Chang Chih-tung reports that about 5 p.m, on the 26th of September a fire broke out in the Meijen street, Hankow, owing to the carelessness of a man named Hsit Isu, while preparing his evening meal. As Hankow is only separated from Wuchang by the river the great extent of the fire could be clearly discerned from the latter city. Memorialist, mindful of the fact. thnt the greatest care has at present to be ex-excised to restrain the bad characters along the river from taking advantage of any opportunity to cause a disturbance, at once despatched civil and military officers in Taunches to transfer the naval troops at Hankow and Hanyang to the scene of the conflagration and preserve order in the streets. Notwithstanding the fact that tire -Jengines were at once on the spot, the crowded and narrow state of the streets, and a high wind, rendered it impossible to get the fire under until some 1,890 houses had been burned: Fortunately the neighbourhood was not a very select une and the houses destroyed were of the lower class, The inhabi are miserably poor and who have lost everything, are. being looked after by the Acting District Magis: trate and " sun of Tls. 5,000 has been set. apart by the Provincial Treasury to relieve the distress. The Shanghai Taowi Nieh has forwarded a sum of Tis, 1,000 in aid of the sul
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.