welcome  and  honor  a  guest,  were  on  the  visits  of  the  Duke
of  Edinburgh  and  the  Grand  Duke  Alexis.  The  cHsj)]ay
in  honor  of  General  Grant  far  surpassed  these,  and  what
made  it  so  agreeable  was  the  heartiness  witli  which  Eng-
lish, Americans,  French,  Germans,  and  Chinese  all  unite^^H
I  had  heard  a  good  deal  during  the  day  of  what  Shanghs^
would  do.  But  with  the  memory  of  many  fetes  in  many
lands,  fresh  from  the  stupendous  demonstration  in  Canton,
I  felt  sceptical  as  to  what  a  little  European  colony  clinging
to  the  fringe  of  the  Chinese  Empire  could  really  do  in  the
way  of  a  display.  The  dinner  at  Mr.  Little's  was  over  at
half-past  nine,  and  in  company  with  Mr.  Little  and  the
General  I  drove  along  the  whole  river  front.  The  scene
as  we  di'ove  out  into  the  open  street  was  bewildering  in  its
beauty.  Wherever  you  looked  was  a  blaze  of  light  and
fire,  of  rockets  careering  in  the  air,  of  Roman  lights,  and
every  variety  of  fire.  The  ships  in  the  harljor  were  a  bla
of  color,  and  looked  as  if  they  were  pieces  of  fireworl
The  lines  of  the  masts,  the  rigging,  and  the  hulls  were
traced  in  flames.  The  Monocacy  was  very  beautiful,  every
line  from  the  bow  to  the  topmast  and  anchor-chain  hui
with  Japanese  lanterns.  This  graceful,  blending  mass
color  thrown  upon  the  black  evening  sky  was  majestic,  anj
gave  you  an  idea  of  a  beauty  in  fire  hitherto  unknown  to
us.  "  Never  before,"  says  the  morning  journal  —  for  I
prefer  to  take  other  authority  than  my  own  in  recording
this  dazzling  scene  — "  never  before  has  there  been  such  a
blaze  of  gas  and  candles  seen  in  Shanghai."

The  trees  in  full  foliage  gave  a  richer  hue  to  the  scenes,
and  they  .seemed,  under  the  softening  influence  of  the  nigh^
and  the  fire,  to  be  a  part  of  the  fireworks.     On  the  frodi
of  the  club-house  was  a  ten-feet  star  in  gas-jets,  with  the


AROUND    THE    WORLD.
