The present season seems to har peculiar in several respects, Se rains fell durin th moon, some of them accompanied with loud and continu ous thunder, " most unusual circumstance. In this particular district, about " month ago there was a sudden and violent rainfall which lasted for about two hours, filling up all the cuts in the loamy soil, and making the rods almost impassable. Yet this down-pour was but the thi knife, and half a mile south, there was practically no rain at all. No wonder the natives said that the sixth moon had broken over into the ninth. The effect of so much irrigation is to advance the prospects of the wheat, and to make the sifting out of peanuts much more difficult than common, being always a task that only people of a patience practically infinite would think of undertaking. A destructive hail-storm, toward the eid of the fifth moon, ruined vast areas of cotton, which had to be all replanted. The result was to make the cotton crop much later than usual, so that even in the Inst third of November there are persons to be see some of the neighbouring counties, gathering cotton pods, or cutting up the stalko, Another idiosyncracy of this year of grace, is the absence of any frost-fall.' an event which the almanac sets for the 24th of October. But ea far as we have been able either to see or to hear, for a great distance hereabouts, there was no such thing as a frost at all, but on the night of Nov. 15th a cold wind lowered the temperature, so that water froze, and the patient leaves, tired of waiting for the over-due congelation of dew, quietly curled up and died as well as they could without it!
The proclamations in regard to the arrest of the Kolao Hui, are said in some places to have put a stop to the performances of the Tsai Li, or Temperance Society, to which frequent allusion has been heretofore made. While the good-nature of some magistrates is excessive, there are others who cannot be made to dissociate temper ice from rebellion, and in. times.when special attention is attracted to any particu lar sect, it is the policy of all the others to follow the example of B'rer Rabbit," and "lie low." The proclamations regarding the troubles at the south, ordering protection for chapels, &c., have, as already mentioned, been posted widely, probably" wniversally. But all efforts to get the special sheets promised by Li Hung-chang for atate chapel,' have altogether is part of this province, but. not Repeated applications to the consulates invariably end in some feeble nullity from a Taotai, and the matter is dropped. ore be said to. be trid, e bands of rob Althous 8 CLO}
bers which roam over the country ap: pear to be quite as numerous as in apy years, and the local militia is kept, busy in swift raids for captures, A seizure' of a dozen or so recently took place in the Ptingyuen district, but half as many more escaped. A large pawn-shop within two miles of th t was looted at night not, long since, and several hundred taels of sycee captured, with the usual impunity from attack by the neighbours, why care nothing when a rich and odious corporation takes its turn in eating bitterness.' The local official made his polite call to see the place where the mischief was accomplished, and perhaps that is the end of it.
The new Governor of this province seems to be taking hold of some of his duties with vigour. Iv is said by persons in the yanién of the magistrate who captured the schuulgirls on the way to Peking Inst September, that when that official went to: Chinan Fu, he was soundly rated by the Governor for meddling with what did not concern him, Mention was made a few weeks agu of an effort on the part of a party of Canadian issionativs, to occupy a place culled n, @ market-town the pre fecturs of Weihai Fu, Ho Owing to the unsettled—political " condition of affairs, it was not thought best that ladies should yo for the present, bat several gentlemen entered into possession of their leased property, and began to make suitably repairs, Warned, perhaps, by the abortive attempt at expulsion by robbery, which took plice xt Ch'uwang, another markd rly vevupied the opponents of the foreign barbarian resorted to " more crafty method. They employed a large band of professional beggars and blackmailers, belonging to fraternity known as the *head-cutters! (because if their demands are nor granted, they ab once proceed to out upon their own heads with knives, thrusting themeelve into prominent posi ich they refus abandon until all their terms are met). Gangs of this sort are a social force of vast importance, and no large fair can be held until the managers have come to terms with the leaders of the head-cutters, else all business will be stopped. A' party of thi persons made their appearance before the foreigners' premises, brandishing knives, demanding a large sum of money, They rushed into the courts, threatened to assault the foreigners, wounded them. selves, and made believe that one of their number had been wounded by the foreigners in the fray, only to claim later, that this poor injured mortal was dead, and reparation must be made The suddenness of the attack, and the helplessness of the foreigners, made compromise seem necessary for the time, but the band returned at intervals renewing their demands. 'Peace-talkers' from the
200 strings of cash) to} guarantee that th town volunteered (for the consideration of party should not come again! Upon appeal to the local official, it was discovered that he was securely sealed up in an examination, real or imaginary, for a period of ten days or a0, and could give no other help tha issuing (after waiting ten days) a warrant
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.