T am informed that the stories about foreigners digging out the eyes of children and using them for medicine, other slanderous reports, are having consid run just now in this province. It ficult to understand how even Chinese can believe such tales.
Placards were put up at Taiyuan Fu, calling upon the people to assemble on the third of the eleventh month and destroy the foreign residences. These evil notices were quickly torn down by the authori and the foreigners do not apprehend avy violence.
Tt is highly improbable that any serious trouble will come to the foreign residents in this province. The Shansi people do not take to rioting, as readily as do their fellow country-men at the South, There is no doubt a great deal of ill-feeling here, but hitherto it has manifested itself by giving us the cold shoulder" instead of shower of brickbats,
Taku recently infoduced two jinricsha The Proprietor if Tientsin store at into his city. One of them was quickly bought by a wealthy man, for an ornament but the other ts sul much to expect that w the first to break thro his country by riding in one of them. Perhaps some time in the roads will be so improved that, the foreig: ers will be able to show what is possible in this respect.
'The Chinese say that earthquake shock are experienced here about once in ten years. The present year has been exceptional, as five distinct shocks have been felt.' The heaviest was in the spring of the year; in whic! estimated that upwards of a hundred persons were killed. On the fifteenth of October two shocks were felt at Féncho Fu.
The English Baptist Mission, a little while ago, received' several persons to membership, after a probation extending over nearly four years. This certainly shows that the missionaries in charge acted with caution. Experience teaches that it is well to make haste slowly" in admitting the Chinese to the privileges of church membership.
Another company of niissionaries has recently come into'the province to work along independent lines.
3rd December, 1891.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.