The Rev. W. Muirhead has handed us or publication the following extracts from a letter from Chuchia The waters of the Yellow River have once more taken possession of thousands of mow of land in Huimin, Pinchou, P'ut'ai, Liching and Pohsing. On the Ith inst. the river burst its southern embankment just opposite to Liching (44 #t) and flooded all that region. It was only a few li from the place where it broke through its bank j that Mr. Chin had constructed his dyke. This dyke enclosed thirty villages and two hundred ching. When the fresh break took place some villains, under cover ut night, made a breach in the dyke. The flood waters rushed through and destroyed all hopes of the autumn harvest. On the 12th inst. 1 was in Chanhwa and sent a messenger to Mr. Chin, he messenger returned from Liching with the report that Mr. Chin had returned to Yang-hsin because of the flood, and because he could do nothing now that the dyke was destroyed. He also reported that Liching was in great danger, as the water of the Yellow River had risen so much that it was higher than the city wall. 1f the embankment gave way the city and neighbouring
sent the messenger on to Mr. Chin and had villages would certainly be swept away, reply from him the next day. He urged me to hurry on to Yanghsin as the river had broken its north bank to the south-west, and the water was flowing in the direction of Chanhwa. As we were driving over the Piingchiakou we saw the water was flowing fromthesouth ina bed which it had made for itself several yearsago.. The road lay across this bed. When we drove past in the cart the water was just commencing to flow over the road. The next day we heard the sad news that the flood had swept over the same districts that it had inundated last year. Mr. Chin called on me in Yanghsin and said that relief was not needed just now as he and his companions had only finished distributing money a few days ago. He said moreover that the poor people would be most badly off after the autumn, when the cold weather was setting in.
Chuchia, 23rd July.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.