The Daily Press publishes letter from a of the distressed state of the people. It is Cathotie Priest in Honan giving an account dated Nan-yen-fu, 28th August. The writer had just returned from a visit of two months to the flooded districts; he went in a small boat to the various villages which rise in small islands above the surface of the water, which is now as high as in last September and the flood is from 36 to 40 li in breadth. He describes the relief he afforded and after saying that the breach in the river cannot be repaired this year, goes on But to return to our Christians. It is a pity not to be able to give them more substantial help, and also not to be able to extend it to the pagans. But. from the committee at Shanghai, which has collected sort thousands of taels, we have been able to obtain loaning be ar some generous assistance from Rome and our friends at home has enabled us to do the little we have done. The Protestant missionaries came to the scone of the disaster to distribute the alms collected in Shanghai, but they were alniost all new to the place and people and they went to the spots where the local yernment had collected the distressed families by thousands, and distributed relief by hazard, which displeased the officials, who made them retire. Their help, scattered without any nile among so many thousands of distressed persons, could be of little real use. post {o foreigners, looked upon it as a sides, the Government officials, always opind of reproach to have strangers assisting in work. which they thought they were Gatholic missionary, on the contrary, living wuite competent to do themselves. The entirely amongst the people and. knowing the _sittrct and famille, and known also by the, people' in many places, has no need and there, under the Cid of the suspicious to al in public scattering cash here mandarin, ang doing little real good; he can work quietly and unobtrusively. The crushing taxation for the -repair—of the aristian families and also others came to breach, and that an epidemic of cattle dis-us themselves to beg for help, which is disease has destroyed more than two thirds of tributed in proportion tothe well-known cir-the cattle of the whole. province, anyone cumstances of every family. In this way our will be able to judge for himself' whether assistance, if for want of funds it cannot the misery prevailing must not be. wide); be so large, is at least of greater advantage trtanded' dnd intends, "ihe. founded far as it goes, often changing the dis-statements published in the newspapers, position of the recipients towards foreigners will, I fear, indirectly cause great, damage, and their religion, dissipating many preventing' many people in China and judices, and establishing amicable relations even with the literati. "It was the same in 200 Christian families or for the rebuilding rope sending us assistance even for our this the worst part of Honan in the famine of our houses and chapels, destroyed by of 1876. But the protestant missionaries, the flood. prevented, as I have said, in their work of charity, have published in the newspapers
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.