I suppose the New Year's bargains are beginning at Shanghai, lovely eimbroidered' satins, exquisite transparent tortuiseshell boxes, or china of the reign of Sitenteh. Here our buyings are of a different order, tiger skin 13 ft. from head to tail With grand markings, though of course not 80 thick furasis to be had at Newchwang. Head, and tail and claws are all intact, and the man who brings it exhibits also its terrible jaws, and points to the holes where his spear entered before the man conquered the tiger. Then we have stone slabs with the shells of the orthoceras embedded in them sawn asunder and polished for screens, or table tops, What that most remarkable animal did with a shell like the horn of a unicorn not _uncommonly over two feet long, and beauti fully convoluted, T cannot think, These Pagoda stones, as they are called, arrive in mass all to realise money for New Year's debts.
Rocks of various kinds are the special product of this Ichang district, where Shanghai with disintegrated conglomerate, we could supply all the rockeries of
At this season fernstones are not in sufticient beauty to play the partof the Trish pig, and help to pay the rent. But the other day an eagle was shown into the drawing-room in splendid condition, with grand yellow beak, and beautiful brown eyes, and neck of blended tints of brown and bronze. Phe poor creature's feet were tightly tied together, but even as it was, we were careful about admiring its beauties too closely. 800 cash was all that was even asked by its captor who eventually is said to have parted with the beautiful bird for 500 cash, 'A curious little aninwl with beautifully Jong-nailed feet and tiny tail, and a fur so exquisitely thick and soft.and feathery one quite longed for a collar of it, had not such Tuck as the eagle, and died before arriving here, but of these various laxuries—fornone of these can quite be reckoned among the necessaries of life—it is a little difficult to choose on which to expend one's spare cash, The fur shops are already closing, which is the more to be regretted as they offered the most fascinating footstool covers—intended for the seats of roomy Chinese chairs—made out of two heads of what are called seven month tigers, a thick fur of drab colour with an admixture of rich brown.
Oranges however are what colour the scene just now, mandarin oranges of delicious flavour and thinnest possible skin, and other oranges, slightly indented at either end, and of " flavour peculiar to the district and highly appreciated. But an attempt to examine the orange market sven roused a row, when mud and brickbats flew through' the air, so well hurled by some of the Hunan boatmen as to raise a lump like an egg on the skull of one of the Bats knocked over our eyes, and generally uty before we fairly got away, with our
dirtied. This stoning experience is becoming a little monotonous. I have had hot things thrown at me in Hankow, hot things and stones in Itu, bricks' and earth in Ichang. There is a certain amount of excitement attached to it, but the most passionate lover of excitement could buy it more pleasurably otherwise. The people you look at always run away if ordered, but then they come on from behind, and the men at the outskirts of the throng take the opportunity to throw things from under cover of the others, After all, the shrieking and shouting they Keep up is about the worst part of the proceeding, making one feel like a mad dog. And to walk through the narrow streets of Chinese town in that character is not the pleasantest possible experience. We enjoyed it to perfection at Itu, where the people consider they have conquered the English. fur a missionary having taken a house there, was not only driven into giving up the house, of which the owner had as usual in such cases been thrown into prison, but had even to pay something himself, instead of having compensation given to him. -Had it not been for this uproarious chorus of "Slay the foreigner," the tune to which we habitually walk about in thes parts, the shops of Itu looked rather inviting There were beautiful sheepskins in great profusion, and even in passing I was struck by the delicate beauty of some of the fox skins. Women's embroidered petticoats Were also hanging up for sale, but this was probably " bad New Year's sign. the temples at Itu report says there is an inscription in European characters, but the hooting crowd did not predispose to research the less ssu as over all down fell the silent snow. In the midst of which stalked the most formidable beggar Lhave yet seen, stripped to the waist, covered with skin disease, his face plastered with mud of a livid green hue, his hair wild, and his eyes fierce and shining.
How comfortable the familiar house-boat looks, after one of these raids upon the shore, with luncheon on the table, and the arm chairs looking all equally inviting But now we have been stoned at Ichang with no pleasant house-boat to make tracks to, and what is worse one of the party has been wounded, which isa bad precedent to say the least of it. And we are met by French gentleman, who says: '1 was stoned for a whole quarter of an hour yesterday." It seems to have happened to him again and again. These little breaches of the peace acquiesced in may easily lead to serious consequences. Even yesterday it is a mere matter of accident that the jury was not serious, for the brick that large a lunp through a felt hat.
ily have out open the undefended of "Slay the foreign ity this year. People think it from the delay about the steamer's going to Chungking after the repeated proclamations announcing that she is going, this again leading the natives ik they have frightened the intrusive foreigner, and those who have resided here longest begin to fear there may be a regular riot here ere long, if more firmness be not shown, and there be much more di all; ing about the steamer's departure, for sons which may be intelligible tu diplumatists, but which are quite inexplicable to the boat population here.
We have just heard that only two out of the three Delegates expected from Szechuen have yet even got as the commercial capital, Chungking. This is on a par with the Sikkim business and the way in which the Chinese are keeping our soldiers hat ing on, in the mountains at Gnatong, "Meanwhile we here have to guide our steps warily, and this puts many obstacles in the if our shopping.
Tehang, 25th Janua
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.