradition, and which expresses its likes and dislikes with a potent and facile pen. Another journal that was conspicuous for its doughty championship of foreign interests was the Shanghai Daily Press. which at one time changed its name to that of the New Press. In its latter days it enjoyed Japanese financial support, but when this terminated abruptly, the Shanghai Daily Press ceased to exist. Finally, in 1901, the position of the North China Daily News as the only morning paper of the Settlement was challenged by the advent of the Shanghai Times. After a chequered career it has settled down under a semi-official Chinese aegis, with a penchant for the United States.

All the newspapers to which reference has been made are, or were, written in the English language. Foreign journalism is represented by Der Ostasiatische Lloyd, founded in 1886 as a small daily newspaper devoted to German interests. A year later it became a weekly publication, and in its present form it occupies a high position in the local Press by reason of the able manner in which it is conducted, its wide scope and scholarly