It is only a few days since we published some particulars of an attack made by villagers in the neighbourhood of Shanghai upon a belated horseman. Another case has just occurred, under circumstances which call for some action to be taken by the authorities, for the protection of paperhunters and cross-country riders generally. On Thursday afternoon Mr. F. Souter was riding in the rear of the field following the draghounds. Being anxious to get ahead he put his pony at a big jump, with the result that the pony struck the opposite bank with his chest and fell. The bridle came off in Mr. Souter's hand, and the Pony dashed off after the rest of the hunt.
(r. Souter gave chase, passing through three or four villages on his way, The inhabitants of these no sooner saw that Mr. Souter was dismounted, and that there were no more foreigners in sight, than they began to assemble, to the number of about to pelt the unfortunate foreigner with lumps of frozen earth and to set a dozen or fifteen dogs at him. Mr. Souter, whose only weapon of defence was a light cane, slowly retreated until he was stopped by a ditch, whereupon the natives upon him, with the evi pushing him into the water.
To escape the attacks of the dogs Mr. Souter mounted a large grave, on which, however, he formed good target for missiles. He was knocked down by a blow on the back of the head from "lump of bard mud, and received a cut on the wrist from " broken bottle. It was now rapidly growing dark, and there is no knowing how the affair might have ended had not a man with a wheelbarrow happened to come along, whereon Mr. Souter had the presence of mind to seat himself. Whether this appealed to the Chinamen's sense of the ludicrous or whether they were tiring of their sport of foreigner-baiting is not clear. At any rate they contented themselves with a partin, volley of mud and Mr. Souter was wheele: away out of the very tight place" in which he had been. After proceeding for about half 4 mile he saw lights in the! distance and hailed the bearers of them, who turned out to be mafoos sent in quest of him, Under their guidance Mr. Souter reached home without further mishap. His encounter with the villagers took place about three miles from Jessticld,-betireen that place and Sicay If, a8 there seems to be no doubt, any cross-country rider who comes to grief is Hliable to such treatment xs that which Mr. Souter experienced, it is high tine that some pressure was brought to bear by the foreign consuls on the Chinese authorities, with a view to prevent a repetition of such outrages ax those on Inspector Cameron and Mr. Souter. A mere distribution of placards in flowery dictic Bointing out the wrongfulness of assaulting defenceless foreigners, will not do, The Chinese officials are quite able to execute justice in their own way, and it is to be hoped they will be induced to do it on the strength of these two cases,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.