Attempts are being made'to stir upo grand sufi-Chnistian and anti-foreign excitement in the provincial capital of hupeh province. The boldness of the undertaking and the widespread dissemination of its literature are probably without a parallel in Ceniral China, The facts, briefly, are as follows:— of against the foreign religion were distributed throughout the city and posted up in the most conspicuous places. These placards isted ut ascries of three printed sheets, in size from a small hand-bill to a moderate sized poster, and were filled with vile accusations of every kind. Asno ction was taken in the matter on Friday (it apparently not having yet come to the notice of the foreigners), the miscreants waxed bolder and on Friday night again covered the walls with a series of posters of a larger and more virulent kind. Tu addition fo these, anti-foreign poetry and books were freely distributed through the afreets.
The Italian Fathers resident in the city referred the matter to the Hsien—but as usual no action was taken in the matter, and a0 they on Sunday laid the matter before the French Conaul, who proniptly notified the Taotai, At the same time the American and English missionaries notified their respective Consuls, and to-day the entire Consular body at Hankow are to take joint action in the affairs, The rowdy element of the already excited and is issuing gainst the native Christians, while ribald anti-foreign songs are being freely sung by boys upon the streets.
Sah-yang: jen" and Mid-yang-jen ('kill the foreigners") ('exterminate the foreignera") are the pleasant sounds that greet one's ears. Native Christians were told yesterday that they would have three days more" to stay and then the would be bound and thro ut, of the city "with their foreign tath This series of posters was supplemented during Saturday night by two cartoons, one representi the Crucifixion and the other a Christian worship. They are too vile and obscene to be described minutely in the publi press; suffice it to say that they represent the Saviour of the world as a pig and the incarnation of the god of lust They have been Laid before the various Consuls for their inspection and all agree that the annals of antiquity furnish nothing to compare with them The titles of the various sheets are as follows "False doctrines must die"—(circulated in book form.)
"The sweeping away of false ten chi "The eradication of error and implanting of-truth."
"Rill the Devils," song for popular distribution.
Dovils worshipping the pig-apparition"
cartoon, "Worship of the heavenly hog"—a cartoon.
"Do not become devils," etc.
The object of these publications is not only anti-Christian, but generally ani foreign. Beginning with the native Christians, who are to be boston, stabbed and thrown into rivers, they pass on to the missionaries and then to the other foreigners for whom the missionaries are said to act as agents.
Prompt and stern measures on the part of his Excellency the Viceroy are looked for by the foreigners of all nationalities. Any, procrastination may lead to serious trouble.
S. C. Paraivcr, American Church Mission.
Wuchang, 10th March.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.