The Chinese Aud The Electric Light

Science stiil meets with many difflculties in its progresa into China, and the electric light is the latest iraprovement which has excitad the suspicion anddislike of the Mandarians. Theforeign settlement at Shanghai has f or sonie time been lighted on the brush syateno, apparently to the comfort and delight of tbe denizens of the "model eettlement," as the foreign portion of the city is generally called. The promoters appear, however, to have reckoned without the Chinese ofliciaU. They piuuauiy tiiuugiiu tucit ntjie gas wïu perinitted, Hiere could be no objection to electricity. The Chinese governor ot' the district appears to be of a different opinión. He has addressed a letter to the senior Foreign Consul requesting the removal of ;ill electric lamps. He hii9 read, he says, in translations f rom European paper?, that terrible accideuts have arisen Jr.im électricity.and flatly refuses to permit the resibents of Shanghai to be expjsed to such dreadful risks. Hundreds of thousands of houses might be destroyed, millions of lives might be lost; even the wallsof the city might be blown down ir anything went wrong with the machines. He bas strictly forbidden bis owu countrytnen to use it, and has prenaptonly orderded those who have already adopted it to discontinue it forthwith.